The Evoc Trail Pro 16L is a medium-size day pack with a clear focus on lightweight protection, and although it has good, versatile storage space, a tough build and back protection, it lacks some features I’d expect for an alpine or all day pack at this price.

The Hunt Trail Wide 29 wheelset is a well-designed, well-made, and well-priced wheelset. Tubeless-ready out of the box, these wheels are reliable and tough for all-around trail use. For the money, you'd be hard pushed to find much else as good.

There is a lot to like about the KS LEV-Si. Reasonable price, 150mm drop, numerous sizes and well made. Add easy fitting, reliability and consistency across the test period, and there is plenty to recommend and almost nothing to complain about with this dropper post.

An updated version of a classic, the Onza Porcupine fails to offer anything exceptional and is adequate, at best. Construction and materials are decent enough, showing some performance areas, but lacks cornering bite and reliable grip when needed.

The 9point8 Slack-R head kit is a very specific piece of kit, that if it fits, will slacken your head angle. It’s well made and cheaper than a new frame, but it’ll only fit certain frames, and on top of that you’ll need to make sure you have enough fork steerer for it to fit.

The Fearless Warlock is one of the new breeds of all-terrain bikes. Although it has drop bars, it holds its own on many off-road trails and keeps the speed up. The versatile build, thoughtful attention to detail and decent price point makes the Warlock a competitive, different and great riding steel frameset for off-road adventuring.

The CST BFG 29 x 2.4 tyre is a hard-wearing, all-purpose tyre - it's good for mainly dry trails if you ride a lot of distance on hard-packed terrain. And although it's pretty tough and cheap, it isn't one for more challenging, looser trail conditions in the dry or wet.

The Gaerne Hurricane MTB shoe is an upper-mid range clipless shoe with a dialled fit thanks to the BOA closure, smart low profile look and long-ride comfort, both when riding and for shorter walks.

The Gore Explore shirt is a relaxed fit riding top that uses a mix of merino and polyester. Its relaxed fit and modern, subtle style makes it a great choice for multi-days or just if you don't like road style tops. It's lightweight and packable, works well with a base layer or on its own - perfect for gravel or bike packing trips, but there is no getting around the price.

With the PipeDream Full Moxie now approaching over half a year of riding, I've got to know the ride and its qualities well. In short, it's a confidence-inspiring, hard-charging bike that can climb well despite the number on the scales. It has a definite downhill focus but doesn't let itself down at all for more general riding. While it's not a cross-country machine, it'll happily churn out long days.