For the Autumn and Winter months for 2020 Endura has updated the MT500 range, refining all products and choosing a new fabric to make the already well-established range that bit better while making construction more environmentally friendly.

Hutchinson may not be an obvious choice for many riders but they make some great tyres – and the Griffus 2.5 is one of them. It shares many similarities with the Maxxis Minion DHF but the Griffus’ compound, casing and shoulder tread may just trump the king of trail/enduro tyres.

Alpinestars’ Techstar gloves are designed for downhill riding, but there’s nothing stopping a trail or enduro rider using them for extra protection. They’re well made and offer a great bar feel, but the cuff isn’t the most comfortable.

Today Salsa Cycles has launched two new bikes, the all-mountain Blackthorn and the Enduro focussed Cassidy. They both share the shame frame taking advantage of the brand's new Split Pivot+ suspension platform which allows the rider to increase or decrease the bikes travel, making it possible to turn the Cassidy into a Blackthorn and vice versa.

The Fabric Megabar is simple, well made and delivers a decent amount of air from its old-fashioned design. But while it looks nice, it’s too large to be seriously useful on the bike despite coming with a mount, and not as fast as a track pump at home. It also takes a surprising amount of effort to work.

The Shimano XT M8120 wheelset is durable, light and well priced. It gives a great ride feel too, but the Microspline freehub on our first wheel suffered issues.

Fabric's aptly named FunGuy Grip – half of it is a mushroom texture – offers its other half in micro-hex texture and features a soft compound. They dampen a bit of vibration and give decent grip with gloves, though they're not great when used with bare hands.

For 2021 Intense has given the popular Primer a refresh. The bike gets new colourways and the brand has sharpened the price points of all models, including the frame only options. 

As a result of going back to the brands' gravel pioneering roots, Genesis has unveiled two new bikes for 2021, the Croix De Fer 50 and 40. Alongside the addition of the two bikes, the brand has updated the Fugio with new colours.

WTB says that there have been no compromises in the quest to increase durability while keeping weight to a minimum. With the brands' new 120tpi casing and SG2 puncture protection WTB claim to have done just that.