The 2020 NS Bikes RAG+ 2 lives up to its name well – it's good on both Road And Gravel, and it's a fun bike to rag down the descents. Even in its refreshed form it's no longer the radical option it was when it first appeared, and some spec choices are perhaps a little underwhelming, but big tyre clearance, a host of useful details and the tough build impress.

Updated from last year's debut model, the 2020 Ragley Trig is a steel-framed, carbon-forked gravel bike with confident geometry, a 2x Shimano drivetrain and broad 700c wheels. While tyre clearance could be better and the cable disc brakes are underwhelming, the Trig is well-specced for the price, host to plenty of thoughtful details, and extremely versatile.

The 2021-model Merida BIG.NINE 5000 is a well rounded XC bike that makes light work of longer rides, but is still capable enough to make the downhills fun. Its well-rounded spec and decent fork mean its good right out of the box, but that lightweight carbon frame means it's entirely worthy of longterm upgrades.

The Silex is Merida's main gravel bike, with the 600 sitting near the top of the aluminium range with a single-ring SRAM Apex drivetrain and mixed SRAM/Shimano brakes. It’s studded with mudguard, rack and accessory mounts, boasts an impressively smooth carbon fork and sits riders up tall for a comfy ride, but the narrow-ish wheels and tyres undercuts its rough-trail potential.

The Merida Travel Framebag is tough, simple and very easy to fit thanks to a good range of adjustment across the top straps. While the fabric and zips are waterproof, however, the seams can leak in heavy rain, and overall it doesn't quite match up to the competition.

At 21.25 litres, the Merida Travel Saddlebag is one of the bigger packs out there. It can hold up to 5kg of gear, but it's pretty unstable on rough ground and hard climbs even with less than that stuffed in. The claimed 100 percent waterproofing can also be defeated by heavy rain.

The Lifeline Adventure frame bag fits 2.1 litres of storage beneath the top tube. It's a simple design with a single zip and one large storage area, while its 300D ripstop nylon fabric and welded seams mean it's both light and impressively waterproof. It might not be a looker, but it's cheap, simple and effective.

The LifeLine Adventure Seat Pack offers a reasonable 7.5 litres of storage within a single compartment. The ripstop fabric is strong, very waterproof and light – the whole thing weighs just 320g – while the Velcro and buckle straps are quick and secure. The tapered shape needs careful packing to stop the pack sagging, however.

The Adventure Top Tube Bag from LifeLine is a small, neat bag offering 0.7 litres of storage within a single zipped compartment. It may be basic but it's a slim, stable and effective way of keeping snacks and phones to hand.

The LifeLine Adventure Handlebar Bag holds 11 litres of cargo in impressively waterproof security. The simple straps can't stop it bouncing on rough trails, however, and the inability to space it out from the bar means it can interfere with cables and, on narrow or drop bars, hand positions.