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We’re going to skip right to the point here. SRAM’s eagle AXS drivetrain is nuts. It’s brilliant. It’s expensive. Very expensive. But my word is it cool! Review done. Well, not quite. Since it was launched around 18 months ago, SRAM’s Eagle AXS drivetrains have been on everyone’s must try list. For many the cost is an issue, the latest kit is never cheap. Is it truly a gamechanger, or is it a solution to problem that doesn’t really exist? We went through the tech details in our preview post last year, so if you want the full low-down on the specs, give it a read. Here we’re focussed on what it’s like to live with and how it performs out on the trail.  We’ve had an X01 Eagle AXS upgrade kit for a few months and put it to the test to find out.

Installation

First things first, we had to fit the upgrade

It’s that time of year when we need to ruin the lovely clean look of our bikes and clutter them with mudguards in order to keep ourselves looking slightly more human and much less bog monster! Thankfully, mudguards these days are far superior to what has gone before and some even look kinda cool on the right bike. Whether you rule the road or rip the trails, mudguards will help keep you dry and stop you ruining your fancy winter clothing. Here’s out top picks for road bikes, commuters and mountain bikers.

Road & commuting mudguards

The big downside to riding on the road, whether that be for fun, training or commuting is spray from the road. Mud is not much too much of an issue, unless you ride rural country roads for example, but for most water spray from wet road surfaces can get you drenched in no time. And if you ride in a group, you’ll drenching whichever poor soul is behind you too! Getting a quality set of mudguards then can make a world of difference to your riding.

Gravel bikes and adventure riding are two of the hottest words in cycling right now, even more so since the start of the pandemic. A gravel bike opens up so much more of the world for you to explore, whether you come from a road or mountain bike background or a complete novice. You could best describe them as the best of both worlds. They give you the fast rolling nature of a road bike on tarmac combined with the ruggedness of a mountain bike to tackle trails off the beaten path. Ask any number of us here at Tweeks Towers what our N+1 or only bike would be, and we’ll likely answer with a gravel bike.

Rondo Bikes are based out in Poland and while a few of us here were familiar with their MTB sister brand NS Bikes, Rondo were a bit of an unknown to us. But the hype behind the brand was growing strong, so we decided

Even before the bike industry went crazy earlier in the year, Transition Bikes were on a roll. The Patrol has been a massive success, and the new Scout and Sentinel were basically sold out before their release. Then in June, we got wind of an all-new bike. The Spur. A lightweight, 120mm travel, 29-inch wheels “all-country” bike, designed to be ridden hard all-day long but do it in a real Transition Party in the Woods style..

I was the last of the Tweeks Team to take the plunge on a Transition (yep, little spoiler alert there); rad as their other bikes are, I prefer a shorter travel, lighter bike, with even their previous Smuggler being a little on the chunky side for me. But the Spur drew me in. Short travel? Check! Lightweight? Damn right it’s light. Like almost cross-country race light, with builds starting at just 11.2kg for the range topping XX1 AXS model. It weighs so little despite it’s chunky 2.4 Maxxis tyres with tough EXO casing. Despite it’s long travel dropper. Despite

Since returning to the Tweeks range for 2016, Transition bikes have gone from strength to strength. Rugged and durable, the bikes are built to take all the hammering you dare through at them, while offering an exceptional ride. Even the base models often run rings round supposedly “better” bikes..

For 2020 the range has seen some minor changes. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix as the saying goes! If you’re not familiar with the range, we’ve put together a quick guide to help you find the perfect Transition bike for you. From the ever-popular Patrol to the World Cup winning TR11, there’s a host of bikes from Transition that are just begging for your attention!

Transition Patrol

The Transition

Hope have been making some of the best disc brakes around
for over 25 years and are renowned around the world for their stunning
industrial looks and stellar performance.

The Hope
Tech 3 E4 brakes may have been around for few years but that doesn’t stop
them from being among the best brakes you can buy. A real staff favourite here
at Tweeks Towers, the E4 is suitable for a wide range of bikes from
Cross-Country and trail bikes right through to heavy-weight enduro sleds.

The first thing that strikes you about any Hope Tech
brakes is the finish: they’re stunning! Beautifully anodised and machined, they
look unlike any other brake on the market and just ooze quality and style.

I’ve owned my Transition Patrol for about two and a half
years now and I’ve put it through all kinds of different types of riding in
that time. From the roughest, steepest and scariest mountain bike trails I dare
to ride to long cross-country leg burners, it’s been highly impressive so far.

It pedals well when you’re climbing; so well in fact that
it really did surprise me on the first few rides. This bike was a step up in
travel compared to my last bike, the Patrol has 160mm travel at the front and
155mm at the rear. My previous bike was 140mm front and back, but the Transition
Patrol climbs much better thanks to some clever geometry malarkey that I don’t
really understand. The new 2020 bikes, with their advanced SBG (Speed
Balanced Geometry) sizing, are said to climb even better though!

Mine is the

Any
seasoned cyclist will be well aware of the dangers facing them on Britain’s
busy and often treacherous roads. But, when it comes to cycle safety on the
roads, many people have gaps in their understanding of the all-important
Highway Code.

According
to The Bike Storage Company, 60 percent of people who took a quiz on what they
knew (and didn’t) about the Highway Code wrongly believed that it was legal to
cycle on the pavement; something which is only legal in certain circumstances! A
full list of the Highway Code rules applicable to cyclists can be found

There are a lot of cyclists who, quite understandably,
lock their bikes up in their shed or garage in September and don’t bring it out
of its hibernation until the spring when the snow and frost are (mostly) a
thing of the past. At the same time, there are plenty of cyclists who see the
autumn and winter period as the prime time to take to the various mountain bike
(MTB) trails and trail centres around the UK.

These hardy souls who go out on their bikes whatever the
weather are able to take advantage of the often chilly, crisp days to test
their riding ability. In doing this they can find out not only about areas
where they need to improve their skills, but they can also find out a lot about
their MTB and equipment.

Whether you’re a fair weather rider or an “I’m going come
rain or shine” type, our

Very little comes close to an adrenaline-fuelled day at a
MTB (mountain bike) trail centre or bike park. For sheer convenience and the
multiple thrills on offer, trail centres just offer something different to
unmarked trails where you’re left to your own devices. Instead of riding around
in the unknown you can simply rock up, pedal around a marked trail and take in
some glorious descents along the way – and in most cases you’ll have a café to
relax in afterwards!

These purpose-built MTB trails are pretty handy to have
around. There’s a huge range of specially designed trails and trail centres in
the UK that weave their way through and around some incredible parts of the
country, and offer plenty of challenging obstacles to test your mettle on.

MTB trails should always be packed full of fast and
flowing