ROB’S DELIGHTFUL DOZEN

12 STANDOUTS OF 2023

BIG BLUE – MY RENAULT MASTER CAMPERVAN

Sadly my 2007 Renault Master van doesn’t have the same maintenance-free nature as the Hope pedals. In fact, I’ve spent as much maintaining and improving this thing as I have on rent this year and haven’t used it as a camper nearly as much as I’d have liked. But on the occasions, I have, I’m reminded of just how good campervan life can be. Here’s hoping 2024 will feature more enjoyment and less repairs.

NUKEPROOF MEGAWATT CARBON EMTB

It took a single day on the new Nukeproof eBike for it to stand out as the best new eBike I’ve ridden this year. The new SRAM Eagle Powertrain certainly didn’t detract from the experience, but it wasn’t the stand-out in the performance. Instead, the sweet combination of composure and comfort that the MegaWatt C offered and the resulting confidence to charge hard down the trails of Bikepark Dolomiti Paganella in Italy was the element that engrained itself deep in my head.

ORBEA OCCAM LT

Another bike that stood out to me after just a couple of days riding, the latest Orbea Occam in its LT guise offered up a serious amount of fun in the Pyrenees mountains during its launch event. Undoubtedly it was helped by the team of mechanics at my disposal to make small tweaks and change out elements of the spec, and generally give me the “pro” experience. The incredible selection of trails by Doug and his team at Basque MTB didn’t hurt either. But even so, the Occam LT helped to unlock every last bit of enjoyment, with a great blend of descending confidence; a generally dialed feeling, and plenty of agility and pedaling efficiency retained. I’m seriously looking forward to this one turning up for its long-term review.

RIDE CONCEPTS TALLAC BOA CLIPS

I loved the Ride Concepts Tallac BOA flat pedal shoes last year, so I had high hopes that their clip version would also hit the top step of my shoe rankings. Much to my relief, they did exactly that, offering the same fantastic blend of comfort, protection, relatively low weight and good pedal feel that their flat pedal counterparts did, with a nicely rearward cleat position. My new favorite clip shoes for slightly drier and warmer times.

BOSCH SX POWERED WHYTE E-LYTE 150

I have only had a couple of rides on this at the time of writing, but the E-Lyte 150 RSX has so far proved to be a great machine to utilize the capabilities of the Bosch SX lightweight motor. The motor is the main standout here, offering close to the “go” of a full power motor so long as you’re prepared to spin a high rpm, with a lighter and slimmer overall package and seemingly impressive range. I’m excited to get more time on this bike and the Bosch SX system.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

I was fortunate to visit many locations in the USA this year as part of various projects, from the PNW to the desert. Being from the UK, I didn’t really have any perception of America’s riding outside of the most well-known spots, so was pleasantly surprised about the high quality of trails I encountered along the way. Of course, good weather and great company made it all the sweeter, as is usually the way. It’s safe to say that I’m looking forward to exploring more of the western side of the pond.

CONTINENTAL GRAVITY TIRES

It seems that every time I equip a bike with the new generation of Continental Gravity tires, it instantly feels a little bit more dialed. The high level of damping that the Conti rubber provides reduces the vibrations and skittishness through the bike which raises confidence in its performance, and their good tread patterns and high level of grip let you put that confidence to good use by attacking the trail. They’re really good.

RAAW MADONNA

After a few years as a full-time bike tester, I’m fairly competent at hopping on a new bike and feeling quite comfortable. But the RAAW Madonna was exceptional in this regard, letting me hop on and charge hard from lap one. With a bit of tweaking, I eked out some further performance, but the real magic of the Madonna was its overall balance and predictability, for which it is exceptional.

DOWNHILL BIKES

YT Industries kindly provided me with a Tues Core 4 29er to test for the long term, which you’ll see on the site soon. Sadly, I don’t find myself on many uplift days, with testing amounting to 9 hard days on the bike in total over a significant span of the year. The four of those days that occurred in the bike parks of the French Alps and the couple of days lapping the best UK bike parks have been six of the best days on a bike I’ve had all year. Downhill bikes are just the best. I’m hoping for much more downhill bike time in 2024.