Bird Bikes have been rocking the UK bike scene for a few years now, not only with their progressive frame designs but with their direct-to-consumer sales model too. We recently popped in to see the good guys at the helm of all things Bird and have an afternoon spin on their Aeris 145 trail machine.

Lizard Skins have made a number of signature grips over the years, the most recent being this, the Danny Macaskill edition. They’re Lizard Skins first single-sided lock-on design and although they look the part they left us wanting in terms of vibration damping and cushioning.

We are now regularly stepping out in waterproof gear, here we test the Cube Blackline Rain Shorts. They aren’t cheap but they prove to be high performers with an adjustable elastic waistband and importantly, durable and waterproof too.

Ion’s years of producing high-end technical wear for the watersports world mean they’re certainly not newbies to designing aesthetically pleasing clothing, something pretty clear when looking at this Scrub Amp jersey from the 2018 range.

The Xeccon Zeta 1300R front light is one of many lights offered by the Chinese brand. It provides 1300 lumens in a wide rather than long beam and within a neat and tidy package.

The Crankbrothers Stamp 3 is the components brand’s almost entry level flat pedal offering and with two sizes available, there will always be pedal to match your shoe size. Whilst grip is considerable on the large platform with sharp pins, the lack of a concave design on these cheaper versions means they’re often unpredictable just when you’d rather they weren’t.

The Smith Forefront with MIPS is a lid that wouldn’t look out of place in a Star Wars movie. However, despite its marmite aesthetics and its ability to hold in heat a little more than ideal, its one ‘helluva’ a head wrap - lightweight, all day comfortable and packed with features.

The Sixpack is Exposure Lights flagship model and offers 4,750 lumens of nighttime banishing brightness. Now, large lumen counts are nothing new to the night light world but what is exciting, and ultimately most important, is how usable it is.

Camelbak have churned out some banger hydration and rucksack products in their time and the Mule LR 15 is no different. Aimed at longer days in the saddle, it's feature-filled and durable - have Camelbak literally thought of everything?

The R130 is Robot Bike Co.'s riotous wagon wheeled 130mm ripper using the progressive DW6 linkage to drive a trunnion mounted shock. Marry that to the alternative brand’s proven carbon/titanium manufacturing process and customisable geometry model and you have the recipe for something very, very special.