If you’re a mountain biker looking for your first drop bar bike for some sneaky training on a variety of surfaces, the Nukeproof Digger Pro could be for you. The chunky WTB Sendero tyres, dropper post, wide handlebar and short stem ensure it really shines on the dirt with great handling poise that’ll have you ripping, popping and sending in no time.

The Ritchey Ultra is a gorgeous steel hardtail that operates as a lithe and engaging cross-country and trail bike. It’s fast and fun on all sorts of trails from fast and flowing to tight and technical, the steel frame looks after you on rough terrain but isn’t negatively flexy, and the big tyres provide stacks of traction and bump absorption. It’s just a huge amount of fun. 

Canyon’s new aluminium Grail adventure and gravel bike is a huge amount of fun on twisty trails and is able to provide good speed on a wide variety of surfaces, from road to gravel tracks. It’s also great value, as you’d expect from Canyon and is well specced, though I’d prefer to see a sub-compact chainset for tackling steep off-road climbs or laden with bikepacking equipment. 

Gravel and bikepacking are key buzzwords in the cycling world at the moment and UK clothing brand Morvelo has just launched its new Overland range that steps away from traditional tight road clothing and bagging mountain bike kit with “adaptable products that suit every day riding for road, trail, town - and all the bits in between”.

Totally waterproof, sturdy, easy to fit and looks good, the Rapha Waterproof Frame Pack is a solid, if expensive, choice if you want to embark on some bikepacking adventures this year. 

The new Specialized S-Works Recon shoes provide stunning performance and first-class fit, which makes them ideally suited to fast-paced and demanding mountain bike, gravel and adventure cyclists. They don’t come cheap mind, but if you can afford them, they are probably one of the best top-end shoes available right now. 

The Ibis Hakka MX provides a smooth and fast ride with great handling and space for wide tyres and versatility by way of mudguard mounts, and it’s light on the scales, but it is a pricey prospect in a competitive marketplace. 

For exploring the “road less travelled” as it is often called, WTB’s Byway is a decent choice providing as it does fast rolling speed on road and hardpack gravel, with only wet grass and mud finding the limits of a slick tyre for off-road duties.

Rose has entered the growing allroad/gravel/adventure bike market with the Backroad, and this Shimano 105-equipped model offers good performance with enough versatility to chuck it into service as a commuter or touring bike when you’re not micro adventuring. The ride quality will appeal more to speed merchants than comfort seekers though.