Merida has updated the Ninety-Six, its flagship cross-country and fast trail bike, for 2021. The range-topping RC 9000 delivers a fast but very capable design and suspension platform, with a build capable of tackling the more technical modern cross-country race courses. But is it radical enough to be a fast trail bike?​

The Scribe Carbon Wide++ 700 Disc Wheel set is a super-fast setup that's incredibly light, responsive and quick to engage. The performance matches or beats wheels at twice the price, and as an overall package it's hard to fault.

The Altura Vortex 2 is a lightweight frame pack with fantastic weatherproofing. If you don't care about downtube bottle mounts or your bike is very tall, its performance is superb – but for many frames it's an awkward depth for frame bosses.

The Altura Vortex 2 Waterproof Compact Seatpack is well priced and stands up brilliantly to heavy rain and spray. The weight is good and it's stable too, though some of the fixings are a little fiddly to secure and adjust.

Vittoria is underselling this by naming it the Terreno Dry. While it is excellent on dry surfaces, as you might hope, it's surprisingly capable for more general, year-round conditions too. It's one of the best fast tyres you can buy, and cheaper than other premium tyres to boot.

The reborn Vittoria Saguaro is a good cross country all-rounder that copes with just about all conditions and surfaces. It's budget friendly, rolls well and offers decent protection, but only comes in a single size.

The Crankbrothers Eggbeater 3 pedals are light, extremely easy to use and have the best mud-shedding performance of any clipless pedal available. The lack of a platform does make shoe choice more important than usual, though.

The Mt Zoom Ultralight 760mm Carbon Flat Bar is perfectly named – it's all those things, without doubt. With its generous width and nine-degree sweep, it should suit most modern cross country setups, and it's more than stiff enough for general riding or racing, too.

The new Canyon Grizl is designed to take on whatever you fancy – it's a versatile and comfortable ride that can suit various styles of riding. Big tyres and clearances make it comfortable yet still capable of going fast, but while it has all the mounts, it doesn't feel like a true adventure bike.

The DeWidget' G FuNk' & Strap Deck handlebar system is a 2-part package from drj0n bagworks that offers a simple, lightweight bikepacking carrying solution. It provides wide flexibility on what you can mount, so long as you keep within the recommended limit of 1.7kg.