The Giro women’s Arc shorts are a simple and unfussy pair of shorts that are ideal for summer trail riding, however, the fit wasn’t perfect and they come up a tad short in the leg to be worn with knee pads.

The Cycle Show takes place at the NEC Birmingham between 28th and 30th September and we are gearing up to take a look at some brand new mountain and gravel bikes. As well as playing host to some of the biggest names in the off-road riding world there will also be loads of new gear you'll want to make a beeline for. 

We caught sight of one of the first Specialized Stumpjumper EVO's to touch the UK dirt and held it up for a quick photoshoot. Here's the new and eagerly anticipated trail bike, up close and personal in its factory spec and it looks like an absolute ripper.

With many of the big bike brands not in attendance at Eurobike and the like there were plenty of new bikes on display at the Cycle Show 2018. Whilst we might have seen a few of this little lot on the internet, there were still some surprises from the likes of Stanton, Shand, Ribble, Mason and Calibre who launched new mountain and gravel bikes at the popular NEC show.

If you want a suitably chic, reasonably priced, do-it-all gravel bike from a British brand then looking in the direction of Kinesis wouldn't be a bad idea. We told you about the new G2, a £1,500 complete gravel bike back in July and it was one of the first bikes we headed over to take a first look at on our arrival at the 2018 Cycle Show. 

The new Whyte S-120 has been on our radar for a little while now after hearing about it at Sea Otter in June. Whyte are still keeping their cards relatively close to their chests though, so as not to overshadow the launch of the updated T-130. We took a first look at the newest addition to the Whyte family at the NEC Cycle Show yesterday. 

Cotic has just launched a new hardtail bike, the SodaMAX, its titanium, its a 29er, its drop dead gorgeous and there will only be 20 made in 2018, feast your eyes.....

The women’s Specialized Stumpjumper in the Comp Alloy form is the cheapest bike in the range, coming in both 27.5 and 29er guises. It’s a fun bike and a light build that will devour most trails in the UK but the geometry isn’t set up for going fast or getting really rowdy. We wished it took a leaf from the EVO book to add a touch more stability and boost confidence on the descents.

Crankbrothers have just released three brand new wheelsets, they are all made from carbon and all have a lifetime warranty. Designed by people who have their roots in composite wheel design, the Synthesis wheels for downhill, enduro and cross-country are 'tuned' to ensure the right amount of stiffness versus compliance for mountain bikes.