Plenk PC/ Freeride

Advantages: Light, strong, perfect
Disadvantages: absolutely nought for my riding style

...Ok, first I should make it clear that although I'm writing an op for the Kona Manomano bike I only actually run the FRAME from the '98 Manomano bike which I picked up while working at my local mountain bike shop a couple of years ago now. The bike had been stripped down for various parts leaving the frame which I snapped up for a fair sum (£450). I now, and have been for the last 2/3 years, running it as a freeride/downhill rig and I have to say, its perfect. As I'm not one for hucking off cliffs and/or houses the 7005 ally structure is quite strong enough and the fox vanilla rear shock provides 3.5" of plush, lovely suspension even when I havent cleaned out the pivot bushings for ages and I've been riding it in British winter weather!? I run it with 5" Stratos FR4 dual-crown forks and various other dh gubbins such as MRP chain... Read review

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Advantages: Ease of turning, handling, style, following.
Disadvantages: None I can think of.

...I go to Sandown ski club ever week, and I always try to get the Salomon X-Screams. They are incredibly easy to turn, have a nice carving action, and are probably one of the best skis around. They have a huge free-ride following, and are used by beginners and experts alike. They are the skis by which all others are judged. The newer X-screams have the Prolink arms 'to guarantee ski/snow contact'. Wether it actually works is another matter... but it sounds and looks cool! So basically, these skis will suit anyone, especially those who are looking to improve their turning and confidence, and want to learn how to carve easily. Excellent skis!... Read review

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Advantages: Simple to use, sturdy and reliable, great value for money
Disadvantages: A pain to set up

...It is imperative to know how far you've gone, how long it took and what your fastest speed was and the only way to do this is with a cycle computer. It is a must have bit of kit to ensure that you are actually improving. Computers can be wired or wireless. Off road it is important to ensure that the amount of things that can get tangled up in hedges, branches etc is kept to an absolute minimum and the only option, therefore, is a wireless computer. I stumbled across the Cat eye vectra whilst looking through the Evans Cycles site. The selection is vast and the functions, and prices, vary greatly. I only required the basic functions - the amount of calories I burn off, what my heart rate is etc doesn't really bother me. The Vectra is the most basic wireless computer that Evans sells, however, it has all the functions that I... Read review

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