BIG MOUNTAINS ON A SMALL BUDGET

WE SEE IF YOU CAN REALLY RIDE PROPER PEAKS WITH A £500 BIKE AND BARGAIN-PRICED KIT

- James Vincent

You can ride anywhere on anything if you've got decent tyres and solid brakes!" It was nothing really, just one of those passing comments I didn't expect anyone to pick up on, let alone take particularly seriously. But someone at GO Outdoors got wind of my bravado and decided to put it to the test, which is how I find myself at the foot of Ben Lomond, in the Scottish Highlands, sitting atop a Calibre Rake 27 hardtail costing just £500*. A drop in the ocean compared to the cost of even a mid-range full-suspension bike - heck, the wheels alone on my main bike cost more than this.

Contenders ready

It'd be rude of me to keep this cost-conscious fun all to myself, so MBUK have sent two intrepid riders north to join me - BikeRadar videographer Robyn Furtado and presenter Tom Law. Robyn confesses that since moving to Bristol she's spent most of her time riding gravel bikes, while Tom is more familiar with the trail centres of Wales than the big mountains of Scotland. Apparently, no one warned them what they were letting themselves in for when agreeing to come on a ride with me! Our plan is as simple as the bikes are affordable to see if we can successfully ride a budget mountain bike up and down a proper mountain. Do we really need to spend thousands upon thousands of pounds to have a good time on bikes, or can it be done for a more realistic price? In the red corner for Team Budget, we have a trio of Calibre Rakes, each sporting a lightweight aluminium frame, 100mm of front suspension, hydraulic disc brakes from Clarks and 18 of Shimano's finest gears (oh yes, dear reader, the front mech is back!).