CALIBRE LINE T3 29

£1,100 (with £5 GO Outdoors card) Cost-effective proper' mountain bike

- Luke Marshall

After a brief hiatus, it's fantastic to see Calibre releasing new bikes again. Their latest trail hardtail, the Line T3, keeps the brand's reputation for producing great bikes at excellent prices alive and kicking, in what's now a fairly competitive market. As well as the 29er version here, there's a 650b-wheeled model that retails for £100 less.

THE FRAME 

Built from 6061 aluminium alloy, the Line T3 29 looks more refined than you'd expect for the price. It has a stylishly slender top tube and a square-section down tube, with external cables routed neatly along its underside. Calibre have given plenty of thought to the frame's upgrade potential, too - it features a tapered head tube to fit modern suspension forks, a Boost 148x12mm bolt-through rear axle, which willl allow easy wheel upgrades and a seat tube port for the included dropper post. Plus, there's a set of water bottle bosses and an additional pair of lugs under the top tube for securing tools and spares.

The Line T3 29's geometry is wellsuited to its trail-trashing task. With the 140mm fork fitted here, the bike has a stable 65.5-degree head angle and relatively steep 75-degree effective seat tube angle. A short seat tube just 430mm long on our medium test bike - is matched with a moderate reach (450mm here), while 440mm chainstays should blend stability with snappy handling.

THE KIT