CALIBRE RAVE 29

£550 (with £5 GO Outdoors card) The solid entry-level hardtail returns

- Nick Clark

After a pandemic hiatus, GO Outdoors-owned Calibre have revived their Rake line of top-value entry-level hardtails. While they're also available with 650b wheels, this 29in-wheeled version has long-and-low geometry plus a clever trail-ready parts spec.

THE FRAME

The Rake is made from 6061 alloy tubing, with well-finished welds and an aggressive-looking silhouette. A sloped top tube helps keep the frame away from your knees when getting loose in tight turns. Full-length external cable routing should make home repairs a doddle, while rack mounts give you the option to turn this brute into a 'ute: A slack-ish 66-degree head angle helps provide descending stability, while a fairly steep 74.5-degree seat tube angle sits you far enough over the cranks for climbing steep chutes. In the interest of money saving, the bike has quick-release dropouts rather than a rear through-axle, which will limit future wheel upgrade options.

THE KIT