Seb's Pole Evolink 140 En €2350*

Long wheelbase copes admirably with slippery terrain.

This month I’ve been busy using the Pole as a laboratory for testing semislick tyres. This meant fitting a moto timer and doing a lot of timed runs, both on straight fire roads (to gauge rolling speed) and on more technical courses.

Riding slippery downhill tracks in February and early March with semislicks on front and rear was a dicey experience at times, but the bike took it all in its stride. The long wheelbase makes riding fast on slippery terrain far more manageable, and the sensitive suspension improves the tyres’ grip.

I’ve also been riding the Vitus Sommet CRX rather a lot this month. With a fairly short wheelbase and a dinky reach, it’s an enduro bike with far more conservative geometry than the Pole, creating a rather interesting contrast.