BIKETEST ULTIMATE HIRE BIKES

We test three park-cum-DH rigs - the kind of bikes available in holiday spots like Morzine and Whistler, as well as uplift venues closer to home

- ALEX EVANS

If you're lucky enough to be going on a gravity-assisted riding trip this summer. whether to Antur Stiniog in Wales or Fort William in Scotland, further afield to Morzine and Les Gets in the Alps, or even somewhere as exotic as Whistler, Canada, or Rotorua, New Zealand, you're going to want a bike that can handle the gnarly, full-speed tracks there. While your trail or enduro rig works great at home, it'll likely feel out of its depth hurtling down national- or even World Cup-standard downhill runs. Buying a DH bike for a week's holiday might be in line with the 'N+1' bike ownership ethos, but it's unlikely to be financially viable, so many riders will rent one where they're staying.

In time for this year's trip, we've tested three machines that are representative of those found in bike rental shops across the world.

So, what are we looking for here? First and foremost, the bike's got to ride well downhill. This starts with its geometry - we're after a slack head angle (around 63 degrees), long wheelbase numbers (1,270mm+, size large) and a decent reach (470mm+, large). While going steeper and shorter will speed up the handling, it's likely that the tracks you'll be riding will be anything but slow, so any help you can get to calm the ride will be welcome.