Mountain Bike Gear We LOVED In 2023 | MTB Gear Of The Year

We test hundreds of exciting new products every year at BikeRadar, but some impress more than others.

Whether it’s the best suspension forks, the latest drivetrains or waterproof clothing to keep us dry through a soggy British riding season, there are some bits of kit that become ride essentials.

2023 has been no different, so we sat our resident mountain bike nerds down to share their standout Gear of the Year picks.

Their selections cover the whole gamut of mountain biking components and accessories. Among their choices were the latest version of a suspension big-hitter, an aggro XC/trail tyre and possibly the oddest submission, some waterproof dungarees.

If you want to read more of our team’s Gear of the Year choices, check out the links to Bikeradar.com below. We also want to know about the products that impressed you in 2023. Let us know down in the comments!

#MTB #gearoftheyear #2023

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:35 Madison DTE 3-Layer Waterproof Bib Trousers
01:43 Crank Brothers Pedals
02:49 Maxxis Forekaster
04:00 2024 Rockshox BoXXer Ultimate
05:13 Garmin Edge 830
06:27 Sidi Dust MTB Shoes
08:05 Outro

6 Bikes Showing The Future Of Mountain Biking
→ https://youtu.be/YPF9oVshrVM

5 Mountain Bike Upgrades That Will Make Your Bike Better
→ https://youtu.be/TtSEgHQXsrg

Mountain Bike Tyres Are SO CONFUSING!
→ https://youtu.be/HylTh-YBJHo

Garmin Edge 840 Solar In-depth Review
→ https://youtu.be/aqxccV8yXg4

This Is Why YOU Should Buy A Lightweight Electric Mountain Bike
→ https://youtu.be/a4GBGZElAWE

The Best Road Tyres Right Now? | 2023 Road Gear Of The Year
→ https://youtu.be/Ggcp2uP5G7M

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2023 is coming to an end and that means it’s time for us Biers to wistfully look back on our favorite bits of Kit of the year now all of us could have picked a suspension product as there’s been so many highlights in that area this year

But to spare you a game of bike pogress sit related Bingo we’ve picked what really stood out to our test team this year and is now their go-to choice for All Occasions and only one luy Soul has been given the honor of highlighting a suspension for so stay tuned to see who

And what that might be but first Fashion Icon Tom Marvin has some dungarees for you those who followed my writing on bike radar will know that I’m a big fan of the waterproof onesie I’ve mentioned them here here here here here here here here here here and here as well as on

The bike CR our podcast all-in-one waterproof jumpsuit is the best barrier to wet weather that one can have though they have their limitations they’re warmer in use and if the fit ain’t good the fit really ain’t good and so while I’d always advocate for them I will do

So with a word of caution Madison’s waiters sorry biit trousers were first spotted early this year and as soon as I spotted them I knew I had to try them do they work yes very much so the inclusion of them into my winter wardrobe simply adds versatility on a stinking wet day

Pair with your best waterproof jacket once add ventilation open the jacket up and stay dry thanks to the front panel on a wet but not rainy day pair them with a jersey keeping you’re bum dry and you’re upper Breezy still with some additional protection from spray are

They perfect well nothing is but these are bloody good nonetheless and I shall continue to wear them as we transition through winter and into Spring in my years of riding clipon I’ve been a Shimano man through and through in 2023 though my head well my feet actually were returned with Crank Brothers sponsoring our bike of the Year Awards I was given the chance to try out the Brand’s pedal for the first time in

Years my only previous stallant with its pedal produce before was a set of egg beers that I tried on a road bike about 8 years ago now armed with a set of Mallet downhill shoes and pedals though I quickly became a surprise fan actually but that was only after I switched the

Optional easy release cleats up until then I’d struggled with them my right ankle is twisted and weak and I was Str to get enough movement to uncp with the stock cleats once I’ve swapped over to the easier Escape options though I’ve been hooked I’ve also used the new

Mallet Trail and these inur pedals and I equally a big fan of those they may be spendy compared to their Japanese Camp Parts but for the foreseeable future I think I’m going to be cranking it up with the Brothers if you live somewhere like the UK where it likes to rain a lowprofile CrossCountry Tire won’t cut it for a good chunk of the year the tire tread just isn’t deep enough to meaningfully dig into anything and generate any kind of grip the same can be said for LOM and

Dust too and that’s where the Maxis forecaster comes in Maxis say this tire fills the void between the speedier XC tires with their shallow Treads and their chunkier offerings aimed at Trail and inur riding where the Treads are taller and more aggressive sure compared to the super fast rolling XC Tire the

Forecaster does feel a little more labored on tarmac or hard packed sections of Trail but as soon as things are a little softer under Tire the forecaster really comes into its own when the mud does get thicker the forecaster manages to shed mud relatively quickly too all things considered rolling speed isn’t actually

That bad either while it might be great to be able to zip along with next to no effort on a shallow treaded XC race Tire if you can’t make it around the next turn is it really worth it give me that extra grip any day of the week

Week these are the best downhill Forks I’ve ridden okay I’ll admit there are some out there I haven’t tried such as the latest Manito Dorado or olin’s dh38 M1 Forks but the boxer packs a punch and is an extremely capable performer my appreciation of these Forks is helped as

I spent a couple of weeks in Whistler and several days in moing riding them so why are these my top picks well undoubtedly the best product I’ve ridden that turns ear beding screams of near crash experiences into hysterical whoops and laughs not only that they saved my sketchy riding while attempting to

Hurtle down a Mountainside pretending it’s still the year 2000 and I’m 23 years younger brilliant Comfort impressive support and a Burly new chassis sits them comfortably amongst their peers the new boxer is half Nostalgia half tech hunting it’s the first downhill fort I really wanted back

In my youth and still to this day Box’s red low as legs stand out as an item of desirability I’m delighted their performance is as good as their Heritage which makes them my standout gear of 2023 arguably the most used product I own my Garmin Edge a30 has only missed a handful of rides since I got it in 2019 as a self-professed ride recording addict the computer’s onboard Wizardry affords me a wealth of stats both during and post ride culminating in a beautiful

Afterglow endorphine hit geeking out on heart rate power Cadence elevation and speed data is almost unbeatable all that delightful information is conveniently pumped out on its colorful 2.6 in display paired with one of garmin’s SmartWatches like the Phoenix 6 Pro solar I’ve reviewed those stats are bolstered by training statuses body

Battery and more fortunately the diminutive 830s performance is matched by its robustness it holds its own in the worst conditions from scorching Sun soaking rain freezing cold and sideways snow mine hasn’t missed a beat in thousands and thousands of kilom although it looks leggy thanks to a mud stained body and scratch screen

Performance-wise it’s no different today as when I peeled off the screen protector and first mounted it to my bike As an allround Rider that spends time on all types of bikes I love kit that is able to jump across disciplines CID dust shoes are one such example that won me over in 2023 the dust MTB are a gravel and mountain bike shoe and despite their

High 260 asking price use a nylon MTB sr17 so I was intrigued by this decision to spec a nylon so rather than the car Al one before I started testing the she’s on launch Cy claimed the Nylon soul and I quote represents the ultimate result in terms of pedaling stiffness

And flexion for walking I came away very impressed by the dust mtb’s performance across all disciplines and ride lengths and really appreciated their comfort roomy toe box and excellent ventilation there are some flaws though their pricey and the single techn free dial that closes the shoe is a mistake I reckon a

Second dial would not only improve the fit because the load would be better distributed but if you happen to break one of them out on a ride you could theoretically rely on the second dial although I haven’t experienced any slippage the heel cup could also do being a hair tighter yet despite their

Cons they’re are shoe that I keep coming back to because I know I can rely on them for my longdistance escapades I’m intrigued by the dust shoelace that was announced at eurobike in theory a lace design might translate to further improve Comfort because they offer infinite adjustment

Hopefully I’ll get to try those out in 2024 so there you have it the bits and Bobs we loved in 2023 but we want to know what you covered this year let us know in the comments we love to hear your stories and thoughts don’t forget to subscribe

To the channel if you haven’t already and if you need another 15 minutes of procrastination when you really should be working then check out this video