Women’s-specific bikes? You mean there’s bikes specifically for women? Well there certainly are these days and they’re not simply gent’s models painted pink either. So we’ve enlisted the help of three female riders and asked them to assess a trio of mid-priced 2004 full sussers from Cannondale, Scott and Trek. Makes a change from our ugly mugs, we’re sure you’ll agree...

WITH THE TRAVEL on front forks getting longer by the hour, how much travel is enough and to what extent does it determine a bike's character? We took three bikes offering 80, 100 and 130mm of suspension to find out