YOU'VE HAD IT WITH HARDTAILS and have decided that your bike rather than your buttocks should soak up the lumps and bumps on the trail, but where do you start? The full-susser market is a minefield, so we tested four machines costing around £1200 to give you a heads-up on buying your first one.

While the full-suspension bike has developed in frantic spasms under marketing and media spotlight, the hardtail's recent evolution has almost gone unnoticed. Far from extinct, the species has now diversified to encompass every facet of the riding spectrum