ENDURO

The Tyee AL’s frame is made from at least three different alloys, to balance strength, durability and weight. Its PRO10 suspension system uses two counter-rotating links to compress a ‘floating’ shock and dish out 160mm of rear-wheel travel. A decent amount of progression (over 25 per cent by our calculations) means it’ll work fine with both air and coil-sprung shocks.

We tested the 29in-wheeled Tyee, which comes in sizes medium to extra-large; if you want a smaller frame you’re limited to the 650b bike. Reach on the medium 29er is a healthy 451mm, and we measured the head angle to be slacker than claimed, at just under 64 degrees. A steep 77.5-degree seat tube angle keeps the seated position nicely efficient.

Our test bike had some unasked-for upgrades, which bumped up the price, and weren’t needed; the Performance build is great as is. It includes one of our favourite forks, RockShox’s Lyrik Ultimate, matched with a Super Deluxe Coil shock (at no extra cost over the stock air shock) to create a really balanced ride feel.

Set-up was straightforward enough, although the short fork steerer didn’t allow much bar height adjustment and the stock 20mm-rise bar left the front end feeling a little low on steep trails. Running the fork with a little more air pressure and low-speed compression damping helped counter this. The Propain has a comfy seated climbing position and little pedal bob – which is fortunate, as the shock’s lockout lever is tricky to reach.

Downhill, the Tyee is quick to get up to speed and maintains it nicely. The well-supported mid-stroke ensures you can load the bike and pump undulations to maintain momentum or ping from turn to turn, while on slower, more technical sections of track it can duck and dive better than Del Boy down the market.

As bump frequency and speeds pick up, the Lyrik sucks up the hits in a controlled manner. The Tyee’s rear end skips over bigger bumps rather than gobbling them up like the Whyte, Nukeproof or GT, so there’s a little more feedback through the frame. The sensitive initial touch means there’s no shortage of traction on looser surfaces, though; the Schwalbe tyres help here, too. When you’re really motoring, the Tyee doesn’t feel quite as steadfast as others here, possibly due to its slightly shorter front centre, but its nimble, reactive ride makes it a lovely bike to throw down a hill.

With agile handling, a solid build and impressive spec, the Tyee is a lot of fun on the trail