Articles by Graham Cottingham, Senior reviews writer, Bike Perfect

Graham is all about riding bikes off-road. Based in Edinburgh he has some of the best mountain biking and gravel riding in the UK right on his doorstep. With almost 20 years of riding experience, he has dabbled in downhill, enduro, and gravel racing. Not afraid of a challenge, Graham has embraced bikepacking over the last few years and likes nothing more than strapping some bags to his bike and covering big miles to explore Scotland's wildernesses. When he isn’t shredding the gnar in the Tweed Valley, sleeping in bushes, or tinkering with bikes, he is writing tech reviews for Bike Perfect.

Rides: Canyon Strive, Stooge MK4, 24 Bicycles Le Toy 3, Surly Steamroller

Height: 177cm

Weight: 71kg

Articles by: Graham Cottingham

American Classic Mauka mountain bike tires

American Classic Mauka tire review – budget handmade downcountry tire

By Graham Cottingham published 26 September 23

Review American Classic Mauka promises all-condition downcountry performance at an all-time great price, however, can they compete with their pricier peers?

You probably have your MTB handlebars set up wrong, but here's how to fix them

By Graham Cottingham published 22 September 23

Opinion There's a lot to delve into when it comes to handlebar shape and stem length, so here is the long and short of it

e*Thirteen Helix Plus 12-speed cassette review – more gear range with less weight

By Graham Cottingham published 21 September 23

Review e*Thirteen boosts your MTB gear range with its 9t equipped Helix Plus 12-speed cassette

Could the 2024 Calibre Line be the best budget hardtail ever made?

By Graham Cottingham published 21 September 23

News For under £1000 you get a RockShox fork, SRAM drivetrain and brakes, and a dropper post

Fizik Tempo Argo R3 saddle review – a versatile long-distance perch

By Graham Cottingham published 20 September 23

Review The Tempo Argo R3 combines excellent shape and well-balanced padding that's suited to fast gravel and endurance riding

Moots takes a break from titanium to release the Express – a carbon fiber e-gravel bike with interesting spec

By Graham Cottingham published 20 September 23

News Moots' first e-bike is aimed at gravel adventures and comes equipped with Shimano Auto Shift technology

Kade Edwards whips a massive jump at Red Bull Hardline

Watch incredible footage of Kade Edwards at Red Bull Hardline – shot by a drone in just one take!

By Graham Cottingham published 19 September 23

Video Kade Edwards sends the Red Bull Hardline course and his run is shot in a never seen before way

A MTB whips the new Kona Process DH over a jump

Kona adds burly alloy enduro racer and radical dual crown bike park monster to its Process range

By Graham Cottingham published 19 September 23

News There's a new more affordable all-alloy Process X and a bikepark-ready alloy Process X DH for "unmatched shred-ability”

Shimano GRX Unbeatable 12-speed groupset and a set of scales

Shimano GRX RX820 first look – a breakdown of Shimano’s new 12-speed gravel drivetrain including actual weights

By Graham Cottingham published 18 September 23

Not yet rated

First Look We take a closer look at Shimano's new 12-speed gravel groupset and see how the specs and weights compare to the SRAM Force XPLR and Campagnolo Ekar

A mountain biker doing a trick at Rampage

Red Bull Rampage 2023 line-up and venue announced – Semenuk is out but Gee Atherton is in

By Graham Cottingham published 13 September 23

News Rampage returns to a legendary freeride zone with a stacked roster of athletes and some surprise names

Two gravel riders climbing past Old Gang Smelt Mill

Struggle Borderlands ride report – a rough interpretation of gravel

By Graham Cottingham published 12 September 23

Feature Bike Perfect's Senior Tech Writer Graham rode the inaugural Struggle Borderlands event, 100km of challenging Yorkshire gravel

YT Industries' newest Capra Uncaged 12 build comes loaded with cutting-edge tech

By Graham Cottingham published 7 September 23

News If you're looking for the most futuristically specced enduro bikes available, the YT Capra Uncaged 12 is for you – it's extremely good value too

mountain bker doing a jump wearing new 7Mesh airmap clothing

7Mesh's Airmap riding gear uses multilayers to put air in its place for perfect temperature and humidity levels

By Graham Cottingham published 6 September 23

News 7Mesh's Airmap promises the perfect balance between weather protection and breathability using a combination of air-permeable and water-resistant layers

Hunt's all-new affordable E_All Mountain alloy wheelset is now available to pre-order

By Graham Cottingham published 6 September 23

News Reinforced rims, a new stronger freehub design, and oversized rear axles are ready for the rigors of e-MTB riding

Charlie Hatton with his limited edition Atherton AM.200 downhill bike

Atherton Bikes marks Charlie Hatton's World Championship win with an extremely limited edition downhill bike

By Graham Cottingham published 5 September 23

News The full-team replica World Championship AM.200 downhill bike features gold accents and is limited to just 10 bikes

Scor's new 2030 is a short travel bike with an enduro attitude

By Graham Cottingham published 5 September 23

News Don't call it downcountry, Scor's 2030 is a lightweight trail shredder

Berria streamlines their Mako cross-country bike with a fully integrated rear shock

By Graham Cottingham published 5 September 23

News Berria has completely redesigned their Mako cross-country format which now comes in XCO and downcountry build options too

Restrap releases new travel bag range for everyday carrying

By Graham Cottingham published 4 September 23

News The range features two new roll-top backpacks and a roll-top Utility hip-pack

Maxxis' new Reaver gravel race tire features a unique tread pattern designed for speed and grip

By Graham Cottingham published 4 September 23

News The Maxxis Reaver gravel race tire has already seen success at Crusher in the Tushar and Blue Mountains Gravel Fondo

SunRingle's new SR329/327 trail wheels are designed for adults and younger riders alike

By Graham Cottingham published 31 August 23

News The new wide rimmed alloy trail wheels come in sizes ranging from 20 to 29-inch

Shimano GRX RX820 12-speed mechanical component groupset

Shimano's GRX gravel groupset finally goes 12-speed

By Graham Cottingham published 31 August 23

News The latest evolution of Shimano's GRX groupset (RX820) gets more gears, more range, and a faster set of gravel wheels

Crankbrothers F11 multi-tool review – metal encased multi-tool

By Graham Cottingham published 24 August 23

Review Crankbrothers F11 adds tire plugging functionality to its metal-encased MTB multi-tool

Santa Cruz wants you to go N+1 (less car) with their new Skitch

By Graham Cottingham published 23 August 23

News The Skitch is an electric-powered Stigmata for commuting and gravel riding, with flat bar and drop bar options

7Mesh RK2 Cargo bib short review – comfortable and compressive cargo bibs

By Graham Cottingham published 22 August 23

Review 7Mesh’s RK2 Cargo bib shorts are aimed at the longest and fastest gravel riding

Lithic by Wolf Tooth Components' carbon bikepacking MTB fork features a compatibility-solving drop-out system

By Graham Cottingham published 21 August 23

News Lithic by Wolf Tooth Components releases three bikepacking-compatible rigid forks for MTB, gravel, and fat bikes

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
View Archive

Other versions of this page are available with specific content for the following regions: