Trail 27.5 / 29er £470 – £1,095

Cannondale’s entry-level hardtail mountain bike might start at a barely believably low price, but that’s no indication of its ability. The six-bike Trail series is one of the most exciting and compete ranges of bikes at this point in the market. Based on a superb aluminium frame that sees its tube shapes optimised for maximum strength, performance and weight-saving, Cannondale has also included its SAVE comfort technology in the form of manipulated seat and chainstays for excellent levels of comfort. And just to finish this highly-detailed spec, there are even different wheel sizes to perfectly complement the different size frames: so small bikes are teamed with 27.5in wheels, while bigger frames come with 29in hoop. The entry-level Trail 6 comes with Shimano Acera gears, Promax Decipher hydraulic disc brakes and a Suntour XCT 100mm suspension fork; while the top-level Trail 1 features Shimano Deore/XT Shadow gears, Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and a RockShox Recon Gold TK 100mm suspension fork

View the Cannondale Trail Mountain Bike Range

F29 £1,795 – £2,495

The name ‘F29’ is the sort of title you’d expect to see on a machine used for motor-racing or aerial combat, so it’s probably no surprise to find that Cannondale’s F29 range of hardtails are designed to be ridden quickly, without ever losing their razor-sharp handling. There are two F29 frame options available: the F29 5 comes with a lightweight, high-performance aluminium frame, while the F29 Carbon 3 and 4 enjoy a slightly more svelte composite frame. However, all F29 bikes comes with dedicated 29er geometry with super-short chainstays for power delivery; a lower bottom bracket height for stability; and a steeper head angle for optimised control and handling. All F29s also come with Cannondale’s innovative Lefty mono-blade suspension fork.

View the Cannondale F29 Mountain Bike

F-Si 29er £1,195 – £6,995

Cannondale’s approach to building the ultimate cross-country race machine, the F-Si is designed to excel in one area: absolute speed. Because of this, there’s some influence from road bikes, such as the F-Si’s asymmetrically offset rear triangle and drivetrain, with shortened chainstays and super-stiff rear wheel in a high-modulus carbon-fibre frame. Meanwhile, exceptional comfort is provided by the Speed SAVE micro-suspension elements — designed to absorb trail shock in the chain and seatstays — and the all-new SAVE 2 seatpost, not to mention the excellent 29in wheels. Finally, top-level handling is provided by Cannondale’s System 29 geometry, which supplies stability and quick and nimble steering. All bikes in the three-model range come with different versions of Cannondale’s Lefty fork, with the entry F-Si Carbon 2 built with SRAM X01 gears and Magura MT4 hydraulic disc brakes; and the range-topping F-Si Carbon Black Inc coming with Shimano XTR Di2 electronic gears and Shimano XTR Race hydraulic disc brakes.

View Cannondale F-Si 29 Carbon Mountain Bike