FINAL VERDICT

The biggest take home from this test is that UK bikes don’t just have patriotic appeal – the best of them are also outstanding in both construction and performance terms. Having checked out the fashionably radical geometry and read glowing reviews of Starling’s UK-made frames, we were itching to try the more affordable, off-the-shelf Taiwanese version. The Murmur Factory has some neat details, but even after we sorted issues with the shock, the basic suspension character and excess flex of the long, low frame undermined rather than underwrote confidence when we were riding flat out.

In contrast, Hope’s stunning-looking, meticulously hand-built HB.160 has an excellent ride feel and suspension kinematics. While you can’t buy the frame on its own, it comes loaded with custom components. It’s heavy for a carbon-and-alloy chassis though, and the short but tall sizing makes it feel less stable at speed than other bikes we’ve tested here. Curtis’s hand-brazed construction is beautiful too, and with custom geometry and specific tube choices to match each rider, they can build in exactly the ride character or strength you want or need. Add that to spot-on suspension, and the XR650 is a truly stunning bespoke bomber at a remarkably keen price.

If Starling could learn a few lessons from this test, then Cotic are a brilliant example to follow. Over a decade ago, we had to wire back together their first full-suspension bike, the Hemlock, with bits of fence, after we snapped the chainstays blasting down dam-side steps in the middle of the night. Constant evolution of their construction, suspension and geometry has led to the latest, semi-UK-made RocketMAX. While it’s not the lightest or most agile of beasts, it’s one of the most swaggeringly confident, dynamically drama-shrugging and gobsmackingly flat-out fast bikes we’ve ever had the pleasure of dominating the trails on.