JIMMER’S NS SYNONYM TR2 £4,199.99

After kissing a lot of frogs, Jimmer reckons he’s found his two-wheeled soulmate

After all my years on MBUK and riding these wonderful contraptions called MTBs, I think I’ve finally worked it all out. Less is more! Well, for me at least. Like a teenager with an attitude problem, the short-travel Synonym TR goes where it wants and does things it probably shouldn’t. It’s the definition of radical, and my year aboard this svelte beast has confirmed that I hit paydirt when I took a punt on the emerging downcountry category and this NS.

I can’t say it’s a bike that’s improved my riding or taken me to any epic places, like some in the past – probably because I feel so at home on it. I’ve just ridden it a hell of a lot.

In fact, I reckon I’ve racked up more miles on the Synonym TR than on any other bike in my time on the mag, and that’s saying something.

I’m not someone who feels the need to chase KOMs, but this is certainly a bike that loves to climb and head out on long rides. It’s rapid on the flat, but still keeps up with longer-legged trail bikes on the toughest of tracks. And while I don’t do big hucks, it’s handled smaller ones with ease. Put simply, it’s been a game-changer for me. A do-it-all, handle-(nearly)-everything bike that I fall back in love with on each and every ride.

OK, so when it first arrived, I had to rein in the stem length, fit a shorterstack dropper post and replace the fast-rolling tyres with something chunkier and grippier, but that’s just honed the NS to near-perfection. It’s the geometry, and particularly the massive reach, that makes it for me. Super-long and slack with a steep seat tube angle, it looked great on paper before I’d even slung a leg over it, and has never disappointed.

My only criticism would be its price. At £4,200 it’s a lot of dollar, especially given the changes I needed to make. Much of that cost is down to the carbon fibre frame, so it’s a real shame there isn’t a cheaper alloy model, as that would be the one for sure. If money were no object, it’d be a solidgold five stars from me. www.hotlines-uk.com