FIRST RIDES

The new Specialized Status 160 proves that good design and clever component choices can still deliver a fun bike without breaking the bank. Plus, we ride Cotic’s new 140mm-travel trail bike, the Jeht, complete with 29in wheels and a steel frame; the new Bullit from Santa Cruz, the brand’s second e-bike this year, now with more travel and the latest Shimano EP8 motor; and the new carbon-framed version of Vitus’s brilliant Escarpe VRX trail bike, now with a choice of wheel sizes and revised geometry