Marin Kentfield, hybrid bicycle

Utilitarian, grey hybrid bicycle, sadly lacking any of the style and street cred associated with the Marin moniker (picturesque Marin County, California, touts itself as the birthplace of mountain-biking.) Instead, the upright Kentfield offers a fairly comfortable and pacey ride for its modest price tag. With 21 gears and a study frame, it can just about cope with urban and suburban hills, gutters and potholes. But the Kentfield comes unstuck off-roading in the countryside. And the fragility of many of its components, such as the wheels, reflects the £300 price tag. Expect regular and expensive servicing. Better-suited to tentative or occasional 40-year-old commuter, than devil-may-care, Lycra-clad 25-year-old. 5/10