So you should all know by now how the Dirt 100 works. The 2016 edition will be the eighth we have produced… our selection of the very best products for 2016. Dirt Deputy Editor Steve Jones has been testing and evaluating as many products as possible over the last 12 months to bring you the very best bikes and components that 2016 has to offer. He has been working closely over the last few months with photographer and videographer Laurence Crossman–Emms, gathering together images and footage to illustrate his words. This will be the biggest, most comprehensive 100 to date – more words, more images behind the scenes AND selected video!

How do we choose the 100 products? Well let’s first clearly state that the products on the list are not there because they have been ‘paid for’ by bike companies. The choices made (much to the annoyance of our advertising team!) are not based on how much companies spend with us or how much they support us: the decisions are made completely independently from any outside influences. Of course we do get help and input from riders, racers, shop owners and other journalists when selecting the best each year. It is no easy task trying to whittle down the thousands of products on the market to just 100, but that is the task we have been set. And we have to ask ourselves plenty of questions along the way: Should it be just bikes? Should we include clothing? Should we have more than three pairs of bars? Should we include cameras and phone apps? Etc., etc.

So over the last four months the list has been made, and then carefully honed to reach this point. Everything is set to go live at the end of January (just online, there is no printed version of the 2016 Dirt 100), but here is a little video teaser just to whet your appetite.

Thanks to Antur Stiniog for being such great hosts www.anturstiniog.com