This bottle costs £75. But before you fall off your chair, we should point out that you’re not really paying for the bottle. The clue is on the prominent swing tag atop said moulded drink container that says “Transcend MTB skills course”. Neatly rolled and tucked inside the bottle is a £75 voucher to cover the cost of one of Transcend Trail Academy’s skills courses, plus a couple of stickers.

So in fact, once you’ve done the sums, the bottle itself is actually free. Bargain! It’s fairly obviously pitched at the gift market (and appropriately timed ready for the festive season…), allowing you to buy a course for someone as a present but actually have something concrete to give them on the day.

Transcend is run by David Webster, mountain biker of 18 years’ experience, bike industry veteran and, of course, fully-qualified coach and MTB leader. There are a variety of courses on offer tailored to different levels of experience, and run at a choice of three locations – Glentress, Dalby Forest or Sherwood Pines.

A number of stockists will be carrying Transcend’s “skills in a bottle”, including popular mail order behemoth Chain Reaction. You can find out more about Transcend’s courses at www.transcendtrailacademy.com or contact David on [email protected].