There’s something beautiful about riding a MTB – though perhaps not as much at this time of year. However, when the weather’s good and you’re flowing along a favourite trail, ripping the switchbacks, nailing the berms and crushing the climbs, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is the very best sport ever.

But for many, just riding along isn’t enough, and competitive urges inspire the need to race against the clock. If you want to perfect the lines on your local DH course hidden away in the woods, track your lap times in a XC race, or even for timing your commute to work/school/college/the BM office, accurate timing is essential.

There are plenty of options, but none as simple as the new £34.99 DMC Trainer Timer. It’s an electronic stopwatch that attaches to your handlebars, doesn’t weigh much at all, and offers all, er, just the one mode that a stopwatch provides.

The main USP is the large start/stop button below the LCD screen – with a bit of attention paid to positioning you should be able to start and stop the clock at will without moving your hands from the grips. It claims to be tough, waterproof and installation requires no tools. It’ll store times for up to 100 laps (though we’re not sure how long the laps can be), with useful stats such as fastest, slowest and average times calculated.

We can’t help noticing that you can pick up a bike computer that’ll not only time you but measure speed and distance and stuff too for a matter of pence (almost), which puts the Trainer Timer in a slightly awkward position. That said, most bike computers don’t lend themselves to having their clocks stopped as you blat across a DH course finish line, and they all need a degree of faffage to fit.

So if racing against the clock is your thing, or if like us you could see it as simple way of monitoring your progress riding a regular trail, head over to www.mtb-direct.co.uk.