Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2024 i Mountain Biking UK

OUT FRONT Send a pic of your bike to mbuk@ourmedia.co.uk or post it on Instagram with the hashtag #odirides. If we pick your photo for this column, you’ll win a set of ODI grips, courtesy of Freewheel.co.uk. Pick from the Vans, Elite Pro and Reflex models, in the colour of your choice.…

Write to: MBUK Send it! Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST Email: mbuk@ourmedia.co.uk Visit: www.mbuk.com STAR LETTER WINS... Lezyne CNC Tubeless Drive hand pump & Lezyne Tubeless Pro Plugs repair kit worth £104 THAT’S GOTTA HURT WINS... ABUS MoDrop do-it-all trail helmet worth £90 SHOT OF THE MONTH WINS... DMR V11 pedals, DMR Stage 2 saddle and DMR Deathgrips worth £107 INSTA-BANGERS WINS... Complete Motul bike care range worth £97.50 STAR LETTER FLYING ELECTRIC I’m flying with easyJet from Bristol to Malaga soon for a trip to Sierra MTB, and I’ve booked my bike on as hold luggage. Recently, I bought a Trek Fuel EXe with a removable main battery, plus two 160Wh range extenders, in the hope I can travel with them. I know you can’t fly with a battery bigger…

MEET THE TESTERS ROBIN WEAVER TECH EDITOR IN CHIEF With three decades of MTB experience, Rob can identify the kit that works TOM MARVIN VIDEO PRESENTER XC/trail/enduro rider and tech wizard Tom gives his gear a proper hammering LUKE MARSHALL TESTER Downhiller Luke is always looking for what saves time between the tape ALEX EVANS SENIOR TECH EDITOR Years of breaking bikes means Al can give ultra-reliable buying advice WILL SOFFE WORKSHOP MANAGER/ WRITER From downhill to downcountry, Will’s hard on parts and gear WHY OUR TESTS ARE THE BEST! Our technical-editor-in-chief Rob Weaver gets new products in as soon as they’re available and coordinates all the testing through our team of tech experts, who have unrivalled knowledge and experience. Every test starts with a detailed product check in the…

BRENDAN FAIRCLOUGH SLAB RAT As a warm-up for Red Bull Rampage, Brendog took on a monster rock face in the Alps – check out the incredible pic on p10 WENDE CRAGG ORIGINAL MTB SNAPPER There at the birth of the sport in Marin County, CA, Wende is still riding more than 50 years on. We find out what fuels her adventures – p24 JO BURT THE MAN WHO BIRTHED MINT We hear about an exciting new project coming from Mint Sauce creator Jo – and we’ve wangled you an exclusive discount, too! p41 RUSSELL BURTON WINDPROOFS WRANGLER As a freelance photographer, Russell’s livelihood depends on heading out in all weathers so he’s well-placed to test the latest jackets – p82…

It’s a tale as old as time – well, 1999, in fact, when the modern bike park was born in Whistler, British Columbia. You turn up, uplift pass in hand, looking forward to some uninterrupted shredding, only to get a bit overexcited at the prospect of sending jumps and schralping turns. Before you know it, you’ve exceeded your limits, made a silly mistake, and you spend the rest of the day (or worse, week) on the sidelines with a mechanical or, worst-case scenario, in hospital. But it doesn’t have to be this way. While it’s all too easy to end up in this kind of situation, there are some simple things you can do to minimise the risks – aided by safety measures put in place by parks themselves. We…

WENDE CRAGG Without Wende and her clunky camera, we’d have no proof of our sport’s early years in Marin County, California, since the guys were too busying bombing down Mount Tamalpais on their klunkers to bother documenting anything. Now aged 74, she spoke to us while preparing to ride the annual Pearl Pass tour in Colorado (from Crested Butte to Aspen, 39 miles over the 12,700ft pass) with fellow OG mountain bikers Joe Breeze and Charlie Kelly, for the first time since 1981. “I’ve always looked at food as fuel, but I certainly enjoy eating and I like to cook. I learned to bake when I was five years old and I’m always baking cookies or cake. Back in the day when I first started mountain biking, I was into…

Jo Burt’s book, Lost Summers and Half-Forgotten Afternoons – A Mint Sauce Collection, is now available to pre-order, and the publishers, Isola Press, are offering an exclusive 10 per cent discount to MBUK readers. Not only that, but the first 50 to pre-order will receive a signed copy! To access this exclusive discount and offer, go to www.isolapress.com/shop, add the book to your basket and enter the code MBUK10 at checkout. TERMS & CONDITIONS: Offer code provides a 10% discount on the pre-order price of Lost Summers and Half-Forgotten Afternoons – A Mint Sauce Collection by Jo Burt. The first 50 readers who use this code will receive a signed copy. Discount does not apply to stickers or other optional extras, nor to signed copies, except those provided to the first…

It’s that time of year again to gear up for wet-weather riding. While waterproof MTB shoes are an option, they can be costly and tend to be designed for the depths of winter, so aren’t always ideal for warmer days. A great alternative? Waterproof socks. These let you enjoy cold, wet rides in (relative) comfort without having to ditch your favourite footwear. If it’s really wet and cold, you can always go belt-and-braces and wear winter shoes over the top! These socks usually comprise three layers, designed to work together to keep your feet dry while not skimping on breathability, durability or comfort. The key to their effectiveness lies in the waterproof yet breathable middle layer, which features a micro-porous membrane that blocks water from entering while allowing sweat and…

JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE GROUP EDITOR There’s been a big shake-up here at MBUK/BikeRadar, with some role changes and, sadly, some departures. Best of luck to those moving on – you’ll be missed. JULIA BROUSSIER CREATIVE DESIGN LEAD Our Rider of the Year ceremony is the next cool thing on the agenda. Currently, I’m browsing bike websites in search of next year’s longtermer. WILL SOFFE WORKSHOP MANAGER/ WRITER As MBUK’s new man on the spanners, I’m working on some great tech content, but I’ll still be out riding to test new products, too! ROBIN WEAVER TECH EDITOR IN CHIEF I’m really keen to get some coaching this winter and sort out my bad habits on the bike. ALEX EVANS SENIOR TECH EDITOR I can’t wait for a winter of warm, dry weather.…

Until riding specs grew to the size of windscreens, many folk opted to wear goggles with their open-face helmet for better eye protection. But some designs can be bulky and poorly-ventilated, which isn’t ideal for trail and enduro riding. That’s where Fox’s Purevue goggles come in, with their smaller, glasses-like sizing, but goggle-style protection (can we call them ‘glaggles’?). The idea is to give a massive field of view and loads of coverage, but in an airier, more compact design. You still get face foam for comfort, but huge cutaways on either side of the nose should help prevent the Purevues from fogging up. Included in the price are two lenses, swappable nose pieces – just as you’d find on pricier riding glasses – and a carry case. For now,…

SANTA CRUZ HIGHTOWER CC X0 AXS RSV £8,799 More travel and improved geometry ensure the Hightower is ready for everything The Hightower is one of Santa Cruz’s best-selling bikes, famed for its do-it-all ability and easygoing trail manners. Rather than overhaul it entirely, the Californian brand have refined and tweaked it, adjusting the suspension kinematics and geometry, in a bid to create the one bike they believe everybody needs. This CC X0 AXS RSV model – the second-priciest – boasts an impressive specification sheet that you’d struggle to pick holes in. We spent three days riding the fourth-generation Hightower at its launch in the Italian Alps, bombing down trails we’d previously raced as part of the Stone King Rally. THE FRAME Like most of Santa Cruz’s models, the Hightower only…

GOING DEEP ORBEA In association with WHEN enduro star Martin Maes turned up to the opening round of this year’s Downhill World Cup with a modified Orbea Wild e-MTB, it caused quite a stir. Not only did his battery- and motor-less bike carry him safely through the qualis – which saw 119 of his competitors eliminated – but he went on to finish 21st on the rocky slopes of Fort William. And it was no fluke, because three months later at the World Championships in Andorra, the Belgian rider finished one place higher. Maes has proven the downhill capability of modern e-bikes – and particularly the Wild – beyond all doubt. But do they work equally well for schralping berms in the bike park and hitting gnarly enduro runs with…

JULIA’S MERIDA ONE-SIXTY 700 £3,300 Our creative design lead seeks sea, sun and mountains You may have noticed that the original Marzocchi Z1 fork is back on the Merida. I’ll admit, I got bored of waiting. You may remember that I replaced it with a lighter, very purple Formula fork. Six weeks after sending that off for tuning, I was still waiting to get it back, and ran out of patience. As I’m nearing the end of my time with this longtermer, I made the call that a heavy fork is better than no bike to ride, so I got a little help to get the Marzocchi better set up for me. Mountain biking hasn’t always been in the forefront for me this year, so in September I made a…

The primary function of a packable jacket is wind protection for warmth. Most are showerproof, but don’t expect any of them to keep you dry in a heavy or extended downpour. There are several key features to consider when choosing one of these jackets, so you need to prioritise according to the type of riding you do. For example, if you’re into bikepacking, weight and pack size will be key. Like to go on fast cross-country/trail rides? Breathability and the ability to vent will help keep you cool. Of course, the best jackets will provide a good balance of features – but at a price. Wind shells tend to be minimal, in terms of features. So, the fabric determines much of their functionality – how windproof, durable and breathable they…