Innehållsförteckning för Summer 2020 från Mountain Biking UK

Like many others, we’re missing the excitement of the race season. We’re going to have to wait a little longer though, with the first World Cup and next Enduro World Series round now postponed until the autumn. So we thought we’d look back to a time when MBUKfielded a team on the world stage and catch up with a few of our most successful racers, to find out what it was like to ride for MBUK and what they’re up to now. The riders here are some of those who enjoyed the most glory on the national and even world stage while actually wearing the MBUK jersey. Plenty of others went on to big things, including the late, great Jason McRoy (MBUK Salsa, 1992), the first UK rider to sign…

1 Fossil Gen 4 Smartwatch Sloan HR This smartwatch is packed with just about every feature you could think of but comes in a load of different styles that won’t look out of place off the bike, including this unusual black stainless steel and tortoiseshell combo. £139 www.fossil.com 2 Polar Vantage V and H10 heart rate strap Aimed at cyclists and runners, the Vantage V outputs data about where you’ve gone and how fast, and monitors the load you’ve subjected your body to. It measures heart rate, but for extra accuracy, Polar advise pairing it with the H10 sensor.£479 (inc. H10 strap) www.polar.com 3 Casio F-91W-1XY Not a name that rolls off the tongue, but a timeless classic. Introduced in 1989, this affordable digital watch has all the basic functions…

Riding in the mountains, how often do you think about what’s beneath your wheels? You’re actually riding on one of the most threatened habitats in the UK. Just take a look at the many tiny plants braving the extreme conditions on the high mountain plateaus of the Cairngorms, Ben Nevis, Skiddaw and the Carneddau. This important ‘montane’ habitat is most common in Scotland, but fragments extend south to England and Wales. Rainforests or meadows tend to get more publicity and interest. Comparing them with montane heath is like comparing a red squirrel with a snail – guess which gets the most votes? But we need to be concerned about this mountaintop habitat, especially in Wales and England, where its been badly damaged, particularly through overgrazing by sheep. Recreational impact along…

IT SWOOPS THROUGH TIGHT TURNS WITH EASE AND PICKS ITS WAY THROUGH TECHNICAL TERRAIN ADMIRABLY, WITH ITS LOW-SLUNG WEIGHT AND REDUCED ANTI-SQUAT MAKING IT FEEL PLANTED ENOUGH WHEN THINGS GET CHOPPY It took a while, but Santa Cruz have finally jumped on the e-bike bandwagon. But why a rebirth of the Heckler? Well, the original one was released in 1996 and was designed to elevate the rider’s on-trail experience, which is just what Santa Cruz are aiming for with the new version. It uses the same Shimano STEPS motor and battery tech as a lot of other e-MTBs, but costs a fair bit more – and this isn’t even the top-end bike. (That’ll be the Heckler XX1 AXS Reserve, with SRAM’s latest wireless shifting and dropper post.) Can it come…

ROB WEAVER With two decades of riding experience, Rob knows what works and what doesn’t TOM MARVIN The only thing Tom loves more than his clapped-out VW Caddy is hammering test kit RUSSELL BURTON Long days outdoors mean photographer Russ needs kit that won’t let him down LUKE MARSHALL Keen racer Luke is quick to identify what helps or is a hindrance between the tape ALEX EVANS Many years of breaking bikes means Alex can give reliable buying advice JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE MBUK’s editor has 27 years of riding experience and an eye for the details that matter…

£2,599 (frame) Photographer Andy liked this one so much, he still has it Is it a Solo? Or a 5010? Yes… and yes, in this case. The front end is branded 5010c, the rear triangle is pure Solo. In 2013 Santa Cruz got a rap on the knuckles for using the Solo name for their first 650b-wheeled trail bike so it was quietly changed to 5010, but not before Ric McLaughlin (see left) bought this one. It wasn’t long before he managed to crash and write off the front end. This was quickly replaced, but the new front triangle bore the updated 5010c moniker. I bought the frame, Fox 34 Factory fork and Float CTD shock from Ric in 2015, and that discrepancy is just one of the things I…

When the invitation came through to compete in the world’s hardest one-day enduro race, I didn’t have to say yes. However, some small spark in the back of my head seemed to think that trying to complete something that daunting was worth an attempt. The Epic Enduro is a 117km one-day race with an exhausting 4,900m of climbing. Ten stages are split over three different loops, with a single loop representing a tough day in the Enduro World Series. There’s no denying this race is a monster. And if you’re going to challenge a monster, you need to make sure you’ve got the right equipment. Radon, who at the time were sponsoring the race, offered to loan me a bike from their range. I selected the Swoop 170 without hesitation.…

FORKIN LOVELY The strange-looking truss fork is laterally stiff for ultimate steering accuracy but with just enough vertical flex to take the sting out of the trail when the going gets rough. HOLD ON No matter the terrain or distance, the Jones H-Bar offers enough variation in hand position to keep things comfy while delivering a feel not unlike that of a cruiser – a cruiser you’d happily hurl into any corner or point down any hill. GET THE EDGE My Jones is equipped with 29in EDGE carbon wheels, which were way ahead of their time. As the brand developed, their name changed to the now very recognisable ENVE that we all know and many lust after today.…

As the single most important bit of riding kit you own, it’s crucial that you have the best helmet for your needs and budget, because if you do end up having a crash, it could be the piece of equipment that saves your life. The potential for even seemingly minor blows to the head to cause injury has become clearer in recent years, especially as impacts add up over time, and we’re much more aware of the danger of concussions. So many brands have improved the protection offered by their helmets, making sure they don’t just comply with the European EN 1078 safety standard (as all the lids in this test do), but surpass it. Several companies license MIPS technology (a low-friction layer designed to help reduce rotational forces on…

Homemade energy foods aren’t only cheap and easy to make, but they give you full control over what’s going into your body. Here, coach to the pros Chris Kilmurray shares one of his tried-and tested-breakfast favourites. A couple of slices of this loaf 45 minutes before your ride, or as part of a pre-ride breakfast, will give you the steady release of carbohydrates needed to ride hard, the proteins required to feel full and contented, and the tasty fats and other nutrients necessary to make sure your body and brain are in tip-top shape. INGREDIENTS 250g oats 1-2 soft, ripe bananas 1 egg, beaten 3 tbsp nut butter of choice 3 tbsp chia seeds 2 tbsp mixed seeds of choice 1 tbsp oil of choice, or butter 3 tbsp honey…

Hebden Bridge is a pretty and quirky town, full of wonderful independent shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants, which provide a great choice of refreshments. Places such as Marco’s Café, which offers superb Italian dishes, are ideal for a proper feed after your ride, while the trendy Chapter 17 bar/restaurant serves up high-quality and affordable British and European dishes. If you fancy something more traditional, The Stubbing Wharf, next to the canal, conjures up great food and is popular with cyclists. Along the route is the New Delight Inn at Jack Bridge, a welcoming country pub with real ales and good no-nonsense pub grub, such as burgers, baguettes and light bites.…

It takes a special kind of person to attempt epic feats such as the Transcontinental and Atlas Mountain races. But James Mark Hayden – two-time winner of the 4,000km Transcontinental – believes that mental resilience isn’t genetic, it’s learned. “You can be the fittest person in the world, but if you don’t have mental strength, you won’t go far,” he says. Amazingly, 29-year-old James didn’t start cycling until he was 20, but he quickly fell in love with the freedom of MTB. What led him to attempt challenges of this scale was simply the curiosity to see what he was capable of. “Ultra-endurance racing lets you develop skills beyond those of normal life,” James explains. “The sense of fulfilment from overcoming sink-or-swim situations is massive.” This is also what makes…

“Most of the last month has been spent digging at Dyfi Bike Park. The digger requires many hours of work, so in that respect lockdown hasn’t been a bad thing. I’ve been working on the new red trail, which needs to be better-groomed than any other I’ve built, so it’s been slow going. Building a red has been a huge learning curve. My trail-building mentality is always about pushing the boundaries, but the last six months of riding has made me see that people aren’t just about the challenge – they want to have fun! Rach has been helpful with that. I’ll be up there digging and she’ll come up and say, “That’s terrible, it doesn’t work, it’s too hard.” Then we’ll have a massive row. Normally she’s right and…

Privateer Bikes, as the name suggests, have built their 161 frame around the needs of the weekend warrior. The goals for this debut bike from the people behind Hunt Wheels were to allow riders to climb with minimal fatigue so they can plummet down the hills with vigour, maximising the fun factor, but also to make it an easy machine to work on. A few of the details that help with this include external gear cable and brake hose routing, with additional guides to prevent rattle, and a threaded bottom bracket with ISCG-05 tabs. There are two bearings in the driveside main pivot, to share the extra load due to it being offset to make room for the chainring, and the rocker link is a single piece, to maintain bearing…

STAR LETTER NEVER GO FULL DIGITAL “I may have been furloughed, but you’re not taking my magazine!” I know it sounds counterintuitive, but as a multimedia graphic designer I know the importance of stepping away from the screens, putting the devices down and giving our eyes a break from the autocratic, all-consuming digital tech. Now more than ever, there’s a lot to be said for escaping the news, making a brew (yes, with a biscuit) and opening the pages of this stalwart magazine, while naturally adopting the all-important ‘feet up’ position. So, it saddens me deeply to think that this legendary publication could succumb to the financial pressures that recent events may impose and go, dare I say it, fully digital. As one of the OG whose first mountain bike…

When Halfords told us they were developing a full-suspension trail bike with 12-speed gearing and a dropper post for under a grand, we were intrigued. Since release, they’ve dropped the price even lower, to £800, and they say it’ll remain at that price for the foreseeable future. The budget full-sus bike to beat has long been the Calibre Bossnut, but that now costs £1,105 and lacks a dropper. On paper then, the Titan X looks astonishing value. But mountain bikes are more than the sum of their parts, so can this new entrant be the new one-grand grand master? The frame The Titan X has 130mm of suspension travel at both ends, controlled by a RockShox Recon RL fork and Monarch R shock, which serve up fantastic suppleness for the…

World Cup #3 2005 – Schladming, Austria Sam’s first Elite World Cup victory couldn’t have been won in more convincing fashion. As the rider and fan favourite at Schladming – widely regarded as one of the best tracks ever – Sam demolished the competition, putting in eight seconds between him and second-placed Chris Kovarik, and giving the world a glimmer of the absolute domination that was to follow. World Champs 2008 – Val di Sole, Italy He was six seconds up at the split, riding in a different dimension to the rest of the field, but got shot down in flames within sight of the finish line. This isn’t a race that Sam will be desperate to relive, but it’s one that we’ll never forget. World Champs 2010 – Mont-Sainte-Anne,…

1989 RS-1 (ROCKSHOX 1) This is the fork that started it all. Back when the RS-1 came to market there weren’t forks designed for different disciplines, so this 60mm-travel ‘beast’ with its 1in-diameter steel stanchions and canti brake mounts would have been used for everything from XC to fireroad bombing to DH. 1994 MAG SL TITANIUM The RS-1 was superseded by the Mag (with magnesium lowers) in the early ’90s. The Mag21 used a combined air spring and damper – it wasn’t until the Judy came along that the two were separated. There were several iterations of Mag forks, including this one with titanium hardware. 1998 SID Introduced in 1998 as a lighter weight alternative to the Judy, the SID has always had an XC focus, but back in the…

Fidlock TWIST 450 + Bike Base £29.99 SO GOOD… Fidlock’s neat magnetic attachment lets you release the bottle with a simple twist, so you don’t need much space in your frame, especially with this small 450ml size. The magnet is strong, so we never lost our bottle. Reattaching the bottle to its base is easier than using a traditional cage. NO GOOD… The twist action is suited to right-handed users best. We got some rattle on rocky trails. The bottle is very stiff, so it’s hard to squeeze a decent flow of water through the non-lockable nozzle, and sucking doesn’t do much better. For the price, the bottle could be better. www.ison-distribution.com Fabric Gripper £9.99 (750ml) SO GOOD… Water flow through the simple nozzle is excellent when you give this…

I’d picked 2011 to be the year I was going to have a crack at racing the mass-start Megavalanche Alpe d’Huez, along with our art ed Jimmer and staff writer Ric McLaughlin (now working for the Enduro World Series). Having heard stories about how tough and long the track was, and that it included some nasty climbs, it seemed to me that the aluminium-framed, 160mm-travel Enduro Expert was my best bet for such an event. But before we even got on the ferry, I needed to get my new bike and myself as dialled-in as possible. Fix up, look sharp Alongside undertaking a brutal training programme courtesy of Pro Ride MTB, I got busy working on the Enduro, starting with the suspension. Thanks to the help of Chris Porter (who…

Seduced by the 2012 Zesty’s curvaceous chassis and reports of its sublime ride, I just had to have one, and its performance put even my beloved Cotic Soul hardtail in the shade. The spec on this entry-level carbon model was nothing special, but it was the best I could afford. As on any bike at that time, my first moves were to fit a wider bar and shorter stem, and then to convert it to 1x10. Working at BikeRadar, I was soon able to upgrade it with some fancier kit in need of long-term testing, including lightweight DT Swiss Tricon wheels (thanks Rob!) and a KS LEV dropper. Let the good times roll I had some great times on this bike, riding everything from the then-new Cafall trail at Cwmcarn…

A NUMBERS GAME Radon got the geometry pretty dialled on the Swoop 170. This made it fun to ride, and an easy bike to go fast on. DEVIL’S IN THE DETAIL The 9.0 was race-ready out of the box. With its Fox Performance Elite fork, shock and dropper post, SRAM GX Eagle gears and Code R brakes, and DT Swiss E 1700 wheels, there was nothing for me to change, except for setting up the tyres tubeless and sticking my favourite grips on. SIMPLE IS BETTER Details such as external brake hose routing, space for a water bottle, a simple flip-chip design and a threaded bottom bracket shell made riding and working on this bike that bit easier.…

In 2015 I returned to the UK and a new job as MBUK’s features editor after eight years living in the French Alps and riding mostly downhill bikes. The new role meant I could pick pretty much any bike I wanted. I was after a burly, long-travel but pedalling-friendly machine suited to epic days in the saddle and gnarly descents. After browsing the web for hours on end, the 650b-wheeled GT Sanction stood out, because it was designed under the scrutiny of Dan Atherton, who’d debuted the prototype at the inaugural round of the Enduro World Series two years earlier. Ahead of its time Even by today’s standards, the Sanction’s geometry doesn’t look disastrously dated. My large frame had a 461mm reach, 1,215mm wheelbase, 66-degree head angle and 74.5-degree effective…

EN 1078 The European standard for cycle helmets, awarded to lids that pass four tests (guided freefall drop, angled anvil impact, flat anvil impact and strap strength test). M.I.P.S. Multi-directional Impact Protection System – a layer of plastic between the padding and liner that lets the lid rotate on the head to (in theory) reduce the transfer of rotational forces in a crash. ROTATIONAL FORCES In an impact, twisting forces can be transferred to the brain, making it rotate inside the skull. These can be as dangerous as direct blows. E.P.S. Expanded polystyrene – the crushable foam used in most helmets’ liners, which absorbs impacts as it deforms. Can only be ‘used’ once, so buy a new lid if you crash. RETENTION SYSTEM Internal band or cradle that keeps the…

Always begin with a drop that’s small and safe. A kerb or a drop lower than your bike’s axle height is a good starting place to practise the technique and build your confidence. Make sure the run-in, lip and run-out are all safe and free from obstacles. Drops have a ‘point on no return’ where it’ll end in disaster if you try to grab your brakes. Start small so you can feel confident hitting the drop without panicking. If your landing sounds heavy, something’s not quite right. Bike set-up will help. Make sure your seatpost is low and your brake levers aren’t rolled too far down as this can affect body position considerably. Don’t just pull up on the handlebar with your arms because this will result in the front…

1 CREAKY BACKSIDE A dirty, poorly maintained seatpost can cause irritating creaking when you’re putting down the power seated. Carefully remove the post from the frame and give it a clean (take care with internally-routed droppers – be sure to release the cable from the remote if you don’t have enough slack to remove the post). Check for signs of damage then apply a thin layer of grease before sliding the post back into the frame and torqueing it up to the manufacturer’s specified setting. Next, loosen off the seat clamp and remove the saddle. Give the clamp a thorough clean and examine it for signs of damage. Check the saddle rails too. Once clean, replace the saddle, tightening the clamp bolts to the specified torque setting. 2 CHECK ONE,…

“Think of it like a visual love letter to your first bike and all that it enabled!” declares Jeremy Grant, director of the upcoming MTB film Accomplice. This new feature-length freeride spectacle is a collaboration between Jeremy (North of Nightfall, Where the Trail Ends) and big-time snowsports production company Teton Gravity Research. Their ambition has been to go deeper than just big-name athletes and mind-blowing riding. “We’ve tried to tell the stories of some of the amazing humans in the biking community,” Jeremy explains, noting that while the film is packed full of talent – think Andreu Lacondeguy, Cam McCaul, Graham Agassiz and many more – the riders for each segment weren’t only selected for their ability, but also for their compelling stories and strong friendships. Accomplice is one of…

As we go to press, the UK’s lockdown measures have just been eased slightly, filling us with mixed feelings. We’re super-excited to ride properly again, but feel it’d be irresponsible to travel too far afield or get into any potentially dangerous situations. It’s great to get some dirt under our tyres again, though, and remind ourselves of the sensation of ripping around berms! Having not tested any bikes for the past two months, we’ve got a serious amount of riding to do soon! And a couple of really cool high-pivot 29ers should be arriving any day now – the Highlander from Scottish brand Deviate and the Forbidden Druid, all the way from Canada. These boutique rigs aren’t cheap, but don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of more affordable bikes lined up…

Throughout the history of mountain bike design, certain themes keep reappearing, one of which is linkage forks. While telescopic suspension has its limitations, no one has yet created a mainstream-accepted alternative. Trust Performance created a buzz last year with their Shout and Message forks, but these had unusual ride characteristics and a high price, and the company have now suspended operations, citing the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Loni Hull, founder of Structure Cycleworks, believes that linkage forks haven’t taken off because to realise their full potential, they need to be integrated into the chassis of the bike. “It’s the only way to take full advantage of the benefits of axle path, dive reduction, bump compliance and stability,” he says. Loni, from Calgary in Canada, comes from a motorcycle-racing…

“What came first for you, bikes or cameras?” It’s a question I’m often asked, and the answer is bikes. Riding bikes is just so much fun and, for me, taking a camera along when I went riding was a way to commemorate those times. It helped that my dad’s always been into photography, which is what made me think that taking a camera out in the first place was a good idea. I’m mostly self-taught and I grew up in the era when digital was overtaking film as the medium of choice, making it that bit easier to learn. I’m super-lucky, not only to take pictures of bikes for a living, but also to work with all the amazing people that I do! 1. THE BEGINNING It all started with…

Body position We’ve heard it said by many coaches that this is the basis upon which all skills are founded, and it’s something we always notice about Sam’s riding. Analyse the way he attacks a section and you’ll see his upper body hardly moves, even in the roughest terrain. His head is always up, eyes focused solely on where he’s going and heels dropped to absorb the impacts. By maintaining a balanced but relaxed position, he’s making the bike do the all the work as it skips around under him. Cornering Foot up or foot out, Sam can rail corners faster than just about anyone, and a big part of that is how comfortable he is with breaking traction. In any flat turn you’ll see him drifting, the back wheel…

SID ULTIMATE SL Weighing a mere 1,330g, this could be the lightest XC fork on the market. With 32mm stanchions and 100mm of travel, the SID SL is pared back to a minimum with intricately machined lower legs and crown. Inside is RockShox’s all-new Charger Race Day damper, which weighs next to nothing and is tuned specifically for speed. The Ultimate SL costs £779, but a more affordable Select model is available for £579, with a Charger SL damper instead of the Race Day one. SID ULTIMATE Upping the stanchion diameter to 35mm and increasing travel to 120mm is the SID Ultimate. If you don’t see yourself as a thoroughbred racer but still want to climb and descend fast, this could be the fork for you. It still features the…

HOW WE TEST THE KIT Starts with a detailed product check in the workshop. We strip and rebuild, checking for any problems. Next we hit the trails… hard! We test in real riding conditions for the complete picture. And finally we re-test with another tester. WHY OUR TESTS ARE THE BEST! Our test team is made up of some of the most respected bike and kit testers in the world. We have unrivalled knowledge and experience, and spend a vast amount of time making sure we get it right. We tell you the truth and aren’t influenced by PR or advertisers. PLEASE NOTE All testing and photography for this issue was either completed before the lockdown or carried out in compliance with social distancing advice and government travel restrictions. ABOUT…

An important part of having the Habit Neo as my long-termer has been seeing what kind of experience the new Generation 4 Bosch Performance Line CX motor would deliver. The Gen 4 is half the size of previous models, weighs just 2kg and promises to deliver more responsive acceleration, smoother power transfer and improved control and handling. Having ridden just over 1,500km on the bike to date, it seems like a good time to reflect on those promises. Something that was immediately apparent to me was that, as far as e-bike motors are concerned, size really does matter. The more compact proportions mean that the drive unit sits more comfortably in the frame, so there are fewer compromises in geometry to accommodate it. As a result, the Habit Neo feels…

My nearest manmade trails are about 15 miles away, which would have constituted a punishing all-dayer if I’d ridden there and back under lockdown, while the technicality of the descents would’ve put me at unnecessary risk and too far away from assistance. On the other hand, the best singletrack and rocky bridleways I can reach from my house require just a couple of miles of spinning along country roads. So I’ve been experimenting with the Fuel EX to see how roadworthy I can get a burly 29er trail bike. The results have been so good that I’ve actually done a fair few rides along tarmac lanes. Both the Fox Rhythm fork and Float DPS shock have lockouts, letting me firm up the suspension on the fly. Reaching the fork’s low-speed…

LITTLE BIG-HITTER Despite its compact wheelbase (only the XL measured longer than 1,200mm), the Enduro felt surefooted and confidence-inspiring on demanding terrain thanks to the plush 160mm of travel at either end. My bike was custom tuned by suspension guru Chris Porter, elevating its performance even further. SIZE MATTERS While far from radical, the 2011 Enduro’s geometry wasn’t bad for the time. OK, the bottom bracket was rather lofty and the chainstays maybe a touch too compact, but the reach was reasonable compared to its rivals and the head angle was relatively relaxed. THE NEW BREED Now over 20 years old, the Enduro helped pave the way for enduro riding as we know it. Specialized have done an impressive job of evolving its design over the years, with today’s version…

BLACK BEAUTY A full-carbon frame on a sub-£3k bike was a good deal even in 2012, and this one was a beaut, with swooping lines and Lapierre’s trademark (at that time) reverse-tapered seatstays. It wasn’t all form over function though – the OST+ four-bar suspension worked really well too. MEASURING UP While the 2011 Zesty had begun to look a bit dated, Lapierre refreshed the 2012 model with a slacker head angle (67 degrees), shorter stays (425mm) and lower BB, giving it on-point trail geometry. LIGHT FANTASTIC My final build, with lightweight DT wheels and Magura brakes, but also plenty of mid-range kit, including a Shimano SLX/OneUp 1x10 drivetrain, weighed around 11kg – pretty impressive for a 140mm trail bike.…

I’m struggling to remember when I saw my first Jones bike. It may have been on a trip to the USA, or possibly there was a feature about independent frame builders in my imported copy of Bikemagazine. Wherever it was, something about that improbable ‘Spaceframe’, truss fork and oversize wheels caught my imagination. Going against the grain Originally, all the bikes were made by Jeff Jones in his hillside Oregon workshop, but when demand grew too much, he entrusted manufacturing to renowned titanium frame builders Merlin. Sadly, that didn’t make the price point any more accessible. And anyway, it was a crazy bike to lust after – rigid, at a time when everything was heading in the direction of full suspension; 29in wheels, when no one, even if they’d heard…

HARD-HITTING SUSPENSION The Sanction’s suspension was supple at the start, had loads of mid-stroke support and ramped up towards the end of its travel. This meant it was well-suited to hard charging, dangerously high-speed moments, and I could push the bike well beyond my comfort zone. TOUGH AS OLD NAILS Although it used a version of GT’s i-Drive system – where the BB was isolated from suspension forces – the frame was pretty simple, and with that came strength and stiffness. It never winced or flinched in the face of gnar. FEATHERWEIGHT Even though my Sanction was a real bruiser, it still weighed a scant (for an enduro bike) 13.1kg (28.9lb). It felt sprightly on the climbs and I even took it on a bunch of XC rides to prove…

COVERAGE All the helmets here offer more head coverage than you’ll find on lighter-weight, XC-style lids, with the rear of the shell dropping lower to better protect the back of your head. While this means they may run hotter when working hard, the added protection is worth it for trail riding. VENTS The more air intakes, exhaust ports and internal channeling a helmet has, the cooler your head’s going to be on the climbs and descents (as long as they’re well designed). They should also make the lid lighter, but potentially not as strong unless weight is added elsewhere. CHIN STRAP Securing the helmet to your head, the strap passes under your chin where it usually fastens with a quick-release plastic buckle or magnetic Fidlock clasp. GOGGLE PARKING Wearing goggles…

CWMCARN There was a period, in the wake of BikePark Wales opening, when it felt like this classic South Wales spot had fallen by the wayside. That time has certainly passed though, and we’d say that right now Cwmcarn is riding better than ever. The red-graded Cafall trail is refreshed and fully open after felling works and, pending COVID-19 delays, the new blue loop should be ready to roll any day now, linking in with the original Twrch trail. www.mbwales.com SHEFFIELD When it comes to cities that are switched on for bikes, Sheffield is one of the best. Not only have Steel City residents got the Peak District on their doorstep, but they’ve got their pick of purpose-built flow trails too. At Lady Cannings Plantation on the city’s western fringes,…