Innehållsförteckning för October 2021 från Mountain Biking UK

CAPTIVATING ME WITH THEIR SPEED AND STYLE, MAKING ME YEARN TO RIDE, MY HEROES HELPED SPARK A LIFELONG LOVE OF MOUNTAIN BIKING As a teenager, posters of Jason McRoy and John Tomactornfrom MBUK jostledforspaceonmywall with Nirvana and other musical heroes, captivating me with their speed and style, making me yearn to get out and ride, and helping to spark a lifelong love of mountain biking. I’m sure many of you have similar memories. So what better way to celebrate our 400th issue – a momentous milestone for any publication – than by paying tribute to some heroes. Not just mine, but those who mean the most to you, too. After all, if it weren’t for our passionate, mountain biking-mad readers, there’d be no MBUK. Simple as that. It’s you who…

The long wait is over! Evie Richards became Britain’s first ever Elite cross-country world champion this August with an inspired performance that left the world’s best riders in her dust. The 24-year-old from Malvern stayed cool to overtake three-time world champ Pauline Ferrand-Prévot of France on lap two of the race in Val di Sole, Italy, and lead all the way to the finish. Dutchwoman Anne Terpstra outsprinted the chase group for the silver medal, while Sina Frei beat fellow Swiss rider Jolanda Neff, this year’s Olympic champ, to third. Evie just missed out on the win in the short-track XC race too, with a photo finish giving her the silver medal. In the men’s XC, Nino Schurter took an incredible ninth World Champs gold, ahead of fellow Swiss athlete…

Kaos Seagrave is one of the new breed of ‘freeracers’ – a stylish downhiller who’s just as comfortable in a whip-off competition or sending the huge jumps of the FEST Series. He grew up in Champéry, Switzerland, hitting the DH runs on a bike in summer and skis in winter. Sister Tahnée races the World Cup circuit alongside Kaos, to huge success, while dad Tony runs the FMD Racing team. Who is Kaos Seagrave? Someone who enjoys riding bikes. What do you do? I have fun on bikes for a living! Where do you call home? Near Revolution Bike Park in Wales. What was your first bike? A Specialized P.3 dirt jump bike, but my first DH machine was Tahnée’s hand-me-down – an Intense 951 Series. What’s your current ride?…

EXCLUSIVE COMPETITION TEN entries will win a set of DMR V11 pedals and DEATHGRIPS worth £76. One of the chosen ten will win an exclusive commissioned artwork by ‘Mint Sauce’ illustrator Jo Burt. HOW TO WIN: 1. SCAN THE QR CODE on this page or go to www.dmrbikes.com 2. DOWNLOAD THE PICTURE as illustrated on this page. 3. COLOUR IT IN. Either digitally using your iPad or laptop with a drawing package, or print it out and use paint, crayons or pencils as you wish. 4. SAVE YOUR FINISHED PICTURE. You can enter as many versions as you like. 5. HASHTAG your post with #DMRPAINTME to your Insta & Facebook. CLOSING DATE Entries will be judged solely by Jo Burt on October the 26th 2021. Winners will be contacted via…

STARLING ROOST £1,220 Bristol brand’s first hardtail flies the nest – and it’s a stunner! Bristol-based Starling Cycles are known for hand-welding bespoke full-suspension frames in-house, but for this special stainless steel hardtail, owner Joe McEwan has farmed the work out to ORA in Taiwan. The material is the same strength and stiffness as Reynolds 853 chromoly, but doesn’t rust and can be left raw with laser-etched graphics for a stunning finish. A unique seatstay yoke keeps the aesthetics similar to the brand’s full-sussers. The Roost has geometry optimised for a mullet wheel set-up (29in front, 650b rear) and a 140mm-travel fork. Chainstay length grows with frame size (M, L, XL) to help maintain stability at speed. External cable routing keeps maintenance fuss-free, while Boost dropouts and ISCG-05 tabs mean…

Bigger is better ENDURO GOES SUPERSIZED While the buzz last year was over shorter-travel ‘downcountry’ rigs, brands haven’t forgotten their burlier bikes. The world of enduro racing and riding is constantly evolving, with companies pushing towards bigger-hitting rigs and components for 2022. 1 NINER WFO 9 RDO Despite complicating their brand message by offering a new ‘mullet’ WFO e9 e-bike and a 650b-wheeled RIP 9 trail bike for 2022, Niner’s main focus is still on the 29in wheel size. Their WFO 9 shows just how much travel you can hang on a 29er enduro bike, boasting 170mm of rear wheel bounce and a 180mm fork, along with one of the most aesthetically-pleasing frames at Eurobike, courtesy of this stunning ‘hot tamale’ paint job. www.zyrofisher.co.uk 2 DEVINCI SPARTAN HP Devinci have…

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 workshop. Next, we hit the trails… hard! We test in real riding conditions, incorporating feedback from multiple riders, and don’t stop until we have the complete picture, no matter how long it takes. Our testing is staunchly independent and not influenced by PR or advertisers (sometimes to their great discomfort!). We’re never afraid to tell you the truth.…

SPEC Frame Aluminium alloy, 200mm travel Fork RockShox BoXXer Ultimate RC2, 200mm travel Shock RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate DH Drivetrain SRAM X01 DH (1x7) Wheelset Bontrager Line DH 30 wheels, Bontrager G5 Team Issue 29x2.5in tyres Brakes SRAM Code RSC, 200/180mm rotors Bar/stem Bontrager Line Pro OCLV carbon, 820mm/ Bontrager Line Pro direct-mount, 50mm Seatpost/saddle Bontrager Rhythm Elite/Bontrager Arvada Weight 17.1kg (37.6lb), R2 size without pedals www.trekbikes.com Trek’s Session downhill bike has a long, celebrated history. This latest version is designed to get racers down the hill faster than ever. With a high-pivot suspension design and chain idler, it’s bang on-trend. THE FRAME The burly aluminium chassis delivers 200mm of rear wheel travel. Trek have squeezed in a 250mm shock, which has a ‘Mino Link’ chip allowing you to alter…

£8,299 Downcountry travel paired with a super-light 29er build SPEC Frame ‘CC’ carbon fibre, 115mm travel Fork Fox 34 StepCast Factory, 120mm travel Shock Fox Float DPS Factory Drivetrain SRAM X01 Eagle AXS with GX Eagle AXS shifter (1x12) Wheels Santa Cruz Reserve 28|XC carbon rims on DT Swiss 350 hubs, Maxxis Rekon Race 3C EXO 29x2.4in tyres Brakes SRAM Level TLM, 180mm rotors Bar/stem Santa Cruz carbon flat, 760mm/Syntace LiteForce Seatpost/saddle RockShox Reverb Stealth/Juliana Segundo Weight 10.5kg (23.2lb), small size without pedals www.jungleproducts.co.uk JARGON FLEX-STAYS Carbon fibre seatstays that are designed to bend during suspension movement, doing away with the need for a pivot near the rear axle. This saves weight and reduces maintenance. STEPCAST Fox’s stepped-leg fork chassis, which saves weight (less material is used at the bottom…

SPEC Frame Aluminium alloy, 120mm travel Fork Fox 34 Float Performance GRIP, 130mm travel Shock Fox Float DPS Performance EVOL Drivetrain SRAM GX Eagle (1x12) Wheelset Ibis S35 wheels, Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO TR 29x2.4in tyres Brakes Shimano SLX M7100, 180mm rotors Bar/stem Ibis alloy, 780mm/ Ibis, 50mm Seatpost/saddle BikeYoke REVIVE/WTB Silverado Weight 4.17kg, large size without pedals www.2pure.co.uk The Ripley AF (which stands for aluminium frame) is Ibis’s 29in-wheeled, short-travel trail bike, almost identical to its more expensive carbon fibre stablemate, bar a slacker head angle. THE FRAME Ibis have given the Ripley AF internally-routed cables, inbuilt stay protection and a threaded BB shell with ISCG-05 chain guide tabs. Its 120mm of rear squish is doled out by Dave Weagle’s twin-link DW-link platform. Geometry figures include a 65.5-degree…

‘Squashing’ a jump helps you gain speed and save time when racing. The technique first appeared in BMX racing, when riders discovered it was faster to stay low than expend time in the air. Squashing jumps is useful in four-cross, because races are under a minute long so every second counts. Staying lower to the ground means you can land on the jump’s downside as quickly as possible and get back on the pedals. This technique can also be used in any type of timed race where the course features jumps. As before, you want to roll into the jump in the ready position – arms and legs slightly bent with 50 per cent of your weight through your hands, 50 per cent through your feet – and looking ahead…

Bar height Handlebar height has a big influence on handling. A lower bar helps centre your weight between the wheels on climbs and lowers your centre of mass, aiding control, while a higher bar helps prevent that nervous, ‘over the front’ feeling on steep descents. You can change bar height by moving spacers from above the stem to below it, and vice versa. If you want to go even higher, you’ll need to buy a high-rise bar. Bar width There’s no hard and fast formula for bar width – it’s a case of trial and error. Buy an 800mm bar, then slide your lock-on grips inboard by 5mm at a time to simulate narrower widths (with end caps fitted!). Ride until you find a width you like, then trim the…

With plenty of time on their hands earlier this year, the Oneplanet Adventure team who run Coed Llandegla trail centre in North Wales challenged themselves to use their DIY skills to spruce things up. They’ve put a huge amount of work into refreshing the visitor centre, workshop and cafe, including building a new all-weather canopy for the deck. But that’s not all – they’ve also resurfaced the trails and added a new section. Oneplanet’s Jim Gaffney tells us: “It’s a very flowy red-graded section that links the blue trail at Shotton View to the red at Gelders Glider. Basically berm after berm of flowy descent, it’ll eventually form the second part of a much longer trail section from the top of the forest. It’s the first new section we’ve built…

Coming just three years after the unashamed retro-fest that was our 30th anniversary, we’ve decided not to dwell on the past too much in our 400th issue. But that’s what this section’s all about, eh? Duringitsfivedecadesinprint, MBUK has changed enormously, from early days trying to figure out what this sport was all about and how you could get down a hill without crashing, to the bonkers stunts of the ’90s (parabiking, sub-aqua shredding, riding a carnival Wall of Death, storming the beaches of Normandy!) and the laddish dirt jump, trials and freeride-obsessed ’00s, right through to the modern day where, like many of our readers, we’re a bit more grown-up – well, some of us, at least! – but have never lost that sense of fun that sets MBUK apart.…

The Malverns Classic is mountain biking’s answer to Woodstock or Glastonbury Festival – a massive celebration that draws hordes of riders and brands to the grounds of Eastnor Castle, at the foot of England’s Malvern Hills, in pursuit of the perfect long weekend! THURSDAY: A WARM WELCOME Arriving on site, I’m greeted by the sight of rolling hills and a tree-pocked camping area. Grabbing a wristband, I head into the festival grounds for hot food and a look at the trade stands. The wooden pump track is aready busy, with kids and adults alike keen for some laps. Later this evening, the next generation of rippers will vie for top honours here, showing some impressive core skills and a healthy dose of enthusiasm – the future of mountain biking is…

ENDURA MT500 INK JERSEY £39.99 | www.endurasport.com The MT500 Ink jersey is made from a relatively lightweight recycled fabric with a decent amount of stretch to it. While the cut is casual, it’s by no means baggy, and the small size fitted perfectly, with enough length in the arms and body to never leave us feeling exposed. The soft fabric means it’s really comfortable next to the skin, too. Raglan-cut sleeves help to keep movement free and easy, while flatlock stitching prevents irritation. The deep cuffs at the end of the sleeves feel secure enough without being restrictive and are low-profile so won’t interfere with your gloves. There’s enough give so that you can push the sleeves up, and once there, they’ll stay on your forearms without working their way…

TROY LEE DESIGNS 3900 UPPER PROTECTION VEST £135 | www.saddleback.co.uk SO GOOD... With plenty of mesh fabric ventilation is good. It’s easy to pull on and off, even with no zip. The highly flexible protective panels don’t restrict movement, and it fits nicely under jerseys. Individual sections of padding can be removed to tune fit and comfort, and it’s been designed with neck braces in mind. We like the kidney protection. NO GOOD… It doesn’t feel great next to the skin, and the thin panels don’t offer as much protection as thicker options in this test. Being a vest, there’s no shoulder armour. Sizing is on the large side, too. ALPINESTARS PARAGON LITE PROTECTION JACKET SS £140 | www.zyrofisher.co.uk SO GOOD... This jacket’s CE Level 1-certified back protector provides good…

When the leaves discolour and the temperature drops, it’s Mother Nature’s way of telling us that summer’s done and another year is coming to a close. For us MTBers, while it might mark the start of riding in the mud and rain again for months on end, it also signifies a time when we’re able to go into our local shop or online and pick up one of next year’s bikes. “But what are the hot picks for 2022?” we hear you cry. Great question! Well, the eight we’ve chosen here aren’t just interesting in their own right, but also help to shed some light on burgeoning trends we’re likely to see more of in the coming months. Take the Specialized Turbo Kenevo SL, for example. Could this lighter-weight e-MTB…

SPEC Frame Carbon fibre, 170mm travel Fork Fox 38 Float Factory GRIP2, 170mm travel Shock Fox Float X2 Factory Drivetrain Specialized SL 1.1 motor with 320Wh battery, SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS gearing with Praxis M30 carbon cranks (1x12) Wheelset Roval Traverse SL wheels, Specialized Butcher T9 GRID Trail (f) and T7 GRID Trail (r) 29x2.3in tyres Brakes SRAM Code RSC, 220mm/200mm rotors Bar/stem Roval Traverse SL carbon, 800mm/ Deity 35, 50mm Seatpost/saddle RockShox Reverb AXS/Specialized Bridge Weight 19.05kg (41.9lb), S3 size without pedals www.specialized.com JARGON SEATPOST INSERTION DEPTH How far you can insert the seatpost into the frame. If the seat tube is kinked or interrupted, this limits the insertion depth, which can cause issues for shorter-legged riders or those wanting to run long-drop posts. FRONT CENTRE Horizontal distance from…

SPEC Frame Carbon fibre, 165mm travel Fork Fox 38 Float Factory, 170mm travel Shock Fox Float X2 Factory Drivetrain SRAM X01 Eagle (1x12) Wheelset Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro i9 Alloy wheels, Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip EXO+ 29x2.5in WT (f) and Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ 29x2.4 WT (r) tyres Brakes SRAM Code RSC, 200/200mm rotors Bar/stem Renthal Fatbar, 800mm/Renthal Apex, 50mm Seatpost/saddle YT Postman/SDG BEL Air 3.0 Weight 15.08kg, medium size without pedals www.yt-industries.com Launched in 2014, the YT Capra was one of the first long-travel enduro bikes. Named after a mountain goat, it received massive praise for its performance and price. Is the latest version still up there with the best? THE FRAME The third-generation Capra is made from YT’s top-spec carbon fibre. New tube profiles lower its…

After an uninspiring British summer, we’ve lucked out on our visit to central Wales, with a mini heatwave in September. The area surrounding the historic market town of Rhayader in Powys is sometimes known as the ‘Welsh Lake District’, thanks to its beautiful scenery and series of reservoirs. We’re going to be visiting several of these today, on a route that takes in most of the valley’s six dams, offering stunning views from below, above and alongside them. The Elan Valley is very cyclist-friendly and there are a number of specially-designed routes here, as well as cycle paths, a pump track in Rhayader, and now a couple of short downhill skills trails, too. But more about those later. Mistbusters Having spent a very comfortable night in the Penbont House tearooms…

1 The Overland Dual baselayer-jerseys These rad riding tops have five elasticated pockets so you can stash a ton of kit on your person. Long-sleeve £50, short-sleeve £45 www.overland-store.com 2 Bluegrass Armour Lite vest As well as keeping you safe with its CE Level 1-certified back protector, this lightweight armour jacket has a sleeve for a 1l bladder and three pockets for kit. £120 www.met-helmets.com 3 Wolf Tooth EnCase System Bar Kit One This system consists of two flexible storage sleeves, which slide into the ends of your bar. One side houses a 14-function multi-tool while the other contains a chain breaker and tyre plug tool. £120 https://saddleback.co.uk 4 Birzman Packman bike bags Go big with these bikepacking bags, which will take all you need for epic adventures and are…

DMR Bikes have been strong supporters of MBUK and the UK scene for three decades, and to mark our 400th issue they’re offering an extra-special prize – a bespoke artwork from Mint Sauce creator Jo Burt, along with a set of DMR V11 pedals and Deathgrips. Now, we’re not talking a work-in-progress or a reprint of one of the strips from the mag, but an all-new piece of your choice. Always fancied a caricature of yourself in trademark Mint Sauce style? Fill your boots! Got something else in mind? Win this comp and Jo is at your beck and call! Not only that, but there are DMR goodies for nine runners-up as well. How do I enter? Turn the page and you’ll find an exclusive DMR poster designed by Jo…

JARGON PEDAL KICKBACK On some suspension designs, the distance between the chainring and cassette can grow as the bike compresses into its travel. This causes the chain (when under tension) to pull back on the chainring, spinning the cranks backwards and causing the pedals to ‘kick back’. SPEC Frame Carbon fibre, 165mm travel Fork Fox 38 Float Factory GRIP2, 170mm travel Shock Fox Float X2 Factory Wheels WTB KOM Trail i30 TCS rims on Formula (f) and SRAM MTH 700 (r) hubs, Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ 29x2.5in (f) and Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO+ 29x2.4in (r) tyres Drivetrain SRAM X01 Eagle with X1 Eagle cranks, GX Eagle shifter and NX Eagle chain (1x12) Brakes SRAM Code RSC, 220/200mm rotors Bar/stem Cannondale carbon, 780mm/ FSA Grid, 35mm Seatpost/saddle Cannondale DownLow/Fabric…

SPEC Frame Butted chromoly steel Fork Marzocchi Bomber Z1, 150mm travel Drivetrain Shimano SLX with Deore XT shifter, Deore chain and Race Face Æffect R cranks (1x12) Wheelset Race Face AR 30 rims on Shimano SLX hubs, Maxxis Assegai EXO TR 3C 29x2.5in WT (f) and Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO TR 3C 29x2.4in WT (r) tyres Brakes Shimano Deore, 203/180mm rotors Bar/stem Race Face Æffect R 35, 800mm/ RaceFace Æffect R 35, 50mm Seatpost/saddle TranzX/ WTB Volt Weight 14.59kg (31.9lb), medium size without pedals https://konaworld.com While it has no squish at the back, Kona’s Honzo ESD hardtail has gravity at the forefront of its design, with a shape rivalling the most descent-focused bikes around. THE FRAME Kona’s steel tubes are backed up with braces and butts, and work with…

SPEC Frame ‘HMX’ carbon fibre, 120mm travel Fork Fox 34 Factory, 130mm travel Shock Fox Nude 5T Factory Drivetrain SRAM X01 AXS (1x12) Wheelset Syncros Silverton wheels, Schwalbe Wicked Will EVO Super Race ADDIX Soft (f) and ADDIX SpeedGrip (r) 29x2.4in tyres Brakes Shimano XTR, 180mm rotors Bar/stem Syncros Fraser iC SL DC, 760mm/60mm (effective) Seatpost/saddle Fox Transfer Factory/Syncros Tofino 1.5 Ti Weight 11.5kg, large size without pedals www.scott-sports.com JARGON SINGLE-PIVOT Suspension design where the rear axle is joined to the main pivot via a single, uninterrupted swingarm, with no secondary pivot in between. Scott’s purchase of ‘hidden shock’ maestros Bold Cycles has clearly influenced the design of the new Spark. This Tuned version gets the ‘downcountry’ treatment with a 130mm-travel fork and more ‘grrr’ from the spec list. THE…

All jumps are different, but the technique for jumping stays the same. The only changes are your entry speed and your energy input. Judging how much speed and ‘pop’ you need to clear a jump comes with practice. ‘Boosting’ is useful if there’s a jump that you need more energy and height to clear in order to reach the landing safely. Perhaps the jump is uphill (a step-up), maybe the track is muddy or it might just be a really big jump. The higher you need to boost, then the more energy you need to take off with. This is a balance between your entry speed and the amount of force used to compress and then pop up. Start in the ready position, with arms and legs slightly bent and…

1  Toe straps (from the pre-SPD days) or reusable zipties are a handy way to hold things in place while you work on your bike. Stop the cranks from spinning, the back end from extending or the bar from twisting, or use them for hanging forks/wheels. 2  Park Tool’s IR-1.2 internal routing tool greatly reduces the faff of routing control lines through your frame. Various cable and hose fittings help you pull old ones through before re-threading a new one, and the strong magnet can guide fresh cables through. 3  Fed up with frantic pumping to get tubeless tyres seated? A compressor is definitely a luxury, and they take up lots of space, but you won’t be sweating over your tyres any more. An air gun attachment is useful, too,…

There’s no disguising the obvious drift marks we’re leaving in the fresh berms. We do feel bad about it, but then again, it’s too much fun to stop lapping out runs of the Isle of Wight MTB Centre’s newest blue trail. The snaking back-to-back turns are carpeted in smooth, just-too-tempting gravel, which allows our tyres to grip and cut loose just the perfect amount. It’s an awesome feeling to slide in, feel the bike’s suspension compress and then, as the wheels find traction, ping out the other side. We can tell the others we’re chasing down the hill are loving it too. Out front are Sam Hodgson and Matt Townsend – the two guys responsible for building all the trails here. Behind them in close formation are Alfie Nicholson, Jonny…