Innehållsförteckning för January 2022 från Mountain Biking UK

Another year draws to a close, and it’s been an odd one for mountain biking. The highs have been stratospheric. British riders triumphed at the Olympics (Tom Pidcock) and World Champs (Evie Richards), won EWS races (Bex Baraona) and World Cup rounds (Tahnée Seagrave, Reece Wilson, plus Tom and Evie again). There were top performances from rising stars, too, including Phoebe Gale and Jordan Williams (two Junior DH World Cups apiece), Jamie Edmondson (EWS U21 champ) and Polly Henderson (EWS U21 silver). Away from competition, we witnessed the return of great events such as the Malverns Classic and Red Bull Rampage, the rapid development of women’s freeride and the launch of some brilliant new bikes and kit… although it was bloody difficult to get our hands on any of them!…

I FOUND A MARSHAL, THEN GOT RUSHED TO HOSPITAL. THAT WAS WHEN THE DOCTORS NOTICED THAT MY LEFT THIGH WAS VERY SWOLLEN. THEY RUSHED ME INTO SURGERY AND REMOVED THREE MASSIVE BLOOD CLOTS FROM THE LEG With hindsight, the scariest moment ever was when I had compartment syndrome in my left quad, in 2009. But at the time, I didn’t realise the severity of the condition and was a little blasé about it. I’d crashed in a remote motocross race back home in South Africa and knew my collarbone was broken. I was about 20km from the finish line and struggled to ride on until I found a marshal, then got rushed to hospital. I was in a lot of pain. That was when the doctors noticed that my left…

Five things you need to know about Cannondale’s new cross-country hardtail: 1 IT’S SLACK FOR AN XC BIKE To improve speed and control, the Scalpel HT mimics its full-suspension namesake with geometry that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a trail bike a few years ago. All but the top build have a 67-degree head angle. This is paired with 410mm to 470mm reach figures, and proportional chainstay lengths that grow by 5mm with each step up the size range (430-445mm). 2 THE TOP MODEL’S EVEN SLACKER The top-spec Hi-MOD 1 comes fitted with Cannondale’s 110mm-travel, single-legged Lefty Ocho Carbon fork, while the other bikes have a 100mm-travel RockShox SID. The longer-travel fork slackens the head angle out to 66.5 degrees and reduces the reach slightly. 3…

Specialized’s legendary Stumpjumper has been around nearly as long as mountain biking itself. Over the years it’s changed beyond all recognition, but whether built for shredding Californian gravel way back when, or tearing it up on today’s manmade berms and jumps, its core do-it-all attitude has stuck. Modern Stumpys pack head angles in the low 60s and wheelbases stretching over 1,300mm, with both geometry and suspension designed to rip on the aggressive terrain that today’s trail riders expect to ride faster and safer than ever. The latest models are so evolved, in fact, that it’d be fun to know exactly what a time-travelling Eighties rider would make of an internal down tube lunch compartment, single-ring drivetrain, long-and-slack geometry and big wheels with fat tyres. THE FRAME This Expert EVO uses…

With the Sniper T, Intense have amped up their Sniper XC platform to deliver more travel and more capability, and bridge the gap between cross-country whippet and trail ripper. THE FRAME The Sniper T uses the same carbon fibre chassis as the rest of the Sniper ‘family’. It rolls on 29in wheels and is available in four sizes. What makes this bike more burly than the Sniper XC is its longer-shock stroke, which boosts travel from 100mm to 120mm, plus its 120mm-travel fork, which also subtly affects the bike’s geometry. Its geo figures do seem dated, though, especially compared to other bikes in the same ‘downcountry’ genre, such as the 120mm-travel Transition Spur. While the 66.5-degree head angle is reasonable for a bike with this little travel, the 73-degree effective…

Mild-mannered, Surrey-born rider Barrie Clarke turned to mountain biking from cyclocross and road racing. Through the ’90s he was rarely off the podium at home, winning three Elite XC National Championships – no mean feat at a time when British riders were regularly winning World Cups. Barrie had some close calls with the World Cup podium too, but unlike his counterparts he also worked a full-time job as a BT engineer. He’d train in the early hours on his commute to work and then cat-nap at lunchtime before his evening blast home. To race internationally for Raleigh and for GB, he’d book long weekends off. It wasn’t until much later in his career that he went full-time as a pro, and he was perhaps one of the least-hyped and most…

Numbering The number in the fork’s name refers to its stanchion (upper leg) diameter. Generally, the bigger the legs, the stiffer the fork and the better suited it is to aggressive riding, but the more it weighs. Fox’s range starts with the 32 (32mm, for XC riding) and progresses through the 34 (trail), 36 (all-mountain) and 38 (enduro) to the dual-crown 40 downhill fork. ‘SC’ and ‘E’ Fox also offer ‘StepCast’ versions of the 32 and 34 chassis, which are narrower and have stepped lower legs to reduce weight, for XC racing and ‘downcountry’ riding, respectively. At the other end of the scale, they produce beefed-up ‘E’ versions of the 34, 36 and 38, with thicker-walled uppers to increase stiffness on heavy electric bikes. Rhythm Rhythm forks are OEMspec, so…

1 MOTOR While town e-bikes sometimes use hub motors, e-MTBs use a ‘mid-drive’ system, positioned in the bottom bracket area and connected directly to the cranks. This keeps the weight low and central for better handling, and gives better torque and smoother traction. How much assistance is provided depends on the model of motor (see overleaf), what mode you’re in and how much pressure is being put through the pedals. Motor smoothness and response speed vary, but the latest offerings, such as Bosch’s Performance Line CX, seen here, offer enough grunt for even the steepest and trickiest of trails – in this case, up to 340 per cent assistance and 85Nm of peak torque. 2 MODES Most e-MTBs have several modes, from ‘eco’, for maximum mileage, to ‘turbo’ or ‘boost’,…

Riders not living under a rock for the past few years will have noticed ever more folk out on the trails (and overtaking them on the climbs!) on e-bikes. They’re now outselling ‘normal’ bikes in the UK, above the price point of about £4,000. This won’t be shocking to anyone who’s ridden one properly, and rapidly racked up all the best trails in succession. They’re enablers, allowing averagely-fit riders to take on rides that wouldn’t normally be possible without lungs and leg muscles of Olympian proportions. But it’s not all about making it easy – e-bikes also turn otherwise insurmountable terrain into technical puzzles of balance, timing and traction, bringing big thrills in the process. Pointed back down, you can ride these heavy, stable and grip-rich bikes FAST, which not…

Based on their EWS-winning Mega V4 enduro bike, Nukeproof's first e-MTB incorporates Shimano’s latest EP8 motor into a four-bar linkage frame layout that the UK brand have spent years refining. If the 170mm-travel design looks familiar in other ways, it’s because it shares its huge, triple-butted alloy front end with Wiggle/CRC-owned sister brand Vitus’s latest E-Sommet, reviewed on p28. THE FRAME The blocky frame is seriously beefy up front, where a massive 1.8in-to-1.125in tapered head tube – a new e-bike standard – aids frame rigidity and steering precision. This Comp model doesn’t get a fork with a matching 1.8in tapered steerer tube, though. Instead, it comes with a (presumably cheaper) converter lower headset cup and a standard 1.5in tapered fork. The big-diameter head tube allows use of a funky Acros…

Unlike most brands, e-bikes don’t just make up part of Thok’s range, but all of it. The Italian company was founded in 2017 by BMX world champ and ex-World Cup downhill racer Stefano Migliorini, and then bolstered by the arrival of former Moto GP team manager Livio Suppo. With this kind of racing pedigree behind it, we were keen to throw a leg over their TK01 e-enduro bike. THE FRAME The TK01’s angular aluminium frame and removable fender/rock-strike guard are clearly moto-inspired. Up front is a big 1.8in head tube. You get a single bottle mount inside the front triangle, plus internal cable routing. Thok spec Shimano’s latest EP8 motor, with an impact-resistant cover. The 630Wh battery is concealed within the down tube. There’s 170mm of rear wheel travel, courtesy…

ONEUP E-BIKE CHAIN GUIDE From £54 | www.oneupcomponents.com Designed for use with Shimano STEPS systems, this guide mounts directly to the motor without having to remove the cranks. It’ll help keep your chain on over rough terrain, and can be flipped open for easy chain maintenance. ERGON SM E›MOUNTAIN SADDLE From £92 | www.extrauk.co.uk Ergon reckon that e-biking means extra climbing and have designed this seat accordingly (yes, you’ll be doing more descending too, but you shouldn’t be sat down for that). It’s got a rear ramp and wide, flat nose to keep you comfy on long seated ascents, a relief channel to take pressure off your delicate bits and ‘OrthoCell’ inlays to distribute pressure across your sit-bones. Available in men’s and women’s versions, it comes in two sizes with…

Last week, I had the best day for such a long time on my downhill bike. Riding again after having a baby has been awesome! I missed doing big jumps so much while I was pregnant. I started off doing small tabletops and getting that confidence back, then one day I focused solely on jumps and by the end I was hitting some of the big ones at Dyfi Bike Park. There’s nothing quite like a DH bike, and ours (check out our Atherton Bikes feature on p54) is so grounded and smooth it just begs you to ride faster. There’s a tabletop at the bottom of ‘50 Hits’, out of a berm, where you have to clear the jumps before it, absolutely rail the corner and commit to the…

The new Giant Anthem is the latest in a long line of top-flight XC race bikes to switch to a so-called ‘flexstay’ system, following the lead of the Santa Cruz Blur, Specialized Epic, Scott Spark and a host of others. Giant’s new ‘FlexPoint Pro’ set-up replaces the twin links of their Maestro platform with a single main pivot and rocker-actuated shock, with flex built into the rear triangle helping to keep everything in line as the suspension compresses. The advantages of this, according to the Taiwanese brand, are excellent kinematics, fewer bearings to service and a 250g weight saving over the previous virtual pivot point design. While Maestro will still be used on Giant’s longer-travel bikes, it seems that when it comes to XC racing, this lighter, simpler system is…

STAR LETTER KEEPING THE FAITH I’ve been an avid reader of MBUK since I was 10 (I’m 44 now) and still have my first copy, which was given to me 30 years ago. While I still love mountain biking, I own several other kinds of bike and often go on cycle tours, as well as overnight bikepacking adventures. I need help – I think I’m turning into a roadie! I often go for 70-mile rides around the Mendip Hills, in Somerset, looking for the steepest hills to climb, and always worry about my Strava times. I rarely get out on the mountain bike anymore, and only did six laps of BikePark Wales the other day (I normally do at least 10!). My recent holidays have been to Mallorca, to ride…

With an ethos of ‘focus on fast’ for the new Rallon, Orbea have redesigned it from the ground up, aiming this bike at enduro racers and fast shredders. THE FRAME The carbon fibre chassis delivers 160mm of rear wheel travel and is sold with two yokes so you can run it either as a 29er or a ‘mullet’ set-up with a 650b rear wheel. The 29er yoke gives you ‘low’ and ‘lower’ geometry positions, while the mullet yoke offers just one setting, with similar numbers to the lower 29er position. Orbea have revised the geometry, which is now longer, lower, slacker and steeper. There are also four sizes rather than three. The Basque brand have kept standover heights to a minimum so riders can choose a frame size depending on…

When Yorkshire’s Tom Pidcock dodged and burned his way through the rock gardens beneath Mount Fuji this summer to claim Olympic XC gold it was a monumental, and very long-awaited, day for British mountain biking. Evie Richards’ subsequent World Championships win and first Elite World Cup victory proved it was no one-off, and the depth of talent in the UK ranks – with riders of the calibre of Annie Last, Harriet ‘Hattie’ Harnden and Isla Short not far behind – hints at further success to come. The early Nineties have often been hailed as the golden age of British XC, but it looks like we could be entering a whole new era of UK cross-country dominance – so, why’s it taken so long? History lessons Back in the late 1980s…

Not only does Tracy Moseley hold multiple downhill and enduro world titles, but she also dabbled in top- level XC, training with the British Cycling team and racing two World Cups. This put the multi-talented athlete from Malvern, Worcs, in good stead to support and mentor many of the current XC hopefuls. Under the banner of her Trek-backed T-MO Racing team, since 2012 she’s helped young XC riders such as Alice Barnes, Hattie Harnden, Beth and Rosie Crumpton, and a certain Evie Richards, along with DHer Meg James. Currently on the team are Corran and Emily Carrick-Anderson, plus enduro rider Jayden Randell. Add in her skills coaching with British Cycling and her support for EWS racers Martha Gill and Ella Connolly, and UK MTBing really does owe Tracy a debt…

1 Titanium powder is drawn in from a hopper and graded over the titanium baseplate to a thickness of 30 microns (half the width of a human hair), then the lasers begin firing, four-abreast, into the powder, melting it into a solid dot matrix. Instantly, another graded layer of titanium powder is added and the process repeats. Each print takes 15 to 18 hours and the staff have a 24/7 livestream they can access in the middle of the night from home, if needs be. 2 Completed parts are purged of powder, with as much as possible being recycled for the next print. Waste titanium must be submerged in water to prevent oxidation. Parts, still attached to the baseplate, are sent out for heat-treatment. Annealing, as this is called, is…

SPECIALIZED TRAIL THERMAL £42 www.specialized.com SO GOOD… The padding-free palm is comfy, with no hot-spots, and gives a ‘connected’ feel with the bike. It also contributes to a general lack of bulk, which makes it easy to use the controls (shifter, brake levers, dropper remote). Grip is good, too. The slim, adjustable cuff slips under jacket sleeves. Even with sweaty hands, these gloves are easy to pull on and remove, thanks to the liner staying in place. They’re light, too. NO GOOD… No waterproofing. Light insulation and some cold air penetration make them better suited to warmer (6-10°) rides. The baggy fit may not suit all, either. ALTURA POLARTEC WATERPROOF £50 www.altura.co.uk SO GOOD… With an 8,000mm waterproof rating and 8,000g/m2 breathability, these kept our hands dry in the soggiest…

This issue we’ve come to the Dyfi Valley in Mid Wales, an area that’s long been on the MBUK radar. Back in 2001, work started on three MTB routes here, known as the Mach trails. These used natural tracks to the south of Machynlleth as their starting point, with the town itself designated a ‘cycle hub’ and providing a friendly welcome to travelling MTBers. Sadly, the bike shop has since closed, but there’s still a wealth of other facilities, and now, a whole load more trails through the wild countryside, too In 2005, the Climachx trail, a new manmade route, opened 8km north of Machynlleth in the Dyfi Forest. This offered more technical riding, but retained a very natural feel, and what was then the longest descent in Wales to…

With its sprawling steelworks, Port Talbot in South Wales isn’t exactly synonymous with mountain biking. But behind this dramatic skyline of gantries and silos lies Margam Country Park, formerly a grand family estate and now home to a variety of public attractions. The park has hosted plenty of XC races over the years, including rounds of the UK National Series. But are the trails worth riding outside of racing? Joining us to find out is reigning Masters downhill world champion and alpine guide Emily Horridge. Emily’s riding is, as you’d expect, fast and creative, so she should give every one of us a serious run for our money. EXITING THE WELL-SUPPORTED BUT CHALLENGING CORNER, RIDERS ARE FACED WITH AN ANCIENT BENCH-CUT STRAIGHT, LONG ERODED BY THE WELSH WEATHER This is…

E-bikes are now a common sight on the trails, making the sport we love more accessible than ever and putting a new spin on familiar trails. So, this year’s guide is less about explaining how they work and whether you should get one – let’s be honest, by now you’ve probably decided which side of the fence you sit on – and more about how best to enjoy them. Whether that’s by buying the most suitable one for your riding, investing in the right upgrades, entering a race or using yours to hone your technical skills, we’ve got it covered! It’s been amazing to witness the development of these bikes over the past decade, as they’ve evolved from ungainly-looking beasts with a battery bunged on top of the down tube,…

CANNONDALE TRAIL NEO S 2 £2,800 | www.cannondale.com Want an off-road e-bike on a tight budget? A hardtail is your best bet. With no rear bounce and only basic kit, we’d stick to gentler trails. Like many cheaper bikes, this one has an older motor (Shimano E7000), 1x10 gearing and no dropper post. But you do get a good-looking frame with integrated battery, plus a fork with less-flexy-than-some 34mm stanchions. VITUS E›SOMMET VR £3,599.99 | www.chainreactioncycles.com For this kind of cash, you should get a decent enough full-suspension e-bike, especially if you buy online (although that’ll count out a test ride and make it harder to sort out any issues). With extra money spent on the (alloy) frame, the parts spec will be fairly basic, although here you do get…

There are plenty of reasons why the Turbo Levo is one of the world’s most popular e-MTBs, and Specialized aim to build on that success with the 2022 version. It has some new features that represent a significant leap forward over the outgoing bike, along with an eye-watering price tag, particularly on this range-topping S-Works model. THE FRAME Built from Specialized’s FACT 11M carbon fibre, the frame sports their ‘Sidearm’ driveside strut between the top tube and seat tube shock mounts, designed to boost chassis stiffness. Although chunky-looking compared to a normal bike, the Turbo Levo is considerably slimmer than most e-MTBs, despite its high-capacity 700Wh battery. Spesh’s latest Brose-built Turbo Full Power System 2.2 motor has a new drive belt and much-improved waterproofing, to address previous reliability issues. It…

Vitus remodelled their beefy, long-travel e-bike this year, giving it an all-new chassis with a properly-integrated battery, a mixed-size ‘mullet’ wheel set-up and other tweaks. What hasn’t changed is that the direct-to-customer brand continue to deliver seriously high-quality kit for your dosh. THE FRAME The E-Sommet’s fat, squared-off down tube is shared with Nukeproof’s Megawatt (see p21). It conceals a large-capacity 630Wh battery, and joins a huge 1.8in head tube – the industry’s latest attempt to stiffen up the steering on heavy e-bikes – fitted with an internal steering limiter to stop fork crowns striking the frame. Standover clearance is excellent, thanks to the short seat tube. Another bonus is oversized bearings and hardware, for improved durability in soggy UK conditions. Shimano’s latest EP8 motor provides the pedalling assistance. THIS…

California-based Intense Cycles are now selling direct over the internet. This is a big turnaround for a company with a storied racing history, used to selling top-end kit in shops with prices to match. It does mean value has, er, intensified, with this carbon fibre e-enduro bike with Fox suspension costing just over £5k. THE FRAME FLICKING OFF LIPS OR MANUALLING ROLLERS, IT RIDES WAY CLOSER TO A ‘NORMAL’ BIKE Launched in 2018, you’d be forgiven for assuming the Tazer is dated, but it’s still totally contemporary in terms of looks and geometry. Its motor tech is slightly longer in the tooth, though – it uses an older-generation Shimano E7000 drive unit and a 504wh battery. This is stashed in the belly of the down tube, where it can be…

LONG LIVE CHAINSAW FILM STEVIE SMITH RIDES AGAIN Canadian racer Stevie Smith was one of the most talented and likable riders on the DH World Cup circuit, so it’s great to see his life and legacy immortalised in a new feature-length documentary. Not only for his fans – us included – but also for his mum, Tianna, who was instrumental in Stevie’s early success, and tells us: “It’s wonderful to have this amazing keepsake of my boy.” Now available to watch online, Long Live Chainsaw has been produced by Anthill Films (Follow Me, Not Bad, Arrival) in partnership with the Stevie Smith Legacy Foundation and Red Bull Media House. It follows Stevie’s path to the top, and the many trials and tribulations this inspiring rider faced before his untimely death…

Go back 30 , 20, maybe even 10 years, and building an XC bike was a weight game where every gram counted, and racers even rode small frames just to save weight. Fast-forward to the present day, with tougher courses and shorter World Cup races, and gram-shaving has taken a back seat to functionality. Their lighter weight and efficient power transfer meant hardtails traditionally ruled the race circuit, but now lighter, cleverly-designed linkages and more technically-advanced shocks mean many riders opt for the reduced fatigue and extra traction of a full-susser. Fork travel has increased from 80mm to as much as 130mm, and bikes have lockouts for climbs and pedally sections. Riders have embraced longer frames, larger wheels and tyres, power meters and electronic gears for their improved performance. Dropper…

The latest addition to Spanish brand Orbea’s ultra-lightweight Rise e-MTB range is claimed to be the lightest aluminium e-bike currently on sale. At 3.4kg, the Rise H frame is only 100g heavier (without the drive system) than an equivalently-sized alloy Orbea Occam, and the top Rise H10 bike weighs a claimed 19kg. Not only that, but you get a bigger battery than on the carbon fibre version – 540Wh, rather than 360Wh – to power the same Orbea and Shimano co-developed EP8 RS motor, which has a decent 60Nm of torque (albeit less than the standard EP8’s 85Nm). Orbea reckon you can do 5.5 hours of riding with 3,500m of climbing on a single charge, if you leave the bike in ‘eco’ mode. A 252Wh range extender is also available,…

While the Trance X 29 models that launched just over a year ago were designed as ultimate do-it-all trail machines, Giant’s new Trance X is about fun, pure and simple. THE FRAME The Trance X rolls on 650b wheels and delivers 145mm of rear wheel travel via Giant’s twin-link Maestro suspension design. It’s made from the Taiwanese brand’s ALUXX SL aluminium, with no carbon fibre frame option, yet. However, it does sport a composite upper rocker link, said to be stiffer, lighter and stronger than the alloy equivalent. Just like the 29er version, the Trance X has a flip-chip at the seatstay/rocker-link pivot. Rotating this oval insert adjusts the head and seat tube angles by 0.7 degrees (0.8 degrees on the small size), plus alters the bottom bracket height by…

Bristol-based Starling are famous for hand-welding bespoke steel frames in-house, but for this super-special stainless steel hardtail, owner Joe McEwan has farmed the work out to ORA in Taiwan. THE FRAME The stainless steel they’ve chosen possesses the same strength and stiffness as the Reynolds 853 chromoly used on Starling’s other frames, but it doesn’t rust, so can be left raw with laser-etched graphics for a stunning finish like no other. Starling’s novel chainstay yoke design means the Roost’s aesthetics will be recognisable to riders familiar with their full-suspension offerings. The bike has geometry optimised for a mullet set-up, with a 140mm-travel 29er Pike fork up front and a 650b wheel at the rear, connected to the bike via chainstays that increase in length as you go up in frame…

Simon Burney is a giant in British mountain biking terms, not only because of his great tallness, but also his unwavering passion and drive for off-road racing. Had the former cyclocross pro not lured his ACE Racing Peugeot team riders into mountain biking in the early 1990s, things may have turned out differently for the sport in the UK, and especially for XC racing. It was Simon who introduced the likes of David Baker and Tim Gould to the sport, and they duly took it to a whole new level. He was also a major force when it came to awakening British Cycling to the arrival of mountain biking. Since then, he’s worked with the UCI as a technical delegate and has been on hand to encourage aspiring British XC…

THE ATHERTONS HAVE always pushed themselves, whether through coaching methods and data analysis for the race team, corporate deals with non-MTB companies such as Jeep, or heading up their own events – and now a full-scale bike park. So, they were never going to start a bike company by buying rebadged catalogue frames from the Far East. It shouldn’t be a surprise that they’ve taken on cutting-edge production techniques and space-age materials, combined with a complex suspension system, to create the bikes that bear their name. The question is, does all this technical wizardry and race-honed expertise translate into better bikes? There’s only one way to know for sure! That’s why I find myself at Dyfi Eco Park in Machynlleth, faced with the enviable task of uncovering how the Athertons…

The French Alps and northern Italy have always been the go-to destinations for MTB holidays, or even Whistler, if you’re really lucky (or loaded!). However, with flights grounded and quarantine compulsory for much of the past two years, many of us have embraced the idea of an MTB ‘staycation’ instead. But can you really replicate the chalet experience we crave on home soil? MTB Beds invited us up to the Scottish Borders town of Peebles to find out. Our visit was all sorted. MBUK staff writer Will was going to research an article for the mag, while a few of us who’d previously enjoyed a stay with MTB Beds in France made up the numbers for the photos. Unfortunately, Will had to pull out at the last minute, so we…

1 THEY’RE BRILLIANT FUN! Yes, they’re especially useful for people with health problems, who can use them to make riding less strenuous. But if you’re young(ish) and fit(ish), you can put in the same effort you would on a ‘regular' bike and go faster and further. It’s like having your own inbuilt uplift service or range extender! 2 IT’S INCREASINGLY HARD TO TELL THEM APART FROM ‘REGULAR’ MTBS... Manufacturers have made great strides in terms of motor and battery integration. Drive units are smaller, lighter and quieter than they used to be, and batteries are almost universally concealed within the down tube, rather than bolted on top. 3 … BUT THEY DO HAVE A DIFFERENT RIDE FEEL The extra weight of the motor and battery adds stability and grip, especially…

Bosch and Shimano have emerged as the two major players in the e-MTB motor market, supplying the vast majority of bike brands. However, a handful of companies have chosen to go their own way. Most notably, Specialized have enjoyed great success with their Brose-built drive units. Giant, meanwhile, continue to work with Yamaha, and Rocky Mountain with small French-Canadian outfit Propulsion PowerCycle. You’ll also come across the name FAZUA if you’re looking at lighter-weight e-bikes – they provide motors and batteries for the likes of Lapierre, Kinesis, Trek and Focus, as well as several road bike brands. There’s more to choosing an e-bike than just picking the most powerful drive unit, but here’s how some of the most common motors compare. Just bear in mind that not all brands use…

As well as manufacturing frames in Taiwan for many leading brands, Merida have their own range of bikes, designed in the e-bike heartland of Germany. Among the first to go deep into e-MTBs, they’ve built a solid reputation with models like this eOne-Sixty. It’s a slightly more trail- than enduro-focused machine, with a ‘mullet’ wheel set-up and 150mm of rear wheel travel. THE FRAME Made from Merida’s ‘Racelight 61’ alloy, the second-generation eOne-Sixty frame gets double-pass welds for a seamless look. The oversize head tube incorporates an internal steering limiter, while the huge, triangulated down tube houses a 630Wh battery, which not only powers the Shimano EP8 motor, but also an included headlight. A single-pivot swingarm keeps things simple out back, with a linkage to actuate the shock – here,…

electric bikes are such big news now that in many areas they outsell machines you need pure muscle to pedal. This hasn’t escaped the attention of Enduro World Series race organisers, who’ve responding by plugging motorised machines into the schedule. That’s how I found myself joining the latest generation of super-fast racers and several multiple-time world champs on the start line of the EWS-E Tweed Valley, preparing to use a mix of skill, muscle and motor assistance to swerve trees and ping off roots on the steep, tight and technical trails of the classic downhill race venue of Innerleithen. EEBS AIN’T FOR DWEEBS! I signed up as a long-time e-MTB fan, turned on to the benefits way back. It’s no secret that not everyone feels the same, though, and most…

1 REPEAT SECTIONS If your riding time or variation is limited, your trail rides probably tend to follow a similar format each time – a cross-country loop, an out-and-back or a repeated fireroad climb to the top of a series of different descents. The days of pushing back up to hit a section over and over again may be confined to childhood memories. However, the e-bike can resurrect this way of riding and allow small technical sections to be repeated until you get them right, with no need to push up that steep bank or ride that long climb just to hit that corner again. The benefits of this are huge. A number of turns on my local trails used to be my ‘dodgy corners’. I wasn’t any good at…