Innehållsförteckning för November 22 från Mountain Biking UK

When UK cross-country legend Sally Reid (née Hibberd) saw a pic of herself on her 1991 Team MBUK bike earlier this year, she remarked that she wished she’d never sold it. Her friend Martyn Clarke sprang into action, found a Zinn Z-Centaur frame, in grey and in her size, on eBay and, with help from some 20 or so of Sally’s other pals – including the legendary Jez Avery, Paul Hinton and Dave Hemming – built up a stunning replica. They finished in time to surprise her with it at this year’s GT Bicycles Malverns Classic. An amazing feat, considering they had to source rare Campagnolo MTB parts to keep it period-correct! Tim Bonnett from Bike Ninja even knocked up a 1991-style Team MBUK mug and T-shirt to go with…

Our own Luke Marshall took part in the EWS-100 race at the Enduro World Series round in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and only went and won the 35+ Masters category, setting the best time for every stage. Top work! Julia, Chris, Will and JCW met up with the Dean Trail Volunteers to ride ‘Adit’, the new six-mile extension to the red-graded Freeminers trail in the Forest of Dean. We had a blast! Look out for a Trail Crew report soon. Tom Ritch-E? When Dutch brand SUPER73 got in touch about their new bike inspired by MTB pioneer Tom Ritchey we were picturing a lovely lithe steel hardtail – not a monster e-fatbike! We’re big fans of the classic three-colour fade paintjob, though. Chris took some time out from wild-camping and headed to…

MEET THE TESTERS ROBIN WEAVERTECH EDITOR IN CHIEF With three decades of MTB experience, Rob can identify the kit that works TOM MARVINSENIOR TECH EDITOR XC/trail/enduro rider and tech wizard Tom gives his gear a proper hammering LUKE MARSHALLTECH WRITER Downhiller Luke is always looking for what saves time between the tape ALEX EVANSBIKERADAR TECH EDITOR Many years of breaking bikes means Al can give reliable buying advice JAMES COSTLEY-WHITEEDITOR JCW has 30 years of riding under his belt and an eye for the key details WILL POOLEWORKSHOP MANAGER A dab hand at building and tuning bikes, Will knows what’ll do the job 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…

HELENE FRUHWIRTH RACER AT HEART Austrian rider Helene knows Fort William well, from her days racing the DH World Cup and 4X Pro Tour, but felt it was high time to see what else Scotland has to offer – p12 TIM HOWELL ADDICTED TO B.A.S.E. This former dirt jumper and Royal Marine has taken hucking to new heights by sending it off the side of Mt Snowdon – read about his epic BASE jump on p28 CLIFF BARBEARY DIRECTOR OF DIRT A grizzled veteran of the dirt jump and freeride scenes, Cliff heads up the Dirt Wars series, which is helping to develop the next generation of UK slopestyle talent – p54 BEN DEAKIN YOUTUBE FAVOURITE This man should need no introduction! The Deakinator has gained legions of fans with…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH MBUK Write to: MBUK Send it! Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST Email: mbuk@immediate.co.uk Visit: www.mbuk.com STAR LETTER WINS... Lezyne Tool Insert Kit, Tubeless Insert Kit & Super SV23 multi-tool worth £128 THAT’S GOTTA HURT WINS... SixSixOne Recon V2 knee & elbow pads, size M worth £160 SHOT OF THE MONTH WINS... DMR Vault Mag pedals & Brendog DeathGrips worth £141 INSTA-BANGERS WINS... Lezyne Torque Drive, Grip Drive HV mini pump & Micro Floor Drive HV pump worth £134 STAR LETTER DON’T MIND THE GAP I got a mountain bike a few weeks ago, partly because I fancied going back to my youth, and also because there are no gyms where I live in Hay-on-Wye! My partner told me I had to get a hardtail to…

Stunts with parachutes aren’t new – from Dave Morris riding out of a plane in our August 1990 mag to ‘Darren Berrecloth’ (clearly a stunt double) sending it off a cliff in 2005’s New World Disorder VI. But Tim Howell’s BASE jump off Clogwyn Coch, near the summit of Mt Snowdon, has to be the best yet. Not just because it happened here in the UK and was the first ‘handheld’ jump of its kind (the short run-in meant Tim held his pilot ’chute in his hand and threw it out as he went over the edge), but because he stuck the landing! If you haven’t watched the video yet, head to MBUK.com right now. Tim, a former Royal Marine and experienced BASE jumper, started his run-in just off the…

Over the years, one thing has remained constant in the world of mountain bikes – Trek’s Fuel EX has always been a benchmark trail bike that others are judged against. So, does this latest iteration uphold this reputation? With 140mm of rear-wheel travel and a burly 150mm fork, stout tyres and geometry that’s entirely contemporary, plus tons of customisation of both frame shape and ride feel, on paper, it seems like a thoroughly modern trail bike. THE FRAME While the larger frames are designed around 29in wheels, a smaller rear wheel can be fitted for a ‘mullet’ set-up. The extra-small Fuel EX is 650b-only and the small can be purchased with either size wheels. Cables are internally routed, with sleeves to guide them through the carbon frame, which has a…

KNOG PRW RIDER 450 DUO £86.99 www.silverfish-uk.com SO GOOD… For its 450 lumens, the Knog packs a decent punch. The diffused white beam has a good spread that helps pick up the edge of the trail. It also reaches a moderate way into the distance. Brightness and burn time are programmable. Fit the red end-cap and you’ve got a 12-lumen rear light; remove it and you can recharge other devices. NO GOOD… The beam lacks a bright spot in the centre to highlight trail features. Paired with the low lumen count, that makes it the hardest light here to ride with at speed. The helmet mount lacks padding and needs a tool to fasten it tightly enough. LIGHT & MOTION VIS PRO 1000 £134.99 www.freewheel.co.uk SO GOOD… L&M’s…

In these budget-conscious times, a waterproof jacket is a serious investment. However, if you plan on riding through the UK winter (or even just spring and autumn), it’s an essential. Careful consideration of your individual riding needs can help you refine the process and ensure you get the most for your money. Selecting an appropriate fabric for your riding is key. For example, if you’re a fair-weather rider at heart, who likes nothing better than a fast loop of a trail centre, then you may be best off going for something with a lower waterproof rating but higher breathability. If you favour exposed or elevated terrain, or multi-day rides, you should seek a higher waterproof rating, because staying dry will be more of a priority. However, you’ll need to pair…

TECH Q&A APP-SOLUTELY STUMPED What do you guys use to track rides and plan routes? On my road bike, I’ve got a Wahoo ELEMNT computer, and it’s pretty simple to create and upload routes to it using Komoot. But it seems that off-road trails are a lot harder to find and plan for. I’m also a bit wary of sticking my computer on my mountain bike – it feels a bit risky!Tim Mackay, Kilmarnock For off-road route-planning it’s hard to beat Ordnance Survey. We’re not entirely unbiased, as they sponsor our Big Ride section, but their maps – paper, online and in-app – have the major advantage of detailed topographical data, allowing you to factor elevation, terrain type and useful landmarks into your ride. You can view routes on…

1 Rhino car boot liner Essential protection against knocks and scrapes, for any vehicle and in loads of colours, made-to-order in Leicestershire from heavy-duty waterproof polyester. From £70 https://rhinouk bootlinersltd.co.uk 2 Yeti Tundra 35 cool box The Tundra is built to withstand Armageddon (well, bears!) and, with 3in of insulation and a 35l capacity, should keep your crew’s grub and bevvies cold or hot for hours. It looks cool, too! £250 https://uk.yeti.com 3 Muc-Off Grime bag Stand on it, get changed, then pull on the drawstrings to scoop up your soaked-through, mud-infested kit. £29.99 https://muc-off.com 4 Etnies Jefferson MTW shoes Cold, wet feet? Not with these! They’re Thinsulatelined, water-resistant and ready to take on winter. It doesn’t hurt that they look killer, too! £84.99 https://eu.etnies.com 5 NOCO Boost Plus GB40…

FIRST OUT OF THE GATE Is Whyte’s E-180 Works MX the ultimate e-enduro race bike? NEED TO KNOW The first bike launched with Bosch’s new Race motor (right), the E-180 has an all-new alloy frame with mixed-size wheels, aggressive geometry, a whopping 170mm of rear-wheel travel and a big 750Wh battery. WHO’S IT FOR? E-enduro racers. In the British brand’s own words, it’s been designed for “pinning it between the tape down the toughest EWS-E special stages, up the most technical Power Stages and along testing liaisons”. KEY STATS Travel: 180mm front, 170mm rear via four-bar linkage Wheels: 29in front, 650b rear Frame: Aluminium alloy, M-XL Power: Bosch Smart System Performance Line CX Race Limited Edition motor w/ Bosch PowerTube 750Wh battery Geometry: 63-degree head angle (+/-0.5 degrees), 75.2-degree seat…

CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON LT 2 £7,250 Extra-travel, extra-tough e-bike Alongside redesigning their Moterra Neo e-bike, Cannondale have introduced a new ‘LT’ version, aimed at big-mountain riding. It’s got a lot in common with its shorter-travel sibling, using the same powerful Bosch Performance Line CX motor and big 750Wh battery, but packs more bounce and a burlier component spec. With a mullet wheel set-up (29in front, 650b rear), 165mm of rear-wheel travel – controlled by a piggyback coil shock – and a 170mm RockShox ZEB fork, it’s ready for even gnarlier terrain. The geometry is suitably aggressive, too, including a slack 64-degree head angle and reach figures from 426mm to 511mm. Add a carbon fibre mainframe, size-specific suspension kinematics and a choice of two builds, and it looks ready for…

KAT’S CANYON SPECTRAL 125 CF 7 £3,499 (+ £56.98 packing & shipping) A frame switch gets tester Katherine back out on the trails The keen-eyed among you will have noticed my update was missing from last month’s mag. That’s because my partner John felt some play in the Spectral 125’s cranks and, after first checking the bolts were tight, found a hairline crack in the carbon fibre frame, which circled around the bottom bracket on the drive side. We got in touch with Canyon straight away, who sent a courier to collect the bike for inspection. In the meantime, they shipped over a replacement small frameset from their German HQ and swapped over all the parts so I could get back to riding. After consulting their in-house R&D and quality…

If you only ever do the same things, you’ll never progress further than where you were. This is true for more of us than we care to admit when it comes to our riding. It’s easy to stay in our comfort zone and not take unnecessary risks because we all have lives to carry on with after the ride. Still, we want to improve, so how best can we push our riding, and when is it wiser to calm things down? HAVE A GOAL It’s all very well wanting to push your abilities and get better at riding, but making your goals more specific will help. For example, do you want to improve your jumping and drop skills, cornering ability, or how you tackle steep technical descents? Trying to achieve…

WHERE ARE WE? LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK The Lake District National Park, established in 1951, covers 2,362km², and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2017. This stunning region offers some amazing scenery and challenging riding. www.lakedistrict.gov.uk YOUR GUIDE MAX DARKINS Max loves travelling up and down the country, searching for the best routes for you to ride. He’s the man behind www.roughrideguide.co.uk DOWNLOAD Download the OS Maps app to ride & share this route For our trip to the Lake District’s beautiful Borrowdale Valley we’d planned a dawn ride, hopeful that we could bag a spectacular cloud inversion. The meteorological phenomenon is something this location is well known for, because it has high peaks that surround a large body of water. Cold air collects overnight and holds the…