Innehållsförteckning för World Champs från Mountain Biking UK

We were gutted Red Bull Hardline had to be cancelled because of poor weather, not least because of some amazing action during practice. Head to MBUK.com to check out our video on the Hardline bikes. The MBUK-backed GT Viris team have kept a fairly low profile so far this year because of kit issues, but they’re back, bigger and better than ever, with 11 talented young riders on the roster. They’ve already racked up wins in the National Downhill Series (Nick Etherton) and Tweedlove International Enduro (Thomas Whiteley), while Katie Charlton podiumed at her first ever national. Look out for the guys on the DH and enduro circuits! Four new trails have been built at Glentress in Scotland as part of the £6 million Masterplan project, which also includes a…

BOSCH ENTER THE WELTERWEIGHT RING New Performance Line SX motor and 400Wh battery could be the lightweight set-up to beat While Bosch and Shimano have cornered the market for full-power e-bikes, rivals such as FAZUA and TQ have stolen a march on them when it comes to the new breed of lightweight e-MTBs. That could be about to change, though, with the launch of Bosch’s new Performance Line SX motor. With a new magnesium housing and lighter internals, it weighs nearly a kilo less than the standard CX (2kg vs 2.9kg, claimed). Add Bosch’s new 400Wh CompactTube battery and you have a system weight of about 4kg – even lower than FAZUA’s Ride 60 set-up. The SX motor has more peak power than the Ride 60, too, (600W vs 450W),…

GOING DEEP WORLD CHAMPS THE UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IS THE BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR A SERIES OF ONE-OFF RACES IN DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES WHERE RIDERS PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LINE IN A BID TO EARN THE COVETED WORLD CHAMPION’S RAINBOW STRIPES. Not only is the racing furious, but there’s tons going on in the pits, too, from custom paintjobs and race kit to special tweaks and prototype parts, all designed to give riders that extra edge. And this year, we’ve got a front-row seat, because all the racing is taking place in Scotland and being broadcast by the BBC. Not since 2007 has Britain hosted the MTB World Champs, and this year’s event is extra special, as it’s combined with the Road, Track and BMX World Champs to…

POC VPD AIR FLOW £110 www.pocsports.com SO GOOD… The minimalist design of the sleeve reduces the amount of stitching required, so there are fewer seams to dig into your skin on long rides, making these pads wonderfully comfortable. They extend a decent way up the thigh, are very light for the protection they offer, plus the fabric feels reasonably durable. NO GOOD… These feel less secure around the knee than others here and POC’s VPD padding doesn’t cover the biggest area. We also noticed more bunching of the sleeve material – which isn’t the most breathable – when pedalling. They’re the most pricey, too. ENDURA MT500 D3O GHOST £84.99 www.endurasport.com SO GOOD… Like all options here, these use ‘smart’ padding that hardens upon impact – in this case,…

If you’re looking to make the most of the long summer days and spend hours on the trails, finding the right pair of shoes can make a massive difference to your riding experience. Picking the wrong ones can cause all sorts of issues, from foot pain through to a lack of control on the bike. Make the right choice, and you’ll be able to ride all day without any discomfort or other problems. The shoes we’ve tested over the coming pages are all relatively lightweight options designed for trail and cross-country riding. That means they need to balance sufficient sole stiffness for efficient power transfer with just the right amount of flex in all the correct places to ensure you can still walk about in them, rather than be left…

KARI YOUNG L.A. WOMAN Living on Hollywood’s doorstep, Kari sees a whole other side to the sport. This issue she reports from the ‘shop to the stars’ where the likes of Harrison Ford buy their bikes – p18 GUY REDSHAW CYCLING NOBODY Retro bike fan Guy lives in North Yorkshire and blogs about bikes and motorbikes. This month, he combines both passions as he tells the story of the bike that nearly killed Cannondale – p22 SARAH BEDFORD XC GUINEA PIG Tweed Valley-based Sarah fought through the red tape to get an exclusive first ride of the World Champs XC course for MBUK and find out what it’s like to ride an Elite-level track as a mere mortal! – p52 ROB WEAVER FOOTWEAR AFICIONADO If you’ve come across our tech-ed-in-chief…

1 Pit Viper The All Star Flip-Offs sunglasses These red, white and blue sunnies offer loud style and solid function. Whether Scotland is scorching or you had one too many the night before, the tinted lens with full UVA/B protection will soothe your eyes. When it clouds over or you start feeling better, simply flip it up! £72 www.pitviper.com 2 100% CORPO umbrella Don’t let anything stop you from cheering on your country! This brollie has a strong fibreglass frame and shaft, a comfy EVA handle and a broad canopy, so should protect you no matter what the Scottish weather throws your way. £29.99 www.silverfish-uk.com 3 Patagonia Maclure hat Patagonia always go that extra mile for the planet, making this cap from organic cotton and recycled fishing nets. An adjustable…

YOUR MAIL, PHOTOS, IDEAS & RANTS Write to: MBUK Send it! Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST Email: mbuk@ourmedia.co.uk Visit: www.mbuk.com STAR LETTER WINS... Lezyne Pocket Torque Drive torque wrench & Alloy Drive (M) mini pump worth £105 THAT’S GOTTA HURT WINS... 661 Recon Advance knee pads (M) & Rail Classic gloves (L) worth £125 SHOT OF THE MONTH WINS... DMR OiOi saddle, Deathgrip (Thin) grips & V11 pedals worth £123 INSTA-BANGERS WINS... Lezyne Super Drive 1600XXL & KTV Pro Smart lights worth £160 STAR LETTER SAVIOUR BEHAVIOUR I wanted to tell you about my 12-year-old son Jacob (below) and a situation we had recently while out on our bikes. As we were getting ready, we noticed an air ambulance overhead, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It was extremely low,…

PIVOT MACH 4 SL TEAM XX SL £12,500 Pivot’s latest XC rig gets adjustable travel The new Pivot Mach 4 SL is a race bike with a difference. It’s available in two versions, each with two suspension travel settings. Want to go super-light and punchy? The World Cup models may be for you, with 95mm or 103mm of rear-wheel travel and a 100mm fork. If technical trails are more your sort of thing, the standard Mach 4 SL, tested here, is the machine to go for, with 106mm or 115mm of bounce out back and a 120mm fork. The frame is the same for both and has a flip-chip to change the geometry. THE FRAME Pivot have stuck with their customary DW-link system, which couples solid front and rear triangles…

RACH’S COTIC FLAREMAX GEN5 DOWNCOUNTRY/PLATINUM XTR £6,999 The wait is over, and our staff writer’s fun is about to begin on her new steel steed I’ve finally got my hands on a 2023 longtermer… just as 2024 bikes begin to be launched! But, based on the first few rides, it looks to have been worth the wait. Coming from an enduro background, I was keen to try out something with a bit less travel. So, I was stoked when Cy at Cotic agreed to send me a fifth-generation FlareMAX. This is the Platinum build, which comes highly-specced with a Shimano XTR drivetrain, Cane Creek eeWings titanium cranks and a load of Hope kit, including their Tech 4 X2 brakes and Fortus 30 wheels. I opted for the Downcountry spec, with…

With World Champs fever hitting the UK, I’m hearing lots of riders who’ve never ridden a downhill bike (or got rid of theirs 10 years ago) saying they want to get one, or at least rent one for a holiday. I’m not surprised – modern DH bikes look insanely cool and watching them be pushed to the limit at World Cups is thrilling. However, there’s a reason why DH bike sales are tiny in comparison to enduro and trail bikes – they’re nowhere near as versatile. DH bikes don’t like being pedalled uphill and aren’t that much fun to ride on flat tracks, where they feel cumbersome, lack grip and are generally hard work. Point them downhill, however, and their performance is uncompromised by concerns about climbing manners or low-speed…

JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE EDITOR Steve Peat’s win in 2005 was pretty epic – I’ll never forget the roar that went up in the arena as he raised his yellow-and-black Orange 224 over his head RACHEL BENNET STAFF WRITER In 2013, when Gee and Rach took the double, the atmosphere was pumping and my love for downhill racing was ignited JAMES BLACKWELL ART EDITOR Watching the notorious DH afterparty at the Cruachan Hotel unfold for the first time back in the early 2000s. Wild! JULIA BROUSSIER DEPUTY ART EDITOR Back in 2018, Amaury Pierron took his first Elite win, but I mostly remember this random privateer who got all the cheers for his fourth place – Reece Wilson! CHRIS BARNARD PRODUCTION EDITOR Getting the gondola up to the top and watching the…

OUT FRONT Brought to you by HOW IT WORKS NOW! Nominate riders, using the link below 1 SEPTEMBER Shortlists in MBUK 425 – online voting opens 13 OCTOBER Voting closes 16 NOVEMBER Exclusive awards ceremony 24 NOVEMBER Winners announced in MBUK 428 Who’s your Rider of the Year? The exciting young racer turning heads on the track or the old favourite returning to show them how it’s done? The YouTuber who gets you stoked to ride or the freerider who scares you to death? The old guy/girl who’s still charging or the tiny kid with impossible skills? Or is it one of the unsung heroes of the sport – the trail builder, photographer, cycling advocate or charity founder who puts in the work behind the scenes to make things better…

In the late ’90s, Cannondale were riding high. They’d diverged from their signature oversize aluminium tubing to begin experimenting with carbon fibre, and were bringing out all kinds of innovations, from head-tube-based Headshok suspension to single-legged Lefty forks. Their Raven full-sus was at the top of many riders’ wishlists, Alison Sydor had just won three XC World Championships and an Olympic silver medal on their F-series hardtails, and the likes of Missy Giove, Myles Rockwell, Anne-Caroline Chausson, Cédric Gracia and Brian Lopes were racking up top results on the DH and 4X circuit, on machines such as the Super V DHF. On this side of the Channel, Martyn Ashton was wowing the crowds on his CAAD 3 trials bike. Then the US brand decided to expand into motorbikes. Their debut…

HUSQVARNA MTN CROSS MC4 £5,899 Big hitting trail e-bike from a brand better known for power tools Known for their motorbikes and chainsaws, Sweden’s Husqvarna have branched out into e-MTBs. The carbon fibre-framed MC4 sits mid-table in their six-bike Mountain Cross range. All models in the line-up are powered by a Shimano EP8 motor, which sits in its own C-shaped bracket to aid cooling, and is tilted so that the integrated battery sits at the base of the down tube, to keep the bike’s centre of gravity low. The MC4 gets Husqvarna’s bigger 720Wh ‘Core S3’ battery. Four frame sizes are available. The head angle is at the slacker end of trail bike geometry, at 65.5 degrees, so should help the bike feel composed and confidence-inspiring through steep, rough sections,…

MEET THE TESTERS ROBIN WEAVER TECH EDITOR IN CHIEF With three decades of MTB experience, Rob can identify the kit that works TOM MARVIN SENIOR TECH EDITOR XC/trail/enduro rider and tech wizard Tom gives his gear a proper hammering ALEX EVANS BIKERADAR TECH EDITOR Many years of breaking bikes means Al can give reliable buying advice SARAH BEDFORD TESTER Scotland-based Sarah has access to top trails and years of experience JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE EDITOR Riding since ’92, JCW knows the score and has an eye for the key details WILL POOLE WORKSHOP MANAGER MBUK’s mechanic can handle a bike as well as he wields his toolbox 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…

TECH Q&A SITTING PRETTY What’s the difference between the effective seat tube angle and the seat tube angle of a bike? Are there two names for the same thing? I see both used in various places. Stan, via email While the term ‘seat tube angle’ is often used interchangeably, these two measurements do differ. The seat tube angle is just that – the angle from horizontal of the seat tube itself, towards the top, and thus the angle of the seatpost. A more useful measurement is the effective seat tube angle – the angle of a line drawn from the centre of the bottom bracket to the centre of the saddle clamp on the seatpost. On nearly every full-suspension bike, and some hardtails, too, this will be steeper than…