Innehållsförteckning för April 2024 från Mountain Biking UK

Write to: MBUK Send it! Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST Email: mbuk@ourmedia.co.uk Visit: www.mbuk.com STAR LETTER WINS... Lezyne CNC Tubeless Drive hand pump & Lezyne Tubeless Pro Plugs repair kit worth £104 THAT’S GOTTA HURT WINS... ABUS MoDrop do-it-all trail helmet worth £90 SHOT OF THE MONTH WINS... DMR V11 pedals, DMR Stage 2 saddle and DMR Deathgrips worth £107 INSTA-BANGERS WINS... Complete Motul bike care range worth £97.50 STAR LETTER THE RULE OF HALVES My bike is a good bike, but not a new bike. Her geometry is so-five-years-ago, her cassette has a meagre nine sprockets and a mechanic recently told me that servicing her shock is no longer economically viable. Which is unfortunate, because she’s still capable of way more than I’ll ever ask of her as a…

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 wizard Tom gives his gear a proper hammering LUKE MARSHALL TECH WRITER Downhiller Luke is always looking for what saves time between the tape JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE EDITOR Riding since ’92, JCW knows the score and has an eye for the key details JULIA BROUSSIER CREATIVE DESIGN LEAD Julia’s constantly looking for kit that can match her rapidly progressing skills TOM LAW BIKERADAR MTB PRESENTER & WRITER Tom’s propensity for crashing makes him ideal for testing parts 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…

BRENDAN FAIRCLOUGH STEEZE-MONGER/ MOVIE MOGUL We catch up with Brendog ahead of the long-awaited Deathgrip 2 to find out what we can expect from this year’s biggest bike flick – p10 KERRY WILSON DOWNHILL GLADIATOR Fresh off her first performance on prime time TV – and maybe not her last – we find out more about this Scottish shredder – p17 HATTIE HARNDEN DESTROYER OF TECH EDS? Can our Tom beat this top XC/enduro/DH racer? How about if he hobbles her with a not-so-suitable bike? Find out on p34! DARYL BROWN LUCKY, YET NOT SO LUCKY UK freerider Daryl knows all about the ups and downs of life as a pro rider, having spent 2023 recovering from a serious injury – p42…

OUT FRONTRAD RIDERS Kerry Wilson grabbed the attention of the nation when she took part in the rebooted Gladiators TV show earlier this year, but the 35-year-old from north of Dunfermline has been battling it out on the downhill circuit for six years, winning the Scottish Championships in 2021 and 2022. “I was sporty from the minute I could walk,” she tells us. “I learned to ride a bike (without stabilisers) at four and I’ve been doing motocross since I was seven. There wasn’t a girls’ category in Scotland, so I grew up racing the boys.” Kerry went on to win 11 national titles in MX. Then, in her early 20s, her wife introduced her to mountain biking, and she loved it. The couple spent five years riding DH and…

SCOTT EXPLORAIR LIGHT WB £94.99 www.scott-sports.com SO GOOD… This light ripstop vest keeps the wind out, but its minimal construction means it doesn’t cook you, making it handy on cool mornings. The snug fit means no fabric to flap, and is unrestrictive at the arms. A water-repellent finish sees off spray and drizzle. The pockets are large, with easy-to-use zips. NO GOOD… Heavier items placed in the deep pockets are noticeable when pedalling. The fabric isn’t as stretchy as others, so the slim fit won’t work for bulkier riders. It doesn’t drop that low at the rear and there’s no silicone gripper, so it can creep up your back. Pricing is high for the features on offer. ALPINESTARS DENALI 2 £124.99 www.zyrofisher.co.uk SO GOOD… Windproof front fabric is paired with…

JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE EDITOR Downhill – it’s still the best to watch, with the coolest bikes, kit and riders ROBIN WEAVER TECH EDITOR IN CHIEF Downhill, no question! Nothing in MTB can beat racing down a mountain against the clock JULIA BROUSSIER CREATIVE DESIGN LEAD After watching a few women tick off the full course at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania, it has to be downhill! CHRIS BARNARD PRODUCTION EDITOR Definitely trials. I don’t like street riding, but it’s got heaps of style and soul, and a real sense of humour RACHEL BENNET STAFF WRITER Enduro – long days on the bike in epic places around the world. I’d focus on the Trans events for the ultimate adventure…

It was a fun idea – to liven up the off season by putting riders used to mud and roots on a pristine ski piste and pitting them against the clock (Super-G) and one another (dual slalom). But then the UCI (International Cycling Union) gave this test event World Championships status, reportedly with a view to inclusion in the Winter Olympics. This angered many, especially as enduro racing is still without a World Champs (and in dire need of support at international level) and four-cross – a crowd favourite – has been ditched by the UCI. The grumbling only grew louder when the debut Snow Bike World Champs kicked off, in Châtel, France. Complaints ranged from entry being open to all (inappropriate for an event meant to represent the pinnacle…

Play Time Check out Gracey’s bike and other Hardline whips in our MBUK video, live now! If there’s one thing the inaugural Red Bull Hardline Tasmania will be remembered for, it’ll be the way a full women’s field took on a gnarly Hardline track for the first time ever, in practice, with two of the riders – Canadian phenom Gracey Hemstreet and expat Scot Louise Ferguson – going on to put down a race run, too. Hemstreet won the Rider of the Week award for her massive sends over the Maydena track's 75ft gaps and huge drops. Not only was she the first female to complete a full lap of a Hardline course, but she also bagged the women’s win, by over a minute, after Ferguson had two crashes. And…

GOING DEEP DARYL BROWN Daryl Brown is a lucky guy. It could also be argued that he’s unlucky. The evidence? After a knee operation in January 2023, he’d only been back on the bike a matter of weeks when he fell onto a metal stake, which punctured the inside of his upper arm. Unlucky. Fortunately, it missed a vital artery, by not very much at all. Lucky! Recovering relatively quickly, he headed out to South Africa for Darkfest. Calling this a freeride event is underselling it, really – it’s packed with the biggest jumps that Daryl’s friend and regular riding companion Sam Reynolds can put together, in a spectacular location near Stellenbosch, and attended by a crew of world-class riders who push each other further and harder for the best…

WILL P’S POLYGON COLLOSUS N9 £3,000* It may sound and feel hefty, but our workshop manager’s Collosus is actually very flickable When I learned what I’d have as my team bike this year, I was curious, and cautious. The only Polygon I’d seen in person before was an entry-level Siskiu, which struck me as a good-value, well thought-out rig. A browse of the website piqued my interest. It turned out that the Collosus N9 was a 170mm-travel enduro sled with an amazing spec for the price. Plus, what looked at first glance like a single-pivot rear end was actually a six-bar linkage. While not exactly the same, it’s similar to the set-up used by Atherton Bikes and on some Pivot Cycles prototypes. Things just got interesting! Looking over the spec…

Dropper seatposts have been one of the biggest advancements in mountain bike technology this century. They allow riders to drop the saddle out of their way with the flick of a bar-mounted remote, hugely boosting manoeuvrability, and removing the need to fumble with a quick-release lever at the top and bottom of every significant descent. Thanks to their widespread adoption, trails can be ridden with more flow, and enduro riding and racing have been able to flourish. They’re even beginning to achieve gradual acceptance in the world of cross-country racing, as courses become more challenging, despite the increase in weight over a rigid post. Many modern posts allow you to do more than just have your saddle up or down, with most offering ‘infinite’ adjustment (within their travel range), barring…

TECH Q&A THE FIRST CUT Any tips for cutting down a carbon fibre handlebar? I’m a little scared! Shaun Reeder, via email It’s good to be a little cautious when cutting anything down, and in particular carbon – mess it up and that’s a pretty expensive mistake. But don’t fear, with a methodical approach and the correct tools, it’s not as daunting a prospect as it may at first seem. The tools for the job are a hacksaw, a cutting guide, some emery cloth or sandpaper and a tape measure. Ideally, you want a carbon-specific saw blade. However, you should be able to get away with using a standard blade with a high teeth-per-inch count – anywhere between 24 and 32TPI should be sufficient. A good blade will ensure you…