Innehållsförteckning för September 2024 från Mountain Biking UK

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MOUNTAIN BIKING Looking for somewhere new in Africa to explore, my research led me to Uganda, and Mount Elgon. This 4,000m-high peak on the border with Kenya has slopes that – on paper – looked ideal for mountain biking, unlike the densely-forested and rock-strewn Ruwenzori massif to the west. Getting a photographer onboard for the trip was easy – Rémy Vroonen had always dreamt of seeing mountain gorillas, which live in a triangular area straddling Rwanda, Zaire and Uganda, so quickly signed up. Upon arriving in Uganda, the first surprise was that, despite lying on the equator, the East African nation doesn’t have such a scorching climate as other parts of Africa, with the temperature rarely exceeding 28°C. That’s because it’s located on a plateau,…

OUT FRONT MY SCARIEST Moment “I crashed in Les Gets, France, it must be three years ago now [during practice for the second round of the 2021 DH World Cup ~ ed]. I’d just had this brand new custom-painted helmet, and had done the first three runs wearing it. Then came this huge over-the-bars smash. I landed like a lawn dart, straight into the floor, and was left there. “I couldn’t move my back, my legs or anything, and thought I’d done something really horrific. They lifted me onto a spine board and I was airlifted away. I was really worried at that moment. “Luckily, there was a small hospital just out of town, and they were really well-equipped. I got all of my X-rays and stuff back, and, thankfully,…

OUT FRONT RETURN OF THE STATUS QUO Specialized’s wallet-friendly full-sus returns to its freeride roots A replacement for the venerable Big Hit, the original Specialized Status (2012-15) was a beginner downhill bike, complete with a tough alloy frame, 26in wheels and 170-200mm of coil-sprung suspension front and rear. With the top model costing just over US$3,000, it was a steal for gravity riders on a budget. When the Status returned for 2021, it had morphed into a mullet-wheeled, air-shocked, 160mm-travel enduro bike, with an even shorter-travel Status 140 model brought out the following year. It’s now had another overhaul for 2025 – and the good news for bike park bombers is that the Status has been taken back to its freeride-friendly roots. While there’s still an air-sprung 140mm bike in…

SPEC Frame ‘Ultramodulus’ carbon fibre, 160mm travelFork Fox 38 Factory, 170mm travelShock Fox DHX2 FactoryDrive system FAZUA Ride 60 motor/ FAZUA 430Wh batteryDrivetrain SRAM GX Eagle AXS Transmission (1x12) with e*thirteen Helix cranksWheelset Crankbrothers Synthesis i9 E-Bike Alloy wheels with Continental Kryptotal-FR Enduro Soft 29x2.6in (f) and Kryptotal-RR Enduro Soft 27.5x2.6in (r) tyresBrakes SRAM Maven Silver, 220/200mm rotorsBar/stem Renthal Fatbar 35, 800mm/ Renthal Apex 35, 50mmSeatpost/saddle YT Postman/SDG Bel-Air 3.0Weight 20.6kg (claimed), small size without pedals YT Industries’ latest e-MTB has been designed to be the ultimate enduro bike – motor-assisted or not. The Decoy SN (Super Natural) has a full-carbon frame, 160mm of rear-wheel travel and a mixed-size ‘MX’ wheel set-up, with a lightweight FAZUA Ride 60 drive unit providing extra grunt to get you up the hills. THE…

By the early 1990s, the Flexstem was old hat, telescopic forks had taken off and full suspension was the new buzzword. But nobody seemed to quite know what that meant. Of course, motorbikes had sported sprung swingarms for years, but in the cross-country obsessed MTB scene of the time, there was an overriding emphasis on light weight and pedalling efficiency, which led many to believe a different solution was required. Cue all kinds of weird designs involving beams, wires and forks bolted to the back of bikes. Things eventually settled down, leaving us with the three main rear suspension designs we have now, but it was a long, winding and – ironically – bumpy road to get there. THE EARLY DAYS Bike designers started dabbling with springs in the late…

This month the topic troubling our tech team is… ARE E-MTBS RUINING OUR TRAILS? Electric mountain bikes remain divisive. While e-bike tech has advanced in leaps and bounds since the first mainstream models graced our trails just under 15 years ago, and many riders have been (sometimes grudgingly) won over, for others, pedalling assistance is still a binary issue – something they absolutely love or outright hate. One of the key charges levelled by the naysayers is that e-MTBs ruin trails – whether literally, though erosion, or because of the way some riders behave. But is that really the case? In this latest instalment of our Spoke Tension series, Alex, Rob and Luke share their thoughts… LUKE MARSHALL TECHNICAL WRITER “Yes, e-MTB riders are ruining our trails. Well, maybe ‘ruining’…

In late summer and early autumn, parts of the UK come alive with vibrant colours and aromas, thanks to the magnificent Calluna vulgaris, also known as heather. It’s thought that the name comes from the old Scottish word haeddre, used to describe a heathland, which is often where you’ll find these beautiful plants. Growing abundantly in the wild, they can lay a blanket of colour over huge swathes of open moorland, bogs and woodland. Devoid of bright hues for much of the year, these areas are suddenly covered in a sea of purples and pinks. Our first route lies within one of the finest examples of lowland heath left in the world – Chobham Common in Surrey. This is the largest inland National Nature Reserve in the South East of…

SPEC Frame ‘Series 4’ aluminium alloy, 180mm travelFork RockShox BoXXer, 200mm travelShock RockShox Vivid Coil UltimateDrivetrain SRAM GX DH (1x7)Wheelset Marin wheels with Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip DH 29x2.5in (f) and 27.5x2.5in (r) tyresBrakes SRAM Maven Bronze, 200mm SRAM HS2 rotors Bar/stem Truvativ Descendant DH/ Truvativ Descendant DH direct-mountSeatpost/saddle Marin rigid/Marin Short NoseWeight TBC Marin have been incredibly pragmatic in designing their new downhill bike. With a 200mm fork and 180mm of rear-wheel travel, this big purple rig is intended to tackle everything bike-park shredders can throw at it, while being fun and intuitive to ride, plus properly reliable. THE FRAME Made from the US brand’s ‘Series 4’ alloy, the Quake uses Marin’s ‘Multi-Trac 2 LT’ suspension system – a four-bar Horst-link design, designed to improve braking control, mid-stroke support…

1 SINGLE-PIVOT SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE, BUT ONLY ALLOWS LIMITED TUNING OF RIDE FEEL So-named because there’s just one pivot between the mainframe and rear axle. On ‘pure’ single-pivots this is the only pivot (01), but most also have a shock-actuating linkage with its own pivots. These usually include one for an upper ‘rocker’ link (02, left), plus one on the seatstays or concentric with the rear axle (02, right) – except in the case of ‘flexstay’ bikes, which rely on inbuilt frame compliance instead. MODERN SINGLE-PIVOT ‘PURE’ SINGLE-PIVOT Starling Murmur Starling are big proponents of single-pivot simplicity, favouring steel tubing and good geometry over complex linkages. Also: Orange Five EVO WITH LINKAGE-ACTUATED SHOCK Trek Fuel EX Trek use a concentric axle pivot to reduce the effect of braking on the…

WHO IS... GAIL BROWN An ultra-distance athlete and physiotherapist, Gail can be found challenging herself in the toughest mountain bike races across the globe. A lover of cycling from an early age, her attitude to racing is refreshing – enjoy the experience, relish the adventure, and eat and sleep well. It seems to be a winning formula, because Gail has clocked up some impressive results, including winning the 2020 GBDURO, from Land’s End to John o’ Groats (self-sufficient due to COVID), and the Highland Trail 550 in Scotland, in 2022. Last year, Gail dispatched both the Atlas Mountain Race in Morocco and the Tour Divide down the spine of the USA. WHO IS GAIL BROWN? A Bristol-based ultra-endurance racer and physiotherapist who loves pushing her limits. WHAT ARE YOU BEST…

SPEC Frame 6061-T6 aluminium alloy, 141mm travelFork Fox 36 Performance Elite, 150mm travelShock Fox Float X Performance EliteDrivetrain SRAM GX Eagle (1x12)Wheelset Hunt Enduro Wide V2 wheels with Maxxis Assegai 3C MaxxGrip EXO+ 29x2.5in (f) and Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C MaxxTerra Double Down 29x2.4in (r) tyres Brakes Hayes Dominion A4, 203mm/180mm rotors Bar/stem Race Face Turbine, 800mm/ Race Face Æffect, 40mmSeatpost/saddle OneUp/PrivateerWeight 16.89kg, P2 size without pedals The 141 is Privateer’s do-it-all trail rig, designed for long days in the hills and, according to the brand, even tackling the odd enduro race if you fancy it. This is the second generation of the bike, which includes some significant changes to the suspension kinematics. The geometry stays largely unchanged, although the British brand have now incorporated more adjustment, in a…

Wales was the birthplace of trail centres, with Coed-y-Brenin opening nearly 30 years ago. But while that place faces an uncertain future, another venue in the land of myths and dragons is going from strength to strength. Coed Llandegla (Llandegla Forest) and its trail operator OnePlanet Adventure are nearing 20 years in business. It’s easy to see why this is one of the most popular trail centres in the UK. Located not far from the border with England, a stone’s throw from the cities of Wrexham and Chester, and easily accessible from both the Midlands and the North West, it has an incredibly well-populated catchment area. Of course, it helps that the trails themselves are fun to ride. They’re not natural tech-fests, instead feeling very much manmade, but those who…

Let’s be honest, the main fear when riding is ‘stacking it’, but whether you’re pushing your limits or not, accidents happen. In my experience, you’re more likely to crash when not riding on the edge. The outcome can be anything from laughter to shame or – worse-case scenario – an injury. On the following pages, we’re going to be looking at why we crash, how to reduce the risk without diminishing the fun, and what you can do to return from a bad one. If you take one thing away from this, it should be that the ‘trick’ is to accept and be aware of the risk of crashing without overthinking and fearing it. PRO-FILE OLLY MORRIS JOB Skills coach CREDENTIALS Bristol-based Olly is the owner of Pro Ride Mountain…