Innehållsförteckning för December 2024 från Mountain Biking UK

Our Rider of the Year is confirmed – head to p33 for the big reveal, if our front cover hasn’t already given the game away! – as is our Newcomer of the Year, both voted for by you, the readers. We’ve also picked the recipient for this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which I must admit wasn’t an easy task. But of course, that isn’t the end of the story. We received nominations for more than 130 riders, all of whom deserve recognition for the great things they’ve achieved this year, from winning races to organising them, as well as nuturing young talent and helping to document the MTB scene worldwide. Big thanks to Lezyne, too, for supporting the awards since the start. It’s great to be able to have a…

WELOCME TO THE WORLD OF MOVNTAIN BIKING ‘The couple that prays together, stays together’ says the old adage. Shared interests can certainly strengthen a relationship, but is entering a trail-slaying enduro race with your partner taking things too far? Only one way to find out! The Mondraker Enduro Team event in Davos can be ridden as a pair (mixed, male or female) or, in the Fun category, with up to five of your mates. We opted to ride as a wife-husband duo, and came across several other family groups taking part. Making our way around the course on day one, we quickly realised we were in the minority as first-timers. This was the eighth edition of the race, and almost everyone else had been several times before. We were about…

MBUK RIDER OF THE YEAR RÓNÁN DUNNE Smashing the popular vote – and nearly winning the Newcomer category too – the young Irish racer has had an incredible year It’s a beautiful crisp October day and we’re on our way to meet Rónán Dunne in his hometown of Enniskerry, half an hour south of Dublin. The 22-year-old has grown up in County Wicklow, known as the ‘Garden of Ireland’ because of its natural beauty, which includes secluded beaches and rugged mountains as well as extensive woodlands. We’re greeted by four very excited dogs in the driveway, and the sun is just rising over the top of the Great Sugar Loaf mountain, turning everything in the garden a shade of gold. Rónán doesn’t know about winning Rider of the Year yet.…

THIS AREA WAS MADE WEALTHY BY COPPER AND SLATE MINES, AND WE’RE GREETED BY RELICS INCLUDING MINING CARTS Mountain biking isn’t just about competition or pushing your limits, it’s also about discovery – not just of new areas, but of the rich history behind them. So, a trip to the Lake District earlier this year was a great chance to not only spend some quality time on bikes and hang out with good people, but also to immerse ourselves in the area’s past. Thankfully, Visit Lake District knew the perfect location for the start of our adventure. ORE INSPIRING Leaving the M6 and joining a series of winding roads skirting lakes and mountains, my friend Claire and I soon find ourselves in the quaint village of Coniston. We head up…

Degreasers make short work of cleaning your chain and drivetrain, removing gunk and restoring a sparkling shine. Most of them work as a solvent, dissolving chain oil, grease and dirt. With the most powerful products, you may be able to simply rinse (or wash) the degreaser away along with the loosened detritus. For some others, a little agitation with a brush or chain-cleaning device – or a blast from an aerosol can – will ensure the dirt comes away. These products are generally applied via either a pressurised aerosol can or an unpressurised spray bottle. An aerosol can allows more degreaser to be packed inside its pressurised container, and the nozzle can help blast away stubborn grime. However, nozzle application can be wasteful, because some degreaser inevitably gets sprayed into…

To celebrate our Rider of the Year awards, this month we’ve chosen routes that are on familiar ground for our three winners, in the Republic of Ireland, Wales and Scotland (not South Africa – more on that later!). For our first ride, we head overseas to Dublin, home to our Rider of the Year, Rónán Dunne, who’s risen from part-time farmer and privateer racer to become a double Red Bull Hardline and Downhill World Cup winner. Our route lies just south of the city, in Ticknock Forest, home to a number of quality mountain bike trails, suitable for a range of abilities. With more than 18km of cross-country singletrack to enjoy plus great views over the Irish capital, it’s a top MTB destination. There’s a superb café run by Biking.ie,…

WHO IS FFION PICKSTOCK? I’m a 13-year-old who loves riding bikes! I enjoy helping others who are getting into the sport and progressing my own skills too. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? North Wales, from a town called Holywell. I’m lucky to live where I do because there are places to ride MTB and BMX. FAVOURITE PLACES TO RIDE? Antur Stiniog bike park – it’s helped me so much with riding downhill and it’s so fun! Revs [Revolution Bike Park] is really sick too. The first time I rode there was at the Project EVOLVE girls’ jam, then I hit the Vision line when I was 10 – [my brother] Morg towed me in! I’ve had so many fun times at Farmer Johns [sic] MTB Park as well. Deeside skate park…

GOING DEEP DECATHLON Back in the ’90s, trips to Decathlon’s enormo-stores in France were something of a secular religious experience. There was little to measure up back home (the first UK branch opened in 1999), JJB Sports being a distant second. On family holidays, you’d step inside these big blue behemoths wide-eyed, confronted by seemingly every type of sports equipment ever conceived. Who cared if you didn’t have the upper body strength to persuade your parents to buy you a javelin? It was fun to pretend you might be the next Steve Backley for a moment! So, when Decathlon invited us to attend an “immersive experience” at their Lille HQ, we didn’t need any convincing. We first took the Eurostar to Paris, where Decathlon CEO Barbara Martin Coppola presented a…

WALKTHROUGH TORQUE WRENCH USE Oscar Huckle explains why and how to use this essential maintenance tool 1 A torque wrench measures the force you’re tightening a bolt to, in order to prevent you from under- or overtightening it. Overtightening could cause damage to the bolt or bike part(s) – such as stripped threads, cracking or ovalisation – with potentially disastrous consequences. An undertightened bolt could slip. A torque wrench is particularly important when working with carbon fibre or lightweight components. 2 Many components will have a small number stamped next to any bolts. This will generally be written in ‘Nm’ (Newton metres) or sometimes ‘in-lbs’ (inch-pounds). If there isn’t any writing, check the manufacturer’s technical information. If the writing says ‘max’, that really is the max and you should torque it…

BEAUTY OR BEAST? The throwback design of the new Cotic Rocket e-bike makes total sense, but you’ve got to look beyond its looks Derbyshire-based Cotic’s long-awaited e-bike, the Rocket, melds the brand’s iconic svelte steel construction with the grunt of a Shimano STEPS EP801 motor. While most bike companies are on a journey towards greater integration, Cy Turner has ripped up the rule book, placing the Shimano battery on top of the bike’s down tube. At first glance, this appears akin to rewinding the clock back 10 years, to a time when emergent e-MTBs all had external batteries. However, the Rocket’s design has plenty of virtues. Depending on your needs, you can choose what size battery to install (between 418Wh and 630Wh), then quickly remove it for mid-ride replacement or…

Lifetime ACHIEVEMENT AWARD When Greg Minnaar hit the Downhill World Cup scene in 1997 as a fresh-faced 15-year-old, few would have suspected he’d still be notching up podiums 28 years later. In that time, the 43-year-old has won an incredible four DH World Championships and 22 DH World Cups. An amazing accomplishment in a fast-changing sport where injuries are prevalent and youthful risk-taking can trump experience. Hell, he once bagged a 4X World Cup win, too, for good measure! Greg may be South African, but he became an honorary Brit in 2000 when he joined the Animal Orange team. Riding alongside the likes of Steve Geall, Tim Ponting and Rob Kitchen, he raced his Orange 222 DH bike and Ms Isle dual slalom rig in the domestic RAV4 National Mountain…

MEET THE TESTERS ROBIN WEAVER TECH EDITOR IN CHIEF With three decades of MTB experience, Rob can identify the kit that works TOM MARVIN VIDEO PRESENTER XC/trail/enduro rider and tech wizard Tom gives his gear a proper hammering LUKE MARSHALL TESTER Downhiller Luke is always looking for what saves time between the tape JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE GROUP EDITOR Riding since ’92, JCW knows the score and has an eye for the key details JULIA BROUSSIER CREATIVE DESIGN LEAD Julia’s after kit that can support her rapidly-developing riding skills RUSSELL BURTON PHOTOGRAPHER/TESTER Big days outdoors mean snapper Russ needs equipment that lasts 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 of tech experts, who have unrivalled knowledge and…

Rapid, nimble trail bikes are becoming a rare breed, lost in the noise around downcountry bikes, enduro rigs and e-MTBs. It appears the innocent joys of an efficient and fast bike with 140mmish of travel are waning, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out why. We’re riding in a landscape where the slovenly temptation and sugar rush highs of electrical assistance beckon from one side, while the ego-flattering speed of a souped-up cross-country bike or suspension of a long-travel enduro machine appeal from the other. Fewer trail bikes are being launched, and presumably fewer are selling. This is a shame, not least because the two boutique-brand bikes tested here are ace fun. Yes, e-bikes allow more climbing and mileage, shorter-travel downcountry rigs lap up flatter trails faster and…

The dangers of concussion have come to the fore in recent years, with high-profile riders including Downhill World Cup contenders Tahnée Seagrave and Myriam Nicole speaking out about the lasting effects this crash-induced form of brain injury has had on their lives, and Enduro World Series racer Lorraine Truong suffering paralysis as a result of a blow to the head. Thankfully, not everyone has such serious complications – XC stars Tom Pidcock and Evie Richards (right) both suffered concussions earlier this year and recovered in time for the Paris Olympics – but it’s important to be able to recognise when a concussion has taken place and respond appropriately. 1. WHAT IS CONCUSSION? Concussion is an injury to the brain resulting in a disturbance to mental function. It can be caused…