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IN BIKING A T N U O M G ELLIN
MAGAZINE
ISSUE 39211 0 FEBRUARY 2
GO es trail bik boutiquferom cotic, tested starling evil &
S L I A R T H C U K ’S TOP T E FIND THE O T E R E H W ITHOUT W R A N G T BES ISTE P F F O G N I HEAD
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the w o h t s u j t ind ou got so good at o t y r t e W man hich, let’s s t o c S g n i – w st of us ly d u m e h t n riding i is something mop with! fa c e i t , o w i t h s o m e h e l could d E WELCOM
H
appy new year! Now let’s never talk of 2020 again... Actually, there is one good thing to have come out of what was a pretty rubbish 12 months for many. Last year’s racing felt so chaotic, both in terms of the number of events being cancelled and some of the course conditions when it finally resumed in the autumn, that it’s easy to forget that the UK now has not one but two reigning downhill champions – World Championships gold medallist Reece Wilson and World Cup series winner Matt Walker. What a result! It’s the former we catch up with this issue (and who graces the cover), as we try to find out just how the flying Scotsman got so good at riding in the mud – which, let’s face it, is something most of us could do with some help with! We’ll be following up with Matt in a future mag. It’s fair to say neither of these guys was the hot tip to win, despite their prodigious talent, which just goes to show that you should never underestimate a wild card. And that leads us nicely to this month’s trail bike test, where we’re ignoring the mega-brands and direct-sale behemoths, and instead testing some more leftfield options from smaller outfits, from ‘steel is real’ offerings from the UK’s Cotic and Starling, to boutique carbon black magic from US manufacturer Evil. Can these three plucky outsiders trounce the more established competition, just like Reece and Matt? Turn to p84 to find out! See you on the trails...
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THIS TH HIS MMONTH’S ONTH’S COV COVER Rider Reece Wilson Bike Trek Slash 9.9 Location Scottish Borders Photographer Ian Linton
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Mountain Biking UK 09
ZERO FUSS GIVEN
ZASKAR LT The King of Hardtails is conquering another domain. With a new frame and more attitude, the all-new Zaskar LT is made for riders who put their value in the simple stoke of a great ride, without any fuss.
PHOTOS: @MZED101
RIDERS: @MISSJOEYGOUGH & @EDMITCHELL301
@GTBICYCLES
contents #391 FEBRUARY 2021
Flying Scotsman Reece Wilson gives us the full lowdown, including how he got so good at riding in mud – p50
S E R U T A FE REECE WILSON P50
HIGH & DRY IN THE CANYONLANDS P59 CAIRNGORMS GOLD P64
Three years ago, this young Scottish racer was resigned to life as a welder. Now he’s the world downhill champ. We find out how an affinity for wild conditions and zero grip helped him seize a historic win
Photographer Adam Klimek and his riding buddies experience extreme heat and a warm welcome on a four-day bikepacking trip through the iconic desert landscape of Moab, Utah
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Scotty Laughland goes on the hunt for 24-karat singletrack on an overnight mission through the mountains from Braemar to Aviemore and back again, taking in challenging descents and incredible scenery
SEND it!
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p44
We take Pace’s RC295 – the UK brand’s first carbon fibre bike – for a spin and sling a leg over YT’s Decoy Elite hard-charging e-bike
The hottest new gear – Scott’s Ransom eRIDE, Marzocchi’s Bomber DJ fork, Bluegrass’s Rogue open-face helmet and fi’zi:k’s Terra Alpaca saddle and tool combo
& win!
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p21
p32
Torridon becomes a ‘private playground’ Riding under the northern lights Racing insights from Jesse Melamed Subterranean drifting in Honister Slate Mine New Specialized shoes
Brendan Fairclough’s ‘A Dog’s Life’ Olly Wilkins UK winter warmers Bikes from Canyon, Pivot, Marin and Pace #TotalMTB Chopper’s scariest moment Paul Aston’s ‘ultimate MTB’
Your letters and photos, including beating the booze ’n’ cigs, not sinking to others’ level and more of your best riding snaps
p36 Subscribe to MBUK for £24.99 and get a Syncros bottle cage with hidden tool plus save 30 per cent on the cover price
Mountain Biking UK 11
contents #391 FEBRUARY 2021
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BIKETEST P84 Boutique full-sussers – these three bikes from smaller brands stand out from the crowd, but which one stands out on the trail? WRECKED & RATED p71 The latest kit reviewed by our test team, including Crankbrothers’ Mallet BOA shoes and Troy Lee’s Resist waterproof trousers
SIX OF THE BEST p77 Goggles tested for fit, clarity and resistance to fogging – which are best for protecting your eyes and maintain laser-like vision?
LONG TERM RIDES p78 Introducing the first of our 2021 team bikes from Cube, Juliana, Marin, Nukeproof, NS and Whyte, with more to come next issue
GROUPTEST p96 A good baselayer is essential to wick sweat away from your skin and keep you dry and warm, especially in winter. We’ve tested 15
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Grime TIME
THE T S U R T , L EN TR A C Y A T S T S JU U CA N O Y . P I R T I LET F RON T A ND ST UF F ING I T IN TO DEN T FEEL CONFI G THAT IT’LL STAY W IN T U R N S, K N O P O S E D P8 4 D COM N A E L B A T S
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Your questions answered
p103
p108
p110
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p122
p130
How to... love riding in the wet! Joe Barnes’s top tips for getting rowdy in the ruts
Choosing and fitting brake pads, flat-pedalfriendly knee pads, benefits of hydraulic brakes over cable discs, and the lowdown on oval chainrings
An Exmoor beast of a ride from Dunster, taking in plenty of rocks and roots, not to mention the obligatory tea garden
Our Big Ride route for you to cut out and keep, plus bonus rides in London, Shropshire and North Scotland
You don’t have to head off-piste or deep into the mountains to ride gnarly, natural-feeling tracks. Our Best Tech Trails are legal and manmade but will test you to the max
Officially the longeststanding member of the MBUK team – more adventures from everyone’s favourite mountain biking sheep, Mint Sauce
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S IGHLAND H H S I T SCOT
Torridon, in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, was voted MBUK readers’ best wild ride back in 2019, and it’s an especially magical place in late winter. Snapper Duncan Philpott bagged this epic shot on the Achnashellach descent, on a trip with Scottish enduro racer Ella Connelly. He explains: “We were seeking contrasting weather conditions for a media project on the Cannondale Scalpel SE. The first day was in glorious sunshine, with the rocky singletrack providing a mud-free
day in the mountains – a welcome phenomenon at this time of year. As we dodged deer and water bars, the dark slabs and bright gravel mirrored the snowy peaks. “While the other days were a little more ‘Scottish’, the remoteness and off-season emptiness of this beautiful part of the world made it feel like a private playground, without another person to be seen. We soon forgot about the cold when on the move, although by the end of a long descent, a warm brew in a nearby cafe was more than welcome.”
Photo: Duncan Philpott
A PRIVATE PLAYGROUND
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LIGHTS N R E H T NOR
Photo: Paris Gore
UNDER THE AURORA To see the northern lights in person is a bucket-list event. To ride under them is going one better, and that’s precisely what photographer Paris Gore and buddies set out to accomplish when they captured this truly incredible shot. “I took a trip to Iceland with [pro freeriders] KC Deane and Geoff Gulevich, with Icebike Adventures as our guide. I was there to provide still imagery alongside a short film they were shooting,” explains Paris. “One of our main goals was to photograph the guys riding beneath the northern lights. We’d been there for almost a week and had only seen them once, when they were dull and difficult to capture. “On our final night, we got word that the lights were supposed to be firing, so much so that Reykjavík city demanded residents switch off their lights so people could enjoy the spectacle. We set out and found a trail on a small hillside, and as we got to the top the lights started flaring. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced on this planet – a raging river of green flowing through the sky. I was finally able to capture the image we’d been searching for the whole trip.” To say we’re a little jealous is an understatement!
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ELAMED M E S S E J
Photo: Dane Peras
NO MAGIC TRICKS Born and bred in Whistler, BC, Jesse Melamed has been knocking on the door of enduro success for a while now. He got his first Enduro World Series podium back in 2016, but since then, injuries had prevented him from fulfilling his potential – until 2020, when a fighting-fit Jesse laid down the law on the men’s field, winning two of the three EWS races held last year. The first was in treacherous conditions at Zermatt in Switzerland, the second on the Italian coast in Finale Ligure. However, it’s not just his race results that make this friendly rider stand out. The cool Canadian has a growing YouTube channel, where he shares a ton of GoPro footage and racing insights, and also has a trail breakdown series, where he dissects tracks and shares his knowledge on how to ride trails better – and make them more fun. It’s interesting to understand how one of the world’s best racers views a trail, but also somewhat frustrating when you realise there are no magic tricks going on with riders of Jesse’s calibre – they’re just better! However, it’s refreshing to see a pro racer being so open with their know-how to benefit us mere mortals. Keep it up Jesse!
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E ATE MIN L S R E T HONIS
DIGGING DEEP
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Photo: Tom McNally
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This brilliant shot was taken by photographer Tom McNally deep inside Honister Slate Mine in the Lake District, to promote the launch of Cotic’s new Jeht full-sus (see Biketest, p82). Unfortunately – or perhaps fortunately – the site is off-limits for regular MTBers because it’s a working slate mine and tourist attraction rolled into one. However, this may not be the last time we see Honister mine and mountain biking come together. Tom was a former ‘via ferrata’ guide at the mine so has close
connections with Honister, and persuaded them to let him pitch Red Bull an idea for a Hardlinetype race from the summit of Black Star (the peak of Honister Crag) down the mountain and into the mine itself. Site inspections were planned last year but put on hold due to COVID-19. So, watch this space… It wouldn’t be the first time Red Bull have put on events underground. Until then, we’ll admire Tom’s handiwork from this unusual setting.
SHOES T S O O R IZED 2FO L A I C E P S
STICKING IT TO THE COMPETITION If you like your kit looking casual and don’t fancy dials and straps all over your kicks, these new flat-pedal shoes from Specialized are worth a gander. A synthetic leather and textile upper with clean styling and standard laces keeps things simple on the outside. Inside, the cushioned EVA foam midsole, ergonomically-designed footbed and nylon-composite shank are designed to keep your feet comfy on and off the bike while also permitting high-performance
pedalling. Specialized are known for making lightweight footwear that’s pretty protective and dries out fast too, and these seem to fit that bill as well. Now for the real highlight, though – we think the US brand’s new SlipNot ST outsole could be the first to challenge, or possibly even better, Five Ten’s Stealth rubber in the grip department. After a quick spin in these we were taken aback by the massive levels of traction. £110 www.specialized.com
KEEP OFAFSS! R THHowE GBrendog’ s second Filmed not far from MBUK’s Bristol HQ and featuring a trio of top UK riders, the fourth episode of Brendan Fairclough’s A Dog’s Life series is an impressive showcase of skill and style – check it out on YouTube if you haven’t already. However, things didn’t exactly go according to plan behind the scenes. Brendog’s concept for the video, BERM2BERM, sounded fairly simple – to build a track
Photo: Ryan Franklin
attempt at his BERM2BERM concept almost went the way of the irst
THIS MONTH Olly Wilkins, winter warmers, Adam Brayton, bike launches, #TotalMTB, Chopper gets scared, the ultimate MTB? Mountain Biking UK 21
W NS O D N R U T , S , W HIP S P I L ONCEPT F C K C A A ’S B T I ILES M R O F E L Y NTIAL E A ND ST T O P S U O OR M N E S A H CES T N A A T TH S M U C R GH T CI I R E H T N E GI V
BRENDAN’S TAKE ON TAKE TWO “The goal was to have perfect jumps and berms through an idyllic grass field, but that’s just not how it turned out. It was a huge mess, where we struggled to build in bad weather and had all sorts of other problems. In the end, we left a fun trail that can be used by other people to ride on, learn and enjoy, so that was cool. The Redhill guys were great and their hearts are in the right place, helping riders of all ages progress. It was 50 per cent of what I was hoping for, but we had great fun and got a brilliant edit from our short time filming. While the BERM2BERM idea may be done with, there are more big plans in the pipeline!”
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Opening page The BERM2BERM concept was a cool one, when it worked out Above Brendan tests out some newly sculpted features with trademark effortless style Top right And how are you planning to land that one then, lads?
where riders could jump from one feature to the next, and from corner to corner, without their wheels ever touching the grass that the jumps and berms were built on. It was born from a similar idea planned for his Deathgrip movie in 2015. When that attempt ended up being a bit of a disaster and never came to fruition, Brendan was determined to give it another go. A project like this takes a ton of work, and luckily he had the digging talent and expertise of the team behind Redhill Extreme, near the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, to bring the jump line to life. He also roped in great riders and even greater mates Olly Wilkins and Sam Pilgrim to feature in the edit. But, as fate would have it, the track wasn’t exactly the masterpiece they were hoping for. The dirt proved tough to dig and
shape by hand so everything had to be machine-built, and the crucial finishing touches for prime jumps were just out of reach. That, along with pandemic-related delays and the trusty British weather throwing a spanner in the works on the exposed hillside, meant filming time was reduced to just half a day. You’d be forgiven for thinking that all their time, effort and energy was wasted, until you see the grins on Brendan, Sam and Olly’s faces as they session the line and hit the jumps. Backflips, whips, turndowns and style for miles – it’s a concept that has enormous potential given the right circumstances. We think it’s rad, even if it didn’t quite meet Brendan’s expectations.
Odub did as much travelling as he could in 2020… until the old you-know-what caught up!
S N I K L I W Y OLL Odub’s putting 2020 behind him and hoping this year can deliver a next-level trail What a ride 2020 was. I said to myself that I wasn’t going to talk about it, but I must. To cap the year off, I contracted the dreaded COVID-19! I was lucky enough to get loads of trips in despite the endless travel restrictions, but it finally got me on my last journey of the year. My positive test confirmed what I’d already suspected. Thankfully I got away with a couple of days of feeling feverish and not being able to taste food. My thoughts go out to those who’ve had a much worse time of it than me. Strangely, my girlfriend, who lives with me, somehow managed to avoid catching it. I can’t wait for the world to reopen so I can continue my quest to find the perfect trail. My last trip of 2020 was to Indonesia, where I shot an advert for the tourist board in a place called Lake Toba. I visited a small bike park and rode with the locals there. The scene is young, but it’s so good to see the people hyped on riding regardless. Talking of hype, BERM2BERM (opposite) is out now and it’s great to look back on something we battled with for most of 2020. After building a super-tech line of bermed jumps, it was megacool to have a session on it with Bren and Sam. It was a highlight for me, for sure! I hope everyone’s doing well. Just imagine how great normality is going to feel! I can’t wait to see you all out on the trails.
MBUK’S MONTH The highs & lows of life on the mag
In the UK, it was business as usual with regards to the weather, which you can read about opposite
Hopefully this year will be bringing a lot more of this sort of eye-candy for us all to get stuck into!
We don’t think we’ve ever ridden so much over Christmas! It turns out that there are advantages to contact with friends and relatives being limited. Mudguards and waterproofs are so much better these days that riding in the wet is no chore at all (although we still hate having to clean our bikes after every ride!) – and there’s nothing that’s quite as much childish fun as smashing your back wheel into a puddle to soak a mate! Our navigationally-challenged production editor Chris hasn’t got lost for at least two months…
…but only because his new long-term bike hasn’t turned up yet. Fingers crossed that the last couple will be here soon. We may have ridden lots, but we’re still working off those “just one more…” pigs-in-blankets, not to mention all that festive booze. Remember how last month we were excited about getting a new van? Turns out we were a bit premature, and we’re going to have to keep nursing the old one for a little longer. Better get the gaffer tape and Haynes manual back out…
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R E T N I W UK ERS WARM s British brainntedr e h t t u o k c Che us snug this w keeping
1 FINDRA Betty beanie Designed and knitted in Scotland, this British lambswool beanie is ideal whether you’re heading to the trailhead or the cafe. £35, www.findraclothing.com
Seconds with...
ADAM BRAYTON
2 Peregrine Porter ribbed beanie This classic fisherman-style beanie is just the ticket for chilling at the harbourside with a brew post-ride. £24, www.peregrineclothing.co.uk
3 Extremities Baslow beanie A chunky-knit beanie made from British wool with a fleece lining, ideal to warm you up after the epic-but-freezing descent back to the car park. £35, www.terra-nova.co.uk
4 BBCo Fistral beanie What’s better than pure British wool to keep your head cosy on a miserable winter’s day? You’ll get a lot of use out of this hardwearing hat. £30, www.bbcoheadwear.com
5 Silverstick Snowdon bobble hat Just the job for staying toasty when climbing Wales’s highest peak, or any other mountain for that matter. £28, www.silverstick.co.uk
6 Peaty’s merino beanie Peaty’s beanies and bobble hats are handmade in Manchester using a five-gauge merino wool knit – a finer yarn that gives a warmer, better-quality product. £30, www.peatys.co.uk
7 Finisterre Women’s Penmere zip leece This versatile, 100 per cent recycled fleece will have your back throughout winter, either as a stylish outer layer in milder conditions, or as a midlayer when you really need to wrap up. £85, www.finisterre.com
8 Montane Roco leece smock
Blending classic styling with modern materials, this midweight brushed-fleece smock is a nod to Montane’s heritage. £80, www.montane.com
9 Mountain Equipment Moreno hooded jacket Everyone needs a cold-weather workhorse jacket and this heavyweight number, made from Polartec Thermal Pro shearling fleece, looks just the thing for staying warm. £120, www.mountain-equipment.co.uk
10 Berghaus Women’s Nula Micro insulated jacket Plummeting temperatures won’t beat you in this bluesign-approved, Hydroloft Polyball-insulated jacket. Its fibres are water-resistant and the DWR coating is PFC-free. £140, www.berghaus.com
11 Alpkit 0Hiro insulated jacket This rugged jacket should keep you protected whatever the weather throws your way. A waterproof/breathable outer protects PrimaLoft Silver Hi-Loft Ultra insulation, all sustainably made. £159.99, www.alpkit.com
12 Rapha Explore down jacket Rapha use fully traceable, responsibly-sourced goose down (each jacket comes with a lot number to track the exact origin of the fill) so you can have peace of mind while feeling toasty this winter. £220, www.rapha.cc
Mr Gas to Flat, aka the Keswick Kestrel, has earned himself a reputation as a bit of a wild man on the track, with a no-holds-barred riding style and a willingness to send it on the jumps. But he lets his riding do the talking, and, away from racing, Adam has a laidback personality and friendly demeanour. The Red Bull Hardline regular is known for his brutal training sessions and dedication to fitness. It should come as no surprise that, hailing from the Lake District, he’s an avid fisherman, too. When he’s not at the gym or out on the lake, Adam is probably on his MX bike or clocking up downhill laps.
Who is Adam Brayton? An electrician turned downhill god who’s addicted to fishing. What do you do? What don’t I do? Fish, ride, train, repeat! How did you get into bike riding? I don’t even know, to be honest. I guess like most kids I was dossing about on bikes building shady gaps and it just kind of snowballed. I never dreamed of doing what I do now. Where do you call home? The Lake District. What was your first bike? A Kona Fire Mountain with a rigid Project 2 fork, which was a hand-me-down from my big bro. What’s your current go-to bike? My Nukeproof Dissent 297. She’s my monster truck and allows me to get away with murder nine times out of 10. What gets you excited to ride? I’m always excited to ride. So, I guess, just the thought of riding!
Who’s your favourite rider to watch? Even though I’m technically old-school, I’m going to say the olderschool Peaty [Steve Peat], Sam Hill and Fabien Barel. Those are who I grew up watching.
of heights! But I think the Pepsi Max Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach was the biggest.
What’s your favourite bike film? It’s got to be the Earthed series. Original and best.
What do you prefer, bike park flow or natural? 50/50, I love both!
Where’s the best trail you’ve ever ridden? The Garbanzo DH course in Whistler is one of my all-time favourites. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done on a bike? The lockdown step-down I built – I haven’t made the ticker click like that for a while! There was a lot going on with that jump. What’s the worst crash you’ve had? Probably my one in Fort William last year [Adam went over the bars in a rock section during practice at the 2019 World Cup ~ ed]. That hit me pretty hard mentally too!
What do you prefer, clips or flats? I’ve been a clips man since 2012.
How far can you wheelie? Not very. If you were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would you most want? A fishing rod. Not sure whether I could kill the fish though! What advice would you give 13-year-old Adam? Be patient! What would you be doing, if you weren’t a World Cup racer? I’d be in Florida living the dream as a pro bass fisherman, in a mental boat!
What was the biggest ride of your life? I’m not a theme park man, to be honest – I’m scared
Mountain Biking UK 25
NE W FOR 2021
BRING THE PAIN! Canyon’s Stoic hardtail is designed to stand up to hard riding A stoic endures pain or hardship without complaint, so it’s an apt name for a hardcore hardtail. And the price of Canyon’s new aluminium bike shouldn’t cause any grumbling either. The geometry looks promising, with the head tube sitting at a rakedout but not super-slack
65 degrees, and a seat tube angle of 75 degrees. Reach figures are lengthy, topping out at 505mm (XL), and the low-slung top tube makes it easy to size up if you want more room between BB and bar. Widening its appeal further, the bike comes in six sizes, the smallest three with 650b wheels (2XS-S) and the rest with 29in hoops (M-XL). Chainstay lengths are short – 418mm on the smaller bikes and 428mm on the 29ers. There’s 45mm and 60mm of BB drop, respectively, and Canyon spec short 165mm crank arms to reduce pedal strikes.
Tyre clearance is decent (27.5x2.8in or 29x2.5in). There are three models. The Stoic 2 (£849 + p&p) gets an entry-level build, including a 140mm-travel SR Suntour XCR3 fork and 1x10 Shimano Deore drivetrain. Another £450 gets you the Stoic 3, with a RockShox
Recon RL fork and 12-speed SRAM SX Eagle. Heading up the range is the Stoic 4 (£1,799) with a burlier, better-damped
RockShox Pike Select and SRAM NX Eagle, among other upgrades. All look like decent-value options for UK trail razzing.
BACK IN BLACK Carbon upgrade for Marin’s Alpine Trail Marin’s Alpine Trail was one of the most affordable hard-hitting enduro bikes on the market. For 2021, the Californian brand have gone back to the drawing board and come out with a longer, slacker, more refined second-generation bike that now comes in two sleek carbon-framed options. Looking more akin to Marin’s shorter-travel Rift Zone, the 150mm Alpine Trail has had its reach stretched by 10 to 25mm (size dependent), its head angle slackened to 63.5 degrees and its seat tube steepened to 78 degrees. At the same time, the standover has been slammed, allowing riders to upsize at will. These changes take effect on both the alloy (£2,495-£3,395) and fibre bikes (£2,995-£3,995), with the latter pairing a unidirectional carbon front triangle with the same 6061 alloy rear end and forged rocker link. Add well-balanced specs, and Marin would seem to be onto a winner.
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MONKEY BUSINESS Pivot’s Mach 6 is built for serious fun
With its 650b wheels and coil-sprung shock, Pivot reckon their new Mach 6 is “more fun than a barrel of monkeys”. The Arizona-based brand describe it as “a shot of backcountry adrenaline, a bike park dream ride and a lively-handling enduro weapon, all rolled into a single high-performance package”. For 2021, they’ve tweaked the look and feel of the carbon fibre frame, as well as refining the geometry. The Mach 6 now has a 65-degree head angle and 75.5-degree effective seat tube angle (both of which can be steepened by 0.5 degrees), plus reach figures that top out at 480mm on the large. All sizes get 431mm chainstays, plus 70mm of BB drop. Pivot have also changed the kinematics of the dw-link rear suspension, positioning the shock vertically instead of horizontally, and using a longer lower link (as on their
Phoenix DH bike) to create a more rearward axle path for improved absorption of square-edged hits. The Mach 6 now has 158mm of rear wheel travel, paired with a 160mm fork. Multiple builds are available, ranging from the £6,000 Race XT Coil to the £11,200 Team XTR Live. You can also buy a ‘frame module’ with fork, cranks and headset for £5,300-£5,800. Pivot have also brought out a new version of their Shuttle e-bike, which combines Shimano’s latest EP8 drive unit and a massive 726Wh battery with a 140mm-travel full-carbon frame and some burly kit including a 160mm Fox 38 fork. It’s not cheap, though, at £10,750.
CHANGE OF PACE UK brand bring out their irst e-bike Pace are known for their steel hardtails, although their debut carbon fullsus is in this issue’s First Rides. The latest bike under development at their North Yorkshire HQ is the biggest departure yet, though – an e-MTB, complete with some typically unique features. The RC 170E uses Shimano’s new EP8 motor, paired with an unusually high-capacity 726Wh battery. These are housed in a handmade alloy frame. A four-bar rear end provides 170mm
of travel, controlled by a coil-sprung shock, matched with a coil fork up front. A flip-chip lets you switch between 29in and 650b rear wheels. Other neat features include an adjustable radiator vent and integrated lights – the front one using 10 automotive LEDs, with a high-beam/dip set-up. Pace are also promising “progressive e-bike geometry” – the prototype sports a 63-degree head angle and super-steep 78-degree seat tube angle.
Mountain Biking UK 27
INSIDER Y R T S U IND
S ’ E N O Y R E V E WELCOME #TotalMTB founder Ryan Old ield is on a mission to get more bums on bikes “I suffer from generalised anxiety disorder, badly at times. Mountain biking helps get me outside and takes my negative thoughts away, even if for a short time. Seeing how people on social media, such as BKXC, inspired thousands to get out and ride, I wanted to do something similar. “Looking into Instagram, I noticed most big accounts were only posting and reposting crashes or famous riders. I saw a gap, which was to repost anyone who was mountain biking, in the hope it’d encourage them to keep riding and inspire others to start. “My background is in design and marketing, so I came up with a logo and name. The biggest challenge was getting people to find the Instagram account and tag it in their photos. Somehow it worked. I think one of the reasons it started to gain traction was that I’d repost anyone around the world as long as they were on a mountain bike. They didn’t have to be famous or of a certain gender or appearance. “Our community is now at over 50,000, and everyone is welcome, no matter what their race, age, fitness, ability, etc. Our aim is simple – to get as many people out on bikes as possible for the mental and physical benefits, while also promoting sustainability and helping to preserve the environment.
Photo: http://lewisbell.photography
“There’s a crew of seven of us, with three main people (including me) who keep things ticking and on-message. We’d love to work on TotalMTB full-time but at the moment it’s a side project. The difficult part is coming up with ideas to get the public engaged. “We’re working on a big project to reward people nominated by the TotalMTB community (#TotalDream). It won’t just make them happy, but also anyone who sees the video – and we all need good vibes at the minute! If we can pull it off, more will follow.”
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MORE THAN JUST A HASHTAG: WHAT ELSE #TOTALMTB DO 1. FUNDRAISING “Working with mental health organisation No Panic, we organise raffles and sell T-shirts (see www.totalmtb. co.uk), from which they get all the profits. They’ll receive £3 for every 2021 TotalMTB jersey bought, too. We also fundraise for a South Wales project where unused bikes are given some TLC and donated to kids (and some adults) in need. Plus, we’ve brought out an eco tee for Forestry England. We hope to hit £5,000 raised for charities and non-profits soon.”
2. WORKING WITH SHOPS AND BRANDS
3. SPREADING THE WORD
“We’ve organised and participated in a few social rides, and are trying to collaborate with shops and brands around the country to organise more (#LetsAllRide), so we can get more people out on their bikes. Ideally, we’d like most people in the UK to be within 60 minutes of a social ride. We also have discounts for our followers and run giveaways, to reward our community, but also to help brands with exposure.”
“TotalMTB have a diverse team of ambassadors and people who race competitively (#TotalTeam). We’re hoping that this, again, shows that our community is for everyone – kids and adults, men and women. There’s absolutely no pressure with regards to results – we just want our team members to be happy. In fact, if they come last and are still happy, it may actually inspire more people to race.”
e v o l h t i w a i s s u R m o fr In this regular series we ask some familiar faces to recount the most heart-stopping moment they’ve had on two wheels. This month it’s the turn of Grant ‘Chopper’ Fielder, Noughties MBUK legend and veteran of the FMB slopestyle world tour, who recalls an episode from his time on the road when he thought he was in trouble as deep as his trick bag... Have you ever missed a flight? I have! Five, to be exact. Two Champions League final. It was insane. With my kit on, I walked were because I partied too hard at a contest the night before, out with my bodyguards and the place erupted. another because I chose to get a sausage roll rather than What an entrance that was, but believe me, I was bricking board the plane and two more because I got the date wrong. it. Not because I was scared to ride, but due to the noise and On this particular occasion I was supposed to be boarding a mayhem of it all. Surrounded by what looked like mostly plane to Moscow. It was the start of winter and hibernation was hooligans in patched jackets, I did my best to blank it all out high on my agenda so I ‘accidently’ slept in. After numerous and get ready to send. Luckily, I tend to ride better under phone calls from my manager, I dragged myself out of bed the pressure. In the skate park there was a huge quarter pipe that following morning and headed to the airport. Russia had never almost touched the roof, with just enough space to get a bike really been on my radar as a place to ride. In my eyes it was length above it for a fufanu – a trick where you land on the a cold, gloomy place, especially in winter. And with a culture back wheel on the lip of the ramp and 180 back in. I went as that’s very different to home, I was a bit scared, to be honest. It fast as I could, launched to the top and pulled it off first try. probably didn’t help that I’d played the game Hitman prior to What a boss move that was. And yep, you guessed it, the place going – I felt like I was going there to take out a mafia boss! went off again, but this time I saw red in their eyes. Now I was I eventually arrived in Moscow and really shitting it! “my bodyguards came to shield me, was picked up in a blacked-out van. After the demo had finished, my My driver had a shaved head and bodyguards came to shield me again, and thank god they did - because the a leather jacket, and didn’t speak and thank god they did – because crowd stampeded towards me and a word of English. Nerves were high – the crowd stampeded towards me I now felt like I was in the game, ready and I braced myself for death. What I braced myself for death” to do the job. My job, however, was to I didn’t realise is that this Russian ride a skate park demo, not climb a ladder with a silenced crowd didn’t want to kidnap me and skin me alive, what they sniper rifle on my back. Eventually I calmed down and cracked actually wanted was to shower me with joy and vodka. Saying on. Because I was a day late, I was taken straight to the event “no thanks” wasn’t an option. Russian culture is a tough nut to arena to get ready and ride in front of thousands. When we crack and, after all the nervous build-up and my heart pumping pulled up, there was a line of bodyguards either side of the at full speed all day, I realised in the end that they were just door. I came out and was immediately shielded like I was Putin. stoked to have me there. The next morning, after a few too They walked me to a small room just inside the main entrance many winter warmers, I found myself back at the airport (on to build my bike and get ready for the show. The walls were time for once). Putting on a mock Russian accent, I said, shaking from the crowd’s chants and it felt like we were at the “I Moscow!”, and off I went. What an experience that was!
Mountain Biking UK 29
n
#105 PAUL ASTON’S NICOLAI GEOMETRON G1 Is this extreme take on a trail bike really ‘the ultimate MTB’? Words Ed Thomsett Pics Ben Winder
30 Mountain Biking UK
o claim you’ve “built the ultimate worth the slower pedal engagement. mountain bike” is a pretty bold Paul’s OCHAIN spider is paired with an statement, but that’s what exoval chainring. Short 165mm Hope EVO Nicolai rep Paul Aston says about crank arms add stability, as does a widerhis aluminium GeoMetron G1. Even than-usual Q-factor, achieved by spacing though Paul no longer has any ties to the out the BB. Bolted to the ends of Paul’s German brand, he maintains that his bike cranks are a set of Pedalling Innovations’ is as close to perfect as he’s found, albeit mammoth Catalyst EVO pedals. with some potential for improvement. The set-up quirks don’t stop there. “A high pivot and chain idler to improve Paul pilots this big vessel using an SQLab the action of the suspension, and moving 30X bar and a super-short 25-30mm the derailleur from the rear wheel to the Spank direct-mount stem (3). The bar mainframe would make it better – but this has a massive 45mm rise, accentuating is an industry-wide problem,” he explains. the bike’s already tall stack height (due to Don’t be fooled by the 210mm-travel, the DH fork), plus an unusual 12 degrees dual-crown Manitou Dorado fork – this of backsweep. Handlebar shape is another isn’t a downhill rig, but a trail/enduro example of the MTB industry just following bike that’s been winched up mountains the norm, asserts Paul, looking to both and undertaken 110km epics. The frame MX and BMX for inspiration. He believes geometry is “as extreme as it gets”, too. the bigger backsweep puts his wrists in At 6ft 1in Paul is a tall guy, and the Chris a comfier position on today’s wider bars. Porter-designed GeoMetron After all this, his choice of frames are known for their ‘mullet’ wheel configuration raked-out proportions. Even so, (29in front, 650b rear), with a 503mm reach and the Schwalbe tyres and Cushcore chainstays set to 456mm, this inserts seems pretty normal, is a big bike. The head angle sits although, contrary to Schwalbe’s at a super-slack 61.8 degrees. recommendation, he’s got the With his opinions shaped by e-bike-intended Eddy Current a large amount of time riding on the rear, enthusing that the This tall Brummie the super-tech trails of the blocky tread pattern makes it the grew up racing Portes du Soleil in the Alps as most predictable tyre he’s used. downhill alongside well as Finale Ligure in Italy, Paul’s realistic enough to several of the Paul is a strong advocate of know that his radical ride MBUK staff. Realising there the idea that a bike needs the won’t be for everyone. “It’s were bigger right front-to-rear balance – long, slack, heavy, overbuilt, mountains something he says is impossible over-suspensioned and not abroad, Paul with short chainstays: “If it’s fashionable in any way. But it made a one-way trip to Morzine poppy and playful in the car park does everything, can be and since then his then you’ll have no hope when tuned for any situation and quest for the you’re hanging on for dear life I can’t ride it anywhere near its perfect bike has down a rough, wet off-camber.” limits,” he says, proud of the fact taken him down a wormhole of ‘Mutators’ (seatstay fliphe’s built a bike so capable. product testing. chips) change the balance of Mind you, over the past few He’s forever the bike, switching the rear years we’ve seen geometry seeking out travel from 195mm to 210mm, that was once thought of as unusual parts from small and altering the spring rate extreme being incorporated start-up brands, and leverage ratio (1) – ideal into the mainstream. By Paul’s which might offer if you want to puzzle out the reckoning, it won’t be long benefits over perfect set-up for every track. before enduro bikes start losing those peddled by the big names. Conventional thinking a couple of degrees off the dictates that 210mm is a crazy head angle, gaining a few more amount of suspension for a trail/ millimetres of travel and starting enduro bike, “but travel doesn’t weigh to look a lot like his GeoMetron. “Judging anything, so why not have it?” Paul argues. by the current rate of evolution, that’s “It means more sag, more grip and better going to take two or three years,” he says. wheel contact through deeper holes.” “I’ve no idea why people aren’t racing He’s been riding the bike sprung with an something like this in the EWS already, EXT STORIA LOK V3 coil shock, but has because the pros are saying the tracks are recently changed to a Fox DHX2. Spherical harder than DH race tracks. Progress is bearings, rather than bushings, in the slowed because brands want to keep their eyelets reduce loads and stiction on the sponsored riders ‘on category’.” shock as the rear triangle flexes. Are we seeing the trail/enduro bike One particularly unusual component, of the future here, or is this oversized, again to keep the suspension moving industrial-looking ride just too out-there freely, is the OCHAIN active chainring for most of us to get onboard with? spider (2), which allows for 12 degrees of Only time will tell. crank ‘float’, to eliminate pedal kickback and give a ‘chainless’ descending feel. Chain tension can inhibit suspension Price £5,800 (Shimano XT build) movement, and Aaron Gwin won a World Contact www.geometronbikes.com Cup after snapping his, so perhaps it Also try Privateer 161, £2,989 www.privateerbikes.com isn’t such a crazy idea – and one that’s
T 1
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PAUL ASTON
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INFO
Mountain Biking UK 31
I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H
send it!! YOUR MAIL, PHOTOS, IDEAS AND RANTS Write to: MBUK Send It!, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST Email: mbuk@immediate.co.uk Visit: www.mbuk.com 1
STAR LETTER Pedal by pedal I got back into MTBing after a 12-year break, which included starting a family, moving to Switzerland and picking up a few unhealthy habits along the way. After a diagnosis of high blood pressure due to booze ’n’ cigs and being a bit overweight, I decided to ditch the bad stuff and buy a bike. Mountain biking has moved on considerably since I last rode – and read MBUK – back in 2008, with different wheel sizes, geometry changes, dropper posts, single chainrings and huge price tags! I picked up a cheap full-sus with some branded parts I remembered from the old days and hit the trails around my home, with the idea that if I hated it I hadn’t lost much, and if I loved it I could have some fun in my garage upgrading some of the cheaper components. The first ride nearly killed me, but 11 months, a digital subscription to MBUK, a new fork, shock, bar and dropper post, some proper riding kit and 2,500km later, I’ve dropped 9kg, given up the smokes (and the blood pressure meds!) and, despite losing 90 per cent of my work this year (I’m a professional musician), I’m loving life and the challenges that cycling helps me to overcome. Thanks to your constant source of inspiration in
the mag, I’m always looking to push the limits of what I can achieve on my bike. Rich Spooner, via email
We’re humbled to hear that the mag has played a part in your lifestyle change, Rich. Keep up the good work – you’re inspiring us right back! That’s a great pic you sent in, too (bottom left).
Taking the higher ground On my last Sunday morning ride, I encountered a local dog walker, who blocked my path on a bridleway for the third time. He looked around and deliberately spread himself across the trail. I recognised him from earlier rides but still had that sense of deflation after feeling great while pedalling through the burst banks of the River Colne earlier in the day. What I should have done was give them a polite smile and wish them a “good morning”, but I didn’t. I passed so close that we brushed jackets. It was foolish, really, and it made me feel no better about the situation, which led me to write this letter. I suppose the moral of the story is that you should just ignore those people who feel obliged to spoil the pleasure of others, and not lower yourself to their level. Just enjoy the ride, get home again feeling relaxed and don’t think about the negatives. You’ll ultimately feel much better for acting positively. Mick Lenny, via email M
W couldn’t agree with you more, We Mick. We’ve faced our share M of grumpy ramblers and dog o walkers in the past, and we’ve w ffound it’s always best to act politely, regardless of the bad p attitudes you may come across a – if not for their sake, then for your own. Getting riled up will y only make things worse and ruin your day.
32 Mountain Biking UK
WINNER! SHOT OF THE MONTH 2
& WIN ALL OF THIS!
STAR LETTEWRINS... Lezyne CNC Tubeless Drive pump, Tool Insert & Multi Chain Pliers worth £170
THATH’S URT GOTTA WINS... Thomson Elite bar and Elite X4 stem worth £215
OF SHOTON TH S... M E TH WIN DMR Vault Brendog pedals, 25th Anniversary saddle, Deathgrip grips & oil-slick collars worth £182
INSTEAR-S BANG WINS... Lezyne Port-AShop S toolkit, Ratchet Drive & Chain Gauge worth £128
Please note: Prizes may not be dispatched until the restrictions imposed to limit the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 lift.
INSTA-BANGERS 2
Shot of the month 1 Archie Primrose took this great pan shot of Atticus Marks on one of their local loam tracks
Tag your Instagram pics with #mbukletters. We’ll pick four each issue and our favourite will win the kit bundle above, from Lezyne, courtesy of www. upgradebikes.co.uk. Usual T&Cs apply.
WINNER!
2 Tunnel rats: The Dark Knights out on a night ride up in Keswick, captured by Moe Holmes 3 Young Joe Finning captured by his dad, showing great technique sessioning drops in the Forest of Dean
4
WINNER! THAT’S GOTTA HURT When things go wrong, you can always rely on your friends to make the best of a bad situation and keep things light-hearted! “This is me (left), after getting the landing badly wrong on a jump in Wales,” explains Gary Ebeling. “The photo was taken while I was in a concussed state, and was supposed to allay the fears of my wife. It failed… massively. While my friends ended up with an amusing selfie, I unfortunately ended up with a cracked C2 vertebra, broken collarbone, three broken ribs and a punctured lung – all on the day before my birthday, as well. What a great present to myself! I’ll be honest, I’ve had better days riding, but I’m glad to be mended and back out on the bike again.”
5
4 We’re loving Tim Philips’s retro Mongoose Teocali Comp (which he bought in 2006 after reading MBUK’s review), pictured at the Upper Neuadd Reservoir in the Brecon Beacons, with Pen y Fan in the distance
@gwbrown94 tackling the tech at Wharncliffe Woods in Sheffield
@for_the_gram_fran having fun in the fog on the Quantocks
Beautiful winter conditions for @mud_and_no_makeup on Roseberry Topping, North Yorks
5 Richard Burgess took this scenic shot on a ride in the Elan Valley, in Mid Wales: “It was a dry, still day with the occasional ray of sunshine and not another person in sight – an awesome afternoon on the bike.”
@razorborg1’s picture sums up last year in bike terms quite nicely, we feel
Mountain Biking UK 33
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Immediate Media Company Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST Tel: 01179 279009 Email: mbuk@immediate.co.uk Website: www.mbuk.com & www.bikeradar.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/mbukmag Instagram: www.instagram.com/mbukmagazine EDITORIAL Editor James Costley-White james.costley-white@immediate.co.uk Production Editor Chris Barnard chris.barnard@immediate.co.uk Staff Writer Luke Marshall luke.marshall@immediate.co.uk
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BEYOND THE MEGA
BIKE PARK SLAYERS
WINTER WARRIORS
Alpe d’Huez is known for the bonkers Megavalanche, but there’s plenty more to explore
We give 4 heavy-hitting bikes a hammering, plus test 15 packs, 6 handlebars and more
Who’s still out on the trails in the wet and cold, and what are they riding?
34 Mountain Biking UK
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2021
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Welcome to the MBUK Subs Zone. As a valued subscriber, not only do you get a big discount on the shop price and every issue delivered direct to your door (along with any cover gifts or supplements), but you also get access to this special membership area of the mag, where you can obtain exclusive benefits every month. Ranging from subscriber-only competitions to special offers, discounts and extra bonus content, there’s something different each issue to reward you for being a loyal reader of MBUK. We’ve also treated our subscribers to custom covers and exclusive cover gift designs in the past, so keep an eye out for those! This month, Mr Crud himself, Pete Tomkins, has provided us with 15 Crud XL Fender front mudguards to give away, as used by Danny Hart, the Santa Cruz Syndicate and more. The weather isn’t looking like cheering up any time soon, so get your entry in now!
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36 Mountain Biking UK
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R-ONL E B I R C S SUB
1 OF 15 CRUD XL FENDER MUDGUARDS Crud Products were the first to bring out a decent MTB mudguard, back in the early ’90s. The original Crudcatcher soon became ubiquitous here in the UK, and they’ve continued to develop and add to their range over the years. Their latest design is the forkmounted XL Fender. When we tested it, we bestowed it with our Most Wanted award, saying: “Not a single speck of mud reached our eyes – even when pushing hard through every single puddle and muddy rut we encountered – and it never clogged once.” And now we’ve got 15 to give away to subscribers. Enter below – and for more details on the XL Fender, head to www.crudproducts.com.
how to enter For your chance to win a Crud XL Fender, visit this link
http://bit.ly/mbukmag391 and answer the very simple question. Full terms & conditions can be found on page 34. Closing date 15 February 2021
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Worth £35 each!
ES R U T A E F ION FORKS R E D N E F L SPENS LE ‘NOSE’ X U S D L L U A CR NED TO WORK ONWITH DEFORMANBG
DESIG NFIGURATION VENT CLOGGI HOUT TOOLS T SPLIT COSECTION TO PRE IN SECONDS WI URE EMOVED ENE PADS ENS R / D E H FIT TTAC EOPR CAN BE A O-RINGS AND N SCRATCH-FREE E, A SECUR
W hate finding litter out on the trails. It’s We bad for the environment, unsightly, takes b aaway from that feeling of being ‘at one’ with nature and, in the case of discarded gel wrappers and tear-offs, makes it harder to argue for improved access for MTBers. So we’ve teamed up with Trash Free Trails for MBUK Cleans Up!, a new campaign where
we’re encouraging our readers to take home any rubbish they find and recycle it. Of course, we’ll be pitching in too. As an added bonus for subscribers, we’re going to be giving away a Trash Free Trails jersey in Subs Zone each month to whoever sends us the best litter pick photo. This could be a shot of you with a big bag of
discarded drinks bottles you’ve collected or – even better – before and after snaps of a trash-pocalypse that you’ve managed to clear up. Send your entries to mbuk@immediate. co.uk with the subject line MBUK Cleans Up! or post them on Instagram with the hashtag #mbukcleansup. Let’s get picking!
THE O T H S U P O TING T A R A L I H X ROUGH E , L A C I N IT WAS H C RLY, TE A N G R E V O LIK E IT T L E LIMITS F D N A R R A IN, E T P E E T S R AVEL T AND F O M M 5 3 THAN 1 E R O M D A H
STR AI GHT OUT O F THE BOX A ND O NTO TH E TRAILS
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5 9 2 C R PACE ATE GX (2020) ULTIM £3,999 Legendary UK brand’s irst full-suspension bike for a decade SPEC Frame Carbon fibre, 135mm (5.3in) travel Fork RockShox Pike Ultimate, 150mm (5.9in) travel Shock RockShox Deluxe RT3 DenbonAir Drivetrain SRAM GX Eagle (1x12) Wheelset Hunt Trail Wide wheels, Maxxis Minion DHF EXO TR 29x2.5in WT (f) and Maxxis Dissector EXO TR 29x2.4in WT (r) tyres Brakes SRAM Guide R, 200/180mm rotors Bar/stem Renthal Fatbar 35, 800mm/ Pace RC46, 32mm Seatpost/saddle RockShox Reverb C1, 150mm/Charge Spoon Weight 13.44kg (29.63lb), large size without pedals
Forever remembered for the iconic, square-tubed RC200 – one of the most lusted-after bikes of the ’90s – Pace have kept a low profile in recent years, focusing on building hardtails for the faithful. So the release of the RC295, not just their first full-sus for 10 years, but their debut carbon fibre bike too, came as a bit of a surprise. We’ve put it through its paces (sorry) to see whether it’s worthy of their long-standing reputation. The frame The RC295’s frame is built from hand-laid, unidirectional Toray carbon fibre, moulded using a special latex technique claimed to improve the smoothness of the tubes’ internal walls, making them light and strong. Pace’s Freefloater suspension system – a twin-link design with floating shock – delivers 135mm of rear wheel travel and is designed to work with light shock compression tunes. The linkage plates are made from CNC-machined 7000 series aluminium and pivot on sealed Enduro Max bearings with a five-year free-replacement guarantee. All cables are internally routed. There’s a bottle cage mount on top of the down tube and a Rockguardz carbon frame guard on its underside. The Pace’s numbers are mostly spot-on for a modern 29er trail bike. They include a 64.5-degree
head angle and 76-degree effective seat tube angle. The chainstays are 436mm on all sizes, while the large frame we tested has a 1,241mm wheelbase, a lengthy 484mm reach and a 337mm bottom bracket height (measured, low setting). An offset shock bushing can be used to adjust the geometry and/or make the bike compatible with a 650b rear wheel. The kit Our 2020 Ultimate GX build came decked out with some topperforming kit. A 150mm-travel RockShox Pike Ultimate fork with Charger RC2 damper was paired with a Deluxe RT3 shock. SRAM also provided their GX Eagle drivetrain (with short 165mm crank arms), Guide R brakes (although Pace specced a 203mm Tektro front rotor and a 180mm XLC rear) and a 150mm RockShox Reverb dropper post, with plunger-style lever, which felt a bit outdated. For 2021, the price increases to £4,359 but you get an upgraded RockShox Deluxe Ultimate RC2 shock and SRAM G2 brakes, plus a BikeYoke REVIVE post. The ride Heading uphill, the Pace exhibits barely any pedalling-induced bob when spinning at high cadences. Getting out of the saddle at lower
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The RC295 has some quirks, but they’re soon forgotten on the descents
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HIGHS
An offset lower shock bushing lets you tweak the geometry or fit a 650b wheel
cadences causes some unwanted shock movement, but this can be eliminated by using the firm lockout. Under power, the rear suspension remains active over larger hits and holes, and, once set with enough volume spacers, resists plunging through its travel well, but isn’t hyper-smooth. With lower spring pressures it feels smoother, but compresses deep into its travel too easily, upsetting the overall balance. Because of the light compression damping tune and linear leverage curve, we found that higher pressures
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and more tokens were required for the best performance. The seat tube angle is slightly slacker than claimed, putting our hips behind the BB on ascents. We had to angle the saddle nose down and push it forwards to improve comfort. The top tube is long enough to make attacking climbs easy. While the short crank arms help avoid pedal strikes, the reduced leverage meant we spent more time than normal in the easiest 50t cassette sprocket and felt like we were exerting more energy than usual. After fitting two volume spacers in the rear shock, the RC295 came alive on the descents. It was exhilarating to push to the limits over gnarly, technical, rough and steep terrain, and felt like it had more than 135mm of travel. No harshness reverberated into our hands and feet over squareedged bumps or through rock gardens, and lines were easy to pick and stick to because the bike tracked true and didn’t get deflected. It’s not without niggles, though. We ripped the EXO-casing Maxxis Dissector rear tyre beyond feasible
Fantastically confidenceinspiring on the downhills with a calm and composed ride Easy-to-tune suspension, providing you’ve got volume spacers to hand
LOWS Lack of mud clearance is a concern for UK winter riding It’d benefit from tougher tyres and longer cranks, plus a steeper seat tube angle
repair (trail-spec rubber would normally be fine on a 135mm bike, but not one that’s this competent on the descents) and found that the limited clearance (just 4mm on either side of the stock 2.4in tyre at the narrowest point) meant we couldn’t fit anything much chunkier. Also, mud is flung directly into the top linkage bearings (we didn’t suffer any failures during the test period). Plus, we couldn’t get the Reverb post low enough in the 456mm seat tube due to its tall stack height – something the BikeYoke replacement should fix. While it undeniably has a few flaws, the RC295 really comes alive on gnarly, technical trails, where it can hold its own against much longertravel rigs. ALEX EVANS www.pacecycles.com
We can forgive the Pace for its faults because when you point it downhill, it leaves you grinning from ear to ear
E T I L E Y Y T DECO £6,415.90 (shipped) Top-spec electric dream machine Dressed in gold graphics and even more bling than last year’s priciest Decoy, this new Elite packs latestgeneration Fox 38 and Float X2 suspension, as well as Crankbrothers’ totally trick and highly-rated carbon Synthesis wheels. Over six grand isn’t exactly cheap, but scan the parts and it’s clear this e-bike rocks all the seriously high-end kit you’d hope for from a direct-sale brand renowned for amazing value. The frame The full-carbon frame (lower-tier models have alloy stays) has a true four-bar Horst link rear end, providing 165mm of travel. Its huge down tube cradles a custom 540Wh battery, which powers a Shimano E8000 motor – YT haven’t yet switched to the lighter, more powerful EP8. Slack and super-stiff, the descendingorientated Decoy chassis isn’t as long as some new enduro e-bikes, with the 450mm reach on the large size being on the conservative side for a latest-generation machine.
The kit Tailor-made for the extra twisting forces that heavy e-bikes exert, Fox’s beefy new 38mm fork contains their updated GRIP2 damper, which is four-way adjustable, with both low and high-speed compression and rebound tuning. The same goes for the Factory-level X2 shock. Combine this with the ability to adjust progression and spring rate via internal spacers, and the Decoy can deliver incredible suspension performance at both ends. It’s easy to get a good working set-up, but takes considerable know-how to dial in maximum performance. Elsewhere, sorted parts include a Renthal cockpit, 12-speed Shimano XT drivetrain and best-in-class SRAM Code brakes (in their most tunable RSC guise). The carbon Synthesis wheels are specifically tuned for front compliance and rear stiffness, and cut into corners and chop about the trail very reactively. But on a 20kg+ e-bike it’s hard to sense huge benefits over a quality alloy
SPEC Frame Carbon fibre, 165mm (6.5in) travel Fork Fox 38 Float Factory GRIP2 E-Bike, 170mm (6.7in) travel Shock Fox Float X2 Factory Drivetrain Shimano E8000 motor with custom 540Wh battery, Shimano Deore XT gearing with e*thirteen chain guide (1x12) Wheelset Crankbrothers Synthesis E1 wheels, Maxxis Assegai EXO 29x2.5in (f) and Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO+ 27.5x2.8in (r) tyres Brakes SRAM Code RSC Bar/stem Renthal Fatbar 35, 800mm/ Renthal Apex 35, 50mm Seatpost/saddle Fox Transfer Factory dropper/SDG Radar MTN Weight: 22.9kg (50.5lb), large size without pedals
wheelset, so this might be a lowimpact area to save cash if you’re torn between the Elite model and a cheaper Decoy. The Maxxis Assegai front tyre has exceptional grip, but the plus-size, EXO+ casing Minion DHR II at the rear is too wimpy (we slashed a huge slit in it) and also has issues in UK mud and slop, where it feels ‘floaty’ and lacks bite at hard lean angles or under aggressive braking. We swapped it for a 2.4in tyre with a thicker casing, which dramatically improved agility, traction and control. The ride With its 170mm-travel fork and DH-race-tuned dampers, it’d be easy to assume the Decoy is a stuck-tothe-floor thug, smashing through everything in its path. In fact, with a sunken ride position that’s not totally stretched out, it’s very nimble as e-MTBs go, and capable of as much jibbing and playing as plenty of other e-bikes with less weight and travel. The stiff frame is responsible for some of this reactiveness, and the well-damped suspension – which is tunable for enough support to
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The Decoy is one mean-looking machine in top-spec Elite trim, and its ride lives up to its looks
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HIGHS The Fox 38 fork and X2 shock are super-adjustable – good news for fettlers
Crankbrothers’ carbon wheels are proven performers, but their benefits are less obvious on an e-bike
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bounce off and push against, without detracting from any calmness and bump-swallowing smoothness – is the other. This taut feel ensures the YT never feels cumbersome and makes it a great climber too, especially when the saddle and cranks feel like they’re always in the perfect position, too. Last year’s review of a cheaper Decoy with DPX2 shock mentioned that the flipside of this tautness was less comfort over big hits and root webs, but this is a non-issue here, as the latest X2 slurps square edges for breakfast and is supple and sensitive whether creeping down dangerous techy steeps or steamrolling high-speed, rock-strewn Lakeland puncture alleys. Especially with a narrower rear tyre fitted, the smaller 650b back wheel slashes tight arcs through corners so you can really fling the Decoy about. One slight negative of the massive grip at all lean angles is that the rear axle unwound occasionally under huge torsional forces. Since this is easy to check, and presumably a side-effect of the stiff chassis, we’ll take how solid and responsive
Perfectly balanced ride Feels so close to a downhill bike but is more responsive than you’d imagine Beautifully finished
LOWS Needs a tougher, more aggressive rear tyre Care is required if jetwashing When’s the new EP8 motor version coming?
the Decoy feels when riding hard as fair compensation. The battery connections can get temperamental when sodden (which can happen if you jetwash it upside down) and, in the fast-moving, tech-driven world of e-bikes, the lack of the latest motor will be a big deal for some, but it’s a sign of the Decoy’s quality that we never worried about what drive unit was between our feet. It’s not the longest or slackest rig, but the YT has a fantastic ride quality and enough downhill capability that you can go absolutely mad on the descents if you’ve got the nerve. Add the fact that it feels lively eating up bendy singletrack, and it’s a brilliant all-rounder that makes you feels safe and confident attacking any level of terrain. MICK KIRKMAN www.yt-industries.com
One of the best e-bikes we’ve ridden, with a near-perfect parts package only tainted by the rear tyre
Born from the professional World Cup Mountain biking circuit and designed to cling to your bike for longer, resulting in a shiny, clean steed. A minty fresh, biodegradable cleaner that is tough on dirt yet safe to use on all bike surfaces. The custom flip cap makes it easy to switch between foam and mist spray modes for complete coverage.
www.peatys.co.uk
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£6,299 Future king of e-nduro? Scott have taken their big-hitting enduro rig, the Ransom, and developed a pedal-assist version – the Ransom eRIDE – to compete in the growing long-travel e-bike category. With a monstrous 180mm of squish front and rear, we’re willing to bet there aren’t many situations this 29er can’t handle. It uses Bosch’s Performance Line CX drive unit and a 625Wh battery, integrated into an aluminium frame. On this 910 model, you get a Fox 38 Performance Elite fork, Float X2 Performance air shock and Transfer dropper, plus SRAM Eagle gearing (an NX shifter and chain, GX cassette and X01 mech), Shimano XT four-pot brakes, 2.6in Maxxis 3C EXO+ tyres and in-house Syncros kit. The geometry looks pretty sorted too (64-degree head angle, 75.9+-degree seat tube angle, reach figures from 415mm to 500mm), so we’re eager to hit the trails on this beast and see what it’s capable of. www.scott-sports.com
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J FOR D R E B M O CCH I B
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£759 Built for dirt jump bombing Aimed at riders whose idea of a good time is pulling flips and spins, the Bomber DJ is that rare thing – a new fork designed for 26in wheels. It’s been built with maximum stiffness in mind, for pumping transitions and absorbing sketchy landings, so it sports chunky 36mm stanchions and a 20x110mm bolt-through axle (15x100mm adapters available). Fox’s renowned GRIP damper controls the 100mm of air-sprung travel, so you can expect it to perform well over the bumps too. Whether you’re into dirt jumping, riding pump tracks, dual slalom or even slopestyle, this badass fork should be up to the job. www.silverfish-uk.com
GUE O R S S A R G BLUE .I.P.S. HELMET COR E M £130 Dome defender with some neat details Bluegrass’s new Rogue lid is aimed at trail, enduro and e-MTB riders, with extended coverage not just at the rear of the head, but over the temples, too – some of your bonce’s most sensitive areas. The in-moulded shell fully covers the EPS foam, and on this top-end Core version you also get MIPS slip-plane tech, designed to protect against
rotational impacts. Glasses and goggles can be stored on the helmet when not in use, and the peak is flexible, to minimise the risk of injury in a crash. A total of 16 vents help keep the wearer cool, and the 360-degree retention system should keep the lid comfortably in place. Looks like there are some good reasons to go Rogue! www.met-helmets.com
A X5 C A P L A A R FI’ZI:K TE+RTOOL CARRIER SA DDL E £119.99 Supportive seating The Terra Alpaca X5 (£84.99) is designed for trail riding, with a wide, flat nose to provide stability when you’re slid forwards on steep climbs, a central indent to relieve soft tissue pressure on extended pedalling sections and a subtly raised tail to support your back. On the way back down, the saddle’s rounded, flexible edges are intended to improve comfort and make it easier to move around on the bike. An extra £35 (£39.99 if bought separately) gets you the bolt-on Alpaca Tool Carrier, complete with a 12-function multi-tool and ‘holsters’ for two 16g CO2 canisters, which can be used with the tool’s tyre inflator head. www.extrauk.co.uk
KNE E
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T H E U LT IM ATE L IG HTW E IG H T K NEEPADS FOR T R A I L AND END UR O D 3O ® LOW- PR O FIL E KNE E IM PACT PR OTE CTION S I L I CON E G RIP P ER S A ND FIT LO C K TE CH NOLOGY TO P RE VE NT SL IP PI NG S PAC E R - P R ENE SL E EV E A ND BR EATH ABLE MESH F O R A LL- DAY COM FO RT D UR AB LE , A BR A SIO N-RES ISTA NT K NE E PANEL
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REECE WILSON Three years ago, this young scot was resigned to life as a welder. Now heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the world downhill champ. We find out how an affinity for wild conditions helped him seize a historic win Words Ed Thomsett Pics Ian Linton
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ctober 2020. Leogang, Austria. The World Champs.
Right Glued to Red Bull TV, we watched in disbelief as the young Scotsman conquered some of the filthiest conditions ever seen at a World Champs to bring home a gold medal Below The newly-crowned champ. Drenched in rain and podium champagne, but justifiably over the moon
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For the first time in 13 months, the best downhill racers in the world are all in one place and poised for the starting beeps, after a year turned on its head. In the mix are all the big names – Minnaar, Bruni, Hart, Gwin – all experienced, calculated and deadly fast. A shrewd gambler would never have put money on a wildcard Scotsman – with one podium and a few top-10s – to shake things up. But from the instant the first practice session got underway, it became apparent that this Brit was on a mission and possessed a greater capability for taming the brutal track conditions than anyone else. Pulling gaps that were sending most of the field floundering through the tape and sticking lines where others could barely stay on board, it rapidly became apparent that there was a new player in the game. So many times when we see a less well-known rider dominating practice, come the finals they crumble under the pressure. But that wasn’t the case for Reece Wilson. As each split time came and went, he was still up and the gaps were getting bigger. In a breathtaking display of bike handling, the Trek Factory rider somehow made it through the lethal bottom woods and found himself on the hotseat for nearly the whole afternoon. As one potential challenger after another hit the deck, and last man on the hill Loïc Bruni did the same, all of
a sudden the rank outsider had become the conqueror of the rainbow stripes. Reece’s outpouring of emotion showed his disbelief and how much it meant to him, especially given that just a few years back he’d nearly thrown in the towel after a string of seasons riddled with bad luck and injury.
Learning to fly We catch up with Reece a few months down the line, when perhaps the initial raw emotion of his achievement has sunk in a bit more. “Oh man, that race was the most mentally draining week I’ve ever had on a bike,” he laughs, sitting back in his chair and sipping a cup of tea. “But when you come out of it with a result you’d never dreamed of, you forget all that!” “I’m still adjusting to it all, though,” he continues. “I bump into all these folk out on the trails who are like, ‘Hey, let’s go for a lap’. And I’m thinking, ‘Sure, but I’ve got no idea who you are!’” This sort of thing happens a lot when you’re where Reece is from, which is a stone’s throw from the MTB epicentre of the Tweed Valley. Home to more trails than anywhere else in the UK, and the majority of them, tight, twisting and technical, there’s nowhere better to be based if you’re an aspiring racer of any discipline. When you watch Reece throw his bike from one rutted-out right-hander to the next, bar brushing the dirt, mud flying and tyres screaming for grip, there’s no question this place and its less-than-balmy climate have shaped the Scotsman into an absolute animal in the type of filth that make most of us grab the anchors. The 24-year-old isn’t the first World Champs winner to emerge from the Tweed Valley. Back in 2007, up the road in Fort William, an 18-year-old named Ruaridh Cunningham blasted into the arena to the roar of the home crowd, taking the junior win and becoming Britain’s first gold-medal-winning male downhiller. Ruaridh is the one responsible for getting our current world champ started on bikes, too. “It was all down to him breaking his motorbike really,” Reece says, going on to explain that the pair met at his dad’s workshop, after Ruaridh brought in his bike to be fixed. Reece – who was fixated on motocross at the time and knew nothing about downhill – ended up tagging along for a ride with the then World Cup racer, and from there things just spiralled. “Ruaridh took me under his wing and started me on this massive learning curve,” Reece explains, “where I went from zero to chewing at his back wheel within the space of a year.” Success followed soon after, with Reece getting a taste of victory at his first ever race – a 2012 Innerleithen winter series round. He then proceeded to win the overall and followed that up with impressive rides at
“OH MAN, THAT RACE WAS THE MOST MENTALLY DRAINING WEEK I’VE EVER HAD ON A BIKE” Mountain Biking UK 53
reece wilson HEADING UP to GO DOWN The best places to ride downhill in Scotland Fort William For close to two decades the slopes of Aonach Mor have seen the world’s best racers come to do battle on a track that’s as arm-pounding and bike-beating as it is dramatic. With the exception of race weekends, the gondola is open to the public all summer, so you can pit yourself against the same hallowed ground that’s seen the likes of Peaty, Minnaar and Atherton crowned champions. Just don’t expect to get down the hill quite as quickly as that lot.
www.nevisrange.co.uk
“I SHOUTED TO PAUL, ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEXT YEAR, DO YOU FANCY BEING MY MECHANIC?’ HE WAS LIKE, ‘AYE, F**K IT!’”
Glencoe Besides Fort William, Glencoe is the only place in the UK where you can jump on a chairlift to ride downhill. It may be smaller-scale and lesserknown than its big brother up the road, but the trails here are no less fearsome – in fact possibly more so, with relentless rocks from nearly top to bottom. The more recent addition of a red-graded descent and some mountaintop XC
loops mean Glencoe isn’t just the preserve of the DH hardcore now.
www.glencoemountain.co.uk Innerleithen As the main hub of downhill and enduro riding in the Tweed Valley, Innerleithen is a destination worthy of any itinerary. Whether you want to hammer out techy DH laps, sample the more flowing Cadon Bank XC descent or dive into one of the many hand-cut enduro trails that litter the hill, there’s something here for every type of bike and skill level. And from Fridays to Mondays, the Adrenaline Uplift service is on hand to whisk you to the top.
www.adrenalineuplift.co.uk Ae Forest Another classic Scottish downhill venue that’s stood the test of time and still scares riders today, with features like the infamous rock garden and the coffin jump. Test yourself on the main downhill track, or carve down the more flowing ‘Shredder’. Get bored of that and there’s still the blue and red trail centre loops to ride. Adrenaline Uplift run weekend uplifts here too, so check their website to book on.
https://forestryandland. gov.scot/visit/forest-of-ae SDA Fancy yourself as the next Reece Wilson, or just after a weekend of competitive fun with your mates? Scotland’s national downhill series the SDA is well worth getting involved in. With races held at all the classic venues, plus some rad race-only ones like Dunkeld, you’re guaranteed to be riding a good track, and the smooth organisation means plenty of time on the bike.
the Scottish and British national series the next summer, juggling it between the motocross racing he was doing on every other weekend. The Scots are no stranger to the sharp end of downhill racing – think Ben Cathro, Greg Williamson, Lewis Buchanan and more. But for Reece, the only person he’s desperately wanted to beat has been his mentor Ruaridh. “Without question our rivalry pushed me on massively,” affirms Reece. “But it nearly ended our friendship at times! We were so ruthlessly competitive that one weekend I’d beat him, the next he’d beat me, and we’d do anything to get one up on the other!” Undoubtedly, this hunger to win accelerated the young Scot’s rise through the ranks, but Reece learned the hard way that “there’s no way I was going to get away with progressing that quickly without blowing myself to bits”. On the cusp of making it to the big leagues, his progress was halted by a string of brutal crashes: “broken ankles, both knees needing reconstructive surgery, a separated left shoulder, dislocated hip…” he recites. “I’ve given every limb a good run for its money, and I realise now it was the perfect storm. When you’re young and you get hurt, you’re so desperate to get back on the bike that you come back too soon and inevitably do it again.” “I’ve learned enough now that if I’m standing next to a bit of trail and someone does something mental, I’m willing to not have to do it!” he concludes. Although you wouldn’t know it from the way he slings his bike completely sideways over every jump and charges fully committed into each turn.
went racing.” The next few months turned out to be the break Reece needed. After a fourth place finish at the Fort William World Cup, a seventh at Val di Sole followed, and something clicked about how to compete with the best. “We were just having a laugh and good things seemed to be happening,” Reece smiles. “Although at Mont-Sainte-Anne I smashed my wheel the day before finals and that night I found Paul sitting out in the dark, two beers deep, watching a YouTube tutorial and lacing up his first ever wheel. Only he could get away with that, but I raced it the next day and it was sweet!” As Reece is reminiscing about this, we’re now a good way into this year’s off season, and he, like his fellow Brit racers has settled back into another long, wet winter of training. “I do love where I live,” admits the Borders local, “but when I’m out on my own, I can’t feel my feet and my coach has got me doing sprints, it can feel like a job!” Scotland’s climate might force the reigning champ to dig deeper to find motivation, but the benefit is being right in the thick of it when it comes to trails. Reece has got this hidden gem of a spot just five minutes from his front door, “and it’s got the perfect red dirt,” he tells us. “In the summer it bakes hard and in the winter it’s grippy and slimy at the same time, so we just put the spikes on and go drifting!” Confined to this area for much of last year, Reece and his best mates – Gavin Hamilton, Angus Hardie and Max Rendall – poured hours into the place, sculpting it into their
The Scottish Alps At the end of 2017, after a year marred by injury, Reece was left without a ride when the Bergamont team he shared with Eddie Masters folded. “I didn’t have results deserving of a factory deal,” he tells us frankly. “And I was skint. I’d spent more money on operations than I’d ever made on bikes.” Resigning himself to 9-5 life, Reece settled into a job welding and fabricating for his dad, and building pump tracks with his friend Paul Milne. One day, he was out in the digger and, out of nowhere, got a call from Pierre-Charles Georges – the owner of the Commencal/100% team – offering him a ride. “I opened the window and shouted to Paul, ‘What are you doing next year, do you fancy being my mechanic?’ Reece recollects with a grin. “He was like, ‘Aye, f**k it!’ so we finished up the track and
www.sda-races.com Top left DH bike, e-bike or trail bike, Reece is rapid on all of them
Bottom left Being the fastest DH rider on the planet doesn’t make you above getting your hands dirty
Above Enjoying a brew with a fresh rainbow stripes jersey sitting pretty in the background
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reece wilson MASTERING THE MUD Reece’s top tips for smashing it in the slop 1 Don’t get cold My first tip is to try to stay as warm and dry as possible. You’re not going to have much fun or be able to stay out in the mud that long if you get freezing cold and wet. Good-quality clothes are key – a breathable waterproof jacket and trousers, and thickerbacked gloves that still allow you to feel the bar. Glasses or goggles and a mudguard with good coverage are absolute essentials, too.
Editor’s note: For help deciding what to buy, check out our recent head-to-head tests of jackets (MBUK 388), trousers (390), gloves (388) and goggles (p77). 2 Mind the brakes Spotting your braking zones and deciding where you’re going to brake is much more important in the wet. If your brakes are on, you don’t have traction. So, look for lines that allow you to set up, scrub off speed early, while you’re going straight or the dirt is good, and then let off the brakes to rail that turn or hop that root section. 3 Experiment with bike set-up Don’t be afraid to change your set-up for wet riding. You can’t expect the same suspension settings and tyre pressures to work on fast hardpack and in soft mud. Lower speeds mean you can probably afford to drop a few psi to improve your grip and give you a bit more confidence. 4 Practise! Don’t avoid riding in the wet because it’s harder and the trails are sketchier. Just embrace it, because it’s the best way to learn!
“WHEN I’M OUT ON MY OWN, I CAN’T FEEL MY FEET AND MY COACH HAS GOT ME DOING SPRINTS, IT CAN FEEL LIKE A JOB!”
Left Reece chucks out a casual whip at his secret local spot in the Scottish Borders Top right Once you’ve tasted victory there’s no resting on your laurels. Reece is already hard back at it in preparation for 2021 Bottom right With Reece and his dad both having a lifelong obsession with all things fast and two-wheeled, the Wilsons’ garage is enough to leave any bike fan jealous
own secret playground. Even with Innerleithen and the Adrenaline Uplift service just up the road, it’s here where he does most of his timed training, and the e-bike is his secret weapon. “The climb and descent both take about a minute 30,” he explains, “so we just sit in ‘turbo’ non-stop, mashing out the laps. We can do a kilometre of descending in less than an hour.” As awesome as this spot is, it’s over the next hill where the real secret of Reece’s Leogang success lies. Having heard that the World Champs track was going to be 80 per cent freshly cut, the Scot went in search of a place to build something with the same soft, rutty dirt, and effectively hacked out a mini replica of the Austrian Alps in his backyard. “And did you have any idea just how fast you were going back then?” we ask. “Yeah, because when you ride with the same friends a lot, you’re used to seeing their reactions,” replies Reece. “I was doing stuff on a bike that I’d never done before and my friends were losing the plot!” The confirmation of his flat-out speed came in Schladming, Austria, precisely one week before the World Champs when Reece’s coach Chris Kilmurray pulled him over to say, “Holy shit, what’s happened?” Reece just put it doing to feeling relaxed and having fun, but says he believes there were sections where he was going as fast as humanly possible. Safe to say, this isn’t a sensation we’ve ever felt on a bike!
Home and dry Riding this wave of confidence into Leogang, the Trek Factory rider immediately stamped his authority on the track. “The sloppy conditions we were faced with were so unique for downhill, but so common to motocross,” Reece explains. “And the deeper the ruts got, the more I was loving it. I just couldn’t do enough laps!” Not wanting to let his confidence get the better of him, the young Scot told himself he’d be happy with a top 10, but when the likes of Loïc Bruni, Finn Iles and Greg Minnaar
told him directly that it was his to lose, it really piled on the pressure. “As a professional athlete you never want to give away the advantage of telling someone how fast they’re going,” explains Reece. “So I started thinking, ‘Wow, I must really be doing something different’.” And did that make it harder? “Yeah, absolutely! I basically didn’t sleep for three nights. I had bags under my eyes. I was an absolute stress case. My Trek contract hadn’t been finalised and I knew this could be my one chance at a gold medal. My head was smoked!” Discovering this makes watching Reece’s winning ride all that more impressive – he does battle with conditions that mean putting a wheel even centimetres off line would lose loads of time and let victory slip away. With restrictions on travel and events still very much in effect, it’s a strange time to be a newlycrowned champ. But for now, Reece is happy to be back home in the Borders, sticking to the formula “of riding a shit-ton of bikes”, which clearly works. Self-belief is a huge part of the game in downhill, a point that Reece certified when he left Leogang and went on to win qualifying at round one of the World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia a week later. Unfortunately his weekend there ended after he hit a tree in training, but he did enough to prove his winning ways are no fluke. “Who knows if I’m still in the right mindset?” he tells us. “We’ll find out later this year, I guess, but for now I know what I’m chasing, and the feeling I need to perform.” The rest of the World Cup field had better watch out, we say, because after another full winter of riding the hardest, sketchiest and muddiest of Scottish trails, we shudder to think how fast Reece will be going come race day.
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D AT E I O N UPD 0 EDI T 202
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Extreme heat and a warm welcome on a four-day bikepacking trip through the iconic desert landscape of Moab, Utah
Words Ă&#x2039;ukasz Pi tek Pics Adam Klimek (www.bikestudio.eu)
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moab, utah
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e were two days into our bikepacking trip across the scorching desert landscape of Moab, Utah, when a Native American man pulled up in his pickup. The first other human we’d seen, he took one look at us, then ordered us to show him our map and pointed the route to his secluded house. “When you get there, you’ll find water on the porch,” he said, introducing himself as Tom. “The door is open, so help yourself to Coke and beer from the fridge.” We were so exhausted that the invitation didn’t seem real. But when, five hours later, we finally arrived at this homestead in the middle of nowhere – sunburnt, feeling emaciated by the waves of heat and with our water bottles almost dry – Tom was already there waiting. And so were the chilled Cokes and beers. Leading us down to the Colorado River just behind his home, he warned us of the magnetic force of the cool water: “If you go in, you’re not riding any further today.” And so it was that one of his hogans (a traditional Navajo hut of logs and earth) became our home for the night. Did this make our four-day self-supported trip a little less self-supported? I guess so. However, I like to think that the next day’s murderous climb up the Jacob’s Ladder trail was our rehabilitation. Halfway through, the Biblical name’s meaning dawned on us – a long way up to heaven. The extreme effort paid off nicely, with unforgettable vistas from the top and some of the best riding we could have dreamt of to follow, as we slowly made our way back to civilisation.
You’ll notice QR codes on some of these photos. Scan them with your phone to view a 360-degree panorama on Adam’s website, shot from a similar spot. Looking from the top, we understood why they call this trail Jacob’s Ladder. Only Biblical Jacob’s ladder was a dream and ours was very, very real. Or was it? Hard to say at this level of exhaustion. Leaving the Colorado River behind us on the second day, still full of energy and enjoying landscapes we’d never seen before. The day before we hadn’t left Moab until after noon, and consequently had to ride in the dark for one third of the day. You snooze, you lose.
Being a photographer requires some very particular skills! In this case, Adam [Klimek] had to steer a heavilyloaded bike while shooting pictures of Piotr [Wilk] and me [ uk Piatek], as we entered the magical Canyonlands National Park on the first day of the trip. Despite being the youngest and strongest of us, and a pro MTB rider, Piotr hadn’t been on a self-sufficient bikepacking trip like this before. As a result, the multi-day, constant effort had the strongest impact on him. It’s a tough business.
The last rays of the setting sun gave this Martian landscape a deep red hue. As we followed the meandering trail, we were unaware of the unimaginable effort that lay ahead of us on the climb up Jacob’s Ladder (top right corner). More incredible scenery on the Chicken Corners Safari Route – thus named because, in the old days, only the least “chicken” would take their packhorses along this narrow-inparts trail.
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The Jackson Trail led us back to Moab. Technically challenging and visually stunning, this euphoric blast of an enduro line was the cherry on the cake of this trip.
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We were thrilled to spend a night at Tom’s hogan, built in a secluded location at the very heart of this MTB hotspot. [If you fancy staying here, look for ‘Last Hurrah, Female Hogan’ on airbnb.] Wandering the area, we drew our own lines on the map.
On the one hand, it’s a completely out-there place, but on the other, very accessible. We were chilling on Tom’s porch, sipping cold beer, when our generous host filled some bowls with dog food and a pack of raccoons appeared from out of nowhere. Then he threw some hot dogs into the black abyss and before long a couple of pairs of shiny eyes emerged – local foxes, another group of Tom’s ‘pets’. One of the few moments in my
biking life when I’ve felt exhausted beyond all imagination was on the climb up Jacob’s Ladder. With heavy bikes loaded with camping kit on our backs, we were thankful for every bit of shade.
Adventure starts at the trailhead
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH
cairngorms gold a round trip from
braemar via aviemore
The perfect weekend â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an overnight mission through the mountains with challenging descents, incredible singletrack, stellar scenery and even great weather Words Scotty Laughland Photos Ross Bell
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As we crest the summit the sun is just dropping behind the mountains,
highlighting the trail ahead in pink alpenglow. We revel in the far-reaching views to distant peaks before slamming our saddles ready for the brilliant descent down the other side. The Cairngorms contain my definition of trail gold – fast, flowing and challenging singletrack. What makes them even more special is that the trails remain relatively untouched, because not that many people make the effort to get right out into the mountains. Like all mountain bikers, restrictions and global travel limitations over the past year have forced me to search out new trails near my home, and the Cairngorms have become my goto. The mountain range is within a two-and-a-half-hour drive of most parts of central Scotland, and over last summer I discovered some really fantastic flowy singletrack here. This is what prompted me to plan a two-day ride on komoot right through the heart of the Cairngorms National Park – a distance of 105km with 2,000m of climbing and descending, taking in some of the best descents in the range. The idea was to start in Braemar, ride to Aviemore for an overnight stay and return the following day, although you can do it either way round, because Aviemore has a railway station and Braemar has ample accommodation (but be sure to book both in advance). My route would make the most of some high-alpine-style terrain. Our first day would see us heading west through Mar Lodge Estate, before making our way north towards the Fords of Avon and past the Cairngorms’ worstkept secret, the beautiful Lochan Uaine (green lochan). This is a trip I’ve been wanting to tick off for a while – my first proper overnight mountain bike mission through the hills – and as I count down the days, I’m amped to get into the mountains.
Make hay while the sun shines If you waited for good weather in Scotland you’d probably never ride, so when non-stop sunshine is forecast for an entire weekend across the country, you’ve got to take advantage of it. All fired up, I pack light – a large selection of snacks, some bike spares, a change of clothing and a toothbrush – but feel well prepared for a big couple of days. Joining me on the journey are
WHO IS SCOTTY LAUGHLAND? Scotty has grown up riding bikes, competing in Downhill World Cups and the Enduro World Series. After retiring from racing, his focus turned to content creation and riding bikes has taken him all around the world. He says Scotland is firmly his home.”I’m lucky to have world-class ridingg spots right on my doorstep.”
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my friend, and photographer, Ross Bell and Chris Gibbs, a fellow mountain lover. As it turns out, our timing couldn’t be better. During our trip, autumnal colours dress the mountains and pop beautifully in the golden sunlight, and it’s warm enough to rock T-shirts all weekend long. So it is that we set off on a warm September morning. The rolling start from Braemar nearly fools us into thinking this is going to be an easy ride, but when we reach Glen Derry it starts to become more challenging. The doubletrack we’ve become accustomed to disappears and we’re right out in the wilderness, crossing burns and scrambling through tricky sections of rock. We really have to work the bike to keep it flowing. After a couple of hours, we reach the quirky-looking Fords of Avon refuge hut and stop for a well-earned break. Then, our feet wet and our energy somewhat sapped, we hit some downs, an undulating pass then grind up our last climb to the highest point of the day, the summit finally in sight. At the top, we can see the route we’ve come, all the way down the glens, plus enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding mountains. Looking east we can even
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Top left Coffee and komoot – a promising start to any adventure Left Running out of water isn’t an issue, with plenty of streams to refill from Bottom left Scotty and Chris take a well-earned breather Right The sun on your back and a trail in front of you – what could be better? Below A native Scotsman riding past a native Scots pine
we’re right out in the wilderness, crossing burns and scrambling through tricky sections of rock
WHERE ARE THE CAIRNGORMS?
Aviemore
CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK
Braemar Fort William Grizedale
Edinburgh Glasgow
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH
doubletrack that leads us to the green lochan. It’s a stunning and mysterious place. Fairies supposedly live here and I can understand why – it’s insanely beautiful. We ride on, through the trees, past Glenmore Lodge and on to Loch Morlich, across the beach right up to the water’s edge. Here we consider swimming but cowardly pass on the idea, wanting to keep our shorts dry for the remaining 11km. Then it’s onto the old logging trail all the way to Aviemore, the setting sun lighting up the sky and surrounding forest with an orange glow. Arriving in town, we sink a few beers to celebrate and refuel for tomorrow’s adventure.
A proper big-mountain day
see Beinn a’ Bhùird, a Munro I’d ridden a few weeks ago (find the route in my ‘Cairngorm Gold’ komoot collection – see box below). We can’t believe we’ve lucked out with this weather – it’s warm and, unbelievably, there are no midges, despite not a breath of wind.
Flow and fairies Feeling buoyed up, we retrace our tyre tracks a short distance and prepare to drop into the much-anticipated descent. This fast-flowing singletrack has recently been revamped for walking access and demands your bunnyhop technique to be on point due to all the water bars. It’s great fun, with options to gap large portions of trail and double-up drainage bars, while the lower section flows through knee-deep heather with nicely crafted turns. We’re all smiles and high-fives when it ends by a small burn, then we cross the bridge and pick up some flowing
USING KOMOOT Scotty planned his trip using the route-finding app komoot. You can find this ride in his Cairngorms Collection – scan the QR code below with your phone to view and follow it.
Here are his tips for using the app: • Select ‘mountain biking’ as your sport. This customises the map to show the Highlights and Segments that you’ll want to ride • Use the Highlights and any suggested tips from other users. Komoot is community-based and using others’ suggestions can help you plan a route or let you know sections to avoid. • Move waypoints around and look at the waytypes and surfaces to find the best terrain for your ride. I’m looking to be on singletrack as much as possible.
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We awake the next morning to a clear sky, crisp air and a touch of frost on the ground. Our summit for the day is Ben Macdui, a 1,200m ascent from Aviemore and the UK’s second highest mountain at 1,309m. Starting out on familiar ground, we head back past Loch Morlich and Glenmore Lodge, then continue up to the base of the mountain. After a coffee stop at the Cairngorm Mountain cafe, the ascent proper kicks in, and it’s not long before we’re truly away from civilisation again. It’s a relentless effort to get to the peak, with a fair bit of hike-a-bike, but totally worth it. We sit next to the cairn, admiring the views and wondering if one of the tops we can see is Ben Nevis. The descent off the summit is no easy feat but it’s my style of riding – technical and you’ve got to work the trail to get it to flow. I’m on my 120mm-travel Scott Spark; its short travel adds an element of challenge but, for me, makes it even more fun. The trail begins through glacial debris and over a lot of rock-slab sections. As we drop down the path narrows, keeping us on our toes, and we ride alongside lochans on narrow alpine singletrack, descend ravines and rock-littered chutes, cooking our brakes, and finish on flowy, sandy turns submerged in heather. It’s even more challenging than we anticipated, but getting it right feels so rewarding – this awesome 500m descent is my highlight of the trip. The trail finishes at the Hutchison Memorial Hut, the mountains casting a shadow on all but the bothy itself. We write a note in the journal, vowing we’ll be back, then set off for the final 20km with the sun low in the sky. The last stretch of downhill flows beautifully and is a real contrast after such a demanding upper section. It almost reminds me of a trail centre, but one that’s natural, rugged and in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Then we pick up yesterday’s climb and descend back through Glen Derry, stopping for a nosey around Bob Scott’s Bothy before – rather reluctantly – returning to Braemar. This is two days of riding we aren’t going to forget in a hurry.
SCOTTY’S TIPS FOR RIDING THIS ROUTE
we ride narrow alpine singletrack, descend ravines and rock-littered chutes and finish on flowy sandy turns Left top There aren’t many 4G masts in these parts, so offline mapping is a must Left centre The Hutchison Memorial Hut – a beautiful bothy, now with a memento from this adventure
Take a full-suspension bike with a minimum of 120mm of travel Add at least a couple of hours to the expected ride time each day for breaks, photo stops and unexpected circumstances – this isn’t a route you want to rush Remember to let someone know where you’re going and carry spares, food, warm clothing and a basic first aid kit There’s really limited mobile signal so download any maps before you go! If you can, plan to do this in good weather
Left Are we nearly there yet? Above A descent like this stretching off into the distance is what MTB dreams are made of Right Land of peaks, lochs and lochans, the Highlands are truly majestic
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TH E B EST BIK ES A ND MTB KIT TESTED TO DESTRU CTI ON
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HOW WE TEST THE KIT It starts with a detailed product check in the workshop. Next we hit the trails… hard! We test in real riding conditions, incorporating feedback from multiple testers, and don’t stop until we have the complete picture.
ABOUT OUR TEST TEAM Our technical-editor-inchief, Rob Weaver, gets new products in as soon as they’re available and coordinates all the testing through our vastly experienced band of reviewers.
WHY OUR TESTS ARE THE BEST! Our test team is made up of some of the most respected bike and kit testers in the world. We have unrivalled knowledge and experience, and spend a vast amount of time making sure we get it right. We tell you the truth and aren’t influenced by PR or advertisers.
TE
72 THE BEST NEW PRODUCTS Shoes, jackets, mudguards & more
E U S S I S I H T D E T S
77 SIX OF THE BEST Goggles, £25 £163
84 BIKETEST Boutique trail bikes, £5,000 £6,000
78 LONG TERM RIDES Introducing our irst 2021 bikes
96 GROUPTEST Baselayers, £28 £100 Mountain Biking UK 71
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HIGHS Great power and customisable beam pattern
MEET THE MBUK TEST TEAM
R O B W E AV
Light and compact (for the power) head unit
OUR RATINGS
Long run time
We base our scores on value for money and performance
ER
Withtwo two decades decades of With ofriding riding experience, Rob knows experience, knowswhat what works and what doesn’t works and what doesn’t
LOWS Beam is a little narrow for bar use
EXCEPTIONAL A genuine class leader
VERY GOOD One of the best you can buy
IT E MSTALERVYINW H JA M ESTOCMO Riding anything up to five days a week means Tom has plenty of time to hammer test kit
GOOD It’ll do the job and do it well
BELOW AVERAGE Flawed in some way
JA M ES C O
ST LE Y W H
IT E
POOR
MBUK’s editor has 27 years of riding experience and an eye for the details that matter
LU K E M A R
S H A LL
Keen racer Luke is quick to identify what helps or is a hindrance between the tape
JA M ES B LA
C K W EL L
Simply put, don’t bother!
The best product on test, in terms of performance, quality and price
An exceptional product for the money – you’re getting a fantastic deal
Jimmer likes to ride as fast as he talks, so he knows the right tools for the job
A truly outstanding product, regardless of price
R U S S E LL B
U RTO N
Long days outdoors mean photographer Russ needs kit that won’t let him down
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Gloworm X2 front light £225 The regular Gloworm X2 (here) comes with a whopping four-cell, 50Wh battery, while the X2 Adventure (£199) has a battery half the size. Run time with the bigger battery is claimed to be three hours on the brightest setting (1,700 lumens). Ours started to dim after 2.5 hours but struggled on for over four hours at get-you-home brightness. The compact head unit weighs just 112g (including mounting hardware), making it comfy on a helmet (with the 224g battery stowed in your pack). The GoPro-style Velcro strap mount provided works well with most lids, or you can use any GoPro helmet mount. From the factory, the X2 comes fitted with a double-spotlight lens that offers a claimed 17-degree spread (to the point where the beam is half the brightness of the centre). This is fine when mounted on a helmet, providing plenty of far-reaching brightness for faster trails and just enough peripheral spread for tight tech. It’s too narrow for barmounted use, though. The included optional lens spreads one of the beams out laterally to 40 degrees. This is better (although still a bit narrow) when used on the bar, and ideal on the helmet for technical, unknown trails. The wireless bar-mounted remote makes changing modes easier but using the button on the light itself isn’t exactly difficult. Seb www.glowormlites.co.nz
Light, compact and ideal for helmet use, with plenty of punch for tech trails and great battery life
Nukeproof water bottle £7.49 (750ml) Nukeproof’s bottle has a flip-cap lid, which is ideal for winter riding in muddy conditions. The bottle itself is nice and squeezy (so you can jet water quickly into your mouth) but retains its shape when fitted in a bottle cage. While the cap doesn’t have the tightest fit (ours rattled open after one lengthy, rough decent) it stays shut for the most part and, most importantly, keeps the valve nice and clean. This offers a decent flow rate and clamps down closed without spillage. Considering the price, it’s not the end of the world that this bottle isn’t quite perfect, and it’s been really handy for those grim muddy rides. Rob www.hotlines-uk.com
BRANDNEW KIT KI BRAND NEW
L TO E E F D N A X GH F L E U O N E ’S E OUR R Y H T THE A E N E ING ON B O G ’S T A H IONING H S U C K NOW W T N E I UFFIC FEET, BUT S EM FEELING FRESH TO K EEP T H
HIGHS Really comfortable even on long rides Great feel through the sole Plenty of cleat adjustment and zero issues with mud clogging Lots of neat design touches that help boost performance
LOWS Boa system adds £30 over the Speed Lace version
Crankbrothers Mallet BOA clipless shoes £179.99 Named after Crankbrothers’ Mallet DH pedals, these shoes are designed to be worn for downhill and enduro riding or racing. They use the brand’s new Match outsole, here made from their mid-friction, fast-rebound MC1 rubber compound. To make clipping in and out easier, there’s a ramped cleat-box surrounded by a radial tread pattern. You get 5mm more rearward cleat adjustment than on Cranks’ Mallet E shoes, to boost control (potentially at the cost of some pedalling efficiency). Both the toe and heel treads are wider-spaced and angled specifically for better off-the-bike traction. The malleable, almost rubber-like upper is reinforced at the toe and heel. Perforations and mesh windows allow your feet to breathe a little. Our samples weighed 1,140g (EU42 with cleats). Setting the Mallets up is easy. If you’re running Crank pedals, you’ll need one spacer beneath the cleat. Shimano cleats don’t require the spacer. We slammed the
cleats as far back as they’d go, into the red ‘Race Zone’. This wasn’t quite as rearward as on our go-to Specialized 2FO Clip 2.0 shoes, but we’re talking a few millimetres, which isn’t obvious on the trail. The Crank shoes have a touch more cleat-box offset, so we didn’t need to shunt the cleats to one side for unhindered clipping out. The padding isn’t as plentiful as on the 2FOs but the Mallets are no less comfy. There’s plenty of room for your toes to splay out, and the neutral, relatively flat footbed really suited us. We went down a size from usual, so try before you buy if you can. The Boa dial enables an even tension across the top of the foot, while the Velcro strap boosts security and helps eliminate heel lift. They’re quick and easy to remove, which is handy when caked in mud. The upper will shrug off splashes, but you’ll still get soaked eventually. Thankfully, the Mallets dry fast. There’s enough flex and feel through the sole to ensure you know what’s going
Check sizing before you buy
on beneath your feet, but sufficient cushioning to keep them feeling fresh after riding rougher trails. At no point did they feel soft or inefficient when putting the power down, nor overly stiff or vague either. We had zero issues when clipping in and out of Mallet DH and E pedals. Overall, the new Mallet shoes are incredibly comfy, offer plenty of cleat adjustment, and balance stiffness and feel really well. We’d consider the £30 cheaper Mallet Speed Laces before parting with our cash, but if you can afford them, the Mallet BOAs are a pleasure to wear. Rob www.extrauk.co.uk
Great shoes that work well on the trail and are packed with features. Not cheap, though
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Specialized Prime-Series Thermal gloves £40 These gloves have fast become favourites among our testers. Most winter gloves are bulky, which is OK for long, grinding rides but not great when bar feel is paramount. The Prime-Series thermals have a fantastic fit and are really comfortable but, most importantly, have a thin synthetic-suede palm (with soft fleece backing for warmth) that feels great on the bar. Long, stretchy, ribbed cuffs with a Velcro tab let you fine-tune the fit and keep your wrists warm, while the Polartec NeoShell upper is highly stretchy, breathable, windproof and surprisingly waterproof. The result is a fantastic, form-fitting, low-bulk pair of gloves that work great in cold and wet weather. Although not mooted as waterproof, ours have done a sterling job in downpours, only eventually wetting through at the palm. They regulate heat really well too, making them suitable for all but the very coldest of rides and a welcome addition to our winter wardrobe. Jimmer www.specialized.com
RockShox ZEB direct-mount mudguard £20 With their new ZEB and SID forks, RockShox have finally embraced directmount mudguards. Frustratingly, they’ve used their own bolt patterns, not the standard adopted by Fox and other brands, so pre-existing fenders aren’t compatible (although Mudhugger’s EVO comes with an adapter). Fitting a directmount fender should be an easy task, but the rigid plastic and tiny M3 button bolts conspired to leave us cursing. We struggled to thread more than two bolts into the fork arch at a time, eventually managing it on one sample, but resorting to buying longer bolts for another. On the trail, it blocks enough spray to keep your face and eyewear clean, and shields the fork seals too, but doesn’t provide the same coverage as longer designs. It’s pricey for a short fender, but cheaper than the other ZEB direct-mount option (the bigger Mudhugger). JCW www.zyrofisher.co.uk
Troy Lee Designs Mischief women’s jersey £60 A relaxed cut makes the Mischief wider than other women’s jerseys we’ve tested in the same size (small), so it’s great for riders who aren’t after a figure-hugging ‘race’ fit. There’s a lot of room for protective gear, too – the stretchy fabric allows you to wear even the biggest of elbow pads. Along with the casual cut, the lightweight material allows for plenty of airflow. The V-neck collar is great on warm summer days but gets breezy down the neck on colder days. We like the drop hem, which provides good coverage. The only thing that might make us think twice about buying this jersey is the price. Sarah www.saddleback.co.uk
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NEW KIT
HIGHS Great cut and fit, plus some useful features Don’t feel as cold as some waterproof trousers Good protection around the seat
LOWS Expensive Will wet out in prolonged heavy rain
Troy Lee Designs Resist waterproof pants £150 The Resist pants are made from a waterproof fabric that has a decent amount of stretch to ensure movement is kept free and easy on the bike. They’re not as noisy or shell-like as some, which boosts comfort and helps keep your legs a little warmer on really cold days – they feel more like regular riding trousers than many waterproof offerings. In terms of features, they have a couple of handy zipped hip pockets to stash essentials in, as well as a zipped key pocket at the rear. Two zipped vents let you dump heat on warmer rides. The popper/zip/ratchet closure feels secure and adds a touch of waist adjustment too, to help tailor the fit. A good cut ensures the waist sits high enough at the rear to prevent your back from being exposed. The tapered legs fit snugly and don’t flap around when caked in mud.
We found the reinforced seat panel did an admirable job of keeping the damp out, even after prolonged stints in the saddle. In torrential downpours, the Troy Lee pants will eventually wet out at the front, with some water making its way through, but we never finished a ride freezing cold or soaking wet. At £150, they’re certainly not cheap (especially compared to the Decathlon trousers that won last month’s Six Of The Best test) but they’re comfortable, fit well and keep the worst of the weather out. Rob www.saddleback.co.uk
EVOC Protector Vest Lite back protector £134.99 EVOC’s Protector Vest Lite has a broad, articulated panel of closed-cell foam that offers great coverage across the majority of your back, but will be a touch too long for some riders. The vest comes in four sizes but the back protector on our small sample was a small/medium number, suggesting they aren’t tailored to each vest size. We tried sitting it over the top of our shorts’ waistband as well as underneath it, but found that wherever the bottom of the back protector sat, the entire vest would still ride up. This was irritating, and it required multiple readjustments to get it back in place. We think this would be remedied if the back panel were just a few inches shorter. It’s a shame, because when it’s initially in place, the Protector Vest feels comfy enough. We also like the way the Velcro waist strap can be removed if you don’t feel the need for it; our small vest was snug enough that we removed the strap after a few rides. Rob www.zyrofisher.co.uk
Great it and feel with decent weather protection, but pricey
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HIGHS Sturdy and well-made All the useful Allen and Torx keys Tyre plug kit is a great addition
LOWS
Nikwax Down Proof DWR treatment £8 (300ml)
No chain breaker It’d be great to be able to lock the tyre plug tool in place when in use
Crankbrothers M13 multi-tool £25.99 We’re fans of Crankbrothers’ sturdy, almost bombproof multi-tools, and this latest version includes a handy tyre plug tool, along with some tyre plugs. These are stashed in a case that snaps onto the sidebars of the M13, and has a dedicated space inside for spare chain links. All the key Allen sizes are taken care of (2-8mm) and the 8mm is a dedicated bit rather than a push-on extra. There are also T10 and T25 Torx keys, plus two Phillips and one flat-headed screwdriver. It’s a shame there’s no chain tool, though (if you want that and the tyre plug kit, you need the £39.99 M20). The 85mm length of the body gives a decent amount of leverage. We struggled to loosen 8mm crank bolts (no major surprise) but had no issues when nipping up 5 or 6mm pivot bolts. The bits are a decent length, too, and we had no problems reaching trickier parts of the bike. There are five tyre plugs, which is enough to get you out of a bind or two. The tyre plug tool, a two-pronged fork, works well enough, although our testers prefer the conical style. Because the tool can’t be locked straight or at an angle, we found it liable to rotate when trying hard to wedge a plug into a tyre. We know Crank’s tools last, and the tyre plug kit is a handy addition. Rob www.extrauk.co.uk
A solid, useful tool, but you’ll need to spend a little more if you want one with a chain breaker
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7mesh Copilot waterproof jacket £220 The Copilot is made from GORE-TEX Paclite Plus, a two-layer fabric designed to combine maximum waterproof protection with minimum weight. Packing down into its own side pocket, the 7mesh jacket doesn’t disappoint when it comes to weatherproofing or comfort. A comfortable, easy fit combined with the breathability of the fabric makes it very wearable on blustery autumn or spring days, even when it hasn’t been raining. The long cut, which is generous through the sleeves as well as the rear hem, provides a lot of coverage when the weather does turn, and the hood, which flips over a helmet, is fully adjustable so peripheral vision is never compromised. There’s a single pocket, set to the side so the weight of a phone doesn’t drag it down. It may be a minimal jacket, but this attention to detail makes it one we find ourselves wanting to wear all the time – even off the bike. Yes, it’s pricey, but the performance is worth it. Russell https://7mesh.com
Down jackets can be disappointing once washed, never quite returning to how they felt when new. Down Proof, to be clear, is NOT a wash but a post-wash treatment, which adds a durable water repellent coating to both the outer and the down filling. We took a somewhat lifeless jacket that had been recklessly treated in terms of washing, added Down Proof to a clean dispenser as instructed and switched the machine on. Despite line-drying, which usually leads to clumping, the jacket’s loft has been rejuvenated. We didn’t notice water beading on the outer shell, but after a Highlands deluge the jacket was less soaked through and dried faster. Russell www.nikwax.com
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GOGGLES
BEST Protect your eyes and maintain laser-like vision on the trails 6 OF THE
Smith Squad XL MTB £90
Fox Vue £105
Scott Fury £65
SO GOOD… These use foam that’s particularly comfy, even once saturated. The cutout in the nose piece and the fairly flat and malleable frame ensure breathing isn’t constricted. There’s a good field of vision and fantastic optics on the clear and tinted lenses included. They fitted well in our Giro Switchblade test lid. The anti-fog tech works brilliantly. NO GOOD… Open, meshless top vents let moisture from your helmet drip onto the inside of the lens, obscuring vision. When swapping lenses, it’s hard to locate the tabs in the frame. The Squad XLs struggled to fill out a Bell Full 9 DH helmet. www.smithoptics.eu
SO GOOD… The Fox goggles fit snugly and comfortably, not pinching your nose or moving on rough terrain. They worked well in our test lid. The foam is soft, even when damp. Best suited to bright light, our grey lens had brilliant optical clarity. Spares are available (£16) and easy to fit. Peripheral vision is uninterrupted. The lens remains clear when on the move. They come with a pack of tear-offs. NO GOOD… Once stopped, the lens mists up and moisture forms. The white nose bridge on ours created a reflection in the lens. They don’t work well with some open-face lids. No clear lens is included. https://uk.foxracing.com
SO GOOD… With a fairly flat shape, wellpadded foam (which stops sweat dripping onto the lens and still feels good when wet) and a nose bridge and fit that don’t feel constrictive even with the strap tight, these are comfy goggles. The field of vision is wide, with no reflections and undistorted optics on the clear and mirror lenses included. It takes them a long time to steam up, even when stationary. NO GOOD… We preferred the clear lens over the blue tint of the orange-chrome lens in all conditions. Getting the lens to fit in the frame is tricky. You don’t get a microfibre carry bag for storage/cleaning. www.scott-sports.com
Brand-X G 1 Outrigger £25
Leatt Velocity 6.5 £73
Oakley Airbrake MTB £163
SO GOOD… Very well-priced, the G-1s look and feel good. The voluptuous foam wicks away sweat well and remains comfy once saturated. These goggles don’t bounce around, and integrated well with our test lid. With a wide field of vision, the frame doesn’t encroach into your vision or cause reflections. The clear lens we tested had no noticeable distortion, and spares are just £9.99. Ventilation is good on the move, too. NO GOOD… They mist up quickly once stopped and moisture forms on the lens after longer pauses. Compatibility with some open-face lids isn’t good. The fit is very tight even with the strap at its loosest. www.hotlines-uk.com
SO GOOD… A solid fit and supportive padding give the Velocity 6.5s a quality feel. They fitted well with all lids we tried, even open-faces. Lens clarity is impressive, with no distortion, and the wide ‘view port’ gives great peripheral vision. Our smoke lens was best suited to bright days but proved versatile. Spares start at £8.99 and are easy to swap. Fogging is combated effectively even at slow speeds. Any mist that develops once stopped clears quickly. A set of tear-offs is included. NO GOOD… The tight fit did pinch our noses, but not drastically, and loosening the strap caused them to bounce around. For the price, we’d like a clear lens too. www.hotlines-uk.com
SO GOOD… Instantly comfy, the Oakleys were easy to adjust to work with all our helmets, including open-faces. The foam feels robust but luxurious, giving a secure fit. The field of vision is wide and the Prizm lens has fantastically clear optics plus a pink tint that makes colours pop and vastly improves low-light contrast. It also works well in bright conditions. Once the inside of the lens was meticulously cleaned, it refused to fog up on the move and took ages to mist over once stopped. NO GOOD… If the lens isn’t clean, it steams up quickly. The frame is visible in your peripheral vision. They’re hugely expensive, and spare lenses can be pricey. www.oakley.com
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TEST BI KES RI DD EN HA RD FOR A YEA R
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O E R E T S E B ,9 9 9 U C S ’ E K U L AC E 2 9 £ 2 170 R Big wheels, big travel, big fun – 2021 looks like a big year for Luke! After spending last year on the Giant Reign 29 with its modest 146mm of rear wheel travel, I’m excited to be riding the Cube Stereo 170 for 2021, which pumps out a more enduro-friendly 170mm. It’s a burly bike built for hard thrashing on rough descents, which just so happens to be my favourite type of riding. The spec on this shop-stocked bike is impressive for the price and rivals many direct-sales brands. It’s fitted with a Performance-grade Fox 38 fork and Float X2 shock, a SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain (with NX shifter downgrade), Newmen Evolution SL A.30 wheels, Magura MT5 brakes and a cockpit from Race Face – all excellent kit. For 2021, Cube have fitted more robust EXO+ casing Maxxis tyres, which is an improvement over the Stereo 170 featured in our 2020 Bike of the Year test. Although these are tubeless-ready (along with the rims) they come fitted with inner tubes, so before I hit the trails I swapped these out for some Rimpact tyre inserts and valves, along with a bit of sealant. The first few rides on the bike have been brilliant fun, and it hasn’t taken me long to get comfortable. I opted for the 20in frame, which combines a reach of 466mm –
which is relatively short by modern enduro standards – with compact 435mm chainstays. In some situations, such as flatter turns, I’ve found I need to ride a little more aggressively over the front than on the Giant (which I felt positioned me more centrally between the wheels) to prevent understeer, but it’s not been difficult to find a balanced position on the bike for grip and control. It’s no featherweight and, when caked in mud and pedalling up treacle-like climbs, you can definitely feel its heft, but I guess it’s all good training for me! Once you’ve got to the top, the Stereo 170 lives up to its pedigree as an enduro sled and thrives when pointed down wild, off-piste trails. In the current muddy conditions, speeds haven’t been too high and the Cube’s suspension has dealt with everything in its way comfortably. However, I’m excited to see how it handles faster trails and bigger hits, to discover what it’s really capable of. www.cube.eu
MY MONTH
HIGHS For a shopbought bike, it’s very competitively priced, with a solid spec list The freehub (and bike) is silent, which means the only thing I hear while riding is my water bottle rattling
LOWS My water bottle rattling This is nit-picking, but it’s a shame it doesn’t come set up tubeless
SPEC CHECK Rimpact PRO tyre inserts £69.99 (inc. valves) www.rimpactmtb.com
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5 9 2 , 2 £ Y O R L E N I R T O M ’S M A One of his favourite new bikes has found its way into Tom’s garage Back in early autumn, Oli from Marin Bikes UK popped round with a large and heavy box, which he said contained their latest all-mountain/ enduro bike. I certainly didn’t expect to see one of the most stretched-out hardtails on the market emerge from its cardboard confines. The dinky 430mm seat tube meant I could easily sit aboard the bigger ‘Grande’ version of the bike. But while the El Roy’s seat tube is short, everything else is large. The reach, at 510mm, is longer than anything I’d ever ridden, and the head angle is a comically slack 63 degrees. I had the bike for a short couple of months, but it made quite the impression on me. The length, slackness and DoubleDown-casing, 3C MaxxGrip-compound Maxxis
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Assegai tyres made it feel utterly bombproof and capable of being pointed down pretty much anything. Over those couple of months, I’m fairly sure I didn’t lose any significant time on my favourite steep Welsh tracks, suggesting that the additional 40mm or so of reach and the three degrees lopped off the sort of head angles I usually ride are more than enough to compensate for a reduction of 150mm in rear wheel travel! I came away bowled over by how much I liked the bike. So much so that I was considering asking if I could buy it – only the second time in seven full years of bike testing that I’ve contemplated buying a test bike (the other, as it happens, was an electric cargo bike!). So big thanks
MY MONTH
HIGHS This is the fastest hardtail (downhill!) I’ve ever ridden Its ridiculously long, low and slack shape brings a smile to my face whenever I look at it
LOWS Draaaaaagy tyres make winching uphill a slog – although it’s worth it for now, for the extra grip on the descents!
to Marin for agreeing to let me ride the El Roy through 2021. I have, of course, plenty of plans for the bike in the coming year. It’ll be coming along on my annual alpine holidays, and I’ll be ragging it as much as I can up and down the UK too. Kit wise, there’s no denying that the chunky, sticky rubber that affords the Marin so much grip slows it down on tamer trails and climbs, so perhaps when sunnier times are upon us, I may sling on a slightly faster tyre on the back. I’m also intrigued by the idea of fitting a coil fork. The air-sprung, 140mm-travel Marzocchi Bomber Z1 that comes with the bike feels great, but the slippery smoothness of a coil is alluring. Oh, and I’ve a pair of red SRAM Code RSC brakes that may well make their way on there soon, too! www.marinbikes.com
MY MONTH
HIGHS An easy bike to just get on and ride I’m keen to hit some gnarly descents with RockShox’s new ZEB fork
JCW’S
00 1 , 5 £ 1 V S 0 6 W H Y TE E 1
The Bosch motor is impressively smooth, with no lag or jerkiness
LOWS
Same name (kinda), but an all-new e-bike for our editor Another year, another E-160! My new Whyte is a very different prospect to last year’s Merida eOne-Sixty, though. On paper it’s a downgrade, costing several hundred pounds less and sporting an alloy rather than carbon frame, solid SRAM GX Eagle instead of slinky Shimano XT, and a non-piggyback shock. But it’s packing more punch in the motor department, using Bosch’s latestgeneration Performance Line CX
drive unit paired with a bigger 625Wh battery, and a burlier fork too, in the form of the new RockShox ZEB. More importantly, it addresses my main criticism of the Merida with some bang-up-to-date geometry, including a considerably longer reach (505mm on my XL) and a steeper 74.6-degree seat angle. First impressions have been very positive. The Whyte felt comfortable from the get-go, helped by the fact it comes with a 200mm dropper.
LIANA JULIA’SCJUS £4,999 JOPLIN I wasn’t holding out much hope of getting my first longterm bike before Christmas, but the Joplin turned up just in time, ending 2020 on a cheerful note. Even better, due to the overwhelming demand the bike industry is facing, I’ve been upgraded to a carbon frame! Juliana are Santa Cruz’s sister brand, and I’m intrigued to find out whether a women’s-specific bike will make a difference to my riding. The big step up from my beloved Transition Scout is the 29in wheels. It also has less travel. I’m hoping this will mean an easier pedal up, but still lots of grip when smashing back down. Time to find out if this bike and I have more in common than just the start of our names! www.jungleproducts.co.uk
Adjusting from the 29in wheels I usually ride and the mullet set-up of the Merida to the E-160’s 650b hoops was no problem. I’m still getting to grips with the Bosch motor, which engages more smoothly than the Shimano E8000 on the Merida and has more top-end grunt but seems to require a slightly different cadence and gearing set-up to get the most from it, but I think the E-160 and I are going to get along just fine! https://whyte.bike
I’m not getting as much power from the motor as I’d expect, which suggests I need to adjust my technique
NS JIMMERY’SM TR2 £4,199.99 SY N O N For 2021 I’ve gone for something a little leftfield. If you’ve never heard the term ‘downcountry’ then let me explain. Think ‘cross-country bike’ amounts of travel but with aggressive geometry, bigger tyres and burlier components. These bikes are for backcountry mile-munching and technical trailsmashing – not your average XC whippet. The NS Synonym TR2 fits the mould perfectly. From the XC end of things, it’s rocking a full-carbon frame and 120mm of travel with twin lockout levers. But one look at the geometry – including an enduro-worthy 66-degree head angle and massive reach – shows NS’s true intentions for this bike. www.hotlines-uk.com
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F O O R 0 P 0 E 5 , K 5 U £ N S S R ’ ROB 290 CA R BON MEOurGtechAchief enjoyed testing the Mega so much, he’s hanging on to it I’ve properly lucked out with my long-term bike for 2021. Since receiving the new Mega just ahead of its launch a couple of months back, I’ve had plenty of time to get acquainted with it (and test it fully in the last issue of the mag) and I’m really pleased so far. Yes, I realise that the carbon RS is the priciest bike in the Mega line-up and costs more than many of you will be willing to spend. Normally I’d have asked for a more budgetfriendly model. But with shortages and long delays for new bikes, I bit the bullet and asked the guys at Nukeproof if I could just hold on to this one for the year, rather than wait it out for a cheaper build to arrive. (I should be getting one of the less expensive Megas for our Enduro
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Bike of the Year test, though, which is coming up soon). The new bike is quite a different beast to the previous Mega, but very much in a good way. For a start, the geometry of the previous medium 29er was OK but not great for me. The 2021 Mega gets a slightly longer reach, at 455mm (compared to 450mm), but a shorter back end (440mm, down from 450mm). Nukeproof have also steepened the seat tube angle, and so far I’ve been impressed by just how easy this big bike is to pedal uphill. The other major change worth noting regards how the Mega’s 160mm of rear wheel travel is delivered. While the old bike felt more like a monster truck, letting
MY MONTH
HIGHS Great new geometry that suits me really well I’m impressed by the changes to the rear suspension, too
LOWS I’ve already cleaned this poor thing more times than I can remember. When is summer again?
you drop your heels and plough through just about anything, the latest model feels more dynamic and lively, thanks to improved midstroke support and a touch more progression towards the end of the travel. Thankfully, though, you can still ride this bike just as hard as the last, it just doesn’t isolate the rider quite as much from the terrain, so there’s more feedback, but that’s something I really like. Being the top-spec bike, there’s very little on the RS that I’m looking to change. I may try some slightly broader tyres, as the stock 2.4in Michelin Wild Enduros aren’t the biggest, especially when combined with the 28mm internal width of the Mega’s Mavic Deemax Sam Hill wheels, but that’s about it for now. I’ll be sure to keep you guys posted! www.hotlines-uk.com
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W T S BIKETE
BOUTIQUE BOUTIQ QUE TRA TRAIL AIL BIKES These small-brand bikes stand out from the crowd, but which one stands out on the trail?
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BIKETEST
OUR RATINGS We base our scores on value for money and performance
EXCEPTIONAL A genuine class leader
VERY GOOD One of the best you can buy
GOOD It’ll do the job and do it well
BELOW AVERAGE Flawed in some way
POOR Simply put, don’t bother!
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mall companies have often been at the forefront of innovation in the bike industry. With limited batches, rapid production schedules and rider-rich management, they’re able to ‘think outside the box’ more than the bigger brands. So if you stray from the mainstream, you might just get a bike that’s ahead of the curve. These ‘boutique’ brands offer something different. Not just in the sense that you’re unlikely to see so many of their bikes out on the trails, but also because they tend to be quirkier than equivalent models from the big players. They don’t have to have mass appeal, so can be more experimental in terms of design, aesthetics and the way they ride. Some small brands also offer customisation of the components or even the frame. And while buying from a big brand is usually an impersonal affair, smaller ones often form a community of owners
S
who feel personally connected to the manufacturer. For this test we got hold of three trail bikes with 140mm of travel and 29in wheels, all costing between five and six grand. For that, we’d expect them to leave little to be desired both uphill and down. Two are from UK brands and constructed from steel, while the third is from the USA and made from carbon fibre. It’s been interesting to see how the two approaches compare on the trail. We weighed and measured every detail for ourselves, then hit the trails, tweaking the set-up and suspension, and even swapping a few parts, to optimise the ride feel. Once we had the bikes dialled in, we rode them back-to-back on the same test loops in South Wales and the Forest of Dean, featuring steep, technical climbs and gnarly downhills. This shone more light on how each bike performs than months of standalone testing could.
THE TESTERS
S E B STOT T With ith six years oof experience ience testing tessting b bikes at MBUK and BikeRadar, Seb knows how to expose a bike’s strengths and weaknesses. Before that he studied physics at university while daydreaming of bikes. He’s been mountain biking for over half his life and loves everything from cross-country to downhill, but usually rides trail and enduro bikes with 140mm to 160mm of suspension travel.
P U E N I L E TH MUR MUR G N I L R A T S rox) £5,005 (app Starling are based in Bristol, just up the road from the MBUK office. What started in 2015 as one man building bikes in his shed has developed into a brand with a strong line-up and loyal following. While elements of their bikes have always impressed, we’ve come away with mixed feelings in the past, because the test bikes they’ve sent us have often been held back by questionable spec choices and other little niggles. This latest revision of the Murmur 29er is made from raw stainless steel and uses coil-sprung suspension front and rear. Will this allow it to shine like that eye-catching, polished frame?
LD GX O G T H E J C COTI (with upgrades) £5,090 Cotic’s latest creation splits the difference between their shorter-travel FlareMAX and longer-travel RocketMAX enduro bike. The Sheffield brand say that this is the “Swiss army knife” of their range, capable of taking on anything with aplomb (although you may struggle to remove stones from a horse’s hoof with it!). Like the Starling Murmur, it’s got a steel frame with properly long and slack geometry, which sounds like a recipe for inspiring confidence over steep terrain. But will the oddly-named Jeht (it’s pronounced ‘jet’) turn out to be a jack of all trades and master of none?
ING EVIL OFFREAR£5,850 GX HYD The Offering is something of an outlier in this test. Based in Bellingham, in the USA’s Pacific Northwest, Evil have applied a more traditional approach to geometry than seen on the two stretched-out steel bikes above. Updated in December 2020, the Offering now has a steeper seat tube angle and longer reach, but it’s still the shortest bike here by a considerable margin. Being made of carbon fibre, it’s by far the lightest frame in the test, too, as well as the most expensive. Judging bikes on paper often gives an inaccurate impression, so how will it compare out on the trails?
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DETAILS UPS AND DOWNS A flip chip lets you choose between ‘Low’ or ‘X-Low’ geometry settings, but we’d rather have the ‘X-Low’ head angle and ‘Low’ seat tube angle simultaneously DELTA DAWN Evil’s DELTA suspension system makes the beginning stroke nice and supple for better traction SUPER SPACING The niche 157mm Super Boost rear axle ‘standard’ boosts tyre clearance with short chainstays
EV
A R D Y H X G G N I R E IL OFF
£5,850 Truly evil, or a sheep in wolf’s clothing? vil’s marketing material about the Offering is full of aggressive hyperbole, from “trail slayer” to “force of nature” and even “the dark lord of singletrack.” But on the trail, this bike is more of a playful lamb than an unstoppable force.
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The frame While the suspension layout looks complex, it’s actually pretty simple – a single-pivot swingarm drives a link, which in turn compresses the shock via a rocker. The link allows the leverage ratio over the shock to be manipulated to Evil’s specification. There’s room for a full-size water bottle on the down tube. Substantial rubber chainstay and down tube protection, along with an integrated upper chain guide, keep the chain quiet and the carbon protected. The rear axle is the 12x157mm Super Boost width, which is claimed to allow for more tyre clearance (up to 2.6in) but may make it harder to find replacement wheels. A flip-chip lets
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you drop the bottom bracket (BB) height by 8mm, while slackening the head and seat angles by 0.5 degrees. It’s a fiddly job, though.
The kit A RockShox Lyrik fork is always good to see, as is a OneUp dropper post. If you order through Evil’s EU website, you can choose the dropper travel based on your leg length, which is a nice touch. We were also pleased with the 810mm handlebar – you can always cut a bar down, but you can’t make it longer! The Industry Nine rear wheel has an obnoxiously loud coasting buzz, which we found pretty annoying. You could quieten it down by greasing the ratchet, though. The lacklustre SRAM G2 brakes are the main shortcoming. We’d much prefer the vastly superior, and barely heavier, SRAM Codes.
The ride At 14kg exactly (in XL), the Offering is impressively light. The suspension is firm under power, too. There’s very little bob when spinning or sprinting out of the saddle. This makes the Evil a rewarding bike on which to
JARGON ANTI-SQUAT The extent to which chain tension prevents the suspension from squatting or bobbing under power. ANGLE-ADJUST HEADSET A headset that allows the head angle to be adjusted independently of the frame.
push the pedals. The 75-degree seat tube angle is (just) the steepest on test too, so it feels more efficient and less like you’re hanging off the back when tackling steep climbs. We do think it could be steeper, though, and didn’t like the frame’s ‘X-Low’ geometry setting purely because it made the seat tube too laidback for climbing. It’s not all plain sailing on the ascents, though. When pedalling forcefully at low cadences over bumpy ground, the high anti-squat of the suspension can make the ride choppy, with the bike seesawing over the terrain as the suspension butts up against lumps. Despite being 1.4 to 1.6kg lighter than the other bikes on test, the Offering is only a little faster uphill. When hopping and manualling up and over trail obstacles, however, the Evil requires noticeably less effort. Its short chainstays (430mm), highrise bar and low weight make for an effortless and energetic feel when popping up and over logs and roots, and splashing through puddles. The suspension is impressive too, when you’re up to speed and coasting. At the rear, the high initial
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LOW D N A R A B E IGH R IS H , S Y A T E TIC S G N R I E A N H E C D T N R TLESS A ITS SHO R O F F E T S, N O A O R R O D F N E A K S W EIGH T M A N P OP P IN G OV ER LOG DDLES U P E H H G W U L O E R E F HING TH S A L P S D N A HIGHS Efficient climber on smooth terrain
leverage ratio gives a supple, groundhugging feel. With just under 30 per cent sag (measured seated) there’s a good balance of sensitivity and support, but we had to add a volume spacer or two to the shock (it comes with none) to stop it bottoming-out too easily. The Lyrik Ultimate fork works well too, hoovering up small bumps with aplomb. Here, the bike’s relatively steep head angle (66 degrees) helps, because it means the fork is better aligned with the vertical forces coming from smaller lumps, so the sensitivity is great. Despite the boxy carbon frame, the Offering never felt harsher than the steel bikes. However, tackling steep and rough terrain on the Offering feels notably more nervous and precarious than on its longer and slacker rivals. The relatively short wheelbase (for an XL) of 1,260mm makes it hard to keep your weight in the right place between the wheels when tackling big changes of gradient, steep turns, or big bumps and holes. This had us understeering more (even with the same tyres) because we couldn’t load the bar confidently.
Low weight and short back end make it easy to hop, pop and manual Supple suspension eats up smaller bumps
LOWS Relatively short and steep geometry holds it back on technical descents Seat angle could be steeper (especially in the ‘X-Low’ setting) Suspension becomes ‘lumpy’ when pedalling over bumps
Using the ‘X-Low’ setting helps a bit, by slackening the head angle from 66 to 65.5 degrees, making the steering slightly more predictable, but this doesn’t change the wheelbase, which is the main issue for us. Besides, putting the frame in the ‘X-Low’ setting compromises climbing more tangibly than it improves descending. The fairly long seat tube (500mm in XL) also makes it hard to size up to get a longer wheelbase. Evil plan to offer an angle-adjust headset, which will slacken the head angle by up to 1.5 degrees while adding to the wheelbase, all without affecting the seat tube angle. Sadly, we didn’t get to test this before we went to press, but it should improve the Offering’s descending capabilities without affecting its climbing.
FOR A LITTLE MORE Evil Offering XT Hydra £6,199.99 Swaps the SRAM GX for a Shimano XT drivetrain, but you get the same suspension, wheels and brakes.
FOR MORE AGAIN
Too short and steep to excel on technical tracks, but agile, supple and responsive on mellower stuff
Evil Offering AXS I9 Hydra The top build gets you a SRAM AXS wireless seatpost and shifting, plus a carbon bar and cranks for further weight saving.
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DETAILS MIX AND MATCH Cotic’s online configurator allows you to pick parts from dropdown menus to suit your tastes and budget SHOCK TACTICS The Cane Creek DB Kitsuma Air shock is highly adjustable without tools. It doesn’t hold the bike up as well as we’d like in the middle of its travel, though UNDERWHELMING UPGRADE SRAM’s G2 RSC brakes are a £200 upgrade option, but ours lacked bite and power, so we’d spend the money elsewhere
X G D L O G T H E J C I T O C £5,090 (with upgrades) Great downhill, not so good uphill he Jeht is the latest from Sheffield-based Cotic. With 29in wheels, 140mm of rear wheel travel and a 150mm fork, it fits neatly in between their FlareMAX (120mm) and RocketMAX (160mm). According to Cotic, it’s the best all-rounder in the range. The launch edition bike we have here is made in the UK at Cotic HQ, but most frames will be produced in Taiwan. This may be less appealing to some, but it drops £300 off the price.
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The frame Cotic use custom tubing from Reynolds, including an ovalised top tube and 35mm seat tube to improve stiffness. The swingarm is made from aluminium, because it’s stiffer, lighter and easier to manufacture. Bottle cage bosses hang underneath the top tube, so it can carry water with the right cage. Cable routing is external, apart from the gear cable, which goes through the swingarm. Frustratingly, all cables run through
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the forward shock mount, which is enclosed on the XL size, making it impossible to remove the brake without disconnecting the hose. On smaller sizes, the hose can be removed after unbolting the shock. The single-pivot rear end drives the shock via a link attached to the seatstay, which adds progression throughout the stroke.
The kit Customisation is easy, with Cotic offering a range of components that can be swapped or upgraded. You can even send them your own gear, from your favourite saddle to a whole suite of parts, for them to build your bike with. Our test bike had several upgrades, including SRAM G2 RSC brakes (which were disappointingly underpowered, so we’d suggest sticking with the standard Shimano XT four-pots), Cane Creek’s highly adjustable DB Kitsuma Air shock and Maxxis tyres. It also had a RockShox Pike Ultimate fork, which is a no-cost swap from a Cane Creek Helm. While we’d rather have a burlier RockShox Lyrik or Fox 36, the Pike is certainly easier to set up than the Helm.
JARGON EFFECTIVE SEAT TUBE ANGLE The angle of a line drawn from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the seatpost at pedalling height. PROGRESSIVE A progressive linkage is one where the leverage over the shock decreases through the travel, making the suspension feel progressively firmer.
The ride We measured the Jeht’s effective seat tube angle at 74.4 degrees at our pedalling height (with the saddle 830mm from the BB). That makes it the slackest on test, although only by a small margin. Add that to the suspension, which lacks anti-squat and so bobs and wallows more than most under power, and the result is a lazy feel on the climbs, even when compared to the heavier Starling. In tight turns, the front end feels a little far away, because the seated position is too rearward, making it difficult to keep the front wheel properly weighted on steep climbs without straining. And while weight (15.4kg) isn’t the primary problem, there isn’t a lot you could cheaply do to make this build much lighter, save for fitting a thinner front tyre. Fortunately, the Kitsuma shock’s lockout lever is easy to reach and firms up the suspension nicely. This helps to prop up the back end on smoother climbs, and we often found ourselves toggling the lever on and off over undulating terrain, too. The Jeht makes up for it when pointed downhill. Its long wheelbase
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WHE G N I S S E U G S EC ON D T O N E ’R U JUST YO Y D O B R N YO U TO PO SI T IO T RUST T HE R AL, T N E C Y A T S T R IP I T E L D N A FRON T
RE
BIKETEST
HIGHS makes it easy to keep your weight between the axles on steep and rough descents, so you’re not second-guessing where to position your body – just stay central, trust the front and let it rip. You can feel confident stuffing it into turns, knowing that it’ll stay stable and composed, with less dive and tripping-up than shorter bikes. At 64.5 degrees, the head angle is slack enough to keep the steering predictable in steep, rocky turns, but not so slack that it becomes floppy when climbing or compromises fork performance. We like the long back end, too. The 450mm chainstays help the bike to feel stable at speed and balanced in flat turns, so you don’t have to apply too much weight through your hands to keep the front tyre gripping. The Kitsuma Air shock’s four damping adjusters may seem a little overwhelming, but Cotic’s base tune is a great starting point. We ended up winding off the high and low-speed rebound damping until both were almost fully open, so lighter riders may find this shock overdamped. Running around 28 per cent sag
Stable and confidenceinspiring when tackling steep and rough terrain, thanks to stretched-out geometry Good front-torear balance, making it easy to rail turns
LOWS Slack seat tube angle and soggy suspension make it harder work on steep climbs Rear end isn’t the most sensitive at the start of its travel yet lacks support later on
(measured seated), the suspension isn’t as supportive in the middle of its travel or as sensitive at the start as on the other bikes in this test, which makes it a little less groundhugging and not as composed in big compressions. We put this down to the shock, as the linkage is progressive throughout. You could fit more volume spacers and drop the air pressure, but this would make the bike sit even deeper in its travel when climbing. It irons out the bumps well though, never hanging up or choking. These little suspension gripes aren’t enough to sap the Jeht’s confident, grab-it-by-the-scruffof-the-neck handling on steep and technical terrain. It’s only the soggy climbing performance that lets the bike down for us.
FOR A LITTLE LESS Cotic Jeht Silver GX £3,699 The base spec gets an X-Fusion fork, Cane Creek DBAir IL inline shock and Shimano Deore brakes.
FOR A LITTLE MORE
Sorted handling helps it thrive on steep descents, but suspension isn’t great and it’s lacklustre uphill
Cotic Jeht Platinum X01 eeWing £6,599 This top build gets you a posher drivetrain, titanium cranks and Hope brakes, and you can upgrade it to your heart’s desire.
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DETAILS FEELING RAW The stainless-steel front triangle looks great, with a polished, paint-free finish. It’s nice to know it won’t rust, too A HAPPY ACCIDENT? While the head angle is supposed to be 64.5 degrees, ours measured nearer 63, which was great on steep descents HIDDEN HEFT While this bike weighs a portly 15.6kg, it is fitted with useful CushCore tyre inserts, which weigh 0.5kg
R U M R U M G N I L R A T S £5,005 (approx) It’s unique, but is it an acquired taste?
Boost 148mm, although apparently you can just bend the steel swingarm inwards to fit 142mm wheels!
he Starling Murmur is one of the most intriguing and niche bikes going. While we’ve tested it before, we never felt the components made the most of what the frame could offer. This latest version, with tweaked geometry and coil suspension, is much closer to unleashing its full potential.
The kit
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The frame This Murmur uses a stainless steel front triangle, which allows for a beautiful polished raw finish. It’s made in Taiwan, where Starling founder Joe McEwan tells us they have the skills required to work with the tougher material. The rear triangle is also made in Taiwan, but from painted regular steel. It’s connected to the mainframe via a single pivot, providing 140mm of linear suspension, where the force builds at a constant rate through the travel. There’s room for a water bottle under the top tube, plus up to 2.8in tyres in the rear. The axle spacing is
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Joe isn’t one for mainstream parts. The Öhlins TTX coil shock works beautifully, but the RXF 36 EVO coil fork is slightly sticky and overdamped. Apparently the suppler M2 version will be available on future bikes. The wheels are built in Bristol by RyanBuildsWheels. You can choose Hope or Funn hubs, with a choice of DT Swiss rims. Joe doesn’t offer tyres but supplied our test bike with skinny 2.3in rubber, so we added their RRP to the quoted cost. These were fitted with CushCore tyre inserts, which weigh 500g per pair, so removing them would take the weight down from 15.6 to 15.1kg.
The ride Starling don’t have a fleet of pristine press bikes like most brands, so Joe sent us a well-used demo bike. The bar was too low, the fork was overdue a service and the shock spring was too soft, so the front wheel skipped more than it gripped. Once we’d
JARGON FRONT CENTRE/ REAR CENTRE Measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the front/rear axle. SPRING RATE The stiffness of the spring, quoted as the number of pounds of force taken to compress every inch of shock travel.
serviced the fork, swapped to a 548lb/in spring (for our 85kg weight) and fitted a higher-rise bar, the bike started to make sense. Despite weighing 15.6kg, the Murmur isn’t a bad climber. The effective seat tube angle measures mid-pack at 74.8 degrees, making it harder to attack steep pitches and keep the front wheel under control than on more upright bikes. But unlike on the Cotic, the suspension doesn’t bob much under power, and it never hangs up on bumps like the Evil, even when pedalling hard. The coil-sprung shock has more mid-stroke support than air shocks too, so it stays high in its travel, making the seat tube angle feel a little steeper than it is. While the 11-speed drivetrain with its 46t biggest sprocket makes stiff climbs harder work than the 12-speed, 52t set-ups on the other bikes here, the suspension does a good job of making them easier. When sprinting hard, the skinny-tubed frame feels surprisingly taut, too, and not like you’re losing any power to flex. With the stiffer spring and the rebound fully open, the Murmur had
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EEL F C I T E G R E N I T H A D A N E T R A I L S, W I T H TING A L U D N U N O BLE A T C I D E R P PLEN T Y OF D POP N A T R O P P L SU MID TR AVE
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HIGHS an energetic feel on undulating trails, with plenty of predictable mid-travel support and pop. The higher bar we fitted made it easy to manual and hop over obstacles, and the super-low BB (333mm) means it’s surprisingly agile when swapping between alternating turns. While Starling’s website puts the head angle at 64.5 degrees, our bike’s measured around 63 degrees. Head angles often deviate from the claimed figure, but not usually by this much. However, in the case of this bike, we think it’s a good thing. The steering was floppy in the car park but wonderfully predictable in steep turns and on fast straights. And while the fork struggled with small bumps, it worked brilliantly when sucking up big holes and square-edged hits. The rear suspension is incredibly supple and predictable. It tracks particularly well when lightly loaded over steep chatter, where it keeps the tyre hugging the ground, but remains composed and supportive when pushing through big compressions. It’s hard to know whether rear end flex helps with this traction, or if it’s just the suspension. Some damping
Long, extra-slack and low geometry makes for stable and confident handling in the nastiest terrain, without sacrificing agility Supple yet predictable, balanced coil suspension gives great traction and support
LOWS Steeper seat tube angle would really help with climbing efficiency and comfort Our bike’s super-slack head angle isn’t stock!
is added by the CushCore inserts too. The shock’s large bottom-out bumper kicks in from 65 per cent travel, so there’s no hint of the linkage-free suspension feeling overly linear or bottoming-out easily. Although the Öhlins fork isn’t the most sensitive (even when fully open) the twin-coil suspension feels well-balanced in compressions, making it easy to push into turns. The long front centre and slack head angle boost confidence when riding recklessly, but you need to load the bar to make up for the short back end relative to the front centre. That’s alright, though, because the unflappable steering stability, suspension balance and rear wheel grip make it easy (and fun) to lean forward and attack the trail.
FOR A LITTLE LESS Starling Murmur (frame and shock) £2,360 We’d love to build up this frame with our own favourite parts, like a Fox 36 fork, SRAM Code brakes and fatter tyres.
Stable yet agile, with sensitive yet predictable suspension. Not the best climber, but rips downhill
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ING EVIL OFFREAR GX HYD PRICE
T COTIC JEH
£5,850
GOLD G X
MU STARLING
£5,090 (with upgrades)
RMUR
£5,005 (approx.)
DISTRIBUTOR
https://eu.evil-bikes.com
www.cotic.co.uk
www.starlingcycles.com
WEIGHT
14kg
15.4kg
15.6kg
Undirectional carbon fibre, 140mm (5.5in) travel
Reynolds 853 steel mainframe with 6066-T6 aluminium swingarm, 140mm (5.5in) travel
Stainless steel mainframe, steel swingarm, 140mm (5.5in) travel
S, M, L, XL*
S, M, L, XL*
M, L, XL*
RockShox Lyrik Ultimate, 150mm (5.9in) travel
RockShox Pike Ultimate, 150mm (5.9in) travel (upgrade)
Öhlins RXF 36 EVO coil, 160mm (6.3in) travel
RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate RCT
Cane Creek DB Kitsuma Air (upgrade)
Öhlins TTX Coil
Cane Creek 40
Hope H2
Hope H2
WHEELS : HUBS
Industry Nine Enduro S Hydra
Hunt Trail Wide
Hope Pro 4
RIMS
Industry Nine Enduro, 30.5mm internal width
Hunt Trail Wide, 30mm internal width
DT Swiss EX 471, 25mm internal width
SPOKES
Industry Nine, 32
Triple-butted, 28 (f)/32(r)
Sapim CX-Ray, 32
AXLES
15x110mm Boost (f), 12x157mm Super Boost (r)
15x110mm Boost (f), 12x148mm Boost (r)
15x110mm Boost (f), 12x148mm Boost (r)
WHEEL WEIGHT
2.19 kg (f), 2.64kg (r) inc. tyres
2.49kg (f), 2.85kg (r) inc. tyres
2.25kg (f), 2.92kg (r) inc. tyres
Maxxis Minion DHF EXO 29x2.5in (f)/29x2.3in (r)
Maxxis Minion DHF DD 29x.25in (f)/Maxxis Minion DHR II EXO 29x2.4in (r) (upgrade)
Maxxis Minion DHF EXO 29x2.3in (f)/Maxxis High Roller 2 EXO 29x2.3in, with CushCore
CRANKSET/BB
SRAM GX Eagle DUB, 170mm, 32t/ SRAM DUB threaded
SRAM GX Eagle DUB, 170mm, 32t/ SRAM DUB threaded
Middleburn RS8, 170mm, 32t/ Shimano threaded
MECH(S)
SRAM GX Eagle (1x12)
SRAM GX Eagle (1x12)
Shimano Deore XT (1x11)
SHIFTER(S)
SRAM GX Eagle
SRAM GX Eagle
Shimano Deore XT
SRAM XG-1275, 10-52t/SRAM GX
SRAM XG-1275, 10-52t/SRAM GX
Shimano Deore XT, 11-46t/Shimano Deore XT
SRAM G2 RS, 200mm/180mm rotors
SRAM G2 RSC, 200mm/180mm rotors (upgrade)
Magura MT Trail, 180mm rotors
BAR/STEM/GRIPS
Evil Boomstick, 800mm/Evil 12 Gauge, 35mm/ Evil twin-collar lock-on
Cotic Calver, 780mm/Cotic Shorterstem, 40mm/Cotic lock-on
Funn Kingpin, 780mm/Funn, 35mm/Funn
SEATPOST/SADDLE
OneUp Dropper, 180mm travel /WTB Volt Pro
OneUp Dropper V2, 180mm travel/Cotic
BikeYoke DIVINE, 185mm travel/Funn
FRAME SIZES (*TESTED) FORK SHOCK HEADSET
TYRES
CASSETTE/CHAIN BRAKES
DIMENSIONS ETT: 670mm
450mm
m
RE AC H: 510m HE AD : 63° SE AT: 74.8°
m
RE AC H: 510m HE AD : 64.5° SE AT: 74.4°
m
m
(Asterisk indicates size tested)
ETT: 670mm
480m
0m m
500m
500m
RE AC H: 50 HE AD : 66° SE AT: 75°
430mm
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ETT: 680mm
445mm
345mm
342mm
333mm
1,260mm
1,315mm
1,320mm
Too short and steep to excel on technical tracks, but agile, supple and responsive on mellower stuff
Sorted handling helps it thrive on steep descents, but suspension isn’t great and it’s lacklustre uphill
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Stable yet agile, with sensitive yet predictable suspension. Not the best climber, but rips downhill
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BIKETEST STARLING
MURMUR
DIC FIN A L V ER
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ith every Biketest we learn something new. In this case, with its considerable weight advantage, pedalling-focused suspension design and stout carbon frame, we expected the Evil to be the runaway winner on the climbs, but things weren’t quite as clear-cut as we’d thought. The high anti-squat of its suspension made it choppy when pedalling over bumpy trails, where even the heavy Starling, with its coil suspension and tyre inserts, worked better. Because we had one boxy carbon bike and two skinny-tubed steel ones on test, we thought we’d be commenting on frame stiffness a lot. But with the shocks on the metal bikes locked out, there’s surprisingly little give when wrenching on the bar and pedals or stuffing them into a turn. It feels like flex in the tyres, wheels and bar drowns out any
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differences in frame compliance, especially when you add suspension to the equation. The Starling had the supplest ride, but probably thanks to its coil shock, and the Evil wasn’t far behind. The main thing that separated the bikes was geometry. All three would benefit from steeper seat tube angles, but while they have similar numbers on paper, the differences in suspension support affected the climbing position significantly. The overall length of the steel bikes gave them a clear edge when tackling steep descents, too. We measured the Starling’s head angle at 1.5 degrees slacker than advertised. While that’s a little disconcerting, on steep and technical trails it turned out to be a blessing This makes us wonder whether bikes still have room to go even longer and slacker, at least for taller riders.
NEXT MONTH Bike park slayers We test the hottest machines built speci ically for schralping turns and sending jumps ON SALE 16 FEBRUARY
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T S E T GROUP OUR RATINGS We base our scores on value for money and performance
EXCEPTIONAL A genuine class leader
VERY GOOD One of the best you can buy
GOOD It’ll do the job and do it well
BELOW AVERAGE Flawed in some way
POOR Simply put, don’t bother!
THE TESTER
BASELAYERS We pull on a selection of winter and summer skin-huggers and strike out on the bike to test them to their limits As the name suggests, the baselayer is one of the staples of your layering system, so you really want to get it right. Far more than just a stretchy top to keep you warm, it’s a moisture-management layer that wicks sweat away from your skin to leave you drier, warmer and therefore more comfortable. In fact, like a puppy isn’t just for Christmas, baselayers aren’t just for the winter months. A thin layer worn in summer will transport your sweat to the surface far more efficiently than, for example, a cotton top and will actually keep you cooler as a result of increased evaporation. In winter you still want that wicking effect, but with a little more insulation to keep you warm as well. There’s a huge range of options to choose from, and one baselayer will not see you through the whole year. Having both a lightweight summer base and a heavier winter one in your armoury will ensure that you’re as cool/cosy as possible in each of the different seasons. Merino wool, with its ultra-fine fibres and antibacterial properties, is a popular fabric for baselayers. It resists those pungent pongs that go hand-in-hand with synthetics and has a wonderfully soft feel against the skin. But it can wear out more quickly and soak up more water than synthetic fabrics, taking longer to dry. It’ll still feel warm when
wet, but when you’re looking for quick turnarounds of kit, the drying time can be a slight issue. Synthetic baselayers have been around since the famous Helly Hansen LIFA became a must-wear for outdoor types in the ’70s. Those of us who’ve been in the hills for more than a few years can recognise the smell from a hundred paces, and that’s their Achilles heel. Bacteria builds up over time and, while they may smell fresh after a wash, five minutes of wear can reinvigorate those nasties into an overpowering stink. Otherwise, they’re very durable, incredibly fast-drying – some almost ready to wear straight from the wash – and wick moisture away from the skin well. Manufacturers claim that antibacterial treatments substantially reduce the pong, but we’ve yet to come across something that works long-term. Recent innovations include layered fabrics that claim to be the best of both worlds, with a synthetic inner layer wicking the moisture away to a merino layer that adds insulation even when damp. Baselayers are always developing. We subjected 15 of the latest options to ruthless bacterial growth, gallons of sweat and the biting cold of a Scottish winter, even throwing a few thinner ones in there too to make a point – a baselayer is about far more than keeping you warm.
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Let’s face it, you need a baselayer in Scotland. Whether it’s to fend off the cold and wet or simply as a midge barrier, Andy and his team are never without one on their backs.
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BODY-MAPPING
MERINO WOOL
The body heats up and perspires more in some areas than others, and this also varies between men and women. Using this knowledge, manufacturers can make the fabric thicker/thinner, or vary its properties, in certain areas to aid comfort.
With its odourpreventing properties and great comfort and warmth, merino is superb for insulation. It holds more moisture than synthetics, but stays warm even when wet. It is, however, more expensive, less durable and slower to dry.
ODOUR PREVENTION Synthetic fabrics build up bacteria that stink when warm, so brands have come up with treatments such as Polygiene to prevent this. That said, we haven’t tried one that’s lasted more than a few dozen washes.
SYNTHETIC
WICKING
Synthetic baselayers, generally made from polyester, are excellent at absorbing moisture, quick to dry and very durable. They develop nasty smells over time, but are well-priced and have a great stretch – ideal for higherintensity workouts.
Your body regulates temperature by sweating out moisture, which then evaporates and takes heat with it. For this to work, your layers have to transfer the moisture to their outer surface, not hold it next to your skin. This is known as ‘wicking’.
DETAILS NECK A standard crew neck is the default for baselayers, but take a moment to consider a zip neck instead. These give a smidgen of versatility to help with ventilation, so are worth it if you tend to overheat easily. SLEEVES Summer baselayers are generally short-sleeved, and winter long-sleeved. But in the UK with our variable weather, we often find ourselves in long sleeves in summer, rolling them up when needed. You can also opt for a vest for wicking without retaining heat when the sun’s really beating down. FIT Baselayer fabric is nothing without a good, close fit. You need it to be touching your skin to be effective, so always choose a bodyhugging cut. The stretchier, the better. We’ve indicated whether each baselayer is designed for the male form (‘Men’), has a fit that’s claimed to be suitable for both men and women (‘Unisex’) or is available in genderspecific versions (‘Men & Women’). WEIGHT Winter baselayers are there to boost your warmth as well as wick awaymoisture,sotend to be thicker and heavier. Summer bases are all about wicking rather than insulation so tend to be much lighter (or even just mesh). FABRIC Every fabric has its advantages and disadvantages. Synthetics are warm, excellent at wicking, durable and very quick to dry, but can get stinky. Merino wool is soft, warm even when wet and supremely comfortable, and doesn’t smell, but can be less durable, holds more water and is a chunkmoreexpensive.
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PEARL iZUMi Merino Thermal £99.99
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For £100 we were expecting greatness here. With a plated construction of recycled polyester on the inside and merino on the outside it promised the best of both worlds, wicking well but with the comfort and improved thermal properties of wool. The fabric does work well where it’s in contact with skin, keeping us warm and dry when riding even at high intensities, but it didn’t feel soft and cosy like other merino baselayers. We were also less impressed with the cut. The fabric
doesn’t have the stretch needed for a great fit and the neck is just too wide for our taste, leaving too much skin exposed to the chilly air. Our testers also universally found the sleeves too short and the ribbon thumb loops uncomfortable to use for any length of time. On a cheap and cheerful attempt we could have forgiven a lot of this, but for £100 it’s not good enough. www.freewheel.co.uk
Fox Tecbase £28
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Although it comes in at a very reasonable £28, we struggled to love the Fox Tecbase for a number of reasons. The biggest is the fabric – it simply isn’t stretchy enough to be body-hugging. Skin contact is essential for any baselayer to work properly and it’ll never happen without a large amount of give in the material to hug those curves and extremities. Even if the fit had been right, the Tecbase doesn’t have the welcoming and comfortable feel of a quality baselayer,
instead feeling a little synthetic and harsh to the touch. It does wick nicely though where it touches the skin, and also breathes very well and comes out of the wash pretty much dry, so it isn’t all bad news. It would just about get you by in summer, but it could be a lot better, and didn’t tick enough of the baselayer-essential boxes to win us over, even at this bargain price. https://uk.foxracing.com
Morvélo Shift Overland Dual £50
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Morvélo describe the Shift Overland as a dual-purpose jersey and baselayer. While it’s a decent riding top, we didn’t rate it as a baselayer. The fabric is a polyester Airtex-type perforated material more often found on jerseys than baselayers, and it just doesn’t feel particularly comfortable or welcoming as a good next-to-skin layer should. Getting the sizing and fit right is crucial, too. For some testers it was tight enough to get that bodyhugging feel, but others found there
wasn’t enough stretch to facilitate that all-important skin contact. There are three rear pockets and a row of pockets along the front hem. Some testers found these created pressure points when worn underneath other layers, while others had no issue and found them useful. Overall, the Shift Overland is a good jersey, but not the best-performing baselayer. www.overland-store.com
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BAM Zip-Neck Bamboo £49
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If the idea of bamboo fibres doesn’t fill you with the assurance of a comfortable experience, it’s time for a rethink. This was right up there with the softest, stretchiest fabrics on test and was a pleasure to pull on. The large size was pretty generous on us, so we’d be tempted to size down and take advantage of that stretch, but the sleeve length and high zip neck were excellent. Our main gripe is that when the fabric gets damp it seems to have a huge capacity for soaking up moisture,
which isn’t the best characteristic for high-intensity, sweaty exercise, or if you tend to do a lot of wet rides. As a consequence, it also takes an age to dry, and that caused discomfort when the ride slowed down and chill set in. If your rides are generally on the gentler and less sweaty side, this is a decent option, which is claimed to be better for the planet, too. www.bambooclothing.co.uk
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for which it was an excellent option. Heading out on a chilly morning with just a thin jersey on top it really did stave off the cold, and when things warmed up a little the zip was ideal to regulate a bit of airflow. It worked, but only for a select set of conditions. If you hate that early-ride chill, this might be the solution you’ve been looking for. It’s expensive, though. www.gorewear.com
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Although GORE make some superb ‘normal’ baselayers, we decided to include this as a bit of a leftfield entry. A layer of their WINDSTOPPER material down the front of the arms and torso keeps the chill from your core, while thinner mesh allows your back to breathe. This makes no sense to us for winter, when it’ll be worn underneath other windproof or waterproof layers, and in the heat of summer it’s definitely too warm, but there were some of the mid-months
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GORE WINDSTOPPER Thermo Turtleneck £79.99
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of our testers commented that the sleeves were on the short side, so if you have long arms you may want to try before you buy. Other than that, the B4 is a perfectly capable, wellput-together baselayer that kept us warm and comfortable through some genuinely challenging conditions. It also feels like it should be durable, adding long-term value, too. www.torm.cc
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At £46 for a merino/synthetic hybrid fabric, the B4 certainly stands out as good value for money in a test where similar baselayers cost north of £55. The material’s feel is pleasant, with a soft touch and middling weight that carried us through autumn and winter conditions with ease. We like the cut too, which includes a long back to ensure decent coverage, but did feel the fabric could have done with a little more stretch to make for a great fit, rather than just an OK one. A few
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Torm B4 £46
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thermal properties were very welcome. We did find the wrists a little roomy – handy if you have a chunky sports watch underneath, but otherwise it left spare fabric that was out of contact with our skin, which we’d rather have done without. It’s good value for merino, and not so cyclingspecific that you couldn’t use it for other outdoor activities, too. www.freewheel.co.uk
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One of the few pure merino baselayers on test, the Isoler displays all the characteristics you’d expect from the fabric. Pleasingly soft to the touch, stretchy enough to figure-hug to a decent degree and warm even when damp, it was popular with our test riders. When the going gets very sweaty it does start to hold more moisture than the synthetics, and becomes heavier as a result, so we tended to favour it for less aggressive rides where the additional feel and
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Madison Isoler Merino £49.99
days out when we weren’t going to saturate it from the inside. In those conditions it was excellent, with its snug high neck to fend off the chill and thumb loops for keeping your wrists covered. We also made good use of the quarter zip to regulate our temperature on the climbs, reducing sweat build-up as a result. A great baselayer for steady days on the hill. www.hotlines-uk.com
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There’s nothing like the feel of a good merino jersey, and that’s exactly what the Nukeproof turned out to be. Pure merino makes for a luxuriously soft handle with all the qualities we’d expect – it stays warm when wet, resists odours and absorbs moisture. For high-intensity rides the fit was a little loose, not quite as body-hugging as we’d like for an efficient baselayer. Being merino, however, it isn’t ideal for super-sweaty rides anyway, instead better suited to long, cool-weather
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Alpinestars Tech Top Summer £55
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If anyone is in any doubt that a baselayer is beneficial in warm weather, just hand them this little gem from Alpinestars. Light as a feather, it’s perfectly form-fitting with superb stretch and support, great length and well-proportioned short sleeves. Its bodymapped construction thins the fabric out to an almost open mesh in places where you need to lose more heat and moisture, reducing the tendency for damp and uncomfortable spots. As with several on test, the torso
is seamless, which reduces the chance of pressure points if you’re wearing a pack or armour over the top. While £55 is a little steep for a featherweight T-shirt, once we got our heads around the technical cut and body-mapping, it suddenly didn’t seem quite so pricey. A great summer baselayer that’ll certainly be front and centre of our warm-weather wardrobe. www.zyrofisher.co.uk
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Helly Hansen LIFA Merino Midweight Crew £70 Available in a huge selection of colours, this offering from the original baselayer brand, Helly Hansen, proves to be an excellent cold-weather stalwart. It boasts a layered fabric that incorporates a LIFA (the brand’s traditional synthetic fabric) interior, to boost moisture transfer, with a merino exterior for thermal properties and improved feel. After high-intensity rides we found it grew heavy with sweat that would linger in the merino layer, taking longer to dry, so decided it was better
suited to low-to-mid-intensity day rides where moisture build-up shouldn’t be as much of an issue. Fabric feel and overall quality are as good as you’d expect for the cost, so we didn’t sniff too much at the £70 price tag. All testers found it to be a generous cut so it’d be worth sizing down from your usual measurements to get a better, more athletic fit. www.hellyhansen.com
Santini Grido £100
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We questioned the logic of a thermal baselayer with short sleeves, but it does have its place – for example, worn on a cooler summer day under a thin jersey. With a Polartec Power Wool layered combination of stretchy synthetic on the outside and merino on the inside, Santini are attempting to combine the benefits of synthetic wicking with natural insulation and feel. It certainly makes for a comfortable baselayer – the fit and feel are great, and it quickly drew
a healthy following among our testers. The £100 price tag is hard to overlook, though, and there are others on test that are as comfy and high-performing at nearly half the price. Santini also make a long-sleeved version of the same baselayer, which is definitely worth a look if your pockets are deep and the short-sleeved format doesn’t float your boat. www.zyrofisher.co.uk
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Specialized Merino £65
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Although the name suggests a pure wool construction, the Specialized top actually combines a Dryarn synthetic inside face with merino on the outside. Theoretically this inner fabric should boost moisture away from your skin quickly while the wool layer adds a great feel and hit of warmth. In practice, it worked very well. The fit is excellent, with areas of body-mapping giving warm or breathable panels where appropriate. For example, it’s perforated at the top
of the neck and under the arms to let sweat escape. This all added up to make it a tester’s favourite for comfort on the bike in a wide range of conditions. We did have concerns about durability, with the collar starting to bobble slightly towards the end of the test period – it could be bad luck or a washing issue, but at £65 it wouldn’t be great if it persisted. www.specialized.co.uk
S R E WINN
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, LE FABRICS B A P A C Y R VE BIKING’S IC FIT AND IN IF A R T R N E U T O A M “WITH IDEAL FOR E INTENSITIES” IS O N O R H THE C OW EXERCIS L D N A H IG MIX OF H
Giro Chrono £54.99
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Straight out of its box there was a great deal of doubt as to whether the Giro top would fit any of us – it looked tiny. But, as testament to the stretch of the fabric, not only did it fit but it was supremely comfortable and warm into the bargain. The body-hugging cut prevents any sweaty and clammy patches, while the seamless torso means there’s no irritating stitching to cause hotspots when worn under bib shorts or backpacks. The more we wore it, the more we loved it as a terrific all-rounder. It’s not too hot and not too cool, and that’s the primary purpose of a baselayer – to keep you comfortable through a range of activity intensities and weather conditions. The Chrono became the baselayer to reach for when we were looking at hard days out on the bike. It copes admirably with the heat and
sweat of high-intensity riding, but remains as comfortable as can be expected during the inevitable stops, when you’re prone to chill. It wicks sweat efficiently, doesn’t hold on to moisture and the cut is perfectly suited to the riding position. Even though it looks small, the waist and sleeves always stay exactly where we put them when we dressed – there was never a tendency to ride up. With its mid-weight fabric it could certainly be used right through a UK winter from autumn to spring without overheating or undergunning. It isn’t cheap, but what you get is a tremendously durable and versatile baselayer that all our testers were unanimously positive about. www.zyrofisher.co.uk
Endura Transrib £37.99
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The Transrib is a simple, effective and hardwearing baselayer at a keen price. Synthetic CoolMax material is knitted into a ribbed profile, allowing it to trap more air when other wind-resistant layers are worn on top, yet be reasonably cool when used under a thin, wind-permeable riding jersey in the warmer months. As much as you need different layers for different seasons, this is one that could be used across a wide variety of temperatures and conditions. The fit
is excellent, if a little small for the size, but it’s stretchy and body-hugging in all the right ways. While the fabric doesn’t feel quite as nice as merino, being a bit scratchy and harsh, it certainly isn’t terrible by any means. We also love the fact that it comes out of the washing machine almost wearably dry, so turnaround time between rides is excellent. www.endurasport.com
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Craft Advance Warm Fuseknit Intensity £60 Craft’s baselayer won every one of our testers over with its excellent fit, bang-on cut and superb neck profile. The fabric backs this up with a ‘3D knit’ that gives a pleasantly chunky, but not too heavy, feel to this top, boosting the thermal properties and making it feel more substantial for use in chilly weather. And it’s most definitely a winter baselayer – it’s way too hot for summer months. For warmer weather Craft do a thinner version so that would be well worth
a look. Body-mapping is evident all over this highly technical top, with thicker fabric in certain areas and thinner in others to allow sweatier regions to breathe better when you warm up. It washes well, dries fast and is easy to care for. At £60 it’s pricey, but worth every penny if you want to stay warm and comfortable this winter. www.craftsportswear.co.uk
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TED ON DA ITI UP 0 ED 2 20
INSIDE… OVER 60 WALKTHROUGHS INCLUDING... PREP YOUR BIKE FOR WINTER FIX YOUR DISC BRAKES PERFECT BIKE SET UP ROADSIDE REPAIRS PLUS MUCH MORE...
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† UK calls will cost the same as other standard fixed line numbers (starting 01 or 02) and are included as part of any inclusive or free minutes allowances (if offered |by your phone tariff). Outside of free call packages, call charges from mobile phones will cost between 3p and 55p per minute. Lines are open Mon to Fri 9am–5pm. *UK residents receive FREE UK POSTAGE on this special edition. Prices including postage are: £9.99 for all UK residents, £12.99 for Europe and £13.49 for Rest of World. All orders subject to availability. Please allow up to 21 days for delivery.
SKILLS, KN OW H OW, NU T RITI ON & FI TNESS
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108 GRIMETIME Choosing & itting brake pads + tech Q&A
110 BIG RIDE + MAPS An Exmoor beast of a ride from Dunster
H O W T O... ET! W E H T N I G N LOV E R IDI E T TING G R O F S P I ’ TOP T S E N R 10 4 A P B E S JO T U R E H R O W DY I N T
122 TRAIL CREW Best tech trails – 5 tricky of icial tracks Mountain Biking UK 103
Love riding in the wet Fort William local Joe Barnes knows a thing or two about riding in the gloop. Here are his top tips
What can I say? Riding in muddy, soggy conditions is one of my most enjoyable times on the bike, and if you live in the UK it’s a frequent occurrence. With the winter now set in properly, there’s no better time to embrace the mud and slime. Bike set-up (covered on this page) is very important, and there are a few upgrades that can make a massive difference to the amount of fun you’ll have when it’s wet and rowdy. It’s important to think about your riding technique too, and to wear appropriate kit (see overleaf for more on that). Now get out there and have some fun!
PRO FILE
Joe Barnes Enduro World Series racer and Dudes of Hazzard mastermind Joe has a ton of experience in all kinds of conditions, but his speciality has to be his wild mud-rut riding on his home trails. He’s never happier than when his wheels are axle-deep in slop!
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non-stick coating This tip may be more something for the racers, but spraying your frame with silicone lube can help prevent mud and gloop from sticking to it, keeping your bike lighter and making it easier to clean after the ride. Win-win!
Hunting for grip Tyres with a spiky tread pattern are essential for riding in thick gloop. The taller knobs dig into the mud between the roots and rocks to give you more grip in slippery conditions. I run a Schwalbe Dirty Dan, a full-on mud tyre, in winter.
BIKE set-up It’s all about the bike…
Clear line of sight A big mudguard (not the short, flexible type held in place by zipties) will make a huge difference by stopping the majority of crud and water from spraying up into your face and blinding you. No one wants a splodge of dirt right in the eye just before they’re about to hit a jump!
Speed control Fit the correct brake pads. Your brakes have a much harder time in the wet, so using sintered (aka metallic) pads that have better poor-weather performance will make a big difference to your control and confidence. Plus, they’ll last longer.
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TRAIL tactics Ride right to stay upright
Slippery business Look out for roots because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re extra slippery when wet. The trick is to keep your eyes up and spot them early, adjust your line and ride over them at 90 degrees. This should minimise the likelihood of your tyres sliding. Where possible, try to lift the front wheel or even bunnyhop over them.
think ahead Approach technical or steep sections of trail at a slower pace than normal. In the wet itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harder to slow down because of the reduced grip, and your brakes tend to be less powerful due to the colder temperatures and water on the rotors. If you brake early and prepare, you can ride the section with more control and exit faster with fewer mistakes.
Ruts to success If the corners are banked or rutted, then you know your tyres should have a decent amount of support under them, so commit, ride hard and keep your speed. If the turns are flat, they’re going to be slippery – you’ve been warned! It can be helpful to take a foot off and slide the bike around.
Every little helps Lifting the front wheel or attempting to manual through puddles will keep you marginally drier, especially your feet, and help you enjoy your time in the slop and cold that little bit longer.
The kit What to wear in the wet 1 Function over fashion First up, I’d always recommend a good waterproof jacket to anyone out for a decent ride in the winter. A more underrated piece of equipment is a pair of waterproof trousers – a dry bum can keep you motivated for a few more laps, and once you’re done, cleaning up is way easier too. 2 Eyes on the prize If you combine waterproof clothing with a pair of goggles or riding glasses to keep rain and grit from
ruining your vision, you’re on to a double winner for getting out in the wet.
3 Happy feet Something else that shouldn’t be overlooked is gloves and socks that are warm when wet. Wool socks are a good choice, as are neoprene. They won’t keep you dry, but should keep you warmer. Some people swear by putting plastic bags between their socks and shoes, or wearing nitrile workshop gloves inside their riding gloves.
www.muc-off.com
Grime TIME Your questions answered doesn’t mesh well Can you recommend some knee pads that don’t have that thin mesh on the back of the knee? When I’m pushing my bike up hills, my flat pedals keep catching and tearing the mesh – I need something more hardwearing! Brian Topham, Dorset We’ve got a couple of suggestions. If you want a fair amount of protection, have a look at the 7iDP Project pads (£110), which won the Most Wanted award in our last knee pad grouptest (MBUK 385). They’ve got a thicker woven fabric
7iDP’s Project knee pads are a favourite among MBUK staffers, and feature a thicker than-usual fabric at the rear
behind the knee, as well as a cut-out for ventilation. If you’re after something slightly smaller, we gave Sweet Protection’s knee pads (£89.99; not to be confused with their £59.99 knee guards) top marks in MBUK 386 for their great fit and long-ride comfort.
brakes on the brain Don’t laugh, but my bike has cable disc brakes, and it’s time to replace them because they’re dying. Given that I’ve already got the levers, is there any reason I should upgrade to hydraulic? I’m fairly happy with what I have. James Jobson, Barrow-in-Furness
Don’t worry, we aren’t laughing! If it were us, though, we would upgrade to hydraulic brakes, because of their improved consistency and power. With a cable-activated system, there are more moving parts open to the elements, which, when wet and muddy, will degrade their performance. While hydraulic brakes aren’t infallible, they tend to stand up to wet weather much better, as the system is effectively sealed. Hydraulic brakes are trickier to work on at home (requiring occasional bleeding to purge the system of air), but in our experience their reliability means there’s less to look after anyway. You don’t have to pay
HOW TO replace your brake pads
Pop the bike in a workstand and remove the wheel. If the old pads are worn out, the brake’s pistons will be extended, making them easy to clean. This can boost braking power and lever feel. If you wish to skip this stage, jump ahead to step 5.
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Remove the safety clip and use the correct size Allen key to unscrew the pad retaining pin (anticlockwise). Or with Shimano brakes, pinch the split pin with pliers and slide it out. Squeeze the pads together and remove them from the brake calliper.
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Spray the pistons with isopropyl alcohol, then gently clean them with cotton buds. You can then lightly coat the pistons with a drop of the same hydraulic fluid your brakes use or some silicone lubricant, applied using a cotton bud.
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Squarely and carefully push the pistons back into their bores with a flat spanner or tyre lever until they stop. If you lubricated the pistons, give the whole calliper a clean with water and detergent or isopropyl alcohol. Skip to step 6.
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much to get a good set either – when we tested hydraulic discs in MBUK 382 we found that even the £44.99 (full set) Clarks Clout 1 brakes were a step up in performance from most cable discs, while Shimano’s £74.99 (per end) Deore M6000 stoppers impressed massively on the trail.
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total ellipse What’s the deal with oval chainrings? How have you guys found them for trail riding? Jason Ingham, via email Oval/elliptical chainrings divide opinion in the office. They feel different to round ones, which you either get used to or just find weird. The idea is that the shape effectively lowers the gearing as your cranks pass vertical – the part of the pedal stroke where your legs have less power – and then raises the gearing as you push through the most powerful part of the stroke. This is said to smooth your pedalling input, which some say is good for climbs and flat transfers between trails. It’s difficult to say with much certainty how effective they are at smoothing your pedalling out, and claims that they increase power should be taken with a pinch of salt. They were popular in the road scene a few years ago (Chris Froome used Osymetric chainrings when he won the Tour de France), but seem to have fallen out of favour, so perhaps the hype has died down and they aren’t as ‘magic’ as some may have suggested. Regardless, they certainly give a different feel, and some of us have really enjoyed riding with them. So if you have the chance to try one out, it’s definitely worth giving it a shot to see how it works for you.
If not cleaning the pistons, use a pad separator or flat screwdriver (this will damage the old pads) to lever the worn pads apart until they won’t retract any further, then remove them as in step 2. If re-using the pads, remove them first then retract the pistons, as in step 4.
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Sintered
Semi-metallic
Organic
Made of a mixture of metallic particles pressed together, these offer a longer lifespan and better performance in wet, gritty conditions then organic pads. They also conduct heat away from the braking surface more readily and so tend to fade less on long descents. However, they can be noisy, and provide less power when cold.
A compromise between sintered and organic pads, made from both metallic and organic materials. The initial bite is better and the power more predictable than with sintered pads, but the lifespan and wet-weather performance are better than with organic pads.
Organic brake pads are generally made up of Kevlar, rubber and silica, bound together with resin. They’re relatively soft, bed in quickly, remain quiet and provide excellent initial bite, especially at low temperatures. But pad life is short and braking power fades at high temperatures or in wet, gritty conditions.
Take the new brake pads and make a ‘spring sandwich’, by squeezing the separator spring between them. While holding this ‘sandwich’ together in your fingers, slot it into the calliper from above until the holes in the pads line up with the holes in the calliper for the retaining pin.
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Re-install the retaining pin through the calliper and pads. Tighten it to the manufacturer’s torque specs with an Allen key, then re-install the safety clip. With a Shimano split pin, thread it through the calliper, then separate the ends with pliers so it can’t pull back through.
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Swapping pad compounds For optimum performance, when you change pad compounds you should swap brake rotors too, because the new pads won’t grip as well on the layers of material laid down by the previous pads. Keeping the same rotors won’t be a disaster, however – it’ll just take the new pads longer to bed in.
Re-install the wheel, then squeeze the brake lever repeatedly until the bite point feels firm and consistent. You may need to re-centre the calliper over the rotor to avoid rubbing (see Grimetime in MBUK 361). Remember to bed in the pads before going riding.
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DUNSTER, EXMOOR Wilder and rockier than the neighbouring Quantocks, Exmoor National Park is loaded with quality mountain biking along its miles of permissive trails Words Max Darkins Photos Russell Burton
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WHERE ARE WE? EXMOOR NATIONAL PARK Exmoor National Park in South West England covers nearly 700km of west Somerset and north Devon, with nearly 500km of bridleways over the steep, hilly moorland. The underlying sedimentary rock means many trails drain well, except for on some parts on the moors. www.exmoor-national-park.gov.uk
Bristol
Cardiff EXMOOR NATIONAL PARK Exeter
Blackpool
Grind yourself warm: Max powers through the wintry air to get the blood pumping
Miles and miles of permissive bridleways make Exmoor a solid choice for a grand day out on two wheels
e’re keen to stretch our legs with a challenging ride in an inspiring landscape, as a break from slogging around the local trails. I’ve always enjoyed riding in the Quantock Hills, which are just east of here and closer to the M5, but Exmoor is like their big brother, filled with rugged open moorland punctuated by wooded combes and steep rocky hills. It also has some great winter-proof trails and more cafes for much-needed sustenance. Named after the River Exe, this National Park is a former royal hunting ground. Now much of it is owned and managed by the National Trust, who work hard to provide excellent access to the outdoors for everyone to enjoy it, and have created a number of permissive tracks here. Of course, as a designated National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, there’s a balance required, so it’s important to ride only where permitted, and do so carefully, to maintain this delicate natural equilibrium.
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Dressed to chill We’ve decided to begin our ride in the idyllic village of Dunster, just inside the north-eastern boundary of Exmoor. Dunster is one of the most intact medieval villages in England, with a wealth of listed buildings, a 17th-century yarn market, a packhorse bridge, a dovecote, a tithe barn, a working watermill
M A X DA R K
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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 the OS Maps app to ride and share this route
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EES R T E H T O T GES IN N U L P D N A IDENS Y OV E R W A L I W A R R U T O E H H T D BAS N A H S A R C W HER E W E T S FOR A HIGH SPEED ROO D N A S K C RO OM T T O B E H T O PLUMME T T
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SOON E W , D N I H E T ION B A S I L I V I E TO C C G N N A I H V C A E E L H QUICKLY L A D OF T G E R A ONG D L N A A E L S L I I U H R P C E WE TUR N U R O F E B , P U TO SE A V ES T L E U S O R S U W O E I M WAR G THE V N I Y O J N E , OP T HE R IDGE T BEST EATING In Dunster, Castle Coffee House have a broad menu to suit all tastes and hot meals made with Exmoor beef on Sundays. They’ve also got a garden and patio, and an alcohol license. For a hearty post-ride meal and local ale, the 14th-century Luttrell Arms has welcoming bar rooms with roaring fires in winter. On the route, the Horner Tea Gardens are highly recommended. The staff are legends, the food is great quality and you can enjoy homemade cakes, sandwiches, hot and cold drinks, light lunches and cream teas in a lovely garden setting.
and, of course, the impressive 1,000-plus-year-old castle, now maintained by the National Trust. Regretting arriving in our civvies, we perform a striptease in the frigid car park before dressing in more suitable attire, then wend our way along the main street, which is decked out beautifully in Christmas decorations. Leaving civilisation behind, we soon turn uphill and are glad of the chance to warm ourselves up, before we cruise along the ridgetop, enjoying the views out to sea. After a while we peel off to join the Tivington bridleway, which starts with a fast descent before becoming narrower and more technical. In these wintry conditions I’m keen to avoid the muddier trails, so we opt for tarmac to start ascending the big imposing mound that is Selworthy Beacon. At the top, just over 300m above sea level and with the Bristol Channel less than 1km away as the crow flies, there are panoramic views up and down the coast, and even across to South Wales. This expansive vista gives me exactly the feeling of freedom I’ve been craving for the past few weeks, so I pause to catch my breath and soak it all in. Sadly there’s no sun to soak in too, just mizzle, so after one last lingering look, and a deep breath, we head west, seeking the descent that drops us steeply down the hillside into Lynch Combe. It’s quite different to the last time I was here, when there were blue skies, a sparkling turquoise sea, and purple heather and yellow gorse in bloom. The view down to Porlock Bay is still pretty spectacular though, and we’re just as excited to know that we’ll descend close to sea level in a little under 2km. An open grassy track spurs us on to a fast start, before a sharp left turn onto a narrow trail with a steep drop encourages us to get more familiar with our level of tyre traction before we let rip once again. The trail widens and plunges into the trees, where we crash and bash our way over rocks and roots for a high-speed plummet to the
bottom. Despite having a reasonable splattering of mud about both bike and rider, in this cold there’s no way I’m going to even entertain Russell’s request for me to splash through another puddle for the camera. Instead I enjoy the rare respite as we spin along some flat trails, getting ever closer to the next impending hill, Dunkery Beacon.
The wild side Exmoor provides an important habitat for a range of flora and fauna. In the Holnicote Estate, for the first time in more than 400 years, beavers have been released by the National Trust and have created a dam. It’s also home to a number of semi-feral Exmoor ponies, a rare breed native to the British Isles, as well as being one of the last remaining strongholds for the native red deer, with around 3,000 living here. These are the largest wild land animals in the UK, with adult stags weighing up to 200kg and standing close to 2m to the tips of their antlers. Thankfully, we’re just out of the rutting season (which runs from late September to early November), because you wouldn’t want to get between one of these testosterone-fuelled beasts and his hind. We reach the foot of the hillside in the remote little hamlet of Horner, but I have more delaying tactics up my jersey sleeve – there are a couple of great tea rooms here and it just wouldn’t be right to come to Exmoor and not have a cream tea (with jam on first, obviously). After literally prising ourselves from the tea garden seats, our cold legs propel our full stomachs back to our bikes and the inevitable climb. By the time we’ve joined the Brockwell Bridleway we’re feeling somewhat ready for the increase in gradient as we start our ascent of Dunkery Hill. The first section to Webber’s Post follows a restricted byway. I do like the challenge of an off-road climb to distract me from the effort, but having just chased Russell on his e-bike up
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Vestiges of Exmoor’s origins as a royal hunting forest remain today, and mountain bikers can reap the rewards
a vertical gain of 100m and with another 200m to go, I’m quite happy to grind the rest of this one out on the smooth tarmac. The road gets super-steep and it’s tempting to take an optional shortcut here, left straight to Brockwell along the Dunster Path, which runs across the foot of the hill. It’s a nice trail but sticking with the road climb promises a bigger reward down the Macmillan Way West.
The faff fantastic Russell is soon opening a gap as I try my best to stay with him, but my bike seems to be sticking to the tarmac, making my legs feel weak and empty, and eventually he disappears from view. Without the whirring of his motor (or more likely, my heavy breathing) I can now hear my tyre sucking the tarmac – turns out I’ve got a flat! And now two very tired legs too. After a couple of CO2 inflates, new tubeless spaff, a sticky valve, frozen fingers and much cursing, I have to resign myself to the fact that this tyre isn’t going to reseat. So out come the surgical rubber gloves for the messy trailside operation. The sealant-covered foam rim protector is plucked, dripping, from the tyre carcass, before I embark on the unenviable job of finding all the thorns that live within a tubeless tyre. Six of them later, I stuff in an emergency inner tube. At least the pumping defrosts me somewhat. With my foam insert strapped to my pack we can get going again. Kindly, throughout this rigmarole, Russell has been giving a running weather commentary, so I’m fully aware that I’ve cost us the chance to summit Dunkery Hill – the beacon is now hidden in a mizzle that’s engulfed the top as I’ve been faffing. With the decision made for us – if our frozen bodies had even been capable of taking us any further – we decide to head back down on the Macmillan Way West to Brockwell. The descent is exactly what we
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need to get the blood flowing again, with as much pedalling as we wish (or can manage) as we pump the bikes through the rocky descent. I’m reminded of the benefits of tubeless tyres and foam inserts, as my rear tyre is flat once more. Sheepishly I pop another (my last) tube in and sing the praises of CO2 canisters, which have me back up and running in super-quick time. After railing around the big red berms we’re spat out at the road, with a splattering of red earth all over us. This amazing soil is a product of the underlying old red sandstone, which colours the ploughed fields you see around here. We may have just enjoyed a descent, but we’re grateful for the easy spin on the road before we once again turn skyward. The forest track tries its best to make the climb as easy on us as it can, but by the top I’m actually steaming as the moisture from my body escapes into the cold air. It’s been wonderful to get away and enjoy the freedom of this wild and remote countryside, but with dusk drawing in and temperatures dropping even faster, I’m longing to finish the ride and reap my rewards in the cafe. Thankfully, we’re at the summit of the final hill and now have a good long descent to finish this eventful day, with 250m of elevation to cash in. The trail allows me time to push my lungs back down my throat and for my jelly legs to recover, before I once again empty my fuel tank, and Russell his battery, as we race along the trail, popping off any root or rock that protrudes from the ground. The final section sees us diving down steep singletrack between oak trees. Knowing the trails will be virtually empty at this time of day and year, we’re able to enjoy this fast and flowing descent back to Dunster unhindered, where all that stands between us and the warmth of the cafe is another cold car-park strip, before we can finally relax and reflect on this epic Exmoor beast of a ride.
UTE HARD RO
Dunster, Exmoor Distance 32.7km (20.3 miles) Climbing 1,240m (4,068ft) Time 2hrs 30mins to 4hrs 4 3 5
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Wimbledon Common & Richmond Park, London Distance 17.4km (10.8 miles) Climbing 200m (656ft) Time 1hr to 1hr 30mins
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Dunster, Exmoor Distance 32.7km (20.3 miles) Climbing 1,240m (4,068ft) Time 2hrs 30mins to 4hrs Route summary This ride takes in some big climbs but repays your efforts with fast, rocky descents and stunning views Start/ inish Dunster car park (postcode TA24 6SE, grid ref SS 993/439)
LOCATION DETAILS Exmoor National Park is a 693km area of hilly moorland in South West England (71 per cent of it is in Somerset and 29 per cent in Devon). The steep hills and sedimentary rock provide good riding throughout the year, except on some boggy moorland crossings. Much of the best mountain biking is found in the wooded valleys (‘combes’), where numerous tracks wriggle through the trees.
GETTING THERE Exit the M5 at Bridgwater and follow Head left into Dunster. After the traffic lights, turn right on St George’s Street. Bear right and climb past the school. At the edge of the village, go left on a bridleway by Hanger’s Way, then climb into the trees and fork left, keeping straight ahead. This becomes the Macmillan Way West (MWW).
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Ride over the top and, after a bridleway crosses the track, fork right. Start to descend and fork left towards Tivington, then go right on the road and fork right soon after. Follow the narrow road uphill, cross the A39 and keep right at a fork. Climb, then follow the road left. At the next sharp left bend, turn off right onto the Selworthy Beacon bridleway.
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Go ahead at a track crossing and ahead/right to a road, then turn left on this and immediately right at the fork. Shortly after, bear off left on the Selworthy Beacon bridleway. Continue left at a fork, joining a better track to the Beacon, and continue down the main path, keeping ahead as you join the South West Coast Path.
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Just after a track joins from the left, fork left and look for a small bridleway post, then go left on the bridleway, descending with views of Porlock Bay. Follow this track sharply left and drop into the combe, then keep ahead, crossing a ford and joining the tarmac by some houses. Go left on the road.
Maps produced in association with
Pass through Allerford to the A39 and head right, then bear left on a bridleway when the road continues right. Cross a footbridge and go left on the tarmac, then keep ahead/left into Horner. Make a right at the crossroads, then go immediately left on a bridleway. Keep right and climb to Webber’s Post. Go left on the road and start the long, steep climb up Dunkery Hill (or shortly after, bear off left for a shortcut on the Dunster Path bridleway). Where there’s a wide track and barrier heading right to Dunkery Beacon, turn left on the narrower (Brockwell) bridleway, descend on the MWW and keep ahead to the road. Go ahead/left, downhill past a house. Turn right at a stone outbuilding by the road, onto Butt’s Lane. Take a left on the road at the end, immediately fork left, climb to a T-junction by the village shop and go right. After just over 1km, when the road bears sharply right and descends, turn left on a bridleway. Follow this uphill, keeping right and eventually meeting the MWW again.
the A39 towards Minehead, but turn off just before it, into the village of Dunster. There’s a car park on the left as you approach the village.
MAPS & BOOKS Ordnance Survey Landranger 181: Minehead & Brendon Hills. Mountain Bike Rides in & Around Exmoor & Dartmoor by Max Darkins (Rough Ride Guide).
FACILITIES Try the Stags Head pub/B&B in Dunster (01643 821229, www.stagsheadinnexmoor.co.uk). There’s a kiosk by the car park at the start, selling coffee and ice cream. The Castle Coffee House (01643 821219) is good, as is the Chapel House Tea Room (01643 822343, www.chapelhousedunster. co.uk) and The Foresters Arms Dunster (01643 821313, www.foresters-arms-dunster.co.uk). On the route, there are two great tea rooms in Horner.
Turn right, retracing your earlier steps. Ride along the ridgetop, but at a clump of trees and a track crossing, follow the MWW right, downhill, and look out for a sharp right turn down a steeper bridleway after you bear left. Go left on the road at the bottom, back into, and through, Dunster to finish.
DOWNLOAD RIDE & SHARE THIS ROUTE https://bit.ly/MBUK391 Dunster
Wimbledon Common & Richmond Park, London Distance 17.4km (10.8 miles) Climbing 200m (656ft) Time 1hr to 1hr 30mins Route summary A great escape from the urban hustle and bustle, without leaving London. This route may not offer technical riding, but the all-weather trails, open land, woodland and freely-wandering deer provide a brilliant break from the metropolis Start/ inish Wimbledon Windmill car park (postcode SW19 5NQ, grid ref TQ 230/725)
LOCATION DETAILS The Big Smoke isn’t exactly a mountain biker’s dream location, but it does have a surprising number of easy, flat off-road trails suitable for a gentle spin. It may not be technical, but the Tamsin Trail around Richmond Park offers a pleasant all-weather ride and provides a sense of freedom and wildness as you pedal among the roaming deer and expanses of greenery. It’s best done in the evening or early morning.
GETTING THERE Being just south-west of London city
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Continue straight ahead on a bridleway (not the one to the right). Ascend gradually, keeping left at the junctions and staying on the main track (known as Gravelly Ride). Eventually you’ll come to a T-junction with the track you came along earlier. Turn left and follow it back to the start.
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centre, you probably won’t be driving here, but if you do, there’s parking at the Wimbledon Windmill. There’s a railway station at Wimbledon, but also ones at Richmond and Barnes Common, which are easier to join the route from.
MAPS & BOOKS Ordnance Survey Landranger 176:
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NOTE: Permitted cycle paths in Wimbledon and Richmond are marked with blue ‘Cycle Route’ signs. Off-piste cycling isn’t permitted, and cyclists are required to give way to pedestrians and horses, and to control their speed.
Exit the car park and turn right (at the long grassy island), keeping ahead past a green barrier, then leaving the tarmac onto a gravelled track. Keep right at the fork, ignoring the Sustrans cycle path to the left, and continue along this main track. Follow it as it bears right, to another grassy island, and keep right, past a house and small parking area, to join a dirt track into the trees (known as ‘Robin Hood Road’). Follow this main track all the way to a junction at the bottom. Turn right alongside the brook, following the cycle path, then bearing left, to a junction beside a playing field on the right before the clubhouse. Turn left over a footbridge, cross the A3 and continue down the side street straight ahead, into Richmond Park.
FACILITIES For refreshments, there’s the Windmill Tearooms at the start (020 8788 2910, www.wind milltearooms.com). There’s also Roehampton Cafe by Roehampton Gate (020 8876 7933), another cafe at Pembroke Lodge (020 8940 8207) and lots more options in Wimbledon and Richmond. For bike hire, you’ve got Parkcycle in Richmond Park (020 8878 2519, www.parkcycle.co.uk).
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Turn right once inside the gate and follow the Tamsin Trail, which is well-signposted. Ride for 11km around the perimeter of the park, taking care at the road crossings, until you return to the same gate (Robin Hood Gate) and retrace your steps back across the A3. Go back over the footbridge to the edge of the playing field and turn right, then keep ahead to reach a junction.
Maps produced in association with
West London. Mountain Bike Rides in & Around North & South Downs by Max Darkins (Rough Ride Guide).
DOWNLOAD RIDE & SHARE THIS ROUTE https://bit.ly/MBUK391 London
ROUTE MEDIUM
Church Stretton, Shropshire Distance 21.2km (13.2 miles) Climbing 660m (2,165ft) Time 1hr 30mins to 2hrs 30mins
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Applecross, Scotland Distance 16.1km (10 miles) Climbing 360m (1,181ft) Time 1hr 30mins to 2hrs 30mins each way 1
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Church Stretton, Shropshire Distance 21.2km (13.2 miles) Climbing 660m (2,165ft) Time 1hr 30mins to 2hrs 30mins Route summary This ride has a couple of big climbs and some hard tracks to keep you warm and moving. There’s also a nice cafe at the end to reward yourself for getting out Start/ inish Carding Mill Valley car park (postcode SY6 6JG, grid ref SO 448/943)
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Join the track opposite the coach parking area, which heads south-east up the (steep) side of the valley. At the top, turn right on the road (Bur Way) and continue uphill. You’re probably best off ignoring the bridleway to the side of the road, and just grinding it out on the tarmac. There’s a short off-road section when the gradient eases off, to the left between the small wooden posts, then you’ll rejoin the road soon after.
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At the fork, go left then keep ahead, off-road on a gravel bridleway, when the road bears left. Follow this uphill to a track crossing and turn left to Pole Bank viewpoint. Continue on the track past the viewpoint, then descend to the road and keep ahead/right on it, along the top of the hill.
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Follow the tarmac to the entrance of the Midland Gliding Club, where you leave the road and enter the club’s land, following the bridleway past the clubhouse. Keep ahead and right, riding along the top of the hill, until you reach marker post no.2, where you turn right and follow the zig-zagging rocky trail steeply downhill.
to go along the bottom of the hill. Keep ahead on this track (trail no.4) which becomes tarmac, then keep ahead/right at the road junction, and keep following this road for 1.6km until it bears sharply left, with a house and two gates ahead.
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Turn right here and follow the dead-end track uphill, which becomes rougher (trail no.6), and climb to the track crossing at the top, where you were earlier (Pole Bank viewpoint is to the right). Turn left, on the only track you haven’t been on yet. Descend to, and cross, the road, passing to the right of the Shooting Box car park.
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At a junction with another track, and some wooden posts, keep ahead/left on this wide, straight track until you come to a fork, with a post marked ‘Carding Mill’ (trail no.10), where you bear right and follow it right (Mott’s Road bridleway). This is usually busy with walkers, but hopefully quieter in winter. Follow this trail, which becomes rocky and challenging, and eventually brings you back to the car park to finish.
LOCATION DETAILS Church Stretton lies at the foot of the Long Mynd, a 11km moorland plateau in Shropshire, south of Shrewsbury and not far from the Welsh border. This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is essentially a series of green rounded hills with steep gullies, known as ‘batches’, which house some great trails.
GETTING THERE The town is best accessed from the M54. Head towards Shrewsbury, then south on the A49. Turn right at the crossroads in Church Stretton, just before the railway, on the B4371, then right at the crossroads with High Street. Take a left on Carding Mill Valley, signed to the Golf Course. The car park is along here.
MAPS & BOOKS Ordnance Survey Landranger 137: Ludlow & Church Stretton. The Long Mynd MTB Map shows all the rights of way and marker posts, and is available for £1 in the local bike shops.
FACILITIES There are some B&Bs in Church Stretton, but just to the south, in Marshbrook, the Shropshire Hills Mountain Bike and Outdoor Pursuit Centre is ideally set up for cyclists, offering a campsite, camping pods, lodges, a pub (who serve amazing steaks), a bike shop with bike wash, showers and a cafe. (01694 723133, www.blazingbikes.co.uk). On the route there’s a good cafe at the start/end in Carding Mill Valley, and the Gliding Club on the top of the hill has one, too.
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At the bottom, go right on the road. Ride for 1.3km to Asterton village, where you take the first right (The Port Way). Start to climb, but after crossing a cattle grid, turn left
Maps produced in association with
DOWNLOAD RIDE & SHARE THIS ROUTE https://bit.ly/MBUK391 Church-Stretton
Applecross, Scotland Distance 16.1km (10 miles) Climbing 360m (1,181ft) Time 1hr 30mins to 2hrs 30mins each way Route summary A great ride across the wild, remote hillside of Applecross Peninsula, providing an easy-to-navigate route and a visit to a superb pub on the coast at the far side. Take the long scenic road back or return the same way you came Start/ inish Kenmore roadside parking (nearest postcode IV54 8XH, grid ref NG 754/577)
LOCATION DETAILS The Applecross Peninsula is in Wester Ross, on the north-west coast of Scotland. Home to just 200 people, it’s accessed by long, winding roads. The tracks are all generally pretty good in wet weather, but it’s not a place you want to get caught out in. The difficultly of access and stunning scenery in every direction make this ride even more beautiful and special.
GETTING THERE The peninsula lies north of the Kyle
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The route begins opposite the roadside parking. Head through the gate, passing close to the bushes and trees, and descending slightly. Next is a long, gradual climb, leaving the vegetation behind. There’s only the one trail, so follow it past Loch Gaineamhach on your right-hand side.
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As you head around the base of a peak, Croic-bheinn, ignore a faint trail to the left and continue across to the base of another peak, Meall Arachaidh. Follow this at times technical and rocky descent as it accompanies the River Applecross down and along the glen.
Maps produced in association with
The track widens towards the bottom, passing Hartfield House hostel. Just under 1km further on, turn left on a track over a wooden bridge. Go right immediately on the other side and follow this trail to the road, then go left on the path beside the tarmac, to the pub. To return to the start you can either follow the road north along the coastline or retrace your steps back up the valley and over the moors. Alternatively, you could stay at the Applecross Inn for a well-earned meal and views of the setting sun over the sea, then ride back the next day.
DOWNLOAD RIDE & SHARE THIS ROUTE https://bit.ly/MBUK391 Applecross
of Lochalsh and close to the islands of Raasay and Skye. Take the A896 to Shieldaig and then join the coastal road around Applecross. The route starts near the hamlet of Kenmore.
MAPS & BOOKS Ordnance Survey Landranger 24: Raasay & Applecross. Scotland Mountain Biking: The Wild Trails by Phil McKane (Vertebrate Publishing).
FACILITIES The Applecross Inn is the only option available, but it’s a brilliant place and well worth the visit (01520 744262, www.applecrossinn.co.uk). There’s also a campsite in the area (01520 744268, https://visitapplecross.com).
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CHECK AHEAD Local lockdown restrictions mean that some of these venues may be closed and uplift services may not be operating. Please check before travelling.
122 Mountain Biking UK
DYFI BIKE PARK, MID WALES
Bangor
Dy i Bike Park Aberystwyth
Swansea
GET THERE
Dyfi Bike Park is located on the southern border of the Snowdonia National Park, just off the A478 near Pantperthog, between Machynlleth and Dolgellau. The postcode is SY10 9AS FACILITIES
Parking, uplift, cafe, toilet, shop TRAIL STATS
Six runs graded red to triple black CONTACT
www.dyfibikepark.co.uk
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TRAIL
BEST TECH TRAILS You don’t have to head off-piste or deep into the mountains to ride gnarly, natural-feeling tracks – here are ive legal, manmade trails that’ll really test your skills Words Luke Marshall, Ed Thomsett and Alex Evans
SLAB TRACK, DYFI BIKE PARK T
here’s no denying the fearsome reputation of Dyfi Bike Park. Although its appeal has widened with the opening of two red tracks for intermediate riders, the original black downhill lines – which served as a training ground for the Athertons’ World Cup racing long before the park opened to the public – are still here. It’s the tripleblack-diamond Slab Track that takes the honours as Dyfi’s most gnarly tech trail, though. The top section is properly tough and provides little let-up, requiring full concentration and healthy doses of skill and commitment to conquer without crashing. It begins with several sizable rock drops that are best not to roll. In fact, rock is the standout trail feature here. Big, sharp and awkwardly-angled rocks punctuate the track, making it impossible to find a smooth line down. Once you’ve got through the worst of this, the trail steepens significantly. Careful braking, balance and body position are needed to make it down safely. The track features several narrow, steep, rock-filled chutes with tight corners on the exit, immediately followed by substantial drops. To add to the difficulty, if you’re not riding on rock, it’s loose shale under your tyres – not ideal for trying to slow down on steep technical turns. Once you’ve made it past the gullies, you’re onto the eponymous slab – a 60ft-long bedrock monster that’s the final obstacle before you’re fired out into a more flowing, high-speed section of trail, where you can finally ease off the brakes. The Slab isn’t for the faint-hearted, but if you’ve got the skills, it’ll leave you grinning.
Mountain Biking UK 123
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CWMCARN FOREST, SOUTH WALES
TRAIL BRECON BEACONS NATIONAL PARK
Cwmcarn
Swansea
Cardiff EXMOOR NATIONAL PARK
Bristol
GET THERE
Cwmcarn Forest Drive is signposted off the A467, seven miles from junction 28 of the M4. The postcode is NP11 7FA FACILITIES
Parking, uplift (currently closed), cafe, shop, bike wash, toilets, showers TRAIL STATS
Two red XC loops (Twrch, 13.4km and Cafall, 15km), a short blue trail (Pwca, 3.3km), plus black and red downhill tracks (Y Mynydd and Pedalhounds) CONTACT
www.mbwales.com www.cwmdown.co.uk (uplift)
The tricky, and seemingly neverending, Twrch climb will certainly get your legs feeling the burn
TWRCH, CWMCARN N ot all technical trails need to be descents, and we think the climb from the car park to the top of the mountain on the Twrch trail at Cwmcarn is one of the most difficult trail centre ascents out there. This is no well-groomed bike park track – it feels like a proper ride in the hills. The Twrch is an old classic now that’s been well-weathered, and while the start has had a refresh with the construction of the new blue trail, the rest is a real test of strength, skill and stamina. If ever you have to earn your turns, it’s here. The first challenge is the trail surface. Tyres don’t roll easily over the rough, rocky terrain so it takes a lot of effort to maintain any semblance of momentum. The trail also undulates a lot and
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the rises are steep, often with exposed rocks and tricky line choices. Even in the mellower sections, the uneven ground doesn’t give you any respite. Then there are a number of sustained steep kicks up the hill that require excellent climbing technique and strength to clear them. It all feels pretty relentless too, because the ascent carries on for a few kilometres. Once you make it three-quarters of the way up, you climb the final stretch on fireroad, which is a welcome break, although still not easy. Then there’s a last short but seriously steep section to the top, after which you can take a well-earned rest knowing you’ve just conquered one of the toughest trail centre climbs in the UK. After this, of course, you get to reap the rewards of your suffering on some enjoyable traversing sections. Then comes the best bit of all – the Twrch’s super-fun final singletrack descent.
CANNOP, FOREST OF DEAN, GLOS
Cannop Cycle Centre
Brecon Beacons National Park
Gloucester Cardiff
Bristol
Taunton
GETTING THERE
Cannop Cycle Centre is in the Forest of Dean, just off the B4234 between Cinderford and Coleford. The postcode is GL16 7EH FACILITIES
Parking, uplift, cafe, shop, bike hire, bike wash, toilets, showers TRAIL STATS
Blue (Verderer’s, 11km) and red (Freeminer’s, 11km) XC loops, beginner and advanced skills areas, 11+ official downhill/enduro tracks plus plenty of off-piste trails CONTACT
www.pedalabikeaway.co.uk www.flyupdownhill.co.uk (uplift)
FREEMINER’S, FOREST OF DEAN T
The FoD is full of rooty goodness to test you, and the Freeminer’s trail especially so
his red-graded cross-county trail concentrates pretty much everything that makes a fun bike ride into its 16km length. From the outset it’s a technical challenge with demanding, root-infested uphill switchbacks that don’t let you find a pedalling rhythm and require plenty of power to clear, that is if you don’t spin out on them. Once the roots become more sparse there’s a little more flow, but manmade rock sections add to the fun while tight turns keep you focused. The first ascent is a lung-buster that requires good technique to maintain balance and traction. Splitting the climb is a short downhill that threads its way through tight trees on a natural surface, which can be extremely greasy when wet. Then there’s a steep uphill punch with a technical hairpin entrance, and the gradient doesn’t ease off until you emerge on the fireroad. The ensuing descent is fast, open and rough, with plenty of wide roots sprawling along its length that make it tough to decide which line is best. It’s wisest to commit to whichever one you’re on, to avoid catching one of the many exposed roots at an angle that’ll send you flying. A newer section of trail then follows, with more of the same great, natural-feeling riding. Even once you complete the upper loop of this figure-of-eight route and begin heading back to the car park, the challenge doesn’t stop. Narrow trees, more roots and tight, awkward bombholes make for an entertaining last hurrah.
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PERLY O R P S I K C L AB TR A S â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S I F Y P AND D R F A O H N S O , I G T I C B THE TOP SE IDES LIT TLE LET UP... ACK , R T E H T V E O T R P UA TOUGH A N D N GL E D ROCKS P U N C T OW N D E N I L H A T O LY AWK WARD SSIBLE TO FIND A SMO IMPO T I G N I K A M
FOEL GASNACH, NORTH WALES
LET’S NOT FORGET…
Bangor
HERE ARE A FEW MORE OF OUR FAVOURITE TECH TRAILS TO CHECK OUT
Foel Gasnach Wrexham Aberystwyth Shrewsbury
GET THERE
Foel Gasnach is located deep in the Clocaenog Forest, North Wales. The postcode is LL15 2DR. Once you get to the end of the tarmac road, follow the ‘FDHR’ signs through the forest to the car park
BLACK ROUTE, LAGGAN In the midst of the Scottish Highlands, Laggan is a trail centre with a really wild feel, full of rock sections, slab rollers and breathtaking views. The Black Route, a 3.7km diversion off the red trail, has the key ingredient many manmade tech trails miss – of being hard, but really lowy if you get it right. www.lagganforest.com
FACILITIES
Parking, uplift, bike wash TRAIL STATS
Four black/orange downhill tracks and mini bike park CONTACT
www.fdhr.co.uk
TARW DU, COED Y BRENIN
Go big or go home – this is proper gnarly Welsh downhill at its best
FOEL GASNACH H
idden away amid the dark conifers of Clocaenog Forest, Foel Gasnach is a somewhat underground downhill venue deep in the heart of the rugged and beautiful Welsh countryside. While it isn’t the biggest or most extensive riding spot, if hard, techy downhills are what you’re into, it’s well worth hunting out. The steep, twisting, root-infested trails give gravity riders a real chance to hone their skills, and the dirt offers excellent grip in the wet – just as well given how much it rains here! Although, Foel also boasts woven webs of slick roots that no tyre compound on earth could make feel easy to ride. With four main tracks plus lots of line options, there’s a good range of terrain to go at, and Steve Hunter – the driving force behind Foel – will whip you back up to the top in his uplift bus in no time
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(and at a very reasonable price too) so you can hammer out the runs till your arms give way. Track 4 is probably our favourite descent here. It starts off fairly mellow but soon picks up pace as the hill steepens, throwing you into some wide sections where it’s essential to spot your line and stay committed on the roots. After this, the corners tighten up briefly before opening back out into a fast run of tabletops and hip jumps. A wild, drifty left-hander into a drop (or a ballsy pre-jump) signals the start of the bottom section, which is filled with more chicanes, switchbacks and roots, all the way to the bottom. It’s a classic Welsh DH (love) affair – fast, fun and sure to keep you on your toes, especially in the wet. Don’t worry if you haven’t got a DH bike, as EWS star Elliott Heap regularly comes here to train, and the speed he sends it through the tight trees at is proof you don’t need one! As we went to press, Foel’s tracks were temporarily closed – keep an eye on social media for a reopening date.
This was the irst MTB-speci ic trail in the UK. Don’t think old means easy though, as the Black Bull is still a tough challenge. Mixing lowing berms with rock-paved descents and turns, it’s a boneshaker, but in the best way, and the tough surface makes it a solid all-weather option. www.mbwales.com
VALHALLA, GAWTON Gawton Gravity Hub is an awesome little bike park built on one of the steepest hills in the South West. Valhalla begins with a run of big jumps, but all too soon the trees close in and you’re plunged into an intense rock and root- illed plummet. https://gawtongravityhub.com
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TRAIL
GOLFIE, INNERLEITHEN
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park
Dumfries Glasgow
Edinburgh
Innerleithen Lake District Kendal
Leeds
GET THERE
Just south of Edinburgh, near Peebles, Innerleithen is conveniently placed on the A72. The best place to park is at the Innerleithen downhill trails car park – use the postcode EH44 6PJ for sat-navs FACILITIES
Bike shops, cafe and supermarket (in Innerleithen town), uplift, skills coaching TRAIL STATS
More trails than it’s possible to list CONTACT
www.tweedvalleytrails.org www.adrenalinuplift.co.uk
If you like natural trails, the Golfie guarantees some of the most fun to be had on two wheels
THE GOLFIE, INNERLEITHEN T
hanks to Scotland’s land access rights and a super-engaged volunteer trail association, key areas of countryside are set aside for mountain bikers, the Golfie included. Officially called Caberston Forest, the Golfie is more than a trail, it’s an area. It’s named for its proximity to a golf course, but don’t let images of pruned greens fool you into believing the trails are tame. The hillside is steep, rocky and rooty, with dense coniferous tree cover meaning the tracks are often damp and frequently shrouded in darkness. But that’s fine because the ground has plenty of traction, even when it’s saturated. Flat White, New York New York and Repeat Offender are all staples at the Golfie. Flat White’s rock-riddled route takes in corner after corner as it traces its way through a maze of young trees. The other two start on top of the moorland and dive deep into the woods with steeper, rocky sections interrupted by slightly faster sections of trail. They all require 100 per cent concentration from start to finish thanks to tight turns, narrow trees and sniper roots hidden beneath the rocky soil. It’s not a place for 800mm-wide bars! The trails aren’t waymarked but you’re allowed to ride here. Just make sure to respect the locals, park in designated car parks and stop by Caldwell’s ice cream shop for a post-ride treat!
STAGE PROVEN
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Gee ATHERTON AT HERT O N
BIKE S
RENTHAL FATBAR® • 800mm WIDTH • 31.8/35mm DIAMETER • 10/20/30/40mm RISE • FROM 305g • NINE WORLD CHAMPS
www.renthalcycling.com photo : Dan Hearn