Innholdsfortegnelse for May - June - July 2015 i Mountain Biking Australia

By now you’ve noticed that the days are getting shorter. Daylight savings has long gone and warm summery days are a fading memory. Whilst few will really celebrate winter, we really do have it good in Australia. Sure some locales get pretty brisk but it doesn’t compare to the harshness of a European or northern US winter. LIGHT THE WAY Rug up a bit and the only thing that’s likely to dampen your ride plan is the lack of daylight hours. Luckily there’s no shortage of super-bright LED lights on the market. This issue sees us putting 11 different LED light sets to the test. Get a set that suits your budget and you’ll have no excuse for staying inside … aside from work, family and other life commitments that…

CHAINRING SHUFFLE Just wondering if an 11-speed chainring (like you’d get on a SRAM X01 crankset) is compatible with a 1x10 setup? I know the 11-speed chains are narrower than 10, but wasn’t sure if an 11-speed chain ring would play nicely with a 10-speed chain. I’ve got an old and heavy Shimano Deore triple crank that’s converted to 1x10 using a Race Face Narrow Wide ring. Of late I’ve been eyeing off some deals on SRAM 1x11 crank sets—just need to know if they’ll fit. Mike Width wise there’s very little difference between a 10 and an 11-speed chain. Externally the 10-speed chain is around 0.2mm wider but in between the plates they are usually the same width. As the inner dimension is the important one when it comes…

If you’re into social media and follow some of the world’s top mountain bikers, you’ll see a common thread over the past few years. They’re increasingly escaping their miserable northern hemisphere winters and heading to New Zealand; and who can blame them. With amazing countryside, even more amazing trails, great food, and super people it really is a hot mountain bike destination. Wellington and surrounds is definitely an ‘over the ditch’ riding region that adds yet another feather to that hat. I recently travelled to Wellington to sample their trails and here’s what I discovered in that jammed packed week of riding. DAY ONE – ALL-DAY SHRED IN WELLINGTON (AND SAMPLE SOME FINE BEER OF COURSE) The day started with the task of picking my first ride location, and I’d…

Over a couple of decades ago, Magura was the go-to brand when it came to hydraulic MTB brakes. While they remain a well-recognised brake brand, the market has been dominated by SRAM and Shimano stoppers in recent times. Of late Magura has introduced some really neat features, and most of these are present on the MT4. Selling for $200 per end including the rotor, the pricing is pretty sharp (only the MT2 is cheaper at $130 per end). At this price you could well expect the brake to suffer obvious downgrades but it features the same ‘Carbotecture’ master cylinder construction as their more expensive offerings. Carbotecture is a mouldable carbon reinforced thermoplastic that Magura developed specifically for their brakes. It keeps the weight down while offering good impact resistance. At…

As the name suggests, the Microlite shock is designed with weight reduction in mind. Our 184x44mm sample hit the scales at 195g saving around 50g when compared to a regular inline shock. X-Fusion makes a wide range of suspension components and most are very adjustable. The Microlite however is a pared down and simple offering. The main air spring is tuneable (as you’d expect) and the rebound can be set to match the spring rate. There’s also a lockout lever but that’s about it. You won’t find any low speed compression adjustment or threshold settings—it’s either ‘on’ or ‘off’ and nothing in between. Compared to the current generation Fox Float rear shock (a product that many will be familiar with), the Microlite has an inherently progressive spring curve. It starts…

Company names are sometimes strangely thought out things. They often carry a deep or personal meaning from the founders, and may be debated and thrashed out over weeks or even months. In some cases the name will be on a scratch pad before the company concept is figured out. Branding can make or break a company, so how did British bike builder Orange come up with such a simple yet effective name? “We’d already got the company ready and the bikes were in the works. We were really up against time and had less than a day to come up with a name,” Lester Noble recounted. “I like abbreviations, and we’d already been talking about our bikes being the ‘off-road range’ so that was it; the O-range, which came out…

Regular readers will probably be aware that whilst I have an overarching dislike of white bikes, I’m generally a fan of Whyte bikes. The UK company was a relatively early proponent of the now ubiquitous long, low and raked-out front end geometry combined with short chainstays. The latest addition to their relatively compact range is the G-150, with (you guessed it) 150mm of travel at both ends. This model is built as an all-out gravity enduro monster truck; indeed Whyte’s factory rider Martyn Brookes piloted one to 3rd place at the French Megavalanche event in 2014. It comes in just three sizes (small, medium and large) and there are only two spec levels available; the G-150S for $5,299 and the G-150 Works tested here for $7,599. Eschewing the black plastic…

STEP 1 Your approach to a steep rock face is one of the keys to the success. It may go against your instincts but it’s best to have a bit of momentum on your side—easier said than done but a level of commitment is required if you’re going to succeed. The bigger the up-slope, the more momentum you’ll want to have. Smaller roll-ups may be approached at a fast jogging pace, bigger ones at running speed. You should be standing on the pedals with your arms relaxed and elbows bent— commonly referred to as the attack position. Pick your line at this point. In most cases it’s best to approach at 90-degrees to the upward slope. Taking a diagonal line may lessen the gradient but you’re more likely to lose…

WHEN TO VISIT To be honest Welling ton can have some shitty weather so summer is going to be your best bet. If you’re hardcore and like the cold and wet the trails looks like they managed and conditions really well. GETTING THERE Even if you own a V W Beetle you can’t drive all the way to NZ so you’ll have to fly. NZ ’s national carrier Air NZ has some really cool safety videos and well worth the direct flights to NZ, but QANTAS will be able to get you there as well. Wellington is spread out and we would recommend a rental car to save your legs for shredding but it’s not 100 % necessary as you can ride, ferry, taxi to most riding locations. We super…

When people think of Arlie Beach, it usually evokes images of sailing, snorkelling, scantily clad backpackers and beaches that stretch for miles with emerald islands glistening like jewels. But the Whitsundays has a little secret that’s got ten out, and word is travelling quicker than a downhiller on a Strava run. MTB trails are being developed and there’s something for everyone; from a relaxed family pedal through to tough and challenging trail rides. Top it off with some jaw dropping scenery and this part of North Queensland really is a must-visit location. There’s no shortage of activities for any non-biking companions, so you know they’ll be happy while you shred the trails. For Townsville locals like myself, the Whitsundays serves as a southern playground and we recently loaded the car…

JARED GRAVES As the reigning Enduro World Series Champion, Graves is currently the man to beat—and that doesn’t happen very often. Despite the sharp competition at Mt Buller, Graves won five of the six timed stages (he punctured in the sixth stage) and took a comfortable overall win. When it comes to defending his World Series title for 2015, Graves expects to be riding the 152mm travel Yeti SB6C at most events, but for Buller he was on a SB5C. This is his off-season bike; Graves feels the 127mm platform better suits his home trails in Toowoomba, and he also felt it was the most appropriate choice for Mt Buller. With less travel than the SB6C, it’s more agile and fun on tight and twisty trails. While it’s short on…

While it’s always cool to check out high-end gear, there’s a decent-sized chunk of the MTB population who can’t justify a $5-7,000 spend to score a new bike— especially if they are relatively new to the sport. As a result we always aim to include some more affordable test bikes, and they’re typically alloy hardtails. While it’s not hard to find a sub-$2,000 dually, they are definitely at the lower end of the ‘genuinely off-road-worthy’ MTB market. Attempting to shoehorn in all of the suspension components whilst simultaneously keeping the price down is a real juggling act, and it often results in an end product that’s heavily compromised. A hardtail however will be robust and light at the same price point, and it’ll probably have more durable running gear too.…

1. Slippery throttle-like handlebar grips are dangerous. Either glue and wire your grips in place or better still, get some lock-on grips. 2. Fork fenders and frame mounted ‘crud catchers’ do a good job of keeping your face and vision mud free—the fork mounted guards also help to keep the muck off your fork seals. 3. After each ride, wipe down the inner legs/shock shaft with a clean damp rag. Once clean and dry, spray the inners with a suspension lubricant and cycle it a few times to get the seals moving freely. Be extra careful to ensure that none of the lube goes on your disc brakes (place a plastic bag over the rotor if you like). 4. Brake pad and rotor wear accelerates rapidly in the wet, so…

BRAD SAW This entry from Brad Saw comes with quite a tale. Brad is 50, lives in Brisbane and has been mountain biking since the late ’90s. Here’s what Brad had to say about his duo... “Ten years separates these bikes and I can remember you reviewing my first bike – a Fisher Cake – back in 2004. Ironically, you just reviewed my new bike in the last issue! My original Fisher Cake suffered a cracked swing arm back in 2006, and I must say that Trek did a first class job in honouring their warranty. Now, 10 years on and the swing arm has cracked again and guess what? Even after all that time they are replacing the frame. With all the changes over the years, they’ve even chipped…

PETER CHIN Visiting Silver Star mountain resort in British Columbia, Peter Chin got to try his hand at real winter fatbike riding. “After a hard day’s skiing, there is nothing like taking a fat bike out along the snow covered trails, riding above the clouds as the sun sets,” he said. “It’s zero-degrees, you’re sweating and it’s glorious.” It certainly looks glorious in the photo Peter—thanks for contributing! ANTHONY BESTERFIELD According to Anthony Besterfield, Archie is also the perfect companion mule, “He can carry a lot more than three litres of fluid and 11 litres of gear, but unfortunately he doesn’t have an easy-to-fill screw top lid. Guess I need a Camelbak too?” Nice one Anthony, while we’d love to help Archie out, Peter has already nabbed the prize for…

CONE HEADS Retailing for $119, the O’Neal Orbiter II is well priced for a dedicated all-mountain style MTB helmet. While the pricing is sharp the features list is quite comprehensive. It’s offered in three shell sizes (from 51 to 64cm) and uses a rear retention system to provide a good fit. O’Neal employs ‘Cone Head’ construction which is said to be better at absorbing and dispersing impacts. A magnetic buckle allows single handed fastening and it also has an integrated POV camera mount. There are plenty of vents too and the 320g claimed weight is on par with most MTB helmets that offer additional head coverage. Cassons (02) 8882 1900 www.cassons.com.au ADDED PROTECTION With all the vibration, scuffing and mud, saddle bags lead a tough life when fitted to a…

For 2015 Shimano completely redesigned their XTR wheels. As with the previous version, they are offered in both Race and Trail flavours. The Race version provides a 20mm inner width. We opted to test the wider Trail version which measures 28mm externally and 24mm between the bead hooks—not super wide but it’s enough to support to a good sized trail tyre. Our 29er test wheels weighed in at 1,726g (795g/931g) which is around 50g over the claimed figure (the Race version is around 100g lighter). The most obvious difference with the new wheels is found in the rim. From the outside you’d think it was all-carbon but it’s actually alloy with a carbon outer wrap. The inner alloy extrusion is thinner than usual while the outer carbon layers add stiffness.…

The Tune Speedneedle is a super light and rather curious looking saddle. Ours was the wider ‘Marathon’ variant and it weighed just 103g. Most superlight fully padded carbon fibre saddles are 40-50g heavier. Of course the Speedneedle isn’t ‘fully padded’ but that’s the real talking point. Only the nose and tail of the Speedneedle are covered and the mid-portion is totally devoid of padding. While the shell does offer some flex it’s still stiffer than most nylon or nylon/carbon blended saddles. I removed my padded 175g carbon railed saddle and fitted the Speedneedle Marathon, thinking that it’d only be a short-term exchange. There’s no denying that the saddle feels ‘different’ but once I got myself in the right spot, the Speedneedle was comfortable enough that it went by unnoticed. The…

GETTING THERE There are direct flights to Arlie Beach from most capital cities. It’s a small place, so you can ride to all the trail heads without being an elite rider (with the exception of South Molle Island of course). Alternately, you can fly to Townsville or Mackay and grab a hire car. Arlie Beach is 275km (approximately 3.5 hours) south of Townsville or a two hour drive (150km) north of Mackay. Hire cars can be arranged for pick up at any of the airports so you can save your legs for the trails. The sea taxi trip from Arlie Beach to South Molle Island costs $65 return and this includes 5L of drinking water for each day that you’re on the island. While you need a camping permit if…

There was a time, not all that long ago, when bikes with short travel and small wheels dominated the crosscountry race scene. They were swift and incredibly agile beasts, and when they weren’t on the race track, many of them served double duty as fast trail bikes—especially in areas where the trails were tight but not overly steep or technically demanding. Then along came the 29er wheel with its superior rollover and momentum carrying abilities, and for a time it seemed that the nimble XC bike had gone the way of the dodo— the scalpel had been abandoned in favour of the broadsword. Still, somewhere in the back of our collective MTB psyche was a silent yearning for the return of the XC whippet. And now we’re seeing a small…

Last year we featured the Breezer Repack; a burly 160mm travel, 27.5 inch wheeled trail bike. Also on the dual suspension side they also have the 120mm travel Supercell 29er, which uses the same unique ‘M-Link’ suspension system. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Thunder; a range of alloy 29er hardtails. From this line we’ve been riding the Thunder Pro—at $2,199 it’s their top-end alloy hardtail. Let’s start with a brief history lesson for those who haven’t encountered the brand before. Joe Breeze (Mr Breezer) was one of the original Mt Tamalpais crew from California. His peers included names such as Tom Ritchey and Gary Fisher. Between Joe and his riding mates the ‘klunker’ was born, and the rest as they, is history. Along the way the…

Riding mountain bikes is great fun – I’m sure we all agree on that – but some of us have almost as much fun in the workshop; tweaking, tuning, modifying and customising our bikes. If that sounds like you, send in some high-resolution digital photos of your bike, detailing the hop-ups and mods. What exactly are we looking for? Your bike can be expensive or very cheap, hardtail or dually, old or spanking new; it really doesn’t matter. We’re after bikes with some real thought or effort behind them; it could be modifications to improve performance or just a totally unique look. It could be a weight weenie special or custom suspension tuning. HOW TO ENTER E-mail your high-resolution photos through to john@bicyclingaustralia.com with ‘Readers’ Rides’ in the subject line.…