Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2023 i Mountain Biking UK

OUT FRONT SEND IT! WINNER! THAT’S GOTTA HURT WINNER! Simon Waring had a nasty crash in the Pedalhounds Enduro near Winchester, but it could’ve been even worse if he hadn’t been wearing elbow pads... “On stage five, I was really turning the cranks into a narrow section between two trees, and came in a bit too hot and off-line. My front wheel washed out and I was thrown into the first tree, hitting it with my elbow, then smashed into the second one, before hitting the deck. “The race staff rescued me and got me to the ambulance, where I had to be cut out of my elbow pad and taken to hospital. My elbow ballooned up to the point where it had its own postcode, and an X-ray revealed…

PROLOGO KAPPA SPACE T2.0 £65.99 www.chickencyclekit.co.uk SO GOOD… Firm padding at the rear provides good support. Padding density reduces further forward, again benefiting comfort. A deep central channel with a cut-out in the middle reduces pressure on your delicate bits. The rear of the saddle is broad, offering a wide pad on which to sit. NO GOOD… We found the curved side-to-side profile put more pressure on our perineum than other designs here. The angular ‘wings’ aren’t the most comfy to grip with your thighs on technical terrain, the edges of the channel are quite pronounced and the cut-out lets a lot of spray through. SYNCROS BELCARRA R 1.5 £109.99 www.scott-sports.com SO GOOD… The flat side-to-side profile at the rear is comfortable. Up front, the broad, mid-length nose is…

BILLY BOLTMOTORCYCLE RACER Turns out three-time FIM SuperEnduro world champ Billy is pretty handy on a mountain bike, too. We check out his skills on p42 WILL SOFFEFACE OF MBUK VIDEO Our YouTube presenter was the man given the unenviable job of trying to keep up with Billy, on both his trail bike and his two-stroke JULIA BROUSSIERDEBUTANTE DIRT JUMPER “I want to get better at jumps” said our deputy art ed – so we handed her a pisspot and a 26in jump bike, then aimed her at some doubles. Gulp! ALEX CAHILL CUNNING STUNTMAN Thankfully, dirt jumper, registered stunt performer and pro daydreamer Alex was there to give Julia (and you) some tips – p50…

1. Discraft UltraStar Sportdisc The official frisbee of the USA Ultimate National Championships, this should be more than good enough for a throw-about at the beach/campsite with your crew or faithful trail hound! £15.99 www.newitts.com 2. Mons Royale Icon Merino Air-Con T-shirt This tech tee takes advantage of merino wool’s natural temperature regulation to keep you cool on hot days and toasty in the evening chill. It comes in a good choice of colours and men’s and women’s versions. £74.99 www.futureproof.life 3. Melon Optics Layback 2.0 sunglasses Summer wouldn’t be complete without some rad sunnies to protect your peepers! The Layback 2.0s have polarised, shatterproof lenses and a flexible frame, with a choice of five colours and eight lens tints. £60 www.melonoptics.com 4. Lifesystems Mountain SPF50+ sun cream Designed with…

FORBIDDEN SUMMON UP A NEW DRUID V2 trail bike has a revised high-pivot suspension design NEED TO KNOW Forbidden have updated their 130mm-travel Druid, keeping the original design’s high main pivot, but moving to an ‘upside-down’ four-bar linkage system, to give greater control over the suspension behaviour. Tweaks to the front and rear triangles have streamlined its silhouette, and the idler wheel has been redesigned, too. Frame hardware has been updated with durability in mind, and full-length chainstay protection comes as standard. Like its predecessor, the V2 bike can be run as a 29er or mullet bike (29in front, 650b rear). Chainstay length is size-specific, to keep weight distribution the same on all frames, and the geometry has been tweaked. WHO’S IT FOR? Those wanting a trail bike with the…

The Bold Unplugged is probably the most futuristic enduro bike on the market, and this Ultimate build spares no expense. However, the bike’s high level of integration does limit how much you can customise it to your tastes. THE FRAME Made from carbon fibre, the Unplugged has a sleek, aggressive silhouette, with an oversized bottom bracket (BB) junction that hides the rear shock. Joining the front and rear triangles is Bold’s Internal Suspension Technology (IST) linkage – a twin-link, virtual-pivot set-up, which is claimed to allow increased frame stiffness and a lower centre of gravity, as well as optimum suspension performance. A removable cover on the underside of the down tube grants access to the shock, as well as Bold’s ‘Save The Day’ toolkit, including a mini pump, multi-tool, tyre…

GT SENSOR CARBON PRO LE £5,000 US brand’s fresh ‘quiver killer’ The 2023 Sensor Carbon is said to be lighter and designed to fit a wider range of riders than previous iterations. GT have also increased the suspension travel and adjusted the geometry, in an attempt to make this do-it-all bike even more versatile. A steep 77-degree seat tube angle and generous reach figures should provide comfort for long days in the saddle and aid climbing, without compromising control on the descents. Downhill, the new Sensor Carbon’s 140mm of rear-wheel travel, 150mm fork and 29in wheels should make it more capable than ever. The range-topping Pro LE seen here is equipped with a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate RC2 fork and Super Deluxe Ultimate RC2T shock, 12-speed SRAM X01 /GX Eagle drivetrain…

Christopher Reilly drags himself out into the brisk Kiwi morning, puts a pan of water on the fire and gets himself ready for the day. It’s 1862 and he’s a little late to the Otago gold rush, but he sees what others don’t, and is confident he can get his share of the spoils. “Today’s the day!” he proclaims in a self-motivating yell. “Today’s the day all this bloody effort pays off.” The past few days of breaking trail into his newfound stashes in the Dunstan area have taken their toll, but Reilly wouldn’t have it any other way. His body hurts, but every time he strikes gold, that pain is washed away in the sluicing. There’s no better feeling than seeing results from a good day’s graft. Reilly was…

LUKE’S CANYON STRIVE CFR UNDERDOG £4,799 Some spec changes give our technical writer food for thought With the Strive being my test platform, this month I’ve fitted a couple of new products that need to be put through their paces on the trails. First item on the menu is a set of Reynolds’ Blacklabel 329 Trail Pro wheels. The brand’s latest high-end carbon fibre hoops, these weigh just 1,574g – pretty svelte, considering their slightly-wider-than-usual 32mm internal rim width. They feature Sapim CX-Ray spokes and a custom hub shell made by Industry Nine. This houses I9’s Hydra internals, which give near-instant 0.52-degree freehub engagement – that’s 40 times faster than the DT Swiss 370 rear hub it replaced. I’m only a few rides in, but first impressions are positive. The…

Spring is nearly over and we’re about to head into what we hope will be another incredible summer of riding. If you haven’t done so already, you’ll be needing to switch to your warm-weather riding kit. One key item being a decent pair of trail shorts. These need to have a comfortable fit that’s neither so baggy they’ll flap in the wind nor so tight it’ll restrict your movement. The legs have to be wide enough to fit knee pads underneath, and a decent length (preferences vary, but at least make sure there’s no gap between your shorts and pads!). Whatever fabric they’re made from must have sufficient stretch and the right balance of weight, durability and breathability for your riding. Then there’s the smaller details – are the pockets…

TECH Q&A AWKWARD STIFFY The stiffness of 35mm-diameter handlebars has been criticised in the mag and on the BikeRadar podcast. However, I have a fancy 35mm Hope stem that matches the colours on my bike. Fitting a 31.8mm bar-and-stem combo would mean getting rid of that, which I don’t want to do. Are there any less stiff 35mm bars out there that you’d recommend instead? Dan, Sunderland Generally, we’re not massive fans of 35mm bars. On paper, the larger clamp diameter should allow use of thinner-walled tubing, resulting in a lighter bar with the same stiffness as a 31.8mm equivalent. In practice, though, most brands seem to have kept their 35mm bars the same weight but made them stiffer, perhaps to accommodate the trend for wider bars. This means…

JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE EDITOR Not having to spend hours washing my bike and kit! JAMES BLACKWELL ART EDITOR Spending my life wearing shorts and flip-flops JULIA BROUSSIER DEPUTY ART EDITOR Holidays and long weekends away discovering new trails WILL SOFFE YOUTUBE PRESENTER Dry trails run faster, for effortless jumping! CHRIS BARNARD PRODUCTION EDITOR Heading to a lake, waterfall or the sea once I’m done riding RACHEL BENNET STAFF WRITER Long days mean extra hours on the bike…

Write to: MBUK Send it! Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST Email: mbuk@ourmedia.co.uk Visit: www.mbuk.com STAR LETTER WINS... Lezyne Pocket Torque Drive torque wrench & Alloy Drive (M) mini pump worth £105 THAT’S GOTTA HURT WINS... 661 Recon Advance knee pads (M) & Rail Classic gloves (L) worth £125 SHOT OF THE MONTH WINS... DMR OiOi saddle, Deathgrip (Thin) grips & V11 pedals worth £123 INSTA-BANGERS WINS... Lezyne Super Drive 1600XXL & KTV Pro Smart lights worth £160 STAR LETTER FENDER BENDER A couple of years ago you gave out a lovely mudguard free with the magazine. ‘Thanks very much,’ I thought and, already having one on my bike, promptly forgot all about it. At the weekend, we were driving around the countryside looking for a trailhead, and no one…

Not checked out Tom Isted’s 120ft Darkfest backflip yet? Have a watch – it’s bonkers! The unsponsored (how?!) Cornishman set a new MTB dirt-to-dirt flip world record, then upset previous holder Cam Zink with a triumphant social post about it. Handbags at dawn! Talking about bonkers, or at least bonkers fun, we’ve been marvelling at videos of the Manta5 SL3 hydrofoiler – essentially a water e-bike! We’re hoping we can get our hands on one for an upcoming feature... Bad luck for Britain’s Evie Richards at the first XC World Cup round, where a rear flat and dropped chain knocked her back to fourth after initially leading. We have a suspicion she’ll be back in the top spot again soon, though. Meanwhile, fellow Brit and Olympic champ Tom Pidcock took…

When he’s not riding a 50bhp motorcycle up and down cliffs, ‘hard enduro’ star Billy Bolt spends his spare time riding mountain bikes. So, who better to put the tiresome claim that ‘e-bikes are just motorbikes’ to rest? I’ve met up with him at Parkwood Outdoors in Tong, Yorkshire, to find out how he got into mountain biking, what he loves about the sport and whether he’s any good at it. But first, he wants to test my mettle by putting me aboard his Husqvarna two-stroke. Gulp! Kickstart “You’ve ridden a motorbike before, right?” asks Billy. “Um, yeah,” I reply. “I’ve borrowed my dad’s motocross bike and wobbled around an MX track on it, but that’s about it. Can you give me a riding lesson? I’m not too sure I…

MEET THE TESTERS ROBIN WEAVER TECH EDITOR IN CHIEF With three decades of MTB experience, Rob can identify the kit that works TOM MARVIN TECH EDITOR XC/trail/enduro rider and tech wizard Tom gives his gear a proper hammering LUKE MARSHALL TECH WRITER Downhiller Luke is always looking for what saves time between the tape ALEX EVANS SENIOR TECH EDITOR FOR BIKERADAR.COM Years of breaking bikes means Al can give ultra-reliable buying advice JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE EDITOR Riding since ’92, JCW knows the score and has an eye for the key details JAMES BLACKWELL ART EDITOR Jimmer rides as fast as he talks and needs kit that can keep up! WHY OUR TESTS ARE THE BEST! Our technical-editor-in-chief Rob Weaver gets new products in as soon as they’re available and coordinates all…

This issue’s routes are a treat for downhill fans, taking in some of the longest descents around the UK. With the ground still suffering after a long winter and soggy spring, we decided to head to the Lake District for our Big Ride, because the rocky terrain there copes well with wet weather. Unfortunately, the towns at the bottom of the mountains can get horribly flooded as the rain sheets off the slopes and is channelled down into the valleys, and there are still tell-tale signs of this when we arrive, in the form of sandbags along shop and house fronts. All is well for now, though, and the streets are buzzing with tourists. This National Park, understandably, attracts a lot of visitors each year – over 10 million –…