Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Mountain Biking UK

RACHEL ATHERTON FASTEST MUM ON TWO WHEELS The queen of downhill opens up about racing, motherhood, hitting rock bottom and wanting to retire in our unmissable cover feature – p37 TYM MANLEY MBUK LEGEND & BON VIVEUR Rachel is interviewed by ‘The Viking’ himself, the larger-than-life, hirsute founding editor of MBUK, who helped grow the UK MTB scene with his publishing expertise JACK LUKE JOURNO & STYLE ICON BikeRadar’s deputy editor describes himself as “always in search of the hippest new niche in cycling” – and bikes don’t come much more niche than £9k hardtails (p26) TOM LAW MTB PRESENTER & WRITER Another BR staffer sneaking across the digital-print divide to contribute to this issue’s First Rides sections, MTBer Tom loves little better than evening laps of Llandegla…

TYLER MCCAUL With the gnarliest event of the year fast approaching, Kari Young speaks to 10-time Red Bull Rampage veteran Tyler McCaul to find out what the 34-year-old eats to fuel his body for such extreme exercise and what his ‘Kryptonite’ snack food is “I’m not the most diet-conscious, but because we’re out there building the [Rampage] course for days on end, we need fuel. I make protein shakes, which hold me over till lunch. I mix Ryno Power CARBO-FUEL with this stuff called MUD\WTR (a mixture of chai tea, mushrooms, turmeric and all that), add peanut-butter powder and collagen, oat milk and water, and sometimes a shot of espresso. I’ve learned to like these shakes because I know they’re good for me, but I’ve had people try them and…

YOUR MAIL, PHOTOS, IDEAS & RANTS 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 THIS IS ME I’m writing in response to the ‘Mountain biking is for everyone’ note on the editor’s welcome page and ‘The many faces of mountain biking’ series that started in issue 424. I think it’s great that MBUK is acknowledging a need for…

The GT Bicycles Malverns Classic has always lived up to its name, but, for us, this year’s edition was the best yet. Organisers Si and Oli Paton have really got into their stride, and us punters know what to expect – the biggest bike party of the summer! Here are some of our favourite bits from 2023… 1 THE HAVE-A-GO HEROES It was great to see so many people getting stuck in and trying new things. Youngsters could be found hitting the Frog Bikes kids’ zone, DMR pump track or GT Hans Rey trials area, getting some expert tips from Mark Clements and the crew at Apex Cycle Coaching or taking part in the Pinkbike Balance Bike World Championships. For those of more advanced years, the racing was the big…

LEATT BODY VEST 3DF AIRFIT £209.99 www.hotlines-uk.com SO GOOD… Made from highly-perforated mesh material, this vest has good breathability even with its thick padding, and feels comfy against the skin. Leatt use their ‘3DF AirFit’ impact foam at the front and rear, which provides plenty of coverage. It’s also removable, so you can wash the vest easily. The zip makes it easy to take on and off. NO GOOD… It’s bulky and heavy, so not the best for trail riding. The fit is looser than others here in the same size, so it moves around more. Also, the padding doesn’t conform to your body as well as some, and can stick up out the top of your jersey. ION TANK AMP PROTECTION VEST £134.95 www.ion-products.com SO GOOD… ION use…

TECH Q&A CREAKING CONUNDRUM I’m trying to track down a creak when I pedal. I’m pretty sure I’ve gone through everything – BB, pedals, chainring, cassette – but it hasn’t solved it. Any ideas? Sofia, Wrexham There’s nothing worse than an unidentified creak – we’ve been there many times! You’ve checked the obvious areas, but there are a few more things to have a look at. First up, check that the rear axle is greased. If not, put some on the threads and a smear along the length of the axle. It’s also worth checking that the mech hanger is securely bolted to the frame (assuming you’re not using one of SRAM’s new hangerless Eagle AXS ‘Transmissions’.) Next up, check that any frame bearings are tightened to the correct…

JAMES COSTLEY-WHITE EDITOR Drifting (OK, more often, skidding) through piles of crunchy leaves, on often-deserted trails ROBIN WEAVER TECH EDITOR IN CHIEF Autumn is a beautiful time of year to be outside enjoying the forest, and, it’s not yet cold enough to freeze your fingers off. Winner! JULIA BROUSSIER DEPUTY ART EDITOR What I love best about autumn is that it’s not winter yet! CHRIS BARNARD PRODUCTION EDITOR Misty mornings, golden sun and getting the jumpers out RACHEL BENNET STAFF WRITER The changing leaves and colours when riding in the hills, and the vivid sunsets that end the days…

Reviving the Vivid name, the latest rear shock from RockShox is a beefy air-sprung alternative to their Super Deluxe Coil. With a new high-volume DebonAir spring, it dwarfs their Super Deluxe air shock and is aimed at DH and enduro duties. The larger air can is designed to give a coil-like feel, especially when combined with new ‘TouchDown’ tech. This effectively bypasses the compression damping during the first 10 per cent of the travel to improve off-the-top sensitivity and smooth out stuttery sections of trail. While the new spring is more linear, RockShox’s Hydraulic Bottom-Out adjustment should let you dial in sufficient end-stroke ramp-up. You can also add volume spacers. While the Vivid comes in multiple ‘flavours’ – Ultimate (RC2T damper), Ultimate DH (RC2, no threshold lever), Select+ (RCT), Select…

The Newbies WITH THE POLLS STILL OPEN, WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE LESS FAMILIAR FACES NOMINATED FOR OUR NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR AWARD Most of the men and women shortlisted for our Rider of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards should already be familiar to you, so this issue we’re taking a closer look at the up-and-comers nominated for Newcomer of the Year. There are massive variations in age and experience, but all share one thing in common – it’s only since last summer or so that they’ve become really talked-about in mountain biking circles, even if they were already well-known on the race scene or in their local area. Vote now! Scan the QR code below or visit MBUK.comto vote for the riders you want to win RIDER…

It’s the end of an era as art editor Jimmer leaves the MBUK family after 20 years. He’ll be missed. All those unwanted glimpses of ‘little Jimmer’, not so much! Congratulations to UK downhill racer Phoebe Gale for bagging her first Elite podium with fourth place at the Loudenvielle DH World Cup, in France. Also, to Evie Richards, for finishing second in the Les Gets XCC World Cup and fifth in the Pal Arinsal XCO World Cup, in France and Andorra, respectively. Commiserations to the riders affected as the weather played havoc at recent DH World Cup rounds. In Andorra, the semis were canned (not an unpopular decision!), while in Loudenvielle electrical storms caused the schedule to be changed and the Junior race to be cancelled. Trials legend turned presenter…

SHE IS, FUNDAMENTALLY, A RACE-MAD HARDCASE WHO CAN BATTER HER WAY THROUGH DARK MATTER TO GET WHAT SHE WANTS When we first met in 2004, Rachel was struggling beside the track with arm pump as I walked down the Fort William World Cup course towards the end of practice. Aged just 16, she looked small and full of self-doubt amid those harsh mountains in the fading light. I almost felt sorry for her. Although Rachel was, and still is, vulnerable in many ways, she is, fundamentally, a race-mad, musclebound hardcase who never takes a step backwards and can batter her way through dark matter to get what she wants. A few years later, I was feeling sorry for the mountains and the poor women who had to race against her!…

MEET THE TESTERS ROBIN WEAVER TECH EDITOR IN CHIEF With three decades of MTB experience, Rob can identify the kit that works TOM MARVIN SENIOR TECH EDITOR XC/trail/enduro wizard Tom gives his gear a proper hammering LUKE MARSHALL TECH WRITER Downhiller Luke is always looking for what saves time between the tape RACHEL BENNET STAFF WRITER Rach hails from northern Scotland and has spent years riding rough tracks TOM LAW BIKERADAR MTB PRESENTER & WRITER Tom’s propensity for crashing makes him ideal for testing kit WILL POOLE WORKSHOP MANAGER When not prepping bikes in our workshop, Will’s out putting the miles in WHY OUR TESTS ARE THE BEST! Our technical-editor-in-chief Rob Weaver gets new products in as soon as they’re available and coordinates all the testing through our team of…

ROB’S NUKEPROOF GIGA 297 £2,799.99 (frame only with EXT shock) It’s back to business for Rob and the Giga The Giga has been a little neglected over the past month, because I’ve had to spend a lot of time getting through cross-country test kit. I’m back on the big (ish) rig now, though, and loving it. I’d planned on swapping to a different fork and shock for the remainder of the summer, figuring it’d be a good way to gauge just how good the RockShox ZEB Ultimate and EXT Storia I’d previously fitted were, and whether I could get any more out of them. I was also keen to try a different set-up on the Giga. As ever, though, swapping between bike parts wasn’t totally straightforward. Having received the new…

A reliable, easy-to-use, high-powered light is the key to unlocking the thrill of night riding at high speeds, but it can be difficult to find one with the right blend of brightness, battery life and reliability. Especially when brands’ claimed lumen counts sometimes have to be taken with a pinch of salt and run times are often calculated on the lowest power setting, in optimum lab-based conditions. And that’s before we even get into the complexities of beam patterns and thermal throttling. It’s a good thing, then, that we’re here to help, with some proper real-world testing in UK conditions. Only a few years ago, a 4,000-lumen bike light would have been considered mind-blowingly powerful, but nowadays the highest claimed outputs have shot up to well over 10,000 lumens, offering…

The pursuit of gorgeous rural scenes has led us to the wonderful Chiltern Hills, a chalk escarpment about 30 miles west of London, within the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Stretching from Goring in the south to Hitchin in the north, some 45 miles away, and only 12 miles at its widest point, the area may not be huge, but it’s packed with great riding, wonderful views and an abundance of beautiful flora and fauna. It certainly feels a long way from the hustle and bustle of the capital. Our starting location is the small village of Nettlebed, just west of Henley-on-Thames, which hosts the annual Henley Royal Regatta. The roadside parking by the village green is unusually busy with Thames Water vans, so we pop down the…