Mountain Bike Rider - July 2014 UK

JULY 2014 l £4.50 l mbr.co.uk

CUMBRIA, SNOWDONIA, NORTH DOWNS & PEAKSFOUR PULL-OUT MAPS AND DETAILED DIRECTIONS FOR YOU TO FOLLOW

Trail packsTrail packs

JEWEL OF THE PEAKS

ON TEST

GREAT VALUE TRAIL BIKES

10 OF THE BEST ON TEST PLUS 6 SETS OF GRIPS10 OF THE BEST ON TEST PLUS 6 SETS OF GRIPS

Service your bike in 60 minutesThe ‘healthy’ foods to avoidBoost your fork’s performance

FREE ROUTE MAPS

PLUS LATEST BIKES FROM TREK, SARACEN, MERIDA & MONDRAKER

NEW 650B BIKES FROM CANYON, GT, KONA & VITUS

YOUR GUIDE TO CUT GATE, THE PEAK DISTRICT AT ITS FINEST

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56 BRITAIN’S BEST SINGLETRACK: CUT GATEThe most famous — and best — stretch of

singletrack in the Peak District gets its turn

in the Britain’s Best Singletrack limelight

66 DOUBLE AND ASH: GUATEMALACover star Fabien Barel takes an amateur

under his wing for a once-in-a-lifetime trip

to the volcanoes of Central America

74 FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: ME VERSUS THE PEOPLEmbr’s editor tries his hand at an organised

group ride in the Lake District

ContentsO N T H E C O V E R

FEATURES

BIKES & GEAR

JULY 2014 Prime Peak District

singletrack in the

spotlight on page 56

We head to Molini,

Italy, to try out the

latest enduro bikes

An adventure shared

is fuel for months

of pub tales, p74

BIKES IN THIS ISSUE

Canyon Spectral AL 6.0 130

Commençal Meta AM Girly 94

Giant Trance Advanced

27.5 2 98

GT Sensor Elite 132

Kinesis MaxLight Sync Ti 38

KTM Ultra Race 29 98

Merida One-Forty 1-B 40

Mondraker Dune XR 96

Mondraker Foxy Carbon RR 42

Norco Fluid 7.1 134

Orange Five RS 100

Orbea Rallon X30 92

Saracen Kili Flyer 121 36

Specialized Stumpjumper

FSR Comp Evo 94

Trek Remedy 9.8 27.5 34

Vitus Escarpe 275 VRS 137

Whyte T129 94

22 HOT STUFFTemptation, thy name is mtb gear

34 FIRST RIDESTrek’s 650b Remedy leads the line-up

of the most exciting new bikes

86 PRODUCT TESTSMonths of thorough testing reveals

what’s worth buying, and what’s

best avoided

92 LONGTERMERSIt’s time for Ben to bid a reluctant

farewell to his Orange Five

102 TRAIL PACKSTen of the best to choose from

112 GRIPSGet your contact points sorted with

our guide to the best grips

126 GREAT VALUE TRAIL BIKESFour 650b trail rippers put to the

test in this month’s shoot-out

O N T H E C O V E R

O N T H E C O V E R

O N T H E C O V E R

O N T H E C O V E R

ON THE COVERWhen you’re as good as Fabien

Barel, every trail is a racetrack.

Here he shreds a descent on the

volcanic ash of Guatemala, and

you can read the story behind

the photo on page 66.

Photographer: Jeremy Bernard

JULY 2014 mbr 5

In the limelight

E verywhere

you look right

now, people

are talking

about cycling. If it’s

not Plaid Cymru

making party

political broadcasts

at Bike Park Wales,

it’s international

bike races kicking

off here in Blighty

(don’t they have

their own start lines?). You can take your pick from

articles in the Independent about how mountain

biking is dead, to articles in the Guardian about how

great mountain biking is. That’s before we mention all

the companies using feel-good photos of bridleway

coasting and seat-of-the-pants shredding to fl og

bank loans, breakfast cereals and phone networks.

Fact is, this sport is in great health. If you don’t

believe me, try booking a slot on the BPW uplift with

less than two months’ notice. It’s already getting

harder to fi nd some of the best 2014 bikes, and there

are lengthy waiting lists for the most successful

direct-sales brands.

All of which makes you realise that there’s a

downside when your sport is on the up, yet I get

the feeling we’re all supposed to be competitive on

behalf of our pastimes, to will them to get bigger,

more visible and ever-more popular. Maybe it began

with the decade of build-up to 2012, when every

sport had to fi ght with cold-eyed ruthlessness to

ensure inclusion, funding and even (shiver) legacy.

As a mountain biker, I’m happy that bikes are

getting better, that bike parks are getting bigger, that

new lines are being dug all the time. It’s

nice when mountain biking is in the

public eye — but I might have to get

up earlier at the weekend to get the

trails to myself…

Now available on the iPad, Kindle and all Android devicesmbr.co.uk/digital-edition

HOW TO

Editor, mbr

youtube.com/user/MBRmagazine strava.com/clubs/mountain-bike-rider-5839mbr.co.uk facebook.com/MBRmagazine twitter.com/mbrmagazine

The pros and cons of media

attention for a sport that’s on the up

116 FIX Q&AGot a new suspension fork? Here’s when

and what to service to keep it on top form

118 MAINTAIN YOUR PEDALSYour pedals take a battering every ride —

here’s how to show them some love

120 ADJUST YOUR TECHNIQUE TO YOUR EQUIPMENTWhy different bikes need a different style

REGULARS10 BIG PICTURES

17 BUZZ

44 REAL WORLD RIDING

46 TRAIL-FINDER GENERAL

51 MAILBOX

54 READER PHOTOS

114 RIDE GUIDE

146 AFTERIMAGE

SUBSCRIBE TO TODAY AND SAVE 50% Turn to page 48

Different bikes respond

to different riding styles.

We show you why on page 120

Cutting edge advice

in Workshop, p118

Forward Geometry:

fad or rad? p18

SAVE £31.40!

UK trail centres

are booming

C O N T E N T S

6 mbr JULY 2014

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B I G P I C T U R E

10 mbr JULY 2014

JULY 2014 mbr 11

Big pictureI rarely ride Lake District trail

centres — the natural trails woven

into the Cumbrian fells are just too

damn good. That said, whenever I

do sneak off for a play on grit, the

Grizedale black run brings a smile

to my face every time. Matt Wight

corners under the cover of conifer

trees that have since received a

significant chop.

Sam Needham

S p o n s o r e d b y S i l v e r f i s h w w w. s i l v e r f i s h - u k . c o m

B I G P I C T U R E

12 mbr JULY 2014

JULY 2014 mbr 13

Big pictureA trip to Sedona, Arizona led us

to a trail called Hangover, and it’s

easy to see why. After a punchy

climb up on slickrock, the descent

starts with this traverse in a narrow

band of vegetation high up on

the mesa. With a big drop to the

right along much of the trail, Toby

Pantling keeps tight to the huge

wave-like rocks.

Roo Fowler


B I G P I C T U R E

14 mbr JULY 2014

JULY 2014 mbr 15

Big pictureThe life of a pro isn’t just about free

bikes, armfuls of free clothes and

more scars than a plastic surgeon’s

mistress — you also get to go to

the places the rest of us can only

dream of, like this volcanic range

in Guatemala. Well, except for one

ordinary Joe who got to do just

that. Read all about it on page 66.

Jeremy Bernard


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QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“ S H E E P B L E AT

AT M E O N T H E

WAY PA S T; I

B L E AT B A C K .

W H Y T H E

H E L L N O T ”Mile-munching mentality , page 74

JULY 2014 mbr 17

For the past year, everybody has

been talking about how great

the RockShox Pike fork is for trail

riding. Now Fox is hitting back with

a brand new 36 RC2 that is lighter,

plusher and stiffer than any we’ve

previously seen.

That’s the theory behind

the completely redesigned 36

(so-called because of its 36mm

stanchion diameter). The negative

spring is no longer a coil, replaced

instead by an air spring that’s

automatically charged from the

positive air chamber. That’s going

to save a whole load of weight,

with Fox claiming a difference of

something like half a pound over

the old version.

There are a host of other changes

too, from multiple wheel size

applications to a whole new seal

design. But the gist of it is that Fox

has made a fork lighter, stiffer and

probably better than their 34mm

forks… which raises the question:

why would you buy a 34? Here’s

hoping it’s really that good.

S T A R T Y O U R R I D E H E R E

Edited by Jamie Darlow

G E A R R I D E S G E T S TA R T E DI N S P I R A T I O NFA S T & F I T

F O X G O E S P I K E F I S H I N GNew 36mm fork has RockShox in its sights

Different

lubrication oil

and redesigned

seal head could

make the fork

feel plusher

Redesigned

for 26in,

27.5in and 29in

wheel sizes

New retro

‘heritage’ graphics

are styled on the

first Fox motocross

decals, from 1974.

There’s also a

special-edition

‘stealth black’

sticker set

New chassis is

a half-pound

lighter than old

36 (from 1,901g)

New convertible

thru-axle design

(15mm and 20mm)

RC2 damper with

high and low-speed

compression adjust

Fox claims better

small-bump

compliance and

reduced friction,

plus better

traction and

tuning

What is Forward Geometry (FG)?

Most bikes are designed to ride with (relatively)

long stems to get the reach and fi t right.

Mondraker has ditched that concept and built

the reach into the top tube of the frame,

lengthening the whole bike while keeping the

handlebars in the same position. Its Forward

Geometry bikes are built for weird-looking 30mm

or even 10mm stems.

Why go to all this effort?

It’s to give you a better position on the bike

when things get steep. A long stem puts your

weight further forward so you need to shift

backwards or risk going over the bars; with an

FG bike your weight is already back, even in

the neutral riding position. That gives you more

leeway to move the bike as you want by shifting

your body weight.

How does an FG bike ride?

Like a downhill bike: that super-short stem

matched with a wide bar defi nitely adds stability

when you’re descending.

What does it mean for our bikes now?

Just chucking on a short, 30mm stem probably

isn’t going to be right for your bike — it’s designed

for a long stem so your total reach (the bike length

+ the stem length) will come up short and make

the bike feel small. A 50 or 60mm stem and a

wider, 750mm bar will keep your reach roughly

constant (because you’re reaching outwards

on the bars rather than just forwards). “You’ll

basically lose your fears when the track is steep

and your confi dence will multiply,” says Mondraker

designer Cesar Rojo.

G E A R

18 mbr JULY 2014

W E I R D S C I E N C EIs Mondraker’s Forward Geometry just daft-looking stems or a genuine advancement?

See p96 for

Danny’s

opinion on his

Mondraker

longtermer

JULY 2014 mbr 19

G O A N D S P E N D Y O U R S E L F H A P P YB E N J I H A W O R T H

Gas bills? Just put another jumper on. Car bills? Flog it

and buy a road bike. Food? There’s always the skips at

the back of Tesco’s. Sorted. There is quite simply nothing more rewarding

than spending your hard-earned on your mountain bike.

OK, I’m exaggerating. Don’t get yourself into debt or ill health by spending

all your money on bikes. I’ve done that. It’s not good. But you’ll never regret

spending almost all your disposable income on mountain bike stuff. When

some interesting new technology comes along, get

on it. Being an early adopter has its advantages

— you can trade in your existing stuff before it

becomes worthless.

If you have the money,

spend it in the bike industry.

As well as ending up with an

even better, more enjoyable

bike, your investments will

speed up the process of said

new technology trickling

down to a level where us

poorer folk — and the

young riders in our sport

— can afford to buy it

too. It’s a philanthropic

exercise, literally.

Of course, “it’s not about the

bike”. Wasn’t that the title of some

cyclist’s autobiography? That per-

son was wrong. It’s always about the

bike. Try riding without one.

L U D D I T E S H AV E M O R E F U NJ A M I E D A R L O W

Idon’t need to fi ght

Benji’s argument with

science or logic. I’ve got an anecdote

instead, and that’ll do all my talking for me.

I like riding with my old mate Steve — he’s

a long-time rider but less into it than I am,

unwilling to commit to spending the entire

weekend doing it. He’s a man who has (whisper

it) other hobbies and interests too. He’s also

the kind of chap who wears the rotten old Sidi

cycling shoes he bought back in 2001 and

stubbornly refuses to ride anything other

than his rusty, creaking hardtail.

Every ride we’re on I spend a fair

portion of it berating him for his

rubbish bike and gear. He’d ride

faster, go further and spend less

time mending his shonky ride if he

invested in the latest technology,

I tell him. I’m totally right on

this, and it winds me up that he

doesn’t care.

Here’s the thing though — Steve

enjoys the trails just as much as I do.

His time on a bike is not in any way

devalued by the old technology

he’s riding. And it’s not that

he’s blissfully ignorant

about the latest advances,

he’s just progressed and

worked out how to be

happy without spending a

fortune. Who’s backward now?

T H E B I K E T E C H A R M S R A C EBig debate: Can you buy bike satisfaction or does big spending miss the point?

O R A N G E A T 2 5Back to where it all began with a special anniversary-edition Clockwork

Twenty-fi ve years ago Orange produced the Clockwork, its fi rst ever

production mountain bike. In the days when race bikes were built like road

bikes, with super-long stems and steep head angles, the Clockwork was

something different. Slack geometry and a lightweight chromoly frame made

it an instant hit. Now there’s this anniversary edition — 26in wheels are out, 29

are in. Steel is gone, replaced by alloy. It’s a modern bike with a retro twist.

RockShox SID is really

an XC fork, but this RL

model with 120mm

travel and a 15mm Maxle

is trail-bike territory

The skinny steel

tubing of old is

gone, replaced

by modern

6061-T6 custom

butted aluminium

Purple detailing on

the Hope hubs, rotors,

headset, seat clamp and

pedals (optional extra)

works with the silver

G E A R

20 mbr JULY 2014

Magura 2015 delivers four-pad brakes, electric lockout and flirts with an auto dropper post

O VA L & O U TSpanish firm Rotor promise more pedal

power for your push, with oval chainrings

Remember BioPace? Shimano’s oval ring system was designed to help

you pedal by accelerating the cranks through the top and bottom dead

phase (six and 12 o’clock positions) where pedal force is difficult, but

it never really caught on.

But now there’s the Q, a new oval chainring working in precisely

the opposite way to BioPace: harder at the quarter past three

position, easy at 12 and six. Spanish manufacturer Rotor says it’s

like having two different gear ratios on one ring — the overall gear

doesn’t actually change, but the effort required to turn the cranks

at key points in the pedal stroke does.

First impressions? The effect is startling. Power delivery is

more even, there’s greater traction and it also seems to reduce

pedal feedback.

There are double and triple Q rings, and a new single ring with a

narrow/wide tooth profile called the QX1. Available in 28, 30, 32, 34

and 36t sizes, it only fits SRAM and Specialized cranks with a 30mm axle.

A QX1 ring with spider is £124 — more details at rotoruk.co.uk.

F O U R - P O T P O W E R . . .This is Magura’s new four-piston brake, the MT7. It’s

designed for all-mountain use, delivers 15 per cent

more power than old Magura two-piston brakes and

has four — yes, four! — brake pads.

The idea is that power is massively increased

by using four 17mm pistons, instead of two 22mm

stoppers. There’s more hydraulic leverage this way,

although it does mean the pads are closer to the

rotor. Don’t worry though, Magura has thought of

the consequences of inhibited pad retraction, and is

using magnets rather than the usual springs to pull

back its pads.

A first ride suggests a light lever action and

plenty of stopping power delivered in a very smooth

and controlled way. The ergonomics have been

improved and the tool-free adjustments are handy

additions. Potentially the new pad design offers

better heat dissipation, increased wear rate and,

even though there is twice the number, they should

be easier to fit.

. . . A N D E L E C T R I C S H O C K Magura’s new eLECT

technology is a wireless

lockout for their forks and

rear shocks, locking and

unlocking the suspension

automatically (or manually)

as the trail demands. It’s

controlled by sensors that

tell whether you’re climbing

or descending. It’s not cheap

though, at £499 and £999

(shock and fork). But the

rumour is Magura is also

incorporating this technology

into a new dropper post too,

coming later in the year.

Finger-tip control

toggles eLECT on or off

Master cylinder with

its radial piston

Two brake pads

good, but four is

15 per cent better

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H O T S T U F FH O T S T U F FH O T S T U F F

M O S T

W A N T E D

Carbon-fi bre can be used to make components

and frames that are lightweight, stiff and

incredibly strong, but one of the most

underplayed qualities is the material’s ability to

dampen vibration. This is due its low density,

allied with the fact that you can build in some

give and resilience into the fi nished product.

On the scales, No Tubes’ new carbon 29in

Valor wheelset weighs a feathery 1,277g (578g

front, 699g rear) while, in addition, the company

is using a specifi c lay-up of carbon engineered

to soak up radial vibrations. In fact it claims the

new rim is so good it actually absorbs impacts,

adding a form of passive suspension to the bike.

Whether this will be detectable on the trail is

debatable, because any movement in the rim is

likely to be masked by the deformation in the

tyre. We’ll fi nd out when we put it to the test

over the next few months.

Like all No Tubes rims, the Valors feature

Bead Socket Technology and are tubeless

ready. The rim dimensions are pretty

healthy with an external rim

width of 26.4mm and 21.3mm

internal — the added width,

combined with extremely

low rim walls (the bead

hook is almost non-

existent), increases tyre

volume, reduces rolling

resistance and lessens

the risk of pinch-fl ats.

The wheels use No Tubes’ 3.30Ti disc hubs

and are built with 24 spokes at the front and 28

on the rear. Multiple axle options are included

in the box and there’s an 11-speed XD driver

available for use with SRAM XX1/X01. The

wheels will be available in 26, 27.5 and

29in sizes but there’s a snag for

those of us that love our pies.

No Tubes has put a weight

limit on these hoops which is

230lb (just over 16 stone)!

A full test on these wheels

will appear in a future

issue when we’ve er…

lost a bit of weight.

paligap.cc

N O T U B E S VA L O R C A R B O N W H E E L S E T £ 1 , 8 0 0

G E A R

22 mbr JULY 2014

WHAT WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

EX

CL

US

I VE

!

T- M O E N D U R OThis Deity carbon bar is a Tracey Moseley signature

model designed for enduro and all-mountain riding.

With a 15mm rise, 9° bend and 5° upsweep it’s a

great shape but there’s only one width, 735mm.

£130, hotlines-uk.com

D I A L - A - R I D EUpdated for 2014 with a BOA dial closure, the

F-75 is FLR’s pro-level race shoe. It has a carbon-

reinforced sole, removable toe studs and is SPD

compatible. Also available in white, and 37-48 sizes.

£99.99, bob-elliot.co.uk

I T ’ S T H E E C O N O M YBionicon’s new C Guide Eco is 32 per cent cheaper

and 25 per cent lighter than the old aluminium C

Guide 2.0, hence eco (economy) in the name. It’s

easier to fi t and can now pivot in three directions,

making it more effective too. £23.99, bionicon.com

N O I S E I N T H E H O O DWith integrated speakers and headphones,

Scruffs’s Speaker Hoodie lets you listen to tunes

while out riding. It’s soft, comfy and machine

washable even with the gadgets inside. Groms

will love it. £59.95, scruffs.com

U K R O U T E M A S T E R Great Britain Mountain Biking by Tom Fenton

and mbr’s own Andy McCandlish has 56 of the

best off-road routes in the UK. It’s only a fl avour

of what’s on offer but it’s a great place to start.

£25, v-publishing.co.uk

S P E E D S T E R S O N LYTroy Lee has refocused its Ace range for 2014

and a tighter fi tting XC aesthetic now prevails.

It also sees a hike in price — Ace shorts are now

£119.99 while the jersey is a penny shy of £60.

£59.99, fi sheroutdoor.co.uk

P R O T E C T Y O U R WA L L E TFancy giving enduro a try but don’t want to spank

loads of money on new kit? Take a look at this

budget 920 backpack from B’Twin. It has 16L of

storage, three-litre reservoir capacity and built-in

spine protection. £54.99, btwin.com

F E A T H E R L I G H TUltralight and stowable, the ClimaPlus insulation in

this Craghoppers hooded jacket provides perfect

central heating when you’re stood around the

campfi re all night talking nonsense.

£60, craghoppers.com

S M A L L A N D S W E E THere’s a fi rst look at DMR’s new V12 Mag fl at pedal.

It’s cheaper than the award-winning Vault and is

slightly shorter front-to-back, but has the same

concavity, thickness and pin placement.

£69.99, dmrbikes.com

JULY 2014 mbr 23

S E E O U R

T R A I L P A C K

T E S T, P 1 0 2

L O N G FA C E F O R L E I T H H I L LNew Surrey trail tied up in red tape

R I D E S

24 mbr JULY 2014

Y O R K S H I R E ’ S P A R A D I S E T R A I L Finding somewhere to ride with a newbie or the family is

tough… and then along came Sutton Bank in Yorkshire

Situated at the highpoint of the Hambleton Hills,

the new green-graded mountain bike trail at

Sutton Bank in North Yorkshire starts next to a

signpost pointing to the ‘Finest View In England’.

It’s a bold claim, but there’s defi nitely a huge

panorama across the Vale Of York waiting for

riders who’ve slinked through the trees and

crossed wide open spaces on this newly armoured,

4.5km loop in the North York Moors National Park.

The ‘Cliff Trail’ is the fi rst of three new routes

to be constructed by the National Park. It’s part

of a plan to build a purpose-built trail system that

acts as a stepping stone between forestry-style

trail centres and wild riding. All the new trails will

link directly into the area’s vast natural bridleway

network with a 12km blue-graded ‘Fort Trail’

close to completion and an ambitious 28km red-

graded ‘Paradise’ route under construction and

scheduled for June 2014.

The trails are formed from a mixture of existing

bridleway routes (drained and surfaced where

needed) and brand new purpose-made sections.

The emphasis is put on sheer distance and

absorbing the scenery rather than the BMX-style

berms, jumps and drops of other modern trail

centres. With Adrian Carter (founder of the Pace

brand and Dalby Forest front man) behind the

scenes we’re expecting good things.

Where’s our new trail?! It’s a

question on many a London rider’s

lips, as the top section of Leith

Hill’s new Summer Lightning trail in

Surrey still remains closed to riders,

three months after being built.

In April the CTC invited us to

preview the new extension to

Summer Lightning, a triumph of

goodwill between user groups and

landowners that added 2.5km of

smooth trail from Leith Hill tower.

Sadly though, that goodwill has

proved short-lived, with the British

Horse Society (BHS) now claiming

the trail is illegal and potentially

dangerous for horse riders.

“You’re not allowed to build on

the common,” Penny Tyson-Davies,

BHS Bridleways Offi cer for Mole

Valley told mbr. “They’ve broken

the law.”

We think it’s a real shame the

new trail is still out of commission

— partly because it looks fun to

ride and partly because the only

alternative route is down the heavily

congested bridleway, mixing with

walkers and horses.

Surrey Hills AONB built the trail

with money from Surrey County

Council, but the BHS’s bone of

contention is that the trail was built

without consultation and without

proper legal consent, something

disputed by trail builder Ian Warby.

“It’s just the hooliganism that

comes from some of the mountain

bikers,” Tyson-Davies said. “You

can’t have mountain bikes leaping

out right by horses’ heads.”

The top section of trail will stay

closed (offi cially, anyway), waiting

for the BHS to decide whether

to press their complaint with the

council, and for a more robust legal

agreement between the landowner,

Wootton Estate, and the CTC. Mean-

while, Ian has put in a dead hedge to

screen off the new trail and prevent

riders spooking horses.

Sutton Bank: swamped

in singletrack

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26 mbr JULY 2014

S P E C I A L S TA G E S P E E D

Riding an enduro this year? Listen to the world’s

fastest rider before you race — world champion

Jérôme Clémentz is here to give us his top three tips

A N T I C I P A T I O N■ If practice is allowed find the

key points of the race, the bits where

you have to do something special. A line

choice, noticing a sharp corner, a place you

have to shift, the length of the uphill, anything.

Before you race, go through all the points you’ve

noticed, and in the right order.

■ If you’re not allowed practice time, learn to

read the way the trail is taped or the marks on

the ground. Skid marks mean something will

happen soon, so shift, brake and be ready for

action. Look forward to anticipate what’s

coming up, keep the flow and give

yourself time to find

your rhythm.

N O P A I N ,

N O G A I N■ It’s a race, so you have to give

it your best. Make sure you know the

elevation, distance and approximate time for

each stage and transfer; this means you can save

energy on a long stage, or ride wide open on a short

one. When you cross the finish line you shouldn’t

have any energy left (except to drink a good beer).

A race is a good reason to improve and push your

limits, so even if it hurts in the stage try to stand

up on the pedals in a technical section, or sprint

to the finish line. The feeling afterwards and

the satisfaction of having given your best

is amazing. No matter what the final

rankings are, the fact you did your

best is reward in itself.

S L O W E R

I S FA S T E R■ Don’t think about descending

as fast as possible. You don’t have to

think about the goal, but about

what you have to do to ride fast.

Think about breathing, pedalling

efficiency, where to put your eyes, pacing

yourself, and how to be smooth. Focus on

what you’re doing, not on spotting your mate

cheering for you on the side of the track.

You’re less likely to do stupid things as

you near the end, and it also makes

you feel better and enjoy your

ride more.

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FA S T & F I T

28 mbr JULY 2014

G O O D F O O D T H AT ’ S B A D F O R Y O UChallenge some common misconceptions and rethink the way you eat

P U R E O R A N G E J U I C EThis breakfast favourite is

made from fresh oranges,

crammed with vitamin C…

but it’s still bad for you.

There’s a huge amount of

sugar in there: a 250ml

bottle typically contains

25g (six teaspoons) of sugar.

It may be naturally occuring

sugar but it’ll still give you a

sugar spike then an energy

crash that will affect you

later in your ride.

P R E - M A D E S A L A D SA grilled chicken Caesar

salad on mixed greens may

seem healthy, but once

you chuck in the croutons,

dollop on the dressing and

grate the cheese it’s not so

good for you after all. It’s

bad riding food — you’ll be

consuming more than 400

calories and over 20g of fat,

which is bad for cholesterol.

Swap the Caesar dressing

for vinaigrette.

T R A I L M I XIt’s amazing how many

people happily snack

away on a bag of trail mix

thinking it’s a healthy

treat. While there’s no

denying that unsalted

nuts can be a healthy

pick-me-up to satisfy

hunger pangs, many

mixes throw in salts and

sugars too. One small

handful will be fi ne, but

after the second or third

mouthful, the calories will

soon add up. According

to nutritional content

guides, a 150g serving of

regular trail mix contains

a surprising 693 calories

and 44.1g of fat

FA T- F R E E Y O G U R TJust because something

is fat-free doesn’t make it

healthy. A study conducted

by Action on Sugar looked

at the sugar content within

certain foods and there

was one that caught their

attention. A 150g serving

of Yeo Valley’s fat-free

vanilla yoghurt contained

a whopping fi ve teaspoons

of sugar.

D R I E D F R U I TIt may look like fruit, but

that’s about as far as the

similarities go. While

dried fruit contains fi bre

— which helps prevent

heart disease, diabetes,

weight gain and even

some cancers — it also

has a shed load of added

sugar and sulphur to

preserve it.

Dried fruit is also

extremely calorifi c; one

cup of fresh apricot halves

has roughly 74 calories.

The same amount of dried

apricot halves comes in

at over 300 calories. If

you’re really craving a

fruity snack… eat fruit.

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W H E R E ’ S T H E T O U G H E S T P L A C E Y O U ’ V E E V E R R I D D E N A B I K E ?

#MTB

Ethiopia

this Oct

Secret Compass

Just back

from the

Holyland MTB

Challenge...

the route was

tough every

day we rode

from mountains

to desert

Paul Errington

W E

A S K E DMr Toads Wild Ride,

Lake Tahoe, USA;

Poison Spider Mesa

Trail, Moab, USA

Michael Feldman

With two colleagues, just

completed the South Downs Way —

there and back, 200 tough miles in

three days. Wind and rain fun too!

John Rodway

Anywhere I am following my

boyfriend after his: “This is not too

crazy, you can totally ride here.”

Raivita Kramzaka

Shoreditch to Covent

Garden commute via Old

Street roundabout. Bad

Nik Thompson

A s a teenager I’d dribble over early

90s Yetis and Fat Chances in MBA

(Mountain Bike Action) magazine.

They were the superbikes of the

day. I knew a guy at the time that had a Yo

Eddy in the blue to green colour. That was

the bike I really used to love, and now I’ve

got one of my own.

I’ve been into Yeti from the time I bought

my first one in 1995. As well as the FRO

Tomac replica, I’ve got an ARC and an

Ultimate. The Ultimate was a collaboration

between Yeti, Ringle and Zapata ‘Zap’

Espinoza, the editor of Mountain Bike

magazine, to build the ultimate bike. It’s got

elevated chainstays to solve mud clearance

and make it stiffer, but it’s just plain gauge

cromoly tubing. It’s really solid — there may

be a hole in there somewhere! I haven’t even

ridden it yet, but I know they’re rubbish —

they’re way too short and they ended up

being really heavy, but they’re iconic!

I’d love a Yeti C26 with the carbon tubes.

I doubt I’ll ever get one unless I prise it out

of someone’s cold, dead hands. They’re like

unicorns — if I see one, I’m having it.

Specialized is the other brand I’ve got a

real thing for. My first proper mountain bike

was a Rockhopper, and at the time I really

wanted an S-Works bike. Now I have got

every S-Works M2, from ‘93 to ‘98.

The other side of it is that I like tracking

down old parts. Tyres are really hard to

get hold of, because we’re talking about

20-year-old rubber. Saddles wear out. Grips

are impossible. Specialized Umma Gumma

tyres are like hen’s teeth — which is why

they’re so expensive. Last year I was in a

bidding war with someone over a brand

new pair, but they were perfect for one of

my builds so I had to have them. I’ve got

a Ned Overend replica at home and that’s

“ T H E Y ’ R E R U B B I S H ,

B U T T H E Y ’ R E

I C O N I C ! ”Retro enthusiast Steffen Dobke explains how an adolescent dream has turned into an adult obsession

taken three years so far. I’m just waiting for

a grey saddle now. I could put a black one

on it, but it wouldn’t be right.

Most of the bits come from eBay. Some

stuff I find on RetroBike.co.uk, but most of

the guys there know what they’ve got and

they want big money for it. There’s a 1995

XTR M950 groupset on there now, and it’s

$3,000. But, what do you do? If you want it

on your build you’ve got to have it.

My fleet is currently running at 16 bikes,

and that’s after having a big clear-out

recently. I have ridden them all, but it’s silly

to spend money on new-old stock, then go

out and hammer it. So it’s light trails and

towpaths only.

It’s not so much about the riding, anyway,

because the way you ride has changed so

much. Technology has moved on and the

trails have evolved as a result. So now, it

makes me happier to see them in my shed

or to look at them on the wall.

I ’ D L O V E A Y E T I

C 2 6 . T H E Y ’ R E A S R A R E

A S U N I C O R N S — I F I

S E E O N E I ’ M H AV I N G I T

I N S P I R A T I O N

30 mbr JULY 2014

Yo Eddy: a vintage

classic to drive you

green with envy

Rare retro rubber

doesn’t come cheap

Garmin wants to give 50 riders one

of its new Virb Elite helmet cameras,

to record their riding movies and

share them on social media. Want to

take part? All they need in return

is one posted movie a month

and some social media,

until December 2014.

■ trygarminvirb.co.uk

M O V I E M A K E RHelp test Garmin’s new helmet camera

Steffan’s stable of old

school beauties is more

for admiring than riding

G A R M I N

V I R B S T A T S

■ Records in HD

at 1080p

■ 3hr recording

at full HD

■ Waterproof for

30min at a depth

of 1 metre

■ 1.4in hi-res

colour screen

■ Internal

accelerometer,

altimeter and

GPS sensors

G E T S T A R T E D

32 mbr JULY 2014

S I X T Y- M I N U T E S E R V I C E

Summer’s for riding, so do your basic maintenance before this year’s heatwave/hot day/warm-ish rain

T O O L S F O R

T H E J O BAllen keys / Pedal

spanner / Cassette

lockring tool / Grease

/ Rotor truing tool /

Degreaser / Clean rags

/ Loctite / Anti-seize /

Silicon spray or fork oil

5 - 8 M I N U T E S

Take off the pedals, get

rid of the gunk and give

the axles a spin to check

the bearings are OK. Refi t

using fresh anti-seize.

Check the tightness of the

pins on fl ats, or that the

spring still moves on SPDs.

5 - 7 M I N U T E S

Pop the saddle off the

seatpost and clean the

clamps. Clean up the bolts

and apply fresh grease.

5 - 7 M I N U T E S

Take out your seatpost and clean

the shaft. Clean down the inside

of the seat tube with a large bottle

brush or a rag on the end of a stick.

Or if you have a dropper post polish

the stanchion with silicon spray and

check the action is still smooth.

1 0 M I N U T E S

Take the stem off,

clean the bolts and

the threads and

regrease them.

Inspect both the

bar and steerer

interface for

damage or fatigue.

1 5 M I N U T E S

Take the headset apart

(take a quick photo so you

can put it together again)

and clean it up. Apply

grease to all the contact

areas — rub it into the gaps

between the seals.

1 M I N U T E

Clean any gunk off the

fork seals. Spray it with

silicon spray or gloop

fork oil down inside the

seals so your suspension

is stiction-free.

2 M I N U T E S

Tighten up the bolts on

your derailleur hanger, rear

derailleur and cassette

lockring, otherwise shifting

could suffer.

4 M I N U T E S

Clean both the disc brake

rotor and the pads with a

dedicated disc brake cleaner or

methylated spirits. Make sure

the pad bolt is still there too!

3 M I N U T E S

Check your tyres for wear,

rips, bulges, thorns or glass

embedded in the surface.

Glass and thorns can usually

be picked out, rips or heavy

wear mean a new tyre.

Check the pressures too.

2 - 5 M I N U T E S

Check all the rotor

bolts are tight (don’t

overtighten). Use some

blue Loctite on the

threads. If the rotor looks

kinked straighten it out

with a truing tool or

adjustable spanner

4 M I N U T E S

Remove the

wheel bolt-

throughs, wipe

off the crud,

regrease.

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£ 4 , 3 0 0 / 6 5 0 b / t r e k b i k e s . c o m

Trek has always been at the cutting

edge of wheel size development. It

was the fi rst mainstream brand to

get behind the 29er movement and

it has also been quick to make the

transition from 26in wheels to 650b.

So whereas Giant and Specialized have

each picked sides in the war of wheels,

Trek has a more neutral approach, allowing

intended use to dictate wheel size for

all bikes in development. The new full-

suspension bikes with less than 140mm of

travel have 29in wheels, and everything

over 140mm has, or is in the process of

shifting to, 650b. The crossover point is at

140mm travel, where trail riders have the

option of the Remedy 29 or Remedy 650b.

Who knows whether or not it will always be

that way, but for now Trek’s approach looks

sensible in our view.

The Remedy 9.8 is the fl agship 650b bike

with a reinforced OCLV Mountain Carbon

frame that saves weight and offers better

vibration-damping than aluminium. I opted

for the extra length of the 19.5in frame

size, the second-largest of fi ve available

(I’m 5ft 11in), but I hadn’t factored in the

proportionally longer 90mm stem that

came with it.

Fitting a 60mm stem and slamming the

saddle all the way forward on the head of

the Reverb dropper post gave me the reach

that I craved. This also improved the steering

characteristics, and saddle position relative

to the BB. Fortunately, standover clearance

is very generous even on the larger Remedy

frames, so all that was left to do was swap

out the 720mm bar for a 750mm.

My fi rst impression was that this bike

is fast. It pumps and tracks the terrain

NEED TO KNOWO�Do-it-all trail bike

with 140mm travel

O�650b version of

the popular Remedy

platform

O�OCLV carbon

frame reduces

weight and

trail buzz

O�Available in six

models and two

wheel sizes

starting at £2,200

for alloy Remedy

7 27.5

TREK REMEDY 9.8 27.5

Trek’s latest 140mm-travel trail bike boasts a carbon frame and 650b wheels. Can it better 29in performance regardless of the terrain?

amazingly well, rewarding acceleration and

pressing ahead. In fact, the rear suspension

is so sensitive that you really need to use

the trail setting on the dual air-chamber

DRCV rear shock to tame pedal-induced

bob when sprinting along smooth fl at trails

or rocketing up climbs.

FOX ON FORMUp front, the Performance level Fox 34

Float was one of the best I’ve ridden this

year. It wasn’t anything like as harsh as

some and the rebound never felt erratic.

Maybe the recent issues we’ve experienced

with Fox forks had more to do with quality

control and inconsistency than with

fundamental design fl aws. After all, for

most of the last decade, Fox made the best

trail forks on the market.

On the trails around the Surrey Hills,

the Remedy 9.8 was every bit as agile as it

was quick. I was able to pick any line that I

fancied and stick to it — or, at the very last

minute, dart to the opposite side of the

trail to set up wide for a fl at turn or avoid

N E W B I K E S

34 mbr JULY 2014

WE LOVETrek has cranked the fun dial on the

Remedy 650b up to 11. Being able to adjust

the geometry is a massive bonus too.

WE HATEThe handlebar and stem don’t

match the attitude and geometry of the

bike. Also, the Reverb remote and Shimano

shifters aren’t the best bedfellows.

1 S T I M P R E S S I O N

�

�

SPECIFICATIONFrame OCLV Mountain

Carbon, alloy chainstay

140mm travel

Shock Fox Performance

Series Float w/DRCV

Fork Fox Performance

Series 34 Float 140mm

travel

Wheels Bontrager

Rhythm Comp, XR3

Team Issue Tubeless

Ready 27.5x2.35in tyres

Brakes Shimano XT

Drivetrain Shimano

XT 2x10

Components Bontrager

Evoke 3 saddle,

RockShox Reverb

Stealth, Race X-Lite

Carbon bar, Rhythm

Pro stem

Sizes 15.5, 17.5, 18.5,

19.5, 21.5in

Weight 12.69kg

(27.97lb)

GEOMETRYSize Ridden: 19.5in

Head angle: 67.6°

Seat angle: 67.8°

BB height: 338mm

Chainstay: 434mm

Front centre: 735mm

Wheelbase: 1,169mm

Down tube: 692mm

Top tube: 620mm

Reach: 439mm

The Remedy

responds positively

to spirited riding

Adjustable

geometry is a boon

for versatility

DRCV rear shock

is super-sensitive

Shimano XT

brakes are a

reassuring choice

a puddle. It’s a really fun bike to ride and it

always encourages you to get creative with

the terrain.

It helps that it rails corners too. The BB

is just low enough to make you think about

timing your pedal strokes, but it’s not so

low that you’re constantly smashing into the

ground. I was happy with the compromise

— I glanced the ground with a pedal once

or twice per ride, but this was outweighed

by the in-the-bike sensation you get from a

low BB. Also, if you fi nd that you need more

pedal clearance, then fl ipping the Mino-Link

to the high/steep geometry setting will

raise the BB a touch.

So it’s a fun, fast bike, but is it better

than the Remedy 29? That’s a tough one to

answer. It doesn’t feel as solid as the 29er,

but then there’s no carbon Remedy 29 to

compare it to. Also, it’s not just the wheel

size that’s different; the 650b Remedy has a

much lower BB and that’s a trait I adore in a

bike. As ever (and particularly where 29ers

are involved), personal preference will

probably override the objective differences

between two high-quality bikes.

Alan Muldoon

British brand Saracen is thriving,

backing a successful downhill

team and building a solid spread

of mountain bikes to hit all the

disciplines that count, from dirt

jump to DH. The Kili Flyer is new for 2014,

with 120mm of travel and classed by

Saracen as an all-mountain bike thanks to

its gravity-inspired geometry.

‘All-mountain’ in our book means that a

bike’s fi rst duty is to climb well enough to

get you to the fun stuff. The Flyer is more

of a crawler here though, and I spent most

of the fi rst ride going uphill in the granny

ring. It’s not the suspension design’s fault,

but too slack a seat tube angle that pushes

your weight back over the rear wheel.

Really I wanted my saddle just behind

the BB. Couple that with its weight and

the Flyer name doesn’t seem particularly

apt — it’s just too damn heavy next to

the competition. The Specialized Camber,

Whyte T129s and Cube Stereo are all around

a kilo lighter.

It’s a solid bike on descents and I felt

confi dent on it straight away. There’s a good

width bar and short stem for increased

control. The shock looks a bit goofy slung

underneath the top tube, but that doesn’t

bother me because the suspension works

well. The swingarm rotates on big 30mm

cartridge bearings and 15mm Norglide

linkage bushings improve stiffness. The

shock tune feels right too, the back end

smooth and sensitive over trail chatter

and little hits. The linkage is too obtrusive

though, and I caught my knee a couple of

times — besides being painful it indicates a

lack of refi nement to the overall design.

With a Fox shock on the back and an

X-Fusion Velvet fork on the front I was

expecting a suspension mismatch, as the

Velvet has underperformed in the past and

proved too reluctant to break away. Nothing

could be further from the truth! It was plush

and never felt sticky. Neither does it dive

away on steep trails, but keeps you propped

up nicely and your weight back, gripping

the trail. The Velvet was originally designed

for the 26in wheel, but X-Fusion has

adjusted it with an internal spacer to take

650b. They’ve changed more signifi cant

parts too though, introducing new wiper

seals that glide up and down the stanchions

and produce a plush, opulent feel.

This bike feels like it was designed for

Saracen sets out to prove that all-mountain bikes don’t need oodles of travel and single chainrings

downhill, without quite enough thought (or

money) for uphill. The drivetrain and wheels

are OK but low-spec, while the geometry

and suspension shine through. To make it

in the all-mountain sector the Kili Flyer 121

needs to shed some weight, ditch the QR

back end and sort out its seat tube angle, or

all the descending prowess will go to waste.

Jamie Darlow

NEED TO KNOWO�120mm all-

mountain machine

O�X-Fusion Velvet

fork well matched to

Fox Float shock

O�Low-spec

drivetrain

from Deore

O�Sorted bar and

stem for control

SPECIFICATIONFrame 6013

aluminium, Tuned

Ride Link suspension,

120mm travel

Shock Fox Float

Evolution CTD

Fork X-Fusion Velvet

RL2, 120mm travel

Wheels Shimano

hubs, Jalco rims

Maxxis Ardent

2.25in tyres

Drivetrain Shimano

Deore crankset,

shifters and

derailleurs

Brakes

Shimano M505

180/160mm rotors

Components KORE

740mm bar, Saracen

60mm stem, Kore

Frazer EX saddle

Sizes S, M, L, XL

Weight 14.37kg

(31.7lb)

GEOMETRYSize ridden L

Head angle 67°

Seat angle 66°

BB height 327mm

Chainstay 428mm

Front centre 714mm

Wheelbase 1,142mm

Down tube 690mm

Reach 443mm

WE LOVEDialled suspension and DH geometry.

WE HATELugging nearly 32lb of bike up

the climbs.


�

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SARACEN KILI FLYER 121£ 1 , 9 9 9. 9 9 / 6 5 0 b / s a r a c e n . c o . u k

There’s the rub: protruding

shock linkage can catch

knees when pedalling

X-Fusion Velvet fork:

plush performer

N E W B I K E S

36 mbr JULY 2014

Kinesis is well known for its keenly

priced aluminium hardtails, but

the UK fi rm has recently launched

a new high-end frame made from

titanium. The fi nish is fi rst-rate;

it’s packed with innovation and, most

interestingly, the new Sync uses size-

specifi c wheels: 29in on the medium and

large, and 650b on the size small.

Kinesis already has a 29er hardtail in its

range, so it’s no surprise to see the Sync

get big wheels on the medium and large

frames. The reason for the downsize on

the size small is about packaging — Kinesis

says it wanted the small bike to benefi t

from the increased rollover of bigger

wheels while still feeling manoeuvrable

and responsive. It also didn’t want to

compromise on the stand-over clearance,

or, to a lesser extent, the look of the bike,

because small 29er frames can sometimes

look out of proportion.

When designing the Sync, Kinesis was

keen to incorporate modern trail bike

geometry, which meant making it longer,

lower and slacker and working the reach

around a short stem and wide handlebar.

The head angle on our medium test bike

wasn’t that progressive — we tested

some £600 hardtails last month that were

slacker than this — but the frame didn’t

feel cramped and at 5ft 11in I was able to

ride a medium (rather than a large) quite

comfortably thanks to the extra length in

the top tube.

The material’s inherent resilience means

that titanium bikes are generally pretty

comfortable and, while the Sync is more

forgiving than the fi rm’s aluminium FF29,

it’s still pretty stiff compared to most

titanium bikes. For Kinesis, the Sync is more

about propulsion than comfort, as you

can see from the oversized PF30 bottom

bracket shell and bolt-thru back end. That

said, Kinesis fi tted a carbon seatpost to our

test bike to help dampen trail chatter.

The intricate investment-cast dropouts

feature a post disc mount and a direct

Kinesis has switched to titanium for a feature-rich hardtail that covers two wheel standards in three sizes

mount rear mech hanger. The latter is a

Shimano-inspired design and is basically

a machined arm that replaces the B2 link

on the Shadow Plus rear derailleur. Fitting

the link adds stiffness to improve shifting

performance, and saves 17g in weight.

The Sync is a clean-looking, understated

hardtail and the ride is equally unfussy. It’s

agile, responsive and felt right at home on

tight singletrack and fast, fl owing trails.

You have to work a bit on rougher trails by

feeding the bike in and out of the holes or

hopping over them, but the directness does

make the Sync a rapid climber.

At £1,500, the Sync frame is relatively

affordable for titanium, with a level of detail

and innovation you usually only see on

frames costing twice as much. The small

650b option will defi nitely be of interest to

shorter riders.

Paul Burwell

NEED TO KNOWO�Sleek titanium

trail hardtail

O�Wheel size

dependent on

frame size — small

650b, medium and

large 29in

O�Compatible with

100-130mm-travel

suspension forks

O�Bolt-thru 142mm

rear-end, PF30

bottom bracket

and direct-mount

derailleur hanger

SPECIFICATIONFrame Ti3AL/2.5V

Titanium

Fork Compatible with

100-130mm travel

Components DMR

seat clamp, DT Swiss

142x12mm axle,

forged Pivot Cycles

hanger (Direct Mount

link £24.99)

Sizes S, M, L

GEOMETRYSize ridden M

Head angle 70°

Seat angle 72.8°

BB height 318mm

Chainstay 440mm

Front centre 662mm

Wheelbase 1,102mm

Down tube 670mm

WE LOVEDirect power transfer and solidity

— this is not a fl exy titanium hardtail.

Dropper-post guides are a bonus.

WE HATEThe ‘modern’ geometry is still

pretty traditional, with a relatively steep

head angle.


�

�

KINESIS MAXLIGHT SYNC TI£ 1 , 4 9 9 ( f r a m e o n l y ) / 2 9 i n o r 6 5 0 b / k i n e s i s b i k e s . c o . u k

Direct-mount rear mech

hanger boosts stiffness for

surer shifting

N E W B I K E S

38 mbr JULY 2014

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Merida has a solid following on

the XC and marathon race

circuits of Europe, but it’s still

rare to see one of its bikes on

the trails here in the UK. With

its new One-Forty range targeted squarely

at all-mountain riding, the company is

primed to change its racing-snake image

once and for all.

With the model name spelling out

suspension travel and hinting at the 650b

wheel size, Merida hasn’t left much to

the imagination. What the name doesn’t

tell you, however, is that the One-Forty

1-B has a thoroughly modern profile with

a slack head angle, rangy front-end and

low BB. This contemporary geometry is

complemented by a suitably stubby 60mm

FSA stem and fairly wide 730mm handlebar.

The Shimano XT groupset is all top-

quality kit too. But, given the progressive

geometry and attitude, this bike needs the

full 125mm drop Reverb seatpost, not the

shorter 100mm, and a beefier Fox 34 fork

would improve steering precision and boost

confidence over the spindly Fox 32 Talas

fitted. Also, we weren’t won over by the

prickly profile of the Prologo Scratch saddle.

Merida’s twin-link ‘Virtual Pivot

Kinematics’ suspension is not dissimilar

to the old 26in BMC Trailfox. Setting up

the suspension wasn’t anything like as

straightforward, however, and I spent a lot

of time on the first ride tweaking the shock

pressure and fiddling with the dials on the

Merida strikes out from its XC roots with an all-mountain model

Fox Float CTD shock to iron out some of

the wallow and pedal feedback from the

rear suspension. It’s definitely one of those

linkage designs where you have to find the

suspension sweetspot, rather than simply

pump it up and go shred. Then, just as I

was starting to find my mojo, I sent the

Merida off a drop with an almighty clang on

landing. The unmistakable sound of metal

on metal was caused by the seatstay bridge

smashing into the back of the seat tube on

full compression of the suspension. So, as

it turns out, the Merida shares more than

just a similar profile with the old BMC — that

bike also had clearance issues.

What’s causing the problem? Not a

super-short rear-end — plenty of 650b

bikes (and even some 29ers) have shorter

chainstays than 450mm. Perhaps we

just got unlucky and received a bike with

a shock that’s at the shorter end of the

tolerance range, but it instantly put an end

to an otherwise enjoyable first ride.

Alan Muldoon

NEED TO KNOWO�All-mountain

platform with

two models to

choose from

O�150mm-travel

fork married to

140mm rear for

a hard-hitting

trail attitude

O�Long, low and

slack geometry is

a major shift from

Merida’s XC roots

O�New frame

design built around

650b wheels

WE LOVEProgressive geometry and top-

notch Shimano XT finishing kit.

WE HATEThe seatstay bridge hitting the seat

tube on full travel.

.


�

�

MERIDA ONE-FORTY 1-B£ 3 , 0 0 0 / 6 5 0 b / m e r i d a - b i k e s . c o m

Seatstay bridge made

contact with seat tube

on heavy landings

Stubby, 60mm FSA

stem and wide bars

are on-trend

SPECIFICATIONFrame Aluminium,

140mm travel

Shock Fox

Performance

Series Float

Fork Fox 32 Talas

Performance series,

150mm travel

Wheels SunRingle

Charger Expert,

Schwalbe Nobby Nic

2.35in tyres

Brakes Shimano XT

Drivetrain Shimano

XT 3x10

Components

Prologo Scratch

saddle, RockShox

Reverb Stealth

100mm dropper

seatpost, FSA After

Burner bar and stem

Sizes 17, 19in

Weight 13.85kg

(30.5lb)

GEOMETRYSize ridden 19in

Head angle 67°

Seat angle 74°

BB height 337mm

Chainstay 450mm

Front centre 747mm

Wheelbase 1,197mm

Down tube 705mm

N E W B I K E S

40 mbr JULY 2014

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£ 4 , 9 9 9 / 6 5 0 b / s i l v e r f i s h - u k . c o m

The 140mm-travel Foxy is

Mondraker’s best-selling full-

suspension bike. It also happens to

be celebrating its 10th anniversary

this year. Hardly surprising then,

that this versatile platform was chosen as

the fi rst carbon full-suspension project ever

undertaken by the Spanish brand.

Few manufacturers make reference to

such immeasurable qualities as ride-feel

when launching their new full-suspension

bikes, but the presentation of the Foxy

Carbon spent more time discussing ‘new

sensations’ and a ‘new riding experience’

than claims of stiffer this and lighter that.

That’s not to say that there haven’t been

improvements in both: 400g has been shed

from the frame alone and it’s laterally stiffer

by around 10 per cent at the front and 15 per

cent at the rear.

But back to the ride-feel — the

obvious question is: does it actually feel

any different to the aluminium bike?

Emphatically the answer is yes. For one

thing acceleration is much snappier — the

result of that weight loss and stiffness

gain. And there are subtler improvements

too; it’s quieter, softer and generally less

hectic. It’s as though someone has turned

the volume down a few notches to reduce

NEED TO KNOWO�New carbon

version of

Mondraker’s

650b trail bike

O�Saves 400g over

aluminium frame

O�More refi ned

ride-feel

O�Retains familiar

Mondraker Zero

suspension and

Forward Geometry

Mondraker’s first carbon full-susser outfoxes its aluminium stablemate on any terrain

MONDRAKER FOXY CARBON RR the high-frequency trail buzz, along with

the cacophony of rattles and twangs that

always seems to be amplifi ed on boxy

aluminium frames.

Getting this right has taken time and

expertise; the Foxy Carbon has been

three years in development. More than 10

different carbon lay-ups were tested en

route to the fi nished article, and without

access to advanced carbon manufacturing,

achieving that ‘special’ feeling would never

have been possible.

CARBON COPYLike its aluminium sibling, the Foxy Carbon

uses Mondraker’s own Zero suspension

system and innovative Forward Geometry

concept (see page 18 for more on that).

Even the fl at-faced ‘Stealth Technology’

N E W B I K E S

42 mbr JULY 2014

S P O T L I G H T O N . . .

Zero suspensionMondraker’s own Zero suspension system uses a

twin-link arrangement that compresses the shock

at both ends. The upper rocker is responsible for

about 65 per cent of the movement and the lower

link about 35 per cent. It’s a design that works better

running slightly higher sag levels; around 30 per

cent on the Foxy. This gives a more horizontal lower

link angle, which results in greater sensitivity. One

downside to this configuration is that the shock and

lower linkage get pelted with spray from the rear

wheel. A small plastic mudguard will keep the worst

off, but it’s a system that needs regular TLC to keep

it running smoothly.

WE LOVELighter and stiffer with a smoother,

quieter ride than the aluminium bike. New,

streamlined aesthetic. Forward Geometry

is the future.

WE HATEZero suspension uses multiple

bearings and requires regular inspection.

Complex and unnecessary remote

suspension control.


�

�

SPECIFICATIONFrame Stealth Carbon,

140mm rear travel

Shock Fox Float

CTD Factory

Fork Fox 34 Float

Factory, 140mm travel

Wheels CrankBrothers

Cobalt 3, Maxxis Ardent

2.25in tyres

Drivetrain SRAM X1

chainset, X01 rear mech

and shifter

Brakes Formula CR3

Components OnOff

Stoic 30mm stem,

OnOff Stoic Carbon

740mm bar, RockShox

Reverb Stealth seatpost

Weight 11.99kg

(26.43lb)

Sizes S, M, L, XL

GEOMETRYSize ridden L

Head angle 67.5°

Seat angle 75°

Bottom bracket

(drop) -7mm

Chainstay 430mm

Front centre 790mm

Wheelbase 1,220m

tubing profiles have been replicated within

the moulding process. Elaborate surface

profiles are everywhere, as are dramatic

design details such as the ‘hanging’

bottom bracket and braced head tube.

But Mondraker has sensibly toned down its

signature hunchback top tube to give the

Foxy Carbon a more appealing side profile.

PREMIUM PERFORMERIn comparison with previous Foxys we’ve

ridden, there’s a much more active feel to

the Zero Suspension system. It has always

been a design that felt biased towards

pedalling efficiency rather than bump

absorption, but careful shock tuning has

given it a new lease of life. The new bike is

supple and responsive, tracks the ground

well and has a playful pop that encourages

you to go fast and generally act half your

age. We happen to think this is a good

thing. And with Fox’s CTD system, there’s

always the opportunity to firm things up for

big, smooth climbs.

Specced to the eyeballs with shiny

Kashima-coated Fox forks and exotic

Crank Brothers Cobalt wheels, the Foxy

Carbon RR is aimed firmly at the premium

end of the market. For £600 less you can

have the Foxy R, which loses the posh

wheels and golden-syrup suspension, but

thankfully doesn’t skimp on the damping.

Should you have an extra grand to play

with, however, there’s also the Foxy

Carbon XR, which comes with a longer-

travel (160mm) 34 Talas fork to give it both

extra alpine grunt and the option to lower

the front-end on climbs.

Danny Milner

Zero suspension: the

design that compresses

from both ends

It all started so well. I saved

up for my fi rst mountain

bike, a ‘91 Kona Lava Dome,

at a rate of £1.65 per hour

in the kitchen of The Bay

Horse, each step on the path

to ownership carefully ticked

off on a chart kept in a folder with

the brochure I still have to this

day. Junior T is blissfully unaware

of this story thus far, but I don’t

doubt he’ll regret the day he fi rst

hears it, immediately after he says

to me: “Dad, I want a new bike!”

Acting all morally superior is a

parental prerogative I await with

some glee. Were that my own

approach to bikes and fi nances

was so high-minded in the years

that followed…

The Orange Clockwork that

replaced the Kona was similarly

saved and paid for in the correct

fashion. The RockShox Quadra

21Rs that appeared on the front

of it shortly after cashing in my

fi rst student loan was the start of

a slippery slope of credit and debt

that continues to this day. Indeed,

I’ve probably only just fi nished

paying for those bloody forks and

they were useless from the off.

The combined perils of

credit cards, a taste for instant

gratifi cation and an all-too-easily

skewed fi nancial compass once

over the threshold of a bike shop

have come close to ruining me on

occasion. And once that reality

became a virtual one and I didn’t

even have to look another human

in the eye as I handed over my

card it got worse. Morbid curiosity

has me wondering if I should tot

it all up one day, but it’s probably

best if I don’t.

Hand on heart I’ve behaved

myself since becoming a dad,

so far avoiding the rush among

my riding pals to upscale to bigger

wheels, go tubeless or follow other

fashions. I’d almost go as far as calling it

a mature approach to parental fi nancial

responsibility and sacrifi ce. OK, there

was a little lapse when I bought that

Genesis Alpitude frame, but that’s

since evolved into the dad bike and is

therefore domestically acceptable. I

must have ridden him up to nursery on it

at least, oh, twice now. Money well-spent

and entirely justifi able.

Recently, though, I had a bit of a

relapse. I don’t know how it happened.

Well, OK, I do. Bike Park Wales beckoned

and the underused Five was dug out of

the shed. A seized wheel bearing would

be cheap and easy to fi x, off to the shop.

Five minutes later I was speccing up a

full rebuild of new Halo Vapour rims and

spokes for both wheels. While they were

being built a tyre ripped on the tarmac,

meaning that when I went to collect my

freshly built wheels I had to add two new

road bike tyres to the tally. Gulp.

Now usually in these circumstances,

when that parcel arrives or you cross

the threshold with shiny new bits and

the interrogation starts, you can play on

domestic ignorance of bike component

prices and knock a decent percentage

off for the sake of an easy life. Indeed,

work that denial hard enough and you

can even start believing your own lies.

Guilty as charged. And this would have

worked in this instance.

Were the person behind the counter

taking the payment at the bike shop

and staring into my guilt-ridden face

not my wife.

Busted.

This will cost me, in more ways than

one. I wonder if The Bay Horse will have

me back?

On the slippery slope from earnest saver to sly spender

Dan Trent just wants to ride — but life keeps getting in the way

Illustration by Chris Watson

From thrifty to shiftyREAL WORLD RIDING

C O L U M N

44 mbr JULY 2014

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I’ve just fi nished writing

a cheque and I am very

happy with this. For those

under thirty years of age, a

‘cheque’ was an olde worlde

means of payment whereby

you write a promise of

future payment on a piece of

paper and hand it over to a

vendor. And they happily believe

your promise. It now feels as

ancient a practice as jousting.

Anyway, my particular story

begins a couple of days ago. I

had a rainy Tuesday to kill. There

was no one else to play out with

so I decided on a solo bike ride,

and pretty soon after setting off

I decided to make it a big one.

The weather was a bit grim and

the ground conditions weren’t

that great, so the least I could

do was to turn this outing into a

bit of proper exercise and fi tness

building. Get something out of it.

We all know of those occasions

where you really push things

for long enough when it’s really

horrible and you end up having a

strangely enjoyable ordeal.

I was about two thirds of

the way around my intended

route and I became aware that

I hadn’t really eaten very much.

I wasn’t yet bonking but it was

defi nitely on the way. One piece

of marmalade on toast isn’t really

enough for a 50km hilly drizzle-

epic. I decided to stop at the

next village. It was the last one

I’d encounter on the route. There

was a good pub there where they

don’t mind fi lthy bikers turning

up and mucking things up so

long as they eat a big pile of

food. And that’s just what I was

going to do.

Upon pulling up to the pub I leant

my bike up against a bench outside

and spied an ominous A4 print-out

taped to the door. Due to unforeseen

circumstances they would not be able to

take payment by cards today. Cash only.

Apart from my debit card, which I’d kind

of banked on being able to use during

this impromptu epic ride, I had 70p. Oh

bugger. This wasn’t going to end well.

I had serious doubts as to whether I

could get home, even via the shortest

way possible. I had visions of phoning

up neighbours to come and pick my

shivering empty-shell self from the side

of the road and take me home.

I remembered seeing a dinky tea

room a little bit back up the road. I

didn’t really expect them to have a card

machine but I had to enquire. I nervously

entered the doily-tastic establishment

all too aware of how mud-covered I was.

An elderly couple dining with their even

more elderly parents stopped to gawk

at me. Suddenly the tearoom owner

appeared. “You don’t take cards, do

you?” I asked in an already-resigned

tone. “No love, sorry. We don’t.” I knew

it. Oh god. She continued: “But we’re

more than happy for you to send us a

cheque when you get back home.”

I’m not sure how long I stood there

stock-still, mute and slightly open-

mouthed, thinking about what the owner

had just said. But it was just a little bit

too long to be a normal human response

time. “Do you want to do that then,

love?” the owner helpfully prompted me,

like a fellow actor helping out someone

who had forgot their lines.

Needless to say, once I remembered

where my cheque book was, I agreed to

this most noble of deals. Pie, peas, pot

of tea. And a cake. Plus a scone. Food

never tastes better than when you’re

starving on a mountain bike ride.

So from truly miserable conditions

came about one of my favourite ever

riding memories, nay one of my favourite

ever memories of anything. Bikes and

humans are ace. The former helps you

remember the latter.

The descent to rock bottomA true story of generosity found in the most unlikely of places

TRAIL FINDER GENERALBenji Haworth has a map and a compass, and he’s not afraid to use them

Illustration by Chris Watson

C O L U M N

46 mbr JULY 2014

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Mailbox+ S T A R L E T T E R +

JULY 2014 mbr 51

Y O U R L E T T E R S

CONTACT US:mbr magazine,

Leon House,

Croydon, CR9 1HZ

[email protected]

COLOUR ME BLUEI have been an avid reader for

years. I’ve enjoyed reading about

your adventures and I’d never have

visited half the places I have been to

without reading about them in your

fi ne magazine.

Wednesday night while out

on my hardtail (my Cannondale

Jekyll is getting some TLC), I

came across one of those things

that never fails to remind me why

mountain biking is so fun, and not

about how fast you can do a stage.

Here is a photo of my Chinese

carbon 29er sat in a sea of

bluebells along a natural trail

in the woods, around Danbury

Common, Chelmsford.

Matt Leech

Ed —I thought of this email (and

photo) when I was riding in the

Lakes the other week (see page

74 for more on that one). The

bluebells were everywhere, the

little lambs were bleating and it

was all fl ipping beautiful. It was

a bit different four hours later

though, when I thought my heart

was going to explode through

my eyes and the sun felt like a

blowtorch being directly applied

to my lungs, but that is another

story altogether.

OUR MAN IN BOLIVIAI am currently travelling in South America

and have been away for six months now.

I say ‘travelling’, but that’s not technically

true — I met a Bolivian girl fi ve months ago

and have been stuck in Sucre, Bolivia, ever

since. I am missing my bike and have taken

to downloading the digital version of your

superb mag to keep me sane during these

dark days.

Sucre is surrounded by mountains and

huge hills, so I asked my girlfriend to take

me out into the countryside. Sadly, the

15-year-old bikes we hired were not really

up to scratch. The brakes hardly worked,

the forks were abysmal and the weight was

similar to that of a small car.

My girlfriend had warned me that the fi rst

30 minutes were a tough uphill slog, and at

over 9,000ft above sea level, it pretty much

killed me. But then she happily announced

that the next three hours would be mainly

downhill. I zoomed down the narrow gravel

tracks, getting air off the natural bumps in

the road. Then I hit a sharp left-hander and

my more-or-less non-existent brakes nearly

sent me off a 200ft drop. A lucky escape.

All in all it was an excellent afternoon

and a much-needed ride after all those

dark months. If you have been deprived

long enough of a ride and you are

desperate enough, no matter what piece of

junk you are riding you will have the most

amazing time.

Paul in Sucre, Bolivia

Ed — It’s emails like this that help us

through the late nights in the offi ce,

Paul. Your dark days shacked up with a

Bolivian girl during a six-month holiday

do sound awful, and if all you have to get

you through the long days and nights

is a digital subscription to mbr and the

occasional three-hour descent through

the hinterland of Sucre, we’re just happy

to help.

WHO’S THE DADDY?After reading Dan Trent’s column in April’s

mbr (‘Teaching an old dog new tricks’), I

thought I’d add my own experiences.

I’ve done quite a bit of biking in my life:

touring in my 20s; traffi c-jamming (on early

80s mountain bikes for visibility) in my 30s;

but then a hiatus in middle-age.

In my 56th year I fi rst went off-road

When riding can look

this good, what more

do you need?

IPC Media Ltd, Leon House,

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Tel: 020 8726 8453 / Fax: 020 8726 8499

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EDITORIALEditor: Simon Collis

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Contributors: Dave Arthur, Chris Ball, Jeremy Bernard,

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24,495AUDITED CIRCULATION FIGURE FROM JAN-DEC 2013

WINS a Madison Flux

shorts and jersey

WORTH £94.98

on the ‘new’ generation of mountain bike:

go-up-and-down anything geometry;

suspension; light but rigid materials;

hydraulic disc brakes, if you please. And, of

course, I’ve become obsessive.

In just three short years, I’ve gathered

experiences you can only get from the

saddle of a mountain bike. Australia, New

Zealand, Bali, Bhutan, Utah, northern

California, Yorkshire. Now, I’m plotting,

hopefully, two decades of retirement to add

to that list, and if I don’t ride at least twice

on weekends and one weekday night ride, I

get tetchy.

Sure, there is the plate in the left hand

and the scars on the elbows, knees and

shins. My home trails in Hong Kong are a

tad uncompromising, but they’re superb

for teaching technique. And even on an

old-model body, injuries recover.

The point is, it’s NEVER too late to get

into mountain biking. I won’t be a downhill

racer, but just riding is physical and mental

satisfaction enough at any age. Tell your

dad that.

Malcolm Sullivan

GOOD DAY, BAD DAYIt’s an April morning, the van is full of bikes

and off we go to Llandegla full of the joys

of spring.

The wife is happy to ride the red and

blue, so off we go. But 10 minutes later I get

a puncture. Knowing I’ve got tubes with the

green stuff in, I can just pump it up, right?

That didn’t work so I strip the tyre down to

find about six holes in the tube.

The wife offers to ride back to the van, as

I had forgotten to put the spare tube in my

back pack. (Sorry to everyone coming up

the hill while she was flying down the wrong

way!) While she was away, I used up all my

self-adhesive patches and some electrical

tape and it worked, so by the time she got

back I was ready to go. We hit the red run,

the wife is of out in front having fun, we

get to a rocky bit and BOOM, my back tyre

blows out.

Then I realise that the wife still has the

spare tubes in her backpack. It was a long

walk to catch up with her, but the rest of the

day was a good one — I finished the red and

the blue, then off for some food.

I would like to thank the 25 or more riders

who offered help when I was sorting out the

puncture, a BIG thanks to my wife for going

back to the van for the tubes, and to a fella I

had never met offering me a tube to get me

down to the shop.

Yan Mills

DEBATE OVER?With the wheel size debate still raging on,

it’s now time for mbr to put it to bed once

and for all.

No small task, you say? Well until recently

I would agree, but now it can be done very

easily and decisively.

Many magazines have tried to put wheels

sizes head-to-head, but on different bikes,

with different travel and suspension types,

all of which added too many variables to the

test with no clear results.

However, Specialized now produces the

Stumpjumper in all three wheel sizes, all

with FSR suspension and all running the

same rubber. In other words, identical bikes

bar the wheel size.

I want to see the bikes put through their

paces on XC, enduro and DH courses in a

fully comprehensive and scientific test.

I expect the results in next month’s

excellent mag!

Eric Dowding

Ed — Oh Eric. If only it was so easy. Alas,

few bikes are ever truly ‘identical’, and

the Stumpys are no exception. The 29er

has different travel (140mm front, 135mm

rear compared to 150mm front and back),

the chainstay lengths are different, the

bottom bracket heights… it’s just not

going to work. And then there’d be

complaints that the courses we’d choose

are too smooth, rough, nadgery or

whatever. Maybe the riders are too fat/

thin/big/small. There’s no right or wrong

to this one, Eric, no best and no worst,

and we all just need to deal with it.

52 mbr JULY 2014

Y O U R L E T T E R S

QUICK LINES

SIZING UPI am in the process

of buying a new

hardtail and I’m

interested in the

Vitus Sentier

275VR, which you

awarded ‘Hardtail

of the Year’ in

your June issue.

Can you help

me with sizing?

I’m 5ft 4in with

28/30in inside

leg and I’ve

been looking at

the small (15in)

frame. As you ran

the large frame,

would you say the

sizing guide is

spot on?

Scott Kimber

Ed — Sounds like

you should be on

the money with a

small, Scott. The

Sentier sizing is

generally on the

small side, but

looking at your

measurements,

you shouldn’t

have any

problems with

it. Enjoy the bike

— it’s a cracker!

OLD BLOKESWHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER Send your digital injury pictures to

[email protected]

Wheel sizes: complex

and tough to compare

Riding whoop-di-doos

at Llandegla

NAME Paul Gallagher WHERE Local woods,

Nottingham WHEN April 2014 HOW

Went OTB at over 20mph, landed hard.

Interesting bruise on arm and extremely

sore ribs!

NAME Symon Smithard WHERE Doncaster

WHEN March 2014 HOW Asked my 15yo son

Thomas if we should take the easy route or

the steep one. Halfway down I flew off the

bike. Unable to walk for a week.

NAME Paul Jones WHERE Glentress WHEN

February 2014 HOW Went OTB on drop-off

I’ve done 100 times. Picture is following

surgery to reconstruct AC joint. Can’t wait

to get back to that drop-off.

NAME Andrew Smith WHERE Temple

Newsam Woods, Leeds WHEN January

2014 HOW Overshot jump and hit tree.

Broken kneecap; quad tendon reattached

with hooks/wires.

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Y O U R P H O T O S

54 mbr JULY 2014

My new trail. I’ve been building all

winter, every chance I’ve had. It’s

still not finished, so I guess I’ll just

have to wait.

Kevolution

Downieville trail, California. Saw it

on TV last year and there was just

something about it.

Ibbo

Someone a while back showed

me pictures of their week-long

adventure in the Atlas Mountains.

Have wanted to do similar ever since.

But I’ll always settle for decent riding

anywhere with good company!

DaMilkyBarKid

Because it’s only a few days away

rather the other side of the globe,

I would like to ride in the Alps. I’m

always working on the wife for a

pass out, but she always wants

something in return.

Glynn six o

I really fancy doing Land’s End to

John o’ Groats on an mtb with as

much of it off-road as possible. Might

be doable in chunks, I suppose.

Bananaman16

I quite fancy the Austrian/Swiss

Alps. I’ve ridden the French Alps

and loved it but have skied in

the Austrian ones and they look

amazing for riding.

Monte

Back in the mid-Nineties I went to

Eilat on the Red Sea with my folks

and managed a few days’ riding in

the desert. The trails and scenery

were amazing so I wouldn’t mind

going somewhere similar again.

Ferrals

I would love to ride Thailand top

to bottom, Chang Rai to Hua Hin,

finishing with sand and salt water in

the spokes. Just need a sponsor.

Trevron73

At the moment I would settle for

anywhere. My colleagues have gone

riding in Shropshire for the week

and I’m stuck in the office.

Snake Plissken

YOUR PHOTOS

02

N E X T M O N T H

HOW WELL DO YOU MAINTAINYOUR MOUNTAIN BIKE?Join the debate at

po.st/mbrjuly14

THE

BIG QUESTION

Every day, mbr ’s forum is awash with

advice, stories and gossip. Here’s what

you’ve been talking about this month.

Where would you most like to ride?

To enter, send your inspiring

digital photos — 3MB max fi le

size — to mbrreaderphotos@

ipcmedia.com, marking ‘Reader

Photo’ clearly in the subject

box. Also, add a short caption to

explain what the picture shows.01

05

03

This one’ll get you in the

mood for Back o’Skiddaw,

as Andy Smith takes in the Lake

District views.

Photo: Lee Corbett

Hitting the heights with John

Fidler overlooking Torridon.

Photo: Lottie Chapman

First ever race run for Jamie

Pollock. Where did he fi nish?

No idea!

Photo: Louis Arnold

Time for some bike love

before catching the ferry

across Windermere.

Photo: Robin Woodburn

Sunny spring day at Llandegla…

so put that phone away!

Photo: Andy Jordan

01

02

03

04

05

S E N D U S YO U R P I C S

BIKE L VE 04

WINS A CamelBak

Mule NV pack

(SRP £99.99)

F E A T U R E

56 mbr JULY 2014

CUT GATE DARK PEAK

If it’s dry and you’re on your game, Cut Gate offers a myriad of delights

that puts it at the pinnacle of Peak District singletrack

Words & photos: Benji Haworth

JULY 2014 mbr 57

F E A T U R E

58 mbr JULY 2014

or such a large

and popular

riding area,

it proved

surprisingly diffi cult to fi nd

a challenger for Britain’s Best

Singletrack in the Peak District.

There is plenty of good riding

there, but the singletrack often

lacks the

consistency

and duration

to tick our

boxes. We’re

a demanding bunch and we have

standards to maintain. Not any old

dinky bit of skinny dirt can make

the grade.

We ummed and ahhed and

argued the toss for an unhealthy

amount of time before coming to

our fi nal decision. The resulting

trail of choice was still met with

resistance from some riders, but

we’re happy to say that on the return trip there

were no more grumbles. Just grins.

Cut Gate is the best trail in the Peak District.

It has a bit of everything (apart from trees):

dirt, rocks, dips, jumps, bends, carves, fl ow,

awkwardness, speed, trials, views, remoteness,

atmosphere — it’s all here. But you have to do Cut

Gate in the correct way, at the correct time, and

in the correct conditions. You need to wait until

the planets align and a perfect storm has brewed.

Well, not literally, but you get the idea.

Cut Gate is a tricky prospect, which is why too

many people have had too many bad experiences.

Get your timing wrong and it can be a soggy and

slow waste of time. And if your timing is off in

a bike-handling sense, it can be a frustrating,

disjointed wrestling match.

All this meant that once we’d (fi nally) decided

on Cut Gate, we then had to wait just as long for

the right conditions. It’s a spring or summer trail.

It needs to have been dry and preferably warm for

at least a week beforehand. Ideally it’s better to do

it when there’s a minimal number of other trail

users on it too — but that pales into insignifi cance

compared to the importance of the ground

conditions. On the plus side, the location means

a whole lot of people can do Cut Gate as a day trip

without too much planning, which means you can

put it on your ‘to do’ list and make it happen when

the conditions look likely to align.

Eventually the elements came good and we

arranged to meet up for a late-afternoon raid on

Cut Gate. My co-riders were Simon and Matt from

18 Bikes bike shop and John and Tom from

We’re making it our mission to reveal Britain’s

fi nest singletrack. We want to celebrate all the

wonderful natural riding hidden across the land,

the trails that formed by evolution rather than

design, with no little wooden posts and colour-

coded signs to guide you round. Real, honest

singletrack. Believe it or not, there are trails out

there that ride like they are purpose-built for

mountain bikes, yet in fact they are completely

uncontrived; the haphazard products of chance.

Discovering these miracles of nature brings the

kind of wholesome reward that trail centres can

never replicate.

Our list of ultimate singletrack stretches from

north to south, east to west. It crosses both

Scottish and Welsh borders and touches on many

of the UK’s National Parks. Among our selection

are pocket-sized rides around intense networks

of trail, and sprawling epics that will take all day

to complete. In every case they represent many of

the most memorable rides we have experienced in

our riding lives so far.

This is not, however, a defi nitive roll call. Like

the trails themselves, we want to see this list

evolve. With your input it can be honed and

refi ned. So, if you know of any singletrack that is

good enough to rank alongside national treasures

such as Bowderdale in the Howgills, the Doethie

Valley in Mid Wales and Minton Batch on the Long

Mynd, we’d love to hear about it. Get in touch via

[email protected] or tweet @mbrmagazine

#britainsbestsingletrack.

Get the conditions right

and Cut Gate is an

isolated, untouched haven

JULY 2014 mbr 59

You have to do Cut Gate in the correct way. You need to wait until the planets align

F E A T U R E

60 mbr JULY 2014

The textbook definition of singletrack is a trail

no more than 18 inches wide, the stuff that arcs

gracefully through a Swiss Alpine meadow or

a redwood forest thick with loam. To restrict

Britain’s best singletrack to such anorexic

dimensions, however, is to ostracise some frankly

brilliant riding. As a consequence, for the purposes

of this series, we’re defining ‘singletrack’ as any

trail wide enough for only one bike to pass along

at a time.

Preserving these national treasures is

everyone’s responsibility. In order to keep Britain’s

singletrack single, stay on the trail as much as

possible — which means riding through puddles

and boggy sections, rather than around them. And

if it’s really been hammering down for days on

end, maybe avoid riding these delicate ribbons of

perfection altogether.

Vertebrate Publishing guidebooks. Truth be told,

I’m not sure how much excitement there was

among the group. There was no outright moaning,

but putting together an instalment of Britain’s

Best Singletrack usually creates an atmosphere

of anticipation that was noticeably absent this

time around. Thankfully the weather was being

kind. It was a beautiful afternoon in the Peak and

as we headed away from the car park and away

from civilisation in general, spirits improved

quickly. There had been a small but hopefully

insignificant shower of rain earlier in the day and

we were keenly — obsessively — on the lookout for

puddles and boggy bits. A feeling of apprehension

persisted, though. We were dreading a bad Cut

Gate experience.

TERRA FIRMERAs we left the opening section of farm roads and

wide tracks and began to head on to the moorland

proper, the sense of relief was palpable. Even on

this notoriously soaky section of uphill the track

was firm and supportive. Phew.

The route we were following is the one you’ll

find in the pullout on page 114 of this issue. The

perennial debate about ‘which way is best’ to Cut

Gate has never been one I’ve been drawn into. The

best way to do Cut Gate is to do some of it BOTH

ways. End of.

The gradual ascent up from the ruined

farmstead called North America was in really

good nick. There was wild talk of deviating from

the prescribed route on the return leg and coming

down this way instead. It’s tempting and it’d be

pretty darned good too, so it is worth considering.

We finished the climb as totally different riders

to those who had met in the car park half an hour

earlier. We now had a spring in our steps. We were

up for it, and it was just as well, because the first

kilometre after joining Mickleden Edge is one of

those gradually inclining singletrack trails that’s

hard work if you’re trudging along sat down in the

saddle. But if you have a bit of zip and vigour then

it’s an up-on-your-pedals, middle-ring stomp-along

that is strangely rewarding. There were occasional

patches of puddle but even they became things to

bunnyhop over or manual through. The ground

underneath the water was ironing-board hard.

I was doing my best to pretend that I wasn’t

doing my best. I was desperately trying to keep

on Tom’s rear tyre, but after one too many near-

crashes (from me) I decided it was best to forgo

that duel and let him disappear off ahead of me.

Lunar park: an other

worldly obstacle course

is a test of ground control

Gritstone and turf

gulleys are great

for tearing it up

Beckoned on by

boundless horizons

and a barren wilderness

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SIMON BOWNS, 18 BIKESThe last time I rode Cut Gate it

was an energy-sapping waste

of time due to the top section

being an unridable mess. It’s

one of those classic routes that

many have heard of, but the bad

memory of that ride had stuck

in my head, so I’d not made the

effort to bother heading over

again. It’s a long spin or drive

round the reservoir from the

Hope Valley, and I’d convinced

myself it wasn’t worth the effort.

After this ride I’m back in

love with Cut Gate. Given the

slight rain we’d had immediately

before the ride, I’d expected

more bog hopping, but in

general I was really chuffed with

the trail conditions.

The maintenance work that’s

been undertaken by Moors for

the Future [who preserve the

area] has bedded in well to

give weatherproof surfacing in

sympathetic materials rather

than re-hashed tarmac. There’s

something here for everyone

— grunty climbs, singletrack,

rutted grassy moorland —

not to mention some truly

stunning views.

As we

started the

return trip

we noticed

how old and untouched the

landscape looks, with only a

couple of masts to show that

mankind has been anywhere

near. I think this is the point of

Cut Gate. In the right conditions

it’s an obvious path so it’s

difficult to get lost, but it’s a

great way to lose yourself in the

beauty of the Peaks. Just wait

until it’s relatively dry, or

frozen solid!

F E A T U R E

62 mbr JULY 2014

A true Peak District local, he seemed to be able to

use the gritstone and turf ledges to increase his

velocity, so that obstacles for me were more like

springboards for Tom.

We all regrouped as the terrain changed

character for the next section. We were on Cut

Gate proper now. This middle top section is

neither uphill, nor downhill, nor flat. It’s sort of

corrugated. It’s wide but it’s full of line choices

with more bad options than good ones. You need to

be local or lucky — preferably both — to get across

this expanse without coming to some sort of dead-

end or stub-out. It’s like riding trials on the moon.

Once again the local riders left me for dead. This

time Matt joined in with the schooling.

A cairn signifies the end of this section, and we

regrouped before plummeting down the much

steeper flank off Howden Edge. The resurfacing

slabs were visible below us but first we had to

negotiate a thrilling hotch-potch of dirt, rocks

and turf-lip jumps. It was really difficult not to

just let fly and zoom down, but there were enough

surprises popping out at us to remind us not to

overdo it.

The slab ‘pavement’ came as a nice freewheeling

breather before the gradient returned, the slabs

stopped and the rut terrors began. Gradually I got

my eye in and my bravery increased. All the local

riders had screamed away so I figured I’d give

them a run for their money. It helped that I was on

a long-travel 29er. I found myself going at speeds

I’m not used to on trails this narrow and natural.

It was eye-wateringly fast… literally.

A hotch-potch of dirt, rocks and turf-lip jumps, it was difficult not to let fly and zoom down

Rock-studded descents

are a chance to let

gravity take over

Blending into the

background of the

Peak’s wild landscape

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64 mbr JULY 2014

Find a map and

directions for this

route on page

114, or download

a GPS file by

visiting

po.st/g6FT25

Reaching shallower terrain came as a massive

relief. I was filled with a huge wave of adrenaline

and glee after competing the last descent, and

the sublime singletrack of Sandy Lee was the

icing on the superb cake. I even pulled a manual

to celebrate. I can’t manual but somehow I now

could. It was a moment to remember, and it was all

thanks to Cut Gate.

BACK TO THE STARTThe fun wasn’t over quite yet. The final curly,

bermy drop into Cranberry Clough is one of the

Peak District’s deserved iconic sections. It gets

photographed to death and this would be no

exception. No one objected to riding it again and

again for the camera; it is such a fab combination of

tight-but-quick turns.

This drop marks the end of the outward leg.

We cruised out of the valley to have a proper

rest and refuel at a bridge over the river. I’ll not

pretend that the start of the return leg — back up

Cranberry Clough and Howden Edge — wasn’t

hard work. It was really, really hard work. But it

wasn’t miserable. The initial push was actually

a pleasant, social shove, as a happy group of

mountain bikers headed back up for more great

riding. To my surprise I found myself climbing up

from Sandy Lee to the cairn, which I wouldn’t have

thought was possible, nor that I’d be up for it, but it

was a goer. I was up for everything.

The ‘moon trials’ section was as challenging and

unfamiliar as it had been coming the other way.

Then, just as I was beginning to get a teensy bit

jaded, we reached Mickleden Edge. It looks like a

simple straight-line heather-edged singletrack, but

in reality it has unforeseen nuances and character.

There are lines within the line. Once again I

allowed myself to be schooled by the locals as they

pushed bigger gears without seemingly touching

the brakes at any point. I didn’t care, though.

I’d given up chasing and was in my own world of

trail-ripping nirvana.

Cut Gate had proved its case. It is the best trail

in the Peak District and a deserving contender in

our Britain’s Best Singletrack line-up. Take your

time going as fast as you can.

If you’re looking for singletrack in the Peak District

then there are two other rides that are worth a

looking at.

Those who like a scare and a technical challenge

should try Doctor’s Gate above Glossop. Like Cut

Gate, it’s not very nice if it’s wet (the last section in

particular ends up being a shin-soaking mud bath).

It’s also not much fun if you don’t like rocks and

buzzing your arse on the rear tyre. Steep in places,

you might say.

Then there’s Middle Moor (aka The Shooting

Cabins) above Little Hayfield, which is a classic

example of Dark Peak moorland singletrack.

Heather-edged. Sparkling gritstone dirt. It isn’t

steep and you’ll need to be a fittish, pedalling

rider to get the most out of it, yet it seems to last

a while compared to the relative ease with which

you can get to the top of it.

I pulled a manual to celebrate. I can’t manual but somehow I could. It was a moment to remember, thanks to Cut Gate

A stream crossing offers

the chance for a quick

wheel clean

Pick your line,

then let gravity

do its thing

��

DOUBLE

The chance to shadow pro rider Fabien Barel on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Guatemala in Central America was too good to turn down — but would it prove too hot for handle for an amateur?

Photos: Jeremy Bernard

ASHAND

F E A T U R E

66 mbr JULY 2014

JULY 2014 mbr 67

hey say the best way to

improve your technique

is to spend time with

riders who are better than you.

Attitude, line choice and all-out

speed can rub off on lesser

riders, but the downside is that

you need to be prepared to slay

yourself just to keep up, to hit

trails and lines you’d normally

wuss out of, and to test yourself

to the limit for the entirety of

your ride.

Now imagine that the rider

you were trying to keep up with

was three-time DH world champion and enduro

hotshot Fabien Barel. And the trails? Not so much

your local stamping ground as the towering, knife-

edge volcanoes of Guatemala. Either you’d come

back as a much better rider… or in pieces.

That was the challenge — and amazing

opportunity — presented to 30-year-old architect

and amateur rider Rodolphe Pascuito when he

won a competition organised by Julbo eyewear to

live the life of a pro on a 10-day mtb expedition

with Fabien.

The adventure began with uploading a one-

minute edit to the Julbo website, and then came

a phone call from Fabien inviting Rodolphe

and nine other finallists to meet him at the Roc

d’Azur cycling festival. After a day of riding and

spending time together, the decision was made:

Rodolphe had won. Naturally, he’d entered the

contest without really thinking it would lead

anywhere. “I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “It was

such an enormous thing for me, to meet Fabien

and to be travelling to ride with him, producing

video and photos. But I couldn’t think about it too

much. I tried to take it as it came, just like I was

going riding with a mate. Why stress? It’s only

riding, right?”

FEELING THE FLOWAfter a 20-hour journey from Geneva to

Guatemala, however, it quickly became clear that

this wouldn’t be anything like anywhere Rodolphe

had been before. “Everything was different,” he

says. “The colours, the people, everything. I really

appreciated how friendly and welcoming the locals

were, but once we’d got ourselves settled, I had to

focus. I told myself to be ready and not hurt myself

— the trails were technical and Fabien is a very,

very good rider!”

The riders and production team were based in

Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 1,000m

above sea level, a maze of cobbled streets and

brightly coloured houses, all overlooked by three

volcanos: Agua (3,766m), Fuego (3,763m) and

Acatenango (3,976m). Most visitors are content to

stare up at them; Fabien and Rodolphe were going

to ride them.

On the first day they attacked the trails of

Agua, just a few kilometers from Antigua,

surrounded by the incredible scent of the coffee

trees. Up next was Pacaya (2,552m), but the lava

from its last eruption in May 2010 made riding

conditions seriously difficult. The descent was an

unforgettable experience of bombing down

68 mbr JULY 2014

F E A T U R E

Ashes to crashes: say

your prayers and get

ready to pumice surf

Children of the corn:

playing hard on a

maize of tracks

“Anyone got any 650b

inner tubes?”

Hanging out with a

local BMX bandito

JULY 2014 mbr 69

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dunes of black sand formed by pebbles of eroded

lava. “It felt just like surfing,” explains Fabien.

“Normally you feel the ground underneath you,

whereas there you had to be constantly steering

into the skids, making it really feel like you were

floating. It was fantastic!”

The next day, around the coffee plantation estate

of Finca Filadelfia, they crossed from one valley

to another taking their bikes over 400 and 500m

rope bridges. It was an amazing way to find new

trails (Ed — doesn’t sound a patch on the A25 to

Gomshall). Once there, they ripped down tracks in

the middle of coffee and maize fields, ending up in

a favela where the children welcomed them with

big smiles.

3AM INFERNALIf that was fun, then things were about to get

serious with the ascent of Acatenango, one of the

highest summits (3,976m) in a little country with

more than 30 mountainous peaks. Dropped off at

2,000m in a 4x4, Fabien and Rodolphe took the

remainder of the ascent step by step. They stopped

halfway up to sleep at a base camp at 3,000m, but

Rodolphe says the climb didn’t bother him. “I like

this type of challenge, even carrying my bike up to

such a high altitude. You have to push your limits

if you want to ride on the roof of the world!”

The ascent began the following morning at 3am.

But the short night was memorable in itself — the

volcano opposite, El Fuego, belched eruptions

of lava while lightning flashed just a few metres

overhead. The aim was to reach the summit before

sunrise, so in the early hours, Rodolphe and

Fabien climbed for almost two hours with their

bikes on their backs. And what a sunrise! “It was

a long way to get up there, but the view at the top

was magical. It was unforgettable,” says Rodolphe.

“It was a sight that will stay with me for ever. The

colours were so beautiful and the landscape just

took my breath away. I don’t have the words to

describe it.”

THE VOLCANO BELCHED LAVA WHILE LIGHTNING FLASHED JUST OVERHEAD

JULY 2014 mbr 71

GET WELL SOON, FABIEN!Here at mbr we love seeing Fabien do

what he does best — so we’re gutted that

we might not be seeing him in action for a

while. He broke his eighth dorsal vertebra

in an accident at the opening round of the

Enduro World Series in Chile (still completed

the day’s racing though, natch!). You can

get the latest updates on his recovery on his

Facebook page.

Get well soon, Monsieur.

Going up: a tough

trek to the roof

of the world

Now that’s what I

call a lava lamp...

There was time to enjoy the view, but there

was also a 3,000m descent to take on. The upper

slopes consist mainly of black sand where it’s

difficult to ride, with faint tracks that tested

technique to the limit. The emphasis was on

anticipation and good weight distribution over

the bike, or in a split-second they’d be on the deck

— and they often were. Lower down, they ripped

down narrow paths in the jungle to get to fields

and back to Antigua.

TRANSFORMATIVE TRIPThey finished their journey at Lake Aticlan, a vast

expanse of water in the middle of a crater, offering

runs with incredible views of the surrounding

volcanoes. But for Rodolphe there was one

highlight that couldn’t be rivalled. “It was fantastic

to spend time with everyone, but especially Fabien.

He’s a great guy, uncomplicated, passionate and

committed to what he does. He’s an inspiration for

achieving your dreams and getting to where you

want to be.” Luckily, the man-crush was mutual.

“There was an immediate connection between

us,” says Fabien. “Rodolphe is a guy who loves

nature and was 100 per cent up for the adventure.

He amazed me with his professionalism in the

shoots. He’s also a really great rider who’s good

at anticipating his lines — even if his enthusiasm

caused a few falls along the way!”

Any ambitious trip isn’t just about magical

sunrises and pyrotechnic volcanoes. There was

the missing luggage when they got to Guatemala,

a technical problem with the car which meant

looking for a welder in the middle of nowhere...

in other words, a mash-up of all the ingredients

that make a trip what it is: a break from ordinary

life. But for Rodolphe it was something more, and

something genuinely life-changing.

“The trip helped open my eyes to my own life

and what I really want to do with it,” he explains.

“I’ve been riding a bike since I was small, and I’ve

gone down the same classical route as lots of other

people: studies, work, a normal life. But I pass my

days looking out of the window and wanting to

be in a forest with my bike. I’ve come back from

the Julbo session with my eyes open, knowing it’s

possible to live life at the maximum while making

a living too. This is what I really want to do. At the

end of the month I’m quitting my job as a designer

to start up a new project in bikes, video and travel.

My new life is only just beginning.” Told you it’s a

risky business riding with the pros…!

FAINT TRACKS IN THE BLACK SAND TESTED TECHNIQUE TO THE LIMIT. WITHOUT GOOD ANTICIPATION THEY’D BE ON THE DECK

72 mbr JULY 2014

F E A T U R E

ABOUT JULBOEstablished in 1888, Julbo is a benchmark

for sports eyewear at world level. Based in

the Jura, the company has always drawn

inspiration from the mountains.

A pioneer in the production of glacier

sunglasses, today the brand is recognised

worldwide as a leading player in sun

protection in high-risk environments for all

outdoor sports. The company complements

this expertise by adapting the technical

lenses of its sunglasses to prescription

versions for each discipline.

The Julbo Sessions is a series of

competitions allowing enthusiasts to live

the life of professional sportspeople,

from mountain biking and trail running to

kitesurfing and skiing. Find out more at:

bit.ly/julbosessions

Golden volcanoes and

smokin’ trails are a match

made in heaven

It would be rude not to

eat like a champion...

I’ll go first Fabien, it

gets a bit technical here

NEED TO KNOW GUATEMALA■ Capital: Guatemala City

■ Language: Spanish

■ Entry requirements: EU nationals need a passport valid for more

than six months from date of departure from Guatemala.

■ Money: Expect to pay 40 quetzals (£3) for a dish in a traditional

restaurant, up to 70Q (£5.50) for an upmarket meal in a city.

Accommodation costs from 80Q to 150Q (£6-£11.50) depending on

the standard required.

■ Getting around: If you’re on a budget then ‘chicken buses’

(so-called because of the number of feathered creatures on board,

not the bravery required to travel by them) cost around 10Q (75p) per

hour. Car hire costs around 550Q (£42) per day.

■ When to go: Dry season runs from November to March.

WHAT TO TAKESummer clothing during the dry season, but warmer gear if you’re

heading to high-altitude peaks such as Acatenango. Be aware that

volcanic lava is highly corrosive for bikes, shoes and other gear.

Looking for new eyewear? Julbo Stunt & Pipeline sunglasses with

Zebra Light photochromic lenses (cat. 1 to 3) would be ideal for

this trip.

ORGANISED TOURSJulbo used a specialist biking company to look after logistics. It cost

$150 per day for the group with mini-van/driver + cook/assistant.

A house for 10 people cost $200 per day in Antigua. For details,

speak to Mayan Bike and ask for Luisa or Joel, 00 502 5708 7408,

[email protected].

A WORD OF WARNINGThe trails are typically unnamed, unmapped and have no website,

so you’ll need to get the information you need from locals.

M E V E R S U S T H E P E O P L Embr’s editor tries out a mile-munching Lakeland epic with 300 other riders for company. Too much of a good thing or taking fun to a new level? It’s time to find out…

Words: Simon Collis Photos: Benji Haworth, Chris Catchpole

F I R S T T I M E F O R E V E R Y T H I N G

74 mbr JULY 2014

F E A T U R E

JULY 2014 mbr 75

76 mbr JULY 2014

F E A T U R E

all me antisocial, but I

loving riding on my

own. I’m not in this

for the chatter. I don’t

want to struggle up a

hill while everyone

waits for me at the top, and

I don’t want to stand around

getting cold while someone fi ddles

around endlessly with a

multi-tool and a shock

pump. I go to the pub

to talk, and I go to the

trails to ride. The fewer

distractions, the better.

It’s probably no surprise, then, that I’ve never

tried a big organised ride. Hundreds of people

riding the same route? Sounds like a good time

to hit the trails elsewhere. I’m aware that lots of

people — thousands of them every weekend, in

fact — would disagree. Sportives on the road keep

on growing, so is there something to be gained

from solidarity? From camaraderie? Once I’ve

stopped shuddering from even typing those two

words, I’ll put the theory to the test.

The event I’ve chosen is the Grizedale Grizzly,

part of the Adventure X series that’s a kind of

on- and off-road sportive designed primarily for

cross bikes and hardtails. And it’s not the number

of fellow riders that’s likely to cause the biggest

problem — more the length of the route, which

at 75km is the biggest ride I’ve ever tackled. And

that’s the so-called ‘Mini Massif’. The full-blown

‘Massif’ is over 100km with more than 2,500m

of ascent. There’s a fair portion on tarmac on

both routes (that’s where the cross bikes come in),

but it’s still likely to be a shock compared to the

shorter, sharper rides I’m used to.

I seek advice from the mbr team before I set off.

Bike test editor Muldoon, never short of wisdom,

gives me a three-point plan that he says will

ensure I “at least make it to the fi nish”. Eat before

you’re hungry. Drink before you’re thirsty. And go

at your own pace. I do all these things on a normal

day in the offi ce, so it shouldn’t be a problem to do

them on the trail. I feel a surge of confi dence.

As the big day approaches, my bullishness

subsides. If I’m going to collapse into a quivering

mess at a Lake District roadside, I’d rather not

do it in front of a procession of 200 strangers. I

know it’d be memorable for everyone to have a

good laugh at the mbr editor’s expense — a bit

like reversing into a caravan and then realising it

belongs to Jeremy Clarkson — but it’s not the kind

of amusement I’m looking to stimulate. Matters

aren’t helped when I meet up with some mbr and

Cycling Weekly staff for a last orders pint the night

before the event. Our art editor, Ben, points at my

pint and sniggers darkly, “Are you sure you should

be drinking that?” He doesn’t need to know that I

already had two with my dinner in a pub around

the corner. Drink before you’re thirsty, that’s what

Muldoon told me.

PREP TALKThe morning can’t come too soon, and the bright

sunshine brings with it a new sense of optimism.

The car park at Cartmel Racecourse is fi lling

up and riders are milling around, pointlessly

cycling forks, glancing at each other’s bikes and

occasionally stripping off. There’s more Lycra

than I’m used to, but so far, so trail centre. I’m in

my element.

I line up alongside six strangers for a pre-

ride briefi ng that’s straight to the point. “The

Adventure X isn’t a race,” says Cheryl from

organiser Rather Be Cycling. Cue sniggers from

our group, who have clearly been talking about

who’s going to be fastest.

And then we’re off. Within 100m of leaving the

racecourse we’re on picturesque, gently winding

country lanes. I’m no roadie, but I might be if it

was more like this and less like high-speed car

dodging for suicidal sociopaths. I’ve borrowed a

rather beautiful Canyon carbon hardtail for the

weekend (did someone say ‘all the gear, no idea?’)

and it feels amazing. Straight away we’re riding

at our own paces — a couple of guys have already

streaked into the distance, another group are

sticking together at a quick but sociable speed

up ahead, and myself and a chap in an orange

jacket are hanging back at the rear. No matter how

slowly I go, he’s staying behind me, so I fi gure he’s

identifi ed me as a sensible pace-setter to guarantee

reaching the fi nish. This is defi nitely not a

W I T H I N 10 0 M O F L E AV I N G T H E R A C E C O U R S E W E ’ R E O N P I C T U R E S Q U E C O U N T R Y L A N E S

JULY 2014 mbr 77

A B O U T T H I S S E R I E SEver taken a leap into the unknown? Ever

seen something you fancy trying… or that

you’d do anything to avoid?

This series is about leaving your comfort

zone and trying something for the fi rst time.

mbr writers take the plunge into something

they’d love to do, have been putting off or

never saw the point of — and the result is a

unique perspective on the many different

possibilities of mountain biking.

W H A T I S A D V E N T U R E X ?Organised by Rather Be Cycling on behalf of mbr and Cycling Weekly, Adventure X is a series of

group rides that incorporate road and off-road sections. It is designed for hardtails and cross bikes and

typically offers a shorter route of around 45 miles (72km) and a longer version of 60 miles (95km).

F O R T H C O M I N G E V E N T S■ Sunday July 13 Rhinog Raptor, Coed-y-Brenin, Wales

■ Sunday September 21 Galloway Gallop, Dumfries, Scotland

■ Sunday October 12 Lakeland Monster Miles, Keswick, England

Book your place at bookmyride.co.uk

Adventure X: a

taste of the Lakes’

rocky trails

The climb continues

with a rocky road

Sheep and solitude can

drive a man baa-rmy

Who needs a map

when there are pink

pointers to follow

F E A T U R E

race, but we have set off at the same time and he

is clearly a similar level of fitness to me. He’s my

benchmark, and I resolve to streak away from him

in the last few kilometres or die trying.

The road is surprisingly pleasant but it’s not

why I’m here, and soon we reach the first off-road

section, the so-called ‘A taste of things to come’.

Sure enough, the pattern is set, not just for the

terrain we’ll encounter — amazing views, mainly

dry, picturesque bridleways and some slightly

loose, rocky climbs — but the way we’ll ride them.

A few of us overtake each other regularly as we

stop to faff with clothing or mess up a climb and

push to the top, and we gradually get to know each

other as we go. I’m now on nodding terms with

‘Mr Benchmark’ in the orange jacket, who I will

slay before the day is out. There’s a running joke

with another group about how many pints we’ve

sweated out from the night before — seems some

people are here for an enjoyable weekend without

bringing along a sarcastic art editor to spoil all the

fun. (Oi, I’m reading this too — Ben)

I’m starting to get into this. I drink before I’m

thirsty, eat before I’m hungry. Off-road sections

give way to tarmac just as they’re starting to get

tiring; road gives way to off-road before I get too

bored. There’s a real flow to the ride because we

never have to stop to check a map — plentiful route

arrows along the way take care of that. I don’t need

to think about pacing because I’m surrounded by

people who seem like similar riders to me. Though

they aren’t especially technical, the climbs call on

a combination of the granny ring and gritted teeth,

but I’m pleased to see that some of my rivals — on

both cross bikes and hardtails — are pushing up

where I’m inching past on my pedals. Maybe I’m

better at mile-munching than I’d thought.

BLEAT SURRENDEROne thing I learn is that I can no longer blame

faffing on my riding buddies. I am capable,

it seems, of the solo faff. Energy bars sink to

the bottom of my pack and require endless

rummaging to locate. At one point I convince

myself I’ve acquired a puncture and have to stop

to prod my front tyre (it’s fine). I spend 10 minutes

searching for more sachets of energy drink; guess

I’ve left them in the car where they’re utterly

useless. Mr Benchmark disappears over the crest

of a hill in front, but I know I’ll see him again

before the finish.

By the time we reach the halfway feed

station, I’m convinced I’m in my element. Simple

mathematics dictates that if I’m feeling 95 per cent

fit at halfway then I’ll still be at 90 per cent when I

get to the end. I top up on energy drink, cram a few

Jaffa cakes in my gob and push on. At the back of

my mind, despite everything I told myself before

the ride, I decide that just making it to the finish

might not be enough — perhaps I should be aiming

for a time I’ll be proud of, too.

The climbs seem steeper as we leave the feed

station, and they’re mainly on tarmac. I know I’m

pushing too hard, trying to keep in touch with

riders up ahead rather than sticking to my own

pace. But gradually we stretch out, and for the

first time I feel totally alone. Sheep bleat at me

on the way past; I bleat back. Why the hell not?

Loneliness and dehydration do strange things to

a man.

The climbs take us into Grizedale Forest Park

and the trees close in around us. This feels more

like the riding I’m used to, but surprisingly — a

little bit disappointingly, to be honest — we don’t

cash in our hard-won altitude by blasting down

some rooty, rocky, foresty singletrack. Instead, we

career down the fire road, though I’d be lying if I

said it wasn’t fun. It’s eye-wateringly fast, on loose

gravel that’s just begging you to overcook the

78 mbr JULY 2014

Gorse play: picking up

speed through a

corridor of yellow

“Always eat before

you’re hungry.”

Well, if you insist...

War of the roadies: the

battle of the blacktop

recommences

Proof that even

decades-old hardtails

beat cross bikes

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F E A T U R E

80 mbr JULY 2014

S I M O N ’ S V E R D I C TThe big group ride wasn’t entirely what I’d expected. It was more solitary than

I thought it’d be, though the direction arrows and feed stations mean you get the

peace of a solo ride without the risks inherent in setting off into the unknown.

And the fact that you know you’re in a group, even if you can’t always see them

around you, means you inevitably make your stops shorter, your climbs and

descents faster, and you can’t countenance not completing the route. It was

a brilliant challenge, and I felt real pride at the fi nish. I’m defi nitely up for

another go — and next time I’ll do it faster.

T O P T I P S F O R A D V E N T U R E XWe asked Gav from Rather Be Cycling

for some tips on nailing a long-distance,

off-road/on-road group ride.

■ It pays for mtb riders to think about their

bike, and especially their tyres. A hardtail

will be more effi cient than a full-susser. The

best tyre will take a fairly high pressure and

roll well on- and off-road, but we wouldn’t

recommend slicks.

■ Pay special attention to your fuelling on the

day — eat little and often and stay hydrated.

Supplement your own food with what’s on

offer at the feed stations and eat a mix of

‘real’ as well as sports-specifi c nutrition.

■ The Mini Massif (shorter) option gives a

great ride, so try that fi rst. The experience

you gain, along with some endurance

training, will serve you well when you step up

to the full-on Massif routes.

■ Look after your points of contact.

Adventure X is really a secret roadie plot

to convert mtb riders — make your butt

comfortable by using good quality Lycra and

chamois cream. Keep your feet and hands

comfortable and protected using quality kit

that fi ts.

■ If you do one event this year make it

the Lakeland Monster Miles (Keswick,

October 12). This is the Daddy of Adventure

X events, and the long, steep climbs and

technical nature of the route make it an

equally tough challenge for mtb’ers and

cross riders.

■ Consider building up a Monster Crosser — a

29er with drop bars, rigid forks and 40-45c

tyres. That really would be the perfect

Adventure X bike.

■ You can organise an Adventure X

coaching session with Rather Be Cycling —

visit ratherbecycling.co.uk or email

[email protected].

corners. I accept the invitation while chasing some

fl ash Harry on a cross bike and skid straight on as

the trail bends away to the left. Luckily no one’s

behind me and no one needs to know (except

20-odd thousand readers… damn).

FEELING THE BURNInto the fi nal third, what really strikes me is the

solitude. I expected this group ride to be sociable

and a bit crowded, but instead we’re strung out

along the whole route, each rider barely visible

to the next. Occasionally a serious-looking,

surprisingly un-sweaty man streaks past me in

a blur of Lycra and hollers ‘’ow do?’, but for most

of the last portion of the ride it’s me on my own.

My eyes barely move beyond my front wheel as

tarmac and rocks roll unnervingly slowly beneath

my knobbly tyre. At some point in the last hour,

all thoughts of who I can ‘beat’ have drained away,

replaced by a build-up of lactic acid in my thighs

and an ache in my backside that feels potentially

life-threatening.

Then out of nowhere, a sign tells me there’s 5km

left. I’m going to make it. I’m overtaken by a chap

on a hardtail, and it’s gratifying that when we

try to exchange jokes it isn’t just me panting and

slurring like a drunkard running for the night bus.

We’re each in our own little worlds, but we’re also

sharing an experience. If this wasn’t a group ride

I might have stopped by now, but deep down I’m

glad I haven’t. We’re sweating and suffering, but

there will be smiles at the fi nish line. What we’re

aiming for is a sense of achievement, that warm

glow you can only get from knowing you’ve dug

deep to complete something that could have been

beyond you. It’s not a question of ‘if’ now — it’s just

about when we get to the fi nish, and I know it’s so

close I can almost taste it.

It seems the organisers won’t let us off the hook

quite so easily, however. The last off-road section,

‘Final Fandago’, is only 1.6km long but ends in a

steep climb that’s the very defi nition of a sting in

the tail. The views are amazing but I’m focused

on what I’m told is the fi nal kilometre. Yet the

fi nish line keeps itself surprisingly hidden, only

appearing when I’m virtually on top of it for a

fi nal right-hander and — at last — the chance to

dismount. I snatch a medal and collapse onto the

grass, staring up at the sky and waiting for my

thighs to stop burning.

There’s a good buzz about the place at the fi nish

line, and I imagine we all feel much the same:

we’ve pushed ourselves and had a really good day

on the bike. Then I spot Mr Benchmark sitting

next to the food van chatting with friends. He’s

drunk most of a cup of tea. He’s obviously been

here for ages. I feel like I’ve been had.

W E ’ R E A L L S W E A T I N G A N D S U F F E R I N G , B U T T H E R E W I L L B E S M I L E S A T T H E F I N I S H L I N E

It’s sweet relief to get

the fi nisher’s pack

and medal

Strike a pose: pain

gives way to pride

��

��

��

��

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PLUS

FOX 2015 First impressions of the new forks

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Tested

YOUR TESTERS

PAUL BURWELLRecovered from back

injury. Looking forward

to summer of sun, fun and

getting out of the group.

JAMIE DARLOWJust back from a weekend

in the Lake District on a

totally inappropriate bike.

Looking forward to

the wedding.

ANDY MCCANDLISHStill ripping on the 29er

wheels. Looking forward

to a Mars Bar deep-fried

in batter.

DANNY MILNERTesting yet another fl ash

car for a car mag. Looking

forward to poncing

around at European

media launches.

BEN SMITHPlanning a trip to the

Passporte Du Soleil.

Looking forward to fi nding

love (again) with another

longtermer.

CRANK BROTHERS MALLET DH PEDALS £ 1 1 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 470g • Contact: extrauk.co.uk

Ilove the solid platform and confi dence that

you get with fl at pedals, and I also love the

pedalling effi ciency and security of going

clipless. What I’m really looking for, then, is

a hybrid of the two. The closest I’ve come to

that Holy Grail is Shimano’s DX SPDs, but Crank

Brothers Mallet DH pedals move the game on for

trail riders and downhillers alike.

Almost every top downhiller in the world uses

these pedals — including Shimano-sponsored

riders like Gee Atherton — and the reason for

their popularity is simple: the platform boasts

acres of real estate. It’s a proper concave design

too, so the ball of your foot is cupped and the

eight pins per side actually dig into the sole of

your shoe. In addition, the Crank Brothers binding

lets you clip in on the upstroke and downstroke,

which isn’t an option on Shimano pedals.

As a serial Shimano SPD user, there were

elements of the Mallets that took a little

time to get used to. Positioning the cleats

correctly, I quickly learned, is critical to proper

performance. For one thing, the mechanism

is further outboard than on Shimano pedals,

so you need to mount the cleats to the outside

edge of the recess to bring your foot back

towards the crank. It’s also worth installing a

spacer (supplied) under each cleat if you run

the pins fully exposed. The Mallets allow plenty

of fl oat (15 or 20° depending on which way you

run the cleats) so it’s vital to toe-in the cleats,

otherwise your shoe can hit the cranks and

prevent disengagement — at which point you

will probably fi nd yourself toppling over.

Previous Mallet pedals haven’t had the best

reputation for durability but I’ve been running

these for six months, including the worst of a

very wet winter, and they’re still going strong.

The only attention they’ve needed has been

some fresh grease injected into the body and a

bit of oil on the springs.

Although £120 is almost twice the price

of Shimano’s DX pedals, the performance is

outstanding. Now that my feet have memorised

the new cleat positions, and I’ve got used to

the more ambiguous, less mechanical action

of the Mallet binding, I wouldn’t go back. The

downhillers are right — the Mallet DHs give more

support, better leverage when cornering and

greater traction when unclipped.

Danny Milner

N E W P R O D U C T S

86 mbr JULY 2014

What mbr ratings meanOur grading system explained

CONTROLTECH VENOM CB20 CARBON DH HANDLEBAR £ 1 3 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Width: 750mm • Rise: 20mm • Weight: 225g • Contact: hotlines-uk.com

At 750mm, the Venom is wide enough for trail riding, but I doubt many

downhillers would want to go this narrow. It’s light, though — 10g lighter than

Easton’s Havoc 750mm carbon bar, and stiff without being harsh — just as a

carbon bar should be to deaden some of the buzz from the trail.

It’s the shape that lets this bar down, though, because there isn’t

enough rise on the back-sweep, so you end up rolling the bar

too far forward to compensate and this doesn’t bring it

high enough.

Jamie Darlow

S C O R E S O N T H E D O O R S

STRAITLINE AMP STEM £ 1 0 0

SPECIFICATION Weight: 155g • Colours: black, grey, orange, red, blue, green, blue, purple • Length: 90, 70 and 50mm • Contact: hotlines-uk.com

Straitline claims its Amp is lightweight,

yet rugged enough for the most demanding

freeride applications, which is a bold claim

to make. If we compare the Amp

to its peers, it’s a similar weight

to an Easton Haven alloy stem

(143g) or a Hope FR (132g) but

both are £20 cheaper. In terms

of stiffness, the Amp is pretty

similar to the Easton, and has a

similar faceplate too. The Amp’s

Moto design means you tighten the

top two fi xing bolts fully and then

nip up the bottom two, which

reduces uneven clamping on the

faceplate and also eliminates the

ugly gap between it and the body

of the stem.

The Amp gets a nice gloss fi nish,

all the bolts screw into the stem straight but

could do with some Loctite. Straitline even

chamfers all the edges of the stem where

it touches the handlebar, again

reducing stress in a high-risk area.

Hope offers its FR stem down to 35mm and

Easton has more options for the

Haven too. All of which leaves the

Amp as a sorted design with a

quality fi nish that’s available

in a good range of

colours, but there are

limited lengths and it’s a

tad pricey compared to

the competition.

Paul Burwell

JULY 2014 mbr 87

1-4 5-6Something’s wrong. It’s rare, but sometimes

a product will have a design fl aw or some

other weakness that means we can’t

recommend it. Steer clear.

OK — one or two

faults but it has

potential.

7

Good —

worth

considering.

8

Very

good

— for the

money,

we’d buy it.

10

Simply

the best

— we couldn’t

fault it.

9

Excellent

— a slight

mod or two

and it might

be perfect.

AMERICAN CLASSIC WIDE LIGHTNING WHEELS£ 5 9 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 1,599g (743g front, 856g rear) • Rim width: 29.3mm (internal) •

Contact: moorelarge.co.uk

FIZIK THAR KIUM SADDLE £ 1 0 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 224g • Colours: black, black/red • Manganese rail version £84.99 • Contact: extrauk.co.uk

Call a wheelset Wide Lightning and you

expect it to have a pretty expansive

rim. American Classic doesn’t

disappoint, with a whopping 29.3mm

internal width that lets your tyre form

a better, curved shape to make a

bigger footprint on the trail. It’s a big

improvement over a narrower rim and

seems to add about a quarter of an inch

to any tyre, which means you can go

down a tyre size, save weight and get

the same grip. The fl ip side is that my

current tyres would no longer squeeze

between the chainstays, which is a

serious issue given that these rims are

intended for XC use.

I was also able to run my tyres at

super-low pressures without burping

or rolling, and without losing the

handling qualities inherent in the

shape of a tyre. I think this is probably

the result of the wide rim again.

The overall weight (1,599g) is

lightweight for aluminium

wheels, especially ones

with rims this wide. They are

comparable with Specialized’s

Roval Carbon 29s, although the

Rovals are designed for slightly

heavier-duty riding.

I’ve treated the Wide

Lightnings as trail bike wheels

though, and they’re still perfectly

true and without a ding, although

the splines on the aluminium

cassette body have been badly cut

up by the cassette, despite special

metal protector plates.

The pick-up is good once the pawls

are engaged, but there’s a perceptible

feeling of softness, almost a dead zone

before power gets transmitted from the

cassette body to the wheel. The hub

works using six pawls, which are only

engaged when you put the power down

— secondary ratchets push those six

pawls into position through a cam plate.

It’s only a small movement but it’s one

that delivers a lag when you’re riding.

They’re decently stiff for a wheel of this

weight and use, they’re

light for the money

and impressively

wide, but they don’t

inject enough zip

into your ride.

Jamie Darlow

Seeing the extent to which people get tetchy when

the issue of wheel size is raised, mentioning a

saddle specifi cally designed for 29ers might just be

enough to incite civil unrest. But that’s exactly what

Fi’zi:k — the Italian accessory brand and sanctuary

for orphaned punctuation marks — has created.

The theory is that 29ers often have slacker seat

tubes to accommodate the larger wheels, while

keeping chainstay length in check (which

is true), so riders can end up sitting

too far back for ideal traction

on steep climbs (also true). By

adding 25mm to the rails at

the rear of the saddle, the

Thar lets you slide the saddle

further forward and helps

redress the balance.

So does it work? In a word,

yes. The wider range of fore-aft

adjustment makes it easier to

achieve a more effi cient seated position. Being

narrow also means that it doesn’t catch on your

shorts when sliding back off the saddle, although,

ironically, the minimal padding makes it somewhat

brutal in an upright riding position.

When that big rock that

your mate has just fl icked

up into the air smashes

into your precious carbon

down tube, you’ll wish

you’d applied some

protection. One rock

in the wrong place can

punch a hole in any frame

— we’ve seen it happen.

ION’s cushioned SAS-TEC

Frame Saver kit sticks

fast, absorbs impacts,

deadens chain slap and

may just save your frame.

There’s enough in the kit

to cover an entire down

tube as well as

a chainstay.

Danny Milner

ION FRAME SAVER SAS-TEC£ 1 8 . 9 5

SPECIFICATION 1.7mm

thick protection sticker •

Contact: ion-products.com

Danny Milner

Rear hub wasn’t

without its issues


88 mbr JULY 2014


At 215g the Cyrano R1 isn’t the lightest carbon post on the

market, but I don’t want to start this review with a kick in

the pants because the detail is where this post shines. The

Cyrano R1 has a top-notch clamp mechanism that made

fi tting and levelling saddles a zippy affair — and I ran it

through a saddle test with all the associated swapping so

I should know! Level it with the thumbscrew at the front,

clamp down with the Allen bolt at the back… once you get

the technique right it’s simple and secure.

Fizik has shaped the carbon inside to allow a bit more

front-to-back fl ex. To put it to the test I’ve been running this

post on my 29er hardtail and it really takes the

sting out of the trail. After fi ve months I’ve

yet to have a creak, groan or saddle slip.

It is pretty dang expensive, but I love the

look and the handy little rubber doughnut

that marks your post insertion if removed

from the bike.

Andy McCandlish

FIZIK CYRANO R1 CARBON SEATPOST £ 1 3 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 215g • Diameter: 27.2, 30.9 or 31.9mm • Length: 270mm (only

in 27.2mm), 330mm, 400mm • Contact: extrauk.co.uk

SPANK OOZY TRAIL 295 WHEELSET £ 4 4 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 1,696g • Sizes: 26in, 650b (tested), 29in • External width: 29.5mm, internal width: 24.5mm •

Colours: black only • Contact: hotlines-uk.com

Spank recently launched an update to its

top-scoring Oozy EVO wheelset, using

wider 29.5mm rims with a unique internal

design feature called Bead Bite technology.

The very hard aluminium material and

wavy (think corrugated iron) rim profi le that

gave the original Spank’s wheels such lateral

stiffness remains, but inside the new Trail

295 rim are several 0.2mm ridges where

the tyre bead rests. These work like a set

of teeth to keep the tyre hooked in place,

making it more resistant to burping air

when running tubeless, and more resistant

to shifting or squirming too. According

to Spank the combination of a wider rim

and the ridges means riders can now run

pressures under 20psi with zero burps or

tyre rollover.

The Bead Bite technology makes the tyre

a lot harder to seat — it took over 80psi

to get the bead of a Maxxis High Roller II

to pop into the rim well. This isn’t too big

a deal though, and the loud bang when it

does engage sounds reassuring.

Tyre pressures under 20psi feel spongy

and vague to me, but riders looking for

ultimate grip at slower speeds might fi nd it

useful. The wider rims lay down a broader

tyre footprint that’s noticeably more stable

than the older Oozy wheels’, and with

equivalent rim weights, the wheels still have

very good zip and turnover.

Spank Oozy wheels are rock-solid, fast

rolling and reliable performers with really

tough rims, but I’d prefer it if they came

set up for tubeless with the tubeless tape

installed as standard. That’s

severe nit-picking though,

because for the money

you won’t fi nd a better

set of wheels for trail/

all-mountain use.

Mick Kirkman

Tiny ridges keep

the tyre seated

Top marks for

quality wheels

Ideal for

tubeless tyres

TIFOSI LORE FOTOTEC LIGHT NIGHT £ 6 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 29g • Colours: black, white, gunmetal

Contact: zyro.co.uk

Although the most casually styled pair of glasses

here, the chunky frame still says mountain biker.

They feature a photochromic lens, one that adapts

to changing light conditions, so you never have to

bother carrying a spare lens with you. This worked

well on the trail, changing quickly so that I never

felt I was wearing the wrong glasses. Optical

quality is top notch and the half-frame design

keeps the edges of your vision clear. The casual

styling means the lens doesn’t follow the face as

closely as, say, the Uvex, so more muck does fi nd

its way inside but it also helps with de-misting.

They do feel a little heavier compared to the other

two pairs here and did occasionally slip down my

nose a little when really sweaty, but they proved to

be the eyewear I kept coming back to.

UVEX SPORTSTYLE 104 £ 8 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 30g • Colours: white, black, red, white/

red, white/blue, white/green • Contact: raleigh.co.uk

The 104s have quite an old-school cycling

glasses shape with a large full-width lens

that contours around the face. The lens is

interchangeable and comes in three different

tints — clear, orange tint for cloudier conditions,

and iridium for use in full sun. Optical quality

with all three is very good, crystal clear with no

distortion, although the orange lens brightened

things up so much I almost felt queasy.

Changing the lens is a fi ddly process,

especially if you don’t have long fi ngernails,

although a light-sensitive photochromic version

is available for £119.99.

In use I found the chunky frame interfered

a bit with some all-mountain type helmets so

be advised to check whether your helmet sits

high enough from your ears before you buy.

Adaptable nose and earpieces mean the 104s

are very comfortable. Hardly any mud got past

the lens and fogging up was never really an

issue as small vents at the top of the lens help

with de-misting.

NORTHWAVE PREDATOR£ 4 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 22g • Colours: black • Contact: i-ride.co.uk

Straight out of Heston Blumental’s wardrobe,

the Predators from Northwave feature a full

frame with two fi xed lenses. They look quite

spindly but actually feel really solid. The lenses

are polarised and feature a very light tint, which

is fi ne on all but the brightest days, although

for the same money you can buy a more

versatile photocromic Predator. Optical quality

is good but the full frame is constantly in your

eyeline when riding and obviously they’re not

as versatile as eyewear with interchangeable

lenses. The biggest issue with the Predators

though is their size; I have a small head and yet

these were still too small for me. They sit very

close and touched my brow. Though this means

very small faces and potentially women are well

catered for, that close fi t meant the Predators

misted up at the slightest hint

of exertion and the lack of

ventilation in the lens ensured

they stayed that way.

GROUP TEST

RIDING GLASSESBen Smith takes a closer look at, and through, a trio of trail gazers

http://zyro.co.uk

http://raleigh.co.uk

http://i-ride.co.uk

ROO’S ORBEA RALLON X30

LONG TERMERS

Countless hours on the trails make this the ultimate test of performance aswell as reliability

92 mbr JULY 2014

£ 2 , 2 8 9 ( w i t h u p g r a d e s ) / 6 5 0 b / o r b e a . c o m

One look at the numbers on the

Rallon X30 and it’s obvious that

this is a serious enduro bike:

slack 65° head angle, ultra-low

338mm bottom bracket height

and 160mm travel from a new 650b chassis.

The numbers on the price tag are equally

impressive: £2,199 for this very luminous

X30 base model is nothing short of a steal.

There are three other models in the range

all the way up to the Enduro World Series

race-ready X-LTD at £5,499. On each model

there are various upgrade options, so you

can change individual components to suit

your riding needs and budget. Keep an eye

on the costs, though, as it’s an extra £324

to upgrade from the stock Race Face Ride

seatpost to a RockShox Reverb, so you’d be

better off buying one separately — you can

pick them up for less than £250 if you shop

around. Still, it’s great to be able to pick and

choose, and when ordering my X30 I opted

for Shimano SLX brakes over the standard

Formula C1s, as I’ve heard they are more

reliable. Hence the £90 increase in price.

Six weeks later the Rallon arrived.

Unboxing the bike a few things became

immediately apparent that weren’t obvious

from the Orbea website.

Firstly, the brakes were the

wrong way round; front brake

on the left. Because the

Shimano levers aren’t fl ipable,

I carefully swapped the brake

hoses to avoiding bleeding both

brakes. Fingers crossed, it works out!

Secondly, there’s been some cost cutting

that’s most obvious at the rear-end, with a

basic Shimano hub that felt and sounded

ropey straight out of the box. Also,

even though the frame is designed for a

142x12mm axle, the entry-level X30 uses

dropout adapters for a regular QR.

Beyond these things the bike looks

good. There is Stealth cable routing ripe for

upgrading to a dropper post and the frame

design is neat and tidy, with rubber frame

protectors in critical areas like the down

tube and stays. At 750mm, the Race Face

bar is a good width, but the 70mm stem is

slightly longer than ideal on a bike with such

an aggressive attitude.

The only unknown quantity (for me,

anyway) are the Geax tyres. The rubber

compound feels relatively soft and with the

mix of sizes, a 2.4in up front for extra grip

and 2.25in on the back to

reduce rolling resistance, it

looks like Orbea has given it

some thought.

Fully built up, this bike

looks amazing with a strong

colour scheme and eye-catching

graphics. It certainly doesn’t look

like the cheapest model in the range.

While bouncing around the car park

setting up the suspension I noticed that the

rear-end felt particularly supple with good

progression in the linkage to prevent the

shock bottoming too easily. Straddling the

bike, the chunky Rallon frame is reassuring,

but the combination of the Fox 34 fork and

relatively spindly looking stem leads to a

slightly less solid-looking front-end.

My fi rst ride confi rmed the quality of

the rear suspension and dispensed with

any concerns about steering precision,

but it also revealed that the size large is

a little short for my 6ft 4in frame. With

no XL in the range I’ll see how I get on,

but it will probably rule out the option of

running a shorter stem and could be the

only shortcoming of an otherwise great

package. Time will tell.

WHY IT ’S HEREAn enduro

bike with great

geometry and a

killer price, but is

there a catch?

I N T R O D U C I N G

THE RIDERROO FOWLER

Position Photographer

Mostly rides Surrey Hills

Height 6ft 4in

Weight 88kg

THE BIKE■ 650b enduro race

bike that won’t break

the bank

■ 160mm-travel Fox

CTD suspension and

adjustable frame

geometry

■ Direct sales

from Spain with

customisable spec

■ 2x10 drivetrain

with bashguard

http://orbea.com

SPECIFICATIONFrame Hydroformed

triple-butted alloy,

160mm travel with

adjustable geometry

Shock Fox Float CTD

Boost Valve

Fork Fox 34 Float

CTD Evolution,

160mm travel

Wheels Shimano Deore

hubs, Mavic XM319

Disc rims, Geax Goma

2.4/2.25in tyres

Drivetrain Race Face

Ride 24x36t w/Bash-

guard, Shimano SLX

shifters and r-mech,

Deore f-mech

Brakes Shimano SLX

M675 Hydraulic Disc

Components

Race Face Evolve

750mm Riser bar, Race

Face Ride 70mm stem

and Ride seatpost

Sizes S, M, L

Weight 14.97kg (33lb)

Contact orbea.com

GEOMETRY(IN LOWEST SETTING)

Size L (19.5in)

Head angle 65.2°

Seat angle 70°

BB height 338mm

Chainstay 420mm

Front centre 785mm

Wheelbase 1,205mm

Down tube 725mm

JULY 2014 mbr 93

...or could it be the

hammered hub on

the front wheel?

Specialized Stumpjumper FSR

Comp Evo £2,500

Orange Five RS £4,199.99

Whyte T129 £1,699

29in

650b

650b

29in

IN THE SHED

Geax Goma tyres

are specced in

two widths

Race Face 70mm

stem may be as

short as Roo can get

Giving the box-

fresh ride a

good airing

KTM Ultra Race 29 £1,199.99

Giant Trance Advanced 27.5 2 £2,699

Commençal Meta AM Girly £3,099.99

650b

650b

29in

Orbea Rallon X30 £2,289

Mondraker Dune XR £4,499

650b

http://orbea.com

94 mbr JULY 2014

L O N G T E R M E R S

THE RIDERJANET COULSON

Position Writer

Mostly rides

Tweed Valley

Height 5ft 4in

Weight 54kg

THE BIKE■ Women-specific

150mm-travel all-

mountain, tackle-

anything bike

■ 650b wheels walk

the line between 26

and 29in

■ Girly details,

including slim grips

and a women’s saddle

■ KS 125mm-travel

dropper post

as standard

JANET’S COMMENCAL META AM GIRLY£3 ,0 9 9.9 9 / 6 5 0 b / c o m m e n c a l - s t o r e . c o . u k

The days are getting longer, the trails are

drying out and my riding time is on the up. In

fact, I am doing a lot of going up. As my rides

get longer I’m spending more time climbing,

and although the Girly is no bad climber, it’s

hardly a lightweight, either. It’s more than a

quarter of my body weight so I just stick the

rear shock in Climb mode and plug away.

On the plus side, however, my fitness

levels are also on the rise, and with the drier

weather making all the fun stuff rideable

again, the Commençal is finally coming into

its own. I’ve recently ridden a couple of

bikes with shorter reach so I am planning to

tweak the cockpit a little by fitting an even

shorter stem. I’m also going to fly in the

face of fashion and cut the handlebar down

just a touch, which will suit the tight, twisty,

tree-lined trails I’m

mostly riding. It’s

something I have

been thinking

about for a while,

but now intend

to do in earnest

— but mainly I am

looking forward to

a summer of fun!

As Liam once sang, it’s good to be

back. Having broken my collarbone

earlier in the year, I managed to

wrestle ‘my’ Stumpjumper back from

Roo after he’d ‘looked after it’ for me.

Apart from the frame dent, different

rear wheel and mangled Maxle, the

bike feels great. And, according

to Strava, I seem to be back up to

speed. Some summer tyres and some

summer weather beckon.

JASON’S STUMPY EVO

I’m climbing up to the top of Nan Bield

pass in the Lake District, and for a

change the bike is sitting on me. I’ve

got the down tube buried into the top

of my pack but with every step of the

hike-a-bike up, the bike sags lower and

lower. Just as he said I would, I curse Benji

Haworth, the man who covered this route

for us in the March 2014 issue. But at the

top and with a fabulous-looking piece of

singletrack dropping steeply out of view

I give thanks to him for inspiring us to

come here… just as he said we would.

Why’s my bike so heavy though?

Later I discover it’s 13.8kg, or 30.5lb,

which isn’t bad for a 120mm 29er with a

dropper seatpost and big fat tyres. PB

has one and the whole bike weighs just

13.15kg (29lb). It’s not the wheels, as I’ve

swapped them for lightweight American

Classics. The drivetrain is my best guess,

bog standard SRAM 1000 crankset and

X7 gears. Or it could be that carrying

a bike up a rocky slope for 45 minutes

makes every bike feel heavy.

The descent of Nan Bield is a lot more

fun. The Whyte is long enough and just

about slack enough to deal with technical

descents like this, but I know I could go

faster on a more aggressive machine or

one with more suspension. Yet as the

trail mellows the Whyte reveals its best

side, popping over rocks and finding the

smoothest line, through flakes, pebbles,

grains and boulders of rock. I’m also

shown the worst side, a harsh sensation

through my hands coming from… the

frame? Well it’s got to be the frame,

or the shock tune, as I’ve changed just

about everything else.

THE RIDERJAMIE DARLOW

Position Staff writer

Mostly rides

Surrey Hills

Height 6ft 1in

Weight 75kg

THE BIKE■ Short-travel 29er trail

bike with aggressive

riding attitude

■ Great value at £1,700

■ RockShox Monarch

shock and Reba fork

with 120mm travel

■ Sorted set-up:

nothing needs

upgrading

WHY IT ’S HEREProgressive

geometry and

aggressive pricing

take 29ers to a

whole new level

JAMIE’S WHYTE T129£ 1 , 6 9 9 / 2 9 i n / w h y t e b i k e s . c o m

£ 2 , 5 0 0 / 2 9 i n / s p e c i a l i z e d . c o m

WHY IT ’S HEREIt’s the only

dedicated all-

mountain bike

for girls

http://whytebikes.com

http://specialized.com

http://www.commencal-store.co.uk

http://www.samhoughtonchallenge.co.uk

http://wheelbase.co.uk

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.wheelbase.co.uk


96 mbr JULY 2014

THE RIDERDANNY MILNER

Position Deputy editor


Height 5ft 11in

Weight 68kg

THE BIKE■ 160mm-travel 650b

enduro bike

■ Long wheelbase

for stability

■ Short stem (10mm)

for agility

■ Zero suspension

actuates shock at

both ends

DANNY’S MONDRAKER DUNE XR£ 4 , 4 9 9 / 6 5 0 b / s i l v e r f i s h - u k . c o m

SPECIFICATIONFrame Stealth Evo alloy,

160mm travel

Shock Fox Float X CTD

Factory Kashima

Fork Fox 34 Float CTD

FIT Factory Kashima,

160mm travel

Wheels E13 TRS+AL

hubs and rims, Onza

Ibex FRC TLR,

2.4in tyres

Brakes Formula The

One, 203mm/180mm

Drivetrain SRAM XO1

chainset, SRAM XO1

rear mech and shifter

Components Onoff

Stoic 10mm stem, Onoff

760mm bar, RockShox

Reverb seatpost

Weight 13.87kg

(30.6lb)

Sizes S, M, L, XL

GEOMETRYSize tested L

Head angle 66.6°

Seat angle 69.3°

BB height 345mm

Chainstay 435mm

Front centre 785mm

Wheelbase 1,220mm

Down tube 730mm

The Fox 34 fork has been

taking a lot of flak recently.

Criticism has centred on a

lack of mid-stroke support,

leaving riders over-inflating

their forks and sacrificing grip and

comfort as a consequence. In a way

I’m lucky because the Mondraker’s

Forward Geometry (see page 18)

shuffles your weight rearward, so

it’s less of an issue on my Dune XR.

Even so, I’m running more air than I

should, so full travel remains elusive

and I’ve suffered sore hands on

faster, rougher trails.

A conversation with Chris Porter

— fellow Dune XR owner and MD

of Fox distributor Mojo — led to an

invitation to explore the various

options available to improve the

performance of the stock 34. At

the end of April, I took him up on

his offer.

Chris checked the back-end first.

Removing the shock revealed the

first problem: all four lower link

bearings had seized. Worse still, one

of the pivot bolts had rounded off.

So out came the drill, at which point

I was advised to look away.

With a new bolt and fresh

bearings fitted, Chris moved onto

the Float X shock. Getting full

travel out of the Zero Suspension

system is not a problem, so he

added the largest volume reducer

to the positive air chamber. It’s

a simple job that you can do at

home. Excess lubrication fluid was

also wiped away, which increases

the volume and effectiveness of

the negative spring.

Up front, Chris showed me what

happens when you don’t lubricate

the fork seals. As it transitions

from compression to rebound, the

seals are momentarily stationary,

which creates a sticking point. This

happens many times a minute,

increasing friction, so it’s vital you

make a habit of cleaning and lubing

your seals between every ride.

Step two costs £40 on top of a

regular fork service (£119 for a Fox

34). For this, my FIT damper was

upgraded to 2015 valving, with the

choice of five different tunes, each

with a distinct level of support. I

opted for the middle option. If you

run a 26in or 650b Float, you can

also install the deeper top-cap

(spring side) from the 29er version,

which reduces the spring volume

to add progression to the end of

the stroke. In other words, there

are many ways to tune your 2013

or 2014 Fox 34, all of which cost

significantly less than a new fork.

Later that day, my freshly

massaged Dune XR felt brilliant on

a quick blast down the trails behind

Mojo’s workshop. The back end in

particular benefitted from a big

boost in grip and sensitivity. Now

it’s time to hit the rough stuff.

WHY IT ’S HEREIt pushes the

boundaries of

geometry

and sizing

You may feel a

little pain...

The Fox fork gets

an overhaul

Getting a firm grip

on the problem

First the retune,

then the reward

http://silverfish-uk.com

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http://cyclescheme.co.uk


98 mbr JULY 2014

ANDY’S KTM ULTRA RACE 29ER

£ 1 , 1 9 9. 9 9 / 2 9 i n / f l i d i s t r i b u t i o n . c o . u k

As we pull through some of the wettest

trail conditions I have seen in Scotland

for years, the rejuvenated terrain has

definitely highlighted the strengths of

the KTM. This bike really comes alive

when its direct acceleration and stable

speed can be capitalised on, and I have

been whooping it up around the local

flowy singletrack with a real spring-

has-sprung grin on my face.

I’ve shelved the idea of wider bars in

favour of just getting out there to enjoy

this turn of speed and planted steering

with the longer stem back in place. And

to be honest, the 700mm bar is fine for

most of the riding that I’ve been doing.

All this speed puts everything else

under stress of course, but every

component on the KTM has shone over

the past few months. I am loving the

reliable performance of the Shimano

Deore one-finger brakes, with their

quiet but industrious performance that

offers modulation and power in equal

measure. And while I’ve been itching

to replace the Rocket Ron tyres for

something a little more chunky —

at least up front — I stuck it out

to see how they went. As it

turns out, they are perfect for

the spring loam, so they are

going to be staying on for a

little longer.

WHY IT ’S HEREBig wheels,

decent weight

and a keen price

suggest lots

to love

DAVE’S GIANT TRANCE ADVANCED 27.5 2

WHY IT ’S HEREBig wheels, more

travel and slacker

geometry make

an all-new

Trance

THE RIDERANDY McCANDLISH

Position snapper/tester

Mostly rides

Scotland

Height 5ft 11in

Weight 80kg

THE BIKE■ Hardtail 29er with

6061 aluminium frame

■ Steep head and

seat angles lend

more to XC riding

■ 3x10 Shimano

SLX drivetrain

■ Top bike in the KTM

alloy hardtail range

Fun. That’s the word that best sums up the new Trance.

It’s a close-run thing, though. Words like fast, capable,

engaging, lively and flickable are equally adept at

describing just how good Giant’s revamped 140mm

trail bike is, and how much it has impressed me.

Every ride leaves me grinning from ear to ear. It’s just so

much damn fun to ride that I’ve been hitting the trails loads

recently, and using it on everything from cross-country

all-day rides to sessioning the downhill tracks at FoD. In fact,

when you can always muster the energy to do just one more

lap of the trail before heading home, even though your legs

are falling off, you know the bike is doing something right.

Something else that has impressed me (so far) is the

zero maintenance the Trance has needed. Despite spending

most of the time caked in mud with only occasional oil for

the chain, everything has proved mechanically sound. The

dropper post still works smoothly, the 2x10 transmission

provides enough ratios for even the steepest climbs, and the

chain hasn’t even dropped once. Occasionally when shifting

from the little chainring to the big one it will skip off the

MRP lower roller,

though so far it

hasn’t resulted

in the chain

coming off. It’s

something I need

to investigate,

but other

than that, the

Trance has been

blinding.

THE RIDERDAVE ARTHUR

Position writer/tester

Mostly rides FoD/Wales

Height 5ft 11in

Weight 66kg

THE BIKE■ 140mm trail bike

with carbon front end

■ Complete redesign

with 650b wheels

and new attitude

■ 2x10 drivetrain with

an MRP chainguide

and Type 2 rear mech

■ Internally routed

Giant dropper post


£ 2 , 6 9 9 / 6 5 0 b / g i a n t - b i c y c l e s . c o m

2x10 MRP:

under

investigation

http://giant-bicycles.com

http://flidistribution.co.uk

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THE FINAL

VERDICT

BEN’S ORANGE FIVE RS


100 mbr JULY 2014

£ 4 , 1 9 9. 9 9 / 6 5 0 b / o r a n g e b i k e s . c o . u k

What attracted you to the Orange Five RS?

It was more like an arranged marriage.

A size medium Five RS arrived for tech ed

PB to test, but he rejected it for being too

small. Being 5ft 8in, it fi tted me perfectly,

so PB fi xed me up and next thing I know the

Orange and I are jetting off to France on our

honeymoon. It all happened so fast!

I couldn’t quite believe my luck.

Did you change anything straight away?

The 730mm Thomson bar was marginally

too narrow, the 70mm stem too long and

the bog-standard Schwalbe Nobby Nics too

sketchy grip-wise, so they all got swapped

out immediately.

Was the bike easy to set up?

Yes. The Pike fork had guide pressures

printed on it so it was dead easy to get

that right. Setting up the rear suspension

was also straightforward, as the simple

single-pivot suspension design isn’t sag

sensitive. Basically, you can set it up soft

or fi rm depending on the terrain and it still

pedals really well.

How did it ride?

It was brilliant! For the fi rst two weeks in

France I couldn’t have asked for a better

bike. The Pike fork was a revelation; so

plush, supportive and confi dence-inspiring.

Coupled with the 650b wheels, Five’s

new ‘enduro’ attitude — longer, lower and

slacker — made the steep techy trails fun

and allowed me to keep up with riders on

bigger-travel bikes. Back home it was just as

good. OK, it’s carrying a little extra timber

compared to some £4,200 trail bikes so it

isn’t the sprightliest up the climbs. Point it

downhill, however, and it feels fantastic, just

as Orange Fives always have.

Did anything break or wear out?

I put a serious amount of miles in on the

Five over the nine-month test period, most

of them during the wettest winter on record.

So it’s hardly surprising that a few things

wore out. I got through two shock bushings,

countless sets of brake pads, the stickers

wore out (shock horror!), I burnt through

four pairs of tyres and, just as I write this,

play has developed in the main pivot

bearings. Also, I managed to wear out the

SRAM X01 chainring, chain and cassette so

it’s potentially an expensive month ahead.

If you could change one thing about your

longtermer, what would it be?

Orange has a habit of fi tting narrow bars,

long stems and dodgy tyres, so if I could

change anything I guess it would be the

cockpit — a 750mm wide bar and a 50mm

stem as standard please!

Would you buy this bike and why?

There is no doubt that the Five RS has

amazing ride quality — every ride is

guaranteed to be a good one. If, however,

I were spending my own money, would I

buy it over the much cheaper, lighter and

better specced YT Capra or the highly

regarded Kona Process 153 DL, both of

which we tested in May’s issue of mbr?

The YT delivers an amazing ride as well as

unparalleled value for money. On the other

hand, the Kona offers a broadly similar

package and weight to the Five RS for a

couple of hundred pounds less.

THE RIDERBEN SMITH

Position Art editor


Height 5ft 9in

Weight 76kg

THE BIKE■ Latest incarnation of

the classic Five

■ 650b wheels up

from 26in

■ RockShox Pike fork

and Monarch shock

give 150/140mm travel

■ Reverb Stealth and

SRAM X01 groupset

complete ‘enduro’

makeover

http://orangebikes.co.uk

HIGHS■ Two weeks of riding amazing

trails in the Alps was the perfect way to get

to know the RS.

■ Had a great day racing the Enduro-1 event

at the Forest of Dean. Did OK too!

■ My last weekend before writing this was

spent riding amazing trails in the Lakes and

the Five was in its element.

LOWS■ Non-lacquered stickers meant the

Five was looking very second-hand by the

time I arrived home from the Alps. Still, it

makes a refresh super easy!

■ Hike-a-bikes in the Alps and the Lakes

highlighted the extra weight the Five RS

carries over its rivals.

■ No space for a water bottle.

■ All good things come to an end…

High Five: getting in

some Alpine action

The Orange is an

enduro ace

SPECIFICATIONFrame 6061-T6

aluminium,

140mm travel

Shock RockShox

Monarch RCT3

Fork RockShox Pike

RCT3, 150mm travel

Wheels Hope Pro 2

hubs, Mavic XM319

650b rims, Schwalbe

Nobby Nic 2.35in tyres

Brakes SRAM X9 Trail

Shifters SRAM X01

11-speed

Rear mech SRAM X01

Chainset SRAM

X01, 32t

Handlebar Thomson

AM carbon, 730mm

Stem Thomson X4,

70mm

Seatpost RockShox

Reverb Stealth

Saddle SDG Falcon

Sizes XS, S, M, L, XL

Weight 13.6kg (30.lb)

GEOMETRYSize tested M

Head angle 65.2°

Seat angle 74.4°

BB height 342mm

Chainstay 433mm

Front centre 737mm

Wheelbase 1,170mm

Down tube 680mm

It’s a tough call, but in the Five’s favour it

has that ‘Built in Britain’ kudos, and simple,

trustworthy suspension that offers no odd

quirks and is customisable in many key

areas. So, would I buy it?

The short answer is yes.

It may not be the best

specced bike for the

money but I’ve really

fallen for the Five.

I love it!

WHY IT ’S HEREIt’s the biggest

change to the

classic Five

in years

Pike fork lived up

to the hype

Stickers were soon

worse for wear

http://superstarcomponents.com

Trail packsTrail packs

G R O U P T E S T

102 mbr JULY 2014

How we testDifferent people prioritise some features

over others, be that size, stability, comfort

or internal organisation. With this in mind

we involved fi ve seasoned riders in this

month’s test procedure, including regular

trail riders, but also outdoor instructors

who use trail packs day in, day out. Each of

the testers loaded their gear into one of the

packs and lived with it before swapping it

out to the next. Notes were taken on how

easy it was to organise kit, access it once

loaded and refi ll the reservoir before each

ride. Comfort and stability on the bike were

also observed over a variety of regular

routes, before a fi nal brainstorming session

rated the packs according to each of these

criteria and price.

U S E D A N D A B U S E D

An hydration pack is basically a rucksack

with an internal reservoir that holds your

drink. It allows you to carry everything you

need for a full day in the saddle, including

enough water to stay fully hydrated.

Hydration packs are available in different cargo

capacities and reservoir volumes, but after years of

testing we’ve come to the conclusion that around

seven litres of storage and a three-litre reservoir

are the perfect combination for trail riding. This can

swallow a basic toolkit, inner tube and other small

spares like brake pads, a compact waterproof jacket,

energy bars and about three hours’ worth of fl uid.

With a pack this small, comfort is unlikely to be an

issue, but stability is vitally important because you

don’t want the pack swinging around or bashing

you on the back of the helmet when descending.

A good pack should fi t snugly and have waist

and chest harnesses to keep it in place. It should

also have plenty of pockets and good internal

organisation, so you don’t have to empty the pack

all over the trail when trying to fi nd a tool. The pack

should be wrapped in a tough and durable material,

ready to take the knocks and scrapes. The reservoir

needs to integrate into the pack seamlessly but be

easily removable for refi lling and cleaning — a clip-off

hose is essential.

For this test we sourced 10 of the best seven-litre

packs on the market, strapped them to our backs and

headed for the hills.

A good trail pack is a mixed bag; it should offer a generous cargo capacity and an ample reservoir while remaining compact and comfortable. Here we strap into 10 of the best...

Words: Andy McCandlish Photos: Andy McCandlish, Roo Fowler

JULY 2014 mbr 103

RESERVOIR AKA the bladder. Available in two or three-litre capacity, your choice will be

infl uenced by how long you ride and how much fl uid you consume. Reservoirs

can come with several features to make life a little easier: a removable hose

makes refi lling more straightforward — no need to unthread

the hose from the pack or drag a complete dirty

pack over to the kitchen sink — as does a

rigid stiffener which makes the reservoir

easier to handle and push down into the

pack once fi lled. Not all of the packs

come with reservoirs, which means you’ll

need to add roughly £20-30 to the price.

COMPRESSION STRAPSIf you aren’t using the full

capacity of your pack,

compression straps pull

the excess fabric in and

stabilise the load. They can

also provide overfl ow storage

for wet jackets or kneepads.

HELMET ATTACHMENTRarely used, but most packs

come with a system that

allows a helmet to be fi xed to

the outside of your pack.EXTERNAL POCKET This might be mesh or just a

pocket of material secured

by compression straps.

Either way, it is handy for

an overfl ow of kit or just to

secure a wet and muddy jacket

you don’t want to put back

into the pack and contaminate

the rest of your gear.

J A R G O N B U S T E R

BITE VALVEThis is a self-closing

valve that you bite

to allow fl uid to fl ow.

Some come with a

lockable function to

stop the bite valve

leaking accidentally,

as can easily happen

when gear is piled on

top of the valve in the

boot of the car.

TOOL ORGANISERThis should have slots for each

item, allowing easy access to

tools when on the trail. Single

large compartments generally

require spilling the contents

of the pack onto the wet and

muddy ground in search of

that elusive Torx key.

CHEST AND WAIST STRAPSTo keep the pack well

positioned and stable

you want both a waist

and chest/sternum

strap. The latter should

be height-adjustable

for comfort.

PHONE/MP3 POCKET

Fleece-lined pocket for

safe storage of your

fragile electronics.

Note that they are

rarely waterproof.

Know your trail pack

CAMELBAK LOBO £ 6 9. 9 9 ( i n c l u d e s 3 L C a m e l b a k r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 418g without reservoir • Colours: black, green, orange, blue • Capacity: 6.28L inc 3L

reservoir • Contact: zyro.co.uk

DAKINE SESSION £ 4 9. 9 9 ( i n c l u d e s 2 L H y d r a p a k r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 486g without reservoir • Colours: black, camo, higgins, hood, threedee •

Capacity: 8L inc 2L reservoir • Contact: dakine.com

The Lobo is one of the cornerstones

of the Camelbak range, steadily

evolving and improving as time

goes on. Although only a litre off

our favoured capacity it felt a lot

smaller as a result of having the

cargo space split into

several frustratingly

small compartments.

Even an ultra-light

waterproof jacket

was tricky to fi t in,

requiring either a

lot of stuffi ng, or

just shoving into the

external stretchy pocket

on the back, which put it

directly in the mud fi ring

line. On the upside, the

small compartments are

littered

with

organising

pockets and slots,

so keeping track of our tools and

spares was a piece of cake.

The quality Camelbak Antidote

reservoir was easily accessible in

its insulated compartment and

refi llable in situ, saving time if the

pack wasn’t too dirty to

present at the sink. The

Lobo would be perfect

for use in marathon

races as it’s light but

carries a good amount

of water, and equally if

you’re nipping out on an

evening ride where it’s

unlikely you’ll need

a waterproof.

With its short back length the

Session is the dinkiest pack on test,

which makes it perfect for shorter

riders who sometimes struggle to

fi nd a good, compact pack. Quality

is excellent and the hardwearing

Cordura-type nylon on the

outside will continue

looking good for years,

as our existing Dakine

packs testify. That

all makes the £50

price (which includes

a two-litre reservoir)

look pretty darn good.

Organisation for such a

small pack

is fi rst-

class, with

plenty

of

pockets

and

compartments to

separate tools and spares. Deep

opening zips, as with the EVOC,

meant that access was excellent too.

The main compartment was shared

with the Hydrapak reservoir, which

wasn’t ideal, but understandable on

such a slick package to

reduce bulk. Armour

straps on the outside

could double up

to take soaking

waterproofs at a

pinch, but also hint

at this pack’s target

audience — hard

and fast riders out

for a few hours.

104 mbr JULY 2014

G R O U P T E S T

BEST VALUE!

http://zyro.co.uk

http://dakine.com

DEUTER COMPACT EXP 12 £ 7 0 ( n o r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 960g without reservoir • Colours: black/white, bay/papaya • Capacity: 12L

(expanding to 14L) inc 3L reservoir • Contact: i-ride.co.uk

ERGON BX1 £ 6 9. 9 9 ( n o r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 558g without reservoir • Colours: black, grey • Capacity: 7L inc 3L reservoir •

Contact: extrauk.co.uk

More than one tester handed this

back with a puzzled face, bemused

and beset by a sinking feeling. It

was the pack weight that caused the

confusion — more than double some

of the others in the

test at nigh on a

kilogram. To be fair

this is down to the

huge number of

useful features and a

high capacity.

Well laid-out

compartments are

perfect for organising

kit and offered enough

room to stuff

jackets and food

for longer days out

while opening the

enormous zip round

the circumference

expands it by another

two litres — very handy

on occasion. Malleable aluminium

bars in the back can be bent to suit

so there were no problems with

comfort after a little work, although

the bag never felt like it was part of

your body.

Compression straps

keep it in check, and a

pull-out helmet/jacket

net is there if needed. A

fl uoro rain cover and hip

belt pockets complete

the line-up, but we still

feel it was too heavy

and that an equally

good job was done by

lighter, cheaper packs.

Ergon is fi ercely proud of the fi t and

ergonomics of its packs, and those

qualities were immediately noticeable

on the BX1. The pack has instructions

on how to adjust the straps to get the

chest and waist harnesses balanced

and the aluminium band bent to

suit your body shape.

If these adjustments

don’t do it, the pack

also comes in

two sizes.

The fabrics

used on the main

body are lightweight

ripstop which reduces

weight and also meant

the whole pack was

very fl exible and

light to handle.

Organisation

isn’t

amazing,

with only a

cramped mesh hanging pocket and

pump slot sharing the large main

compartment with the reservoir

sleeve, and a small waist-belt

pocket. An outside zipped pocket

is big enough for a waterproof, but

if we needed more there

was a clip-on bungee

spider. With so few

compartments it was

easy to imagine our

testers wouldn’t get

along with the Ergon,

so it was a testament

to the quality and fi t of

the pack that so many

came back with positive

reports.

JULY 2014 mbr 105

http://extrauk.co.uk

http://i-ride.co.uk

106 mbr JULY 2014

G R O U P T E S T

EVOC CC 10L £ 6 4 . 9 5 ( n o r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 612g without reservoir • Colours: black, green, orange, stone • Capacity: 10L inc 3L

reservoir • Contact: silverfi sh-uk.com

FOX OASIS £ 6 5 ( i n c l u d e s 3 L H y d r a p a k r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 682g without reservoir • Colours: black, camo, grey • Capacity: 10L (approx) inc 3L

reservoir • Contact: foxhead.com

If any of you product designers out

there want a lesson in how to lay out

a backpack for easy gear access,

then have a look at the EVOC CC.

With deep zips surrounding the

compartments leaving only

one small edge to hinge

open by, the gear was

not only easy to get at,

the open pack made for

a handy workbench to

lay bits on when working

at the trailside. Mesh

pockets kept everything

in place inside and the

main compartment

was easily big enough

to fi t a jacket. The

reservoir doesn’t

have its own

compartment,

but is sleeved

inside the main area

— not ideal as it could

get gear wet, but not a signifi cant

problem either. A smart elasticated

helmet device rolls out of a hidden

pocket at the bottom and clips up

either side by hooks, and can also

be used to retain a wet jacket

if need be. Hardwearing

fabrics, including a

sturdy Cordura base,

mean this pack will last

the duration, and the

comfortable, stiffened

back with good hip fi ns

transfers weight off the

shoulder straps and

provided comfort

and stability.

At £65 with a quality Hydrapak

reservoir, the Oasis turned out to

be one of the real value stars of the

test. It has everything you could

possibly want in a pack — dedicated

reservoir compartment, large

main compartment

with plenty of mesh

organising pockets,

external open pocket

with compression straps

and armour straps on

the bottom. All this is

presented in a tough

nylon fabric with a bright

red lining to

contrast

with

the black

exterior which

made fi nding gear

easier. Another big

thumbs-up for the

zips — long enough

around the compartments to open

the bag super-wide and rapidly

present all your gear. For quick

access, the small zipped pocket on

the waist-fi n is also just big enough

for a multi-tool, and closed securely

enough to be trusted

with such an expensive

bit of kit. It was a bit

sweaty but not so

much more than others

on test. It claims to

have a detachable

drinking tube, but

ours came with the

more basic non-

detachable model.

http://foxhead.com


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http://pedalon.co.uk


108 mbr JULY 2014

G R O U P T E S T

OSPREY VIPER 9L £ 6 5 ( i n c l u d e s 3 L O s p r e y r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 418g without reservoir • Colours: black, green, orange, blue • Capacity: 6.28L inc 3L

reservoir • Contact: ospreyeurope.com

SCOTT AIRSTRIKE HYDRO 4 £ 7 9. 9 9 ( i n c l u d e s 2 L H y d r a p a k r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 342g without reservoir • Colours: black/yellow, black/lime green • Capacity: 4L inc

2L reservoir • Contact: scott-sports.com

The Osprey managed to cover all our

requirements in an ideal trail pack,

plus a few neat details we didn’t

realise we would miss until we had

them. The nine-litre capacity means

there’s easily enough room

for essentials, but with an

open stretch pocket on

the back for unexpected

additions

or soaking

waterproofs.

There are just enough

organising pockets to

keep everything neat

and in its place and each

compartment is closed

by quality zips complete

with very

glove-

friendly

pullers. All

this is held close

by two compression

straps. Osprey supplies its own

three-litre reservoir with an excellent

magnet retaining the business-end

of the hose — just wave it at the

sternum strap without looking and

the strong magnet snaps

it into place — and a

stiff protective back.

The stiff reservoir

was easy to push

down into the pack

when half-full, and

a superb zip built

down the right-hand

shoulder strap made

it easy to route the

hose. Superb in every

detail.

As one of the dearest packs on test

we were expecting a lot from the

Hydro 4, but most of the testers

came back disappointed. Straight

away the lack of stiffener in the back

meant it was a pain to pack as it

fl opped around. The two-litre

Scott/Hydrapak reservoir

has a stiffener built in, but

it was only secured by a

loop at the top of the main

compartment. A lack of

reservoir sleeve didn’t help

in stabilising matters, and

didn’t separate it from the

gear stowed so it was tricky

to slide in when fi lled.

On the upside the main

compartment has a long

zip,

which

allowed

full opening

and easy access,

and sports a handy bungee for

fi xing jackets on the outside. The

tool compartment on the front was

well sized for a few tools and spare

tube, but not a lot else, and the

mesh pocket on the back of it

was usually caked in mud

and rendered useless.

As long as it isn’t

overloaded the Hydro

moulds well to your

body and feels stable.

This is a lightweight

pack that proved

great for racing,

but unsuitable for

everyday use.

TEST WINNER!

http://ospreyeurope.com

http://scott-sports.com

JULY 2014 mbr 109

SHIMANO UNZEN U6 £ 6 9. 9 9 ( i n c l u d e s 2 L H y d r a p a k r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 560g without reservoir • Colours: black/blue, black/green, black/red, blue, orange,

red • Capacity: 6L inc 2L reservoir • Contact: madison.co.uk

VAUDE PATH 9 £ 7 0 ( n o r e s e r v o i r )

SPECIFICATION Weight: 726g without reservoir • Colours: black, green, teal blue, red •Capacity: 9L inc 3L

reservoir • Contact: vaude.co.uk

You have to take your hat off to

Shimano for its fresh approach to

hydration pack design. From the

single-clip four-way X-harness to

the vertical access zips and shiny

stretch fabric on the body, the Unzen

ploughs its

own furrow.

The harness

and curved

back panel kept

everything fi rmly

in check and in

most circumstances

the body-hugging

design worked well.

However, we’ve found

in the past that the

pack slips forward on

steep terrain, so may

not be suitable for

aggressive riders.

The vertical zips

restricted access and

required a lot of rummaging to get to

anything inside. The basic two-litre

Hydrapak reservoir doesn’t have a

removable hose, which would have

helped with the fi ddly access too.

Hip-belt pockets provided storage

for on-the-hoof

access, and a small

organiser pocket

at the front will fi t

a multi-tool. The

best thing about

the U6 is that the

shiny material seems

to repel mud and so

seems tailor-made for

our unreliable climate.

A traditional looking pack, especially

when compared to the likes of the

space-age Shimano, the Vaude is

nonetheless a very well put-together

bit of kit. Durable fabric and a padded

lining between compartments gave

a high quality feel but this,

combined with the

heavily padded back

and harness, meant it

was pretty heavy. The

main compartment

was big, and as a

result could do with

more organising

pockets — you only

get two small

pockets halfway up

the compartment.

Two waist-belt

pockets helped

to keep more

urgent items close

to hand,

and four compression straps did their

best to keep the cargo from moving

around too much, but they weren’t

hugely effective unless the pack was

really loaded up. As a result a lot

of gear just sloshed around in the

bottom if the pack wasn’t fi lled.

On the bike the Vaude was

comfortable and stable,

a tribute to the heavy

harness system, and the

bright red rain cover

not only provided

weather-proofi ng and

high visibility but

also kept mud

off effectively.

http://madison.co.uk

http://vaude.co.uk

110 mbr JULY 2014

G R O U P T E S T

If you ride fast and want to get aero you’ll want to opt

for something like the Shimano or Dakine, both of which

are small and unobtrusive. All-day riders hitting the hills

might prefer something like the Fox thanks to its high

capacity and ability to hold even more when the external

compression straps are employed. The Ergon, with its

lightweight construction and attention to fi t and comfort

is also a cracking option, if a little lacking when it comes

to compartment dividers.

If carrying the maximum amount of clobber is your

over-riding concern then the expanding capacity of the

Deuter comes in handy, but we found it to be somewhat

over-engineered and heavy for what was necessary —

a set of compression straps could easily do the

same job, if not quite so neatly.

The Camelbak and Scott both have much

to offer XC or marathon racers — the former

for sheer water capacity without going overboard

on cargo storage, the latter for its light weight and

simplicity of design.

As is so often the case, our favourite packs were

the ones that did everything very well — after all,

you don’t want to have a different pack for every

ride. Great kit organisation and access, adequate

cargo capacity, stability, all-day comfort and

reasonable price — the EVOC and Osprey ticked all

those boxes. The EVOC’s sensibly distributed 10-litre

capacity and wide-opening pockets made it very

easy to live with, but it was fairly pricey considering

the £65 tag didn’t include a reservoir. So it was the

Osprey that really caught our eye, with touches like the

hard-backed reservoir and handy magnetic valve storage

propelling it beyond the rest as a terrifi c all-rounder. At

£65 with a top quality reservoir, it’s a bargain to boot.

Verdict TEST WINNER!

Price Weight Pack Capacity Reservoir Contact Rating

Camelbak Lobo £69.99 418g 6.28L 3L zyro.co.uk

Dakine Session £49.99 486g 8L 2L dakine.com

Deuter Compact EXP 12 £70 960g 12/14L (not included) i-ride.co.uk

Ergon BX1 £69.99 558g 7L (not included) extrauk.co.uk

Evoc CC 10L £64.95 612g 10L (not included) silverfi sh-uk.com

Fox Oasis £65 682g 10L 3L foxhead.com

Osprey Viper 9L £65 418g 6.28L 3L ospreyeurope.com

Scott Airstrike Hydro 4 £79.99 342g 4L 2L scott-sports.com

Shimano Unzen U6 £69.99 560g 6L 2L madison.co.uk

Vaude Path 9 £70 726g 9L 3L vaude.co.uk

As is so often the case, our favourite packs were the ones that did everything well

http://zyro.co.uk

http://dakine.com


http://foxhead.com

http://ospreyeurope.com

http://madison.co.uk

http://vaude.co.uk

http://i-ride.co.uk


http://scott-sports.com

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http://sunsetcycles.co.uk

http://www.sunsetmtb.co.uk


http://www.sunsetmtb.co.uk

G R O U P T E S T

112 mbr JULY 2014

Lock-on gripsBuying a good set of lock-on grips is a cost-effective way to improve your bike’s feel and performance on the trail

ERGON GE1 £ 2 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 121g (pair) • Colours: black, grey, red, blue •

Contact: extrauk.co.uk

This is the only grip on test that is left and right-

hand specifi c, and it also has a particular rotational

orientation — there are angle marks on the clamps

so you know which way up it goes.

It’s a dual-compound design, with soft, cushioning

rubber used for the palm area and hard rubber

underneath with textured zones for grip. The

internal core is also machined away to increase fl ex

and reduce pressure on the base of the hand. The

end of the grip is closed off and cut at an angle,

which adds a little width to the handlebar.

The GE1 is pricey but it’s the most sophisticated

product here in terms of shape. It feels really

natural, especially the oval cross-section

where your forefi nger and thumb

grips. Overall comfort is great

but for better ergonomics we’d

like to see a smaller diameter,

because as it stands, it’s on

the fat side for medium to

small hands.

GRAVITY GL THIN £ 1 9. 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 89g (pair) • Colours: black, red, blue, green,

yellow • Contact: windwave.co.uk

Most grips are one constant diameter but the GL

Thin has a double taper — it’s narrow in the centre

but thickens towards the ends. Your hand naturally

falls to the centre of the grip but it still feels

comfortable, even when riding with your hands

further out. This is probably due to the narrow

clamps, which are the thinnest on test.

The grip has a ribbed surface so feels super-

tacky if you ride with bare hands. It gets even

better if there’s a little bit of moisture present, and

those tiny indents also compress under pressure to

improve cushioning.

A set of plug-in end-caps are included,

and while they are a tight fi t in the

narrower internal diameter of

carbon bars, they’re worth

fi tting because they create

a smooth transition at the

end of the bar and stop

the clamps digging into

your palms.

ODI SENSUS DISISDABOSS £ 2 1 . 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 104g (pair) • Colours: green, red, black •

Contact: ison-distribution.com

The Sensus Disisdaboss is pro racer Andreu

Lacondeguy’s signature grip, hence the name. It

comes in a 143mm length and features a mushroom-

style ribbed pattern. This offers incredible grip

but also very good cushioning due to the level of

compression. The Sensus feels great with or without

gloves and is one of the few grips where the rubber

extends over the locking collars, which is handy if

you ride with your hands on the end of the handlebar.

ODI uses a patented interface for its Lock Jaw

collars, which means they can be fi ddly to install and

play can develop between the collars and the centre

section (cartridge), but this is the only

grip on test where you can replace

this bit once it wears out.

Plush and roomy, we’d

recommend the Sensus for

riders with big hands who

don’t wear gloves.


http://windwave.co.uk

http://ison-distribution.com

JULY 2014 mbr 113

TEST WINNER!

PIVOT LOCK £ 1 6 . 9 9

SPECIFICATION Weight: 91g (pair) • Colours: black, red, blue •

Contact: upgradebikes.co.uk

There are two reasons we included the Pivot Lock

for this test — it’s unusual because of its closed end,

and the grip pattern looks perfect for wet rides. We

weren’t disappointed either, as the soft grip material

provides good traction in slippery conditions and

also added a bit of extra give when riding without

gloves. Also, dirt doesn’t work its way under the grip

or plug the end of the bar.

To save weight the Pivot uses a single locking

collar, which is plenty strong enough to keep the grip

in place, and the rigid centre core is relieved in the

palm area to create a window of extra cushioning.

It’s slightly fatter than the Race Face and Specialized

grips at 29.5mm, which means it offers a more

forgiving ride; the price you pay is a

crucial loss of precision.

It’s plain looking, but the Pivot

is good value and a good grip for

winter use, and defi nitely worth

considering if comfort is your

primary concern.

RACE FACE HALF NELSON £ 1 9. 9 5

SPECIFICATION Weight: 87g (pair) • Colours: black, white, red, blue,

grey, yellow, turquoise, orange, green • Contact: silverfi sh-uk.com

The idea behind Race Face’s Half Nelson is that it’s

supposed to imitate a half-worn grip to provide an

already bedded-in feel. It’s a thin 28mm diameter so

offers very precise control, and the super-smooth

surface feels truly amazing riding gloveless. The

rubber in this area also feels slightly thicker, to

provide excellent cushioning and comfort.

The grip is held in place by a single locking clamp

which is usually enough to hold most grips in place,

but we’ve found on some carbon bars the Half

Nelson can move under really hard efforts.

In terms of feel, it’s a superb performer, and it

really can transform your bike’s

behaviour. To make it better we’d

like to see a closed end so that

we could ditch the cheap plastic

caps, which would also stop dirt

working its way under the grip —

but really, we’re just being picky.

SPECIALIZED SIP £ 1 6

SPECIFICATION Weight: 62g (pair) • Colours: blue, green, black, moto

green, raw • Contact: specialized.com

The SIP 16 is from Specialized’s in-house component

range and has a single locking collar, a Ruffi an-style

surface with a waffl e base pattern for added traction.

It’s been tweaked this year and now uses an aramid

infused compound — basically a material similar to

Kevlar mixed with the rubber to improve wear.

The grip is not as soft as the original, so it does

feels a bit wooden, but after a month of riding we

haven’t seen any wear. The original also used to

deteriorate at the end pretty quickly, but on the

new SIP the internal plastic core now extends to

add extra reinforcement in this area.

At 28mm in diameter the SIP offers

minimal cushioning but it is available

in a larger XL diameter if you feel the

medium is a little thin.

Although not as tacky as

the original, it’s still lightweight

and great value, and it’s

the only grip on test to come

with a small Allen key for fi tting.

http://upgradebikes.co.uk



This month’s routes

Cut Gate: a ripper

of a route from

either end

WHERE TO RIDE AND EXPLORE

0 1 M E D I U M R O U T E

CUT GATE, PEAK DISTRICT19.5km (12 miles)

0 2 E A S Y R O U T E

MOEL Y CI & THE QUARRIES/SNOWDONIA19km (12 miles)

0 3 M E D I U M R O U T E

REIGATE HILL/ NORTH DOWNS27km (17 miles)

0 4 H A R D R O U T E

BOWDERDALE/ HOWGILL FELLS40km (25 miles)

04

01

03

LOCATOR

READ THE

FEATURE!p56

GET MORE!Download this

route from

mbr.co.uk by

scanning this

code or visiting

po.st/g6FT25

02

R I D E G U I D E

114 mbr JULY 2014

T his is the best way to do the best trail in the

Peak District. Cut Gate typically poses a real

conundrum to a lot of mountain bikers. It’s hard to

decide how to fit it into a loop, so it often gets left

out and riders head over to the other Peak classics

like Jacob’s Ladder or The Beast, both of which are much

easier to work into a loop.

This is a good thing. The lack of traffic on Cut Gate —

both from wheels and from walkers — has meant that the

trails have retained their narrowness and shape. There is

a wider section in the middle of this iconic moorland trail

but it’s not wide and dull. It’s wide and wild. Littered with

gritstone rocks of all sizes from pebbledash through to

suitcase boulders, it’s all about lightning-fast decision-

making and commitment. And luck.

There are riders who will tell you that south-to-north

is the way to do Cut Gate. There are just as many other

riders who will protest that north-to-south is best. They

are both wrong... and right. It’s great in either direction.

The southern-end descent has the majestic zigzag

combo of Cranberry Clough, not to mention the eye-

watering, bum-puckering speed-trap section just after

the slab paving. The northern end has the “pedal-pedal-

wheeee-pedal-pedal” ripper-dipper proper singletrack of

Mickleden Edge.

The route detailed here involves both of these sections,

and the scattershot techno middle section, too. Yes, it

involves doing a lot of the same bits in both directions,

but it’s worth it. It works. Any other way of doing Cut Gate

involves loads of road/cinderpath slogging and removes

one or more glories of this exceptional trail.

There’s a lot of road on this loop, and it’s an odd

shape too, with two excellent yet very different off-

road loops linked by an out-and-back on tarmac. But

it’s actually a bit of a mini-classic, and if you’ve never

explored the Llanberis Slate Quarries, then it’s worth

it for that alone. The ups are all on tarmac, although

the biggest section is traffic free, and the descents

are belters — wild and scenic on Moel y Ci and steep

and slatey in the quarries. The trails are permissive

rather than Rights of Way, so there are some gates to

carry over. And keep that tyre pressure high.

The leafy lanes of Surrey always provide fun mtbing

and this little loop, around the hills west of Reigate,

is no exception, with everything from sweet cruisy

duplex to some quite nadgery singletrack. The

climbs are mainly steep but thankfully short, with

the exception of the monster from Mickleham onto

Box Hill, which will definitely test stamina if taken at

any speed at all. The descents are as varied as the

surfaces but will put a smile on your face. Navigation

can be tricky the first time around, but come back for

a second lap and it’ll roll very sweetly indeed.

At over 6km from start to finish, Bowderdale is

a true contender for the longest singletrack in

England, if not the UK. It’s also in the running for the

best. But entry requires something of a push onto

the Calf, the 673m high point of the Howgill Fells

(sorry!). This is the shortest and easiest way to slot

it into a loop, but it’s still a big day out with plenty

of ups and downs away from the main act. It can

be started at either end but we prefer the north,

leaving the sumptuous, snaking ribbon of red dirt

for a real grand finale.

http://mbr.co.uk

MEDIUM ROUTE

MEDIUM ROUTE

EASY ROUTE

HARD ROUTE

MOEL Y CI & THE QUARRIES, SNOWDONIA 19km (12 miles)© Crown copyright 2014 Ordnance Survey Media 058/14

REIGATE HILL, NORTH DOWNS27km (17 miles)© Crown copyright 2014 Ordnance Survey Media 058/14

BOWDERDALE, HOWGILL FELLS 40km (25 miles)© Crown copyright 2014 Ordnance Survey Media 058/14

CUT GATE, PEAK DISTRICT 19.5km (12 miles)© Crown copyright 2014 Ordnance Survey Media 058/14

010

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0506

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GETTING THEREThe ride starts from the Bus Stop

Quarry car parking area, south

of Deiniolen, approximately four

miles from Llanberis (OS115/

SH590610). It’s best reached

from the B4547 by taking a minor

road to Deiniolen and continuing

towards Dinorwig. Rail access

isn’t practical.

BEST TIME TO GOPredominantly good surfaces and

apart from a little surface water,

they remain in decent nick all

year round. Snow and cold can be

a problem in mid-winter.

MAPS & GUIDEBOOKSMemory Map V5 OS Landranger

(1:50,000) Region 3

OS Landranger (1:50,000)

115 Snowdon

OS Explorer Series (1:25,000) OL

17 Snowdon

Wales Mountain Biking by Tom

Hutton (Vertebrate Publishing)

North Wales Mountain Biking by

Peter Burnsall (Ernest Press)

REFRESHMENTSBring sarnies but it’s only short

FACILITIESBest bet for a coffee is Y Caban

at Brynrefail, towards Llanberis.

In Llanberis you have Y Pantri and

Pete’s Eats.

Best pub in Llanberis is

the Heights.

B&B and bunkhouse

accommodation at Gallt y Glyn,

Llanberis (01286 870370,

gallt-y-glyn.co.uk) which also

does great pizzas.

Llanberis TIC, 01286 870765

OTHER OPTIONSSnowdon is the obvious bundle

ride, or head across to Gwydir

Forest to the Marin Trail.

GETTING THERERavenstonedale is just off the

A685, fi ve miles east of the M6

(J38) at Tebay. There are a few

places to park in the village but

the best one is on the bend by the

telephone box and noticeboard

at OS97/SD722041. Rail would be

possible from Kirkby Stephen.

It’s also possible to start in

Sedbergh but this means the

singletrack comes early rather

than as a grand fi nale.

BEST TIME TO GO Defi nitely a better dry-weather

ride as the singletrack gets soft.

The 676m summit of the

Calf is no place to be caught in

bad weather.

MAPS & GUIDEBOOKSOS Landranger (1:50,000) 91

Appleby-in-Westmoreland

97 Kendal & Morecambe

98 Wensleydale & Upper

WharefdaleOS Explorer

(1:25,000) OL19 Howgill Fells

Lake District Mountain Bike

Routes by Tom Hutton (Out

There Guides)

REFRESHMENTSLoads of pubs and cafes in

Sedbergh

FACILITIESPost-ride beer and

accommodation in either the

King’s Head (015396 23050,

kings-head.com) or the

Black Swan, 015396 23204,

blackswanhotel.com

Independent hostel in Kirkby

Stephen, 017683 71793,

kirkbystephenhostel.co.uk

Kirkby Stephen TIC, 017683 71199

Sedbergh TIC, 015396 20125

OTHER OPTIONSHead west into the Lakes — we

brought you an excellent Hard

around Haweswater in Feb 2014

— or east into t’Dales, such as the

Medium from December 2013.

WAY TO GOSTART (OS115/SH590610). Car park, Bus Stop Quarry, Dinorwig

Go back the way you came for 800m and turn R at a X-roads, opposite a bus

shelter. Climb to a fork and keep L then continue past L turn to climb for another 1km

to a T-junction. Turn L and continue for another 1km to R turn on a bend (Mynydd

Landegai). Take this and continue over the top and down slightly before turning sharp

L onto a rough track.

(SH592653) Track on L. Distance so far: 5.2km

Follow it around the hill and down to meet a road. Keep R, off-road again, and

continue down to a road. Turn R and follow this until its end and through the barrier

to climb on a good track to a junction by a house. Turn R and climb to a narrow track

on the R and drop back down to join the road by the barrier. Turn R again, around the

barrier, and continue to T-junction. Turn R and climb steeply back past the track you

took earlier and down to T-junction where you turn R. Continue SA now, past the road

you came in on, to the road head.

(SH596631) Road Head above Deiniolen. Distance so far: 14.7km

Continue through the gate (Note: access to the quarries is permissive not on

Rights of Way, and there are gates/barriers to cross). And now climb on the tarmac

access road to a turning on the R. Take this and continue to climb to a sharp LH

bend. Here, drop off the road onto a track (gate) and now follow the quarry track

down, zig-zagging through the levels in a succession of steep, slatey ramps and fun

switchbacks. You may need to search out the track in some places but it’s always

there. At the bottom, a gate leads onto a well-surfaced, level track. Turn R to return

to the car park.

TOTAL DISTANCE: 19KM (12 MILES) TOTAL ASCENT: 660M (2,165FT)

WAY TO GOSTART (OS187/

TQ261522) Car Park,

Reigate Hill

Keep the cafe to your R and

ride up and over the bridge.

Keep SA for 1.5km and pass a

round building before turning

R, through gates. Cross the

motorway and keep SA, on

a track then tarmac, to a

X-roads. Take a BW on the L,

immediately after X-roads.

Keep SA, crossing many

other tracks, to the road.

Keep SA to join the road on

a green. And keep SA to a

T-junction opposite a pond.

(TQ227553) B290,

Walton on the Hill.

Distance so far: 5.7km

Turn L then R onto Sandlands

Lane. At the end turn L then

R onto the road and bear

around to the L to a track

on the L. Take this and drop

down beneath the motorway and back up the other side to the road at Headley.

Turn R, pass the church on your R and bear L into Slough Lane. At a T-junction

bear R (Surrey Cycleway). Follow this to the road and cross then turn R onto a

parallel BW. Follow this to a car park and take second L fork.

(TQ194545) Parking off B2033. Distance so far: 9.7km

Follow this to a X-roads and bear L now follow this up and down a few times,

all the time on the main track, to eventually drop steeply to the road at Mickleham.

Turn L for 500m then R, into a car park. Now keep SA to climb steeply onto Box

Hill. Stay on the main track all the way to the road and bear L. Climb for 600m and

turn L onto a drive. Follow this to an open area and bear R onto a broad BW.

(TQ195522) Open area and BW Junction, Box Hill. Distance so far: 17.8km

Follow this to a junction and fork R. Then keep R to follow a narrow track up

to a X-roads. Turn L to cross Headley Heath to the road and turn L. Then turn R

after 300m and take the narrow, dirt BW between the two estate roads. Keep SA

and follow a good track to a road.

(TQ216531) Road crossing near Pebble Coombe. Distance so far: 21.6km

Keep SA then L to a T-junction where you fork R. After 500m fork L then at

a major junction after 800m, turn L to climb then R to continue climbing to a road

junction at Colley Hill. Turn L for 100m then R onto a track and now follow this out

onto Colley Hill, where you’ll soon pass the turning you took on the way out. Keep

ahead back to Reigate Hill.

TOTAL DISTANCE: 27KM (17 MILES) TOTAL ASCENT: 520M (1,706FT)

WAY TO GOSTART (OS97/SD722041) Ravenstonedale

Continue into Ravonstonedale and past the Black Swan. Continue up (signed

Sedbergh) and out of the village and then fork R (Adamthwaite). Now follow the lane

for 4km to the farm at Adamthwaite, and bear L, through a gate, onto a BW. Now

follow this around the hillside (vague in places) to farm buildings at Narthwaite. Enter

the yard and turn R to drop to a stream. Turn L to climb away, and continue, with the

River Rawthey to your L for 1km, then bear L to cross a ridge and continue following

the BW around the hillside for another 4km to a bridge over Hobdale Beck. Keep

ahead to the road, and continue to the A683.

(SD672923) A683. Distance so far: 14.4km

Turn R into Sedbergh and continue to the mini roundabout where you turn R

to the town centre. Continue through the main street and around to the L at the top.

Then turn R next to the Dalesman pub onto Howgill Lane. Follow this for 2km to

T-junction and turn R. Then for another 3km to a X-roads. Turn R onto BW farm drive

and follow this to buildings, where you turn L (BW). Follow this to Chapel Beck. Cross

and keep SA to climb a grassy track steeply up the hill ahead. Continue to the top and

keep R to the summit.

(SD667970) The Calf. Distance so far: 23.8km

Now bear L to follow a good track across the plateau to a small tarn. Keep R

here and this leads to the steep edge where the singletrack starts. Follow this for

7km, where it climbs to a wall corner. Keep the wall to the R, and drop to the road.

Turn R, then L after 1km; continue across the main road to a T-junction, and turn R to

Newbiggin-on-Lune. Cross the main road again and continue through the village and

back towards the main road again, where you see a cycle path heading R. Take this, in

two sections, back into Ravenstonedale and keep ahead on the main road to fi nish.

TOTAL DISTANCE: 40KM (25 MILES) TOTAL ASCENT: 1,325M (4,347FT)

GETTING THEREReigate Hill parking area is right on

junction 8 of the M25. Head south

towards Reigate and it’s on your L

(OS187/TQ261522). Rail users could

start at Reigate Station.

BEST TIME TO GOThe trails here get quite sticky in the

wet so this one’s best kept for dryer

weather. This is a very popular area

with walkers and hackers so avoid

during peak times and ride with

some decorum.


(1:50,000) Region 1

OS Landranger Series (1:50,000) 187

Dorking & Reigate

OS Explorer Series (1:25,000) 145

Guildford & Farnham; 146 Dorking,

Box Hill & Reigate

Rough Ride Guide to the South

East by Max Darkins

(roughridesguide.co.uk)

South East Mountain Biking by Nick

Cotton (Vertebrate Publishing)

REFRESHMENTSThe Blue Ball at Walton on the

Hill is on the route or you could

deviate slightly to the Box Hill car

park and cafe.

FACILITIESGreat snack shack at the start.

Reigate has everything you could

wish for.

Youth Hostel at Tanner’s Hatch,

0845 371 9542.

Dorking TIC, 01483 444333.

OTHER OPTIONSHead over to the Leith Hill area for

loads of great riding — legal and

cheeky — or check out our Easy

from October 2013 or Medium from

June 2013.

GETTING THEREFrom the south/east: leave the

M1 at junction 35A, then the A616

(signposted Manchester). Follow

A616 until Langsett Barn car park

appears on left. From the north/

west: leave the M60 at junction 24,

then the A57 (signposted Denton,

Sheffi eld M67). Continue onto the

M67 (signposted Hyde, Barnsley,

Sheffi eld) and the A57 (signposted

Glossop, Sheffi eld A616). At traffi c

signals take the A628 (signposted

Sheffi eld, Barnsley), the A616

(signposted M1, Sheffi eld) and then

the A616 until Langsett Barn car park

appears on right.

BEST TIME TO GOGo now! Cut Gate and the Dark Peak

in general are not nice places to slog

when it’s wet and cold. The essence

of this ride is its not-steep terrain,

and the trails need to be fi rm for them

to be truly enjoyable. It’s also good

in winter during sub-zero ‘tundra’

conditions, but that’s rare.


(1:50,000) Region 4

OS Landranger Series (1:50,000) 110

Sheffi eld & Huddersfi eld

OS Outdoor Leisure Series (1:25,000)

1 The Peak District, Dark Peak Area

Peak District Mountain Biking:

Dark Peak Trails by Jon Barton

(Vertebrate Publishing)

REFRESHMENTSNot much either at Langsett or on the

route itself so go prepared.

FACILITIESLocal bike shops include High Peak

Cycles (2 Smithy Fold, Glossop,

01457 861535, highpeakcycles.co.uk)

and 18 Bikes (8 Castleton Rd, Hope,

01433 621111, 18bikes.co.uk). There

is rudimentary bike shop/hire at the

Fairholmes Visitor Centre off the

southern tip of the route (Derwent,

Bamford S33 0AQ, 01433 651261).

WAY TO GOLangsett Barn car park

(OL1/SE 210004)

Head right out of car park on A616

(busy road — take care). Turn R onto

road opposite Bank View Cafe (Strines,

Derwent Valley). Follow road as it goes

over dam head and then climbs.

(SK 213995) Joseph Lane.


Turn R onto signposted wide BW for

500m to meet farm buildings, turn L

along narrow road for 200m then turn

R onto road, follow road round for

250m to a sharp bend.

(SK 213995)

Thickwoods Lane.


Leave road and continue SA on

barrier-ed access road. Follow this

track for 1.5km to meet gated drystone wall. Turn L in front of gate and follow

heather-edged trail uphill for 1.5km until you meet another trail side-on.

(SK 191985) Mickleden Edge. Distance so far: 4.7m

Remember this junction. You’ll be here again later. Turn L along trail. Follow

varied but obvious trail for approx 4.5km. You’re on Cut Gate proper now.

(SK 176953) Cranberry Clough. Distance so far: 9.2km

The trail suddenly steepens and there’s a marker post. Turn L at the marker

post (straight on is the tempting-but-not-as-fun footpath). Curl your way down

and out to a stream crossing. Follow obvious track out, splash through a broader

stream crossing (or take the footbridge if you like dry feet), take R option at the

subsequent signpost and head over to the bigger bridge just up ahead.

(SK 169951) Slippery Stones. Distance so far: 10km

Have a rest, a refuel (you packed sandwiches right?) and a chinwag. Then

get back in the saddle and head back up where you just came from. Cranberry

Clough is a push but after that it’s all rideable (if you have the stamina).

(SK 191985) Mickleden Edge again. Distance so far: 15.1km

Stop retracing your footsteps/tyre-marks now. Continue SA along Mickleden

Edge’s narrow heather-edged singletrack for the next 2km. The trail fi nishes with

a steep, tree-edged R-L-L ‘jink’ down to a bridge.

(SK 197006) Bridge over Little Don River.


Head over bridge and onto wide track for 300m, turn R and R

again on A616 (v. busy) and back to Langsett Bank car park.

TOTAL DISTANCE: 19.5KM (12 MILES)

TOTAL ASCENT: 612M (2,007FT)

S P O N S O R E D B Y




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EASY ROUTE

HARD ROUTE

MEDIUM ROUTE

MEDIUM ROUTE

MOEL Y CI & THE QUARRIES, SNOWDONIA 19km (12 miles)

BOWDERDALE, HOWGILL FELLS 40km (25 miles)

REIGATE HILL, NORTH DOWNS 27km (17 miles)

CUT GATE, PEAK DISTRICT 19.5km (12 miles)

READ THE

FEATURE!p56

http://blackswanhotel.com

http://kirkbystephenhostel.co.uk

http://roughridesguide.co.uk

http://highpeakcycles.co.uk

http://18bikes.co.uk

http://kings-head.com

http://gallt-y-glyn.co.uk

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T H E B I G Q U E S T I O N

Q&AHow soon should I get my new fork serviced?

THIS MONTH: FORK SERVICE TIMETABLE, DROPPER POST CLAMPING, TUBELESS ISSUES

YOUR EXPERTAL VINES

A shop mechanic

for 13 years, Al has

been there and fi xed

that. He owns 10

bikes and says his

least favourite job is

sorting out internally

routed cables.

I treated myself to a new

suspension fork last month,

when do I fi rst need to service it?

I want to keep it at its best and I

need it to last me a while as it was

a considerable investment.

Josh Peters, email

You haven’t told us what

fork you’ve bought, Josh.

But regardless of brand we’d

recommend getting it serviced

relatively early — we’ve seen forks

that have been delivered under-

lubricated from the factory. In

addition, while a new fork beds in

during the fi rst dozen or so rides,

it’s common for small deposits from

bushes and seals to be left fl oating

in the oil that lubricates the fork,

which can make it feel sluggish

and dead.

An early initial service will fl ush

out any of these deposits, and the

service is likely to be carried out

with more care and attention than

when the fork was assembled.

This will mean that all the oil levels

will be spot-on and there won’t be

any dry or under-lubricated seals

to cause excessive stiction and

premature wear. I’m not saying all

factory-fresh forks have problems,

but this is an expensive product

we’re talking about and you need to

treat it like a princess.

Q

A

H O W T O

116 mbr JULY 2014

FOLLOW THIS SERVICE SCHEDULE

Tools of the trade:

our step by step guide

will save you forking out

AFTER EVERY RIDE: SEAL CLEANING It is really important that you

take a couple of minutes to clean,

dry and lubricate your fork seals

after every ride. When you get

home (whether you’ve washed

your bike or not), use a rag to

clean and dry around the seal

area. Make sure that all the dirt

is removed, because if this gets

encrusted onto the seals it will

create a sandpaper-like action

on your expensive stanchions.

Always re-lubricate the seal

afterwards.

AFTER SEVERAL RIDES: BASIC SEAL MAINTENANCEAbout once a month you can give

the seals an extra clean and lube

by running the end of a zip/cable

tie around the lip of the seal. Dirt

can be removed in this way, and

with the zip tie in place it allows

easy passage for your favourite

suspension lube to the inner seal

and foam rings. Suspension-

specifi c maintenance sprays are

convenient, but you can’t beat

the lubrication properties of fork

oil or lubrication oils such as Fox

Float Fluid or RockShox Red Rum.

Pour some oil on the seal area,

cycle the fork a few times and

wipe off the excess to avoid it

dribbling onto your front brake.

Turn the bike upside down and

leave it overnight to allow the

lubrication fl uid inside to bathe

the seals area.

EVERY THREE MONTHS: LOWER LEG SERVICEMost modern Fox and RockShox

forks use sealed dampers, which

means the oil used to control

the fork is different from the oil

(or fl uid) used to lubricate it.

On most forks there’s a good

chance you can perform a lower

leg service without disturbing

the oil used for damping (check

your manual for info). Renewing

the lower leg lubrication and

cleaning the seals cuts down on

performance-robbing stiction and

helps prolong stanchion and seal

life. Follow our 20-minute step by

step (opposite) to learn how.

ONCE A YEAR: FULL SERVICEMost manufacturers publish their

own service guidelines, but it’s a

good idea to make sure you get

a full service about once a year.

You’ll need to book your fork

in with one of the suspension

service centres — ask at your local

shop for details and prices. If you

ride more frequently and in wet

or muddy conditions (or don’t

follow any of the maintenance

tips above), you may need to get

your fork serviced more often.

Cable/zip ties are a

valuable tool for monthly

cleaning and maintenace

DROPPER POST DROOPING

I’ve recently fi tted

a RockShox Reverb

dropper post and I can’t seem

to get it to clamp properly in

the frame. If I clamp it too tight

the action slows, but if I loosen

it off it wiggles about. What

am I doing wrong?

Ron Miller, email

I can sympathise — there’s

nothing more off-putting

than a swivelling saddle. First

of all, make sure that the seat

tube isn’t damaged. Look for

cracks, especially around the

slot that closes up to clamp the

post. You also need to make

dead certain that the post is

exactly the right size for your

frame. If it’s not spot-on then

you’ll have issues or even

worse, break something. You

may need your local shop

mechanic to investigate this

with Vernier calipers.

If all is right then invest in

some carbon assembly paste

such as Fiber Grip from Finish

Line. This adds friction between

parts (both alloy and carbon)

and reduces the clamping

force needed to hold it in place.

Apply this to your post and

torque it up until the post is

held fi rmly in the frame

and functions normally. If

you still have no joy then

maybe try a seat collar.

TUBELESS READY?I’ve just bought

a Specialized

Stumpjumper Expert

Evo 2014 and I’d

been told that

the wheels are

tubeless ready.

How ready are

they exactly?!

Do I need to buy anything to

make the change?

Chris Higgs, email

All you need are the

tubeless valves that came

with the bike and a bottle of

sealant. The rim strips that are

mounted on the wheels work

with or without tubes. Just pull

out the tubes (put at least one

of them in your pack), fi t the

valves, slosh in some sealant

and pump them up. We’ve

found that they infl ate easily

with a track pump and you’ll be

making the most of that new-

found grip in no time.

SEALANT LIFEHow long does tyre

sealant last? My mate

reckons it goes all lumpy after

a while.

Jim Collins, email

Your mate is right, Jim.

If you don’t replace

your sealant at least every

six months then it’ll dry out

and won’t do its job properly.

Some sealants stay liquid for

longer, but most lose their

effectiveness after a while, and

there’s not a lot of point lugging

it around if it’s not going to

seal a hole properly. Remove

part of one tyre bead, pour

the sealant out of the tyre

(or use Stan’s The Injector

to suck the sealant

out) and refi ll with

new. Remember to

dispose of the

old sealant in an

eco-friendly

manner.

QUICK FIXES

Q

Q

Q

A

A

A

Fiber Grip’s your friend

for increased clamping

force and friction

JULY 2014 mbr 117

20-MINUTE SERVICEThis quick but essential job works for

both RockShox and Fox forks. Here’s

how to do it yourself.

Loosen the foot nuts/bolts, but do not

remove them yet. Position a container

beneath the forks to catch the dirty oil.

Tap the nuts/bolts with a soft-

faced mallet to free the lower legs.

Remove the nuts/bolts and pull the

legs free.Clean inside the lower legs.

Pay close attention to the seals — remove

all dirt and re-lubricate using suspension-

specifi c grease. Make sure the foam rings

are also clean and saturated in fresh Float

Fluid, Red Rum or heavy-weight fork oil.

Partially slide the lower legs onto

the stanchions (being extra careful

not to fold over the lip of the seals) and

inject the amount of oil specifi ed by the

manufacturer into the lowers as shown.

Replace and tighten the foot nuts/

bolts to the recommended torque.

Cycle a few times and go ride!

Got a question

about fi xing your

bike? Email

mbr@ipcmedia.

com with ‘Q&A’ in

the subject line

01

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05



This picture shows two types of

Shimano pedals that use different-

sized cartridge-retaining collars,

and also a TL-PD40 tool that you’ll need for

older pedals with a castellated collar.

It’s easier if you

clamp the pedal

you’re working on

in a workmate or a vice,

although it isn’t essential.

Once the nut is fully undone,

remove the cartridge from

the pedal body.

The TL-PD40 tool fi ts onto the

castellated retaining collar, but

this newer pedal requires just

combination or adjustable spanner for

cartridge removal. Simply undo the

collar, making sure you turn it the right

way — left pedals have a conventional

right-hand thread, while right pedals have

a left-hand thread.

02

01

03

04

Service your Shimano pedals NEED TO

KNOWO�TIME TAKEN

10 minutes

per pedal

O�SKILL LEVEL

Easy

O�MONEY SAVED

Around £15

O�GOT INTO

TROUBLE?

It’s doubtful. Just

make sure you

recognise which

threads are left-

handed and which

are right-handed.

When re-fi tting

the pedals do so

by hand — only the

fi nal tightening

should be done

with tools.

GET MOREWatch a video

tutorial by scanning

this code, or

by visiting

po.st/znJZrb

YOUR EXPERTAL VINES

A shop mechanic

for 13 years, Al has

been there and fi xed

that. He owns 10

bikes and says his

least favourite job is

sorting out internally

routed cables.

A little care and attention

will guarantee your Shimano

pedals keep on spinning

TOOLS FOR THE JOB O�Rags/grease/combination or

adjustable spanner

Let’s not beat around the bush — Shimano

pedal bearings are the most durable in

the business. The cartridge design has

remained virtually unchanged since the

fi rst XT pedals hit the market about 20

years ago, and its smoothness, durability and

ease of service has helped the big S to stay at the

top of the pedal game ever since.

All this means that Shimano pedals might

continue to spin for years without any attention

at all, but a little love will help to guarantee their

function and durability. Let’s face it, you owe it to

them — you spend every ride stamping on them,

you don’t give them a second thought when you

smash them into every trail obstacle going, yet

you expect them to function fl awlessly.

Older SPD pedals require a TL-PD40 tool to

loosen the castellated collar that secures the

cartridge, which costs just a couple of quid,

but for newer pedals you’ll need nothing more

complicated than an adjustable spanner.

H O W T O

118 mbr JULY 2014

Clean the cartridge assembly

with rags. If you choose to

use a degreaser, allow it to

dry completely before continuing.

Clean within the pedal

body — spray some

degreaser inside and poke a

rag right to the bottom of the body

with the help of a screwdriver or

similar. Make sure it is totally dry.

Fill the bottom

quarter of the pedal

body with your

favourite quality grease.

Re-fit the

cartridge,

tightening the

nut fully into the pedal

body; the old grease

will be purged from the

cartridge. These pedals

with metal collars should

be tightened to 10Nm.

Clean the excess

grease from the

pedal and repeat

for the other pedal.

05

06

07

09

08

Shimano Saint pedals have pins

that can be adjusted in height by

adding or removing a washer as

shown. Use Loctite 243 to prevent them

seizing into place or falling out. Aim to

create a concave platform by arranging

taller pins around the outer circumference

of the pedal and shorter ones in the

middle — this will aid retention and

improve feel.

Any loose or missing bolts on an

SPD pedal should be secured/

replaced as applicable. Use

Loctite 243 on the threads to prevent

them coming loose in the future.

If you’re working on an SPD pedal,

grease the springs and pivots of

the retention system.

Before re-fitting the pedals, apply anti-seize to the threads to help prevent

unwanted creaks and seizure.

10

11

12

13

TOP TIPA grease gun allows

easy, accurate

application of grease,

which minimises waste

and mess

TOP TIPGo easy when

tightening the older

plastic cartridge collars,

as over-tightening will

result in breakage

JULY 2014 mbr 119

Clumsy. Impossible to get around switchbacks.

No fun. Riders who jump on a new ‘wagon

wheeler’ and expect it to feel the same as their

current 26in-wheeled mtb often conclude that

these bikes aren’t up to snuff — but in reality it’s

because the rider hasn’t adjusted his technique to

the new bike. Is it necessary to do so? Well, you

wouldn’t ride a superbike the same as you’d ride

a Harley Davidson. Through experience, here are

a few tips I’ve found that are crucial to enjoying

the 29er experience and realising that, in reality,

you can ride pretty much anything on the bigger

wheels, even tight switchbacks.

ADJUST YOUR RIDING TO YOUR GEARIt’s easy to blame equipment for problems on the trail, but think ahead and you can adapt your technique to get the most from your kit

Words: Chris Ball Photos: Andy McCandlish

Every month we talk about technique, skill and how

to improve as a rider. The focus is always on you, the

reader, the rider, the one in control of the bike. The

role of equipment is often to provide an excuse for not

staying on the trail, casing a jump or struggling to pass

through a technical section unscathed, when in fact it’s the

rider’s skills that are letting him or her down.

Equipment shouldn’t be used as an excuse, but it’s not

something to ignore either. Know the limitations of your bike

and tyres and you’ll ride faster, smoother and safer than ever.

RIDING A 29ER

T E C H N I Q U E

120 mbr JULY 2014

With smaller wheels you still need

to move your body weight around,

but your bike should be suffi ciently

responsive that you can lean it

over more by pushing through the

inside on corners. A greater lean

angle means more riding on the

edge-tread of the tyre and also a

tighter turning radius. One theory

is that the ability to tighten corners,

react at the last minute and look

for maximum playfulness on 26in

wheels is the reason why a 29er is

often faster, because wider, longer

and more effi cient lines will increase

your overall average speed. We’re

not all racers though, so if you prefer

smaller wheels then make the most of

them: get more aggressive, challenge

the bike to do more, and enjoy the

benefi ts of faster acceleration and a

more punchy ride.

29ER TIPS: LINE CHOICEIf your bike is less responsive then it makes sense to look for bigger

arcs and bigger shapes, and to avoid squaring off corners. Bizarrely,

although you may feel slower, there’s a high chance you’re actually

travelling faster on the bigger wheels, and that means you need to

brake earlier. After a couple of crashes on very familiar bits of trail,

this was my fi rst lesson from riding 29in wheels. Brake earlier, set up

earlier, feel free to roll over more of the rough stuff and let it run for

longer on corner exits.

There’s a lot of chat around tyres and which to choose for any given

season or location, but listen in on a conversation at a trail centre and

you’d think that every crash, slide and struggle can ultimately be blamed

on the wrong rubber. Once again though, adapting your technique is the

key to staying out of trouble.

Firstly, if you’re on low-block, fast tyres and keep blowing out turns,

try braking earlier and with less force. That alone will give you a lot more

control. Conversely, if you’re feeling confi dent and you know traction is

limited, why not set up early and make the tyres slide on purpose? By

thinking ahead and initiating a slide, rather than waiting for it to happen

anyway, you’ll keep an element of control and have a lot of fun at the

same time.

The amount of grip you have should also determine how fast you hit

technical sections. On sticky rubber you can roll slowly over a big pile of

roots and be confi dent you’ll stay upright. But, on tyres with less grip,

you may need to ride faster, sometimes uncomfortably so, to cut the time

spent on the slippy surface to a minimum.

29ers are best

suited to taking

a wide, smooth

arcing line

650b/26in WHEELS

TYRE CHOICE

YOUR EXPERTCHRIS BALL

Skills maestro Chris

teaches mountain

biking at Dirtschool,

and he’s also

managing director

of the Enduro

World Series

JULY 2014 mbr 121

29ER TIPS: BODY MOVEMENTWith a bigger wheel lifting you higher off the

ground and reducing your bike’s inherent

twitchiness, it’s important that you become

more dynamic yourself. On a smaller wheel

you can move your bike around at a moment’s

notice, but on a bigger wheel, the bike might

not move so fast or as much. Instead of blaming

the wheels, try moving even more than normal.

Angulate at the hips and knees to compensate

for less lean of the bike and be prepared to

move further back to push your weight over the

rear wheel. Once you start getting into this new

rhythm, you’ll fi nd that the bigger wheels are

more capable than you fi rst thought.

Let your tyres

determine technique

Smaller wheels can

be pushed harder

The advent of the dropper seatpost has

meant that many of us wouldn’t dream of

tackling a descent without lowering the seat

first. But not everyone can drop the seat at

the flick of a switch, and that in itself has

consequences for riding technique.

Gone is the huge rearwards lunge seen in

manuals and drop-offs and instead, due to

the limitations of having a high seat, you will

find a more rigid rider, with far less range

of movement. It’s predominantly for this

reason that XC racers often look so unstable

on steep technical sections. Fingers get

pointed at poor technique, but in reality,

the restrictive nature of a high seatpost

pushes a rider’s weight upwards rather

than backwards.

Mountain bike riding should be a series of

heavy and light pressures, in response to

the trail. That requires you to push in the

smooth, soft and grippy sections and then

release that energy to go light over the

rougher, slippier sections. Most SPD riders

pull OK but aren’t used to pushing.

With flat pedals, pulling on your feet is

impossible so to get the bike off the ground

at all you’ll need to push first, just like

preloading a spring.

Riders used to SPDs will need to learn to

drop their heels. This position not only gives

you a wider range of movement but also

helps keep your feet on the pedals when

you hit a bump. It’ll feel strange at first, but

use your feet, try and grip the pedals a little

and really push on those heels.

RIDING A HARDTAILFLAT PEDALS

HIGH SEAT

On a recent trip, one guy was on

a hardtail. He got stuck in despite

the fact that the terrain was

pretty full-on even for 150mm

travel bikes, but he experienced

puncture after puncture until

everyone was out of tubes.

He blamed the lack of rear

suspension but, watching him

ride, it was clear that he wasn’t

making any adjustments in line

or speed.

We’ve been spoiled by

full-suspension frames and well-

tuned damping. On a hardtail

you can’t take any liberties and

you need the best line for your

bike rather than the ‘best’ line full

stop. Often, a few metres of extra

trail are worth the effort to avoid

a time-consuming puncture or

other mechanical mishap.

Look for smooth lines between

the rocks and keep your eyes out

for smooth dirt catch-ruts and

low lines on off-cambers that

may give you extra grip. With

wheels that track the ground

less effectively than their

full-suspension equivalents,

you can still have just as much

fun as with a dual bouncer but

you might have to make a few

concessions along the way.

You should also remember that

your best suspension isn’t your

fork — it’s your arms and legs.

They have more travel than any

damper unit and are completely

controllable at all times, so make

good use of them. If you’ve been

riding a full-suspension bike,

bend your knees more and let

your elbows do a little more work

too. It might be more physically

challenging, but it’s great for

your all-round skills.

T E C H N I Q U E

122 mbr JULY 2014

Hardtails need to

take smooth lines

Push for more

trail punch

A high seat limits

shifts of weight

A dropper post

lets you get down

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RIP IT UP, TEAR RIP IT UP, TEAR Boasting top-quality frames shared with more expensive fl agship models, these bikes deliver performance on the trail that’s surprisingly hard to beat

Words & Photos: Mick Kirkman

B I K E T E S T

126 mbr JULY 2014

SUB £2K 650B TRAIL BIKES

TESTED THIS

MONTH

£ 1 , 4 7 9. 9 9

£ 1 , 8 0 0

VITUS ESCARPE 275 VRS

NORCO FLUID 7.1

IT DOWN IT DOWN

£ 1 , 6 9 9. 9 9 ( p l u s p & p )

CANYON SPECTRAL AL 6.0

£ 1 , 74 9. 9 9

GT SENSOR ELITE

JULY 2014 mbr 127

e’ve got a

theory at

mbr that

the sub £2k

full-suspension

category is

where it’s at this

season. Why?

Well, unless you’ve

got cash to burn

and can stretch all way up to £3,500 (and

often more), these bikes are at a sweet

spot where ride quality isn’t far from its

peak. Spend more and you’ll gain benefits

in weight but you’re unlikely to find huge

leaps in overall performance.

The reason is simple: the frames on sub-

£2k bikes are often identical to the more

expensive flagship aluminium models.

Frame geometry and suspension forks

play the biggest part in differentiating

performance on anything less than high-

end bling machines, so if these are dialled

then everything else should fall into place.

Also, cheaper Shimano Deore and

SLX groupsets are now so good that the

performance is tough to distinguish from

pricier XT-level equipment. Over in SRAM-

land, it’s a case of splitting hairs between

X5 and X7 compared to the X9 gearing

that typically graces machines costing

hundreds of pounds more. And, with the

exception of the most ultra-competitive

direct sales brands, it’ll still take a big heap

of cash to jump up to the real cutting edge

of 1x11 drivetrains.

To put our theory to the test, we’ve

selected four brand new 650b suspension

bikes all around the £1,700 mark. We’ve got

an even split of direct sales bikes and high

street brands. Of the former, Canyon’s new

Spectral and Chain Reaction Cycles’ Vitus

Escarpe both pump out 140mm of travel

and are extremely well-specced machines.

Of the bricks-and-mortar brands, GT’s

entry-level Sensor with its new profile and

sophisticated 130mm-travel suspension

looks like it could be a great all-rounder. The

redesigned 120mm-travel Norco Fluid is a

doppelganger for the multiple test-winning

26in Norco Sight from a couple of years

back, so we hope it rides every bit as well.

If our theory holds water, you’ll be left

with plenty of change from two grand for

a helmet, knee pads or even a dropper

seat post, which means you can still hit the

ground rolling on all the latest gear.

WThese bikes are at a sweet spot where ride quality isn’t far from its peak

The sub £2k price point

now boasts more viable

options than ever

B I K E T E S T

http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/allterraincycles

Tale of the testModern full-suspension bikes are incredibly

versatile, and we wanted this test to represent

that. We mixed up a lot of trail centre and

man-made all-weather riding at Dalby and

Grenoside with some steeper natural tracks

and trails thrown in for good measure.

Stems were swapped where we felt it was

appropriate to unlock the full potential of

the bike or to simply improve the fi t, and we

suggest you do the same when test-riding

any bike. In the case of the Canyon Spectral

we even delved deeper into the rear shock

tuning, using volume reducers to increase

the ramp-up in the suspension to improve

the ride.

CONTROL TYRESTo make this test as fair as

possible we fi tted Maxxis

Ardent tyres to all of the bikes.

£39.99 maxxis-bicycle.co.uk

W H E R E A N D H O W

Team mbr check for

any unturned stones

during testing

http://maxxis-bicycle.co.uk


£ 1 , 6 9 9. 9 9 ( p l u s £ 4 1 . 0 7 p & p )

C anyon says its new 140mm-travel

Spectral is designed to handle

everyday trail riding right through

to aggressive all-mountain

shredding. And when Canyon’s

team riders, including triple DH world

champion Fabien Barel, have raced the

exact same frame on the gnarly Enduro

World Series stages you can’t really argue.

The 6.0 model here is the cheapest

option, but there are no prizes for guessing

that the German brand’s direct sales model

means you still get a top-tier frame built

into the lightest bike on test. High-end

parts like a RockShox Reverb dropper post,

Shimano SLX chainset and Mavic wheelset

complement an exquisitely designed frame

with clean sculpted lines and excellent

finishing quality. It’s also packed with

contemporary features like a tapered head

tube, 142x12mm bolt-thru axle, integrated

rubber chainstay protector and sleek

anodised pivot hardware.

Frame sizing is a little concerning, though.

Canyons tend to be on the small/short side

and riders over 6ft will struggle to fit the

largest Spectral tested here though moving

to the XL 29er version could be an option.

SUSPENSIONAn open cartridge Fox Evolution Float

fork has its travel reduced internally from

150mm to 140mm to match the rear. Even

with the reduction in travel the 32mm

platform is pretty stretched and isn’t very

stiff. Also, the fork had dry wiper seals that

made them sticky to get moving.

A Fox Performance series CTD Float

CANYON SPECTRAL AL 6.0SPECIFICATIONFrame Spectral

Aluminium,

140mm travel

Shock Fox Float CTD

Performance

Fork Fox Float CTD

Evolution, 140mm

Wheels Mavic Crossride

with Continental

Mountain King II tyres

Drivetrain Shimano

SLX chainset, shifters

and f-mech. XT r-mech

Brakes Avid Elixir 5

200/180mm

Components Iridium

3-0 740mm bar,

70mm stem, RockShox

Reverb Stealth

dropper post

Sizes XS, S, M, L

Weight 13.44kg

(29.6lbs)

Contact canyon.com


Head angle 66.9°

Seat angle 70.2°

BB height 340mm

Chainstay 431mm

Front centre 742mm

Wheelbase 1,173mm

Down tube 700mm

Top tube 612mm

Reach 440mm

Internally routed

RockShox Reverb

Stealth with

125mm drop

Slick 142x12mm

dropouts with 6mm

Allen key fastening

bolt-thru axle

Hollow forged,

ultra-stiff Shimano

SLX cranks are

simply amazing

Overly tall head tube

on the size large

compromises the

riding position

VERDICTThe Canyon Spectral 6.0 could have

walked away with this test with a few

simple changes. It’s more expensive

than the Vitus but the frame displays

excellent construction quality, most

of the parts are dialled and the direct

and engaging ride offers glimpses of

performance only found on far more

expensive trail bikes.

Bikes are sold as complete packages

though, and thanks to the overly tall

front-end and twisty, poorly damped

fork, a slightly softer than ideal rear

shock for aggressive

riders and issues with

the Avid rear brake,

we couldn’t award

higher marks.

On a previously tested size-medium

Spectral, the balance between front and

rear was spot-on, so it was a bit frustrating

that we couldn’t get the handlebar low

enough with the size-large frame’s taller

head tube. This set-up pitched rider weight

more rearward, amplifying (or perhaps even

creating the issue) of the rear feeling a tad

wallowy at times.

Also, the cheaper Fox fork with 32mm

stanchions doesn’t really match the

Canyon’s potential, or offer great steering

precision and resistance to twisting. It had

an unpredictable action too, so we ended

up just pumping it up harder to gain the

support we craved and simply took the hit

on lack of tracking and sensitivity.

shock with a Boost Valve takes care of

suspension duties on the rear. There’s quite

a soft, deep feel to the Spectral suspension,

so we fitted the largest volume reducer to

the air can to tighten up the ride — this is

something any rider can cheaply and easily

experiment with to give a more progressive

suspension feel.

COMPONENTSThe Reverb Stealth dropper post is a

welcome luxury on any bike and the

lightweight Mavic Crossride wheels add

plenty of zip. Factor in the chain-retaining

XT Shadow Plus 2x10 drivetrain and

you’re looking at an excellent overall ride

experience. This component package

wouldn’t look out of place on a £3k bike.

The only black mark on the kit list was

the inconsistent Avid Elixir 5 brakes, where

the rear brake lever pulled to the bar and

faded on most rides.

PERFORMANCEOnce we swapped out the big, slow-rolling

Conti Mountain King tyres, the Spectral

felt a lot more nimble. There’s lively zip

and energy once it’s up to speed, and it

maintains momentum well over a variety of

pitches on both loamy and rocky surfaces.

Pedalling with the stock shock creates

some up and down movement on steeper

climbs or sprinting hard out of the saddle,

and aggressive riders might find the

suspension a bit ‘floaty’ and too eager to

use all of the travel too often when riding

hard. All testers rated the Spectral’s trait of

encouraging you to play and interact with

the trail, aided by the frame feeling stiff

and precise and the geometry placing rider

weight down low in the frame.

B I K E T E S T

130 mbr JULY 2014

http://canyon.com

RockShox Reverb

dropper post is a

touch of class

Fox Float CTD

Performance shock is a

little too eager to move

142x12mm bolt-thru

axle boosts stiffness

at the rear

WE LOVESuperb quality, stiff

chassis is a match

for any high-end

aluminium frame

WE HATEFull potential

not unleashed

as we couldn’t

achieve ideal

ride position

JULY 2014 mbr 131

£ 1 , 74 9. 9 9

G T’s new Sensor ditches the brand’s

old-style, higher bottom bracket

‘upright’ geometry in favour of

more modern, lower-slung, lengthier

numbers. It also uses a refi ned

variation of GT’s I-Drive suspension system

called Angle Optimised Suspension to

deliver 130mm of travel with a signifi cantly

lower centre of mass and a lighter back-end.

The somewhat complicated-looking

confi guration uses a forged ‘Pathlink’ strut,

which houses the bottom bracket and joins

the shock to the chainstays, which hang

from a huge rear swingarm that appears to

have eaten too many steroids. Thankfully,

GT’s designers have kept the overall frame

silhouette and graphics looking very clean

and sleek.

SUSPENSIONA key aim of the Angle Optimised

Suspension is to balance the interaction

between the chain and the relatively high

main pivot. This pivot location is desirable,

as it gives a rearward axle path, which in

turn allows the rear wheel to move up and

back over bumps and enhance the Fox CTD

shock’s ability to absorb square-edge hits.

To counter the negative pedalling effects

of the high main pivot, the ‘Pathlink’ rotates

rearward as the suspension compresses, to

reduce the chain growth associated with the

rearward axle path. It sounds complicated,

but doesn’t feel quirky to pedal and it

defi nitely rolls over bump edges better. Up

front, the Sensor gets a super-supple but

divey RockShox Sektor Solo Air fork with

130mm travel and an effective lock-out dial.

COMPONENTSAfter years of complaining about the lack

of feel and excessive rotor drag on Formula

brakes, we’re pleased to say the (fl awless

here) new C1 brakes proved a revelation

with great lever shape, tons of power and

ample modulation.

The GT High Flange hubs and Jalco rims

look a bit cheap, but they didn’t stop the GT

being one of the fastest-feeling bikes under

hard pedalling, even if the Conti X-King

tyres were severely lacking when it came to

stopping or turning quickly.

While the fl at profi le of the Fizik Tundra

saddle was uncomfy for some, the lack of a

dropper post or even a seatpost QR made

adjusting the saddle height for descents a

total pain in the ass for all. Also, the 3x10-

speed drivetrain had the same fl exy cranks

as the Norco Fluid.

The lengthy 80mm Kore Cubix stem felt

out of date on a newly revised, longer size-

medium trail bike and amplifi ed the ‘over

the front’ feeling the Sensor can exhibit.

PERFORMANCEDespite being the heaviest bike on test,

the Sensor responds directly to pedal

power to give great acceleration on fl owing

singletrack, and once up to speed the bike

keeps on trucking over medium-sized

square-edged hits and lumpy terrain with

impressive smoothness. With the exception

of the twisty Deore cranks, the bike feels

rock-solid too, great for fi ring in and out of

tight berms or getting on the gas.

The suspension is a tale of two halves.

The rear is very sensitive and supportive,

and gobbles up chatter without feeling too

saggy, but doesn’t balance well with the

softer Sektor fork, where the front-end felt

under-damped and rode too low, even with

the stem raised as high as it would go.

GT SENSOR ELITESPECIFICATIONFrame 6069 aluminium,

130mm travel

Shock Fox Float CTD

Evolution Boost Valve

Fork RockShox Sektor

Solo Air, 130mm travel

Wheels GT All Terra

hubs, Jalco XCD21

rims, Continental

X-King tyres

Drivetrain Shimano

Deore chainset, shifters

and mechs

Brakes Formula C1

180mm

Components Fizik

Tundra2 saddle,

Crankbrothers Cobalt

seatpost, 80mm stem

Sizes XS, S, M, L, XL

Weight 14.34kg

(31.6lbs)

Contact gtbicycles.com

GEOMETRYSize tested M

Head angle 68.2°

Seat angle 68.3°

BB height 334mm

Chainstay 443mm

Front centre 696mm

Wheelbase 1,139mm

Down tube 682mm

Top tube 601mm

Reach 431mm

Formula C1

brakes are

impressive

stoppers

Forged Pathlink

rotates backwards as

shock compresses

Stem at

maximum

height is still

too lowNew Angle

Optimised

Suspension with

130mm travel

VERDICTGT has maintained the best traits of its

signature suspension philosophy and

wrapped it up into a much slicker and

better-shaped package. The new Sensor

Elite chassis is undeniably solid, with

rear suspension that maintains rolling

speed on the roughest trails. As such, it’s

a great choice for ironing out vibrations

and gobbling up miles effectively.

Rider position is mostly good, but

on steeper descents the bike becomes

slightly unbalanced and asks the front

fork to work too hard. And,

even though it sprints

and pedals well, the

Sensor is too heavy

for out-and-out

climbing addicts.

On more downhill-style trails, the

combination of the steeper head angle,

long chainstays and the ‘lengthening rear

end’ of the suspension design tended to

work the rider over a little; all three factors

combine to pitch weight forwards when

the going gets tough, and make the Sensor

feel slightly nervous and unpredictable.

Slacker geometry or more travel up front

might help matters, but another gripe

was some quirky wheel-spin habits when

ascending particularly technical climbs.

The rear suspension felt like it wanted to

squat rather than drive the rear wheel into

the ground under low-speed, high-torque

situations like winching up knobbly, steep

and tough pitches.

B I K E T E S T

132 mbr JULY 2014

http://gtbicycles.com

Sector fork was

underdamped

and overactive

Angle Optimised Suspension

looks overbuilt but

performs well on the trails

New Formula C1

brakes performed

impressively

WE LOVEPedals efficiently

and doesn’t get

slowed down by

rough terrain

WE HATERides too front-

heavy and could

lose a couple

of pounds in

weight

JULY 2014 mbr 133

£ 1 , 8 0 0

W ith 120mm at each end,

Norco’s new Fluid has the

least travel on test, but

the switch to bigger 650b

wheels and the associated

geometry shifts take performance and

capability much further than you’d expect

for a short-travel machine. It’s the same

story we’ve seen elsewhere, and indeed the

lively Canadian trail bike punches above its

expected weight.

The pricier of two models in the Fluid

range, the 7.1 is still a budget-conscious

option, and as a result a few corners have

been cut in frame construction compared to

more expensive Norcos. There’s a tapered

fork steerer for 2014 to improve front-end

stiffness, but the chainstay lengths don’t

alter between different sizes, plus there’s a

bolted-together, rather than welded, rocker

link and a quick-release instead of bolt-

through fastening rear axle.

Still, the new aluminium frame has got

it dead right where it matters most: the

geometry. A low bottom bracket, slackish

head angle and short chainstays blend to

offer a good riding position and an agile feel.

SUSPENSIONThree of the four bikes on test (GT Sensor

excepted) use a similar, tried-and-tested,

sealed bearing Horst Link suspension

design with the shock running parallel to

the seat tube. A basic Fox Float CTD shock

handles bumps on the Fluid, and although

the Evolution series shock doesn’t have a

‘Boost Valve’ for the manufacturer to use to

tune compression, the rear suspension feels

well damped and supportive. As ever, the

three-position CTD adjuster allows you to

fi rm up the rear suspension for climbing.

Keeping it Fox at both ends, the Float 32

fork uses the same stanchion (upper tube)

size as the Fox fork on the Canyon Spectral,

but with its shorter 120mm-travel chassis

(which is less susceptible to twisting) it feels

more solid and steers more directly. It’s not as

comfortable or sensitive over rough ground

as the RockShox forks on test, though.

COMPONENTSNorco usually nails the short stem/wide bar

combo, so it was surprising to fi nd a huge

90mm stem that’s totally unmatched to

the playful Fluid attitude. We swapped it

for a shorter 60mm stem and this greatly

increased steering control and weight

distribution. Maxxis Ardent tyres with Exo

sidewall protection mounted to wider WTB

rims are spot-on for trail riding, as are the

rock-solid Deore brakes, which, even with

smaller 160mm rotors front and rear, are

a great choice to save pennies without

sacrifi cing performance or reliability.

PERFORMANCEFrom the very fi rst ride, the Fluid’s lack

of travel was apparent, and this was both

its strength and its weakness. Pumping

through fl owing sections of trail, the 120mm

suspension rides tight and makes the bike

feel poppy. Combined with the excellent

shape and riding position, the Norco

Fluid puts you right in the action with a

manoeuvrable, engaging sensation.

The bike manuals, jumps and corners

great, but you can easily fi nd the limits

of the suspension on rougher or steeper

terrain, and both the chassis itself and

cheaper, fl exy Shimano Deore cranks, can

get a bit twisty when hard cornering and

bump forces are combined.

NORCO FLUID 7.1SPECIFICATIONFrame Aluminium,

120mm travel

Shock Fox Float CTD

Evolution

Fork Fox Float CTD

Evolution, 120mm travel

Wheels Formula DC

hubs, WTB Speed

Disc i23 rims, Maxxis

Ardent 2.25in tyres

Drivetrain Shimano

Deore chainset and

f-mech, XT r-mech

and shifters

Brakes Shimano

Deore, 160mm

Components

Norco Trail

Sizes S, M, L, XL

Weight 14.14kg

(31.18lbs)

Contact

evanscycles.com


Head angle 67.2°

Seat angle 72.5°

BB height 328mm

Chainstay 430mm

Front centre 728mm

Wheelbase 1,158mm

Down tube 695mm

Top tube 616mm

Reach 452mm

Shimano Hollow Tech II

cranks add stiffness but

there’s no clutch mech to

keep the chain in place

QR rear axle

isn’t as strong

as a 142x12mm

bolt-through

Norco’s A.R.T.

suspension delivers

120mm of travel

Tapered head tube

and fork steerer

added for 2014

VERDICTThe fun-to-ride Norco Fluid is

wonderfully playful, and it seems to

have inherited some of the spirit of the

multiple mbr test-winning 26in Norco

Sight. It’s a tad heavy for a 120mm-travel

trail bike, and the aluminium frame could

be a bit stiffer, but the Fluid 7.1 still offers

an engaging and responsive ride.

Crucially, though, the Fluid doesn’t

cover ground, up or down, any faster

than bikes here with more travel. As

a result, you’ve got to ask where this

120mm bike stands, given that you can

easily get out of your

depth if you stray too

far from the safety of

a trail centre.

The Fluid also exhibits a little bit of

suspension-induced pedal feedback,

especially in the granny ring, but still

manages to sprint well and generally

remain effi cient. It feels like it really

wants to get going on the trail when

you inject some power and rides lighter

than its 14.14kg (31.18lbs) weight might

suggest. Drivetrain noise and regular

chain dropping are both major sticking

points, however. The rear mech is Shimano

XT level but lacks the chain-stabilising

Shadow Plus feature, and in any of the

three front chainrings the Norco dropped

the chain off both sides on nearly every

descent, which was annoying as it

interrupted an otherwise decent ride.

B I K E T E S T

134 mbr JULY 2014

http://evanscycles.com

Rear QR is an obvious

nod towards Norco’s

bid to keep costs down

Rear mech would really

benefit from Shimano’s

Shadow Plus technology

Rear suspension

offers decent support

and feels well damped

WE LOVE120mm ripper has

great geometry

and is a lot of fun

to mess about on

WE HATERattly chain jumps

off the triple

chainset on every

downhill or fast

section

JULY 2014 mbr 135

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http://cyclingweekly.co.uk/shop

£ 1 , 4 7 9. 9 9

V itus, the in-house brand from

internet retailing giant Chain

Reaction Cycles, offers excellent

value by cutting out the middleman

and selling direct to customers.

You order your bike online and it arrives in

a big cardboard box fully assembled. It’s

a formula that works really well, and last

month the excellent Vitus Sentier 275 VR

stomped to victory in our Hardtail of the

Year test. We were keen to see if the new

140mm-travel 650b Escarpe was cut from

the same winning cloth.

Like plenty of other manufacturers,

Vitus has redesigned its Escarpe frame

to accommodate 650b wheels for 2014.

Changes include a shortened head tube to

counter the increased stack height of the

bigger front wheel and taller fork, and Vitus

has also used the opportunity to extend the

front triangle to better suit shorter stems

(60mm here as standard) and wider bars

for a distinctly new-school fi t. ISCG tabs on

the bottom bracket shell offer extra chain

retention options if you need them, and a

Shimano 142x12mm bolt-through axle adds

stiffness at the rear. The overall shape and

geometry of the frame is great, but the

frame fi nishing falls a little short of some

others in this test.

SUSPENSIONThe air-sprung 140mm-travel RockShox

Sektor fork and Monarch RT rear shock are

easy to balance front and rear, and together

offer a supportive ride, with the Sektor fork

performing better than the Fox forks on

test, both in terms of sensitivity and control.

The Monarch RT shock offers only an ‘open

or closed’ lock-out lever and rebound

adjuster, but you don’t need any more dials

when the suspension is tuned as well as it

is here: in open mode we had no desire for

extra fi rmness for anything but long fi re-

road climbs.

COMPONENTSThe new 650b Easton EA70 XL wheels

previously cost £450 in 26in, so there’s no

disputing their quality or value. The same

can’t be said of the tyres — we were glad

to swap out the plastic-feeling Continental

X-Kings for our Maxxis control rubber. This

change immediately unlocked the Escarpe’s

potential and you’ll want to do the same.

VITUS ESCARPE 275 VRS SPECIFICATIONFrame 6061 aluminium,

140mm travel

Shock RockShox

Monarch RT

Fork RockShox Sektor

RL Solo Air,

140mm travel

Wheels Easton EA70

XL wheels, Continental

X-King tyres

Drivetrain

FSA V-Drive chainset,

Shimano XT f-mech,

r-mech and shifters

Brakes Shimano SLX

180mm

Components Vitus,

740mm bar and

60mm stem

Sizes S, M, L

Weight 13.56kg

(29.9lbs)

Contact

chainreactioncycles.

com


Head angle 66.3°

Seat angle 71°

BB height 332mm

Chainstay 441mm

Front centre 735mm

Wheelbase 1,176mm

Down tube 698mm

Top tube 620mm

Reach 443mm

Bolt-through axle

boosts rigidity

at the rear-end

142x12mm rear

dropouts add

stiffness and

security

Best in class

Shimano

SLX brakes

140mm travel

front and rear

Easton EA70

XL wheels are

top kit at this

price point

JULY 2014 mbr 137

B I K E T E S T

http://chainreactioncycles.com


Elsewhere, Shimano SLX brakes and XT

gears with the chain-stabilising Shadow Plus

technology equate to the best kit in test,

with the bonus of a quieter 2x10 drivetrain

with sturdy FSA cranks rather than the noisy

triple chainsets found elsewhere. There’s no

dropper post included, but you could buy

your favourite and still have change thanks

to the competitive Vitus pricing.

PERFORMANCEWith neutral pedalling and supportive,

progressive suspension the Escarpe 275

VRS is very easy to get along with. The

stable ride offered by the 650b wheels and

long, low geometry with slack angles feels

safe and planted at high speed, but the

frame does feel a tad less sturdy than the

Canyon or GT when you really push it hard.

Also, the flipside of the stable geometry

and extra length is that the bike can feel a

little less urgent and manoeuvrable. Flicky,

BMX-ey style riders who like to work the

bike around berms and milk the trails for

speed may find the overall length of the

Vitus a little duller and less playful for things

like manuals and sudden direction shifts.

Acceleration isn’t the fastest in test

either, but the Easton wheels roll quickly

and there’s a nice poppy feel to the

suspension if you want to pump the terrain

to build speed.

Rider position is well centred thanks to a

short stem (the only one on test we decided

not to swap out), and Vitus appears to

have done its homework with its four-bar

suspension design, as there are no nasty

quirks to unsettle balance; it climbs well,

there’s good cornering traction and nothing

untoward happens under braking even on

the steepest sections of trail.

VERDICTIt’s hard to think of a package for this kind of money that

offers comparable performance to the Vitus Escarpe 275 VRS.

Ride quality is stable and predictable, with no weight penalty

despite costing hundreds of pounds less than the competition.

With just three size options, however, some riders will

fall outside of the range, and if your only focus is all-out fun,

then the Vitus might fall a tiny bit short.

It more than makes up for it in its

versatility, though. From big days out

to trail centre blasts, right through to

steeper, more technical DH tracks, the

Vitus will make light work of them all. You

can’t ask for much more for under £1,500.

WE LOVEAmazing value

and balanced

performance from

the cheapest bike

on test

WE HATEFrame finishing

and detailing

could be a little

more polished

TEST WINNER!

Quality Easton wheels

deserve to be shod with

higher quality tyres

60mm own-brand

stem makes for good

riding position

B I K E T E S T

138 mbr JULY 2014

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http://www.paulscycles.co.uk



T he switch from 26in to bigger 650b

(27.5in) wheels has well and truly

shaken up the trail bike market. And

with a broad spectrum of freshly

designed or updated models to

choose from, the good news for riders in

the market for a new full-suspension bike is

that performance is better than ever.

Both the GT Sensor and Norco Fluid are

good bikes in many ways; the Fluid frame is

a great shape and a lot of fun to ride, while

the new GT Sensor looks sweet in the fl esh

and has some unique suspension qualities

that make it smooth and fast over bumpy

ground. Neither is without fault, however.

The Norco doesn’t pedal and climb as

rapidly as some 120mm bikes we’ve tested,

and it’s also let down by some of the spec

and its inexplicable desire to drop its chain.

It doesn’t help that it was the heaviest bike

in test. As for the GT, the fork feels out

of sync with the rear suspension, which

makes the bike feel a little unbalanced

front to back. GT hasn’t quite nailed the

performance, which means the 130mm-

travel Sensor doesn’t quite fulfi l its potential

as an all-rounder.

Canyon and Vitus clearly have the

upper hand in terms of the equipment

they offer, simply because taking credit

card details over the internet doesn’t incur

the overheads associated with high street

retailing. Both models exhibited some

quirks with sizing though so you’ll need to

be extra-careful when choosing the size.

That aside, Canyon’s excellent frame

quality is noticeable, and its cheapest

Spectral has a great selection of parts to

match. It slips up, however, with the spindly,

less precise Fox 32 CTD fork and the overly

tall head tube on the size L that makes it

diffi cult to get centred on the bike. The fact

it was the lightest bike on test and came

with an internally routed Reverb dropper

seatpost couldn’t override this fi t issue or

the unreliability of the Avid brakes.

Despite a slightly generic-looking frame,

Vitus has nailed the angles on the Escarpe

275 VRS and chosen the most appropriate

suspension fork and shock to maximise

performance. The build-kit is all dialled

too, with the stiffer hollow-forged cranks,

quieter 2x10 drivetrain and lighter wheels

enhancing the ride experience. It’s a shame

about the Conti tyres, but given that the

Vitus is by far the cheapest bike here it’s

hardly a deal breaker.

Conclusion

Our test winner’s stablemates

One rung down the Escarpe ladder, the 275 VR

gets the same great frame and shock as the test-

winning VRS, but the fork has been ‘downgraded’

to a heavier RockShox Sektor with chromed steel

upper tubes. The gears have also taken a hit, but

seeing as it’s all predominantly Shimano SLX, it

shouldn’t damage performance one jot.

Based on the same Vitus V-Link suspension design as

the new 650b bike, the Escarpe 290 delivers 120mm

of travel. What it lacks in suspension, however, is

more than compensated for by the improved rollover

and stability of the 29in wheels. But even with that

extra traction, you’ll still need to swap out the stock

Conti tyres to unlock this bike’s full potential.

£ 1 , 1 9 9. 9 9 £ 1 , 2 7 9. 9 9

VITUS ESCARPE 275 VR VITUS ESCARPE 290

R A N G E F I N D E R

Vitus has nailed the angles on the Escarpe and the build-kit is dialled

TEST WINNER!

B I K E T E S T

140 mbr JULY 2014

If you compare the geometry on the GT to the

Canyon, it’s obvious that the former’s steeper

head angle gives a much shorter front centre

measurement, even though there’s only 11mm

separating the top tube lengths on both bikes.

So, while both bikes offer a similar fi t, the GT will

have more weight on the front-end, which may

explain why the fork felt divey.

On a separate note, all of the bikes here came

with nice wide 740mm handlebars to improve

control and handling. This is a undoubtedly a

massive step in the right direction — all we need

now is for bike manufacturers to start fi tting

shorter stems as standard and we’ll fi nally be

cooking on gas!

Make/model Canyon Spectral AL6.0 GT Sensor Elite Norco Fluid 7.1 Vitus Escarpe 275 VRS

Price £1,699.99 £1,749.99 £1,800 £1,479.99

Weight 13.44kg (29.6lb) 14.34kg (31.6lb) 14.14kg (31.18lb) 13.56kg (29.9lb)

Contact canyon.com gtbicycles.com evanscycles.com chainreactioncycles.com

FRAME

Sizes XS, S, M, L XS, S, M, L, XL S, M, L, XL S, M, L

Size tested L M L L

Frame material Spectral aluminium 6069 Speed Metal Ultra Alloy Fluid 27.5 aluminium 6061-T6 aluminium

Suspension fork Fox 32 Float CTD Evolution RockShox Sektor Silver Fox 32 Float CTD Evolution RockShox Sektor Gold RL

Rear shock Fox Float CTD Performance Fox Float CTD Evo Fox Float CTD Evolution RockShox Monarch RT

Front travel 140mm 130mm 120mm 140mm

Rear travel 140mm 130mm 120mm 140mm

WHEELS

Hubs Mavic Crossride 15/142mm GT All Terra 15/142mm Formula DC 15/QR Easton EA70 XL

Rims Mavic Crossride Jalco XCD21 WTB Speed Disc i23 Easton EA70 XL

Spokes Mavic Stainless steel Stainless steel Easton

Tyres Continental Mtn King II 2.4in Continental X-King 2.4/2.2in Continental X-King 2.4in Continental X-King 2.4/2.2in

GROUPSET

Shifters Shimano SLX 2x10 Shimano Deore 3x10 Shimano XT 3x10 Shimano XT 2x10

Front mech Shimano SLX Shimano Deore Shimano Deore Shimano XT

Rear mech Shimano XT Shadow Plus Shimano Deore Shadow Plus Shimano XT Shadow Plus Shimano XT Shadow Plus

Crank Shimano SLX Shimano Deore Shimano Deore Hollow Tech II FSA V-Drive Mega EXO

Bottom bracket Shimano Shimano Shimano FSA Mega EXO

Brakes Avid Elixir 5 Formula C1 Shimano Deore Shimano SLX

Rotor sizes 200/180mm 180mm 160mm 180mm

COMPONENTS

Saddle Iridium 3.0 Fizik Tundra 2 MG Norco Trail Vitus

Seatpost RockShox Reverb Stealth 125mm Crankbrothers Cobalt Norco alloy Vitus

Handlebar Iridium 3.0 740mm Kore Durox 740mm Norco 740mm Vitus 740mm

Stem Iridium 3.0 70mm Kore Cubix 80mm Norco Trail 90mm Vitus 60mm

Rating

N O T E S O N T H E N U M B E R S

S P E C I F I C A T I O N

COCKPIT CONUNDRUM

This month’s bikes at a glance

Canyon Spectral GT Sensor Norco Fluid Vitus Escarpe

A Head angle 66.9° 68.2° 67.2° 66.3°

B Seat angle 70.2° 68.3° 72.5° 71°

C BB height 340mm 334mm 328mm 332mm

D Chainstay 431mm 443mm 430mm 441mm

E Front centre 742mm 696mm 728mm 735mm

F Wheelbase 1,173mm 1,139mm 1,158mm 1,176mm

G Down tube 700mm 682mm 695mm 698mm

H Top tube 612mm 601mm 616mm 620mm

I Reach 440mm 431mm 452mm 443mm

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gimage Our favourite people choose their favourite photos

A S C H O S E N B Y. . .

146 mbr JULY 2014

Now and again a trip really comes

together. The company, the

riding, the atmosphere, they all

contribute to something that you

know will never be repeated. You

will have other great trips, but never quite

like this one.

This image bottles up one such trip for

me, and one quick look releases memories

of a great week away. It’s not often you

get Danny MacAskill, Steve Peat and Hans

Rey on a ‘bit of a road trip’, but that’s

exactly what we had round the west coast

of Scotland, and — what do you know — it

turned out these guys were great company

as well as great riders.

This photo was taken on the Sligachan

Bridge, Isle of Skye, on a rainy summer’s

day in 2010. We were heading into the

hills for yet another day on the trail and

I spotted the potential for a picture just

as we left the vehicles. This might look

like a jolly potter along, but they were all

riding along the two-foot wide parapet of

the bridge, over 20ft up from the rocky

riverbed. Of course that wasn’t quite

enough for Danny, middle, who popped a

long wheelie as they rode down the other

side. Nobody asked him to, he was just

being Danny.

It was that spontaneous spark of fun

and skill in amazing surroundings that

sums up the whole trip. Staying in bothies,

getting helicopter uplifts into the heart of

the Torridon mountains, beachside fi res,

roadside trials riding and smiling faces

over whisky glasses. Sounds great already,

but when I look back and realise I was

with three of the most talented guys in the

world, it’s even more special.

Who: Danny MacAskill, Steve Peat, Hans Rey

Where: Isle of Skye

When: Summer 2010

mbr’s main man

north of the border

is an adventurer,

photographer, writer

and product tester.

His association with

mbr dates all the way

back to our fi rst issue,

when he somehow

wangled a trip to

Morocco to test four

full-sussers. We’ve

tightened up on

expenses since then

ANDY McCANDLISHPHOTOGRAPHER

When I look back and realise I was with three of the most talented guys in the

world, it’s even more special

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Mountain Bike Rider - July 2014 UK

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