Innholdsfortegnelse for 147 i Australian Mountain Bike

The news of a Gravity Enduro race at Mt Buller was music to the ears of many. The trail network seems to be custom built for enduro racing, and the first round of the MTBA Gravity Enduro series attracted some top level talent. Buller photo guru Andrew Railton captured winner Jared Graves at speed through the trees – the dead snow gums are unmistakably Buller, the turquoise is unmistakably a Yeti rider.…

At the start of the year there was much excitement about the opening of Stage 1 of the Blue Derby trail system in north east Tasmania. Just over an hour out of Launceston, this is just the beginning of 100km of trails that are being built. Last year, Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) announced that Derby would be hosting the 2015 and 2016 Australian Marathon MTB (XCM) Championships. The 2015 race is on the weekend of the 16/17 May, and the course is a mountain biker’s dream. Using a lap of approximately 30km, the course uses all the existing trails, and a dirt road climb for the first lap to avoid congestion. Just like all the past XCM championships, the trails are some of the best on the marathon calendar. Riders…

In its second running, the AMB100 drew a big field and strong elite crowd to Mt Stromlo. Stromlo has a lot to offer for a bike race, it has showers, toilets, fresh water, and it’s right next to Canberra. Oh, and there are lots and lots of kilometres of well-maintained singletrack to use. The lap-based race took in 28km of Stromlo’s finest, with enough climbing per lap that you felt it. With 1 lap, 2 lap, 3 lap and 5 lap options, there was something for everyone. Andrew Hall took the crown from Ed McDonald for the 100mile win,and Meredith Quinlan won the women’s 100 mile. It was a mix of the nation’s best who won the other titles. Jenny Fay and Scott Bowden won the women’s and men’s 2…

Need to get something off your chest? Got a riding issue that you just can’t get your head around? Go on, send us a cool letter and we’ll do our best to answer it. WRITE TO: amb@nextmedia.com.au or message us via facebook.com/AMBmag To AMB, I am an 11 year old MTB and road cyclist. I’ve been riding since I was 2 and now I’m always riding. I have also read all of your magazines since issue number 87. Your magazine has always been an inspiration to ride harder and faster, as I have progressed from riding green tracks, such as the You Yangs beginner tracks to black diamond tracks such as the Commonwealth Games track at Lysterfield for the state titles. My favourite features of AMB has always been Places…

AMB’s been out at the races over the last few months, and like a lot of you, we couldn’t help noticing how many of our top cross-country racers are ditching their hardtails and riding full suspension, even on relatively smooth tracks. We caught up with some top riders to find out how they decide which bike to leave in the shed, and how much longer we can expect hardtails to stick around. Peta Mullens, who competed on her dual-suspension Yeti ASRc at every round of the MTBA National Series thinks that one day the hardtail may go the same way as the 26” wheel, but it won’t happen for a while. ‘In time, when all bike companies are able to produce a lightweight top-line duallie I think they will come…

JASON ENGLISH AT A GLANCE LIVES: Port Macquarie PROFESSION: High school teacher of PDHPE and a range of other health and sports subjects YEARS RACING MOUNTAIN BIKES: 19 BIKES: Right now? A Surly Fixie, a roadie, a very bling Pivot Mach 4 Carbon 27.5 and enough bits to build a couple more! TRAINING HOURS PER WEEK (ON AVERAGE): 15ish AMB: Like most top Aussie mountain bikers you’ve got a full-time day job. Tell us what you do and how you fit your training and racing in around school (as well as family commitments!). JE: Life starts at 4:25am as I ride to meet a 5:00am group each morning. I try to be home by 7:30am so I can make it to school by 8:15am. I leave school most days around…

Nothing beats getting out for a ride in the fresh air, with mates, without a care in the world. The unfortunate reality is that we can’t always combine all those things whenever we want to. With winter on the way, we’ve profiled a few of the better options for using your mountain bike indoors – or even for warm ups at events. KINETIC CYCLONE One of the most advanced “A-frame” style wind trainers, the Cyclone delivers a road like feel thanks to twin fans that are precision balanced for a smooth feel. You’ll still need to fit a slick tyre for good operation, especially if you want to fit a 29er in there. It features high quality construction, and Kinetic have a range of more advanced units too. 29ers: Yes,…

I sometimes get reminded of the negative aspects of living in a coastal city. Although our winters aren’t as cold, we get coastal rain. Any month of the year. I’m just as likely to go riding for a long time as a good time, and wet shorts are a great way to get uncomfortable very quickly. I have often spied smug Europeans pulling on their waterproof over shorts on wet days while racing stage races – and I always wanted a pair. It protects you and your clothing, keeps you warmer, more comfortable – and out on your bike. The Alpinestars Outrider shorts are a water resistant short with a removable padded liner. Although the back, and gusseted inner leg are a ripstop material with a waterproof laminate (and sealed…

ADAM MACBETH RIDER BIO Riding Experience: Riding biketrials for 15 years. Spent a LOT of time working out how to ride bikes over stuff you generally shouldn’t ride bikes over. Recreational endurance racer and bikepacker. Has a beard. Generally rides: Niner Jet 9 RDO, Salsa Mukluk Fatbike, GT Power Series 24 BMX Height: 179cm Weight: 74kg Bike Test Track: Sydney and beyond THREE THINGS YOU LIKED ABOUT THE BIKE - Great weight for an all-mountain bike - Nimble handling - Timeless aesthetic THREE THINGS YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT THE BIKE - It needs less flex under hard riding - Overly expensive - Look at aftermarket bushings to slacken the angles “THE LOW WEIGHT AND POSITIVE HANDLING MAKE FOR A VERY GOOD FUN BIKE TO RIDE IN TIGHT, TWISTY SINGLETRACK AND…

Hitting your best form at the right time isn’t a matter of chance, it’s a mater of timing. After the Oceania Championships and National Championships we have seen racers who have got their training just right. You need to focus on putting the finishing touches to your training, in order to hit peak form on race day. This Specific Training phase is quite often when athletes come unstuck, trying to cram too much in or veering away from important key sessions. It can be frustrating to witness athletes training hard through the winter, laying strong foundations and then building more strength through spring, only to fall away over summer through not focusing on the specifics of their goal event. This ‘Specific Race preparation’ training phase can last anywhere from 2…

The sport of mountain biking was built on racing. Many might argue over who actually invented our sport, but Fred Wolf and Charlie Kelly did run the first Repack race in California in October 1976. This is probably the first time riders were racing downhill against a stopwatch. Our sport has expanded, massively. Best of all, mountain biking isn’t just about competition anymore. It is about adventure, exploring, recreation, personal challenge… and maybe taking your mate’s Strava KOM. The competitiveness that underlines so much of human nature resides heavily in most mountain bikers. It’s the factor behind the extra push on the pedals when you get passed on the trail, or why a group ride somtimes becomes a race, and the elation that you get from being the fastest up,…

Rotorua has long been renowned for two things: Stinky egg-fart wafts of thermal uprising, and mountain biking. Luckily the mountain biking is excellent and far surpasses any unpleasantness resulting from the geothermal unrest. Graeme Simpson, Rotorua local and media manager of the Rotorua Bike Festival, had bandied around the idea of a bike festival for 15 or so years, but seeing the UCI Mountain Bike Worlds come to town in 2006 was the first blossoming of a festival-like event, which was followed up a few years later with the week-long celebration of all things one-speed related with Singlespeed Worlds in 2010. In 2012 Graeme and a bunch of the like-minded pedal obsessed got to work on creating what would be the first Rotorua Bike Festival. The focus of the Rotorua…

An update from Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) via Junior Development Coach Jodie Willett. On the race track in Toowoomba the heat is sweltering for the Cross Country racing. The Oceania Championships are the Bledisloe Cup of mountain biking, pitting Australia and New Zealand’s riders against each other for titles, world ranking points and Olympic berths. I’m not racing but am still suffering standing track-side accumulating video footage of riders to add to the bank of mountain bike knowledge available to our junior athletes and coaches. Selections for the MTBA Under 17 development squads is in its final stages and successful candidates will be announced in March. There will be a male and female XC squad of six riders each and a Downhill squad of eight riders. Entry into the squad…

I go up the path with my heavy backpack. I take a shovel, my camera, some lenses, a tripod and a meal for the whole day. The sun is still rising but I’m already up here, in the middle of nowhere, hearing the pure silence of nature. Last month I said “no” to a nine-to-five job in a cubicle, and that split second makes me understand that I decided wisely. “Photography is a dangerous job my friend!” says Rui laughing, while pushing his bike up the trail, with his helmet balancing on his handlebars. I take a moment to breathe, looking around the landscape, framing and capturing every second with my eyes, trying to understand how can I preserve this moment for the years to come. It always starts with…

There has been a lot of high-quality racing over summer, with Australia’s governing body for mountain biking, MTBA, delivering not just a larger National Series for cross-country and downhill, but also introducing a Gravity Enduro series, with races at both Mt Buller and Toowoomba having already run. National level racing might seem exclusive, but the reality is anyone can race. The events go to some of the best riding destinations in the country. You can watch the best racers push themselves to the limit. They’re not invitational events, and there’s typically a category for everyone. We caught up with four racers who made a pretty big impact at a national level this summer, to find out what drives them to compete, and what their future goals are. Two of them…

Daggy or otherwise, helmets an essential part of protecting your noggin when you get spat over your handlebars into a big pile of rocks. So if you’re going to wear one, you might as well invest in a helmet that’s comfortable, well fitted, and properly engineered to protect you. The Lazer Helium is all of those and more. Belgian based company Lazer has been producing helmets for well over 100 years now. Claimed at just 290 grams for a Medium size, the Helium is their top-level helmet for road riding and XC racing. It features 19 vents and is available in 4 sizes from Small through to XL. COMPLEX CONSTRUCTION Most helmets are constructed from a hard Polycarbonate (PC) outer shell that’s thermally fused to an Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam…

ADAM FERNYHOUGH RIDER BIO Riding Experience: World-wide mountain bike riding experience over 25 years, ex shop guy, ex importer Generally Rides: Santa Cruz Bronson, Orange 5, Cove Foreplay singlespeed Height: 180cm Weight: 82kg Bike Test Track: Blue Mountains THREE THINGS YOU LIKED ABOUT THE BIKE - Long and slack geometry - SRAM 11 speed - RockShox suspension THREE THINGS YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT THE BIKE - Underside left hand mount of the Reverb dropper post - Tyres with a broader performance window - Fit a shorter stem ESSENTIALS BRAND Focus MODEL SAM 1 RRP $6999 WEIGHT 13kg (as tested) DISTRIBUTOR Derby Cycle CONTACT info@derby-cycle.com.au. AVAILABLE SIZES SM, MD, LG, XL FRAME MATERIAL Aluminium FORK RockShox Pike RCT3, 130/160mm SHOCK RockShox Monarch Plus DebonAir, 160mm SHIFTER SRAM XX1 11 speed DERAILLEUR…

Chances are, you will have seen the Smithfield trails in video footage or images before you ride them for the first time. Steeped in a rich history of innovative trail building and world class events, the hand built, technical appeal of Smithfield continues to push the envelope. The first mountain bike park in Australia was home to World Cups in 1995, 2014 (and again in 2016), and the World Championships in 1996 (and 2017). The Australian Gravity Enduro Championships will tear across the iconic trail network in October this year, using the beautiful Palm Cove as a base. “Smithfield was built back to front,” explains Craig Nissen, Secretary for the Cairns Mountain Bike Club. Most places start with trails and infrastructure for recreational riders and build in a few advanced…

Ah yes, the rule of the 7 Ps. Writing about preparing for ultra races can be summed up simply… Ride your bike a lot. Done. Ok, perhaps there might be a little more to it. My next race is the 1000km (14,000 m of climbing) Cloudride 1000 bikepacking race out of Canberra, so preparing for a race is very much on my mind at the moment. Even more so when it comes to training for a race with that much climbing in a country where the longest climb takes about 6 minutes. In some respects, ultra races are no different to any other race – at least from the physical side. Whilst the pace isn’t like that of an XCO (or even a 24), you need to have a level…

For the second year running, the Subaru MTBA National Mountain Bike Championships headed to Bright, in the Alpine Shire of Victoria. A quaint town with a long history of forestry and mining, Bright is nestled in the Ovens Valley. Not too far from anywhere else, and not too close either. Mining has left its mark on Bright and its surrounds, but thankfully that includes a complex tapestry of trails, dirt roads and 4WD tracks draped over the hills and mountains around the town. With forestry adding to that network, you end up with seemingly limitless options for exploring on a mountain bike – that’s before you even roll into Mystic MTB Park. The diverse flora in Bright creates a different feel to many other Australian event locations. As the Australian…

Getting an event right in the first year is a big achievement, but it’s one that the Snowies MTB Festival managed in February this year. Based out of Lake Crackenback, the 2 day, 4 stage MTB race attracted many of the country’s best racers to the NSW Snowy Mountains and the brilliant trails. While Mark Tupalski took an early lead, Blair managed to claw it back after the 3rd stage. Blair was certainly not resting on his laurels with the jersey on his shoulders. “He is definitely the strongest guy I see out of the rivals,” said Blair. “He’s probably the guy I’m watching the most. Last year I took the jersey off him at Cape to Cape last year and he took it right back from me the very…

NORTHWAVE EXTREME TECH MTB PLUS Italian shoe brand Northwave has recently updated their top-of-the-line Extreme Tech MTB Plus shoes with several key improvements. For 2015, the shoes will come with additional rubber protection where the upper meets the carbon sole. On the bottom of the shoe, the rubber tread blocks are wider and 50% stiffer than before, in order to help aid hiking traction. Lastly, the shoe tongue has a guide for the top cable of the SLW2 ratchet, to stop the tongue from shifting to the side. The Extreme Tech MTB Plus still comes in at just 280 grams per shoe, and they carry over the seamless Unibody Biomap upper. Now available in awesome Fluoro Orange Camo. RRP: $349.95 Contact: www.bikesportz.com.au MOTION COMPRESSION SOCKS Motion is an all-new performance…

It had been far too long between drinks. We drove from the airport and indulged in poppa jacks and cookie time delights prior to even getting a whiff of that bittersweet scent of flatus that defines Rotorua: Perhaps the most awesome town for mountain biking in the southern hemisphere. Some may argue that the ‘most awesome’ title transcends all hemispheres. We head into the iconic Redwoods forest from our accommodation 500m up the road, and it’s like an old friend. There are secrets in the towering trees that envelope you like a hug as you head from the road into a dirt wonderland. Moist, lush green ferns dot the landscape in pockets between redwoods, while brightly coloured wildflowers fill the open spaces, decorating trails such as A-Trail and Tickler that…

DAY ONE – SMITHFIELD AND WANGETTI It’s a shaky start when we pull out of the Britz hire centre outside of Cairns. On our first sortie in the campervan, which we give the highly original nickname ‘Britzy’, we take up four parking spots at the Smithfield shopping centre and need at least two people and three minutes for a blindspot check and lane change. It’s big enough for a reversing camera and thankfully one is fitted. We’re lucky, then, that our first stop is just a few minutes’ drive from our start point. The Smithfield trails at James Cook University, soon-to-be home of the World Champs for the second time, are covered on pages 94-95 Places That Rock. We choose an easy cross-country style loop, hoping to keep our bodies…

Light & Motion claim that a high-powered light is the best upgrade that any mountain biker can make for their bike. In their words, “no other part or accessory allows you to access more time to ride”, and we’d have to agree. As far as lighting companies go, Light & Motion have been in the game since Day 1. They’ve been building off-road lighting systems since 1997, and have been responsible for a number of breakthrough technologies that have helped to push the industry towards what it is today. The Seca is Light & Motion’s most powerful off-road light set and it’s available in a 1500 Lumen model (tested) and a 2000 Lumen model. It’s designed for fast-paced night riding and 24-hour racing. US MANUFACTURING One of the unique aspects…

When I’m testing a light for mountain biking, there are several different performance aspects that I’m interested in. Of course a light has to be powerful, but its beam pattern, run time, size, weight, build quality and ease of use are all just as important. While Trail LED’s products are new to us, the XXX certainly appears to tick many of those boxes on paper. The XXX punches out 1800 Lumens of power in a compact package that is claimed to weigh just 350 grams. It can be mounted to your helmet or handlebar, and like the rest of the Trail LED range, it is handmade in the USA. BOUTIQUE LIGHTING Based out of Dallas in Texas, Trail LED is a relatively new name to the lighting scene. Grady Pace…

Part of owning a mountain bike is the joy of making it your own. The few tweaks that customise the bike to make it just how you want it. Even the most “on brand” sponsored riders will still have their own set up preferences, and even some preferred products with the “wrong” logos blacked out. Tyres, stems, rims, grips – even hubs. There’s nothing like having a bike exactly how you want it. And that is something we have been lucky enough to do with the Lapierre Zesty AM. It started with an amazing build thanks to the 1x11 Shimano M9000 group set, XTR Trail wheels and PRO Tharsis XC. But we boosted the braking power with XTR Trail brakes and we put a Reverb Stealth dropper post back in.…

MIKE BLEWITT RIDER BIO Riding Experience: Too much time riding in our country and others. Generally Rides: Bianchi Methanol 29ers Height: 180cm Weight: 72kg Bike Test Track: Northern Sydney THREE THINGS YOU LIKED ABOUT THE BIKE - Stable geometry and stiff frame - The KS Lev dropper post - Quality wheels that setup tubeless easily THREE THINGS YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT THE BIKE - Too many cables, optimise the routing and ergonomics then trim them. - It really needs to be a single chain ring setup, with a 40t or 42t step up. - Spend the time to get the tyres and suspension dialled ESSENTIALS BRAND KTM MODEL Lycan LT 273 RRP $3890 WEIGHT 13.9kg (as tested) DISTRIBUTOR KTM Australia CONTACT ktmbike.com.au AVAILABLE SIZES 43, 48, 53(tested) cm FRAME MATERIAL…

For a long time, the unwritten rule about saddle position on mountain bikes was that the more travel the bike has, then the less emphasis there needs to be on where your seat is. For a cross-country race hardtail, position is absolutely critical, but for a DH bike, just put it down, lean back and hang on. These days, the average trail bike has a whole lot of travel, and given that the average rider rides the average trail bike for a good amount of time, saddle position becomes a very important factor- especially when balancing your saddle position with suspension sag, dropper posts and super wide handlebars. Last issue we looked at suspension setup and this is absolutely critical to get the right saddle position on your trail rig.…

It’s easy, follow these simple steps: 1. Snap a quality photo of your mate shredding 2. Go to Ambmag.com.au and click the “Gallery” tab 3. Upload your photo Whoever gets the most votes online WINS so share the link and tell your friends. Get out and get snapping as you could be seeing yourself here next issue!…