Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 169 i Australian Mountain Bike

Finale Ligure is on the Italian Riviera, an idyllic setting with trail behind you and the Med at your feet. Finale has become a mainstay on the EWS calendar, thanks to the mix of natural and man-made trails that rivals any bike park in Europe. Take a trail or enduro bike to get the most out of the riding, but bear in mind you won’t be sitting on a lift to get back up the hill. Ride the small lanes and roads or use one of many companies shuttling in vans. Try to avoid the height of summer so accommodation isn’t at a premium, and enjoy a little more elbow room on the trails. Don’t forget to take in the full flavours of a trip to Italy with any local…

As 2019 bikes and products are appearing not just on the horizon but on shop floors, we’ve heard news that not one, not two, but three new bike brands are coming in to Australia. And when we say new – well one of them might be familiar if you were riding in the 1990s. Ride Sports, based in Queensland, are importing Sunn Bicycles from France, Kellys Bikes from Slovakia, and Thok bikes from Italy. Sunn bikes have a long history in mountain biking, having been piloted by mountain bike legends like Nicholas Vouilloz, Anne-Caroline Chausson and Miguel Martinez. Even our own Nathan Rennie spent some time aboard the French flyers. The enduro and trail crowd will love the Kern range, with 120-160mm models that share slack 66 degree head angles…

If you’re sitting at home looking at all the flash bikes coming out with SRAM Eagle 12-speed drivetrains, or lusting after Shimano’s new XTR M9100, you might feel a bit behind. But there would be more bikes with 11, or even 10-speed drivetrains on the trails than those with the huge spread that 12-speed offers. E13 have added to their TRS+ cassette range, bringing out a whole upgrade kit that can transform your current SRAM GX, X1, X01 and XX1 11-speed bikes to 12-speed. The kit has everything you need including the 9-46t cassette that offers a 511% range. It comes with the tools, grease, housing, chain, new springs, bolts, bearings, spacers and fixtures – absolutely everything you require to transform a SRAM 11-speed drivetrain to a super-wide 12-speed drivetrain.…

Sasha Smith puts the hammer down on the Old Ghost Road, West Coast, New Zealand. Photo: Odin Woods 2000 prototypes thrashed. 200 products conceived. 500,000 yards of fabric cut and stitched. FORTY editions of our catalogue produced. 800 races sponsored. $200,000 dispensed from our Slush Fund for local trails. A THOUSAND kilos of coffee beans ground, espressed and imbibed. MILLIONS of miles yet to ride. Pedal on Made by us in New Zealand. Only available directly from groundeffect.co.nz…

The XCO World Cup series this year certainly has a different feel to it. Gone is the predictability of last year as while Nino has won two out of three World Cups those races have played out in a very different manner than we’re used to seeing. They have been a diverse mix of full-gas explosiveness and aggression. The Albstadt World Cup was a beautiful mess. Practice was a ridiculous mess with A-lines either closed or blocked with bodies strewn down the steep chutes. They were some of the toughest behind her was epic. And then the topsy turvy carnival of the elite men’s race started. Some say it wasn’t a mountain biker’s course being less technical, but it certainly wasn’t less exciting. With Sam Gaze controlling the race, Mathieu…

Santa Cruz brought 29 inched wheels to the current World Cup DH scene so it is only fitting that this forward thinking company would try something a little different on this new school XC rig. It shares technology shared straight from the V10, has a dual lock out and challenges what we could think to be normal about an XC whip, sometimes harsh and very down to business. The Santa Cruz Blur is the 100mm cross-country race bike that hails from a long line of finely crafted bikes that use Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) suspension. There are 4 build kits available in Australia and the CC frame set sells for $4749. The two lower models come with the C carbon, and start at $7999 and topping out at our extremely…

Hot off the production line, the Pivot Trail 429 sits as the company’s replacement to its ever-popular 429 Trail, a bike that was received very positively in the Australian market. The ‘Mach 429 Trail’, previously equipped with 116mm of rear suspension travel is now shod with 120mm as the new ‘Trail 429’ bike, but this isn’t all Pivot have done to bring their new bike into the ‘modern’ trail bike era. Much has been done to the new machine to keep up with ever-progressing market demands including a longer reach, steeper 74º seat-tube, and slacker 67.3º head tube angle. With the Trail 429, Pivot is continuing to push the Superboost+ standard first seen on their Switchblade released last year. This standard does require a specific Q-factor crank and different offset…

DHARCO LADIES 3/4 JERSEY PRICE — $ 65.00 I loved both the short and three quarter sleeved women’s jerseys in DHaRCO’s Spring to Summer weight, which has been made to act like sports wear, but not look like it. They were both breathable and their women’s specific cut fit perfectly in all the right places. Wearing a looser t-shirt style jersey is great for all types of mountain biking, and means you’re not looking like a dork before or after riding too. This is a great jersey for someone who is just starting out mountain biking, and could be used for a range of other sport activities too, due to it’s moisture wicking fabric construction. It has a pocket built into the side panel, which was a little small for…

Whether you get stuck on pronunciation or not, Thule are synonymous with bike carriers for cars. The Swedes have carried their design flair and storage nous beyond attachments for bikes, skiss and surfboards, creating a range of luggage, baby seats, bike bags and even phone cases to transport your gear safely and securely. However it’s their expanding range of bike carriers that are the most interest to mountain bikers. We have tested some great bike carrying systems at AMB, from roof top systems with wheels on, tail gate pads for easy shuttling, collapsible racks that fit without a towball, and then fully functional racks like the Thule 923AU G2 Euroway. It locks over your towball, fits 3 bikes, has a light board and number plate holder, and can tilt away…

Add a vast array of trails and make them all easy to access, and put them in a stunningly beautiful location and you have Vancouver Island. Sitting off the coast of British Columbia, Canada ‘the island’, as it is known, has a varied ecosystem, with craggy bluffs, rainforest, beaches and high peaks. It’s temperate in winter compared to much of Canada, and ideal around the northern summer thanks to long hours of daylight for epic adventures. You’ll find trails that are smooth and easy, to ones that are ragged and wild. All you have to do is choose what to ride.…

On 25th May, Shimano released the full details of their latest XTR group set. Each time XTR gets redesigned, we all go wild. So bright! So shiny! So new! But it has been a long time since Shimano’s leading off-road group set was so new – for XTR M9100 Shimano started afresh and designed the group from the ground up. Here’s a look at the pertinent details – head to AMBmag.com.au for more. This is was wide as it gets With a 10-51 12-speed cassette, Shimano have hit back with a 510% gear range with a single chainring system. There is also a 10-45 cassette. Micro Spline To facilitate adding a 10t sprocket, Shimano created a new freehub body. It’s also a lighter body than before, and as of printing…

How much thought do you put into your helmet? That lump of foam and plastic could be the difference between never riding again, and riding into the sunset for many years to come. So we dropped into Scott Sports HQ in Switzerland to speak to their helmet engineers, to find out more about what goes in to making helmets – including winning helmets like the Centric used by multiple World Champion Nino Schurter. ONE GOAL Scott have just about every kind of bike and make high quality shoes, clothing and accessories. They also make some really good helmets. But the Centric is the helmet that was on the head of Nino Schurter when he won the 2017 XCO World Championships, and it’s also the choice of the Orica road team.…

Stepping off a plane at Alice Springs airport is like stepping into a slower pace of life. It sounds contrite, as you could say the same thing about arriving in plenty of places. But after you’ve craned your neck to see out the plane window at the variety of red, orange, yellow and even green hues below you when you fly in, it’s clear you are somewhere very different and totally unique. As Alice Springs doesn’t have the immediate mountainous impact that some mountain bike destinations have, you’re removed from that sense that you have to go, get moving, get on your bike, get rad and get onto social media about it that some destinations have. The landscape in Alice Springs hasn’t changed for millennia – and it’s not about…

We took BMC’s top tier trail bike to the South Island of New Zealand in search of what many regard as the most pristine trails in the world. The Speedfox has an extremely svelte appearance, with a form and function that could only be Swiss. One look down to the bars and any minimalist would feel right at home, thanks to the absence of clutter and all things unnecessary. What makes BMC’s all new Speedfox unique is just that, an absence of anything redundant and what BMC call Trail-Sync. We have all been robbed at some point on a descent after forgetting to unlock your suspension and that problem aboard the Speedfox is redundant, the rider is synced with the trail using just one lever. The Trail Sync lever simultaneously…

Having a great helmet is a big boost of confidence when mountain biking, and allows you to fearlessly test your boundaries, the ultimate road to improvement. Finding the right lid to keep your head protected can be a hard one for women, and I’ve found I’m not the only one who is picky about styles, shapes, colours, where your hair goes and their capacity to give you ‘helmet hair’ as soon as you take it off. The Montara MIPS, is Giro’s most comprehensive option for ‘Dirt’ and features all of their new technology, making this a really reliable helmet. It has a smaller body shape than many other women’s specific helmets I’ve tried, which makes it visibly smaller on the head, for a sleek and more refined fit. This helmet…

The Christchurch Adventure Park is only 25 minutes from the International Airport and can be seen looking across the city and descending from th Thomson Park Scenic Reserve. Opened in early 2017, the park was ravaged by fires soon afterwards, robbing Christchurch of the chairlift assisted park they had just got a taste of. But Christchurch might just be the most resilient city on the map – and like the rest of the town, the Adventure Park has been rebuilding. It's hard to not be excited rolling into the carpark, looking up you can see the chairlift straight up some pretty steep terrain with Zip lines going back and forth between the two ridgelines the park is built on. There is a dense pine forest leading from the Park grounds…

Riding to potential on a diet of processed foods and last minute food decisions is near impossible. Healthy eating for training requires a good mix of healthy carbs for energy (think wholegrain bread, rice, pasta or starchy veggies), lean proteins for recovery (think lean meat, fish, eggs or dairy), healthy fats for energy (olive oil, avocado and nuts for example) and lots of vitamins and minerals to support your immune system and help with recovery (this is where your fresh fruit and veggies come in). If you are constantly reaching for the closest lunch or snack option or ordering takeaway foods to get you by, you’ll be eating more unhealthy fats, salt and sugar and compromising your performance. If this sounds like you, do not fear. A few simple steps…

The Mountain State didn’t earn it’s name by chance. With so much land above 2000m elevation, with a mix of desert plains, alpine meadows and glacial valleys Colorado is a northern hemisphere destination best kept for the peak of summer. Use the long daylight hours to get way into the mountains, or pack up to stay a night out there. Your reward will be long, natural trails that descend from well above the treeline back to alpine resorts, cutting lines you might only have dreamed of.…

Back in 2013 we spied the Canyon Lux being used by Topeak-Ergon rider Alban Lakata, ahead of the Cape Epic in South Africa. That bike was released later that year and ridden to many race victories and podiums by Canyon team riders and Canyon owners around the world. Time’s change, and Canyon have released a new Lux, something that you might have spied under riders like Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, Mathieu van der Poel, or Lakata and his Canyon Topeak Factory Team team mates riding and racing since the start of the year. With 100mm of travel, room for two full sized bottles, routing for a stealth dropper and slacker geometry – the Canyon Lux ticks some of the key boxes for a cross-country full-suspension bike. An increase in reach and reworked…

“You’re going to lose.” “LOL E-bike bruh.” Full disclosure: If at any point you are reading this and thinking that surely this isn’t Chris Panozzo’s thoughts, that somehow he might have managed to get someone to ghost write his article, you’d be wrong. It’s me, and as you’re about to find out, I’m a big E-bike fan. I’ve been invited to test E-bikes before and have politely declined such vulgar requests. Its taken a long time to get to the point where I get enjoyment and satisfaction from achieving a difficult climb, instead of suffering through any incline so that I could solely enjoy the descents. It may not be that well-known, but over the last couple of years I have really taken to riding lots of road with the…

“Just send it to Paint My Bike, they can fix that.” Have you heard someone say that before? Whether it’s for a scratch, a damaged swing arm or main tube, or even for a new paint job, chances are someone you know has had their bike – or part of it – restored at the Paint My Bike workshop in Salisbury, south east Queensland, which was set up by Gary McDonald, and recently brought into the FE Sports family. As mountain bikers we’ve come to expect a lot. Our bikes should be light, long travel, strong, stiff and good value. With engineers and design teams pushing the limits of what is possible with materials, be they an alloy, titanium or carbon fibre, things can go wrong. And maybe its your…

BIKES REVIEWED From an all-mountain eMTB, to a refined short travel trail bike, new-school XC bike and even something in-between, we have some rocking bikes test in this issue! TESTED There’s a world of choice in bikes and bike parts out there. Our test team put products through the works. From saddles to grips, new tyre treads, MIPS helmets, women’s trail gear, dropper posts, bike transport and so much more. THE HUB The where, what, how and when of mountain biking, from industry professionals.…

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS Though still quite new in Oz, German company Haibike have been around for well over a 20 years developing and perfecting their eMTBs for the past eight. Whilst most think that these bikes just sprung on the scene in the last couple of years it is companies like Haibike that have pioneered these technologies to get us to where we are today. The Xduro All MTN 7.0 is a burly all-mountain bike that is ready to go and hit some pretty serious terrain. The oversized aluminium hydro-formed tubing protecting the battery which is hidden within the downtube. The paintwork and decals are unashamedly euro, bold graphics leaving no doubt as to what brand the bike is. The blue and grey colour scheme with yellow highlights works well together…

We’ve said it so many times – if you want to ride more confidently and comfortably you have to pay attention to your contact points! Whether that is good quality shorts, new shoes and pedals, the right tyres and pressure, or grips that aren’t flogged out, it all counts. Ergon are quintessentially German. All of their products are based on extensive research, development, lab tests and real-world testing. Across their product range of saddles, grips, seatposts and accessories they have won over 15 design awards, amongst accolades from other indsutry platforms. SITTING PRETTY With a broad range of products, I used an online saddle selector tool to narrow down what might suit my trail bike. The stock saddle didn’t really cut it and I ended up looking at the SMA3…

The e*thirteen TRS Plus Dropper Post comes from a brand that has manufactured some of the best chainguides, crank sets, cassettes and wheel sets. The TRS Plus Dropper is e*thirteen’s first attempt at dropper post with the aim to produce a simple, durable and reliable post. They have made it a fully mechanical design sans air and oil. This rings music to many people’s ears, as well as many mechanics, who have had to deal with messy oil leaks in frames and time consuming bleeding of levers. Being coil sprung rather than air, it should result in a consistent return of the post for many years and with user-friendly servicing it means the post will run smoother for longer. The TRS Plus is a 4 stage dropper post, meaning is…