Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 178 i Australian Mountain Bike

After silver in 2018, many thought it might just be a matter of waiting for a year to see Kye A’Hern take Gold at the Junior Downhill World Championship. But nothing is ever certain and a World Championship win can never be banked on. Kye took home Gold as team mate Troy Brosnan won Silver in the Elite men – a truly awesome day for Australian mountain biking. The life of a professional bike racer can seem glamorous, but the reality is often further away from what you might see on social media. After Bec McConnell had a year she would like to forget in 2018, she had a year to remember in 2019, with a World Cup podium, World Championships medal and a top 5 overall in the World…

A few weeks after the racing in Canada, many cross-country racers joined the marathon specialists in Graechen, Switzerland for the Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) World Championships. A demanding course in one of the high valleys in the Valais would decide who would wear the stripey jersey for marathon racers. Five Australians took to the start as Imogen Smith lined up for women, and Sebastian Jayne, Tyla Windham, Ben May and Justin Morris contested the men’s race. The fields were huge, with about 80 women racing and over 180 men. Newly crowned XCO World Champion Pauline Ferand-Prevot shot off from the front of the women’s race and was untouchable, while the men’s race still had a lead group of 13 halfway through, after Matthias Flueckiger had an early lead. Despite both Flueckiger…

If you haven’t heard the news from the Mountain Bike World Champs in Canada, to put it in simple terms, Aussies killed it. In the Downhill Kye A’hern took gold in Junior Men, then Troy put down a heater to finish up 2nd in the Elite Men. Bec McConnell took a bronze in the Women’s XCO, while the rest of the Aussie squad showed real depth with quite a few top 30 performances, a 5th in Junior Women XCO and a 9th in the Team Relay. After an event like this you would think that these results have been nurtured from a thriving national cycling body, but as we all know, that is not the case. Australia continues to produce world beating talent in spite of itself, with mountain biking’s…

Four days of beautiful 25-degree days, sunshine, fat tyres, rainforest, and trails; bookended by days on the beach seems like a dream. Even more so when you add in no work, no responsibilities and no parenting: surely this is too good to be true? But when my trusty team mate for good times, Briony Mattocks, asked me if I wanted to have a holiday-come-bike race in tropical paradise to escape Brisbane’s crippling winter, my ‘yes’ was faster than the Mick Hannah racing down his Cairns’ home track. Reef to Reef promises racing and relaxation. Beaches bookended the race, with good old country Queensland in the middle, and there were many all-important social events at the luxuriant Hemingways Brewery. Beach, bikes and beer really made this an excellent ‘winter killer’ event…

Marin Bikes hails from the mountain-biking birthplace in California. A company well-known for shaping the mountain biking industry into what it is, Marin crafted their way into creating performance-minded mountain bikes for the world to use. Initially founded in the late 80s, Marin were amongst the first to ever design a dual suspension mountain bike, or hydro-form aluminium tubes. Like their other bikes, the San Quentin is named after Californian landmarks – such as the Californian State Prison. Do not fret though, it certainly doesn’t feel like a #prisonbike. Marin’s San Quentin is the bike we all need when it comes to having fun on a hardtail – something that can climb a steep hill, shred the descent, and pop off to the local for a 2 litre jug of…

AVAILABLE SIZES: XS, S, M, L, XL FRAME MATERIAL: Carbon mainframe and both stays FORK: Fox Factory 34 FIT4, 130mm SHOCK: Fox Factory DPS Float, 130mm travel SHIFTER: SRAM Eagle XO 12sp DERAILLEUR: SRAM Eagle XO 12sp CRANK: SRAM Eagle XO carbon DUB, 32t BOTTOM BRACKET: SRAM DUB threaded CHAIN: SRAM Eagle XO 12sp CASSETTE: SRAM Eagle XG-1295 12sp WHEEL SET: DT Swiss XMC 1200 Carbon TYRES: Maxxis Forekaster 2.35” EXO 3C TR BRAKES: SRAM Guide RSC 180/180mm STEM: Canyon V12 HANDLEBAR: Canyon H23 Carbon, 15mm Rise SEATPOST: Fox Factory Dropper, 150mm drop SADDLE: Iridium GRIPS: Ergon EA20 RRP: $7249 WEIGHT: 12.3KGS…

Getting the right bar and stem to suit your riding, your trails and your fit isn’t really hard, but there are a whole lot of choices out there. It could be easy to fall into the trap of picking a brand of bars that come in the colour you want, or the brand that seems cool right now. But the most important thing is to get the bar diameter that suits, use the right width, the correct rise for your fit, and finding the sweep that feels right in your hands. And sure, then choose material and colours. Race Face have a huge range of handlebars and stems, and given so many bikes come with them fitted from the factory, chances are you might already own a set. We picked…

In the middle of 2019 DT Swiss updated their top of the line hubs, releasing the new Ratchet EXP range of hubs. With an amendment to the world-famous star ratchet, new end caps, bearing placements and hub bodies, DT Swiss claimed they would be lighter, stiffer and easier to maintain than before. With the hubs moving to the very top of the DT Swiss hub product range, it is no surprise that their top-level wheels would find the new DT Swiss 180 Ratchet EXP hubs would be at the heart of their carbon mountain bike hoops. The DT Swiss XRC Spline wheels come in two models – one with a 25mm internal width and one with a 30mm internal width. In early 2018 we did some testing on rim width,…

No, we’re not talking about hippies on bikes or cool jumps (sorry, Dad joke...) but rather a jump where the aim of the process is to change direction during the jump and effectively land with the bike and rider heading in another direction. Hip jumps are sometimes built on purpose or out of necessity, but the skill of a hip jump also crosses over into general trail riding to change direction using an obstacle to set you up better for a turn, get in the right part of a trail or just to have a bit of fun. It’s actually a skill that isn’t too hard to get your head around and doesn’t require highly polished jumping skills. Obviously, just like any jump, the bigger you go the harder it…

I read once that since the advent of smartphones, the amount of photographs ever taken had grown exponentially. That’s to say nothing on their quality - just the amount of them. Like any mountain biker I love to ride trails and always want to share the buzz I get with others. And last issue I did say that it can be a battle to not stop, not take my phone out and take a photo for social media or just to have. There’s a lot to be said for riding without stopping. No photo stops. No email checks. No calls. Just ride. Along with an ever-increasing amount of digital noise that can disrupt our rides and lives, there are a huge influx of people shooting and capturing mountain biking. From…

We were greeted to an almost jaw-dropping phenomenon: there were green and gold stripes on the screen and they were out the front. Our very own Bec McConnell gritted her teeth through Pauline Ferrand-Prevot’s amazing attack, and held on for dear life when Neff got some wind in her sails again in the closing laps of the race, but held on for third: a best-ever result for Australia at an Elite Cross-Country World Champs. Coming back from a less-than-memorable 2018, it’s obvious that something has changed for Bec. With a career-best second at Nove Mesto World Cup, Bec was snapping at the heels for multiple top-5 finishes this year, with a consistency we haven’t seen previously from the Primaflor-Mondraker Racing team rider. AUSTRALIAN RACER VISITS THE BIG WORLD CUP Bec…

It’s over! An incredibly exciting World Cup season has wrapped up wherein each round offered up something new and entertaining. The contrast between how the races were won from Nove Mesto to Val di Sole and lastly Snowshoe was a big highlight as were many of the individual performances. Obviously as an Aussie, Bec McConnell’s performances during the year and at the World Championships were amazing to watch and great for the morale of all Aussie riders. The stories of perseverance through both men’s and women’s fields would certainly give strength to riders facing adversity, and likely give strength to anyone else who was going through a tough time. While the livestreams have been incredibly entertaining, there is still a lot that goes on away from the cameras. Things that…

Trek needs no introduction and when they announce an all-new model, it’s a safe assumption that its going to be an outstanding performer. With the success of the previous iteration of the Top Fuel, XC bikes have continued to evolve and riders are demanding more out of their equipment. Call it marathon, call it down-country, call it mountain biking. Whatever you call it the all-new Trek Top Fuel is highly capable. Sitting between the Fuel EX at 130mm travel and the IsoStrut equipped Supercaliber soft tail, the Trek Top Fuel bridges the gap between XC racing and all day trail riding. It has some serious racing pedigree with some fun thrown in to the mix. Trek Australia will be bringing in the all alloy Top Fuel 8 along with a…

With a growing list of consumer direct bike brands available to us down under, buying a bike from your local bike shop or online retailer has never been easier. There are a few things to consider when purchasing your new steed online. Sizing Building/Build quality Convenience Customer Service/Warranty Many brands have developed quality sizing charts and guides to assist riders in getting the perfect fit, others have return periods, others smoke and mirrors. There is no denying that online retailers have things your local bike shop can’t offer like an experienced bike fitter or onsite mechanic so let’s take a look at how brands are helping the buyers negate these things. SIZING As an experienced mountain biker, I know my height, weight, inseam, what geometry I prefer and so on…

The Wahoo ELEMNT Roam is an update to the popular ELEMNT and a bigger brother to the smaller ELEMNT Bolt, and it shares similar design features to the smaller unit. I have used the original ELEMNT for over two years and like that the unit is controlled by your phone, meaning you have a fuss-free interface and a large screen. The black and white screen was ok, but really I liked the customisable data pages, fast start up and satellite acquisition, auto upload to Training Peaks and Strava, and the text and phone call alerts. This is just a few of the features but I found them the most useful. The new ELEMNT Roam has a huge out front mount and a bar mount in the pack – I opted…

FOOD AND MOOD – WHAT’S THE DEAL? You might be surprised to find out there is a strong link between food and mood. In fact, research shows better quality diets are associated with a reduced risk of depression, while diets higher in processed foods are associated with increased depression and often anxiety. A good quality diet might also help prevent depressive symptoms from becoming clinical depression. In fact, one big study found that in the 4000 participants, there was a strong trend for the prevention of new cases of depression for those adopting a Mediterranean diet with nuts. Another study has found dietary counselling just as effective at preventing the transition to clinically diagnosed depression as psychotherapy. I hear you ask, “but couldn’t a poor mood cause you to make…

Ladies, can you relate to this? The preparation had been going well, the numbers were solid and the skills were honed. The nutrition was sorted, the plan was made and you’re ready to go. The starting gun goes off… and you started going backwards. Have you ever had that feeling, hurting from the gun and the inability to ‘get going’? You’re hot and bothered and plagued by what seems like dehydration, despite your careful attention to event pre-hydration and watching your fluid intake mid race. It seems, in a sport with as many variables as mountain biking, that to pin a day like that down to hormones may be a bit of a stretch but hormones can often be linked to both good and bad days on the bike. UNPACKING…

The 2019 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships landed in Mont Sainte-Anne at the end of August. A location that is part of the fabric and folklore of mountain bike racing, the challenging trails would yet again provide the perfect stage to contest the World Championships for cross-country and downhill. After a season of racing where Australian riders saw themselves at or near the top of elite men’s and women’s downhill and cross-country, there was a fair bit of anticipation heading into the World Championships. With cross-country racing dominating the opening days of the World Championships, Australia made their mark early with the Team Relay. Finishing 9th on the Wednesday afternoon as the Swiss team won their first Gold was a solid showing for Australia, especially beating some power house national…

On a sunny day in late September, the AMB100 settled into its new date. The one-day event was part of a great weekend down in Canberra, as the event also worked as the final stage of the Terra in the Berra mountain bike stage race. Even better, the Hills and Hops festival on the Saturday was a great addition for riders arriving early for registration and a pre-event ride on the dry trails of Mt Stromlo. Reece Tucknott stamped his authority on the men’s 3 lap race while Em Viotto did the same in the women’s event. Given the nature of the race, a whole range of riders found an event to suit them. From a one lap or two lap option (that’s the sweet spot we reckon) through to…

Mountain biking is a pretty tough sport. In many disciplines, the glorification of pain and suffering is almost martyr-like: he or she who can plunge to deepest into the metaphorical box of hurt is often crowned the winner, and we see time and again riders crossing the line of a World Cup event, collapsing with the effort, 100% done. Mountain biking is a numbers game; it’s undeniable that the laws of physics apply when the gun goes off, and he or she who has the greatest power numbers and lightest weight, together with skill, will make it to the top first. Combine this need for an almost masochistic outlook with the fact that in many disciplines we ride around in form-fitting lycra that is essentially not too far off coloured…

Becoming a mountain biker was simply another excuse to get outside. At a young age, I would train for competitive gymnastics 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. gymnastics was my life, and I loved every minute of it. I now ride a mountain bike. At first, I found it hard to justify purchasing a bike with very little experience or knowledge. However, with the reassurances I received from friends, I eventually dropped in on one. At the time, I was living at Maydena Bike Park, so I managed to learn fast… especially as I was riding with friends that are better than most. Having moved back to British Columbia with my new love of mountain biking, I’m amazed by the variety of trails there are here. Slabs can…

Canyon have certainly proven that they can offer exceptionally good value bikes direct to consumers here in Australia and with strong athletes representing them across many genres we know the bikes work well! More recently we reviewed the Lux and Spectral which sit either side of the Neuron and we thought it fitting to spend some time on the recently revised Neuron, with an updated frame and suspension kinematics delivering a nimble trail bike that could be more than enough bike to get the heart racing and exploring new terrain. Packing 130mm of travel into the front and rear, the Neuron offers modern but conservative geometry for all-day rideability and a confidence inspiring ride. More on the refined and delicate side than a hard hitting down country bike the Neuron…

Shimano’s top-shelf XTR group set was overhauled in a big way in the middle of 2018 – and the new 12-speed XTR M9100 group set surprised a few people. There was no electronic option, and Shimano had manged to create an even wider gear range while also offering a closer ratio cassette as an option. Almost every component also had a more XC oriented version, and an all-mountain or enduro option as well. It was a ground up redesign that Shimano needed. Many of the features of the Shimano XTR M9100 group set are found on the Deore XT M8100 and SLX M7100 groups, but the top group is lighter, and in many cases more durable too. With a cross-country/trail variant fitted up to a couple of different bikes over…

The world of eMTBs has been progressing at lightning speed. Over just a few years we have seen improvements in geometry, suspension, batteries, brakes and more. But one thing that until recently has been an Achilles heel is finding quality rubber that gives great traction, puncture resistance and reliability. After being seriously impressed my Michelin’s Wild Enduro tyres, I was keen as mustard to mount up a pair of front and rear specific Michelin E-Wilds to our Trek Powerfly LT 9.7 test bike. As eMTBs are heavier and slightly more cumbersome than their analogue counterparts, tyres have their work cut out for them. When you are riding an eMTB the bike’s total weight means you are less likely to finesse the bike over some trail features, and more likely to…

There are just five ingredients in these goodies, making them quick to throw together. Plus they are super tasty with a zing of ginger and lemon. WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT THEM? Buckwheat contains a decent amount of fiber, which your body cannot digest. This nutrient is good for improving gut health. Improving your gut health can have a big impact on your overall health and sporting performance (believe it or not). All those tiny little microbes in your digestive system play a role in reducing inflammation, boosting energy levels, improving nutrient absorption and use, right through to improving mental strength. So, feed those little guys (or girls) well. Buckwheat is richer in minerals than many common cereals, such as rice, wheat, and corn. However, buckwheat is not particularly high in vitamins.…

1 To start you have to remove the dust cover from the outside of the pedal. Depending on the year, this could be a screw driver or allen key. Under the cap you should now see an 8mm nut. 2  Undo the 8mm nut using an 8mm allen key in the threaded pedal axle end and the socket in the other. 3 Remove the axle and set aside. 4  Undo the 2 T25 bolts that hold the pedal together. 5  With the pedal in 3 pieces, set aside the middle part. 6  Using a sharp knife pry out the bushings from each side of the pedal cage. Take note of which side is . 7  Remove the old O rings. 8  Put 1 half of the cage over a 14mm…