Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 179 i Australian Mountain Bike

It’s summer, and it should be no surprise that you have an Alpine Issue in your hands. I’m not going to apologise about it as I think riding trails up high is part of what makes mountain biking so good. Here in Australia we have a pretty big alpine plateau, and while it lacks the drama of alpine ranges around the world, year on year we can get more access to the terrain. In part that’s from the expansion of dedicated mountain bike trails by land managers and alpine resorts – but it is also thanks to riders equipping themselves to get out off the marked mountain bike routes to have an overnight adventure, just like Adam Macbeth did in his feature in this issue. Now is the time to…

In the middle of the year, Bosch released the latest generation of the Performance CX eMTB motor. One of the most obvious differences is weight and size, and this has a huge impact on bike design. The previous Bosch Performance CX motors did leave bike designers struggling to create the geometry that some riders wanted from their eMTBs. Chainstays would end up quite long, which was awesome for stability at speed and seated climbing – but not so good for agility on tighter trails and where riders were taking their bikes. The weight saving is significant, The Bosch Performance CX Gen4 is a full 1.3kg lighter than the Gen3 while also being about half the size. There’s a direct benefit here beyond the bike design benefits noted above – as…

The Thredbo Super Enduro presented by Maxxis is back for its fourth year, running on 22-23 of February 2020. It will be a massive weekend of riding and racing for both individual competitors and teams with the chance to take home a slice of the $20K prize purse! Showcasing the diversity of riding on offer in the Thredbo Mountain Bike Park, competitors must clock their best times on all three gravity trails in a five hour ride period. This is fast becoming one of the most popular events on the Australian mountain bike calendar and caters to all types of riders, from pros to novices. Registration is open, with big savings if you enter before January 13th. thredbo.com…

Depending on who you are and what you like to ride, Crankworx Rotorua is either an awesome event to get to, a huge party with your mates, the best reason to plan a family holiday to Rotorua, or an iconic global mountain bike festival. And you know what, it can be all those things at once and a whole lot more. The 2020 dates for Crankworx Rotorua are locked in, and with events falling from 1-8 March 2020, there is no denying that the Crankworx mountain bike festival caters for a broad crowd. At a glance, Crankworx looks set to entertain those who want to see big air, fat whips and a whole host of tricks that none of us would ever attempt. But that’s just a sliver of the…

How can I go faster? If you haven’t recently asked that question of yourself, you definitely haven’t asked that question out loud in front of your mates either. Deep down that question is simmering away though, even if you haven’t felt the need to face it just yet. No matter who you are or where you ride, the question sits with all of us. From weekend warriors all the way through to World Champions. The difference is the World Champ is asking that question of themselves every day, but there was a time when even those select few didn’t know they were fast, and they were in the same boat as everyone else, trying to figure out how to be fast. Once you’ve got past that nonsense of trial and…

Prior to this past spring, my only real experience of having ridden bikes in the Falls Creek area was having started and finished a few Peaks Challenges there. Yep, a big ol’ road ride. Along with memories of stunning Victorian High Country vistas, clear mountain streams and long, demanding climbs I was also gifted a curiosity for what may lie a little further from the beaten tracks. If you’ve ever driven or ridden Bogong High Plains road between Mount Beauty and Falls Creek you’ll certainly have noticed the number of gravel roads that wind their way into the hills from the main thoroughfare. But where do they go? Who built them and why? And, the question that had me most curious, can they be linked up into an interesting bikepacking…

Starting as a Bicycle Motor Cross brand, some talented young BMX racers made the switch to mountain biking in the mid 90s and put Sunn top of the downhill world stage, under the control of greats like Anne-Caroline Chausson, Nicolas Vouilloz and Francois Gachet. After company restructures and a brief hiatus, Sunn has been producing high quality and visually stunning bikes since 2013 and graced many Enduro World Series (EWS) podiums more recently. The Kern EN29 Finest is a 155mm travel, 29inch wheeled Enduro race bike while remaining versatile and efficient enough for all day duties or bike park shuttles. As the biggest hitter in Sunn’s range, the Kern EN29 Finest has evolved into a purebred Enduro race bike with a focus on clever suspension and all-day climbing prowess. The…

A well-fitting set of kneepads are becoming a regular piece of riding kit, and I know a number of riders who won’t go out for a ride without them. I also know a number of riders with knees covered with purple scar tissue, so there is no denying that a good set of kneepads should be high up on your list of must-haves. But what makes a good set anyway? Unless you are doing chainless shuttle runs, you need to make sure your kneepads are comfortable when pedalling, and they stay in place. This will likely mean the closure is either adjustable, or the protection is attached to a stretchy sleeve of material – which is how the Dakine Slayer Kneepads are made. The back is open though so it’s…

Limar are well-known around the world for producing a great range of helmets with their XC and road variants found on the heads of many top riders. A long history of sponsoring top teams has meant a lot of time has gone into developing the comfort, ventilation and performance of their helmets. Their latest edition to the line-up is the trail and enduro focused Delta that boasts significantly more coverage than their previous models. Dropping into steep trails or jump lines with an XC lid doesn’t really cut it, especially with what we now know about head injuries. The Delta’s triple shell PC/EPS shell has extensive coverage down around the temples and back of the head to aid in protection. The coverage of the Delta’s shell means, along with the…

While the lift accessible trails at Thredbo often grab the attention of mountain bikers headed for the Snowy Mountains, even if a lift pass isn’t a part of your holiday budget, Jindabyne should still be on your list. There is singletrack snaking through town, and the nearly complete Thredbo Valley Trail offering machine built singletrack from Friday Flat all the way back into town via the Hatchery Bay Trail. During the winter Jindy attracts snow seekers from around the world and from July to September the little country town doesn’t seem so little. During the summer, on the other hand, the ski bums have moved north in search of colder climates, and the town settles in to a more relaxed vibe. Over the past few seasons, the trails around Jindabyne…

Derby, Tasmania, has just played host to the final round of the Shimano Enduro Tour for 2019. The course traversed the Blue Derby Mountain Bike Trails, with riders covering nearly 37km and climbing 1360m over the five stages. Snaking through some of the rowdiest trails Blue Derby has to offer, the course pitted riders against the infamous boulders on Detonate, and the rock gardens on Shearpin which not only challenge racer’s bike handling skills but also how long they can avoid the brake levers. It’s not all tech and gnar, and competitors were clocking high speeds on the smooth and flowy Flickety Sticks and earning more than their fair share of hang time on Air-Ya-Garn. In truly un-Tasmanian fashion, there was nothing but blue skies and sunshine in the days…

Throwaway your misconceptions that a marathon mountain bike race is just hills and fire trails, as the Otway Odyssey has the perfect mix of raw trail, purpose-built singletrack, flow trail descents and... ok hills and fire trails too. The classic mountain bike race sets pulses racing in Forrest, Victoria, each year as mountain bikers congregate in the Otway Ranges to tackle events from 10km through to 100km. With the Grommets event and the 30km Odyssey Angels women’s only event you can be sure there is something for everyone. The race falls on 22nd February Better yet, why not stay for the Great Otway Gravel Grind on Sunday 23rd February? With two distances on the dirt roads in the ranges, and along the Great Ocean Road on the long distance, this…

When I started racing, the go-to social race was 24-hour racing – big teams of riders doing one lap at a time and having a chat in between laps. At least until around 6pm before the daunting fact you had 18hrs to go hit you. The social aspect dwindled, mainly because team members were always doing something different. One was out riding; one was sleeping; and a couple more were eating, so the ‘team’ was never really together. Much like shuttling where one mate drives and the others ride and then swap; there’s always a bit of division. The two-up team events that are so popular at the moment do a good job at keeping the team together, even if it is a smaller team. You race side by side,…

YOU CAN GO MOUNTAIN BIKING WITHOUT MOUNTAINS, BUT WHAT’S THE POINT? There is a box in my workshop that is full of race plates. They are a ratty collection that is mixed up with plates from my wife’s racing exploits as well. There are plates from 6 hour events, club races, British cyclocross races, a US 100 mile race, The Cape Epic, Crocodile Trophy, most Australian marathons, national rounds, national championships, World championships, The Pioneer – and one special set sitting in there from 2015, the Perskindol Swiss Epic. I am lucky enough to have ridden and raced in a lot of places, but this race has always stuck in my mind. Back in 2015 my fiance Imogen Smith and I jetted off to Switzerland, then travelled to Verbier and…

Orbea has a fascinating history that dates back to the latter half of the 19th century. The company from the Basque Country region between Spain and France produced firearms under the name Orbea Brothers. A bit of an odd start for a bike company at first glance, but really the two are quite similar. Precision manufacturing of steel tubing. Sound familiar? During the interwar period and following increasing weapons restrictions throughout peacetime Europe, Orbea made the full switch to producing bicycles in 1930. Skipping ahead, the economic situation in Spain during the 1960s hit Orbea hard, and on the precipice of bankruptcy, the passion for the company shone through and the workers of Orbea purchased the company to form a cooperative. Fast forward a bit more, and the knowledge and…

Maxxis’ new Dissector has arrived, with design input from Aussie Downhill racer Troy Brosnan. The Dissector has been designed as a dry condition Downhill race tyre, though it should work well for Aussie bike park riding, but what about as a trail tyre? The new tread design is an amalgamation of some existing patterns, the fast-rolling Maxxis Rekon trail tyre – that I rather enjoyed – formed the basis for the centre knobs. The Dissector also borrows heavily from an old racer’s favourite, the High Roller II, using the transition knobs as a canvas before adding extra sipes for extra tread movement in dry conditions. Interestingly, the side lugs were influenced by the Specialized Butcher – a tyre that Brosnan has a lot of experience riding – though on the…

Within the last decade Thule’s range of products exploded beyond ways to carry bikes and skis on your car. With camera bags, luggage, laptop bags, phone cases, racks for touring, baby joggers and more, the main concept for Thule remains the same: transport your gear safely where it needs to go. Thule’s range of hydration backpacks have just been updated, and you will now find the Rail, Uptake and Vital available, in a range of sizes. They even have a youth sized model in the Uptake. The Rail is aimed at aggressive all-mountain riding and includes a removeable CE level 1 back protector in both the 12L and 8L sized bags. The Vital is aimed more at fast-paced rides and ultra-distance events, with a bag that sits low on a…

Alright, for this issue we have a bit of a feature which largely goes unnoticed on the trail but when you think about it, is far more prevalent than you might realise. As trails progress more and more towards man-made formed and sculpted trails, we are quite often seeing “setup corners” which direct the trail up the hill slightly before linking in with the larger more prevalent turn on the trail. Even on hand cut trails it’s really common to turn up the hill first before any corner. These setup turns appear for a variety of reasons but the main reason they are there is for speed and subsequently wear and erosion control coming into corners and also to gain a little extra elevation on the trail to make that…

I have returned home from an awesome 10 day trip in New Zealand, that included racing the Whaka 100 and another 6 hour race in Christchurch the following weekend. My body is in need of nourishment and replenishment. That is where these patties come in. WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT THEM? After eating lots of race food and travelling and not paying 100% attention to what I was eating, it is fair to say my digestive, physical and mental health needs nourishing and replenishing. Gut health is the foundation for overall health. The ingredients in these patties focus on restoring gut health with plant based protein sources, complex carbohydrates and plenty of vitamins and minerals. Black beans are packed with protein, fibre, B-vitamins, iron, folate, magnesium, potassium, antioxidants and phytonutrients. The coloured…

With plenty of super capable kids’ bikes now landing in Australia, you can make sure your junior ripper is dressed with gear to make sure they don’t just look good, but they’re comfortable and safe as well! DHaRCO’s new range of youth clothing has you, or your little shredder, covered. There are shorts, long sleeve gravity jerseys and three-quarter sleeve trail jerseys availble, DHaRCO even have a couple of options for patterns. Navigate across to the DHaRCO website for pricing and sizing – and keep an eye out for some of their new adult’s range as well. dharco.com…

They’re a hot topic right now, and it’s pretty likely that just writing those two words has elicited a range of emotional responses in a diverse readership: from anger and rage, to shame, and even pride that a small group of people are finally taking a stand. I get that. Not everyone is of the same opinion about protesters, and not everyone lives with the environment as a pressing issue in daily life. The current wave of protests are a divisive issue, but I raise it because it’s likely you’re reading this because you love mountain biking. You know, that thing we do outside in the trees, in the forests, the bush? Whether you are an adrenalin seeking downhiller that digs big airtime, or a cyclocrosser that just wants more…

Meggie Bichard has spent most of her life chasing trails. From the rocky sheep tracks of the fells to the endless switchback descents of the Alps, Meggie is most at home on singletrack. Whether on an enduro rig or an XC race bike, the trails are her constant. She started competing on what she refers to as ‘Joey’ bikes in XC, marathon and even 24hr racing before making the shift to Enduro and a number of years as a pro at the pointy end of the Enduro World Series. This year Meggie has returned to the 100mm race bike in mixed pairs stage racing. From her home in Nelson, New Zealand, Meggie followed the sun to Europe hunting interesting and unique stage races. She is not after fire roads and…

If only Australians celebrated mountain biking like they do surfing. I remember every news bulletin growing up would finish with the latest results from the World-Tour, here in the middle of the Aussie Alps I was painted a nightly picture of what Australian sport was if you weren’t that into footy, and that it was surfing. Sweet, surfing it was then, except for one problem, I was at least a five hour drive from my local break. Now every kid in Australia has access to more mountain bike highlights on their phone than there are minutes in the day. Kids are telling their parents they want to go mountain biking, or maybe parents are telling their kids it’s time to go mountain biking, either way the next question is, how…

WHERE TO BEGIN: When arriving during summer, make your way to the shipping container situated in the main carpark which saddles up just to left of the main road, it’s easy to find as it’s the only thing to the left of the main road bringing you into Falls from Beauty, apart from those endless views. There are trail maps, a coffee machine, bike hire and shuttles available from this reliable pop up summer setting, with further cafés sprinkled throughout the village, the opening times vary at these cafés as locals toss a coin on whether to open or not each day, apart from QT, which runs 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch, opposite the pop up shipping container. WHAT TO EXPECT: The outlook from this hydro scheme…

Norco need little introduction to most, hailing from BC Canada, just like a lot of other brands from that area, trail and all mountain riding is a big part of their DNA. Sure they make race bikes too, but hitting the trails and riding hard is at the heart of who they are. Norco’s All Mountain offering has always been the Sight, and with the new models just released for 2020, Norco look like they have shifted the goal posts big time in what they want this bike to be capable of. Pretty much all of their mountain bikes have had a redesign through 2019-2020, and with the shuffling Norco went back to the drawing board with what they wanted to achieve in this platform. They wanted to build a…

It’s been a busy few months for Norco Bicycles. They have unleashed the Range VLT eMTB monster truck, the all-new Sight all-mountain bike, including a kids’ model, and the new Optic trail bike that is being reviewed here. And of course they released the new Revolver in both 100mm and 120mm models earlier this year, and anyone who pays attention to the World Cup XCO scene will have noticed that their Factory Team have been playing on an unreleased hardtail all year long as well. For a company that isn’t a behemoth in the bike game – they have been really busy. The all-new Norco Optic shares many characteristics with the new Sight. It’s longer, lower and uses the Ride Aligned design principles to make sure any rider has the…

When faced with the dilemma of carrying bikes on a car, the age old problem of on top, inside and on the back is actually getting a little basic now when looking at on top or on the back, with so many options especially in the rear-mounted arena. Putting your bike on the roof can present a few options depending on front wheel on or off, and then hub standards. In the back of the car is getting harder as bikes get longer and bars get wider – or if your family has a child seat fitted. And even putting a bike in the tray of a ute isn’t as simple as it was, with longer bikes and shorter trays. Having previously tested a Thule Euroway 3 bike carrier and…

The days are longer, the nights shorter, and it’s time when the warm layers are relegated to the bottom of the cycling kit pile. Mojo returns and you see a distinct increase in cyclists on the road and trails ahead of the 2020 racing season. With the slew of public holidays and closures around the festive season, it’s a great time to get together with some mates and have a multi-day training camp adventure to reap the benefits of crash or block training. What is crash, or block training? In essence, block training or crash training is a short period of days, or a week, that features much greater intensity or endurance than you’re acclimated to. For example, if you only really ever do two days back to back, a…