Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 160 i Australian Mountain Bike

Riders: Cody Kelley Photographer: Tim Bardsley-Smith With the start of the EWS in March, riders the world over have been honing their skills and fitness before unleashing on the global circuit. Cody Kelley from the Yeti Factory Team made Queensland one of his training locations, with team mate Richie Rude. The crew visited the new trails at Hidden Vale, about an hour west of Brisbane, to sample the work of World Trail. If you’ve seen the full gallery on AMBmag.com.au, you’ll know they are fans of Australia’s latest must-ride trail centre. See the full feature on Hidden Vale by Anna Beck in this issue.…

In recent years, Brendan Johnston has been on the top step of the podium more often than not. The rider from Trek Racing Australia has been national marathon mountain bike champion for two years running, and has his eyes firmly locked on a repeat victory at Townsville in late April. With less focus on XCO this year, is there anyone who can stop him? “Last year I think I had 24 starts, although that is leaving out two or three World Cups, and 15 wins, plus quite a few podiums in events. For me it was probably the best year I’ve ever had,” said Johnston when we caught up before the Armidale national rounds. In 2015 and 2016, many of Australia’s elite cross-country racers took aim at Olympic selection, forcing…

“In 25 words or less, tell us why the RRR is the perfect winter getaway to Tropical North Queensland.” The RRR is the longest continually running point-to-point mountain bike event in Australia, and its home is in Tropical North Queensland. This event has brought riders to the northern tip of Australia for decades, long before the rise of marathon races down south. And on June 4 this winter, hundreds will again flock to the tropics to escape the winter chill, and ride a classic route from the tablelands to the ocean. From a rural setting, through the rainforest, and down to the reef. Starting at Wetherby Station, which was a traditional stop on the route from Port Douglas to the goldfields for people hoping to make a fortune, there are…

FOR ME, IT WAS PREGNANCY THAT HAD ME SLOWING DOWN, FLIPPING MY STEM SKYWARD, AND CARING A BUTTLOAD LESS ABOUT WHAT I LOOKED LIKE. I admit it. I have been a snob before. Perhaps less so right now, as general age and weariness means I have less energy with which to snob (yes, it’s both a noun and a verb). When I first started riding, the snobbery I engaged in was associated with arm and leg warmer-gap, department store bikes, socks (too high, too short), helmet angle, the presence of excessive neon…I could continue. As riding progressed, so did the criteria to elicit snobbery; department-store bike became bike-shop brand bikes that were ‘too popular’, helmets would spark ridicule for likeness to mushrooms, and even a mere twisted sock would be…

OBVIOUSLY, RACING IN EUROPE IS A RIP-SNORTING ADVENTURE BUT IT REQUIRES A RAZOR-SHARP RACING EDGE TO PERFORM. AND I DON’T MEAN TO PERFORM JUST AT A WORLD CUP. I MEAN ANY RACE! There’s something about attaching that race number on the front of your bike after an extended break that’s like nothing else. The struggle of the zip ties and whether to put the number under or over the cables. Deciding which way is more aero or which makes you look more pro. Not because of any pedantic fixation with neatness, but because it marks the start of the cross-eyed inducing race season. For some the season can be all-or-nothing and for others a stepping stone to further endeavours. The Australian XC scene involves a lot of riders with overlapping…

Upon hearing I would be testing the new Rocky Mountain XC bike I was genuinely excited. Although Rocky Mountain first appeared back in 1987, it wasn’t until 1997 that I got my first taste of them after seeing the ‘Team Only’ Element and Altitude in-store whilst living in Western Canada. With roots steeped in Canadian XC and ‘freeriding’, Rocky Mountain have always had a solid reputation as being a burly, hard-hitting bike for tackling the steeps of their hometown in North Vancouver. The RM7 and Slayer were always the iconic models I lusted over while huddling around the TV watching VCR movies such as the New World Disorder and Kranked series - often overshadowing their XC models that were lining up at the Grundig World Cups XC series. INITIAL IMPRESSIONS…

The vast State north of the Tweed river might be best known for thongs, singlets, rugby league and a poor understanding of daylight savings – but beyond the jokes, Queensland is a mountain bike paradise for much of the year. From Nerang, almost on the New South Wales border, up to Port Douglas in Tropical North Queensland, there are countless places mountain bikers can find exquisite trails to ride. With a subtropical climate in the south and a tropical climate in the north, the whole State is the perfect place to visit through winter when you need to escape the winter chill of the south. Best of all, there are countless locations that are expanding what they offer for mountain bikers. Nerang is being overhaulled ahead of the Commonwealth Games,…

Three wise men said it loud and they said it clear: “You’ve got to fight for your right to party.” Substitute ‘party’ for the preferred blow-off activity of all who read this tome and the saying is no less true. Now you’ve probably never heard of Rushworth. That’s OK – this small Victorian town’s name was dreamt up by a good mate of Charles Dickens and its other main claim to fame is the fact is was one of the state’s most productive gold fields during the Gold Rush in the mid 1800s. Not a lot on the world-changing front has happened there since. For a small but growing group of local mountain bikers, though, it’s where we go to blow off steam. Right on the town’s doorstep is the…

BEN WANTED TO BOOST OFF A ROCK ON ONE SIDE OF A TREE, JUMP OVER A PATCH OF WILD SHRUB, AND TRANSITION TO LAND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FEATURE, ABOUT EIGHT METRES LATER. WE HOLD OUR BREATH AS HE HAS A RUN UP… AND HE MAKES IT. The four-wheeled Polaris rescue vehicle-come-shuttle grumbled but never faltered as we traversed up the ridgeline of Hidden Vale Adventure Park; the hill so steep we were unanimously relieved to be shuttled to the peak trails. Grasshoppers and butterflies flew by - and sometimes on - us as we soaked in the sun and surrounds of lush green grass, tall gums, red dirt and what seemed like endless sky reaching out in front of us. We hadn’t even hit the trails and…

Canadian brand Norco has a strong heritage in gravity. Founded in 1964, the company was on the cutting edge in the early 1990s and since then has gone from strength to strength with their dual suspension lines. The Sight was launched in 2013 and incorporated the company’s latest ART suspension system which came directly from their Aurum downhill bike (which I tested early last year). What I’m getting at here is that Norco have a great sense of what goes downhill well and what is fun to ride. With the launch of the new Sight Carbon it was going to be interesting to see what they could do by not only tweaking the frame but bringing in a new wheel size too. The new Sight Carbon is planted in the…

THE ACCELERATION AND NIMBLENESS OF THE WOODSMOKE WAS IMMEDIATELY LAUGH-OUT-LOUD FUN AND IT LITERALLY TAKES ZERO EFFORT WHATSOEVER TO GET THE FRONT END OFF THE GROUND OR MANOEUVRE TIGHT TURNS. Since their brand makeover in the mid 2000s and the adoption of their ‘Adventure By Bike’ motto, Salsa have really proved that they are a company not scared to push limits of bicycle design and usage. A quick look at their overall range for 2017 will highlight, among other things, a full suspension fatbike, multiple bikes with drop bars and big rubber designed for serious exploring. All that, plus the newest introduction to their range - the Woodsmoke. Like much of Salsa’s range, the Woodsmoke is designed for maximum versatility, this time revolving around a playful, slack, carbon trail bike…

Bike maintenance and repairs needn’t be a mystery. The majority of bike mechanics have reached their level of skill through training, practice, education, patience – and using the right equipment. In no way am I here to discount the skills of a trained bike mechanic, but I would like to cast a light on what is required to perform a few basic maintenance tasks and bike building processes. PRO, Shimano’s accessory arm, make a myriad of tools available separately that will suit the home mechanic, and they now have options for tool collections from the Essential Pack we have here, all the way to the ‘XL’ Toolbox that sells for $739. UNROLLING THE ESSENTIALS The Essential Pack contains a robust chain tool, three tyre levers, a chain ring nut tool,…

Jumping a bike is a whole lot of fun – there’s no doubt about it. However, in the quest for speed and efficiency, jumping obstacles can quite often take the back seat for the advanced rider, especially when it comes to smaller jumps and rollers at speed. Staying low and pumping is key to going fast on a bike, and as the speed of the rider increases and the size of the obstacle doesn’t, manualing and pre-jumping comes into its own. Pre-jumping is best used for dips and low obstacles (anything less than a comfortable bunny-hop height really), but once you start coming across higher obstacles and rollers, manualing up the face and staying low is a great technique. It’s something best avoided on a fully fledged XC bike, except…

Christopher Jefferys was an ordinary kid in 2009 with an extraordinary vision to “help people who research things”. He had heard about a local boy called Pierce who suffered from a rare form of Congenital Muscular Dystrophy. So Christopher’s plan was to help in the only way he could think of – by riding his bike. With the assistance of his parents, Rebecca and Nigel, and his brother Ashley, he founded the charity ‘Pedal 4 Pierce’. Fast forward seven years and Pedal 4 Pierce has changed a whole host of children’s lives in the ACT and NSW. By participating at races and organising fundraising events in Canberra, he has been able to donate money to the Sydney Children’s Hospital and University of Canberra research teams to find a cure for…

“WHERE ARE YOU ALL HEADED?” SEEMS TO BE THE CONVERSATION STARTER OF CHOICE, THE ROUTE BEING AN OUT AND BACK FOR THOSE (UNFORTUNATELY) RESTRICTED TO RIDING ON PAVED SURFACES. BUT THAT’S NOT YOU. But not just a ‘regular’ mountain bike holiday. Maybe you need a break from groomed, flowing trail and riding in circles. Maybe you’re looking for an adventure, for challenging and exhilarating riding but also the chance to see an amazing part of the country. You want to experience some history, and maybe a little hardship, between icy beers and good meals in the company of friends and interesting strangers alike. And so you rally the troops. It’s no surprise to find your friends experiencing similar post-summer riding depression and together, with a few quiet ales, a map…

STRAIGHT AWAY THE BIKE URGES YOU TO PUSH IT HARDER INTO CORNERS THAN YOU WOULD USUALLY BE COMFORTABLE, TO DIVE INTO THE ROCK GARDEN WITHOUT HESITATION, OR TO HUCK OFF A LEDGE. Focus. It’s a name that conjures images of precision, German engineering, clarity of thought and exactness of motion. Jam (noun); A fruit conserve, delicious on toast. The Focus Jam is a 140mm, 27.5” trail bike, a specific travel option that has become increasingly popular in the past few years. Focus state that the Jam is the ultimate all-mountain bike, with the capacity to climb as well as it descends. With technology such as the FOLD suspension, ‘modern, agile and aggressive’ geometry and a very tight build spec, the Jam certainly looks the goods. With strong players in the…

Track X are a cycling attire company founded in 2008 when downhill aficionado Byron Wallis became frustrated with riders at races resorting to wearing motorcross gear, often from companies that had no interest in supporting mountain biking or developing specific mountain biking attire. The goal of Track X was to produce awesome mountain bike clothing, but also to give back to the community and Wallis has been active in his home state of Tasmania, putting on build day barbies, sponsoring downhill races and developing a local ambassador program. With the boom of enduro and emergence of trail riding as a strong discipline within the sport of mountain biking, Wallis states that the product has shifted slightly from pure downhill attire to more gravity and all-mountain styled gear; loose fit, baggy…

Di2 is still pretty new on the mountain bike scene, but now it’s at an XT level and on more bikes, there are also more people making an upgrade. So we thought we’d talk you through a few pointers to get it set up neatly, make sure it’s running up to date and what to look at as a new user. It can be hard to make a non-Di2 ready bike look neat and tidy, but following a few of these tips should make a huge difference. KEEP IT TIDY! I tend to use a lot of heat shrink while setting up Di2. It keeps the cables out of harms way and also adds more rigidity to them. Always be careful with your heat source and remember that it doesn’t…