Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 196 i Australian Mountain Bike

PHOTOGRAPHER MATT ROUSU The Highline MTB Festival in March brought the nation’s best gravity and slopestyle riders together to Mansfield in Victoria’s High Country. While slopestyle is growing here in Australia, it is clear it’s got a great foundation with a really supportive core group of riders. PHOTOGRAPHER MATT ROUSU / RIDER HARRIET BURBIDGE-SMITH With a supportive crew and crowd at the Highline MTB Festival, riders were keen to push themselves. Harriet Burbidge-Smith attempted her first flip to a dirt landing, but unfortunately just over-rotated. A disappointment? Maybe – but the support from other competitors for her was huge! Expect to see her landing these on dirt soon. PHOTOGRAPHER MATT ROUSU / RIDER LUKE PARKER, MATT COOPER, MIKE ROSS The men’s Slopestyle final took place against the bushfire coloured sunset.…

After Port to Port on 19-22 May, the Australian Epic Series of 4-day mountain bike stage races rides north for winter. And you can forget the pseudo tropics of south east Queensland – as the race series goes all the way to Cairns, one of Australia’s mountain biking hot spots. Tropical North Queensland and Cairns inparticular forged many of Australia’s top downhill racing talent, and they have hosted numerous World Cups and two World Championships at Smithfield Mountain Bike Park. But beyond the steep rainforest and minjin lairs of Smithfield lies a plethora of trails up and over the Great Dividing Range. There’s a lot to explore, and Reef to Reef on 18-21 August is an ideal way to do it. Reef to Reef takes you through the most diverse…

I recently did a mountain bike skills lesson with my local coaching instructor Rowan from rideTECHNICS, and realised that I’d been riding a mountain bike wrong in some ways for my whole life. My goal was to be able to clear the smaller doubles on my local trails and feel more confident on all-mountain and flow trails, and not just the cross-country trails, and I wasn’t sure what I needed to know to improve. Rowan ran us through some of the basics, and with a very friendly and encouraging manner pointed out a few things that were holding me back and would make it very difficult to achieve my goals. I was immediately outside of my comfort zone and felt like I was back at school being tested on my…

Last Christmas I went on a road trip from Newcastle to Tasmania. Over the course of the trip, I saw a phenomenal amount of Shingleback Off Road Bike Racks. After three weeks of seeing Shinglebacks all day every day, it was an easy decision to lock in Shingleback as the second brand featured in this Australian Made series. Shingleback Off Road was founded by Andrew and Kimberley Taylor in 2016. The huge growth this brand from the Victorian High Country has achieved in the last five years is a tribute to hard work and a commitment to premium quality products. AMB: Tell us a bit about where the motivation to begin making racks came from, and when you decided to start doing it professionally? Andrew: 2016 is when it started,…

The Summit glove has easily been my favourite of the new Pearl iZUMi range, and one I reach for daily. The Summit is their mid-weight trail line, placing more emphasis on coverage than breathability in comparison to the Elevate Mesh. It truly fits “like a glove,” without any palm material bunching up while gripping. The palm is a single piece of faux suede, giving the gloves a luxurious feel every time you pull them on. The upper is a mix of polyester and elastane, providing the perfect amount of stretch when wrapped around your handlebar. This is all bound together by a single Velcro wrist strap which has maintained its efficacy over multiple washes. The pull tab on the strap does appear flimsy, so I’m interested to see its performance…

G-Form are an American company who focus specifically on protection. Their mountain bike athlete roster includes Emil Johansson, and the calculated Swede wouldn’t use equipment that wasn’t up to the task. Here at AMB we’ve reviewed several G-Form products in the past, and they’re right up there when it comes to quality protection. The MX360 is the first back protection offered by G-Form, and their attention to detail makes me think that there might be a lot more protection to come from G-Form. The back protector is a short-sleeve half suit that uses a zip closure for easy fitting and removal. The back protection itself is EVA padding with a SmartFlex cover. SmartFlex is a G-Form technology that’s similar to the D30 protection offered by other brands. At rest it…

BUILD A STRONG BASE. At this age, setting good food habits is important. Ensuring your child is generally eating before focusing on sports specific nutrition, is like ensuring they have base fitness before looking for top end speed. Children and adolescents should be eating mainly unprocessed foods and eating to appetite. Highly processed foods are high in sugar, fat and salt, which can impact long term health, even if a child is active. Instead, make sure your child is mainly choosing food from the five food groups for the majority of their meals and snacks. MAKE SURE THEY ARE EATING ENOUGH. Not eating enough will not only impact your child or adolescent’s performance on the bike, but may also impact their growth, development and performance at school. The Australian Guide…

Three facts were glaringly obvious during putting this issue together, and each one can be equally celebrated as great things for mountain biking. Firstly, there are more women in mountain biking than ever before. This one can be hard to measure as the easiest way to measure participation is via events. But seeing the increase in women’s riding groups and initiatives like the Trek Momentum Camp, not only are there more women getting into mountain biking, but the support is there as well. Secondly, mountain biking is progressing and evolving at an incredible rate. This has been happening since the sport started, but each image I saw come out of the Highline MTB Festival or Trek Momentum Camp blew me away with what riders are capable of on their bikes.…

All new for 2022 is the Quad Crown MTB Series, made up of four weekend stage races spread up and down Australia’s east coast. The first event will land on the Sunshine Coast, kicking off on June 10 – 12. You’ll have plenty time to prepare, and Queensland’s winter has some of Australia’s best riding conditions.New South Wales’ Sapphire Coast is next in early August (5-7), then East Gippsland (VIC, September 9-11) with the series rounding out near Devonport (TAS) across the weekend of November 18-20. The format is the same at all four events, with an optional prologue on the Friday afternoon. While a fast time in this short event will get you a better start position for the first stage on Saturday, it’s not essential to do it.…

ELISE EMPEY Age: 17 Home: Mansfield, VIC Favourite place to ride: Mansfield, specifically “some secret little tracks I built – which are pretty mint.” Riding style: “Direct and non-steezy” Favourite snack: Ice-cream Idol: Tahnee Seagrave MATILDA HENNESS Age: 14 Home: Jindabyne, NSW Favourite place to ride: Maydena Riding style: “Aggressive – I like downhill!” Favourite snack: Popcorn Idols: Caroline Buchanan, Harriet Burbidge-Smith, Miriam Nicole GEORGIA HENNESS Age: 16 Home: Jindabyne, NSW Favourite place to ride: Maydena Riding style: “I like to just go straight and fast.” Favourite snack: BBQ Shapes – “they always fill you up.” Idols: Harriet Burbidge-Smith and Sian A’Hern LUCIE VAN DER SCHALK Age: 24 Home: Canberra, ACT Favourite place to ride: Majura Pines, Canberra Riding style: “Relaxed? Relaxed.” Favourite snack: “Crisps – crinkle cut. Aldi o…

LAZER JACKAL KINETICORE RRP: $329 Sizes (tested): S, (M), L Verified weight: 358g Rotational impact protection: Kineti Core crumple zones Accessory mount: Yes Goggle compatible: Yes Ponytail compatible: Yes Virginia Tech Rating: 5 star From: Shimano Australia The Lazer Jackal trail helmet has been updated for 2022 with the KinetiCore design, replacing the MIPS slip liner for less weight and greater airflow thanks to all the channels it creates through the crumple zones in the foam. It has extended coverage and an easy to use, highly adjustable retention system. The helmet works well with sunglasses or goggles, with a rubberised gripper to hold a goggle strap in place. You can even park your sunglasses securely under the visor. Lazer use high quality straps with easy adjustments. The strap splitters do…

Three years ago, Forbidden Bike Company burst on to the scene with their first bike - The Druid. Centred around their ‘Trifecta’ linkage design, this bike took the industry by surprise. Seldom seen in the modern era at the time, The Druid was a 130mm travel idler equipped, high single pivot 29er trail bike boasting a 100% rearward axle path and a front to rear sizing ratio which was maintained across all sizes. In a market flooded with Horst Link and dual link style bikes Forbidden came in swinging with a design which had a genuine point of difference. The Druid garnered praise not only for being different but also for taking a risk in what was Forbidden’s first offering. Now, Forbidden are back with their new Enduro bike named…

Head to any trail head and you are bound to see multiple different vertical bike racks hanging off the back of local’s cars. These highly functional racks give you the ability to carry you and your friends’ rides without needing a dual cab ute or shuttle pad. I can still remember the first time I saw a vertical rack in Whistler. My mind was blown, what an ingenious idea! Seemingly the trend has caught on down under and now there are a variety of options on the market including the new Rola VBR3 ($1,150) and VBR5 ($1,250). Founded in the 1980s, Rola are a Melbourne based roof rack and storage company who have just released their first foray into vertical bike racks. Touting a very competitive price point and a…

OneUp Components pride themselves on making no-nonsense, value driven products for the everyday mountain biker. Their first foray into the world of product development and sales saw the release and instant success of their ever-popular cassette and derailur cage extenders some nine years ago. Fast-forward to 2022 and OneUp now design and sell a wide variety of parts spanning from your handlebars right down to your pedals. One of their more common products out on the trails are their competitively priced dropper posts, with the V1 being known as a reliable and tunable option suitable for most frame designs and leg lengths. Over the past few months, I have been putting the V2 dropper through its paces in a variety of conditions to see if OneUp have improved on what…

Yakima have taken getting outdoors as corporate policy, and in the past few years their range has exploded out from the mountain bike market into the booming off-road recreation market. While Yakima’s roof top boxes have been popular for some time, you will now see their LockNLoad platforms and accessory kits your 4WD, and of course off-road rated bike racks and plenty more accessories. The Yakima RoadShower is another addition to fit the outdoor range, alongside the Yakima HighRise HD roof-top tent. The Yakima RoadShower takes a simple idea and adds some nifty features. You’ll see plenty of black-painted PVC storm water pipes attached to roof racks on off-road vehicles, as the sun warms the dark painted pipe and allows for a hot shower, typically via a tap attachment or…

Now that we are getting into late autumn, the temperatures are starting to really drop and many of us are looking for warm and nourishing foods to heat and satisfy us. Risotto is a perfect meal for this time of year and the beauty of this recipe is that it is relatively quick and super easy. This dish is made predominately with arborio rice which originates from Northern Italy. It you are counting, arborio rice contains less calories than normal rice. However, it is higher in amylopectin (a starch found in rice) and it is this starch that causes the creamy texture without the need to add ingredients such as cream or cheese. Maintaining a healthy amount of carbohydrates in your diet also promotes brain function so make space for…

Rebecca McConnell won the opening round of the 2022 UCI Cross Country World Cup in Petropolis, Brazil, ahead of Anne Terpstra (Netherlands) and Loana Lecomte (France). This was the first World Cup win by an Australian woman since Mary Grigson won a World Cup in 2000. Multiple men’s Australian National Champion Dan McConnell had a breakthrough ride to a World Cup win in 2013 at Albstadt. After a strong race in the short track event, where McConnell initiated an attack to break up the race on the final lap, she had finished 4th and clearly knew her form was good for the Olympic distance race two days later. While Lecomte lead in a fashion similar to 2021 World Cups, McConnell made sure her gap didn’t balloon out. She closed the…

RACE FACE ATLAS PEDALS The Race Face Atlas pedal has had a redesign, and Race Face state that the pedals are tougher than ever before. So tough, that they’re throwing a lifetime warranty on the pedals to back up their claim. The pedals are wider for a more secure platform, while also being thinner for a lower centre of gravity, with a height of 12mm. The pins are longer (and adjustable) and the bearings are easy to service. Throw in chromoly steel axles for a long life, and a 386g weight and you have a pedal that should be popular and around a long time. Best of all – there are 9 colours to choose from! $239.00 ridefoxaustralia.com.au DYNAPLUG AIR MTB This is a handy kit to jump ito the…

After a few postponements, The Trans Tasmania finally got underway in Januray 2022, beneath clear skies and warm sunshine in Maydena. This in itself is a novel concept for most who have visited this lush bike park playground in typical Tassie moisture. Travelling down from the mainland east coast and in a second successive La Nina (wet) summer, this was a warm welcome. Personally, after minimal time on the bike lately, I felt well underdone for what was to come but overwhelmingly pumped for my first gravity stage race. And boy did it deliver! TELL ME ABOUT THE TRANS SERIES For those unfamiliar with the format, the Trans events cover multi day, multi stage gravity enduro style in a suitably ‘blind racing’ format, meaning basically no practice! Intimidating for some,…

MY FOCUS is glued to the wheel in front. Left, then right. Over a log, a quick stop. Then go! Through the next gap and carry on. Georgina and I have flown to Adelaide to come and see what the trail riding is like near town and up at Fox Creek Bike Park. We are determindly following our ride guide Joe Mullan’s wheel as we scythe our way through the back streets of inner suburbs of Adelaide towards the hills via parks, laneways and local knowledge. Adelaide is a lot like Brisbane where I call home as there is plenty of easily accessible riding close to almost all suburbs. In fact, if you’re a mountain biker and don’t have trails about 15 to 20 minutes ride away, you probably made…

The Trek Rail is Trek’s most aggressive eMTB offering. Pairing 160mm of front travel with 150mm in the rear, the Rail has been in Trek’s line up in its current iteration since 2020. The Trek eMTB range also includes the Powerfly FS, which pairs a 120mm fork with 100mm of rear travel. I reviewed the 2021 Trek Rail 9.8 XT in late 2020, which was the carbon version of this bike. For 2022 the two carbon models of the Rail have moved to Bosch’s new Smart System, which uses a 750Wh battery. The lower priced Rail 9 and Rail 7 stick with Bosch’s Generation 4 Performance Line CX Motor and 625Wh battery. There’s a significant difference in the pricing of the Smart System versus non-Smart System models with the Trek…

Mountain biking isn’t quite old enough for everything old to be new again, but that time isn’t far off. There are some sweet neo-retro builds hitting trails if you keep an eye out, and a few big brands have done vintage paint schemes on factory bikes for their team riders. While few of us are likely to go back to rim brakes, narrow bars and thin sidewalls with tubes, oval chain rings have come and gone a few times over the decades. Oval chain rings are said to be beneficial in minimising the dead spot in your pedal stroke, while increasing the power in the stronger phase of the stroke. With 4 bolt chain rings you often had a few positions, to optimise the oval shape for your own pedalling.…

Power meters are a divisive topic in mountain biking, and most of all in the gravity disciplines. Some riders take them for granted as a training tool, while purists condemn them as an overcomplicated depressant. Both parties have a point. However this review is not written to convince readers of the usefulness of a power meter; rather, it’s written to judge the effectiveness of the Garmin XC100 if you’re already in the market for a power meter. If you’re not convinced of the benefits of power meters on mountain bikes, continue on your way in blissful ignorance. However, if you’re analytically minded with a sprinkling of OCD, read on! When the Garmin XC100 pedals were originally released, I came across them via a Martin Maes endorsement. The post read that…

This is one for the young or young at heart out there who are looking to get a little fancy whilst airborne. The No Hander is a staple trick in mountain biking and has been around for ever and a day. Whilst it looks spectacular and difficult, the reality is that once you have the basic principles down, it is actually a fairly easy trick to pull off. It’s definitely an advanced skill though so before you try it you want to be really confident at jumping and controlling your bike in the air. The mental barrier of the trick comes from the simple fact that it is totally unintuitive - why the hell would you take your hands of the bars when you’re jumping! It becomes even more of…

So you want to get a bit fitter but you’re not sure where to start. Many grand plans to increase fitness start with a fit of motivation, usually followed by a few days of pushing your limits, then finish with a spectacular period of snoozing and beers. If this sounds like you then lean in, we have some useful tips to use your time wisely to manage your training load to increase your fitness in a sustainable manner. FIND YOUR AVAILABILITY When I chat to athletes I ask them what their availability is. Almost invariably they say they’re available several hours a day, seven days a week. It took a few years of coaching to realise that while everyone would like to be able to ride every day, for most…