Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 200 i Australian Mountain Bike

editorial Welcome to the 200th issue of Australian Mountain Bike. The world has seen some big changes since the first issue went on sale in 1994. But a glance at the cover lines leaves me wondering if that much has changed in our world of mountain biking? While the 90s was a boom time for mountain bikes, it would be hard to argue that there has ever been a better time to be a mountain biker than right now. In 1994 I recall trying to figure out what trails I could ride in the north-west of Sydney, and WTF the loam everyone talked about in American magazines was. I just knew sandstone, steps, friction shifting and caliper brakes. We now have millions spent to make trails for us to ride,…

I had the pleasure of attending the TRC Trail Conference in Tasmania, it was great to have the opportunity to be back meeting other passionate trails people in person. Held in the beautiful St Helens the conference was awesome, well done to Janet and the TRC crew for making these events happen. Over the three days we heard from industry experts and thought leaders across a range of subjects, covering off on some of the main opportunities and issues faced by the trails industry in Australia, New Zealand, and the world. Based on my experience at the conference I have highlighted the top five outcomes that I have taken away. 1. The investment in trails over the last 10 – 15 years in Australia is quite amazing – we have…

Founded by Matt and Emma D’Arcy, KRUSH are Australian owned, and their products are proudly produced in Australia. I spoke with Matt about KRUSH’s growth to date, as well as what’s next. After our chat I’m excited to see what the future holds for this Mansfield based operation! AMB: When did you found KRUSH, and what was the motivation to begin the brand? Matt: We’re in our sixth year. I grew up as a passionate Dirt Bike and BMX rider, and with both of those things there was always a passion to be outdoors riding. A bit later mountain biking came along for me, and it suited my interests perfectly. When I got into mountain biking, I began using Muc-Off to wash my bikes. It’d been around since the mid…

Rumours ran rife for months, even years: Crankworx was coming to Australia, and it was coming to Cairns. When news broke in late April 2022 that Crankworx was landing on Australian soil in October 2022 – parts of the Australian mountain bike community went wild! It was fitting that the iconic mountain bike festival would choose Cairns as it’s tropical home in Australia. Cairns helped put Australia on the world-stage when it hosted a World Cup and World Championships in the mid 1990s, and the region was the backdrop to much of the Mudcows' antics in the same decade. You could argue that the growth and success of Crankworx has been built on the foundation laid by the Mudcows crew, amongst many others who pushed the progression of mountain biking…

In the middle of 2022, Trek revealed what everyone knew must be in the works – a brand-new Fuel EX trail bike. Following on from the popular Trek Fuel EXe mid-power, light weight eMTB, the Fuel EX illustrated that they didn’t just update the popular platform – they completely redesigned it. Sitting side-by-side a Fuel EXe, the two bikes share the same silhouette, with a similar suspension and frame layout. Clearly they came through a similar design process, but their bikes do have different characters. The Fuel EX has been a popular bike amongst all AMB crew for years. It was a mountain bike you could jump on and go ride trails, tackle a fun XC event, and happily recommend to a friend as a place to look for their…

tested + Lots of tuning options + Great trail performance + High quality finish + Very stiff for the weight - Narrow market segment. No 140mm? RRP: $1649 nsdynamics.com.au Ohlins are well-known for their high performance suspension components for trail, all-mountain, enduro, eMTB and downhill use. The Swedes have a fine touch for top-shelf suspension, and their products are regarded for high levels of adjustability, precision manufacturing and plush trail feel. This all harks from over 40 years of experience gained in the world of motorsports. In early 2022, Ohlins released an additional model to the RX34 range. While the RX34 is a 34mm legged trail fork, the new RX34 M2 is aimed at the downcountry market. That means the weight was cut back and the 29” only fork would…

tested + Affordable + Zippered pocket + Unique colour scheme + Breathable - Neck line is too low RRP: $89.95 tineli.com.au Tineli are well known for their custom apparel in the road scene, but they have recently entered both the custom and retail mountain bike scene with a range of excellent value products. The men’s and women’s Trail jerseys are all at the same price point in multiple designs, with a couple of handy features. FEATURES AND FIT The Trail jersey has the weight and feel of any jersey you would expect at this price point. It’s not an ultra-light jersey, but it does have mesh panels down each side of the jersey. But unlike many jerseys at this level, it also contains a rear zippered pocket with a microfiber…

tested + Easy to install + Low weight and reduced rolling resistance + Can tune pressure for traction, not just rim protection - Adds an extra step to tyre changes or flat repairs RRP: $79.99 fesports.com.au Tubolight’s tyre liners hail from Italy, and they should be well-known to anyone who follows succesful World Cup riders. Tubolight are used by the likes of the Commencal Muc-Off Team and Trek Factory Racing XC amongst many others. Both teams are known to never leave equipment choice to chance, and this alone speaks highly for Tubolight. While they have models for everything from road to downhill, the overall design is similar, although construction uses different materials and shapes. The Tubolight design has an inner channel and an outer channel, ensuring a lot of the…

Riding skinnies is a great skill which is always worth revisiting and honing at any skill level or ability. The ability to control your bike accurately at low speeds crosses over into so many elements of riding and particularly when things get a bit out of hand and there is a need to “re-balance” to get back on track. Be it technical climbs, slow and steep technical descents or simply trying to get across a less than adequate bridge, the skill translates really well and can be practiced in so many ways other than on North Shore style bridges. From beginner to advanced, it’s also a whole lot of fun to challenge yourself but always remember to start low and slow and work your way up as your confidence and…

While I talk extensively about training and performance in this column, it stands to reason that all of us have barriers to effective training: otherwise just about anyone could be an elite athlete. While some of the barriers we can come up against are tangible things: living far away from trails or terrain that suits what we are training for, lack of racing opportunities, lack of time, lack of family or school support or inadequate equipment; the other side of this is the very real mental barriers and unhelpful mindset traps that derail athletes, diminishing their ability to reach their own goals. We check out a few common ones below, can you relate? 1. IF I CAN’T HIT MY TARGETS ONE DAY, MY TRAINING IS RUINED This is typical black…

Things have come a long time over the history of AMB. From a start in the early 1994, AMB grew with mountain biking, and is now just one of a few fantastic local media outlets for mountain bikers in Australia. Mountain bikes, how we ride them, and the trails we can tackle have changed a lot in three decades. How can you summarise a time period that covers so much development, characters, stories and stoke? We reached out to some of our key contributors, many who have had their wheels on the dirt as long as AMB has been in print. Here’s what they think really made a difference to mountain biking in Australia over the past 30 years, and who some of the stand out stars are, listed in…

With Christmas just around the corner it’s time for the big wind down, rest, and reset for next year. I don’t know about you, but this year was challenging because of the transition from the pandemic years into the “new normal”. While it’s important to look after yourself and take the time you need to recharge for 2023, Christmas time also means a time to give back to others within your life and community, and I promise this will make you feel good too! LOOKING WITHIN I like to think of the pandemic as an unpleasant version of the book Eat Pray Love. Now I know the cross over between AMB readers to those that are familiar with Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestselling memoir is very small, I think you can all…

Often when we think of being an “eco-conscious consumer,” we look for recycled materials, closed loop manufacturing, ethical materials and the like. However, the importance of buying local – and supporting local – is at times overlooked. Buying something from the US, your item will go on a plane that creates 1.90 tonnes of CO2 – which is something like felling 30 full grown trees, or using 25, 000 straws (the internet told me this when I was making the calculations). Then you realise you’ve bought the wrong thing, or it doesn’t fit/look as nice as you’d hoped. So, you’re faced with the ethical dilemma – post it back (so now you’ve used 50,000 plastic straws you monster). Or you could face the Marketplace gauntlet or put it in your…

Thredbo has long been the home of gravity riding in Australia, with the iconic Cannonball Run etched into the memories of generations of Australian mountain bikers. Over the past decade, Thredbo has grown to be so much more than just one of the most demanding downhill runs in the country with chairlift access. Thredbo’s 2022-2023 mountain bike season officially opened on November 19 and runs to April 25 2023. There’s a lot to love about a trip to Thredbo. The drive up the Alpine Way from the shores of Lake Jindabyne edges you ever closer to the alpine village. The road twists up the valley, climbing ridges before descending again. At each high point you get a view to the main range ahead. Be it a patch of snow or…

Norco are a brand which will most likely be well-known by those leafing through the magazine or scrolling the AMBmag.com.au website. Best known for producing capable, durable, and affordable dual-suspension mountain bikes, Norco have recently revised their highly popular Fluid FS range of trail bikes for 2023. Last updated in 2019, the Canadian companies focus with design updates to their entry-level trail offering were founded on trying to deliver a consistent, high quality ride characteristic to all who may be interested in purchasing a Fluid. These updates are founded on their Ride Aligned Design System, which focuses on helping riders get the most out of their bike regardless of your skill level or body size. To achieve this, Norco provide rear centre lengths and seat tube angles unique to each…

tested + Easy opening and closing + Comfortable and durable upper + Suits on and off bike use + Fast drying - Could use a second BOA or further fit options for narrow feet RRP: $249 fizik.com Fizik’s mountain bike shoe range has been expanding and evolving over the recent years, with models like the Gravita Tensor and and Vento Ferox Carbon winning critical acclaim – and not just from us! The Terra Atlas is fairly removed from the pure gravity and XC focus of those shoes, being based on the cross-country angled Terra X5, with a little more all-round purpose built into the shoe. Fizik state that the Terra Atlas will suit just about any riding from bikepacking to downcountry or light trail use. So they needed to make…

tested + Durable + Well priced + Easy purchasing process + Mixed wheel set option - Rim and hub options on online builder won’t have everything for all people RRP: $990 From: raild.co Raild Wheels is a Sydney wheel building company founded in late 2020. The two owners of the company are Eugene Holdenson and Hamish Simpson, and they’re both passionate about lowering the price point for quality wheels. Whilst they’re based in Sydney, Raild’s wheels are being ridden nationwide, as fast turnarounds is one of the key elements of their service. If you order a wheel set in Adelaide on Monday, chances are you’ll be riding it the following weekend. At this stage Raild offer two rim brands and two hub brands for their wheel sets, with a third…

Often the focus of nutrition is on carbohydrates and protein for fuelling and recovery. However, the choices you make about what else to put on the plate has a big impact on performance, too. So, if you’re not eating the recommended five serves of veggies a day, here’s why you should! WHY 5 A DAY? The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend we eat a wide variety of foods from the five main food groups every day. However, most don’t manage this! In fact, the ABS suggests only 9% of Australian adults are eating the recommended five serves of vegetables each day and most eat only about 2.5 serves at best. This means many are missing out on nutrients we need, and likely getting too much of the nutrients we don’t need…

The National Gravity Enduro Champs were run and won in late October this year. It was a long wait for the Red Hill Riders MTB Club on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, whose quest to hold Nationals was pushed back for two consecutive years due to COVID-19 and border restrictions. Last year, Green Valley’s Mountain Bike Park in NSW hosted the event, but many big names were unable to attend due to fluctuating travel and isolation rules. However, this year was all in, with over 500 riders attending the event. Many of the top favourites had just returned from racing the EWS and World Cups overseas; this included U21 guns Ryan Gilchrist and Elise Empey, and Elite riders Hayden Stead, Zoe Cuthbert and Ellie Smith. These names were just the tip…

Ticking over four big pineapples worth of history, culture, sport and promotion is no mean feat. The sport itself isn’t much older than the magazine you’re reading, which says a whole lot about the enthusiastic crew of regular readers throughout the years from a tiny nation upside down and far away from what most consider the birthplace of the sport. Looking back through the archives is like taking a walk in a foreign country, nothing makes sense, and yet at the same time it kind of does. Everyone back then was trying to do the same things we are trying to do now, only in a different way, and by the looks of things you could even argue they were having much more fun doing it than we are now.…

As we celebrate 200 issues of Australian Mountain Bike, it is hard to look past two of the biggest changes over the last few decades. One is the amount of high quality, purpose-built mountain bike trails that have been funded that we typically get to ride for free, or at minimal cost. The other big change is e-bikes. Whether you own one yet or not, the ever-increasing presence of eMTBs on the trails is hard to ignore. Both of these changes have hugely popular outcomes for us as mountain bikers. Firstly, we have more trails to ride all over the country. Think of places like Blue Derby, Falls Creek, most of south-western Australia, Fox Creek Bike Park and so many other places we all love to ride. Or of course…

At the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets, France, Australia’s Junior Downhill team was launched onto the biggest stage in global mountain biking. They were surrounded by the craziest fans, and needed to tackle one of the most intimidating events you could attend as a Junior rider. How do you even prepare for such an event? Coming from Australia where the mountains are small and the racing smaller, racing at a World Cup or World Championship event can be a shock to the system for even the most well-prepared athlete. That’s what Australia’s 10 Junior Downhill riders faced this year, for some it was their first European competition, some their first major trip away from home. For 17 year old Adelaide local Kael Foale this was his…

Whether you are headed out for a quick spin, shuttle laps, or an all-day epic in my opinion there is no reason why you shouldn’t don a set of knee pads. Excuses of them being bulky, uncomfortable to pedal in or simply inept at actually staying in place during a crash used to be entirely valid. However the recent explosion in popularity of high-quality slip on, gel-based pads means you can now protect your knees in relative comfort and style with the confidence that you will be saved a trip to the ER should you end up sliding down some singletrack like David Bechham celebrating a goal. Don’t give me any of this “if you don’t plan to crash you won’t crash” garbage. I’ve seen enough knee caps gashed and…

Trek have progressed their mountain bike range in leaps and bounds over the past few years, including the introduction of a super light eMTB and the down-country Top Fuel. Producing incredibly capable dual suspension bikes with increasingly light frames, you’d expect their hardtail range to be placed on hold if not entirely phased out. However, the US brand still values the role of the hardtail in its range as exemplified by the new Roscoe 9. The latest edition of the Roscoe, a model dating back to 2019, has developed in conjunction with the rest of their off-road range, providing slack modern geometry, more clearance for wider tyres, and updated components. If you’re still in the mind set that hardtails lack personality and panache, the Roscoe is here to write a…

tested + Impressive grip in soft and loamy soils + Stiff sidewalls + Hard wearing tread pattern - Clearance on 2.6’ tyre - Not the best choice on hardpack – but that’s in the name RRP: $129.99 fesports.com.au Pirelli’s most recent available update in their Scorpion range is the SmartGRIP gravity compound found on the Scorpion Enduro S tyre I have on test. Pirelli claim a softer compound, increased traction and a longer use life. The Enduro S is the most aggressive tread pattern available in the Pirelli Scorpion lineup, and has been designed specifically for aggressive riding in loose and soft terrain. They’re available in ProWall and HardWall casings, in 27.5” and 29” sizes and 2.6/2.4" variants. SETUP I mounted up the 29x2.6” Scorpion Enduro S (1217g) to the…

tested + Portable and customisable ramp system + Suitable for a wide variety of skills and ages + Quality Australian made product - The jumps have a set radius, unlike some other jumps available RRP: MEDIUM RAMP $399 From: jigsawjumps.com In the heart of Covid lock down and not allowed to leave the local vicinity, we saw creative minds solving problems sprout up all over the place, often bringing production home to Australia. Sam Knight of Jigsaw Jumps did just that when he was unable to hit his local trails. Sam found that designing and building his own portable jump to take to the park was the best answer for a fix of fitness and fun. The portable ramp was also a hit with the local kids, so Sam turned…