Innholdsfortegnelse for Aug-Sep-Oct 2016 i Mountain Biking Australia

Dwellingup 100 THIS year the Dwellingup 100 will serve as a stop on the six round National XCM series as well as being West Australia’s State Marathon Championships. While it’s sure to attract some super fit and fast racers as a result, that’s not what it’s all about. Over 1,100 riders are expected to take part and the vast majority won’t be ‘elite’. There are four distance options to choose from; the 100km Classic may be the drawcard but there’s also 60 and 40km events as well as a 14km ride for kids and beginners (this also serves as a Schools Championship Race). The event also has a charity partner; Muscular Dystrophy WA. Five years ago they started ‘ride for someone who can’t’. This is an exclusive team of 30…

Located on the NSW South Coast, around six hours from Sydney, Tathra is a small beachside town with a population of around 1,600. It’s roughly in line with Bega and best known as a surfing, fishing and general holidaying destination. For us however, Tathra brings forth memories of swooping singletrack rollercoaster rides. We visited Tathra back in 2011 and have been itching to return ever since. This year, when the opportunity arose for a family getaway, Tathra was at the top of our list. It’s not just the trails that provide the attraction; with two young water loving kids, the appeal is even stronger. We opted to stay at Tathra Beachside caravan park. As the name suggests it’s right on the main beach (literally 10 metres in from the first…

According to Fizik, the Thar was designed to rectify some issues that commonly arise on 29er mountain bikes. They say that many big wheeled bikes have longer top tubes and slack seat angles that push the saddle more towards the rear of the bike. With the Thar, the rails are extra long and extend 25mm further towards the rear of the saddle. This means there’s more scope to push the saddle forward, returning some weight to the front end to improve steering stability when climbing, at least that’s the spiel from Fizik. Sure, we’ve encountered 29ers with slack seat angles; bikes where the saddle gets exponentially further behind the bottom bracket the higher you raise the seatpost, but we’ve encountered the same trait on many 27.5 wheeled bikes too. My…

As the name suggests, Absolute Black designed their new chain guide with elliptical chainrings in mind. They go so far as saying it’s, ‘the only chain guide on the market that is designed specifically for oval chainrings.’ Oval rings are all the rage at the moment and it’s true that they don’t always work well with a chain guide. Their variable outer radius means that some guides won’t fully cover the chain at certain points in the pedal stroke. In other cases it can be hard to fully eliminate chain rub when running an oval ring. That said, we’ve successfully used a number of regular chain guides on oval 1X drivetrains. It can certainly work, it just depends on the guide as well as the individual bike setup. The Oval…

I’ve long been curious about fatbikes and who hasn’t really? It’s almost comical when you first see a machine fitted with four or five-inch-wide rubber—you can’t help but want to ride it. My first taste of fatbikes came five years ago. I can clearly remember the amazing traction and flotation, as well as the excessive weight and poor handling when thrust into general mountain biking duties. Fatbike fans constantly tell me that these balloon tyre beasts have evolved since then and now perform well across the board—I’m told they’re no longer just for sand and snow riding. You certainly see them popping up in a wide range of situations. I know of people using them as their go-to trail bike and others who race gravity enduro on them, so there…

Plus Bikes: When it comes to sand or snow riding, plus tyres don’t offer a dramatic improvement over a regular MTB. Plus bikes are really for trail riding; the combination of super short chainstays and modern trail geometry delivers a confident and super fun ride that doesn’t differ hugely from a regular MTB, it’s just they provide a noticeable boost in cornering and climbing traction. With the ability to run regular 29-inch wheels, they also offer great versatility and can transform into an XC/marathon ride for longer distances on less rugged trails. You’ll find a growing number of mid-travel dual suspension plus bikes too. They typically share similar no-compromise trail geometry and really stand to elevate the fun factor on rougher trails (sure, there are fully suspended fatbikes too but…

Currently there’s no shortage of great mountain bikes on the market. Frame geometry, suspension designs and manufacturing techniques continue to improve to the point where it’s getting harder and harder to buy a dud. These days finding the ideal bike is more about matching the ride characteristics to your particular needs and desires. Despite the increased competition, certain brands manage to retain an aura of sorts. Names like Santa Cruz and Yeti still provoke excitement and desire from any full-blooded mountain biker, and Intense Cycles definitely sits in that league. The brand has been around since the early ‘90s and many of the world’s best have ridden them; John Tomac, Shaun Palmer, Gee Atherton, Greg Minnaar, Mick Hannah, Chris Kovarik and more. In many cases their bikes were relabelled due…

My first proper mountain bike was a Kona. It came with some slightly off-kilter graphics, a name that I was never confident pronouncing and an odd tropical-Hawaiian theme. As a relative newcomer to the sport, my Kula hardtail had allure in spades. Its cool styling communicated in ways that I didn’t entirely fathom but it was from Canada, well it was designed there anyway. Sure, I was still coming to grips with how to ride off-road, but somehow I became a fully accredited mountain biker when I hopped on that beast! Over the years Kona has produced a number of models that really challenged the status quo and established the brand— bikes such as the Unit, Honzo, Hei Hei and Jake. These names remain in the current line-up, although the…

Having ridden XTR Di2 in its prototype stages – when it was nothing more than an agricultural assembly of CNC machined alloy blocks – we’re not exactly new to electronic shifting. We have ridden a number of times in production form too, but this is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to spend a good amount of quality time on the Di2 system. Shimano’s Di2 electronic gear shifting was released on their topflight Dura-Ace road groupset in 2009 and it has now trickled down to Ultegra level (it’s expected to hit the mid-range 105 group later this year too). So when the same system was launched on their XTR mountain bike group in 2014, we knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a more affordable…

When plus wheels and components appeared on the MTB landscape, nobody seemed sure how they were going to fit in. Some manufacturers saw it as an option for the adventuring/touring market while others fitted the larger tyres to dual suspension bikes. However it seems to have gained the strongest presence on rugged hardtails; bikes like the Norco Torrent. The geometry on the Torrent is clearly aimed at trail riding, with a bias towards confident descending—it’s a common theme on many plus hardtails. Plus bikes typically run wider ‘boost’ spacing on the hubs/drivetrain to gain additional tyre clearance. This in turn allows for really short chainstays as the rear wheel can tuck in closer to the bottom bracket. Norco varies the chainstay length with the frame size—a concept they call Gravity…

When you hear the word Iditarod, you may think of the famous 1000 mile Iditarod sled dog race that runs through the cold and wintry heart of Alaska. But did you know there is a human powered race as well? The Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) is that race. It’s rated as one of the top ten extreme, human powered ultra-endurance races in the world. The ITI began in 2000 and the finishers list has around 65 names on it – some of the hardest, most stubborn and determined winter athletes – and in 2016 I added my name to that list, becoming the first Aussie to complete this incredible race. More people climb Mt Everest each day than have finished the ITI! However, the ITI isn’t a race that you…

Focus has been around since 1992 and has built a solid reputation in Europe for both road and mountain bikes. The Spine is their all-purpose trail bike; its 120mm of travel and 27.5 wheels are staples in this category. With the Spine they offer two alloy and three carbon fibre variants in four frame sizes from small to extra-large. There’s also an alloy women’s version that shares the same geometry (small, medium and large only) but with a slightly tweaked spec and graphics. Prices start at $2,899 for the alloy Spine Elite, and go up to $9,999 for the Spine C 0.0. Our test bike is the $4,999 Spine C SL, which is the entry point to the carbon framed models. Technically the Spine C SL frame is only half…

The ability to get your wheels off the ground is a handy skill to have, and we’re not talking about launching big air here. Simply lofting the front or rear wheel can help you to clear an obstacle or safely tackle a drop. It’s also something that many people struggle with; the most common approach is to push down on the handlebars, compress the forks and then try to pull the front up. While will certainly work, it’s far from efficient and there are better ways to approach it. To lift the wheels efficiently, you need to get leverage off your body weight. Even if you’re a 50kg f lyweight, you are still much heavier than your bike—use this to your advantage. If you get your body weight moving in…

Matt Carruthers Normally we try not to give the Readers’ Rides prize to the most expensive blinged out build but in this case we couldn’t help it! Matt built his 2016 Santa Cruz Bronson for strength and gravity oriented performance. He’s running a burly 160mm travel Fox 36 up front with a Float X rear shock and Shimano Saint four-piston DH brakes to haul in the speed as required. The robust parts selection continues with a Race Face Atlas stem and Maxxis Minion tyres; an SS on the rear with a DHR front. The rims are DT Swiss XM481 which offer a 30mm internal width for good tyre support. A colour matched gold chain and some fancy carbon Race Face SixC cranks round out the package—one sweet looking ride, Matt!…

“Let’s do the Old Ghost Road and the Heaphy back-to-back in an extended weekend with you as the official photographer… What do you reckon?” Damian’s voice boomed from my phone—he was amped! Damian is the kind of guy who dreams of great riding, in great locations, and always with a twist. Tackling New Zealand’s two longest pointto-point singletracks in the one outing is quite ambitious. I thought about it for half a second before answering with a ‘hell yes!’ Situated at the top of the South Island, they offer high quality riding, great facilities and above all, an incredibly diverse mix of landscapes. Both trails are absolutely world class and contributed heavily towards Nelson receiving a gold rating from the US-based IMBA. Difficulty wise they range between level three and…

These days most people run latex based sealant inside their tyres. It helps to make ‘tubeless ready’ tyres air tight and also repairs many smaller punctures on the go. In some cases you won’t even know that you’ve punctured as the sealant will plug the hole before there’s any noticeable air loss. Unfortunately tubeless systems aren’t totally impervious to flats. Some holes are simply too big for the sealant to repair. Sidewall cuts also cause issues as the liquid sealant always gravitates up to the crown of the tyre. The sealant can also dry out, so when you do eventually puncture, the self-healing properties are long gone. All of this means that you still need to carry a spare inner tube for those worst case scenario trailside fixes. You’ll need…

When fatbikes first emerged, they were cobbled together using existing MTB parts. You’d see all manner of oddities; offset rear triangles, rear hubs used on the front to gain wider spacing and there was certainly no such thing as a fat suspension fork. Over time the market grew and fatbike specific parts emerged. While there’s no one clear cut standard for hubs, bottom brackets and cranks, we do have a few commonly accepted fatbike sizes. Most modern bikes run a 150mm wide front hub with either 177mm or 197x12 on the rear. Bottom brackets can be 100mm or 121mm wide. These special parts have made it easier for the bike manufacturers to make a fatbike with ‘normal’ geometry and good tyre clearance. The Aussie designed Salted Popcorn that we rode…

Completing the Iditarod involves riding unsupported for over 1,600km through deep snow and ice with temperatures as low as -30 degrees celsius and beyond. Dealing with conditions such as these requires some specialist equipment that’s not only reliable, but also light and fast—the event is tough enough as it is. Here’s Troy’s favourite parts and setup tips for this Alaskan adventure. Frame: Muru Cycles Witjira Titanium. Fork: Custom spec Muru Titanium rigid. Drivetrain: SRAM X01 with XX1 crank and a 28 tooth chainring, 10-42 cassette. Brakes: BB7R SL mechanical (more consistent than hydraulics in the extreme cold and easier remote area serviceability). Pedals: Shimano XTR Race clipless (strong enough to handle a good whack when dislodging the ice). Wheels: HED Big Fat Deal 100mm carbon rims, Tune King/Kong hubs, Sapim…

If you keep track of the latest bike releases, it should be pretty clear that trail bike is making a comeback. For a few years we’ve been on a gravityfed obsession, with bikes featuring angles and travel not far off what you’d find on a DH bike. Whilst modern suspension designs have advanced to the point where most of these bikes can be pedalled uphill with reasonable efficiency, most riders don’t go fast, steep or rough enough to really see the benefits of a modern 160-170mm enduro bike. Being over-biked, so to speak, can make moderately challenging trails feel ho-hum and the handling of these bigger bikes can be more cumbersome than quick if you’re not travelling at warp speed. Whilst I love my 160mm bike on our local DH…

We apologise to anyone whose photo doesn’t make it into these pages. We usually get a large number of entries and can’t print every submission. Entry details If you think you are pretty handy with a lens, send us a copy of your best photo and you may win a Camelbak Mule valued at $179. The Mule is a perfect partner for all-day epics and was designed with three-hour plus rides in mind. It’s able to carry three litres of fluid and up to 11 litres of gear, so you can load it up for the long haul (or just use it as a lightweight commuter pack). Features include a wide and easy to fill screw-top lid on the reservoir, as well as a quick-disconnect hose that makes it easy…