Mountain Biking UK has got all the latest news, kit and exclusive info on the newest and best bikes. The MBUK Wrecking Crew testing team are out there right now, riding new bikes and products to destruction, to give you expert reviews you can count on to be brutally honest. We live to ride - and that's what makes MBUK Britain’s best-selling bike magazine.
IT’S A WRAP
WELCOME
THIS MONTH’S COVER
BEST OF BRITISH
DAYDREAM IN BLUE
IS THIS THE FUTURE OF MTB?
SEVEN WORLDS, ONE WARNER
BLURRING THE LINES
MBUK’S TOP TIPS FROM 2019 • Our team impart some of the riding ‘wisdom’ they picked up this year
VERONIQUE SANDLER • Vero looks back on women’s freeride event Formation
£500 BIKES • Today, half a grand gets you a half-decent MTB (see p86), but that wasn’t always the case...
STOCKING FILLERS • Mountain biking can be expensive, but these gifts will spread a bit of joy and you’ll get change from 20 quid
WILL LONGDEN
Profile
RÅ BIKE • New kid on the block touting steel full-suspension and hardtail models loaded with progressive design ideas
PARADIGM SHIFT GEOMETRY
MOUNTAIN BIKING OR MOUNTAINEERING? • Trying to circumnavigate Europe’s highest peak by bike demands some unusual kit – here’s what was inside Dan Milner’s pack
#100 ANDREU LACONDEGUY’S YT TUES CF • Custom-painted Rampage rig, ridden by one of the wildest riders on the planet
ANDREU LACONDEGUY
INFO
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NEXT MONTH’S GIFT VELCRO FRAME STRAP • Great for securing tubes, tools, light batteries & more
Mountain Biking UK
First LOOK MBUK
COTIC FLAREMAX GOLD • £3,999 Short-travel, long-wheelbase steel shredder
SPEC
MARIN RIFT ZONE CARBON 2 • £3,995 Versatile ripper that can be pushed hard on the trail
SPEC
SPECIALIZED TURBO KENEVO EXPERT • £6,999 Specialized’s latest e-bike could be their best yet
SPEC
MORE UP, MORE DOWN, MORE MOUNTAIN BIKING • MBUK STAFFERS ROB, ED AND TOM HEAD TO THE SHROPSHIRE HILLS TO GET WILD ON A NEW-SCHOOL BREED OF ‘RAD XC’ BIKE THAT CAN CLIMB, DESCEND AND COVER GROUND BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE
OUR ROUTE
OUR RAD RIDES
AFTER THE PODIUMS • ANDY LLOYD CATCHES UP WITH WELSH DOWNHILLER MANON CARPENTER AND FINDS THAT RETIRING FROM WORLD CUP RACING HAS REVIVED HER LOVE OF BIKES
WHO IS MANON CARPENTER?
MANON ON...
FJORD FOCUS • Olly Wilkins and Ben Deakin get wild in Norway
FJORD EXPLORERS
NORDIC KNOW-HOW
WRECKED & Rated MBUK
MEET THE MBUK TEST TEAM
OUR RATINGS • We base our scores on value for money and performance
AFFORDABLE GPS UNITS • Can you get a decent GPS for MTBing without forking out for a Garmin?
ROB’S WHYTE G-170C RS 29ER £3,750 • Despite an uneasy start, Rob’s really grown fond of the G-170 29er
ROB’S NUKEPROOF SCOUT 275 COMP £1,699.99 • Spending a year aboard a hardtail has been eye-opening for Rob
LUKE’S SCOTT RANSOM 720 £3,599 • Is the Scott worth a king’s ransom?
TOM’S SPECIALIZED STUMP JUMPER EVO COMP ALLOY 29 £3,400 • The EVO shone, on the right trails
ED’S KONA PROCESS 153 CR £4,599 • A fun, but not especially fast, bike
ED’S MARIN ALPINE TRAIL 7 £2,200 • Hard to beat in the value stakes
JCW’S CANNONDALE HABIT CARBON 1 £5,999 • It’s got a few minor flaws, but JCW’s reluctant to kick the Habit
CHRIS’S VITUS ESCARPE 29 VRX £2,999.99
JIMMER’S GT FORCE CARBON EXPERT £3,199.99 • It’s been an...