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.
WELCOME
Out FRONT MBUK
KEEP OFF THE GRASS! • How Brendog’s second attempt at his BERM2BERM concept almost went the way of the first
BRENDAN’S TAKE ON TAKE-TWO
OLLY WILKINS • Odub’s putting 2020 behind him and hoping this year can deliver a next-level trail
MBUK’S MONTH • The highs & lows of life on the mag
UK WINTER WARMERS • Check out the British brands keeping us snug this winter
60 Seconds with... ADAM BRAYTON
NEW FOR 2021
EVERYONE’S WELCOME • #TotalMTB founder Ryan Oldfield is on a mission to get more bums on bikes
MORE THAN JUST A HASHTAG: WHAT ELSE #TOTALMTB DO
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE • In this regular series we ask some familiar faces to recount the most heart-stopping moment they’ve had on two wheels. This month it’s the turn of Grant ‘Chopper’ Fielder, Noughties MBUK legend and veteran of the FMB slopestyle world tour, who recalls an episode from his time on the road when he thought he was in trouble as deep as his trick bag...
#105 PAUL ASTON’S NICOLAI GEOMETRON G1 • Is this extreme take on a trail bike really ‘the ultimate MTB’?
PAUL ASTON
SEND IT! & WIN ALL OF THIS! • YOUR MAIL, PHOTOS, IDEAS AND RANTS
WINNER! THAT’S GOTTA HURT
NEXT MONTH ON SALE 16 | 02 | 2021
Mountain Biking UK
FIRST Rides MBUK
SPEC
SPEC
First LOOK MBUK
REECE WILSON • THREE YEARS AGO, THIS YOUNG SCOT WAS RESIGNED TO LIFE AS A WELDER. NOW HE’S THE WORLD DOWNHILL CHAMP. WE FIND OUT HOW AN AFFINITY FOR WILD CONDITIONS HELPED HIM SEIZE A HISTORIC WIN
HEADING UP to GO DOWN • The best places to ride downhill in Scotland
MASTERING THE MUD • Reece’s top tips for smashing it in the slop
HIGH & DRY IN THE CANYONLANDS • Extreme heat and a warm welcome on a four-day bikepacking trip through the iconic desert landscape of Moab, Utah
CAIRNGORMS GOLD A ROUND TRIP FROM BRAEMAR VIA AVIEMORE • The perfect weekend – an overnight mission through the mountains with challenging descents, incredible singletrack, stellar scenery and even great weather
WHO IS SCOTTY LAUGHLAND?
USING KOMOOT
SCOTTY’S TIPS FOR RIDING THIS ROUTE
WRECKED & Rated MBUK
MEET THE MBUK TEST TEAM
OUR RATINGS • We base our scores on value for money and performance
GOGGLES • Protect your eyes and maintain laser-like vision on the trails
LONG-TERM Rides MBUK
BOUTIQUE TRAIL BIKES • These small-brand bikes stand out from the crowd, but which one stands out on the trail?
THE TESTERS
DETAILS
DETAILS
JARGON
DETAILS
JARGON
BASELAYERS • We pull on a selection of winter and summer skin-huggers and strike out on the bike to test them to their limits
DETAILS
WINNERS
PRO-FILE JOE BARNES
LOVE RIDING IN THE WET • Fort William local Joe Barnes knows a thing or two about riding in the gloop. Here are his top tips
GRIME TIME Your questions answered
HOW TO replace your brake pads
Bluffer’s -GUIDE- • BRAKE PAD COMPOUNDS
DUNSTER, EXMOOR • Wilder and rockier than the neighbouring Quantocks, Exmoor National Park is loaded with quality mountain biking along its miles of permissive trails
WHERE ARE WE?
BEST EATING
DUNSTER, EXMOOR • DISTANCE 32.7KM (20.3 MILES) CLIMBING...