Mountain Biking UK

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.

HELLO

IN THE MAG THIS MONTH

MEET THE TEAM • Favourite XC rider of all time...

PIDCOCK PICKS MTB!

VANTASTIC! • Pro riders – and our Will – send it for the crowds at BikePark Wales

TAKING THE BILL BY THE HORNS

TAKING ON THE BIG GUYS • Quality MTB ridewear from some lesser-known brands

SUN, SEA AND SENDS!

ROTORS WITH BITE!

BITING OFF MORE THAN IT COULD CHEW • One of the original stars of XC, Thomas Frischknecht still races today, as well as managing the Scott-SRAM team. Here, he takes us back to the 1990s and a bizarre encounter with an American pitbull...

BUTTERY SMOOTH • Revamped RockShox suspension line-up unveiled with new springs, dampers and, um, ButterCups?

MBUK Month • The highs & lows of life on the mag

ENDURO ROCKET • Evolutionary steps hone the performance of Cotic’s RocketMAX

MBUK SEND IT!+ Win all of thier • YOUR MAIL, PHOTOS, IDEAS & RANTS Write to: MBUK Send it!, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST Email: mbuk@ourmedia.co.uk Visit: www.mbuk.com

THAT’S GOTTA HURT WINNER!

BOOST YOUR BRAKING • Six ways to maximise your stopping power – top tips from

MORE TEA, VICAR?

#114 GT VIRIS TEAM’S GT FURY • High-pivot descent-destroyer ridden by the MBUK-backed development team

THE GT VIRIS TEAM

DIRTY SECRETS Charlie Hat ton • What our favourite MTBers get up to when they're not messing about in the mud

Say What !?

PRO’S LIFE OLLY WILKINS • Odub’s been enjoying the best of British at the Vanta Jam

GIANT TRANCE ADVANCED PRO 29 1 • £6,999 More travel and tweaked geometry could make the Trance the ultimate trail-tamer

SPEC

SPEC

YT CAPRA CORE 2 • £3,199 (+ shipping) The German direct-sale brand’s most affordable race-ready enduro bike

SCOTT PATRON ERIDE 900 TUNED • £8,149 The Swiss army knife of e-bikes

SPEC

THE HOTTEST NEW KIT FIRST LOOK

GOING DEEP

ALL ABOUT Evie • WE CATCH UP WITH BRITAIN’S FIRST-EVER ELITE CROSS-COUNTRY WORLD CHAMP TO GET THE LOWDOWN ON HER SURPRISE WIN, HER ‘BIZARRE’ OLYMPICS AND THE SECRETS TO HER RACING SUCCESS

Earn your stripes

SCOUTING for parts • WILL GOES BACK TO BASICS, BUILDING UP A NUKEPROOF SCOUT HARDTAIL FROM A BARE FRAME AND THEN HITTING THE TRAILS, HARD!

SPEC

WYE MTB

EVOLVE TO FLY • THE FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT THE FIRST PROJECT EVOLVE WOMEN'S GRAVITY JAM

PROJECT MANAGERS • The women behind the Evolve jam

WRECKED & RATED

MEET THE TESTERS

WHY OUR TESTS ARE THE BEST!

HOW WE RATE • We base our scores on value for money and performance

6 OF THE BEST WOMEN’S SHORTS • The best threads to hit the trails in comfort and style

LONGTERM RIDES • Team bikes ridden hard for a year

BIKETEST HARDTAIL VERSUS FULL-SUSPENSION • What’s the best kind of bike for proper MTBing on a budget of just over £1,000? We test two Boardmans head-to-head to find out

MEET THE TESTER

SPEC

DETAILS

JARGON

DETAILS

SPEC

JARGON

DETAILS

GROUP TEST TRAIL & ENDURO TYRES • The best front and rear rubber for aggressive riding

MEET THE TESTER

THE MANUAL

PRO-FILE BEN PLENGE • JOB Vitus Bikes ambassador & The Strength Factory coach

BUILD UPPER BODY STRENGTH FOR...