CATEGORIES

CALL OF THE WILD

Former endurance racer Phil Hodgkiss gave up the nine-to-five to take over a Scottish eco-retreat; we headed to the Cairngorms to make like lazy ducks...

DUTCH COURAGE

Bike brand Instinctiv is pinning it all on a gearbox bike with a difference

BIKEPARK WALES

Since launching in 2013, BikePark Wales has proved beyond all doubt that the public will pay to ride; trail-builder-in-chief Rowan Sorrell tells us why this model is the future of mtb

5 ROUTES FOR NEW RIDERS

Exhilarating enough for newbies, still fun for experienced riders

VITUS ESCARPE CRX

With a carbon frame and revised geometry, can the new Escarpe eclipse its illustrious forbears?

PAUL BASAGOITIA: AFTER THE RAMPAGE

“I was the kid that turned up to Crankworx without a sponsor on a borrowed bike and won, all that’s disappeared and now I’m known for one big mistake in my life; it’s crazy and it sucks”

BROKEN RECORD SKILLS

What are the most frequently asked questions on a skills day? We asked Dirt School’s Andy Barlow

MY BEST TRIAL

Mtb’s movers and shakers select their favourite places to ride

ATHERTONS GO BIG

The Atherton’s bike brand is set to go global, thanks to a big funding boost

HARDTAIL HEAVEN

Right on cue, Yorkshire-based Stif has a new steel hardtail to see you through winter

5 GREAT PLACES TO RIDE IN 2021

The best new trails, biggest pump tracks and freshest rebuilds for the year

Thomas Gunn Miniatures

Various new releases

King of kings

The ancient Persian (Achaemenid) Empire in miniature

Setting the scene

A chance visit to his parents’ attic reunited Jakob Bredahl-Kjær with his beloved toy soldier collection and opened the floodgates of childhood nostalgia. Jakob’s passion for the hobby was instantly rekindled and within a few short weeks, he had become a dealer for W. Britain in his native Denmark and founded Toy Soldiers of Scandinavia. George Phillips of TSCI spoke to Jakob to find out more about the business, including its signature range of handbuilt dioramas…

Alymer Military Miniatures

Various new releases

The Battle of Bushy Run Part 2

Martin Ainscough concludes his story on the famous battle

Little Legion

Napoleonic Wars

Ashanti Dawn

Paul Brinkley tells us the history of the Asante Empire, the Zulus of the West African rainforest

A Shimek stand-to

Brigadier Raymond E Bell looks at the work of US toy soldier artisan E. Joe Shimek II

American Civil War In The Continental Style

Giles Brown, original founder of Dorset Soldiers, describes how some of his favourite ACW figures came into existence

Dressing The Kiddies'

Uniforms and history of the Scots Guards until the Great War

PYGA HYRAX

Pyga is shunning Far East manufacturing and offering high-end alloy frames welded on home turf in South Africa

VITUS NUCLEUS 27 VR

The name’s been recycled but there’s nothing warmed-up about this bargain trail hardtail

NEVER GET SICK

Well, nearly anyway. Here’s how to minimise your time off the bike and beat pathogens

MY BEST TRAIL

Mtb’s movers and shakers select their favourite places to ride

KIDS GO FREE

How a grandfather in Newport set up his own kids’ bike charity from his back yard

NUKEPROOF MEGA 290 FACTORY

Sam Hill’s EWS-winning bike gets redesigned with a full carbon frame and revised suspension

LESS IS RAW

Toby Pamtling’s unique raw Whyte E-150

DOWNHILL DELIGHTS

Five routes with the best, chunkiest descents in the UK

A CALL TO ARMS

For years the trails in the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire have been enjoyed in relative peace. But as numbers have gone up, opposition has grown, and the fight for rights is very real