#112 CUSTOM ZERODE KATIPO

Super-clean gearbox and belt drive-equipped enduro sled

First Rides

Straight out of the box & onto the trails

Freeride (Nearly) for Free!

The DadCamTV crew show you don't need a bike park on your doorstep, a pro deal or the latest fancy gear to get wild on two wheels

Proving Grounds

Dan Milner and crew embark on an intrepid mission to ride down the line of abandoned, high-altitude cable car stations above Chamonix

A Ride with Some Extra Bite

Two-time Junior DH world champ Thibaut Dapréla had an amazing 2021 season, leading the World Cup rankings for most of the series, until crashes at the final rounds in the USA left him with two DNFs and saw him drop to second place. The 20-year-old Frenchman is a tough rider with serious mental fortitude and a positive mindset – exactly what’s needed to endure something like this...

TYRED OUT: PART ONE

MBUK'S COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO TYRES

LONGTERM RIDES

Team bikes ridden hard for a year

HEAD-TO-HEAD BIKETEST HIGH PIVOT VS LOW PIVOT

We pitch two bikes with very different suspension designs against each other to see what difference it makes on the trail

FIRST LOOK

THE HOTTEST NEW KIT

BIKES, BIKES AND MORE BIKES!

The Cycle Show moves to London - and there's 25% off entry for MBUK readers

AFAN SKYLINE SOUTH WALES CLASSIC REOPENS

Afan Forest’s 45km Skyline trail, beloved of hardcore cross-country riders, is back and better than ever, after being closed to mountain bikers for nearly 10 years.

FIRST LOOK

The freshest new kit from Scott, Dainese, Rapha and more

BACK TO THE FUTURE

MTB LEGEND HANS REY REVISITS THE ROOTS OF THE SPORT NEAR SAN FRANCISCO WITH SOME FELLOW PIONEERS, THEN CHECKS OUT WHERE IT’S HEADED

BIKE TEST XC RACE RIGS

We punish three no-compromise cross-country machines (and ourselves!) on some race-course laps and out on the trails in a fight for first place

GRIME TIME

EXPERT WORKSHOP ADVICE

GROUP TEST TRAIL PANTS

We’ve ridden and rated 11 of the latest MTB trousers to find out which ones are the best for all-round riding

TRAILCREW WOODY'S BIKE PARK

Six years into its life, we return to this popular Cornish spot to see if it’s as good as we remember

The Full Fat

WE CHECK OUT SIX OF THE BEST CUSTOM PAINT JOBS FROM UK-BASED FATCREATIONS

THE DIRT FARMER

SLOPESTYLE PRO SAM HODGSON HAS TRADED REARING COWS FOR BUILDING BERMS AS HE CULTIVATES THE ISLE OF WIGHT’S MTB SCENE THROUGH THE BIKE PARK HE'S CREATED ON HIS FAMILY FARM, ALONGSIDE FRIEND AND BUSINESS PARTNER MATT TOWNSEND

Longterm Rides

Team bikes ridden hard for a year

SANTA CRUZ BRONSON CC X01 AXS RSV MX

£8,599 How does the new mullet-wheeled Bronson measure up?

BIGRIDE COLL INGBOURNE WOOD, WILTSHIRE

With few houses, plenty of unspoiled woodlands and more animals than people, this picturesque area of Salisbury Plain is a perfect oasis in the busy South

HEAVY - HANDLE WITH CARE!

Nino Schurter isn’t only the reigning cross-country world champ, he’s perhaps the greatest XC racer of all time. The Swiss star is also one of the most skillful riders ever, and as a result, has hardly ever bitten the dust – until just recently…

TRAILCREW THE TRACK PORTREATH

This dedicated dirt jump park in Cornwall has stood the test of time

Electrical Storm

As wireless components begin to flood the mountain bike market our tech-editor-in-chief hits the trails on perhaps the ultimate high-tech bike. Will it blow him away or leave him cold?

Bigride Dirty Weekender – Exmoor National Park

Exmoor might be on the coast, but don’t let that fool you – its rugged hills and wooded valleys are packed with miles of rooty, chutey, stony and steep trails. Lusher than Dartmoor, it’s a real gem and the perfect place for an MTB break

Even Better Than the Photos

Two Canadians visit Iceland and discover that the mountain biking there is about so much more than pretty pictures

JUST THE TIP

YOU MAY THINK YOU KNOW BRETT TIPPLE GODFATHER OF FREERIDE, LARGER-THAN-LIFE EVENT HOST, HIGH-ENERGY INTERVIEWER BUT THAT'S JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE. THIS MAN HAS HAD SOME DARK TIMES, BUT NEVER LOST HIS ENERGIZER BUNNY ENTHUSIASM.

LONGTERM RIDES

Team bikes ridden hard for a year

Girls, Girls, Girls

The boys had better watch out – the women’s MTB scene is going from strength to strength