https://www.mbr.co.uk Mountain Bike Rider Fri, 10 Jan 2025 15:50:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.mbr.co.uk/buyers_guide/best-crosscountry-mountain-bikes-396502 Fri, 10 Jan 2025 13:20:46 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=396502 The best cross-country (XC) mountain bikes are all about raw speed. But their light weight and excellent efficiency also makes then ideal for fast, flowing singletrack as well as racing.

The best cross-country mountain bikes are about raw speed, making them lightweight, efficient and ideal for fast, flowing singletrack as well as racing.]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/i-spent-a-year-testing-meridas-one-forty-and-its-one-of-my-favourite-trail-mtbs-you-can-now-get-a-third-off-the-usual-price-in-this-deal-445973 Fri, 10 Jan 2025 13:15:05 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445973 If you're in the market for a new trail bike, Merida's One-Forty is a great option that should be on your radar. There are currently a number of great deals in play where you can get serious savings on various models.

Merida’s One-Forty is an excellent mid-travel trail bike that’s seriously capable, has a sorted suspension system, and gives a really …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/who-is-riding-what-and-where-in-2025-all-we-know-about-the-dh-world-cup-teams-and-rider-rosters-for-this-upcoming-race-season-445563 Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:00:02 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445563 From Andreas Kolb heading to YT Mob, to Marine Cabirou leaving Scott DH Factory, we round up everything we know about this year's DH World Cup teams.

It’s 2025 and that means the new downhill season is soon to be upon us. If you’ve been keeping an …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/is-atherton-bikes-working-on-a-downhill-race-bike-with-a-gearbox-and-belt-drive-445936 Fri, 10 Jan 2025 11:06:26 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445936 Atherton Bikes latest teaser video hints at a new A.200G, where 200 indicates the travel, and G could stand for gearbox...

A short teaser video has appeared on the Athertons’ YouTube channel offering glimpses of what looks like a gearbox downhill …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/yts-new-izzo-is-more-trail-bike-than-down-country-shredder-445948 Thu, 09 Jan 2025 15:00:54 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445948 YT’s new 2025 Izzo is its burliest yet, with 140mm travel forks and chunkier components bringing it closer to the Jeffsy in travel and intention.

YT has grown the Izzo into a proper trail bike, increasing fork travel, the burliness of its components and the …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/buyers_guide/best-mountain-bike-forks-334725 Thu, 09 Jan 2025 10:03:48 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=334725 With fork technology evolving, the singletrack is getting faster and faster - our pick of the best mountain bike forks will help you run smoother.

With fork technology evolving, the singletrack is getting faster and faster - our pick of the best mountain bike forks will help you run smoother.]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/is-this-the-future-of-lightweight-e-bikes-new-motor-and-battery-system-could-build-into-14kg-e-mtb-445917 Wed, 08 Jan 2025 10:58:37 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445917 A new drive unit from Urtopia fits in your pocket, and weighs just 1.2kg, but pumps out 60Nm of torque.

Just when we thought DJI had killed off the mid-power e-bike with its uber powerful, yet compact and lightweight DJI …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/bosch-e-bike-owners-can-now-lock-their-batteries-through-their-phone-or-kiox-displays-445628 Tue, 07 Jan 2025 11:54:57 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445628 This and "other digital security solutions" from Bosch aim to further deter thieves from stealing your e-bike, or parts of it.

Bosch’s Smart System equipped e-bikes just got another security upgrade, in the form of a Battery Lock. Essentially, it’s another …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/why-mathieu-van-der-poel-will-take-over-from-tom-pidcock-as-the-roadies-mountain-biker-in-2025-445595 Tue, 07 Jan 2025 07:00:53 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445595 Can we expect Mathieu van Der Poel to blow mountain biking away this year, just as Tom Pidcock did in 2024? Here are my thoughts on the Dutchman's World Championships chances

Tom Pidcock won’t win a mountain bike World Cup or even finish on the podium in 2025, largely because he …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/12-most-exciting-new-trail-enduro-and-dh-bikes-for-2025-445575 Mon, 06 Jan 2025 12:34:41 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445575 A motor-free zone, these are the hottest MY25 analogue bikes from the likes of Santa Cruz, Atherton Bikes, Pivot, and Calibre.

It’s easy to get blinkered by e-bikes these days, but to do that would be to miss out on a …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/amflow-pl-carbon-unboxing-actual-weight-and-measurements-445565 Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:43:38 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445565 Having got our grubby mitts on the Amflow PL Carbon, the first thing we did was make an unboxing video, stick the bike on the scales, and measure the travel and geo. So how accurate are the quoted numbers?

What did you get for Christmas? I hope it was what you’d asked Santa for. Me? Well, I got the …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/opinion/an-ode-to-the-trail-crews-the-dig-teams-and-the-volunteers-that-keep-us-riding-all-year-round-445083 Thu, 02 Jan 2025 07:00:20 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445083 Rebecca gets emotional about mud, as a thank you to those who put in the hours to keep our trails running in winter

Storms, fallen trees and floods. That’s been the reality for many of us over the past month or so. And …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/meet-the-team-behind-bikepark-wales-that-repaired-32-trails-in-three-days-in-the-aftermath-of-storm-darragh-445167 Tue, 31 Dec 2024 07:00:54 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445167 The team of 11 trail builders also known as SIDZ Trail Crew keep BikePark Wales running year-round - even in the aftermath of Storm Darragh

With the weather being the way it has over the past few weeks, it’s hard not to think about how …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/2024-a-review-of-the-year-in-mountain-biking-from-gladiators-to-snow-bike-racing-via-eastenders-tenuously-445554 Mon, 30 Dec 2024 17:16:01 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445554 I can't remember what happened yesterday, let alone 12 months ago, so if you're anything like me, sit down and enjoy an amble through the highs and lows of MTB in 2024.

2024 has been a tumultuous year, and not only in terms of culture, politics, technology, sport, and climate, but actual …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/opinion/three-products-helped-my-riding-more-than-anything-else-in-2024-heres-why-they-get-my-vote-for-gear-of-the-year-445088 Mon, 30 Dec 2024 07:00:38 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445088 e*thirteen's Sidekick hub, Gore Tex Trail Pants and the RockShox Zeb are the best poducts I've tested in 2024, and they snaffle my Gear of the Year award

Downhill racing drives mountain bike innovation like nothing else, and my Gear of the Year 2024 comes straight off the …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/opinion/my-gear-of-the-year-products-that-helped-me-progress-and-improve-on-the-bike-in-2024-445109 Sat, 28 Dec 2024 15:27:00 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445109 From helmets to power meter pedals, here's the gear that has helped Rebecca's take a step forward with her riding.

2024 has been a pretty epic year of riding for me. There has been a whole host of new, cool …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/opinion/guy-kesteven-2024-gear-of-the-year-445538 Fri, 27 Dec 2024 07:00:52 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445538 Our die-hard, try-hard tester Guy Kesteven has picked Trek’s latest Top Fuel ‘Hunter Killer’ as the ideal, highly versatile, high velocity weapon for his ongoing E-bike scalping agenda.

Considering how many thousands of bikes I’ve ridden since my first bike test in MBR issue #3 in 1997, the …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/the-most-enjoyable-bike-i-rode-this-year-got-slammed-in-our-lightweight-e-bike-test-but-i-dont-care-because-i-love-the-way-it-rides-and-its-my-bike-of-the-year-2024-445225 Thu, 26 Dec 2024 15:00:48 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445225 My bike of the year is an odd choice, given how badly it scored in our latest review. The Trek …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/rampage-is-awesome-but-it-needs-to-go-more-ungroomed-big-mountain-lines-i-chat-to-gee-atherton-about-fainting-audiences-ridgeline-and-doing-the-ironing-444905 Wed, 25 Dec 2024 15:03:08 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=444905 I go behind the scenes for Hold Fast, Gee Atherton's sold out UK tour

Gee Atherton sits in his dressing room eating a carrot and listening to Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Rival. In …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/danny-milners-gear-of-the-year-2024-445292 Tue, 24 Dec 2024 07:04:02 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445292 The bikes and products that have most impressed me during 2024 include an exceptionally well-designed e-bike, a clever new motor, dependable new brakes, and a freeride bike to lust after.

2024 has been a weird year for new product. With so many unsold bikes cluttering up the market – a …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/ive-tested-dozens-of-e-bikes-but-none-of-them-will-ever-thrill-me-like-this-regular-pedal-powered-mtb-and-its-my-bike-of-the-year-2024-445022 Mon, 23 Dec 2024 07:00:01 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445022 Yes Merida’s new eOne-Eighty is a masterpiece of science and technology, but it doesn’t make me feel alive like the Yeti SB 165, and that's why it's my Bike of the Year 2024

It’s been coming for a long time, but 2024 was the year e-bikes steamrollered normal, analogue mountain bikes. Leading brands …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/mondraker-dune-rr-vs-yt-decoy-sn-which-is-the-ultimate-lightweight-e-enduro-bike-444863 Sun, 22 Dec 2024 17:00:16 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=444863 The YT Decoy SN and Mondraker Dune were both launched in 2024 with the idea that they would represent the future of the enduro bike. And not just the electric enduro bike – the enduro bike full stop. So which one delivers on those lofty promises?

YT claims its Decoy SN is the “best enduro bike it’s ever made”, which is saying something coming from a …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/new-world-cup-feeder-series-launched-as-the-uci-looks-to-ease-entry-for-up-and-coming-riders-and-grow-the-sport-globally-445315 Fri, 20 Dec 2024 07:00:33 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445315 Continental Series will include 28 races worldwide in 2025, with overall winners in XC and DH eligable to race the World Cup

The UCI has launched a new 28-strong global race series for 2025, with race winners eligible to compete in the …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/e-biking-is-one-of-the-fastest-growing-sports-in-the-world-according-to-garmin-data-with-e-mtb-rides-surging-18-in-2024-445284 Thu, 19 Dec 2024 07:00:25 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445284 Garmin’s annual data dump shows e-bike rides are up on 2023’s figures

E-biking is one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in the world according to data from Garmin, which reckons the …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/gt-bicycles-to-pause-new-bike-development-with-staff-layoffs-imminent-445280 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:20:09 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445280 Iconic US-brand GT, for so long a huge force in mountain biking, will be mothballed by parent company Pon Holdings going into 2025.

GT Bicycles, one of the biggest names in mountain biking throughout the 90s and 00s, will be put on pause …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/buyers_guide/best-dropper-posts-338459 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 12:19:15 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=338459 More than any other product, the best dropper seatposts have changed the way we ride, and are essential to the modern mountain biking experience.

More than any other product, the best dropper posts change the way we ride and are essential to the modern mountain biking experience.]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/specialized-launches-chisel-comp-evo-in-the-uk-445222 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:27:41 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445222 We moaned too soon – the back-to-basics Chisel Comp Evo is now available for customers in the UK and Europe.

Last week I flagged up Specialized’s latest launch – a Chisel trail bike that had been given the Evo treatment …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/storm-darragh-wreaks-havoc-on-uk-mtb-trails-445113 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 09:19:17 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445113 From fallen trees to flooding and stretching volunteer time to the limits, Storm Darragh has taken a heavy toll on the UK trail network.

Storms and bad weather are just part and parcel of living in the UK, particularly at this time of year. …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/i-love-filming-my-mountain-bike-adventures-and-the-dji-osmo-4-is-one-of-the-best-pov-cameras-around-its-currently-at-its-lowest-ever-price-in-this-amazon-christmas-deal-445138 Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:41:52 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445138 If you're looking to gift or treat yourself to an action camera this Christmas, then the DJI Osmo Action 4 is a must-buy with 47% off.

The festive season is upon us, and if you have a mountain bike rider in your life, finding the perfect …Continue reading »]]> https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/dannys-2024-new-bike-tech-predictions-how-many-did-i-get-right-445132 Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:38:40 +0000 https://www.mbr.co.uk/?p=445132 Just under a year ago, I put my money where my mouth is and committed my 2024 new bike predictions to public scrutiny. Did I get any right?

Last January I recorded a video making some safe, and some not-so-safe, predictions about which bikes would be relaunched in …Continue reading »]]>