All Arround MTB

We investigate the world of women’s-specific bikes , and find that the ‘shrink it and pink it’ stereotype is no longer true. Some differences are fairly self-evident – female riders are, on average, smaller and have a lower weight-to-height ratio. Others are more contentious, such as suggestions that women are likely to ride less aggressively. WHAT TO LOOK FOR If you’re thinking of buying a women’s bike, check which of the following it ofers: - Female-specific finishing kit, including saddle - Lighter shock tune - Smaller sizes to suit smaller riders - Dedicated frame geometry – both Canyon and Liv ofer this Go back a few years, and it was easy to tell which bikes were ‘women’s specific’. They were short, tall, usually under-specced for the price and often sported a flash of a suitably‘girly’ colour. The design philosophy was simply to take a men’s – sorry, ‘unisex’ – bike and ‘shrink it and pink it’. That’s what every woman wants, right? We’ll totally overlook the bike...

The DH race bike that may spell an end to the era of Atherton dominance Who is Tahnee Seagrave? Born in West Sussex, Tahnee soon moved to Morzine in the French Alps, where she became fluent in both French and riding steep, gnarly downhill tracks. These days, the Seagrave family (including younger brother Kaos, an up-andcoming DH racer) live in Mid Wales, just down the road from Revolution Bike Park, a place that serves as Tahnee’s second home when she’s not away racing. We never like to see a rider crash, but one positive did come out of Rachel Atherton’s shoulderdislocating tumble at Fort William last year – it blew the door wide open for the rest of the women’s World Cup field. One rider who stepped through that door in commanding fashion was British young gun Tahnee Seagrave. At the start of last season, the 22-year-old didn’t have a World Cup win to her name, but by the end of the year, she’d chalked up three victories, three more podiums and came ever so close at the Wo...

Tipped for the top by the greatest female racer of all time, we find out first-hand just how good Rachel Atherton’s 17-year-old protege is... Norway isn’t a country renowned for producing toplevel downhill racers, but if we had to put money on it, we’d bet there’s one Norwegian who’s going to become a podium regular within the next few years, and her name is Mille Johnset. Aged just 17, this shy, unassuming girl has been turning heads on the race track and chalking up an impressive list of results. Even before she was racing, Mille’s incredible talent got her noticed by none other than Rachel Atherton. The then 14-year-old was a ‘forerunner’ at the Hafjell World Cup in 2013, pre-riding the course to ensure it was in prime condition for the race. Rachel spotted her in action and, after finding out a bit more about her, was keen to get her on the team when she was a bit older. The pair stayed in touch and Mille joined the Atherton Academy last year. Fourteen-year-olds capable of...

I used torun a holiday company in Morzine. Between seasons, I taught PE, thinking thatmy Sports and Materials Sciences degree wouldn’t pay as a career. Alongside this I coached motocross riders and wrote articles for Dirt Bike Rider. Gee Atherton read one and emailed me about training, back in 2006. The following year, I worked with him leading up to theWorld Champs in FortWilliam, where he got third.After that I started training Danny Hart.When he went on to win theWorld Champs in 2011 it opened a lot of doors for me. I now coach full-time. One day I’ll be up in the Highlands testing with The Dudes of Hazzard, the next I’ll be in the performance gym at Birmingham Uni training top DH and MXriders.Add into the mix writing workout plans, bike coaching with +3 and attending World Cups and training camps, and no day is ever quite the same! My job is to maximise an athlete’s potential, so that at a race they can let their skills do the talking. There’s always a rationale for exercis...

Who is Tam and Burf? After both studying as design engineers at university, Tom‘Tam’ Hamilton and Paul ‘Burf’ Burford bumped into each other while working for Oxfordshire-based bike brand K-9 Industries. The pair hit it off and soon realised they shared the same ambition to design and build their own bikes. That was six years ago. Since then, the pair have dedicated themselves to turning out immaculate steel-framed bikes from their workshop in Frome, Somerset. Why this is a superbike? - Designed by a pair of steel bike fanatics and built entirely in-house right here in the UK - A short-travel trail weapon that’s capable of having seven shades of sh*t smashed out of it! - Craftsmanship and detailing is second to none UK-made, steel-framed, do-it-all trail destroyer “When we started, we never planned on building a full-sus bike,” says Tom ‘Tam’ Hamilton, one half of BTR Fabrications.“Back then we were searching for a way to make downhill fun again and our Belter hardtail wa...

WHO IS ROBERT BARR? Hailing from Woking in Surrey, Robert Barr is a Formula 1 design engineer with a passion for two wheels as well as four. After 10 years in the motorsport industry, Robert realised his bike building dream by starting Arbr, which is an anagram of his surname. Besides running the brand alongside other partners, he still works full-time for a major F1 team. WHY’S IT SUPERBIKE ? - It’s a UK made, built to order, boutique carbon machine - Not a single corner has been cut with the design and construction of this bike - You’ll certainly turn heads if you rock up on one of these at the local trail centre! A UK-made carbon beauty with Formula 1 racing pedigree When motorsport engineer Robert Barr embarked upon the challenge of designing his own bike back in 2013, he had one vision – to create the best two-wheeled machine he could, with absolutely no compromise. Four years of designing, prototyping and testing later, we’re finally seeing the fruits of his labou...

The 29er market is hot at the moment and Swarf are right on the money with their 115mm-travel Contour. Don’t let the lack of rear bounce fool you – this bike is ready to take a beating! The frame Outstanding attention to detail gives the Contour the feel of a highly-polished product, making it easy to forget that our sample was just a prototype (Swarf hope to have the finished product ready by the new year). The mainframe and swingarm are lovingly crafted from various different types of steel tubing (see spec), and the frame has amazingly clean lines, with a built-in seat clamp and neat and well-thought-out external routing for the rear brake hose and gear cable. We particularly like the way the top tube and seatstays form a single straight line along the length of the bike. Swarf have opted for a singlepivot suspension layout combined with a linkage-actuated shock. The swingarm has 6mm of vertical flex built in, which eliminates the need for a pivot above the dropouts. Ady, ...

WHO IS DEAN LUCAS? Aussie young gun Dean Lucas is a racer who’s steadily been picking up momentum. After riding alongside Stevie Smith on Devinci World Racing, he joined Intense in 2016 and stepped onto the World Cup podium for the first time in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada, this summer. Although the weather played a part, it was still an absolutely blinding run. WHY’S IT SUPERBIKE? - One of only four alloy prototypes, each hand-welded by Intense Cycles’ head honcho, Jeff Steber - Designed specifically around the bigger wheels, unlike other DH 29ers that just use modified rear ends - Has achieved multiple podium finishes in its first year on the circuit Team-only race rig from the MTB equivalent of Ferrari With the likes of Shaun Palmer and Sam Hill having ridden for them, Intense Cycles have a prestigious history when it comes to downhill racing. Recently, the brand seemed to have faded from the limelight a bit. But not any more. This year has seen them back on the World...

Bernard pulls up at the services in his matt black Range Rover and is straight into Subway. Before I’ve even had a chance to glance at the menu he’s ordered his sandwich, picked up a few other bits and pieces, and is queueing to pay. It’s not that he’s a regular here, it’s just that he doesn’t hang about. By the time I get out he’s back in the car and posting on Instagram. “I hate unnecessary time-wasting,” he grins. “If you’re wasting time on your phone, that’s fine, but don’t be slow at getting dressed!” Bernard Kerr is fast. Very fast. He talks fast. I suspect he even sleeps fast. But in particular, he rides fast. Fast, smooth and with style. All the ingredients required to look great on a bike and win races. Although he’s only 26, it seems like he’s been on the scene forever. That’s probably because he started racing mountain bikes when he was just 12 years old. “I loved playing on bikes as a kid,” he recalls. “My cousin raced mountain bikes, and we’d had motocross bikes be...

WHO IS RICHIE RUDE? Born and raised in Connecticut, on the East Coast of the USA, Richie Rude is a pro enduro racer for the Yeti-Fox Shox Factory Team. Like many of his competitors, Richie cut his teeth racing downhill, before making the switch to enduro in 2014. The change of discipline was certainly not due to a lack of talent though, as he clinched a Junior World Champs win and several World Cup top 30 results aboard the big rig. WHI THIS IS A SUPERBIKE? - Sleek carbon, classic Yeti turquoise, gold Kashima suspension and team-edition orange parts make this one rad-looking steed! - Any bike that can withstand the power and speed of Richie Rude must be pretty good, right? Junior downhill world champ, two-time Enduro World Series title holder and winner of 21 EWS stages – it’s pretty incredible what American racer Richie Rude has managed to achieve by the age of 22. And while those incredible results are a reflection of Richie’s talent, they’re also a feather in the cap for ...

1. If your brake is rubbing, first check that the calliper is aligned with the rotor. Loosen the calliper bolts just enough to allow you to move it from side to side. Spin the wheel, then adjust the position of the calliper by hand until it no longer rubs, or only rubs at one point of the rotor. 2. Rotor still rubbing at one point? It’ll need straightening. If it’s the back wheel that’s a 3. Spin the wheel and listen out for a rubbing sound. Stop the wheel at the point where the rotor contacts the pads. Look down through the calliper to see which pad the rotor is touching. If it’s the right pad you’ll need to bend the rotor left, and vice versa. 4. Note which part of the rotor is rubbing, then rotate the wheel until the bent section is free of the calliper. With a rotor truing tool, adjustable spanner or clean hands, pull the rotor a few millimetres in the opposite direction to the pad it was touching. 5. Rotate the bent section of rotor back into the calliper and l...