It comes with the new electronic e:i shock, Monarch Relay, the new 160mm Pike, SRAM XX1 groupset, and new SRAM wheels in 27.5. Lapierre says this is a taster of what’s to come from its range in 2014. Bring on next year already.

The post Lapierre Spicy 650B: Nico’s enduro bike appeared first on MBR.

June’s edition of MBR is in the shops now, and here’s what you’ll find inside…

• Massive 20 bike hardtail test. 8 bikes at £600, 8 at £1,000 and 4 women’s specific bikes all reviewed and rated. If you’re in the market for a hardtail, this is the test for you.
• Learn from the best; World Champions Gee Atherton, Steve Peat and Tracy Moseley reveal their trade secrets.
• Five big name headcams on test. Can anyone topple Go Pro off its perch?
• Our fundamental skills series looks at how to get into the right body position.
• Inspiring adventures from North Wales and the Dolomites plus four great pull-out routes with OS-Mapping.
• And there’s loads and loads more, including how to service your RockShox fork, how to get the most from pump tracks, why you should spend a riding weekend in Fort William and a first ride on Santa Cruz’s Blur TR.

PLUS! FREE chainstay protector!

20 hardtails ridden to within an inch of their life - and sometimes beyond

Getting wild in Wales

Part 2 of our World Champion skills clinic

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YT Wicked 650b. Click to zoom

YT hinted that a Wicked 650b was in the pipeline while we were finishing up with our longtermer last year, and here it is. It gets 158mm of travel from the same four bar suspension design found on previous current and previous Wickeds. The aluminium frame is hung with a SRAM X9 drivetrain, the new RockShox Pike RCT3 fork and Monarch RT3 shock, Elixir 5 brakes and a Stealth Reverb dropper post. All that for €2,399 from yt-industries.com. We’ll try and get our hands on one in the near future and let you know how it performs.

The post YT launch new 650b Wicked appeared first on MBR.

Pick out a couple of them and, with a bit of transport logistics, plan a full-on epic Wales Weekender.

The post Sarn Helen mtb — in eight easy GPS files appeared first on MBR.

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It’s a fact that if you don’t service stuff it wears out quicker. Considering the price of a decent fork these days, you’d have to be foolish or very rich to neglect it. Performing a regular, full service on your fork is the ideal scenario, but that’s probably not going to happen considering most people’s hectic lifestyles and limited budgets.
You can save time and money by servicing the lower legs and seals of your forks at home between proper overhauls. This focuses on the area of the fork which is often most prone to wear, saving you cash and time. Ignoring the manufacturer’s recommended service intervals might result in increased wear and may void your warranty, but if this guide gets your fork some attention then that’s got to be a good thing.
Most decent forks use some kind of oil bath in the lower legs to lubricate seals and bushes and this can become dirty quite quickly in UK conditions. By replacing this oil and cleaning out any dirt you can help reduce wear and enhance the fork’s performance.
Most RockShox forks use a sealed damper, making them ideal candidates for a lower leg service, as they can be dealt with separately. Be sure to check out the SRAM website to work out the oil weight and quantities your fork requires.
The 2010 Revelation Team featured here is still ahead of its game thanks to plenty of TLC.

For more on this maintenance job, check out the June 2013 issue of MBR, in the shops from May 1

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The mystery and the majesty; welcome to Sedona. Click to zoom

New wheels, a new RockShox Pike, Avid brakes and Truvativ bars; just a few of the fresh goods on show to us in Arizona. Check out the video and pics for a flavour of what went down, while the June issue has the full low-down on all the new products.

Shredding Sedona’s singletrack with SRAM is a lovely bit of alliteration.

Click to zoom

SRAM laid on the full works treatment for us. The World Cup pit complete with mechanics and spares acted as hub for our rides. A p-i-m-p Trail House with eye watering views of the desert hosted all the product presentations. A fleet of swanky demo bikes was outfitted with the new SRAM parts. “Would sir like a Yeti SB66C, a Santa Cruz Tallboy LTC or a Devinci Dixon Carbon?” Jeremiah Boobar from RockShox explains the new Charger damper with its expanding rubber bladder system while jetlagged journos scribble notes.

Click to zoom

Sedona’s trail system infiltrates the desert around town. Punchy, technical climbs and equally stacatto descents mean that even short rides take their toll. A lack of oxygen and the dry heat were a shock to the system coming from the snow of London. Not that any of that mattered to ex-World Cup downhill Pro Duncan Riffle and Specialized enduro racer Curtis Keene.

Click to Zoom

Santa Cruz’ Tallboy LTC equipped with the new Roam 60 wheels and RockShox Pike fork proved to be a fantastic companion on the Sedona singletrack. It also kept us out of the prickly pears… Western Spirit provided the guiding and delicious lunches. Check them out if you’re planning a trip to the States. The Pike puked it’s guts up on the last day. OK, so it was stripped down to show us tunability and home servicing potential of the Charger damper. From L to R: the new Maxle. Rebound shim stack. Compression shim stack. The red plastic ‘Bottomless Tokens’ tune the air volume and therefore the spring curve. Air spring shaft with bladder above. Cutaway damper. Charger damper assembly with bladder at top. Talking sh!t by the fire is somehow better in the desert.

The post SRAM Trail House: new stuff galore (video) appeared first on MBR.

Got your new issue of MBR? Here’s a taste of how we tested 20 hardtails at the Forest of Dean…

The post Hardtail of the Year (VIDEO) appeared first on MBR.

Headcams have come a long way in the last few years

In the June 2013 issue we’ve tested five of the latest POV cameras, including models from Go Pro, Drift, Sony, JVC and Contour. Check out the playlist below to scroll through sample footage from each of the cameras, and for the full reviews get hold of a copy of the June issue.

The post Helmet cameras test: Video samples appeared first on MBR.

It's MBR's biggest ever bike test — and the definitive guide to the best hardtails on the market

If you’re thinking of buying a hardtail, MBR’s Hardtail of the Year test is the only place you need look. We’ve taken 20 bikes across £600, £1,000 and women’s specific categories, and put them through our usual exhaustive test procedure, starting with a shakedown at Forest of Dean. Scroll down to see a full list of the bikes of test, but first, watch this video to see us put them through their paces — and don’t forget to find out who won in June’s MBR.

Bikes on test
Boardman Fi MTB Comp
Cannondale Trail SL 2 29
Canyon Yellowstone AL 6.9
Commencal El Camino 3 29
Cube LTD Pro
Fuji Nevada 1.5 D 26
Giant Talon 29er 1
KTM Ultra Fun 29
Lapierre Raid 329
Marin Palisades Trail 29
Merida Big Nine TFS 900
Pinnacle Ramin 3
Saracen Mantra Pro
Scott Scale 960
Specialized Myka Elite
Specialized Rockhopper
Scott Contessa Scale 920
Trek Cali S
Trek 4500 Disc
VooDoo Bizango

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