Fresh air, big views, long descents and lush vegetation – mountain biking allows us to access all of these good things. But the slight downside…
Features
What makes a bike fun to ride? Can you engineer ‘fun’ into a new mountain bike? What even is ‘fun’? Guy Kesteven tries to find an answer
Why is one bike ‘funner’ than any other? Fun is a massively overused word in bike testing because it’s an easy, throwaway comment about any…
Riders On The Storm: Llandegla’s road to recovery
As a nation we’re obsessed with the weather. Which is odd as our weather can best be described as degrees of mild – Cool-mild, warm-mild,…
Gee Atherton: “I raced Hardline with a broken femur… and I loved it!
In 2021, Gee Atherton suffered a huge crash while filming The Knife Edge. The track involved riding an incredible rocky, steep technical track, something Atherton…
Go with the flow: discovering the ‘tech-flow’ of Wharncliffe Crags
Sim Mainey chats with mountain biking polymath Dan Greenwood to learn more about his unique approach to trail building. Standing on the edge of Wharncliffe…
Trailblazers: The unique talents of Joe Barnes
There are certain characters in the world of mountain biking that just seem to define a geographical area. To me, Fort William will always be…
Brilliant money saving tips for mountain bikers
The outdoors may be technically free, but mountain biking is becoming an increasingly expensive way to access it. With the cost of living rising in…
Best new trails to ride in 2023
Nothing beats the first time you ride a new mountain bike trail. You might mess up every corner but you’ll get to the bottom buzzing…
Riding Exmoor: Uplifts, loamy singletrack, and pasties
Bridleways really aren’t supposed to be this good. This corner has the perfect radius to hold my speed for the next, the trail defined by…
Zen and the art of mountain bike maintenance
I’m not a natural mechanic. Bike parts break in my hands, bolts strip, threads rip and tools shatter. Many an evening I’d sheepishly besiege my…
Is new always better when it comes to bikes?
Is new stuff all it’s cracked up to be? Veteran mountain bike journalist Guy Kesteven wonders whether bikes are good enough now to stop the…
The Trans Savoie: a wild, epic big-mountain race like no other
There’s a mountain bike event in France that’s been going on for ten years now, in which clusters of riders stand around at the end…
Fake bikes: counterfeit mountain bikes and why you should avoid them
We found a bargain – a brand new carbon frame, complete with VPP lower link driven shock layout and Santa Cruz good looks for less…
The best car-free mountain bike destinations in Scotland
There’s something ironic in the fact that we mountain bikers often have to hop in the car to go ride our bikes, particularly if we…
Into thin air: riding high peaks at Arrochar, Scotland
We share this story, written by Pete Scullion, in memory of Rab Wardell, who passed away in August 2022 and will be sorely missed. All…
The science of fun can make you a better mountain biker
Describe why you ride a mountain bike and you’ll probably not be able to avoid using the word fun. Because it is. The reason we…
What will the mountain bike of tomorrow look like? 8 industry experts gaze into the crystal ball of bike design
In issue one of Mountain Bike Rider magazine waaaaay back 1997 we asked the industry movers and shakers what the best mountain bikes of the…
Move Over, Marin County: mountain biking was born in Paris
We had a birthday recently, mbr turned 25 and it inspired us to look back over the early years… know your roots, and all that.…
Mountain bike destination guide: Are, Sweden
Looking for a bike adventure somewhere a bit different from the usual spots? Åre in northern Sweden is Scandinavia’s mountain biking hub. With one of…
High Alpine adventures in Crans Montana
If you’re looking for high-altitude adventure, big mountains, fresh air and descents that last for days, you’d be hard pushed to find a better mountain…