Here's a bunch of stuff you can chat about during your weekend's ride
Here’s the first of a regular end-of-the-week rundown about all the big and small things that have happened in the bike world this week.
Matt MacDuff spectacularly fails to ride a 40ft loop-the-loop
After three years of research and a month of construction, MacDuff attempted to ride a record-setting 40ft tall loop-de-loop. Unfortunately, MacDuff crashed badly, as you will see in the video. He suffered 13 fractures to his right wrist and ankle. Luckily and thankfully, he survived the 40ft fall from the sky and is on the road to recovery.
Cotic eat humble pie and put thru axle on the BFe
Cotic launched their new BFe275 and it has a bolt-thru back end. It’s a first on a Cotic hardtail. Cy from Cotic: “You will probably know that we have been staunch advocates of QRs on hardtails for…well, basically forever. Why the change of heart? Well, we still believe there’s no performance benefit from thru axle on a hardtail. However… people often like to be able to swap wheels between a couple of bikes, and most FS bikes are 142×12 these days. So it’s great from a practicality point of view.”
www.cotic.co.uk/product/BFe275
Nino Schurter commits to full suspension for Rio Olympics
According to Nino in this video, he’ll be competing in the Olympics on the new Scott Spark…
www.scott-sports.com/gb/en/page/hunt-for-glory
Kona sneak out new carbon Honzo hardtail
Kona HQ: “Introducing the new Honzo Carbon, because who ever said that a hardtail couldn’t be as fun as other ‘trail’ bikes? Who assumed a 29” hardtail couldn’t have an aggressive trail geometry and a carbon frame that can climb almost as fast as it descends? And where is it written that a dropper post and wider/stiffer Boost rear end can’t be utilised on a frame with no moving parts? Nobody and nowhere! We’re just trying to figure out why we didn’t we make the Honzo CR Trail DL sooner.” So are we Kona, so are we. Excited pants.
cog.konaworld.com/honzo-carbon-teaser
UCI XCO World Championships live on Red Bull TV this weekend
Cross-Country riders will battle for World Champion status in Nové Mêsto Na Moravé in the Czech Republic; the finals will air live on July 2 and 3, on Red Bull TV. Winners of the Men’s and Women’s divisions are named “World Champion” and get to race in UCI’s prestigious rainbow striped jersey until the next World Championships.
Global viewing times:
- Women Elite, Saturday, July 2nd – 1:30 pm GMT
- Men Elite, Sunday, July 3rd – 1:30 pm GMT
Yorkshireman Mike Hall smashes the Tour Divide endurance record
Mike Hall, of Yorkshire, finished the 2016 Tour Divide – the epic 2,745 mile Canada-to-Mexico race – with a total elapsed time of 13 days, 22 hours and 51 minutes, smashing the previous record by 12 hours and 46 minutes.Route trackers showing Mike’s average distance per day as 194.1 miles. Speaking briefly after the finish, he said, “I’ve not been connected [to the world], am feeling a bit strange not knowing what is going on”. “It’s been good to have a clear run at the course. I have given it my best effort and am satisfied this is the best time I could have done”.
WTB announce new Ranger Plus-Size tyre
As introducers of the first plus-size mountain bike tyre only two years ago (yes, blame them), WTB has expanded its plus-size tire offerings with the Ranger tire for trail and bikepacking uses, in both 2.8” and 3.0” widths. The Ranger is the first plus-size tire in the WTB range to be offered in a 29+ size. The Ranger is WTB’s first tire to be offering with a TCS Tough Casing. Finally a Plus tyre that doesn’t squirm all over the place and pinch flat?
www.wtb.com/products/rangerplus
Goodwood Festival Of Speed had some dirt jumpers going off
Despite a deluge of rain on the opening day and again on Saturday, the e22 Sports team managed to maintain the jumps, ramps and raised wooden sections to a high standard. The sector of MTB dirt was well served by Freddie Pullman, Matt Jones and brothers Tom and Sam Reynolds. Elsewhere, the MTB trials riders of world championship round winner Chris Doney and Scott Wilson pitted pedals against petrol power when they went head-to-head against the likes of 12-time World Trials champion Dougie Lampkin. The results were often surprising and the MTB boys definitely didn’t let the side down.
www.goodwood.com/flagship-events/festival-of-speed
Saracen reveal 2017 Myst carbon DH bike
Full Toray UD High Modulus carbon frame. Saracen has saved 560g on the existing alloy front triangle. Saracen also incorporated the ability to fine-tune the front-centre + 8mm forward and -5mm backwards with its custom headtube and headsets. UD Carbon Links save 110gms over the original CNC machined alloy linkages. Saracen relocated the shock cradle to the downtube to lower the centre-of-gravity and improve the stand-over. This was perhaps the hardest task as the frame needed to accommodate the next generation of air-shocks coming through with large volume air cans.
MTB skills area opened in Fochabers
The skills area is situated at the Winding Walks car park, approximately 1 mile East of Fochabers on the A98 (see map below). The pump track will help novices learn how to use berms and how to move on rises and dips but will also be good for experienced riders too. The skills area, which will include elements normally found on ‘upland’ Blue and Red grade trails. There is also an off-trail jumps area that are a perfect environment for younger riders to safely practice how to handle jumps.
Be a Charge Bikes Ambassador
Charge Bikes launched its search for a new Ambassador. Running for the second year, the competition is open to anyone over the age of 16 and from any riding background. Entrants are asked to supply a short video clip (max. 2 minutes) and submit it to the Charge team by August 31st 2016…
chargebikes.com/new-ambassador/
Bike Night in Bristol this evening
Kendal Mountain Festival is taking their famous Bike Night on tour to the Redgrave Theatre in Bristol on Friday July 1st. Your host for the evening will be adventure sports photographer, mountain biker and filmmaker Dan Milner. Joining him will be bike adventure gurus, Aneela and Andy McKenna who will share their experiences of mountain bike exploration around wild Scotland and Stephen Fabes – recently returned from his six year, six continent bike trip.
New issue of mbr out now
MBR Summer 2016 issue out now. What’s in it? Sherwood Pines, Ben MacDhui, Cairngorms, Wild riding, The world, a carbon fibre 3D printed bike, the Mojo Geometron, Trek’s Fuel EX Plus, the Jamis Komodo, Pivot’s new carbon fibre Switchblade, BMC Speedfox, Stan’s Bravo enduro wheelset, Kask’s first MTB lid, clothing from Fox, Altura and Giordana, clipless trail pedals, £1,000 bike test, trials skills part 2, cornering skills, Cane Creek Cane Creek’s Double Barrel shock set-up and much, much more.
www.mbr.co.uk/publication/mountain-bike-rider/mbr-summer-2016
Other stuff you may have missed on mbr.co.uk
Sometimes even our most ardent fans can’t keep up with our bustling news feed. Here’s a round-up of the other newsy bits and bobs we’ve run with this week…
Guy Martin is racing Tour Divide under false name
Guy is racing as ‘Terry Smith’ in the epic 2,745 mile Canada-to-Mexico race. Last October we ran with the story that Guy Martin was racing the epic bicycle endurance race – the Tour Divide – instead of competing in this year’s Isle Of Man TT motorbike racing. Then it all went a bit quiet. But now a photo has appeared on Instagram.
Is the new Rocky Mountain Element their best looking bike ever?
100mm full suspension carbon 29er with iconic Maple leaf paint job. The new Element is being promoted as one of the new breed of XC or marathon race bikes. Light, stiff, not masses amount of travel and still with geometry that’s slack for a XC rig but still pretty steep for a trail bike. The head angle in its slackest setting is 69 degrees so it’s no chopper but it’s a little bit calmer than previous Elements. The fork offset has been increased with an eye to keeping steering on the quick side.
Details of the 2017 Trek Remedy
More travel, more slackness, more length, more lowness – more enduro! Trek have simplified their MTB range for 2017. The Remedy is now a full-on Enduro bike. The Fuel EX is their Trail bike. The Top Fuel is their XC bike. Got it? Okay then. Let’s talk about the Remedy as that’s the model that’s arguably had the most tweaks done to it.
Racing enduro in pairs at the Enduro2
Raced over three days, the Enduro2 puts teams of two racing together as pairs to add a new twist to enduro. Earlier this week in Les Arcs, France, the second edition of Enduro2 saw over 300 racers take on the stunning and technical trails in the area. Racers came from 16 different nations to compete, with friends or couples helping each other down the massive stages set in amazing high Alpine scenery and dense technical forest.
Lapierre Overvolts – e-bikes for racing?!
Just when you thought e-bikes couldn’t generate any more debate along comes Lapierre with the concept of bikes designed specifically for e-bike races. While we don’t (yet) have many ebike races in the UK, there are a few of them happening in Europe. Nice Vouilloz is a big fan of them funnily enough. Anyway, regardless of whether very many people at all are ever going to enter an electric MTB race, these new Overvolts from Lapierre are certainly designed to be ridden aggressively by relatively skilled riders.
Merger of Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles approved
The merger is expected to complete shortly following clearance from the Competition and Markets Authority. It’s the announcement that the whole of the bicycle retailing world has been waiting for and/or worrying about. This Press Release has all we know so far…