Mountain Bike Rider

Published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd mbr is the UK's leading magazine for trail riding, mountain bike enthusiasts. Published since 1997, mbr aims to inspire readers to just get out and ride! with every issue, by providing the very best expert advice about where, what and how to ride. Every edition delivers the ultimate mix of inspirational riding features, with extensive bike and product reviews, along with superb advice and reader involvement - plus free pull-out route guides.

25 glorious years • mbr celebrates a quarter of a century at the trailhead

BIG PICTURE

25 YEARS OF mbr • Issue one of mbr came out 25 years ago this month; we look back at the good, the bad and the ugly of ’90’s mtb culture

BIKES THAT DON’T BOUNCE

“IT’S NOT A NEW BICYCLE, IT’S A WHOLE NEW SPORT” • The Specialized Stumpjumper, the world’s first production mountain bike and self-proclaimed creator of a “whole new sport”, turns 40!

HOT STUFF • WHAT WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE • The British Isles is a layer cake of history, seen and unseen: sample the wonders of this country’s past while enjoying some top-notch riding

LOWER BACK • If lower back pain is the bane of your life, strength training could be the antidote

BAG FOR LIFE • Trash Free Trails helped mountain bikers clean up 50,000 pieces of litter in 2021, this year it’s going after just one bag… each

SANTA CRUZ HECKLER CC X01 RSV • The original Heckler drew critical comments. Can its successor earn audience acclaim?

GHOST E-RIOT TRAIL PRO • We check out the top trail bike in Ghost’s new E-Riot family to see how 140mm of travel and a carbon front end handle the hits

VOODOO BIZANGO PRO • Can the premium version of Halfords’ own-brand hardtail raise the game again?

CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF mbr

Mountain Bike Rider

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A WILL & A WAY • At mbr, we’ve always sought to highlight the best places to ride in the UK and beyond. But the definition of ‘best’ has evolved massively over the last 25 years

TIMELINE

TESTING TIMES • We’ve come a long way from the boneshakers of the ’80s and the wacky creations of the ’90s; Guy Kestevan charts the last 25 years of mountain bike tech. “I were right about that saddle though”

TIMELINE

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

RACING ROOTS • Mountain bike racing has been pushing the envelope since the first knobbly tyre popped onto a rim. This is its story told through some of its biggest names and most iconic moments

TIMELINE

THE STUFF THAT DIDN’T WORK

SAFE PROGRESSION • Now you’ve built a skills base, it’s time to make it count when the trails get rowdy

BEN’S KONA PROCESS 134 SUPREME • MONTH 11: A wonky hanger forces Ben to adjust SRAM’s wireless AXS gears, but the process proves a cinch

JAMIE’S SPECIALIZED TURBO KENEVO SL COMP • MONTH 3: JD finds he’s underestimated the Kenevo SL’s stamina… and PB’s generosity

IN THE SHED

PB’S GIANT REIGN E+ 1 • MONTH 2: Chasing your tail is all part of bike set-up… but PB is finding it difficult to go round in circles on the Reign

SEAN’S NUKEPROOF SCOUT 290 PRO • MONTH 12: Sean reveals the secret to dialling in the Lyrik fork’s suspension performance and it starts with the Trailhead…

JAMES’S FOCUS JAM 6.9 • MONTH 7: James fits lighter tyres to the Jam but can he let it rip without letting them rip?

SRAM CODE RSC BRAKE

YOUR TESTERS

FIST EVEL KNIEVEL GLOVES

mbr ratings explained • The scores on the doors

EVOC TWO WHEEL BAG

SKS MUDROCKER MUDGUARD

ZEFAL Z SHOCK PUMP

URGE GRINGO DE LA PAMPA FF HELMET

7MESH THUNDER PANT

Protection vests • As bikes get more capable, trails...