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.

Activate Plan B • Covid put us on the backfoot but we’ve been busier than ever

BIG PICTURE

LITTLE FISH, BIG POND • It’s official, your humble enduro bike is good enough to hack it on the World Cup downhill scene

MARTIN MAES: ORBEA RALLON

CONNOR FEARON: FORBIDDEN DREADNOUGHT

LEWIS BUCHANAN: NORCO RANGE

PAST PARTICIPANTS

THE MISSING LINK • Orange’s new enduro sled boasts 170mm travel, mixed wheel sizes and a linkage suspension design

CRANKBROTHERS HIGHLINE 11 DROPPER SEATPOST £3 74.99

E*THIRTEEN QUICK FILL PLASMA VALVE €25.16

THE DARK SIDE • The Peak District divides roughly into two sections: the White Peak and the Dark Peak. The latter sounds sinister, but its open moorland, millstone escarpments and steep-sided valleys are home to some of northern England’s most iconic trails

BOOST YOUR GRIP STRENGTH • Four exercises that will help you to seize the bars without seizing up

Mountain Bike Rider

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HOTTEST NEW BIKES SPECIAL • Summer might still be just off the horizon, but that isn’t stopping bike brands from unleashing a glut of new models. This issue we’ve thrown our legs over six new bikes, boasting features as diverse as boutique suspension, internal storage and bigger batteries, to give you a snapshot of what’s hot right now

YT CAPRA MX UNCAGED 9 • YT’s new Capra MX gets a dream build spec minus the nightmare price tag

SANTA CRUZ MEGATOWER C GX AXS RSV • ‘Bigger and badder’ is the marketing boast, but can the new Megatower live up to the hype?

ORBEA RALLON M-TEAM • The sizing and geometry have changed but will the Rallon M-Team make the A-Team?

CANYON SPECTRAL:ON CFR • The sleekness of a half-fat e-bike with the juice of a 900Wh battery… is this Spectral for real?

MOUSTACHE SAMEDI GAME 11 • The French firm’s new e-bike has a bigger battery but does it bring its A-Game to the trails?

ROCK MACHINE BLIZZARD 50-297 • If you like coil-sprung mullets give it up for the Czech Republic’s Rock Machine!

Play SCHOOL • Work may pay the bills but it’s play that makes us tick; so says the science and we’re not about to tear up a prescription for mucking about in the woods…

I DON’T WANNA A HOLIDAY IN THE SUN • The weather gods may frown on you, but riding Cornwall’s West Kernow Way with friends is sure to put a smile on your face

CHALLENGING YOURSELF • You’ve got the basics covered covered and it’s easy to get stuck in this comfort zone. But pushing past that plateau doesn’t have to be scary. We show you how

PB’S GIANT REIGN E+ 1 • MONTH 4: Should e-bikes have dedicated drivetrains? PB’s latest experience on the Reign E+ 1 leads him to believe so

JAMES’S FOCUS JAM 6.9 • MONTH 9: James heads to BikePark Wales to dial in the Fox DHX2 coil shock, just before Covid puts a damper on his testing

IN THE SHED

JAMIE’S SPECIALIZED TURBO KENEVO SL COMP • MONTH 5: The wheels come off, or is it Jamie’s legs? Either way, the Kenevo comes to a complete standstill

BEN’S KONA PROCESS 134 SUPREME • MONTH 13: As Ben’s year with a carbon superbike draws to a close, we ask: was it a love Supreme or a case of Kona beware?

SILT CARBON XC WHEELS

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