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.

Your ride starts here • The new year lies ahead like an undiscovered trail gem

BIG PICTURE

2023’S MUST-RIDE TRAILS • A flurry of new singletrack and trail upgrades are on the horizon; here are the ones to put on your planner

QUIRKS OF ART • Copper plating and verdigris fades, idler wheels on the lower linkages, frames CNC’d from solid alloy billets… we track down the weird and wonderful bikes of 2023

ACTOFIVE CYCLES P-TRAIN 165

AUCKLAND CYCLEWORKS MARRA

PROVA GEARBOX TI HARDTAIL

HOT STUFF • WHAT WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

SUPER FLOW • Flow trails are the best, when done right they’ll have you riding on what feels like autopilot, with everything happening automatically as the trail guides you along

ELIMINATE ARM-PUMP • Banishing braking induced pain is as easy as boosting grip strength; here’s how

First rides • SWINGING A LEG OVER WHAT’S HOT THIS MONTH

SCOTT LUMEN ERIDE 900 SL • The lumen promises high wattage and low weight but will it burn bright on the trails?

HAIBIKE ALLMTN CF 12 • German e-bike specialists’ do-it-all bike looks like a bruiser but is it a knockout on the trails?

YT JEFFSY PRIMUS 24 • YT’s Jeffsy Primus 24 is made for kids but there’s nothing childish about its design

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JOE BARNES • From world-class enduro rider to the Dudes of Hazzard collective, Joe Barnes’s life would make an enthralling movie, providing he gets to edit it

#revs4evs • Larch disease has levelled North Wales’s Revolution Bike Park but the seeds of an exciting rebirth are already being sown

CONFIDENCE ON STEEP TERRAIN • Descending on wintery trails needn’t be a hair-raising experience; learning to keep a neutral body position and link up grip points is the key to downhill mastery

SEAN’S SONDER SIGNAL ST GX • MONTH 9: Sean discovers that the real beauty of a longterm test bike is that it gives you the opportunity to dig down into the component choices

PB’S GIANT REIGN E+ 1 • MONTH 13: Unlucky for some, but 13 months in and PB has finally got to grips with the Giant’s handling and geometry

JAMIE’S SPECIALIZED TURBO KENEVO SL COMP • MONTH 15: JD fits a quality Öhlins TTX 22 M.2 coil shock to the Kenevo SL only to discover the pain of the process

BEN’S PRIVATEER 141 ÖHLINS • MONTH 8: Öhlins tops it, but the other components on the 141 are first rate too

JAMES’S PIVOT FIREBIRD PRO • MONTH 4: In full-on winter, James finds only one small flaw in the Firebird’s build

Tested

Home tool kits • Being your own mechanic will keep your bike running smoothly while saving you money so a decent tool kit is a worthy investment; we put five sets through a workshop workout

LIGHTWEIGHT E-BIKES A NEW BREED • The latest genre of mtb has increased the fun threshold once again – but which of these four slimline e-rigs elicits the broadest grin?

FORESTAL CYON NEON 29

PIVOT SHUTTLE SL 29 TEAM XTR

SPECIALIZED S-WORKS TURBO LEVO SL

TREK FUEL EXE 9.9 XX1 AXS

URGENT APPEAL • HOPE AND HOMES FOR CHILDREN

Conclusion

Our test winner’s stablemates

Long or short stay

Zen and the art of mountain bike...