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.

MEET THE TEAM • Decades of riding and writing about bikes goes into every issue, this is who we are…

Hit new highs • We've got all the information and inspiration you need to take your riding to the next level

BIG PICTURE

GRAVEL VS XC • Gravel bikes are appearing on mountain bike trails all over the country – it’s time to shave our legs, pull on a tattoo sleeve and find out what all the fuss is about

GLORY DAYS • Giant’s iconic downhill bike is back, featuring a Rob Warner Legends colour scheme, carbon frame, mullet wheels and offering more adjustments than an orthodontist

HOT STUFF • WHAT WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

EASY RIDER • We all have to start somewhere and these five rides are designed to be the perfect intro to new mountain bikers. Easy, yes. Dull, never

THE LONG GAME • Just how does Greg Minnaar stay fast, focused and injury free (touch wood!), even into his 40s? Coach Alan Milway lets us peek behind the GOAT’s training curtain

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

GT SENSOR CARBON PRO LE

PIVOT MACH 4 SL TEAM XX SL

SUBSCRIBE TO MBR AND GET A FREE MUC-OFF BIKE CARE ESSENTIALS KIT†

BE A BETTER RIDER • Improve your bike, your body, and your skills, and take your riding to the next level

IMPROVE YOUR BIKE

IMPROVE YOUR BODY • Strength training moves to turbo-charge your riding and build resilience

IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS • If you’ve hit a plateau in your riding, here are a multitude of tips to raise your game

CAERSWS BIKE PARK • Thanks to former racer Matt Simmonds, and supportive landowner Ian, Mid Wales’s DH race tracks are taking on a second life

RACECRAFT: THE GAME PLAN • Elite enduro athlete Innes Graham takes us through the preparation and race-day skills you’ll need to shine under pressure

SEAN’S SONDER SIGNAL ST GX • MONTH 15: Sean rides the Signal ST back-to-back with Whyte’s 629 and gleans insights into frame materials, suspension and geometry

JAMES’S PIVOT FIREBIRD PRO • MONTH 9: James discovers the that even Dave Weagle’s DW Link suspension has its limits

BEN’S SCOTT GENIUS ST 900 TUNED • MONTH 2: Ben’s Italian baptism of fire leaves the Genius completely unfazed

JAMIE’S SPECIALIZED TURBO KENEVO SL COMP • MONTH 21: Spesh’s diet e-bike is a lightweight on the scales but did it punch above its weight on the trails?

LIFELINE PRO WORKSTAND

YOUR TESTERS

RAB WOMEN’S CINDER BOREALIS JACKET

SPANK SPOON 35 HANDLEBAR

BIRZMAN TINY TANKER PUMP WITH HELIX

FIST CHAPTER 20 AEROBIX GLOVES

ODI REFLEX GRIPS

PEDALS •  Whether you’re a fan of flats or clinging onto clips, our pedal test will help you put your best foot forward

SHORT-TRAVEL SHREDDERS • With a ride that’s more director’s chair than armchair, short-travel bikes put you fully in charge on the trails; we put two to the test

LAPIERRE XRM 6.9

TREK TOP FUEL 8

NEXT MONTH

Mountain Bike Rider

Boom and bust • Tough times for the bike industry mean good times for the consumer