In MBUK issue 415, learn how to make the most of the season – top tips from the pros for having an awesome autumn.
Plus, our testers pit two lightweight e-bikes head to head in the biketest, and reveal the best downhill and XC brakes and storage bib shorts.
It’s over to the Utah desert for the wildest event on the MTB calendar – Red Bull Rampage, and three of the best autumnal routes in Big Ride!
We get the latest from down under with Crankworx Cairns and Rotorua, meet freerider Alice Smith and discover her MTB wonderland, and learn the ways that our sport can be beneficial for mental health.
All this, plus a full-colour 2023 mountain biking wall calendar. Don't miss it!
How to have an awesome autumn!
Being a mountain biker at this time of year isn’t about wearing autumnal colours (nice as they are!) or skipping rides because the trails are a bit slippery. It’s about embracing the change in the weather, managing your expectations, having fun with it and adapting your riding habits to make the most of the season. Follow these tips from pro coach Olly Morris to have your best autumn ever and ride some all-time ‘fall’ lines!
Disc brakes on test
You can’t go fast if you can’t stop fast and in a controlled manner, so good brakes are a vital component, no matter what type of riding you do. We’ve tested 12 to find the best set for you, splitting our selection across two broad categories: downhill (DH) and enduro.
Full-power enduro e-bikes
Riders on the hunt for a hard-hitting, enduro-ready e-MTB are spoilt for choice, but that means it can be difficult to find the right bike for your riding. We hit the trails on two bikes with the same motor but different frame materials and geometry, to see which approach works best for lapping climbs and smashing descents.
Stark contrast
How did Dylan Stark, a former BMXer, end up on the precipitous slopes of the Utah desert for the legendary Red Bull Rampage, what did he do differently to the established names – and did he make it out alive?
Down the rabbit hole
Freerider Alice Smith jetted out to Canada in search of her mountain bike wonderland. But when she got there, what she found was as much a nightmare as a dream. Alice tells us the story of what happened on her adventures.
Mind games
MBUK have been involved in the Ride Together events – a new initiative of group MTB rides in association with the good folks at CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). We headed over to the Forest of Dean to see the ways that MTB is beneficial to mental health.
And that's not all…
This issue of MBUK is jam-packed with all the latest and greatest bikes, product reviews and news stories from the mountain biking world. We've got new bikes and kit from Marin, BMC, Orbea and Yeti, along with pages of product reviews that include Marzocchi's Bomber Air shock. Plus, check out our Trail Crew report from the Forest of Dean's newest trail, and autumnal routes in Big Ride.
Free gift
Every print copy of MBUK 415 comes with a free full-colour wall calendar. Whatever your plans are for 2023, you can get inspired and organised with some of the best images from the MTB scene.
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