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Published: May 12, 2020 at 9:17 am

This month in MBUK magazine, we tour Colchester with YouTube star Sam Pilgrim, reveal the best solo rides in the UK and test three of the best sub-£1,000 bikes on the market. We've also got first-ride reviews of new bikes from Canyon and Specialized, and the lowdown on all the latest kit in Wrecked and Rated. Plus, be sure not to miss our ultimate guide to riding your bike in the wild – including tips on safety, navigation and essential skills, and check out the free Britain's best wild weekends supplement, to make sure you're ready to ride when the time comes.

Pilgrim's Progress

Former FMB World Champion Sam Pilgrim retired from competing professionally after a serious crash, but his story was only just beginning. With over a million YouTube subscribers, Sam's found a new way to earn a living on his bike. We hang out in his hometown, Colchester, to learn about the man behind the Cheshire-cat grin.

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Sam Pilgrim shows us how it's done at his local haunt, Twisted Oaks Bike Park in Suffolk. Photo: Steve Behr

Local scenes: Fort William

In the first of a new series exploring the unique mountain biking scenes around the UK, Scottish pro racer James Shirley takes us on a tour of Fort William and its surrounding trails. Of course, thousands of MTB fans descend on the town every year (apart from this one, obviously) for the UK's leg of the World Cup. But James reveals that there's a lot more mountain biking to be found in the area than just the World Cup DH track.

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It's an annual stop on the World Cup roadmap, but what about the rest of the year? Pro racer James Shirley shows us around Fort William. Photo: Russell Burton

Flying solo

Mountain biking is best enjoyed with your mates, but in these unusual times, a solo mission is just about all the riding we can hope for. Luckily our resident route-maker Max Darkins has compiled a collection of the very best socially-distant routes around, to enjoy all to yourself.

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Can't ride with your mates? Make the most of it with our essential solo rides guide. Photo: Russell Burton

Top-value trail hardtails

Just how much quality bike can a grand get you? Well, it turns out that if you look for the right things in the right places, sub-£1,000 bikes can be pretty promising. We pit three of the best-looking one-grand hardtails on the market head-to-head to find out the limits of biking on a budget.

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Affordable bike aficionados Calibre's Line 29, one of three bikes reviewed for this month's Biketest. Photo: Steve Behr

Isle of Purbeck Big Ride

Our routes expert, Max Darkins, heads down to the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset for an isolated, distancing-friendly ride. Epic coastal clifftop trails and winding, technical descents are on the menu in this picturesque coastal riding location.

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Spot the rider: Dorset's spectacular coastline is a uniquely beautiful setting for a ride. Photo: Russell Burton

The best uplifted bike parks

Our normal Trail Crew reports are temporarily suspended, so instead we've compiled this comprehensive list of the UK's very best uplift-assisted bike parks. Visit any of these parks to indulge in some downhill-only action.

It's downhill all the way at Innerleithen, one of our pick of the best uplifted bike parks. Photo: Andy McCandlish
It's downhill all the way at Innerleithen, one of our pick of the best uplifted bike parks. Photo: Andy McCandlish

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. There are first rides of Canyon's Neuron AL and Specialized's Turbo Levo SL, and pages of product reviews that include Crankbrothers' Synthesis alloy wheels.

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Crankbrothers' Synthesis alloy wheels, one of the products tested this month in Wrecked and Rated. Photo: Steve Behr.

Free gift – Britain's best wild weekends supplement

We may all be chomping at the bit to get out and ride everything and everywhere, but to ease the frustration and make the wait more bearable, we've teamed up with the folks at Tincup Whiskey to compile a comprehensive guide to the UK's best natural riding. Discover the very best the country has to offer and make sure you're ready to ride when the time comes.

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