New issue of MBUK (347) out now, featuring the 'Ard Rock Enduro, street riding with Tom Cardy and a tale of misery and joy by Ben Winder, plus all of the usual kit and bike testing
Issue 347 of MBUK is on sale now! On the cover this month is MBUK team rider Alex Bond. Credit: Andy Lloyd
40 days of misery
We've all done things that seemed like a good idea at the time. Most of those things probably started with the words "hold my beer" or "watch this..." before ending in calamity and disaster. Photographer Ben Winder thought that a motorbike would be the perfect way to get himself and his mountain bike to MTB nirvana in the Italian Alps. Unfortunately for Ben, reality struck him down in cruel and repeated ways, and in the latest issue of the mag he recounts his turbulent adventure of a lifetime...
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Ben Winder – a man on a mission to look adversity in the face, time and time again. Credit: Ben Winder
Street fighter
In a change of tack for MBUK, we make a beeline for the urban jungle to meet up-and-coming street rider Tom Cardy. Swapping trails for trolleys and mud for mini roundabouts, Tom gives us a tour of his stomping ground, Chelmsford in Essex, and shows how he's used the city's harsh jumps, big drops and uncompromising landings to sharpen his razor-like skills. Here's proof, if needed, that you don't need mountains to become an amazing mountain biker.
Tom Cardy has more skill than most, comfortably sending this set of stairs with a tuck no-hander! Credit: Simon Nieborak
School of 'Ard knocks
The 'Ard Rock Enduro is one of the biggest, longest and toughest mountain bike events in the UK. With over 1,500m of climbing and six timed stages spread out over a 45km loop, it certainly lives up to its name. We sent two enduro virgins – MBUK team rider Al Bond and Features Editor Al Evans – up to North Yorkshire to see how they'd fare on their maiden enduro mission. Grab a copy of the mag to find out if they made it round in once piece, and watch GoPro footage of Al's favourite stages here.
Features Ed Alex rode the 'Ard Rock Enduro on a prototype Swarf 29er and loved every gruelling mile of trail! Credit: Mick Kirkman
Hard-and-fast XC hardtails
Got a penchant for wearing Lycra? Love caning it up, down and across hills? How about engaging beast mode and pushing yourself to the limits? You'll need a bike for that! We've put four super-fast XC race machines through their paces to find out just how quick you can, or can't, go. Which will propel you to the top of Strava leaderboards without breaking into a sweat?
We test some of the fastest XC bikes out there. Grab a copy to find out which one comes out on top. Credit: Steve Behr
How To, Wrecking Crew and Big Ride
And that's not all, folks. If you're keen to learn how to flatten rock gardens like MBUK team rider Alex Bond, we've got you covered. Always wanted to race an enduro? We tell you how to get fit for it. How about using your GoPro to ride faster? Yep, you guessed it – find out how in the mag. We're also on a mission to whisk you away, with an amazing Big Ride across Grizedale Forest in the Lake District and an action-packed Wrecking Crew at Aston Hill in Buckinghamshire. So, grab your copy of the mag to find out more now...
Between ripping up the trails, the MBUK Wrecking Crew catch up on some social media... or is that Tinder? Credit: Steve Behr
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Alex Evans is BikeRadar’s senior mountain bike technical editor. He started racing downhill at the tender age of 11 before going on to compete across Europe. Alex moved to Morzine in the French Alps at 19 to pursue a career as a bike bum and clocked up an enormous amount of riding. Hitting those famous tracks day in, day out for eight years, he broke more bikes than he can remember. Alex then moved back to the UK and put his vast knowledge of mountain biking to good use by landing a job working for MBUK magazine as features editor. Since working for MBUK, Alex’s focus has moved to bike tech. He’s one of BikeRadar’s lead testers and knows how to push bikes and products to the limit, searching out the equipment that represents the best value for money. Alex is also a dedicated eMTB rider, and still dabbles in racing of a sort, doing his best to top the Strava leaderboard on the steepest, gnarliest and twistiest trails the Tweed Valley has to offer – just for fun, of course. Alex is also a regular on the BikeRadar YouTube channel and BikeRadar podcast.
