[Words by Steve Thomas]Gravel racing has come a long way over the past few years, especially in terms of “official” recognition by the UCI who granted the discipline official World Championship status in 2022. Opinion: You don’t need a dropper post on your gravel bike Gravel bike racing – everything you need to know Bike … Read more
Bolstering its e-mountain bike offering, Santa Cruz has added another bike to the range. The Vala gets a vastly different silhouette compared to its range-mates as the brand has forgone the classic VPP suspension layout in favour of something a little different. And as a huge theme of the many e-bike releases we’ve seen this … Read more
The long-travel e-MTB category is one of the most hotly contested spaces in modern mountain biking and, if we’re honest, Trek’s Rail has got a little long in the tooth. Thankfully, the brand has refreshed its flagship e-MTB platform with the Rail+, which gets the very latest Bosch tech and simply packs more punch than before. Here’s everything we … Read more
German e-bike brand, Haibike, has a lot going on for the 2025 model year. A comprehensive design and prototype effort has created updates across the Haibike product portfolio, with new frame silhouettes, enhanced rear-suspension platform kinematics, and an interesting low-step dual-suspension e-bike. off-road Opinion – E-bikes aren’t a menace, it’s all about trail etiquette E-MTB … Read more
The German brand’s JAM² retains its 160mm fork and 150mm frame travel ratings for the 2025m model year but there have been some styling refinements to the front end. How to service your shock – tips for both Fox and RockShox E-MTB geometry explained: how weight and geometry affect your ride Bike check: Nathan Haas’ … Read more
Renowned for its brutal climbs, oppressive heat and tyre-shredding rocks, the Cape Epic is not easy. Each finisher’s medal is earned. For the race’s 2025 edition, the course and climbing stats are what most riders would expect – 376 miles/608km and 54,133ft/16,500m of climbing – but the route won’t venture out of view of Table … Read more
The YT Mob’s Christian ‘Texi’ Textor takes his natural talent and heads to the Austrian Alps to put YT’s Decoy SN through its paces. This Enduro e-MTB is the best one to date and has a lightweight character – you can see why when you witness how the integrated Fazua Ride 60 motor system tackles hills … Read more
This week has hosted several prominent tech releases including the Lauf Elja mountain bike, Fox’s wireless suspension adjustment, the new Truffle mountain bike from Carbon Wasp and Mondraker Sly e-MTB. We’ve also produced a brace of buyer’s guides focussing on the best mountain bike jackets and sunglasses to help prepare you for winter. Downhill mountain biking – everything you … Read more
In this week’s Five Cool Things we’ll take a look at SRAM’s most powerful brakes, fresh kicks from Ride Concepts and socks primed for winter riding. But that’s not all as Stan’s latest entry into the tubeless valve market has found its place and we’ve got POC’s incredibly pricey rain jacket. To top things off, we’ll … Read more
[Words by Steve Thomas – Photography supplied by Chris Porter]With a gravity-assisted passion and commitment to mountain biking, Chris Porter is a legendary wise man of the bike suspension industry and is a passionate and individually sprung character. Industry Insider: MTB career insights with Katy Curd Industry Insider: MTB career insights with Sarah Leishman Industry Insider: … Read more
