Lance Branquino

News writer

Lance Branquino

Born Namibian, childhood in Africa, Lance Branquinho regularly contributes the latest mountain bike and cycling news to mbr magazine. He’s always been fascinated with anything with wheels, since being the backbencher on family safari trips, and has two decades as a media professional. His work has included nightshifts at digital newsrooms, writing about technology trends, adventure journeys, and more for Media 24, 24.com, mbr magazine, Bike Perfect and others.

He prefers riding in open terrain with rocky descents as opposed to dappled light in dense forest singletrack as his aren’t so great anymore, and most of his riding is done at the Contermanskloof and Helshoogte trails near Stellenbosch in South Africa.

After a series of trail and enduro bike updates to its model range during Q1 2022, Pivot has revealed something for gram counting riders. The Arizonan brand’s Les SL is…

Gravity racers with a soft spot for a rugged aluminium frame aesthetic and high chainstay rear triangles, will love Orange’s new 279. The brand’s latest downhill bike debuted in France…

Specialized Turbo Levo

One of the original mountain biking innovators has handed over the reins at Specialized. Mike Sinyard is disengaging from his position as Specialized CEO, but will remain in a chairperson…

BikeYoke is best known for its dropper posts, but the German component maker has revealed a new 35mm bore stem – the Barkeeper. A single-piece stem without the traditional faceplate,…

If you are a flat pedal purist, it doesn’t mean you don’t care about watts. Riders who prefer the support and control of riding flats, might not be obvious candidates…

Want to filter more fun into your rides instead of muting trail feedback? Airdrop’s new 27.5” bike might be just the thing. The Peak District company differs from most other…

Transition has become the latest boutique bike brand to introduce an e-bike. The Bellingham company has added Shimano’s proven EP8 system to what is essentially the Transition Sentinel frame. And…

Revel has a new version of its Rail enduro bike platform, with bigger wheels. The American carbon-fibre bike brand, known for its patented Canfield Balance Formula (CBF) suspension, has finally…

Enduro bikes with high-pivot chainlines are all the rage this year. And Eminent is the latest brand introducing a frame with an idler wheel. The American brand, known for its…

Vivid anodising never really went off-trend. It just took a break. As riders desire to customise a dream build, bright colour finishes for select components have come back into vogue.…

Fancy a value trail bike with Shimano EP8 tech? That will be Canyon’s latest Neuron:ON. The German brand has added bold new colourways to the affordable aluminium-only e-bike, which configures…

Bronson will always be a storied name for Santa Cruz. The original Santa Cruz headquarters was in Bronson street. And the company’s first 27.5” enduro bike was named Bronson, too.…

Mere weeks after a Shimano parts shipment was hijacked in Germany, many e-bikes have been stolen in a single act – near London. Giant has confirmed that 127 of its…

Pivot has updated its Mach 4 SL lightweight 29er. The American brand’s lightweight mileage eater continues with unchanged geometry and suspension specification. But the rear triangle has seen some alteration.…

Ragley has announced some new colourways, for two of its progressive geometry models, in the current frame range. The brand known for bringing value to steel and alloy hardtail riders,…