The latest issue of MBR is out now, packed full of inspiring ideas and routes to help you find new places to get out and ride.

What about the magazine itself? Here’s a taste of what you’ll find inside…

MBR April 2019

On the cover: Anna Glowinski and Rachael Walker explore Surrey Hills singletrack. Roo Fowler.

Leeds Urban Bike Park

It’s never been easier to ride your bike thanks to the boom in urban riding venues that are genuinely easy to get to for city dwellers. We head to Leeds to sample one of these pioneering projects, a bike park that’s crammed in miles of berms, singletrack, drops and jumps into an area the size of a golf course.

Croatia long distance

The Trans Dinarica is a new long distance MTB trail that, when finished, will link eight European countries and territories, from Slovenia to Albania, in a stupendous snaking path. We take a week to try the Croatian leg, taking in mountains and Mediterranean islands.

First rides

Wireless shifting has arrived in the shape of SRAM’s latest and greatest drivetrain, called AXS. No more internal gear cabling, bye-bye fishing for your dropper post hose (yes there’s a wireless seatpost), hello electric motors and batteries. Plus we ride Ghost’s new SL AMR range with short travel and, interestingly, a coil shock.

Longtermers

Web editor Benji gets his mitts on a new Vitus Sentier 27 VRS hardtail, with its modern geometry and clearance for 2.8in rubber it could strike the perfect balance between comfort and cost. Plus updates on the YT Capra, Fantic XF1, GT Sensor, Nukeproof Mega, and Rocky Mountain Altitude.

Product

Specialized Roval 6Fattie carbon wheels, Fox Indicator pants, Bluegrass Skinny kneepads, 100% Speedtrap glasess, FSA Flowtron dropper post and loads more reviewed.

Disc brakes

Great brakes need power spades, modulation so you can feather them and not shoot over the bars, an ergonomic lever feel, and consistent performance and reliability: We test 10 brakes from £25 each end up to £240 to find out if they make the mark.

Pumped up XC bikes

XC race bikes are built to cover some seriously techie terrain at the highest speeds possible, but comfy they aint. Now bike brands are adapting them to double up as trail bikes, by adding longer travel forks, better tyres, and trail-friendly components to make them more capable, more comfy and nearly as fast. We’ve got four bikes on test, from Cannondale, Kona, Specialized and Scott.

Bikes in this issue

• Cannondale Scalpel-SI Carbon SE
• Fantic XF1 Integra Enduro
• Ghost SL AMR 6.7 Al
• GT Sensor Carbon Elite
• Kona Hei Hei CR/DL
• Nukeproof Mega 290 Pro
• Rocky Mountain Altitude 50
• Scott Spark 940
• Specialized Epic Comp Evo
• Vitus Sentier 27 VRS
• YT Capra 29 CF Pro Race

Fit and Fast

How to progress your technical skills on a mountain bike, with Andy Barlow from Dirt School, plus the go-faster gadgets that will have you training smarter to ride faster.

Skills: better jumping

Jumping skills are about so much more than getting air on gaps and tables — learn the technique and you’ll be a better and safer trail rider too, says Andy from Dirt School, who shows newbie rider Laura Bailey ABC of jumping.

Regulars

• Big pictures
• Buzz: New suspension forks are popping up all over the place from the likes of DVO, Formula and DT Swiss, we run through the pick of the bunch. Plus inspiration on where to ride, what to wear, how to get started and improving your skills.
• Mailbox Your rants, raves and witty ripostes.
• Afterimage: Downhill racer and skills maestro Bernard Kerr shows the image (and the trick) that kickstarted his media stardom, at Windham.

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