The Amflow PL Carbon with DJI’s Avinox motor has put the cat among the pigeons. In 30 years as a mountain bike journalist, I can’t remember another bike that has…
Mountain Bike Rider
Two chains! Pivot’s new Phoenix downhill bike is a mid-high pivot idler design with one goal… win World Cup downhill races
Pivot has just released its latest downhill race bike, the updated Phoenix, with two chains, three chainrings, and less friction than a typical high-pivot design according to Pivot. Hidden in…
Orbea’s new Wild e-bike: 170mm travel, DH geometry, Bosch’s latest CX motor… but no 800Wh battery
Orbea has launched a new version of its full-fat enduro e-bike, the Wild. The new generation now has a massive 170mm travel, slacker geometry, the option of running a mullet…
High pivot suspension, three idlers and a gearbox! Meet the new Kavenz VHP G2
If you thought high pivot suspension bikes were quirky, German brand Kavenz has found a way to make them even more niche, adding a gearbox drivetrain to its VHP G2.…
The RockShox Pike is a flawed genius of a fork thanks to its Charger 3.1 damper
The latest RockShox Pike Ultimate literally reams out the QC problems of the old fork, which was beset by problems and often choked by damping and bushing issues when pushed…
Red Bull Rampage is nearly here, get warmed up watching Anytime with Brett Rheeder and Hannah Bergemann
Red Bull Media House and Anthill Films has released a new film called ‘Anytime’. It follows the journey of 15 of the world’s best male and female freeriders as they…
Santa Cruz ditches the Heckler (and VPP!) for the new Vala: Bosch powered, two flip chips and a smaller battery
Santa Cruz has just unveiled the Vala – a brand new all-mountain e-bike that replaces the similarly intentioned Heckler. Instead of a Shimano EP801 motor like its predecessor though, the…
Trek’s new Rail+ starts at £6,000, gets a full-size 800Wh battery and a travel boost to 160mm
The Trek Rail is one of the best e-bikes of all time, it’s been consistently great since its 2020 debut, won our e-bike of the year test back in 2021…
Bosch’s new CX motor is smarter and quieter than ever – here are 5 new e-bikes powered by this hot new drive unit
The floodgates have opened at Bosch’s e-bike development campus near Stuttgart, releasing a tsunami of new e-bikes with the latest gen 5 Performance CX motor that we recently spotted at…
Bosch’s Performance CX gen 5 motor doesn’t get any extra power, but I don’t care because it’s so much smarter and quieter than the old one
It’s been three years since the last big update to Bosch’s benchmark Perfomance CX motor. And with significant improvements to legacy rivals like Shimano’s EP801, innovative new options such as…
Hope’s handmade HB.916 is dull and dead to ride… but in a really (really) good way
High pivot bikes with idlers have been trending recently, but are they all hype like the Emperor’s New Clothes or do they offer genuine ride advantages? Multiple brands including Forbidden,…
£50 Specialized Tactic named safest helmet by Imperial College research
The Specialized Tactic MIPS is the most protective helmet according to research from Imperial College London, which used new oblique impact tests to rank 30 of the most popular models…
Go Outdoors names pan-flat Cambridge as the UK’s best mountain bike destination, thanks to its “moderately difficult” trails
Which UK city has the best mountain bike trails on its doorstep? Cardiff, Sheffield or maybe Edinburgh would be near the top of our list, but according to the latest…
“Just about perfect” PNW’s Range Stem is stiff, well made and looks great
PNW says its Range stem is CNCd from a block of 6061 aluminium, but judging by the shape it’s been cold-forged first, a process all the best mountain bike stems…
How to watch Red Bull Rampage 2024 – mountain biking’s equivalent of the Superbowl – live and for free, from anywhere in the world
It’s Red Bull Rampage time again and the big news this year is the iconic freeride event now spans two days, not one, after the addition of a women’s event…
Fox carves out free speed on the descents with its new Live Valve Neo active suspension system
Fox has a new suspension system out called Live Valve Neo that will open and close your shock faster than the blink of an eye and make your bike quicker…
Mondraker’s new SLY is a mid-power e-bike with an alloy frame and Bosch SX motor that weighs under 21kg – and no headset-routed cables!
Last year Mondraker launched the stealthy Neat with its barely perceptible TQ HPR 50 motor and 150mm travel. Then came the enduro-ready Dune with Bosch SX motor and 165mm of…
“The Merida EX Enduro turned me into an addict” – Mick Kirkman tells us why the wettest EX on record still kills it
The Merida EX Enduro presented by Shimano is one of Britain’s most notorious three-day events. And as if the total of 24 stages and 4,600 metres of descending wasn’t enough,…
E*thirteen launches new Sidekick hubs designed to reduce pedal kickback and improve grip – “it feels like cheating” says World Cup downhill racer
It’s not a new idea, nor is it without potential side effects, but if just a fraction of the claimed benefits from E*Thirteen’s new Sidekick hub are accurate, then this…
Technology like ABS braking, automatic shifting, and reactive suspension is on the rise, but are modern electronics making mountain biking too easy?
In episode 12 of the MBR Show we take a look at the increasing use of electronics and algorithms to improve our ride. Are they the very antithesis of a…