TRAIL BIKE TEST MEGA ISSUE: NORCO SIGHT, PIVOT MACH 429 TRAIL, FELT DECREE, SANTA CRUZ

5010!
AUSTRALIAN MOUNTAIN BIKE

CROSSING THE
TALAS RANGE
A MOUNTAIN BIKE FIRST

THE BATTLE
FOR AN

OLYMPIC
TICKET
BEHIND THE BEACH
IN
NOOSA
INSIDE BOUWMEESTER COMPOSITES
AND Di2 CUSTOM BUILDS
 AUSTRALIAN MOUNTAIN BIKE
APRIL / MAY 2016
Ready to Rally

ISSUE 153
All-new Rally MTB helmet featuring MIPS
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 PUMPED
Rider: Ethan Kelly
Photographer: Tim Bardsley-Smith

Heading to a new destination, it’s always worth

hunting out the locals who know the best trails,
and the best time to ride them. When we went
north to Noosa, it was an easy choice to chase
up both Andy Fellows and Ethan Kelly for a
couple of rides, and here Ethan shows us how
his local trails are meant to be ridden.

Don’t miss the full feature in this issue.

8 - AMB
www.ambmag.com.au - 9
 PUMPED
Rider: Jeff Kendall-Weed
Photographer: Andrew Railton

WTB’s International Sales manager made a visit

to Australia at the end of January. He’s far more
than just a sales guy though – Jeff Kendall-
Weed races for Ibis Cycles, and as photographer
Andrew ‘Rails’ Railton said, “this guy can ride!”.

Rails caught Jeff on the trails of Mt Buller, with

as much of his time spent on one wheel as two
wheels and in the air. Just search his name
on Google and you’ll find some of the brilliant
videos Jeff has been a part of around the world.

10 - AMB
www.ambmag.com.au - 11
 CONTENTS
APRIL / MAY - ISSUE #153

FAST TRACK 60 – REINVENTING

THE WHEEL
Editorial - 15
News - 16 Not all carbon wheels are created
Shimano Competition - 21 equal. And one of the best regarded
Subscriptions - 24 sets of carbon mountain bike wheels
Calendar - 26 on the planet are designed and
X-Factor – 27 made right here in Australia.
Speakers’ Corner – 29
Men in Flight - 32 62 – TRAIL HARDTAILS –
THE EVOLUTION
FEATURES
Is the hardtail dead – or is it evolving?
34 – THE SOUTHERN Justin Walker reckons there’s life yet
SOJOURN in hardtails – and steel.

The Pioneer launched itself onto THE HUB

the world stage at the start of the
year, as the inaugural running of the TESTED
event attracted marathon and cross-
66 – Pivot Mach 429 Trail
country racers from around the
70 – Norco Sight C7.2
world, tracing a route across New
74 – Felt Decree 2
Zealand’s Southern Alps.
78 – Santa Crux 5010 C
82 – Scott Spark Contessa RC
40 – SUN, SAND AND TRAILS

Beaches, cafes, restaurants and

LONG TERM
trails – what’s not to like in Noosa? 86 – The Di2 Project
With an expanded trail network, the 89 – Avanti Torrent
trails at Wooroi might make Noosa
the perfect winter mountain bike PLACES THAT ROCK
destination.
102 – Places that Rock – Davies
46 – TRAVERSING Creek
THE TALAS
THE HUB
Just because something hasn’t been 90 – Product Reviews
done before doesn’t mean you can’t 104 – Skills – Ride that rut
do it. Tracey Croke took part in the 106 – Nutrition
first crossing of Kyrgyzstan’s Talas 110 – Fitness
mountains. And she even lived to 112 – Workshop
write a story for us!. 114 - Photo Comp

52 – I WANT TO GO TO RIO!

It’s an Olympic year, and many of

Australia and New Zealand’s elite
have focused their seasons around
qualification. But what’s involved,
and who can go?

12 - AMB
www.ambmag.com.au - 13
Photos Damian Breach

#TASadventureshimano

www.shimano.com.au shimanoaustralia shimanoOZ shimanoaus

EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES amb@nextmedia.com.au
EDITOR Mike Blewitt
ART DIRECTOR Robert Conroy

WORDSMITHS

Tim Bardsley-Smith, Chris Barlin, Wil Barrett, Anna

Beck, Mike Blewitt, Brodie Chapman, Robert Conroy,
Tracey Croke, Joe Dodd, Meg Gillmer, Jenni King,
Lachlan McKillop, Jared Rando, Imogen Smith, Matt
Tripet, Justin Walker, Zoe Wilson

PHOTO GURUS

Timothy Arch, Tim Bardsley-Smith, Wil Barrett, Mike

Blewitt, Mello Bouwmeester, Damian Breach, Robert
Conroy, Tracey Croke, Chris Herron, Toby Maudesly,
Duncan Philpott, Andrew Railton

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April is here and that means it’s time for the
World Cup in Cairns. Our sport has become about
so much more than just racing, but it should be
a source of national pride to have the World Cup
back on our soil, especially in an Olympic year.
The endeavours and escapades of mountain
bikers in Tropical North Queensland have shaped
the sport globally, and at a national level. Glen
Jacobs, Michael Ronning, Tracy Hannah, Mick
Hannah. - just to name a few riders who have put
Cairns and surrounds on the world stage, and
who are still so involved with the sport now on a
national and international level.
The World Cup in Cairns is also an opportunity
for younger riders to perform for a home crowd
in front of a global audience. It allows racers to
gain crucial international experience without the
high costs of international travel. Our country
has often had a very deep field of talent in Junior
downhill, but the costs of travelling to Europe
or North America to get international racing
experience comes at a great cost. While Cairns
isn’t close to our major capitals and the majority
of our population, it’s a lot closer than all the
other World Cup rounds!
Away from benefits for the racers, the World
Cup is also a festival of mountain biking. And
it’s one that happens to take place in a tropical
playground. We’ll be there for the racing, but we’ll
stay for the riding. From the beach side trails
in the south, to the never-ending singletrack in
Atherton, or the countless old trails in the Misty
Mountains, and of course Smithfield Mountain
Bike Park and then the Bump Track in Port
Douglas – there are countless trails to ride and
discover.
In this issue, we’re also looking to the Olympics,
the most important mountain bike race of the
year. Who can qualify from Australia, and how are
they managing to do so? We’re also finishing off
the bike tests from all the bikes our testers were
out playing on trails with over summer.
And if you head up to the World Cup – don’t forget
to come and say hi if you see us out on course or
out in the trails!

www.ambmag.com.au - 15
HAMILTON AND
MULLENS RULE
IN THE OTWAYS
It took gifted young gun Chris Hamilton to
break the reign of 6-time Odyssey winner Chris
Jongewaard to claim victory of the epic 100km
Giant Odyssey in Forrest. Peta Mullens smashed
the women’s course record by 7 minutes to finish
in a time of just 5hrs, 6minutes. The Odyssey is
one of Australia’s most popular mountain bike
racers, and over 1,200 riders took part in this
year’s 10th anniversary edition. Chris Hamilton
worked with team mate Tasman Nankervis, who
finished 2nd overall, to push Jongewaard to his
limit and the 20-year-olds proved too strong in
the hills on the final loop of the race to take lead
position and secure the top 2 steps on the podium.
“For these marathon races you need to play it
pretty smart and being able to work with Tasman
was good. We pushed on the first King of the
Mountain climb to test the field and felt we were
in pretty good form. Chris was ahead going into
the last big climb but Tasman was helping to set a
good tempo and then we hit Chris about half way
up and managed to pull away from him. Tasman
and I were pretty evenly managed but I just had a
little more than him there at the end,” said overall
winner Chris Hamilton.
Adrian Jackson, who won the event in 2010,
finished in 3rd with Jongewaard 4th and Paul van
der Ploeg rounding out the top 5 men.
“From the start I knew Chris and Tasman were
strong and were going to push me but I didn’t give
it up, I gave it everything I had but the boys were
just a lot stronger on the climbs. It’s never really
about coming here to win; it’s about enjoying
the trails and the atmosphere and I certainly did
that,” said Chris Jongewaard.
In the women’s category Peta Mullens finished 13
minutes ahead of second placed Renata Bucher
who won the event in 2013, with Jodie Willett in 3rd,
Rebecca Locke 4th and 10-time Giant Odyssey rider
Jessica Douglas rounding out the top 5 women.
“I’ve been bridesmaid here two years in a row by mountain bike events in Australia and has had a
very small margins. This year I tested the others huge following right from the word go with 1,000
on the early climbs and at 3 hours I still felt really riders participating every year since,” said Sam
good so I just tempo’d up the climb to try to break Maffett, General Manager, Rapid Ascent.
the record on the timed descent. I’ve got a good “Thank you to everyone who has taken part in
endurance base behind me and I love the Giant this event across its 10 year history. It’s such a
Odyssey and it’s really good to be back and to win supportive and friendly event atmosphere, the
again, especially for the 10th edition. This really is a extensive network of single track in Forrest is
mountain biker’s marathon with all the sick single second-to-none, and we hope to see the event
track out there but it also caters for everyone with continue for at least another 10 years,” he said.
the 50 and the 30km events so I hope everyone had
as good a day as me,” said female winner and new
record holder Peta Mullens.
Also competing today were 8 people who have
finished the gruelling 100km event every year since
it started in 2007, known as the ‘Odyssey faithfuls’.
Congratulations to those riders who have now done
10 Odysseys: Jessica Douglas, Neville Bird, Lee
Floyd, Brian John, Bevan Kerr, David Rusden, Dave
Scarlett and Craig Sullivan.
“Every Odyssey is a bit different and every one is
special but I love it every time and I’ll keep coming
back. The trails are awesome and I won’t be
stopping for anything,” said 10-time rider Brian
John. Race organisers Rapid Ascent were rapt with
the success of the 10th edition of the event.
“We are so proud that the Giant Odyssey is still going
strong after 10 years. The event has a reputation
for being one of the toughest and most respected

MOUNTAIN BIKE But E13 have developed a wider

range 10 speed and 11-speed
cassette option as well. The TRS+

MEGA RANGES cassettes have either a 9-42 or 9-44

With more 1x setups now the norm thanks to
Shimano’s XT M8000 group, plus SRAM’s GX and now
NX group sets, there is now a little more evolution
going on. A standard 10-42 or 11-42 range can be a
little limiting in some terrain, but not always to the
point that people want to go back to a 2x setup.
In late February, Shimano announced an 11-46
11-speed cassette that will be compatible with both
XT M8000 and XTR M9000 and M9050.
range (10sp and 11sp respectively),
offering up to a 467% range. What’s
also noteworthy is the weight,
claimed at 300g and 320g for the 10
and 11 speed variants.
We can’t wait to get one on one of
our bikes to see how it holds up
to real world use. Prices start at
$439.95 for the 10sp version, and
$459.95 for the 11sp unit.
dirtworks.com.au

16 - AMB

A FESTIVAL IN THE CLOUDS
WORDS: WIL BARRETT
IMAGES: ANDREW RAILTON & MANDY LAMONT
Back for its 8th year in 2016, the GT Bike Buller
Festival notched up another superb weekend
of racing, riding and good times. Held over the
March Labour Day weekend at Mount Buller in
Victoria, the festival attracted over 500 riders from
all over the country, and as far afield as Chile and
the US. While each rider came to conquer their
own challenge, everyone was there to enjoy the
brilliant alpine trails built by Glen Jacobs and the
World Trail crew.
Having grown year-on-year since its inception,
the GT Bike Buller Festival saw its biggest and
most diverse crowd of riders in 2016 thanks to
the addition of the ABOM Downhill race. Joining
the existing line up of XC and enduro events, the
ABOM race saw riders donning full-face helmets
to test their speed, skill and nerves on the
technical mountain singletrack.
While riders could enter any of the eight events
over the three days of racing, they could also
choose to partake in two different overall
categories. The ‘Gravity Gods’ category combined
the Outlaw All Mountain race, the ABOM
Downhill and the Gravity Enduro, while the ‘XC
Whippets’ category combined the Stirling Circuit
50km race, the Brake Burner Enduro, and the
20km Corn Hill XC event. And with big hitters
such as Mick Ronning, Tegan Molloy, Paul Van
FAST TRACK
Der Ploeg and Jackson Frew fronting up, the
competition was top-notch.
Outside of the racing, heaps of other events and
activities over the weekend saw a family-friendly
crowd take over the alpine village. The 16” wheel
dual slalom race and the pump track challenge
were spectator favourites, while the bike expo
provided brands such as GT, Fox, Adidas, Intense
and ENVE to display their shiniest of goods to
the public. There were multiple kids’ races, yoga
sessions, and even a trail run that went over the
summit of Mt Buller.
On Sunday, riders crossing the finish line of
the Super D race along the Delatite River Trail
were greeted with the Picnic in the Park Festival
at Mirimbah. After taking a dip in the nearby
river, competitors and their families enjoyed live
music, face painting, and a glorious selection of
gourmet food, wine and plenty of craft beer as
part of the festivities.
For many riders though, it was all about the Hans
Rey Epic ride. Having made his way to Mt Buller
as part of his Down Under ‘Good Times Tour’,
Hans Rey accompanied 70 lucky riders along
some of the best singletrack on the mountain,
while signing autographs and taking photos
along the way. On Sunday night, the three times
World Trials Champion hosted an entertaining
presentation about his career, his mountain
bike adventures, and his charity work with
Wheels4Life.
www.ambmag.com.au - 17
 FAST TRACK
WALKABOUT CREEK GETS
A SKILLS PARK
Walkbout Creek is becoming more than just a function centre
on the edge of Brisbane. The centre is right on the edge
of D’Aguilar National Park, and has experienced a shift in
purpose as the adjacent Enogerra Reservoir opened for
canoeing and then swimming. The master plan allowed for a
trail around the reservoir, and a skills park right up near the
function centre.
Damian McGarry teamed up with Pete Wilson from Trail Works
when requests for tenders were out, and we spoke to McGarry
about what was involved in getting the skills park right on
the edge of Brisbane’s suburbs – on the border of residential
homes and trails.
“The land was old bush land that used to have a dam where they
tried breeding platypus. It was all overgrown with tall grass and
trees – but the dam has now been used for a skills bowl.”
It’s a really compact skills park, but has a lot of variety –
including what seems to be an observation walk.
REDBACK REARING UP
THIS AUGUST
If you like the sound of endless singletrack, warm mid-winter
riding, flowing trails, friendly smiles and the satisfaction you
get from a great day on the bike – you should probably have a
good think about getting out to the Redback MTB Stage Race
this August.
The Redback provides four days and six stages of racing
along the jaw-dropping trails around Alice Springs in the
Northern Territory. The Redback will be held from Thursday
18th to Sunday 21st August 2016, with the event based from
the Chifley Alice Springs Resort. Given it’s the ninth year
of this event (which was formerly known at the Ingkerreke
Commercial MTB Enduro), the organisers have fine-tuned
The Redback into a truly incredible race experience.
With a new Team of 2 category, the easiest race logistics of
any stage race, and a significant focus on the social aspect,
this is a must-do event for every mountain biker.
The six stages of The Redback are quite diverse, giving riders
a good cross section of terrain, riding style and landscape. All
18 - AMB
area. Workshops were run with the
project team, landscape architects
and MTBA’s Junior Development
coach Jodie Willett.
“If parents aren’t involved then they don’t see
their kids participate,” stated McGarry. “They “We asked – ‘What are the type of
can see it’s not as dangerous as they may have skills we need? What feature gives
expected.” you those sorts of skills?’” said
McGarry. And that allowed them to
While the original brief looked to be a junior get an idea of what features would
development skills area, it really has become a lot need to be built, but one thing really
more, proving popular for any rider in need of a stood out. “It would be great to do a
skills session. pump track.”
“The area had coaching and observation While the land wasn’t allocated
incorporated into the design. Mostly because for the pump track, it was also
we knew coaching would have a high level of worked into the building, and
participation and utilisation. It fits well with the now the area has a pump track,
nature play concept of the whole Walkabout Creek skills park, swimming area, new
revamp – the idea of playing in the bush.” carpark and a café all in one spot.
It’s a great addition to the local
The skills area has log rides, berms, jumps, rock area, so hopefully we’ll see more
gardens, armoured rock corners, table tops, a National Parks centres catering for
flow trail… it really has a lot of features in a small mountain biking.
races start and finish within rolling distance of
Alice Springs so there’s no rental car or support
crew necessary.
This year The Redback coincides with the
Henley on Todd Regatta, a great spectacle event
held on the Todd River involving a range of ‘boat
races’ held on the dry river bed.
Race Director, John Jacoby from Rapid
Ascent says The Redback is more than just
a mountain bike stage race. “This event is
all about riding some great single track,
meeting other mountain bikers from across
Australia, and exploring one of the most
iconic destinations in Australia,” he said.
“The Redback provides a great opportunity
to discover Alice Springs, experience this
unique Australian landscape and learn more
out the diverse culture of the outback. Bring
your mates or your family as this is the ideal
mountain biking holiday and winter-escape,”
he said.
Entries to The Redback 2016 are now open at
theredback.com.au
20
16

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EQUIPPED
SHIMANO
COMPETITION

WANT TO SEND YOU TO

ON A NEW BIKE

MY MOUNTAIN BIKE LIFE

DO YOU WANT TO WIN a brand new bike, setup like the Trek Remedy ridden by Enduro National ROUND ONE: 8TH JUNE
Champ Chris Panozzo? Shimano Australia and AMB want to help you get on a new bike setup with
the latest group set from Shimano, Fox suspension and Bontrager parts. And we want to send you to ROUND TWO: 22ND JUNE
Finale Ligure for the final round of the Enduro World Series (EWS) to ride with Chris and shoot a video. ROUND THREE: 6TH JULY
YOU JUST NEED TO SHOOT AND EDIT A VIDEO under the You cannot enter the same video twice, but you FINAL: 20TH JULY
theme “This is my mountain bike life” that truly captures what you can enter more than one video. The final will be
like best about mountain biking - be it trails, people, travel, racing, decided 50% by views and popularity, and 50% by WINNER ANNOUNCED:
editorial choice.
relaxing - that’s up to you. Submit your videos directly to AMB and
we’ll upload it in one of 3 rounds of voting, before a final round for
3RD AUGUST
Do not upload your video independently.
the finalists.
Competition closes 6/6/16 for Round One,
YOUR VIDEO: We need you to send us a download link for a 90- 20/6/16 for Round Two and 4/7/16 for Round
120 second video, that features one Shimano product and opens Three. Open to Australian and NZ residents
and closes with the competition banner you can download from only over the age of 18 years. Prize must
AMBmag.com.au. Your video needs to be filmed in 1080p bit rate be taken by 1/10/16. Full terms available at
and 1080p HD resolution, with compression in line with Vimeo’s www.ambmag.com.au. on April 15th – so
guidelines. head along to AMBmag.com.au to see the
specifics and read the fine print.
SUBMIT YOUR VIDEOS via a file sharing service to
amb@nextmedia.com.au. Entries will be aired on AMB’s Vimeo And in the mean time, get out and get shooting with
account, and the three most popular videos go through to the final. your mates, and show us your mountain bike life!

www.ambmag.com.au - 21
BONTRAGER CAMBION SHOES
The Cambion aims to offer top-tier performance
but a little cheaper than the XXX shoe. It features
a single BOA IP1 ratchet dial for on the fly fine-
tuning of the tension. A quick release function
then makes them easy to remove.
The Silver Series carbon sole gives a solid
connection between pedal and shoe, though
there’s a touch more give in it compared to the
bone-shakingly stiff XXX race shoe. The Cambion
also features a grippy Tachyon rubber outsole for
comfort and traction when scaling steep climbs
off the bike, making it a more versatile all-round
trail shoe. Add an anti-sleep heel lining, mesh
ventilation, and a clever GnarGuard to protect
your heel and toes against abrasions and you have
what should be a popular shoe.
RRP: $359
Trekbikes.com
NEW PRODUCTS
GIRO MONTARO MIPS HELMET
The Montaro is a new trail lid from the brain-
box experts at Giro. Taking the popularity of the
full-coverage Feature helmet, the Montaro brings
a higher level of construction that lowers weight
while adding in masses of ventilation. Claimed
weight on the Montaro is an impressive 370 grams.
Equipped with the anti-rotational MIPS system,
the Montaro promises safety for hard-hitting trail
riders thanks to its added coverage and low-
density EPS foam construction. The Montaro is
fully goggle compatible, with grippers at the back
of the helmet for the strap, and an adjustable
visor that can be positioned upright for goggle
storage. Other features include anti-microbial
padding, a removable POV camera mount and the
brilliant RocLoc Air adjustment system.
Available in Blue/Lime, Matte Black and Matte
Flame colours.
RRP: $249
sheppardcycles.com
22 - AMB
IXS XULT HELMET
New in Australia, iXS are being represented by
Pushie Enterprises. We’ve had their Xult DH
helmet arrive for testing. It’s carbon free to
reduce your footprint, and claims to have great
ventilation thanks to 20 vents on the helmet.
Some might not like the lack of a camera mount
– but we’re pretty sure that will come in handy if
you’re actually using the helmet for its purpose.
Using the absorption by ‘Xmatter’ by iXS, the
helmet is said to reduce rotational force during
impact. With a compact overall design and an
emergency release system in case of emergency
– this could well become the racer’s choice.
RRP: $499.95
Pushie.com.au
The latest products to hit Australian shores, get
your first glimpse here as we give the rundown on
the latest gear.
SUUNTO AMBIT VERTICAL
Wearing a GPS on your wrist might not suit
everyone, but if you’re inclined to take some
running, climbing and skiing along with your
mountain biking – a wrist-mounted unit
makes a lot of sense. And a Suunto watch has
always exuded a sense of “check me out, I’m
adventurous.” The new Ambit Vertical is best used
with their training software and Movescount App
for route and session planning, making it easy to
track routes on screen, and see your messages
and calls via your wrist.
Thanks to compatibility with power meters the
Ambit Vertical coule be a very powerful training
tool for the dedicated multisport athlete.
RRP: from $469
Suunto.com.au
FOX KABOLT
If you’re looking to neaten up your bike and drop
some grams at the same time, the Fox Kabolt
is designed to do exactly that. Replacing the
standard QR15 lever on your Fox fork with a
simple bolt-up axle, the high-grade alloy uses a
6mm hex wrench to tighten it down.
As for weight, the Kabolt is less than half the weight
of a regular QR15 axle, coming in at just 34.5 grams.
Available in Black or Gold anodized colours, and now
available to fit Boost 110 forks as well.
RRP: $99
ridefoxaustralia.com.au
WORDS: WIL BARRETT
PRAXIS 32T STEEL CHAIN RING
Very rarely does a company release a new
premium offering that is heavier than its existing
product while being more expensive. If you’ve
joined the 1x revolution, you may have noticed how
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DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
WORDS: ANNA BECK PHOTO: ROBERT CONROY
There is so much fluoro on the trails nowadays that
sometimes on weekend rides I feel like I am on
a construction site. The latest fads are big-travel
enduro bikes and even bigger, noisier fashion
choices in shades of orange, yellow and turquoise.
I am not opposed to a bit of fashion noise, however
when it boils down to it, my first choice is comfort.
Here are a few quick tips I have picked up over the
years that will ensure your seams don’t get in the
way of your shred.
No under-duds.
Qhen you’re rocking a baggy short inner, lycra
shorts, or bibs, commando is the only way to go. All
sorts of nasty stuff can happen when your cotton
smalls are trapped against your nether regions by
some ultra-tight lycra, including (but not limited
to): folliculitis, saddle sores, all sorts of heat-
related rashes, and infection from the moisture of
non-wicking fabrics. Save yourself the hassle and
shoot the breeze under there. What you pay for is
what you get with bibs and knicks; spend $80 on a
basic pair and your crotchular region may regret it.
Also note, with frequent use bibs and knicks require
replacement around yearly. No one wants to see
stretchy, see-though butt-crack!
Sports bras
Mountain biking is a little more dynamic that road
cycling, yet is still a much lower-impact sport than
running and team sports. Good lycra compression-
style sports bras are often all that’s needed for
smaller chested women on the bike. For bigger-
chested women there are two popular options;
‘double it’, and ‘the wire’. Doubling up on lycra sports
bras allowed my E-cup post-baby chest enough
compression to hold it all in place, plus there were
no wires involved. The downside here is the extra
layer (and washing!) and the heat. On the other hand
using a dedicated, technical moulded wire sports
bra is a much cooler in the heat, but requires you to
embrace an underwire and fitted cup. Give both a try
and see what works, but for the love of god leave the
lingerie in the bedroom.
Top choices
The old three-pocket lycra jersey is popular for
a reason; you can shove as many bananas as you
need in there along with your spares, reducing the
need to carry a saddlebag or backpack. Look for
lightweight fabrics, preferably with a full length zip;
this will make toilet stops far more manageable if
you rock the bib shorts. If you are a ‘totes enduro’
rider, then look for a good technical cycling tee
that is longer in the rear to accommodate a cycling
position; technical running tees look the goods and
are often lightweight, however reveal a more-than-
acceptable amount of butt-crack during the shred.
X FACTOR
Gloves
Gloves are one item I need to have on me if I am
going to go for a mountain bike ride. Even if riding in
shorts and a tee-shirt to the dirt jumps, the gloves
are on. Look for a glove that doesn’t have excess
fabric able to be pinched on your palm, indicating
that the gloves are too big. Gloves need to be tight,
however not so tight they’re hurting. A personal
choice is a flat-palm without gel in order to be
directly in contact with my grips, however some
riders love gel padding and that’s okay too. Make
sure your gloves are easy to take off; which is the
first thing to do when you have a flat! Fast gloves are
integral to a fast race flat-change – or just when your
mates are waiting.
Skid lids
Not just for kids. Helmets are perhaps the most
important part of your cycling attire as they keep
your brain inside your head. Helmets are a pretty
personal thing, and on any given day on the trails
I would witness anything from lightweight XC/
road helmets, to full faces and even BMX bucket
lids! Look for something that is comfortable,
adjustability is a definite plus. Beware groovy on-
trend gravity lids, though they are totally on-point
and earn you kudos with your shredly mates they
generally lack the venting of a road/cross-country
helmet; something to consider in the warmer
states. As long as it has an Australian Standards
sticker you’re good to go!
www.ambmag.com.au - 29
 SPEAKERS’
CORNER
TEAM COLOURS
MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT SPONSORSHIP IN MOUNTAIN BIKING
WORDS: ANNA BECK IMAGE: ROBERT CONROY
Recently in an online bike forum
(which I usually avoid due to the
hubris that can occur) a moderator
posted a press release from
a bike shop (that will remain
unnamed) regarding a sponsorship
or ‘ambassador’ opportunity. It
seemed pretty straight forward; a
wholesale cost bike, discount kit
and accessories and free servicing
in return for some social media love
and influence within cycling circles.
People were tagged with gusto and
it was pretty popular, before all
hell broke loose when one person
pointed out that there wasn’t even a
free bike for all this media posting
and Insta-snapping! (NOT ONE FREE
BIKE!) Rereading the post to see if
I had missed something (I hadn’t)
it sprung upon me to bust some
myths and assert some facts about
sponsorship in the bike industry,
because goddamnit why does anyone
deserve something for nothing?
WHAT’S YOUR VALUE?
Why should someone give you a
discount off retail pricing? No one
owes you anything, even if you totally
took that B grade race the other
week. What’s the value of having
you advertising the shop/brand?
When speaking about sponsorship
it seems like it’s all about the rider,
and indeed I have overheard a few
junior riders at development camps
talk like this ‘I’m sponsored so I am
better than x’. Sponsorship is almost
never about the rider’s results,
it’s about value for the brand. If
someone is renowned for pushing
newer riders into the bushes or fails
to be able to converse articulately in
a public forum, then choosing them
as an advocate for a brand would be
a stupid idea, even if they have legs
like Paul Van Der Ploeg. Lose the
‘I’m racing so I should get stuff for
free’ mentality and understand the
principle behind it.
It’s not free anyway
Those local guys that look so cool
lining up on the start line with their
matchy-matchy bikes and kit? They
must get so much stuff for free!
Yeah…nah, they paid for them.
Perhaps not retail, or perhaps not
all in one hit. Maybe they got some
free or discounted kit but that’s
30 - AMB
about as good as it gets. On the domestic bike
scene nothing is for free, though many riders
make out how much free ‘stuff’ they get, which is
just another way of saying ‘I’m sponsored so I am
better than x’.
LOOK TO THE LOCAL FOR SUPPORT
If you ride bikes then you probably have a local
bike shop. This should probably be the first port
of call if looking for a bit of support, especially
for newer riders. Keep it in perspective; if your
kid is 14 and looking for sponsorship, they have
the life experience of an ape and potentially are
about articulate as one (though sometimes I am
pleasantly mistaken!) so the cost-benefit ratio of
a shop reducing their profit for a sponsorship deal
may not be high. How is your 14 year old going
to help the shop/brand sell more bikes? One
could, however, increase the chance of a shop
sponsorship by not shopping around at 47 shops
for the best deal on a 70mm -6 degree stem, or
loudly muttering “I can get it for $24 online…”,
see the last point.
DO MORE THAN JUST RIDE
You’re not Nino Schurter, after all, and even Nino
does a lot of social media work. Sponsorship has
to give back, you will need to talk the talk, have
good product knowledge and be of influence
to riders around you. Instagram, Twitter, blogs
and Facebook can all be good platforms to gain
visibility for potential sponsors but it can be
a tightrope: your 400 friends nor myself want
to see daily updates of you in the gym in your
activewear with a bike in the background drinking
“Amazefuel” or whatever nutrition brand is
‘helping you out’ #idontgiveaf*&^. Be genuine,
not pushy.
LOYALTY
As touched on in previous paragraphs, loyalty is
really important. Some riders seem to jump ship
every year or so, which doesn’t say much about
the value they hold in the products or relationships
with the brands they represent. Look to see where
your existing relationships lie and use these. Look
towards, and have good relationships with those
who have helped you out and I would advise caution
at jumping ship because x gives you one extra kit a
year and some free tubes. Bridges are easy to burn
and hard to rebuild.
So there you go. Perhaps you have some other
ideas or commentary about sponsorship in
the little microcosm of mountain biking in the
Australian bike industry. If you do, let me know by
writing into AMB.
Email us amb@nextmedia.com.au to voice your
opinion on the Speakers’ Corner
www.pushie.com.au
sales@pushie.com.au
Or ask for SPANK at your favourite LBS
 MEN IN FLIGHT
TAKE A BREATH
WORDS: MATT TRIPET
Leaning back we took in a few deep breathes of the mountain air, closed our eyes to listen to the sounds
of the stream in the valley below and the breeze passing through the trees towering above. With a body
full of ‘the good stuff,’ we gripped a mountain bike in one hand and a fly rod in the other. This was nature,
Australian Snowy Mountains style. We needed this!
We set up camp at Ngarigo campsite in the
Thredbo Valley, Kosciuszko National Park. Ngarigo
is the tribal name of one of the many aboriginal
communities that inhabited the area, for as long
as 8,000 years ago prior to European settlement
and is now in the heartland of some of Australia’s
most iconic mountain bike destinations. It is
nothing short of a little alpine oasis, furnished with
amazing wildlife and beautiful Australian native
bush land, sitting in the shadows of Australia’s
highest peaks.
My companion Cade, an avid outdoors exponent but
not necessarily experienced mountain bike rider
had recently started a new career and just needed
some time to breathe in, to just breathe out again.
So it made sense that we found ourselves out in
nature, planning to put some miles in the legs in
the hope of also catching a trout or two for dinner.
No distractions and zero stress.
This slice of Kosciuszko National Park has been
synonymous within the fly fishing community since
the turn of last century, but in recent years it has
also become a huge draw card for the mountain
biker, with the completion of about 20km of
magnificent trails meandering down the valley.
Exploring this part of the world on a mountain
bike, or with a fly rod was completely new to Cade.
Combining these pursuits into one adventure was
new to me, even though this amazing landscape
was in my backyard.
32 - AMB
We related our adventure to ‘Bear Grylls mountain
biking,’ exploring the river on a bike and relying on
hunting for food in the wilds of the Thredbo River.
The reality was though; we were only a moment
away from home cooking if we failed.
Traversing our bikes down the trail I was very
conscious of riding ‘socially,’ but it was impossible
to not let loose and enjoy the fun sections.
However looking back, the time I was having
on the bike was completely secondary to the
enjoyment my fearless companion was having.
With a handful of high fives, great laughs and
legs laden with dirt sweat and a little blood, we
shouldered our bikes and crossed the river to a
beautiful run of rapids where I had hoped we could
secure some wild trout for dinner.
It didn’t take long to set up the rods and only
after a couple of good casts; we had landed a two
Rainbow trout, cleaned and ready for the hot coals.
The timing was perfect, with all the fun of chasing
each other down the valley, the sun was nearly set
behind the main range and it was time to get to
camp before the night sky would take over.
It is around the fire after a day like that do we find a
place to have conversations that matter, something
that we typically don’t do very well as Aussie men.
Not long before meeting Cade, our family had lost
a brother to suicide; a story published only a couple
of editions ago in AMB. It wasn’t long into our
friendship that he confided to me his experiences
with ‘the black dog’ and how his life was not far
from becoming a statistic.
Looking back to his early 30s, Cade recounts his
immense internal frustration when it had became
clear that he was never going to make a career as
a professional athlete, something he had dedicated
his life to. His life quickly spiraled into a state of
disrepair; binge drinking became a weekly habit
and a once highly motivated individual lacked
energy and enthusiasm for work, people and life.
It wasn’t until one night on an abandoned country
road did he realise how serious his untreated
mental state was, he pulled over and parked his
car with tears streaming from his eyes.
What to do from here? Does he become a statistic,
or does he get up and fight?
Fortunately, Cade put his hand up and asked
for help and is now a passionate spokesman for
mental health in our community.
Now some may think, not securing that
professional career as an athlete and battling
depression is an over-reaction that he could have
somehow controlled. But depression is simply
not a choice, or a weakness of character. It is a
disease; a disease that affects more Australian
lives than any other disease in Australia.
Recently there has been considerable interest
from researchers in respect to depression and
the workplace, including professional sport.
The interest is driven by the growing recognition
that anxiety and depressive disorders are highly
prevalent in these arenas leading to impacts on
performance and productivity. From a sufferer’s
perspective, depression’s impact remains largely
unmitigated due to stigma and in some cases a
lack of effective interventions delivered in these
settings.
Not many of us will ever have the experience of
representing Australia in any sport but the reality
is many of us can relate to these pressures in the
workplace and in the household. The reality is
screen-addicted Aussies are more stressed and
distracted than ever. But there is a fundamentally
simple therapy: get outside and get active!
Being in nature has long been associated with being
mindful and meditative, but only recently has the
scientific community researched the mental health
benefits that participation in nature can fight off
threads of mental illness like depression and anxiety
disorders and can improve cognition and even
boosts empathy.
The 48 hours we spent together out on the bike
and exploring the wilds of Kosciuszko National
Park is only a blink of the eye in the scheme of
life, but this time had a profound affect on us both
on a personal level and on a friendship level. We
had conversations that really matter and now feel
accountable to be there to listen and help out if
either one of us need a chat.
‘Men In Flight’ hosted by The Fly Program, and
is a series of real-life stories shared through an
adventure on a mountain bike, published in AMB
Magazine. It is through the stories of everyday
men; we hope to inspire those in the community
who have been directly, or indirectly touched by
a mental illness, or loss of a loved one to suicide.
It is our hope that these real life stories we can
encourage positive change in our community. The
Fly Program is supported by Anytime Fitness and
Trek Australia.
flyprogram.org.au
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DECREE 2
 WORDS: MIKE BLEWITT
IMAGES: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH AND DUNCAN PHILPOTT
I stare down at my stem, as I strain forward over
the front of my bike. While my legs struggle to
turn the pedals even in my lowest gear, I watch
the sweat drip from my forehead, along the inside
of my glasses until the drops fall and splash
onto my stem. Some keep running, down the top
tube and towards my seat post. My eyes follow
the drops, as it’s a chance to focus on something
other than the straining sounds of my bike,
myself, and those around me. And finally my tired
gaze is cast so far down I’m starring at my cursed
single chain ring setup.
34 - AMB
It’s at this point, fighting to summit
the climb of Ben Ohau on the 4th
day of The Pioneer, that I wonder
if many people – myself included
- have underestimated the
difficulty of the visually epic and
physically demanding race that the
organisers have created here on
New Zealand’s South Island.
www.ambmag.com.au - 35
FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE
After the glory of downhill racing, the spectacle of slope style
and the battles of Olympic cross-country, one of the most
appealing versions of our sport can be that which evokes a
sense of adventure – a chance to get out into the mountains,
and ride trails sight unseen. I have a penchant for the style of
race that takes you out of your comfort zone. Be it due to the
environment, the distance, or both. I revel in the challenge, as
much the undertaking and the planning and anticipation. This
can come from one day events, but most typically I find the
best way to scratch that itch is to enter a marathon stage race.
Unfortunately, Australia only has one of them, the Crocodile
Trophy, so it often means I’m packing a bike bag and backpack
and heading overseas.
In early 2015, experienced event organisers Lagardere
announced they would be running a 7 day stage race along the
Southern Alps in New Zealand. With a video released showing
epic mountain scenery, steep climbs and long descents – riders
around the world had their interest piqued. Myself included. A
first year event takes a big leap of faith – but along with about
200 other teams of two, I signed up for whatever lay ahead.
A PIONEERING SPIRIT
For many, there was a lot of unknown about the race. What
would the route be like? Could there really be that much
climbing? Do we really need to carry so much emergency gear?
My only real history with the Southern Alps is from a couple
of basic mountaineering trips. So I knew the mountains were
steep, the rock was crumbly, the icecream was good, the sun
was harsh, and the weather was very changeable. In my mind
I expected the terrain to have lots of double track, farm trails
and loose, sharp rock. The sun would burn you quickly, and if it
rained, you’d get pretty wet and cold quickly. So the mandatory
jacket, first aid kit and warm clothing just made sense! The
Southern Alps are a true mountain environment.
Lagardere CEO Dave Beech spoke to all of us before the race
began, and told us about the name of the race. New Zealand
36 - AMB
THE RACING
We can’t forget, this was a race. With
generous prize money for open men, women,
mixed and masters teams – with a healthy
$7000 bonus for the fastest team – there was
a lot to race for at the pointy end.
Dan McConnell and Anton Cooper (Team
Danton) never looked troubled by either of
the Kona teams, but Cory Wallace showed
on several occasions that he was strong
enough to match the pace of Team Danton
on the climbs and descents – but with some
misfortune with a stubborn flat tyre, and
some team slip ups in sprint finishes, they
conceded too much time to be in a fight for
the title.
As a pairs race, the course suits hard and
fast racing, thanks to the high volume of
double track. There wasn’t much singletrack,
mostly in Wanaka and in the Port Hills –
however there are amendments being made
for the course for 2017. Pairs racing doesn’t
require endless kilometres of singletrack –
but it’s a great addition when it’s there.
Full results from the race are listed on
thepioneer.co.nz
has a long history of pioneers, from the Maori who
travelled to the islands in search of a new home,
to white settlers chasing farm land and gold –
and now to us. While we were chasing first world
goals like sporting achievements and photos for
our own social media– the sentiment that we
were the first to be doing the race, which would be
an immense challenge, wasn’t lost on the crowd.
The race organisers promoted the race as
promising riders they would discover the three
pillars that the event team stood by. They wanted
riders to find stunning, find character and find
welcome. So I guess that was the challenge,
would I find them - and where are they hiding?
FINDING STUNNING
Back to my suffering on the 4th day of the race...
The crossing of Ben Ohau seemed to be a turning
point in the race, for me anyway. That stage took
us from the shores of Lake Tekapo, to Lake Ohau.
The stage was punctuated by climbing over Ben
Ohau, which had two summits thanks to the valley
between the two passes we crossed.
We climbed high, high into hidden valleys we
couldn’t see. We climbed far enough that from the
bottom, you couldn’t even see the top – not even
the yellow leader’s jerseys of Dan McConnell and
Anton Cooper. We climbed from forests to above
the tree line, and descended back down again,
feeling the air grow warmer as we dropped so
much altitude.
These sorts of experiences are hard to find in
Australia. While we have the topography in some
places, we don’t always have the land access. I
have often sought out big mountain experiences
in races overseas, and on rides in the Swiss Alps,
or in the peaks and valleys around Livigno.
But The Pioneer hols these experiences too. The
morning of stage 3, the race started in Fairlie,
and would ascent the Albury Range on the way
to Tekapo. With close to 1000m to climb in the
first 18km, it was a hard start to the morning. The
whole race passed through the town of Fairlie,
then along the dirt roads through farmland, and
onto broken double track and farm trails that
had been painstakingly scratched into the steep
slopes of the mountains. We climbed through
alpine tussocks, across broken rock, and over
steep false summits. The whole time, the sun was
shining, and the town of Fairlie stayed virtually
at our feet, with the snow capped peaks of the
Southern Alps ahead of us.
If the fast and twisty singletrack in the Port Hills
above Christchurch on Stage 1 hadn’t allowed
me to find stunning – then the start of this stage
certainly had. The riding in The Pioneer was more
about being in an expansive environment, than
taking fast corners around trees. So the riding
experience was less about riding buff trails, but
more about accessing and experiencing wild
country in the heart of the Southern Alps.
FIND CHARACTER
We all find the style of mountain biking that suits
us, and I already know what I like. While I’m no
climber, I’m happy to suffer up alpine length
climbs. And while I’m no gravity enduro star, I
love finding new trails and descending them sight
unseen, as fast as I can. And if you put those two
into a competitive setting – you’ve got me hooked.
www.ambmag.com.au - 37
Being able to race a route is very different to
being able to ride it. Like many other marathon
stage races, such as the Swiss Epic or the Cape
Epic, The Pioneer’s route utilises land and trails
not typically open to the public. It’s not something
you can just ride at anytime. But that was ok
with me. After riding within myself for the first
few stages, when I actually let myself race, and
push hard, I found my rewards. As much as it
can seem taboo to like racing in some circles,
it’s what I love. I’m fair from a devoted athlete,
but I do like competition. And while The Pioneer
allowed a supported ride across the alps if that’s
what you’re after- it also provided an excellent
racecourse. With comprehensive route plans,
well-stocked feed zones and a competitive elite
field, it really did reward those who chose to push
themselves and their team mate.
And that’s exactly what I saw plenty of teams
doing as well. The Masters Men’s field seemed
to be one of the most closely fought battles.
Although Minter Barnard and Ian Chitterer
didn’t lose their lead after day 2, it never looked
certain either. With the likes of Garry James
and Mike Israel not far behind, as well as Mike
Faretta and Wayne Dickinson (before he crashed)
it was great to see familiar faces from home
racing hard, and enjoying the competitive nature
of their characters that push them to train, to
make sacrifices and to suffer – all for the gains
of sporting and personal achievement. And
Instagram feeds.
wanted. From having good food, through to clean
showers and toilets, and pro-active support in the
feed zones, everyone involved in the event made
you feel welcome. What’s more, the camaraderie
between riders on and off the bike was second
to no other event I’ve been to. I’m not sure if this
was a kiwi thing – but it was noticeable. While
the event has been one of the most physically
demanding stage races I have done, it’s had the
best event vibe, and it is one I’m really interested
in seeing how it grows in the coming years.
LOOKING FORWARD
As far as first year events go, The Pioneer really
nailed it. The course was visiually stunning but
physically demanding, with the volume of ascent
being made harder due to the soft trail surfaces.
While we had unheard of luck with weather, there
are chances that a big weather event could make
the experience truly epic. What’s great to see is
how well the event team are taking feedback on
board, and planning for next year. At the time of
writing, dates and courses aren’t announced for
next year. But what’s certain is one thing – if you
want a major marathon stage race experience,
you don’t need to go to Europe, South Africa
or North America to find it. There’s something
stunning growing right in New Zealand.

FIND WELCOME
As The Pioneer is a pairs race, you’re unlikely
to ever feel isolated. My team mate for the race
was a Welsh multisporter. And what he lacked in
mountain bike experience, he made up for with
a sense of humour, hard work and generally
being a good bloke! But the race really nurtured
connecting with people. I met lot’s of new people
on the trails, and in the camp. The organisers
had a huge stretch tent set up each evening,
with tables, chairs, bean bags, a bar, and even a
cricket set and some footballs and Frisbees. It
was a very social environment.

The whole race had a very open feel – although

the Kona Factory Team had four riders there, they
did not take themselves away from the race at
the end of each stage. They sat in the social area,
eating their favourite foods from the vendors, and
talked about the day with other riders as they
came in. It was a really levelling experience – and
not one that you will find at all other international
marathon stage races.

What really stood out was how much the event

team and their volunteers wanted you to be
there, having a good time, and achieving what you

38 - AMB
THE BIG DETAILS
The Pioneer runs from Christchurch to
Queenstown, on the South Island of New Zealand.
Dates are yet to be set for 2017, but it is a 7 day
paired race race, with a 3 day option for solo
riders.
GETTING THERE
Christchurch and Queenstown both have
international airports, with frequent connections
to most Australian capital cities. Both Australia
and New Zealand have strict quarantine laws
on sports equipment, so make sure your bike is
super clean before you go over, and before you
pack up to come home. You don’t need a visa to
visit New Zealand, but you do need a passport.
THE CAMP
As a full-service stage race, the camp setup at
The Pioneer leaves you wanting for little. You get
a fantastic all-weather tent that is setup for you,
and the breakfast and dinners are great quality
food. Take some money to buy lunch from one
of the food vendors at each camp, and if you’re a
coffee lover get in line for a quality coffee early –
the baristas were working very hard!
You will need your own camp mattress – and
being a stage race you would be rewarded for
checking out the relative comfort of your mattress
and pillow setup at home before you go. And pack
some earplugs just in case you’re camped next to
a snorer.
The amenities were clean and plentiful, and
there’s even a laundry service you can pay for, to
make sure you can have 3 sets of kit to get you
through the week of bike racing.
THE BIKE
I took a demo Norco Revolver 9.2 FS from the
importer’s test fleet – and used this as a chance
to finish the Shimano XT M8000 1x11 group set
review. I did change the fork to my own Fox 32
Factory, and wheels to NoTubes Valor with strong
Maxxis Ikon and Ardent Race EXO tyres.
The 100mm travel full-suspension bike was
perfect, as it climbed efficiently and bombed
descents confidently. 160mm rotors were fine, but
my 32 tooth chain ring and 11-42 cassette was
pushed to the limits both up and down. If there’s
an argument for 2x group sets on modern bikes,
it’s stage races like The Pioneer. You might be
smart to travel with an extra chain ring or two
to change between stages – it’s not difficult and
might really reward your legs.
Like in any race, flat tyres are a slow option. Using
strong tyres on light, strong and resilient wheels
kept me mechanical free for the week.
www.ambmag.com.au - 39
SUN,
SAND,
TRAILS
– escape to Noosa
WORDS: IMOGEN SMITH IMAGES: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH

It’s April. The weather’s closing in and the days are getting shorter. As we
march towards June, riding your bike is going to look less attractive than
snuggling under the doona or eating bacon sandwiches. Winter’s made even
worse for we antipodeans because it falls in the middle of the year: Traffic
jams, annoying colleagues, and long days stuck in front of a computer all seem
worse when you’ve got a slight cold and you know you’re only. Half. Way. There.

You know what you need? It’s a winter THE TRIP

break. A winter mountain bike break…
But wait! I hear you say. Nearly all the
mountain bike destinations are in cold
places, like the mountains or New Zealand…
that’s not going to help. And what about your
partner or even the kids – how on earth are
you going to get THIS leave pass approved?
Noosa is the answer. While it’s not known
as a mountain bike destination yet, thanks
to some dedicated locals it’s fast carving out
a great reputation that’s only set to grow.
Home to elite riders like Andy Fellows and
Ethan Kelly, Noosa has it all: gravity, jumps,
hills, and amazing trails. There’s more than
enough riding within ten minutes of this
holiday town to keep you occupied between
riverside barbeque sessions and lolling about
on pristine beaches.
Noosa is easy to reach by air with Qantas
and Virgin flying regularly to Sunshine
Coast airport from major cities and hiring a
car from there. Of course it’s also possible
to reach Noosa from Australia’s east coast
cities by car – it’s obviously a short enough
drive from Brisbane, but if you’re brave you
can also take a couple of days to motor up
the coast from Sydney, Canberra, or even
Melbourne, maybe stopping a few times
to check out trails you’d never otherwise
get a chance to experience. A fabulous
idea that AMB covered in Richie Tyler’s The
Great East Coast Road Trip article in the
2015 travel issue – online now in the travel
section of ambmag.com.au.

40 - AMB
www.ambmag.com.au - 41
THE TOWN

By geography alone, Noosa was always destined to grow up

and become a holiday town. First there’s the climate: with an
average annual temperature of 25 degrees (usually sitting
between 20 and 25 in winter) and warm ocean currents barely
ever dropping water temperatures below 20 degrees, Noosa
is alive at any time of the year with locals, travellers, holiday-
makers, and tourists from every walk of life. Then there’s the
beaches, where soft, talcum powder sand invites you to wander
down and dip a toe into pure, azure waters. Further afield,
the National Parks that surround Noosa, from its dramatic
hinterland – which boast natural lakes, rainforest, rivers – to
of course the pristine coastline, earned Queensland its first
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status.

An edge of ritzy glamour sets Noosa apart from its Aussie

beachside cousins – there are fewer backpackers than you’ll
see in Cairns, and nowhere near as many hippies as you’d
find in Byron. The ambiance is less boisterous than the Gold
Coast, but livelier than NSW’s south coast. Overall, Noosa’s
vibe is classy, effortlessly cool, and just a little bit posh – it’s
easy to pick a local – they’re the perfectly tanned, perfectly fit
individuals doing yoga on the river or towelling off by the surf
club before you’ve even stumbled out of bed.

42 - AMB

LOCAL HEROES
The folks at Venture Cycles (venturecycles.
com.au) played a big role in supporting
trail development and can help with bike
servicing and even some ride tips. Cognition
Bikes (cognitionbikes.com.au) have also
been involved and are located close to the
trails if you’ve forgotten something or need
some emergency supplies. Trail maps are
also typically available through these stores.
Bike On are a local business offering
guided tours bikeon.com.au and some ride
suggestions on their website.
Noosa Trailblazers have been instrumental
in securing funding and organising trail
work at Wooroi, and are often out riding the
trails they love. They’re a family-friendly
club and keep a regular calendar of rides.
Check them out at noosatrailblazers.com
and on Facebook.
That said, visiting families dominate this
beachside town: chosen by generation upon
generation of holiday-maker for its safety, variety,
peace, and natural attractions. The overall effect
is a jumble of subtropical gardens, barefoot kids,
ice cream parlours, and lots and lots of kaftans.
The area’s sophistication capital is Hastings
Street at Noosa Heads, a strip of cafés, bars, and
stores selling scarves and scented homewares
opposite the long crescent of Noosa’s Main Beach.
It’s the perfect place to sit and work on your
people watching skills over a $5 coffee.
But there’s plenty to do away from the oversized
sunglasses and designer dogs of Hastings
Street. The first thing to remember is that it’s no
accident that Noosa is the home of the largest
Olympic distance triathlon in the world – running,
swimming, and of course cycling – are integral to
the Noosa lifestyle.
THE RIDING
Local mountain bikers have long enjoyed riding
out into the forests just outside Noosa in the lush
and gorgeous Sunshine Coast Hinterland around
Cooroy, Pomona, and Tewantin. These days,
Tewantin National Park is prized for its Wooroi
trails, just a 10-minute drive from Noosa. We
arrive mid-morning on a weekday, but the small
carpark is overflowing with a bunch of other cars
with bike racks and a group of lucky 14-year-olds
heading out for school sport.
Damian McGarry is our guide for the morning.
Vice President of local mountain bike club Noosa
Trailblazers, Damian explains that Wooroi has
been developed through a series of government
grants and a lot of hard graft and advocacy
from the mountain bike community. Rocky,
scratchy trails have gradually been replaced
with fast-flowing berms and jumps, as well
as plenty of easier singletrack for beginners
or a quiet afternoon cruise. Most of the trails
have been designed and constructed by Pete
Wilson of Trailworx and they showcase his fast
flowing, something-for-everyone style. Wooroi is
intelligently designed so that the easiest trails
are the most accessible (makes sense if you’re
a beginner or with kids who don’t have the legs
to go long distances into the bush) and we first
head into wide, easy trails under a canopy of
enchanted rainforest: tall timber, cabbage tree
palms, gargantuan stumps, and wooden bridges
over mossy creek beds. As we gradually climb
away from the carpark, the trails become more
challenging, too, with tighter, bermed corners
weaving through the forest.
Before too long we emerge on a ridge, suddenly
in open eucalypt woodland, where we climb
some more on fire road, then link up with a
very handy access road named Gyndier Drive.
A massive gift to Wooroi’s gravity-loving riders,
this smooth bitumen climb is closed to cars,
and the gradient’s easy enough for us to chat as
we spin along in spite of our trail bikes, banking
enough elevation to keep us happy for the rest
of the morning.
“WE BEGIN THE DESCENT VIA
‘ S N A K E ’ T H AT W I L L TA K E
US ON TO ‘BLOODWOOD’, A
C O M B I N AT I O N O F W O O R O I ’ S
I C O N I C T R A I L S – A B R E AT H -
TA K I N G R U N O F J U M P S A N D
S W O O P I N G B E R M S T H AT
FOLLOWS THE CONTOURS OF
T H E H I L L A L L T H E WAY B A C K
DOWN INTO RAINFOREST”
There’s a nifty trail entry just off to the left at the
top of the climb which takes us up just a little
higher (the gradient’s a little less gentle here)
until we’re in open woodland surrounded by
clumps of sword grass and deafening cicadas.
Here we begin the descent via ‘Snake’ that will
take us on to ‘Bloodwood’, a combination of
Wooroi’s iconic trails – a breath-taking run of
jumps and swooping berms that follows the
contours of the hill all the way back down into
rainforest. We link up with ‘Glider’ to take us all
the way back to the carpark. It’s well past lunch
time by then – we’ve stopped for a lot for photos
and to try different lines – but after an afternoon
on the beach, a solid night’s sleep, and a morning
coffee on Thomas Street in Noosaville the next
day, we’re ready to return to Wooroi for second
helpings.
We head out in search of local favourite
‘Milkmaid’, go for a high-speed run down
‘Froglet’, and explore plenty more besides. Wooroi
has singletrack loops for different levels of rider
–even for families and kids on their first bikes.
There are jumps big enough to give advanced
riders a buzz, but almost everything is rollable or
accompanied by an easy b-line.
Wooroi’s signposts have just been installed, so it’s
pretty easy to find your way around and explore
the 30-odd kilometres of trail, which are so well
patronised by the local mountain bike community
from the Noosa Trailblazers club that it’s more
www.ambmag.com.au - 43
than likely you’ll run into someone you can ask for
directions if you need a trail tip. The trail entrance
is just off the car park off Cooroy Noosa Road.
There are no toilets so be sure to go prepared.
A bit further down south, Parklands started out
as a disused pocket of land frequented by four-
wheel drivers and moto riders, on whose tracks
mountain bikers gradually moved in and found
a home. Today, Parklands is extremely popular
with the local scene and is largely managed by
the Bushrangers MTB club. Parklands boasts
natural, hand-built trail at its best, with narrow
singletrack snaking through lush subtropical
rainforest and bushland. Look out for log rolls,
jumps, and the odd bit of North Shore, and
watch your bars when the trail gets tight. There
are a couple of entrances to the trails, one off
Atkinson Road West, and another off the Bruce
Highway. Check with bushrangers.org for more
information, and wherever you are, please avoid
riding trails in the wet.
Further afield, there’s endless kilometres of
forest trails meandering through the hills of
the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and linking the
townships of Pomona, Cooroy, Cooran and Kin
Kin. The Noosa Trail Network is for bushwalkers,
horse riders, and mountain bikers and is looked
after by the local Noosa Council. Maps and
information are available on Council’s website at
www.noosa.qld.gov.au/noosa-trail-network, and
the routes are typically well-signposted. Be sure
to take the usual precautions whenever you head
out for a ride.
THE FOOD
Needless to say, with its focus on the good life,
food is taken very seriously in Noosa. There are
countless restaurants and cafés to choose from
44 - AMB
near Hastings Street and in Noosaville’s Thomas and in the subtropical warmth that nestles on
Street, as well as charming coffee shops and your shoulders like a cloak of Valium the moment
eateries in the hinterland towns. With fresh you arrive. While the beach speaks for itself, on
seafood readily available and weekly farmers’ the river you can try kayaking, fishing, or stand-
markets, picnics and barbeques are also great up paddleboarding, and the area has a few golf
options, especially if you are quick enough to courses to choose from too, if you’re that way
grab a picnic table opposite Gympie Terrace on inclined. Don’t miss this chance to drive out to
the Noosa River – a peaceful strip of bike path, Noosa’s gorgeous hinterland towns: Eumundi,
jetties, restaurants and parks and the perfect Cooroy, and Pomona – Eumundi is particularly
place to watch the sun go down. If you like the lively on Wednesdays and Sundays when the
spot but prefer a roof over your head, The Noosa markets are in town.
Boathouse is a local institution. Perched on top of
the river, AMB staff were pretty impressed to see Noosa’s trail network is growing as fast as its
fish swimming beneath us as we ate, and once reputation and with great food, subtropical
the sun had gone, the moonlight on the river was warmth, tonnes for everyone to do off the bike,
spectacular. and incredible trails, there’s no reason to wait for
Christmas to roll around before you take your next
THE STAY beach holiday. The days might be closing in, but
there is a way out – and it’s on two wheels.
Noosa is a holiday town, so there’s a place to stay
to suit every budget – from beachside penthouses
to caravan parks and camping. If you’ve got bikes
and a family, try Coral Beach Resort in Noosaville
(coralbeach.com.au). It has three lagoon-style
pools (one of which is heated – great for winter),
poolside BBQ areas, two saunas, a tennis court,
Wifi (limited), and bike hire. Best of all, they’re
keen to have cyclists come and stay and explore
the region. It’s a bit removed from the bustle
of Hastings Street and the beach, but close
to riverside cycle paths and parks, as well as
Thomas Street’s eateries.
THE ATTRACTIONS
Here at AMB we take our job of advocating for
mountain biking in all its forms very seriously,
but even we have to admit that you’d be crazy
to visit Noosa and do nothing else. Noosa is a
holiday town at heart – you can sense it in the
salt air, which smells faintly of fish and chips,
 N oosa’s coastal rides, hinterland trails, white sandy
beaches and awesome National Park tracks all add
up to an adventure holiday paradise!
Up and downhill trails through Tewantin National Park
are just minutes from Noosa’s beach, while the spectacular
Noosa Trail Network weaves through Noosa’s countryside.
Book your Noosa mountain biking escape now.
Call 1 3000 NOOSA or visitnoosa.com.au

Rosecliffe Cottages Bike On: Bike hire and tours

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 BIKEPACKING ACROSS KYRGYZSTAN

THE
TALAS TRAVERSE
THE FIRST BIKEPACKING JOURNEY ACROSS KYRGYZSTAN’S TALAS MOUNTAINS

46 - AMB
WORDS: TRACEY CROKE
PHOTOS: TOBY MAUDSLEY AND TRACEY CROKE
o one thing’s for sure… there won’t be any giant egos on
S
this trip.” Toby said wryly.
The statement nicely summed up our team chat on social
media about our imminent ‘trip’. We shared past experiences.
We swapped tips. We each nominated ourselves the weakest
link. It was reassuring to hear some self-deprecating banter
slotted in between the more serious points.
With mountain adventures in Afghanistan and Ethiopia behind
me, I wasn’t new to dealing with the challenges of being in the
wilderness a long way from help. Still, waves of nerves ebbed
and flowed. I convinced myself it was normal to feel that way,
since I was about to throw myself into the unknown with people
I’d never met in a country I couldn’t even pronounce.
The unknown, in this case, was the first traverse of Kyrgyzstan’s
Talas Range by mountain bike – a ten-day journey that saw us
riding 230 kilometres over ten oxygen-thieving passes, climbing a
total of 10,000m, careering down another 11,000m, and shivering
our way across 30 freezing river crossings.
I use the term “riding” loosely as time spent pushing and carrying the bikes would be
determined by terrain difficult to identify on our large-scale and outdated Soviet-era maps
– the only ones available of the region.
Initially, I admit that it was the word “first” that got me downloading the application from
expedition organisers Secret Compass. - a specialist adventure company who takes
ordinary folk like me outside comfort zones to experience the extraordinary in largely
unexplored places.
I made it through the screening process along with British Photographer Toby Maudsley
and Kiwi IT consultant, Gareth Humphries, who was planning a relocation to London when
he figured he could fit in a world-first expedition.
Gutsy Gareth, who was already acclimatising in the Himalayas really knows how to throw
caution to the wind. “I’m hiring a bike when I get there and I’ll get a couple of practice
runs in,” he said declaring his rusty bike skills. “That’s brave,” I thought, while picking up
spare parts at my local bike shop.
Once I learnt how to spell the country of many consonants, Google told me the Talas
region sits in the north of Kyrgyzstan and is the start of Central Asia’s big mountain
system, which leads into the Pamir Range and eventually the Himalayas. The area is rich
in stories of Manas, a historical game-of-thrones style warrior reputed for uniting 40
clans to create the nation that exists today. He lives on like a spiritual superhero deeply
entrenched in Kyrgyzstan’s national identity.
“It’s extremely remote and isolated, few people go there” explained our expedition leader
www.ambmag.com.au - 47
Patrick Barrow, an Australian expat who owns a guesthouse in
Bishkek, where we assembled ourselves and our bikes. “There
are some known trekking routes, but our plan is to explore the
trails shaped only by shepherds and nomads.” Either way, we
were heading into bike terra incognita.
I took a cross-country dualie with me for the climbs and
to appreciate a couple of kilos less on hike-the-bike stints.
Downhiller Toby decided on the fun-factor of a longer travel
model. Gareth managed to pick up a half decent hard-tail in
Bishkek. There’s no right or wrong bike for a journey where
anything can be thrown at you.
Patrick hired multilingual local guide, Anarbek, and two Kyrgyz
horsemen to carry our camping gear and food – gentle giant
“Umar” and fatherly figure “Kalmat” They confirmed our aim to
cover 25 kilometres per day was achievable, but “complicated”
and unlike anything they had heard of. The progress of this
journey would not be dictated by our stamina but, quite rightly,
by the welfare of their horses.
THE LONG ROAD AHEAD
From Bishkek, we spent two days driving into the Talas Range.
When the tarmac disappeared, we bumped along a double
track until our four-wheel-drive submitted to the rubble. We
set up camp by the by the Baikyr River, below our first pass,
eight kilometres south of the Uzbek Border.
A huge hot slog up Chon Kyzyl Bel pass took the whole morning
of day one. “Take that,” said the Talas. Gareth’s acclimatisation
proved well up to the challenge and he pushed on ahead
into the thin air. Toby cursed the extra weight of his bike and
camera equipment until he reached the top and got his first
eyeful of Manas land.
A supernaturally lit panorama of muted tones stretched out
before us. Shades of green and golden tundra rolled into
jagged ice-crowned peaks. Toby clicked away like he’d hit the
photography jackpot. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s
biblical,” he said. Grinning, Patrick pointed out our trail, which
snaked to the bottom of the valley.
Toby eagerly led the descent in an excited groove. Gareth and
I skittered cautiously behind on the shale littered corners and
Patrick pulled the perfect comedy over-the-handlebars stunt to
stop us all in our tracks laughing.
At the bottom, we met a boulder-scattered carpet of lush green. It
was cut with a show-stopping raging glacial river that we needed
to cross at some point to reach our first planned camp spot. We
set off weaving around the boulders on a faint interlace of trails
whittled by nomads and their herds. Another ten kilometres would
see us cooking dinner in the warm evening sun.
The trouble with large-scale soviet-era maps is that they
lack the detail to calculate accurate distances or show safe
48 - AMB
river crossings. Several hours later, we found
ourselves on a treacherously loose rock-strewn
slope, with bikes on shoulders, still trying to cross
the river in fading light.
Kalmat called time on the horses and we doubled
back to safe ground. We crammed our tents
atop a lone island of rock-free flat ground before
dragging our grumbling bodies around the fire.
At the end of day one, our senses were already
overloaded with ridiculous highs and chinstrap
challenges. We unpicked the events over dinner
and wiped tears of laughter until the biting cold
sent us to our tents.
RIDE, EAT, SLEEP – REPEAT.
And so the rhythm of our journey was set: Wake;
pack up camp; eat; ride; curse; laugh; get lost;
make life-moments; sleep. Welcome to bike-
packing in the wilderness with unreliable maps
where anything can happen.
As Patrick promised, we saw only nomads and
shepherds along our route. We rested in their
unoccupied mountain huts – one built from 1980s
era Russian newspaper plates with images still
visible. “It’s cool once we leave it as we found it,”
said Patrick cutting slabs of cheese and salami
for lunch. Sharing is embedded in the cultural
code of the mountains, whether it’s your home or
last chunk of bread.
Travel is normal in nomadic life so our
movements were rarely questioned. The bikes,
however, caused bewilderment until the nomads
had a go. That’s when the fun-penny dropped
creating countless toothy grins and eureka
moments. An instant bond formed. “Have some
chai with us,” they said.
Once a connection was
made, we were treated
like family. These brief
encounters became a
highlight of the journey.
We traded laughs with
passing “Dzighits”
(mountain cowboys) whose
skills are so absurd they
can pluck a small stone
from the ground at full
gallop. Crucially they shared
their local knowledge, which
was always more accurate
than our outdated maps.

“A SUPERNATURALLY LIT
PANORAMA OF MUTED TONES
STRETCHED OUT BEFORE US.
SHADES OF GREEN AND GOLDEN
TUNDRA ROLLED INTO JAGGED
ICE-CROWNED PEAKS”
But not everything in the mountains was friendly.
Close to the end of the journey, the enemy of fatigue reared its
ugly head. Toby was chasing a dream shot when a deviously
sharp rock hidden behind a small bush sent him over the
handlebars. He broke two ribs, so we set camp earlier than
planned, which was fortunate for a puppy Anarbek found tied up
and abandoned in a bush. Despite Toby’s increasing pain, our
inner-westerners decided come-what-may she was coming with
us. We named her ‘Udacha’, which means ‘luck’ in Russian.
We agreed to find Udacha a home on the way out of the
mountains or back in Bishkek. With Toby strapped up and
struggling with riding, we thought Udacha might slow us down
even more. She had other ideas and ran alongside us almost
the whole of the way. She ate, slept and cooled off in streams
with us. When fatigue set in, she lifted our jaded spirits. That
puppy pooped perseverance and just like a Disney movie, she
became one of us – one of the team.
The next day, we couldn’t believe our luck when the baby pass
of the journey (2700 metres) unexpectedly ousted us into a
network of sweet trails staged before a backdrop of peaks with
the apt local name “Eternal Ice Mountain.” We descended into
a canyon to meet Umar and Kalmat, who had gone ahead with
the horses and all our camping gear. It was a perfect morning
and the day was about to get more memorable, but not for the
reasons we hoped.
The floor of the canyon looked wide and rideable on the map.
In reality it was a carpet of head-height thicket and thorny
berry bushes. Latitudinal scratches on a tree and a bear sized
flat patch right beside wasn’t the only factor in our turn back
decision. A precipice forced us to find another way.
An alternative route meant slogging over another pass, which
was far more appealing than spending a cold night on the
mountain without food or shelter. We made it to the top with
enough daylight left to marvel at the views and enjoy a smooth
descent, until we suddenly came upon a worried flock of sheep
hurrying towards us. Our presence on the trail sent them
leaping off in all directions.
Behind the fracas, a group of frantic nomads approached on
horseback. I don’t understand Kyrgyz, but in my fatigued state
I imagined the raised tones plus agitated body language and
ballistic sheep added up to, “get off my mountain before I shoot
you.” On the bright side, I figured getting a bullet is a more
fitting epitaph than being squashed by a sheep.
Patrick explained our dilemma and it turned out our animated
friend (also called Anarbek) was far from angry. He was eager
to stop us descending further into a dead end. “You have to
go back to the top of the pass," Anarbek insisted. “There is no
way through.” Patrick pointed out the trail on the map. "Forget
the map. This trail is washed away. Come back with us and
we'll show you the way." “Trust the local knowledge,” has been
Patrick’s mantra throughout this journey. My instinct agreed.
www.ambmag.com.au - 49
At the top of the pass, Anarbek leapt off his horse
and reassured us his son, Kojomkul, would lead us
to the right trail “But first sit with us,“ he insisted.
“You need meat… and have some tea.” A steel bowl
brimming with cooked lamb on the bone arrived.
“Guys, share what you have,” said Patrick. Our food
ran out hours ago. All we could muster was a couple
of boiled sweets, a few measly peanuts and several
sheepish looks. The nomads appeared far less
perturbed by our pathetic gesture than we did.

I looked over at Toby holding his ribs with one hand

and cradling a conked-out puppy with the other. With
dusk approaching, my brain was screaming at me
to get moving, but nomadic hospitality trumped my
logic. Manners insisted we keep calm and carry on
chomping lamb.

After our surprise dinner, we set off following

Kojomkul on horseback, The dusk turned to
darkness and we finally joined the illusive trail we’d
been seeking all afternoon. Eventually, we stumbled
into camp, made up with our worried-sick horsemen
over a shot of cognac, put up flaccid tents and
gratefully dragged ourselves in.

THE HOMEWARD STRETCH

The following day, we cleared our final mammoth
pass and rode down to a small yurt settlement where
a jolly rosy-cheeked family greeted us with a bowl
of fresh yoghurt. Udacha got a new home and I got
a giant not-food-related lump in my throat that was
exceptionally hard to swallow.

Finally, we unceremoniously rolled out of the

mountains to a grumpy man smoking a cigarette by
his van. It was a fair welcome considering we were
two days overdue.

As we took our bikes apart for the long drive back to

Bishkek, a unanimous feeling grew among the team.
The Talas had granted our wish to ride ancient trails
through jaw-dropping scenery; yet being the first to
do so was the last thing on our minds.

Instead, the chatter flowed with anecdotes of

nomadic hospitality and the perseverance of a puppy.
Our parting gift from the mountains was beyond all
our imaginations - a life-affirming journey through a
pristine wilderness.

We have our unreliable maps to thank for that.

Tracey Croke is a travel journalist who likes roughty-

toughty travel, off-track adventure and exploring
with her bike. Her quest for a good travel story has
involved venturing into post-conflict Afghanistan,
being rescued by nomads and having her smalls
rummaged through with the muzzle of a Kalashnikov.

More info:
Website: www.traceycroke.com
Facebook: TraceyCrokeWriter
Twitter: @traceycroke
Instagram: @traceycroke

Toby Maudsley
Instagram: @tobymaudsley
Website: http://www.maudsley.com

Expedition organised by www.secretcompass.com

50 - AMB
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WORDS: IMOGEN SMITH IMAGES: ROBERT CONROY AND TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH Over the last twelve months there’s been a
surge of activity in the XCO (Cross-country
MOUNTAIN BIKING MADE ITS DEBUT AT THE Olympic) mountain bike scene in Australia as
our top elite racers prep and prime themselves
SUMMER OLYMPICS IN ATLANTA, TWENTY for Olympic selection. In the men’s competition,
Australia looks likely to secure two places.
YEARS AGO. BACK THEN, CROSS COUNTRY It’s no longer a one-horse race and a bunch
of fit young thoroughbreds are galloping hard
RACES GENERALLY LASTED OVER TWO to meet some pretty tough selection criteria.
A deep men’s field including Dan McConnell,
HOURS AND WE WERE REPRESENTED BY Brendan Johnston, Cam Ivory, Scott Bowden,
A YOUTHFUL CADEL EVANS, WHO CAME and Kyle Ward will be doing furious battle under
the selectors’ watchful eyes at three World Cup
NINTH, AND MARY GRIGSON, WHO CAME selection events: Cairns in April, Albstadt in
May, and La Bresse, also in May. Our women
FIFTEENTH IN THE WOMEN’S EVENT. have just one Olympic berth and it’s still up
for grabs. 2015 National Road Champion Peta
Those with long memories will recognise the Mullens and proven stayer Jenni King refuse to
winner’s names: Bart Brentjens, whose World give Bec Henderson an easy ride to Rio.
Cup commentary adds Euro allure to the Red
Bull live stream, and Paola Pezzo, whose AMB stuck a mic under the noses of some of
glamour shots adorned many a teenaged our top Olympic hopefuls to get the inside word
mountain biker’s bedroom walls. on their preparation and aspirations for the
2016 Rio Games.

THIRD TIME LUCKY? DAN’S OLYMPIC PREP
First of all, there’s Dan McConnell –
Australia’s most successful XCO rider
on the World Cup circuit today and who,
barring illness or injury, is practically
guaranteed a spot at Rio. Dan’s pleased,
though, to see that Australia’s efforts on
the world stage mean that for the first time
since 2004, Australia will probably field
two riders, something McConnell sees as a
great opportunity for growth at the top end:
‘Getting a spot in Beijing lifted me as a
rider,’ says Dan, ‘so it’s a great opportunity
for someone else to get a taste and
hopefully kick-start their career as
well. The last two Olympics have been
a good learning experience, as have the
Commonwealth Games.’
Dan, though, is on a mission of his own:
‘The Games aren’t comparable to anything
you’ll ever do. You go the World Champs
in mountain biking and it’s all the best
in mountain biking, but you go to the
Olympics and it’s the best in all sports…
there’s so much hype. Once you go to one you get the bug to
keep driving to go for more,’ he says.
‘I’ve never really got the best out of myself at a games like
that so I hope I can step it up,’ he says. ‘I’m really aiming for
a podium’.
Dan’s preparation is going to plan so far, in spite of a 2015
that was, for him, a little disappointing. ‘The last 12 months
I probably didn’t get quite the results I was after’, says Dan.
‘I tried a few different things and they didn’t quite work out,
so this year being an Olympic year I’m going to keep it pretty
simple, go with what I know works, and the World Cups are a
big goal as well so I’ll be pushing pretty hard in them and hope
to get some results that I can carry into the Olympics as well’.
From his relatively safe spot at the top of the selection pile,
McConnell’s been keeping a keen eye on the others fighting it
out. From where he sits, it’s still too close to call.
‘I think it’s a real open race for that second spot,’ he says.
‘Kyle Ward could chase it, guys can come out of the woodwork.
I think Cam [Ivory] is realistically the next one who’s in with
a chance, but I’ve been training a lot with Trekky [Brendan
Johnston] as well. It could be really tight between those guys
for the second spot,’ he says.
www.ambmag.com.au - 53
RACING FOR SECOND
Canberra’s Brendan ‘Trekky’ Johnston has had his eye on
the Olympics for quite some time, competing in the gruelling
Crocodile Trophy stage race in late 2015 to snaffle some UCI
points. Now he’s returned his focus to the Olympic-distance
event, even moving closer to his training ground at Mt Stromlo.

‘The Croc was a big race and hard to recover from’, says
Johnston. ‘I had a few months off racing, but now the form
is perfect and exactly where I want it. I’m happy, my coach
is happy and it’s looking good. I’m going to do all I can for
selection and there’s a few strong guys in the hunt so I’ll do
what I can.’

One of those strong guys is Kyle Ward, who’s had some

standout performances at National-level XCO races,
particularly a close second place to Dan McConnell at Mt
Stromlo in December 2015. Kyle’s approach is all about keeping
the pressure off and acknowledging how unpredictable racing
and individual performances can be.

‘At this stage, I have no focus on the selection criteria or

specific qualification targets,’ says Kyle. ‘I feel privileged to be
able to race a World Cup winner and top-ranked mountain bike
racer in D-Mac on home soil… and this inspires me to work
hard and improve as an athlete and XCO racer.’

Like many top-ranked mountain bikers, Kyle has to fit

plenty more into life – work and study for starters – so he’s
circumspect. ‘For me it’s all about balancing out some other
commitments with my passion for mountain biking. I know if
I am enjoying my cycling the results will come, and with that

54 - AMB
perhaps some other opportunities as well. I am
looking forward to Nationals, Oceanias, and the
first World Cup in Cairns – but from that point
onwards is a mystery...’. We’ll have to wait and see.
Cam Ivory has had the Olympics in mind since he
was selected for the Commonwealth Games in
2014. ‘I never thought I’d get to that level when I
was starting out riding BMX in the bush behind my
house,’ says Ivory, ‘but once I was in contention for
that and got selected that’s where the Olympics
became more realistic for me, since then it’s been
a big goal, and this is the year.’
Unlike some of his rivals, Cam’s already got
considerable World Cup and international racing
experience under his belt: ‘I’ve been travelling
overseas for quite a few years now,’ he says. ‘My
first year overseas was in 2009 as a junior, then
I’ve had a few more seasons, but it wasn’t until
2014 that I set up a base in Switzerland, and
did the entire season. I did the same thing last
year, and I’ll do the same thing again this year.
I find it easier to settle in to one place, a base,
like a second home – I can focus more on my
training and my performance definitely lifts
when I’m over there.’
Cam’s results are looking good, but selectors will be judging
performances not at National Champs or the National Series,
but at three huge World Cup events in April and May: first Cairns,
then Albstadt in Germany, and lastly La Bresse in France.
‘My aim is to keep building on my form and to be in peak form
for those three major events,’ says Ivory. ‘I’ve got until June
to impress the selectors and stay one of the top guys. Scott
Bowden is definitely a threat, Brendon Johnston, and Kyle
Ward are riding really well at the moment. There’s a lot of fast
guys this year – everyone comes up to another level for the
Olympics. I’m going to keep looking towards Dan as well and
try and get closer to him, too.’
Scott Bowden from Tasmania is just 21 years old, but in his
bid to make the Games, has opted to take the massive step
from Under-23s to Elite competition at Oceanias. ‘I have
applied to get permission to race in the Elite category for
Oceanias,’ he says ‘which will give me the opportunity to try
and gain more UCI points than are available by racing in the
Under-23 category, with the aim of gaining a high ranking in
the Under-23 category, thus getting a good start position for
the World Cups’.
But for Bowden, there’s more up for grabs than UCI points:
‘Still being in the Under-23 category and competing against
riders in the Elite category has obvious challenges,’ says Scott,
‘but perhaps an advantage to some extent as well… It will
also be a good chance to show myself against the Elite riders
that I’m competing against for an Olympic spot, and to show
selectors that I am worthy of selection,’ he says.
While Scott is determined to make it to Rio, he’s also looking
further ahead. ‘I definitely believe in my ability to do what is
required to gain selection and look forward to launching into
the important races to show I’ve got what it takes to be there in
Rio,’ he says. ‘The Olympics is by far the pinnacle of the sport
and to compete at age 21 in an Olympics would be incredible,
and hopefully mean I’ll still be in the game competing for
selection in another three Olympic Games after Rio as well.’
www.ambmag.com.au - 55
THE WOMEN’S CHASE
Many onlookers don’t realise that our women’s
battle for a place at the Rio Olympics in August
2016 started 18 months out from the event. The
most important race so far has been the 2015
Oceania Championships, held in February last
year, when Aussie and New Zealand women
duked it out to secure a women’s place for their
country to represent the Oceania region – Bec
Henderson won a spot for Australia, but peaking
so early in the year had big ramifications later on,
affecting performances at the late World Cups in
Europe and America and the all-important World
Championships in September.

New Zealand’s top ranked female rider, Kate

Fluker, who came second at Oceania’s, is frank
about the effect the long season had on her
results last year.

Both me and Karen Hanlen [NZ’s London

representative], Peta Mullens and Bec Henderson
tried to peak for Oceania Champs and it took quite
a toll on the end of our season – the first part of
our international seasons were really good but as
you can see in the results we all hit a wall fairly
hard,’ she says.
‘This year I’m trying to do things differently.
There’s nowhere near as much emphasis on
Nationals or Oceanias – I’m going to race them
and race hard, but I’ll be aiming to peak for the
international races and make sure I can last
the whole time.’
While New Zealand’s women missed out on that
guaranteed spot in February last year, all is not
lost – although a Kiwi place is still oddly tied
to Australian success because Olympic places
are awarded both according to UCI points
accumulated by a country, but also by region:
‘For New Zealand to get a spot, we need to
Australia to maintain a top 17 ranking, and then
the Oceania spot will default to New Zealand,’
explains Fluker, who then has targets of her
own to hit if she’s to make it to Rio: ‘For Cycling
New Zealand to send me they want me to get a
top 16 in Cairns,’ she says.

56 - AMB
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With results inside the top 20 at World Cups
last year, Fluker could well be on track to crack
the top 16 in Cairns, especially if the field is a
little thinned – there’s the chance international
racers may skip the round to avoid the long trip
down under (although those who opt out won’t
get a chance to preview the World Champs
course for 2017). Fluker had a big break after
a gruelling 2015 and is aiming to peak for
Cairns, but says she tries not to put too much
pressure on particular events: ‘I don’t put too
much stress on it. I just go and race and if it
happens, it happens. I think it’s a good and bad
approach,’ she says.

Australia’s Bec Henderson had a similarly

difficult end to 2015, coming down with
glandular fever after a season so long it was
‘verging on impossible’ to maintain form. She
says her approach this year has been much
more relaxed.
‘I learnt so much last year. We made
some small mistakes that really had big
consequences so I definitely learnt a lot,’ says
Henderson. ‘I’m still hoping to peak for Cairns
and the early World Cups, but because I don’t
have to peak in February or March and can
start in April I’m hoping I can carry the form
through at least until August or September.’
Bec is aware that although she won the spot for
Australia last year at the hard-fought Oceanias,
it’s still up for grabs. A slip in her results could
see other fast Aussie women overtake her at
key selection events.
‘When Olympics comes into it a lot changes,’
she says. ‘Absolutely nothing’s secure until
they announce who’s riding and even then illness or
injury can put you out.’
Like the men’s race, good performances at the first
three World Cup events are crucial, and while upbeat,
Bec is aware that Aussie racers Peta Mullens, Jenni
King, and relative newcomer Karen Hill have all had
podiums in the National Series, and will more than likely
be in the mix in Cairns, so she doesn’t take anything for
granted. ‘I think I have to focus on doing my thing and
performing at the World Cups, but there is an Aussie
World Cup and anything can happen… but I guess
another Aussie would have to do consistent top tens to
take the spot. I hope to be in there and we’ll just see
what happens.’
The Olympic team will be announced in June, with the
Games held in August. We’ll be keeping a keen eye on
our XCO hopefuls over the next few months – who will
make the cut?
REINVENTING
THE RIM
AUTHOR: WIL BARRETT PHOTOS: BOUWMEESTER

The mountain bike wheel game must surely be a hard manufacturing sectors, Mello Bouwmeester is as wheelsets, he had big ideas swimming
one to crack. Nowadays, it takes a truly unique product deep in it as you can get. around in his head, and he had even
to stand out from the pack and show that there may just bigger plans on how he was going to
be an alternative to the status quo. Mello first formed Bouwmeester Composites (BC) make those ideas come to life.
in 2008, where he began by building superlight
If you were a luddite, you’d be pretty happy with how the road racing wheels out of his workshop, using And so in 2012, Mello made the
bicycle wheel has panned out thus far. But people like Mello carbon rims he had manufactured to his design decision to relaunch the company
Bouwmeester aren’t luddites. They’re innovators. And specs offshore. Locally and abroad, the reputation with a renewed focus on R&D that
thankfully for us, they’re never happy with the status quo. for both Mello’s wheel building skills and for his would take him back to his roots.
product grew quickly. It is perhaps quite fitting The ultimate goal? To design and
LOCAL INNOVATION then that in Dutch, his last name translates to manufacture his own unique off-
‘Master Builder’. road carbon rim on home soil.
Bouwmeester Composites is a small Australian manufacturer
based out of Adelaide. Despite its diminutive size, the fledgling Since 2008, carbon wheels have not only flooded THE SECOND CHAPTER
company is making big waves in the international mountain the road scene, they’ve also pervaded into the
bike scene thanks to its brand new Tammar V4.8 wheel set. mountain bike market too. As carbon wheels have “Absolutely”, Mello tells me when
transitioned from niche to necessity for mountain I ask him if he sees two different
Designed for enduro racing and hardcore trail hammering, bikers, Mello began turning his attention back chapters in his company’s history.
the Tammar is based around a full carbon fibre rim that to the dirt. Despite the popularity of his road “Bouwmeester as it was known
has been designed, engineered, tested and manufactured in then is very separate from what
South Australia. Bouwmeester Composites the
company is about today”.
For the past few months, I’ve been testing out a set. And in
answer to your next question: yes, it is very, very good. You can For Mello, it seems that only
read my full review on page 101. the name remains the same.
The product, the design and the
THE MASTER BUILDER execution are all very different.

With 18 years of experience working in the cycling industry “Today BC product is 100%
across the retail, wholesale, service, design, racing, and Australian designed, engineered and

60 - AMB
made. This transition to Australian manufacturing
is something I’m very proud of. It gives us better
capacity as a business with our IP, design,
research and quality control.”
Many riders out there will be stoked on the option
of a locally made product, but it isn’t quite as easy
as a lot of them would expect. There’s a reason
why most of Mello’s competitors simply re-sticker
catalogue rims made in Asia.
“It took us about 2 years to develop the current
Tammar rim” Mello explains. This extensive
development process was undertaken with the help
of specialist composites firm Luescher Teknik.
As a carbon specialist with experience working
in aerospace, Raoul Luescher is the go-to man
in Melbourne for carbon bicycle frame and
component repair. Having an enormous database
of information about common carbon failure
points and fracture behaviour to draw from, Mello
and Raoul took full advantage of this data during
the Tammar’s development and testing phase.
“The Tammar was really a back to basics approach
with rim design and a look at fundamentals to
make a better product”, Mello explains when I ask
what drove the need for a new rim design. “We
also listened to customers talk about the harsh
and unforgiving feel that stiff larger box section
carbon rims give when on the trails. This took us
down a very interesting R&D path for optimising
and tuning the layup in our rims to offer more
compliance, better grip and handling”.
And does Mello have an idea of how many hours
have gone into the final product?
“It would honestly be scary to add up!”, he admits
with a laugh. “I’m probably lucky to still have
friends and family, as often I’d be in the workshop
close till midnight, every night. Just for our final
layup we made over 50 variants, and we backed
that up with the accompanying barrage of tests to
validate it. This was just one very small portion of
the total project”.
DEVELOPING THE PERFECT RIM
Designed and built as the ultimate 27.5” enduro
wheelset, the Tammar features a 38mm wide
carbon rim that uses a unique single-wall design,
not unlike a motocross rim.
“Interestingly, it was less driven by inspiration and
more focused on the process of design, testing,
validation and research and development” Mello
explains when I ask him where the inspiration
came from for the single-wall design.
Unlike other carbon rims that are hollow, the
Tammar rim is solid from bead to bead. Each
sidewall is 3.25mm thick, and the rim bed is
even thicker. This solid-wall design builds on the
strengths of carbon fibre, which is at its toughest
when made up of many interlaying levels that are
firmly compressed together.
“Quite a lot of carbon box section rims go down to
about 0.9mm through the mid profile”, explains
Mello, who spent an enormous amount of time
conducting destructive testing of his competitor’s
products. “All current carbon rims on the market
are just a carryover from road rim design or
aluminium extrusion profiles”, Mello informs me.
“While there are some design tweaks, they are not
fully optimised for composites. One impact from a
wayward rock and it’s party time for delamination
at those thicknesses”.
BC sources premium TorayCA carbon fibre, with
an enormous number of plys laid up in each rim.
They use a toughened resin matrix blend, which
contains microscopic rubberised particles that
help the rim to absorb impact energy to reduce
the chance of cracking.
Because the rim isn’t hollow, BC is able to use
mammoth pressures during the curing process.
While standard carbon production sees pressures
of about 120psi, BC uses over six times the level
of compaction to create a more dense and void-
free structure. This is what gives the Tammar rim
its enormous strength.
“It’s a fairly intricate and time-consuming carbon
layup and manufacturing process”, Mello responds
when asked about the number of hours that go
into producing each rim. “Even down to our spoke
holes, we use a special aircraft certified drill piece
for accuracy, because poor drilling practices can
create delamination at the critical point of spoke
load. We also drill on two-axis, which is matched to
our CNC machining of the mould, so the nipple sits
at the perfect angle in the rim”.
AUSTRALIAN MADE
To get production off the ground in the first
place, Mello had to jump through some serious
hoops. Fortunately, he received a grant through
the South Australian government for the R&D
phase for advanced manufacturing. Without this
government assistance, the whole project may not
have gone ahead.
“The other time consuming factor was we were
not only designing a new product, we were
developing a new manufacturing process to
optimise the Tammar rim and make it viable for
Australian manufacturing”, explains Mello.
And with that response, I can’t help but wonder:
were there any points during those two years
where he wondered if it was all too hard?
“YES!”, Mello says exasperatingly. “There were
probably about four key moments through the two
years I was close to broken. But you have a good
night’s sleep, or you go for a ride, then look at the
problem with fresh eyes and you just get on with
it”. Thankfully, Mello is far more driven than most
of us.
“Sometimes in R&D when you are doing
something no one has done before it’s difficult
to see the light at end of the tunnel…and that is
what can break you. You also feel this more keenly
when it’s your own time, money and balls on
the line. This was a true R&D project with many
design challenges. Anyone can pick a rim out of
the Taiwanese buyers guide and put a sticker on
it. This is not to say that Asia doesn’t make good
stuff, they absolutely do, but there can be massive
variants in quality. The true design test is to do
something new, mix that with manufacturing
in Australia and you have the perfect recipe for
highs and lows. Luckily this is balanced out with
the massive reward when you launch the new
product and you speak to customers stoked on
your wheels”.
And stoked BC’s customers most certainly are.
Not bad for a small Australian company taking
on the manufacturing might of Asia and the
marketing power of the US.
And as for the future? While we’re unlikely to see
BC going back to road wheels, Mello tempts me
with a tantalising clue as to future developments.
“The Tammar was part of that transition being
the first solid carbon rim profile and is the
starting point for more cool things to come in the
mountain bike segment.”
www.ambmag.com.au - 61
HARD IN THE HEAD
THE ALL-MOUNTAIN HARDTAIL
LAST YEAR WE WONDERED IF THE HARDTAIL WAS DEAD – BUT JUSTIN WALKER IS
PRETTY SURE THE HARDTAIL IS ALIVE – AND EVOLVING.
It is hard to explain to the non-believer. I am
sure that, as you scream past them on the trail,
bouncing from one side to the other as you
manhandle your steel-frame all-mountain hardtail,
they have just one question to ask you: Why? Why
would you contemplate tackling anything other
than a baby-smooth cross-country trail on a
hardtail – and a “heavy” steel-frame one at that?
It’s a good question, and one that is being
answered more and more these days by the
proliferation of these rigs that combine a frame
made from a material long regarded as ancient
by the ignorant, and a thoroughly modern
drivetrain, wheelset, dropper post and long-travel
fork. Reading those words, it does sound odd; a
bike-type that “should have” been left to history’s
pages is, in this age of hi-tech, smooth-riding
long-travel all-mountain superbikes, undergoing
a serious resurgence. So again, you ask why. Well,
there are a few reasons.
62 - AMB
WORDS: JUSTIN WALKER PHOTOS: JW/COTIC CYCLES
Reliving the past
About 12 months ago I started to notice more
and more of these supposed dinosaurs of the
mountain bike world being ridden on my local
trails with every rider possessing what I could
only term a maniacal grin (or was it a grimace?)
as they rode flat-out along the trail section visible
from my house before disappearing once more
into the bush, following that rocky trail with no
sign of slowing down.
I had long understood the hardtail’s appeal to
XC fanatics – the efficient power transfer, the
light weight – but seeing these hardtail riders
tackling a far gnarlier trail while grinning like
mad fools, my first thought was like so many
others: “They’re crazy”.
Being of a certain, ahem, age, I can still vividly
remember my first mountain bike – a rigid,
steel-framed, stone-grey Diamondback Topanga,
complete with fluoro-pink frame highlights – and
the seriously crackers trails I used to send it
down, blissfully ignorant of my well-being and
confident that the big rig’s inherent flex (and yes,
there was plenty – quite frighteningly so) would
get me to the bottom in one piece and still on the
bike. Looking at that Diamondback now, I mostly
shudder, but also smile at the memories.
For this rider – as with many others, there
is a definite sense of reliving the past/youth
when riding a steel trail bike; we didn’t really
know what comprised a “good” bike back
then, it was just a basic bicycle design, built
tough – and it is that simplicity (especially in
terms of maintenance but also riding) that still
 A trail/all-mountain hardtail is
also easy to build up light, without
sacrificing features and spec levels. Cy
Turner, owner of Cotic Cycles, a world-
renowned steel-frame bike brand
based in the UK, agrees with this.
“It’s light and lively,” says Cy about an
all-mountain hardtail. “And it’s one
of the easiest and best value ways to
build a light bike. Paul’s [Dexter, a Cotic
employee] Soul 275 weighs a little over
24lb [10.8kg] with top-end kit on it,
but still with a dropper post and other
functional, but relatively heavy, parts,
and at an affordable price.”
More than just the ride
If there’s one thing that steel-frame
bike riders talk most about it is the ride
itself. Steel is far more compliant than
either aluminium or carbon-fibre and
offers a unique feel on the trail. No, it
is not butter-smooth but steel’s flex
and “spring” makes for a more lively
and connected ride on a trail than the
equivalent alloy or carbon frame.
I gave in to the lure of a steel-frame
trail bike – a Niner ROS 9. I struggled
to transfer my dually-oriented skill set
to what initially felt like a hard-riding,
unforgiving monster. But, the ROS
9 definitely offered a more tangible
connection with the trail – and to my
surrounds – and challenged me to
think more and choose lines carefully.
The reward is – even on that first ride,
and ever since – full engagement with
your bike and the trail underneath it.
And yeah, the unforgiving nature of a
hardtail (regardless of how slack the
geometry is) also makes that seemingly
blindingly fast razz down a rocky, steep
resonates. All you had to worry about was checking the drivetrain
occasionally, and pumping up the tyres.
Simple things in life
The hardtail is utterly and completely a basic beast: two metal
triangles joined together to create a frame – it’s as simple as that.
There have been, of course, technical advances that trail hardtails
especially have benefited from – disc brakes, front suspension, more
trail-oriented geometry, are three, but most notably are wide-rim
(carbon and alloy) wheel sets and 1x drivetrains. None of these,
though, have diminished that sense of “simple” when it comes to
these bikes. A well-constructed steel frame will last longer than your
own riding career, thanks to its sheer bull-headed toughness, and
will cause you far less angst (both emotional and financial) than that
dual-suspension frame, with its additional complexity of design. All
you have to worry about it is keeping up maintenance on the forks
and the drivetrain. Linkages, pivots, swingarms, bearings – these
are all terms you can banish from thought (and your bank account),
along with worrying about whether your shock is in the right mode
for that climb/descent. You just focus on the most important thing:
riding your damn bike.
descent far more, er, memorable to say
the least.
The resurgence of the steel-frame
trail bike however, was not solely due
to just the ride and, at the end of the
day it is still no match for a dual-
suspension bike when it comes to
comfort and forgiveness. However, a
few tech advances over the past decade
have brought the trail hardtail closer
to being a legitimate one-quiver bike
option. Along with slacker geometry,
the arrival of the 29-inch wheel, with
the bigger hoops’ ability to more easily
roll over smaller obstacles immediately
lifted the ride and handling qualities
of a hardtail. This was followed more
recently by the aforementioned
wide-rim wheelsets. These, when
matched with the latest innovation
– plus-sized tyres (in both 27.5 and
29) – further boost ride comfort while
adding incredible tractive qualities – all
welcome when the unforgiving rear end
of your bike is trying to stay with the
plush front end down a trail.
The final hard word
Most readers are probably asking
themselves now, much like I did before
my hardtail conversion: “Is he crazy?”
Well, I can try and explain – or at least,
come up with an excuse. I have been
riding the ROS 9 nearly exclusively
since I wheeled it out of the Summit
Cycles workshop, about 12 months
ago (it’s been back a few times for
numerous upgrades) so I must be
nearly at the stage where I can be
called a hardtail tragic. Initially, I saw
the bike as something that would be “a
bit of fun” and a definite second option
to my dually, a sweet Santa Cruz 5010.
But, something happened along the way
that made me really “believe” in this
two-wheeled combination of old-school
and new tech.
I dunno whether it is the additional
focus required when riding it, the fact
I can just jump on the bike and go,
the inner pleasure (or is that guilt?)
of knowing that you will always get
attention from others on the trail when
they see you aboard the beast, or it
represents an attempt to hang on to a
fast-receding youth.
My own theory is that this steel trail rig
represents all that led each and every
one of us to fall in love with mountain
biking: that sensation of riding flat-out,
with your world reduced to just you and
your connection with the bike and the
trail ahead. It’s the perfect excuse, don’t
you think?
www.ambmag.com.au - 63
 mountain bike park

with 25km of World Trail’s best singletrack,

12 XC flow trails and gravity shuttles till winter,
we’re serious about your ride. how about you?
fallscreek.com.au/mtb
 THE
HUB

BIKES REVIEWED TESTED THE HUB

2016 is the year of the trail bike, and we tested There’s a world of choice in bikes and bike parts
five versatile bikes that span the spectrum of out there. Our test team put products through the
trail bikes, from a little more XC, to a little more works to provide you with unbiased opinions on
all-mountain. how these products work on Australian trails.
Pivot Mach 429 Trail - 66 XT M8000 Long term review - 90
Norco Sight C7.2 - 70 Oakley Jawbreaker glasses - 92
Felt Decree 2 - 74 FRM Tubeless System - 92
Santa Cruz 5010 C - 78 Ground Effect clothing - 95
Scott Spark Contessa RC - 82 RST Elev8 Post - 96
Giro VR90 shoes - 96
661 protection - 99
Bouwmeester Tammar wheels - 101
The where, what how and when of mountain
biking, from industry professionals.
Places That Rock - Davies Creek - 102
Skills with Rando - Dealing with ruts - 104
Nutrition for vegetarians - 106
Healthy Granola Bars - 108
Fitness - 110
Workshop: DIY 1x10 - 112
WIN a CamelBak - 114

www.ambmag.com.au - 65
 TESTED
BLUE THUNDER
THE PIVOT MACH 429 TRAIL
PHOTOGRAPHER: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH TESTER: LACHLAN MCKILLOP
“Trail bikes” have evolved a hundred fold from the 26 inch wheeled either built up XC
bikes, or lightened up big travel rigs. With huge advances in building for wheel sizes,
drivetrain, geometry and braking what used to be a longer travel XC bike fitted with your
own do-it-yourself single ring set up, bigger tyres that weighed over 15kg has now been
replaced with bikes that are on par in weight to some of their cross-country brothers.
Brands like Trek and Giant were early adopters of this “Technical Trail” bike with their
Fuel EX and Anthem X models. Both of these styles of bikes received a huge amount of
praise for bringing together a true “do-it-all” bike. The Mach 429 Trail is Pivot’s line in the
sand for the Trail style of riding that is becoming more and more popular. The big question
with these bikes at the moment though is what is the best wheel size? 27.5 or 29? I was
eager to see if this 29” bike was going to be nimble enough in the tight twisty singletrack
that Sydney so readily offers.
The “Trail” versions of bikes have definitely had their ups and downs, with some bikes
being too gravity orientated and some being too cross-country focused. As a style of bike
66 - AMB
it is interesting to see how different bike manufacturers go
about creating a bike that is “trail” focused. Something that
can handle long up hills but still be fun riding down and agile
in the tight trails that we see throughout Australia. The Pivot
429 Trail is not purely their 429 frame with larger and longer
forks, it offers a slacker head angle up front, combined with a
shorter rear end.
Since it’s creation in 2007 Pivot has always had their toes
dipped into the gravity market, I was very excited to see how
this bike would perform. I have spent a lot of time on the Mach
6 model, riding it on all styles of trails from local all-mountain
tracks all the way to the hill sides of Austria. The bike was
capable way beyond it’s travel and I was interested to see if this
very different bike was going to be the same.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
I’ve mentioned this before in other reviews but when a bike
turns up in a big box I am happy, it generally means that the
bike is pretty much pre-assembled and the Mach 429 Trail
was no different. The bike was a joy to pull out of the box, and
I literally had to pop a wheel on and tighten the bar and stem.
The first thing that I noticed when putting the bike together
was the cockpit. The bike utilises the RaceFace Ride bars that
come in at 740mm (my golden bar number) and on this was the
commanding Guide R brake set and Sram X1 group set. This

combination of parts screamed burly to me and
was the first sign that this bike was going to handle
most things that I could throw at it.
As I inspected the bike more and more I realised
just how much work Pivot has put into the styling
on this bike. The carbon mould they use is very
neat and while not using integrated cables it really
kept the lines of the bike very clean. Although
integrated cables can be fiddly in the workshop
I am a huge fan of them and think for better
maintenance and lower servicing they are key. The
frame also utilities the new Boost 148 rear end, a
feature I have tried in and around the car park, but
nothing more. Being a more gravity oriented rider
I believe wider is better for axle points, it creates
a stiffer bike to corner. Complementing the Boost
148 rear end was a set of the brand new Fox 34 Fit4
110 forks. It was nice to see the 34 keeping the big
wheel steed stiff.
At 175cm I generally opt for a medium bike and
it is crazy to see how many different brands have
completely different sizings. Pivot pride themselves
on offering a great mix of sizes and the top tube
length was on point, using a 70mm stem I felt in a
great position for climbing and attacking trails.
The only thing I saw was missing right away
however was that little paddle on the left hand
side of the bar, the one I am now so used to that
actuates the dropper post. There isn’t a dropper
on this bike and although the bike looks as though
it should I decided to open my mind to the fixed
seat post and see exactly how it was going to be
(hell dropper posts weren’t even around 5 years
ago). Also as I fitted my water bottle cage I could
only help but feel that the room for the bottle was
going to be a little cramped.
ON THE TRAIL
My first ride I took to the same track I take all
bikes to (that aren’t downhill bikes) a Sydney local
track. I think doing this really keeps things fair
between bikes as it’s the same track but it also
means I am used to the same lines so I can tell
if a bike is going to let me ride where I want to,
or if it has more a mind of it’s own. This was
the first 29er to take on the track and I was
intrigued to see how it would go in the tight and
twisties of the trail.
Having a set of Sram Guide R brakes under my
fingers was pretty confidence inspiring out of the
TESTED
LACHLAN (LOBSTER)
MCKILLOP
RIDER BIO
Riding Experience: Raced nationally and
internationally in downhill and has been a
World Cup mechanic
General rides: Specialized, Enduro Expert 29’
Height: 175cm
Weight: 73kg
Bike test track: Thredbo, Northen Beaches
downhill, Ourimbah
THREE THINGS YOU LIKED
ABOUT THE BIKE
- Great geometry for trail riding.
- The Boost spacing of 148/110 for
cornering stiffness.
- The carbon frame is a work of art.
THREE THINGS YOU WOULD
CHANGE ABOUT THE BIKE
- It begs for a dropper post
- Running internal cables would be nice.
- The price tag is a little high.
box. To hop on a new bike and have a familiar
brake that I personally see to be the most
powerful option on the market, I knew that I was
going to be able to get out of any sticky situations I
was going to be in. Matched with the X1 drivetrain
I was set with a group set that is tried, tested,
raved about and truly works. I had no worry of any
mechanicals straight out of the box and there was
no chain guide, which was great.
www.ambmag.com.au - 67
 been impressed) but I have found that the
I started off a little tentatively to be honest, just RockShox line really suits my riding style with
due to the wheel size. The rolling speed was very their adjustable air sleeves. With Fox putting a
impressive but I was not sure how it was going huge amount of work on their Fit cartridge and
to go with corners. I have ridden plenty of 29 it being labeled a completely new cartridge I was
inch cross country bikes but nothing more than excited to put it through it’s paces. The new Fox
100mm of travel. Maybe it was the memories of suspension really sits up in it’s travel more which
the XC bikes I had ridden that got me a bit slower
in the first few corners, but the more I pushed
the wheels the more I realised just how well the ESSENTIALS
bike was starting take the corners with amazing
amounts of grip coupled with the nimble nature of BRAND Pivot
it’s 27.5 brethren. Now I have narrowed this down MODEL Mach 429 Trail X1 Build
to three things. Firstly the larger wheel size gives RRP $8,599
you more tread on the ground (duh!) but second is WEIGHT 13.2KG
the wider wheel axles, this wider system creates CONTACT JetBlack Cycling
a stiffer platform for cornering so the bike can
be thrown over more into the corner without the AVAILABLE SIZES S, M (tested), L, XL
wheel flexing. Finally, the short rear end made FRAME MATERIAL Carbon Fibre
the bike feel playful. After that first ride the larger FORK Fox 34 Performance
wheels had won me over for this level of travel. 130mm Boost 110QR
SHOCK Fox Float CTD Kashima
The Boost 148 technology is not like the 142 116mm travel
standard which gave users a longer axle end to SHIFTER Sram GX-1
give the QR wheels better access, this technology DERAILLEUR Sram X-1 11Spd
actually uses a wider hub and flange spacing, CRANK RaceFace Ride 30T
so it is not a gimmick. The stiffer set up was a CHAIN Sram PC 1130
stand out for the whole testing of this bike, I could CASSETTE XG1150 10-42 11Spd
literally throw this bike into a corner and matched WHEELS Sun Charger Boost Comp
with the larger wheels it would eat it up. When I TYRES Maxxis Ardent
got a little squirrelly the short rear end made easy 29x2.25” TR
work for correcting the wheel tracking. BRAKES SRAM Guide R
STEM Phoenix Race
Now on the suspension front it has been a long HANDLEBARS RaceFace Ride
time between drinks for Fox and I, this is by no SEATPOST Phoenix Sport Alloy
means a reflection on the product’s quality (I SADDLE Pivot WTB Volt Sport
actually used to race on Fox and have always

68 - AMB
I love the feeling of, the fork doing so really TESTED
complemented the rear shock as the DW link
equipped bike gives you a very progressive
feeling. The forks were easy to set up, once
setting them to 20% sag it was a case of set
and forget, small bumps were soaked up
nicely and big hits didn’t soak up all the travel.

Now I always have a few rough sections that

I ride on trails, these lines are great to see
what a bike is capable of. At 130mm of travel
I was unsure how the 429 Trail was going to
perform, I tipped the bike in down the trail
and thought “why not”. Now 130mm of travel
on these sections was probably a little bit
on the low side and I did get close to using
all the travel a couple of times, however the
thing I found that got me out of a few sticky
situations was the wheels! The 29er wheels
kept the speed when the bike and myself were
being bucked around, they kept stability and
the taller front end stopped me on occasion
from being thrown over the front end. The
lesson I learnt was firstly that trail bikes are
not necessarily a “do-everything” bike but I
also learnt that larger wheels have a lot more
applications than merely rolling speed. They
maintain speed in sticky situations and roll over
most rough sections that you can throw at them.

On the trail I did find a couple of small issues,

firstly was the water bottle area, it was very
compact. Although not a huge drama and
definitely not something that would shy
me away from purchasing a bike like this it
was a small gripe. I would most likely run a
backpack if I was doing any rides over an hour.
Now the dropper post situation, I kept an open
mind but I really found that I was looking for
the dropper button on a lot of situations. Not
having a dropper post specced stock isn’t
a huge issue but personally if I was looking
at buying this bike I would be looking into
dropper post options with your local bike shop
for when you collect the bike. I really do think
that a dropper post would set this bike off
and especially with the Guide R brakes fitted
a RockShox Reverb would match nicely with
their integrated lever mounting.

OUR IMPRESSION

I don’t want to give it back…? Too much? But

seriously Pivot you have hit the nail on the
head with creating a purpose built trail bike
that has a balance between cross country
and all-mountain. From the geometry, to the
parts and group set this bike has been created "I REALISED
for a purpose and that is as a trail bike (with
the exception of no dropper post). The 429
J U S T H OW W E L L
Trail was light on the trail, manoeuvrable BALANCED
in the corners and kept a smile on my face
for most of the ride. The bike itself won me
THE BIKE
over on 29inch wheels, for all riders out WA S , TA K I N G
there that have their heart stuck on smaller
wheels all I can say is give the larger wheel CORNERS
size a try before forming your opinions. Pivot
in my eyes is more of a boutique brand then
WITH AMAZING
your standard offerings out there and as a AMOUNTS OF
reflection the price on this bike is a little on
the higher side at $8,599. Comparing it to
GRIP COUPLED
other similar brands i.e. Santa Cruz or Yeti you WITH THE
are going to be handing over similar amounts
of money for a similar bike with workmanship N I M B L E N AT U R E
on the same level – and if you love to ride
trails, it’s a sound investment.
OF ITS 27.5
BRETHREN"

www.ambmag.com.au - 69
 TESTED

MR VERSATILE THE NORCO SIGHT C7.2

PHOTOGRAPHER: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH AND DAMIAN BREACH TESTER: MIKE BLEWITT

Norco have been present in the mountain bike game for a long time, but until the past
two or three years they had shrunk away from having lots of market-leading bikes, and
become one of the ‘other’ Canadian bike brands. But recently, Norco have come out with
great new platforms across just about every mountain bike segment – not to mention
their gravel, adventure and cyclocross bikes. Their Aurum downhill line is complemented
by the highly capable Range all-mountain bikes, and the Revolver we reviewed last issue
is by far one of the best-handling XC race bikes we’ve tested recently.

In-between those two, we have the Sight. At 140mm of travel with a 150mm front fork,
the Sight range has both alloy and carbon models to suit a range of price points, but all
with the same Killer B 27.5 optimised handling and design philosophy. The Sight C7.2

70 - AMB
ticks pretty much every box when it comes to a
versatile trail bike. It has a short back end, quality
suspension components from RockShox and
Cane Creek, a 1x drivetrain, Reverb dropper post,
strong DT wheels and capable Schwalbe tyres.
And it’s such a bright orange your look on the trail
is set to be on point.
Norco claim that the Sight “powers riders to the
top of the steepest climbs and delivers grin-
inducing playfulness and confidence-inspiring
capability on the downs.” Which is a pretty big ask
– basically they are saying that it’s an awesome
mountain bike to ride up hill and back down.
Sounds good to me!
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
One of the cool things about bikes is that each
brand really is different. What might look like
small changes on paper often end up pretty major
on the trail. There are lots of great 130-150mm
travel bikes on the market now, which is awesome.
Trail bikes should be the most versatile bike you
can own, and it’s excellent to have the choice from
so many manufacturers right now. But looking at
the Sight a few things stand out – the head angle is
appropriately slack, the BB isn’t sky scraper tall,
and the reach is fairly short for a given size, due to
a steep effective seat tube. The frame looks meaty
but not over-built, and you can fit a proper sized
bottle in there, meaning short rides don’t have to
be accompanied by a backpack.
MIKE BLEWITT
RIDER BIO
Riding Experience: Plenty of years riding and
bike racing at home and abroad.
Generally Rides: Norco Revolver 29 FS
Height: 178cm
Weight: 72kg
Bike Test Track: Hollybank and Blue Derby,
Noosa trails, Gap Greek Reserve
TESTED
The frame itself sports some neat looking
construction. The carbon main frame allows for
internal routing of derailleur cable (or cables), a
brake hose and a dropper post. The entry and exit
ports are pretty neat and it’s easy enough to get
the lines to run cleanly with two ports either side of
the frame. The bike comes with spares in the box
and some blanks if you did something like removed
the dropper – which would be odd. Best of all? All
the internals ran silent for the entire test.
There’s a frame protector on the lower side of the
down tube, and even a spare hanger bolt screwed
into the frame. The Sight uses a Syntace X-12
142x12 system which sits really flush at the drop
out to save collecting debris or catching on the
trail. The stubby hanger is designed to break off at
the alloy connecting bolt, hopefully saving both the
mech, the hanger, and your wheel and even frame.
It’s a great feature having the spare bolt built in to
the frame.
Norco use ‘Smooth Core’ and ‘Armor Lite’
technologies in their frames... which means their
production process keeps carbon compaction
optimised and clean, and that the carbon lay up
uses a strong resin and high quality parts to make
for a carbon frame that is very impact resistant.
The same Gravity Tune mentioned in the Aurum
and Revolver reviews lives here too. Basically,
Norco want a rider on a small frame to have the
same ride experience as a rider on an XL, and
they manipulate tubing sizes, and the length of
the swing arm, to maintain the ride quality across
the range. Not many people do this, but when you
think about it, it just makes sense.
"AS A BELIEVER
T H AT T R A I L
BIKES SHOULD
DO UP AND DOWN
E Q U A L LY W E L L ,
THEN NORCO
H AV E B U I LT A
WINNER."
The SRAM 1x group set is what just about any
Australian trail rider would want. Although chain
security on 1x groups with dedicated chain rings
is excellent, Norco spec a chain guide that mounts
to the front derailleur mount. Before I started
riding I set the Schwalbe tyres up tubeless. The
rims were taped and ready to go, but I did pull
this bike from the demo fleet and the rear
Nobby Nic never sealed properly as the tyre was
already half worn.
Suspension setup was straight forward... for the
fork. The rear takes a lot more precision, time
and patience. And note taking. This is my third
interaction with a Cane Creek DB Inline shock,
and although I thought I had it setup well after
starting everything from way open, it was some
final tuning on a rainy day with the help of Chris
Panozzo that got it truly dialled. It’s worth heading
to canecreek.com for their base tunes and really
www.ambmag.com.au - 71
paying attention to your setup. This goes for any
bike really, as a poor shock tune is the easiest
way to ruin a good bike.
ON THE TRAIL
The first place I rode this bike was at Hollybank
in Tasmania, a quick cruise on the lower trails
lead straight into shuttling a couple of runs
of Juggernaut. That trail would be one of the
longest purpose-built mountain bike trails I’ve
ridden in Australia, and while the top is majorly
gravity fed, the lower sections need you to work
hard for your speed. It was the perfect testing
ground for the Sight.
Being able to comfortably ride trails blind should
be the true test for trail bikes and all-mountain
bikes. The Sight has the right geometry to be
agile, and stable. By marrying a fairly short
431mm stiff back end with the lowish (341mm)
bottom bracket, the Sight is pushed into corners
easily – the wide bars and short stem help keep
the handling precise – more than you’d expect
for the 66.9 degree head angle. So it was hard to
make the Sight feel uncomfortable when being
pushed. It’s worth noting that Norco have specced
the Sights and Ranges with 10mm longer forks
in 2016, and the 150/140 combo on the Sight felt
ample for the trail riding I did while testing it.
In terms of settling into the background, the
SRAM 1x setup did just that. I would think about
changing out the stock Jagwire housing though
down the track – quality Shimano SP41 housing
and a polymer-coated cable is a huge increase in
performance for about $60 at your next service.
The tyre setup with the Magic Mary on the front
and Nobby Nic on the back is fairly aggressive –
but it really came into its own in some fairly soft
72 - AMB
THREE THINGS YOU LIKED
ABOUT THE BIKE
- The geometry – it was versatile and
never sluggish
- Close to perfect parts spec
- Colour – you can’t miss it
THREE THINGS YOU WOULD
CHANGE ABOUT THE BIKE
- Match the tyres to your trails.
- Keep notes on your suspension setup.
- Tune the contact points to suit you.
conditions down around Blue Derby, especially on
the middle section of the Atlas trail. Depending what
your trails and riding look like, this setup might not
be for you – but it was excellent down there.
DT are well-known for wheels and the 350
hubs laced to the E512 rims were strong, and
gave the tyres some good shape – although as
always I think wider would be better in the rim
department. One unfortunate flat, and another,
then another, meant one ride finished on a rim
and tyre – but the rim stayed true. DT have had
their wheel durability well tested in the past, and
the E512 are an excellent choice in this wheel set.
While people are used to saying that Norco’s ride
small, on the large I tested everything felt like it
was in the right place. The effective seat angle
is pretty steep which is where this feeling comes
from, but on a bike like this it means you’re
positioned well for climbing, and when you drop
the seat it’s nice and out of the way.
The 760mm bars might be narrow to some, but
I never hit any knuckles on trees. The grips and
saddle were ok, but these sort of contact points
are personal – run what works for you. As with
any high-end bike, you don’t want to be buying
this on numbers alone – go to your trusted Norco
dealer for fit advice and setup.
I found the Sight to be a really capable trail bike, it
took anything I was riding in its stride, and really
climbed acceptably too. Locking out the fork and
climbing out of the saddle felt awkward, but the
suspension setting on the ‘climb’ setting on the
rear shock, and the low gearing, made for seated
climbing that was easy to get along with. Its easily
the trail bike that an XC rider could get along
with, as it’s not overly heavy or too slack. But at
the same time, it’s got a great suspension and
 TESTED

wheels package. The only drawback to the Sight

might be understanding what it is and what it
isn’t. A few times following super fast riders there
was certainly a lot more concentration involved in
keeping in one piece – but riding fast on technical
terrain requires that. The suspension and
ESSENTIALS handling feels really capable, but it’s not the same
bike as the 160mm travel Range, which is really
BRAND Norco where you should be looking for more aggressive
MODEL Sight C7.2 riding, with stiffer forks and a heavier built frame
RRP $7249 matched with longer travel. But as a believer that
WEIGHT 12.2kg (as tested) trail bikes should do up and down equally well,
CONTACT Advance Traders then Norco have built a winner

AVAILABLE SIZES S, M, L (tested), XL OUR IMPRESSION

FRAME MATERIAL Carbon fibre w/
alloy chainstay According to Norco, they set out to create a bike
FORK RockShox Pike RC that would have riders smiling on the climbs
Solo Air, 150mm and the descents. By fine-tuning the geometry
SHOCK Cane Creek DB Inline of the Sight frame, Norco have made a bike that
Air, 140mm responds well to rider input, but won’t buck you if
SHIFTERS SRAM X1 11sp you make a mistake. In the case of the Sight C7.2
DERAILLEUR SRAM X1 11sp that we tested, they also backed that up with a
CRANK RaceFace Turbine w 32t solid parts kit that hits all the performance boxes
BOTTOM BRACKET RaceFace Pressfit BB92 you want. At over $7000 you wouldn’t want to
CHAIN SRAM PC X1 11sp be looking at a bike that needed upgrades, and
CASSETTE SRAM XG 1175 10-42 11sp Norco have made sure this bike is set to rip right
HUBS DT 350 6 bolt from the shop.
SPOKES DT Competition Black
RIMS DT E512 The best thing about the Sight C7.2 is that it sits
TYRES Schwalbe Magic Mary/Nobby in a well-thought out series of bikes. You can get
Nic 27.5x2.35” a more smartly dressed version in carbon, or
BRAKES SRAM Guide RS something a little lower budget. Plus, you can get
STEM RaceFace Turbine alloy models with the same ride characteristics.
HANDLEBARS RaceFace Turbine But for the riders who want to go harder, the
760mm, 20mm rise Range keeps many of the same attributes, and
SEATPOST RockShox Reverb given how well the Sight pedals, if you were more
Stealth 30.9mm concerned about descending prowess, looking at
SADDLE SDG Circuit Mtn, a Range would make a lot of sense. Otherwise,
Chromoly rails the Sight might be just the trail bike for you.

www.ambmag.com.au - 73
 TESTED

RULING BY DECREE THE FELT DECREE 2

PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDREW “RAILS” RAILTON TESTER: BRODIE CHAPMAN

Felt bicycles have been around since 1994, and have a strong presence in the professional road, time trial and
triathlon scene, patenting their own carbon miracles and sponsoring pro road team Hincapie. They even used
to sponsor mountain bike powerhouse Paul van der Ploeg internationally, and the Swell Team back home. Felt
relaunched in 2001 after a 7 year hiatus and followed the mountain bike boom into production, sponsoring pro XC
athletes and making their way into being a respected brand within the MTB scene. The California based company is
forward thinking and has recently launched the Decree series as its latest bike to fill the ‘all-mountain/enduro gap
that was previously left open by the 130mm/29” Virtue and the 160mm/27.5” Compulsion. The Felt Decree arrives
fashionably late at the trailhead boasting a plush 140mm of travel, a new suspension technology and the current in
vogue 27.5” wheels.

Felt announces it as “The Ultimate Trail Bike”, and have
3 models available in Australia, Decree 2, 3 and 30. We
travelled to Mount Buller with the affordable-yet-still-
dialled Felt Decree 2 – the all-mountain machine that
screams ‘look at me I’m carbon!’, as the first thing you
will notice is the fat top tube with the checkerboard
carbon layup. Don’t be fooled by its showmanship, the
Felt Decree is a surprisingly nimble, versatile trail bike.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Mount Buller Bike Park in Victoria is a favourite
location, somewhere I knew I could put it through its
paces and really test the limits of its all-mountain
capabilities. Buller is steep and unforgiving at times
(both up and down) so it was the perfect playground to
put the pedalling efficiency to the test with Felt’s FAST
technology – (Felt Active Stay Technology).
For this model, Felt decided to forgo its usual Equilink
set up and remove a pivot on the chainstays altogether.
Originally designed for bikes with less than 100mm
travel, the FAST system was re-imagined for the trail
bike using flexible carbon in place of a pivot to create
what Felt describes as a ‘lighter, stiffer and overall
snappier experience”. The Decree sees a flexing rear
triangle moulded in the 30% sag position, so when
under load, the stays want to move toward the flex
point, compressing the shock less and allowing you
to run reduced compression damping. Another factor

74 - AMB
that supports impact is a decreasing leverage
ratio; this makes it progressively harder to
compress the suspension as it moves through
the travel, preventing both bottom out and pedal
bob. Felt says having the stays absorb the first
hit frees up the suspension to have more small
bump sensitivity. This is also means that in the
absence of rocks and rough terrain there should
be no flexion of the stays, allowing a smooth and
efficient pedal on flat or ascending trails. For
someone like me who usually likes to run quite a
stiff rear end, I was impressed by this system, and
found it tapped away up the climbs in the perfect
manner, ready for the descents where it really
counts! For others who want a bit more grunt
from their trail bike, or who like to throw it down/
off/over larger trail features, it may seem that the
full potential of the shock is not being utilised.

ON THE TRAIL

When I first swung a leg the Felt Decree I had the

urge to take it to a trail abundant with flowy jump
lines to test the responsiveness of the impeccably
paired RockShox Pike and Monarch rear shock.
I also wanted to get a feel for how the FAST rear
triangle would behave under impact.

This bike wants to play! I was hitting all the jump

lines first run down (not massive ones mind you,
but enough for the discerning mountain biker to
test their limits a bit) - which can sometimes be
hit and miss on a new bike with a different set
up to your own. The relatively low weight meant
that I could feel the bike float over little doubles

BRODIE CHAMPMAN
RIDER BIO
Riding Experience: Brodie has been riding all
sorts of bikes for the last 8 years. Downhill,
4x, enduro, XC and (shhhh) road bikes. She
knows what’s good on two wheels.

Generally Rides: 2014 Lapierre Zesty 527

with many upgrades, Specialized Amira,
Ridley Cross Fire
Bike Test Track: Mount Buller, Victoria.
Stonefly, Abom, Gang Gangs, Epic Trail,
Outlaw Express.

and skip over rocks without having to haul it out

of less than ideal line choices. The geometry
felt perfectly balanced between slack enough
to keep me confident on steep technical trails
but not too slack where climbing for hours in
order to get to said descent compromised body
position and efficiency. The icing on the cake
would have been a nice wide set of bars, however
with this particular model the 700mm bars didn’t
complement the ride. For an all-mountain bike,
I would have chosen at least a 740mm bar for
optimum handling and confidence. Southcott
informed me that due to import regulations, these
bikes couldn’t come stock with bars over 700mm.
I’m not sure how other brands have managed to
get around this. The cockpit set up was let down
by the twitchiness of short bars where I felt I
couldn’t really dip into Buller’s rollercoaster-esc
corners with the same flair as I would with a
wider bar. It seems a shame that out of the box
Felts nice carbon flat top bars would be discarded
in place of something more fitting.

Luckily, the Schwalbe Nobby Nics were superb

across a wide variety of surfaces – from loose, flat

www.ambmag.com.au - 75
 TESTED

ESSENTIALS corners to loamy flow trails and baby-head rock

gardens - the grip kept me feeling like I could push “THIS BIKE WANTS
BRAND
RRP
Felt Decree 2
$6459
it just a little more. The Nobby Nics come tubeless
ready – I would recommend doing this before this
T O P L AY ! I W A S
WEIGHT 12.43kg (medium) bike even leaves the workshop. I got a flat on the
downhill track, which left me cursing under my
HITTING ALL THE
DISTRIBUTOR Southcott Cycles
breath about how dumb tubes were. Maybe I have JUMP LINES FIRST
AVAILABLE SIZES 16”, 18” (tested), 20”, 22” been spoilt and am used to running crazy low
FRAME MATERIAL Carbon fibre pressures on rocky gravity trails. RUN DOWN”
FORK RockShox Pike RC
Solo Air, 150mm The drivetrain performed as reliably as one would
SHOCK RockShox Monarch expect a new Shimano XT 2x11 to perform –
Plus R, Debonair High seamless and smooth. I did feel that on a bike with
Volume eyelet, 140mm of awesome suspension, a 2x11 gearing
custom tune system seemed a bit of overkill. I found that if and
SHIFTERS Shimano XT M8000 when I did use the granny gear I never found myself
2x11 ispec II going anywhere near the 42 toothed cog on the rear
DERAILLEURS Shimano XT M8000 cassette, and when in the big chain ring I also never
CRANK Shimano XT M8000 went near the 42 because it felt wrong to be running
CHAIN Shimano HG700 a cross chain when the granny gear was just a click
CASSETTE Shimano M8000 XT away. The narrow bars were already populated with
11-42 11sp dropper post lever, shifters and brakes, so it would
WHEELS DT Swiss M1900 have been cleaner to eliminate the front derailleur
TYRES Schwalbe Nobby Nic and let the wide range 11-speed cassette do the
Snakeskin 27.5x2.25” talking. Thankfully it’s easy to do that with M8000,
BRAKES Shimano Deore the parts here aren’t 2x specific. A new chain ring
180/160mm and shorter chain will do it.
STEM Felt MTB 3D-forged
HANDLEBARS Carbon Flat top 700mm The cables are all internally routed with entry
SEATPOST RockShox Reverb Stealth points at the head tube and exiting near the bottom
SADDLE WTB Volt Race saddle bracket. There is the option to fit a Di2 setup with
removable plugs and a brake cable that can be

76 - AMB
 THREE THINGS YOU LIKED TESTED
ABOUT THE BIKE

- A low overall weight

- Great suspension set up
- Stiff rear end for good handling

THREE THINGS YOU WOULD

CHANGE ABOUT THE BIKE

- Make the 2 x 11 drivetrain a 1x11

- The narrow bars – upgrade at your shop
- The saddle – but that’s personal.

set up for euro brakes if desired. Although this

resulted in a neat design, the cabling produced
persistent rattle, which can get annoying when
you painstakingly tune everything else to get the
quietest ride out of the rest of the bike. Luckily
you can configure the cable routing a number of
ways. However, this conversion is not too much of
a hassle for those who want it, and for those that
like a do-it-all bike that still offers a wide range of
climbing gears, maybe this is for you.

Shimano XT is pretty foolproof, and Felt did well

to choose this group set for this build, it seemed
fitting for the overall price and purpose.

OUR IMPRESSION
The Decree really is an ode to the sum of its parts,
matching great suspension, a bombproof group
set and solid wheels to a quality frame. Nothing
really let me down while attacking the trails of
Mt Buller that I’ve ridden for years. While pitched
as a trail bike, the Decree struck me more as a
shorter travel gravity bike where taking it on long
climbs would only be tolerated as a way to get to
the descents where the Decree really shines. But
if you endure the climbs to really let go on the
descents – this could be just the bike you’re after.

www.ambmag.com.au - 77
 TESTED
THE SEAFROTHER THE SANTA CRUZ 5010 C
PHOTOGRAPHER: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH TESTER: ROBERT CONROY
The 27.5” 130mm trail bike has lived a
diminished existence recently in the face of an
ever growing enduro world and a past of 29er
dominance. Santa Cruz and a handful of small
brands followed the curve producing exemplary
rides in the 27.5” format. Bikes that are probably
more suited to an Australian trail climate than a
150mm steed.
For a long time I had my heart set on the previous
5010 but after a few test rides I couldn’t come to
grips with it on dirt. It’s sizing was off, the cockpit
cramped and the overall feel of the bike felt
like it was stuck in a cross-country racing past.
Not quite the all-rounder I had come to expect.
With a great many changes in the 2016 range, it
was with a degree of renewed excitement that I
approached the new 5010.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
After the success of the changes made to the
Nomad line in 2015, the Bronson and 5010 II
received a similar ‘Nomadisation’ treatment. The
reach was improved by 2-3 cm across all sizes
and the seat tube angle steepened eliminating the
cramped cockpit feel and providing appropriate
sizing once more across the line. An extra degree
78 - AMB
of slackness has been added in the head angle
from 68 degrees to 67. Whilst the overall travel
has been brought up 5mm from 125mm to
130mm, along with shorter chain stays and a drop
in the bottom bracket height, this creates a very
modern ride.
We were handed the higher end 5010 C complete
build (in seafrother blue), all of the above finessed
geometry at a fraction of the cost of a CC build.
The C frame weighs in only 300grams more than
the CC frame and as a complete it’s still extremely
light despite the medium level component build.
So light, in fact, that I missed the bike holder on
the Thredbo chairlift the first time I took it out for
a spin.
Components do seem a little ramshackle as far as
brand consistency but the assembly is the best to
fit into a tight price point. SLX brakes \ front and
back, the new SRAM GX 1x11 drivetrain coupled
with a 32t Raceface Affect SL crank set turns the
wheel while a RockShox Pike RC takes care of
business up front and the Fox Float Performance
EVOL sorts the rear. While the Performance Fox
shock is a little bit of a downgrade on it’s Kashima
brother, the new addition of the EVOL air can
makes a big difference on the trail.

ROBERT CONROY
RIDER BIO
Riding experience: 10 years riding around the
nation and chasing trails.
Generally Rides: YT Tues 27.5 and a Giant
XTC 26”hardtail. (Keeps me honest)
Height: 175cm
Weight: 73kg
Bike Test Tracks: Thredbo, The TVT, Lake
Crackenback, Royal National Park, Majura
MTB Park, Stromlo Forest Park and Glenrock
National Park.
Cockpit duty is taken up by Santa Cruz branded
RaceFace handlebars and stem. The inclusion of a
Cane Creek 40 headset removes the usual pang of
guilt of buying a complete with an unknown headset.
Wheel duty is done by SRAM MTH hubs laced to
Easton AR 24 rims, the only odd point of the build
the bulky Maxxis Minion up front coupled with a
Maxxis Ardent rear. Why not a trail tyre combo?
TESTED
ON THE TRAIL
The 5010 C’s first outing was at Thredbo and
“THE CENTRAL
even witj a few little nagging post build issues, it BALANCE OF THE
handled some of the roughest trails in the country
with ease. I was quite taken aback, I was instantly BIKE ENABLED ME
at home. The changes to reach, bottom bracket
height, chain stay length and head angle give TO HIT CORNERS
the 5010 a very sat-in and central feel. Ridden
aggressively, the bike descends like a downhill HARDER, THE
bike, the riding position is quite central. At no
time did I feel over the front although it did take
SHORTER CHAIN
some getting used to the rapid acceleration. S TAY S H E L P I N G
Whether it was the light package or the 27.5” TO GAIN A FULL
wheels I don’t know but it really wanted to leap
ahead of you. Having ridden several 29er 130mm BODY TURN
trail bikes I didn’t get the same feeling.
POSITION OVER
Cornering was something that continually
rewarded, with the Maxxis Minion DHF front end
A HANDLEBAR
grip was extremely hard to break. The Ardent held
up well in the rear as well, by the end of my time
DRIVEN POINT AND
on the 5010 I still don’t think I had found a slip SHOOT”
point. I was beginning to scare myself with the
amount of speed I could carry while looking for it.
www.ambmag.com.au - 79
 TESTED
The central balance of the bike enabled me to hit
corners harder, the shorter chain stays helping
to gain a full body turn position over a handlebar
driven point and shoot. I was finding points
deeper into small berms at higher speeds than
I’ve ever found before on local trails. I would still
advocate a more allround tyre when the Minion
reaches the end of its life, not only as a minute
weight saving but with weight central it would do
little to effect grip.
Suspension wise, setup takes a little more thought
with the EVOL air can. As I stepped away from
purely banging down hills and back into my more
regular trail settings, I was finding the rear quite
bogged down not just in climbing but over general
trail. Given how EVOL works, (increasing the size
of the negative air chamber helping to reduce
the stiction in the early stroke) I added an extra
20 psi over my normal base setting of 150psi to
keep that smooth feeling throughout the stroke
and compensate for the firmer mid stroke. It is
somewhat sensitive and with a half full pack it
made a noticeable difference over general trail.
The Fox rear does come with CTD but I spent the
majority of my time in the trail mode as switching
THREE THINGS YOU LIKED
ABOUT THE BIKE
- The balanced geometry and
strong frame work
- EVOL equipped rear shock
- High speed cornering stability
THREE THINGS YOU WOULD
CHANGE ABOUT THE BIKE
- The grips
- A front tyre that’s more all-purpose
- Waits patiently for the Di2 routing
80 - AMB
between modes was a hassle trailside. It did mean
a bit more activity in the rear whilst climbing but
given I was generally trail riding, I was fine with the
slight disadvantage. This build could definitely do
with the addition of suspension lock out front and
rear, at least in part, from a handlebar device.
Up front the lower range Pike RC rode wonderfully
with its simple rebound and compression setup.
The lack of the 3 - position compression available
in the higher RCT3 Pike did aid in my decision to
stay in trail mode in the rear shock. The drivetrain
was exemplary, the SRAM GX 1x11 shifted well
with the large spread of the cassette (10-42)
conquering monster hills up and down. The 32
tooth chain ring did seem a little low for such a
large spread and I would perhaps bump it up to a
34 tooth in the future. There is a front derailleur
mount ready for a dual ring setup for those who
wish to take that path as well.
The cockpit is specced with the modern mountain
biker in mind with appropriate width bar and stem.
Nice ride, nice sweep, nice reach, it’s rare that I
would not wish to change out the bar and stem. In
fact the only let downs on the bike are the grips,
 Santa Cruz in house variations, and the position TESTED
ESSENTIALS of the bottle cage, which took a bit of searching to
find an appropriate fit.
Brand Santa Cruz
MODEL 5010 C (S) complete build The SLX brakes were never an issue, with just the
RRP $7499 right amount of power for trail riding. The RockShox
WEIGHT 12.42kg Reverb was a little bit of a handful requiring a couple
DISTRIBUTOR Lusty Industries of bleeds but performed faultlessly after. I’m still on
the fence whether a regular seatpost would also be
SIZES S,M (tested),L,XL appropriate given I could easily see this bike being
FRAME MATERIAL Full Carbon (C weave) competitive in the local race scene.
FORK RockShox Pike RC
130mm Solo air It certainly would be easy to transform this
SHIFTERS SRAM GX 1x11 trail all rounder to a part time XC weapon. A
REAR DERAILLEUR SRAM GX 1x11 simple tyre switch, a little added pressure to the
CRANK RaceFace Effect SL 32t suspension and you’re good to roll. The 5010 is
CHAIN SRAM PC1130 certainly light enough. It’s already ready for an
CASSETTE SRAM XG1150 10-42 enduro round, a true all rounder. Enough said.
HUBS SRAM MTH 716 and 746
SPOKES DT Swiss Champion OUR IMPRESSION
RIMS Easton AR 24
TYRES Maxxis Minion DHR2/ If you’re looking to inch your way into a full build
Maxxis Ardent but this is your first foray into the 27.5” field this
BRAKES Shimano SLX is the entry point for you. You won’t find a better
180/180mm chassis or starting point. There is plenty of room
STEM RaceFace Turbine Basic for upgrading here in the future to the more
50mm, 35mm clamp powerful and expensive parts but the components
HANDLEBARS RaceFace Ride 760mm, on offer will get you through the Aussie
35mm clamp landscape. When all that is wrong with the build is
SEAT POST RockShox Reverb Stealth the positioning of the bottle cage and perhaps the
SADDLE WTB Volt grips not being my preferred choice, it really is a
winning bike.

I would actually like it back.

www.ambmag.com.au - 81
 TESTED

A LITTLE SPARK
THE SCOTT CONTESSA SPARK 700RC
PHOTOGRAPHER: ROBERT CONROY TESTER: ANNA BECK

Scott is a brand that has pushed boundaries time and time again with the release of
super-light bikes. Scott actually began as a winter-sports company over 50 years ago,
engineering skiing poles in Idaho. From this beginning, Scott Sports has continually
reinvented the wheel with their technological innovation. The 2003 release of the Genius
(a model offered to this day, however, somewhat different from it’s 23 year old big
brother) shook up the mountain bike world with its adjustable suspension; featuring
open, lock-out and traction control.

The Scott Contessa women’s range has been around for years, since the days when I was
on the bike shop floor selling Scott SUB street bikes and Contessa roadies. Back then, the
women’s line topped out at alloy frames on the mountain bike - and you may just get an
entry level Suntour fork and some Deore (if you were lucky). Times have changed, with the
Contessa Spark RC giving the unisex offerings a run for their money with it’s IMP carbon
mainframe, Fox suspension and XT drivetrain. The real question, however, is how does
it ride? Is it worth dropping your hard earned dollars on a Contessa Spark instead of a
Spark? What’s the difference anyway? For $5999 clams I was expecting a pretty sweet ride
from the Contessa.

82 - AMB

ANNA BECK
RIDER BIO
Tester: Anna Beck
Riding experience: Has ridden and raced
XC, XCM, enduro and road for a few sneaky
years.
Generally Rides: Rocky Mountain Element,
Niner One9 Singlespeed, Trek Emonda
Height:167cm
Weight: 60kg
Bike Test Track: Les Alps of Brisbane
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
There are two schools of thought that have
emerged in women’s bike manufacturing over
the past few years; a women’s specific geometry
vs unisex geometry featuring women’s specific
contact points. Having done some research on
the Contessa, it emerged that Scott is of the latter
school of thought; offering the same geometry
frame as the Spark, in a different colour and with
women’s-specific contact points. Many other
companies have employed the same thinking,
with brands such as Yeti and Santa Cruz’s Juliana
line proving that women will buy a bike even if it
doesn’t have a specifically engineered women’s
specific geometry (usually a shorter top tube).
Upon picking the bike up, the first thing I noticed
is how non-women’s specific it was aesthetically.
Stealth black is always a pretty safe bet, but the
Contessa has married up matte black with royal
blue logos and subtle embellishments making
for an inoffensive, sleek-looking frame. No pink.
No sparkles. No calligraphic fonts; this itself
is a win for the Contessa and women’s specific
colour schemes. The women’s specific bits of the
Contessa are the 700mm bars, thinner grips and
women’s specific saddle, trimmed with blue to tie
in the black’n’blue theme.
TESTED
The Scott Contessa Spark RC 700 is a mouthful to
say, which is kind-of analogous to the aesthetics
of the complete bike; there sure is a lot going on.
The IMP carbon mainframe is paired with an alloy
swingarm, it features a 2x11 XT (36/26) drivetrain,
Fox 32 fork with Fit4 cartridge and Fox Nude Rear
shock. It all looks really good on paper, but the
cockpit is like a Telstra convention with cables
and housing galore – six in total.
The bike has some impressive features, after all,
Scott is not a brand to rest on their laurels when
it comes to innovation. The Twin-Loc suspension
lockout (though now old technology, it was the first
of its kind when released) and an adjustable bottom
bracket to change the geometry are examples of
Scott pushing the envelope. The adjustable bottom
bracket height allows you to raise or lower the
bottom bracket by 7mm, and slacken or steepen the
head tube angle up by half a degree.
The 2x11 drive train will be at odds with some.
The range would be useful in places like the
Contessa’s homeland – but for most Australian
mountain bikers the simplicity of a 1x11 group,
and the range it has, will be enough. Coming from
riding only 1x11 set-ups for several years the two-
“NO PINK. NO
S PA R K L E S . N O
CALLIGRAPHIC
FONTS; THIS
ITSELF IS A WIN
FOR THE CONTESSA
AND WOMEN’S
S P E C I F I C C O LO U R
SCHEMES.”
www.ambmag.com.au - 83
 TESTED
ring set us was just plain inconvenient. If a rider
requires smaller gears with a 1x11 set up they can
select a 28T front chain ring and together with a
27.5” wheel and 40T cassette, they could spin for
days. Perhaps Scott’s European market is a driving
force behind this; 2x10 and 2x11 drivetrains are
still big in Europe. If you live near Mt Buller or
somewhere with big hills and infrequent shuttles
– you’ll probably enjoy the range. The unisex
Spark models also feature a smattering of 2x11
drivetrains. That said, changing the XT M8000 set
up to 1x11 is a matter of whipping a few bits off and
replacing the two rings with your choice of a single
ring size. Your Scott dealer will likely have you
rolling out the door with what you need.
The sizes offered for the Contessa are small,
medium and large; and considering their unisex
geometry this may see some women sized out of the
Contessa. The small frame has a top-tube length of
570 (568 when using the high bottom bracket setting)
which could see women under 5”5 struggle to fit
on the Contessa. It should be noted that the unisex
Spark is offered in both 29” and 27.5” wheel sizes,
and the Spark 700 RC model features a full carbon
frame and swing arm as well as XX1/XO drivetrain…
with a single chain ring set up. This pushes the
Scott Spark RC claimed weight to 9.9kg, whereas
the Contessa Spark 700RC weighs in at 12.2kg. The
Spark RC with upgrades to contact points might be a
good choice for competitive riders.
ON THE TRAIL
climb like a rocket, far better than its weight would
suggest. The action of the Twin-Loc is like a dream
when compared to other dual lock-out systems on
the market; flick it once for traction control which is
excellent for singletrack climbing. Flick it again and
it’s locked out in full; great for longer fire road or
road climbs.
When descending in open mode the suspension
was capable, but the geometry wasn’t inspiring
great feats; it’s not a bike that begs to be hucked
or launched into the air. Quite simply, the Contessa
rides like a cross-country rig with 20mm more
travel. It demands to be ridden hard with its wheels
on the ground; in spite of its 120mm travel it’s
not an overly forgiving bike. At times I felt like the
suspension was a little wasted; it could be a lighter,
more efficient bike with no cost to handling with
100mm suspension
The bike really excels when pushed fast around tight
and technical trails. It will launch off smaller drops
and motor up obstacles if you ask it to, slicing though
the trails with the precision of a surgeon. Like a
surgeon, the margin for error on the Contessa is
small despite the extra suspension.
The Schwalbe Rocket Ron EVO tyres are a fast
option for hero-dirt and wetter trails, however
weren’t particularly suited to the skittish pea gravel
and loose blown out conditions on our local trails
– especially given the thin sidewalls of the EVO
line. If this was my bike I would swap these out for
something more durable straight away if riding in
loose sketchy and rocky trails.

On the trail, the first thing I noticed was how

aggressive the geometry was; the steep-ish 68.8
head angle is teed up with 120mm suspension up
front which essentially is as if Scott beefed up a
100mm suspension rig with 70.8 head by popping a
120mm fork on it. The geometry, with an aggressive
seat-tube angle and long and low geometry, just
wants to go fast and is very nimble-handling; so
much so that the 120mm suspension felt very lush
and almost a little out of place. It wasn’t so long ago
that 120mm suspension on a 26” bike was declared a
trail or all mountain rig, with the Contessa it’s fallen
into the cross-country category. Scott have long
run longer travel on the Spark range – but it seems
unlikely that Schurter would run 120mm on his bike
– dropping the travel might be something to look at if
you preferred a racier feel.

The aggressive geometry was advantageous when

climbing; flick the Twin-Loc and the suspension is
rock solid, you hop straight on top of the gear and

THREE THINGS YOU LIKED

ABOUT THE BIKE

- Stealth black is always appreciated,

and when not accented with hot pink
it’s even better.
- Twinloc!
- Women’s specific control points
were ace.

THREE THINGS YOU WOULD

CHANGE ABOUT THE BIKE

- Swap out 2x11 drivetrain for a

single ring set-up.
- Schwalbe Rocket Ron EVO are too light.
- The cable situation is a little out of hand.

84 - AMB
 TESTED

ESSENTIALS The women’s specific components on the bike are

worth a mention, after all they are essentially the
BRAND Scott parts that make it the Contessa Spark instead of
MODEL Contessa Spark 700RC the Spark. For me, the 700mm bars were perfect,
RRP $5999 the grips were very comfortable and I found no
WEIGHT 12.1kg problems with the saddle.
DISTRIBUTOR sheppardcycles.com
OUR IMPRESSION
AVAILABLE SIZES S, M, L,
FRAME MATERIAL Carbon Front triangle, The Scott Contessa Spark 700RC was a bit of an
alloy swing arm enigma of a bike. For me, I want my cross-country
FORK FOX 32 Float bike to be fast and light; it needn’t be forgiving
Performance Elite Air, if the former qualities are present. Likewise, I
Fit-4, 15mm QR expect a trail bike to carry more beef but also
SHOCK FOX Nude/ inspire a little more bravado. I feel like the Scott
Scott custom is in the middle of these, not entirely committing
SHIFTERS Shimano XT M8000 to either discipline; hedging it’s bets on part-time
REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano XT M8000 trail, part-time cross-country riding. Realistically,
FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano XT FD- this is likely where most riders fall on the
M8025-E spectrum of riding, and hence the Contessa
CRANK Shimano XT 2x11spd may suit riders who fall between red-blooded
36x26T racers and full-on trail shredders. Thinking of
CHAIN Shimano HG-700 who the bike would best suit came down to a
CASSETTE Shimano XT cross-country trail rider who is not necessarily
M8000 11-40T racing, but wants an efficient bike to climb and
HUBS Syncros XR2.0 a little more give on the descents, or someone
SPOKES DT Swiss Competition who is looking to enjoy some longer marathon
RIMS Syncros XR2.0 28h, races; the Twin-Loc would be perfectly suited to
tubeless ready longer marathon events that feature stretches
TYRES Schwalbe Rocket Ron of bitumen or road. It could easily be put on a
EVO 27.5x2.25” diet with a carbon cockpit and seatpost and by
BRAKES Shimano XT changing the drivetrain to…you guessed it, 1x11.
M8000, 180/160mm
STEM Syncros FL1.5, There are many good things about this bike,
alloy, 70mm the beautiful carbon frame, the reliability
HANDLEBARS Syncros FL1.5, of XT, plush Fox forks and a good crack at
alloy, 700mm fitting women’s specific contact points. In the
SEATPOST Syncros FL1.5, 31.6mm Contessa Spark 700RC, Scott has broadened the
SADDLE Syncros XR1.5 women’s specific market and if that gets more
Women, Ti Rails women contemplating riding trails then it can
only be a good thing.

www.ambmag.com.au - 85
 TESTED

THE DI2 PROJECT

WORDS AND IMAGES: MIKE BLEWITT

We’re nearing on 2 years since Shimano first announced their
XTR Di2 group set. With the XTR M9000 and M9050 (Race and
Trail respectively) launched first, it wasn’t a huge secret that
electronic versions would follow.
And while Di2 has rapidly been accepted into the road and
cyclocross world, it’s been a little slower in the mountain bike
sphere. The group set has quite often been seen on the bikes
of Shimano sponsored racers such as Dan McConnell and Bec
Henderson. But more recent builds we have seen have shown
the versatility of Shimano’s flagship group. You only need to
look at the Trek Remedy of Enduro National Champ Chris
Panozzo, to see Di2 being used to offer a competitive edge in
other disciplines.
We have been planning a build with Shimano, working on
creating a bike that uses Di2, as well as a few newer trends
in cross-country bikes and trail bikes, to see if we can build
something that blurs the lines between the two without giving
up any performance.
THE BUILD
We based the build off a Norco Revolver 29 full-suspension
frame. It’s not a full Di2 routed bike, but this model is new
for 2016 and features a combination of sharp handling, light
weight, efficient suspension and some great lines that just
begged to have a high-end build put onto it. With 100mm of
travel with a rising rate, a short back end, long front end and
short stem, it rides confidently going down, climbs really well,
and feels like it has more travel than it does. We reviewed the
bike last issue - and I bought one myself in February.
The frames are 1x specific, which makes sense given the
current trends, especially with Shimano announcing a new 11-
46 cassette in March. Thanks to the internal routing in the main
frame, we were able to direct the cable through the downtube,
porting in with the dropper post – more on that later.
To keep the cockpit clean, we used the PRO Tharsis XC carbon
handlebars with Di2 ports (so cables run inside them) and their
stem with a specific top cap. This means that the cable runs
through the bars from the shifter, and into the stem, and out to
the computer display. The battery sits inside the steerer, and
the cable also runs through the stem to the computer. A third
cable then leaves the computer to go to the rear derailleur. It’s
a bit fussry getting it all setup compared to a single cable for a
1x system. But once it’s done – it’s done.
The final cable has been wrapped
against the chain stay, and reinforced on
the outer loop. This isn’t as neat as full
internal routing – but that’s the option
with a Norco Revolver back end. Without
using a drill.
DROPPING INTO THE FUTURE
So you’ll notice we have added a dropper
seat post? This might seem ‘non-XC’ but
a few brands are bringing light weight,
short travel dropper posts to the market.
I saw plenty of professional riders using
them at the Swiss Epic last year, thanks
to the sustained steep and technical
descents. And while a dropper can usually
bring a pretty hefty weight penalty that
pure XCO or marathon racers wouldn’t
like – this KS Lev CI model uses a carbon
lower, lightweight cable and outer and
internal routing to provide 65mm of
drop. It’s not heaps, but it does make a
difference. The total weight of this setup
with a South Paw lever was 480g. So
maybe a 300g penalty over a very light
seatpost.
CARBON WONDER WHEELS
The wheels and tyres on the Norco are
turning some heads. While it seems
everyone is making a carbon mountain
bike wheel these days, Shimano’s XTR
Race wheels are still a carbon laminate
over an alloy rim. They’re strong, stiff,
have excellent hubs… but they’re not as
light as some of the competition. Shimano
did announce their full carbon tubular

Given the construction of the frame, and cable lengths, we had

the cable pop out of the port above the BB shell, and into a
junction box, which is purely being used as a connection. With
a longer cable we could have run the cable out here and to the
mech - but there wasn’t one the right length in the box. While
we could have hidden the box internally, and only had the cable
exiting for the rear derailleur – this should keep any repair or
external cable replacement much easier, even compared to
a full cable. There will be no need to remove the cranks and
press fit BB92 bottom bracket to replace the rear cable if it gets
damaged. I do need to get double-sided tape though!

86 - AMB

mountain bike wheel in late 2013 though – and
that’s what we have here. At 1280grams – they’re
about as light as 29er MTB wheels get! The hubs
are standard XTR hubs, although the hub shells are
for straight pull spokes. There are 28 spokes and
the rims are for disc brakes only, and for tubular
tyres. Tubular tyres are a one-piece cotton casing,
with the tread stuck to the outside, and a (typically)
latex inner tube inside. The casing is glued to the
rim, and the benefits are lower rolling resistance to
a tubed option, lower weight, and the ability to run
some very low tyre pressures.
The Schwalbe Racing Ralph is a trusted racing
tyre, and the 29x2.0” size we have is skinny, but at
about 595g they are very light.
The problems with a tubular tyre are obvious –
if you flat, what do you do? Without a team car,
your race is pretty much over.
But, a properly glued tyre does stay on the rim. A flat
tubeless tyre or tubed tyre can pretty easily come
off. So the ability to ride on a flat tubular to a tech
zone in an elite cross country race is an advantage.
The total wheel weight is good, but not too
different to my standard setup of NoTubes Valors
with Maxxis Ikon EXO tyres and sealant. However,
as the tubular rim is so light, and the tyres
are a bit lighter too – the wheels do noticeably
accelerate faster, and the faster engagement
of the XTR hub compared to the NoTubes 3.30Ti
is apparent. With this build finalised just before
printing – you’ll have to look to AMBmag.com.au
for further thoughts and ride impressions.
THE RIDE
The XTR Di2 setup replaced my XTR mechanical
group, so it’s been really easy to form some initial
impressions. Firstly, I think it is hard to go past
the XTR M9000 group – given the smooth shifting
of a well-adjusted mechanical setup. The Di2
setup does offer some advantages, mostly race
situations and less-than-ideal conditions.
The load at the shifter with a mechanical group
set is greatly affected by how firmly you set the
clutch, your cable routing, and the condition of
your gear cable and outer. With a Di2 group, while
you still set the clutch and B-tension for shift
feel – you have a motor that does the hard work. It
shifts in mud, in the dry, the wet – degraded cable
or muscular fatigue from continual shifting isn’t
a concern. Does whinging about a sore thumb
sound precious? Well consider the amount of
times an athlete like Jess Douglas might shift in a
TESTED
solo 24hr race. It adds up.
While XTR does shift beautifully with the XTR 11-
40 cassette, wider ranges are coming. The newly
announced 11-46 is compatible with XTR, but with
greater B-tension on the rear derailleur required
for the top jockey wheel to clear the largest
sprocket, a harder shift is inevitable. Unless you
have a little motor doing it.
That motor means every shift effort feels the
same. Up, down, muddy, super wide range
cassette. Whatever the scenario - it’s consistent.
TEETHING ISSUES
The ergonomics of the setup are still growing
on me. The location of the shifter paddles, and
their orientation, means it’s like going back to
RapidRise. I’m yet to do any custom tuning, but
this is something I’d play with. The position of
the lever is also more inboard than I would like.
I normally run my brakes more inboard from the
grip, but with the shifter inside the brake lever, it
was then too far away. And those little white TOGS
(Thumb Over Grip System) I have been trying out
aren’t quite as useful – as there’s less space for
my thumbs to go!
Having the dropper post has been great – and as
it’s a cable operated system removal and fitting is
less arduous than a hydraulic setup. This means
I can fit it when it’s needed and remove it when
it’s not. The South Paw lever was an out-of-the-
box upgrade as it mimics the action of a shifter,
although it takes some serious tightening to stop
it moving on the bar.
From now, we’ll be playing with the setup to see
how the performance in fast trail rides, cross-
country races and marathon races goes. Will this
show that Di2 is the cross-country rider and fast
trail rider’s best friend?
www.ambmag.com.au - 87
 4 DAYS INGS | NT
18-21 AUGUST 2016

An awesome 4-day, 6-stage mountain

biking experience in Alice Springs
› Stages include cross country, hill climb,
individual time trial and an incredible night race.
› Featuring plenty of single track in a jaw-dropping
outback landscape.
› New Team of 2 category – race with your mate.
› Race one stage or race them all.
› Easy race logistics.
› Group discounts available.

dream mountain bike holiday

theredback.com.au

ROCK CRAWLER
THE AVANTI TORRENT CS LONGTERM
PHOTOGRAPHER: TIMOTHY ARCH TESTER:WIL BARRETT
Back in Issue #151 of AMB, we introduced you to our latest long-term test
sled: the Avanti Torrent. Featuring 150mm of travel out back and kicked back
geometry that’s built around 27.5” wheels, the Torrent is a no-nonsense trail
machine that’s designed to be stiff, strong and highly capable.
Having ridden the Torrent over the past six months across a wide variety of
terrain in multiple configurations, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity
to provide an update on this long travel trail bruiser.
BUILD KIT UPDATES
Compared to the original build kit, there have been a number of key changes to
the Torrent, including the swap from the stock Fox FLOAT CTD rear shock to the
2016 Fox FLOAT DPS model.
To match the new Kashima shock, the latest Fox 34 FLOAT Factory fork has
been fitted up front. The 34 has been set at 150mm of travel, and it features
Fox’s latest air spring design and the new FIT4 damper to increase small-
bump performance and mid-stroke support over previous models. Lookout on
AMBMag.com.au for a long-term review of the 34.
Another intriguing spec change has been the Bouwmeester Tammar V4.8
wheel set,. The Australian-made carbon rims have been setup with a variety of
different tyres, though right now they’re wrapped with Specialized 2Bliss rubber.
A 2.3” Butcher is taking care of traction duties up front, while the faster-rolling
2.3” Slaughter tyre sits out back.
DURABILITY NOTES
Overall, there has been a distinct lack of creaks, rattles or groans from the
Torrent, with the Praxis M30 bottom bracket keeping the PF30 shell surprisingly
creak-free. I can confirm the authenticity of the thread-together design, and
would recommend a Praxis BB to anyone out there who may have a noisy press-
fit bottom bracket on their hands.
I did need to replace the cable on the stock X-Fusion Hilo Strate dropper post
recently, as it had slipped through the pinch bolt. Replacing cables on internally
TESTED
routed dropper posts is not high on my list of desirable jobs to perform on
any bike, but at least the cable only runs internally through the seat tube, and
the removable port does make the process easier. The post itself has been
fine, though it does require a more concerted push to compress, and it’s not
particularly fast upon returning. But it otherwise does the job, and I do like the
joystick-style remote.
A general annoyance with the Torrent has been the limited rear tyre clearance
on the back. With a true 2.3” wide tyre (the Specialized Slaughter is closer to
2.2”), there is barely a bee’s dick between the cornering tread and the edge of
the seat and chain stays. I haven’t ridden in a whole lot of mud, but I wouldn’t
want to with how little clearance there is. After reaching out to Avanti, we can
confirm that a revised chain stay is being rolled out on new production bikes.
One other issue worth pointing out is with rear derailleur clearance on the lower
chainstay pivot. The bulky dropouts and Horst Link pivot seem to get in the way
of the derailleur’s Shadow Plus lever when shifting into the smallest sprockets
on the cassette. There is enough contact that I have to run more B-tension than I
would like, just to get the derailleur to clear the frame.
BONAFIDE ROCK CRAWLER
Last issue, you may recall that I reviewed the new Fox FLOAT DPS rear shock.
Equipped with the larger EVOL air can, the DPS shock delivers a beautifully
supple feel that works wonders with the active TRU-4 suspension design. Small-
bump sensitivity is incredible, and it leads to excellent traction whether you’re
going up or down.
Speaking of going up, the Torrent is an absolute rock crawler. With the
suspension left wide open and the 40t cog engaged on the Praxis cassette, the
Torrent is capable of finding traction on loose surfaces where there is none, and
I’ve been able to clear some seriously ugly sections of trail that I would never
attempt on other bikes.
Despite having 6” of travel though, the Torrent is still a fun and flickable bike on
the trail. It may not be super long (59.5cm ETT on the Medium), but that does
make it easier to handle on tight trails, and it quite enjoys taking to the air.
A lot of the bike’s handling comes down to that impressively stiff frame, which
keeps the wheels tracking straight no matter how ugly the trail conditions get.
Matched to the supple suspension, the Torrent delivers masses of confidence no
matter how hard you push.
Next up, we’ll be fitting on some lighter weight components and spending some
time playing with the adjustable geometry on the Torrent frame. Stay tuned!
RRP: $3199
From: avantibikes.com
www.ambmag.com.au - 89
LONG TERM TEST: SHIMANO
XT M8000 1X11
Last year Shimano announced what many people expected – that the
WORDS: MIKE BLEWITT
PHOTOS: DAMIAN BREACH

open and increase or decrease the spring tension

on the clutch with an Allen key. Along with getting
Shimano XT group set was going to 11 speed. M8000 was launched the B-Tension right, this is one of the best ways to
with a few variants, but what most people focused on was the 11-42 make sure your bike shifts as it should, especially
cassette, trumping the 11-40 that Shimano had released with the when we moved the group from a trail bike to an
XC bike. For the 4 months of use the derailleur
M9000 XTR 11 speed group. It was a 42t option without the need for stayed slop free, and although it’s had a few rubs
a new freehub, bringing the total upgrade cost a lot lower for riders and knocks it’s in one piece. The Shimano rear
wanting to turn it up to 11. In late February, Shimano announced a derailleurs do sit in and out of the way remarkably
well, aiding product life. Catching a rear mech
new 11-46 cassette, compatible with this group and XTR. on the trail isn’t impossible, but the Shimano
derailleurs really do keep themselves out of
harms way.
THE NEW MEGA RANGE having gone through two chains on one cassette.
I did also find it shifted fine when mated to my
The shifter has a great feel at the lever, but on
While the M8000 cassette is available in 11-40 own bike’s M9000 setup, although Shimano’s
both bikes I rode with the setup the biggest thing I
for the 2x setups it’s the 11-42 that has really engineers disapprove. Shimano have always
noticed was shift effort. While it’s far greater than
won favour. Given the size constraints of a wanted to maintain shift quality, not just get a
a similar setup on the previous XT group, it’s just
freehub body, Shimano didn’t create a 10-42 range – and it’s clear with the XT cassette. The
not as light as M9000. Obviously, the premium
cassette like SRAM has. The difference between 11-46 will have a heavier feel at the shifter, but
group needs to stand apart, but you might consider
a 10 and 11 is substantial, but Shimano’s does make for a favourable increase in range.
upgrading to the super slick XTR cables and outer
11-42 means riders can upgrade to 1x11, or
for a very good value performance upgrade.
2x11, without the need for a wheel or freehub CRISP AS YOU LIKE
upgrade – which is a big cost saving.
As it was, I ended up backing the clutch off to
The rear derailleur gained a few features but after
reduce shift effort. And then after dropping the
I found the shifting to be smooth, but the cassette months of use, the best is the ease of adjustment
chain twice, I tightened it up a little more. Two
is about 100g heavier than an M9000 11-40, and on the clutch and the durability. Compared to the
turns via the port was an easy solution, and
about 55g heavier than a SRAM GX 10-42, as a 10-speed version this is a world apart, in terms
lesson learnt.
comparison. The cassette doesn’t have an alloy of ease of shifting. It is also crucial in getting
larger sprocket like a higher end SRAM offering, your drivetrain working correctly. There’s a port
underneath the knuckle of the mech that you pop
STRAIGHT AND TALL
and I’ve found the durability to be really good,

90 - AMB
 TESTED
While the cranks themselves show just how stiff
and strong Shimano can make a crank set, the
real winner here for most riders is the security
of Shimano’s chain rings. Shimano’s 96mm
BCD pattern and non-removable spiders means
there’s no option for direct mount chain rings.
But the upside of that is it’s easier to swap rings
if needed. I had great life and wear from the stock
32t chain ring, and I couldn’t ask for anything
more from the cranks. No, they aren’t the lightest.
But XT cranks have long set the benchmark for
strength and reliability, and being alloy you can
scuff them up on rocks all you want without
needing to worry about their structural integrity.
Shimano have updated their ring profile, but we’ll
need to get some time on the new profile before
passing judgement.

ON THE LIMIT
Using the group on an XC bike, I did find the 11-
42 a bit limiting within a stage race. I probably
should have taken a 30t and even a 34t chain
ring with me for the appropriate days. But with
M8000, you have to remember that it’s not 1x11
exclusive – with some chain rings, a shifter and
derailleur, you can run it 2x11. That’s not a trail
side upgrade, but if you were heading somewhere
exceptionally hilly, it’s a good option to have as
a way to gain some lower and higher gearing in
one move. The 11-46 might sidestep this issue for
dedicated 1x bikes, but 2x11 will give closer ratios
which many riders want.

Save for the aforementioned chain drops, the ring

was secure, even on rough, long descents on an
XC bike, and shuttling trails like Juggernaut on a
trail bike – the chain stayed put. There are plenty
of aftermarket options in oval shapes and lighter
materials – but Shimano have long been market
leaders in chain rings.

STOP RIGHT THERE

Shimano first introduced hydraulic disc brakes

at the XT level over 16 years ago. Gone are the
braided steel hoses but, dare I say it, XT brakes
are still an industry benchmark. The M8000
units have seen a few updates. We used the new
iSpec setup with the narrower bar clamp and it
felt really good, leaving the shifters at a better
position than in the previous iSpec design. But the
changes to the brake’s stroke won me over, with
an ability to ever so slightly feather the brakes
that was missing on previous models. The raw
power is still there, although in bigger hills, bikes
or riders using the IceTech pads or rotors would
be smart. Our test group had standard rotors and
pads, and on a few descents dropping over 800m,
the stock setup got a little bit warm and noisy, but
there wasn’t too much fade.

VERDICT
ESSENTIALS
The word has come up a lot, and I do think the
XT 1x11 group is a benchmark for combining HITS
performance and durability. The test group came
- Reliability and durability
through a week-long trail riding trip, and a week-
- Great range and ability to
long stage race and plenty of riding in-between
upgrade to 2x for further range
on two different bikes, with barely a splutter. It
currently misses the total range of a SRAM 1x
drivetrains, but the 2x11 option is there with
MISSES
M8000, and the tighter ratios would certainly be - Not the slickest shift action
perfect for long days out in the saddle, especially
if you were riding in bigger mountains than those RRP: See your Shimano dealer
around Australia’s major capital cities. Just love From: shimano.com.au
1x? The 11-46 should be your answer.

www.ambmag.com.au - 91
 But what they should also be known for is their
consumables, like their sealant and rim tape.

The FRM White Tape is a little more flexible

than others on the market, so it makes it easy to
‘stretch’ it on for a very tight fit – plus it sits better
into the rim bed. Like most tapes it’s sold in 5
metre rolls – but unlike most tapes you can get it in
21mm, 26mm and 31mm widths. That’s perfect for
the move to wider wheels – and 31mm may even
be wide enough for 27.5+ rims big internal widths.

The sealant is quite different to others on the

market. It’s end use is still the same – to seal your
tyres and patch small holes on the trail. But it goes
about it a little differently. The latex doesn’t all sit at
the base of the tyre and slosh around, or foam up,
like other brands. Instead, it’s a little less viscous

FRM WHITE TAPE and coats the tyre, all the way around. There’s still
fluid that will get forced to any leaks, but there’s also
a latex coating all the way around the tyre.

AND TUBELESS At first I was sceptical, but I realised this keeps the
reinforcement where most tyres need it, and that’s
against a sidewall. I used the sealant for close
ESSENTIALS

SEALANT
WORDS AND PHOTOS: MIKE BLEWITT
The number one thing you will see in our bike
reviews is “get the wheels setup tubeless”. Why?
Because for just about any rider and riding, it’s an
improvement in performance, and therefore your
mountain bike experience.
Italian brand FRM are well-known for making
exotic Scandium, carbon fibre and Titanium parts.
to 12 months in a variety of tyres – with another
sealant in my other set of wheels. Thankfully – I
actually didn’t flat on either. But I lost less air in
HITS
- Easy tape to use, and sizes available
- Sealant coats the tyre
the pair using FRM sealant, and when popping the
bead to see what shape it was in, it didn’t separate MISSES
in the same way either.
- Can make for a messy tyre and rim with
The latex does tend to build up, and you can repeated use
peel it off the inside of your tyre if you like. But I
appreciated the extra reinforcement, and was really RRP: Tape starts at $19.95, 500mL of sealant
happy with the performance. I’d highly recommend from $35.00
looking at the FRM Tubeless equipment. From: Carbuta Pty Ltd

OAKLEY
Then finally comes the colour
optionsand in true Oakley form
there are a bucket load. With 7
different set colour options and

JAWBREAKER
even more if you want to mix
and match on the Oakley online
customised website you will always
find something that will match your
WORDS AND PHOTOS: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH favorite pair of socks.
I really enjoy wearing the Oakley
The Oakley Jawbreakers were released roughly a year ago, Jawbreakers any chance I get, yes
and the popularity within the cycling community is massive. it makes you look like all the pros
Oakley is one of the largest sports brands on earth and has and to some people that’s a bad
been easily the biggest eyewear brand in cycling for years. thing and to others that’s the whole
point. However there is no denying
First impressions on close inspection are what you would that these sunglasses are quite
expect from Oakley, they are sturdy and ooze quality. The possibly the best all round cycling
styling is unique but still very Oakley, with a mix of old eyewear ever made, and forgetting
school looks and 80s futuristic design elements. Think about looks they provide the best
Robocop…. The lens size is easily their largest to date, with protection, field of view and ground
only the Radar XL coming close, and I seriously can’t see breaking lens technology combo to
any downside. I was a massive fan of the Radar XLs and a date. You wont be disappointed.
firm believer of the bigger the lens the better, especially for
mountain biking. The field of view and protection you get out There is also a PRIZM Road, which also does
of the Jawbreakers is amazing. the same for the greys and blacks associated ESSENTIALS
Coming from someone with relatively chubby cheeks, the type with the asphalt. Whilst it was kind of cool, and
your Nan loved to squeeze way too much, I usually have a lot you did notice it, it was also something you forgot
HITS
of problems with ventilation. So I was quite skeptical to how about fairly quickly. I was also using these both -Coverage and performance
the Jawbreakers would fare. With the plastic covering the on and off road and really never thought about it Style and lens clarity
bottom of the lens I could only see this helping to seal in any again. To put it simply, I would not bother buying
humid eyeball sweat. And whilst I find them not quite as good a pair for road and a pair for off road. Just get MISSES
as the more open Radar XL’s, I still was pleasantly surprised whichever one you do the most of. In general the
that the ventilation points do their job well. lens brightened up all the shadows and brought to - Pricey; you get what you pay for
life everything you were seeing, the world without
The all-new PRIZM lens were also an added bonus, ours came the glasses seemed quite dull in comparison and RRP: From $210
with the PRIZM Trail which essentially just enhances reds and you could be forgiven for wanting to wear these all From: au.oakley.com
browns, helping you to distinguish rocks and trail undulations. the time. But don’t… please.

92 - AMB
 australia’s
premier stage race

capetocapemtb.com

Margaret River
Western Australia
TIMESROLL
 TESTED

GROUND EFFECT ZZ TOP AND

JUGGERNAUT SHORT
WORDS: LACHLAN MCKILLOP PHOTOS: TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH

Mountain bike clothing has evolved leaps and bounds in the last
few years. I keep seeing more and more new brands offering
different styles and looks, I also see a lot more fabrics being
used. Gone are the days of either running lycra or downhill
shorts, in the market now lay many brands which offer
great fitting trail gear. Ground Effect, a New Zealand based
companyhas always had a strong presence in Australia, but
their latest line is really impressive for a ‘Made in NZ’ company.
For test we had the trail/enduro styled ZZ top jersey and
Juggernaut shorts. It was my first time riding in Ground Effect
gear so I was keen to see how it all went.
Now I am big on the fit of a kit, first and foremost. No matter
how something looks it has to fit me properly or I am not a
happy camper. I opted for small jersey and shorts for the
test as this is what I would normally run. On my first time
putting the kit on it was apparent that Ground Effect’s 20 years
experience in in the sport market they had learnt a thing or
two about fit. The jersey had the perfect amount of hang on the
back, the 3 panels felt snug on the chest and the “¾” length
arms felt great (the arms are more of a half sleeve, but I did
love the extra length). The shorts were much the same, a nice
amount of knee cover for protection on the trail, excellent
tightening system to stop any movement and the stretch on the
fabric was great. The fit was bang on for me and I couldn’t wait
to get out for the next few rides.
My first long ride I walked out the door and it was raining
sideways, a perfect time to test out some new gear. The shorts
firstly are very light to ride in, this is perfect in the heat but also
in the wet as they don’t absorb moisture. The shorts high rear
end match with a meshy material means that your movements
are not limited at all. The high and stretch crotch area was the
real winner for me on the bike however, it kept the
material away from the saddle which was perfect for
getting off the back of the bike (especially when you
don’t have a dropper post). The shorts too seemed
quite water proof and even after a dozen rides
and just as many washes they still seem to repel
water. The front of the short offers zippable vents to
regulate heat, personally I didn’t use them for test
purposes as I never found I was too hot. The addition
though does add to a great look on the kit.
The ZZ top jersey offers a very nice and light
material, it is breathable and is great in the
heat. The fabric is also SPF50+ protecting you
from the harsh rays of the summer months. The
minimalist design really stood out to me, this is
a jersey you could wear with almost all style of
shorts and it would not look out of place. It uses
a nice colour palette, but a green, grey, white
option is also available. The jersey offers a great
small little pocket which I seemed to use the
most for all things from multi tools, keys and lift
passes. The only thing that did confuse me was
the puncture repair patch that came with it – it’s a
customary inclusion with Ground Effect gear but
I do wonder who rides with tubes to patch still.
The longer sleeves were my favourite part of the
jersey, it protected my arms more from the sun
but also from overgrown trails, my elbows have
never looked so neat and scratch free.
Ground Effect really have designed some smart
and well fitting kit for 2016. The colour options
look great, the fit is on point and
the fabrics they use really fit the
purpose of mountain biking. If
you’re looking for a new trail kit I
would give this Kiwi brand a good
look in, they offer direct ordering
from their website and are backed
by two decades of experience in the
adventure sports market. The brand
makes all their products in New
Zealand as well, although it’s not
local industry per say it is great to
see products coming from countries
that are close to home.
ESSENTIALS
HITS
- Fit and fabric performance
- Well-priced
- Great quality, and pretty
much local
MISSES
- None yet
RRP: ZZ top: $82.57,
Juggernaut shorts: 138.22
From: groundeffect.com

www.ambmag.com.au - 95
 TESTED
RST ELEV8 H DROPPER POST
WORDS: IMOGEN SMITH PHOTOS: MIKE BLEWITT
Dropper seatposts have gone from novelty items
to MTB essentials in just a couple of years. These
days we’d hesitate to go out for a trail ride without
one. Chances are, if you don’t have one, you’re
looking to try – but what to do if your bike isn’t
routed for the cabling?
AMB tested the RST Elev8 H dropper which, while
available in Stealth (with internal routing) AMB were
interested in testing this externally-routed model for
all of us who haven’t bought a bike in the last year
or two, or for those of us who might want to swap
from a dropper to a standard seatpost depending on
the ride, but don’t want to fuss about with internal
cables or repeated trips to the bike shop.
The Elev8 is easy to install – it’s just a matter of
sticking the seatpost in and tightening up the
GIRO EMPIRE VR90 SHOES
WORDS AND PHOTOS: WIL BARRETT
A good-fitting mountain bike shoe is worth its
weight in gold. Like a good helmet, you really
shouldn’t be thinking about your shoes on a
ride. But if they’re not right, there is no worse
distraction from the trail in front of you. Spend
the time in getting a good pair of kicks that are
dialled for your foot shape and the difference to
your riding comfort can improve dramatically.
The Giro Empire VR90 shoe is Giro’s top-end
XC race shoe, and at a claimed weight of 315
grams, is one of the lightest options available
on the market.
The Empire VR90 is available in Black (tested)
or Blue Jewel colours, from size EU 42 to 47.
LACE-UP DESIGN
With no BOA dials or ratchet straps in sight,
the Empire VR90 shoes take it back to the old
school with a unique lace-up design. The retro
aesthetic was first debuted on the brilliant
Empire road shoes, with the VR90 essentially
being the off-road version.
But why laces?
The idea is to provide a highly adjustable and
comfortable fit with more points for fine-tuning
tension than a single ratchet and two Velcro
96 - AMB
remote lever with a 3mm allen key, then zip-tying
the cable as neatly as possible to the outside
of the frame or using guides if your frame has
them. Some external droppers have a problem
with sagging cables when the seat is lowered, but
the Elev8 features a ‘piggyback’ entry point that
eliminates the issue entirely, as the cable doesn’t
mount to the top of the head.
The seatpost isn’t the lightest on the market (at 815
grams all told your bike will be about 500 grams
heavier than when it’s set up with a standard
seatpost), but it’s robust, with forged pieces for
both the upper and lower tubes, and integrating
RST’s needle bearing technology. First designed
to stop side to side play appearing in forks, and
now applied to the dropper, this technology helps
straps. It also helps to make the VR90 super light.
Providing further adjustability, you’ll find Giro’s
Supernatural Fit Kit inside the VR90s. Based
around their X-Static anti-stink foot beds, the
kit includes three different sized arch supports
that can be swapped in to suit your arch height.
ON THE TRAIL
In terms of fit, the VR90s are on the narrower side
compared to an equivalent Shimano, Specialized
or Bontrager shoe. They’re more akin to a SIDI,
and some riders may need to upsize to get the
necessary room inside the toe box.
eliminate stiction in the up and down action and
should need minimal maintenance over time.
The seatpost’s action is hydraulic, but it’s actuated
by a manual cable mounted on the handlebars. We
found the lever (mounted on the left-hand side)
needed some serious pressure to get the seatpost
moving and after a solid few hours’ ride, our testers
were left with some pretty sore thumb joints. A bit
of fiddling with the position of the lever helped,
particularly when it was mounted on the inside of
the brake lever, closer to the thumb. Our unit is an
early sample, and didn’t have a ‘noodle’ to route the
cable from the lever at a cleaner angle. It’s an easy
addition, and one production models should have.
Overall, this is a great value dropper – it’s built
to last and it’s easy to install and remove. Adding
a dropper is one of the most transformative
upgrades you can make to your bike, and better
still, it’s also one of the cheapest.
ESSENTIALS
HITS
- Easy to fit, great motion
- 100 or 125mm drop options
MISSES
- Not the best lever
RRP: $TBC
From: outdoorsinternational.com.au
That said, the VR90s do offer a flexible fit. The
soft Evofiber upper has a beautifully supple
leather-like feel, and the laces deliver plenty
of adjustability for those who have narrower or
wider feet than average.
Despite the luxurious feel, the VR90s are hella stiff
underfoot. The Easton EC90 carbon sole is thin,
light and delivers awesome power transfer through
the pedals. During hard-and-fast XC racing though,
I did find I’d occasionally want to nip up the tension
on the laces. This is obviously not a job that can be
performed whilst riding, so make sure you snug
them up well before you start riding. Otherwise,
the anti-slip sports laces don’t budge one bit.
Making them significantly more trail-friendly is the
rubber tread used for the outsole. While many XC
shoes use plastic TPU lugs, after using a pair with
rubber tread, you’ll wonder why you’d ever put up
with anything else.
ESSENTIALS
HITS
- Super light and super stiff
- Supple and great fitting upper
- Grippy rubber tread
MISSES
- Impossible to adjust while riding
- Soft upper more prone to damage
RRP: $349
From: Sheppardcycles.com
 Time to join the best, because even though its one of the
smallest parts on your bike, its one of the most important.

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NO ORDINARY LIFE
 TESTED

661 RAGE KNEE/SHIN PAD

WORDS: LACHLAN MCKILLOP PHOTOS: ROBERT CONROY

661 is still one of the largest players and most easily recognised
protection products on the market. The rage kneepad is the new
incarnation of the old “Kyle Strait” kneepad 661 previously produced.
Along with team riders, 661 set to cut the weight down of the old
design, as well as create a knee shin pad with more breathability for the
public. I am a big fan of a lot of protection on the knees, after suffering

661 EVO AM MIPS HELMET a broken knee cap, I’m of the opinion of “the safer the better”. A knee
shin design really does offer more coverage and aids with greater
protection. With most riders opting for just a kneepad, is there a point in
running a knee-shin? I think so.
WORDS: CHRIS BARLIN PHOTOS: ROBERT CONROY

It’s always great when you find a helmet that fits you and ticks all the The pads on test were a medium, medium tends to be my size of choice for
boxes. 661’s latest helmet the EVO AM with MIPS is one of those helmets bike products and these pads were the same. The pad is a full leg wrap,
that fits just about anybody. Style wise, the EVO AM looks good. It looks there are no tightening straps that go behind the calf or knee. Putting the
like a helmet you want to wear and even looks good when you’re wearing Rage pad on the first thing I noticed was that the fit was snug, there is
it. One of the strong points for the EVO AM is the use of MIPS Technology. nothing worse than having a pad fall down mid ride, the tight fit with a 2
MIPS Stands for Multi-Directional Impact Protection System which is way stretch material was perfect to allow for a full range of movement,
basically a slip plane inside the helmet, designed to reduce rotational whilst simultaneously combat the pads ability to move around.
forces from certain impacts. This is the yellow piece inside the helmet you
can see. Although I didn’t put this technology to use I was glad I had it. A There are multiple pads covering the knee giving you a huge amount of
little bit reassurance when you’re putting the bike on the edge. movement but at the same time everything is thoroughly covered. The
shin protection as well is the same, there is a main pad with secondary
661 have also gone to using a BOA retention system. Those familiar with pads on either side to allow movement, but also give more protection. I
BOA straps on shoes will appreciate the ease in which you can do up the had 3 off the bike experiences when these pads were on test and every
back of the helmet. With a big amount of padding inside the helmet it sits time I felt more then protected in these pads and saving my knee is
comfortably on your head with no irritation, although the padding could be something that I worry about. The coverage really has to be applauded
a little thicker. I would also like to see the helmet sit a little deeper on your on these pads.
head, this would make it feel a little more secure.
One Velcro strap at the top of the pad is all that was needed to secure
A big issue on all helmets is the straps and how they feel when done up. them on, which meant less opportunities of loosening while riding,
The strapping system on the EVO AM is really good. Instead of straps going and less Velcro parts to get clogged up with loose threads. I did find
up inside the helmet above the internals, 661 have just made some anchor however that the pre set straps on the middle and lower parts of the
points on each side just above the ears. This does away with excess straps pad did start to eat into my leg a little bit, but this was after a few solid
and works really well. hours of push runs. Usually I would remove my pads every hour or two
when I’m having a break.
Getting out on the trail and actually wearing the helmet was great. It
hardly moved around due to the BOA system and was light enough for any As these pads do offer a lot of coverage around your whole leg they
uphill or downhill situation. The are something I would think about washing more regularly than your
EVO AM has plenty of room for standard kneepads. Some of the
sunnies or it also has a flat, lipped ESSENTIALS foam used is quite absorbent as
section on the back which will keep ESSENTIALS well, again adding to my opinion
your goggles in place if that’s how HITS that these would require regular
you roll. I feel like an improvement HITS washing.
- Looks good, and fits comfortably
could be made to the visor area, - Thorough protection
- MIPS equipped 661 has created a pad that offers
although it has been made strong - Stable fit
and solid, it is not adjustable, superior coverage to your knee
MISSES and shin, while cutting some
which can get in you way a little MISSES
when you have your head down low. weight away from older designs.
- Another pad set that is thicker
- Strap system might not These embody the rebirth of
would be good
At $299.95 the EVO AM is a good suit everyone the knee shin pad as there is a
- Visor adjustment
value for money helmet. With the lot more safety for little weight
technology and the thought put into RRP: About $149.95 gain, and absolutely no loss
RRP $299.95
this helmet, at that money, it ticks From: Jetblackproducts.com in movement. 661 has really
From: Jetblackproducts.com
a lot of boxes. refined a great design.

www.ambmag.com.au - 99

BOUWMEESTER COMPOSITES
TAMMAR V4.8 WHEELSET
WORDS AND PHOTOS: WIL BARRETT
Based around a solid single-wall carbon fibre rim,
the Tammar V4.8 wheel set is the first product to
come out of Bouwmeester Composites’ factory in
South Australia.
It features a wide rim profile, tubeless
compatibility, and a standard 32-spoke build
that employs DT Swiss hubs and spokes. With
a claimed weight of 1750 grams, the Tammar
wheelset is targeted towards enduro racing and
hard-hitting trail riders. Currently, it only comes
in a 27.5” diameter.
SUBTLE STYLING
On every ride with the Tammar wheel set, I could
never get far without someone stopping me to
ask what they were. With their shallow profile and
bulging moulded nipple beds, the carbon Tammar
rims offer a unique aesthetic that bucks the
current trend of super deep-section carbon rims
and their “LOOK AT ME” fluoro graphics.
The Tammar rims measure 38mm externally and
31.5mm internally, putting them at the wider
end of the scale. They have a hookless bead and
a deep central channel to aid tubeless inflation.
With every test tyre I used on the Tammar rim,
they all snapped into place at around 20psi, and
all without need for a compressor. Nice.
The rims are asymmetric to balance spoke
tension, and to accommodate the different forces
transferring through each wheel they’re front and
rear specific. The front weighs 480 grams, and the
rear is 490 grams.
You can get the Tammar wheel set built with DT
Swiss 240 or Chris King hubs, though BC also
offer a custom service with more hub options
should you have something fancier in mind.
ESSENTIALS
HITS
- Australian made
- Beautifully smooth and quiet
performance
- Super tough and durable design
- Easy tubeless setup
MISSES
- Not available in 29”. Yet.
RRP: $3499
From: bouwmeester.com.au
TESTED
They’ll only build the wheels with stainless
steel DT Swiss Competition spokes though.
This is because lighter spokes experience
more elongation, and BC aren’t interested in
compromising the handling of their wheels.
Functional? Yes. Fancy with proprietary parts?
The Tammar is most definitely not.
Including the provided rim tape and tubeless
valves, our test wheel set came out a confirmed
1840 grams.
SMOOTH OPERATOR
The first thing I noticed with the Tammar wheels
is just how incredibly smooth they are to ride.
They’re also deadly quiet, because unlike a
traditional hollow rim, the solid rim construction
doesn’t resonate trail chatter.
Crank the pedals a little harder though, and
the Tammar’s immediately respond with crisp
acceleration that belies their on-paper weight
figure. They’re highly reactive to steering inputs
and there is little hesitation when you need to
quickly change direction on the trail. Despite
being heavier on paper than comparable
competitors wheels, I put the Tammar’s zippier
feel down to the taut build and the excellent
overall wheel set stiffness.
The best attribute of the Tammar wheels though,
is just how little you get pinballed off of rocks.
During high-speed entries into an ugly rock
garden on my local test loop – the kind that
eats tyre sidewalls for breakfast – the Tammar
wheels added a whole new level of composure
and stability to the bike. When I’d normally be
wrestling with the handlebar, all of a sudden I
found a greater ability to keep the bike tracking in
the direction I wanted it to.
This in-built compliance is very deliberate on BC’s
behalf, and it’s a result of that thick, single-wall
carbon rim. While the wheels have plenty of
‘global’ lateral stiffness, the rim is allowed to flex
at the tyre contact point. This helps to drive more
of the tyre back onto the trail surface for added
traction and a smoother ride.
And this is what is most impressive about the
Tammar wheelset. It’s as if BC have combined the
responsiveness of a stiff carbon wheel, with the
smooth riding nature of a lightweight alloy rim.
THE VERDICT
At $3499, the Tammar wheel set is an expensive
upgrade for any mountain bike. That said, they are
hands-down the best riding 27.5” trail wheelset
I’ve ever ridden, and they are bombproof. Factor
in the unique design, their brilliant on-trail
performance and the fact that they’re handmade
and handbuilt in Australia, and I believe they’re
worth every dollar. For peace of mind, BC offer a
3-year warranty to back their workmanship. Going
one further, if you manage to break a rim within
the first 12 months of ownership, they’ll replace
it no questions asked. How’s that for product
confidence?
Relative to the competition, the Tammar wheelset
comes in around the same price as an equivalent
Reynolds, SRAM or Shimano wheelset, and
they’re actually cheaper than an ENVE wheel set.
www.ambmag.com.au - 101
DAVIES CREEK
WORDS: IMOGEN SMITH PHOTOS: MIKE BLEWITT

THE WORLD CUP EVENT AT CAIRNS THIS APRIL WILL SURELY DRAW A FEW
MOUNTAIN BIKERS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND NO DOUBT THEY’LL
ALSO PACK THEIR BIKES. EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT THE LEGENDARY
SMITHFIELD TRAILS WHERE THE WORLD CUP IS RACED AND, UP IN THE
TABLELANDS, THE ATHERTON MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK IS NEARLY AS WELL-
KNOWN AND DEFINITELY WORTH THE DRIVE. IT’S WORTH NOTING THAT THE
REGION AROUND CAIRNS BOASTS A NUMBER OF LESSER-KNOWN TRAILS.
NESTLED JUST OUTSIDE MAREEBA ON THE TABLELANDS, AND PUNCHING
WELL ABOVE ITS WEIGHT, IS DAVIES CREEK. A SMALL, PEACEFUL TRAIL
NETWORK THAT’S WELL-MAINTAINED, TONNES OF FUN, AND WELL WORTH A
VISIT IF YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE IN TOWN.
Davies Creek boasts about 20km of old-school singletrack, and is close enough to
Atherton (about an hour’s drive) to squeeze in a ride at both in a day trip (be sure to refuel
at one of the Tablelands’ incredible eateries in between). If you’re accompanied by family
or friends who aren’t riding, the Tablelands has a fantastic foodie culture with lots of farm
and cellar doors to visit, as well as gorgeous natural lakes like Eacham and Tinaroo for a
swim – enough to free you and your bike up for most of the day.

If you’re up on the Tablelands for a day of mountain biking, be sure to leave your trip
to Davies Creek for last. Your legs will thank you for finishing up on the relatively flat
terrain, and the afternoon light filtering through sparse gums onto multi-coloured termite
mounds creates a magical atmosphere for a pedal. On any day the place is teeming with
birdlife and the afternoon sun turns a beautiful shade of gold as it reflects off the red and
orange dirt.

GETTING THERE
You’ll need a car to reach Davies Creek. If you’re based in Cairns it’s about an hour-twenty
up the range and down the Kennedy Highway, then a left-hand turn into Davies Creek
Road. From Atherton it’s about an hour, and you’ll take a right-hand turn off the Kennedy
Highway. Once on Davies Creek Road it’s about a three kilometre drive on dirt to the trails. DISTANCES
There’s some parking on the left and a good sign and temporary trail map at the entrance
There’s one big loop at Davies Creek (you’ll jump straight on
(you’ll probably need to lift your bike over a low fence). Trails are marked with blue and
it if you turn left at the trailhead) from which you can add a
green arrows and easy to follow. Begin by turning left (east) once you’re at the trailhead
number of short loops to lengthen your ride – there’s enough
and ride in a clockwise direction (trails are one-way).
there for a solid two- to three-hour hit-out and more if you take
it easy. Don’t get lazy and miss out on ‘Balboa’ (it’s a bit rocky!),
TECHNICAL NATURE
and ‘McGraith’s Maze’ right out the back of the main loop.
Riding at Davies Creek is a bit of a trip back in time. The trails range from slickly
maintained to rough and ready, and while there are very few technical challenges that LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
could be classed as ‘gnarly’ (even a black-diamond rated section was easily rollable),
Visit the Mt Uncle Distillery while you’re on the Tablelands for
taking these sweeping corners at speed and riding logs and rocks unseen gave us plenty
an amazing treat made from their own green banana flour
to smile about. It’s a great beginner’s track and a fun place to take the kids for a pedal,
(trust us) and even a sneaky sample of their gin from the cellar
too. Most of the surface is fine gravel so it gets more technical with speed, and the main
door (www.mtuncle.com).
loop does incorporate a decent amount of 4x4 trail, but it’s rough and undulating and rides
like singletrack. There are a couple of creek crossings and mercifully little climbing –
If you’ve got the gear (or a big comfy car) camping is available
most of the trails pitch at a pleasant gradient whether you’re going up or down.
at Lower Davies Creek and gives you the opportunity to spend
a night in peaceful woodland next to the crystal clear creek.
YOU’LL NEED
You’ll need to be completely self-sufficient (including your own
Plenty of water, a phone (there’s some reception at the top of the hills), first aid kit, and all drinking water) and to take out an e-permit (find out more at
your usual spares and biking essentials. And a mountain bike. www.nprsr.qld.gov.au).

102 - AMB
 PLACES THAT
ROCK

BEST TIME OF YEAR LOCAL CLUB CONTACTS

Dry season – in between about April and November.
WHILE IN THE AREA
There’s tonnes and tonnes to do on the Tablelands
– from the lakes and farm doors already
mentioned, to more cycling at Atherton, to visiting
gorgeous towns and villages dotted along the
highway (Yungaburra is a tourist favourite). Down
the range, the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is
a top attraction, as is Cairns in all its touristy,
adventure-loving glory.
LOCAL BIKE SHOPS
Cairns is your best bet if you need servicing, but
both Mareeba and Atherton have general sports
stores where you could pick up the basics. Check
ridecairns.com for more information.
The Mareeba Mountain Goats look after TRAIL ESSENTIALS
the trails at Davies Creek and have some
information on the trails on their website at www. FACILITIES
mareebamountaingoats.com. The club is active
and holds regular social rides. Their website also TOILETS: No
provides trail status updates in case of rain or bad DRINKING WATER: No
weather – check if you’re in any doubt.
PARKING: Yes
TRAILS SIGNPOSTED: Yes – The trailhead is
The Ride Cairns site is a useful repository of
just across the road from the carpark.
information about mountain biking in the region and
is well worth a visit for inspiration: ridecairns.com. MOBILE RECEPTION: Patchy – and
signposted!
REGULAR EVENTS SHELTER: No
The FN Epic is run on Davies Creek trails and over BBQ FACILITIES: No
surrounding roads and private property in October
ACCOMMODATION: Yes – in nearby Mareeba
each year, and the infamous Croc Trophy typically
or camping at Lower Davies Creek. Otherwise
passes through the area each year as well.
try the Big4 in Atherton for bike-friendly stays,
or Cairns for innumerable options.

RATINGS
TECHNICAL Ì
FITNESS ÌÌ
CROSS COUNTRY ÌÌÌÌ
TRAIL ÌÌÌ
ALL-MTN
DOWNHILL
JUMP Ì
www.ambmag.com.au - 103
HOW TO
DEAL WITH RUTS
WORDS: JARED RANDO IMAGES: DAMIAN BREACH
It seems like ruts are becoming a thing of the past on
mountain bike trails these days. With the progression
of trails, and the (awesome) people who maintain them,
ruts more often than not disappear before they cause
anyone any harm. That said, as a mountain biker, ruts
will always be a part of your life on the trail be it due
to wear or tear, racing lines or just good old erosion
digging a trench right where you want to ride.
STEP 1 – COMMIT TO YOUR LINE
If you are riding and you see a rut ahead,
slow down, scan ahead and decide the best
course of action. Ruts can be dangerous but
more often than not can be utilised as the
fastest line down the trail – especially on
any race track. If the rut is the line you want
to ride, you need to commit from beginning
to end, get your weight back and prepare to
hook in.
104 - AMB
Ruts come in all shapes and sizes, and the majority
of the time, the best way to deal with a rut is to
avoid it altogether. Pick your line, ride on the side,
bunny hop over it or get your trail building tools out
and repair it. That said, sometimes ruts are simply
unavoidable and the only way through them is right
through the middle. Here’s some tips to make it
easier when the time comes.
DON’T FIGHT THE RUT
Once you are in a rut, trying to
steer out of it will more than often
end with you losing your balance
and sliding out. A turning tyre in
a rut has nothing to grip on. If
you really need to get out of a rut,
hit the brakes hard, slow down,
gain control and try to bunny hop
to the side. If you can’t do that,
and things are looking hairy,
slow down and simply put your
foot down and lift the bike out.
Sometimes self-preservation is
the best option.
 STEP 2 – ENTER WITH YOUR THE HUB
WEIGHT BACK SKILLS HOW TO
DEAL WITH RUTS
The one important aspect of riding
ruts is to keep your weight back. As
you ride through any rut, it’s easy
to get caught up on the edge of the
rut or anything in the rut. When you
enter the rut, keep your weight back
but at the same time be light on
the bike. This will allow your bike to
move around and find its own way
through. Fighting against where a
rut wants to take you will only end
in disaster.

STEP 3 – STAY LOOSE ON THE BIKE,

AND FOLLOW THE RUT
As you ride through the rut, you want to keep
light on the bike and handlebars. Allowing the
bike to float underneath you is the best option.
As soon as you try to ride out, you’ll simply
tip to the side. Stay loose, and be ready to put
your foot out for balance if you do tip. Use just
enough body English to follow the rut and direct
the bike where to go. If cornering, in most
instances you can use the rut as a berm.

USING RUTS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

You can use ruts to your advantage and

make them work as part of the trail. Here
by simple entering the corner wide and
dropping into the rut, the rut will catch my
wheels, assist in changing my direction
and shoot me out on the right line. It also
opens up the corner making for a faster and
smoother line through the corner, without
the risk of getting cross rutted.

STEP 5 – LOOK UP AND

PREPARE FOR WHAT’S
NEXT
If there’s one rut in a trail,
there’s more than likely going
to be more. As soon as you exit
a rut, you need to look up and
focus on what’s next. Any rutted
or eroded trail is going to have
obstacles coming at you one
after the other and you need to
be constantly scanning ahead
to decide whether to avoid the
rut, or ride it out.

STEP 4 – REGAIN CONTROL AS YOU EXIT

As you begin to exit a rut, you should begin to re-
weight the bike which will allow you to steer where
you need to go, bunny hop out or simple prepare for
what’s next. Once you are in a rut, for the most part
you are in there until the end but you also need to be
conscious to regain control once the time comes.

www.ambmag.com.au - 105
HOW TO RIDE STRONG
ON A VEGETARIAN DIET
WORDS: ZOE WILSON, APD PHOTOS: ROBERT CONROY, ANDREW RAILTON

Whether you’re vegetarian or you want to start cutting back on The key to riding well on a vegetarian diet is VEGETARIAN PROTEINS
meat, knowing how to get the right balance of nutrients from a not just to remove meat, but to replace it with
meat-free diet is essential to your cycling performance. other plant-based alternatives. In other words, - Legumes such as kidney beans,
you can’t just rely on bread and pasta to get you chickpeas, edamame and lentils
There are many reasons to cut meat from your diet - religious, through - you need to be a bit more prepared Soy milk, yoghurt and cheese
environmental and moral reasons are all high on the list. than that. Here’s how: - Tofu
Plant-based eating also has many health benefits. There - Tempeh
is a substantial body of evidence supporting the belief that EAT ENOUGH! - Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
vegetarians in Western countries experience significantly less - Whole grains
Be prepared. Vegetarian diets are generally
cancer, less heart disease, fewer strokes, and generally live - Nuts & seeds including nut butters
lower in kilojoules (calories) because they
longer than omnivores. But, as a cyclist, is it a smart move? - Vegetarian sausages, patties,
are often high in fibre and bulk (from all the
vegebtables) which satisfy hunger. Adding in mince and other meat
There are a few nutrients that vegetarian athletes need to be replacement products
eggs and dairy for lacto-ovo vegetarians or
careful about, but as long as you’re well-prepared you’ll be able - Quorn
nuts, tofu, tempeh and TVP for vegans can
to keep riding strong. If you are training and competing heavily, - Cows dairy (for Lacto and
help to increase the kilojoules you’re eating
you may already have an increased requirement for iron, zinc and Lacto-ovo Vegetarians)
over the day without filling you up too much.
calcium, so it is especially important that you are replacing animal - Eggs (for Lacto-ovo Vegetarians)
products with suitable alternatives.

106 - AMB

Do try this at home…
Eat a variety of food including protein-rich and
carbohydrate-rich foods at each meal.
Add more energy-dense food if you lose weight
unintentionally when you switch to vegetarian
eating. See the boxout above/below/left/right for
some ideas.
CHOOSE PROTEIN
Protein is essential for recovery and repair after
training, but unless you’re doing a heavy weights
program or have a heavy endurance training
schedule, your protein needs are actually only
about 1g/kg of body weight, which is easy to meet
with sensible vegetarian eating. Several studies
including a review published in the Medical
Journal of Australia show that vegetarians can
easily meet their protein requirements. Plant
sources of protein may be missing one or more
of the essential amino acids (the building blocks
of protein), so it’s essential that you eat a wide
range of plant proteins such as legumes, grains,
nuts and seeds, especially if you’re vegan. If you
eat eggs and dairy, protein will not be a problem.
These include all essential amino acids and are
well absorbed.
Do try this at home…
Include a food that has protein in it at every meal
and snack. For example, add lentils to your spag bol,
use soy dairy products and snack on nuts and seeds.
BULK UP ON VITAMINS AND
MINERALS
It’s possible to get enough vitamins and minerals
provided you use suitable vegetarian meat
alternatives throughout the day. Your body is a
clever cookie, and it will actually get better at
absorbing the nutrients it needs from plants
when you stop eating meat, but you still need
to give it a hand and eat good quality meat
alternatives.
WHAT TYPE OF VEGETARIAN
SUITS YOU?
A ‘fruitarian’ only eats fruit and perhaps
certain nuts and seeds.
A ‘lacto vegetarian’ consumes dairy foods
but no meat, poultry, fish or eggs;
A ‘lacto-ovo vegetarian’ includes dairy
foods and eggs, but no meat, poultry or
fish;
A ‘pescetarian’ includes fish and other
seafood, but no meat or poultry (while
eggs and/or dairy foods may or may not be
eaten); and
A ‘vegan’ eats only foods of plant origin.
Do try this at home…
If you use soy milk instead of cow’s milk, make sure
it’s calcium fortified. Check the label and choose
a soy milk that has at least 100mg of calcium per
100ml of fluid.
Eat “dairy” at least three times a day. This can be soy
alternatives if you choose not to eat cow’s dairy.
Check the health food section. You’ll find all
sorts of interesting options to experiment with
there! If you go vegan, make sure you include
foods that are fortified with vitamin B12 such as
soy milks and discuss B12 supplementation with
your doctor or dietitian.
ABSORB MORE IRON
Athletes tend to have high iron requirements and
whilst plants like spinach and other leafy greens
do contain iron, it’s not as well absorbed as the
iron in meat and other animal products. There is
a work around though - eating foods with vitamin
THE HUB
NUTRITION
C at the same time will increase the absorption of
the iron from your food.
Do try this at home…
Choose iron fortified products like breakfast
cereals and bread.
Include legumes, textured vegetable protein, nuts
and green leafy vegetables.
Eat foods with vitamin C (a piece of fruit, glass
of juice or some salad with capsicum) with every
meal so you absorb as much as possible.
Avoid having tea and coffee at the same time as
the caffeine will reduce the amount of iron you
absorb.
If you do start to struggle with energy or recovery
after sessions seems to be getting tougher, see
your GP to get your iron levels checked.
CREATINE
Found in meat, creatine is important for sudden
and explosive movements like sprints. Studies
have shown that vegetarian athletes can have
lower levels of creatine in their muscles so,
if you’re a XC rider, you may want to consider
adding a low dose supplement. Be careful
however, as many creatine products are derived
from shellfish.
Do try this at home…
Chat with your Sports Dietitian before beginning
any supplement like creatine.
ARE YOU ELITE?
It’s worth noting that although a vegetarian
diet can provide all essential nutrients
to support intense daily training and
competition, there are several dietary
challenges faced by athletes following a
vegetarian diet. If you’re competing at an elite
level, it’s best you see a Sports Dietitian, who
can look at your training schedule and make
sure you’re getting enough.
www.ambmag.com.au - 107
 THE HUB
RECIPE

GOOD
GRANOLA BARS
WORDS AND PHOTO: MEG GILLMER
TWITTER: @THEWHOLESOMEATH
These Good Granola Bars are an
easy recipe to throw together. You
can substitute various nuts and
seeds if you like. I find cacao nibs
or dark chocolate bits are a great
addition. For training, these bars
are best wrapped individually then
frozen as they can be a tad on the
crumbly side.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
1.Preheat the oven to 130 degrees Celsius.
Lightly grease a large rectangularbaking dish
and line with a piece of baking paper.
2.In a large bowl, mash the banana until
smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
3.Place the rolled oats into a food processor
(or blender on the lowest speed) and pulse
until the oats are coarsely chopped (but still
with lots of texture). Stir oats into the banana
mixture.

1.5 cups mashed ripe banana
(about 3 medium/large
bananas)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or
golden raisins)
1 cup pepita seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan
salt or fine grain sea salt, or to
taste
4.Chop the walnuts and cranberries and stir
these with the rest of the ingredients into
the banana-oat mixture until thoroughly
combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Press down
until compacted and smooth out with hands
until even.
4.Bake for 23-27 minutes until firm and
lightly golden along the edge. Place dish on
a cooling rack for 10 minutes then carefully
slide a knife to loosen the ends and lift out.
Place granola slab on a cooling rack.
Slice into bars once they are cool.

Fuel

Fabulous
With tailored nutrition
advice from an Accredited
Practising Dietitian

To find your APD visit

There is no substitute for the radiance that comes from true health, or the professional
daa.asn.au or freecall
nutrition advice an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) can give you. 1800 812 942

APDs are the only nutrition professionals recognised by the Australian Government and
Medicare. Talk to an APD for expert nutrition advice to help you feel fabulous.

108 - AMB
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SPIDERING
C R A N KS E T
Available from your local bike shop Available from your local bike shop
www.diymtb.com.au www.diymtb.com.au
Ph: 02 4446 4636 Ph: 02 4446 4636
E: sales@diymtb.com.au E: sales@diymtb.com.au

Shop 61 Alexander Street

Collaroy 2097 NSW
t: 02 8095 9437 f: 02 8095 97 14
e: info@bs16bicyclesolutions.com Follow us on:
 THE HUB
FITNESS

A QUICK GUIDE TO
RECOVERY TECHNIQUES
WORDS: JENNI KING PHOTOS: ROBERT CONROY

QUALITY TRAINING REQUIRES QUALITY RECOVERY. BASICALLY, THE SLEEP

BETTER YOUR RECOVERY BETWEEN TRAINING SESSIONS, THE FRESHER
YOU WILL FEEL AND MORE YOU WILL GET OUT OF EACH SESSION. ONE Top of the list, is an adequate night’s
OF THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCES I FIND, WHEN COACHING ELITE LEVEL sleep. Most people function best
ATHLETES, COMPARED TO THE MAJORITY WHO HAVE 9-5 JOBS, IS THE with 7-8hrs per night. Athletes
EXTRA TIME AVAILABLE TO ELITE LEVEL RIDERS FOR RECOVERY. MOST however, have been shown to
OF US DON’T HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME TO SPEND RESTING IN require up to 9-10hrs a night, due to
BETWEEN TRAINING SESSIONS: WITH WORK, FAMILY, SCHOOL AND ALL higher amounts of tissue / muscle
OF LIFE’S OTHER COMMITMENTS TO BE FITTED INTO THE DAILY ROUTINE. damage. Junior athletes definitely
need more sleep, because they are
It is inevitable that those athletes with busier lives, will not be able to cope still growing. Don’t worry too much
with the training stress load of an elite level rider. However, there are a if your sleep is disrupted the night
number of effective recovery techniques that we can focus on, speeding before a race; this is quite normal.
up the recovery process a little and allowing us to push the loads higher in Poor sleep over a period of time
training. Utilising good recovery techniques becomes even more important however, has been shown to impair
in the lead up to a goal race, to help ensure the body is fresh and the legs cardiovascular performance. Some
ready to ‘fire’ once the start gun is heard. The recovery techniques described key recommendations on helping
below are some of those considered most beneficial to endurance athletes. ensure a good night’s sleep include:

110 - AMB
 are going through a strenuous phase of training. help improve joint range of motion, reduce the
Most Nutrition companies produce scientifically likelihood of injury and aid waste product removal.
formulated recovery powders/bars in their
product range. Just make sure you check that ACTIVE RECOVERY
your supplements are allowed through ASADA
This is another session that I add to my athletes’
(Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority).
training programs on a regular basis. The session
involves exercising at a very minimal load for 20-
COMPRESSION THERAPY 40min, generally on the bike but it could also be
Compression garments are great for those a swim or easy walk. The load needs to be next to
athletes who have to head off to work straight nothing, so that there is no muscle damage. Flat
after a training session. Pulling on a pair of socks terrain or indoor trainer / rollers should be used.
or tights underneath the work pants is a very The sole purpose of the session is to increase
effective way of aiding lymphatic drainage and circulation and aid recovery. However, some
circulation. There are numerous brands on the athletes are incapable of riding at such a slow pace
market. The technology of material used and the and are better off not doing these sessions at all!
way fabric is woven has definitely improved over
the last few years and research now shows that COLD WATER IMMERSION AND
properly fitted compression therapy can be as CONTRAST THERAPY
good as getting a massage. Properly fitted is the
Jumping into a cold river, pool or sea water
key here - it needs to be tight to work!
straight after a hard training session has been
shown to speed up the recovery process. Water of
MASSAGE 12 to 15 degrees is generally considered the best
Wouldn’t we all love a massage every day! Just temperature to allow constriction of blood vessels
make sure you book a therapeutic / deep-tissue and therefore aid waste product removal and
massage rather than a relaxation one. As nice as reduce swelling / muscle tissue breakdown.
a relaxation massage may be, generally a firmer
hand is needed to help iron out those knotted There are many different theories as to the
muscles and aid waste product removal. optimal time period of cold water immersion.
Currently the time period / protocol used at the
Regular massage can certainly hurt the hip AIS Recovery Centre is a 5-10min cold plunge,
pocket. If you can’t afford it on a regular basis, while trying to relax as much as possible.
then perhaps just a couple of sessions in the lead-
up to an important race are worth scheduling. Be Contrast Therapy involves alternating cold and hot
careful to allow for 1-2 days between massage water immersion. The re-warming will dilate blood
and competition, as it is quite common to pull up vessels and speed up circulation. This can be hard
a little sore in the 48hrs following a massage. to do if you don’t have a hot spa right next to a cold
pool! If you are lucky enough to have such a set-up
STRETCHING & FOAM ROLLER then the AIS recommend protocol is for a 2min hot
spa followed by 2min cold plunge x 4-5 times.
This is one recovery technique that I tend to
include in athletes’ training programs - to make
*Protocols taken from the Australian Institute of
sure they do it! Spending just an extra 10-15min
Sport Recovery Centre Recommendations
post training, to go through a short stretch / roller
routine can make a world of difference to your
recovery and won’t cost you anything. If you don’t
have the time immediately after training, then try
fitting it in at the end of a working day just before
- Keep consistent hours (same time to bed
bed. This can help relax the mind as well as the
and get up)
body and set you up for a good night’s sleep too.
- Limit screen time in the last hour before bed. If
The foam roller is particularly effective for ironing
you must look at a screen, dim the lighting
out the ITB, which is notoriously tight in cyclists.
- Avoid food and caffeine within a few hours prior
Keeping on top of your rolling and stretching will
to bed. A warm glass of milk can help make
you sleepy.
- Make sure your bedroom is dark and cool. If the
weather is hot, take a cool shower to reduce
body temperature.
- If you tend to worry or think too much in bed,
have a pen and paper handy so that you can
write down your thoughts and then allow the
mind to switch off
- Mediation/deep breathing techniques can help
you relax and turn the mind off

NUTRITION
I won’t go into too much detail here, as this topic
is covered very well with the numerous articles
written by Zoe Wilson in each issue. Put simply,
make sure you take on adequate carbohydrates
pre and during training sessions, a carbohydrate
mixed with protein snack/drink immediately
post training session, and then a good sized
meal within 1-2hrs post training. Sounds simple
enough, but it is amazing how many athletes fail
to take on the nutrition needed and then wonder
why they are unable to back the sessions up on
a day to day basis. You may also benefit from
some of the sports supplements available if you

www.ambmag.com.au - 111
DIY 1X10 SETUP
WORDS: JOE DODD PHOTOS: CHRIS HERRON

THIS ISSUE WE ARE GOING TO WALK YOU THROUGH A BASIC 1X10 CONVERSION. THIS CAN BE
DONE RELATIVELY CHEAPLY AND EASILY. IT WILL REMOVE THE CLUTTER OF A FRONT MECH AND
WILL HELP YOUR BIKE RUN QUIETER. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOUR BIKE HAS A CLUTCH
REAR MECH. WITHOUT ONE YOU WILL REQUIRE A GUIDE OVER THE FRONT CHAIN RING TO STOP
THE CHAIN FALLING OFF.

STEP ONE

We’ll start by removing all of the

un-needed parts. Remove the
crank set, front mech and shifter.
These will all vary slightly from
brand to brand, but should be
pretty straightforward. Remove
the chain, by either knocking out a
pin or if there is one, removing the
quick link. STEP TWO

Next step is to remove the double chain rings. You will need to
pick a narrow wide* chain ring that matches the BCD (bolt circle
diameter) of your crank set. This XT crank set has a BCD of 104,
so we choose to use a Praxis Works narrow wide chain ring. There
are many manufacturers of narrow wide chain rings that come in
a stack of different colours and BCDs. You may also be able to fit
a direct mount chain ring to your crank set. Pop the chain ring on
and do the chain ring bolts up to the correct torque.

112 - AMB
 THE HUB
WORKSHOP
DIY 1X10 SETUP

STEP THREE
Remove the cassette. Now it’s
time to decide what conversion
you wish to use. There are two
main types; both have their for
and against.

S3/OPTION 1 cassette and often I have found that it is hard to get it to

I’ll start with a single 42t cog that sits on the back of the
cassette. These are cheap and you can just pop one straight
on to your current cassette (if it is a 11-36). The down side
of these is that the 42 is just out of B tension range* for a
normal rear mech. They require you to replace the stock
B screw in your rear mech with a longer one. You want the
top jockey wheel to sit as close to the 42 as it can without
touching. In order to fit the cog, you also have to remove
another one from somewhere in the cassette. This is usually
the 17t. This does leave quite a large gap in the range of the
shift perfectly between those two cogs where the 17t is
missing.
S3 /OPTION 2
Next we have the Praxis cassette. This cassette shifts
great and gives you a perfect spread from 11-40 with no
large step-ups like the single cog conversions. The down
side of these is that they are a little more expensive and
you don’t have the easier 42t cog. For this example we
are going to use the Praxis because of its great shifting.

STEP FOUR

Time to put it all back together. Slide your

crank set back in, and put the rear wheel in.

STEP FIVE
Next up is the chain. With the larger cassette,
you want to be careful the chain isn’t too
short, especially if you are reusing your old
chain (although we strongly recommend a
new chain). If you are riding a full suspension
bike, make sure you can get all of your travel
whilst the bike is in the largest cog.
KEY WORDS:
*The B tension is an adjustment, which moves
the top jockey wheel away from the larges cog
on your cassette.
*Narrow Wide is the profile of the teeth found
on a chain ring. These match the inner and
outer plates of the chain to aid with keeping
the chain on withouit the need for a guide.

www.ambmag.com.au - 113
THE AMB
PHOTO
COMPETITION
YOU COULD WIN A CAMELBAK
Jamie Kiddle sent this shot in, from over in Western
Australia – all he had to say was:
“Nav Coole was airing it out at the Albany Mountain Bike
Club’s first race of the year. Nav also took the win.””
We dig the spirit behind that, especially through the summer months. Aaron
has won a CamelBak thanks to JetBlack Australia. Want to win a prize and
have your photo published? Send your best riding photos in high resolution
in to amb@nextmedia.com.au.

Don’t forget, you can tag us in your photos on Facebook, Instagram

and Twitter as well:

@australianmountainbike @ausMTBmag #Australianmountainbike jetblackproducts.com

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 Living For Sundays.

Sunday morning. Songs have been written about it.

“It’s just a restless feeling by my side” is the only line to ever ring true.

Eating wasn’t easy this morning. Holding it down is proving even harder.
That’s the gun. Here’s the hole shot. Mouth is tasting like a battery.

Wishing the legs had battery power. This sucks. One more dig. This is over.

Sunday was Epic.

specialized.com