Australian Mountain Bike Issue 187

2021 is here and mountain biking is still booming. There is a continued growth in trail networks, an explosion of riders new to the dirt, riders are pushing their abilities, bike stores can barely keep enough bikes on the floor and some event organisers are taking on more staff to meet the demands of a growing number of events. With all that, I’m left wondering who is steering the ship of the growth and development of mountain biking in Australia. With the recent formation of AusCycling, at the time of printing there isn’t a clear role for someone to stand at the helm for mountain bike leadership. AusCycling has a long road ahead to make a cohesive body for road, mountain, track and BMX. The policies should come in time,…

After a rocky but successful year in 2020, Rocky Trail Entertainment are expanding their event line up even more in 2021. With the Shimano MTB GP and Fox Superflow series growing beyond NSW and the ACT into Victoria and Queensland, the intrepid event organisers are also adding another multi-day mountain bike festival to their calendar, with the Alpenflow Epic at Mt Buller on the March long weekend. The fun kicks off on Friday 5th March, with the Rocky Trail Academy running for schools. This will take in trails like the Family Trail, Soul Revival, One Tree Hill, the top of Copperhead and Gang Gangs. Saturday is all about the Buller Epic marathon. A kilometre on the trails at Mt Buller is unlike a kilometre anywhere else. So just bear that in…

RIDEFARR HEADSPACE 35MM STEM After releasing a 70mm, 31.8mm clamp Headspace stem in 2020 for bikepacking and adventure bikes, RideFarr saw a demand for a 50mm, 35mm clamp version. The new stem matches the aesthetic of retro stems with modern functionality. The 142g stem is suited to trail and enduro bikes, and will suit eMTBs as well. There are shims available separately if you want to use 31.8mm bars with this unique forged alloy stem. They’ll be available online in March. $140 ridefarr.com EFFETTO MARIPOSA VEGELATEX SEALANT If you’re concerned about non-biodegradable elements in your tyre sealant, Vegelatex might be the answer. Only plant-based fibers and particles are used, including ground up olive stones! As the liquid doesn’t use a setting polymer to seal, instead relying on different shaped and sized particles in xanthum…

It was sometime around 2pm as I was army crawling through a lantana thicket that the thought really dawned on me. People die doing stuff like this. I had set off with a goal to adventure through some rugged trails that–hopefully–lead from the top of my local mountain to the creek at the bottom. No power or heart rate targets, just the joy of exploration of untouched forest a stone’s throw from human activity. Maybe the first failure in planning was taking a single water bottle, with the rationale that it shouldn’t really take that long, and after all, it was only 31 degrees? Positively cool by Queensland standards. I climbed up the mountain then traipsed across the ridge. I found a steep fire road leading to a dead end, but…

2021 here we come. Surely the news can only get better after the stomach-turning dumpster fire of 2020. Calendars are filling up fast for events across the divided states with every man and his dog looking to attract competitors to the “return of racing”. So, what might that look like? And what might happen in the Aussie MTB Scene in 2021? Here’s my top 4 things I wish would happen in 2021. #4 THINGS GET BETTER WITH AUSCYCLING Let’s hope that the new overlords from AusCycling help the sport in Australia grow to what we all know it could and should be. Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) had a mixed innings governing our beloved sport. I’ve seen the good and the bad from MTBA. Often when listening to stories from others about MTBA,…

As a mountain biker I am amazed at the sheer volume of trails that have been built over the last five years. In pretty much every part of Australia new trail networks have popped up, and existing networks continue to be reinvigorated with the addition of new trails, tweaked alignments and new features. All of this development has been great for mountain biking and for the businesses that support the industry. Governments are also seeing the economic, health and social benefits that flow from quality outdoor experiences and are stumping up the funds to develop trails and supporting infrastructure. The sting in the tail of all of this development is the need to maintain these trail networks to a standard that ensures rider experiences are maintained and the environment is not damaged. As…