Australian Mountain Bike Issue 195

THIS ONE IS FOR THE FANS! The Cannonball Festival at Thredbo was back for 2022, with riders from around the country making track to Australia’s home of gravity riding for 5 days of gravity-fed riding and racing. There was no escaping the fact that everyone wasn’t just stoked to be on the mountain, but also able to catch up with friends and find some rivalries between the tape, and banter when outside it. NATIONAL CHAMPS GROWTH The 2022 AusCycling Mountain Bike National Championships descended on Maydena Bike Park in late February, with Downhill, Cross-Country and Pump Track racing keeping the venue pumping for days. One of the best results was seeing the increase in the depth of the fields in women’s cross-country racing and downhill alike. The future is bright!…

Since February, the Australian mountain bike scene has been turned to 11. Anyone who has been to or been involved with a mountain bike event this year will know how much energy is pumping through the riders and the supporters at events so far this year. The overwhelming wave of positivity is infectious, and it is hard not to be excited about the year to come. With February holding the first Trans Tasmania Enduro multi-day race, and then the Cannonball Festival, and then the AusCycling National Mountain Bike Championships, it was a busy month. We had riders and photographers up and down mountains covering the main events for this issue, our social media platforms and website. And every one of them was left buzzing from the experience and energy. This communal joy…

The Otway Odyssey is a stalwart of the Australian mountain bike event scene, and on February 26-27 the Odyssey weekend delivered the 16th edition of the classic Otway Odyssey. With the 30km and women’s only Odyssey Angels event on Sunday, the mountain bike fun crosses the whole weekend. A few years ago race organisers Rapid Ascent created the Great Otway Gravel Grind on the Sunday following the iconic marathon race, making a fantastic weekend of off-road events based out of Forrest, Victoria. The result is there are mountain bike and gravel events with varying differences, for new riders, young riders and the nation’s elite – all based in the beautiful Otways. Saturday saw riders tackle the 50km and 100km Otway Odyssey in near perfect conditions. Dry trails were also met with…

All-new from Colorado bike brand Revel is their Rail 29. We tested the Rail back in 2020, and the 165mm travel 27.5” wheeled bike was popular due to the ride quality, handling, stunning suspension platform and high quality build and workmanship. Now a very similar bike is available but with 29” wheels. “The Rail 29 represents the best of what we have learned since launching the›Revel›brand just three short years ago,” Revel said at release. “We love our Rail 27.5, but 29” wheels, bigger bearings, beefier hardware, and an absurdly well-tuned CBF suspension platform make this bike something we are wildly proud of.” The Rail 29 is designed to excel at self-shuttled descents, with the Canfield Balance Formula (CBF) suspension platform being one of the most efficient we have ever ridden. The…

With suspension forks being in high demand and low supply at the moment, don’t you wish there was a way to fit a new steerer to a fork? Maybe you found one second hand that has a steerer too short, or you need a new fork for you retro build with a straight steerer – or something threaded! Or maybe you’ve hucked to flat too many times and have a bent steerer to replace. Never fear, as on the majority of suspension forks, the steerer can be pressed out, with an original or after market steerer pressed in. Highline Cycles in the Northern Suburbs of Brisbane offer this service amongst many others at their workshop. It takes a hydraulic press, some assistance in cooling the steerer, and plenty of experience. We had…

Incase you hadn’t noticed, short mountain bike stage races are booming. Why? Because they’re a lot of fun, don’t eat into your annual leave too much, and they don’t leave you totally broken when you head to work on Monday. Well, unless you want them to. The Quad Crown Series is all-new for 2022, with four (how did you know?) 3-day events up and down the east coast of Australia. The series kicks off on the Sunshine Coast in June, then the NSW South Coast is next in August, before East Gippsland in September and Northern Tasmania in November. The Quad Crown events have 3 days of racing, making them achievable for most of us while still creating a great personal challenge in some scenic areas known for their great mountain biking.…