Mountain Biking UK

editor’s letter

You can follow the bike’s progress over the next couple of issues... Don’t worry, we’ll be using Ed as our guinea pig for the first few rides, just in case his brazing isn’t up to scratch! There’s something very special about building your own bike.While the American dream machines tested on page 98 will win you envious glances at the trailhead, you can get a sweet-performing ride for a lot less than £5k if you’re prepared to do a bit of work. The first step for most people is making a couple of judicious upgrades to an existing steed. Then, before you know it, you’re scouring eBay looking for bargain bits to bolt onto your new frame. You’ll know you’re in really deep when you start thinking…

it’s behind you!

“It’s my firm belief that it’s the photographer who gets the best views on any ride, and this picture proves my point,” says snapper Russell Burton. “It just goes to show that, every once in a while, it’s worth trying to imagine what the person behind the camera sees, stopping for a moment and looking back.”He elaborates: “We were due to ride a 65km circular route from Blair Atholl, but unexpected snow and sub-zero temperatures meant the day began with a sense of foreboding. Uncertain whether or not to continue, a combination of the air warming up while the trails remained frozen, plus snow on the tops, made it clear we had to press on. I’m glad we did, because there would turn out to be no bad…

catch more crud!

Pete Tomkins released the first proper mudguard for mountain bikes – the Crud Catcher – back in 1991, and he’s been refining the design ever since. Crud Products’ latest release is the XL Fender, which, as the name suggests, is an extra-long design that’s intended to offer better protection from mud flicked up by your front wheel.The mudguard attaches to your fork’s lower legs, where it’s secured in place with reusable rubber O-rings. A benefit of this design (over the more commonly used zipties) is that you can instantly adjust the height of the Fender, running it close to the tyre on the wettest days or slightly higher when you need more mud clearance.It consists of two sections, both made from recyclable plastic – a sturdy front piece…

don’t pass on a wintry adventure

The UK may be firmly in the grip of winter, but that doesn’t mean you should put your outdoor adventures on hold. There’s good riding to be had even in challenging conditions, as photographer Tristan Tinn found out when he tackled the Lakeland Four Passes fell-running route in Cumbria with some mates.“Beneath beautiful blue skies, we scoffed at the forecast of -24°C wind chill and, bravely or naively, ventured out,” he recounts. “As Lake District locals, we were in familiar territory, but the sheets of ice between fast-rolling frozen ground transformed these ‘back of our hand’ trails into new and unpredictable playgrounds.“Buffeted by blustery squalls and flurries of snow, we reached the top of pass number four just as the light was beginning to fade. Our brake pads…

won’t back down

Eleven-year-old Euan Murray from Bath is an inspiring young daredevil, who got hooked on mountain biking after taking a trip to Whistler, Canada, with his dad. Euan was born with fibular hemimelia – a shortened shin bone and no calf bone in one leg – and, at 10 months old, had his foot amputated and was fitted with a below-the-knee prosthetic leg. This hasn’t deterred the fearless youngster, who’s also a triathlete, climber, chorister and skater. Euan has a bit of a knack for breaking his carbon fibre blades, and his latest leg – provided by the NHS – is made of the same material as Apache gunship rotor blades.After a year of MTB, there’s no slowing him down. “Just try it out, then you’ll get hooked too,”…

a legend remembered

Hundreds of riders gathered at Skyline Bike Park in Queenstown, New Zealand, for McGazza Fest – a weekend of riding to celebrate the life of freerider Kelly McGarry, whose 72ft canyon gap backflip at Red Bull Rampage 2013 is still one of the craziest tricks pulled in the history of the event.The three-year anniversary of McGazza’s death was marked with a jump jam, group rides, mega train and the Mcgazzalanche – a Le Mans-style mass-start downhill race. Local shredders mingled with pro riders as everyone sent it and had some good laughs, the Kelly McGarry way.Kiwi Adam Lynskey was given the McGazza Spirit Award for his participation in every event, insane style, and antics on and off the bike. We look forward to seeing this festival, organised by…