We’ve curated some of your (and our) favourite, most entertaining and informative mountain bike articles of the year. Kick back in that pool lounger and scroll on.
FIND THE MOUNTAIN BIKE FOR YOU
When it comes to mountain bike fit, ride quality and handling, what is more important, geometry or suspension?
A couple of years ago Enduro MTB Magazine did a group test of 10 enduro bikes raced by the likes of Jack Moir, Richie Rude and other world-class athletes. They noted that a lot of the pro riders were opting for bikes that were around 10-20mm shorter in reach than the current trends would suggest them to be riding. Despite this, the bikes were still very composed in rough terrain and they owed this to their high-quality suspension. This raises the question (when it comes to your next bike): Which is more important, geometry or suspension? Click here to find out.
From that, we asked the question, are modern Marathon Bikes the new Trail Bikes?
Having spent some time on the latest XC or Marathon bike offerings from Cannondale, Giant and Trek among others, our riding experience got us thinking about the seemingly blurring lines between the current ‘marathon’ and ‘trail’ categories and asking if modern marathon bikes are, in fact, the new trail bikes? Read Jason’s thoughts, here.
Sure, but what about E-Bikes? There is no denying that these pedal-assisted machines have revolutionised the world of cycling by seamlessly blending the joy of traditional biking with the convenience and power of cutting-edge electric technology. They can bridge a skill and ability gap that would otherwise prevent certain people from being able to ride together and if you are an experienced bike rider, they unlock the ability to maximise your time out on the bike, climbing higher and covering more ground in your typical ride time than ever before! Read HERE to understand the important features and characteristics of E-bikes better as well as getting some solid advice on which bikes are the best buys in their categories.
SO YOU WANT TO RACE XCO?
Earlier this year, Jason lined up next to (well, kind of way behind actually) some of the best cross-country racers in the nation, and indeed the world. It was the first SA XCO Cup of 2023, taking place on the World Cup circuit at Coetzenburg in Stellenbosch. With UCI points up for grabs, the event had attracted a rather potent crop of athletes, and for him – the trail rider / occasional enduro racer – it was the ideal opportunity to see how tough head-to-head lap racing really is. Find out what he learned from his first proper XCO race, here.
INSPIRATION FROM SOME POWER RIDERS
If there is one name in South African marathon cycling that is synonymous with absolute power and domination over the past few years, then that name is Matt Beers.
The 29-year-old mountain biker has been making huge waves in the local racing scene and now globally as well with what could be accurately described as a breakout season in 2023, winning the ABSA Cape Epic for a 2nd time and climbing to 7th in the Life Time Grand Prix series (before being taken out by an unfortunate crash). We caught up with Matt for an exclusive chat about his hugely successful season racing abroad and all the lessons learned along the way. Get the scoop, here.
To racing of a different kind, that incredible endurance machine known affectionately as ‘Benky’ did it again this year when he set a new course record on The Rhino Run. This is not a ‘race’ but an arduous 2712-kilometre self-supported adventure from Plett to Windhoek via Stellenbosch. This is what it took to set a new course record.
