Published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd mbr is the UK's leading magazine for trail riding, mountain bike enthusiasts. Published since 1997, mbr aims to inspire readers to just get out and ride! with every issue, by providing the very best expert advice about where, what and how to ride. Every edition delivers the ultimate mix of inspirational riding features, with extensive bike and product reviews, along with superb advice and reader involvement - plus free pull-out route guides.

Keeping it real in 2021 • Getting back to our roots after an annus horribilis

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CLUBBER’S PARADISE • Are private trails the way to avoid the crowds? Club NBN thinks so...

BEYOND THE GRAND CANYON • Canyon’s new hardtail, the Stoic, is an alloy-framed all-rounder built for 140mm forks and serious abuse

LIFESTYLE CHOICE • The Nomad returns, with a tweaked suspension design and bigger reach

HOT STUFF • WHAT WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

7MESH THUNDER PANT £279.99

THE LAKE DISTRICT’S SECRET RIDES • Cut loose from the crowds and explore Cumbria’s less-travelled trails

HOW TO RIDE OFF ROAD... IN YOUR GARAGE • Your local singletrack just got a lot closer to home!

OISIN O’CALLAGHAN: IRELAND’S FIRST MTB WORLD CHAMPION • How Oisín O’Callaghan won gold at just 17-years-old in his debut race for YT

CANYON SPECTRAL 29 CF 8.0 • Canyon plugs a big-wheel gap in its range, but can the Spectral 29 fill its forbears’ tyre tracks?

NEED TO KNOW

SPECIFICATION

GEOMETRY

1ST IMPRESSION

NEED TO KNOW

MERIDA NINETY-SIX 8000 • Merida’s classic XC race bike gets a modern makeover; we ride the down-country version

SPECIFICATION

GEOMETRY

NEED TO KNOW

RAGLEY BLUE PIG RACE • The name’s been recycled but there’s nothing old school about this do-it-all trail machine

SPECIFICATION

GEOMETRY

SIZE MATTERS

Mountain Bike Rider

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mbr E-BIKE OF THE YEAR 2021: DIRECT-SALES • Online-only brands offer great value for money but which is the best performer on the trails? We put six to the test

WHICH MOTOR?

CONTROL TYRES

Conclusion

Our test winner’s stablemates

Size isn’t the whole story

TWEED VALLEY TRAIL ASSOCIATION • South of Edinburgh the Tweed Valley offers border trails like no other. But access rights in the Caberston forest are raising issues which cannot be ignored

ABOUT THIS SERIES

SKILLS TO TAME THEM BOTH • Sculpted trails require different – but overlapping – techniques to those wrought by nature’s own handiwork; we show you the best of both

THE COACH ANDY BARLOW

BEN’S VITUS ESCARPE 29 CRS • Countless hours on the trails make this the ultimate test of performance as well as reliability

BENJI’S GIANT TRANCE X 29 2

JAMIE’S CANNONDALE HABIT CARBON 3

LAURA’S SCOTT CONTESSA RANSOM 910

SCOTT SAYS...

PB’S RADON RENDER 10.0

YOUR TESTERS

Tested

mbr ratings explained • The scores on the doors

How we test

Hydration packs • Embarking on a mega cross-country adventure? Or just a short blast around your local trails? Whichever it is, there’s a pack for that in our round-up of the latest models

Know your hydration pack

Conclusion

MY BEST TRAIL • Mtb’s movers and shakers select their favourite places to ride