Revolution MTB Magazine - Issue 58

In this issue

We’re back! [R]evolution Magazine had to hit the ‘pause button’ for nearly 5 months throughout the height of lock-down but the mag is finally back in action. One of the things that we’re most excited about is to show you our brand-new editorial design style of the mag; cleaner layouts, amazing imagery, easier to read articles, easier to enjoy!

To honour the relaunch of the mag we have absolutely jam packed this edition of the mag with the best articles we’ve ever created.

It all starts with Jack Moir’s first ever [R] cover (seriously, what an amazing shot!) Then inside we’re delivering the interview so many of you have been asking for; ‘Fatherhood’ a candid chat with the Champ Sam Hill all about being a Dad and raising his three awesome boys whilst staying at the very top of the MTB game. Whilst the world was in lock-down we asked 7 of our favourite photographers to pick their three absolute favourite shots from their career to date (it’s an incredible feature which can’t be missed!) The goodness then continues with a ‘wheelie’ masterclass featuring the king of wheelies Wyn Masters, including how to do a ‘no handed wheelie!’

Fresh Produce- Sram Eagle GX Groupset

SRAM are coming to the party in 2020 with 3 brand new mechanical 12-speed eagle drivetrains including xx1, x01 and a seriously ‘baller on a budget’ GX entry level offering. Plus there’s even a new chain and cassette colourway option added into the range and stacks more. All up there is a ton of fresh components and tech specs to talk about with today’s new eagle unveiling so let’s not f*k spiders and jump straight into it!

5 mins

Ultimate Enduro Style Knee Pad Shootout

Every legit mountain biker own a good quality set of knee pads. But of course, us riders come in all different shapes and sizes and we ride all different kinds of trails in all different kinds of climates. Therefore, it’s impossible to try and claim that ‘xyz’ is the best knee pad on the market. What we can do though, is try to help you find the type of knee pad that is likely to be perfect for you and where you tend to ride. And that is exactly why we’ve put this article together. In our opinion these are the 5 best enduro knee pads currently on the market in 2020.

10 mins

Inside The Mysterious World Of Training To Be One Of The Fastest Mtb Racers On The Planet

With mountain bike technology across the board having reached such heights by now, bike manufacturers have to look beyond simply putting nice parts on a bike in order for their riders to win races. For the most part nowadays in the elite ranks of mtb racing it really is all about the ‘rider’ versus being all about the bike that the rider is on. The level of training in the elite field has increased over the years, also bringing in speciality coaches dedicated to the demands of mtb. Even looking back 5 years, the understanding of training, both physically and mentally, was much less than it is today. Like technology, this training and race mentality has trickled down into the masses, even the weekend warriors are now training hard for the local series trophy.

10 mins

Mtba National Championship Dh 2020 Went Off!

Who said Aussie DH racing was fading away? Even in these trying times, the mtba dh nationals went off with a bang as hundreds of racers lined up to conquer the iconic ‘mystic’ track at bright, victoria.

6 mins

Lockdown & Life Lessons

During lockdown the novelty of baking banana bread and sourdough loaves eventually wears off, you can only accept so many bloody push up and Koala bear Instagram challenges that come your way.

6 mins

A Life Rebuilt

Welcome back – so over the last two editions of this fine mag, I have told the story of how buying a mountain bike literally saved my life. Going, in my 20’s from being a mountain bike rider, obsessed with fitness. To a fat, in debt, middle-aged wreck and back. In the last article I was getting after it. Riding every day, I could and about to enter the trans nz enduro race. Until a review of my finances blew that idea away. I was devastated, but. If I was going to rebuild my life. I had to rebuild all of it. Including my financial situation.

6 mins

Prioritizing Component Upgrades For Performance

One of my favourite commonly asked questions at the bike shop is; what component upgrades give the most performance gain for my budget? What it all comes down to is prioritizing the order that you make each component upgrade. So, in this article lets go ahead and weigh the importance of each component upgrade and examine how wide the budget options are. For instance, brakes rank high on the list affecting a bike’s personality. Brakes also have a great choice of options at a wide range of prices. Components are listed from most important to performance/ personality. Then overall expensive (meaning getting it wrong will cost $ to fix). Whether you’re working with a full custom or just looking at functional upgrades on your factory complete being able to prioritize performance is going to help you build a better bike. I hope this article provides you some insight to better define and maximize your spending for the most fun on the trail. Okay, so lets run through the list from the top…

6 mins

Transition Scout Carbon

Let’s cut straight to the chase, now that you’ve ridden the wheels off of the new scout this past few months in your opinion what sort of rider is the new generation scout going to be perfectly suited to? I would say that the new generation of scout is going to be ideal for a rider whose main focus is having as much fun as possible and want’s their bike to be really playful. For sure one of the key standout features about the new scout is it’s awesomely modern geometry traits; long slack and low with a short offset fork. These are thought to be the be all and end all for going fast and winning races, however, the attitude and feel of the scout is more in the genre of a short travel freeride bike, that is also super capable and comfortable to climb back up the hill thanks to the 77 degree effective seat tube angle on the medium size.

7 mins

NS Bikes DEFINE150 1

TO BEGIN WITH, WAS THERE EVER REALLY A DOUBT THAT FROM THE BRAND THAT ORIGINALLY PUT THEMSELVES ON THE MAP FOR CREATING THE MOST DIALLED DIRT JUMP HARDTAILS OF THEIR LATEST BIG MOUNTAIN ENDURO RIG WASN’T GOING TO BE ONE OF THE MOST PLAYFUL BIKES OF 2020? THAT’S PRETTY MUCH IT IN A ‘NUTSHELL’ REALLY! NS’S RANGE OF LONGER TRAVEL BIKES HAVEN’T BEEN AVAILABLE OVER HERE IN OZ FOR VERY LONG NOW, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN KNOCKING OUT AWESOME BIKES BASED OF OF THEIR DJ/FREERIDE ROOTS FOR MANY YEARS. BECAUSE OF THEIR HERITAGE, THEY HAVE KEY ASPECTS ABSOLUTELY NAILED. FRAME STIFFNESS IN THE RIGHT PLACES, DIALLED GEOMETRY AND DAMN THIS THING IS A LOOKER!

5 mins

GT FURY PRO

THE FRAME DETAIL OF THE CARBON FURY IS MESMERISING. RUN US THROUGH SOME OF THE STANDOUT FRAME FEATURES IN YOUR MIND? ASIDE FROM THE GLARINGLY OBVIOUS (THE HIGH PIVOT AND IDLER SETUP) THERE ARE A FEW OTHER REALLY NEAT AND UNIQUE FEATURES THAT THE FURY HAS GOING ON. AS SIMPLE AS IT MAY SEEM, I WAS A BIG FAN OF THE SEMI HIDDEN CABLE ROUTING THAT IS RECESSED INTO THE TOP OF THE DOWNTUBE. THEY HAVE WISELY DESIGNED THE FRAME TO BE INTERCHANGEABLE BETWEEN 29 AND 27.5INCH WHEELS. THERE IS AN ADAPTER FOR THE HEADSET TO COMPENSATE IN FRONT END HEIGHT AS WELL AS HIGH AND LOW POSITION SETTINGS AND 2 CHAINSTAY POSITIONS. MOVING FORWARD THIS WILL SURELY BE SOMETHING THAT ALL BIKES HAVE BUT GT HAVE JUMPED IN THE DEEP END WITH IT AND FOR GOOD REASON.

5 mins

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Revolution MTB Magazine Description:

Since 2004, [R]evolution has been showcasing the new face of Australian MTB in it’s pages. In a nutshell, the new generation of riding from the riders perspective. 100% rider owned, operated and proudly produced entirely in Australia, [R]evolution is dedicated to documenting this changing face of MTB on these shores. We do this through progressive riding, the finest photography, passionate and expert editorial along with dedicated design, all fused together in a package that speaks from the rider to the rider.