Table of contents for No. 68 in Spoke

We’d been planning this shot for a couple of weeks, waiting for a weather window and some nice light. We’d been up previously, but low cloud and wind had hindered us. A clear evening was forecast after a few days of rain, and we decided to go for it, only to arrive to sitting water on the trail, a nightmare run-in. Tyler got on the shovel immediately and did his best to clear a line. Time was running out as the sun gradually dropped below the Southern Alps in the distance, and we knew if we were going to get this shot, now was the time. Tyler dragged his bike back up the hill as quickly as he could. He got three hits, and I got three opportunities to capture…

There was a time when a bike was just a bike. In my grandma’s day, they were all pretty much the same. Steel frame and chain, no gears, backpedal brakes, black paint. If you were lucky, you might have had a light, a dynamo charger or a bell. But for most people, bicycles were a thing with few permutations. Even by the time I was a kid, you still only either had a three speed or a ten speed; I didn’t even see a mountain bike until I was in my late teens. Some guy from a family far wealthier than mine had one. He brought it to school and it was so valuable (“It’s a mountain bike. It cost nine hundred dollars,” were the whispers in the locker rows)…

We all held our breath when he went down that second time, squirming in the dirt on a knife-edge ridge in the Utah desert. Just two feet either side of Conor’s inert body was unthinkable consequence. Ahead lay a scratched line leading to glory; behind, a twisted bike in a cloud of dust. As he slowly got up, brushed himself off, and looked despairingly at the hole that had sealed his fate, a shell-shocked army of fans with lumps in their throats raised their hands and roared. Though he didn’t make it far into that second run before the Utah dirt claimed him one last time, it was far enough. He’d shown the world exactly what Kiwi tough meant, along the way unwittingly embodying the spirit of the late Kelly…

Cross-country mountain biker Sam Gaze was the last Kiwi to compete at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio. We caught up with him to reflect on his experiences at sport’s biggest show. You won the under-23 cross-country title at the Worlds and have a Commonwealth Games silver—pretty high-level stuff. Did the Olympics feel like a whole different thing? To me, the World title was as important as a successful race in Rio. It’s something I’ve been fixated on since I began the sport. It was the first international race where my dad and family have been able to watch, so pulling it off on the day was something that will be a highlight of my career. The Olympics was a great experience, and it was crucial to be there looking…

The minds of engineers have always fascinated me. That analytical need to know how everything works, and the incessant drive to figure things out in order to make them better, is, to me, a gift. When I arrived to meet Dougal from Shockcraft, he took great pleasure in showing me around his new, almost-completed workshop and office building. Right away, claims like “Oh yeah, I ended up designing this bit myself”, and, “They couldn’t do it, so I just built it”, were made. Then Dougal explained he’s a qualified mechanical engineer, and everything clicked. Some might say the specs of the new buildings—they’re designed to be thermally-efficient and to cope precisely with the kind of snow loading they’ll encounter in their Central Otago location—are a bit excessive, but I was…

Rapidly shortening days, the risks of mountain weather, a hectic race season, and many other things make taking an Enduro World Series racer up their first ever Scottish peak for dawn an exercise in ultimate planning and patience, along with a significant dollop of luck. Despite hailing from Scotland, Katy Winton had never topped out on one of Scotland’s countless peaks. That’s something that needed rectifying, and where better to do it than in one of the world’s most impressive landscapes? The North West Highlands, and the mountains around the famed village of Torridon, are a sight to behold. Ice and its movement towards the sea shaped this landscape millennia ago into a striking collection of abrupt peaks and deep sea lochs, where sheer-sided mountains of bright white sandstone rise…

Springfield, on the Christchurch side of Arthur’s Pass, boasts a large doughnut with pink icing. It was donated in 2007 by the makers of The Simpsons to promote the upcoming movie, and as Reon Boe, Emmerson Wilken, Adam Lynskey, Joel Tunbridge and I rolled past it, we were feeling apprehensive. It was the start of a ten-day block we’d set aside to make our way from Springfield to the Rai Valley. There, under the guidance of Shane Mitchell, a 10-tonne digger was starting to shape dirt for what would be the grand finale to our road trip, the Rai Valley Ride Project. First up, though, we had a few days’ riding planned in and around the Arthur’s Pass area. On day one, the vibe was strong and we scored perfect…

Perhaps it’s the echoes of hunters’ shotguns or the fact that on our first morning in Lebanon we’re already lost, but either way, I can’t help but smile at the surreal comedy in our predicament. “WTF are we doing?” I laugh. It’s good stress relief, and it’s infectious. Before long, my two fellow mountain bikers Tibor Simai and Kamil Tatarkovic are belly laughing too. “Oh,” I say, “apparently we have to watch for landmines too.” I’m grinning, but I’m deadly serious. We’re straight in at the deep end, but I’m not sure it could have been any other way. You could easily think this trip is an exercise in stupidity, that we just booked a budget flight to Beirut, leapt on our bikes and naively headed out to ride the…

There is a trail that has been reinstated in Rotorua, Split Enz. It has become very popular due to the amazing view at the trailhead, its length and the fact that it’s made for all levels of rider. Everyone has their own way of taking on a track, and Keegan Wright is unique in his approach to Split Enz, how he rides it, his speed and his flow. I was out shooting with him and was blown away by how he turned a tiny lip into a perfect launching pad, so I got him to session it a few times for my camera. Rider: Keegan Wright Location: Rotorua, NZ…

By general acknowledgement, the 2016 Great Southern Brevet was the toughest of the three courses set for the event to date. It was definitely the longest—1150 kilometres through the rugged, mountainous landscape of the central South Island—and it had the highest attrition rate, with only half the starters making it to the finish. Mosgiel to Ranfurly: 160 kilometres. It was Day 6 of my first multi-day cycling event, and I was struggling. The saddle sores on both cheeks had burst, and I was having to stand up, which had caused an Achilles strain. My knee had blown up too. There were four of us: me, Cjell Mone—a veteran of multiple Tour Divides—on a singlespeed fat bike, Dan Van Asch, who was joining us for part of the course, and Phil.…

WORD (Wellington Off-Road Riding Department) is New Zealand’s largest non-profit youth mountain biking organisation. Our goal is to encourage a lifelong love of riding bikes, and each school term we have 175 kids riding bikes in the Wellington region, along with the 25 instructors and 12 assistant instructors it takes to wrangle them. Some days the wrangling is more successful than others, and our focus is not always what you think it would be—take, for example, the ‘Trifecta’. It had been raining for the last couple of days (something of a rare occurrence in Wellington) which had made a particularly rooty section of Mt Victoria that much spicier. The group of 13- to 16-year-old-girls were pumped though; the sun was finally shining and all they wanted to do was ride.…

It’s an idea that had its genesis not in dirt, but in snow. Jody Blatchley was learning to sit-ski at Cardrona Alpine Resort when he met Aaron Ewen, a bike-mad teenager and competitive para-skier who had been using a wheelchair since a mountain bike accident two years prior. With Cardrona now open for mountain biking in summer, Jody decided to look into options for riders like Aaron who wanted to get out on the trails (“his passion was bikes,” Jody says), but couldn’t ride a standard mountain bike. He found no options at all in Australia or New Zealand, and the adaptive mountain bikes available overseas were prohibitively expensive, at upwards of $10,000. “I thought, it’s not rocket science,” he says. “There’s just angles in it to make it work.…

“Are you from Aussie?” “Why on earth have you moved here?” These are the two most common questions I’m asked when people realise this freckled-faced West Australian is no longer on holiday and calls Christchurch home. To me the reason is obvious; mountains (as in mountain biking-skiing-more mountain biking) are worth more than money. But I don’t have to explain that to you now, do I? Yet something has eluded me since I’ve been here: being able to ride at the same level as my Kiwi comrades. Keeping up with those guys is no walk in Hagley Park. Since it all started with a midnight horror flight across the Tasman, I’ve done my best to embrace the New Zealand lifestyle. After nearly three years of Pineapple Lumps, L&P, Kiwi dip,…

What’s left to do when you claimed your first National title at 12, won the Junior World Champs at 17, became Elite Oceania Champion at 20, and retired from racing at 21, having broken something like 17 bones along the way? Get a PhD in mountain biking, of course. Most of us know Scarlett Hagen as an accomplished—really accomplished—downhiller and mountain bike coach. She won the Junior World Championship title in Les Gets, France in 2004, having placed second the previous year at Monte Tamaro in Lugano, Switzerland. In 2005, she was second again at the World Champs in Livigno, Italy. She’s also an eight (yes, eight)-time New Zealand National Champion, and an Elite Oceania Champion. In other circles though, Scarlett is better known for her academic pursuits. Take her…

Before our trip, Norway evoked thoughts of deep cutting fjords, sea water flooded deep into a Nordic landscape, and cliff faces rising from below the water’s surface and touching the edges of high alpine meadows. I imagined, too, small, red-walled villages populated by tall, long-haired men, reminiscent of childhood books about Viking warriors. I was keen to find out what Norway really had in store. I flew into Oslo from my base in Germany. Photographing the trip was the legendary Gary Perkin, running on overtime from his home base in Cape Town, South Africa, and fresh from smashing out a week at the massive Eurobike trade show. With us were journalist Sebastian Beilmann, from MTB-News Germany, and intrepid adventurer and global event organiser Megan Rose, who came in from Canada.…

“I instantly realised I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. The riding was committing to say the least. There were no warm-up runs or buff bike park trails; it was raw, rugged Euro-style riding.” If I said ‘Italian Riviera’ to any of you, I imagine your minds would fill with visions of white sand beaches, warm azure waters, ancient Roman towns, scantily-clad European goddesses, gelato, and ice-cold Peronis. And while you’d be mostly spot on with your perception of the Mediterranean lifestyle, I doubt mountain biking would have figured prominently for many of you. It should. Enter Finale Ligure. Look south from this beautiful Italian seaside community and you’re spoiled with views over a tranquil Mediterranean, speckled with sailing yachts and fishing boats. Swing your gaze north and you see the town…

Every once in a while, life passes you a nice warm piece of humble pie. While it’s not always the easiest thing to embrace, sometimes we just have to get over ourselves and get on with it. Long story short, breaking a leg in Whistler was less than ideal. After being on crutches for ten weeks, and staring down the barrel of an additional two months’ recovery time, I found myself looking for any and all opportunities to swing a leg over a bike and get back to some normality. My riding buddies jeered when I mentioned I was thinking of trying an e-bike, but it seemed the combination of a rapid full suspension trail bike and a powerful back-up motor was just what the doctor ordered. Time for that…

In introducing the updated Joplin for 2017, Juliana, Santa Cruz’s sister brand, have used the word “rowdy” a lot. It’s a good sign; I’m a cowgirl, on a rowdy bike I ride. First, my stats: 5’2”, 65 kg, better at going downhill than up, partial to Craigieburn-style rooty singletrack, once spent a long time in Utah, like lots of rocky bits too. The Joplin frame is the same as the Santa Cruz Tallboy, but with an anatomical women’s saddle (mmm, anatomical) and a new “light” suspension tune for less-weighty riders. Geometry-wise, there’s now a lower standover height (by 10mm to 30mm depending on size), shorter chainstays, a head angle that, at a groovy 68 degrees, is slacker by 2.2 degrees, and a steeper seat angle (73 degrees, if you’re wondering).…

After a blast down Serendipity, you begin your work in Holloway Road. Clinical’s wet trees bend their fingers over your head like ‘Here is the church …’. Doors open and close, but where are the people? Highbury Fling is fast and gloamy before a brief openness to the Sanctuary fenceline. The wind bends through pines. Then Car Parts. You love this section – everything broken. On a sunny day in the morning when the east light falls through the trees, it’s like being underwater. Today, you are underwater – a tadpole beneath the whump whump of the turbine until you hit the extension. The narrow sections dare you to grow legs – so you do. Nothing like kicking a few trees. Emu’s climb starts smooth: you lock out your suspension.…

In 2010, we decided we wanted a change. We lived in Bend, Oregon, which was great, but the trails were a little tame and the winters too long. We had a few ideas, and went on a whirlwind tour of the globe to give a few places a test run. In the end, the choice was super easy: New Zealand it was–the riding far surpassed anything else on offer. Choosing a town was not as simple, but Nelson won us over with a combination of mountains and beaches, and (mostly) warm sunny weather. The friendly locals, active club and trail-building community, along with the big steep technical trails, sealed the deal. Nelson’s real gems, however, lie a little further afield. The Wakamarina and Nydia Tracks are two trails that make…

Just when you thought mountain biking was the new golf, it turns out that was last year. Now trail building is tickling a whole lot of people’s fancies, even for punters who don’t ride. In an age where we’re made to feel guilty if we don’t recycle, reuse, or rebuild, it’s natural to feel a similar guilt when you’re out thrashing your local trails and wondering how they got there. I’m not saying it was guilt that got my old buddy Andrew Durno into the trail tool business, but he sure doesn’t feel the need to dig anymore. Not that he ever really did. Andrew has been far too busy being a bass-playing rock god in Head Like a Hole in the 90s, and since then a mountain bike guide,…

Last time I looked, tubeless tyre repair kits still weren’t available in New Zealand. This astounds me, because most of you are running tubeless these days, and if you aren’t, you’re a mug. I’ve been using tubeless repair kits for a couple of years and they’re pretty much foolproof. They consist of a screwdriver-like tool that inserts a sticky fibrous-type plug into the hole in your tyre and seals it instantly. They’re available overseas for about NZD$10, so if you have a mate travelling soon, ask them to get you one. Otherwise all you need is a standard car tyre repair kit, a darning needle, glue, a Dremel cutting wheel, and the valve section of a Schrader tube. Then follow the three easy steps described above to make your own…

Downhill racing on the hill above Karori Park in Wellington has a long and storied history. It originated in 1997, when a collection of the walking trails sitting adjacent to Makara Peak were linked by singletrack to create the ‘98DH’ track, a course used for a downhill round of the 1998 National Series. Curtis Johnstone took over development of the DH trail from Tony Harvie, a low-key star of the Wellington DH trail building scene, when Tony moved out of Karori. With big shoes to fill, Curtis talked with Tony and the rangers from the Wellington City Council parks and reserves team about getting approval to enhance and extend the track. “When I took it on, it was cool—everyone likes to go and do some digging. I just wanted to…

Fresh off a broken shoulder blade and longing for exploration, I was on a fat bike shoot in Kamloops, BC during the deepest part of the Canadian winter. My good friend from across the pond, Pierre-Édouard Ferry, aka PEF, was dealing with the same weather in Europe, and while we’d been entertaining the idea of a trip together for years now, our stars hadn’t yet aligned. Then a cavalier fellow named Alex Springenschmidt from The Chillhouse in Canggu, Bali invited me to come check out his refuge and experience what has now become his home. Researching the region, I found a volcano-formed landscape and a surfer’s paradise. It seemed too good to be true. We booked ten days prior to our departure for a trip that’s normally planned six months…

There’s something about Alexandra. There always has been. Part of it is the history, the way the past feels close. Whether you’re in town or out in the hills, you can almost see the dusty, gaunt figures of the gold miners who flocked to the region in the 1860s, digging, hunting, walking their way towards one of two conclusions: wealth or death. A 90-minute drive from Dunedin, or an hour from Queenstown, Alexandra sits at the confluence of the Manuherikia and Clutha Rivers. “Alex” has been known at various times as Lower Dunstan and The Junction Township; the name Alexandra was bestowed in honour of Alexandra of Denmark, who was married to King Edward VII—a fashion icon and enthusiastic supporter of charity, she was sort of the Lady Diana of…

Disclaimer: I rode the Tour Aotearoa in February, joining 250 intrepid bikepackers on the inaugural journey from New Zealand’s far north to the deep south. I contributed an anecdote to this book; a small part of an excellent read. The Tour Aotearoa is a multi-day bikepacking event, following a defined 3000-kilometre route from Cape Reinga to Bluff, avoiding highways and taking in as much off-road as possible. It’s not a race, but there is a 30-day time limit if you want to boast completion. The book is a sales pitch to all mountain bikers: a call to action, an invitation to take your bike on a great adventure. Weaving several threads together, it explains how the Tour Aotearoa came about, the history and culture of the areas it passes through,…

The conundrum of needing an XC helmet for climbing and a DH version for descending is on many a wannabe enduro racer’s mind. Some riders are even going as far as carrying two helmets, and while Bell has done a stellar job with the Super 2, it’s just a regular trail lid when the chinbar is off. Enter Giro with the great-looking Switchblade. Occupying the middle ground, it’s a DH-rated full-face helmet with incredible airflow around the head and into the mouth, and a cunningly located chin piece that gives great field of vision. But wait, there’s more. Remove the chinbar, and you have a trail lid plus. What’s that? I just made it up, but it describes the Switchblade perfectly: a DH-rated trail helmet with additional (“plus”) protection around…

“I got the poison, I got the remedy.” For some reason, these classic lyrics (The Prodigy, 1994) leap to mind every time I hear the word ‘remedy’. Luckily, the Trek Remedy is neither as harsh nor as loud as that historic piece of electronica; instead, it makes for a very pleasant experience that doesn’t require mind-altering substances or loud 90s techno. It’s been eight years since Trek’s implementation of its Full Floater and ABP design. It remains a stalwart of Trek’s full suspension lineup, and on the Remedy, I found square edge bump performance well-controlled, owing directly to the floating shock and RE:aktiv combo working together. The RockShox Deluxe RT3 did an impressive job of regulating the action, and had the perfect amount of low-speed compression on the wide open…

Brakes are undeniably one of the most important components on your bike. Luckily we’re living in a relative golden age (until the next golden age) of mountain biking technology, and there’s currently a bunch of great brakes on the market to choose from. These little beauties from Shimano are quite possibly the cream of the crop. They look fantastic, have an intergalactic bill of materials, are relatively simple to maintain and (most importantly) provide reliable, well-endowed, perfectly poised braking. Yeah, I guess I like them. Of late I’d gone off Shimano’s Servo Wave technology (found in their SLX, Hone, XT, Saint, and XTR Trail brakes) as they weren’t as well modulated as both their competitors’ products and their own non-Servo Wave offerings. Prior to this review, I’d been running XTR…