The ups and downs of the race circuit have defined our staff writer’s riding this month<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n It\u2019s been a <\/strong>packed few weeks for the Oiz and me. We\u2019ve tackled challenging mountain routes in the Lake District, sessioned BikePark Wales for an MBUK <\/em>video and experienced some ups and downs between the tape (check out my race reports at www. mbuk.com<\/a>). <\/em>One standout experience was taking part in the Pan Celtic Gravel Rally in North Wales. On the flipside, a low point was retiring from a regional XC round in Basingstoke due to the peanut-butter mud killing all enjoyment \u2013 a decision I don\u2019t regret, because racing bikes should be fun! <\/p>\n\n This past month has been a testament to how incredibly versatile this bike is. It handles various disciplines and terrains with ease, from rough, rocky tracks in the Lakes to bike park laps in Wales, cruising along gravel roads and, of course, stacking up some podiums on the race circuit!<\/span><\/p>\n\n Initially, I had doubts as to whether the Oiz would be too much bike for the Gravel Rally, fearing it might slow me down on climbs and smoother sections. However, to my surprise, I was the fastest female, and ranked third overall in my category, proving that this rig can hold its own with drop-bar bikes. <\/p>\n\n I also kicked off my National Series campaign, at Margam Park in South Wales. With hot sun beating down and a course full of climbing, it was an exhausting affair. Opting for Vittoria Mezcal tyres front and back in the dry, dusty conditions, I felt confident on the loose descents and their fast-rolling profile allowed me to power through the smoother, faster parts of the course. Orbea had also sent me a 35mm-rise handlebar to try out, because I wanted a smidgen more height for a slightly more upright riding position. Judging by my first couple of rides with it, the bar seems to have improved my comfort, but a few more hours in the saddle will confirm or deny this.<\/span><\/p>\n\n The Orbea needed some deeper maintenance this month. Its DT Swiss 350 hubs developed some play during the gravel rally, so I swapped out all the bearings, and they\u2019re now running like new. I also replaced the lower headset bearing. The upper bearing needs attention, too, but the complex cable routing through the headset makes that a mammoth job, which I just haven\u2019t had time to tackle. I have a quiet week coming up, though, so I\u2019ll get it sorted then. <\/p>\n\n It\u2019s been a good month on and off the racetrack, and if this weather holds, I can\u2019t wait for more racing. Oh, and I managed to secure second place at my first National, so I\u2019m eager to push on and aim for the win at the next one. Fingers crossed! A trip to the Lakes for some mountain riding Several bearings have needed to be replaced A trip to <\/strong>BikePark Wales with Rach to co-present a video about one of their Women\u2019s Social Rides produced a lesson on tyre pressures. The valve on my rear wheel has been clogged up for a while, making it hard to top up the air. With rain crashing the party, I felt a bit lazy and couldn\u2019t be bothered to attach a gauge to check the pressures. Videographer Max gave my tyres a squeeze and me a thumbs-up, so I hit the uplift. The way down was a total drag \u2013 the bike just wouldn\u2019t pick up speed. Once I was finished, I attached a pressure gauge and read 16.8psi at the front, 15psi at the back. I\u2019m lucky I didn\u2019t get any punctures! www.merida-bikes.com<\/a> <\/em> The Rift Zone\u2019s <\/strong>latest upgrade improves practicality and reduces maintenance faff, while adding a bit of upmarket refinement. That may sound like I\u2019ve treated it to the bike equivalent of a spa day, but what I\u2019ve actually done is remove all the cables. I\u2019ve fitted RockShox\u2019s brilliant \u2013 and recently five-star-awarded \u2013 battery-powered, wirelessly-operated AXS Reverb seatpost, in 30.9mm-diameter, 170mm-drop form. As well as tidying up the handlebar, this has an incredibly smooth action. I\u2019ve also installed a wireless SRAM GX Eagle AXS Transmission (an upgrade made possible by the bike\u2019s Universal Derailleur Hanger). Once again, removing the cables was a cathartic de-cluttering exercise. More on their performance next time. www.marinbikes.com<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n (frame with Fox Float X2 shock)<\/p>\n\n Some tweaks to the fork, and the Firebird is flying better than ever <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n Finally, after what <\/strong>feels like months of going on about getting the travel of my Fox 38 fork reduced, I\u2019ve done it. And by \u2018I\u2019, I mean the guys at the Silverfish Service Centre in Risca, South Wales. <\/p>\n\n Not only did they drop the travel down to 170mm, but they fitted the new GRIP X2 damper while they were at it. This thing is intended for enduro and downhill riding, and has been designed from the ground up to offer more control and a better damping range than the GRIP2 it replaces. You still get the same high- and low-speed compression and rebound damping adjusters \u2013 although Fox say you\u2019ll need to use their updated setting recommendations to make the most of these. Spring pressure suggestions remain the same.<\/span><\/p>\n\n I ended up sticking with the same spring pressure as before for my body weight, but once I started riding, I found myself adding some low-speed compression damping almost instantly. Sure, it helped that the guys at Silverfish had serviced my fork, which no doubt made it run a little more smoothly, but I also found that I needed some extra support to prevent the front end from diving when I loaded it up. This wasn\u2019t an issue with the previous damper, which felt like it was overdamped, leading me to run all the dials fully open. It\u2019s good to now have the ability to fine-tune the fork to match the super-supple rear end. <\/p>\n\n Of course, I do need to mention the travel reduction, too. Losing 10mm of suspension squish has dropped the bottom bracket down to a more reasonable 345mm off the ground. Add some sag into the equation, and the Firebird now feels more balanced and stable through the turns. After just one session, I felt like I\u2019d managed to iron out all of my previous issues, and I properly fell in love with this pricey piece.<\/p>\n\n https:\/\/saddleback.co.uk<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n Getting to ride the Firebird in the dry The sun is shining so there’s nothing to moan about!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n BikeRadar<\/em>presenter and writer Tom hopes his first team bike will pump up his riding <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n I couldn\u2019t wipe <\/strong>the giant smile off my face when I learned I was getting a longterm bike for MBUK. <\/em>And my grin widened further still when I was told I\u2019d be aboard Transition\u2019s Smuggler for a year. This is the US brand\u2019s trail bike, sitting above the downcountry Spur and below the hard-hitting, do-it-all Sentinel in the travel stakes. Having owned a Spur for three years, I\u2019m keen to see how the Smuggler stacks up in comparison.<\/span><\/p>\n\n While I\u2019ve got a decent level of fitness, my technical riding skills are a notch or two below the rest of the team. I\u2019m hoping I can build my confidence, hit bigger features and unlearn some of the bad habits I\u2019ve picked up over nearly 20 years of making it up as I go along!<\/span><\/p>\n\n With a 140mm-travel fork, 130mm of rear-wheel travel and slacker geometry than I\u2019m used to, the Smuggler should give me a bit more of a safety net on tough trails. There\u2019s grippy Maxxis rubber and a long-travel dropper post fitted, too. I\u2019m hoping all that doesn\u2019t come at the expense of efficiency on the \u2018all day out in the hills\u2019 riding I love. <\/p>\n\n At 14.1kg without pedals, it\u2019s not a bad weight, but there\u2019s always room to go lighter. It\u2019s already taken a day at BikePark Wales in its stride, but I\u2019m keen to play around with the set-up and stock components to mix things up a bit. <\/p>\n\n www.windwave.co.uk<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n Stunning carbon frame draws plenty of attention Expensive for the parts you get With summer presenting <\/strong>a weak effort in getting started, there\u2019s been a significant amount of sliding about in the muck. The trails get marginally drier, then are immediately soaked again. While this means less predictability, it does make rides even more interesting. That said, it also means there\u2019s loads of cleaning to do when I get home! The Polygon\u2019s six-bar suspension design means there are more bearings than usual to share any abuse dished out, but so far everything\u2019s running smoothly and no play has developed. That\u2019s in spite of various sideways landings, due to my lack of ability and trying to learn how to drift more consistently. I feel quite sorry for the poor thing, but I\u2019m still enjoying the confidence it gives me to try and improve my riding.<\/span><\/p>\n\n www.gooutdoors.co.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n We took a <\/strong>comprehensive look at the Jibb\u2019s spec last issue. All I\u2019ve added is a Lezyne Flow Adapter (\u00a353, www.upgradebikes.co.uk<\/a>), <\/em>which holds a couple of 16g CO2 <\/sub>canisters, an inflator head, tyre levers and a multi-tool, on an arm under the bottle cage. Oh yeah, I\u2019ve bolted on one of those, too! Now I\u2019m all set, and just in time to catch the tail end of the bluebells and wild garlic. This is my favourite time of year to ride, and it\u2019s nice to be able to skim through the spring growth hearing only birdsong, not the whine and clatter of an e-bike motor. I don\u2019t seem to have lost any leg power after a few years of almost exclusively riding eebs, but my lungs are really struggling on the climbs.<\/p>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/06\/MBUK_AmblesideTrailCrew_JamesVincent-200753_retouch_preview-1024x683.jpg\")
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www.orbea.com<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\nMy month<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
HIGHS <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Dabbling in some gravel racing
Getting my British National XC Series campaign underway <\/p>\n\n\n\nLOWS<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Racking up a DNF at a regional XC round<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n
\n\nJULIA\u2019S<\/span> MERIDA ONE-SIXTY 700 <\/strong><\/strong> \u00a33,300<\/h4>\n\n
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\n\nALEX\u2019S<\/span> MARIN RIFT ZONE 29 XR <\/strong><\/strong> \u00a33,775<\/h4>\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/5c9b8e3d-3d44-4a6a-afa3-a8adee9f3657.jpg\")
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\n\nROB\u2019S<\/span> PIVOT FIREBIRD 29 XR <\/strong><\/strong> \u00a34,200<\/h4>\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\nMy month<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
HIGHS <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
A new damper in the fork and the reduced travel make the Pivot feel even better <\/p>\n\n\n\nLOWS<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\n\nTOM L\u2019S<\/span> TRANSITION SMUGGLER CARBON GX <\/strong><\/strong> \u00a36,499<\/h4>\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\nMy month<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
HIGHS <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Spec is mostly dialled
In its element on BikePark Wales’ smoother trails<\/p>\n\n\n\nLOWS<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Not the plushest in the rough stuff<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n
\n\nWILL P\u2019S<\/span> POLYGON COLLOSUS N9<\/strong><\/strong> \u00a33,000*<\/h4>\n\n
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\n\nJCW\u2019S<\/span> RAAW JIBB V1 CUSTOM BUILD<\/strong><\/strong> \u00a34,028.72<\/h4>\n\n
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