UPGRADEYOURDTSWISSHUBS
Fit the latest RockShox Torque Cap dropouts and enjoy an easy fit
Ordertherightkitforyour
hubs.ThisXMC1200
non-Boost 15x100mm front
wheelwasupgradeablewithpart
number HBDT9102S for just shy
of £30. Remove your rotor.Remove the old standard
end caps. They can be stiff
soyoucanusepliers,justbe
careful not to cause any damage.
Take note of which side they
came off for comparison later.Apply a little grease to the
O-ringsofthenewendcaps
and press them into position.
Make sure you have fitted them
to the correct side.On the disc side, fit the first
of the two-piece adaptors,
then the disc and then the second
adaptor. Its external diameter is
greater than the internal diameter
of the centrelock lockring.01 02
03045
-MINUTE FIX
NB.notallRockShoxforksareTorqueCap-ready.Ifyourdropoutshaveabroad,machinedflangetheyshouldbecompatible.MARCH 2018 mbr 29
1
PICK A HILL
(CAREFULLY)
Usually, you can’t just turn up to any old bit
of hillside, get your bike out and expect a
good time on it like you can at a trail centre,
no matter how mountainous it is. You need
a route to follow, and the best place to start
looking is our 20 Best Trails web page: go to
po.st/20Best. There are also lots more GPS
routes on the site too, at mbr.co.uk/routes,
ranging from beginner to seriously tough.
Upload one to your GPS unit and follow it,
but take a map too if you’re heading into
serious country.2
TEMPER YOUR GREAT
EXPECTATIONS
Natural riding is often more rewarding than
trail centre riding; the views are better, the
level can be more challenging and there’s
a real feeling of adventure on some rides.
But natural riding can also be mentally
challenging — not everything you ride will
be singletrack, you might have to carry
your bike, and the climbs are sometimes
pushes, not rides at all. Get mentally set
for this and you won’t be disappointed.
Try reading some of the features inmbr and you’ll get a feel for how right and
(mainly) wrong rides can go.3
ADAPT YOUR
RIDING SKILLS
Ride a good trail centre and you can more
or less assume everything there is rideable,
but for an act of God or a tree-fall. Not on a
natural ride. You have to be more cautious
when descending because trails are not
usually built to be sustainable... or not really
built at all. So that means no rolling off lips
blind, no bombing into sections you can’t see
round, and generally riding at 80 per cent
and keeping your momentum fl owing rather
than fl at-out hammering everything you see.4
PACK CAREFULLY
Being over-geared for a big natural
ride is way better than not
bringing enough, because
the weather can go
from sunny to
hosingit down pretty quick. It’s harder to bail from
a natural ride than it is from a trail centre
too; there are generally fewer easy options
or shortcuts back to the car. So take a pack,
complete with water, food, tools, waterproof
jacket and trousers and a little medikit.5
KNOW THE CODE
The general etiquette of natural riding
goes like this: fi rst one to a gate opens it
and closes it, take care around walkers and
horses where you can (and don’t be a dick
about it), not everything should be raced
or Strava’d, and give way to other riders
climbing (although most of us prefer the
descents, so this rule gets reversed most
of the time and the descender is waved
through). And don’t ride on Snowdon May to
September between
10am and 5pm.THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Only ride bike parks or trail centres? Time to return to the source
GET STARTED ON...