Global Mountain Bike Network

Neil’s got the all new Scott Ransom enduro bike for his upcoming EWS challenge in Finale Ligure. We take a look at what could have been the best ever cross country mountain bike race ever, and there is some epic new electronic suspension tech from Fox. This week we also announce the winners of the Nukeproof Blackline clothing competition, and the Crankbrothers Highline dropper post giveaway. There are some really clever Hacks and Bodges in the Dirt Shed this week, with one lucky winner receiving a £100 voucher for Chain Reaction Cycles! The Fails and Bails montage this week is one of our best yet, thanks to you guys sending in your amazing content to our new uploader! As ever Chris and Neil open up the bike vault and take a look at some cool instabangers that you should be following.

Just how tall is Doddy? Can concussion ever cause you to forget essential MTB skills? How many mountain bikes do you really need? Do high pivot bikes require you to join two chains together?

Pre hopping a mountain bike is a useful skill that allows you to maintain speed and flow on a trail. Using natural trail features to clear obstacles, drops, knuckles and technical sections into a controlled landing is an essential skill for advanced mountain bikers. Depending on the type of obstacle or lip you can even bunnyhop into it, and use the transition to pump your bike and gain speed. Getting this skill nailed will not only make you a faster and more controlled rider, but it also looks super cool.

Taking your phone with you on a MTB ride offers much more than just a safety feature. From tracking your ride via apps like Strava, to making sure you capture the perfect instabanger, the apps on a smartphone can really enhance your mountain biking. Here we talk you through some of the best MTB apps you should consider downloading.

The final of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series took place in La Bresse France this past weekend. The downhill race was full of surprises and created one of the most suspenseful finishes for the men’s race for some time. Rachel Atherton claimed a record 6th World Cup Championship win too! The XCO World Cup Final was taken by none other than Nino Schurter, who has dominated this season. Jolanda Neff came back from two punctures to take the win in the women’s race, and claiming the overall in the process!

Once the dust had settled at Whistler Bike Park from another amazing round of Crankworx, Blake met up with Seth's Bike Hacks. Together they rode some laps, shredded some gnar and conquered some of Seth's jumping fears. Thanks for riding with us Seth, see you next time!

Sam Reynolds has been consistently stepping up his freeride game, from competing at FEST series to recently winning his first Crankworx medals in Whistler. Whilst there Blake took a closer look at his newly released Polygon XquarOne. Sam will also be competing at the upcoming Audi Nines on this bike, alongside Blake!

Look out Jolanda Neff, there’s a new female mountain biker on the scene! Multiple World Champion and Olympic medalist Emma Pooley has been out riding in Lenzerheide and it looks like she’ll be back for more! It’s Jess’s first proper Dirt Shed Show and this week she and Martyn preview the upcoming UCI World Cup in La Bresse, take a look back at Nicholi Rogatkins incredible winning run at Crankworx and give out plenty of supernice’s in the Bike Vault.

How can you get sponsored? Should I make money or get free bike park passes? How can I get better at wheelies and manuals? Can your MTB ever be too heavy? Martyn and Neil are back with a bumper edition of Ask GMBN and this time they're firing off jokes and answers

Everyone wants to get better at mountain biking, in this video we talk you through a few basics that are important to master so that your MTB skills can develop. Even the most experienced pro riders regularly practise these basics and examine their bike setup and fit. Other than making sure that your bike is set up correctly for you, these simple body position basics are what will make the biggest difference in your skills, and improve your confidence.

Mountain bike races can be a lot of fun, but preparing for one can be quite confusing if you’ve never competed before. Both experienced pro riders and novice racers can feel underprepared, mentally as well as physically, but that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be fun. Here Neil gives his advice about how you can choose the right type of event, enter and train for it, as well as some good race day tips to make sure that you’re ready to race. Covering training and nutrition, research and race entry this video can help you enter your first race or competition. Neil also gives his advice to overcome pre-race nerves and essential spares you might want to carry with you on the day.

Crankworx Whistler dominates the race news show this week, with an incredible round of events taking place in British Columbia last week. MTB fans across the world tuned in to watch the Air DH, Pump Track Challenge and the long awaited Joyride finale. Did Rogatkin overcome Brett Rheeder to claim the Crankworx Triple Crown? We also bring you the latest he spills and thrills from the Canadian Open Downhill Champs, all the XC action from the UCI Marathon Series in Verbier, the Profixx Swiss Cup, the Carpathian MTB Epic and the ongoing Race Across France.

Whistler is the home of mountain biking. The world’s best trails, the sickest jumps and the biggest MTB competition of them all: Crankworx. Pro riders and spectators alike flock to the British Columbian mountains to compete and watch the world’s best mountain bikers ride and race, and our very own Blake Samson was amongst them. Blake was lucky enough to take four (yes that’s right, four) bikes with him out to Whistler, and had entered the prestigious Air DH, Pump Track and the Whip Off events. Here he gets up close and personal with A Line, Garbanzo, and maybe a little too close for comfort with some jurassic cheese. Keep an eye out for the upcoming collaborations!

Two mountain bikes. Different designs. Aluminium and carbon fibre. Different wheel sizes. One origin. Neil and Blake compare Nukeproof’s flagship Mega, the Enduro World Series winning bike, and the original 2012 model where the Nukeproof Mega story began. How far has mountain bike technology developed in six years? Named after the world’s premier downhill race, the Mega Avalanche course which challenges riders to race down glaciers and rocky mountainside, Nukeproof know how to build a bike. Sam Hill has piloted a Nukeproof Mega to multiple EWS victories in the past few years, proving that it’s not just marketing hype.

With the rise of Enduro and a resurgence in popularity of bike packing, many people are trying new adventures on their mountain bikes, so is it time that you did the same? This week Blake is also reporting in live from Crankworx Whistler, Redbull announce the wildcard invites for Rampage and there is a gory story from the most recent round of the UCI XC World Cup.

Should you sell your mountain bike or upgrade the componentry? Does wheel size affect how easy it is to jump? How does frame size affect bunny hopping? How can you get sponsored without racing downhill all the time? Should you convert your downhill bike into a singlespeed?

Bike parks and trails feature big mountain bike jumps, and they can be loads of fun even if they're they're scary at first. Jumping a MTB is all about confidence, staying relaxed and building up to your ability level. Nobody knows this better than Nico Vink, and he took some time out of lapping Chatel to talk us through how to ride huge mountain bike jumps. Freeride legend and veteran of mountain biking Nico Vink has plenty of experience riding huge MTB jumps. He and Blake session some gap jumps and tabletops to explain the best way to develop your jumping skill and confidence.

Has there ever been such a busy weekend of mountain bike racing action? Downhill and Cross Country spills and thrills in the UCI World Cup from Mont Sainte Anne. A dramatic battle for victory in the Whistler round of the Enduro World Series. High octane racing at altitude in the Leadville 100 and the Brek epic. We don’t know where to start…. Rider and fan favourite is the rocky course of Mont Sainte Anne, and all eyes were on Amaury Pierron and Greg Minnaar, but the treacherous rocks of Canada crowned another French victor. This time it was World Champion Loic Bruni who took the win over Danny Hart and Troy Brosnan, only his second World Cup victory since Cairns in 2016. In the Women’s race the return of Myriam Nicole did little to upset the top two steps of the podium, but this year it was experience over youth as Rachel Atherton edged Tahnee Seagrave to victory, throwing down a race run 20 seconds faster than her qualifying ride. In the XC it was a day of frustration for World Champion Nino Schurter who was still recovering from illness, but also suffered a broken chain and a puncture to remove him from contention. Instead fellow swiss rider Mathias Fluckiger stole his first World Cup victory from a storming Cooper and Kershbaumer. Jolanda Neff rode delivered yet another masterclass in mountain bike racing, escaping in the first lap from the rest of the field to ride in to a comfortable victory in the elite women’s race, whilst Langvad and Batty chased to complete the top three. In the Whistler round of the EWS, local riders failed to cause an upset, although for once it was not a complete domination by Sam Hill. Belgian maestro Martin Maes took his first ever EWS win. Although in the women's race it was no surprise to see Cecile Ravanel win all five stages on her Commencal. The annual Leadville 100 trail race saw last years winner Howard Grotts repeat his victory over a resurgent Hynek and young star Payson Mcelveen. Elsewhere in Colorado Jeremiah Bishop won the men's Brek Epic, whilst Carla Williams won the elite women’s race on her first attempt!

It's not long now until the Finale Ligure round of the Enduro World Series, so Neil used the Ard Rock enduro as some race practise to get some speed, and regain that competitive edge. The overall win came down to a battle between Danny Hart and Steve Peat, but with less than 2 months until race day it was time to get between the tapes once more

ico Vink is one of the best freeriders in the world, famous for amazing jumps and tricks. Whilst out at Chatel Bike Park, Blake was lucky enough to be talked through his custom Scott Gambler by Nico, including all the details about the brand new Ohlins fork and why he still rides 26 inch wheels.