With two new Norco Revolver hardtails added to the MarathonMTB.com service course, it is worth asking what role does a hardtail play in the mountain bike world? The humble hardtail is often seen as the bike for beginners, for family riders, and for ‘cross-country’. A hardtail can also be seen as a race-only bike, a […]
Maxxis Wide Trail Aspen and Rekon Race
Maxxis has recently announced two new additions to their range of cross-country tyres. Anyone who has kept a close eye on the World Cup circuit (ok, in 2019) won’t be overly surprised that Maxxis has released Wide Trail (WT) versions of the Aspen and Rekon Race, in 2.4″ widths. The WT standard is optimised for […]
The bikes that won XCM World Championships
In September, two new Cross Country Marathon (XCM) World Champions were crowned in Graechen, Switzerland. The demanding routes for men and women saw both riders arrive at the finish line solo – the course was truly decisive. But what bikes were the riders racing on to win the XCM World Championships? With Pauline Ferrand-Prevot racing […]
The new Trek Supercaliber – the Goldilocks bike?
While we took a punt at what was going on with Jolanda Neff’s new Trek XC bike earlier this week, most of what we didn’t know is now revealed through an entertaining but a little weird parody video. It’s really short travel, looks like a hardtail and rides like a full suspensions bike apparently. The […]
CeramicSpeed conquer Driven shifting
About 14 months after CeramicSpeed unveiled their radical drivetrain concept that they said would reduce the large amounts of friction in drivetrains, they have made a rideable version that shifts. And it’s possibly even better than they expected. CeramicSpeed are pretty much the company devoted to marginal gains. Having spent time on their bearings in […]
Jolanda Neff’s all-new Trek XC bike
For anyone following the World Cup cross-country racing this year, you will have seen XCO phenom (and 2016 XCM World Champion) Jolanda Neff racing on a new full-suspension bike. There’s nothing totally crazy about that, but until the racing at the UCI XCO World Championships in Canada on the weekend, the shock and linkage on […]
A closer look at the MarathonMTB.com Team Norco Revolvers
Since 2016, our team riders have chosen to ride and race on Norco Revolver frames. We moved from Bianchi after 2015 as the Australian importer was no longer importing the high end mountain bikes. Choosing a new frame was both fun and difficult. What to pick? What’s available? What can we afford? What features are […]
A closer look at the 2020 Norco Revolver FS
In December, I was lucky enough to spend some time test riding the yet-to-be-released updated Norco Revolver. At a glance it looked really similar to the current frame, and that’s why their Factory Team were able to race it without too many people noticing. Look closer and you realise how much has changed. From a […]
What bike for the Crocodile Trophy?
Related Event: Crocodile Trophy
It’s a fair question: what bike should I take to the Crocodile Trophy? Unfortunately there isn’t a one word answer. Like any mountain bike stage race, the Crocodile Trophy has its own unique challenges. And each rider has their own unique requirements. But let’s break down the kind of choices to make, and what might […]
First rides on Shimano XTR M9100
About 12 months ago, Shimano released a much-anticipated version of XTR – the new 12-speed M9100. It offered what so many people wanted – a wider range from Shimano, and they delivered with a 10-51 cassette. But they also delivered a 10-45 cassette, 4-pot XTR Trail brakes and a lighter Race brake, a new crank […]