Jolanda Neff is one of the most exciting and dynamic riders in cross-country racing. She is the reigning XCO World Champion and won the XCM World Championships in 2016. Neff has also confirmed she will ride the Whaka 100 in New Zealand this October. Since riding for Kross Neff has been on a Kross Level hardtail, […]
Bikes of the Crocodile Trophy: Alex Malone’s Merida Ninety-Six 9.7000
Words: Alex Malone | Photography: Trent van der Jagt The journey into off-road stage racing has been an exciting one for the team at Cyclist Australia/NZ magazine. Our primary focus has always been around road cycling but with the ever-increasing popularity around gravel and multi-surface drop bar riding, the gap to wider tyres and full […]
Shimano XTR mechanical vs XTR Di2 – Part two
I recently built my Norco Revolver FS race bike up with 2×11 Shimano XTR Di2 Synchro Shift. There were a few reasons for this. Shimano came on board as a major sponsor for the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com Team, which meant I could afford this kind of premium gear. Secondly, I was in a big accident four months […]
Shimano XTR mechanical vs XTR Di2 – Part One
Ever since Shimano XTR M9000 and XTR Di2 were released in 2014, riders, bike mechanics, and tech gurus have been weighing up the benefits and disadvantages of each system. And this has also involved, quite literally, weighing the components of each system as well. I have been a long-time user of Shimano’s XTR components, with […]