After finishing the recent Tour de Timor I have been giving my bike a post stage race overhaul. Going through my bike and all my personal equipment after many of these ‘adventure style’ stage races over the years has given me a deeper insight into appropriate equipment selection than I had before. By ‘adventure style’ […]
A season on Shimano XTR Di2
Since 2012, the MarathonMTB.com Team riders have predominantly run Shimano group sets. Usually a mix of XT and XTR parts, mixed for the best combination of price, weight, performance and durability. Favour fell to parts from Shimano due in part to their parts availability when away from home, especially in Europe. Personally, I’ve aimed to […]
Bikes of the Crocodile Trophy: Alex Malone’s Merida Ninety-Six 9.7000
Related Event: Crocodile Trophy
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 […]
Bike Check: Justin Morris’ Norco Revolver set for Mongolia Bike Challenge
The Mongolia Bike Challenge gets underway in the nations capital Ulaan Batar this Sunday. This race is a unique affair for most MTB stage racers. Hence, a few modifications to my trusty Norco Revolver FS have been made in preparation for the 6 day, 700km stage race across the tundra of the Mongolian Steppe. Rider: […]
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 […]