We hope you’ve enjoyed the videos, photos and articles we’ve posted over the past nine months, and we’d like to thank you – our readers, contributors and the wider MTB community – for your support. We’ve built up a strong and loyal following since our launch in June 2012, and we’re sad to say goodbye.

ChopMTB is dead. Long live ChopMTB!

~ JCW, editor

Puddle jump

Puddle paranoia will sweep the nation after watching this clip… You never know how deep it is until you’re in it!

Did I win?

When your whole body is racing towards the finish line, it’s best not to leave the bike behind…

Freefall

Freefalling takes nerve. Freefalling 45 metres into a bunch of cardboard boxes is taking nerve to a whole new level, probably onto the stupidity scale…

Office escape

Now this is one inventive way to use a GoPro. Hate the office? You’ll love this POV ‘Office Escape meets James Bond’ movie. Hats off for effort – this is wicked!

Rage films

Like cool, fast, gnarly stuff? You’ll love this demo reel by Rage Films. Super-slick HD filming and some incredible footage, perfect for action lovers!

Counterfeit pizza

Don’t have anything in the house to make pizza with? You’ll be surprised! Check out this awesome animation that uses household products to make a cool little pizza.

Snow day

A perfect opportunity to get some tricks dialled!

A narrower course meant that this time round it wouldn’t be four bikers going head-to-head, but bike vs skates, with Rose Vaujany team manager Joost Wichman racing his Gstaad-Scott counterpart Claudio Caulori. Place your bets – biker or ice-skater?

Source: Crashed Ice 2013 from BKN-Productions

Claudio Caluori vs Joost Wigman. Picture by Andreas Langreiter/Red Bull Crashed Ice

Missed last year’s race? Catch up here:

Source: Red Bull Crashed Ice from BKN-Productions

All pictures by Andy McCandlish

What is enduro racing?

There’s a clue in the name – it’s racing with an endurance element. In the early days, ‘enduro’ races were long-distance cross-country races, but those now tend to be known as marathon races. Modern enduro events are very different, with no clingy Lycra in sight (well, not at UK and North American races anyway – those Euros love a bit of spandex!) and an emphasis on downhill gain over uphill pain. There are two main race types – enduro downhill and gravity enduro.

Enduro DH and gravity enduro – what’s the difference?

Enduro downhill events like the Megavalanche and Mountain of Hell are what kicked the whole craze off – long-distance races down dirty great big mountains, with mass-starts to make things interesting and short uphill sections to keep racers on their toes.

Not all of us are lucky enough to live near mountains though, and that’s where gravity enduro comes in. Without super-long downhills at their disposal, race organisers had to get creative. What they came up with is a format that combines timed downhill sections with untimed uphill connecting sections.

You can’t slack off too much on the climbs, though – the transition stages may not count towards your final score but if you don’t complete them within a set time limit, you often risk disqualification. So get those legs spinning!

The best known gravity enduro events are probably France’s Trans-Provence and the Canadian Open Enduro at Crankworx Whistler. In North America, gravity enduro is sometimes called ‘all-mountain racing’, with the unofficial All-Mountain World Championships being held at the Downieville Classic in California every August.

What’s so good about enduro racing?

Downhill racing requires balls of steel and expensive kit, and cross-country is largely about fitness, but anyone with a decent trail bike and enough stamina to ride their local singletrack for a couple of hours can have a bash at enduro.

You get a lot more riding for your entrance fee than at a downhill race, where you get just one final run and a few goes in practice. This also means a mishap or mechanical won’t necessarily put you out of the running.

The other big thing going for enduro races is the friendly atmosphere. While the top guys are definitely in it to win it, further down the field it’s more about having a go and enjoying a bit of finish line banter.

Sounds great – where can I check it out?

There are plenty of videos from past events on our gravity enduro and enduro downhill homepages, and we’ll be covering all of this year’s big races too.

Who are the riders to watch?

The French have traditionally dominated, from former World Cup stars Nicolas Vouilloz and Anne-Caroline Chausson to enduro specialists like Jerome Clementz and Remy Absalon. The Brits and North Americans are catching up though, with Dan Atherton and Tracy Moseley making the switch from downhill, and Mark Weir, Adam Craig and Ross Schnell all chasing all-mountain glory.

What type of bike do I need if I want to have a go?

Most enduro racers opt for a full-suspension trail or all-mountain bike with 140mm to 170mm of travel. There’s nothing in the rules to stop you using a hardtail or lightweight cross-country bike but you’ll find it hard work on the descents, while longer-travel freeride and downhill bikes are a drag on the climbs.

It’s a good idea to fit a chain device or clutch-equipped rear mech so your chain doesn’t get bucked off in the rocky sections. Big-volume downhill tyres are decent additions too – they increase puncture resistance and add comfort – while a short stem and wide bar will improve control, and a dropper post will make it easier to throw the bike around when things get sketchy.

Do I need any special riding gear?

Full-face helmets are a good idea for rockier tracks but standard trail lids are often fine for more pedally venues. Kneepads, gloves and eye protection are essential. A hydration pack with basic spares is a good idea too.

Where can I have a go?

Alongside the new world series, several European countries have their own series and enduro racing is beginning to take off in North America too. Here are some of the main national and international events. One thing to bear in mind – rules and regulations tend to vary from country to country so make sure you read the Ts&Cs!

Series:

• Enduro World Series (rounds in Italy, France, USA, Canada)
• Bluegrass Enduro Tour (Italy, France, Scotland, Ireland)
• Specialized Enduro Series (Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland)
• North American Enduro Tour (Oregon, Colorado, Utah and British Columbia)
• Coupe de France (France)
• Superenduro (Italy)
• UK Gravity Enduro (England, Scotland, Wales)
• Gravity Enduro Series (Ireland)

One-off events:

• Downieville Downhill and All-Mountain World Championships (California)
• Mavic Trans-Provence (France)
• Megavalanche Alpe d’Huez (France)
• Mountain of Hell (France)

You check out some quality enduro racing action on our gravity enduro and enduro downhill homepages.

Value for money has always been one of the Taiwanese-American brand’s strengths, but don’t go expecting a budget special – they’re keen to put those days behind them. This thing costs $1,299 (£857 at current exchange rate) – less than a Fox 40 or RockShox Boxxer WC but in the same ballpark as the big brands’ second-tier forks.

You get some interesting stuff for your money, including detachable carbon guards to protect the lower legs from rock strikes, pressure release valves to keep the fork consistent during long days in the saddle and a choice of different crowns to suit both 26in and 650b wheels. The RV1 should hit shops in July, for US$1,299. Check out the photos to find out more.

All pictures by James Huang 

X-Fusion’s new DH fork certainly looks the part, with chunky 36mm stanchions and 200mm of travel on tap

It uses the same HLR twin-tube damper as the company’s Vengeance all-mountain fork – an open-bath setup housed within a sealed outer tube

Rebound damping can be adjusted up top, with separate high- and low-speed compression dials down below

See that little hole? That’s the pressure release valve – a common sight on moto forks

As you’d expect, there’s a 20mm axle tying everything together

We’ve seen carbon leg guards on upside-down forks but never on a traditional ‘right way up’ dual-crown before

They can be removed if you’re not worried about rock strikes or simply want a cleaner-looking fork

Here’s some footage of the fork undergoing trail testing in California:

Source: XF DH Leak from John Hauer of X-Fusion

And here’s how the latest World Cup-level dual-crowns stack up (measurements are in mm):

Shimano invited Anthill Films and a handful of North American freeride stars over to check out the country’s first lift-accessed bike park, and they were impressed with what they found – some sweet berms and up-for-it local riders.

Watch out Britain, France and America – with a population of more than 1.3 billion and some perfect riding terrain, it surely can’t be long before the Chinese produce a world champ or FMB World tour winner!

Source: Breaking Down Walls from Anthill Films

Want to find out more? Check out the full story over on Pinkbike.

The Taiwanese company have had to simplify things a bit to keep target weight down to 380g – over 100g lighter than the Reverb, standard Lev and CrankBrothers Kronolog, and a whopping 240g lighter than the Fox DOSS.

The Lev Carbon only has 65mm (2.6in) of travel and there won’t be a 27.2mm option for older frames and hardtails. Still in the testing phase at the moment, it’ll cost around US$600 when it hits shops in 2014. Check out the photos to find out more.

The new Lev Carbon has a composite lower tube and saddle cradle, with titanium bolts to shave even more grams

The internals have been simplified but the carbon post retains the Lev’s low cable exit point and smooth air-sprung stroke

There’s an air valve up top so you can adjust the return speed, and just a simple foam plug at the bottom end

Here’s how the Lev Carbon stacks up against some of the most popular posts:

This post is based on an article by James Huang originally published on BikeRadar – head over there for more information.

Source: Full Throttle from Kent Johnson

Source: Brian Lopes GoPro mini PumpTrack from Brian Lopes