MBUK'S

The highs & lows of life on the mag

As we go to press, the UK’s lockdown measures have just been eased slightly, filling us with mixed feelings. We’re super-excited to ride properly again, but feel it’d be irresponsible to travel too far afield or get into any potentially dangerous situations. It’s great to get some dirt under our tyres again, though, and remind ourselves of the sensation of ripping around berms!

Having not tested any bikes for the past two months, we’ve got a serious amount of riding to do soon! And a couple of really cool high-pivot 29ers should be arriving any day now – the Highlander from Scottish brand Deviate and the Forbidden Druid, all the way from Canada. These boutique rigs aren’t cheap, but don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of more affordable bikes lined up for testing too.

Sadly, a lot of trail sabotage seems to have been taking place under lockdown – obstructions on bridleways, features being ripped out and even damage to officially-sanctioned trails, such as those at Grenoside in Sheffield. It’s a real shame and dangerous too. Traps and obstacles can cause serious accidents, so, to parody BoJo’s advice, “stay alert”!

JCW has learned the hard way that, while taking an e-bike on family rides does make it easier to give your toddler a helping hand up the hills, it really is best to make sure you’ve switched off Boost mode first, or things get hairy fast! Luckily no injuries were sustained, other than to James’s eardrums.