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All rights reserved. The CamelBak M. E is a worthy attempt to solve the problem of not wanting to wear a pack, whilst carrying almost as much gear as a small pack, along with some extra hydration. The hip-pack weighs in at grams and offers a 3. An Air Support back panel helps with airflow between the pack and the body, using an open mesh and foam combo to help air move between the two. The M. On either side of the main compartment are bottle holders, designed for a regular-sized CamelBak Podium bottle but ideal for whatever you want to stuff in them. The waist strap helps support the load on the hips and adds stretchy pockets with envelope closures on either side of the main compartments, ideal for small items you want easy access to without needing to rotate the pack forward. Compression straps can be cinched up to hold the contents in place and help keep the weight close to the body. Along the bottom of the pack are some elastic loops, offering additional external storage, ideal for a jacket, large salami, or half-eaten baguette. E comes supplied with a Crux 1. If you wanted, you could forego the bladder and add bottles to the side pockets for a more versatile and adaptable setup. When I was breathing heavily while seated think a steep hour-long climb the waist belt got in the way of breathing freely — not ideal. Does it work well? Is it comfortable and unobtrusive to use? Sort of. Turning forty is a milestone that deserves a decent celebration. And, of course, that surge of adrenaline and relief you experience when you ride out the other side of something terrifying. On the 10th of September , I suddenly felt my age pretty significantly, following a crash that was one for the books. I was keen to sample the new features, but I was also in a hurry to get home and keep promises to my wife — no time for pre-rides or re-rides. Bombing down the trail, I overshot a jump at full pace and, looking ahead with horror, saw what was about to happen. The second my wheels touched down, way past the landing, my bike ploughed into the back of a freshly built berm. The result after getting flipped upside down and clipping a tree , was twelve broken ribs, a split diaphragm, three broken vertebrae and a spinal cord injury. In a split second, some bad decision making had changed my life. The weeks and months following the crash pushed my body and my mind to their limits. The first few evenings there were the hardest; after visitors left and the ward was quiet. In those moments, negative thoughts, anxiety and fear tried their best to consume me. Reflecting on my time in Burwood, I consider myself one of the lucky ones, for so many reasons. More importantly, though, my accident taught me just how much the people in my life cared about me. I was deeply moved by the ongoing flow of love and support I received. Collectively, everyone strongly believed that I would crush my recovery, and this lit a fire under me — I had so many incredible people in my corner, I was seriously motivated to work as hard as possible; not just for myself, but for them as well. Amongst the patients at Burwood were some inspirational people who became close friends. They helped me realise that the hard work started in my head. Easier said than done, but crucial to getting out of bed every morning, into a wheelchair, and down the hallway to physio. I did my best to focus on the present — I tried not to pay attention to the sheer scale of work that lay ahead of me. It became obvious pretty quickly that this recovery was going to be a slow grind, so I chose and still choose to celebrate the small victories. It was all about the small victories. Block out thoughts about the future, just visualise walking out the front door on discharge day. Most importantly, believe in myself. There were plenty of rough days when this mindset went to the dogs. But, for the most part, I tried to see life through this lens, and so I went to work. I discharged from Burwood by walking out the front door just as I had imagined. Rinse and repeat weekly. Small victories. Doing something that, for a while, looked like it may never be possible for me again. Group chat created, keen participants locked in, route and hut suggestions getting thrown around. Lots of ideas are kicked to the curb. I convince the boys an overnighter in the Hopkins Valley is perfect, based on my very faded recollection of a climbing trip there 11 years ago. I sell it as a cruisy pedal up a flat valley, mostly 4WD track with a few shallow river crossings. I decide to dig out the photos from that climbing trip, years before. The drive down is great. We enjoy a chilled 4WD trail for the first few kilometres, but suddenly we are faced with our first river crossing. One by one we egg each other on as the acoustic bikes get across with a few near-swims, and a lot of laughs. Stop thinking, start pedaling. I charge at the river and emerge on the other side upright and grinning. The boys are cheering, and so am I. More importantly, the bike is still working! That first crossing sets the tone for the next two or three hours; weaving our way up the riverbed, carefully looking for good spots to cross, then going for it. On our right, the river has become noticeably deeper and swifter. We have no choice but to explore options on our left, where the river cuts in abruptly against the bush. Looks OK on the map, just have to link up with the nearby tramping track. The boys can portage my bike along the track for about m while I hobble along it on crutches; all good. Pretty average terrain to push a 23kg eBike through, loaded with gear! Regardless, everyone gives it a damn good go, trying to clear a path, knowing that it looks like our only option. They have my back, just as they have right through this injury. I feel a bit helpless, sitting on the riverbed while everybody else is working so hard to find a way through. At this point, I notice the fatigue starting to creep in. I know this feeling after limping home from physio more times than I care to recall, and it means my body is on the gas light. Everyone spreads out on one last recce. So far so good. After about 15 minutes of this procession, we are nearly through the worst of it. We regroup on the river flat, chuffed. We all feel the relief at this point, roaring with laughter when Brion suddenly goes over the bars, courtesy of a camouflaged hole. Elcho Hut comes in to view, stoked. The evening is spent glassing for Tahr, taking pictures, swatting sandflies and spinning yarns. We are an eclectic mix of blokes, so the conversation topics are wide ranging to say the least. I break away from the boys for a bit, camera in hand, and hobble around on the riverbed. I always thought spinal injuries happened to those at the pointy end of the sport. Truth is, we risk an injury of this magnitude every time we swing a leg over our bikes. But this injury and this trip has taught me that just being out in the hills surrounded by good friends and family is what matters most. What a way to turn If the shoe fits, wear it. The GE7 is part of the latest range of redefined Shimano shoes. If you like black then these will be right up your alley. And, fortunately, black goes with everything! Want some colour in your life? Laces can be tucked tidily under the strap for snag-free riding or hiking. The Volume Trail Last gives a snug fit through the midsection up to the ball of the foot, then widens significantly towards the toes. This shape is ideal for us jandle-wearing Kiwis or anyone with a wide foot. The midsole has an EVA foam section running the length of it, providing a comfy level of cush for walking — plus it noticeably dampens vibrations while clipped in. Scrambling up steep inclines is sure-footed thanks to deep knobs under the toes. These, combined with compliance at the toes, give the shoe an almost hiking boot feel while tackling hike-a-bike sections — impressive for sure. If data is the key to our modern lifestyles, it pays to get smart about how we use it. Thanks to the super computers we carry around in our pockets, tracking how we sleep, eat and exercise is now part of everyday life. As someone who has been lucky enough to own a bike at pretty much every stage of my life ever since the BMX of a long-since-passed childhood, I was keen to get a look in once the eBike revolution began taking hold. A bit of assistance on the uphills sounded like a great idea as long as nothing was lost in the downhill experience. I opted for a Bosch-powered Trek Rail knowing there would be no issues when it came to performance and reliability of the motor or the battery — what I considered the key elements of an eBike. I figured it was something like Strava or another fitness style tracker which I already use and there was no point having yet another app. I was just keen to get out and ride. So, what is the eBike Flow app? An easy way to tell is from the display unit. The eBike componentry, including the drive unit, battery and display screen are fully connected and the app is the control centre. So, rather than jumping on your eBike and letting it do all the work, or having to adapt to a one-size-fits-all set up, through the Flow app you have the option to customise the eBike so it suits your riding style and needs. In Eco or Turbo modes you can tune support, dynamics, maximum torque and maximum speed. So, the app connects you with your eBike and your eBike with the digital world. Battery status, remaining range and distance travelled are all displayed right there on the home screen along with other handy info like when your next service is due — because who remembers to put that in the diary. You plan the route in the app and then use your smartphone as a navigation display simply by installing the Smartphone Grip which is sold separately. The good news is you can now receive these updates over-the-air, rather than having to take your eBike to a bike store. You just download the updates via the app and transfer to your eBike via Bluetooth. Crunch the numbers, crush the climbs. Crankworx Rotorua is turning ten! Things have changed in a decade, but the underlying ethos of the event remains the same. We had no imagery. We had no imagery at all! We kind of bluffed our way through that first six months. Crankworx has surfed a wave of adversity on an almost yearly basis to pull off the event. Over the decade the face of media has changed significantly. Until the Covid pandemic hit, hundreds of international media were flocking to the event, reporting out around the globe. Post-pandemic, mainstream media outlets have struggled, and the number of visiting reporters has declined. While the media around it has changed, so has the sport of mountain biking itself. The Crankworx festival has grown at a similar trajectory to the sport in New Zealand. Sure, there are some ebbs-and-flows, but the growth of the festival and rider numbers locally is ever increasing. As Crankworx has grown and evolved over its ten years, so has the team that pulls it all together. Previously having the NZ Schools MTB Champs running alongside the festival in and and seeing a three-fold increase in competitor numbers year on year, the team were keen to involve the future of the sport once again. Every student who competes gets tickets to the rest of the event as well. So they can go up and check out the other young people their age competing in the CWNEXT categories, or in some cases, knocking on that elite door. Progress of the sport over the last couple of years has been rapid, with women eager to up their game and be represented on the biggest stage. It started with things like equal prize money back in When the Slopestyle course was redeveloped in , part of the brief was with this in mind. Hopefully it sets a new bar, and then we watch the tide rise. Finding its foundation with pioneering endeavours like bungee jumping and jet boating, Queenstown embodies an enduring spirit that locals have embraced, whilst continually pushing the boundaries — and this remains true today. However, this was fleeting, and at the first sign of summer, white powder would be exchanged for golden dust. Similar to the miners who once explored the region, mountain bikers found the Whakatipu Basin an ideal place to chase their own gold- dust dreams. What was once known predominantly as a winter adventure hub has quickly become a world- renowned destination for all things biking. The quintessential peak of the summer season for the resort town is met with the arrival of the Queenstown Bike Festival. The Queenstown Bike Festival is an annual celebration of various facets of cycling in the area, including races, competitions, and other two- wheeled gatherings. The festival, organised by the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club, has received widespread acclaim each year — captivating the attention of those who may not have been initially interested in biking, while also spotlighting the mountain bike community to a global audience. In the early years, events like the Dirt Masters DH managed to do this effortlessly by catching any last-minute spectators that may not have had the festival on their radar. The race had riders finishing right in the middle of town, down the infamous Brecon Street stair set. Racers were always met with a round of applause, especially if they tried to test their luck and double a set of stairs. The slopestyle, held in the middle of town, was also a crowd favourite. Having a custom freestyle course packed into the centre of town was an impressive achievement, and being able to watch local riders like Kelly McGarry and Conor Macfarlane compete against the best in the world made the spectating even better. Even from its inception, the FMB world tour event was able to attract international competitors to the festival. This, along with the timing of other high level events, like Crankworx Rotorua, gave Kiwi riders a great opportunity to stack up to the foreign talent making the pilgrimage south. As a young grom, the sheer number of professional riders navigating the town at times felt somewhat surreal. Pulling up to any local trailhead and having a good yarn with your favourite rider dissolved any perceived barriers to connecting with these individuals. It bridged the gap, and fostered the realisation that we are all simply part of the same community. The festival returned this past January with almost double the attendance compared to previous years. Its popularity was evident to see during this time, given the abundance of bikes strewn across the CBD and the amount of dust-covered patrons pouring out of local cafes and pubs. I had to take a step back and acknowledge how far the event had come, considering the number of people living outside of town who were making the journey for the festivities. As well as holding spectator favourites like the slopestyle and whip-off, event directors Emmerson and Meagan Wilken want to appeal to a wide-ranging demographic of mountain biking disciplines. The introduction of more family-friendly events such as the pump track and dual slalom races, invite riders of all ages to compete, learn new skills and, most of all, create long-lasting memories for the future. The addition of the likes of the social gravel bike ride also covers an often overlooked side of the scene. This in turn enables riders to progress their skills more rapidly while still being in a safer environment. Both showed a level of maturity in their riding well beyond their years and let the scene know what is to come in the future. To say Camden can whip a bike is an understatement, with some of his whips bringing his back wheel up to his head! He definitely showed up a pro rider or two in attendance. The improving mountain bike facilities in Queenstown benefit not only the youth rider contingent, but also the ever-growing female scene. As the number of female riders in mountain biking reaches new heights, the Queenstown Bike Festival is committed to fostering female participation while aiding the existing momentum towards progression. The festival wants to build upon the foundation of other local events, like the Future Ground Progression Camp, to create an environment of inclusiveness and inspire more female riders to venture outside their comfort zones and give freeride and freestyle competitions a go. It was a long time coming, with many female pro riders like Robin Goomes and Harriet Burbidge- Smith already using the resort as their training base during the Southern Hemisphere summer. The lure of this chance to compete at a higher level encouraged an increase in participation and gave younger female riders an excellent opportunity to ride right beside their idols, giving them first hand exposure of what these events are really like. The rise in participation was also evident throughout the McGazza Fest weekend of the festival. In collaboration with the Queenstown Mountain Bike Club, there are a number of exciting ideas in the pipeline, including a long-term plan to have a permit Slopestyle-specific facility, similar to the one constructed in the Queenstown CBD years ago. This, along with the increase in participation numbers, involvement from the biking community at large, and diversity of events held throughout the duration of the festival, ensures not only mountain bikers and cycling enthusiasts benefit from it, but the wider community of Queenstown does too. Imitation can be a dangerous thing. As a bike hungry teenager, I spent many of high school days hiding behind a computer screen watching the latest mountain bike edits and documentaries. The Tour Du Mont is a spectacular but challenging multiuse alpine route, where hikers and mountain bikers traverse three different countries through some of the most stunning scenery the Alps has to offer. I have always been captivated with the riding in the Alps. High speed single trail that cuts through the Mammoth landscape with ease. The way they showed off the different flow and rough terrain made it something I had to tick off my bucket list. Lucky enough for me, I had chosen to spend the New Zealand winter vanlife-ing around Europe, taste testing as much of the riding it has to offer. Reluctant to take a break from the gravity fed action, it was timw to take on the monster. Joining me on this adventure was a good friend of mine, Fynn Thompson. Fynn, a carpenter from Queenstown who has represented New Zealand in triathlon, is no stanger to getting into the pain cave. A few weeks prior, Fynn had completed the hope , an extremely difficult bikepacking route traversing from one side of Switzerland to the other. The only bikepacking experience I had was completing the Old Ghost Road a couple of years prior. With the Tour Du Mont Blanc having 8, metres of climbing, we knew it was not going to be a walk in the park. Especially with the recommended time to complete the loop being five days. With our tight schedule, we decided to attempt the loop in three days. We had only brought one bike each from New Zealand to tackle anything Europe had to throw at us. Not your traditional bikepacking rigs, but the extra travel would definitely come in handy. Fynn was also running three different bike bags on his bike on the bars, under seat, and top tube whereas I had elected to run just a bar bag and a 50 litre hiking pack. We also planned on wild camping for the two nights on the tour. After a quick breakfast and coffee it was time to begin. Our first slight descent into Chamonix would be one of the only times our tyres would touch the sweet smoothness of asphalt. The TMB loop can be ridden in either direction, however we chose to do it clockwise as the climbs are a lot more bike friendly and the downhills are more enjoyable going this way. Reaching the town centre at the base of Mont Blanc would give us a true perspective of the grandness of the size of it. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in both the Alps and all of Western Europe, with the peak situated at 4, metres above sea level. Chamonix also acts as an extremely popular base camp for all the types of alpinism activities that the mountain offers. Chamonix was the last place to grab any supplies, so we decided to have another fuel up at one of the local bakeries. Any opportunity to grab food or water was always taken, as there would be long stretches on the track that would be isolated from civilization. Making sure you are eating and drinking enough water is vital in a mission like this. The weather in the Alps can be extremely varied with scorching temperatures one day and fresh snow on the hills the next. However, we were lucky to be hitting a very settled weather window of clear skies and reasonably light winds. Even with us attempting this at the start of September, the tail end of summer, the temperatures were still hitting the early 30s at the peak of the day. We made our way out of the hustle and bustle and onto the first bit of single track, following the river out of Chamonix for around an hour and a half until we reached the small village of Le Tour. With a chairlift to the top of the ridgeline, Le Tour gave us the only option for any lift assistance on the ride. After a quick discussion, we decided on the purest approach. Proceeding on led to our first big climb, starting on a steep 4WD track following directly under the chairlift. The loose gravel mixed with the gradient was relentless, where it was possible to ride up. It definitely had me rethinking the chairlift decision. Thankfully, the gradient mellowed as it began to zigzag on a harder packed base into the alpine land where local farmers were using the hillsides for summer grazing. The constant ringing of the bells on the cattle added to the atmosphere. Reaching the ridgeline, we approached our first border crossing into Switzerland. This was nonchalantly signified by a tombstone marking the French and Swiss sides of the ridge. No passport checks here. The ridgeline also signified the first downhill of the day. We dropped into a tight rutty-but-flowy singletrack that funnelled us down to the valley below. The flowy meander then switched into an abrupt, increasingly technical drop down to the valley floor. As you can imagine, a large descent meant more climbing. As we pressed up the valley, we switched between singletrack and 4WD roads at a reasonably relaxed gradient. After a couple of river crossings — over some more than questionable wooden bridges — the track began to tighten and become extremely rough. As the sun was setting behind the surrounding hills, we traversed down to the next valley where we tried to find somewhere for dinner. In the small town of Champex-Lac, we parked up at the only restaurant that appeared to be open, right on the shore of the lake. This turned out to be the perfect camp for the night. Clean public toilets and a covered awning to keep away the dew felt luxurious. In the earlier hours of the day, it felt like we were swarmed by the large number of hikers on the track; the TMB is one of the most popular long-distance walks in Europe, with a majority of its singletrack sections only having enough room for one walker or one biker. Entering back into the alpine altitude, the heat of the sun really started to beat down. Unfortunately, this climb was totally exposed and there was no tree cover to hide from the sun. Heat and sun stroke were always in the back of our minds, but we made it to the next ridgeline without issue. This ridge also marked our next border crossing into Italy. The view into the distance now added a new factor to the vista of Mont Blanc. On the Italian side, the many glaciers that hug the higher points of the mountain are more prominent and visible. However, also visible is the amount they have receded back up the mountain, with bare rocky gullies exposing spots once inhabited by glaciers. A quick inhaling of food and we dropped off into the next valley. This is where things got a bit spicy for me. When I started to drop into the Italian valley it was pulling straight to the handlebar and after vigorous pumping I was unable to get any bite out of the brake. On closer inspection I could see brake fluid pouring out of my lever and that I must have blown a seal or two. Inconvenient was an understatement. With no bike shop on the route I decided to just run the one front brake for the rest of the trip. Cautiously making it down, I chose to forgo the next section of trail and boost down the access road to save time and rendezvous with Fynn in the town of Courmayeur for lunch. Luckily avoiding the Italian business siesta, we refuelled, and feeling that I was falling behind on the pace I set out first to try and get a head start. Completing the TMB requires a small amount of navigational skills as you can ride large sections of the route without seeing any track markers. These track markers are shown by either a green or yellow square with the TMB logo on the inside. However, in my overheating and fatiguing state, I managed to not consult my map and rode for roughly an hour up the valley on the wrong side of a massive river. Frustratingly, I was forced to backtrack to the only way to cross the river. This rookie error had put me roughly two hours behind Fynn. After a frantic late afternoon push to make up ground, I found myself traversing a ski field with the sun setting in the distance. Fortunately, I came across one of the many refuges scattered across the Alps and made the call to try and get a bunk for the night. These refuges are manned 24 hours of the day in the summer and often have a fully staffed kitchen. The roast beef, peas, carrots and a selection of local bread and cheeses definitely helped me forget about the mishap of a few hours earlier. The climb then reached its peak, and we headed over our final border crossing back into France. Standing on the ridgeline gave us the best views of the entire ride; a full degree of European alpine excellence. Also a treat was the following descent, which was definitely the most flowy and playful downhill of the trip. We approached the township of Les Chapieux where we made a quick stop for lunch. Although a traditional French quiche and salad was not exactly the most ideal endurance fuel, we made do and pressed on to the most gruelling climb on the loop. The grade of the trail began too steep to ride, so pushing or carrying your bike was the only option. In the heat of the sun it was pure punishment but reaching the top gave us an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Following a couple of rock garden scrambles, we were treated to a 20km descent through varying terrain. The drop in altitude felt never-ending until we finally hit the town of Les Contamines- Montjoie. By this point, I was personally flogged and could feel the dreaded bonk beginning to set in. In a speedy trip to the supermarket for some kai, a couple cans of Coke and a bag of lollies combined to keep the bonk at bay … for now. At this point, we only had one more climb and descent to go to complete the loop. In my fatigued state, I chose to take a route that followed a more paved road, whereas Fynn followed the marked TMB trail. This was a timesaving strategy, as again we were trying to work with the remaining daylight we had left. We managed to make it to the top of the last set of hills just as the sun had set. With one head torch and two phone lights we managed to navigate a series of overgrown walking trails that lead into the Les Houches bike park. I was in no mood to try and enjoy any of the bike park trails in the pitch black. Feeling close to exhaustion, we started to pass through the glow of street lights and all of a sudden we had returned back to the van, where we had set off two days earlier. The Tour du Mont Blanc was a master class in character building mixed with some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever experienced on two wheels. Did Matt and the Specialized crew make it look easy? But any type of adventure condensed into a seven minute edit is going to have its fair share of sugar coating. I can personally say the pain was worth it and I am stoked to have it ticked off my bucket list. Alone aside from the bike, I pondered how many days we still had together, knowing our time together was soon to end. At the time, a short travel trail bike leaning towards a playful style of trail riding. It was just too limiting for my preferred riding spots. Step forward a few years and in comes the Cannondale Habit LT 1, a longer-legged version of the Habit. According to the Cannondale size chart, at cm tall I sit right at the top of the Medium, or bottom of the Large size. What to do? A few weeks later the rig arrived fully built and ready to roll. A full carbon construction, everything other than the suspension linkage is sweet, sweet, carbon fibre, including the chain and seat stays. With no seat stay bridge to be seen, the seat stays are separate, tied together only by the yolk that drives the shock, and the rear wheel axle. Cannondale has a somewhat chequered past in some respects, due to regularly adding proprietary technology or features on their bikes, which has ultimately put some riders off making the step onto the brand. A threaded bottom bracket, boost spaced rear end, and regular tub-in-tube internal routing for cables, no niggly headset routing or strange rear wheel offsets on this bike! Small and Medium share the same chain stay length, all other sizes are unique in length. Different length rear ends also mean size-specific rear shock and suspension kinematic tunes, keeping the bike optimised for the rider, however tall they maybe. The head-angle sits at a conservative but precise The main frame has a single bottle cage mount on the downtube, and an accessory mount under the top tube. Cannondale designers have done a nice job of helping to keep the frame looking fresh long-term, and quiet to ride with well-thought-out rubber protection on the downtube, chain stay and seat stay. Strategically placed top tape keeps other key areas on the frame scuff-free. The addition of a rubber mudguard behind the bottom bracket, over the main pivot, keeps the area contaminant-free and helps with bearing longevity. No complaints here, it just needs the occasional tweak of cable tension, and a clean chain to maintain hassle-free performance. The cockpit and dropper post are taken care of by Cannondale in-house labels, while the grips and saddle are Fabric branded items. The dropper is mm and is nice and smooth — not a shotgun fast return but not so slow as to be an issue. The dropper lever does its thing with no qualms, and is nice and smooth with a light action. The stem is also a Cannondale in-house number and comes in a nice new-school 40mm length. Not once have I had to pull out the spoke key to remedy a wobble after a cased gap or smashed root. A clean and lube of the freehub may have been necessary, had I been riding in the wet regularly — but over the review period, I touched the mud just a few times. The Dissector is an acceptable summer option as a rear tyre, and great in conditions where it can cut in for some traction, but in loose or muddy surfaces it struggles for braking traction the central knobs are quite low. A bit of experimenting with the high and low-speed compressions left me with the high-speed wide open and two clicks from fully open on the low speed; this seemed a decent setup for most conditions of trails I ride. I subtracted a couple of clicks from recommended on the rebound, speeding the back end up to just how I like it. Once the suspension was dialled in, I took the bike for a quick ride and my first impression was that this bike is built for fun: poppy and playful. My second impression is how high the front end is. The large mm stack combined with the 30mm rise of the mm wide HollowGram SAVE handlebar made it super easy to chuck a sweet wheelie, or manual through a section, but on everything other than steep descents left me feeling disconnected from the front tyre. After some time with my trusty tape-measure, I landed on a mm wide, 15mm rise bar and a single 10mm spacer under the stem. Lowering the front made me feel more centred on the bike, with more weight over the front but still keeping the front end high enough for some aggressive riding. Once I got the front end to an acceptable level for me , it unlocked the cornering of the bike and I felt comfy and at home. The rear suspension kinematic is linear through most of the travel, feeling consistent through most of the shock stroke and finishing with a steep ramp-up at the end of the travel, preventing harsh bottom-outs. Descending on the Habit LT is just plain fun. Central rider weight keeps the bike planted, aiding traction and helping keep you very much under control. On steep trails, with lots of large successive hits, the suspension stiffens up somewhat under the braking forces, causing the back end to feel quite harsh. Low anti-squat means the rear suspension is still plenty active under pedalling, ideal for a bike aimed at descending fun, rather than pedalling prowess. I found this quite noticeable and was surprised by just how much it could sink into its travel on really steep uphill pitches. Fear not though; the lockout lever is within easy reach and very effective. The bike tracks well across off-camber and through flat turns, partly due to the geometry putting rider weight centrally between the wheels, partly due to the supple suspension kinematic, but also because of the back end having a healthy amount of torsional compliance, aka flex. In recent years, designers have been moving away from the aim of having the stiffest bike, aiming for a perfectly tuned flex through the frame. Mellow trails i. That said, once I got my setup dialled, this bike was awesome. Even with some of the most recognisable and world renowned tracks for training and progression, the Kiwi racing scene faces the conundrum of a steady decline in the number of junior riders making their way through to competing at elite level. This could be due to a change to the unpopular format UCI has adopted, or the broader financial pressures faced by race teams and support systems in and around the races. Not to mention the agonizingly close times being laid down by some of the top riders. Amidst these challenges, one Queenstown-based family is on a mission to redefine past conventions and bring a high performance framework to their racing on and off the bike. The Meek family have always had the mindset that success and innovations tend to grow from humble beginnings. As a young couple, they sought the adventure and experience of working life as expats. Both avid mountain bikers, they were able to take advantage of the plethora of tropical jungle trails that Hong Kong offers. The boys would quickly make the jungle their own. As a family, they would constantly add to the network of trails around them, building their own tracks for the boys to hone their skills. The boys bounced between racing BMX and mountain bikes and as their skill levels progressed, Steve became frustrated with the limited options available for bikes for the boys to ride. With most bikes at the time weighing a tonne, they were not suited for younger riders. This created a bike that was far lighter than the mass market kids bikes, and the forks gave Toby more of a fighting chance for riding control when it came to getting down steeper trails. Being a hardtail came with some limitations, but it allowed Toby to go out riding with Steve. Soon enough, Rory also needed a boke, and with Toby outgrowing the capabilities of the hardtrail, Steve took it upon himself to come up with something bolder. Steve went out and sourced a size small Giant Trance and chopped it down to create a custom full-suspension bike for Toby. Steve had to formulate the best possible design for shrinking the frame to allow enough stand over height for Toby to fit the bike and be as comfortable as possible. The MeekBoyz design criteria centred around the bike performance, weight, tailored geometry and, most importantly, a full-functioning suspension system for young riders with capabilities to ride down more advanced trails. Having a composites background, Steve chose carbon fibre for the bike frames and rims. It was a no-brainer as it is light, more versatile than other metals and has long-term durability. Working with carbon is a highly labor intensive task and requires a large work space. Fortunately, being based in Hong Kong enabled Steve to access and set up in the epicenter of the carbon bike industry, in Taiwan and China. Steve is adamant about only putting the best components on his bikes. From years of experience, he knows only top quality parts ensure the integrity of a high-performance bike range. This attention to detail eliminates any unneccessary stress of worrying about equipment and lets the boys focus on the racing. Rory achieved third in the world — twice! They are no strangers to the UCI world cup circuit either, as they frequented as spectators, and competed in events such as Crankworx Whistler and US Open — where Rory has won his age group twice. The boys were even invited to a surreal experience to race the Longling DH Memorial Event, in Yunnan Province, China, where they competed against other racing phenoms, including Jackson Goldstone. When the boys reached high school age, the family moved back to New Zealand and settled in Queenstown, in search of a more balanced lifestyle and a better base to focus on racing. The family is very passionate about biking not being the be-all and end-all, and feel having a well-rounded worldview is imperative to personal growth. With the pool of talented riders across New Zealand, it can be hard to stay grounded and focus on what is important, but life skills learnt away from the bike carry over and greatly improve results. This is why the boys were always encouraged to chase other hobbies like hunting, fishing, surfing and even kite surfing — which they also excelled in and competed in at a high level. The family model their operations off the Atherton family and admire the success they have, while keeping things tight-knit. In the early days, it was hard to stand out and the family found it challenging to find sponsors to support the boys. The family was early to implement the use of social media to promote the Meekboyz brand, and it has been a pivotal part of their success. What started off as the boys filming and sharing videos of their riding online, has snowballed into picking up notable long-term sponsors, like Continental tyres, and accumulating over 35, Instagram followers. Social media also benefits the Meekboyz physical business of selling bikes, which then allows more funding to flow back into supporting the boys with their racing. Markus Stoeckl, team owner and mountain bike world record holder invited Toby to travel with the team through Europe and learn the ins and outs of how a professional race team operates. Team rider, Laurie Greenland, was instrumental in showing Toby the pace required to race at world cup level and served as a great role model. Toby then went on to sign onto MS Mondraker Team for his remaining two junior years. He was over the moon to join the team and ride alongside someone as successful as Laurie, who he had always looked up to. Firstly, a cracked pelvis training in Leogang, Austria, followed by a broken arm in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. He then suffered a dislocated shoulder in the following race, in Maribor, Slovenia, which forced him to come home to New Zealand to have shoulder surgery and miss the rest of the season. Due to his injuries, Toby felt like he had unfinished business and had not achieved the results he knew he was capable of. For his first year, competing in the elite category, he won every national round that he entered. This span of good form continued as he went on to win the New Zealand national downhill champs, donning the coveted New Zealand sleeve for the international race season. He also collected a third place in the under 17 category at the downhill national champs event hosted by Coronet Peak to top off the season, creating a great platform to work from moving into the elite junior category. He backed this up by achieving four more top 60 results and was an agonizing two hundredths of a second off qualifying for the finals event at Pal Arinsal, in Andorra. Fortunately, Toby remained injury free. He had hoped to test the upcoming Mondraker DH prototype being developed by the team for the world cup races, but unfortunately this opportunity never eventuated. This was a disappointment for him. One of the challenges of being the youngest rider is the limited access to the same parts and opportunities as more experienced riders. This is likely to change, given the next generation of riders competing at a world cup level now are proving that they are just as fast and talented as the seasoned riders on the circuit. Despite these shortcomings, Toby was still able to finish the UCI season in 60th place overall, and has set himself a strong foundation for more success in the future. Creating Meekboyz Racing will allow the family full control over the racing operations. The team is definitely one to keep your eye on in Unfortunately, only selected models are available here in NZ. Having seen KTM eBikes on international websites and under a few E-Enduro World Cup riders over recent years, when the opportunity came up to throw a leg over one I jumped at the chance. First off, both bikes are stunning to look at. Paint schemes are distinct: the Prestige in its platinum bronze matte, and the Exonic in a translucent orange and black. Both bikes look slick, but the Exonic takes the cake in the right light, layers of carbon are visible through the paint and the sunshine really makes it pop! There are bosses and space for a bottle in the front triangle — great! The frame features headset-routed cables and, being an eBike, there are a few tucked in there. The battery can be removed through the hatch along the top side of the downtube. Bosch has cemented itself as one of the top-performing drive units for the eMTB segment, and both our test bikes feature top-level units from the German powerhouse. The Race motor shares the same lower three assistance modes as the CX, but trades Turbo for the full gas Race mode. The CX-level motor is great for a bike like this, but the Race motor is both figuratively and literally next level. The Bosch Flow app allows some customisation for how the power is delivered across assistance levels, and given some more time I might have tweaked the setup to not be quite so peppy. An often-overlooked feature both motors share is the Extended Boost. When in eMTB or Race mode where applicable , the motor continues to run on slightly after coming off the pedal power, continuing to deliver drive for a split second longer. This helps keep a consistent delivery of power, regardless of how bad your pedal stroke is, or having to stop pedalling to get through a technical section — think, a quick pause or half pedal kick while climbing a technical section to avoid clipping a pedal. The CX motor has the same feature, but the Race motor takes it up a notch giving a bit more of a kick. A subtle feature that I really dig. Of course, this also comes with a bit of a weight penalty over smaller batteries, but is well worth it in my book. The Exonic gets the premium gold Kashima coating on its Factory stanchions, as well as dials for a 3-level compression adjustment: Open mode compression adjustment and obligatory Rebound Damping dial. Both forks are fitted with the sweet Fox-specific bolt on the mud-guard. Between the two bikes, I really like the simplicity of the Performance Elite fork — just dial in the air pressure, hop on and ride! Both shocks are a great option for a bike like this. Providing an exceptionally plush mm of rear wheel travel, the Factory level shock has just a little more of a buttery feel thanks to its Kashima coating. Both shocks also have a lever to firm up the compression which, once flicked, calms the shock down while climbing. Being coil-sprung, the back end is far more supple than a more commonly found air shock and thus tracks super well, keeping the wheel glued to the ground and holding its line across rough terrain. Between the two shocks, the difference when out riding is negligible and, if blindfolded, I doubt anyone could feel the difference between the two models. KTM knocked it out of the park when selecting drivetrains for these bikes. A mm dropper post on a Large bike? You read that correctly. Both bikes have a mm dropper fitted. A click of a button makes it all very easy to use. Wheels on eMTB are generally not something to sing about but, in this case, we see a couple of solid and distinctly different options. The only question mark is, being carbon, does the longevity of the rims come into question — particularly if you love bashing rocks? Fortunately, DT Swiss has a good warranty policy! The combined weight of an eMTB and its pilot travelling at speed is a lot to slow down. KTM have specced great brakes on both bikes, but a bit of an oversight sees them both let down in the braking department. Prestige has the tried-and-true Shimano Saint 4-piston downhill brakes; they bed in quickly and offer consistent power and performance. The Exonic level gets a set of Magura MT7 HC3 4-piston brakes; they have great adjustment and, once set up, they feel nice, solid and consistent; the levers feel comfortable and ergonomic once the multiple adjustments are dialled in. Both bikes get a mm rotor up front which is great and offers enough bite and overall power for any scenario. Unfortunately, both bikes have just a mm rear rotor, simply not enough to effectively slow the momentum of bike and rider. During long steep descents the rotor overheated and the brake just lost power. The head angle sits at The upside of this is it keeps the bike nimble in most scenarios, even on mellow or flat trails. The bikes climb well, their shorter reach and comparatively long stem 50mm help keep weight on the front and keep the wheel on the ground. Thanks to a high anti-squat, the bike sits up in its travel while climbing steep sections. Nothing strange stood out while hitting take-offs, but it does take a little to adapt to the weight. Overall, the bikes excel on flatter terrain; shining on slower, technical trails more than wide open, fast and chunky steeps. Outside of a couple of minor things, the component package on both bikes is solid. It does feel a little like KTM has taken the geometry of a shorter travel eBike, aimed at trail riding, and stretched the travel out to that of a heavy-hitting all-mountain bike. So, where does that leave us? Rolling trails, some technical, some rough — but not extreme. Search Cart. CamelBak M. Growing up in this alpine paradise has allowed me to witness first-hand the expansive growth that this once-sleepy village has undergone in recent years. Tour du Mt. Day One. We started our journey first thing in the morning in the Quaint French Town of Les Houches, roughly a 45 minute drive from Morzine. Les Houche is a ski resort with tree lined slopes that are combined with impressive views of the Mont Blanc Mountain Range and the Chamonix Valley. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in both the Alps and all Western Europe, with the peak situated at 4, metres above sea level. Day Two. After a good night's kip, we got straight on the bike and rode roughly eight kilometres up the valley until we reached the village of La Fouly for breakfast. The plan was to just run the local supermarket, however, nothing looked that appealing and, instead, Fynn managed to hunt out a breakfast buffet at the local cafe. All-you-can-eat toast, muesli, and coffee was the perfect carbo loading to start the day. Day Three. At first light, I boosted down the trail to meet up with Fynn for a coffee and debrief on the previous day's debacle. We had now been put back slightly in our timeframe and had to put in a big shift to finish today. We were met by another beautiful morning with a more relaxed gradient that tracked past a series of Alpine refuges and what felt like hundreds of people enjoying the outdoors. The Tour du Mont Blanc was a masterclass in character building, mixed with some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen on two wheels. A summertime fling. New Zealand has always punched well above its weight when it comes to producing high performing downhill racers on the international circuit. Drive Units Bosch has cemented itself as one of the top-performing drive units for the eMTB segment, and both our test bikes feature top-level units from the German powerhouse. Drivetrain KTM knocked it out of the park when selecting drivetrains for these bikes. Dropper Posts A mm dropper post on a Large bike? Wheels Wheels on eMTB are generally not something to sing about but, in this case, we see a couple of solid and distinctly different options. Brakes The combined weight of an eMTB and its pilot travelling at speed is a lot to slow down. Geometry and Handling The head angle sits at