Depending on the type of riding you’re doing, the frame material can either be a large help or a huge detriment. The benefit of rigid bikes is that they can be more efficient over smooth terrain since there is no suspension movement interfering with pedal efficiency. However, today many hardtail mountain bikes, including some Trail models, have a lockout on the suspension fork meaning you can have the benefit of suspension when you need it and the ability to lock it out when you don’t. Where we’ve been able to link to a review, it means that we’ve put the head protection through its paces. All of the members of the Cycling Weekly Tech Team have years of experience in riding bikes in all disciplines and have a huge wealth of knowledge and wear helmets almost every time we ride.
One of the other big development goals is to create a trailhead space that will bring the riding community together. “The cool thing about Mystic is that there are so many logging roads crisscrossing the hill. With some careful planning, you can make it a really cool trail riding experience with genesis mountain bike a few links here and there,” he says. Dirt Art was contracted to put together a master plan about 12 months ago to look at the future of the park. As part of that they designed several trails on Emily Spur, some of which has just been built, to offset some of what will be lost in Mystic Bowl.
Generally made from steel and titanium, these are typically equipped with 26- or 29-inch wheels. Each kind of bike excels in different conditions and riding styles, so getting a few basics out of the way will help you determine what bike best suits your needs. Genesis are building a reputation for thoughtful and well designed bikes so it is fair to say that there had been a sense of expectation once we knew the Alpitude was winging its way to us. There has been much talk about the Alpitude and the clear design ethos behind it, which was to make a bike that you could… At around 27lbs the Core weighs in somewhere in the middle of the scale that you would expect for a 120mm trail blaster but it feels nippy and easy to spin up to speed thanks to the lightweight rims and fast rolling tyres. The wheelset is lightweight with an internal rim width of 19mm that will take good sized rubber which means you could add some float to the ride with some high volume tyres.
However, it’s really important that even the best road bike helmets are replaced even if it looks like just a minor scuff on the outer casing. This is because the integrity of the EPS, and other safety features which are designed to absorb the impact are highly likely to have been damaged by doing their job perfectly. This means that the next time you crash, there won’t be anywhere for the energy to go, making a head injury more likely.
For those looking to get into it, there are several different types of bikes to choose from. With a range of specifications and technical aspects, there’s a lot that you’ll need to keep in mind to get the right bike for you. The Core range is based around a 6061 aluminium tube set that is butted where needed with some gentle manipulation to ovalise the down tube as it meets the seat tube at the bottom bracket shell.
While seemingly superficial, anyone who has ridden with an aero lid will know the challenge of trying to stow sunglasses when they’re not on your face. They’re meant to be best compatible with POC’s own brand sunnies, but we teamed the helmet with a whole host of brands and found them to hold tight to every single pair. The semi-aero lid did suffer a little with breathability however, and while the ventilation was very good, on the hottest of riding days it could have done with the ability to suck even more cool air in. That said, on the sweatiest of days in the saddle, we found that the Protone’s water irrigation design is top-notch, managing to avoid channelling sweat down onto sunglasses or into eyes. Our test model in a small weighed in at just 170g (the claimed weight for the medium is 200g). We certainly found that this translated to a featherweight feel on the head, with the ventilation adding to the general comfort.
This leads to an added element of upkeep as more parts generally mean more maintenance. Bearing the same name as the sport, XC bikes are for long-distance riding and racing. Hardtails make up a large proportion of the bikes designed for cross country, although full-suspension bikes with a lockable front suspension are now more common. As mountain biking has developed over the years, so too have the types of bikes. Besides the ones listed below, there are several subcategories and combinations thereof. They have two functions – to reduce the weight of the helmet, and also to add ventilation.
It should be possible to loosen the retention system on a helmet to allow for a thermal skull cap or cycling cap to be worn underneath. This is done for added warmth, and the bill of a cycling cap can be useful for deflecting rain from the eyes. Because of this, caps are a common sight in the spring classics, such as Paris-Roubaix. If when you try on a helmet the retention system is at either end of limit, it is probably the wrong size for you. All helmet manufacturers will have a size guide on their websites, and we highly recommend following each brand’s recommendations of how to measure for its helmets before investing in a purchase.
The shield is kept secure with a magnetic anchor attachment and it can also be stored in a flipped-up position. There’s a new MIPS iteration that’s more comfortable than the original version and the helmet has a compact shape that fends off the weather without overheating. We found the fitting system to be effective and comfortable with a good amount of adjustability. Bell’s XR helmet is aimed at cyclists who like to ride both on and off-road and require a helmet to cover both terrains. We found the Protone to be one of the most comfortable helmets we’d ever tested, and indeed one of the lightest, beating the Giro Synthe by 20g (0.7oz).
As we touched on before, a top priority is to bring in a lower mountain, beginner shuttle experience similar to Dirt Surfer at Maydena, which offers 200m of elevation and a green flow trail. French tells Flow this would ideally be serviced by ATV uplift though further investigation is needed to see if that last part is feasible. “Ultimately, we’re trying to provide the best riding experience, and that’s not a cheap thing to do.