FEATURES

SEEING RED BULL
The Austrian energy drink brand and their emblematic blue and silver logo has become synonymous with extreme mountain biking and World Cup racing. But after 30 years of continuous reinvention, the death of its founder, postponed events, tightening budgets and the loss of its UCI contract, Red Bull’s future with the sport is uncertain.

THE PHOTO ANNUAL
Beyond the thrill of a great descent, mountain biking offers a way to explore; to adventure away from the beaten track. From the volcanic tundra of Iceland to the Candy Cane Mountains of Azerbaijan to the rich rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, photographers capture mountain biking in the diversity of off-road landscapes that favor two wheels.

RIDING THE DHR
In Northeast India, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) travels over 50 miles and 7,200 vertical feet from the lowlands of Siliguri to the base of the Himalaya. But why just ride the rails if you can rip singletrack, too? Dan Milner, Steffi Marth and Vinay Menon explore the trails around the historic route and discover a devoted mountain bike community deep in West Bengal.

DEPARTMENTS

Editor's Note

Letters

Paraphernalia

Profile: Framing the Future
Ryan Cleek entered the world of mountain bike media as a writer for Mountain Bike Action. So how did he come to find himself editing a homemade, feature-length documentary about one of the sport’s most iconic riders?

Chain Of Fools: The Saturday Morning Ride
Do you ever wonder what your bike thinks when you take it out for a ride? Jen See jumps inside the imagination of your two- wheeled steed and gives us a cheeky take.

Trail Anatomy: Cole Basin Ranch
In the early ‘90s Coal Basin Mine, just outside of Redstone, Colorado closed for good. After decades of cleanup, the land is now safe and home to a growing network of mountain bike trails.

Outlaws: Unpacking Potential
Lachlan Morton was headed towards international road racing stardom. But you won’t find him on UCI podiums. Instead, he’s pursuing endurance rides with a greater purpose.

Tested: Alchemy Arktos 135

Tested: Ibis Oso E-MTB 86 Tested: Canyon Spectral 125

We Are One Composites Wheels
We Are One's British Columbia-made Convergence rims could be the best-riding, most beautiful hoops on the market today.

Framebuilder: Ira Ryan
Ira Ryan always loved bikes; whether he was riding to school, delivering mail, racing gravel or building for Breadwinner. It was only a matter of time before he started his own frame building venture.

Live, Laugh, Loam
Sometimes the footage makes a day memorable, other times it’s the wipeouts. On shuttle days, it’s as much the conundrum of getting out of the house as it is the riding itself—photos or not.

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On the cover: Sunrise spills through a window in the tree cover as Evan Booth navigates a ribbon of trail amongst massive ferns, deep in the jungles of Vermont. Brooks Curran

Department contents: After summiting just in time for sunset, Linus Archibald and Pat Bernhard begin their descent as the last few rays of light hit their backs. Oskar Enander