The aim behind Mt Zoom products is to offer the lightest components for the most demanding racers, so durability is important, as it a keen eye on price. And nowhere is that more clear than with their carbon fibre handlebar, described as the “the ultimate cross-country bar.”

Ultimate by nature, but not ultimate by price. The Ultimate Carbon Flat Bar is offered in two versions, Ultralight and Barend Friendly, the former weighing just 94g in its lightest incarnation, with a 25.4mm diameter central section and 580mm width. Wider and fatter options are available in the range.

We’ve just received the Barend Friendly version, which makes it ideal for cross-country or marathon racing (we’re thinking some of the 12-hour races we’ve got lined up this summer), when paired up with some bar ends (what do you mean bar ends died out in the 90s?)

There’s a few more layers of carbon fibres to ensure the clamp forces of bar ends, which put a massive amount of force through the bars when you’re out of the saddle and heaving on them, doesn’t lead to any structural issues.

Despite that reinforcing carbon, the bar, in 640mm width picture here, only tips the scales at 116g. That’s with a 31.8mm clamp area. A 0° rise makes them ideal for the growing number of 29ers, to keep the front end low, and they have a 6° rearward sweep.

The handlebar is well presented, made from 3K carbon fibre with cleanly cut ends. The bar has been designed to make precision setting up, in the stem and with brake and shift lever placement, easy due to large areas of printed markers.

Printed 10mm incremented cutting marks wrap all the way round the bars to make cutting them down easy. The stem and bar end clamp areas have a roughened surface to prevent things slipping. The central section of the bar wears a printed grid for precision lining up of the bars in the stem.

Given how light they are, it’s pleasing to note they have no rider weight limit.

We’ve also got our hands on some of Mt Zoom’s Ultralight Bar Ends. It’s been a few years since we last used bar ends, when we did the Absa Cape Epic stage race. With a couple of longer distance events coming up, we’ll be looking to reintroduce ourselves to the advantages of riding bar ends, particularly on climbs.

The bar ends are made form 7075 aluminium with a titanium bolt helping to keep weight down to just 45g a pair. They’re 107mm in length and angled inwards slight, with a contoured shape to make them more comfortable to grip. Logo-ed bar plugs come supplied.

We’ll be putting them on our resident test/race bike and trying them out. If they’re good enough for Ant White, they’re good enough for us

Ultralight Bar Ends £24.99
Ultimate Barend Friendly bar £74.99

Available from http://mtzoom.com

Bike Blenheim Palace event director Paul Orsi said: “We’ve been wanting to provide an off-road element for mountain bike riders for a long time, it’s fantastic to be able to bring this awesome new route in 2012 now that the event has grown to two days.”

The course will see riders head south on the tarmac roads of Blenheim Estate before turning north up the west side of the Estate through what’s described as an “undulating and gnarly off-road section”. The route will then zig-zag through Blenheim Palace’s private woodland before crossing open countryside, heading towards the Oxfordshire village of Charlbury.

Bridleways will take riders through farmland, in and out of copses (small thickets of woodland) and on a host of minor ascents and descents. Riders are then rewarded with a well-earned feed stop after 24km before turning through the village of Stonesfield and crossing a river before climbing back up to East End.

A fast descent follows through the bridleways, continuing back over the river before climbing up to the village of Combe. A fast tarmac section will head north along the road to the stewarded T-junction before the route returns to the Blenheim Palace Estate for a final off-road trail through the trees, out through a field, and onto the road that heads towards the Palace and the finish line.

Bike Blenheim Palace is a two-day cycling festival which includes a 60/80-mile road sportive, family rides and the Brompton World Championships. Entry to the off-road event costs £28. Fine out more at www.blenheimpalace.com

As the dust settles on the most recent round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup XC race last weekend in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic, Specialized publish the latest instalment of their behind-the-scenes video with their team, including Burry Stander and Jaroslav Kulhavy.

Bike choice is a big area of debate, with racers on 29er hardtails and short travel 29er full suspension bikes, and the Specialized athletes have a choice between the company’s Epic and Stumpjumper.

Tyre choice is critical, especially at this level of competition, and it’s something the guys share their thoughts on in this video.

And, if you still think cross-country racers can’t handle rough technical trails, fast forward to 4:17…

Southern Champs was a big target of mine: last year I won the elite title.

Sunday morning my focus and determination was sky high, I wasn’t going to lose the title without a fight. A pre ride of the course revealed a familiar track through the bluebells of Wasing Estate.

On race day you know fairly quickly how your body is responding to the efforts, even during practise, on Sunday riding the track felt almost effortless.

You can see my video from practise here:

A strong field of elite riders had gathered including the regular Southern XC Series competitors plus a few additional extras like John Whittington and professional cyclo-cross star Ian Field. From the start gun I leapt into the lead along the first flat fireroad drag, I never looked behind but could still hear people on my wheel.

Taking the left hand turn into the first climb I accelerated again, hoping to cause my rivals some pain and knowing if I was first into the singletrack I could recover before the next climb. Out of the singletrack I put in another big effort.

During this race I could feel that my training was beginning to work, the pedals kept turning and as a result the gap to my rivals grew. Eventually I looked over my shoulder, Ben Sumner had joined me. Going into the second lap I let Ben take the lead, only for a short while though, I wanted to ride this race at my pace. Half way through this lap Ben Sumner crashed on one of the many tough rooty sections. It was a little too early to be leading this one out alone but I had no choice.

Onto the third lap and the red and yellow colours of Ian Field could be seen steadily closing the gap. A little mistake was enough for him to close up on me and take the lead. His 29er full suspension bike was making easy work of the rough trails but I was making back time on the open fireroads and climbs. Eventually on the fourth lap the elastic snapped, a 10 second gap grew and Ian could be seen ahead managing the gap.

With a big lead over third place I slowed the pace on the final lap beginning to think about the following weekend’s race. Crossing the finish line Ian had a 30 second lead, and I was a further 1 minute 30 up on Ade Lansley in 3rd. To lose the Southern Champs title was a disappointment but the form is good, the motivation is high, and this coming weekend there’s a National Marathon Championship title to fight for.

Here’s my post-race thoughts:

Everyone has their favourite type of trail.

For some it’s loamy tree-lined singletrack, the ground soft and roots the main obstacle of challenge. Others prefer rocky boulder fields, littered with steep drops and savage short climbs.

Some steer towards manicured trails with consistent surfaces (like those found at many trail centres), and others prefer the unpredictably of riding new trails all the time and never knowing what is around the corner.

What constitutes the ideal mountain bike trail is different from person to person, and depends so much on riding style, bike choice, fitness and many other factors. But what makes a trail great in your books, and gets you out riding again and again?

Tell us what makes a great trail in the comments box below:

Annie Last set to represent Great Britain at Olympic Games

Caroline Alexander and Louise Robinson were the last women to represent Great Britain in cross-country mountain biking at the Olympics, finishing 12th and 15th respectively at Sydney 2000.

But, with no representative at Athens 2004, and no rider set to compete in Beijing, Dixon hatched a five-year plan in 2007 to have a female rider on the start line in London.

That has coincided with the emergence of Annie Last, a rising star in the sport, and, with the two-year qualification period to end after this weekend’s round of the World Cup in La Bresse, Great Britain lie 15th in the women’s Olympic rankings – but Dixon won’t sleep easy until qualification is confirmed on May 23.

“We started the plan to qualify a woman to London 2012 back in 2007,” said Dixon. “I knew it would be a very hard thing to achieve because we were starting from zero, but only now can I appreciate how draining the whole process has been.”

Nations ranked first to eighth in the women’s rankings get two spots at the Games in London, while ninth to 18th earn one place on the start line, with Great Britain 15th to all-but-secure Last’s place among the 30 riders set to contest the race over the Olympic course at Hadleigh Farm.

The men’s qualification follows a similar format, with nations ranked first to fifth getting three riders each, sixth to 13th qualifying two, and 14th to 24th earning one, with Great Britain 16th in the rankings.

POC Trail shorts £75

I’m a fan of lightweight baggy shorts and POC’s new Trail shorts fall squarely into that category.

They’re unlined which is preferable if you have a favourite pair of padded Lycra shorts to wear underneath, but does mean they look expensive compared to shorts that are supplied with a liner.

The fit is generous but they don’t feel too flappy when riding. My only gripe is the lack of waist band adjusters that let you tailor their fit. I found the medium size a little loose around the waist – they didn’t slip down during riding but being able to easily adjust the fit would have been a nice addition. The only provision is the belt loops, but who wants to wear a belt when they’re hitting the trails?

Durability is sometimes the price you pay for lightweight fabrics. The thin 100% polyamide fabric is breathable, not that the weather has been kind enough to really test that to the limit. The fabric, despite being so thin, has so far stood up to plenty of riding – we’ve practically been living in them since they arrived for testing – but we’ve yet to test them in a crash. Construction is top-notch, with smooth seams throughout and high quality stitching apparent.

Features are kept to a minimum. The aforementioned belt loops, two side pockets and one small zipped pocket at the bottom of the short. POC branding is discrete; a large contrast logo runs up the side of the leg and some small rubber tabs dotted about. Understated and cool looking, they go with any outfit.

Three colours are available in size sizes from 28 to 38in.

Verdict

A really nice high quality baggy short that has been let down by the lack of waist adjustment, but the price is somewhat on the hefty side.

www.pocsports.com

www.2pure.co.uk

Coaching makes a difference to riders of all abilities but it has the most impact on the less experienced riders who are new to the sport. For these riders learning how to do the basics right creates a great skills foundation on which to build.

The organising team of the Hope XC Series are especially keen to attract the less experienced rider into racing at our low key grass roots series so we have pulled together a unique offer.

Essentially it’s simple; enter the series and we will help you to ride smoother and faster and give you the confidence to race not just ride our courses. We have lined up three qualified coaches supported by an experienced coach educator to deliver a structured coaching package to turn riders into racers.

Up to four days of coaching will be available and on each day a set of structured sessions will be delivered. Do one day or do four, your riding will improve.

The Hope XC Series has always been designed to allow riders of all standards compete and enjoy themselves in a dramatic venue. Lee Quarry with its excellent Rowan Sowell designed trails, cheeky “off piste” sections and dramatic quarry walls is set against the scenic backdrop of the Rossendale Valley and is somewhere once raced is never forgotten.

In order to be accessible to all at each race two courses are operated at the same time. The “Have-a-go” course threads its way through the quarry on a smoother less challenging route than the main course. The technically challenging main course is where the organising team push hard to cram in exciting descents mixed in with technical climbs to test the all round ability of the riders. Each race is different with familiar sections often reversed and new sections introduced each week to ensure that the same course is never raced twice.

A little more detail

What is happening? We have three great British Cycling qualified MTB XC coaches lined up to provide structured quality coaching who will be providing group coaching sessions at Lee Quarry during the series.

Who is it for? The main focus is to develop the Have-a-go category riders (the less fit, able and experienced) and for 2012 there will be up to 4 full day sessions available.

New for 2012 we are also going to lay on coaching sessions for the Weekend Warriors/ Racing Diva’s and Silverbacks category riders who ride our main course and are generally more experienced. Availability will depend on demand but we will be focusing on developing flow on the trails and delivering “mastering the pump track” sessions.

What does it cost? Nothing, you become eligible by entering the full race series. Get series entry in here if demand is high it will be on a first come first served basis or we will split the days up.

When are the dates? We are finalising these and we will let riders know. The dates will be fixed due to coach availability. They don’t have to do all the sessions, they just let us know which ones they want to do when the dates are out.

Why are we doing this? Why not? The quarry is an exciting place to ride and race and we are keen to develop the XC race scene in the North West. We pride ourselves on being accessible to all and we want to encourage riders to come and have a go and we see this as a key activity supporting this. The feedback we got last year was tremendous and we want to build on that.

What else are we doing? We are supporting our coaches with Mark Grange an experienced coach educator who will essentially be coaching the coaches. This will mean that we will be building their skills and coaching techniques to deliver great sessions.

Race dates: 27th May, 1st July, 2nd September, 14th October.

Keep checking the website www.brownbacksracing.co.uk  over the coming weeks for more news as we finalise our series sponsors.

Photo: SCOTT Sports/Marius Maasewerd

The latest film from the team that brought us The Collective, a pivotal film in mountain biking history, is Strength in Numbers. Dates for its UK cinema tour have been announced, kicking off in Glasgow at the end of the month.

Anthill Films, who also produced Follow Me and From the Inside Out, see Strength in Numbers as a documentary exploring mountain bike culture through the experiences of the world’s best riders.

Presented by Shimano and Trek, Strength in Numbers combines progressive action and beautiful cinematography with compelling stories to show how the many different sides of mountain biking are all connected.

The filmmakers travelled the globe to find communities that represented the many sides of the sport, with film shoots in British Columbia, Nepal, Scotland, Austria, Switzerland, California, Utah and the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.

Strength in Numbers features a diverse selection of riders with some of the biggest names in the sport, including: Andrew Shandro, Brandon Semenuk, Cam McCaul, Gee Atherton, Graham Agassiz, Matt Hunter, Rene Wildhaber, Thomas Vanderham and Wade Simmons.

“It’s been a long time coming and I can’t wait to see what the Anthill boys have put together”, says world cup downhill champion Gee Atherton. “For me, as a rider, it’s exciting to be part of something like this – it’s a chance to help progress and grow our sport.”

Here’s the official trailer…

And a very cool extract from the finished film here.

UK tour dates

Now you have some idea what the new film is all about, here’s the all-important cinema dates so you can catch it at a cinema near you.

GLASGOW Thursday 31st May 2012 GFT, 12 Rose Street 0141 332 6535
www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre

PEEBLES Thursday 31st May 2012 Eastgate Theatre, Eastgate 01721 725 777
www.eastgatearts.com

EDINBURGH Monday 11th June 2012 Cameo Cinema, 38 Home Street,
Edinburgh 0871 902 5723
www.picturehouses.co.uk

ABERDEEN Tuesday 12th June 2012 Belmont Cinema, 49 Belmont St
0871 902 5721 www.picturehouses.co.uk

LEEDS Friday 15th June 2012 Hyde Park Picturehouse, 73 Brudenell Road,
Leeds 0113 275 2045 www.hydeparkpicturehouse.co.uk

SHEFFIELD Tuesday 19th June 2012 Showroom, 7 Paternoster Row, Sheffield
0114 275 7727
www.showroomworkstation.org.uk

PENRITH Date TBC
www.rheged.com Rheged IMAX Cinema, Redhills, Penrith 01768 868 000

Tickets for all the venues (with the exception of the Rheged screening) are on sale from this week onwards. The tour and the previous sell out film tours has only been made possible thanks to the continued generosity and support of the following businesses and people within the bike trade.

For everyone who catches the tour in the cinema, they will enjoy not only the opportunity to see “Strength in Numbers ” in the big screen in all it’s Blu Ray HD glory but also get to watch “The Dudes of Hazzard” from homegrown rippers Jo Barnes, Liam Moynihan and Fergus Lamb, best known from their work with www.mtbcut.tv on the MOJO trail diaries and “The Dudes of Hazard” online films, in their inaugural big screen outing.

www.anthillfilms.com