Top 5 results:

Men’s

1.MCCONNELL Daniel
2.MANTECON GUTIERREZ Sergio
3.KULHAVY Jaroslav
4.MAROTTE Maxime
5.FLÜCKIGER Lukas

Women’s

1.LECHNER Eva
2.WLOSZCZOWSKA Maja
3.LEUMANN Katrin
4.ZAKELJ Tanja
5.ENGEN Alexandra

For further information and a written report head over to RedBullBike.

From the organiser:

A film of this year’s second round of the British Cycling Nation MTB XC Series held at Wheal Maid Valley, Cornwall, The team at Fully Sussed, as well as co-sponsors Juice Lubes, were the first to bring a round of the National Series as far west as Cornwall. This film is only the second race of the day, highlights of the men’s elite, expert and sport categories. All of the categories were filmed and will be shown at a later date.

Anthem X Advanced 29er 1 gets a carbon makeover saving 185g.

And it’s more versatile than ever before. It’ll just as happily race short track cross-country as it will a week-long stage race or a 24-hour solo race. If racing isn’t your thing, and you just want a very fast short travel trail bike for tackling your local trails every weekend, and you enjoy the climbs as much as the descents, the Anthem couldn’t be more perfect. It’s a fantastically capable and versatile all-rounder.

Frame and suspension 

This is the first ever carbon fibre Anthem 29er, but Giant have years of carbon fibre expertise and that shows in the frame. It’s apparently 7% stiffer than the aluminium version and you certainly notice this out on the trail, it feels more responsive when the going gets fast.

Giant are pushing their OverDrive 2 tapered head tube on this bike, a 1.5in lower bearing with a 1 ¼in upper. This contributes to the stiffness detectable in the front of the bike. It has its drawbacks though, you can’t fit any stem you have knocking about, you’ll have to buy a new one from Giant. Currently there’s no other aftermarket offerings, so you’re kind of limited. Giant do a range of stem lengths however, we suggest getting friendly with your local bike shop and ask them to swap it, if you desire, at the point of purchase.

Giant continues to use their proven Maestro suspension design, now in its 4th generation.

The downtube is massive and forms the backbone of the frame’s stiffness. There’s a wide 86mm bottom bracket with press-fit bearings, and the seat tube is kinked away from the rear wheel. The upper linkage of the Maestro suspension platform is fixed to the seat tube and drives the vertically oriented Fox shock. The lower link is sandwiched between the BB and chainstays. A stiffening strut braces the seatstays and chainstays to form a compact swingarm.

Gear cables are now routed internally to continue the smooth looks, though the rear brake hose is zip-tied to mounts along the outside of the downtube. Interestingly, considering this is a cross-country/marathon bike, there’s provision for a dropper post with three zip tie guides underneath the top tube.

The Maestro suspension does by its very nature limit how short the chainstays can be, but on this medium sized bike they measure 462mm, so they’re certainly on the long side. The other important numbers are the 1105mm wheelbase, 23.38in top tube and 71/73 head/seat angles. It all combines for a very sharp handling bike with good stability and decent manoeuvrability at lower speeds between the trees.

Giant offer two models, the top spec Anthem X Advanced 29er 0 gets a SRAM XX drivetrain, RockShox SID fork, carbon fibre wheels and a whopping £5999 price tag. That’s a serious wedge of money.

More appealing is the £3,499 Anthem X Advanced 29er 1 here. A RockShox SID 29 RL fork takes care of bump taming duties up front and has a 15mm bolt-thru axle. Our bike is a sample built up for us to test (full production bikes not being ready in time) so final bikes will have colour match fork decals. Production bikes will also have a RockShox Monarch shock, not the Fox CTD unit on our test bike.

90mm stem and 730mm wide bars makes for a good trail cockpit.

The rest of the build is correct though, and includes a complete Shimano XT groupset. A 26/38 chainset and 11-36 cassette gives a good range of gears. Brakes are XT too and feature very ergonomic levers for one-finger braking and reach adjustment on a tool-free knob. The gears proved extremely reliable and the gear ratios were spot on for fast riding in hilly terrain.

Working with DT Swiss has allowed Giant to spec their P-XCR 1 wheel-set paired with Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25in Evo Tubeless-Ready tyres. The wheels, while not the lightest, are stiff and required zero maintenance with a spoke key during the test period.

It’s great to see a 730mm wide handlebar and short 90mm cockpit on the Anthem, a sign that Giant are listening. Shorter stems, and longer ones too, are available. A Fizik Tundra 2 saddle with Manganese Rails completes the build, and proved comfortable enough that I wasn’t moved to replace it.

The Anthem will appeal to racers, and the 25lb all-up weight is impressive. There’s plenty of scope for going lighter, the wheels and a tubeless conversion for a start would shift some weight. Without any changes it proves extremely fast over all terrain, and is a very flattering ride, no matter how fit you are.

Ride

The Anthem has long been a favourite with UK trail and cross-country riders, whether it’s for racing or just weekend blasting. In the switch to 29in wheels the Anthem is even faster and better suited to long days in the hills. It climbs better and faster, there’s more traction on the technical rooty climbs, and it descends with more confidence.

Brechfa Forest proves a good testing ground for the new Anthem.

Stability at speed seems to be the Anthem’s trump card. The long chainstays and wheelbase ensure the bike has a planted feel, whether it’s skimming over the top of a rooty section or barreling through a series of switchbacked corners. The wide bar/short stem gives good control for squeezing the most out of the bike.

There’s little drawback when it gets tight and twisty either, I certainly had no trouble carrying speed through my local trails and a handful of Welsh trails with satisfactory speed. The wide bars and short stem provide good handling for this sort of bike as well.

100mm (4in) of travel front and rear might not sound a lot, but it always felt like just the right amount on the trail. The Maestro suspension is very capable, with a good progressive feel that prevents any harsh bottoming when reaching the limits. A sign of a good suspension system is that you don’t really notice it when you ride, and that’s the case with the Giant. It just does its job nice and quietly, with no fuss, allowing you to crack on and enjoy the ride.

£3,500 is a serious wedge of money but it comes fully loaded. Certainly I had to change nothing on it, but if I was buying it I would be investing in a shorter stem. For racing the stem length is fine in tandem with a narrower flat bar. Stick a stubby stem, 750mm riser and dropper seatpost, making use of the supplied cable guides, and you have one seriously rapid and enjoyable trail bike on your hands.

Verdict

If going fast up, down and all over the landscape is your thing, you enjoy climbing as much as descending and have ambitions on a few endurance or shorter cross-country races, the Anthem is a serious contender for your money. From the box it’s ready to go, a very sorted bike with impressive attention to detail and fantastic trail manners.

More information: Giant Anthem X Advanced 29er
Price: £3,499

What Giant says

2013 Giant Anthem X Advanced 29er Giant’s first carbon full suspension 29er was developed to give pro XC racers every advantage on technical courses. Featuring the legendary performance of Maestro suspension, this is the bike that makes fast riders faster. The handcrafted composite frame is engineered for 29-inch wheels. OverDrive 2 steerer tube design offers front-end stiffness and pinpoint steering, MegaDrive downtube and PowerCore bottom bracket boost power and control in the rough stuff.

Photo © David Bertho.

From the organisers:

2013 SCOTTISH CROSS COUNTRY MTB SERIES ENTRIES OPEN

Scottish Cycling and the Scottish Cross Country Association (SXC) are delighted to announce that online entries have now opened for the 2013 race series.

The season offers great racing opportunities on exciting courses, including the Highlands, Dumfries-shire and the newly developed Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games course at Cathkin Braes.

Each round will offer a variety of racing categories to accommodate all ages and abilities. For new racers there are several choices, Open or Beginner category to gain some experience or enter the age-appropriate category.

Race entries are live and riders can enter by using the following link: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/?series_id=127

There are also special online pre-entry rates offering a discount on the on-the-day prices. And by entering all five races online now, you will get one round completely free! *

The dates & venues for the 2013 series are:

Round 1: 17th March – Forfar, Angus
Round 2: 14th April – Fyrish, Highlands
Round 3: 12th May – Cathkin Braes, Glasgow
Round 4: 9th June – Drumlanrig, Dumfries & Galloway
Round 5: 1st September – Round combining with Scottish Champs at Kirroughtree Forest, Dumfries & Galloway

You can also keep up to date and in contact via our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SXC-Scottish-Cross-Country-Association/187532419562 and twitter:  @SXC_Series

*with regards to the five for the price of four offer, enter all five in the usual way and you will be reimbursed for round 1

Porras and some 500 other riders took on a stage that included ascending nearly 10,000 feet up Irazú Volcano. Porras was followed to the finish line by fellow Costa Ricans Enrique Artavia and Lico Ramirez at one minute 26 seconds and four minutes four seconds respectively.

Defending La Ruta champ Todd Wells, who was sitting in second place going into the stage, was one of those feeling the burn left over from stage one. He dropped to fifth place and is now more than 19 minutes off race leader and stage-one winner Paolo Montoya.

Montoya now sits a comfortable 13 minutes 15 seconds ahead of Alex Grant with a total time of 8:45:34. Porras, meanwhile, sits in third place, only 13 seconds behind Grant going into Saturday’s final stage.

Men overall standings

1. Paolo Montoya CRC 8:45:34
2. Alex Grant USA +13:15
3. Dennis Porras CRC +13:37
4. Deiber Esquivel CRC +17:55
5. Todd Wells USA +19:05
6. Federico Ramírez CRC +19:08
7. Enrique Artavia CRC +23:41
8. Milton Ramos SPA +27:03
9. Moises Hernandez CRC +36:59
10. Jose Montoya CRC +44:52

Women overall standings

1. Monique Pua Mata (USA) 04:34:40
2. Jane Rynbrandt (USA) +49:52
3. Genevieve Evans (USA) +1:25:14
4. Cinthya Coto (CRC) +1:25:29
5. Ligia Madrigal (CRC) +1:29:27

Great value at just under 50 quid, the dhb M1.0 shoes are also comfortable and very functional.

Sure, the uppers are a little bit plasticcy, but other than that, they look good and have a few splashes of reflective material that just might make that motorist spot you on a dark night. I’ve been sporting the white ones during testing for this review, but if I were buying them I’d opt for the black – not just because I prefer how they look, but because they’ll stay cleaner looking too.

Despite the uppers being patently synthetic, they are flexible and seem tough enough. The nose has a tough reinforced panel to deflect the knocks, and they do a good job of it.

Decent toe protection.

The weather is getting colder and there was one of the year’s first frosts as I set out on Sunday morning, yet despite a sizeable mesh section on the uppers, these shoes are acceptably warm. If your rides include lots of puddles, those panels mean that your feet will get wet, and you’ve little chance of proofing them. Combine these with with a pair of SealSkinz socks though, they’ll prove serviceable on all but the coldest winter rides.

DHB insists that the glass-reinforced soles offer the right balance between stiffness for power transfer and flexibility for walking. And that may be true, but the aggressive front tread and stud pattern means that it’s a bit of work to get from heel to forefoot, akin to walking uphill even on the flat. But those same treads come into their own when you’re ascending muddy bankings, providing ample traction when you need to get out of the saddle and hoof it. During testing, I took them through some truly horrendous mudbaths, and they gripped admirably. As well as any shoes I have worn, and better than most.

The glass fibre-reinforced sole comes with cleat plates installed, so you just need to bolt on your cleats and you’re ready to go.

My perpetual concern when wearing heavily treaded shoes is how they’ll engage and release with my pedals. These did both just fine on both my Crank Brothers Egg Beaters and Candy pedals. The M1.0s are definitely intended for cleats. Unlike some other shoes where you need to punch out a section of the sole, and fit your own attachment plates, the DHBs come with the plate pre-fitted, so attaching your cleats and being ready to ride is a moment’s work.

Fastening is handled by three simple Velcro straps, one more than most budget shoes provide. These combine fast and convenient closure with good fit adjustment, though they are attached to the shoe with simple wire loops, but they seem quite sturdy. Fit itself is generally quite wide. I have very very broad feet, and often have to go up a size or two to get into shoes, especially firmer ones such as cycling shoes or snowboard boots. But I could go down a (European) size or two from my usual Specialized shoes, in these quite comfortably. Despite this, the shoes held my feet well, and heel lift was not apparent even when cranking hard. The comments about size refer to width only, the shoes are true to length for their size.

Three straps provide a firm closure and plenty of adjustment.

I’ve been looking for new shoes since I began to develop hotspots under the ball of my left foot after 20 miles or so of riding. These have eliminated the problem and in them I can ride hard for half a day with no discomfort. Your mileage (and your feet) may vary, but the M1.0′s offer the power transfer, comfort and adjustability to deal with whatever you throw at them.

A good sole, decent design and great traction combine with a wide fit to make these shoes favourites of mine at the budget end of the market. There’s little to touch them on price in the cleated MTB shoe market, and only the slightly plasticcy finish on the uppers, and the basic wire eyelets that the closure straps loop through hint at their budget nature.

A reflective patch in the heel helps with on-road visibility. 

Though I like a bargain, I’d struggle to buy these because I don’t like the looks, but aesthetics are an incredibly subjective thing, and you may love them, or simply be able to live with them. If you can from a features and value perspective they are unlikely to disappoint.

Verdict

The DHB M1.0 is placed in a fiercely competitive market, but it offers features and quality that belie its price as pretty much the cheapest cleated MTB shoe money can buy.

Pros

Rugged
Good traction in mud
Well ventilated

Cons

Plasticcy uppers
Little water resistance

More info: dhb M1.0 Mountain Bike Cycling Shoe

Price: £49.99

What Wiggle says about the dhb M1.0 Mountain Bike Cycling Shoe

The colour options.

Get off road with the very sturdy mountain bike shoe from dhb. The M1.0 features a Simple 3-strap closure and a rubber outsole with internal glass reinforced Nylon structure for excellent traction and great power delivery.

Glass reinforced Nylon polymer sole with rubber traction grip
Synthetic Upper
Quad core air mesh inserts
All-round ventilation holes
Internal thermo plastic heel counter
360 degree reflective detailing
2-hole cleat ready
Cleats – 2 Bolt SPD Type
Forefoot Studs
Sole Material: Glass Reinforced Nylon, Rubber overmoulded tread
Use: Off road

The design of the sole on this shoe has been engineered to strike a balance between the right level of stiffness for power transfer when on the bike, and ‘comfort’ when running or walking with the bike. The inner Glass reinforced Nylon core structure is topped with a high durability, high traction rubber compound with aggressive tread design to provide excellent grip on rocks, mud and road.

The sole is bonded to the synthetic upper which features the same quad core inner structure as the dhb road shoe. This mesh structure has excellent 3D mapping properties to achieve a form fit to the foot but provides almost zero stretch – which keeps input energy loss on the upstroke to an absolute minimum. The exterior upper is a durable Synthetic skin, which will absorb the knocks and grazes of general use. The reinforcement panel on the toe tip is double stitched for extra durability.

The simple 3-strap configuration allows the wearer to control the fitting across the full length of the shoe. By tightening the strap positions the wearer can achieve the correct balance between close fit (best power transfer) and comfort.

Mesh inserts across the upper on the instep and outer side of the upper allow air to circulate through the shoe helping to keep you temperature regulated as you generate heat.

At the ankle end of the shoe there is an internal thermo plastic heel counter, which is sandwiched between the cushioning layers of the shoe. This added support and stiffness allows the rider better control when engaging and disengaging from their clip-in pedal system.

Contrast red inner lining, and embossed printing provides a clean aesthetic, complimented with reflective detailing along the length of the shoe in-step and outside to enhance the rider’s safety in low-level light conditions.

The shoe is pre-drilled ready to use with MTB-style, 2-hole cleat-pedal systems (SPD, Crank Bros, Time MTB)

After four years and 36 stages at the Crocodile Trophy, Mike Mulkens (BEL) achieved his goal and won his first stage today. In temperatures reaching more than 45 degrees at Maytown, Cory Wallace (CAN) came in close second and Josef Benetseder (AUT) claimed third.

Mike Mulkens looking a bit less serious after winning, and Michiel Van Aelbroeck

With two stages to go, the overall classifications of both men and women’s elite are still unchallenged with the leads held by the Czech Ivan Rybarik and the Australian Kate Major, respectively.

Happy, emotional, excited, content – these and many more emotions were written across Mike Mulkens’ face when he jumped off his bike at Maytown with his arms shooting into the air in victory. Racing at the Crocodile Trophy for the fourth time, it had been the Belgian amateur cyclist’s goal and dream to win a stage.

“Today, everything was perfect for me. Good legs, an early attack that worked, awesome riding mates that raced really well and for the first time in a Crocodile Trophy stage I kept telling myself to stay calm and patient and it worked. I can’t believe it – I’m so happy!” said a beaming Mulkens at the finish.

His 2012 race had started with bad luck with Mike suffering flat tires, a broken seat and fatigue on the technical and hot mountain bike stages. However, despite the extreme temperatures today he prevailed.

The early breakaway.

The morning had started pleasantly cool at less than 15 degrees overnight and Mike Mulkens had attacked right away. Fellow Belgians Michiel Van Aelbroeck and Christof Marien as well as Cory Wallace decided to go as well and with three more Austrians – Benetseder, Hrinkow and Konrad – they formed the breakaway group.

In the meantime the peloton kept riding at a steady pace and most leaders’ jerseys were in it. It had taken them a long time to increase the gap to two minutes said Mike Mulkens after a refreshing swim in the nearby billabong.

Marien fell back to the peloton on the steep climbs of the wide gravel roads and the lead group kept increasing their pace.

Sprint finish into the Maytown Croc camp

From the second feeding station, Mulkens said, he knew he had to give it all. “On the last 30 km I really pushed hard and attacked. Cory [Wallace] stayed on my wheel and at a sandy and technical section just 5 km before the finish, we were able to leave the Austrians and Van Aelbroeck behind and then I just smashed it.”

After more than three hours of racing, he said he was looking forward to “beer, chips and a party”.

“I am really happy for Mike, he deserves this win,” said second place getter Cory Wallace. “Had it been an uphill finish, maybe I would have had an advantage. But it was slightly downhill and Mike had the better line on the finish straight and was the stronger sprinter.”

The Austrian Josef Benetseder finished in third in 3:11.24, followed by Michiel Van Aelbroeck (BEL) and Patrick Konrad (AUT).

Preserving energy for second-last stage into Laura

The plan among riders in the peloton had been to take it easy ahead of tomorrow’s rough stage into Laura and to preserve as much energy as possible, said race leader Wolfgang Krenn.

Points leader Ondrej Fojtik

Finishing in 8th place his GC position won’t be challenged and he was satisfied with his result and excited about Mulken’s win. “We had a chat in the bunch and a good ride together. The Crocodile Trophy is a race where you really get to know your fellow riders. That’s why I’m really happy for Mike today – we rode a lot together during last year’s race and he had asked me earlier this week how a stage win felt. We all knew how much he wanted a stage win. Now he can experience it himself and he deserves it,” Krenn said.

It almost seems today’s stage has closed a chapter in the Crocodile Trophy’s race history with Mike Mulken’s emotional win. Werner van der Merwe, M1 race leader said today that he himself had a comfortable gap on his competitors, but that he won’t relax just yet.

“At such an intense and long race, anything can happen. Look at Mike Mulkens – earlier this week he had flat tires and even a broken seat and was riding right at the back of the bunch. Today he wins a stage – you do need endurance, good legs, but also a bit of luck.”

Van der Merwe added that he still couldn’t believe that he was leading the M1 classification. “I came here for the adventure. I love riding my bike, because it takes my mind off the sometimes monotonous work I do. So really, I’m on a holiday here – my parents and my wife support me on this journey and what more could I ask for?”

Strong women’s field impresses and has fun

Kate Major the successful tri- and endurance athlete is comfortably leading the general women’s classification at the 2012 Crocodile Trophy. Today she said that she felt a bit of fatigue setting in but that she was still looking forward to the last two stages. “On the rides into Laura and Cooktown I’ll see more places that I haven’t been to and I’m always up for an adventure!” she said.

Today, of the six women at the start, three started an hour before the entire Croc field. Not challenging the top three positions of Kate Major, Alice Pirard (BEL) and Tinneke Van de Voorde (BEL), they got their own gun shot-start at 7am and a head start in the cool of the morning.

While Annie van der Linde, the 55-year old Dutch rider pushed ahead, the Australian Jade Forsyth and Kirsten De Keyser (BEL) rode together all the way to the finish. “I was happy about the early start because it meant that after some time the top riders started to overtake us and it was so exciting to see at what high speeds they race”, said Kirsten.

“They were so encouraging, saying ‘Come on you’re doing great’ and some even slapped my bum and pushed me along a bit – but I didn’t mind, it was actually really motivating and you feel part of the race.”

It had been nice to talk about “girl stuff”, she said. “You know, about sore bums and what else hurts by now, but also about our personal life and we really got to know each other.”

Kirsten said that on most of the previous days she had been riding at the back of the bunches and would probably get the “wooden spoon trophy” in the end, but that she also experienced some fun moments.

“The depot crew is always good value – the other day, as they had packed up and started overtaking me towards the finish, they actually drove level with me and a girl opened the window presenting me with a plate full of extra muesli bars and fruit. And at the depots they treat me like a queen, filling my water bottles, massaging my legs or waving paper at me for a breeze,” she said with a big smile.

Jade Forsyth from Australia agreed that it had been fun to share a day out at the Crocodile Trophy with a fellow female rider. “We talked about life and our hobbies and it was awesome to see the fast boys go past and to be able to cheer them on,” said the insurance broker.

Of the remaining two stages she added that tomorrow’s stage into Laura she expected a lot of rough and rocky sections, but as a passionate mountain biker she felt confident. “The last day is going to be really long. Straight main roads and a head wind at the end, but I hope, maybe we’ll find some gentlemen who will ride with us and give us some rest in their slipstream for the final kilometres of this race.”

Riding towards civilisation again, the riders will arrive at Laura tomorrow after 87 km and 1300 m of elevation.

If you’re after manicured man-made all-weather singletrack, you’re probably better off heading to one of the nearby 7 Stanes centres but, if you want to log some miles on some quality semi-natural trails, there’s plenty of good riding to be had around Jedburgh.

Scottish borders mountain biking. Image by aliweb_gt via Flickr

How to get there

Jedburgh is on the A68, which runs between Newcastle and Edinburgh (roughly 55 miles from Newcastle and 45 from Edinburgh). Once in Jedburgh, turn into town and park in the main car park beside the Tourist Information Office.

Sat Nav: TD8 6BE

Facilities

There are no trail head facilities as such but full facilities in Jedburgh.

Trails

The two Family Trails and the long Justice Trail are all reasonably way-marked but we’d recommend taking a map just in case you miss a turn. They’re not graded and, as they’re shared with other users including horse riders, keep an eye out. All the trails can get a bit boggy and cut up so they’re best ridden in the dry.

Jedburgh. Image by Karen Bryan via Flickr

The first Family Trail is the 10.5km Dere Street Dash. You gain most of your height early on tarmac and forest roads but there is some wide-ish singletrack. Despite the family moniker, young kids would struggle but it is novice rider friendly.

There are two loops in Lanton Wood of 6.5km and 3.8km which have some roots and rocks and are a technical notch up from the Dere Street Dash.

All of the Family Trails form part of the 40km Justice Trail. It’s a big ride out and, although not technical, shouldn’t be underestimated. You’ll find some bumps, jumps and berms, some nice singletrack but also a fair bit of mindless slog. All things considered it’s a decent “true cross-country” ride but definitely best ridden in the dry.

Nearest bike shops

Simon Porteous Cycles, Kelso Tel: 01573 223 692
Teviot Cycles, Hawick Tel: 01450 377611

Other info

Pick up route maps from the Tourist Information Office and, as they are a bit tricky to find, get a pointer to the start of the trails.

Useful sites

Jedforest Trails
7 Stanes guide to Jedforest trails

Location map

View Larger Map

If you go down in the woods today, you might come across Wilier’s striking new 101 XN 29er carbon hardtail

The Wilier marque calls to mind super-stylish Tour de France road bikes more than trail-tuned mountain bikes but the Wilier 101XN sees Wilier catching a serious case of 29er fever. If your taste in bikes is for head-down, no-nonsense, high-speed cross-country boogie the infectiously fast Wilier 101XN should be on your list of bikes to demo before next season.

The new 101XN is Wilier’s flagship carbon fibre hardtail and incorporates many of the carbon manufacturing techniques and processes used to make their road frames. Wilier are really pushing at the boundary of what is possible with carbon, their road bikes being among the lightest and stiffest in the world. They’ve put all this to good use in the 101 XN making it a serious contender for the hotly-contested carbon 29er go-faster hardtail sector.

To give us a taste of how the frame performs, UK importer ATB Sales built up our test Wilier 101XN with a ‘privateer racer’ spec of race-ready kit, with a 2×10 SRAM X.O groupset, RockShox Reba fork, carbon Ritchey finishing kit, Fulcrum Red Power 29 XL wheels, Geax tyres and a Selle Italia SLR saddle.

Where Wilier’s coming from

There are six new hardtails in Wilier’s range for 2013, though it’s not certain that all of them will be available in the UK. The 101XN here is the range-topping model.

The Wilier name appears enough times that you won’t forget what you’re riding.

As it happens, Wilier have been making mountain bikes for a while but UK importer ATB Sales also has Whyte and Marin so has concentrated on Wilier’s road bikes.

That changed with the Wilier 101 XN 29er, however. “When the whole 29er concept came in Wilier set about taking all the stuff they learnt about making high-end road frames and started working on this,” said Kevin Izzard, Wilier brand manager at ATB Sales. That meant Wilier was offering a something different from Marin and Whyte, and when you get the Wilier 101XN out of the box it’s obvious what that is.

At the launch earlier this year, Kevin Izzard told us: “It’s a pretty fast bike which climbs incredibly well, partly because it’s light – this builds up at 10.5kg, with not an incredibly light wheelset on there. It’s a nice handling bike and it’s quite involving. Some 29ers can be quite earnest and serious but you can forget this is a 29er quite quickly.”

The ride: fast, fast and faster

Any new frame aimed at 29er-riding cross-country racers and go-faster riders has to offer a light, stiff and blisteringly fast ride if it hopes to win fans from other well known companies. What’s immediately noticeable when you take off on the Wilier 101XN is that it has none of the ponderousness usually associated with 29ers. Instead it offers scintillating speed combined with handling that won’t scare the living daylights out of you.

The front of the 101 XN. The cables vanish into the frame via a tidy cover.

Stamp on the pedals and the frame responds with virtually no hesitation. In fact the frame is so stiff that it highlights a degree of flex in the SRAM XO chainset. Approach any hill and it’ll blast and batter its way up with incredible ferocity. It might not offer the traction of a full suspension bike on very technical climbs but it makes up for that with such a light build that it will just scud across the top of roots and rocks.

When it comes to slower, steep climbs the Wilier 101XN still excels as you’re able to place the tyres with pinpoint accuracy to get up and over and around any obstacle in your way.

It takes a bit of getting used to, does the Wilier 101XN, especially if you haven’t ridden such a focused carbon hardtail in a while. On my first few rides I was getting all out of shape and squirrelly through the corners just because I was going so much faster than I anticipated. Dial in your reflexes and after a while you’re connecting the corners with eye-watering speed.

There’s a long hill on my local trail that’s a bit of a drag on a heavy bike or if you’re not feeling very fit. The Wilier had me out of the saddle and stomping up every metre of it, and by the time I reached the top I had recorded a new personal best. And I hadn’t really been putting in 100 percent effort either, it’s that quick. As a climbing machine then, the Wilier blew my socks off.

Beefy squared off tubes promise a stiff frame.

As hardtails go, this one is low and steep at the front with geometry designed around an 80mm fork. The head angle on our medium sample is 71.3 degrees with a 73 degree seat angle. The head tube is 10cm tall, the chainstays are 17.2in. The frame weight is a claimed 1.08kg (2.38lbs).

This all serves to make the Wilier 101XN fast in every sense of the word. Its responses are sharp and its handling is pointy and lively.

It can get a bit nervous and loose at high speeds on loose and very rough trails, where even the advantage of the bigger wheels isn’t enough to smooth things out. As such it rattles and skips over the bumps. I ran the tyres a little softer (a tubeless setup would be perfect here) and the large volume rubber helped cushion some of the rougher trails.

The frame details

Wilier’s expertise in carbon fiber really shines in the 101XN . It’s a wonderfully made frame with super-aggressive looks. It’s made from 60-ton carbon fibre with some interesting design features, all finished off with a daring green paint job. The colour scheme is a bit Marmite and the Bikemagic office was about evenly divided between lovers and haters.

The Wilier 101XN uses the same high-mod carbon as Wilier’s top road bikes.

The down tube is massive and is profiled with squared off sides. The top tube has a dramatic drop from the head tube to the seat tube, giving stacks of standover clearance, useful when you’re chuckling the bike around in tight corners. It’s also flattened across the top and flows into a short, tapered head tube that is reinforced with a lot of carbon behind it.

Its compact rear triangle consists of slender seat stays that flow around the seat tube, forming an oversized junction. The stays are kinked at the dropouts and the rear brake caliper bolts to a post mount inside the triangle. The dropouts are replaceable and there’s scope for fitting a bolt-through axle, or even going singlespeed. The driveside dropout can be compatible with Shimano’s new Direct Mount.

There’s loads of mud clearance and ample space for the large volume 2.2in tyres fitted to our test bike.

The asymmetric chainstays feature a lowered drive side stay to help combat the forces that attempt to twist and deform the rear triangle when you stomp on the pedals. The seat tube is the most ‘normal’ tube on the frame with a traditional round profile. It flares hugely into the wide bottom bracket where a Press-Fit 92 BB is fitted. A regular clamp-on front mech is fitted.

Interchangeable dropouts help top future-proof the 101 XN

Wilier realise you might not want to scratch your nice new carbon frame and so have fitted an integrated frame protection on the down tube. Both gear cables are routed internally, threading into the top of the down tube through a specially designed plate. An Allen bolt holds it in place and it can be removed to make replacing cables easier.

The frame is future-proofed for electronic off-road shifting systems, whenever they start to appear. The rear brake hose is slung underneath the top tube.

Wilier will be offering two builds. There’s a version with Shimano XTR, a RockShox SID RL fork and Fulcrum Red Power XL wheels costing £3,999, and one with Shimano Deore XT, FSA Afterburner cranks, RockShox Reba fork and fulcrum Red Power XL wheels for £2,750. Or you can buy the frame on its own for £1,699.

Verdict

The Wilier 101XN has race bike written all over it (literally, there’s stickers everywhere) but I had some of my most fun trail rides in a while on this bike. The speed is addictive, and the way it delivers that speed requires focus and dedication that, if you’re prepared to master, is very rewarding. It’s a bike that demands that you get involved, you don’t just sit back and let the bike do all the work for you, you get out what you put in. That positive return on your effort makes the Wilier a fantastic bike.

However, Wilier have put the 101XN directly in the firing line of two of the most popular carbon 29r hardtails, the Niner Air 9 and Santa Cruz Highball carbon. Tough competition indeed but we think the Wilier puts up a good fight and turns out to be an alternative well worthy of consideration.

Pros

Fast
Agile
Handling

Cons

Pretty uncompromising ride
80mm forks

For more information see Wilier’s Italian site, Wilier bikes UK or UK importer ATB Sales.

What Wilier says about the 101XN

It is undeniable that racing is found within the DNA of every Wilier. All bikes bearing the halberd logo must perform flawlessly, built upon the same material and technology innovations, as well as characteristics of steerability and light weight.

That applies as much to Wilier off-road models as it does to our road racing machines, including our new 29er, the 101XN. This new trail speed machine boasts many of the same features that make the Cento1 SR our latest road superbike. 

Under a large but ultimately unrealized threat of rainy, hypothermic conditions the 10th annual edition of Pennsylvania’s NoTubes’ Iron Cross treated riders to 63 miles and 6,500 feet of climbing with crisp, cloudy skies and perfectly tacky trail conditions in and around the scenic Pine Grove State Park in the Michaux State Forest.

Pflug and Prosser engaged in a day long battle for Iron Cross and the American UltraCross Series supremacy. They are shown here on the WigWam run-up.

In the Open Men’s category reigning USA Cycling Elite Criterium National Champion Adam Farabaugh (Ekoi.com-Gaspesien Pro Cycling Team), a five-time Iron Cross competitor, took the win in a close battle while newly crowned NUE series champion Cheryl Sornson of Team CF controlled the Open Women’s race from start to finish.

Riders staged in front of the picturesque Central PA Conservancy’s Iron Master Mansion and were promptly released at 9am onto a new prologue loop around the mansion grounds before setting out on course to face the day’s first big challenge: a KOM up the Shippensburg Rd climb.

Race winner and ‘cross bike rider Farabaugh established an insurmountable lead on the Hogshead Rd climb.

When riders crested the top the selections were made. For the men, a four rider group containing KOM winner Farabaugh, local rider Aaron Snyder (Scott Bicycles), eventual Master’s class champion Garth Prosser (Specialized) and Gerry Pflug (Salsa Cycles/NoTubes/Top Gear) had already established that one of them would be the overall winner.

Trailing close was women’s QOM winner Sornson. Though she lost contact with the lead bunch mid-way up Shippensburg she had already gained a commanding and ultimately insurmountable lead ahead of eventual second place, 2009 winner Selene Yeager, also of Team CF.

When the lead bunch emerged from the fast, rocky and technical Lippencote downhill following the KOM Pflug, riding a hardtail mountain bike, carried just over a minute on Prosser with Snyder trailing, both riders also on mountain bikes. Farabaugh, aboard a cyclocross bike was now two minutes in arrears. Prosser chased all the way to the ugly Wigwam hike-a-bike and then soon made contact with Pflug while both Snyder and Farabaugh appeared content to gradually make forward progress while the two Master class racers crossed swords for the lead.

Despite choosing to ride a mountain bike, NUE Series Champ and Team CF’s Cheryl Sornson was able to hold onto the lead group long enough to cement the win in the women’s race.

Just over Wigwam Snyder gapped Farabaugh and then reeled in Prosser and Pflug on the Fegly doubletrack climb to make it a group of three.

By this point Farabaugh was about 20 seconds back but once the they hit the Thompson Hollow Road downhill Farabaugh, using his four years of trail knowledge, pinned it at close to 50mph on the gravel road descent with numerous off camber turns to latch back on to the lead trio before the next flat and fast pavement section. A crucial move since being caught out there could spell the end to his solo chase. And it was at this point forward that bike selection played a role in race tactics for the overall win.

Mountain bikes versus crossers

A hot debate in Ultracross is “mountain bike versus l’ncross bike,” the latter being the accepted norm. Even though the “cross” in Ultracross is cyclocrosss, mountain bikes are a legal and accepted weapon of choice in any Ultracross race. As such, Farabaugh rode a cyclocross bike as per Ultracross tradition while Snyder, Prosser and Pflug were on ultra-light hardtail mountain bikes with narrow tires, something they intended to use as an advantage on the final log-strewn singletrack section before the last climb of the day.

“Three of the four of us were on mountain bikes. I told Garth if we can stay close (on Hoggshead) we can catch him in the singletrack,” said Snyder.

When they exited the fast country road that rolls through the Cumberland Valley to checkpoint 3 as a group it was time to begin the arduous task of topping the 4.1-mile Hogshead-to-Woodrow dirt road climb. As Farabaugh upped the pace on his ‘cross bike he was able to open a gap on Snyder and Prosser while Pflug faded under the pressure to drop about 30 seconds back.

Team CF’s Selene Yeager rode her ‘cross bike to a strong second

Farabaugh’s expected bike handicap in the technical singletrack never materialized. He exited the section leading and then attacked up the final, leg crushing grass meadow climb to Larry’s Tavern, which then spilled riders onto the last few miles of descending to the finish. Snyder began to have cramping issues.

“I cramped up so bad I had to stop and Garth went by,” he said. “I caught back up but cramped again and that was that.”

Being the only rider of the four on a proper ‘cross bike, Farabaugh admitted to being a little concerned when they went into the last miles of the race. “There was a lot of singletrack in the last hour and those guys can really ride a mountain bike,” he said. “I knew I had to get as much of a gap as I could over the top of Hogshead and once I did that I just had to try and keep increasing it.”

Larry’s Tavern is a popular spot for a final thirst quencher and a little bit of celebration with three miles left in Iron Cross.

According to Snyder, the chasers where a little impressed. “Adam was holding his own for sure. I kept expecting to see him around every turn,” he said.

Farabaugh simply remained composed. “I managed to extend my lead in the singletrack even with being pretty tired at that point. I knew though once I was at the top of the last run up (to Larry’s Tavern) I had it in the bag and none of them would be able to match me on the fireroad and paved descent to the finish.”

With Prosser now securely in second overall (and first for the Master’s) a cramping Snyder was forced to hold off a challenging Pflug to take third.

“I really wanted to beat Gerry today,” said a pleased Prosser of his commanding ride. “I don’t like riding behind people so I wanted to stay at the front.”

In single-speed action, the ultra-high cadence of Austin Horse propelled him to the win over Roger Masse (Trek Racing) and Thick Bike’s William Westover. Though the class favorite was Stan’s NoTubes road and cyclocross pro Stephen Kincaid, a series of issues including a flat tire and a four mile detour off course relegated him to a hard fought fourth place.

While mountain bikes continue to make their presence know at Iron Cross, promoter Mike Kuhn is quick to point out that this is Ultracross, not a mountain bike race and once again, just like it should be in any style of ‘cross racing, a proper cyclocross bike won the day.

More information about Iron Cross and the growing sport of Ultracross can be found on the “Iron Cross Race” Facebook page and at IronCrossRace.com.

The American UltraCross Series Master’s Podium