January

Seasonal snowbiking tips from Graham O’Hanlon… Some chap called David Arthur reports from Newnham’s Soggy Bottom series… Experience beats youth as Nick Craig wins CX National Champsahead of Liam Killeen… Al Leigh escapes the wet and mud of the Chilterns by heading for the the wet, mud, snow and ice of the Lakes… The Dropoff café opens at Glyncorrwg for all your Afan Forest coffee and grub needs… Stephen Chaplin rides some Andalucian peaks… The ever-popular Gorrick Spring Series reaches its tenth year… Mike travels to sunny Birmingham to see what Fisher Outdoor Leisure will be bringing in in 2005… IMBA-UK announces a new 150km Mid Wales route… Mike’s off again, this time to Switzerland to find out about DT Swiss’s new rear shock… The ever-industrious BM tech team wheel out the
all-new BM event system.

February

BM advertises for an editorial assistant and shortly afterwards Dave joins the team… Keith Whitten tells us how Bikemagic changed his life… Pete Jones finds himself in China and ventures forth into the mean streets of Urumqi…
Al Leigh decides that he’s now old enough to try to learn to jump… Newcastleton’s 7Stanes trails win an award… Simon Haydon shares a tale of backcountry singletrack and wildlife encounters… Andy Gwatkin takes
a long weekend in Italy…

March

Dyfi Forest’s Cli-Machx trail opens… The usual
mad dash for Saab Salomon Mountain Mayhem entries begins… SSMM organiser Pat Adams and MTB legend Gary Fisher
open Cannock Chase’s Follow The Dog trail – Shred’s Steve Toze rides it…
2005 Premier Series announced… Long-awaited Cwmcarn DH course doesn’t quite open… Shimano announces 2005-and-a-half components… Legendary Cotswolds “reliability trial” fills up for the first time ever… SRAM’s 2006 X.0 trigger shifters appear in all their carbon fibre loveliness…

April

Dave goes to ride Dyfi’s new Cli-Machx trail and comes back with a bootful of shredded tyres… Team Shred/Bikemagic rides with freeride pioneer Wade Simmons… We go and check out the Stoneleigh Park Bike Show…
Innerleithen gets brand-new DH course… Jon Doran fails to kill a Shimano Deore XT groupset… Over 200 riders (including one Dave) take part in Merida’s night time enduro at Builth Wells… Jack Peterson does HONC… BM becomes co-sponsor of the Shred mountain bike team – its first appearance is at
Premier Series Round 1, closely followed by NPS Downhill round 2… More enduro action as Mike and Dave take on Specialized EnduroPlus – Dave takes the opportunity to interview Ned Overend…

May

Team Shred/Bikemagic heads to Vigo for the World Cup DH opener –
Steve Peat wins it… Glyncorrwg’s new Drop-Off café opens… Mike heads to Southern France, where Giant launches its Maestro suspension bikes in a cave… Andy Gwatkin reports from World Cup XC Round 2 in Madrid… Shred/Bikemagic.com team rider Ashley Mullane spangs himself up… Dave returns to Dyfi for the Berghaus Enduro… BM adopts a pair of Royal Engineers taking part in the Transrockies… Pete Jones explores the mountains of north-west China and gets arrested for his trouble… CLIC24 charity 24 hour race sees 300 competitors lapping the Mendips… TransRockies route announced… Hamsterley Trailblazers net £200,000 funding for trails… Shimano announces all-new Deore groupset… Dave does another enduro, this time in Glyncorrwg… We take photos of hundreds of people at the Rhayader Merida MTB Marathon…

June

Dave shows us all how to crash properly… Mike tests Nicolai’s bonkers gearbox-driven Nucleon… Dalby Forest announces £400k of trail funding and local group SingletrAction still finds time to build at Stainburn… More Welsh enduro action at the Rough Ride 2005… Mike trundles off to the alps to check out Kona’s 2006 range before heading back to the UK for the Bristol Bike Fest enduro and then shooting off to Mallorca… Ashley Mullane returns from injury in fine style… British riders put in a great show at the Mont Ste Anne World Cup… Ae Line opens in Dumfries… BM puts in a half-decent performance at Saab Salomon Mountain Mayhem…

July

The first-ever South American World Cup round is nearly won by a South American rider… Back to Builth Wells for a Merida 100… London wins the 2012 Olympic bid… Some National Champions are crowned… Dave flies to California to sample the delights of the 2006 Specialized range… Some old tyres go for more than a ton on eBay…

August

TransRockies kicks off… New trails in Jedburgh… Blandford Forum hosts 24-hour charity downhill event… Lòan Burger takes part in South Africa’s
Cape Epic… Colin Colclough and buddy Jules ride the West Highland Way… Coed y Brenin’s new visitor centre takes (rather curious) shape… RockShox release 2006 fork platforms… New stage race across the Indian Himalaya announced… Our team of Royal Engineers report back from the TransRockies…

September

The combined resources of BM and SheCycles.com take on Kona Sleepless in the Saddle… Brit Juniors win World Championsips in DH and Trials… BM readers Papa Dave and Kate Potter share their 24 hour race experiences… Fantastic XC,
DH and
4X action from the Fort William World Cup… Kona G24 Solo Champion Jenn O’Connor reports from Winter Park, Colorado… We sneak a quick spin on some juicy new Oranges… 2005 Merida Marathons wrap up at Ruthin…
Welsh stage race announced for 2006… We take a spin to Wales to ride new
Whyte and
Marin bikes… Mike heads to Interbike for two days of desert riding and three days of shiny
new stuff…

October

Grizedale’s North Face trail opens and almost immediately closes again… The 2005 season draws as close as it gets to a close with the Cheddar Challenge… FC looks for volunteers to develop trails in
155,000 acres of Kielder woodland… BM meets its public at Cycle 2005… CTC-sponsored MTB-friendly amendment to Natural Environment Bill makes it to Lords… Gorrick MBC and Exposure run A Hard Day’s Night… IMBA-UK gathers for its AGM… Dave tackles the MAXX Exposure – 80 miles across the South Downs at night…

November

FC Wales looks for uplift operator for now-open Cwmcarn DH track… BM gets fancy new RSS feeds… Hamsterly launches first fruits of that £200k cash injection… Myles Rockwell beats the roadies at their own game… Steve Peat signs to Santa Cruz for 2006… BM’s reengineered product review system launches… Tom Rushby takes on Llanwrtyd Wells’s Real Ale Wobble… Forum legend Numpty visits the UK…

December

GT’s IT-1 makes production… BM starts its very own Advent Calendar… Gee Atherton races James May through the streets of Lisbon… BM forum gets editable… Scotland’s trails earn it “Global Superstar” status from IMBA… Threatened Chicksands Shore gets stay of execution… Dave interviews Aaron Chase…

So there you go. It’s been quite a year – stay with BM for more of the good stuff (and better) in 2006!