In this Issue - AMB #180

Our latest issue of Australian Mountain Bike is now on the shelves at your local newsagent, or in your hands already if you subscribe. With so much happening over the last couple of months, there's a lot to read through and take in. We've got a rundown and gallery from the Cannonball MTB Festival thanks to Nick Waygood, and that's where the cover shot came from as well.

The new Bosch Gen4 Performance Line CX motor is lighter, smaller and more powerful. from AMBmagazine on Vimeo.

Further into the magazine, Tim Bardsley-Smith looks over the all-new Bosch Gen4 eMTB motor, and relates how it rides on the trail. He covers what has improved over the previous model and how the new pedal-assist unit stacks up against other options on the market.

In November the all-new Bay of Fires Trail opened in the north-east of Tasmania. While the Blue Tier trail took riders from high on the Blue Tier and back to Weldborough, the new 42km trail starts up on Blue Tier but points towards the ocean. Colin Levitch takes you on a ride through the beech forest to the beach itself.

Much of our new issue covers an absolutely epic road trip we did in Western Australia. Visiting some (bot by no means all) mountain bike hot spots, we were lucky enough to have local riders cherry pick the best trails for us, and we were astounded by the variety of trails in the west. We finished it all off at Cape to Cape, making for a solid 10 days away. If you have ever been thinking of heading west but weren't sure what the best options would be – this issue is essential reading.

we also have a stack of bike and product tests. From the Specialized Kenevo Expert, to the Canyon Torque, to the Merida eOne-Forty 8000 and a wrap up of the Transition Smuggler Carbon frame set.

Of course there's a whole lot more, with reviews of the DT Swiss XMC carbon wheels, reviews of new saddles, chain guides and a long term review of the Shimano Deore XT M8100 12-speed group set.

We build up our Transition Smuggler with Shimano Deore XT M8100 12-speed from AMBmagazine on Vimeo.

Of course we have heaps more, like tips from Jared Rando on how to perfect your tyre pressure. The mechanics from Summit Cycles take you through how to service Shimano's new Microspline freehub, and there's a great recipe from Karen Hill.

All that and more in our new issue – and why not subscribe when you pick it up. You can enter to win a brand new Merida trail bike!