In this Issue - AMB #177

The latest issue of Australian Mountain Bike went on sale on Mondayb 26th August, and here is a look inside our latest issue.

We have Ben Morrison gracing the cover, partly because Nick Waygood nailed the shot, but also because Ben did a whole lot of product testing for this issue. From DMR grips and pedals, to Michelin Wild Enduro tyres, Deity's 35mm bar and stem combo and the Shingleback Vertical bike rack, Moshy put a lot of gear under pressure.

Further in the issue, we have some fresh content including a story from Tropical North Queensland, where Cam McGavin caught up with the TNQ Women's Mountain Bike Group, to find out how they built such a burgeoning women's mountain bike scene up north.

Have you got your mountain bike insured? What about racing, do you have a licence? There's a lot to understand about mountain bike insurance for travel, competition or just incase of theft or damage. Colin Levitch dug into some policies and we spoke to some people with stories about their experiences.

How good is new bike day? It's awesome! But where do you get your new bike? We look at the pros and cons of visiting your local bike shop, buying online, or picking up a bike second hand.

We also heard from Catherine Ballantyne, who tackled one of the most stunning new events around, K2N – which races from Kilimanjaro to Natron in Tanzania.

We have our final installment from a visit to Tasmania around the EWS. We took a campervan for this trip, hitting Maydena Bike Park first and then Blue Derby. This is probably the best Tasmanian one week road trip about now – check out our experiences.

Our bike destroyer tester Ryan Walsch first experienced Trans Provence a few years ago. And with a whole lot more experience under his belt he want back for the final edition. Is this what mountain biking should be? Will the event return somehow? Check out Ryan's story.

We tested two bikes in this issue, along with getting our first thoughts together on the new long term Transition Smuggler Carbon test bike. Brad took the Felt Decree 1 to his local trails to see if it really is the ultimate trail bike that Felt claim.

I jumped aboard the Marin Gestalt X11 to see exactly what a modern adventure bike does in the real world. Are they a gimmick? Do you need one? 

Bike Test: the Marin Gestalt X11 adventure bike from AMBmagazine on Vimeo.

Plus we tested neqw shoes, helmets, drive trains, bike racks, bars, stems, grips, pedals, bike boxes and a whole lot more.

We have the usual tips on nutrition, training, bike maintenance and skills as well, and a ripping new subscription offer where you can enter to win a brand-new Whyte T130 trail bike!

That's all in our latest issue, go grab a copy now – or subscribe and the next issue will come to you, you might even win a new trail bike.