SANTA CRUZ MEGATOWER 2 with Greg Minnaar and Jackson Goldstone

Santa Cruz has radically revamped its 29” enduro race machine by giving it more travel, more aggressive geometry and lots of new features.

Wheel travel increases from 160mm to 165mm in back and from 160mm to 170mm in front. More importantly, they gave it a lower overall leverage ratio and a longer stroke shock that Santa Cruz says results in more damping support for aggressive riding.

Sintra´s Torgas trail

TECH INFO

● Max tire width: 29 x 2.5
● Boost 148mm spacing
● Post mount brakes w/ 200mm rotors
● ISCG05 chain guide mounts
● Threaded BB
● Santa Cruz UDH
● IS headset

Sintra’s Home trail

When World Champs like Greg Minnaar and Jackson Goldstone aren’t on their office bikes, they’re often throttling a Megatower for all it’s worth. Because 165mm of VPP® lower link travel is more than enough to feel just like the Syndicate. A ±63-degree adjustable head tube angle coupled to a 170mm fork and 29-inch wheels delivers the high-speed security of a downhill bike. Yet the 78-degree seat angle and size-specific geo maintain the Mega’s mega ability to climb, retaining its reputation as the perfect choice for knocking out big gravity rides and DH park laps.

Sintra, Rochoso section from Torgas trail

Megatower 2 in Sintra, Portugal

A downhill bike that goes everywhere!

Seriously. The Megatower’s big wheels, long travel, and tough carbon fiber chassis delivers the high-speed security traits of a downhill bike.

Riders: Greg Minnaar, Jackson Goldstone

Creator: Sven Martin | Credit: Sven Martin

Copyright: Copyright 2021 Sven Martin Photography

The VANZACS 2019 pre-season in Sintra

“Take a pre season trip to Portugal with the vanzacs to a place called Sintra. Surf, Sun, Trails and Rose... A winning combo. Cheers to Pedro and the boys at @weride.pt for showing us around! Would recommend to a friend.”

The Vanzacs

”I guess this is how WE start a successful season!”

Sven Martin

"Best week of our season!"

Kurt McDonald

---

Video: Micayla Gatto & Scotty Laughland Ride Sintra's Enchanted Forests - GoPro Track Down S1 EP3

With deep, jungle foliage on one side of the mountain and fast, dry singletrack on the other, Sintra can offer you a 360° mountain bike experience all in one day. Scotty Laughland and Micayla Gatto headed to the Portugese coast to sample as much of this mtb paradise as they could.

Follow along with GoPro athlete and all-around bloody good chap, Scotty Laughland, as he explores trails, trail networks, and the local scene in our new five-part series: Track Down. Where will his GoPro travel with him this season? Europe.

---

MTB and surfing in Portugal – Where would WE be then?

Words: Julian Lemme Photos: João Mourão

Hey there. I’m Julian, Art Director for
ENDURO, GRAN FONDO and E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine.

Although my work is anything but monotonous, I find myself frequently falling into a routine, one that ends with my creativity in a headlock. Habits, it turns out, are probably the most quicksand-like element in the world. For this issue of the magazine, I knew it was time to break free of the shackles and find a new horizon – namely that of the Portuguese coast.

The words ‘time to shine’ flash luminously on my phone’s lock screen. That’s the alarm, I realise groggily. I’m inside my van, tucked into a sleeping bag and cosily lying between my bike and a surfboard. At home, round about this time is when I switch on the coffee machine and hunch over my laptop, eyes flickering for hours on end between design layouts and cat videos. But today is different; I’ve got a banana and a handful of nuts for breakfast. I’m on the Atlantic coast and from the sliding door of the van, I can see there are just a few metres separating me from the sea.

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

— Henry Ford

The good life is within easy reach if you hit the road

Routines can be a simultaneous blessing and curse. They’re like lined paper or road markings, organising and demarcating where to go, what to do and neatly putting our lives into order. But therein lies the danger too. We slump, worn down by demotivation, from weekend to weekend, plagued by a vague sensation of boredom. In my case, it saps my creativity, stirring up a cloudy broth of sameness. But there’s no chance of that happening when I’m on the road. No time for routines to emerge. I wake up in a new location every day and manoeuvre around my small living space. In the best-case scenario, I have to switch languages too. 

But is there a solution for self-discovery for those who don’t have the luxury of calling themselves a freelancer, for those who can’t simply schlep their laptop to a new beachside cafe each day to work? Sometimes the only solution might be to brush your teeth with your non-habitual hand and walk backwards. That’s my trick anyway. By shaking up the status quo of the way I do things, I try to avoid sinking into the boredom of daily life. New experiences are established in unknown territory, right?

“Where would we stand if everybody said where do we stand, and nobody went to look where we would stand if we went?”

— Kurt Marti

Jump into cold water

Escape the infinite loop that’s built on old quirks and repetition. Straight into the cold water! If walking-backwards-brushing-your-teeth doesn’t help, why not take up a new sport? The sea is my substitute for the woods. There’s no Wi-Fi in the sea, no power sockets, no clock-watching. It’s all new and strange and unfamiliar. I find myself toying with thoughts and ideas while I wait for the next set. It’s the sort of time when I’m usually hit by a sense of clarity and a new way of looking at things. I can take it back to the desk, executing a new layout or switching imagery. Creative ideas, fuelled by the ebb and flow of the waves.

“Ships in harbours are safe but that is not what ships are built for.”

— Unknown

From the trails to the surf

To the west of Lisbon the trails shoot you out right on the beach. There’s the sort of variety you’d normally associate with an all-you-can-eat buffet at a five-star hotel – that’s how appetizing the trails are here. Impeccably built downhill tracks with berms, drops and rock gardens, and flowing natural singletrack along the craggy cliffs that border the sea.

Back home I spend a lot of time riding on my own. I ride at my own rhythm and find it easier to switch off. But inspiration, I’ve come to realise, often breeds better with company. When travelling, I’m not averse to latching onto fellow riders. Perhaps a local who’ll show me a hidden trail, or another tourist on a similar hunt for new routes. Each ride brings new stories, perspectives and ideas. Oftentimes, these are the encounters that influence how I live my life and how I approach work projects. Not to mention the new friendships that are forged. So why not say ‘hi’ to the next unknown individual you bump into on the trails, in the supermarket or in the water.

Remember that the world is bigger than us as individuals. You don’t need to bear its whole weight on your shoulders, so embrace the freedom. That’s the freedom of going on an adventure and gaining a new perspective. Pack your bathing trunks or swimsuit, and go catch some waves if that’s your thing. Walk backwards while brushing your teeth, because you’ll end up where you might have gone had you gone there. Say hi to people with a smile and mean it. And me? I’m on my way home now. Real life is calling ;-)

Muito obrigado for the support and the photos to João Mourão of weride.pt

---

YT Jeffsy 2019 launch in Algarve with WERIDE

View fullsize

JEFFSY is here for the good times. And to stay when things get nasty. 

Some encounters change your life. One short moment and nothing is like it used to be. Everything’s better.
You’ll experience this when you jump on the new JEFFSY for the first time: it will make you raise your game and turn you into the rider you always dreamed of becoming; ride every trail the way you always wanted to ride it.
To truly master both the ups and the downs, the new JEFFSY is the most versatile of all the Young Talents. A true all-mountain bike, this light and effective weapon is perfect for flowy singletrack, long backcountry adventures and racing. JEFFSY lets you climb with ease and tackle any challenge on the way back down. Because nothing is like it used to be. The new JEFFSY lets you truly redefine your riding style.

Fullscreen gallery here

Photography and film are property of YT industries
Photos by Ale di Lullo and film starring Christopher Walken
Riders: Ace Hayden and Bryan Regnier

View fullsize

We’re born alone, we die alone. And in between we spend our lives looking for something, a connection. That’s all we want. Every once in a while we might find it, in a true friend. Many friendships will come, only to fade as quickly as a firework. But some, a rare and precious few, turn life up to 11 and keep it there. You got to hold on to friends like these because, just like air, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. No one else gets “it” but they do. Cause they know what’s in your soul, your heart, your mind. They can blindside you - come out of nowhere but you’ll know them right away, you’ll click as perfectly as a jack plug into an amp. They’ll know what you’re thinking before you’ve thought it, anticipating your every move. They’ll understand the demons as well as the angels inside of you. Never judging you for it either. And together, you’ll uncage a thrill that makes you surge with life. But don’t be fooled: friendships are not easy. You’ve got to put the effort in and take as good care of them as you do your own flesh. There will be good times and epic, adrenalin filled challenges where it seems there’s no way you can make it. But, if you trust in one another and commit, you’ll find a way. Coming through together, closer, stronger. Even so, you, they, the world in time, everything and everyone changes. Slowly that boiling energy of young friendship will cool and be replaced by the bonds of a deep, mutual history, complete with the scars that tell the stories of a lifetime well lived. It’s as inevitable as ripples altering their size. So don’t fight it, go with it. Ride it out. Together. Just like Jeffsy and I.

—Christopher Walken

---

MTB-Urlaub im Winter: Top-Destinationen in Europa

Du sehnst dich nach Sonne? Wir zeigen dir 5 Locations, die nur einen kurzen Flug weit entfernt sind.

Autor: Sissi Pärschvor 4T

Matschige Wintertrails und knusprige Temperaturen können ganz nett sein – aber ehrlich: Wie schön ist es, wenn auch im Winter Sonnenstrahlen unsere Wadeln wärmen?! Deshalb haben wir für Euch 5 Top-Destinationen zusammengetragen, die gut erreichbar sind und auch im Winter wohligen Bike-Spaß bieten.

Finale, Italien

Enduro World Series, Finale Ligure

© SVEN MARTIN/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Finale an der italienischen Riviera ist mit seinem dichten Netz an Trails europaweit einer der besten Spots für Mountainbiker und war eine der Stationen der Enduro World Series. Der Bikepark hat einiges zu bieten, um die besten Trails zu erkunden, ist jedoch das Wissen von Locals gefragt. Zum Glück gibt es hier aber eine Menge Guides, die Euch gerne alles zeigen.

Luberon, Frankreich

An der Cote d'Azur kann man im Winter sensationell biken – aber der Geheimtipp in der Provence ist der Luberon, eine Region, die nur eine Autostunde vom Flughafen Marseille entfernt liegt. Hier gibt es die schönsten Dörfer Frankreichs, mit dem Mont Ventoux eine Tour-de-France-Legende und es ist die Wiege des französischen MTB-Sports. Das Trail-Netz ist unglaublich dicht und abwechslungsreich. Wer zwischen all den Lavendelfeldern, Olivenhainen und Mischwäldern nicht verloren gehen will, sollte sich guiden lassen.

Sintra, Portugal

Portugal hat die Vulkaninsel Madeira, 737 Kilometer westlich der marokkanischen Küste im Atlantischen Ozean, die mit mildem Klima und großartigen MTB-Trails aufwartet. ABER Portugal hat auch sein Festland und das mausert sich vom Bike-Geheimtipp zu einer Must-Go-Destination. Wenn die Marken für ihre Katalog-Shootings hinfahren, kann man sich vorstellen, wie sexy es ist. Sintra liegt nah an vielen sexy Sports – Lissabon, Porto, Küste – und ist selbst ungemein attraktiv. Speziell auch für Biker. Das werden Euch die Locals von WERIDE sicher auch in den Wintermonaten beweisen.

Malaga, Spanien

Auch Gee Atherton mag Malaga

© KYLE BLANSHARD

Malaga an der Südküste von Spanien ist bekannt für seine trockenen, staubigen Trails mit jeder Menge steilem Gelände für Downhill-Rider. Das Terrain variiert von Sand bis zu Felsen und hartem Boden, es wird also nie langweilig. Im Winter ist es relativ ruhig und man kann sich richtig genüßlich austoben.

---

Gran Canaria, Spanien

Sonne, Meer und Mountainbikes

© ISMAEL IBAÑEZ

325 Tage Sonnenschein pro Jahr: Wenn das nicht verlockend klingt! Gran Canaria liegt 210 Kilometer westlich vor der Küste Südmarokkos im Atlantischen Ozean und ist eine der beliebtesten Winterdestinationen für Sonnenhungrige. Wenn du lange Rides vor einer tollen Kulisse magst, dann bietet Gran Canaria jede Menge unerschlossenes Terrain für deine Abenteuer. Einige Abschnitte setzen wirklich gute Fitness voraus, wenn du noch nicht so geübt bist, dann empfehlen wir dir einen Guide. Oder du mietest ein Auto und machst eine Shuttle-Gemeinschaft mit deinen Freunden. Die meiste Sonne kriegst du übrigens im Süden der Insel ab.

---