It’s been a bit of a whirlwind in Bright, but we managed to catch up with Dirt Art and Elevation Parks Director Simon French to find out more about their role in Mystic and what’s planned for the bike park. Once you’ve decided which bike is right for you, you’ll need to factor in the size. For every sized bike there are frame measurements that are important to evaluate for proper bike fit. Mechanical disc brakes use traditional cables and cable housing that are the same used for the older type of brakes, v-brakes. However, instead of having brake pads that squeeze the rim of the tire to slow you down when you pull the brake lever, the brake pads squeeze a metal rotor mounted to the hub of the wheel. These are easier to install, adjust and replace due to the high availability of cables.
But, we do need to make it as cost-effective as possible because we don’t want to exclude people because they can’t afford to ride at Mystic — that’s not good for anyone,” he says. One of the big incentives that French says they’d like to achieve is to re-engage the local riding community, get folks involved, and give them a say in the park’s future. One of Bright locals’ biggest wins from the membership model being introduced is that it created quite a few jobs. As Blue Dirt’s presence in the park increased, they were putting on more shuttle drivers, maintenance crew and bike patrol. Mystic Bike Park has been through a tumultuous couple of years, facing closure on multiple occasions. First because the bike park was unable to meet key terms of its lease agreement relating to financial viability.
Along with 20+ other leading bike companies, Cannondale is proud to be a part of the e-bike battery recycling program organized by PeopleForBikes and administrated by the not-for-profit Call2Recycle. Your payment of $15 goes to an industrywide fund that ensures batteries from Cannondale e-bikes are recycled at end of life and do not end up in landfills. The correct tyre choice would also help calm the stiff and somewhat unforgiving rear end, it is not as harsh as many aluminium frames but taking the edge off it with some floaty rubber would help ease take some of the sting out of the trail. The first thing you notice is that the cockpit is comfortable, it just feels right. Not too long and well balanced with none of the ‘too much weight on the wrists’ feeling that sometimes comes on trail hardtails. Genesis are a British brand that have been building decent bikes and a decent reputation so I was looking forward to a chance to see if the positive buzz about the company and their bikes was well earned.
We found it comfortable for cooler weather riding and the enclosed design does work in the rain although the slightly bulky shape might not suit everyone. Certainly, if you’re riding regularly in a colder region, or commute year round, then it’s a lid we suggest you take a look genesis bicycles at. Perhaps due to the extra protection, the Bell XR isn’t the lightest in class – a medium has a claimed weight of 285g while our large test helmet tipped the scales at 317g. It’s tightened with a wire and BOA dial system at the rear, which gives a secure, stable fit.
“From a high level, there are a couple of things we really want to achieve on the site, not just offset the loss of trail that’s coming up,” says French. French said they are also looking at creating some definition of a multi-park pass where a Mystic membership would offer a benefit at Maydena and vice versa. “There has certainly been a lot of water under the bridge, and Mystic has a long history in various management iterations. Dirt Art had previously put together a master plan for Mystic and, through that process, had conducted quite a bit of community consultation with locals and all the various stakeholders to gauge the situation. Elevation will take on everything, working with a contact manager who works for the council to make everything work.
There are strengthening gussets where the down tube and top tube meet the tapered head tube and the seat stays are an old school wishbone style, the lack of a bridge gives ample mud clearance. The wind-cheating silhouette of the Giro Ultimate Aerohead will maximise your performance with its excellent aerodynamic design which also boosts plenty of ventilation with its four Wind Tunnel vents. The XR uses Bell’s Float Fit system, which we found simple to use and is paired with a comfortable strap and magnetic buckle. Combined, they allow for a stable fit that we found added to the helmet’s high level of comfort – as did the great ventilation. The Prevail 3 also uses MIPS AirNode, which integrates the MIPS system, designed to protect against rotational forces during a crash, directly into the helmet padding to reduce weight and improve ventilation. Bridging the gap between road and off-road adventures, the lightweight helmet uses the same Spherical MIPS protection as the Giro Aether, which isn’t the only way this lower price offering challenges its more expensive sibling.
Its large air ports mean that it also doesn’t take the usual guise of an aero helmet, which tend to have a more solid appearance. The aero lid uses POC’s own SPIN (Shearing Pad INside) safety feature, which combines silicone bladders and pads to help dissipate rotation impacts. Weighing just an incredibly 220g/ 7.7oz for a size medium, the Kask Protone helmet genesis bike offers, according to the brand, one of the lowest drag and fastest heat dissipation options on the market. On test we called it a game-changer of a road bike helmet due to its unrivalled all-around performance. Likewise, having tested hundreds of helmets over the years, we’d always recommend trying a few options on to see which suits your head shape and size.