Bosch CX-R: The Most Powerful eMTB Motor Yet
Words: Liam Friary
Images: Supplied
When Bosch says they’ve built their most powerful eMTB motor ever, you sit up and take notice. The new Performance Line CX-R isn’t just another incremental upgrade – it’s a proper beast that’s been designed with one thing in mind: unleashing pure trail energy.
As someone who’s spent plenty of time on eMTBs, I’m always curious when a major player like Bosch drops something completely new into the mix. And the CX-R definitely feels like a departure from their usual approach. While previous Bosch motors have been known for their reliability and smooth power delivery, this one’s clearly been built for riders who want to push harder and go faster.
The numbers alone tell quite a story. We’re talking 100Nm of torque, 750W of power, and support of up to 400% of your pedal input. That’s seriously impressive stuff, and puts it right up there with some of the most powerful motors on the market. But what really caught my attention was how Bosch has approached the whole package – it’s not just about raw power.
Two New Modes That Actually Make Sense
The standout feature for me is the exclusive Race mode. This is clearly aimed at riders who want immediate, uncompromising power delivery. When you’re picking your way through technical terrain or need that instant boost out of a tight corner, the Race mode doesn’t mess around. It gives you full assistance right up to maximum speed, with what Bosch calls “Extended Boost” for those moments when you’re wrestling with big rocks or gnarly root sections.
What’s clever is that they’ve also introduced an eMTB+ mode that sits between their existing eMTB setting and the new Race mode. This feels like Bosch acknowledging that not everyone wants to be pinned back in their seat every time they touch the pedals. The eMTB+ mode includes something called Dynamic Control – essentially a kind of traction control system that keeps things manageable even when the terrain gets loose or steep.
Both modes can be fine-tuned through Bosch’s eBike Flow app, which is something I really appreciate. Being able to customize how your motor responds to different situations makes a huge difference when you’re trying to dial in the perfect setup for your riding style.
Built Like a Proper Race Machine
The materials spec on the CX-R reads like a who’s who of high-end engineering. We’re talking aerospace-grade stuff here – magnesium housing, titanium crank spindle, and ceramic ball bearings. All of this adds up to a motor that weighs just 6 pounds, which is pretty impressive when you consider the power it’s putting out.
What I find interesting is that Bosch has clearly spent time with top-level athletes during development. You can see this in the attention to detail – things like the decoupled drivetrain that reduces mechanical noise when you’re descending, and the advanced sensor technology that measures your pedal input up to a thousand times per second.
The Tech That Makes It Work
Speaking of sensors, this is where things get really interesting from a technical perspective. The CX-R uses inertial measurement units (IMUs) that track acceleration and rotation in six dimensions, plus inclination and tilt angles. Essentially, the motor knows exactly what the bike is doing at any given moment and can adjust power delivery accordingly.
This kind of sophisticated sensor tech means the motor can deliver power precisely when and where you need it – whether that’s a punchy acceleration out of a switchback, a controlled start on slippery surfaces, or sustained power on steep technical climbs.
What This Means for eMTB Riding
The CX-R feels like Bosch’s answer to the ongoing debate about full-power versus lightweight eMTBs. Rather than compromising on either front, they’ve tried to build something that gives you serious power while still maintaining the kind of responsive, lively feel that makes eMTBs fun to ride.
The fact that it’s launching with an exclusive Race mode suggests they’re specifically targeting riders who want to push boundaries – whether that’s in actual competition or just personal progression on challenging trails. At the same time, the eMTB+ mode with its Dynamic Control system shows they haven’t forgotten about riders who want that power delivered in a more manageable way.
The Bottom Line
While we’ll have to wait until fall 2025 to see the first bikes with the CX-R in shops, this feels like a significant step forward for Bosch. They’ve clearly been listening to feedback from serious eMTB riders who wanted more power and more control over how that power is delivered.
Whether the CX-R lives up to its impressive spec sheet will ultimately come down to how it feels on the trail. But based on what Bosch has achieved with their previous motors, and the clear focus on performance and customization with this one, it could well be the motor that sets the new benchmark for what a serious eMTB should be capable of.
For riders who’ve been waiting for that perfect combination of power, control, and refinement, the CX-R might just be worth the wait.
SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission
Words & Images Liam Friary
RRP $1,488
Distributor Worralls
Analogue aficionados rejoice—cable ain’t dead! In fact, it’s far from dead with the recent launch of SRAM’s new Eagle 90 Transmission. A few years back, we saw the launch of SRAM’s electronic AXS Transmission which removed the traditional derailleur hanger by hanging the derailleur directly onto the frame.
This brought the benefits of strength, shifting under load, and improved shifting performance. Well, now all of this is offered in a more affordable mechanical version, which is great news—especially in the current economic climate.
There’s two new mechanical groupsets; SRAM’s Eagle 70 and Eagle 90. These are both 12-speed, cable-operated drivetrains, offering mechanical alternatives to their electronic counterparts. Eagle 90 is basically the mechanical version of GX AXS Transmission. It uses the same cassette, chain and crank arms, but adds a new steel chainring, plus a mechanical derailleur and shifter. Eagle 70 is the step-down option that replaces NX Eagle. It’s essentially the mechanical version of the S1000 Transmission, sharing its crankset, chain and XS-1270 cassette. One advantage: the cassette works with the more common HG freehub standard. It’s difference from the Eagle90 derailleur, is that it utilises cheaper materials and a Drag Spring damper to keep costs lower. For this review, I’ll focus on the Eagle 90 Transmission which I’ve been riding for a few months. You can purchase the complete SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission groupset with exception of BB. From a pricing perspective, its more expensive than Shimano’s XT mechanical drivetrain but cheaper than SRAM’s GX AXS Transmission.
Eagle 90 Installation is a simple setup procedure. SRAM’s “Prepare. Hang. Tighten.” motto is mostly accurate, but if you’ve spent years working on traditional derailleurs, there’s definitely a learning curve—you need to forget some old habits. That said, after the first installation, the second and third will go much smoother.
The “Prepare” step involves checking SRAM’s website or using the AXS app to enter your bike details (brand, model, frame size, chainring size). The system then gives you your specific chain length, cage lock position setting (A or B), compatible chainring sizes, and which cog to use for setup. SRAM provides excellent installation videos that cover the little details that help achieve perfect performance.
Overall, installation is straightforward—any decent home mechanic can handle it. Just be aware of a few things: changing chainring size or adjusting dropouts can affect shifting. Also worth noting: SRAM emphasizes that T-type drivetrains are very sensitive to proper torque specs, so use a calibrated torque wrench when installing both cassette and derailleur.
The Eagle 90 Derailleur uses a Full Mount design that connects straight to your frame without needing a separate hanger. There’s a catch though—it only works with UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) dropouts, so if you’ve got an older mountain bike (non-UDH), you’re out of luck. A standout feature is that the derailleur is rebuildable. If something breaks or wears out, you’ve got options: you can replace just the skid plates, get new P-Knuckle or B-Knuckle assemblies, or even grab a bushing replacement kit. The jockey wheels and inner cage are also available separately, or you can buy the complete package with the full cage and damper. This is a strong move away from the disposable culture of ‘break it, throw it, buy new’. The ‘right to repair’ movement has been gaining serious momentum lately—not just in cycling but across pretty much everything we own. From phones and laptops to cars and tractors, people are pushing back against manufacturers that make it nearly impossible to fix your own stuff without specialised tools or proprietary parts.
The cage on this derailleur is the same as the GX AXS Transmission model—steel on the outside, aluminum on the inside. Pretty cool feature: you can take off the whole assembly and damper from the main body without needing any tools. And since it’s modular, you could upgrade to a high- end version from an X0 or XX SL derailleur if you wanted. So, the Eagle 90 derailleur is a solid unit weighing in at in at 390g. However, its 100g lighter than the GX AXS version, which is welcomed.
The Eagle 90 Shifter features a brand-new trigger shifter with a specific cable-pull ratio for T-Type derailleurs and cassettes (not compatible with older Eagle systems). It comes in double-click for regular bikes or single-click for eMTBs, with a smaller plastic upper paddle for upshifting and a larger, textured aluminum lower lever for downshifting. Installation is flexible—use SRAM’s MMX system to either mount it directly on your handlebar with a standalone clamp or attach it right to a SRAM brake lever with the appropriate adapter. One nice detail: the cable runs straight and parallel to your handlebar, which looks super clean when paired with SRAM’s newest Stealth brakes.
The Eagle 90 Crankset shares the same alloy arms as the GX AXS, just with a black finish and steel bolt. It’s built for the modern 55mm chain line and uses a DUB Wide spindle. You can get arm lengths from 155-175mm, plus there’s a special eMTB version for Bosch and Brose/Specialized motors. I opted for shorter 165mm cranks on my set up.
The big difference from the GX AXS is the new one-piece steel chainring. It’s twice as heavy as aluminum but lasts three times longer and runs quieter. Thanks to the modern 8-bolt interface, you can easily swap to a lighter alloy ring or add a power meter if you want. The crankset comes in 30T, 32T, and 34T sizes, and includes standard two-piece bash plates.
The Eagle 90 Cassette uses the existing XS-1275 cassette from the GX AXS drivetrain. It needs an XD freehub body and works best with the 55mm chain line spacing. This cassette delivers a massive 520% gear range with its 10-52T spread. Construction-wise, the eight largest cogs use a pinned design while the smallest four form a single mini-cluster. The big 52T sprocket is aluminum for weight savings, and all the others are nickel-plated steel for better durability. A key feature is the narrow-wide tooth profile (X-Sync) that matches perfectly with the chain, creating better retention and specific shift gates in both directions—this is what allows for such reliable shifting even when you’re pushing hard on the pedals.
The Eagle 90 Chain uses the same GX Flattop chain from the existing lineup. It features the distinctive Flattop design that’s specific to Transmission systems and comes with a PVD coating that helps fight wear and corrosion. To keep costs down, the GX version uses solid pins instead of the lighter hollow pins found on higher-end SRAM chains. But it still includes the same convenient Powerlock master link that makes installation a breeze.
Eagle 90 Transmission Riding—to date I’ve probably done around 150-200km of riding with the new groupset. It’s plenty enough to get acquainted with its performance but not nearly enough to report on durability and longevity. However, from that first ride up until writing this review its been bloody good!
The smooth shifting does great under load, with positive engagement and a quietness to the drivetrain. Often, it’s so damn quiet you don’t even know you’ve shifted. For the last two decades, I have been used to backing off the pedals when shifting. Transmission effectively removes that from the equation, however, it does take some getting used to. I did find that the mechanical version of Transmission prefers shifting when under load. I should point out that the system shifts just two gears at a time. Interesting, perhaps, but it makes sense and is a smart design decision that likely helps keep gear transitions smooth when you’re putting power through the drivetrain. It’s a small detail, but it’s these thoughtful touches that contribute to how well the whole system performs.
There’s something about the tactile feel when thumbing the shifter up or down gears that resonates. Maybe it’s because I’ve been riding bikes since before there was electronic shifting, but there’s a certain appeal to the analogue feel. The lever ergonomics of the shift paddles are superb, especially that concave profile on the upshift paddle—it’s like it was designed specifically for my thumb. From the first ride, the natural feel, comfort and shift experience really stood out. Of course, this shifting is on par with what you’d expect from this level of groupset. It’s solid, dependable and functions really well. Sure, it’s not high-end X01—but that’s not the point here, and it keeps the price lower.
It’s been good riding the groupset at a variety of different locations. I’ve been on multiple rides in Rotorua and found that on the steeper fire roads and singletrack, shifting under load—or rather, last minute—before a feature (or if my heart rate soared too high) it found the gear without hesitation. Shifting under load is a real standout feature. Basically, it removes any thinking about gear changes and allowed me to focus on the line, putting down power to grind away up a fire road or tackle technical features.
On the descents, the silence continued—thanks to an improved clutch for Transmission—and after numerous rides, the components have only gotten better as they’ve bedded in. During my rides in Rotorua, I had a couple of stacks—nothing major—and the robustness of the derailleur meant I could dust off, grab my bike and continue on the trail without any shifting issues whatsoever. I did slam the bash guard against tree roots a couple times while rolling but, again, it just shrugged it off like it was nothing. No damage, no drama.
After tweaking the cable tension, I haven’t run into any real problems with the Eagle 90. Like any cable system, you’ll need to do regular maintenance—which is different from electronic derailleurs that generally keep shifting well for longer periods. On the plus side, there’s no battery to worry about charging— so each system has its own advantages and disadvantages. I personally like the fact that there’s nothing to charge—or remember to charge!—before heading out for a ride.
Another good addition is the advanced technology delivered to this groupset, while still being realistically serviceable. Unlike older derailleur designs that often meant replacing the entire unit after a good smack on a rock, these T-Type models let you swap out specific components—the outer parallelogram link, skid plates, derailleur cages—without throwing the whole thing. Perfect if you’re abusive with your bike and don’t want an expensive electronic mech hanging off your bike.
I noted earlier that shifting is best under load, as it can feel sluggish if soft pedalling. It actually performs better when you’re more aggressive—kind of counterintuitive but that’s how it works. This takes a bit to get used to but you soon adapt. It hasn’t skipped a beat since I’ve been on it—precise and crisp. Given how well it handles high-torque shifting, I bet it’ll be fantastic on eBikes with motors adding extra power through gear changes.
All in all, the new SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission is a pretty sweet addition to the mountain bike drivetrain scene. It basically takes all those cool features from the electronic versions— no hanger needed, super simple setup—but without emptying your bank account. The clear standout is shifting under load, which is seriously impressive. I’m also into that ‘click’ feedback that only mechanical can deliver. Sometimes, the analogue world prevails over the pressing of electronic buttons and dealing with apps and dead batteries.
Yeah, it’s a bit heavy—especially the cranks— and it’s not as boujee as the higher-end product from SRAM, but it doesn’t lack any performance benefits. It’s also pricier than other mechanical groupsets, but the Full Mount design eliminates a lot of the usual headaches that mess with shift performance and durability. The Eagle 90 Transmission is bloody good!
Trek Slash+ 9.9
Words Georgia Petrie
Images Cameron Mackenzie
RRP $19,999
Distributor Trek NZ
It’s fair to say we’ve seen a whole heap of changes within the eMTB landscape over the past few years. The last 18 months in particular have brought about the cementing of the SL (Super Light) category, and an absolute smorgasbord of full-powered options. Gone are the days of an eMTB resembling somewhat of a retro downhill bike with a motor strapped to the bottom. The wide range of battery sizes, motor options and travel means that the whole e-experience can now be more tailored than ever before.
With so much choice on the market, there’s something to be said for Goldilocks’ age-old personal tagline of “just right”. This is exactly what comes to mind when it comes to the increasingly popular SL eMTB category. Increasingly, we’re seeing more and more bikes in this class being specced with bigger batteries paired with lightweight, low-power SL motors, resulting in bigger battery range whilst maintaining a ‘not-too-heavy’ ride experience— in other words “the best of both worlds”.
The Slash+ is essentially an electrified version of Trek’s ever-popular acoustic Slash, with the high-pivot, eye-catching chassis boasting a grunty 170mm of front and rear travel, with a fork that can be up-travelled up to a whopping 190mm. No mistake made—this is a burly bike that’s right at home on the roughest of double- black trails—and, as I came to learn: the rougher and more technical the trail, the more the Slash+ thrives, all without compromising on climbing ability. By incorporating a hearty 580wH battery paired with TQ’s HPR50 motor, the Slash+ strikes a balance, enabling you to “do more”; whether it’s an extra after-work lap, a backcountry ride – or even the difference between going for a post- work spin and staying home, especially as we say goodbye to post-work daylight hours once again!
eBike Features
Although sporting the same 50Nm, 300-watt peak powered TQ-HPR50 motor as its shorter-travel Fuel EXe counterpart, a key point of difference—the defining factor of the Slash+’s place in the eMTB lineup—is it’s chunkier 580Wh battery. This stacks up well against other mid- weight contenders, punching above its weight relative to the likes of other longer-travel ~160mm options, such as Transition’s freshly released Regulator and Mondraker’s Dune, which both sport 400Wh batteries, and paired with Bosch’s grunty 55Nm, 600W peak powered SX motor. With so much choice and such subtle differences between motor and bike manufacturers, whether you’re a weekend warrior tackling technical blues or a park rat aiming to tackle every double black option in one day (and still pedal home afterward), the SL eMTB space really has expanded to cater for a wide range of rider types.
Alongside its big battery, a core outlier of the Slash+, relative to many of its SL competitors, is not only a removeable battery but the ability to swap between TQ’s 360 or 580Wh batteries, or swap in a fresh battery mid-ride. There’s also the option to purchase TQ’s 160Wh range extender, which fits snugly into the bottle cage, weighing 950g. The TQ-HPR50 is discreetly tucked away and pleasantly quiet even under load on full power mode, making the Slash+ one of the stealthiest long-travel eMTB’s I’ve ridden. The motor has three power modes and a ‘walk’ mode, rounded out with TQ’s integrated top- tube display, and two-button handlebar remote. Though the max power assist level and pedal response for each mode can be easily fine-tuned via the Trek Central and TQ apps (though I’d prefer to have one central channel for adjustment), I found the display a little unintuitive at times, and both this and the two apps almost a little tacky and clunky relative to counterparts such as Specialized’s Mission Control App, and Bosch’s eBike Flow app, both of which have undergone significant iterations and deliver a more refined and intuitive user experience. I also found the ‘walk’ button somewhat unwieldy to access and slow to kick-in, which isn’t uncommon across the wide range of eMTB brands I’ve tried and, whilst not a dealbreaker, can be rather frustrating.
Geometry and Frame Details
Make no mistake, the Slash+ is burly bike. With 170mm of front and rear travel, paired with a 63.4° head angle and 1233mm wheelbase, the Slash+ is made for steep, rough terrain—it’s fair to say that anything less is wasted upon this bike. At 77.5° the seat angle is surprisingly steep for a bike of such travel, making for a comfortable all-day climber that’s planted on steep ascents, with a particularly upright seating position making light work of long stints in the saddle – and making you second guess that you’re basically riding a mini downhill bike uphill.
This concoction of generous geometry has created a bike that descends exceptionally well with minimal compromise on climbing ability—the point of instability more or less doesn’t exist on the Slash+, with the bike instead asking for more if tackling anything below a double black technical or jump trail. Paired with a reach of 479mm, the Slash+ does feel generous relative to other SL offerings, with plenty of room to move around on the bike, whilst the 29” front and 27.5” mullet wheel size setup creates a sense of nimbleness oftentimes lost in eMTB experiences. Overall, the bike was exceptionally well-rounded, and one of the most versatile bikes I’d ridden in a long time. For how capably it descends, it almost seems wrong to climb with such comfort!
When it comes to nitty gritty frame details, the Slash+ has a plethora of thoughtful details. The integrated chainstay protector isn’t here to faff around—this thing is chunky and robust, and it means business when it comes to limiting chain slap, which is often a dinky afterthought on so many stock eMTB’s. On the Slash+, however, it’s a welcome addition—especially given the rough terrain that the bike is best suited to. The rear fender is also a nice touch—so often I’ve ruined frames with small-yet-mighty stones that work their way in between the rear wheel and chainstay, and this does a nice job of helping minimise this as well as keep mud at bay. There’s also a custom, Trek-specific chain guide which mounts directly to the motor housing—given my experience with zero chain drops, I’d say this is a well-executed addition. I found the charging port location a little odd to work with, having been so used to side-mounted ports, and often found myself having to really yank the charging cable hard to remove it once charged, which sometimes resulted in inadvertently smacking it on the underside of the top tube—oops. Having said that, this location makes sense when considering the bottle mounted TQ range extender, which fits snugly in this space when attached.
Ride Performance
For a bike with a 170mm fork up front, the Slash+ is an exceptionally comfortable climber, sitting high in the travel with a balanced centre of gravity. Not once did I find myself fighting to keep the front wheel on the ground, which is impressive considering the bike’s relatively slack head angle. It navigated tight switchbacks with surprising ease despite a long wheelbase—there was many an occasion where I was glad to have a mullet configuration, as it gave an otherwise cumbersome bike the ability to navigate tight, technical ascents. Traction isn’t an issue—in fact, this was one of the most planted bikes I’d climbed on, with a rear wheel that’s never fighting for grip. The Rockshox Vivid Air shock behaved itself well with minimal ‘bob’. Whilst the Rockshox AXS Reverb is a welcome addition on any eMTB—anybody who’s had to complete any mechanical dropper post maintenance on an eMTB will attest to how much of a headache it is—the standover on this bike is low at 77.6mm for our 17.5” sized test bike and, when paired with a 170mm dropper post, it leaves a little more seatpost exposed than desired, especially for longer limbed riders like myself!
As I’ve found with other TQ-HPR50 equipped bikes I’ve had the opportunity to ride, the power delivery is akin to a “pat on the back”—someone giving you a little push of encouragement climbing up the hill. Let’s be real, at 20.8kg, whilst the bike does fall into the SL eMTB category, the Slash+ is on the chunky side relative to the power that the motor can produce. There were numerous times where I found myself wanting more from the motor—I was surprised at the cadence level required to maintain optimal power delivery, particularly on road climbs. On a number of occasions I felt a twinge of surprise when the motor appeared to hit the point of peak power delivery—“is that it?!”, I asked myself, as I kept getting dropped by my fellow SL eMTB riding crew.
This is a great segway into battery chat; I’ve been fortunate enough to have a tasting platter of SL eMTB’s so far, and when the Slash+ showed up in my garage, I had range curiosity! My conclusion was one of uncertainty—whilst it initially seemed great to have the reassurance of a bigger battery, what I often found was that the weight of the bike required me to run the motor on a higher-than- usual mode, and I often found myself drawing battery at such a rate that it cancelled out the supposed gains of increased Wh. My experience with this motor also matched that of the Fuel EXe, in so far as the way the power is delivered seemed to draw battery at a greater rate than other SL counterparts, such as Shimano’s EP8 RS and Specialized’s SL 1.2 motor—this was even more apparent on the Slash+ with the additional bike weight the motor had to carry.
However, I was still able to tackle a solid 2.5hr long loop with 15% remaining and at no point was I unable to make it up any of Christchurch’s steepest Victoria Park fire roads—just don’t expect to be setting any Strava e-QOM’s! It should also be noted that the TQ motor continues to maintain its reputation of being without a doubt the quietest motor I’ve experienced, providing power almost silently. While it doesn’t bother me, I’m well aware that motor noise is a sensitive issue for some eMTB buyers, making this great news for those who prefer not to hear their bike humming as they ride.
The 9.9 AXS T-Type build is specced with, you guessed it, SRAM’s X0 AXS drivetrain. This performed reliably and with crisp efficiency throughout the duration of my testing, though I did notice that the drivetrain quickly became noisy unless spotlessly cleaned after almost every ride. Whilst Christchurch will provide you with an overwhelmingly dry riding experience and taking a rain jacket “just in case” is uncommon, this does equate to A LOT of dust, which for this bike means constant maintenance to ensure the drivetrain remains smooth under pedal load, and drag-free. I think we easily doubled our chain lube consumption for the duration of testing to try and avoid any ear-twitchingly uncomfortable grinding drivetrain noise. The other interesting characteristic of this particular X0 AXS drivetrain is that it’s powered by the primary battery—the plus side to this is that you don’t need to worry about swapping or monitoring batteries (let’s face it—we’ve all been “that guy” at the trail asking around for spares…) as long as the bike is charged. The flip side to this is that if you happen to find yourself in a sticky situation, or running the battery down to it’s last drop of juice, you’ll lose the ability to shift gears because once that primary battery dies, that’s your drivetrain power source gone.
Descending on the Slash+ is a dream—this has to be one of my favorite eMTB’s I’ve taken down the rocky steeps of Christchurch, and I’ve been fortunate enough to throw a few into the dustbowl! The 170mm RockShox ZEB ultimate was an absolute delight—it took minimal time to setup and performed excellently in the chunkiest of rock gardens, and was incredibly stout without feeling too stiff. This made for a comfortable descending experience that excelled on rough terrain; the more technical the trail, the more the bike ate up whatever was underneath it. The mullet setup gave the bike a touch of nimbleness that balanced out its long wheelbase and slack head angle, creating a far more agile ride than I’d ever have imagined for a 20kg, 170mmm eMTB. Whilst the bike is certainly planted and hugs the ground—and therefore tracks exceptionally well—it was still surprisingly easy to jump and move around underneath me. I was also wow’ed with the performance of the RockShox Vivid Ultimate air shock. I’ve tried a range of different shocks in SL eMTB’s and am usually committed to the coil shock cause on my long travel bikes; however, the suppleness of the Vivid and its small bump sensitivity was so confidence-instilling that it’s got me thinking I may re-explore an air shock on my next bike build. Like the Zeb, the Vivid was a once-and-done setup for me, and it provided supple comfort over big holes without the sinking “Lay-Z-Boy” feeling you can sometimes get from bigger air shocks—it sat high in travel, even through the burliest terrain. The short chainstays are also a welcome addition.
This bike eats double black trails for breakfast, and technical blues are a great complementary snack. Make no mistake—this is a BIG bike, and if not pushed hard enough or ridden on terrain that doesn’t suit it—think flow blue trails—it may tend to feel cumbersome and even stiff at times, particularly due to the suspension being on the less active side. For this reason, it’s definitely best suited to a rider who likes to push a trail bike to its limits. For the terrain I often ride, this platform was ideal; for my first foray into the high-pivot world, I was left wanting more as it created an incredibly stable ride that seemed to make the usual bone-rattling, small bumpy sections feel like I was floating on a magic carpet. When combined with the added weight of a motor and big battery, the bike feels incredibly balanced and, as is so often the case on SL eMTBs, I felt more stable—and, as a result, much quicker—on wide-open, fast, chunky descents than on my acoustic bike. People often think an eMTB is reserved for heavy, cumbersome ride feels, but I believe that with the right platform and weight balance, the ride experience is arguably more comfortable. Trek have done an exceptional job designing a platform that’s so stable and confidence-inspiring yet still maintains some degree of nimbleness and maneuverability.
When it comes to contact points, I must admit I was a little skeptical when I noticed the SRAM Maven Silver brakes—a sore point with many stock eMTB builds is underpowered brakes, and constantly battling to control speed is taxing and creates an unnecessarily arduous ride experience, even if they’re great descenders otherwise. I was pleased to discover that this wasn’t a concern with the 4-piston Maven Silvers—when paired with hearty 200mm rotors, I didn’t once feel like the brakes were under-gunned and didn’t suffer from the sore hands I’ve so often had with other SL eMTB’s in the past. This was complemented by the levers being on the larger size with plenty of adjustability—a particularly important factor for smaller hands—and gradual modulation that allowed for increased control, which is well-suited for the steeper terrain that the Slash+ excels on. I was also pleased to report nothing but silence from these brakes, even in dry, dusty summer conditions—a welcome change from SRAM brakes of years gone by!
As was the case with the Fuel EXe, the Bontrager contact points left a little to be desired—the grips were thick, uncomfortable and incredibly slippery when wet, which I unfortunately discovered was compounded by the fact they take a long time to absorb once wet, due to their ribbed nature. Another change I’d be making immediately is the stock Bontrager SE5 Team Issue TLR tyre. Whilst a grunty 2.5” tyre such as this is a logical choice for a bike of this travel and, in theory, should be well suited to the terrain, the compound lacked grip and was a little more skatey on Victoria Park’s loose clay than was comfortable. A few “oh s***!!” moments were had as grip limits were hit a little earlier than preferred. I’m also fine compromising weight and rolling resistance to optimize grip, but this was a little on the slow side with next to no grip gains, and something I’d swap out pretty quickly for a softer compound option. I’m also pleased to say that throughout the Slash+’s tenure in our garage, not a single chain was dropped, and I didn’t experience any significant chain slap, even on the roughest of rock gardens and rooty sections.
Summary
The Slash+ is a heavy-hitting descender that delivers excellent ride performance when pointed down the most burly, technical trails in your backyard. With a bigger range than its younger brother, the Fuel EXe—but without the “chonk” of its bigger brother, the Rail—the Slash+ is Trek’s quietly capable middle child. Equipped with a quiet, subtle motor that’s so stealthily integrated that even the most eagle-eyed eMTB riders will need to look twice to see it, the Slash+ represents a well-rounded eMTB that has your back no matter what it’s pointed down. While you’re not going to lead any eMTB climbing segments on Strava, you will be making gains in your ability to ride more and squeeze in “one last lap”—even when the post-work clock is up against you. I have to agree with Goldilocks, there’s something to be said for things being “just right”, and the Slash+ might just epitomize that saying perfectly.
Specialized Levo Gen 4 Pro Carbon
Words Lester Perry
Images Cameron Mackenzie
RRP $19,900
Distributor Specialized NZ
Specialized’s eBike boffins have been at it again – this time with a revision of their marque Levo model. A 150/160mm travel trail bike, the Gen 4 builds on the Levo heritage and considers consumer feedback from riders who’ve previously Levo’d. They’ve ended up with a completely revised bike; almost every aspect has been refined, upgraded or tweaked. It’s evident that all the changes from Gen 3 have been considered and have a purpose; it’s not just change for the sake of it.
The design language is carried over from other recently released Specialized models; the Stumpjumper 15 and the Levo SL2 line. Levo Gen 4 has similar lines to the SL2, albeit with a beefier downtube and motor area, allowing for its larger, more powerful motor and larger battery. Most geometry numbers across the two bikes are within a gnat’s hair of each other. Thanks to this, I found the handling of the Gen 4 Levo very similar to the SL2 and, where characteristics differed, it was due to the extra weight of this full-powered bike. Geometry is comfortable and a great middle ground for all scenarios for a bike of this travel and intended trail use. The reach on an S4 size is 480mm, the head angle sits at 64.5 degrees, the seat tube at an acceptably steep 67 degrees, and 435mm chainstays in the stock short setting. As with the Levo SL line, there’s an adjustable head angle so, with a quick headset cup swap (only requiring an Allen key), the bike can gain or lose a degree of head angle—and flipping the hardware on the lower shock eye drops the bottom bracket -6mm from the stock high position of 350mm high. The rear end can grow by 9mm just by adjusting the chainstay flip chip, adding stability to the ride.
To keep the rear end short and put the lower suspension pivot in the optimal position, there’s no option (or clearance) to run a 29-inch rear wheel, so the bike is offered only in a mixed wheel (27.5/29”) format.
The new 3.1 motor breaks new ground for the Big S. Gone is the vulnerable, noisy internal belt, replaced by metal gears with a HardDrive coating offering increased durability and adding to the motor’s noticeably quieter running than the previous Levo. It sure is quiet – and even after it’s warm, after an hour of hard use, there’s no whining or increase in noise, just a gentle purr. Impressive.
Although it’s now 20% smaller overall, the motor hits 666W peak power across the range, with the baller S-Works edition punching up to 720W thanks to a different motor tune. Torque gets an increase, too, now 101nm with the S-Works getting 111nm. At higher cadences, where the previous Levo’s – and many other current motors – power delivery dropped off slightly, the Gen 4 maintains the peak power through a much higher cadence range.
A small but noticeable change in the width of the motor brings the Q-factor inwards 10mm; it is not massive, but it keeps the Q-factor closer to that of a standard pedal bike. For those who do a fair amount of pedalling and jump between the eBike and other rigs, it brings a more natural-feeling pedal stroke and, in some cases, should ease dodgy knees.
Battery capacity is boosted to 840Wh versus 700Wh on the previous generation Levo. A new internal battery cell layout allows for a shorter overall battery at a similar weight to the previous. A major but not noticeable change is the increase to a 48v system from 36v; apparently, this further increases the efficiency of the battery and electrics, allowing it to be more compact and extend the ride time.
The battery is now accessible from the non-drive side of the down tube; with a few rotations on a five millimetre Allen bolt, the battery door comes off. A gentle tug on a pull loop, and the battery simply slides out the side of the bike. Thanks to the shorter battery, there’s now a cavity up toward the headtube, allowing a SWAT bag to be tucked in place, held there by a magnet. There’s room to stash a tube, CO2, and Allen key in the watertight bag, which is handy.
A 600w/h battery is also available aftermarket, giving those who ride shorter times on the regular a lighter weight option. A 280w battery expander can be slid into the bottle cage in addition to the onboard 840w/h battery, offering a gargantuan 1120w/h for those who want to go on larger missions. Specialized claims an 80kg rider in Eco mode, climbing “significant elevation” could get 5.3 hours out of the system. I’d be happy to ride more aggressively, take it easy on Turbo assist, and get three rip-roaring hours out of the 1120w/h setup.
The new Mastermind controller has significant changes and upgrades from the previous version. The thumb shifter is wired to the screen tucked into the top tube, but both have had some welcome tweaks. The screen is much larger and now square, allowing for data that’s far more visible at a glance than the previous. The controller now has a power button at the top, a ‘toggle’ type lever in the middle, and a Walk Mode button beneath this. Pushing the toggle up or down scrolls the bike through its stock power modes, while pressing the toggle changes the data displayed. For those who want a bit of variation from the stock assistance levels, a long press ‘up’ on the toggle unlocks some fine-tuning options: Micro Tune and Dynamic Micro Tune. Micro Tune essentially lets you select the rider power amplify level in 10% increments, with equal bike input. Dynamic Micro tune is like Micro Tune, but enables you to choose assistance level for efficiency and battery saving while cruising, but automatically jumps back to 100% assistance when you kick up the power on the pedals, giving full assist for surprise pinch climbs or when you need some extra oomph while sprinting into a gap jump. These extra adjustments made possible by the new controller mean you can fine-tune the bike without requiring the phone app while riding—or even a phone at all if that’s your jam.
If you want even more tuning, the Specialized app has a couple of minor, but helpful, additions for the Gen 4 Levo. Overrun is a standard feature on many high-end eBike systems; the drive running on for a short period after you stop pedalling—this helps keep the bike moving forward, particularly when climbing technical trails where it’s necessary to stop pedalling over a trail feature so as not to clip a pedal or smash a crank, it also helps while climbing through high speed swooping turns, continuing to drive even when you need to stop pedalling for fear of bottoming a crank out while leaning into the turn. The ability to adjust how long the Overrun period is via the app (through Min, Default and Max) gives some interesting options for those trying to maintain maximum speed on rough, technical trails. It would be ideal for racing once you adapt your riding. I think it would take a bit more time to figure out what level is best and how to get the most out of the feature, so I was happy with the Default (middle) setting.
Cadence Coach is an interesting new feature that can be enabled in the app. When turned on, a rider can view their pedalling RPM on the Mastermind screen. As cadence changes, a circle around the RPM number changes colour and arrows appear, suggesting you should speed up or slow down your cadence to stay in the optimal zone. It’s an interesting feature for those with a history in cycling but likely a real eye-opener for those newer to the sport who are still figuring out ideal cadences. Provided a rider sits in the optimal cadence range, their battery will last longer, and power will be applied more efficiently. They’ll have to shift to the correct gear to keep their cadence ‘in the green’, minimising chain wear and saving the highest (smallest) cogs on what is a very expensive cassette.
The Specialized developed Genie Fox Float X2 takes care of rear suspension duties. The shock features standard metric 210mm x 55mm sizing, allowing for whatever aftermarket shock you would like to run, including a coil. I’m unsure why a change would be necessary, as I’m well impressed with the Genie’s performance on this bike and put time in on it during my SL2 review. It’s simple to set up and tune and has a coil- like feel. Suppleness early in the stroke helps maintain traction across all surfaces, but with enough support to still pop off and pump trail features. The bike I rode had the shock set up in its stock format but, like the SL2, I’d probably add a couple of bands into the main air spring to give a bit more support earlier in the stroke. Fox also takes care of the fork; a tried and proven Fox 38 Factory adorns the front of the bike – the perfect partner for the Genie shock, and stout enough to handle the weight of bike and rider.
Overall, the component choice is ideal for the bike, and I struggle to pick any holes. The SRAM XO Transmission drivetrain is the perfect choice for an eMTB. As stated previously, the Maven brakes are hard to beat. Dropper post duties are performed admirably by a Bike Yoke 170mm post. Handlebars are a wide Specialized option; they’re a 35mm clamp and, although the shape is comfy, I did find them harsh. Given more time with the bike, I would have swapped in a 31.8 stem and bar for comparison.
I have reservations about carbon wheels on eMTBs but, visually, these look like they’re probably up to the task. They’re plenty wide, and their 4mm thick beads should help ward off pinch flats and cracked rims. Being wrapped in the Gravity casing tyres should help, too. I guess time will tell.
Riding the Gen 4 Levo
I spent a solid couple of days putting the Gen 4 Levo through its paces and, although this gave a great window into the bike’s characteristics, it doesn’t give any idea of its longevity. My first day was on prime, dry trails in Christchurch’s Adventure Park and Vic Park. I made some minor air adjustments to suit my weight and riding style, sped up the rear end and slowed up the fork a couple of clicks. After this ride, I was happy I had a good baseline to start tweaking from. My second outing was in the Craigieburn range—firstly, a classic lap up the nice singletrack climb with some technical crux moves (no dabs!) to the Luge trail, followed by Dickson’s downhill. I dropped my fork and tyre pressure a fraction, then we were back down the road and up the gravel climb to Cheeseman’s trails for a lap of Cockayne Alley followed by Cuckoo Creek. Conditions were damp, and I was glad to have an eBike to quickly lap back up the climbs, spending minimal time outside the shelter of the tree canopy.
The more bikes I ride, the more I appreciate an easy setup; I just want to get on, adjust a couple of clicks here and there and go ride the damn thing. Granted, an eBike’s weight helps it feel better than a lousy setup or lower-end suspension may suggest, but there’s something to be said for a bike that just performs as it should without any significant effort put into setup.
Although I don’t imagine the Gen 4 is any lighter than an equivalent spec Gen 3 model, the bike doesn’t feel portly to ride, and the weight feels less on the trail than other equivalent-weight, full-powered eBikes I’ve ridden. It rides just like a similar trail bike but with more heft. I never felt that the bike had taken control, leaving me merely a passenger clinging to an overweight bike with luck choosing where it would go. I’ve been in this scenario on some bikes, and it’s a scary time.
The Gen 4’s geometry and suspension help keep things on line and in control. I found the bike to be stable and predictable over chunky rock sections, not getting deflected or pinged off-line. The bike inspired confidence when coming into steep chutes on trails I hadn’t ridden before. In a couple of these situations, I had to haul anchors to get my speed to a comfortable level; the SRAM Maven brakes highlight my thoughts that brakes can make or break an eBike riding experience. In this case, one of the most powerful brakes on the market, and massive rotors, are more than enough to bring the weighty combo of the bike and my weight to a stop in the steepest or sketchiest situations, even in the wet and on long descents.
During my two battery-draining rides, I cleaned some technical sections that were undoubtedly a stretch, and tested bike and rider to the limit. Thanks to the short 165mm cranks and the Run On mentioned above, I only bottomed out a crank once. Power is nothing if your back wheel is losing traction while climbing, and I was impressed that even on slick roots, clay or gravelly steep pinches the power in application is so smooth and consistent that it maintains traction longer than I expected—and no doubt longer than other bikes I’ve ridden in similar situations. I was impressed that even in Turbo mode, the power was applied so that it didn’t feel like it would tear my arms from their sockets, and there was no jerkiness or surprises. My whole experience with the motor, I’d term as ‘controlled’.
The Craigieburn Range trail conditions were less than ideal; heavy rain in the hours preceding our ride—and continual rain through the day— left puddles and standing water over anything flat, and descents were slipperier than ideal, with treacherous roots ready to claim anyone not 100% on the game. Bikes and riders were saturated, but the bikes didn’t skip a beat. If there were limits to the waterproofing on the bike or motor, we would have found them.
Specialized offers annual suspension pivot bearing replacement for the original owner’s lifetime. A great way to keep the bike performing at its best, particularly after a wet winter—although the tinfoil hat wearer in me thinks it may be a convenient way to get customers back into a Specialized shop more regularly. Judging by how little servicing my own bikes get, this is a good thing!
The bike’s balance was evident while flowing down some of Christchurch Adventure Park’s jump trails. It’s a predictable and confidence-inspiring bike to jump or even bunny hop. As with the Levo SL2, the Gen 4 rips turns; they’re easily initiated and the bike switches direction intuitively, no doubt a product of short chainstays, and the 27.5” rear wheel.
Fellow test rider, Nathan Petrie, had ridden this bike before I did and commented that the bike should have been specced with a 200mm dropper post, not the 170mm supplied. Nathan is a decent amount taller than me, and although a 200mm drop would be optimal for him, the 170mm drop was spot on for me. Sure, a 180mm drop would have worked for me, but that’s just splitting hairs. What would be ideal is a post with some travel adjustment, keeping everyone happy.
The Specialized Butcher Gravity T9 tyres specced on the bike I tested have been superseded since this bike was assembled. A newer version was recently launched but missed this production run. I’m glad to hear the bike will eventually come with the newer, better tyres as, although these were reasonable, they weren’t fantastic and did suffer in the wet. I’m positive there are better options out there that would perform well across a broader range of conditions. Word on the street is that the new Butcher is a decent step up from these, so hopefully, we’ll find them on production bikes soon.
Now, it’s no secret this bike will cost a buyer a decent wedge of cash and, taking that into account, is it worth all that money? Well, there are other bikes in the market at similar prices, but the few I have ridden didn’t offer the complete package we see here on the Levo Gen 4, from spec to setup to handling.
It’s no exaggeration to say this bike possesses the best overall handling and experience, beginning at setup, of any full-powered eBike I’ve ridden. My only questions regard longevity: outside of Specialized’s own internal—albeit extensive—testing, the new frame, motor, battery and controller are unproven over the long term.
Southern Comfort: Ōtepoti Dunedin
Words by Nathan Petrie
Images by Cameron MacKenzie
Despite being spoilt for choice when it comes to riding trip destinations in New Zealand, it can be hard to resist the pull of the Big Three: Queenstown, Nelson and Rotorua.
But, giving in to temptation can sometimes lead you to miss out on the great riding and memorable moments that come with seeing what else is out there. Oftentimes, it’s the trips to somewhere a bit different that deliver some of the best riding trip memories.
So, the question for us was; could we sneak in one last riding trip before summer was out? And, if we could, should we venture outside the norm and explore something different? With the sun rapidly setting on another summer of riding, it was time to tap into the unconventional and head south in search of something unique.
The destination of choice would be the South Island’s second largest city, Dunedin. It’s a place we’d all visited beforehand, to partake in something Dunedin has a rich history of: racing. However, just like going to the same old riding destination, racing only lets you catch a glimpse of what can be found when it comes to local trails. So, this time, we’d be off the clock and free to explore what Dunedin has to offer – both on and off the bike.
As a starting point for exploration of the riding on offer in Dunedin, it’s hard to go past the OG location of Signal Hill. Steeped in as much history as the streets you’ll traverse to get there from the city centre, Signal Hill’s a place that can’t really be missed.
Despite the history, the days of rolling past the back of the high school to a waiting shuttle vehicle for another lap down the famed downhill track are long gone. Now the extensive network of trails that have been carved into the hill are easily accessible via the purpose- built uphill trail; the Emerson’s Big Easy.
The climb lets riders access trails from the midpoint at The Plateau, the iconic Signal Hill summit, and a range of places in between. This easy climbing access, combined with the number of trails packed into the area, gives riders plenty of options when it comes to linking a run together.
A bit like the different access points on the way up, there’s a good range of trails on offer on the way down. While the original rocky Dunedin tech is never too far away, there’s also plenty of root laden goodness snaking through the natives, as well as some fast and flowy jumps.
With so much on offer, it’s easy to see why Signal Hill has been such a mainstay of Dunedin mountain biking and played a key role in national level races. The Otago Mountain Bike Club, with the help of supporters and sponsors such as Emerson’s, have put a lot into making Signal Hill a riding destination in itself—right on the doorstep of the central city.
This ongoing support for the local mountain bike community makes it an easy choice to head down to the Emerson’s brewery for a post ride refuel. Conveniently located between Signal Hill and the city centre, the brewery provides great beer and mountains of delicious food in an atmospheric setting. With plenty of seating both inside and out, as well as some brewery exclusives on tap, it’s an ideal place to unwind post-ride. Swapping stories from a day out on the trails and enjoying the relaxed and inviting atmosphere is a great way to round out the day.
After taking in the view and rolling back down the two-way track to the lower viewpoint, things start to get interesting as you drop into the main Nicols Enduro descent. Aside from a couple of brief stretches in the open, and a pocket of pine forest, you’re treated to an eventful descent through the dense native bush. The trail provides a long run down to the valley below and, being nestled underneath the dense canopy with plenty of leaf cover means it holds a decent amount of moisture. When you add in the serpentine roots snaking their way across the trail, you can be in for a bit of a challenge as you make your way down. Despite this, runs like these can be the highlight of a riding trip – provided everyone makes it down in passable shape!
Despite having a bit of distance between them, the lower number of trails at Whare Flat and Nicols Creek means it is possible to ride both in the same day. This ability to ride varied trails in completely different settings is something that’s not easily found in a lot of riding destinations.
After a day of sampling that much of the riding, it only makes sense to make your way back into town to sample some more of the eateries on offer in Dunedin. This time it was Moons, located on the south side of Dunedin’s famed Octagon, in the city centre. Moons taps into a bit of a common theme in Dunedin: amazingly restored historic buildings with stone and orange brick interior. Like many eateries in Dunedin, Moons does a great job sourcing a lot of their ingredients and products from smaller local suppliers. On top of this, they also brew their own beer in-house under the Dog Star label and use house-made dough in their ‘pizzettas’. Drawing on that quest for something different, you’ll be able to try out some of the more unique offerings on the menu – like the crumbed gherkins and charred tandoori octopus. With its diverse menu and great service, Moons is well worth a visit after a day’s riding.
The kind of quality, diversity and local influence isn’t just confined to Moons when it comes to eateries in Dunedin. That’s one thing you’ll notice if you do venture south for a riding trip; the hospitality options are a bit like the trails—diverse and easy to access. Whether it’s a pre-ride breakfast at The Perc, a between-ride fuel up at Beam Me Up Bagels or a post-ride unwind at Moons or Emerson’s, Dunedin’s got you pretty well covered.
After fitting in three of Dunedin’s main riding spots in our short trip, the biggest thing that stood out to us about this great southern location was probably the diversity and convenient access. With Nicols Creek, Whare Flat and Signal Hill all within a 5-15 minute drive from Dunedin’s iconic Octagon, you’re never really faced with a huge commute to access a diverse range of riding. Signal Hill is especially convenient and would be considered within riding distance from most accommodation spots in the CBD. While Whare Flat—and to a lesser degree, Nicols Creek—are easier to access by car, they’re still pretty convenient and you can easily ride both in the same day, as we did.
All three spots offer riders something different, both within and between all three of them. While there is still a bit of a common thread with more technical trails having a big presence in each location, there are also options for a good range of riders. Each spot has pretty good climbing access too, so whether you’re cutting around like us on our Specialized Levo’s (more on that later), or spinning the legs on a regular bike, it won’t be a one-and-done affair.
When it comes to thinking about your next riding trip, consider whether it might be time to switch things up a bit from the usual locations of choice. Try venturing somewhere a bit outside the norm and seeing what else is on offer out there. With its mix of trail styles, locations, features and foliage, Dunedin’s got a good range of options to pick from. Couple that with all of the trail locations lying pretty close to the city centre and you can access a lot of variety at multiple spots in a days’ riding. Add in the great food, culture, and some stunningly renovated accommodation options, and you’ve got the makings of an ideal riding destination.
Stay The Thomas Gregg Apartments
Eat Bakery on Bond, Big Lizard, Beam Me Up Bagels, Emmersons, Maggie’s, Moons
Ride Nicols Creek, Signal Hill, Whare Flat
Shop Off the Chain Cycles (local intel)
A grown man’s Disneyland
Words & Images Lester Perry
When I was a kid, I saw Disneyland, in California, as a mythical place that only a privileged few kids from my school ever visited. The tales they returned with further increased the mystique of the place. Interestingly, it wasn’t ever a place I thought I would visit myself and, to this day, I still haven’t.
As I grew up, the appeal of Disneyland waned, as you’d expect, and my “Disneylands” soon became famed spots around the globe where I’d dream of riding my bike. By the early 2000’s, Whistler Bike Park had secured its spot near the top of my list of places I dreamed of visiting.
For so many reasons, none very good really, it would take another 22 years before I was finally in a plane, jetting my way to explore British Columbia for the first time; two weeks in an almost-clapped-out van, just me and a mate. A whirlwind trip through western BC started with a quick bump into Bellingham, a trip back through too many riding spots, and finished with a scant 24 hours in Whistler. This gave me a taste of what the place was about, with a few laps on the chair and an early morning Dark Crystal lap. I knew I’d need to return in the future to delve deeper into its trail network.
By early 2024, the itch to travel to ride was back—and this time, I had a larger crew. Three middle-aged dudes—Kai, Byron, and myself— and 12-year-old Myles, Byron’s son. We knew we wanted to ride abroad; a trip that would be not- too-punishing (on bodies and budget). So, a direct flight from Auckland to Vancouver was chosen. From Vancouver to Whistler, there are a few transport options, but a shuttle did the trick for us, dropping us off at the door of our accommodation. If you were keen, you could leave Auckland, take a nap on the plane, wake up in Vancouver, shuttle to Whistler, and be on the chairlift for afternoon laps.
A ten-day lift pass, the cheapest apartment we could find just a five minute ride from the main lift, and a red hot credit card: game on. Our plan was simple; ride pedal-accessed trails in the morning, then lap the park and trails accessed by the lift in the afternoon and into the evening for ten consecutive days. No days off.
Whistler has around 14,000 permanent residents, with an additional 2,000 odd seasonal residents, however, it gets a whooping three million visitors a year, 55% of whom visit in summer. That’s a lot of mountain bikers, you may think, but only around 100,000 of them visit to ride, and I’d wager a pretty hefty bet that the majority of them never make it out of the bike park.
The bike park in Whistler is awesome, with trails of all types and for all styles. There’s no need for me to go on, as you’ll have seen many of them on the internet. What’s less well-publicised (but still popular with a large number of riders) is the pedal-accessed trails. We only managed to scratch the surface of what’s in the valley outside of the bike park, but the taste we got only re-confirmed Whistler as a 1-stop shop for everything mountain biking. Every morning, we pedalled to a new trail and not once struck a dud.
Jump onto Trailforks, and you’ll see a good web of trails down both sides of the valley. View a heat map of the area, and you’ll find a few more but, ride with a local and there’s a whole other underground network of must-do trails. The kicker is you’re pedalling to get to them, and they’re purposely made difficult to get to.
With some unseasonably wet and grim weather at play for much of our trip, the high alpine pedal-accessed trails we wanted to target were off-limits. Although the trails in the area handle the rain exceptionally well, low clouds and cold temps up high put us off some of the marathon climbs. The lower valley and bike park trails were key in these scenarios.
Although we missed a few missions due to weather, we managed just enough clear weather to make the most of a Top Of The World uplift. We rode the upper section before dropping into Million Dollar, Four Eyes, Kashmir and Kush, eventually dropping our pumped arms down into Creekside for refreshments. This is living, Barry.
If you’re into a bit of racing, Phat Wednesday is a must-do. A weekly social gravity race that is the price of a beer to enter, and you get a free beer at the finish—I guess that’s basically a net gain?
Kai and I hit the race in heinous conditions and still had a great time; the Whistler dirt, although muddy, wasn’t that slippery, and we had a blast regardless. The riding community there is next level.
Getting around Whistler is simple—just jump on the extensive bike paths and meander your way to your destination. It’s a simple way to get around and a great way to access the valley trails or tie in some touristing while you’re cruising around and hit the lake for some bombs off the jetty.
Having a bit of time, a trip to the Whistler Train Wreck was in order. One wet morning, we rolled out to it for a look. Riding from the village, we explored flatter trails off the sides of the bike path, riding some fun old-school hand-built trails that would easily be overlooked had we not gone full tourist mode. The Train Wreck spot has been featured in quite a few MTB movies over the years, so it was cool to see it in the flesh. Our ride home featured more exploring, and we stumbled upon a zone full of ‘skinnies’. Scary and exciting at the same time, I relived my youth for a bit, but after almost getting out of my depth a couple of times, I wised up and moved on.
Whistler trails can be humbling. The level of some trails is so high we really wondered if anyone would ride them—the consequences are so high. But, as much as there are some super gnarly trails and features, it’s not a rule; there are plenty of fun intermediate and advanced trails that were enough to test our limits without putting ourselves at too much risk. I guess a key thing when travelling abroad to ride is knowing your limits and being happy to swallow your pride, dismount and walk a section if there’s any doubt you’ll make it through. We saw plenty of people wandering the village with arms in slings or legs in casts. There’d be nothing worse than being on the opposite side of the globe, injured and unable to ride.
During a day in the bike park, you come across all facets of the MTB world. From first-timers protected beneath layers of rented body armour to new-school, roll-cuff-Dickies-pants and tee wearing, full-time park rats. It really is a melting pot for the world’s mountain bikers. While the ANZAC contingent is strong, there are accents from all over the world, and groups flock there to ride from all corners of the globe. It’s pretty cool to see one sport pulling so many people to one place.
Common bonds run deep in the riding community, and it was great to reconnect with people I’ve met through riding over the years who now call Whistler home (permanent or temporary); to be shown some of their adopted backyards and get a local lens on where to find not only the best riding, but the best coffee, or best value meals in town, or even a loan vehicle. If it weren’t for the connection the bike brings, chances are a trip to the area would be nowhere near as rich; it’s more than just a place to visit and ride to me.
I could wax on for pages about why Whistler is worth a visit, but I think you get the idea. With a direct flight (ex Auckland) to Vancouver cheaper than to anywhere else worth riding (aside from Tasmania), although it is overall not a cheap exercise, a 10-day trip offers insane value for money: the sheer number of riding experiences on offer once in Whistler is unparalleled. Assemble a crew, watch for cheap air tickets and go! YOLO.
Trail Fund(s) tools for trails
Words Meagan Robertson
Images Lisa Ng
Talk about the gift that keeps giving! Thanks to Trail Fund’s recent Tools for Trails funding round, 30 Weapons of Mass Creation will help ten clubs continue their hard work creating and maintaining their local masterpieces. Read more on a few clubs and their plans below!
Since it was founded in 2013, Trail Fund NZ has been helping volunteer trail building groups around the country establish themselves and their trail networks by gifting grants, ebarrows and other tools. This Christmas, ten trail building teams up and down the country will have more tools in their sheds to further develop the amazing network of mountain bike trails around New Zealand.
“Tools are truly the gift that keep on giving, so we’re super stoked to support these clubs—large and small—with trail building and maintenance support,” says Trail Fund NZ co-president, John Humphrey. “It’s really about supporting the volunteers out there choosing to spend their time trail building – they are the ones behind the incredible trail network that has been developed in New Zealand, and that so many of us enjoy.”
The Swiss army knife of trail tools To make the application process simple, Trail Fund decided the tool of choice would be the New Zealand-made ‘Weapon of Mass Creation’—touted as the Swiss army knife of hand built trail tools, made by product designer and trail builder, Gareth Hargreaves.
“I’m a big supporter of Trail Fund and was more than happy to offer the tools at a discounted rate to get them into the hands of trail builders around the country,” says Gareth, who is a longtime member of the advisory board.
It turns out the clubs were pretty excited about the idea too, with Trail Fund receiving ten applications for the Weapon of Mass Creation (WMC) tools on offer from a wide variety of groups. Keen to see all the deserving recipients get some tools, Trail Fund decided to go big and grant each trail building group between two and four tools!
Read more about the recipients below….
Mākara Peak Supporters—Wellington
Established by Wellington City Council in 1998, Mākara Peak Mountain Bike Park boasts the largest trail network in the lower North Island and has had an exciting year celebrating the 25th anniversary of the park.
“The Mākara Peak Supporters are super stoked to receive three WMC tools from Trail Fund in their latest tool round,” says Mākara Peak Supporters member, Andrew Cooper. “It caps a great year for the Mākara Peak MTB Park—with 2024 being our 25th anniversary and being announced as the best park in the country for 2024 by Recreation Aotearoa – a fantastic acknowledgement of our collaboration with Wellington City Council.
“The WMC tools have been a mainstay of our trail building and maintenance mahi over many years and some of them are starting to feel their age. With a pipeline of refurbishments and new trail builds coming up at Mākara Peak, it will be fantastic to restock the armoury with these new tools.”
Bike Methven—Canterbury
Based in Methven, and only a 10-minute drive from Mt Hutt, Bike Methven has a mixture of cross-country, enduro and downhill mountain bikers, as well as road cyclists, who are passionate about their riding.
The club’s home base, Mt Hutt Bike Park has more than 40km of XC, downhill and singletrack trails and is looking forward to hosting the 2025 and 2026 South Island Secondary MTB Champs.
“All the tracks we are racing will need some love this season,” says club chair, Stu Marr. “We have a number of young pinners keen to get involved and get their hands dirty doing some of this work, so it’s awesome to be a recipient of four of these tools!”
In addition to prepping all the trails for the champs, Bike Methven’s latest projects are extending the intermediate level tracks around the lower part of the Bike Park and a UCI spec BMX track in Central Methven.
Mountainbike Tauranga—Tauranga
A first time Trail Fund recipient and the host of the 2025 North Island Secondary MTB Champs, Mountainbike Tauranga is thrilled to receive three Weapons of Mass Creation to help make its current major projects at Oropi Grove a reality.
A mountain biker’s playground, Oropi Grove is Tauranga’s longest serving mountain bike park. Located on Tauranga City Council land, it includes cross-country, downhill and freeride terrain featuring a variety of purpose-built jumps and drops and ranging from Grade 2 to Grade 6. The projects currently underway include a skills development park and a Grade 4 downhill track.
“The skills area will be a focal point of the park—an area where riders of all abilities can practice their skills, and organised mountain bike lessons can take place,” says Mountainbike Tauranga committee member, Shannon Fisken.
“The new Grade 4 downhill track is a requirement for hosting all three disciplines (XC, Enduro and DH) at the 2025 North Island Secondary MTB Champs. It’s already been professionally designed and our team of volunteers will assist our professional trail builder to ensure the project is completed in a timely and cost-effective way.
“These awesome new tools will be useful on a weekly basis for our committed Thursday night crew, and at our regular working bees prior to events. Thanks Trail fund!”
Other recipients include:
Richmond Hill Trail Carvers – Nelson region
Raglan Mountainbiking Cub – Waikato
Queenstown Mountain Bike Club – Otago
Mountain Bikers of Alexandra – Otago
Nelson Mountain Bike Club – Nelson region
Silvan Forest – Nelson region
Kerikeri Mountain Bike Club – Northland
First Impressions: Specialized Turbo Levo
Words: Nathan Petrie
Images: Cameron Mackenzie
As an unashamed fan of eBikes, I’m always pumped when I get the chance to throw my leg over a new offering from a brand in the space. So, when the opportunity presented itself to try out the highly anticipated new Specialized Levo, I knew it was something I couldn’t turn down. The Levo’s a bike that holds a bit of a special place in my heart, seeing as the first generation one was the first eBike I had the chance to ride. Times have changed a lot since then though, and in the rapidly evolving world of e-bikes I was interested to see how this redesigned Levo stacked up! Pulling the bike off the rack, the first things that are noticeable about the new Levo – aside from its Stumpjumper-inspired styling – are the large Geni shock and the stout downtube. But don’t let either of these things fool you into thinking that the new Levo’s just a two wheeled couch like some full-power eBikes can be. A quick bit of carpark tuning later and it was apparent that the Levo had a lively and responsive feel. At a time where riders are facing the choice between a full-power or lightweight eBike, this kind of responsiveness with the power and range the Levo offers may provide some riders with a bit of food for thought.
A glance over the Levo’s geometry chart and travel numbers reveals where this responsive demeanour might come from. The key figures like head-tube and seat-tube angle, chain-stay length, reach and wheelbase were all pretty standard across the board for our S4/Large size test bike. As with many of Specialized’s gravity-oriented bikes, the head angle, chain-stay length and bottom bracket height can also be adjusted to offer a more customised riding experience. On top of this, the travel – at 160mm front and 150mm rear – is a pretty ideal amount for all-round riding. The weight also feels fairly respectable too; impressive given the large 840Wh battery spec’d on our Pro level build. As has been the case for a while with Specialized eBikes, the overall package is fairly well thought out. The remote – while still wired – is fairly slim and very responsive, and the enlarged touch screen is well integrated into the top tube so you can easily keep tabs on your battery level and power setting. Specialized have added to the versatility of the system by giving riders the choice between either the 840Wh battery we had, or a smaller 600Wh aftermarket option.
On top of this, riders can use the 280Wh aftermarket extender for even more range with either battery. This gives a fairly impressive 1120Wh of capacity at its maximum which should offer plenty of scope for the kind of back country exploring eBikes are good for. The Levo also features an eBike-first in-frame storage option, with a SWAT bag that fits neatly above the battery in the head tube area. The build kit on our Pro level model was also largely what you’d expect from a bike at this price point. From the nicely finished carbon frame to the Factory Fox 38 fork, SRAM XO transmission drivetrain and carbon Roval wheels, the build kit didn’t leave you feeling short changed. The frame and motor were nice and quiet on the descents as well, with no annoying motor or cable rattle to speak of. The only possible area for improvement would be consistently speccing a 200mm dropper post as standard on S4 bikes. While many companies seem to be keen on allowing riders to size up, anything less than 200mm on what would be a large bike is just too short for the average buyer of that size.
While the first ride on a new bike will always be a bit of an unfamiliar experience, having that first ride in an unfamiliar location can really highlight how easy it is to get on with a new bike. For me the first lot of riding on the Levo came in the form of a trip to Dunedin to highlight what the city had to offer as a riding destination. The first outing on the bike at Signal Hill confirmed that the bike is pretty easy to just get on and ride. The predictable handling and suspension performance means that, aside from the usual cockpit adjustments, there’s not much of a bedding in period – or any quirks to get used to. The first thing that strikes you on the climbs, is how smoothly and quietly the bike delivers its ample power and torque. Some eBike motors aren’t exactly stealthy when it comes to putting the power down with a noticeable whine from the motor. This was something Specialized put a lot of effort into when developing the new 3.1 motor. The new Levo also has a decent bump in power and torque over the outgoing model, with that power being maintained over a much wider cadence range. While my first ride didn’t feature much in the way of technical climbs, we did head up a couple of fairly steep sections of single (and double) track. Aside from some unrideable clay patches, these climbs didn’t seem to faze the Levo, even in Trail mode.
The responsiveness that was noticeable in the car park was also put to the test early on at Signal Hill, by rolling through a few sets of jumps. Some full power eBikes can be a bit of a chore to get off the ground, especially with flatter take-offs, and can still feel slightly weighty in the air. Not so with the new Levo. On both the high-speed DH style jumps on the Nationals track, and the more sculpted lips on the Jumps track, the bike was more than willing to get airborne. When in the air it was also easy to move the bike around and get some decent shape – once again, not something that is readily done with all full power eBikes. The bike also performed well on the slippery rocks and roots that we were treated to throughout our time in Dunedin. The bike struck a nice balance when it came to frame stiffness, holding its line well in rough sections but not causing the bike to feel harsh or deflect off a wet root or rock. This stiffness, coupled with the suspension and wheels, made for a comfortable and compliant ride in rough and unfamiliar terrain where you’re not always on the ideal ride line. The revamped Specialized tyres also offered plenty of traction in most places and, when combined with the SRAM Mavens, provided a nice sense of control over the slick terrain.
The outing in Dunedin also provided a good opportunity to put the range of the new Levo to the test, with two decent length rides in one day. While these rides didn’t cover a huge number of kilometres, we did get in near on 1200m of climbing across two locations. This left us with around 27 percent of the battery remaining by the end of the day. I also had the opportunity to try the Levo a bit closer to home, in two different situations that eBikes are good for. The first was more of a power hour-and-a-half on the trails of the Christchurch Adventure Park and Victoria Park. The adventure park in particular can be very harsh on bikes, between the stretches of exposed volcanic rock and the hard pack singletrack littered with roots and rocks. Once again, the Levo provided a smooth and controlled ride on a lot of the rough sections and handled the steeps in both locations without any issue. Another run through some jumps on the adventure park’s O-Zone trail confirmed that feeling of predictability and liveliness that came through in Dunedin.
The second outing was more about tapping into the spirit of exploration eBikes in general are great for. This outing in the Canterbury high country largely featured some lower grade grassland, riverbed traversing and hiking trail. While none of this really challenged the Levo from a motor, battery or suspension travel perspective, it highlighted the general-purpose nature of the bike. Even on less demanding terrain at a more leisurely pace, the Levo never felt like too much bike. The same responsiveness was still there, and the motor still offered decent assistance when cruising along in Eco mode. So, after a bit of time in a good range of settings, I think it’s fair to say that the Levo carries on the lineage pretty well. It’s still that same great all-rounder bike that it’s always been, but with some useful improvements to the power, range, frame and suspension performance. It’s a bike that’s easy to just get on and ride in a wide range of terrain and for a variety of ability levels. Like its lower-powered (Levo SL) and unpowered (Stumpjumper) stablemates, it gives riders user friendly geometry, travel numbers and ride feel that makes it an easy bike to feel comfortable on right away. The combination of reasonable weight, good integration, generous range and quiet, responsive motor certainly maintain its place in the top tier of full-power eBikes.
Samara Sheppard: Ups and downs
Words Lester Perry
Images Phillip Sage
For over ten years, Samara Sheppard has been quietly going about her business, making moves and climbing the global off-road racing ranks.
From Wellington PNP races and NZ National Series events, to U23 XCO World Cups and Marathon World Championships, her career up until 2024 had been primarily based around mountain biking. The new year brought a change in focus and renewed motivation, prompted by a maiden voyage at the ABSA Cape Epic and a run at the US-based Lifetime Grand Prix series.
Born in Clyde, Central Otago, Samara’s family moved to Wellington in her fourth year. Raised in an active family, she was destined to become an athlete of some sort. “My dad was into adventure racing and endurance events like the Coast to Coast and Ironman. My brother also took to cycling but steered more towards downhill racing, as well as rugby. We mostly all ran cross- country. Mum would taxi us around. My sister, a brilliant swimmer and very intelligent—she often found smarter ways to spend her time.”
Not one to be pigeonholed into a single sport, Samara “played every sport under the sun and particularly enjoyed gymnastics from a young age, then onto netball, soccer and cross-country running”. In years to come, this excitement for running would ultimately open the door to mountain biking for her.
“I had a lot of energy as a kid and was able to channel this into gymnastics. But, as I was getting older and other sports like netball and soccer became available, gymnastics was becoming a full-time sport. I quit gymnastics to try out new things. I remember some Saturdays when I was around 12 years old; I would have soccer first thing, then a game of netball, then a running race, and then dance practice. Hardly surprising that I developed a taste for endurance sports!”
After being sidelined by a running injury, Samara’s father steered her toward mountain biking as a way to stay sane. “Once I discovered how awesome it was to adventure through Wellington’s hills and around NZ, I was hooked. I started racing straight away in the local PNP club events and loved the buzz.”
School life provided two critical things for Samara: socialisation—she wanted to hang out with her friends all day—and the schoolwork satisfied her competitive spirit.
“I always found maths easy, and I treated the work like a race, always trying to be the first to complete the work with accuracy. I think I still have the record at Churton Park School for quickest to complete the basic facts sheets.”
By high school, when she could choose her own subjects, MTB had started to rule her existence: “I chose to do the minimum subjects needed to pass NCEA so I could spend more time riding my bike.”
“My first seasons racing XCO in Europe as U23 were pretty exciting—getting to explore the world and racing against the best there is. The people you get to spend time with, new experiences, and the racing buzz is always rewarding. This year is exciting because it’s a whole new scene (to me) racing in the US, but it’s an easy one to navigate as it’s an English-speaking country and where the industry gets behind privateer riders. It’s really exciting to work with some of the best brands in the business and challenge myself in various off-road race formats.”
Although Samara continues to compete globally, the inspiration to keep pushing herself comes from those closest to her: “I’m inspired by my dad, the ‘old boys’ in Wellington, and the riders I’ve had the pleasure of competing against and riding with over the years. Today, my biggest influence comes from my husband, Kyle. He always keeps cycling fun and designs the best routes to ride. I’ve always raced well when I’m having fun. And Kyle has been a major influence for that over the past eight years.”
Many athletes appear one-dimensional, all- consumed by their pursuit of physical excellence, but Samara’s not one of them. Over the COVID lockdowns, with borders closed and racing paused, many cyclists took the opportunity to get a solid training block, emerging from the period fit and raring to go. Samara chose to further herself over the period and emerged with a master’s in public health. “I couldn’t leave our local government area, and there were no races. I was working part-time at a health clinic but was out of work with all the restrictions. I decided I needed a challenge and was motivated to get a reliable job through times like those. I was also aware of how lifestyles were becoming more sedentary and could see in the healthcare clinic the impacts that has. After the pandemic, I ended up taking on a role with Wollongong Tourism as a UCI Bike City Coordinator to help make cycling an easy option for people in the city.”
When US-based Argentinian racer Sofia Gómez Villafane was on the hunt for a 2024 teammate to try and reclaim the overall title she and Haley Batten (USA) won in 2022, Sofia’s 2023 teammate, Katerina Nash, suggested Samara could be a good fit. Both have similar backgrounds, transitioning from the short XCO discipline to the more endurance-focused marathon XC and gravel-style races. Sharing Specialized as a sponsor ticked the first box, and Samara’s palmares spoke for themselves: 6th at the 2023 MTB Marathon Worlds Champs, Oceania Marathon Champ, and NZ Champion, amongst other strong results; Sofia knew they were in for a strong performance. The southern hemisphere pair would take the start as an unknown quantity. Although this was to be Sofia’s fourth Cape Epic, it would be Samara’s first, and the pair hadn’t raced as partners before. South Africa wasn’t completely uncharted territory for Sheppard, however, as she’d raced the World Cup in Stellenbosch back in 2018. The pair ultimately finished 3rd at the Absa Cape Epic, Samara becoming the first Oceania rider to finish on the podium at this prestigious event.
Weeks later, the pair lined up for the Lifetime Grand Prix (LTGP) opening round at Sea Otter Classic, Monterey, California, racing head-to- head rather than as a team. Carrying strong form from the Cape Epic, Samara took the podium, finishing second, just behind Sofia—a solid start to the Life Time series. “I took confidence from Cape Epic and a deep strength in my legs which set me up for a perfect start to the LTGP. Backing this up with a result at Sea Otter helped secure more industry support that has made the rest of the LTGP possible.“
Taking on a series that not only covers a long time span but also criss-crosses the US, provides some unique challenges; her first LTGP series has thrown her some serious curveballs. “As a privateer, the initial challenge was securing enough support to do it. Then there’s the logistics of traveling around the US, which is just gigantic; navigating visas so we don’t overstay; and finding a home base in the US, as travelling back and forth wasn’t realistic. Races from April to October. Extremely long endurance events. High altitude prep.”
Fortunately, Samara was lucky to become part of the Orange Seal (OS) Academy, easing the financial strain and providing top-notch coaching support, working alongside ex-world- tour pro, Dennis van Winden. “Not only do they make excellent tyre sealant, OS also get behind riders and have created a community in the US with their OS Academy. If it weren’t for John, the owner of OS, and Dennis, the Academy lead, it wouldn’t have been possible to race the LTGP this year. I owe this season to their encouragement and support.”
The LTGP has been a significant learning experience. Unfortunately, some of the learnings have been to the detriment of her performance. The Leadville Trail 100 MTB race is renowned as one of the toughest races in the world. Over its 170km, the course covers a massive 3,600 metres of elevation gain, reaching a peak altitude of 3,800 metres—roughly the same as the peak of Aoraki Mt Cook. “Everyone responds differently to altitude. With two rounds of the LTGP being at high altitude, I made the call to come over to the US three weeks ahead of the first one to acclimatise. By the time Leadville came around, I had spent seven weeks at high altitude (around 2000m). It’s hard to feel good on the bike at altitudes above 3000m, so I would consider doing multiple smaller blocks next time around.”
“Coming into this season, I thought a 100km MTB race very long. Racing Leadville this year opened my mind to what it’s like to race all day. Well, for nearly eight hours, over the 170km MTB course. The longest race in the LTGP— Unbound—is 320km long. Unbound was my drop race this year because I couldn’t fathom how to race that far. After the race, I had a bit of FOMO, so I’ll be working on getting my head and body around racing for 320kms next season!
“Then there have been other challenges like a herniated disc in my back that flared up, getting bitten by a dog whilst out training, which sent me to hospital for ten stitches in my arm and a mighty dose of antibiotics, then recovering from a concussion after hitting my head on the ground racing SBT Gravel (non-LTGP race). The most challenging part remains—to achieve what I set out to do: I took on the LTGP because I believe I have what it takes to finish on the overall podium. The challenge remains to make it happen.”
Following SBT, the circus was off to Chequamegon, where she finished 10th and scored 7th place points (three non-LTGP riders in front of her). Samara was showing signs she was on the way back from her injuries and looking strong heading into the Marathon World Championship and the final two LTGP rounds.
Next up was to be the UCI World Championships in Snowshoe, West Virginia. Once again, luck wasn’t on her side. “It was my first ride on the Marathon Worlds course, and the course markings and .gpx files didn’t match up, so I was a bit lost. I’d found some friends to try to figure out the course with. It had been raining for a few days, so the trails were slippery. I was following one of my speedy friends down a technical section, and I didn’t see a small stump that I clipped my pedal on. I went over the bars and hit my knee hard on a rock slab, slicing it open, causing swelling and aggravating my bursa. It also triggered some concussion symptoms from a crash I’d had four weeks prior.”
“It was really sad to miss out on racing Worlds. I’ve loved the buzz of World Champs ever since I watched XC Worlds in Rotorua in 2006 and competed in my first World Champs in Scotland in 2007. It’s a special opportunity to represent your country and race the best in the world, chasing a rainbow jersey—a big goal of mine, especially after finishing 6th last year and 5th in 2019.”
Unfortunately, her injuries sidelined her for LTGP round six, The Rad Dirt Fest, so her focus shifted to the final round—Big Sugar in Bentonville, Arkansas. “This season has had its fair share of highs and lows. Dealing with so many injuries and setbacks in one season has been tough, especially since I took a break from work to compete in the U.S. The smaller setbacks, like being bitten by a dog and splitting my knee open, were relatively minor and straightforward. But the concussion has been a completely different challenge. Every concussion is unique, and people can only tell you to be patient and take your time. You just can’t push through symptoms like you can with other injuries. “I remind myself that there’s more in life I want to achieve, and for that, I need a healthy brain. I try to be kind to my body, not overthink things, and focus on what I can control—like getting enough sleep, eating well, and appreciating where I am. Having a strong support system with Orange Seal Academy, led by Dennis van Winden, who checks in every day and brings a wealth of data to guide decisions, has been a big help. Making a plan based on both data and intuition helps me stay positive and keep moving forward.”
Now in its third year, the LTGP has been refined and built on each successive season, but there’s still work to be done. “I don’t like how the women’s races are influenced by men who are racing on the course at the same time. It’s great that the pro women have their own start wave this year, but if the women could race on a clear course, that would make the racing safer and more fair.”
The LTGP is the largest offroad cycling series in the world, and even though the pointy end of the competition gets most of the media attention, all seven rounds of the series attracts thousands of everyday riders keen to toe the line against the pros. “It’s also super inviting for beginners to pro riders. Combining the LTGP with mass participant events creates a fun community buzz. The LTGP are doing great things to develop fandom, like with the incredible docos they release 48 hours after the race, the pro panel discussions, autograph signings and ways they promote their series.”
“Once the season is over, my focus will be on recovery and building toward 2025. I aim to come back even stronger and wiser. My goals are still big, with plans to return for LTGP in 2025 and tackle a mix of endurance and ultra-endurance gravel and mountain bike events. I’m excited for what’s ahead.”
The Mackenzie Race
Words & Images Supplied
The Mackenzie, brought to you by Devold, is back in 2025. After a successful inaugural event, held in April of this year, the 2025 edition looks to be bigger and better than ever. Set in the stunning Mackenzie Region of the South Island, there are multiple distances to choose from, allowing for a day full of adventure for all levels of experience and fitness.
The Mackenzie race is a resurrection of a past event organised by Peter and Margaret Munro. The ‘Around Lake Tekapo’ bike race attracted up to 1500 competitors back in its day, and saw riders loop the lake early in the winter months. With a new team organising this event, and with the support of the Lake Tekapo community and previous organisers, the event has been reinvented with new course options and an autumn date.
The theme of The Mackenzie is an ode to the history of this awe-inspiring location. In 1855, Scottish shepherd, James Mackenzie, came across this incredible district while trying to hide flocks of sheep that he had rustled with the help of his loyal dog, Friday. He was eventually captured and rumour has it that Friday continued to drive the flocks of sheep—even without his owner! What happened to James Mackenzie after his capture rivals any movie plot. Initially, he managed to escape, walking 100 miles to Lyttelton before being recaptured. Over the next months he escaped multiple times, eventually being put in irons. After finally being sentenced to hard labour for five years, he only served nine months before being pardoned due to an apparent miscarriage of justice. Upon release, James set sail for Australia and that is the last we know of what became of this legendary outlaw.
The iconic dog statue in Lake Tekapo is a tribute to all our working dogs, and sits proudly overlooking the lake. The Mackenzie District is named after James Mackenzie, and The Mackenzie race pays tribute to all the legendary shepherds and farmers that have nurtured this district ever since.
‘The Drover’ is the biggest race on the day and takes you on a journey to two of the most iconic lakes in New Zealand; Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo. The course utilises the unique features of this landscape; the canals that cut through the land, the turquoise hues of the lakes, and the mountain views all around —including New Zealand’s tallest mountain, Aoraki Mt Cook. For this day only, you will have access to private high country stations, allowing you the opportunity of a lifetime to cycle your way around this incredible location.
‘The Muster’ is a 92km adventure that is the full loop of Lake Tekapo. This is the most popular event on the day and riders have almost ten hours to ride around the lake. Godley Peaks Station is an absolute highlight with riders enjoying the high country station experience, including the wildlife and farm animals that roam amidst this vast landscape.
‘The Huntaway’ is a shorter loop of the lake, starting on Godley Peaks Station. This is a great option for those not wanting to spend quite as much time on their bikes but still wanting this ‘once in a lifetime’ experience—and with 73km to travel this is still no easy feat and definitely worth bragging rights post-race!
The final two events are out-and-back gravel races, offering competitors a fast ride on the eastern side of Lake Tekapo. Riders can choose between the 78km or 34km courses, and eBikes are welcome to join the gravel and mountain bikes on both of these distances.
In April of this year The Mackenzie saw elite riders tackle the race, alongside first- timers. There were some fast times recorded, including Craig Oliver completing the full loop of Lake Tekapo in 3 hours and 4 minutes. With professional athletes already signed up for the 2025 race, organisers are excited to see what the field looks like on race day.
“It was amazing to see the level of competitors at the event this year,” says event owner and organiser, Kerry Uren. “To see elites on the start line, it definitely added to the excitement when we set them off in the morning.”
But it’s not all about elites at this race. “It’s really important for us to ensure this event caters for everyone,” adds Kerry. “The majority of riders in 2024 were out for an adventure, and soaked up the atmosphere and views throughout the day. It’s pretty special to be able to get access to this area, so that was a definite drawcard for most. I know riders are as grateful as we are for the landowners who allow access for the event.”
Scenic Sports Events ensure competitors are safe whilst out on course, using a mixture of experienced personnel to marshal and specialist water safety teams to assist with the river crossings. Creating a remarkable atmosphere was high on the list of priorities as well, with the aid stations and friendly crew adding to the fun and welcoming vibe. The Musterer’s Rest Aid Station was set up like a café; tables and chairs were available for a rest, while the crew cooked up made-to-order toasted sandwiches, as well as coffee and tea—all included in the entry fee.
“What makes this event so special is the atmosphere,” says Kerry. “There was a real camaraderie out on course with riders offering ‘cramp stop’, supporting each other through the rivers, and even helping fix flat tyres.”
The next event is set for 5th April 2025, and entries have been coming in from all over New Zealand—and the world. With less than six months to go, why not make this event your next autumn race, where you too can have your own #legendarymackenzie adventure to share with your mates for years to come.