Now this is exciting stuff. NSW Deputy Premiere John Barilaro has just announced a whopping $10 millions dollars has been allocated for the completion of the iconic Thredbo Valley Trail. Yeeha! Watch the video here.
This funding will see the grand vision of a continuous trail from the top of Thredbo to Lake Jindabyne finally come to fruition. In total, we’re talking about 61km of trail, from the peak of Thredbo, through stunning alpine National Park. We can’t imagine many better ways to spend a day!
Soon you’ll be able to ride continuous singletrack from the peak of Thredbo, to Lake Jindabyne.
Barely a day goes by that we don’t receive an email asking us where’s the best place to ride in Tassie. That question is going to get harder to answer soon, by the looks of it! The long-planned sister network to Blue Derby in the coastal town on St Helens has just received the $4.5 million in funding needed to get things started there, with trails hopefully only a year away. More here.
The Bridge Road Brewers are doing their bit for Tathra’s recovery.
We probably heard all about the bushfires that ravaged the NSW South Coast town of Tathra a few weeks ago. Not only did a lot of folk lose their houses, but a whole swathe of the amazing trail network was burnt! No house AND no trails to ride?! That is a real kick in the teeth.
The legends from Bridge Rd Brewers in Beechworth are doing their bit to help get the community back on its feet, with the Tathra Bushfire Recovery Rake, Race and Hydration Day. They’ll be bringing their beer truck loaded with superb craft beer across to Tathra to keep hydration levels up for anyone who lends a hand with helping clear and repair the trails. There’ll also be a race(ish) plus they’ll be selling beers to raise funds for the club too. “Bridge Road Brewers is closely linked to anything with pedals and two wheels, and we also know first hand the effects of bushfire on the community and tourism. It is our hope to drive more awareness that Tathra is open for business and the trails will be ready to be ridden.
We also understand the value of local trails to the local community and the social well being that sharing a beer after working, racing or rolling around together offers.”
The new Stumpjumper arrived with a lot of fanfare. A lot.
Unless you’ve been stuck on an ice flow in the Bering Strait for the past week, you’ll know all about the fact the Specialized have launched a new Stumpjumper. It was a media tsunami! It is big news we guess – after all, the Stumpy was really the first mass-produced proper mountain bike, so its cool to see its evolution. We’ve got one on test at the moment, and it’s a nice bike, no doubt. Interestingly, the new bike sees a bit of a back step from some of the proprietary tech in favour of a conventional shock. There’s a LOT of coverage out there on this bike, but Enduro MTB has the best reviews going. Take a look.
Rock Shox are in the 29er downhill game, with a new BoXXer.
Big wheels on big bikes is happening! Rock Shox have officially joined the 29er downhill party with a BoXXer 29 fork, released just in time for this weekend’s opening World Cup downhill round. Last season, the emergence on 29-inch wheels in downhill kind of misfired. Some teams gave it a crack, many others didn’t, some riders loved it, others couldn’t get a groove on the big hoops, and the tyre/fork support was hit and miss. This season, with a few months of off season testing in the bag, we expect to see a lot more riders jumping onto the big wheels. Watch this space. You can learn more about the BoXXer 29 here on Pinkbike.
If you’ve got a Shimano freehub, Sunrace now have an option for you to go 12-speed, without needing to fork out for a new hub.
Up until now, if you’ve wanted to give SRAM’s excellent 12-speed Eagle drivetrain a go, you’ve had to run an XD Driver hub. But it looks like Sunrace are set to open things up a little, with a new 11-50 tooth 12 speed cassette that’ll work on a Shimano freehub body. Nice one! Not having to change out a rear hub should make the leap to 12 speed a lot more palatable and affordable for many riders. Thanks Sunrace! Read more here.
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