HARDCORE HOPEFULS - Who are this season's XC knockers? National Champ, Barrie Clarke reckons these guys are hard on his back wheel

WILL AND TESTIMONY - Will 'Mystic Meg' Longden gazes into his crystal ball to predict who's going to do what on this year's Grundig DH circuit

SACKS APPEAL - German gear giant, Sachs, had something up their sleeve. Mike Davis was all set to do some sleuthing when ah invitation plopped on his desk...

MY BEST SHOT - Bristol's best gets the MBUK treatment. Joe Beck crashes and berms

VALLEY OF THE HEROES - Paul Smith and Steve Behr continue their epic road trip through the Californian valleys and pop in to cop a snoop at GT's thermoplastic plant

THE MANUAL - Beginner or genius, doesn't matter. The Manual is designed to get all the skills you need dialled in for life. Dan Hope is the consultant

CHAINSPOTTING - Who needs a reason, when you ride a mountain bike? Dragged kicking and screaming all the way to California to film the MBUK vid, Jamie Hibbard got to wondering that too...

BIKE '97 - THE MELTDOWN - The people, the places, the fun, the faces. And the results of all that voting you did in the 1997 Readers' Awards


MOUNTATN BIKE RIDER;

ASSAULT BIKER Tips and tits(!) from the world of mountain hiking
DIRT Ever tried using a watchstrap as a zip-tie? Here's how
ZOOM Yippee! Racing starts again! Polaris, Margham Park NFS


ADVENTURE:

CATHAR CRUSADERS - Towering hills, cleft gorges and scorching singletrack tempted Steve Watkins to tackle the remoter parts of Languedoc, in France

GREAT GABLES - TAKE FOUR - A storming day out in the Lakes is on the cards if you follow Phil Escott and his nutter mates on this madcap route


TECHNICAL:

QUICK RELEASES - Exclusive is our middle name: more bikes, bits and bod coverings than ever... Paul Smith and the Test Team have been out wrecking

THE BIKE TEST - The Ã