First Impressions: Giro Latch Flat MTB Shoe. "Straight out of the box and onto the feet, the new Latch MTB flat shoe from Giro has a tidy, casual look and is clean with subtle touches of colour. The exterior material of the shoe has a slick and easy-to-clean look about it, so if you were to go on a ‘date ride’ you wouldn’t have to spend an age trying to tidy them up – just a quick wipe and you’re good to go. A very comfortable shoe with no odd hard parts that push or dig into your foot in any way. The Latch feels like that shoe you could just slip on to go meet up with the crew for a cold one or before you head out the door at first light for a full day mission. Heck, they’re so tidy you might even wear them to meet the missus’ parents for the first time. The sole is covered tip to tip in the new Tack rubber that has a nice soft, tacky feel to it and definitely has good grip on the pedal, paired with the Gamma tread design that looks accepting of any pedal pin formation. The Gamma tread isn't too deep so it’s easy enough to adjust mid-trail if you find your foot isn't quite in the sweet spot. First impression of the Giro Latch: light, comfortable, tacky and tidy." Full review inside our upcoming issue.

earShot Giveaway. Firstly, thanks for all of your entries! We're proud to announce our three winners and they are - Helena Quilter, Georgia Martin and Levi Humphrey. We'll be in touch soon to arrange your @earshots_ prizes. Stay tuned for more giveaways.

Film: Moving Mountains. "The 56.2km Paparoa Track is Aotearoa New Zealand’s latest mixed-use backcountry ride. It joins the already extremely popular Heaphy Track and Old Ghost Road as prime bikepacking trip destinations. Its point-to-point route is what bikepacking dreams are made of: the perfect gradients, insane views, epically-located backcountry huts, and some of the most beautiful bush New Zealand has to offer. The track crosses the Paparoa Range, taking riders through alpine peaks, limestone karst landscapes, and thriving rainforests. While it can be ridden in a day, the route is dotted with three backcountry Department of Conservation (DOC) huts to encourage people to take in an overnight or multi-day experience. Each hut provides track users with bunk beds and mattresses, running water and gas cookers. Track users need to carry all their own food, sleeping bags and clothing—especially wet weather gear. The Paparoa range is situated on New Zealand’s West Coast where it rains 195 days a year on average, with 3,000 mm (118 inches) of rainfall annually." Tap the link in bio to watch the film.

Review: 100% Teratec Plus Knee Guard. The 100% (@ride100percent_aunz)Teratec Plus is aimed at the Enduro end of the spectrum, promising ‘Level 1 Protection’ in a pad you can pedal all day in. I can definitely say that both these claims are true - the protection level certainly lives up to the marketing hype. I've had some massive rags with these pads on and come out the other side with only a bruised ego. I'm a really big fan of the extra bits of pad they have added around the actual knee protector, as these help with awkward little bumps that can hurt a lot more that they should - funny bone knocks but in your knee. The ventilated mesh around the back of the pads do a good job of keeping you cool, but they still run a little hot in comparison to a lot of the lighter weight pads. You can kind of notice the knee pads when you first put them on, but after about half an hour of pedalling you forget you’re even wearing them. They are low enough profile that they easily fit under your shorts, and are long enough that you don't get the dreaded twat gap. They are a good length over all, covering the area you are most likely to hit in the event of a crash. Over all, I would say 100% Teratec Plus Knee Guards are the best pads I've used in the last few years. Offering great protection, you can ride all day in them if you don't mind a slightly hot knee, with the main thing being that they don't slip down in the event of a crash. I would happily ride laps of the bike park with these on, then head off on a three hour pedal in full confidence that if I have a crash, my knees are probably going to be fine. Tap the link in bio or head over to #nzmountainbiker.com to read the full review.

Review: 100% Teratec Plus Knee Guard. "Knees pads are a hard thing to get right. I’ve ridden with some great ones over the years… and some really, really bad ones that I thought would have been good. It’s hard to tell how good they’re going to be until you take a tumble. Personally, I feel naked if I don’t ride with knee pads on. My confidence just isn't there and I know that one bad crash could mean f$cked knees for the rest of my life (and knee surgery looks like a total ball ache). I’ve been close to this a couple of times. One of my biggest pet peeves is knee pads that slip down during a crash. There is nothing worse than buying a new set of knee pads you're stoked on, only for them to slip down your leg during a tumble, doing nothing to protect your knee. It's the worst. So, where does the 100% Teratec plus come in? Well, with a massive silicone webbing covering the inside cuffs on the top and bottom of the pad, these pads stay in place even after the biggest rags. The Teratec Plus work on a tight fit versus straps. This style of tight fitting pad can be hard to put on sometimes, but 100% have been smart and added a small hand pocket/handle for helping you pull the pads up. On top of the small pocket, and around the guard itself, is a thin layer of padding which just adds a little extra protection. I’ve been using the 100% (@ride100percent_aunz) Teratec Plus as my daily pads for the last few months. They have been on all sorts of adventures and rides, from big hike-a-bike days in the back country to quick loops of my local trails in all sorts of different weather: wet, dry, hot or cold. I went for the medium size as it's the size I normally choose when going for knee pads. Over the first couple of rides they felt a bit tight - the big silicone cuffs caused a bit of uncomfortable friction on my lower thighs. After a few rides, though, they stretched out slightly and the friction disappeared. This seems to be a common theme with compression-fit pads." Tap the link in bio or head over to #nzmountainbiker.com to read the full review.

Story: Behind the Brand with James From earSHOTS. "earSHOTS (@earshots_) allow riders and runners to take their love of sound to extreme places. These unique headphones stay secure no matter what the environment demands – from back flips at the park to the steepest descent on the trail. Made for adventure and exploring, these headphones are the ultimate accessory for those who want less distraction whilst listening to music or podcasts while they do what they love. We wanted to find out more about the story behind the brand, so we fired off some questions to earSHOTS founder, James Bell-Booth, to get the inside scoop. NZM: Hey James, can you tell us what your original inspiration was, for earSHOTS? James: I was training for an adventure race called the T42, in New Zealand’s beautiful Tongariro National Park. While training, I got fed up with my earphones: they fell off, got dislodged, and constantly needed re-adjusting. This resulted in frustration and distraction. After trying every earphone on the market at the time, and not finding anything that could stay in and feel comfortable while still sounding good, I came up with the idea of a new earphone design that would use magnets to attach to the ears. A design that you would fix to your ear – and forget. That was seven years ago… NZM: How long did you take to come up with the idea, design it and get it to market? James: It wasn’t overnight, that's for sure! There’s been home re-mortgages, many late nights teaching myself how to hand-mould magnets, thousands of hours on the trails testing all aspects of earSHOTS – and that’s all before we went on the market in April 2020. NZM: Who are earSHOTS designed for? James: First and foremost, they’re for riders and runners who love music, but hate being distracted and annoyed by earphones falling out or requiring constant adjustment. NZM: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? James: Just focus on putting one foot in front of the other – the results will look after themselves." Tap the link in bio or head over to #nzmountainbiker.com to read the full article.

Inside Issue #104: Road Trippin'. "Just under 2km west of St Arnaud, we arrived at Teetotal mountain bike trails. Here, there are several loops that can be done, taking up to a few hours or more and offering some stunning singletrack. The temperature wasn’t much over zero, so we needed to get a move on in order to keep ourselves warm. We headed for Kaka Track and before long we were buried in beech forest single track snaking its way through the native bush, prolific with bird life. As we traversed back and forth across the hill, the endless series of switchbacks ensured we gained height quickly. We reached Big Bush Track at 820m. The wind whipped and snow flurries started to fall; the southern bite was strong up here. But, just being out riding in these mountainous surroundings kept us distracted – besides, it was better than being parked up in front of a screen." Subscribe (link in bio) or grab a copy, on-sale now.

earSHOTS Giveaway. To enter hit the link in bio to sign up to both our newsletters and then you’ll go in the draw to win one of three pairs of @earshots_. Winners are drawn at random at 5pm 27th October. NZ residents only. Enter as many times as you like.

First Impressions: 2022 Trek Top Fuel. "For 2022 travel in the rear ups from 115mm to 120mm, and is matched by a 120mm fork. The model I have had on review is the 9.8, which means you get the full carbon frame along with Bontrager carbon wheels, and a full XT build kit from tip to tail. Out of the box, I personally liked the matte carbon look with holographic details around the edge of the logos, it’s subtle, smart, and stealthy. But if you’re bolder than I am, it’s also available in a pretty striking Red/Purple/Yellow fade too. All the housing is internal, which completes the sleek look, and also internal is your tool kit! Or it can be if you want it to be with a handy tool storage compartment integrated under the bottle cage, sadly you have to provide your own tools, but it does come with a nice little pouch to wrap things in. I’m looking forward to seeing just how much stuff I can jam in there, it looks like an ideal shape for a long cream doughnut. At the bottom of the down tube, there is a plastic armoring to protect the carbon, and a chunky rubberised chainstay protector to keep things quiet. Interestingly for an XC-oriented bike, there is only one bottle cage mount, which seems strange as this kind of ride would seem to be perfect for longer stage or marathon racing. Our 9.8 model has the full XT mentioned kit, which includes the superb 4-pot XT calipers and a 10-51 tooth cassette. With 120mm travel, 66.0-degree head angle, and 2.4” tyres, the Top Fuel is set, on paper at least, to be a pretty fun whip. The term ‘Top Fuel’ is a term associated with American drag racing, which is all about acceleration, and that is immediately noticeable, the Top Fuel draws on its XC roots and gets up to speed fast, but with modern geometry and tyres that give the confidence to push through the corners - it can stay there, where with a more traditional XC bike might ask you be tempted to pull back." Tap the link in bio or head over to #nzmountainbiker.com to read the full artcile.

earSHOTS Giveaway. To enter hit the link in bio to sign up to both our newsletters and then you’ll go in the draw to win one of three pairs of @earshots_. Winners are drawn at random at 5pm 27th October. NZ residents only. Enter as many times as you like.

Film: Vanzacs (@vanzacs) and the Zoo Boys. Link in bio. Photos: @cammackenziephotos Film: @huntcinema Partner: @shimanomtb

Inside Issue #104: Brake Ace. "We all want to be able to ride better, right? Faster, smoother, with more confidence – and, if we can leave our riding buddies behind us in our dust, well that’s not a bad feeling either. But, how to get faster? Most of us have come into contact with someone who suffers from Gear Acquisition Syndrome - or have been carriers ourselves. And, if you have, you would have noticed that a side effect of G.A.S is small increases in speed. Better gear can indeed help you ride faster, however, the speed increases become marginal above a certain threshold, and the exponential financial impact means that G.A.S is not a healthy pathway to long term increases in skill and speed. What if there were a better way? What if we focused on what was slowing us down, instead of what piece of equipment was promising to speed us up? Think about what’s slowing you down…. Your brakes, duh!" Subsribe (link in bio) or grab a copy, on-sale now.