The Giant XtC Advanced SL 29er 0 could be the ultimate velocity machine from the world’s leading composite bike builder – and it’s also the Super Bike in MBUK 287.

As usual, there wasn’t enough space in the magazine to fit in all the photos we wanted to, so you can feast your eyes on all the extra details shots below.

Guy Kesteven says: “When a company with the exceptional experience and facilities of Giant stick an ‘Advanced Super Light’ tag on a new race bike, you can be sure it’s something very special.”

Find out if he’s right in MBUK 287, on sale on 8 Feb.

Endurance racer Matt Page tests the three main wheel sizes to what difference they really make

In the latest issue of MBUK, Matt Page attempts to dispel the myths surrounding the different MTB wheels sizes (26in, 29er and 650B) by riding each of them over a series of laps to see which got him round the test trail fastest.

The test trail Matt used was a 7km loop at Cwm Rhaeadr, with a 3.3km uphill section and a 3.7kin downhill section.

If you’ve read the feature in the mag already, you’ll have seen that we only had room to print the average times for each wheel size on the uphill and downhill sections, and for the full the loops.

But for the data-loving wheel size geeks out there, here’s the full breakdown of the results in handy bar graph format.

The first shows how long it took each wheel size to complete the four laps of the uphill section, the second shows the times for the downhill section, and the final shows the times for the overall lap.

The final table shows the complete set of data.

As Matt notes in the feature, there was no really clear winner, and the difference in the times take to complete the sections and lap were small, but potentially significant for riders or racers for whom every split second counts.

You can read the full feature, including Matt’s overall conclusions, in MBUK 284 – on sale 16 November.

So without much notice we fired it about on Twitter and the MBUK Facebook and asked him a bunch of questions you guys wanted asking- and here’s his answers…

Sven Martin (World Cup photographer): Can you still whip hung over, after the World Cup finals?

Is this a genuine question? You’ll have to ask him how much money he got for the photoshoot that I got up for especially early in the morning to help him (laughs)

Gareth Bates: Beef or Chicken in your Burrito?

Actually, Carnitas- Pork. It’s the most tender and tasty.

#s4bp @MissionBurritoHQ

Will Minton: What are your tips for Winter training?

Winter training for me is about Cross Country, Dirt Jumps and a lot of action on the motorbikes with the S4P team. I like to get out and do stuff- that’s what motivates me. Whatever you do, you have to want to do it. If it becomes a chore or too regulated you can lose that passion. You need to find what works for you.

Luka Novak: You were third at Pila in 2005- will this happen again?

Hopefully first race back next year! I’ve had five or six third places in my career so far, so I’m hoping to upgrade straight to a first place.

Tim Sadler: Have you got one of those Honda frames hung up in your garage?

No. I bloody wish! Greg (Minnaar) has though- he’s got one hanging up in his own bike shop. I don’t know why I didn’t try harder to get one.

King Harvey: What age did you start being successful at riding?

I guess when I was about fifteen. I was doing English Nationals at the time, and things started coming together. I was in Juvenile category and really had no interest in racing back then, but remember doing pretty well at Combe Sydnenham- and was just bitten by it.

Keith Valentine: Best W/C position? Is it speed, strength or stamina that’s stopped you getting higher?

Well, my best World Cup so far is a third place.

I think it’s been strength at times that’s held me back- it’s a hard one as I think I have most of the skills I need and my heads normally in a good place. There are a lot of elements I guess.

Sometimes after a run I might feel I didn’t push as hard as I can- and other times it can end in a crash. Maybe from not having the strength, maybe from having too much speed in that area.

Mission Burrito: Is Habanero salsa too hot for a first time Burrito?

Definitely too hot for a first timer! I spend a lot of time in Southern Cali at various Burrito establishments so I’m pretty down with my Burritos- but Habanero is too hot for me still!

Smokey Chipotle is perfect for Brendan. Habanero is too much...

James Gould: Skids or wheelies?

(no hesitation ) Definitely skids. Definitely. (looks at me like it was a stupid question).

Robert Chadwick: 29in or 26in?

This is a trick question or what? Obviously 650b all the way (laughs).

Nah, 26in all the way.

A Kinesis, a DMR Bolt, A rusty chained 650b Scott and a mean ass Scott hardtail

 Andrew Neethling (World Cup racer): I hear you’re clipping in next season…

That’s absolute rubbish!

* clips on clip on tie *

We’re actually just bringing out my signature flat pedal with DMR- the DMR Vault Brendog Edition. It’s matt black with gloss graphics and special pics. It’s amazing- really happy to have my own pedal.

Absolute rubbish Needles, you’re wrong.

(laughter)

Brendog's signature pedal...

Ricky Crompton: How was Morzine this year? See anything shocking?

(laughs) What!

Am, I supposed to answer that? Erm, yeah.

 Sami Poutianen: Which size Gambler do you ride?

Size large- it looks a little smaller at a glance as it’s low slung, but it’s good and long.

Ben Baker : How old were you when you were my age?

(laughs)

I reckon about 22.

Tom Hault: Who taught you to whip?

Just practice. I’ve always ridden trails and love jumping- it kind of just started coming on from when I was learning tabletops.

I love them though- they feel as rad as they look.

Nico Vouilloz' Lapierre XR Team

I’m always nervous the night before interviewing a big name. Strangely though, as I sat in the car park at Bristol’s Leigh Woods, I got that tingly feeling waiting for a bike. A bike – an inanimate object that couldn’t throw a strop, launch a drink in my face, storm out and get me sacked…

This wasn’t ‘just’ a bike, though – it was Nico Vouilloz’ personal Lapierre XR Team. I grew up pawing through MBUK during the Nineties, a period dominated by Nico. Ten world championship wins between 1992 and 2002 only tells a fraction of his incredible story, though. What drove Nico were the details – he carried a suspension dyno with him to every race, and every run was a stepping stone to the next tiny fettle that would chip a fraction of a second off of the clock.

His new XR Team, one of only two examples in the world, now sits in front of me. Swinging a leg over, I realise that it’s smaller than it looks. The 29in wheels and lengthy wheelbase let my gangly frame off with it however and once I’ve swapped the brakes over and squeezed some additional pressure into the rear shock (sorry, Nico) we set off.

The chunky foam Ritchey grips aren’t for me but set the tone of the bike – weight and function are paramount. The Formula brake levers are mismatched too (one alloy, one carbon) but the man himself later reassures me via email that this is just a temporary measure as the result of a crash.

Likewise, his one-piece (including folded rails) saddle weighs in at a staggering 60g.

The chunky Fox Racing Shox CTD remote is a definite highlight. It’s the first time I’ve got hands-on with the system which allows the rider to select three separate modes for front and rear shocks (Climbing, Trail and Descent).

Also notable from the off is the dinky 30t chainring and custom carbon fibre chain guide. Nico had apparently raced the bike in a local XC race with some steep sections which required the smaller cog but admits to using smaller rings on 29ers to mimic his preferred 38T on a 26in.

The guide was handcrafted by the man himself to accommodate the smaller ring but he’s since received an e*thirteen number he’s planning on fitting.

On the trail, the XR Team’s ride was a bit like getting Sunday Lunch trouser-loosening levels of fullness after eating a salad. Despite the ingredients all looking like they’d add up to a twitchy, XC racer whippet, the feel was far more planted trail machine.

Nico’s custom carbon fibre chainguide

Carving through the numerous berms of Leigh Woods and Ashton Court, it oozed confidence. When loading the inside of the tyre, the bike audibly bit into the turns and shot out the other side ready for more. The Fox CTD system felt like nudging on your favourite track in the car just before a familiar fast section of road – even with little fettling I instantly ‘got’ it.

The back end, complete with carefully tuned compliance courtesy of the seat-stays felt controlled and never out of it’s depth. The bikes minimal weight 27lb weight most noticeable when get back on the pedals out of the turns and pushing hard into climbs.

Returning to the vans after an hour spent on the XR Team, I was grinning like a French Socialist after this year’s election. There aren’t many people who can say that they’ve ridden Nico’s bike, and I just had. It was an intoxicating combination of being in the presence of a personal bike belonging to one of the greatest racers of all time whilst also being swept along with an obviously really capable and accessible suspension platform.

This wasn’t like climbing aboard Rossi’s Ducati, which I’d feared it might be. There were no cutting edge, mere mortal-baffling tricks or settings. It was probably the easiest hours ride the XR Team had ever dealt with and I doubt I ever troubled it’s true capabilities but that said, I was doing my best and got rewarded with a hard-charging, keenness and, dare I say, playfulness that I honestly wasn’t expecting from either the sum of the parts or the illustrious pedigree.

The XR will be available in 529 (£2,699.99), 729 (£3,499.99) and Team (£5,199) models that will all use the same carbon fibre frame (Nico trialled an alloy version but deemed it too heavy). UK importers Hotlines Europe are expecting stock in the next few weeks.

Get MBUK 279 for a full Super Bike feature – on sale tomorrow! And check out the full gallery of photos of Nico’s Lapierre XR Team on BikeRadar.com!

The lastest issue of MBUK goes on sale today, and you might spot something a little different about it. It’s a special ‘augmented reality‘ issue, and the magic starts right on the front cover. 

All you need to do is download the free Aurasma Lite app to your iPhone, iPad or Android device, hold it over the image and watch it come alive!

You can do the same with some of the features within the magazine too, including Dan Atherton‘s GT Force LE Super Bike!

Check out the video at the end of this blog to get an idea of what to expect.

MBUK 277 isn’t all about fancy pants technology though. It’s still packed full of all our usual awesome features.

We go trail riding with downhill star Brendan Fairclough, look back on the impact that 29ers have made, and marvel at the rise of UK freeride, from original exponents Grant Fielder and Chris Smith to the inimitable Sam Reynolds and Sam Pilgrim.

There’s also a bike test on four budget trail bikes, a groupest on top performance wheels, and six of the best kneepads rated.

We show you how to ride steep and slippy terrain, how to spot better lines, and share our best tips on how a few simple set-up tweaks can make your bike feel like new.

All this, and a free guide to Britain’s 50 Best Trail Centres plus pull-out route maps. Don’t miss out, get your copy today!

And Marin are right there with their Rift Zone 29er, which we had a great laugh riding recently…

Getting out the office and riding different bikes and terrain is part of the job we all love here at MBUK.

Recently, myself and Justin from our sister magazine, What Mountain Bike took a trip down to the Surrey hills near Guildford to have a rip on a few bikes, including the Mount Vision, and the Rift Zone 29er- which I spent most my time on.

Spot the lonely 26...

For the first time, Marin are now starting to make some XL frames- something I’ve been grumbling the lack of for a fair old while now, being a taller tester.

Thankfully designer Ian Alexander obliged and here we are…

The Rift Zone I rode measures up with a 24.5in top tube- measured horizontally; a 13.25in bottom bracket height; 70.1deg head angle and a 31.5lb weight, ready to ride with pedals on.

With 100mm of travel I did expect the bike to be lighter, but once pedalling up the short climbs around Peaslake, it felt quite nimble and blatted along well. Which was partly due to the lightweight Continental X-King tyres and Sun Ringle Black Flag wheelset.

Not a bad looking whip eh?

I ran the bike with a third travel as sag- wanting to really work the travel, and found it stuck to the ground and felt really good. We hit a few trails with jumps and berms on, and the Rift Zone took the hits well- feeling balanced and neutral whatever position I ended up being in, including a good old nose dive to flat entering a blind bomb hole.

Out the saddle, I could notice flex around the BB- nothing outrageous though, and it actually felt quite good at times, helping to weave the bike through the terrain. It would be nice to drop a couple of pounds off it though, to really see it let loose.

Once I’d got used to throwing it round on the trails around Peaslake and Pitch Hill I found the bike to be really stable and planted- no doubt amplified by the sturdier weight. A whippet would have been skipping around down here.

I also spent some time riding the Mount Vision, which did feel like a toy after rolling on bigger wheels- but I still had a blast riding it through some of the steeper hills.

This turn is tighter than it looks!

Justin always wanted a moustache

Tom Grundy was on site filming some cool stuff, so I look forward to seeing what he captured- one shot that will look cool was a section of trail next to a road that I could hit pretty fast, and he was hanging out the side of a van filming.

Keep an eye out on the MBUK Facebook account for the video soon!

a still of Doddy from Tom Grundy's forthcoming Marin video...

We know there’s a lot of controversy surrounding 29in wheels at the moment, but really, you can’t knock something until you’ve tried it!

Around the same time as we put that together, our sister website, BikeRadar.com were running a video series on 29er mountain bikes, designed to dispel some of the myths that have been, for want of a better word, pedalled over the years about the bigger wheeled bikes.

The five-part series, presented by Mountain Biking UK and What Mountain Bike gurus Doddy and Justin Loretz, aims to highlight some of the benefits to 29ers over 26in bikes, such as better traction, improved stability and superior handling of rough terrain.

You can see all the videos, in the order they were made, below.

And don’t forget to head over to our forum and tell us what you think!

Onloading the Vito in the Swinley car park

Broken chain - good start to the day!

Swinley impressed with its swoopy, tight and twisty singletrack. It’s a mix of natural and manmade trails, not too much in the way of climbing, but enough in the way of technical challenges. Jimmer was especially excited to be riding it all on his new 29er.

Berms aplenty on 'the orange trail' - we've rarely seen so many crammed into such a small area!

Max shares some of his local knowledge with MBUK's Nick

Watch out for the forthcoming video on BikeRadar.com and on this blog to see Jimmer, Nick and Rough Ride Guide‘s Max Darkins sessioning Tank Traps and Jump Gully! Other highlights included the Labyrinth and Deerstalker sections.

A great day was had by all, as they say (at least until Kim crashed into a tree). It costs £2 for a day permit to ride at Swinley (it’s private land, you see) but we’d say it’s well worth it. You can find the full guide to this route in MBUK 275, on sale 7 March.

Kim after her first faceplant into a tree. Ouch!

During the run-up to Christmas (read, that time when we all vacate the office and forget we have jobs for a week-and-a-half), the MBUK team have been looking back on our favourite things of 2011, and looking ahead and making plans for 2012.

Last but not least, here’s fast-talking Art Editor Jamer.

MY BEST THINGS OF 2011…

Best thing of 2011 was riding the Megavalanche in Alpe d’ Huez. It was such a challenge, but I loved it!

MY NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS AND PLANS FOR 2012…

Denzel the office polecat will be getting a new stuffed friend next year…

Try out a 29er!

Enter more races and events

Watch less trash TV

Try to get naked in the office less often (Jamer may have been forced to make this resolution)

Get Denzel a stuffed friend!

All that’s left to say now is happy new year from all at MBUK!

Right, here is what my dear old Dublin granny would class as ‘the God’s honest’ – I’m  bored of the 29er debate.

Maybe ‘bored’ is the wrong word, there’s just a feeling that everyone seems to be insisting that they’re either the future and anything else is now obsolete or that they’re a flash in the notoriously flash-heavy bike industry pan.

Having just returned from Eurobike I can however, definitively state that they are here to stay. One cursery five minute wander around any of the big name brand’s stands would confirm this.

In America, if the 26in wheeled hardtail were Elvis then it would be hold up in Graceland contemplating ordering some food in. Although wagon wheeler fever hasn’t quite reached that boiling point over here yet, they are certainly making an impression.

Jamer and I went on issue 270′s (on sale 19th October) bike test shoot on Wednesday, boutique bikes. Among them were my longer limbed machines for the day – a Cielo and a Lynskey.

Amidst the drizzly yet warm confines of Ashton Court they were, admittedly, mighty. I’ll not spoil the results of the test for you but through the billiard table smooth flowy turns and berms the rolling speed generated by both bikes was incredible.

The titanium Lynskey, aggressively shod with WTB Bronson rubber, audibly tore chunks out of every tight corner whilst the natural keeness of the expensive material coupled with the twang of the big wheels produced an addictive ‘pop’ out of the turns.

The Cielo’s True Temper OX Platinum may have lacked the space-age ‘zing’ of a ti frame but as a trail machine blipping into and out of bomb-holes whilst hitting everything in between flat-out, it too was equally incredibly hard to fault.

Do I want one though? I can’t help but feel almost stuffy and old-fashioned by saying that I’m still unsure. There’s no doubting the leaps forward they’ve made since their first awkward conceptions but maybe I just haven’t found the one 29er with that special ‘want it deep in your balls’ (ahem) something. Yet.