MTB Report (EN)

Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB ReportAt Eurobike 2026, two manufacturers just called time on the classic derailleur drivetrain for eMTBs: Avinox unveiled its MG Concept, a motor with a built-in stepless gearbox, while newcomer Gobao rolled out a system that already looks surprisingly production-ready. For everyday riders, this is genuinely great news. If only it weren’t wrapped in another...

If the Blindsee Trail is on your Alps bucket list, you’ve probably seen the headlines: closed to bikes from 2027. Before you cross it off — or rush to tick it off this summer in a panic — read this. We went to the source, the mayor of Biberwier, and the real story is very different from the obituary doing the rounds. The Blindsee isn’t dead. It’s on probation. Here’s what’s actually going on, and...

Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report One of the most loved natural trails in the Alps is heading for the chop. The council of Biberwier, in Austria’s Tyrol, wants to close the legendary Blindsee Trail to mountain bikers from 2027. You can still ride it through the 2026 season – after that, it’s set to be gone. It looks like a small-town Tyrolean spat. It’s actually a case study in why tr...

Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report DJI’s e-bike arm Avinox went public on May 19th defending the rise of high-output motors. The arguments sound reasonable. Some of them even are. But the statement sidesteps the real issue — and there’s a good case the whole thing is by design. Avinox has spoken. The brand that rolled up the eMTB market with the M1 and, more recently, the M2S — peaking...

Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report On 7 May, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia — home to nearly 18 million people and a substantial chunk of Germany’s mountain bike community — tabled a draft forestry law that would effectively ban riding on anything narrower than a logging truck. Singletrack as we know it disappears. Building features becomes a standalone offence. The dea...

A stabilized market, higher production costs, and a new economic baseline for the entire industry. Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report After years of turbulence, the mountain bike industry enters 2026 with something that looks like stability — but not the kind riders hoped for. Prices are no longer rising dramatically, but they aren’t falling back to pre-boom levels either. The discount...

A skiing splash contest. A handful of furious neighbours. A Lutheran pastor as the landlord. And just like that, a complete bikepark in southern Germany is being shut down – with the bulldozers already rolling. Here’s the story of Bikepark Max Wild Arena Isny, why its closure should worry every mountain biker in Europe, and what you can do about it from anywhere in the world. Published by Radical...

Stuttgart just pulled off something impressive. The city hosted a stop of the Red Bull Cerro Abajo urban downhill series — 35 of the world’s best riders charging through the streets of one of Germany’s most iconic cities. Epic stuff. Politicians were thrilled, local media loved it, and for one weekend, Stuttgart looked like a proper mountain bike destination. ⁠https://radicallifestudios.de⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠...

Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report A crash on a free-to-use flow trail in western Germany. €5,000 in damages and 50 percent liability for the volunteer club that built the trail. The Higher Regional Court of Hamm has handed down a ruling that would have lost in Vienna, struggled in Milan, and almost certainly never reached a courtroom in the United States. The question is no longer whe...

Why riders are rediscovering simplicity — and leaving carbon behind Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report Something unexpected is happening on the trails. While the industry continues to push high-end carbon frames, integrated electronics, and complex suspension systems, more and more riders are showing up on something far simpler: trail hardtails. Not retro   bikes , not budget compromis...

A budget giant quietly turning into a technical heavyweight. Published by  Radical Life Studios  /   MTB Report Decathlon has always been present just never truly seen. For years, the global retail giant was treated as the “beginner brand,” the place where newcomers bought their first   bike  before upgrading to something more serious. But quietly, methodically, and with far more engineering inten...

Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report There are moments in industrial history when a new player doesn’t just enter a market, they rearrange the furniture, turn off the lights, and tell the incumbents the party is over. Think Tesla and Detroit. Apple and Nokia. And now, DJI Avinox and the e-bike motor market. When Avinox dropped the M1 in 2024, one thing was immediately obvious: they didn’...

We reviewed the 32 Gravity Card bike parks for 2026 and checked where opening hours and season starts have already been clearly published. The result helps you plan your season, but it also shows which parks still need to catch up officially Published by Radical Life Studios | MTB Report The Gravity Card remains one of the most attractive season passes in gravity riding. One ticket, 32 bike parks,...

Published by ⁠Radical Life Studios⁠ / ⁠MTB Report⁠ If you want to understand why Baden-Württemberg is still stuck in “exception mode” when it comes to mountain biking, you have to stop talking only about “illegal trails.” That’s just the surface. The real story is a system of  blockades  that reinforce each other: law, fragmented responsibilities, bureaucracy — and a culture that prefers managing...

A structural shift driven by safety regulations, visitor numbers and economic reality. Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report For years,   bike  parks grew out of local passion. Volunteers carved the first lines, hobby shapers maintained berms after work, and small lift operators kept the sport alive long before tourism boards understood its potential. But the landscape is changing. Quietl...

How apps, data and smartbikes are changing the way we ride and not always for the better. Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report The trail used to be freedom. Now it’s data. GPS trackers, Strava, smart apps, heart rate sensors – we measure everything. Distance. Power. Battery. Elevation. But do we still ride to feel – or just to compare? https://radicallifestudios.de⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://mtb-repo...

Why it polarizes, why it survives, and where it truly sits next to Santa Cruz and Specialized. Published by the Radical Life Studios / MTB Report Some  mountain bike brands are easy to read. You glance at the frame, the spec sheet, the price tag, the marketing language — and you know exactly what story they’re trying to sell you. Rotwild isn’t one of those brands. Rotwild feels like it was born in...

If Baden-Württemberg were serious about mountain biking, the debate would not be “illegal or legal.” The debate would be: How do we build a system that actually works? Mountain Bikes Because that’s what’s missing. And when a state refuses to build a functioning system, it gets exactly what it deserves: shadow use (Episode 2). Now comes the practical part: What must a connected trail network delive...

New data shows: the risk is far lower than most people think. Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report Bicycles & Accessories If you ask someone who has never visited a bike park, the answer comes instantly: “Dangerous.” High speeds, jumps, steep terrain — the stereotype writes itself. But the numbers tell a very different story. Recent studies from outdoor sport research groups in Europ...

Published by the Radical Life Studios / MTB Report Some sentences land like a match in dry leaves. One of them appears in a press release from the Stuttgart district/regional branch of BUND dated October 8, 2020 — written after an on-site visit to a forest area near “Sieben Linden” in Stuttgart-Uhlbach. The tone is unambiguous: the “mountain bike problem” in the woods is said to be “exploding,” pr...

What actually matters, what doesn’t, and the myths riders still believe Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report The  bike insurance market has grown as fast as the  bikes themselves. With prices rising, electronics becoming more complex, and theft remaining a constant threat, many riders assume that insurance is essential — and in some cases, it is. But the reality is far more nuanced than...

What is the value of the position paper “Mountain Biking and Forest Conservation” published by BUND Baden-Württemberg? Published by the Radical Life Studios / MTB Report It’s rare that I read a position paper and nod along before I start tearing it apart. With the BUND Baden-Württemberg paper “Mountainbiking und Waldnaturschutz”, that’s exactly what happens. The opening is surprisingly fair: exper...

Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report Schwalbe has a new page live: the Schwalbe Pressure Guide. It’s intentionally labeled BETA Schwalbe is openly saying the tool is still evolving and they want riders to test it. After you run a calculation, you can fill out a short survey to help improve the results and overall experience. Schwalbe notes feedback can be submitted until March 31 (as sho...

Baden-Württemberg doesn’t have a mountain bike problem. It has a system failure — and it shows up in the forest as something policymakers rarely name out loud: shadow use. Published by the Radical Life Studios / MTB Report Shadow use is what happens when the real world demands a coherent, understandable network — but the official framework offers a patchwork of exceptions, grey zones, and “technic...

Fewer models, clearer identities, and a long-overdue correction in the   bike  industry. Published by Radical Life Studios / MTB Report For years, bike manufacturers expanded endlessly. Every season brought new models, new niches, new categories that blurred into each other. “Downcountry,” “super-enduro,” “all-mountain-plus,” “light e-enduro”… the vocabulary grew faster than the   bikes  themselve...