A clash of New Zealand personalities has overshadowed the country's gold-silver result in the men's mountain bike race on the Gold Coast.

Sam Gaze and Anton Cooper have completed a repeat one-two finish at the Commonwealth Games, reversing the order from the last Games in Glasgow.

Gaze delivered a blistering final lap after a puncture, as Cooper looked set to defend his title in the dramatic denouement.

Gaze called on all his will to elbow past Cooper and avenge his silver from four years ago.

However, the win came with rancour.

"There's good sportsmanship and there's not, and I felt like that wasn't there today," Gaze said.

"It's a bit of a shame really. I have the utmost respect for the guy, even with that move and before the finish. That's racing, you can't get along with everyone. The good guys always win."

"The sprint at the top was quite a drag before the last downhill," Cooper said.

"I knew that would be crucial, that was kind of the finish line and he managed to sneak around me there. I didn't close the door early enough. I couldn't have drifted any harder across because that wouldn't have been fair."

Entering the final lap, Gaze was leading but decided to pull off to get air in his back tyre.

A mechanic blasted a CO2 cannister into the valve in the hope it would last until the finish.

Cooper pounced on the advantage. Shortly afterwards, Gaze was ushered through by second-placed South African Alan Hatherly to continue duelling with his compatriot.

He came from an estimated 28s back to regather the lead in an elbow-to-elbow passing manoeuvre, creating one of the Games' most thrilling moments.

"I had the motivation from four years ago where I felt a bit robbed," Gaze said. "Today I wasn't accepting anything other than a win.

"I've built the sort of perseverance to handle something like that [a flat tyre] over the past 12 months. If it had happened before then, my race would've been done.

"I had a small problem on the back wheel but I was able to get back into the race."

Cooper said he couldn't think of anything he would've done to change the result.

"I might look back later and think I could've done something. Even on the last lap I don't know what happened to Sam, I saw he stopped. When he came through the tyre looked fine and it's not my job to sit around and ask. I kept on riding.

"I thought at that point it was me and the South African heading up the hill, so I attacked, then saw Sam 15-20m behind.

Earlier, the pair worked alongside Hatherly to build a lock on the podium.

Fellow Kiwi Ben Oliver was fourth.

According to news.com.au, fans and experts picked up on the "civil war", with Aussie cycling great and Channel 7 commentator Scott McGrory calling it "awkward".

As Gaze crossed the line he held his index finger to his mouth trying to silence either his critics or his teammate. He was earlier seen flipping the bird - presumably at Cooper.

"There will not be happy beers for the Kiwi club tonight, not too happy whatsoever," McGrory said. "There's no love lost between them here.

"No hugs between the Kiwis. Gold and silver medals but certainly no big embracing hugs.

"They are fired up, the New Zealanders."

"There was no love lost whatsoever between the men who finished three seconds apart four years ago and the clock not actually separating them here," Channel 7's Basil Zempilas added.

"This is the incident that has got the New Zealanders up and about, you saw the arm come out there, that was interesting from Samuel gaze."

Zempilas said Cooper might think about launching an official protest.

"Can't believe there's contact from his teammate like that," Zempilas said.

"I wonder if we have not heard the end of this yet. The sprint to the finish was pretty clean but it was that contact back about 300m or 400m from the end, he silences his teammate, his finger goes up first, is there more to be written?"

No official protest was made.