Singletrack Magazine Issue 76 Cover & Contents

The seventy-sixth issue of Singletrack Magazine is complete! We’ve spent the summer months riding in the hills, thrashing down mountains and sweating back up them, doing the corner “one more time”, going square eyed at the monitor, deadline panicking and now we can relax for a bit.

We’ve also got a rather special subscription offer on at the moment, which will keep you looking good and put money back in your pocket – find out more here.

singletrackworld.com/tee-n-tenner/

Without further ado, here’s Issue 76…

Cover:

“Despite the Yorkshire Dales being on my doorstep, I have rarely spun two wheels over its rolling, limestone-scattered hillocks. So in light of Yorkshire (I mean Team GB’s) success at the London Olympics and the prospect of Yorkshire turning yellow for a future Tour stage, Jon Hopkinson, Sam Flannigan and myself took to the Dales on a mission of discovery. You may note that this photo proves a few old wives tales wrong. One, that the UK has got some sunshine in 2012; two, that XC racer Jon Hopkinson isn’t allergic to baggy cycling attire and three, that the Yorkshire Dales is a great place to turn a wheel or two over.”
Photo by Sam Needham.

Contents:

“Like this bike, our editor Chipps is race-proven. He’s done his fair amount of competitions over the years but he’d not done anything quite like the No Fuss Endurance Downhill. Six hours of descending the Fort William World Cup track is a real test for any rider or bike’s stamina. Orange loaned him some Halifax metal to test his mettle on and Sweet Protection kitted him out with a body’s worth of padding; so, with no excuses left, it was all down to him…”
Photo by Sim.

Singletrack Issue 76:

9/ Editorial: The Trying Hard Club.
Chipps went to London and came back with ideas.

10/ UK Riding: Quantocks All-In.

What makes a hard ride even harder? Simple – getting an Olympian to guide you. Benji and Oli Beckingsale go south-west.

20/ Steve Worland: Hanging Up The Wheels.
Don’t panic – he doesn’t mean it like that…

22/ Stat Of The Art: Pie Or Cake?
…or both? The readers of Singletrackworld.com decide.

24/ Column: Why I Love My Bike.
Alec Connon is really quite fond of his two-wheeled travel machine.

26/ Jewel Of The Isle: Tyndrum.
The Green Welly Stop and the Real Food Café duke it out for Tom Hill’s affections.

30/ Bike Tech Corner: Are Coil Springs Dead?
We ask some of the industry for their opinions.

36/ International Travel: Tenquille Lake.

Reuben Krabbe is packing up and shipping out.

48/ UK Adventure: Fort Bill Endurance Downhill.
Chipps isn’t a downhiller, but he dressed up as one anyway.

62/ Classic Ride: The South Downs Way.
David Arthur and friends kick back on the South Downs.

74/ The Big Feature: Trail Centres.
Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re here to stay. Jenn takes a closer look at why you should try hard to come down on the side of love…

86/ A Question Of Fitness.
Dr. Jon and Ali Mills cover sore shoulders and wheezy lungs.

92/ We Work Here: Alpkit.
Jenn talks bikepacking, cheap kit and British manufacturing with the Notts. gear purveyors.

102/ Bike Test: Brit Bikes.
Benji takes a look at what makes bikes designed by Brits special. Cotic, Nukeproof and Orange fight it out.

• Nukeproof Mega AM Comp
• Orange Gyro Pro
• Cotic Rocket

112/ Through The Grinder.
We’ve been at it with the grit and the spanners again.

• Fox D.O.S.S. seatpost
• Continental Revo Tyre Sealant
• Fox Sergeant Baggy Shorts
• Sweet Protection Bearsuit knee and elbow pads.
• Kali Chakra Plus Helmet
• Hope Race EVO X2 brakes
• Fox Factory Float CTD Boost Valve rear shock
• Howies Vail merino t-shirt
• Knog Blinder 4V Pulse USB-charged rear light
• Bontrager Specter XR helmet
• DHB Aeron Pro V2 bib shorts
• POC Joint VPD 2.0 knee and elbow pads
• Dark Star Espresso beer
• Gore Bike Wear Xenon GT AS short sleeve jacket

126/ Grinder Bike: Salsa Horsethief.
Burly, big-wheel niceness from the purveyors of the pepper.

130/ Grouptest: Trail Packs.
Chipps has a go at riding with eleven trail packs. Not all at once though, that would be silly.

• Camelbak MULE NV
• Camelbak L.U.X.E.
• Crank Bros Descender
• Dakine Apex
• Dakine Drafter
• Deuter Cross Bike 18
• Evoc CC16L
• Fox Oasis
• Geigerrig Rig 700
• Hydrapak Laguna
• Osprey Zealot 10

140/ Premier Club.
Proud owner of a Singletrack Premier Card? This is what it gets you. Not got a Premier Card yet? Find out how to get one!

146/ We Just Work Here.
Who does what, how to get in touch, what helped this issue on its way and who we’d like to thank.

singletrackworld.com/tee-n-tenner/

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