This article was written by and stars Stu Taylor. That’s it done, the Highland Trail 550 2018, in 4 days 7 hours and 24 minutes of the most amazing Scottish riding…and hiking. In the build-up and preparation for the event it never even crossed my…
News
The latest stories from the world of mountain biking.
Fresh Goods Friday 400: The Stumpy And Pool Noodle Celebration Edition
There should probably be cake, and sparklers. Maybe a release of some doves, or a peacock or two. Definitely prosecco (cheaper than champagne, and usually nicer too). Dancing is optional, though you’re welcome to take off your shoes and have a barefoot shuffle if the…
Calibre Releases The Triple B, An Upgraded Bossnut
Calibre, you know, that bike brand that keeps scooping up the awards with its low-cost mountain bikes? Well, the company is in the news again today with its latest variant of the popular Calibre Bossnut which it calls the Triple B. The standard Bossnut is…
SRAM Introduces NX Eagle 1×12 Groupset, Including A Sub-£100 Cassette
You read that correctly – SRAM has just unveiled its fourth – and cheapest – 1×12 Eagle drivetrain. Badged with the NX Eagle label, this new 12-speed groupset slots in underneath the GX Eagle, X01 Eagle and XX1 Eagle groupsets. However, it makes use of…
UPDATE: milKit Booster tyre inflator recalled due to safety issue
Update: We’ve just received the official recall notice from milKit regarding the Boost tubeless tyre inflator – see below for the full recall notice. Madison, the distributor that imports and sells milKit products in the UK, has just gotten in touch with us to let…
Jeff Steber Teases Prototype Intense e-Bike
Jeff Steber is handy with a welder so when you leave him in a room full of alloy tubes and TIG welding gear you can rest assured that he’ll whip out his welding mask, hit ‘play’ on the A-Team theme tune and get to work.…
Go behind-the-scenes on the bike test photoshoot for Issue 119
Back in May, Wil and Amanda headed off to Hamsterley Forest with three UK made 29ers we had on test for issue 119. They were to spend a couple of days shooting the video reviews for the digital magazine, followed by a day with James…
Bad Luck And Trouble In #MakingUpTheNumbers: Gravity Events DH Series Rd 3 – Llangollen
“Rachel” “Rachel” She can’t hear me can she? I’m locked in the bloody garage. “Oh ******* hell”. It’s 6:15 on Saturday morning. The van’s outside with the doors wide open, my wallet’s on the dashboard, phone’s in its cradle, the bike’s in the back and…
What’s It Like To Work At Fort William? Amanda finds out
My first Fort William experience was in 2017. I was relatively new to mountain biking, said yes to everything I was invited to and completely ignored the fact I had a freshly sprained ankle and a set of crutches. I did not enjoy myself. I…
Fresh Goods Friday 399; 2 Bikes, A Fork And A Spoon!
Don’t worry! The apocalypse has not come! Yes Nicholas Parsons missed an episode of Just A Minute, and yes we missed Fresh Goods Friday last week, but The Today Programme is still going, so all is well. And all is better still, as we’re back…
Poll: Where Do You Keep Your Bike?
Its new poll day today and while we wanted to ask something silly like “When was the last time you dressed like hip-hop sensation Kriss Kross?” our good sense has gotten the better of us. Today we’re asking where you keep your bike when you’re…
Sub £1000 Mountain Bikes That Aren’t The Calibre Bossnut
Following on from our list of full-suspension bikes that you can buy for under £1200, we thought we would cast our net out again and see what we could catch on a budget of less than £1000. We’ve been pretty strict with this and only…
1500 People Can’t Be Wrong: Another great year for MTBMeetup
‘What a great vibe!’ ‘How cool is this?’ ‘We’ll be back next year’ Now its 5th year the award nominated charity event MTBMeetup is a fun and friendly free weekend of riding and socializing for all the family. Over 1,500 people headed through the gates…
Video Teaser: Highland Trail 550 – Making long distance racing look fun (almost)
In case you missed it, Stu Taylor was off to tackle the Highland Trail 550, after an intense training regime that even included ‘boredom training’. We’re pleased to say that he’s back from what must surely be the hottest and driest HT550 ever. Not only…
Peter Sagan: Roadie, Mountain Biker, And Possibly Cat?
Peter Sagan, surely one of the best riders we’ve ever seen (though arguably not quite as good as Pauline Ferrand-Prevot), has posted this video which has all us in the office making the kind of noises that we’d probably make if we tried this. Before…
The 2018 Fort William World Cup Finals Gallery
Under blue skies and unusually warm conditions, the 2018 Fort William World Cup was run and won over the weekend. You may have followed all the action via our STWFortBill news feed, where you would have seen and heard all the drama involving mechanicals and…
Beers, Bikes And BBQ… Spin Up In A Brewery Returns For 2018
After taking a short break since the last event in 2015, “Spin Up in a Brewery” is back by popular demand! Established in 2012, it is again a collaboration between two West Sussex based companies, the craft brewery Dark Star and bicycle brand Kinesis UK.…
Trek To Become Official Partner Of Nevis Range
Hot off the back of the Fort William round of the UCI Downhill WC is the news that Trek and the Nevis Range are teaming up in partnership for the next few years. The official partnership has already started with Trek and the first step…
Bike Check: Matt Walker’s Saracen Myst 29er
At last year’s Fort William World Cup, the one theme that dominated all of the hubbub both in the pits, and out on the race course was the 29er. Everyone wanted to know what teams were bringing out 29in wheeled race bikes, and which athletes…
Fort William 2018 – Elite Men’s Results
Following on from the Elite Women’s finals (check out the results and race report here), it was time for the men to come down Aonach Mor. Though earlier weather forecasts had predicted heavy rain around lunchtime, somehow, despite Scotland’s reputation for, shall we say, ‘eclectic’…
Fort William 2018 – Elite Women’s Results
It’s the fourth and final day of the 2018 Fort William World Cup, and you know exactly what that means – it’s FINALS TIME! Reaching a thundering crescendo after several days of growing excitement, anticipation and anxiety for many, Sunday stood as the opportunity for…
The Calm Before The Storm – Fort William Qualification
With practice in the morning and qualifying in the afternoon, Saturday was chock-a-block from start to finish at Fort William. Riders had plenty of time to get more familiar with the race track and the new rock-armoured section in the woods, while also getting their…
Fort William 2018: Qualification Results Are In!
It’s the end of Day 3 at the 2018 Fort William World Cup, and both the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s fields have made their way down the side of Ben Nevis to post their most rapid qualifying times in preparation for tomorrow’s big race.…
Dean Lucas’ Crash, Flat Tyres & Midges – It’s The 2018 Fort William World Cup
Friday was the first day of proper riding at the 2018 Fort William World Cup, after racers had a chance to scope out the course on Thursday’s track walk. Having seen the new rock-armoured section in the woods, riders were then able to see how…
Claudio Calouri talks pump tracks, concussion, and why he didn’t do the course preview at Fort William
For many mountain bikers and fans of the the sport, Claudio Caluori won’t need an introduction. Thanks to his hilarious course preview videos (many of which have gone viral online) and his entertaining race commentary, the Swiss downhiller has become synonymous with the World Cup…
Fort William Timed Practice Results
The weather has held so our dry spell (ooh er misses) is now at a full three days of bright sunshine here at Fort William, meaning super dry dusty trails for timed practice today. Riders hit the dirt from 3:30-onwards, where they let rip down…
Before The Race – 2018 Fort William World Cup Randoms
Race day is almost upon us here at the 2018 Fort William World Cup. The crowds are building and the atmosphere is rising. It’s hard to believe that just a few days ago the Nevis Range was almost empty, with teams starting to arrive to…
Course Preview: Fort William World Cup 2018
Blue skies and dusty trails at Fort William (for now…). We welcome you to take a walk down the world cup track with Ross and James as they consider line choices, calculate what percentage of the track they could actually ride, and meet some familiar…
Kona has a new carbon Operator downhill bike, and it’s 29er ready
Connor Fearon of the Kona Gravity Team is racing aboard a new Operator downhill prototype that features a carbon fibre frame and dual wheelsize capability. Everywhere we turned in the race pits during today’s opening day of the 2018 Fort William World Cup we seemed…
Brendog’s Prototype Scott Downhill Bike
Scott Sports has a new prototype downhill bike, which is currently being raced on by the Scott-Velosolutions team this weekend at the 2018 Fort William World Cup. First shown in Losinj, Crotia, for round one of the 2018 World Cup series, the prototype is a…
Rachel Atherton’s Stunning Custom Painted Trek Session 9.9 Race Bike
Today marks the first official day of the 2018 Fort William World Cup – the second round of the 2018 World Cup series – with all of the teams, managers, racers, and mechanics descending on the race village to get everything setup in preparation for…
Pole Machine 200 Prototype First Look
Pole, the Finnish mountain bike brand, is up at Fort William this week racing a brand spanking new prototype downhill bike. And it’s rather special indeed. We’re all pretty well versed with Pole and the way the small mountain bike brand does things, so it’s…
Breaking News! Greg Minnaar Out Of 2018 Fort William World Cup
That’s right – Greg Minnaar is out of the 2018 Fort William World Cup with a broken right arm! Uh-huh. We’ve only just arrived in Fort William, Scotland, for the second round of the 2018 World Cup Downhill Series, and already the drama is starting…
Jeff Steber Interview: Staying Intense
Chipps visited Intense Cycles in Southern California back in April 2017 for an in-depth conversation with the founder of Intense, Jeff Steber. This interview was originally published in Issue #113 of Singletrack Magazine. (And, while much of the business organisation may have changed since then,…
Get A Grip! Northern Grip Festival Coming Soon!
If you love the North, Mountain Biking, Music, and a festival vibe then the Northern Grip Festival is the one place you need to be! Northern Grip returns to Lee Quarry and Stubbylee Park for 2018 with more of the same and a whole lot…
Motion E18 Linkage Fork Goes On Sale 1st June
Do you ever look at the current range of excellent telescopic suspension forks on the market and just wish there was something different on the market? Sure, there’s the Lefty Ocho, but what if you want up to 170mm travel and have a soft spot…
Will This Be The UK’s Ultimate Mountain Bike Festival? Malverns Classic Returns
Mention the Malvern Classic and Chipps goes a bit misty eyed. It was obviously an influential event. A recent ‘were you there, what do you remember?’ thread on his Facebook page elicited a similarly excitable response. And quite a lot of debate – what year…
Does e-bike=motorbike? EC proposes compulsory insurance for e-bikes
If you’re an e-bike user, or you’re thinking of getting one, you might soon need an expensive insurance policy to ride it legally. That’s because the European Commission (EC) has proposed updated laws which will require users of e-bikes to have the same level of…
Solaris Max, MaXalami and Max Madness – It’s Fresh Goods Friday 398
Good day prized readers. It is time. Time for you to sever ties with that yoga mat supplier you once made a purchase from five years ago. Time for you open your mailbox to find only highly relevant information of direct interest to you. Of…
Last Chance To Subscribe! Singletrack Magazine Issue 119
It’s off to the printers, which means that our designer, Amanda, is breathing a sigh of relief, and you have just a few days to subscribe in time to get Singletrack Issue 119 delivered to your door. The cut off date is Sunday 27th May…
Crankworx World Tour Arrives In Innsbruck 13th-17th June
Innsbruck is once again the home to Crankworx this time around it will be the 2nd stop in the Crankworx World Series with events kicking off on the 13th June running through to the 17th. The bike festival will cater for all genres of mountain…
National Park’s Warning Over Snowdon Access Agreement
Snowdon is one of Wales’s must-do mountains for walkers and mountain bikers alike. It’s legally accessible by bikes, with three bridleways leading to the summit, but it also receives a huge number of visitors on foot, to the point where riders and walkers mixing poses…
The Boltby Bash Enduro 2018 brings dust-in-Yorkshire shocker!
Implausibly for some there was an era of mountain biking that existed before Enduro racing. Let’s call this time BE, Before Enduro. In these times gone by, not only did we ride rigid bikes (or maybe if we were lucky had an elastomer suspension fork),…
‘You could buy a car for that!’ It’s Fresh Goods Friday 397
This week, Amanda our designer has stepped in to write Fresh Goods Friday. Mostly because she has a story to tell… Two weeks ago I was on my way to Wales for a weekend of biking. I had my best and most reliable riding buddy…
Breaking News: Singletrack7 Event Cancelled – forestry operations destroy trails
We’ve just received the following notice from the organisers of the Singletrack7 event: It is with much regret and disappointment that we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel this year’s edition of the Singletrack7. On a recent site visit we found that…
Exclusive First Look: The New Cotic Solaris Max
Cotic’s new Solaris MAX launches today. And it’s in stock. And we’ve ridden one. It’s always an exciting day for British mountain bikers when Cotic releases a new model. And while its full suspension bikes are great, we reckon it’s an even better day when…
FINDRA’s lush, luxe, merino – now available for men too
There aren’t many brands where us women get to make the men envious. Usually us women find ourselves looking from the eight different pairs of men’s shorts, 12 jerseys in three colour choices each, all with matching socks, to the women’s option of one pair…
5 Full Suspension Bikes That Cost £1200 Or Less
Believe it or not, we are probably at a point in mountain biking when we can pick up a very capable bike for a relatively low-price. Yes, there are superbikes out there which cost upwards of £10,000, but even brands that used to demand such…
2018 Fort William World Cup Track Course Preview
It’s less than a month to go before the World Cup circus arrives in Fort William and we’re as keen as you are to know if that dreaded forest section will remain for 2018. Luckily the Fort William track isn’t in a top secret location…
Mondraker Carbon Foxy 29er – The Most Obvious Bike Ever
Given that Mondraker has already launched a 27.5in carbon Foxy bike, the fact that it was going to launch a 29er version of the acclaimed Foxy took no great deducing. What is a surprise, though, is that – in honour of the fact that the…
Cube Stereo 150 Rolls On Bigger Wheels With Enduro Geo
Cube has gone and given its EWS team a new tool to compete on and it is now available for us mere mortals to buy and ride.
