What are the best mountain bike grips? Wil’s tested a bunch over the years, and here he’s put together five of his favourite lock-on grips. Over to Wil! Makers of handlebars, stems, and chainrings for all things moto and MTB, Renthal currently splits its off-road…
2019
Review | Judgement Day For The Trust Message Multi-Link Suspension Fork
The Trust Message is undeniably strange compared to anything we’re used to seeing on the front of a mountain bike. Its originators are three bike industry heavyweights: Dave Weagle, rear suspension designer extraordinaire; Jason Schiers, founder of EDGE (now ENVE) Composites, and Hap Seliga, co-founder…
Marin Mount Vision Returns After Two Years – And What A Difference!
The Marin Mount Vision has been in the range, well, about as long as Marin has been around (and that’s a mighty long time…) But keen eyes will have noticed that the previous Mount Vision had slipped silently from sight in 2017. The return of…
Review | The Specialized SWAT Conceal Carry MTB Multi-Tool Hides Inside Your Fork
According to the photographer Chase Jarvis, the best camera is the one that’s with you. A reference to the proliferation of smartphone camera technology, Jarvis’s famous quote implies that you can own the most technically capable camera in the world, but if it’s too bulky…
Review | The ODI Elite Flow lock-on grips have hidden comforts
What are the best mountain bike grips? Wil’s tested a bunch over the years, and here he’s put together five of his current favourite lock-on grips. Over to Wil! Having invented the concept some 25-years ago, ODI has long been the king of the lock-on,…
Review | The DMR DeathGrip lock-on grips are made for rough ‘n’ rowdy riding
What are the best mountain bike grips? Wil’s tested a bunch over the years, and here he’s put together five of his favourite lock-on grips. Over to Wil! The DMR DeathGrips will be well known to our UK readers, having amassed something of a cult…
Review | The Lizard Skins MacAskill lock-ons are ideal for thin-grip lovers
What are the best mountain bike grips? Wil’s tested a bunch over the years, and here he’s put together five of his favourite lock-on grips. Over to Wil! Makers of grips, bar tape, gloves and body armour, Lizard Skins was an early adopter of lock-on…
Giant Off-Road Factory Race Team to ride $12,000 Anthem 29er, plus no more DVO partnership
Giant Bicycles has just announced the Off-Road Factory Race Team roster for 2019, with some familiar faces joined by fresh youth talent too. In total, there’ll be 15 riders from six different nations competing in everything from DH through to gravel. Kit Changes There have…
Formula Teases Selva Coil Fork And Confirms New UK Distributor
Everyone loves a ‘Proto’ sticker, don’t they? And seeing the rows of bikes at the Formula truck at Bike Connection Winter, there was definitely something up. A quick glance at the bikes show a telltale ‘Spring preload’ knob on the left hand fork leg where…
Breaking: 140mm travel Pole Bushmaster trail bike is the machined baby brother of the Pole Stamina
Pole Bicycles has kicked off the start of the month with the announcement of another of their radical machined full-suspension bikes. Meet the Pole Bushmaster. Considering that Pole now machines their flagship full-suspension frames in-house at their factory in Finland, they’re pretty hot on at…
FGF 437 | Protection, Lubricant, And A Nasty Itch – It’s Fresh Goods Friday
Last week somebody got me some snacks. I don’t really question the ingredients of anything I eat, despite my strict dietary requirements, so I wolfed them down without a care in the world. Over time, my lady parts started to itch and I had a…
Mike Hall: Coroner’s Report Makes Recommendations For Safety Improvements
The Coroner of the ACT Australian Capital Territory) Magistrates Court, Bernadette Boss, has published her report on the inquest into Mike Hall’s death. The endurance cyclist and Singletrack Legend award winner was killed early in the morning of the final stage of the Indian Pacific…
Gallery | Pirelli Launches First MTB Tyres With Calendar Worthy Photos
Pirelli today reveals its first mountain bike tyre, the Scorpion MTB, following a launch event in Sicily that Stu Taylor checked out for us. You can read his first ride review here. The Scorpion MTB is a tyre that Pirelli claims works equally well in…
First Ride Review | Pirelli Scorpion MTB Tyre – ‘Eliminates Climate Variables’
Pirelli entering the mountain bike tyre market? That’s pretty big news if you’re a rubber nerd. Pirelli certainly seemed to be pretty excited about it, since the company did a huge photoshoot in California and followed it up with flying journos from across the world…
Interview: Gowaan Gals – Give It A Go And Remember To Be Silly!
It’s the last month of our Inspiring Women interview series and we’ve saved the most fun for last after I spent a very entertaining evening chatting to Enduro racers Bex Baraona and Martha Gill. Trying to keep track of our conversation at the time was…
Get yourself to the Gowaan Gals MTB Festival and win an Ibis frame for a fiver!
The Gowaan als (that’s Go On! in a northern accent and with lots of feeling, or if you need OED pronunciation it’d be something like ɡəʊ ɑːɑːɑː.n), aka Martha Gill and Bex Baraona have announced details of their first women’s MTB festival at Farmer John’s,…
Hope Launches Redesigned Evo Cranks And New Fortus Wheels
We’re at the Bike Connection 2019 gathering in Italy with a load of top brands who all have something special to shout about. First up is Hope Technology (no, the irony is not lost on us about having to go to Italy to find out…
Revel Bikes launches with 2 new suspension bikes, and we’ve already seen them
Rather than just regurgitating the Revel Bikes press release like everyone else has, we’re actually bringing you our own first look images of both the Revel Rail and Revel Rascal. You would think that with the number of established bike brands already selling well throughout…
Canyon Pure Cycling Weekend coming to the UK. Demo MTB, Road and Gravel bikes.
Canyon UK is to hold the first every UK based Pure Cycling Weekend this year out of the Forest of Dean. The event will be based on what Canyon holds over in Germany and will give UK based riders the chance to demo various mountain…
Review | The SixSixOne Evo AM helmet comes loaded with MIPS, BOA and magnets
First released back in 2015, the Evo AM took the top spot in the SixSixOne (661) helmet range from its now-younger (and cheaper) sibling, the Recon. Since then, this broad-coverage trail helmet has split into two main models; the Evo AM MIPS that we have…
Watch Singletrack Newsdesk | Lyrik Ultimate, Cannondale DH Bike, Good-bye Charge and more
Andi takes us through the latest, most breaking news of the week in our first ever broadcast of Singletrack Newsdesk. Watch the video below, or read the highlights further down the page. Can’t see the video? Click here Cécile Ravanel Crashes During Training …
Video | Watch Brendan Howey freeride Furious on the Sunshine Coast
Watch Commencal freerider, Brendan Howey flow on the Commencal Furious on this home trails. Commencal rider and all-time freeride legend, Brendan Howey hits the trail again with videographer Jean-Baptiste Liautard to bring us this edit from the Sunshine Coast. The trails are actually local to…
Sheffield’s Airdrop Bikes Announces 2019 Airdrop Edit v3 Full-Suspension Frame
Airdrop Bikes has been enjoying a successful teaser campaign on social media drip-feeding fans on its new frame and what it will be made of. Finally, here are the official details. After a few weeks of social media teasers, Airdrop Bikes has finally revealed it’s…
Review | The Panaracer PanDura is a fast-rolling tyre with some surprises on the trail
Though many mountain bikers will know Panaracer for the classic Smoke & Dart tyres (which are still in production!), the Japanese tyre manufacturer has been busy adding a load of newer tread offerings, including the PanDura shown here. To find out how this enduro/all mountain…
LONE Bicycles Parabellum is a fancy French frame with a clever party trick
Fancy a slice of French frame fun but don’t know if you’ll run 29in, 27.5+ or 27.5in wheels? Not to worry LONE Bicycles Parabellum has you covered with its clever party trick. Cast your mind back to Eurobike 2018 and you may recollect French brand…
Chris Porter wants you to race (with) your kids in the new Mojo Racing Series
The new Mojo Racing series set up my suspension supremo, Chris Porter, allows parents and kids to race together. Bike racing can be an antisocial affair if you’ve got a family. Either you leave them at home while you go and do your thing, or…
Review | Forget the bum bag – the Camelbak Chase Bike Vest is a hydration pack for minimalists
Inspired by trail running packs, the Camelbak Chase Vest has been purpose built for the minimalist mountain biker that still needs to carry essential tools and spares, along with a decent amount of water. It’s a little different to your average mountain bike backpack though,…
Longterm Review | 9 Months On SRAM’s Budget NX Eagle 1×12 Groupset
Thanks to SRAM’s Eagle groupset, 1×12 has been around a few years now. What was originally the preserve of those with bulging wallets is now available for a significantly more modest price, thanks to this NX level groupo. One of the criticisms of early 1×10…
Skinny Dipping #002 – Kielder, Courtney and the Cape
It feels like 2019 has got off to a galloping pace. Not only are we already on our second edition of our XC and endurance news, the year’s second 24 hour race has already been and gone. Kielder Chiller, Almost Weather Thriller Only in its…
Review | Leatt DBX 5.0 All Mountain Waterproof Jacket & Waterproof Shorts
It’s been a wet and gritty winter here in Calderdale, which has provided idyllic conditions for testing waterproof riding gear. With jackets and bottoms from Endura, Leatt and Fox, our local two-wheeled adventurer has been putting three waterproof riding combos to the test. Over to…
Review | Fox Attack Waterproof Jacket and Waterproof Pants
It’s been a wet and gritty winter here in Calderdale, which has provided idyllic conditions for testing waterproof riding gear. With jackets and bottoms from Endura, Leatt and Fox, our local two-wheeled adventurer has been putting three waterproof riding combos to the test. Over to…
On Board | Testing Giant’s Speed-Hungry Trance 29er
Loaded into the Singetrack Grinder for a longterm review is this 2019 Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29er 1. Yeah I know, catchy name right? Because I can never quite remember what order all of those words are meant to be in, I’ve been calling it…
A Beautiful Mason, Several Gurns, A New Frame – And The World’s Smallest Samurai Sword… It’s Fresh Goods Friday 436!
No sooner had Chipps returned from his most recent endless holiday, but it seemed that everyone else took that as a cue to take time off for half term (or mid-life crisis adventure holidays…) Never mind, it means that the office this week has been…
Video: Watch Adam Brayton’s Nukeproof Dissent DH bike get full Hope treatment
Watch Adam Brayton’s custom Nukeproof Dissent WC downhill bike put together with Team Green Hope parts in this new video. Did you see our feature last week about Adam Brayton’s Hope’d out Nukeproof Dissent DH bike? We’ll Hope has now put together the following video…
Review | Endura MT500 Waterproof Jacket & Waterproof Shorts
It’s been a wet and gritty winter here in Calderdale, which has provided idyllic conditions for testing waterproof riding gear. With jackets and bottoms from Endura, Leatt and Fox, our local two-wheeled adventurer has been putting three waterproof riding combos to the test. Over to…
Video: The Hazzard Racing guide to setting up a race team plus bonus rut slapping action.
Slapping ruts and riding the nuts of some freshly built up Orange bikes is only part of the picture in the latest Hazzard racing video. Joe Barnes and the Hazzard Racing team has put together this insightful video teaching us important lessons on setting up…
Stabbing Your Tyre Is Good For It – And Other Fun Things We Learned At The iceBike Show
Madison’s house show, iceBike* is the traditional early-season chance to see what products are appearing this spring and for Madison – importers of a bajillion different brands – to sneak out a few new brands and product lines. 2019’s iceBike* (the * is compulsory apparently…
Starling Cycles Tease Stainless Steel Murmor, or is it Ti?
Starling Cycles teases yet another new single pivot full suspension bike, but is this Starling Murmur made from stainless steel or titanium? Joe from Starling Cycles always seems to be working on something new. If he isn’t building Murmor frames here in the UK, he’ll…
Trust Performance Message: Testing This Bonkers Carbon Linkage Fork
We take the latest carbon fibre linkage fork on the market and test it in the U.K grit and mud. Keep reading for our Trust Performance Message linkage fork review. Trust Performance surprised everyone when it released the bonkers Message linkage fork back in October.…
Review | Giant’s latest Rail SX MIPS helmet has more coverage and clever goggle compatibility
Giant may be best known for popular mountain bike models such as the Anthem, Trance and Reign, but the Taiwanese manufacturer actually has a pretty huge array of components and accessories too. Alongside carbon fibre wheels, dropper posts and flat pedals, you’ll also find a…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 122: Vancouver’s Treasure Islands
Two jet-setting friends discover they’ve overlooked gold on their doorstep. Words Ryan Stuart Photography Ryan Creary A morning beer is always harsh and rarely a good idea. It burns the throat. Bubbles up the nose. And usually comes back to haunt in some foul tasting…
Singletrack Issue 122 | Ti Hard
Three titanium hardtails fit for an action hero. Words Andi Photography James Vincent Titanium. Four syllables that in the bike world may well hint at a significant birthday, or a recent (or impending) divorce. But just as Die Hard is not just a Christmas movie,…
ST Recommended | The Funn UpDown dropper post only lets you down when you want it to!
A few years ago, it seemed as if dropper posts were expensive disposable items. With a bit of luck you’d get 12 months use out of them, before something would go wrong. No brands seemed to be immune from it, but the first iteration of…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 122 : Editorial
finding your place Words hannah Chipps is away. He’s off on sabbatical to what he calls ‘his favourite place in the world’: Moab, Utah. Now, I’m not going to argue with him – Moab is probably wonderful, and there are some ancient petroglyphs there that…
Review: Vee Tire Flow Snap + Enduro Core 29×2.6in Tyre
Tyres, as many of you know, represent perhaps the least sexy but certainly one of the most emphatic ways to alter your ride. From those proponents of the ‘fit once and only replace once you can see the rim strip through the carcass’ school all…
New Trails Coming To Antur Stiniog Bike Park In North Wales!
We’ve just been sent some fantastic news from our friends at the Antur Stiniog Bike Park, who are announcing three brand new trails set to be built just in time for the Summer riding season! Established back in 2007 just outside Blaenau Ffestiniog, Antur Stiniog…
Review: Bontrager’s XR5 Team Issue might just be the ideal aggro trail tyre
As condition-specific as mountain bike tyres are, some are just a little more versatile than others. Like this Bontrager XR5 Team Issue tyre I’ve been testing for the past 12 months. Having already enjoyed such a positive experience with the Bontrager SE4 – a tyre…
The £17,000+ mountain bike: This is how to build the world’s most expensive mountain bike
Using 15 of the most expensive parts, a handmade frame, and a wireless groupset you could build a bike worth over £17,000+. You could also buy 2 or 3 cars for that! If anyone is familiar with Viceland, you may know that they put together…
Video: We Still Ride On – We Still Care, We Still Progress
Sometimes the internet is a good place. As part of my ‘learning how to jump’ efforts this year, I bought a BMX. When I posted it in Fresh Goods Friday, a reader recommended I join ‘Ride On BMX’, a Facebook group for BMX riders over…
Nukeproof’s new DH bike finally named. Meet the Nukeproof Dissent!
2019 is a big year for Nukeproof, it’s the year that sees the gravity orientated brand return to the Downhill World Cup, with new riders, and now we can officially reveal a new bike. For this season, Adam Brayton will be aiming to finish on…
A £1000 titanium crank, a £6000 bike and a £2000 car! Fresh Goods Friday 435
What a jam-packed episode of Fresh Goods we have for you this week! Below we have 17 of the freshest, ripest and ready to consume goods available from the bike industry this week, oh, and there’s an 11-year-old Fiat Panda thrown in for some reason…