Northern Grip Mountain Bike Festival returns to Stubbylee Park and Lee Quarry in Bacup, Rossendale, in Lancashire on Saturday the 13th July for its fourth year, promising another great year of entertainment, riding and food & drink. Northern Grip is an annual celebration of Mountain…
2019
Viathon – The new brand poised to take on the USA
From Impact Sun Valley in Idaho, Hannah brings us a look at Viathon, a new brand with some big hitting financial backers. You could launch a new bike brand in a blaze of publicity and radical geometry, or you could fairly quietly develop just three…
Showers Pass | Durable, sustainable ride gear for all weathers
Hannah has been out in Idaho at the Impact Sun Valley media event to check out a bunch of brands and products. Here, she finds out a bit more about the Showers Pass brand and products. I’ve had the pleasure of testing and reviewing a…
4 Unexpected Perks Of Rotor 13 Speed
When Hannah saw the Rotor 13 speed drive train in Idaho, a few little details beyond the basic benefits of Moar Gears caught her eye. 1. Rotor 1×13 Pick And Mix First up is its modular design. There’s only one derailleur for both MTB and…
New Santa Cruz Hightower and Juliana Maverick Bikes Launch
Today, Santa Cruz and its sister brand Juliana launched a new version of the Hightower. It’s the new Hightower and the women’s Maverick – its all-round 29er trail bike. First launched way back (in suspension terms) in 2016, the bike took the idea of the…
Stanton Bikes brings Titanium hardtail manufacture to the UK
After hitting a home run with its made in the UK full-suspension frames, Stanton Bikes is now adding UK made Titanium hardtails to the range. As much as we all love to see brands bring manufacturing back to the UK, it’s not always as simple…
Rotor 13-speed drivetrain – The Bike Place Show 2019
We took a little time to get up close and personal with Rotor's forthcoming 13-speed, hydraulically actuated, multi-purpose drivetrain.
Burgtec components and sexy staff bikes – The Bike Place Show 2019
Burgtec has the usual selection of quality bike bling on show at The Bike Place Show 2019, plus a couple of stunning custom Santa Cruz beauties. It’s always good to catch up with the guys from Burgtec to see what new parts they have for…
Welsh made Unite Components – The Bike Place Show 2019
Welsh designed and manufactured pedals, chainrings, stems and more from upstart brand Unite Components. Andi and Ross have spent the day at this year’s The Bike Place Show, and while many of the items they saw are under strict embargo, there are a few things…
First Look | Wild Rye Clothing – for women in the mountains
From Impact Sun Valley in Idaho, Hannah brings us a look at Wild Rye, a brand making mountain bike and ski clothing for women. When Cassie Abel started Wild Rye, she did so because she wanted functional and attractive clothing for riding mountain bikes and…
Fresh Goods Friday 454: Purple Rain, a Big Bird and a 1960’s Schwinn!
Fresh Goods Friday is come around already this week packed with the latest purple kit from Nukeproof a retro Schwinn a new Bird and more. We knew that if we hung around long enough mountain bike fashion would finally come full circle and purple would…
#MakingUpTheNumbers | Whiplash, gravel rash and headaches – National DH Series, Rd 3 Bala
I have wondered if we’d ever get to this point; writing the blog on Monday morning from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. Safe to say it’s been one hell of a weekend in Bala… Rewind to noon on Friday… I’m still in Menorca, waiting for a flight…
Martin Maes Faces 90 Day Doping Ban – From A Race Doctor’s Prescription
In a shocking bit of slightly bizarre news, Martin Maes has just announced that he’s accepted a 90 day competition ban from the UCI’s anti-doping committee despite it being for a non-performance-enhancing antibiotic booster administered for an injury by a race doctor at a race…
Get higher faster with the new 200mm RockShox Reverb Stealth
The 2020 RockShox Reverb Stealth is faster, shorter and offers more drop than ever before, plus a new Vent Valve means no more squishy dropper. Say goodbye to the old RockShox Reverb and hello to the new 2020 Reverb Stealth, with more drop options, better…
Mountain Mayhem 2019 | it is back with a rider approved course
Mountain Mayhem came back for 2019 after a hiatus year in 2018 and the riders have given it a thumbs up. Moving from its old home of Gatcombe Park the new venue of Marston Lodge, just outside Market Harborough, saw riders orbit a shorter, five…
Bike Check | Cycle Surgery’s Custom Whyte T130 with SRAM AXS Build
Spotted at Mountain Mayhem 2019 At the all new Mountain Mayhem 24 we caught up with the guys from Cycle Surgery. Not only were they there as one of the official event sponsors but they were also on hand providing free technical support to the…
Tioga Launches The Edge 22 Front-Specific Tyre
Back at the turn of the century (now there’s a thing to say…) Tioga was big in the world of mountain bike tyres, with treads like the Factory XC 1.95 and its MASSIVE downhill tyres (some up to 2.5 inches!) being very popular. Then it…
Win a Trek bike, plus £500 of Osprey kit, SIS gels and a ride day with Tracy Moseley
At this year’s Mountain Mayhem we caught up with top luggage brand, Osprey to find out about a competition they are currently running. You could win the ultimate MTB, Day-Cruise and commute biking package including packs for every activity, a Trek bike and a years’…
Fresh Goods Friday 453 – At Least We Have Eccles Cakes Edition
Could that be summer, peeking its little sunny head round the corner? Or is it just the glint of our tears as we stare out at another day of foiled ride plans and wet shoes… OK, so it’s not quite that bad, but we do…
Watch Yoann Barelli’s Season Ending Accident
Don’t worry it’s not blood filled, bone snapping, mega crash from the top of a Rampage line. Nope, Yoann is out for 6-9 months after attempting this climb! Yoann Barelli is one of the most entertaining enduro riders on the circuit. He’s known for tackling…
Video: These Panda 4×4 drifting kids will out ride you everyday of the week
No, these young riders aren’t really drifting that classic Panda 4×4, but they are riding those Commencal Clash kids bikes like mini pros. If you have kids that are serious about riding then there’s a very good chance that you’ll have visited the Commencal website…
Opinion: Insult and Battery – The Times Has A Pop At E-Bikes
I’ve written before about the fractious relationship that cyclists have with newspapers, and it seems like it’s not getting any better. This week it’s the turn of the Times, who have discovered, by dint of five minutes of desk-based research, that not only do people…
Review | 2020 Specialized Fuse Comp 29
Wil reviews the brand new 2020 Specialized Fuse Comp hardtail Not everyone wants to ride a full suspension mountain bike, and not everyone wants to be on an angry XC race hardtail. For all of those folks, Specialized has this bike – the Fuse. First…
Specialized announces all-new Fuse trail hardtail for 2020
Introducing the 2020 Specialized Fuse – a new hardtail mountain bike with attitude Having debuted way back in 2015 (when plus tyres were still becoming a ‘thing’), the Specialized Fuse is receiving a complete overhaul for the 2020 model year with brand new frames, new…
Orbea Occam – A New Trail Bike. But For Left Handers Only?
There’s a new Orbea Occam on the block! And this time it means business, drawing inspiration from the successful Rallon enduro machine. The Occam has been fully revised and now struts 29in wheels and 140/140mm travel (with a 150mm fork option). Something that is definitely…
‘Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen’ For Mountain Bikers
We’ve discussed it in the office and we don’t know what to call it, but we’re pretty sure you’ve heard ‘Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen’ by Baz Lurmann. Whether it’s a poem, a song, a meditation or a public service announcement, (it was originally a…
Highland Trail 550 | 2019 ‘Epic Wet Edition’ – What Did It Take To Get Round?
This year’s Highland Trail 550 was, by any stretch of the definition, epic. Heavy rain in the first couple of days turned rivers and streams into raging torrents and chest height flows. Kit was soaked. Not just the stuff riders were wearing, but all their…
Fresh Goods Friday 452: The ‘Wil is Going Home’ Edition
We are sad to announce that the time has finally come to bid farewell to Wil. He washed up on Gaddings beach back in 2016 when his packraft got a puncture (should have gone tubeless) and took on the role of Tech Editor at Singletrack.…
Tweedlove Transcend. A Mountain Bike Glastonbury
Last weekend saw over 2000 riders descend on Innerleithen to take on myriad challenges of Tweedlove Transcend, Tweedlove’s new format festival. The idea of Tweedlove Transcend was to bring together riders, expo goers, traders, food and music into one big self-sustaining festival atmosphere where rides…
Power Of The Pickle – Racing the 2019 Grand Junction Off-Road
Wil takes us on a journey at the 2019 Grand Junction Off-Road race Last month, I made the long journey from Australia to the US for the Pivot Cycles launch of the brand new Mach 4 SL. We’d been staying in nearby Fruita, Colorado for…
This carbon fibre, full suspension, 29er, XC bike is just £1690… in France
XC riders living in France can now walk into their nearest Decathlon store and pick up the all-new Rockrider XC 900 S for just €1899! B’Twin, Decathlon’s own bicycle brand, has released a new full-suspension bike that if launched in the UK would surely become…
Cancelled: 2019 Malverns Classic cancelled due to weather conditions
Extremely wet weather and continuous downpours mean that this year’s Malverns Classic will be cancelled. Si Paton, the organizer of the 2019 Malverns Classic, has taken the say but necessary steps to cancel this year’s event. In a post on social media, Si says that…
Vali Holl Injured At Crankworx Innsbruck
Vali Holl will be off the bike for at least 3 weeks following an injury during dual slalom practice at Crankworx Innsbruck. Junior champion, Vali Holl, has taken to Instagram to inform fans that she will have to take some time off the bike after…
Review | Aventyr: A Mountain Bike Board Game
Make even your rest time play time with Aventyr, a mountain bike themed board game. And now for something completely different… a board game? Based around the idea of ‘Trailquest’ or orienteering by bike, Aventyr is a game where players aim to collect points at…
Rich Energy vs Whyte Bikes logo spat descends into name calling
It was just a few weeks ago that we reported on Whyte Bikes court case victory over new energy drinks startup, Rich Energy. Rich Energy, sponsors of a F1 team despite not having any products of their own available to buy yet, were slapped down…
Hope Technology’s Co-Founder, Ian Weatherill, Gets A Gong From The Queen
Ian Weatherill, the co-founder of Hope Technology and the Managing Director has been made a MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Ian (seen above, and below, right) has been recognised for his ‘services to business, innovation and the community in Lancashire’. He founded the…
This is Caminade’s Ti, Asymmetric, Chilleasy a.k.a. “Pleasure Machine”
Boutique French frame maker, Caminade, makes a welcome return to the mountain bike market with the full-suspension Chilleasy. The Caminade Chilleasy is the latest full-suspension frame to be designed and manufactured by the French frame maker. The bike is actually the brainchild of Caminade newcomer,…
Review | Etnies Jameson Mid Crank flat shoe
Hannah checks out the Etnies Jameson Mid Crank MTB shoes, developed with Brandon Semenuk. Suede? Pale grey suede? What kind of mountain biker are these built for? The answer is one who does tricks, probably on dirt jumps (which are a dry weather activity…) and who…
Review | The Stan’s No Tubes Sentry MK3 is a total sleeper wheelset for 2.5-2.6in tyres
Tom tests and reviews the Stan’s No Tubes Sentry MK3 wheelset If you’ve mountain biked for any length of time and even half thought about buying a new wheelset or rims for your bike, it’s more than likely that Stan’s will have been one of…
2019 Leogang DH WC Elite Men Results
Find out the results from round 3 of the 2019 downhill world cup in Leogang. 2019 Leogang DH WC Elite Men’s results below. Before we get into the results of today’s Elite Men’s race from Leogang, let’s take a few minutes to get to grips…
2019 Leogang DH WC Elite Women Results
Although Tahnee Seagrave is out for this round of the UCI Downhill World Cup, the racing was as fast and as close as ever. What a contrast from last week! Leogang is sunny, dusty and midge-fee, but what hasn’t changed since Fort William is the…
2019 Leogang DH WC Junior Results are in
We’re not at Leogang this weekend but we’re still on hand to bring you that latest results from the 3rd round of the UCI Downhill World Cup. Junior Men 2019 Leogang Downhill WC Thibaut Daprela Kye A’Hern Matteo Iniguez Jamie Edmondson Patrick Laffey See the…
Review | Cane Creek eeWings – Titanium. Oh yeah, baby
We gave Barney a pair of Cane Creek eeWings. Is he still soaring? There is something mysterious about titanium. From its use in rockets, spaceships, and military aircraft from the sixties on; its forging by the Soviets in enormous vacuum chambers; its use as a…
The Great Trail Etiquette Debate | Who should give way?
This debate on trail etiquette popped up in a forum thread last week and it got us all debating it in the office. Trail etiquette | Who gets out of the the way? Let’s imagine you are climbing up a narrow, technical and steep trail.…
Review | The 2019 Whyte S-120 C RS is an absolute yahoo-factory
Wil reviews the 2019 Whyte S-120 C RS – a ludicrously fast trail bike with bonkers geometry Brand new for 2019, the S-120 storms into the Whyte lineup as the hotly-anticipated replacement for the popular T-129. Equipped with 29in wheels, 120mm of travel and progressive…
Tested | 12 Top Mountain Bike Accessories To Upgrade Your Ride
Wil tests and reviews 12 top mountain bike accessories for your new (or old) ride New to cycling? Just got yourself a spangly new mountain bike? Or maybe you’ve been riding for years, but prefer to spend your time actually riding and hanging out with…
Fresh Goods Friday 451: The Black, Red and Orange Edition
This week has brought us mixed weather and mixed emotions. We’re very happy to have Wil back in the office! Yet we’re very sad to report that he is walking around in shorts and flip-flops, apparently forgetting that he’s in the UK now. He’s kicking…
Review | The Dakine Split Roller 110L is a rolling duffel bag that’s ideal for travelling riders
Wil experiences a revelation after testing the voluminous Dakine Split Roller travel bag I’ve recently come to the realisation that, for far too long, I’ve been attempting this whole travelling journalist caper completely the wrong way. Over the years, I’ve battled numerous plane, train, ferry…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | Padded With Knowledge
Words Chipps There’s a fresh sign that’s recently popped up on a bridleway near me. It’s at a road junction between a very minor road and a bridleway. The bridleway in question is flat tarmac for the first 500m until it goes past the end…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | A day in the life of Bike Park Wales
Sam Dugon goes behind the scenes at BikePark Wales and follows the staff during a typical day. Words & Photography Samantha Saskia Dugon As with all great things in life, the more professional a venue, event or personality appears, the more work has gone in…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | The Art Of The Possible
Has your biking mojo taken a knock of late? No longer quite feeling the love? Sanny reckons you might just need a wee challenge in your life to fire you up. Like a few Scottish Munros. Words & Photography Sanny What is it that first…