This book might be just the right gift for the MTB baby in your life. If you’re a parent, you will know the torture of when a truly terrible book becomes your child’s favourite. Chuff chuffity chuff went the train. Bippity boppity giggle went the…
2020
Únic Essential line cuts the cost of custom mountain bike kit but not the quality
Flamboyant Frenchman, Cedric Gracia, and the Únic team launch a new affordable way to get custom kit with the Únic Essential line. Andorran clothing brand, Únic, launched a range of custom mountain bike clothing earlier in the year, and with the help of Cedric Gracia,…
Behind the Pencil: Cover Illustrator Interview
Singletrack issue 131 deadline is fast approaching for our next issue of the magazine, and if you haven’t already heard, it’s going to be a special one. The subscription deadline is Thursday 21st May and we highly recommend you subscribe as we are most likely…
Diversion Diary | Green Shoots and Hopeful Hippies
Just like all of us, Hannah is looking to survive the social distancing and lockdown. The Diversion Diary is a tale of love under lockdown, and bikes. Only, there’s an added twist: Hannah’s partner, BK, lives in the USA, and they’re locked down on different…
Specialized Rockhopper | The Classic Gateway MTB Gets Redesigned
The classic gateway drug of MTB, the Specialized Rockhopper, gets a redesign for 2021. For many, the Specialized Rockhopper will have been one of the first mountain bikes they ever rode. It’s been the gateway drug, affordably priced but specced like a ‘proper’ bike, and…
Video | The Flight of the Pickled Onions
If you want to see some stylish riding with some weirdness and silliness thrown in, then the Hazzard boys are always worth checking out. They’ve just released a new video ‘The Flight of The Pickled Onions’, shot just before lockdown hit. Before the Lockdown and…
Nukeproof Horizon Sam Hill Pro Enduro Flat Pedals | Go Gripped-in
Back in February at Bike Connection Agency, the Nukeproof demo guy was appalled to see that I was still carrying around a very worn out (and bent at the axle) pair of pedals that I had previously presented him with in August 2019. I honestly…
Singletrack Issue 131 – Last Chance To Subscribe!
Singletrack Magazine is usually printed in two versions: one is the Newsstand Edition, and one is the Premier Edition. Both have the same cover price, but the Premier Edition has an extra bonus section at the back, and it has a clean cover without attention…
Video | The Legend of Tommy G
The Legend of Tommy G – here be dragons, steeds, swords and great feats of derring-do. Or something like that. Thomas Genon does his thing in Lenzerheide. Lenzerheide is no stranger to over the top marketing. Check out the blurb from the tourism website: WELCOME…
5 Minutes With Ed Masters – Don’t Be Serious!
Pivot Factory Racing rider Ed Masters stops for 5 minutes to tell us how he keeps things fun – and why he thinks you should too. Tell us who you are, what you do and why we should go for a bike ride with you……
Video: Choosing To Live – Riding After Loss
Anyone who has lost a loved one will likely relate to the sentiments in this video. The desire to make the loss mean something, count for something. The need to move on without forgetting. The awareness of the sadness that you carry to wonderful new…
8 Ways To Turn Your Daily Exercise Ride Into A Life Long Habit
For years active travel campaigners have been trying to persuade us to leave the car at home. They’ve shown us how expensive it is to run a car, they’ve told us about the environmental impact of cars, they’ve asked for segregated cycle lanes, wished for…
Stanton Bikes working on carbon swingarm prototypes for full-sus range!
Derbyshire based Stanton Bikes is working on a carbon swingarm for its range of steel full-suspension bikes. Stanton Bikes might be best known for producing steel and Titanium frames, but the Derbyshire based company is now dabbling in fantastic plastic. In Instagram posts from last…
Formula Cura 4 Brakes | Shiny Stoppers With Modulation and Power
David tests out the ever so shiny Formula Cura 4 brakes. Once he’s stopped looking at them, or himself in the reflection, how do they perform? Having tried a lot of high end brakes, I’d never actually got to try Formula’s before in spite of…
Markus Stitz interview, Andi’s shed and tales of a bivvy gone bad | Podcast 499
Is it a studio? Is it an office? Or is it just a shed without a roof on at the moment? Whatever it is Hannah and Andi have a considered debate about Andi’s latest lockdown project. Markus Stitz Interview Also in this week’s episode Hannah…
Deciding Not To Die Isn’t The Same As Choosing To Live
Just over a year ago, we published a powerful piece on mental health called ‘What If I Want to Die Every Day of My Life’. Since then, the author has spent some time off the bike, having been admitted to a mental health unit. Now,…
Mavic calls in the receivers amid confusion over who owns the company
As a brand Mavic has been associated strongly with the Tour de France for over 40 years, supplying the iconic fleet of support vehicles and mechanics. But in news reported by cyclingnews.com, the French company has brought in receivers on the back of a thumping…
It’s Friday? Again? | Fresh Goods Friday 499
It seems my rum recipe went down quite well last week, so I delved deeper into my drinks cabinet and made this fine concoction below. The theme this week is not Green Health Sauce, but Rouge Bitter Throat Lube. I had a craving for an…
SuperBoost And Flat Mount XTR – Things You Didn’t Know You Needed
On the same day that Shimano announced its new 12 (and 11 and 10) speed Deore groupset, it is also announcing a few more items, like bigger capacity batteries for its e-bike motors and, well, there are a few things that are particularly niche… XTR…
Shimano new Deore M6100 Goes 12 Speed. And 10 and 11…
Probably one of the most easy to guess developments this year was that Shimano Deore would be going 12 speed. Yes, Deore M6100 is 12 speed – and we’ll get to that in a minute – however what also needs shouting about is that formerly…
First Ride Review – Giro Manifest Spherical
That's some big, sucky venting potential there. Whatever sort of mountain biker you are, you inevitably have special cycling shoes and a particular helmet you wear. Some riders want nothing but the best, most efficient version of everything, while other riders are after the minimum…
Giro Manifest Spherical Trail Helmet – Giro’s Most High Tech Helmet Ever
Today, Giro launches its most high tech helmet ever, the Giro Manifest Spherical trail helmet. Spherical? Yes, this uses MIPS Spherical, a technology developed in partnership with MIPS and first seen on the Giro Aether road helmet; only this time, rather than the pared back,…
Diversion Diary | Solace In Solitude
Just like all of us, Hannah is looking to survive the social distancing and lockdown. The Diversion Diary is a tale of love under lockdown, and bikes. Only, there’s an added twist: Hannah’s partner, BK, lives in the USA, and they’re locked down on different…
Singletrack Lockdown Mountain Bike Quiz #2
If you missed Quiz #1 then you can go and have a go at that here. Be warned though, we have some pretty tricky questions for you in this week’s lockdown quiz. You are going to have to call on a knowledge of not just…
Showers Pass Refuge Pants | Tough Trousers for Rough Weather
Hannah checks out the Showers Pass Refuge Pants – waterproof trousers from the top of their range. Generally I’ll opt for waterproof shorts for wet weather rides, and deal with the wet and chilled legs later, but sometimes waterproof trousers are worth their relative bulk…
‘Meccano For Adults’ Flat Pack Trike
Insync Bikes, the brand that surprised us with plans for a new DH bike this year before then deciding not to sponsor a DH World Championships team this year, has been working with a part time inventor to develop a trike suitable for a child…
The Last Tarvo is a super lightweight German enduro machine!
Last Bikes from Germany always pique our interest with unique bikes, and the super-lightweight Last Tarvo is no exception! Last Bikes is a German brand that consistently impresses me with the types of bikes that it releases. The first time the company grabbed my attention…
First Ride Review: GT Zaskar LT Expert
We’ve had this mossy green-coloured hardcore hardtail in to ride for a few weeks now, and Chipps has been able to take it on enough of his local trails to bring you this first-ride review of GT’s most dramatic new hardtail in years, the Zaskar…
The new GT Zaskar LT – Is This GT’s Definitive Hardcore Hardtail?
The GT Zaskar is one of the mountain bike world’s longest-running names and one of the most versatile. Introduced in 1991, the Zaskar has seen World Cup victory in downhill, cross country, slalom and trials. And now, GT is introducing a more playful, almost UK-spec…
New TRP DH-R Evo disc brakes are powerful enough for a homemade Rampage
TRP has released 2 pairs of high-performance disc brake systems for both eMTB and DH applications, but are they powerful enough for a homemade Rampage? If you’re wondering what kept Fairclough in control while doing this the answer is massive amounts of skill, but we…
5-minute Bike Check: Isak Leivsson’s homemade steel downhill sled!
We had a chat to Isak Leivsson last week to give us details of his custom steel downhill bike that he made himself. We met Isak back at Fort William a few years ago where he was racing a prototype Pole downhill bike with the…
Kenda and Aaron Gwin launch the predictable and fast rolling Kenda Pinner Pro
The Kenda Pinner Pro is an all-new dry weather gravity tyre developed with the help of downhill legend Aaron Gwin for fast rolling and cornering performance. Aaron Gwin is well known for working with sponsors to develop products to his liking, so it’s hardly surprising…
FGF 498 Podcast | Memberships, Sheds, and the future of press launches?
If you’ve been listening to our Singletrack podcasts on a regular basis you will probably be able to detect a pattern in the lockdown episodes. A certain deteriorating madness in the tone of the staff is becoming more noticeable with every episode. This is clearly…
Making Up The Numbers Podcast | Vali Höll & Thibaut Dapréla
Joining George & Jack for this episode are Junior World Cup Winners Vali Höll and Thibaut Dapréla. Vali Höll is the 2 x Junior Women’s World Champion & 2 x Junior Women’s World Cup Overall Winner & in 2018 she completed the perfect season, winning every…
Did You Miss Out On This Cover Story? ‘The Toughest Day Of Our Lives’
Martin Bissig reveals the video to accompany Gerhard Czerners’ story of the trip to Pakistan that featured on the cover of Singletrack Issue 130. Singletrack Issue 130 had a cover that caught your attention even more than usual – two riders – Gerhard Czerner and…
Nukeproof Colouring Competition | Bikes of the future?
We were completely overwhelmed with entries to our competition with Nukeproof to win a Cub Scout. Not only did hundreds of children spend a great deal of time on their artwork, they also gave us a glimpse of what the perfect bike looks like to…
Rum Fuelled Fresh Goods Friday 498
I had something deep and meaningful to open this Fresh Goods with, but on reflection, nobody needs that right now. So instead I’m going to share a recipe with you, a recipe with a story. 1 frozen banana 1 mango 2 fistfuls spinach 1 cup…
Cotic RocketMAX Gen3 launches
Despite the lockdown the bike industry continues to develop and launch and today we have news of an updated favourite of many a British rider. Cy at Cotic has sent us all the details below of the latest iteration of their flagship full suspension offering,…
Chamonix to Zermatt | Tito Tomasi, Joey Schusler and Thomas Woodson
Tito Tomasi reports on a trip from Chamonix to Zermatt that he did in 2018 with Joey Schusler and Thomas Woodson – complete with gorgeous photos and dizzying video. Joey loves adventure and me too My story with Joey started with exchanging messages about his…
Diversion Diary | Fantasy Futures and Lockdown Dreams
Just like all of us, Hannah is looking to survive the social distancing and lockdown. The Diversion Diary is a tale of love under lockdown, and bikes. Only, there’s an added twist: Hannah’s partner, BK, lives in the USA, and they’re locked down on different…
Hope and Commencal are 3D printing PPE masks for hospitals
Commencal and Hope Technology have put aside printing prototypes to help 3D print PPE face masks for local hospitals. Although it’s a sad and crazy time, it has also been a time that has shown the cycling industry give back to the local community. During…
Privateer 161 | From Prototypes To First Customers
If you were among the early orders, then you might be taking delivery of your Privateer 161 about now. Demand has been strong, and pre-orders of bikes are now being taken for delivery as late as September this year. We had a bit of a…
Must Watch! Allen Millyard talks us through the Millyard Racing 001 Downhill Bike!
Allen Millyard, the man behind the Millyard Racing 001 downhill bike, has just released a video talking about this revolutionary machine and we’re geeking out! The Millyard Racing 001 Downhill Bike was one of the most revolutionary downhill bikes of its time, actually, it’s still…
Shimano XTR Groupset | Premium Components Punished Through Winter
It’s no secret that Shimano was a bit late to the game with their 12 speed drivetrains. While the other ‘Big S’ was cornering the market for wide range single ring setups, Shimano was beavering away getting their products developed to the standard they wanted…
Nukeproof Cub Scout Sport WINNER! Sam Hill shows his soft side
We had several hundred entries to the Colouring Competition to win a Nukeproof Cub Scout Sport. There were wax crayons, felt tips, gel pens, paint… Entrants ranged from an 18 month old right up to a 44 year old (nice colouring, Neil, but you didn’t…
Howies Doyle Waterproof Jacket | For Summer Rides And Much More
As Spring blends into Summer, and the winter wardrobe takes more of a back seat, having a lightweight jacket is a must for any riding kit bag – and the Howies Doyle looks as if it ticks many-a-box. Howies is a brand that many UK…
DMBinS Survey | What Trails Do You Want?
While lockdown might be limiting riding opportunities right now, that doesn’t stop policy makers planning for the future. Scotland has been pushing mountain bike tourism and activities through DMBinS, and their work continues. Right now, they want your input on what trails you want, so…
Tahnée Seagrave starts a YouTube channel with Kaos vs Kade game of B.I.K.E
Tahnée Seagrave has used recovery and lockdown time to start her own YouTube, kicking the channel off with a Kaos vs Kade game of B.I.K.E video. With racing out of the window for the present time many pro riders are looking at other ways to…
Nukeproof Reactor 290c ST – Ltd Edition More Mileage Build
Following on from the re-release of the 2020 Nukeproof Reactor in October last year, Nukeproof have added an XC/trail build to the mix. The existing Reactor was introduced to bridge a gap that formed when the Mega TR departed, so let’s take a look at…
Looking for the ultimate tyre lever? CushCore releases the Bead Dropper
Thought you had the best tyre lever on the market? Well, think again as CushCore releases the Bead Dropper, the ‘Ultimate Tyre Lever’! CushCore tyre inserts are a great addition to any bike, but unless your a wizard with your fingers and thumbs they can…
Then And Now | 19 Years Of Advertising Singletrack Supporters
When Singletrack magazine started, back in 2001, the publishing world revolved around print advertising. Online advertising didn’t really exist, and the online ads that were around normally sent the viewer to a web page inviting you to phone or perhaps email the company… Advertising sales…