We have been beavering away at Singletrack HQ, working on a Singletrack Members Area, and it is coming on very nicely. Here you will find a bunch of great perks that make being a Singletrack subscriber even more wonderful, such as killer discounts on cool…
2020
The Brigade builds Ronnie Mac inspired World Champs bike for Alex Marin
Spanish rider, Alex Marin shows off his Ronnie Mac inspired World Championship V10 put together by The Brigade Team. It has been a funny season with races cancelled, but as long as nothing untoward happens in the next few days we’ve got some excellent racing…
Vancouver to Whistler in 30 minutes via high speed train? There’s a plan for that
Ok, at the moment it’s a ‘proposal’ for a post covid-19 recovery plan for the south BC area and the plan is designed to allow for the affordable expansion in to the suburbs around Vancouver for the expected 1 million extra inhabitants by 2050. But…
MY21 Canyon Sender and Torque big rigs revealed
Need a big travel rig for bike park and downhill duty well you’re in luck with the release of the 2021 Canyon Sender and Torque ranges. Canyon has announced updates to the two longest travel bikes in its range with newly configured Canyon Sender alloy,…
2021 Nukeproof Reactor with updated specs and builds to suit all tastes
2021 Nukeproof Reactor comes in a host of different builds, a choice of 2 wheel sizes and options for carbon or alloy framesets! There was once a famous fast-food chain that had an advert which read out a list of ingredients followed by “you got…
Never mind Airfix, Build Your Own Cardboard Pumptrack!
If you’ve been thinking of building a pump track in your back garden, maybe this is the assistance you need. Like tracks you may have seen at shows and events, it’s a modular system, but this one from Italian company Easy Pumptracks still needs the…
Must Watch: The Stumpjumper EVO Video is bonkers
Blah blah, shred shred, roost, slo mo. You think you’ve seen it all. And then this lands. Perhaps taking a leaf out of the book of YT, arguably makers of ‘films’ not promo videos, Specialized has gone for it with their video to promote the…
New 2021 Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Goes Big
The Stumpjumper EVO has changed… The new, 29in wheel, 160/150mm 2021 Specialized Stumpjumper EVO is quite a bike. When it originally appeared a couple or three years ago, it appeared as an alloy-only, two size-only ‘hooligan’ version of the, then brand new, Stumpjumper model. Its…
5 ways to fix riding problems using zip ties, glue and video at double speed… wtf?
Having problems riding and turning your head to see what’s behind you? Just use a coat-hanger and a big badge to fashion a rear view mirror and attach it to your head so you can only see ahead with one eye. Think we are being…
Rachel Atherton won’t race 2020 World Champs
Rachel Atherton has announced that she will not be racing in the 2020 World Championships in Leogang. DH fans will have noticed that Rachel Atherton was missing from the line-up at Crankworx, and will now be disappointed to hear that the 6 time World Champ,…
Bike Magazine Closes Both Print and Digital Output
We were very sad to hear over the weekend that the iconic and influential American magazine, Bike, had closed its doors, magazine and website, along with its stablemates (and equally influential magazines) Powder and Surfer. Bike Magazine launched in 1994 and last year celebrated a…
Nominations Are Open – 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards
Nominations for the Singletrack Reader Awards will close at Midnight Sunday 18th October. Don’t miss out on your chance to show your appreciation for your favourite bikes, kit, trails and people… You don’t need us to tell you that this has been an exceptional year…
Ortlieb Bikepacking Range 2021 – Pack Everything and Ride Everywhere
Will the 2021 Ortlieb Bikepacking range make sleeping in a bush or bivvy just that little bit more luxurious? With this much carry space, there's room to pack for comfort. Being a bikepacker in the grim north east of England, keeping gear dry is an…
10 Rigid Mountain Bikes For Low Faff Riding
Since Andi put together a list of hardtails for winter riding – on the basis that they’ve less to maintain – I thought I’d make a list of rigid mountain bikes. Less to faff about with in the car park, less to fix and maintain,…
Making Up The Numbers Podcast – DH World Championships Preview Special
Finally some Downhill Racing for the gang to get excited about! Joining George & Jack for a special Downhill World Champs preview show are 2 x GB Elite Men’s National Champion Greg Williamson, 2 x Junior Women’s World Champion & 2 x Junior Women’s World…
Fresh Goods Friday 518 | The Great British Doorstep Disco Edition
Hurrah! It’s Friday! Go wild, do your hair, get your glad rags on and… erm… sit on the sofa with a takeaway? Humph. What this world needs right now is dancing. How about a nationwide silent disco street party? Saturday night, headphones on so as…
TweedLove Writes Off 2020, But Looks Forward to 2021
We’ve been sent a message by Neil Dalgleish, organiser behind the wide-ranging and successful Tweedlove series of events. Except, this year, there have been no events at all and his statement – part matter-of-fact statement and part understandable rant – shows the fragility and frustration…
Midweek Movies To Make You Feel Good
We’re not looking out the window because the sun has stopped shining and we’re pretending that there isn’t rain running down it. Aimlessly perusing the internet is dangerous, because it’s full of news, which is mostly bad. So come on in to our screen time…
6 Action Cameras To Record Your Ride
All too often a cycle commute or ride on the road is disturbed by a close pass, an aggressive gesture, or a even collision. A camera won’t stop any of those things happening, but perhaps footage of an incident will help prove your case in…
26 still isn’t dead and neither are 20mm axles with the new Marzocchi DJ
The Marzocchi DJ launches today in a dedicated 26in wheel package, with burly chassis and old-school 20mm dropouts. Designed for dirt jumping, pump tracks, and urban riding, the Marzocchi DJ fork is a simple 100mm travel fork aimed at riders wanting to go big, style…
A Short Story: Don’t Forget To Pedal
In the grand scheme of things, my problems are minor. My financial worries are of the ‘balancing what I want to do vs what I need to do’ variety, rather than the ‘food or shelter?’ sort. My personal life is complicated, but I have a…
Finally, Live Mountain Bike Racing On TV!
In a year when there’s been very little racing to watch, you may be glad to hear that there is live coverage of the UCI World Cup in Nové Mesto. Even better, it’s not hidden away on any pay-to-view channel, and doesn’t need you to…
2021 Propain Spindrift “flows like water” “lit like fire”
Propain updates the Spindrift big travel park bike with more wheel options, and a new suspension layout. The Spindrift sits firmly in the freeride/park bike category in the Propain range, and for 2021 it sees updates to the frame design, geometry, suspension layout and also…
Afan Forest Park Added to Welsh Lockdown Areas
Updated 28 September following addition of further areas including Afan to the lockdown zones. The Welsh Government has introduced a number of local lockdown areas in an effort to combat COVID-19 and reduce local infection rates. The measures are more stringent than those in place…
Canyon Strive CF 7.0 – One bike eager to rule them all
Our US correspondent takes the Canyon Strive CF 7.0 for a tour of the UK. Would this shapeshifter bike serve all his bike needs in one? The Canyon Strive CF 7.0 takes the moniker quiver-killer to heart and offers up a 125mm trail bike for…
FGF 517 Podcast | The episode where Amanda and Chipps try and cheer up grumpy Hannah
This week Hannah is really grumpy, but so is Amanda. Chipps is never grumpy though. Will his eternal chirpiness help or hinder the situation? Worth listening right past the final outro for the Radio 2 shout out that Chipps got for being nice.
Would You Give In To An E-Bike – Or Resist?
To E-Bike or not to E-bike, that is the question? That's the question that Gary from Dorset is having to consider as one by one his local riding group has bought them to ride.
ENVE AM30 Wheelset | An indepth look
ENVE’s Foundation Series of carbon mountain bike wheels, launched earlier this year, is something entirely new for the Utah based company, who design and manufacture all their own carbon fibre rims in the US. They have a reputation for high end wheels, and with that…
Singletrack On Benefits
Don’t panic. We are not joining the queue at the Job Centre. Mark and I have been going flat out to make being a Singletrack member even better. Members not only get the great magazine, but now you also get a bunch of other great…
Fresh Goods Friday 517: Autumn is here!
This week has seen the temperature drop, almost overnight, which raises a few points. Have you got a good jacket? Are your socks warm enough? What’s your shoe drying regime? What is your ultimate post-ride comfort meal to warm you back up? Whilst you figure…
Bike Check | Alex Marin’s Monkeys Sauce Wrapped V10
Just before heading off to the World Champs, The Brigade Team Rider Alex Marin shares details and set up of his custom V10 race rig. Alex Marin, the speedy Spaniard of The Brigade Team scored a solid 12th place at this past weekend’s P2V Invitational…
Commencal Absolut 24 is for kids that like to fly!
There are kids XC bikes, full-suspension bikes, hardtails, eBikes and now, thanks to Commencal, dirt jump bikes aimed at young riders wanting to enter Crankworx. If your young rider is more interested in having their wheels off the ground longer than on and the only…
Sonder Signal ST NX First Look & Ride
Launched in August the Sonder Signal ST is essentially a steel version of their existing Signal Ti model - that's Ti = titanium of course. You can check out Andi's Signal Ti review here. In that review Andi's large test bike had a reach of…
Patrol promises the Evolution of Enduro with the 691 Evo S
What’s this? Another new model from Patrol? Ok, not new, but revised. Built on the Patrol 691 which I rode last year, the 691 Evo is a 2021 update of the alloy Enduro bike with some major geometry updates. The original Patrol 691 features are…
New Nukeproof bikes for your nippers + Urchin specific kit
There has never been a better time to be a mountain bike fan, and this is especially true of our young riders. Big-name brands are finally taking kids bikes seriously with bikes built to shred for little nippers. Nukeproof introduced its range of Cub Scout…
10 hardcore hardtails to build and ride when the trails turn to mush
The glorious weather of the past weeks has been a treat, but deep down inside we all know the slop and mud is on the way so what better time to plan a hardcore hardtail build than now. I don’t know about you, but when…
Bike Check: Rudy Cabirou’s The Brigade Team Custom V10
The Brigade Team rider, Rudy Cabirou gives us an exclusive bike check and reveals some of his secret settings. 2020 was a major change for Rudy Cabirou as he moved teams to the newly formed The Brigade Team, the move came with changes to his…
Formula Mod rear shock with CTS finally official
Regular readers of Singletrack will have seen the Formula Mod rear shock from our coverage at the Burgtec house show, now many months later it’s official. Formula’s rear shock has been seen on the rear of Joe Barnes’ Orange for the past few months, and…
Think global, Ride local – A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood – Part 4
After several months of lockdown, an easing of restrictions sees Sanny get back to the mountains. Would it live up to expectations or would the midges and rain take the shine off? “So from the middle of July, we intend to ease lockdown restrictions just…
Bike Park Wales closes again due to latest Welsh lockdown
The latest lockdown restrictions have once again hit Bike Park Wales hard. The latest Welsh government rules on the pandemic have resulted in the team having to close the gates and issue the following statement on their Facebook page.. We are devastated to announce that…
Dropping In | Short Stuff You Should Know
We bring you a round up of snack sized information of cycling news from the big wide bike world that we think you might want to know. Mitch Ropelato – SLC Urban Assault Santa Cruz Mitch Ropelato hops and leaps his way around Salt Lake…
Why so Sirius? Pipedream announces the return of a classic
Made famous with the Moxie and currently trending with The Full Moxie, Pipedream Cycles has announced the return of the original Sirius hardtail. Think Pipedream and a bright pink Moxie is likely the frame you conjure up, but before the Moxie there was the Sirius…
FGF 516 Podcast | The rapid weight loss episode
Chipps, Andi and Hannah meet up for a virtual discussion on the best ways to lose weight off your bike, including whether you should even care at all how much your bike weighs.
Shimano GR5 Flat Pedal Shoe Review
The Shimano GR5 flat pedal shoe is an affordable mountain bike shoe perfect for dry Summer conditions. Shimano has a shoe for almost every foot with cycling-specific footwear for all types of 2 wheeled fun. For riders who ride on flat pedals, Shimano has 3…
New ‘Trail’ Model added to Sixth Element wheel range
Manchester based Sixth Element introduces a wheel to offer a balance of grip and speed: the new ‘Trail’ model. Sixth Element established itself in 2015 looking to bring well built carbon wheels to the market at a more affordable price. Since then, they’ve expanded their…
Fresh Goods Friday 516 – The ‘Oh no, not again’ edition.
Yep, we’re going to be starting with the news-just-in that us lot in Calderdale, along with the rest of most of the north are locking down again – though not until Tuesday. Oh and pubs are still OK for some reason. But anyway, that news,…
Giant Trance X Advanced Pro 29 | Adjustable Geo, Fox Live Valve, More travel, more words
The Giant Trance has a long history, being launched way back in 2005 – In fact this year’s models represent the 9th generation of this bike. The Trance has always been a bike suited to the general purpose rider and even though this year it…
Crankbrothers New M13 & M20 Trailside Companion Multitools
Crankbrothers has updated its popular multi-tool line-up with convenient solutions for tubeless repair without having too much to carry. The new M20 and M13 multi-tool include a tyre plug tool and a case to store plugs in, and come with a pack of 5 plugs.…
Latest North East UK Lockdown | How this affects mountain bikers
From Midnight tonight (Thursday 17th September) if you live or travel to the North East of the UK you are likely to experience enhanced lockdown restrictions that mean your plans might have to change. The new lockdown rules make it illegal to socialise with anyone…
Revolution Bike Park Fills Test Gap with Canyon
Canyon has joined forces with Revolution Bike Park to offer a gravity focused test experience in the UK. It’s perhaps no surprise that Canyon should pick Revs for its first UK gravity test partner – as well as being a previous winner of the Singletrack…
‘Force For Good’ Endura MT500 Waterproofs Update
Bonkers video, sensible product update – it’s the new Endura MT500 waterproof range, with added ‘Force For Good’. While Dan might have spent 2020 digging at Dyfi Bike Park, it looks like Gee has spent it watching Netflix. The Dark meets Stranger Things meets Star…