Building bikes with bamboo isn’t new, but this is a particularly lovely example of what you can do with a little time, patience and a whole heap of skill. Having…
February 2021
Islabikes Creig 26 Children’s Bike – Long Term Test
Could this be the best kids bike on the market today?
Shimano ME502 Review – An all round trail riding shoe?
Updated for 2021, The Shimano ME502 (or ME5 for short) can be found nestled in Shimano’s Enduro/Trail category along with the ME7 Enduro shoe, and their more insulated winter counterparts.…
7 Bike Videos To Watch With Your Kids
It’s not always easy to persuade your kids to get out there and ride – maybe you’ve bored them to death with tyre pressure discussions, scarred them for life with…
Fresh Goods Friday 538 – Are You Jumpy or Grumpy?
The countdown to (a bit more) freedom is on. We might (possibly maybe) soon be able to meet a few friends outside, or head to the pub after a ride,…
Singletrack Podcast: Cairn Cycles and the Adventure 1.0 eGravel bike
Cairn Cycles – part of The Rider Firm that also makes Hunt Wheels and Privateer Bikes – produced one of the first e-gravel bikes we experienced, the Adventure 1.0. We’ve…
Salsa Timberjack 2021 – New Alloy Geometry
Salsa’s aggressive trail hardtail gets a makeover in alloy, and will be available in the UK in two builds plus a frameset. The SLX build is the red bike shown…
Classic Ride 135 – North of Reeth – The Quest for the Holy Dale
Barney explains why the trails north of Reeth are truly classic – especially if your eyesight is up to the task. Words & Photography Barney Marsh The original idea for…
Sierra Buttes’ Feel-Good Video Is Inspiring For Trailbuilders Worldwide
If you need a bit of feel-good viewing to keep you going until the weekend, then have a look at Sierra Buttes’ video that it has produced, documenting its campaign…
Johnny Salido’s Freeride Fiesta Highlights
It’s a different world out there, far away from the low gnar doorstep riding we’ve grown accustomed to. Though, not so different – competitors at the Freeride Fiesta might be…
Deviate Cycles releases the Highlander 150
Want an extra 10mm travel? Maybe you do – and the Deviate Highlander 150 now offers you just that. Already got a Highlander 140? Great! You can update that with…
Stolen! Gowaan Gal Martha Gill’s Marin Bikes
Gowaan Gal Martha Gill has just posted on Instagram that she’s had two bikes stolen from her van in Sheffield tonight. Thieves, reported to be on mopeds, have taken her…
New Pivot Trail 429 – Now with added flip chip
Designed in the deserts of Arizona, the Pivot Trail 429 gets an update – head this way for a sprinkling of dust, sunshine, and a turn of speed. No, wait,…
SRAM Buys Time Pedals
For years, SRAM had a clipless-pedal-shaped hole in its complete groupset picture, compared to rivals Shimano. With almost* universal acceptance of Shimano’s SPD platform for clipped-in riding, it seemed unlikely…
Review: Fox Flexair Neoshell Water Waterproof Jacket
The Flexair Neoshell Water jacket is a new addition to Fox’s range for this winter. Designed to keep you dry and comfortable in the worst possible conditions, Fox has constructed…
Maxxis Shorty Gen 2 – An updated spikey tyre for mud and extreme dust
Ever popular for UK wet weather trail, downhill, or enduro riding, the mid-spike Maxxis Shorty is getting an update. It’s also apparently suitable for ‘extreme dust’, but unless there’s room…
Untold British history of mountain biking hits 1 million views
The feature length documentary, Mountain Biking, The Untold British Story, charts the history of the mountain bike viewed from a British perspective. Through interviews and rides with many of the…
Fresh Goods Friday 537 – The Hope Edition
It’s that time of year when each ride is an opportunity to look out for signs of hope. Snowdrops, daffodils, lambs, bees – with each sighting Spring gets a better…
Bike Check: Neil Sutton’s Sonder Titanium Dirt Jump Bike
What bike would you build yourself if you had access to all the software and the people to build it for you? For Sonder’s Neil Sutton, the answer is this…
Video – UR switches to NS Bikes
NS Bikes is the new bike sponsor of the UR Team who will compete in downhill, freeride and enduro events this year. NS Bikes has taken over from Polygon as…
Thanks for your help – Beat Cancer With Mint Sauce
Update: We had a nice note from Jo Burt so we thought we’d share it with you all: hi folks, thanks every so much for mentioning this last week on…
Munro Bagging By Bike – Why Bother?
What approach would you take to Munro bagging? Are you a ‘gotta catch em all’, or a ‘when the sun shines I’ll bag another’ kind of person? Our very own…
Opinion: The Illegal Trail Builder
Building unsanctioned trails is a touchy subject. But are there shades of grey when it comes to building illegal trails or is it a black and white issue? We talk…
Orange Factory Racing Returns with EWS race squad
Orange Bikes has announced the return of Orange Factory Racing with a new 3 person EWS race team. Orange Bikes is back to racing with an official factory team for…
Freak Bike Check! Revel Rascal Arizona Breeze edition
If you thought pro bike checks were just a gushing list of sponsor names then this is a breath of fresh air from Mason ‘Arizona Breeze’ Bond. Mason has been…
Specialized Chisel LTD Elements – Bike or Art?
Specialized has revealed four limited edition runs of the Chisel, its alloy XC race hardtail: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. Let us grab some lamé and chiffon and boogie this…
Michelin launches new Wild and Force All-Mountain Tyres
Michelin launches new Wild and Force All-Mountain Tyres covering hard-packed and loose trail conditions. Press Release Follows Michelin is excited to announce two new additions to its market-leading range of…
10 Reasons your bike will cost you more this year
It seems like there’s been a lot of bad news about price rises on bikes and components recently, so we thought we’d look at what’s driving it – and whether…
First Look: Patrol C091 Carbon Hardtail
Andi takes a close look at the carbon-framed Patrol C091 hardtail, a budget bike with great spec and a confidence-inspiring geometry. We see a lot of people in the comments…
You Can’t Buy Happiness – but you can buy an eMTB
Hannah explains why she thinks an eMTB should be your next gift to yourself if you want to add a little joy to your life. I have never really ‘had…
From The Frozen North It’s Fresh Goods Friday 536
Opening with the obvious – it’s really cold. Instead of grumbling about this relentless deep freeze we’re experiencing, I’d like to show you this incredible ice sculpture created at the…
EWS 2021 – Rescheduled and Restructured
The Enduro World Series (EWS) has revealed a revised 2021 event calendar in response to ongoing uncertainty over Covid and travel restrictions. Both the Whistler round and the Trophy of…
Pyga Bikes opens European HQ and powder-coating in Nottingham
Nottingham, made famous by Robin Hood and Raleigh Activator bikes, is now the European home of Pyga bikes. Pyga is a small South African bike brand that produces handmade alloy…
Islabikes founder Isla Rowntree steps back after 15 years
After starting Islabikes 15 years ago and redefining the standard for children’s bikes, Isla Rowntree is stepping back from the running of the company. The direction of Islabikes has always…
‘Ooh!’ or ‘Argh!’? Dangerholm’s Hyper Spark
Maybe it’s all the lack of travel that’s getting to people, but it seems to us like there’s a new ‘dream build’ bike build every week at the moment. Cooped…
Dropping In – Short Stuff You Should Know
For this instalment of Dropping In, we have some general bike culture clippings that we think lovers of bikes will enjoy. What’s more, we hope they’ll help you consider how…
2021 Team News РRudy Cabirou and Rafael Villegas to race CNC Production Priv̩e with The Brigade
French rider, Rudy Cabirou signs for another year on The Brigade with Colombian rider Rafael Villegas, both to ride prototype Production Privée bikes. Press Release Follows: 25-year-old, Rudy Cabirou signs…
Sunn French Connexion Racing welcome 2 new elites for EWS
Louis Jeandel and Guillaume Larbeyou join French national champion Theo Galy on the Sunn French Connexion Racing team. Press Release follows; We’re proud to announce our 2 new elite riders.…
Mondraker’s MIND technology adds built-in telemetry, GPS and security
Mondraker has today revealed their new MIND technology a system of sensors and a connected app to improve your ride and add a degree of security too. Electronics are now…
It’s here – Have you got yours? Singletrack Magazine Issue 135
Whoop! Well it was all a bit confusing, with the usual courier notification sequence of ‘we’re coming’, ‘no we’re not’, ‘ding-dong SURPRISE! We’re here!’, but we’re delighted that the latest…
Specialized UK HQ Devastated By Fire
Over the weekend, Specialized’s UK headquarters has been significantly affected by a fire. At present investigators are on site establishing where on the industrial park the fire started. 12 fire…
British Cycling Reveals New Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group
British Cycling has named the members of its new Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group – and it’s great news for the mountain bike world to see Aneela McKenna as co-chair.…
Fresh Goods Friday 535 – Bringing colour to your life
It’s a grey old world out there right now, but this week’s mailbox has brought us a shower of colour. Which got our thoughts turning to our walls. Did you…
Josh Bryceland asks riders to stop digging
Josh ‘Ratboy’ Bryceland has asked riders to not build any new features in the Nab Quarry and Styperson Park area, near Stockport, as he is working on managing the area…
YT Releases limited edition Blaze builds of the Izzo, Jeffsy and Capra
YT has taken 3 existing bikes and added a little ‘blaze’ to them with limited edition Izzo, Jeffsy and Capra bikes. YT Industries has taken the Izzo, Jeffsy and Capra…
Ride To Survive with Tomomi Nishikubo
Go fishing and make fire with Tomomi Nishikubo as he tries to survive being shipwrecked on an island – with the help of his bike. We’ll admit we missed this…
Oxford Aqua Evo Waterproof Backpacks – for wet commutes?
Are the Oxford Aqua Evo backpacks the waterproof luggage solution you’ve been looking for? The Oxford Aqua Evo bags both have a waterproof rating of IPX-6, which means they should…
TweedLove WILL Return In 2021 – With Chain Reaction Cycles As Title Sponsor
We’ve just had word that TweedLove Bike Festival has announced a new headline partnership with Chain Reaction Cycles for their 2021 festival weekend based in the Tweed Valley, Scotland. The…
The Forbidden Dreadnought takes the fear out of climbing and downhill slaying!
Forbidden’s much rumoured big travel rig becomes official today with the unveiling of the new Forbidden Dreadnought. Forbidden jumped into the mountain bike scene with the Druid, a bike which…
Bike Shop Thieves Strike Twice – Again!
It’s the second time this week that we find ourselves reporting on a bike shop being broken into for the second time in a month. This time it’s Cycle Gear…