The car world has resto-mods and even born again classics, and now so too does the mountain bike world. There are many many mountain bikes from the past that I still lust after. Now and then I’ll even scroll the classifieds to see if I…
September 2021
Throwback Thursday: Shakespeare’s Sister
‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players’. How your ride will play out – whether it results in comedy, tragedy or historic triumph – will depend on your cast of players. Let us head to the casting couch and…
Video: It Has Become Beauty Again
There are many reasons to ride, here’s a video that illustrates some of the more meaningful ones. Jon Yazzie struggled to connect to his cultural identity for some time, leading him to make the wrong life choices and lack a sense of belonging. It wasn’t…
From Enduro To E Cargo | A New Perspective on 2 Wheels
Aran Francis is giving teenagers – and cyclists – a good name. What has this keen enduro rider learnt from riding for a cargo bike delivery service? This morning I got up ready to go for a ride, but instead of putting on my knee…
Making Up The Numbers Podcast | Vali Höll and Thibaut Dapréla
They’re the two young guns taking the DH World Cup by storm, but their 2021 seasons were diametrically opposed! Thibaut Dapréla started the season strong, podiuming at each of the first four rounds but crashed out in Snowshoe and lost his grip on the overall.…
Weight weenies rejoice! Canyon releases updated Lux and Exceed for 2022
Canyon releases details of the 2022 Canyon Exceed and Canyon Lux, no new frames but new lightweight builds! If your idea of a good ride is one where you power up the biggest hills you have locally then power back down them again with your…
EXT Superlight V2 springs weigh less than Zebedee on Keto
EXT’s first Superlight series springs were launched in 2015, now 6 years on they get a lighter V2 update. We don’t tend to think ‘lightweight’ and ‘coil shock’ together, but while a super plush coil might not be a low-weight as an air shock, there…
What A Year Of XC racing! A look back at 2021
Vedangi takes us on a romp through the fast and furious world level 2021 XC racing, and takes a peek into the future. (Featured image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com) The 2021 XC season has been a nail-biter. With the Olympics sandwiched into the season and all…
Behind the Build: Race Track Design with Léandre Alegri
It’s impossible to mishear the noise in the woods. A commotion growing bigger and coming nearer, the sound turns the heads of scattered spectators on its way through the terrain. A figure flashes between the trees, its arrival only preluded by the sharp warning of…
Schwalbe British 4X Series after a Dislocated Elbow with Scott Beaumont
Just a week after he dislocated his elbow in Val di Sole, Scott Beaumont raced in Afan to ensure he took home the overall title. Round 5 and 6 of the Schwalbe British 4X Series was held in Afan, South Wales earlier this month. Not…
Readers’ Rides: Tom’s Steampunk Deviate Highlander
What are you all riding? This is where we find out! You send us your submissions, and then we cast our judgemental expert lustful eyes over them and bring them to the world to ooh and ahh over. We’re picking the prettiest, the most curious, and the ones with…
Last Chance To Nominate! The Singletrack Reader Awards
Nominations close on Monday 27th September! Make sure you’ve told us who you think should get our attention this year, in a range of new awards. This year has been a bit different, again. Rather than grumble about the shortage of this and that, this…
FGF 567 – The Duvet Edition
This Fresh Goods Friday comes to you from under a duvet. We’ve kissed goodbye to Drink Beer At Your Desk Friday and said hello to Drink Hot Chocolate Under Your Duvet Friday. It’s less rock and roll, though the risk of disastrous spillages remains high.…
Watch Crankworx BC events Live on Red Bull TV
Want to check out the action from Crankworx BC? You can catch all the broadcasts live on Red Bull TV from 23 September to 2 October. The event will be taking in a few destinations in BC including Sun Peaks Resort, Golden/Kicking Horse Mountain Resort,…
Snowshoe DH World Cup 2021 – Final Highlights
As far as finales go, Snowshoe DH World cup was up there as one of the most exciting. It’s a little sad that the season is over but we get to look forward to next year. Eliot Jackson takes us through the final event. This…
This is what a bike edit should look like! Mattéo Iniguez rides Leysin Bike Park!
A video edit that actually inspires us to get out and ride! Mattéo Iniguez and Commencal team up to ride Leysin Bike Park. We get sent video edits on an almost daily basis, but very few actually make it onto the homepage of Singletrack. The…
Classic Ride 138 – Cakes and Ladders
Barney takes a trip around the shivering mountain to see if some favourite old trails still pass muster on new bikes. Words & Photography Barney Marsh There is absolutely no point in prevaricating about this – if you’ve been mountain biking for more than, say,…
Queens of Gnar – Women’s Debut Edit, Audi Nines 2021
Cast your minds way back to the start of 2019, when Hannah predicted this: Women’s Free(ride)dom Women haven’t had a platform for trick-based competition, so there’s a chicken and egg situation of lack of coverage for role models and lack of goals for role models…
Orange Releases Factory Racing Switch 6 Team Bike
Available from today for £5200, Orange are releasing their Switch 6 team bike with new spec for 2022. A mix of wheels (29″ up front and 27.5″ rear) with 160mm of front suspension and 145mm rear. This is the Orange Factory version, here’s a look…
Winning Runs Snowshoe DH World Cup Two
Did you catch the final round of the UCI DH World Cup? Round two in Snowshoe was the last race of the season, and it didn’t disappoint. There were some surprises and close calls, crashes and tight margins. There was some definite drama. The racing…
Video Vault – History, Hawgs, and Hucks
Maybe you’re trapped indoors, like our very own Chipps, waiting for the all clear from Track and Trace. Or maybe you’re just putting your feet up for a moment after a nice long bike ride. If riding is an option, go do it now! The…
Riding The Pink Elephant | Dirty Reiver 2021
I’ve been sadistically looking forward to this. Recently I’ve found great pleasure in testing my body to its limits, then just tipping it over the edge, ultimately extending the limit. 200km will be the furthest I’ve ever ridden in one go, and the fact it’s…
Got a Local Trails Group? Tell Stans’!
Stans’ is establishing a project to help donate to local trail groups and bike charities whenever you buy a new set of wheels. They want your help to reach the grass roots organisations. The idea is that you buy a new set of Stans’ wheels,…
Snowshoe XC Course Preview with Laurie Arseneault and Emily Batty
Take a lap of the XC course in Snowshoe with Emily and Laurie. Starting off in the resort it twists and turns up the hill. For the most part, it’s Laurie who takes us through the first bit. We see Emily later in the video…
FGF 566 – Happy Days, Sad Days
We start this Fresh Goods Friday with sad/happy news. Sad for us, and you, but happy for Lauren. She’s been head hunted by a marketing company and lured away from her Newshound work by the promise of office slippers (we kid you not) and the…
Winning Runs from Snowshoe DH World Cup One
So that’s one round down and two winners crowned. All that’s left is the final round of the downhill world cup. It will be the second round to take place out in Snowshoe, as this one is a double-header. The track is super technical and…
British Cycling Launches new Coaching Scholarship
British Cycling have made significant promises and shifts in the past year. We’ve seen a boost in campaigns, new staff and a wide range of strategies for the future. The latest move from British Cycling aims to boost representation within their coaching staff. Say what…
Orbea now offering Occam in LT long-travel option
Hot on the heels of the release of the new Rallon is the updated Orbea Occam and Occam LT trail bikes. If you read our first ride impressions of the 2022 Orbea Rallon last week and loved the design but were put off by the…
Race Report | Merida Ex powered by Shimano Steps Enduro
Images by Paul Box Wow. What a weekend I’ve had. To say I’ve spent a weekend racing in Minehead is underplaying this glorious event. Today I wake up with genuine post-holiday blues, not unlike the type I get from the European multi-day events I have…
Proving Grounds 2021: Final Recap Video
Proving Grounds 2021 was the first time in almost two years that many of the athletes returned to competition. This year women had their own category. Both men and women competed on the same course, for the first time. The weather caused havoc throughout the…
Boardman Bikes – Long Wait For Bikes Ends Today
The ongoing shortage of bikes and parts continues to affect us all. Whether you are looking for a new bike or just trying to keep your existing bike(s) running the global shipping crisis and the insanely long lead times forced on the world’s manufacturers by…
GoPro Hero 10 set to launch tomorrow! Here is everything we know!
GoPro has started to tease the release of the GoPro Hero 10 with the next generation action camera going official on the 16th of September! GoPro’s yearly update cycle is fast approaching, in fact, it is imminent with the release of the 10th generation action…
Singletrack Issue 139 – Are you waiting for it to land, or missing out?
Hopefully you’re one of our many Singletrack World members that are eagerly and excitedly awaiting the next issue of the magazine. And if you’re not, now’s the perfect time to join us and join in the fun. Not only will you get this upcoming issue…
Loic Bruni’s Snowshoe DH Course Preview
This is it, we have reached the end of the season. Fear not though there are two rounds in Snowshoe so it’s not all said and done yet. Still, we will be sad to say goodbye to the World Cup for 2021. Want to see…
Readers’ Rides | Anthony’s Zoceli Naosm 29
What are you all riding? This is where we find out! You send us your submissions, and then we cast our judgemental expert lustful eyes over them and bring them to the world to ooh and ahh over. We’re picking the prettiest, the most curious, and the ones with…
Mick Hannah announces retirement from World Cup racing
Mick Hannah has announced that he plans to retire after the final race of the 2021 downhill World Cup calendar! The time has come to announce that I’m retiring from World Cup racing. This is a moment that I’ve contemplated many times over the course…
Survey: Do BMX Freestyle, Pump Tracks and MTB Freestyle Need More Support?
Scottish Cycling, British Cycling and Welsh Cycling in collaboration with the BMX community are exploring the need for coaching and coach education to support the growth and progression of BMX Freestyle MTB Freestyle, Pump Track & Street Trials. They’ve issued a pair of surveys that…
Bike Check: The New Carbon Pyga MoBu Has A Four Month Waiting List
We’re so used to seeing the smooth, swoopy shapes of modern carbon mountain bikes, that the angular, chiselled, almost motorsport-like carbon structure of the new Pyga Mobu come as a pleasant shock. And the name hints at its South African origins as the name MoBu…
How To Build A Pump Track – The Right Way
We reported a few weeks back on what we thought might just be the worst pump track in the UK – a new creation in Carlisle. In looking into what Carlisle City Council had done and how they might have got things so badly wrong,…
FGF 565 – The future has landed
We’ve made it through another week of mis-forecasts, warm nights, high pollen levels and it’s finally the weekend. We’re sure you all have lots planned, but if you find the time to sit back with a brew, it’s time to make your nominations for the…
Tomas Slavik: 2021 4X World Champion
The 4X World Championships went down in Val di Sole, Italy at the end of August. Racing for Ghost Bikes since 2012, Tomas Slavik is one of the best 4X riders on the circuit. There aren’t many things he hasn’t won during the course of…
The 2022 Orbea Rallon launches with new EVERYTHING! | First Ride Impressions
The 2022 Orbea Rallon has been hitting the EWS circuit this year, and Andi has swung a leg over to give us his first impressions. The Orbea Rallon has always been a pretty progressive bike. In 2014 the bike was updated with some of the…
Lenzerheide DH World Cup 2021 Highlights
Lenzerheide DH World Cup was another exciting round of racing. From the XC to the DH it’s been an amazing season. Hard to believe it’s almost over! Here’s a look back at the best bits from the DH world cup in both the men and…
Myriam Nicole’s Winning Race Run from Lenzerheide
Myriam Nicole has been on fire this season. There have been some ups and downs for sure, but the late part of the season has seen her confidence grow. Current women’s downhill world champion, she took the rainbow stripes in Val di Sole at the…
Lego Meets MTB in this Stop Motion Video
This new Lego MTB video from TotalMTB and Marmot Animation is actually quite sweet. It depicts getting out for a ride with friends and all the good vibes that come from that. We recently had a chat to Ryan from TotalMTB about the charity and…
Scott Launches the all-new Patron eRIDE
Scott has announced the launch of their all-new Patron eRide. The bike comes with 160mm travel front and rear and is available in seven different versions. Capable of 100km of assist the Patron has the new Bosch Smart System. The bike has a new frame…
Making Up The Numbers Podcast | Loris Vergier
He might not consider himself the man to beat at World Cup level but we certainly think he is and this is his first solo podcast! We’re delighted to welcome ‘The King Of Maribor’ Trek Factory Racing DH’s Loris Vergier to the show. Social stuff…
Incredible XC Racing in Lenzerheide | Race Report
The UCI has come up with the goods and summarised what was yet again another incredible XC race. Lenzerheide delivered some tight XC racing and all-out action. Missed it? Watch the replay on Red Bull TV. Here’s an overview of the race. The press release…
DT Swiss XMC 1501 Spline One wheelset review | “Pretty much perfect”
DT Swiss makes some great wheelsets, but is the DT Swiss XMC 1501 the gold standard of lightweight wheels? Find out in our review. You might be surprised to learn that quite often product reviewers (well, this reviewer anyway) hope that the thing they’re expected…
The Pole Voima gets Upgrades
Launched in June, the Pole Voima has already undergone some changes, and Pole promise it’s for the better. Now upgraded with Bosch’s new Performance Line drive unit and PowerTube battery they’ve also made some changes to the frame. The bike is available to preorder at…
Which do you need, which do you want? A Brief Guide To Sonder Bikes
A trip to Alpkit (website or actual real life shop) is rather like heading to Ikea for a kitchen. If you just wander in and manage to get past the distracting array of camping goodies (ooh, I think I might just need titanium cutlery, and…