This review featured as part of the Kit Essentials grouptest in issue 142 of Singletrack World. The flattie fan’s winter boot Price: £145.00 From: silverfish-uk.com Tested By: Benji Though I’m loath to say the words ‘Five Ten’ any more than I already have, I have…
2022
Review: Ride Concepts Women’s Vice Shoe
This product was selected for our Editors’ Choice Awards 2022, as published in Singletrack Magazine Issue 146 In the Editors’ Choice Awards we highlight our standout bikes and products from the past year. These are the bikes that we’d like to have in our sheds.…
Review: Specialized 2FO Roost Canvas
This review featured as part of the Kit Essentials grouptest in issue 142 of Singletrack World. A contender to the throne at last Price: £110.00 From: specialized.com Tested By: Vicky Chapman Despite having ridden mountain bikes for years, many riders don’t change shoe brands. When…
Fresh Goods Friday 596 Good Friday Edition! Goodness.
Here we are, sliding into the weekend early! It’s Good Friday and Hannah is still in America bike-bothering, Amanda is off to the Cairngorms to play ‘It’ll Go’ on her new test bike, Charlie is heading to Devon to upset everyone there… and the rest…
Issue 142 UK Adventure: The Art of Not Suffering
Sanny sets off to prove that bikepacking need not involve long periods of misery and discomfort. When it comes to tales of adventure and derring-do, there is a strong correlation between achievement and suffering. Whether it is Andy Kirkpatrick and his wife sitting out a…
Issue 142 Column: Mirror Mirror
Anders struggles to match aspiration to reality. Words & Illustrations Anders Engberg This is not fun. The thought has dug in, made itself comfortable and is not going anywhere. My local trail is treating me with a warm, dappled light that finds its way through…
142 Bike Test – The Big Short
Benji ponders the meaning of ‘short’ as he rags these three not-long travel bikes round his local trails. What is short travel? Too short? Short enough? Shorter than what? What is the average travel of A Mountain Bike in 2022 anyway? It’s hard to say.…
Review: Cotic FlareMAX Gen4
The Cotic FlareMAX Gen4 is reviewed in Issue 142 Bike Test – The Big Short. Gen4 means fourth generation. This is the fourth iteration of Cotic’s shorter travel (125mm) full suspension bike. As with most Cotic bikes, although there are preset complete builds available, a…
Review: Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 1
The Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 1 is reviewed in Issue 142 Bike Test – The Big Short. The Trance has been in the Giant line-up for a long time now and the Trance Advanced Pro 29er is the most recent incarnation. Designed as a…
Review: YT Izzo Core 3
The YT Izzo Core 3 is reviewed in Issue 142 Bike Test – The Big Short. The YT Izzo came out a couple of years ago and made waves principally because it was a bike from YT that wasn’t overtly aimed at the enduro or…
The Many New And Curious Products of Sea Otter
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Singletrack Forum Tool & Beaverage Ratios.
Introducing the Singletrack Forum Bottle Opener. The Singletrack forum really is one of the most amazing corners of the interweb. It is the virtual lounge bar that makes Singletrack so much more than a magazine… we are a community. One very real danger with the forum is…
Issue 142 Singletrack Kitchen: Chipps’ Stag Breakfast
When Chipps got married last year, inevitably there was a stag gathering in the mountains with bikes. Much to everyone’s relief it was a rather civilised affair with lots of good wine, many cheeses, and acoustic music from Chipps’s personal troubadour ‘Jazzy Brian’. No one got shaved or tied to…
British Cycling National XC Series Round 1: Parkwood, Tong, Bradford
Hannah Collingridge and Joolze Dymond are this year’s commentators for the British Cycling National XC Series. They’re also bringing us a race report from each round, with a bit more colour than the official British Cycling version. Expect to hear about a little more than…
Issue 142 Pete’s Pro’s: Rachel Atherton
Pete takes in laps and baby naps with Rachel Atherton on her home turf. Of all the routes I’ve travelled to go for a ride with those who make their living from riding push irons, few are as familiar to me as the run that…
Spotted: Eye Catching Bikes Of Sea Otter
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Classic Ride 142 – The Glorious Peaks
Words & Photography Chipps Chipps takes on a tour around one of Yorkshire’s iconic Three Peaks with a couple of similarly iconic characters. The other Peaks Planning a decent bike ride can be a hard job. You need a great route in mind, obviously, but…
Issue 142 Interview: Going Downhill
Steve Chapman chats to the unassuming Pearces who have shaped UK downhill racing. Words Steve Chapman Photography As Credited If you look at the movers and shakers of UK mountain bike events, it’s a small, close-knit pool of people. If you then dial in the…
Jeff Lenosky’s Prototype Reeb SST
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
We Are One Composites: Carbon Arrival, Made in Kamloops
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Fat Chance Is Back – teenage dreams for the modern mountain biker
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Issue 142 International Adventure: Costa Del Climb
Amanda goes on a beach holiday, turns her back to the sea and rides inland to find trails and adventure. Given the opportunity of a cheap flight, a lift from the airport, and free accommodation, there aren’t many destinations I wouldn’t manage to get inspired…
Sea Otter – New ‘Proven’ Carbon Wheels From Hunt
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Bowhead Real Life Star Wars Speeder Bike
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Sea Otter 2022: Aeroe Spider Rack makes any bike a long hauler
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Spotted: Vitus Trail Bike Prototype At Sea Otter
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see…
Issue 142 International Adventure: Nice to see you, to see you… NICE!
Sanny loses himself in the sun and dusty trails of Southern France. Words & Photos: Sanny Sometimes you just have to accept that things don’t always go quite how you hoped. Case in point. A recent trip to the South of France to ride bikes…
Podcast: Road V2X tech – Safer for bikes, or car culture?
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Fresh Goods Friday 595 – Big Fork, Little Bar, Cardboard Box Edition
It’s Friday again. Easter is approaching and, soon, summer will be here. Or is it spring? When does it all start? Anyway, not long now until those blue sky days and all-day rides that leave you dusty, tired and in need of a cold beverage.…
British Cycling statement: Transgender and Non-Binary Participation Policy
Full Press Release: When we developed and published our Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy, we did so with the intention of advancing the cause of promoting diversity and inclusion within the sport of cycling. Understanding that this is a fast-moving area of sports policy and…
What’s Inside Singletrack World Issue 142? Out Today!
If you receive a printed copy of the magazine each issue, it’s now in the post – we can’t be sure exactly when it will land with you, especially with all the Bank Holidays, but if you’re in the UK and you’ve still not got…
Issue 142: Last Word | My Ride Pal
Hannah has found a new friend to ride with.I have a new ride buddy. I’ve known him all his life and when he was younger he rode quite a lot, but somehow life got in the way and he’s only quite recently got into mountain…
Five brand new tyres from Continental
Say hello to The Family 'Tal! The Xynotal, Kryptotal Fr & Rr, Argotal and Hydrotal are a massive revamping for Conti's mountain bike tyres.
Fox 36 gets new crown, more steerer overlap
The iconic Fox 36 receives a new crown with more steerer tube overlap improved stiffness and durability (whilst shaving 20 grams).
Crankbrothers Highline 11: yes, that’s a carbon stanchion
The latest Crankbrothers Highline 11 bum bling uses a carbon stanchion (or 'quill'), a carbon head and oh-so-desirable titanium bolts.
Where the wild things aren’t – A Cairngorm bikepacking adventure
Charged with having an adventure, Sanny and Kev take young Toby on his first ever big summit ride in the heart of the Cairngorms. Will he love it or will it turn into a teenage angst fest? Only one way to find out…… Words and…
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR: best saddlebag ever?
The new Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR is a waterproof saddle bag with ingenious quick-release mounting. Just what you need for a bit of bikepacking.
Orange Switch 7 : Linkage bike from Orange unveiled
The Orange Switch 7 is a 170mm travel MX wheeled enduro bike using a linkage-driven trunnion shock, mounted low in the frame.
XCO World Cup Season Preview – first stop Brazil!
This weekend the cross-country mountain bike season kicks off in Petrópolis, at the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup – bringing Brazil back onto the international mountain bike radar six years after the Olympic Games. How to watch the XC World Cup, Petrópolis, Brazil…
Mountains in Manchester! Kendal Mountain Festival Tour Date, 21 April
Fancy a night of adventure? The Kendal Mountain Festival Tour combines adventure films with great speakers to inspire you to get out there – or just appreciate the comforts of home and the bravery of others. The next date in their tour diary is Sale, Manchester, on…
Never Stop Playing – Charlie’s Birthday Merch Deal
At Singletrack we like to do a mega merch deal when we have a staffer birthday. Today I turn 50. Blimey. 50. Fifty. 50. Five O. Hmmm? For many years it’s been a personal tradition to go skateboarding on my birthday. You see, about 33…
Behind the scenes: the development of the Intense Tracer 279
Curious about how a bicycle is developed? Here’s a look behind the scenes at the prototyping and development process of the 2022 Intense Tracer 279. Jeff’s welding mask. This particular welding mask is at least 15 years old and was used when Jeff welded up…
2022 Intense Tracer 279 – All new and ready for the future
It’s 2022 and we’re seeing the 2022 Intense Tracer being launched. Wow, how novel – a bike for now (well, mid-May), not a year away. It’s been in the works for ages however, with development starting in 2019. Let’s take a look at the decision…
RockShox Flight Attendant review: efficient, neat, fun
RockShox Flight Attendant is the new electronic suspension system from The House of SRAM that promises to solve your woes for good.
So you thought you could ride – and then you watched this.
Meh. Utah desert. That’s a different sort of skill and scale to what you ride. Sedona rocks? Yeah, very clever and all that, but at least you can feel your fingers while you’re riding, it’s warm there. PNW? So much woodwork, and loam. Your local…
Things The Bike Industry Will Try To Sell Us This Year
Call us cynical, or call us highly informed industry insiders with our fingers on the pulse. But we think the marketing departments of the bike industry are going to find new ways to sell old things. As component shortages continue, companies will seize the opportunity…
Internet Rummagings | Spring has Sprung edition
Do let’s, dear reader, focus on the evenings getting longer, the weather getting warmer and the trails getting drier rather than the current cold snap and potential for snow, for spring is springing! Here’s what I’ve found in that back room of the internet bike…
A Movie Double Bill For Eyes and Emotions
We have two movies for you here, one from the Commencal Vee DH race team, and one from Vee Tire Co. One will require the close attention of your eyes, and one will require a little more engagement from your mind. First up, a feast…
Build Your Dream – From Road to Rad with Chris Burkard
If your friends are all riding road, shake their heads, and tell you they like their shins unblemished and their tyres skinny, then show them this video. Photographer Chris Burkard has gone from road and endurance riding to a seriously rad back yard set up…
Shimano Shoe Winners Revealed – was it you?
Whoop! Some good news for some of you! Singletrack Members can opt to receive our monthly Members’ Newsletter, and in the last edition we gave people the chance to win some Shimano shoes, and now you can find out who won. We have two newsletters.…
Fresh Goods Friday 594: The Fifth Season
Here we are, back to winter, just in time for our energy bills to rise an unfathomable amount. So get your insulated jackets out, your merino base layers, your buffs and your fleece-lined hats. What you save on energy bills, you can spend on your…