Happy Mondays: Joybringers in January

by 0

Another Monday of compiled merriment, inspiration and time-killing fodder for your delectation.

Good afternoon and happy Monday to you all! How was your weekend? Did you manage to get out on a bicycle ride?

I managed to get out on Sunday and actually rode with another human being. Which I don’t really do most of the time; I’m usually out soloing on a test bike somewhere.

Anyway, there were two things of note during my ride. Possibly three things.

Firstly, there were loads of riders out in the woods. Which I don’t mind but it was rather unusual. Nice to see some of them doing a bit of trail maintenance. Did anyone else notice more riders than usual out yesterday?

Secondly, I still haven’t removed my ridiculous narrow tyres (Schwalbe Dirty Dan 2.0) from the Best MTB of the Year. And apart from the occasional rimming-out and sketchiness on rockeries, I’m totally loving riding on what are eseentially glorified cyclocross tyres.

Thirdly, I once again invented a bicycle product that already exists (albeit in an entirely different hobby zone). All will hopefully be revealed by this week’s Fresh Goods Friday. I always have my ‘best’ ideas when slogging uphill. Do you’?

The Best-Named Brakeless BMXer strikes again:

No brakes. No lid. No gloves. No problem. Quite far on a deliberate perma-endo. Far beyond our ken also.

Belting Downhill:

Despite my status as being the lone lover of derailleurs in the whole of the western world (THEY’RE BEAUTIFUL THINGS) there’s no denying that the adoption of belt-drive gearbox bikes by a few World Cup DH teams is a very interesting thing indeed. Who’s going to win that $100,000 prize money then? My money’s on Mr McWilson.

Pashley Gravel:

Pashley launches the all-new Pashley Roadfinder – “The new timeless all-rounder”. The Pashley Roadfinder Collection starts at £2,795. Find out more at pashley.co.uk

Giant not-as-bad news:

According to a Bike-Eu.com story (email sign-up required to read a couple of free stories): “Giant Group managed to mitigate its decline in turnover to 7.4% as the company’s 2024 monthly revenue report shows. This is compared with a decrease of 16.4% in 2023.” Which is about as good a news as we can muster concerning The Bike Industry right now. Slim pickings.

Podcast recommendation of the week:

Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain tackle listeners’ conundrums with the power of science. Subscribe via Spotify, Apple or wheverver you prefer.

Empire Biscuits recipe:

You want these. Feel free to substitute glacé cherries for the sweeties. Check out this recipe here.

Dolly domination:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pop Culture & Music (@dailysingingcontent)

Finger pickin; good.

This guy has been riding less time than you. Dang:

Jerrell Webster had only been riding two years when this video was shot (December 2023). Git.

What’s made you happy lately?

Share the vibes below via comments. TTFN!


Signing up to our mailing list is not only a great way to keep up-to-date on all things Singletrack but it is also a great, free way to support us.

Sign up to receive awesome editorial content from Hannah every week.

We appreciate how handing over your email address is a mark of your trust in us. Check your inbox for our confirmation email and click the link to activate your newsletter.
We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Check out a previous newsletter here


Discover more from Singletrack World Magazine

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

More posts from Ben