Every issue of Singletrack is a mixtape waiting to happen. So we made one. We’ve matched a track to every article in issue 167 — sometimes for the mood of the piece, sometimes because the location practically hums a particular tune, and always with one eye on the sort of records that live in a Singletrack reader’s glovebox. Issue 168 is out this week. If you have inspired track picks for the features within, stick them in the comments and we’ll compile a new playlist for our latest issue.
It runs in the same order as the magazine. Hit play as you go.
Editorial
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. But different.
The track: Eagles, New Kid in Town. A new editor settles into the chair; there’s talk on the street.
Gravel vs 90s MTB
Tired of reading opinion pieces claiming gravel bikes are just the mountain bikes of old, Sanny sets out to find whether there’s a kernel of truth to it — or if it’s a load of old cobblers.
The track: The Stone Roses, Fools Gold. Peak ’90s, and the eternal question: the real thing, or fool’s gold?
Gallery
A welcome return: some big ol’ photos in all their glory. Just because.
The track: Fatboy Slim, Right Here, Right Now. Big-screen euphoria for a wall of glory shots.
Singletrack Rookie
Our very own Search For A Star. It could be you — or your offspring.
The track: David Bowie, Starman. Scanning the skies for the next star.
The Right Stuff
We catch up with the oldest off-road cycling club in the world to find out what really doesn’t matter.
The track: The Kinks, The Village Green Preservation Society. A very British ode to keeping the old ways — for the world’s oldest off-road club.
Gallery
Even more lovely big photos to soak your eyeballs in. Again, just because.
The track: Paul Simon, Kodachrome. Those nice bright colours, round two.
Crossborder Balkan Biking
Gerhard Czerner sets out to follow the High Scardus hiking trail across a lonely wilderness spanning North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania.
The track: Mansun, Wide Open Space. A lonely wilderness, three borders, one wide open space.
Pinned to the Mynd
Sandy Plenty, boss of The Trailhead bike shop in Shrewsbury, guides us round this fabulous corner of British biking. Is the Long Mynd the best place to ride in the UK?
The track: Kate Bush, The Big Sky. Big-sky moorland majesty, no passport required.
The Groms Are Showing The Way
The impact of mountain biking on a small community — and the many, many benefits revealed by its young people.
The track: Super Furry Animals, Hello Sunshine. A hopeful bit of Welsh sunshine for a story about riding as a lifeline.
Olde:Nu
Mountain biking isn’t a new thing — its heyday was thirty years ago. The bikes have changed beyond recognition, but what about the trails?
The track: Supergrass, Alright. The exact sound of the heyday, thirty-odd years on.
The Longest Down
It’s hard to say where the rumours started that the way off Beinn Fhada is the longest singletrack descent in the UK. Luke Bradley investigates.
The track: Big Country, In a Big Country. Made for a very long Highland descent.
Medusa Cycles
In the grand tradition of British folk in sheds making amazing things, we have a word with the bloke behind the best-looking bikes at Bespoked.
The track: The Smiths, This Charming Man. Charming, handbuilt and gloriously Salford.
The Last Word
We told you he hadn’t retired! Chipps is back with a regular column.
The track: Mark Morrison, Return of the Mack. He did tell you he hadn’t retired.
The Final Draw
The closing cartoon: imagine the Rough Stuff Fellowship visiting Dyfi Bikepark…
The track: Queen, Bicycle Race. How else do you close a bike mag?
Singletrack World Issue 167
The Young vs Old edition — the Dyfi Groms, the Rough Stuff Fellowship, gravel vs 90s ATB and plenty more. A real, beautifully printed magazine, posted to your door.
Issue 168 is due to arrive any day now. When it does why not add your suggestions for tracks in the comments below and we’ll pull a new playlist together to mark it’s arrival with subscribers.
