A report from Starling is the result of a deep dive into how it runs as a business and how it can operate more sustainably.
Ben Haworth
185cm tall. 73kg weight. Orange Switch 6er. Saracen Ariel Eeber. Schwalbe Magic Mary. Maxxis DHR II. Coil fan.
Win this Lezyne Tool and Inflate Bundle worth £238!
We’re giving you the chance to win a bunch of shiny, shiny Lezyne equipment, courtesy of the kinds folks at Upgrade Bikes.
Fresh Goods Friday 610: After The Heat Edition
We hope you, your pets, your plants and so on all made it through the extreme heat this week, and if you have got school holiday getaways, may they go smoothly.
Singletrack Unscripted – Talking about flat pedals
What makes for a good flat pedal? Are metal flatties better than plastic flatties? Thick pins? Thin pins? Loads of pins? Minimal pins?
Kade x Semenuk: The Edit Your Screen Was Made For
Kade Edwards and Brandon Semenuk sync up in ‘Parallel II’. Fast cuts. Constant action. Top notch riding. Instant classic.
Canyon Spectral 125 CF LTD: a very (John Player) special bike
Limited bike, limited colour. This short travel ripper gets exclusive black and gold artwork. Weighing in at 13.4kg makes it the lightest.
Win a whole heap of primo DMR stuff worth £238!
This week we’re giving you the chance to win a load of excellent DMR stuff, courtesy of the excellent bods at Upgrade Bikes.
Moorland fire equalled carbon footprint of a small town
Moorland fire in 2019 devastated an area of blanket peat moorland the size of about 1,000 football pitches.
Q: How much to start mountain biking? A: £605.00
Contrary to what mountain bike websites may imply, you don't have to be a millionaire to be start mountain biking.
Fresh Goods Friday 609: Missing In Action Edition
Ride your bike. Stay in the trees. Plot routes near watering holes (AKA 'shops'). Strap another bottle cage on to your bike/body. Sun cream.
New Maxxis Forekaster: goodbye to damp, hello to downcountry?
The new version of the Maxxis Forekaster has ditched any of its previous damp duties. It's no longer a XC tyre for damp conditions. Or is it?
Change gear without pedalling with Shimano FREE SHIFT
E-bike specific version of Shimano XT Di2 features 'Free Shift'. Put simply, this allows riders to change gear without pedalling.
New Shimano groupset features Anti Lock Brakes
Shimano have a brand new groupset out called CUES Di2. It's designed principally for e-commuters and features an Anti-Lock Braking System.
Canyon Spectral 125 CF 8 review
The new-for-2022 Canyon Spectral 125 has pretty much the exact same geometry as the regular 150mm rear-travel Spectral. Why?
Fresh Goods Friday 608: The Bike Heavy Edition
I'm writing this with stinging fingers. Summer is well and true upon us. The trails have grown their hair out and every ride sees regular brushes with nettles, brambles and other various whipping green things.
TRP Trail Evo disc brake review
TRP Trail Evo has a super-light lever action and impressively short throw before biting. Great for racers. If you can handle it (literally!)
Shimano SLX M7120 disc brake review
The brake that felt like the best combination of top-end power and all-over feel was the Shimano SLX M7120.
Magura MT7 Pro disc brake review
Folk who like to run their bite points really close to the grip should give the Magura MT7 Pro brake a try.
Hayes Dominion A4 disc brake review
The 4-pot Hayes Dominion A4 continues the venerable brand's return. Great to see them back in the mix when it comes to viable stoppers.
Formula Cura 4 disc brake review
If we have to decide on The Best Brake we’d go for the Formula Cura 4. The key thing is that the Formulas have the feel. And that’s what counts. Although never quite at the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to brake brands,…
Win this Lazer Jackal KinetiCore helmet worth £180!
All you have to do is sign up to our weekly newsletter. Which is something you should sign up to anyway because it's feature-filled, funny and free!
Stone King Rally final day: results ‘n’ pics
All those kilometres covered, all that elevation gained, all that terrain navigated. It had been a monster week but it had to end somewhere.
Stone King Rally: Day 5 results, pics ‘n’ POV
The penultimate day of Santa Cruz Stone King Rally gave riders a glimpse of their endpoint – the glistening Mediterranean sea.
Stone King Rally: Day 4 results, pics ‘n’ POV
An easy ride greeted everyone on day four of Santa Cruz Stone King Rally Vol.1. But we all know this is not your ordinary bicycle race.
Fresh Goods Friday 607: Glance Mastering Edition
The Tour Of The France begins today. But before you open up a browser tab to listen/watch the opening stage (which is probably a time trial in Denmark somewhere IIRC), you really need to take in the majesty that is Fresh Goods Friday. Madison Crypto…
Stone King Rally: Day 3 results, pics ‘n’ POV
After day 2’s monster outing – riders were in the saddle for up to twelve hours – there were some sore bodies and foggy heads on day 3.
Stone King Rally: Day 2 results, pics ‘n’ POV
Stages five to eight would make up the biggest day of the week for riders likely still trying to dry their kit from the previous day's downpour.
Stone King Rally: Day 1 results and POV
The first-ever Stone King Rally began on an epic note. Three 'otherwordly' stages in the morning followed by an almighty afternoon storm.
Pirelli revamps its mountain bike tyre offering
New updates to the Scorpion Enduro and E-MTB range. New SmartGrip Gravity compounds and ProWALL casings. The M (MIxed Terrain) tread has also been wholly rejigged.
Need new brakes? Got £1,110 spare?
Can't stop? Got loads of money? The new 4-pot disc brakes from TrickStuff or some bling titanium and gold brake pads from Sinter may interest you.
FGF 606: Roland Just Wants To Help You Edition
Did someone say 606? Remember the Roland TR-606 drum machine? You don't but you do. 303, 909, 606... which is your favourite device?
What size mountain bike do I need?
If you're unsure as to what size mountain bike to get, don't worry. You're not alone. It is not always obvious these days.
Details of new Santa Cruz Hightower 3
Santa Cruz Hightower 3 is designed for all-terrain riding. Up, down, along, around and over on trails, tracks and anything fun.
Granite Design Stash RT: ratchet in your steerer
New version of the Granite Design Stash RT fits more forks, has a better pop-out function, and can mount Garmin/Wahoo/Bryton devices.
Transition Relay with removable Fazua Ride 60
Transition Relay is a lighter-weight powered bike with a removable battery. 160/170mm travel. Full 29 or mullet. Fazua Ride 60 system.
Singletrack Issue 143 Bike Test: Party At The Back
Have we swallowed the marketing hook, line and sinker, or is there something to the mullet trend?
Review: Geometron G1
GeoMetron is essentially Chris Porter. If you don’t know who Chris Porter is, do a Google. Just make sure you have a brew ready before you dive in.
Review: Santa Cruz Bronson
Maybe the Santa Cruz Bronson does need an introduction. The latest Bronson is a massively different beast to the Bronson Mk1.
Review: Starling Twist Trail
Starling Cycles is Joe McEwan. Joe used to work as an aerospace engineer and build bike frames in his shed as a sideline.
Marzocchi Bomber Air shock: first ride review
Benji has had a Marzocchi Bomber Air plumbed into his RocketMAX for the past week or so. Here's how he feels about it. Yes, the piggyback reservoir is supposed to look like that.
Mountain Bike Hip Pack Buyers Guide – Kit Essentials
Benji tests out some modern hip packs that can cater for all but the furthest adventuring of riders. Words Benji Photography Amanda The return of the humble water bottle and the widespread ditching of hydration backpacks has been one of the more unexpected developments in…
Review: Bontrager Rapid Pack Hydro Hip Pack
This Bontrager Rapid Pack Hydro hip pack is reviewed as part of our Kit Essentials grouptest from Issue 143 of Singletrack World Price: £94.99 Capacity: 1.64L Bladder: 1.5L Included From: Trek, trekbikes.com Colours: Black The non-hydro version of this bag has been much loved amongst…
Review: Deuter Pulse 3 Hip Pack
The Deuter Pulse 3 hip pack is reviewed as part of our Kit Essentials grouptest from Issue 143 of Singletrack World Price: £50.00 Capacity: 5L Bladder: 1.5L (not included) From: Deuter GB, deutergb.co.uk Colours: Bay (blue), Cranberry, Black The square shape of the Pulse 3…
Review: Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Mini Hip Pack
The Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Mini hip pack is reviewed as part of our Kit Essentials grouptest from Issue 143 of Singletrack World Price: £25.00 Capacity: 1L Bladder: No From: Patagonia, eu.patagonia.com Colours: Borealis Green, Black, Coriander Brown, Forge Grey At first glance this dinky…
Review: PNW Rover Hip Pack
The PNW Rover hip pack is reviewed as part of our Kit Essentials grouptest from Issue 143 of Singletrack World The PNW Rover is a tough, sturdy pack that is clearly designed with a hard life in mind, as opposed to being minimalist, delicate, lightweight…
Review: Polaris Aquanought Waterproof Hip Pack
The Polaris Aquanought Waterproof hip pack is reviewed as part of our Kit Essentials grouptest from Issue 143 of Singletrack World Price: £47.99 Capacity: 3L Bladder: No From: Polaris, polaris-bikewear.co.uk Colours: Black & Green If you’re like me, you’re a middle-aged mountain biker living in…
Review: Rapha Trail Hip Pack
The Rapha Trail hip pack is reviewed as part of our Kit Essentials grouptest from Issue 143 of Singletrack World Price: £60.00 Capacity: 3L Bladder: No From: Rapha, rapha.cc Colours: Old Gold, Black, Green, Navy Unlike a lot of mountain bike journos, I really have…
Review: Thule Rail 4 Hip Pack
This product was selected for our Editors’ Choice Awards 2022, as published in Singletrack Magazine Issue 146 Benji: “This Rail 4L from Thule was the first bumbag that I didn’t begrudge wearing. It remains the one and only bumbag that I reach for when I’m…
Issue 143: Things that are important on a bike, in order.
Benji is here to persuade you not to spend lots of money, except where you should. Words: Benji This feature is intended to be a helpful guide – or reminder – to invest in some things more than others. This often involves spending money on…
How to pick the best mountain bike for you
While there may not be such a thing as The Best Mountain Bike, there are certainly bikes that will suit you more than others.
Rockrider ST 700 Rain Jacket review: £70 brilliance
At around 500g, the Rockrider ST 700 Rain Jacket is not lightweight but when the conditions are harsh, comfort and morale are everything.
