Explore why too much bike—and too much bravado—might leave you flying alone. Read on and question your limits!
Mark Alker
Mark has been riding mountain bikes for over 30 years and co-owns Singletrack, where he's been publisher for 25 years. While his official title might be Managing Director, his actual job description is "whatever needs doing" – from wrangling finances and keeping the lights on to occasionally remembering to ride bikes for fun rather than just work. He's seen the sport evolve from rigid forks to whatever madness the industry dreams up next, and he's still not entirely sure what "gravel" is. When he's not buried in spreadsheets or chasing late invoices, he's probably thinking about his next ride.
Members’ Crossword Generator: give us a clue
If you fancy yourself as a crossword creator then have go at this
Canyon FMD race truck goes under the hammer: yours for £35k
Defunct Canyon FMD is selling off its Scania P310 Motorhome Race Truck on eBay.
How many years have Singletrack World users been riding Mountain Bikes?
Find out how long Singletrack World users have been mountain biking—log in, vote in the poll, and see if your experience matches the community!
How old are Singletrack World users?
We’d like to know a little bit about your for our files. It’s pretty important for us that we know who you are. That’s how we can make sure we…
The MegaSack is back! Your daily chance to win big in December
It's the ultimate mountain biker's Christmas haul, and it could be yours!
Outta the Archive: ‘C2C in Under 20 Hours’ from 2001
Tackle the C2C mountain bike challenge—from wild llamas to dodgy knees, adventure awaits! Read on and dare to try it yourself!
BLUETTI unleashes Black Friday Power Deals— up to 56% off & free AC300 for B500K early buyers
Score up to 56% off BLUETTI power stations & grab a free AC300 for early B500K buyers—shop now before Black Friday deals end!
Subscriber Competition: Win A Proviz Jacket plus runner up prizes
This is for our subscribers only. Join us now Proviz is a British sportswear brand founded in 2010, renowned for its award-winning reflective and high-performance apparel for cycling, running, and…
Government set to cap Cycle to Work Scheme – what it means for mountain bikers
Chancellor set to cap Cycle to Work scheme, possibly hitting mountain bikers—see what it could mean for your next bike and have your say!
TransRockies returns to Fernie: The birthplace of North American MTB stage racing
TransRockies returns to Fernie for the epic Singletrack 3 race in June 2026—sign up now and ride where MTB legends are made!
POLL: What was your favourite article from Singletrack issue 163?
Feedback guides us in our choices but it’s also fun to see what we all think. You can view our magazine index here. This poll is for full members only…
Heads up! Shareholder Campaign ends Tuesday November 4th
We are crowdfunding the sustainable future of Singletrack and you can own a share of our business today. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest.…
Singletrack Issue 163: Stop The Drops!
Why are people riding drop handlebars off-road? To answer that, let’s first ask ‘why are people riding drop handlebars on-road?’
Singletrack Issue 163: Mumblings from a bike mechanic
Tom Simpson is a bike mechanic with a big attitude and a bigger hammer. This issue, electric shifting is on the Anvil of Grump.
Staff Bike Check: Mark’s 2020 Norco Sight
Ye olde 2020 Norco Sight A2. If it ain't broke. Run what you brung. Etc.
Strava takes on Garmin: a legal battle that could affect every* mountain biker
The fitness tracking giants are squaring off in court over patents, heatmaps, and segments – and it’s messy and complicated. *Well, not every mountain biker – I don’t have a…
US Customs Issues WRO Against Giant Bikes for Forced Labor Violations
The biggest story of the week.
Issue 162: Taking it e-asy? Not entirely.
Mark took one look at the soaring Alpine peaks and opted to use an ebike for his trip.
Getting from Geneva to the mountains is easier than you think
This article is sponsored by Skiidygonzales In our August issue we have a big feature planned on the one of the most popular areas for mountain biking in continental Europe…
Bike specific travel insurance shouldn’t be an afterthought
This article is sponsored by Yellow Jersey When booking any holiday there is always a list of jobs that aren’t fun but are super important. Travel insurance is definitely one…
Overland Adventures: How to Travel from UK to Asia Without Flying
Advertisement feature The romance of slow travel has certainly experienced a resurgence in recent years. Ditching air travel for trains, buses, and boats not only shrinks your carbon footprint but…
How to access our premium content without a subscription
Starting today, you can access our premium content without a subscription. Pay just 40p per article and discover what makes our member-exclusive stories worth reading. We’re calling this ‘Pay-As-You-Read Premium…
12 reasons to invest in Singletrack – The Perks List
Just over a week ago we revealed that we intend to offer up real shares in Singletrack this coming September. We intend to do this using the CrowdCube system with…
Coming soon: MTBers guide to Les Gets, Morzine & Avoriaz
Later this week Mark, Benji and Sanny are off on an adventure in the French Alpine resort towns of Les Gets, Morzine and Avoriaz. Perhaps better known for their downhill…
Become a Shareholder in Singletrack Magazine
Does that sound interesting to you? Next year Singletrack turns 25. That’s a quarter of a century of independence in the bike media world. A lot has happened in that…
Subscribe this month for a FREE Tech Ride Jersey worth £45!
For the month of May we are offering new subscribers a choice of long sleeved technical ride jersey from our Ltd Edition range. Lots of colours and sizes to pick…
Quick look: New Cannondale Moterra & Moterra LT
The previous Cannondale Moterra SL was our 2024 e-Bike Of The Year, so these new full-fat models have quite a lot to live up to. We haven’t seen one in…
502 Club Raffle 9: Own Some Bombers Worth £650 – WINNERS
This set of all new Marzocchi Z1 Bomber forks could be yours in our latest Singletrack Raffle.
Benji’s thoughts on the ultimate riding jacket go viral on TikTok
We are recent users of TikTok here at Singletrack. We’ve cut down on our social media posting of late, mostly due to the people who run them. We are still…
Singletrack Members: Discount List January 2025
As a reminder to our subscribers, here’s a non-exhaustive list of the current deals you can get access to just by simply being a Singletrack member*. Also, it’s a bit…
Predictions for the mountain bike world in 2025
It’s that time of year when we look into the mists of time, peer into the future, and see what lies ahead. Maybe. In 2024 we were – as usual…
Issue 158: Special Notice Of Appreciation
Issue 158 was brought to you by a whole bunch of behin dthe scenes people but a huge part was played by all the people listed below.
Issue 158 – Last Word: Going Nowhere, Getting Somewhere
Hannah suggests we don’t need miles of new trails to become better riders. When it comes to bike infrastructure and mountain biking facilities we usually think of new trails. Perhaps…
Singletrack Quiz Of The Year 2024
Quizzy times ahead. To make it harder still, we’ve added a time limit – you’ve got one minute to answer each question. Which means you’re going to have to be…
MegaSack Day 16 – Kenda Hellkat & Pinner Pro Tyres
Kenda Hellkat Pro and Pinner Pro You could be winning these 29 x 2.40 tyres from Kenda. Two different flavours of front tyre. “The Pinner was done for World Cup…
Last Minute Gift For The MTBer
You’ve left it too late again. You got a voucher from that friend for Christmas and you’ve not got anything in return. It’s Christmas Eve and the shops are shut.…
502 Club Raffle WINNER! Light up your life with an Exposure MaXx-D Mk16 light worth £445
And the winner of the draw that took place on Sunday the 8th December is.. Oscar Mac Ananey Congratulations Oscar – We are arranging for your prize to be sent…
Fresh Goods Friday 734: The Most Popular Owl Edition
We may be deep into The MegaSack Period now but that won’t stop us from throwing out our regular round-up of new kit. Fresh Goods Friday is like Christmas every…
Give the gift of Singletrack this year with added extras
In the words of Brad Pitt in the classic family film, Seven, 'What's in the box?'
502 Club Raffle Winners: Did you win a Yamaha Wabash eBike?
If you bought a ticket we are pretty sure this will be the most exciting video of a spreadsheet you see today.
New 2025 range of Singletrack merch out now
We’ve been busy tracking down the best quality clothing we could find to add our logo to to create our new line of merchandise for you. The quality of the…
Each Peach Pear Plum: Using e-cargo bikes to survive picnics with kids
Hannah enlists her friend Celia on a mission to re-enact a favourite book from her childhood. Luckily, Celia is indefatigable.
How to Thrive, not just Survive, this winter
Benji adopts the slithery path to zen in the darker months Acceptance. Acceptance and change. That, to me, is the key to getting through winter. If done correctly, winter can…
Issue 157 – Better With Friends
Is mountain biking something best done as a group, or is there a certain singularity of experience to be had in the solo ride? Chipps and Hannah try to see…
Win This Yamaha Wabash RT Bike and expand your riding options: 502 Club Raffle
Our 502 Club raffles help to support Singletrackworld and it’s sustainability in times that are unprecedented for the media and bike industries alike. Find out more about our 520 Club…
Cat Eye Lighting Bundle: Did you win it?
It’s draw time again for our latest 502 Club Raffle. The prize this week is a bundle of goodies from top lighting brand, Cat Eye. Cat Eye lights have been…
Issue 157 – Norway Hans Rey
What would you say are the greatest innovations in mountain biking? Most would agree the invention of full suspension, then there is the dropper seat post; in more recent times…
502 Club Raffle : Cateye Lighting Bundle worth £460
Cat Eye lights have been around since before Singletrack was born and let’s face it, we’ve always been here. Chipps and Mark once wrote a feature in a long lost…
502 Raffle Winners – Vallon Fjallraven/Specialized
Did you win? If you didn’t buy a ticket then you definitely didn’t. If you did though.. Well, you need to watch this to find out. Yeah, we could just…
502 Club Raffle no.5 Vallon, Specialized Fjällräven Bundle Worth over £750
We may have only just picked the winner of the last raffle but we already have the next one ready to go for you, and this bundle of top tier…