I’ve been sadistically looking forward to this. Recently I’ve found great pleasure in testing my body to its limits, then just tipping it over the edge, ultimately extending the limit.…
Amanda Wishart
Amanda is our resident pedaller, who loves the climbs as much as the descents. No genre of biking is turned down, though she is happiest when at the top of a mountain with a wild descent ahead of her. If you ever want a chat about concussion recovery, dealing with a Womb of Doom or how best to fuel an endurance XC race, she's the one to email.
FGF 565 – The future has landed
We’ve made it through another week of mis-forecasts, warm nights, high pollen levels and it’s finally the weekend. We’re sure you all have lots planned, but if you find the…
First Look – The Sonder Dial gets a SID Ultimate and costs just £1699!
In the spirit of supply chain issues, our test bike has come with a Reba, but still… the Sonder Dial looks ready to race! The Sonder Dial XC is a…
First Look: Juliana Wilder Carbon CC X01 AXS TR, XC/Trail Whippet
Sitting between the Santa Cruz Highball and the Juliana Joplin in the range of XC to short-travel trail bikes, the Juliana Wilder is an XC-Trail lightweight race bike. The Juliana…
Fresh Goods Friday 561 – The Chipps Gets Married Edition
One might suspect that a container ship has landed, as this week there’s a flurry of product launches and a whole three bikes in today’s Fresh Goods Friday. But never…
5 Frame Bags For More Than Just Snacks
Amanda has been pootling around town with various frame bag solutions to see what shape and size work best. Here’s a few of the best on test! I have gradually…
Red Bull Hardline 2021: Trackside Gallery
We took a walk down the Redbull Hardline track during race runs to try and catch some of the moments between the big features. Clouds of dust, shale flying, the…
Fresh Goods Friday 558 – The I’m Not Too Hot, YOU’RE Too Hot Edition
The current heatwave is both a treat and a challenge. Riding bikes in anything over 24°C seems more challenging in the UK than it does abroad. Our shops and cafes…
Singletrack Magazine 138 Is Coming – Sign Up Now To Get It!
Ah, the buzzing of the bees, the twittering of the birds and the trickle of the stream. All the warm weather bike ride feels. We hope they’re feeding your soul…
Fresh Goods Friday 555 – The Big Life Changes Edition
This week we’ve managed to fit in a house move, a haircut, and an engagement at Singletrack Virtual Towers. If we extend the family ties a little, there’s also been…
FGF 553 – The ‘Hannah’s So Happy She’s Lost Her Voice’ Edition
It’s all good fun here at STW Towers this week. We had Hannah’s birthday (and subsequent member discounts) though it was slightly dampened by her big birthday present not showing…
Fresh Goods Friday 552: The Four Day Week Edition
As mountain bikers, the sun brings us a great amount of yays with very few nays. Yay to dry dusty trails, less to clean up, less layers to carry, GRIP!…
FGF 551 – The Wedding Bells and Sunshine Edition
Oh god, it’s half term, we are out of practice going anywhere, the kids seem to be taking up a lot more space in the suitcase and car (their clothes…
Fresh Goods Friday 550 – The ‘Month To Midsummer’ Edition
Yes, make sure you’re enjoying every day of the summer so far, you’ve got a month before it all starts fading away. OK, OK, it’s not all bad. We know…
Wheels, Tyres, Clothing, Chickens: It’s Fresh Goods Friday 549
Do you ever set out for a ride and realise the moment you’re out the door that your legs are too tired to join you? It happens frequently to some…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 137: Join us now or miss out!
Let us whet your appetite for big days out, last dash golden hour rides, early morning sunrise missions, and the lunchtime leg stretcher. The next issue of Singletrack World Magazine…
Finding Motivation: Bingley Bike Ride Bingo
Amanda and Julia challenge some friends to a game of lockdown bike bingo. In association with… Words Amanda Photography Roo Fowler & Amanda Who else is fed up of talking…
Bikes, Bike Bits & Bum Balm: FGF 546
Happy Friday, Singletrackers! And what a treat we have. The sun is shining, the weekend is here and our favourite eateries and drinkeries continue to work on their outdoor seating…
Wheels, Components, Lycra and Turkish Rock: Fresh Goods Friday 545
There’s plenty of news to talk about this week. I believe the pubs are open? And Scotland is easing restrictions on how many pals you can see at once? Well…
Fresh Goods Friday 542 – Here Comes the Sun
Happy Friday everyone! This Fresh Goods Friday comes to you like a beam of sunlight piercing through the clouds. Optimistic, warm and filled with positivity. It’s a while since I…
What’s Inside Our 20th Birthday Edition? Order Now!
It’s our big birthday issue – 20 years of mountain biking stories and tech. By now, you should know all about our cover – and if not, where have you…
How Does The Female Hormone Cycle Affect Cycling Performance? Part 1
Hormones, the ‘chemical messengers’ that tell our bodies what to do and when to do it, aren’t optional. We can’t turn them off, at most we can try to balance…
Singletrack Women: What’s Our Motivation?
Who inspires the women of Singletrackworld and why? Our staffers Amanda, Hannah and Zoë bring you their picks. Of our small staff we’re fortunate to have three full time women…
Oxford Aqua Evo Waterproof Backpacks – for wet commutes?
Are the Oxford Aqua Evo backpacks the waterproof luggage solution you’ve been looking for? The Oxford Aqua Evo bags both have a waterproof rating of IPX-6, which means they should…
Staff Bike Test: Amanda’s Juliana Maverick Carbon CC XO1 Reserve
This article was first published in Issue 129 of Singletrack Magazine. As I pushed back up a certain (pretty large, for me at least) feature on a huge loop in…
Fresh Goods Friday 534: The ‘We’ve Found Bikes!’ Edition
It’s a crazy time – in general, but also in bike land. First, everyone seems to have sold all of their bikes and there are some long lead times heading…
Ragley 2021 Range – 11 Bikes In Stock Soon!
Another year, another excellent colour palette from Ragley, though there’s no new geometry to report of. A range of 11 bikes with new build options has just landed. The Ragley…
Editor’s Choice Awards 2020 – Amanda’s Pick
It’s been a ‘special’ year, for sure, but the sun has continued to come up and bikes have still been ridden. We’ve perhaps not been to as many far-flung places…
The Self Improvement Edition: Fresh Goods Friday 532
I’m putting my positive pants on for this round of Lockdown. It sucks, for many reasons we are all aware of, so I plan to make something good come of…
Order Good Things for the year ahead – Singletrack Issue 135 Is Coming
Some of you may be barely digesting your Christmas edition of Singletrack Magazine – and if you were lucky enough to be given a gift membership make sure you activate…
Scottish Stag-Do – A YT Izzo UK Adventure
Amanda sets out to bag some Scottish Munros, returning instead with epic memories, incredible experiences and more than a few bruises. In association with… YT INDUSTRIES Words Amanda Photography Pete…
The Big Giveaway Final Week – What Can You Win?
It’s the final week of prize giveaways! Have you finished re-organising your sock drawer to allow for the ones off your nan? Have you run out of turkey and stuffing…
Fresh Goods Friday 529 – The Quiet Mad Friday In Edition
Traditionally this would be ‘Mad Friday’ when everyone would be out on the town being inappropriately over familiar with their office mates while wearing a poor choice of jumper and…
Women’s Endura MT500 Spray Baggy Trouser II
Designed for tough conditions with a performance fit and seat panel waterproofing, the Endura MT500 Trouser seem like the ideal solution for UK winter riding. This is my second year…
Restrap Handlebar Bags: Two Convenient Carriers
Earlier this year I began looking for handlebar bag solutions for carrying a compact camera on rides that I could gain quick, easy access to. In the hunt for the…
Specialized Hotwalk: The £999 Balance Bike
What do two year olds dream of for Christmas? A spaceship? A unicorn? Or something even more unreasonable… like full carbon balance bike? If you’ve got a young one that’s…
How Many Munros is Too Many?
In an adventure supported by YT Industries, Amanda sets out to bag some Scottish Munros, returning instead with epic memories, incredible experiences and more than a few bruises. Not shy…
7 Top Brand MTB Lights: Tested In Singletrack Issue 134
With advances in lights technology, we’re now largely past the point of ‘is it bright enough, does the battery last?’ and into refinements. Does the battery attach neatly to your…
Fresh Goods Friday 521 – The ‘Let’s Get Funky’ edition
Ahh, Friday, the gateway to the weekend and freedom from work. Or not, as seems the case with many of us at the moment. Wherever you are, we hope that…
Fresh Goods Friday 520 – The Take Us To A Quiet Space Edition
Put you left foot in, your right arm out, stick your bum into the air and shake it all about. Never mind tiers, levels, deal or no deal, or clips…
Fresh Goods Friday 518 | The Great British Doorstep Disco Edition
Hurrah! It’s Friday! Go wild, do your hair, get your glad rags on and… erm… sit on the sofa with a takeaway? Humph. What this world needs right now is…
Fresh Goods Friday 517: Autumn is here!
This week has seen the temperature drop, almost overnight, which raises a few points. Have you got a good jacket? Are your socks warm enough? What’s your shoe drying regime?…
Fresh Goods Friday 516 – The ‘Oh no, not again’ edition.
Yep, we’re going to be starting with the news-just-in that us lot in Calderdale, along with the rest of most of the north are locking down again – though not…
Crankbrothers New M13 & M20 Trailside Companion Multitools
Crankbrothers has updated its popular multi-tool line-up with convenient solutions for tubeless repair without having too much to carry. The new M20 and M13 multi-tool include a tyre plug tool…
Steve Peat Is ‘Shocking At Schralping’
In the new Santa Cruz Syndicate video, Steve Peat and Loris Vergier look at a couple of simple bermed corners in the woods above Morzine and debate the merits of…
Fresh Goods Friday 512: It’s Hardtail Season
Let’s start Fresh Goods Friday with some breaking news! Carly, the Scottish half of everyone’s favourite Van Gals, has had her first major crash. Naturally, Emma responded as any good…
Identiti AKA Bike Check: Versatile Hardtail For Trails or Tracks
Here we have another hardtail build by Amanda, only this time she’s gone alloy with the Identiti AKA. For her first stray away from steel, she’s gone for ultimate comfort…
Van Gals VLOG: Dreamy Singletrack in Châtel
By this point, we’re confident you all know who the ‘van gals’ Carly and Emma are. For those that don’t, come join us for a brief recap of the adventures…
Fresh Goods Friday: FGF 511 – The Can-we, can’t we? edition
Crazy times on crazier times. We find ourselves here at Singletrack Towers in the midst of local lockdown where we can’t go to someone’s house or garden, but we can…
The New Giant Talon XC Hardtail
“The call of the trail is real.” says Giant’s new enthusiastic press release about its new 2021 Talon hardtail. To be fair, hardtails are great and they’re all very sharply…