Just as mountain bikes keep evolving, so does food. There was a time when a prawn cocktail would impress people with its juicy shellfish piled high on lettuce with a…
Charlie Hobbs
Grumpy, happy, hairy, overweight and awesome. I started riding offroad in 1978, and never stopped. I was once Charlie The Bikemonger, I invented orienBEERing, the Clunker Classic, and the Dorset Gravel Dash. I own the Bum Butter brand and I'm a co-owner of Dirt Dash Events. I also work at Singletrack, I have the self-appointed job title of "Overlord of the leftovers" and look after the merch shop, and marketing. Other interests include skateboards, surfboards, motorbikes, and cooking (I invented the Beefer Reefer).
Fresh Goods Friday 599: Democracy Inaction Edition
We hope everyone (in the UK at least) is recovering from the white heat of excitement that comes with taking part in western democracy.
Review: Adidas FIVE TEN Gore-Tex Trailcross
This review featured as part of the Kit Essentials grouptest in issue 142 of Singletrack World. All-mountain meets all-weather excellence Price: £160.00 From: adidas.co.uk Tested By: Charlie The Adidas Five…
Singletrack Forum Tool & Beaverage Ratios.
Introducing the Singletrack Forum Bottle Opener. The Singletrack forum really is one of the most amazing corners of the interweb. It is the virtual lounge bar that makes Singletrack so much more…
Issue 142 Singletrack Kitchen: Chipps’ Stag Breakfast
When Chipps got married last year, inevitably there was a stag gathering in the mountains with bikes. Much to everyone’s relief it was a rather civilised affair with lots of good wine,…
Never Stop Playing – Charlie’s Birthday Merch Deal
At Singletrack we like to do a mega merch deal when we have a staffer birthday. Today I turn 50. Blimey. 50. Fifty. 50. Five O. Hmmm? For many years…
Benji’s Turbo Mega Birthday Deal Thing.
Singletrack’s leading bike tech botherer, Mister Benjamin Haworth, is celebrating his birthday this weekend. Benji has been in the mountain bike publishing game for literally ages. He has written guide…
Singletrack Kitchen: Charlie’s Cheesy Chilli Cakes & Roasted Red Soup
This is a nice winter recipe that will warm you through on one of those ‘can’t feel my toes, but can see my breath’ days. Really, it’s just cheese scones…
Specialized Levo SL Comp – Editors’ Choice Awards 2021
The Singletrack Staffers pick the standout products and locations from their riding year. This article was originally published in Singletrack Magazine Issue 140. The year has felt a little like…
Fresh Goods Friday 575 – Tah Dah! All the Fuzzy Feels
This is a warm and fuzzy Fresh Goods Friday – good vibes all round, as you lot kindly donated over £1000 to World Bicycle Relief last weekend, which will get…
Give Singletrack And Save £22.50, Plus Get FREE Merch.
Christmas is almost upon us, and as part of our Singletrack member services… we have come up with a mind blowing gift deal for full Singletrack members (that is print…
Fresh Goods Friday 574 – Welsh Caves and French Punk
We’re going to assume you’re here for a little escapism and don’t want us to remind you of all the things in the news that might make you a teensy…
Singletrack Recipe Column: Cuban Cluckio Sandwichio
Our very own Charlie Hobbs has been persuaded to give up some of his al fresco culinary skills in the Singletrack recipe column. Because, what is mountain bike riding without…
Fresh Goods Friday 572 – Firing On Most Cylinders
A combination of staffers taking half term off, and three staff households having the Covid has led to a half-staffed Singletrack this week. Many of us have been pinged by…
Do plants have feelings? Forum Thread Of The Week
The Best Forum Threads Now Get Prizes. The Singletrack Forum, both the “Chat” and “Bike” variations, are really remarkable bits of the interweb. Here you will find over 523,000 topics,…
The “Be Excellent” Reminder Device.
It’s more than just a watch. I recently visited Elliot Brown watches down in my old stomping ground of Purbeck, Dorset. They had organised an adventure weekend for their ambassadors,…
Singletrack Elliot Brown Watch Available Now. But not for long.
Less than a week to go ’til the order book for the Singletrack Elliot Brown Watch closes. Thanks to all the Singletrackers who committed to support the one off Singletrack…
FGF 566 – Happy Days, Sad Days
We start this Fresh Goods Friday with sad/happy news. Sad for us, and you, but happy for Lauren. She’s been head hunted by a marketing company and lured away from…
Join us at The GT Malverns – tickets on the gate.
Join Charlie & Chipps at the GT Malverns bike fest. We have loaded up the van, packed our party pants, and are about to start heading to the best mountain…
Elliot Brown Singletrack Watch Project Update.
Great news everyone. The creation of the Elliot Brown Singletrack watch is not straight forward. For a start Elliot Brown’s top scientist have been working hard on the creation of…
Join Singletrack at the GT Malverns Classic. 26th – 29th of August
Being a Singletrack full member is bigger and better than it’s ever been. There are a whole bunch of perks and discounts in the members’ area but you are also invited to…
Study Proves Hippies Have Infiltrated Singletrack + WIN LUBE
Charlie has taken a scientific approach to sourcing our next product for the Singletrack Merch Store I started by profiling the staff at Singletrack Towers, as they are a fair…
Singletrack 20 Year Elliot Brown Watch
We are incredibly excited to team up with Dorset based watch company Elliot Brown to celebrate Singletrack’s 20th birthday, with this exclusive watch. Who are Elliot Brown? At Singletrack we know…
Fresh Goods Friday 557 – The One With A Rhino, a Wolf and an Elephant
As that boat finally leaves that canal and heads our way – hopefully with a few bikes aboard – and you continue your search for elusive quick-links and cassettes, spare…
Fresh Goods Friday 556 – The Everything Is Biting Us Edition
This week has flown by in a flurry of nettle stings, sun burn, midge bites and paper stitches. Bulk orders of midge repellent have been placed following a particularly biblical…
Charlie’s Trail Kitchen: Mexican Hangover Cure – Michelada Chilada
Whether you are chilling out in the garden, stopping on the trail, or in desperate need of a hangover cure, the Chilada is a rather invigorating cocktail that will reset…
Fresh Goods Friday 554 – The Make The Most Of It Edition
Yes, a week until the solstice, the weather is (mostly) looking up, previously muddy trails are now dry, dusty (and now full of nettles) and everyone is wondering how it’s…
Charlie’s Greatest Airs: Not Jumpy – Not Grumpy.
We have just had 100 of our “Not Jumpy – Not Grumpy” mugs delivered to Singletrack Towers, and that got me thinking: I am not that happy in the air.…
Celebrate our birthday – or yours – with a screen break
Twenty years, twenty years eh… blimey… where do it go… 20 years of Singletrack mountain bike magazine. We would say it only seems like yesterday, but a lot has changed.…
Zen And The Art of Buying Bike Parts
We now live in very challenging times for buying bike parts and accessories, and indeed bikes. Covid has kicked production in the plums, lockdown has turbocharged demand, Brexit has made…
Member Discounts… Don’t be fooled.
Yeah it’s hot and sunny and about 20c in Yorkshire, but please don’t be fooled by this “fools spring”. This will be swiftly followed by the second winter, and the…
Fresh Goods Friday 541 – The Sunn is shining edition!
While we won’t argue with anyone at all that it’s high time for spring – after all, the flowers are popping and the winter was soooo long and soooo cold,…
Fresh Goods Friday 533 – The Too Much Weather Edition
What’s his name? Storm Christoph? He can bog off now, thanks. We’ve had enough ‘exciting’ weather for a while and we’d just like some nice, dull, grey, dry winter weather…
How A Singletrack Membership Can Save You From Polar Bears
As we draw to the end of incredible Trump’s reign of great nonsense and made up facts, allow me to join in one last time. You see, if we learnt…
Last Shout For Christmas Merch.
All parcels are automatically upgraded to 1st Class postage leading up to Xmas, at no extra cost. The “official” last posting day is Monday 21/12. However, this year is not…
FGF 526 – The Countdown To Better Things Begins
Things are about to get better. No, we’re not talking about world events, we’re talking about the giant giveaway of goodness that is December 2020 Plus A Bit Of November…
Singletrack Christmas Gift Guide – Making Xmas Easy
The joy of shopping for Christmas gifts: the long queues of jolly people, the plentiful car parking, and that simply charming piped in Christmas music that you can never grow…
Lockdown 2 Christmas Survival Kit
In our limited offer Lockdown2 bundle you get everything you need to survive this Christmas in fine style. In one cool hit you get to avoid the colossal ball ache…
Charlie And The Search For The Singletrack Members Gin Offer
Part of my job as “Overlord of The Leftovers” at Singletrack is to bravely search the Kingdom for the finest quality product offers to present to you our glorious Singletrack…
Good People Drink Good Beer
My favourite drugged up gun wielding dead motorcycle journalist once said: “There is an ancient Celtic axiom that says ‘Good people drink good beer. ‘ Which is true, then as now. Just look…
Driving Nowhere For Christmas (with Twisted Sister).
This Christmas is looking like it is going to be the weirdest since rock legends “Twisted Sister” started doing Christmas songs. Yes, that actually happened. Will we only be able…
Yet Again Even More Singletrack Member Discounts
Charlie has news for you: “Great news everyone”… Is likely to become my catchphrase at Singletrack Towers. Within moments of the virtual ink drying on one Singletrack Member perk, another…
Madison To Distribute Singletrack Magazine to UK Bike Shops.
When we stopped selling Singletrack on the traditional news stand there were quite a few sad faces lamenting the end of an era. It was great to casually grab a…
Save £££’s With Even More Singletrack Member Deals
If you are a full Singletrack Member, you should check this out. It’s our new members’ section, and we have been a wheelin’ and a dealin’ with a bunch of…
Join us at the GT Malverns Classic.
Let’s All Mess About On Bikes Again. We want being a Singletrack full member to be bigger and better than it’s ever been. Now there is not only the awesome…
Don’t Be A Discount Dick
We have been beavering away at Singletrack HQ, working on a Singletrack Members Area, and it is coming on very nicely. Here you will find a bunch of great perks…
Singletrack On Benefits
Don’t panic. We are not joining the queue at the Job Centre. Mark and I have been going flat out to make being a Singletrack member even better. Members not…
Charlie’s Business Trip To A Brewery
I recently took a short motorcycle ride from Singletrack Towers, over the Pennines, to the rather pleasant Lancashire (No, Charlie, they don’t like that kind of thing up here) er,…
You’re Grounded! Singletrack Deadline Coffee
Lockdown makes me feel somewhat like being a teenager who has been grounded by their parents. Yeah sure I am no longer a teenager, but I still have a bike…
Love Our Lockdown Cover? Get A Piece Of It!
We’re so excited about the lockdown cover that we’ve created a bunch of new products celebrating its awesomeness, and all the different ways you have got yourselves through the last…