Chipps wants to show you all of his favourite trails. Well, nearly all. We all know that there are no secrets any more. Every mountain has been discovered, every field, stream and hillside catalogued, and every vaguely wiggly forest track named and KOMed. It seems…
Chipps
With 25 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps holds the record for the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994.
Chipps stepped down as Editor in April 2026 after 25 years at the helm. He's now wondering what to do next, while riding his bike in the French Pyrenees, where he also runs some gites.
Issue 143 Interview: Guy Kesteven
If he can tell how a bike will ride just by pushing it, why does he keep riding and testing? Words & Photography Chipps Whether you know Guy Kesteven through the thousands of bike and product tests he’s written over the last 25 years, his over-exaggerated ‘bike journo’ riding style, or…
Issue 143: Lost In Time
A few rolls of lost camera film bring back memories of older times. Words & Photography Chipps The fading art of the analogue photograph was always a wonder to me. I can remember watching, amazed, as my first black and white print appeared before my eyes in the college darkroom.…
Issue 142 Editorial: Gambling With Choices
Chipps ponders those moments where the path you choose makes all the difference. We all like to think that we’re, to a greater extent, in charge of our own destinies. Those decisions we make every day propel ourselves towards some ultimate goal. Occasionally, though, life…
Fresh Goods Friday 595 – Big Fork, Little Bar, Cardboard Box Edition
It’s Friday again. Easter is approaching and, soon, summer will be here. Or is it spring? When does it all start? Anyway, not long now until those blue sky days and all-day rides that leave you dusty, tired and in need of a cold beverage.…
15 signs you have an unhealthy relationship with your bike
Yes, it's February the 14th. Time for some sort of crowbarred themed listicle! No matter what happens just remember, we will always love you.
Editorial: The Eternal Suffering Of The Spoke
I was once on a Mavic press launch, somewhere in the French mountains. Our merry band of bike journalists was augmented by some of Mavic’s sponsored riders, including Jérôme Clementz and the flamboyant Frenchman Cédric Gracia. As we stopped for lunch at an outdoor café,…
Singletrack Issue 141 kit essentials: Insulated jackets
Chipps and the team venture out into the chill winds to bring word of the best insulated jackets out there.
Chris Hinds – Unexpected Hero
How much physical and mental strength does it take to finish, let alone win, the 1,800km Great British Divide? More than we could ever imagine. Words & Photography Chipps & Chris Hinds How does that kitsch saying go? To truly appreciate the heights, one must…
MTB Culture: Meet The Minehead Mentors
Chipps takes a ride with the Minehead mountain bike club that’s just for youngsters. Words & Photography Chipps Saturday mornings are busy for parents, with many different demands on both their time and their mum/dad taxis with myriad choices for youngsters to spend the hours…
2021 GT Malverns Classic – 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 approaching that nemesis feature on the trail: you roll up to it full of optimism,…
Glentress Forest – 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 approaching that nemesis feature on the trail: you roll up to it full of optimism,…
Thule Rail Hip Pack 2L – 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 approaching that nemesis feature on the trail: you roll up to it full of optimism,…
Scott Spark RC – 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 approaching that nemesis feature on the trail: you roll up to it full of optimism,…
Bike Check: Dan Milner’s ‘Modern Klunker’ Yeti SB115
Photographer, world adventurer and all round nice guy, Dan Milner (not to be confused with the editor of another mountain bike magazine) has put together what he is calling a ‘Klunker Re-Imagined’. Before all the retro-purists rush out to buy more pitchforks, give him a…
The Mason RAW – New Steel Hardtail On The Block, Ridden
The new Mason RAW hardtail. View and First Ride Review Today, those achingly-cool folks at Mason Cycles are launching the Mason RAW, a steel hardtail. If you’re surprised that Mason hasn’t already got a mountain bike in its range, then join the club. However, it’s…
Review: Shimano MW7 Winter Boots – No excuses boots for winter riding
These Shimano MW7 winter boots are designed to remove any excuses you have about winter riding. Forget ‘it’s too cold’ or ‘it’s too wet’ as the idea of these black beasts is to protect you from the worst that winter will throw at you. Shimano…
Giro Havoc Trousers Review
This review was part of the Singletrack World Issue 139 Kit Essentials Feature Tested by: Chipps Price: £119.99 From: Giro.co.uk Giro’s Havoc trousers are part of its surprisingly large clothing range (there’s a Havoc short and also a Havoc waterproof short). The trousers are made…
Bike Check: The New Carbon Pyga MoBu Has A Four Month Waiting List
We’re so used to seeing the smooth, swoopy shapes of modern carbon mountain bikes, that the angular, chiselled, almost motorsport-like carbon structure of the new Pyga Mobu come as a pleasant shock. And the name hints at its South African origins as the name MoBu…
What A Classic 2021 Malverns Classic!
And what a Malverns that was! For many people at this year’s end of August gathering-in-a-field, this was the first time they’d had a chance to meet, ride and camp with many of their friends (or even anyone at all) for over a year. Some…
SRAM XPLR Review – 200km On A Gravel Groupset
It’s been a crazy year for reviews, just because products have been out of stock, or not even ready when they get launched. So despite talking about this groupset back in March, it took until late July for a rideable bike to appear for this…
SRAM Launches ‘XPLR’ – Its Wireless Suspension Gravel Groupset
Today is a good day to be a gravel rider (whatever that is, but we’ll get on to that…) as SRAM is launching ‘XPLR’ – a gravel groupset with a pretty comprehensive range and depth of components. Included under the SRAM XPLR umbrella is a…
The Hardest Race You’ve Never Heard Of Is Going Past Your Door Right Now
The Great British Divide – something you’ve probably never heard of until about… now – is a 2200km off-road mountain bike race that’s going on right now. There are people on bikes at the moment, racing to the end, and there will be people racing…
Ibis Exie Is Made In-House – Is This A New Movement For Bike Companies?
This week, Ibis Cycles has launched the Ibis Exie (‘X C’ – geddit?) cross country race bike. It’s a 120/100mm carbon fibre race bike that saves weight over the already light Ibis Ripley. What is interesting about it is the fact that the whole size…
Is Scott’s New Addict Gravel The Most Aero Gravel Bike Yet?
Scott Bikes has had an Addict Gravel bike for a few years, which it developed on the back of the cyclocross bike of the same name. Now, however, the new Scott Addict Gravel launches with a sleek new look and a slippery aerodynamic profile that…
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 up. Her partner was supposed to be flying over from the USA in time to…
Schwalbe Wicked Will Tyre – All Round Fast Trail Rubber
What is it with Schwalbe’s crazy tyre nomenclature? Not to be confused with the cartoon, talking penis, Wicked Willie, the new Schwalbe Wicked Will promises to be the all-round trail tyre that most of us all-round riders are actually after… As Schwalbe says of the…
Roval Traverse Wheels Get Star Ratchet Drive Internals
Roval wheels has just launched its brand new Traverse Alloy wheels – and while it sounds and looks like there’s nothing new, the hubs (literally) at the centre of it all have been upgraded with DT Swiss Star Ratchet LN system. This is an 18…
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 that a British summer tends a little nicer after midsummer’s already gone. All those long,…
Three Peaks Cyclocross Cancelled Again For This Year
In ‘not very surprising’ news, we’ve just heard from the organisers of the Three Peaks Cyclocross that the 2021 running of the event has been cancelled. “But why is it cancelled when the Giro d’Italia is going ahead?” we hear you ask. After all, the…
New Reserve 28/XC Wheels: No Weight Limit And No More Santa Cruz
If the ‘Reserve Wheels’ name sounds familiar, it’s because until recently, it’s been associated as Santa Cruz Bikes’ in-house wheel brand. Now, however, with the launch of the new 28/XC cross country wheels, the Reserve Wheels brand is going it alone (in much the same…
Movie: BikePark Wales Reopens
It’s been a tough old year for everyone. And while BikePark Wales was forced to close last year, it gave the owners a chance to work on the whole place without worrying about riders getting in the way of digging, or of digging getting in…
Fresh Goods Friday 547: The Dr Dolittle Extra Animal Edition
Lockdown, week whatever. Or are we still locked down? Kind of not – we can ride bikes with five friends and sit outside a pub in all of our coats. That sounds like freedom, right there. Still, not everyone has been making the most of…
Roval Control Carbon Wheels – XC Race Wheels At A Lower Price
Today, Roval is launching its 2021 Control Carbon 6B XD wheels. It features the same, impressive rim from the Control SL wheels we reviewed last year, only now with more affordable hubs. Rather than Specialized’s own ultra-light hubs, the new Control Carbon wheels feature far…
Fox 2022: Two New Fox 34 forks And Two New Rear Shocks
Fox Racing Shox has completely revamped its line of Fox 34 forks for the coming 2022 model year, with designs that reflect the development of frames and of the all-round trail riders that traditionally run Fox’s 34mm stanchion forks. However, despite two new forks (the…
Video and Interview: Kriss Kyle – ‘Out of Season’
Kriss Kyle is a busy guy. By the time I speak to him at 10am, he’s already been to the BMX park for an hour or so in preparation for spending the morning talking to journos like me about his new Red Bull-sponsored film, Out…
2021 Trek Session: The High Pivot, Idler Pulley, Fast And Fun Machine
Right, get comfy, we have much to talk about. The new 2021 Trek Session is very different, and yet very familiar. Firstly, do we call it a downhill bike? A freeride bike? The Session has great history and has succeeded in many places – notably…
ZIPP 3ZERO MOTO Wheels Updated for 2021
A first, it would look like there’s nothing new about the ZIPP 3ZERO MOTO wheels. They use the same ‘moto inspired’ single wall, low profile rim profile as the previous versions launched in 2019 but there’s something different now about the hubs they use. Previously…
Podcast: Singletrackworld Turns 20 Years Old! The anecdotes episode
On April 1st, 2001 (no, really…) Singletrack Magazine and its website singletrackworld.com were launched. The website evolved off the back of the original GoFar-MTB mountain bike website, but it was relaunched as Singletrackworld.com on the first of April to coincide with the launch of the…
Garmin Launches Rally XC Power Meter Pedals
Today, Garmin is launching a range of clip-in pedals with built-in power meter sensors. There are Look and SPD SL versions for the road but we’ll (mostly) concentrate on the Rally XC, which is the off road version above. The idea of power meter pedals…
GT Launches Grade Power Series Of Gravel E-Bikes
The GT Grade was a pretty radical bike when it launched back in 2014 (the same year as grit.cx as it happens) as it looked like a road bike, but had room for big tyres – even narrow knobbly cyclocross style tyres. The gravel thing…
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, but we’re not quite ready for spring time yet just because we’re still finishing off…
Movie: Never In The Way
If ever there was a short film arriving at the right time – it has to be this new gravel adventure from Trek and Anthill Films ‘Never in the way’. It features (Red Bull-sponsored) Chicago bike messenger, Nico Deportago-Cabrera as he swaps the daily drops…
Fresh Goods Friday 539 – The Where’d Everybody Go? Edition
It’s a quiet old day in Singletrack (Virtual) Towers today as several staff are off on well-earned days off and the rest of us are head-down and working towards the weekend and that well-earned beer at the finish line. With the last lot of winter…
Review: 2021 Saracen Ariel 30
Saracen is back in a big way and its major focus for the moment is the brand new Ariel line. Redesigned from the ground up, while still retaining the multi-link suspension that first appeared on the downhill Myst, the Ariel comes in many forms and…
New Saracen Ariel E50, E50 Pro And E50 Elite
There’s a new e-bike in town: the Saracen Ariel E50, E50 Pro and Ariel E50 Elite (as here). And, while there has been an Ariel-E previously, to be honest, it wasn’t really a looker. This new bike really looks like it’s been designed around the…
New Saracen Bikes! “All About The Ariel”
Longstanding UK-designed brand, Saracen, has been a little quiet recently. Even before the pandemic, the range had slimmed down and news (apart from of the mighty Madison/Saracen downhill race team) was hard to come by. That usually either suggests a winding-down of effort from the…
Sierra Buttes’ Feel-Good Video Is Inspiring For Trailbuilders Worldwide
If you need a bit of feel-good viewing to keep you going until the weekend, then have a look at Sierra Buttes’ video that it has produced, documenting its campaign to connect 15 mountain communities via building and restoring trails through California’s ‘lost’ Sierra mountains.…
SRAM Buys Time Pedals
For years, SRAM had a clipless-pedal-shaped hole in its complete groupset picture, compared to rivals Shimano. With almost* universal acceptance of Shimano’s SPD platform for clipped-in riding, it seemed unlikely that SRAM would be able to come up with a pedal system as simple and…
TweedLove WILL Return In 2021 – With Chain Reaction Cycles As Title Sponsor
We’ve just had word that TweedLove Bike Festival has announced a new headline partnership with Chain Reaction Cycles for their 2021 festival weekend based in the Tweed Valley, Scotland. The online bike store will also sponsor two of TweedLove’s other events this year, covering gravel…
