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…
Chipps
With nearly 25 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is 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. Over the last 32 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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 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…
Trail Centre Break-Ins Test The Willpower Of Shop Staff
It seems that number of recent bike shop break-ins at mountain bike trail centres has had some shop owners on the verge of packing it all in. Most recently, Afan Valley Bike Shed near Port Talbot had a(nother) break-in for the second time in a…
Staff Bike Test: Chipps’ Ibis Ripley MK4
This article was first published in Issue 129 of Singletrack Magazine. The first Ibis Ripley, back in 2001 or so, was an alloy softail, a pretty advanced bike for the time. The Ripleys that followed were equally innovative: the MK2 was the company’s first carbon…
Pipedream’s New SRS48 Fork Has Zero Millimetres of Travel. Or Is It Miles?
Pipedream Cycles has just launched its new 29er fork. In a time when suspension is getting longer and longer, the new Pipedream SRS48 fork has 0mm of plush suspension travel. And it’s made of steel. But it’s not about how rad you can get, it’s…
The New Alloy Ibis Ripley – The Ripley AF
There’s a new Ibis Ripley in town. Based on the impressive, carbon (and expensive) 29in wheeled Ripley frame, the Ripley AF offers the same 130mm DW-Link suspension, similar geometry (more on that in a mo’), but in a more affordable package. UK complete bikes will…
Editor’s Choice Awards 2020 – Chipps’ Pick
First published in Singletrack Magazine Issue 134. 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 (even in the UK) as usual, but that’s…
Singletrack’s 2021 Predictions
New year, new us, that kind of thing. It’s at this time of year that we ask our team for some predictions for the year ahead. No cheating or open textbooks (or 2021 OEM brochures) allowed – just based on what they’ve seen and how…
Singletrack Christmas Countdown – Day 18. Win Pearl Izumi Winter Gear!
Pearl Izumi Winter Protection Kit Price: £725 From: Freewheel Pearl Izumi WXB and D3O pads If you’re after excuses for not riding this winter, then look away now. With this full setup from Pearl Izumi, you’ll be ready to ride in all conditions until the sunshine eventually…
Christmas Countdown Day 16 – Win Shimano Winter Boots
Welcome to Day Sixteen of our big Goodbye to 2020, Hello to 2021, Advent/Christmas/New Year Daily Countdown Giveaway. Today, as with every day in our GHACNYDCG, you have two chances to win. Let’s see what it is today. Shimano MW7 Winter Boots Price: £199 From:…
2021 Marin Alpine Trail Carbon Launches Today
There are a lot of bike launches going on at the moment, but there’s always room for one from Marin, which, despite its Californian roots, always has the UK in mind when designing its bikes, whether that’s in keeping lots of mud clearance, or in…
2021 Evil Offering – The 150/140mm Hooligan 29er Rad Machine
The 2021 Evil Offering is here – and the marketing blurb says ‘All hail, the Dark Lord of Singletrack’ so we’d better sit up and pay attention, eh? The Offering is just that big chunkier and slacker than the Following MB, a bike we’ve reviewed…
New Pivot Mach 6 – Get Loose And Go Hard
At a time where it seems that everyone’s attention is on bigger wheels and mullet bikes for more aggressive riding, Pivot is proudly sticking behind its burly new Mach 6 model for that kind of all-round fun behaviour. The Pivot Mach 6 boasts 160mm travel…
The Onza Porcupine Returns To The UK. In white, too!
After a long time away, the Onza Porcupine has returned to the UK! OK, perhaps not quite in the form that you remember – those rounded knobbled weren’t really the greatest for directional grip, but who cared, back in the early nineties? Since those days,…
Video: Gee Atherton’s New Ridgeline Jump Line Is Massive
Gee Atherton is no stranger to massive gaps and big, big air, but the new Atherton Ridgeline might be the limit of what anyone can currently ride on a mountain bike. With the help of his brother Dan and a dedicated dig line, they’ve sculpted…
ENVE Launches Alloy Stem Range
Sure, ENVE currently offers stems, but they’re full carbon and cost around £270 a pop. This new move will offer 3D-forged and machined ENVE alloy stems for £130/€135 The new stem will simply be known as the ‘ENVE alloy stem’ and it’ll come in three…
The PNW Loam Dropper Post Is Weatherproof, Adjustable AND Colourful
Today, PNW is launching its new, direct-to-consumer dropper post, the PNW Loam Post. Coming in at US$200/£154*, it offers a lot of benefits for a reasonably low price. AND you can customise it with colours, which is going to be important to some people. Of…
Renewed Hope For Lee Quarry Trails And Trail Centre
Although it seems like we’ve been here before, nearly a decade ago, we’re back with news of council-backed plans for a trail centre building to support the rocky trails at Lee Quarry in Lancashire, along with work to develop the the quarry trails again. The…
Specialized 2FO Roost Shoes – For Clip-in And Flat Riders Alike
There’s a new shoe on the block, and it’s called the Specialized Roost 2FO. There are two styles available – either full flat pedal, or clip-in. The shoes are designed with third generation SlipNot rubber (we love that name…) for superior grip, whether on pedal…
Pipedream Sirius Returns
We’ve just heard from Pipedream that its short travel fork-ready, steel hardtail has been completely revamped and has appeared in stock ready for riders to treat themselves to an early Christmas present. The Pipedream Sirius is designed for a 120mm fork (though you can run…
Nicolai Launches The Saturn 14 Full Suspension Belt-Drive Gearbox Trail Bike
In a ‘what took you so long?’ announcement that we know will delight some of our friends, Nicolai has announce a Pinion-gearbox shifting, full suspension trail bike. The new Saturn 14 will come in 27.5, 29 or Mullet wheel size and features 130 or 138mm…
New Stif Squatch Launches – The All-Round 29er Hardtail
It’s taken three years of design and tweaking, but the steel tubed, Stif Squatch is finally here. It features 29in wheels, a 78° seat tube and 64° head angle and its designed for a 130mm, short offset fork. Just don’t call it ‘a 29er Morf’…
Fresh Goods Friday 522 – The ‘Oh, Not Again’ Edition
Wasn’t that the thought of the Hitchiker’s Guide whale that turned into a plant pot (or was it the other way round?) Anyway, it seems that Singletrack Towers is locking down again and joining our fellow Tier 3 stalwarts just over the border. At least…
A Chat And A Video With Vali Holl
We’ve just had this interview in from YT bikes, Vali Holl’s bike sponsor about her thoughts on the past, the crazy year of 2020 and the seasons ahead. Let’s catch up with Vali Hol For Valentina Höll, 2020 was the year that would see her…
