Shimano today has announced that it is expanding its list of companies able to license its MicroSpline hub standard. And about time too! First announced early last year when XTR was launched back in May 2018 and it came with a new hub standard. While…
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 new Cotic BFe – ‘Burly Iron’ is unleashed!
As Cotic rightly says of its burly hardtail, the BFe – ‘right from its introduction in 2005, the Cotic BFe has always been the tearaway of the Cotic family. “The Soul’s stockier, rowdier younger brother. You know the one – loads of fun, but a bit on the wild…
Ibis Ripmo AF. It’s the Ripmo ‘Aluminium Frame’
We can’t say that we saw this one coming… Today, Ibis has announced the new, aluminium framed ‘Ibis Ripmo AF’ – complete with some aggressive street-style images and video. If you’re having trouble remembering when Ibis last made an aluminium frame, join the club. The…
Fresh Goods Friday 464 | The Back To School Edition
All the kids are back at school. The kids in Scotland – who have been back for weeks – are already looking forward to half term. The teachers in England are already looking forward to half term. Daytime gin consumption is suddenly reducing. Soft play…
Trek SuperCaliber | The 60mm travel World Cup race bike
As World Cup race courses get more technical, with less and less chance to recover between ‘features’, the big question in top level cross country racing is whether to go full suspension, or to keep with a lighter and stiffer hardtail. Well, the new Trek…
Lee Quarry Riders Robbed By Masked Attackers With Crowbars
On the evening of Wednesday 4th September, two riders had driven up the access road to Lee Quarry, in Lancashire to go for an evening ride. They parked in the ‘top’ car park before the quarry gate and while they were getting ready to ride,…
2020 Shimano Shoes | Trail Shoes, Race Shoes and – E-Bike shoes?
Shimano is using the evening of this year’s Eurobike Show to launch the new 2020 Shimano shoe range. There are cycling shoes for every discipline here, including disciplines you didn’t know needed their own shoes. The 2020 Shimano shoe collection (and it it quite a…
Singletrack Issue 126 | Editorial – There is no right or wrong…
Words Chipps How is it that I can love listening to a particular band, yet my friend hates them? Or that I can dislike food that is someone’s favourite dish? Or that I can laugh at a comedian who barely raises a titter from others…
New Specialized 2FO 2.0 Clip-in Shoe Launched
The new version of Specialized’s flagship clip-in trail shoe, now called the 2FO 2.0 is said to be even better than the original, with new materials, greater protection and a bold claim that they’ll dry ‘in under four hours’ – now that’s a claim. The…
Pivot Lightens The LES
2020 Pivot LES SL launched. Those Pivot folks in Arizona have just let us know that the new LES hardtail is getting a lighter and even racier version – the SL. The Pivot LES already has a pretty good pedigree (an earlier model of the…
Trek Fuel EX 9.8 | First Ride Review
Chipps nips over to take in some Italian singletrack and bring you this Trek Fuel EX 9.8 First Ride Review For the first ride launch of the Trek Fuel EX, Trek had chosen a quirky hotel about an hour from Venice. Yes, Venice is flat,…
Trek Fuel EX 2020 – The Fuel EX Like Never Before
The 2020 Trek Fuel EX bears little resemblance to the previous model – we take a look at what’s new. The 130mm travel 29er bike is set to be the battle ground of the top brands next year. With enough travel to take on chunky…
Fresh Goods Friday 460 – The Austin Powers ‘I’m spent!’ edition
Yes, yes, yes! It’s the end of a dramatic week of weather, of news, of new bike launches and of people being in and out of the office like yo-yos… This is the time of year where everyone decides to launch their new bikes and…
Singletrack Issue 126 | Hope’s Helping Hand
How one engineering student’s idea became a reality thanks to Hope Technology. Words & Photography Chipps Maxime Lallemand loves riding bikes in the French mountains. He loves racing enduros, and blasting down mountains flat out. The only trouble is, he’s always had a bit of…
Sportline Show | New 2020 Saracen And Genesis Mountain Bikes
Sportline is the name of Madison’s company that handles all of its own-brand bikes, like Saracen, Genesis and Ridgeback and every year there’s a separate Sportline Show event held in a large marquee, or windowless show hall in Milton Keynes to bring all of the…
New DT Swiss 1200 Spline Premium Carbon Wheels Launched
Not only has DT Swiss reinvented its light-but-bombproof star ratchet hubs, but its has now built them into super light wheels with carbon wheels at the new DT Swiss 1200 Spline Premium carbon wheels. But rather than just keep all that light weight for the…
Giro Tyrant – The New Halfshell Helmet For Jumpers And Jibbers
Are you a bit of a jibber? Do you like to bust some phat airs? Then Giro has got a helmet for you – the Giro Tyrant. Today, Giro is launching a helmet that, for a change, isn’t designed to go fast, or be super…
Ard Rock Enduro Festival 2019 Cancelled
We’ve just heard that the organisers of the 2019 Ard Rock Enduro have had to take the difficult decision to cancel this weekend’s event due to biblical rainstorms that have led to flash flooding in Swaledale. In scenes that mirror the unfortunate Malverns Classic in…
The New Yeti SB140 Is Yeti’s 27.5in Trail Slayer
It was the big unfilled hole in the line, so it was no great surprise to see the Yeti SB140 launching today a couple of weeks after the SB165 but it’s arguably a much more important bike for UK riders (or any trail riders without…
FGF 458 | Not Very Fresh, Quite Humid and Slightly Flaccid Goods Friday
We have been wondering what might be the worst job to have in a heatwave. We’re torn between the reprographics room in an office, or grill chef in a kitchen. It’s certainly not us. While we have definitely been melting in the office as we…
No UK Rounds For Enduro World Series 2020
We’ve just heard from the EWS that it has settled on its 2020 dates. And once again we’re disappointed to see that the UK doesn’t feature at all again in the Enduro World Series 2020 dates. And even hugely popular Ireland misses out next year.…
Windermere’s Bike Boat Returns For The Summer
Fancy a Lake District mountain bike adventure with a bit of a difference? Doing a bit of east-west adventuring by bike and need a short cut across Lake Windermere? Left the family, shopping in Windermere for a few hours and fancy a lap of Grizedale?…
Bike Launch | The New Yeti SB165 Is A 27.5 Trail Monster
Today, Yeti is announcing the new Yeti SB165 bike and frame. Slightly confusingly (though we’re sure it’ll make sense eventually) on the back of last year’s SB130 and SB150 bikes (which were 29ers and had 130mm and 150mm rear travel respectively) this new bike has…
New Altec and Trajecta Trail And Full Face Helmets From 100%
In recent years, the 100% brand has grown from its 1980s motocross roots to embrace cycling, with its goggles becoming one of the must-have accessories of the downhill scene and its road glasses finding favour with the likes of Peter Sagan. However, until now, it’s…
Northern Grip 2019 Mountain Bike Festival Details Released
Northern Grip Mountain Bike Festival returns to Stubbylee Park and Lee Quarry in Bacup, Rossendale, in Lancashire on Saturday the 13th July for its fourth year, promising another great year of entertainment, riding and food & drink. Northern Grip is an annual celebration of Mountain…
New Santa Cruz Hightower and Juliana Maverick Bikes Launch
Today, Santa Cruz and its sister brand Juliana launched a new version of the Hightower. It’s the new Hightower and the women’s Maverick – its all-round 29er trail bike. First launched way back (in suspension terms) in 2016, the bike took the idea of the…
Martin Maes Faces 90 Day Doping Ban – From A Race Doctor’s Prescription
In a shocking bit of slightly bizarre news, Martin Maes has just announced that he’s accepted a 90 day competition ban from the UCI’s anti-doping committee despite it being for a non-performance-enhancing antibiotic booster administered for an injury by a race doctor at a race…
Tioga Launches The Edge 22 Front-Specific Tyre
Back at the turn of the century (now there’s a thing to say…) Tioga was big in the world of mountain bike tyres, with treads like the Factory XC 1.95 and its MASSIVE downhill tyres (some up to 2.5 inches!) being very popular. Then it…
Fresh Goods Friday 453 – At Least We Have Eccles Cakes Edition
Could that be summer, peeking its little sunny head round the corner? Or is it just the glint of our tears as we stare out at another day of foiled ride plans and wet shoes… OK, so it’s not quite that bad, but we do…
Orbea Occam – A New Trail Bike. But For Left Handers Only?
There’s a new Orbea Occam on the block! And this time it means business, drawing inspiration from the successful Rallon enduro machine. The Occam has been fully revised and now struts 29in wheels and 140/140mm travel (with a 150mm fork option). Something that is definitely…
Tweedlove Transcend. A Mountain Bike Glastonbury
Last weekend saw over 2000 riders descend on Innerleithen to take on myriad challenges of Tweedlove Transcend, Tweedlove’s new format festival. The idea of Tweedlove Transcend was to bring together riders, expo goers, traders, food and music into one big self-sustaining festival atmosphere where rides…
Hope Technology’s Co-Founder, Ian Weatherill, Gets A Gong From The Queen
Ian Weatherill, the co-founder of Hope Technology and the Managing Director has been made a MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Ian (seen above, and below, right) has been recognised for his ‘services to business, innovation and the community in Lancashire’. He founded the…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | Padded With Knowledge
Words Chipps There’s a fresh sign that’s recently popped up on a bridleway near me. It’s at a road junction between a very minor road and a bridleway. The bridleway in question is flat tarmac for the first 500m until it goes past the end…
Fresh Goods Friday 450: ‘I Thought We’d Be Enjoying Summer By Now’
Remember those school summer holidays where you looked out the window at the rain hammering down and wished it would stop so that you could go out and play on your bike? Well, that’s a bit like how we feel today. Despite the promise of…
Ten Things About Tweedlove’s Transcend Bike Festival That You Need To Know
We’re looking forward to see what Tweedlove has in store for us this year at the newly minted Transcend Bike Festival. It’s basically like a bike race, bike show geek-out, chill-out camping music fest and food & drink festival all squished into one giant weekend.…
Alpinestars Trail Attack Heads to Antur Stiniog
We’ve just heard that Alpinestars’ popular ‘It’s a knockout/devil take the hindmost/battle to the death’ downhill trail racing event will return at the end of June. And this time the venue moves from Hamsterley to a new venue of Antur Stiniog in North Wales on…
MilKit Tubeless Sealant Launches Today To Solve Common Sealant Issues
The tyre sealant market is a crowded one, but Swiss company miKit reckons that its new sealant, simply called milKit Tubeless Sealant, is different enough to win fans. milKit Sealant promises to be lump-free, so that it doesn’t need vigorous shaking and when it dries,…
New 2020 Trek Top Fuel Is As Much Trail Bike As Race Bike
Trek has announced an update to its very popular XC bike, the Top Fuel, that takes it further into the realms of other fast trail/XC race/marathon bikes rather than it being a dedicated World Cup machine. The new Trek Top Fuel is longer and slacker,…
Met Helmets Teases New Convertible Parachute Helmet
Met Helmets has today released a cool video, shot in the Highlands of Scotland, showing Kevin Miquel and Liam Moynihan winching up hills before hooning back down them. And it’s all in the name of promoting an as-yet announced new Met Parachute helmet. The video…
The 2019 Boltby Bash Was How All Bike Races Should Be
The Fourth, modern-era Boltby Bash event took place this weekend in the tiny North Yorkshire village of Boltby, somewhere near Thirsk and Sutton Bank, in the middle of some stunning green Yorkshire hills. The main event is a modern-style enduro, but it has proved so…
SRAM SX Is The Cheapest 12 Speed Groupset You’ve Never Heard Of
SRAM is usually great at letting us media-types know about its new components, often giving us a chance to try it a few weeks before the news breaks to the public. However, we’ve had a couple of instances of ‘SRAM SX’ turning up in the…
Is It Summer Yet? No? Then Enjoy Fresh Goods Friday 447 Instead!
Oh, woe is us! The sky is falling down! Well, wet bits of the sky are falling. The woodburners of the forum have been lit again and Jess the dog won’t come out from underneath the Swobo jacket that she’s adopted to keep the wet…
Video: Are Mountain Bikers Faster Than Roadies? Madison Gets Two National Champions To Find Out
Ever wondered if the time you make up on the descents would be enough to give you enough head start on the climb back up to the top? Or are you a climbing god who’s merely average at descending. It’s always a fun challenge to…
Dyfi Difference – Popular New Course For 1000 Riders At The 2019 Dyfi Enduro
Nearly 1000 riders turned out to ride the 2019 Dyfi Enduro in Machynlleth in west Wales this bank holiday weekend just gone. After the disappointment of last year when the event had to be cancelled due to a waterlogged camping field, over 600 riders kept…
Wales360 Event Cancelled
Wales360 cancelledWe’ve just heard from a couple of sources that the Wales360 event, which was due to take place in mid/north Wales this July has been cancelled, with the organisers, Sweetspot citing a lack of entrants. Riders who had already entered were emailed with this…
Highlights from the Bespoked Show 2019
Bespoked Handbuilt Show 2019 The Bespoked Show 2019 opened on Friday, gathering some of the UK’s (and the world’s) top framebuilders and component companies together with handmade bike enthusiasts under one impressive roof in Bristol Temple Meads Station’s Passenger Shed. Press PreviewOn Friday morning, the…
The New 2020 Ibis Ripley – Even Better Than The Ripmo?
Chipps gives us the lowdown on the brand new 2020 Ibis Ripley The new 29er from Ibis, the Ripley, Mk4, is a degree slacker, half a pound lighter and a whopping 47mm longer than the previous model. It’s even longer and lower than the company’s…
Structure Cycleworks – Carbon Linkage Enduro Bike With WTF Suspension!
If you start from the back end, the Structure full suspension bike looks pretty normal, but one you get a forward of the bottom bracket and… whoah mama! Now that is a different looking bike! And it has WTF suspension! (Standing for ‘Without Telescoping Fork’…
Sea Otter 2019: The New Components, The Crazy Bikes And The Quirky
As it’s going to take forever to bring you individual stories of the thousands of new products launched at this year’s Sea Otter Classic, here’s a bucket of curated new bits and pieces in no particular order for your reading enjoyment. ODI Grips Pioneers of…
Chris Chance Unveils Fat Chance Yo Eddy Titanium At The Sea Otter
Chris Chance is celebrating moving the Fat Chance workshop from the Bay Area to Medford Oregon by announcing a full, US-made titanium version of the legendary Yo Eddy hardtail. He was at the Sea Otter Classic to launch it and to meet up with fans…
Hayes JUNIT Offers Performance Mountain Bike Components For Kids
Hayes (who you’ll remember for brakes, but which is part of the whole Manitou/ProTaper/Sun-Ringle group) has just launched a full range of performance mountain bike components designed specifically for young riders. While we’ve seen smaller brake levers and smaller bikes for years, Hayes reckoned that…
