Hannah, Benji and Mark sit down for a chat about the news you may have missed and the news that got them thinking. Benji likes Strava, Hannah is pretty sure she doesn’t. Is racers being cautious about injuries a new and emerging trend? Expect diversions,…
Mark Alker
Mark has been riding mountain bikes for over 30 years and co-owns Singletrack, where he's been publisher for 25 years. While his official title might be Managing Director, his actual job description is "whatever needs doing" – from wrangling finances and keeping the lights on to occasionally remembering to ride bikes for fun rather than just work. He's seen the sport evolve from rigid forks to whatever madness the industry dreams up next, and he's still not entirely sure what "gravel" is. When he's not buried in spreadsheets or chasing late invoices, he's probably thinking about his next ride.
Talking About: How Far Can Your Ebike Go?
Mark and Hannah sit down to chat about the reasons why ‘How far can your ebike go?’ has no simple answer. Video not displaying? Try our Youtube Channel Having discussed all that, we then got to wondering in the office – as batteries get smaller…
Orbea Urrun – Shimano EP8 RS equipped hardtail for mile munching
Urrun means ‘far’ in Basque, which is where the Orbea company harks from and hints at what this bike is for. Following on from the success of their full suspended Rise eMTB with its ‘low fat’ battery capacity Orbea have now taken many, if not…
Garbaggio Nutmegger – Built to forgive bad decisions
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
We’d like our Instagram account back please
If you follow us on the socials you may already be wondering why we’ve been very quiet on Instagram recently. The reason is simple – on the 15th February a hacker managed to gain access, lock us out completely and then demand a ransom. It…
2022 ABSA Cape Epic Grand Finale – Watch LIVE
7th Stage: Stellenbosch – Val de Vie. Distance: 68 km. Climbing: 2000 m After 8 days of limit-testing racing, there is a return to the good life, for those who can complete Stage 7. The Grand Finale takes teams to Val de Vie, the Valley…
2022 ABSA Cape Epic Stage 6 – Watch LIVE
6th Stage: Stellenbosch – Stellenbosch. Distance: 76 km. Climbing: 2700 m Boasting more singletrack per kilometre of racing than in any other 2022 Absa Cape Epic stage, Stage 6 is one for the mountain biking purists, as it explores the famed Banhoek, Idas Valley, StellenboschTrail…
2022 ABSA Cape Epic Stage 5 – Watch LIVE
5th Stage: Greyton – Stellenbosch. Distance: 115 km. Climbing: 2400 m Rusty Gate is, unquestionably, among The Race That Measures All’s most revered climbs. Usually, theassault on it features a pre-amble, a warm-up; but not so in 2022. Leaving Elandskloof, it’s Rusty Gatefrom the starting…
2022 ABSA Cape Epic Stage 4 – Watch LIVE
4th Stage: Greyton – Greyton. Distance: 82 km. Climbing: 1650m The second day on the trails of Greyton wastes no time in introducing the teams to the region’sspectacular trails. A district road start provides a quick warm-up before the dual tracks into the mountains above…
2022 Absa Cape Epic Stage 3 – WATCH LIVE
3rd Stage: Greyton – Greyton. Distance: 101 km. Climbing: 2250 m In 2022, the Absa Cape Epic explores the trails of Greyton like never before. It begins with a day backloaded with singletrack; thus, the opening kilometres of Stage 3 are characterised by the other…
60 bike companies pledge to increase sustainable packaging use
Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) and Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) have launched an industry-wide commitment to reduce plastic packaging and eliminate unnecessary packaging from the supply chain. 60 companies have today announced, via a joint CONEBI and CIE press release, to improve their…
2022 Absa Cape Epic Stage 2 – LIVE
2nd Stage: Lourensford Wine Estate – Greyton. Distance: 123 km. Climbing: 2350m Stage 2 of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic heads due east, taking the teams on an African Odyssey from the luxury of Lourensford Wine Estate into the heart of the hinterland. The route…
2022 Absa Cape Epic Stage 1 – LIVE
1st Stage: Lourensford Wine Estate – Lourensford Wine Estate. Distance: 92 km. Climbing: 2850m The first marathon stage of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic leaves nowhere to hide. Scaling King’s Climb is the first order of the day. A brutally long and steep ascent from…
2022 Absa Cape Epic Prologue Stage – LIVE
Stage: Prologue: Lourensford Wine Estate Distance: 24 km. Climbing: 700m After eight years the Absa Cape Epic, that claims to be the toughest MTB race in the world, returns to Lourensford Wine Estate. We have live coverage of each stage right here on Singletrackworld.com In…
Forum Sentiment Analysis: The mood of the ‘nation’ in 1 graph
The Singletrack Forum is really quite a thing to study. In the last 14 years its accrued more than 10 million posts generated by more than 120k registered users (In 2021 we averaged 1.5 million visitors per month). In that time every topic and reply…
New Santa Cruz Heckler: first ride review
Where the previous Santa Cruz Heckler was considered the electric Bronson, the new Heckler is much more like an electric Hightower.
Giant Trance X E+ 1: 85Nm, 750Wh, £5699
Giant Trance X E+ is 140mm alloy e-bike with 85Nm motor, neatly integrated grip- and top tube-control and a big battery.
Orange Phase MX Team: 170mm + 630Wh = 25% funner
The 2022 Orange Phase MX Team ups the travel - to 170mm front and 165mm rear - and packs a bigger battery than before - 630Wh up from 504Wh.
Orbea Rise M10 review: just happens to have a motor
With the amazing Orbea Rise M10 diet electric mountainbike, Orbea has taken the low fat e-MTB principle and run with it.
Singletrack MegaSack 2021 LIVE DRAW – Watch it here
Join Mark at 7pm on New Year’s Eve, live from his front room for the grand prize draw of the year. If you have entered (and got the question right) any of our daily draws then your ticket is already in the MegaSack and you…
Orbea Rise MT M10 – 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 Park Wales – 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,…
Singletrack MegaSack Countdown 2021 Day 20 – Lezyne Bundle
Into another week with an awesome prize that could be yours in the next 24 hours. Lezyne Bundle – Grip Drive HV M Black hand pump, Digital mini shock drive shock pump, Tubeless CO2 blaster & 2 x cartridges, Ratchet drive multitool, Classic Brass Bell,…
New Specialized Levo Alloy and Levo Comp Carbon
The new bikes are full-power e-MTBs. Three new models in total: Levo Alloy (£5,250), Levo Comp Alloy (£6,750) and Levo Comp Carbon (£7,750).
Singletrack MegaSack Countdown Day 14 – Deity Bar & Stem Combo
It’s day 14 and we are still not quite half way through the prize list. Today we have some cockpit gubbins for you to look at and learn about from top cockpit gubbins people at Deity Components. Price: Stem £94.99, Bar £144.95, Headset cap £19.99…
2022 Focus Jam² 7.0: first ride review
Just in time for the most miserable bit of the year, Focus has launched the new Focus Jam² ebike with the tagline “Happy Place”. Antony takes a first look at the top-of-the-range Jam² 7.0 and tries to identify where that place might be. Focus is…
Orbea Rise Hydro Launches Today With Alloy Frame And Bigger Battery
It’s no secret that I absolutely love the Orbea Rise Carbon that we tested in issue 139 of Singletrack. For me it’s the perfect combination of simplicity, weight and power. The Rise Carbon comes with a full carbon frame, big forks (Fox Factory Kashima 36),…
A Cotic E-MTB Is In Development – And It’s Not Steel
Cotic has revealed that they’re working on an ebike, and having taken delivery of the first four prototypes a month ago, they’ve decided to tell the world about what they’re making and why. Unlike other bikes in the Cotic line up, it’s not steel. Figuring…
Giant Trance X Advanced E + – the new kid on the e bike block and First Ride Review
With the launch of the Trance X Advanced E bike range, have Giant finally hit it out the park?
Decathlon Reveals €2,700 E-Cargo Bike
Don’t read on if you’re feeling sad about living in the UK, because this is probably not going to help. Decathlon has launched an electric cargo bike for just €2,700 – but it’s not going to be available in the UK any time soon. But…
Last Chance To Vote! Singletrack Reader Awards 2021 In Association With Kona
Voting closes on 1st November! Make sure you vote for those you want to win before then! The time has come for you to cast your votes in this year’s Reader Awards. What happens next and who wins is down to you. REMEMBER! You must…
Review: The Saracen Ariel 50E Elite – does a top-end build equal a top-end bike?
As regular readers of these pages will know, there’s a bit of a split appearing in the ebike world. On the one side, there are bikes which promise a diet eMTB experience, with small batteries and inconspicuous motors that deliver a gentle push of power…
5 Pro Bike Checks from Red Bull Rampage 2021
What tyres for… back flipping off a cliff, hitting the lilypad, then heading straight into a sui? Our man on the ground at the Red Bull Rampage practice days, Fahzure Freeride, talks suspension settings, contact points, and brake set up with five Rampage hopefuls. The…
Fresh Goods Friday 571 – The ‘Quick! It’s briefly sunny outside’ issue
It’s all got a bit ping-tastic up here, so some of us are diving outside and enjoying a bike ride while we can, others have their fingers crossed for half term holiday plans, and others are gazing longingly out the window at the forbidden world.…
Boardman Bikes – Long Wait For Bikes Ends Today
The ongoing shortage of bikes and parts continues to affect us all. Whether you are looking for a new bike or just trying to keep your existing bike(s) running the global shipping crisis and the insanely long lead times forced on the world’s manufacturers by…
The 2022 Mondraker Crafty Carbon’s MIND monitors sag, airtime and more, plus more 2022 updates
Mondraker updates its eMTB range with the latest Bosch Smart System and gives Crafty Carbon models a MIND of their own! Have you been on the Mondraker website recently? Well if you care about eBikes and you’re wondering the direction our sport is headed in…
Yeti 160E eMTB is the worst kept secret on the internet, but we can finally tell you about it!
Unless you have avoided blurry spy shots and the odd leak here and there, chances are you’ve already seen the new Yeti 160E eMTB. A few months back, perhaps even longer, we published a list of brands that had yet to release an eMTB. On…
Specialized Release a 7k Turbo Kenevo SL Comp
If you’ve been tempted by a Specialized Turbo Kenevo before but put off by the price tag, this model could be the one for you. Retailing at £7000, the Kenevo SL Comp is in a slightly more realistic price range for most of us. Not…
Orange AD3 is a linkage full-suspension Orange but it’s not what you’re expecting!
The Orange AD3 might not be the linkage suspension bike you were asking for, but you’ll still love it! Orange is known for single-pivot suspension bikes, neatly folded and welded not too far from Singletrack Towers but when they told us they had something new…
What Ever Happened To Animal? The Animal to Elliot Brown Podcast
If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Animal, that brand from that 90’s that made trendy watch straps and steel watches for the outdoorsy types, then this podcast will provide the answer. Chipps talks to Animal founder Ian Elliot about those Animal beginnings and how…
Updated: Red Bull Hardline Qualifiers Cancelled Due To High Winds
It’s just been announced that the qualifying stage of the Red Bull Hardline event currently underway in Wales has been postponed due to high winds. The very brief release reads… Due to the current levels of wind on site, the decision has been made to…
Cairn BRAVE – a Back Road Adventure Vehicle for Everyone?
When I reviewed the Cairn Adventure 1.0 I wished for a more adventurous and burly specced option. It’s almost like the team at The Rider Firm have listened to what I said – you can now get the Adventure 1.0 in a 700C or 650B…
(Please Don’t Break the Internet) GT Launches New eBMX Range
Electric cargo bikes, electric mountain bikes, electric hand cycles, electric road bikes… but we didn’t see this coming: the electric BMX. GT has revealed its new ‘Life+Style’ range of e-assisted BMX bikes, plus BMX bikes with mudguards and gears… is this even BMX? The Life+Style…
EarShots – first look and giveaway of these magnetic earphones for riders
Listening to tunes while you ride is a contentious topic. Even if we put aside the arguments about safety if you ride with traffic there’s still the purist POV about distracting yourself from the nature around you. But the thing about arguments is that by…
Review: Preparing to nuke the EMTB competition with the Nukeproof Megawatt Factory
It was only a matter of time before Nukeproof produced an eMTB but the question was would their first eeb be a GigaWatt or a Nukeproof MegaWatt? Just recently I was out on a ride, enjoying a scenic climb and revelling in my time away…
Pole’s first eMTB is called the Pole Vol… Voima
Pole Bicycles hasn’t taken your suggestions to name their eMTB the Pole Volt (pole vault get it?) but instead the Voima, meaning ‘Power’. Pole Bicycle’s first eMTB has launched and its name is the Pole Voima, a Finnish word meaning ‘Power’. Pole has gone for…
Pole eMTB design officially revealed but questions still remain!
Pole founder, Leo Kokkonen, has posted the final design of his company’s first eMTB, but questions remain. Here is the side view of our forthcoming e-bike. Presale starts soon. Be quick because there is only limited amount of batteries and motors available. Our latest innovations…
First Look – Saracen Ariel 50E Elite, an eMTB that’s actually in stock!
Saracen’s latest Ariel eMTB range is a huge upgrade over its previous bike with new technology a new frame and what’s more it’s in stock! UK based Saracen isn’t a new name in the eMTB market, but the refreshed and electrical Ariel line-up of bikes…
Voluntary Recall: Specialized 1st Gen Turbo Levo and Kenevo
If you’re the owner of a 1st Gen Turbo Levo or Kenevo, then you should check out whether your bike is one of the 15% of bikes affected by this voluntary recall. It’s been discovered that repeated washing (especially jet washing) of these bikes, which…
YT Decoy finally updated with Shimano EP8 motors
YT is finally offering an updated version of the popular YT Decoy eMTB with the latest generation Shimano EP8 drive unit. Believe it or not but it was over 2 years ago when YT unveiled the YT Decoy eMTB, and since its official release the…
The RockShox Domain Fork Is Back! First Look & Podcast
If you’ve been riding mountain bikes for a decade or more then you will probably at least have some part of the back of your brain ringing that bell of familiarity at the mention of the Rockshox Domain. It was a burly fork for its…
