I spent the first part of this year onboard the fantastic Mondraker Foxy, so when the 29er version of the same bike arrived at Singletrack Towers I was quick to claim it as my own. Would the Foxy 29er offer the same agility and stability…
Andi Sykes
Andi is a gadget guru and mountain biker who has lived and ridden bikes in China and Spain before settling down in the Peak District to become Singletrack's social media expert. He is definitely more big travel fun than XC sufferer but his bike collection does include some rare hardtails - He's a collector and curator as well as a rider. Theory and practice in perfect balance with his inner chi, or something. As well as living life based on what he last read in a fortune cookie Andi likes nothing better than riding big travel bikes.
‘Ard Rock Enduro Festival 2019 Dates Announced
Save the dates! The 2019 Ard Rock Enduro Festival, the winner of the Singletrack Readers Awards 2018 for best event, will take place from 2-4 August with entries for the popular event going live this Wednesday at 6:30 am. Ard Rock takes place in the stunning…
Sign This Petition To Save Wharncliffe Trails
The unofficial trails around Wharncliffe have come under threat recently as the Forestry Commission considers the destruction of the locally made features. Wharncliffe Woods has become a popular spot for mountain bikers over the years and is the regular playground of Josh ‘Ratboy’ Bryceland and…
Fresh Goods 419: A Sensible Steel Hardtail, 2 High-Tech Action Cameras, Vampire Blood, And Hannah’s Feet.
Sometimes it really is difficult to think of a good intro for Fresh Goods Friday. We sit at our computers looking at our screens blankly, waiting for a bolt of inspiration to hit. This bolt can come from anything, a flashback, a comment or simply…
Mondraker’s All New Level Is Almost An e-MTB Version Of The Foxy 29
While some bike brands are happy to release e-MTB alternatives to current models, Mondraker develops and names its e-MTB separately from its non-e-bike ranges. So when we looked over the specs of the latest Mondraker e-MTB we instantly thought “surely this bike should be the…
Bike Check: George Thompson’s Geometron G18 29er
George Thompson, ‘award winning’ writer of #MakingUpTheNumbers, joined us at the Singletrack Trade Day for a bit of a ride out in the Calderdale sun. He brought with him what might be the biggest bike we’ve ever seen – but then he might be the…
First Look: Insta360 One X. A GoPro Killer?
Insta360 is a “new school” action camera maker, who rather than simply makes an alternative to a GoPro, has looked at the idea of an action camera from a totally new perspective to bring something new to our action video experience. The clue is in…
First Look: Calibre Bikes Astronut A.K.A The Midlife Crisis Machine
Some people buy funny shirts, or a custom guitar, some people even buy impractical sports cars, but not us! No, for our mid-life crisis we’ve gone for a dirt jump bike, because why not! Actually, we have to get a few things straight first: We’re…
Don’t Speak Too Loudly We’re All Hungover – Fresh Goods Friday 418
Thursday was a big old day for the Singletrack Team and indeed for the whole cycling industry for it was the 2018 Singletrack Readers’ Awards. We had bike riding, bants and beer, lots and lots of beer, and more beer. It was a great day…
Identiti Dr Jekyll Returns 2 Decades After The Original
If you have been riding for as long as we have then it’s highly likely that you’ll remember the original Identiti Dr Jekyll. Back in 1998, this overbuilt dirt jumper was the stuff of dreams for many riders. It featured tough 24inch Halo wheels, a…
BikeYoke Releases Superlight And Hacksaw Compatible Divine SL Dropper Post
German component maker, BikeYoke, has developed a new dropper post to add to its range of posts. The new dropper is aimed at XC racers, has 80mm of drop and weighs as little as 345g when adjusted to suit your bike. Over the past couple…
First Look: Nordest Bardino Ti Prototype A “Fast And Silent” Enduro Hardtail From Tenerife
Nordest is based in Tenerife (lucky so and so’s) so it makes bikes that suit the rocky, volcanic trails they have on the sun-kissed island. The current range includes a host of hardtail frames ranging from the all steel Sardinha frame, the more aggressive steel…
Calibre Hopes To Bring Dirt Jumping To The Masses With The £550 Astronut
Without heading to the Google search bar, do you know how much a competition ready dirt jump bike costs? No? Us either, but after a hunt around it looks like you could expect to pay anywhere from £900+ for something that can take serious, everyday…
Pole Stamina New Machined Big Travel Big Wheel Bike From Finland With New Sizing
Finland’s Pole Bicycle Company was best known for its progressive geometry and clever folding frame designs, now, however, the brand is also known for calling out Chinese carbon frame makers (at least those who don’t seem to follow environmental standards) and shifting production to Finland…
2019 Canyon Neuron Gets 130mm Travel, New Geometry And Starts At Just £1,449
In a break from the normal fanfare and pomp that comes with a new bike launch, Canyon has quietly updated its website to include the 2019 Neuron, a bike so well priced we think it actually deserves a bit of hype. The Neuron has been…
“All Hail Our Animal Overlords” – Fresh Goods Friday 417
Here it is, evidence that the animal uprising has already started. Cats are in cahoots with geese, we can only imagine that one will ride the other into battle, while dogs take to the roads! There isn’t much we can do against this unavoidable animal…
Airdrop Fade Jumps And Lands On Our Christmas List
If you’re at home/work worrying what to buy us for Christmas this year then just stop. We don’t want bath bombs, socks, or a gin advent calendar (well, we do actually), what we really want is an Airdrop Fade. The Fade is the latest all…
Insta360 One X Camera – The End To Drones, Gimbals And Possibly GoPro
Just when GoPro thought they had finally made waves with the launch of the Hero 7, Insta360 comes along with the One X, a camera with image stabilisation so good you won’t need a gimbal, and accessories so innovative that you’ll never need a drone…
These Are The 3 Cheapest Ways To Upgrade Your Bike To 12-Speed
So your current drivetrain is in dire need of replacing. Your chain has stretched, your rear mech has more play in it than a Hillman Imp gearbox, and a hen has sharper teeth than your cassette. If you find yourself on a 10 or 11…
Cotic Brings Manufacturing To The UK With 2019 Cotic RocketMAX. Full Details.
Cotic has done it again! Yup, a last minute email about another bike launch, but we forgive them because this is the bike many of us have been waiting for, the updated Cotic RocketMAX! The Rocket MAX sits just above the Cotic FlareMAX James reviewed a few…
October Online Deals – Save Up to 73% Off RockShox Forks!
October looks like a great time of year to pick up a new pair of suspension forks, save on bike lights or pick up some water repellent gear. 2017 RockShox Sid World Cup Solo Air Boost – £299.99 These 100mm travel RockShox SID forks did…
Jumpack Transforms From Backpack To Dirt Jump In Just 10 Seconds!
If you’re a registered user you may have read our trail tool article from earlier on in the week (if you haven’t read it, register for FREE and check it out now!). In that article Antony tested a bunch of tools to tidy up your…
2019 DVO D1 Fork Range Announced Along with Topaz And Garnett Updates
For the 2019 season DVO, a brand made up of ex-Marzocchi employees has created a whole new premium range of suspension forks named D1. D1 forks have already been spotted on top of the range 2019 Giant Bikes and Giant Factory Team race bikes, but…
Norco Reckons The 2019 Norco Fluid FS 1 Is The Best Bike Under £2000 They Could Be Right
Canadian brand Norco reckons it’s on to a winner with the 2019 Norco Fluid FS 1 and we might have to agree. For 2019 Norco continues to work closely with Evans Cycles to offer UK only bike builds that rival buy direct models for value…
First Look: Pilot Cycles DURO Titanium Pinion Hardtail With 2 Pages Of Options To Pick From!
“Modern, fast agile and low maintenance wrapped in fluent lines.” is what Dutch frame makers, Pilot Cycles, says about its new DURO hardtail. We can’t comment on all of those points just yet as we’ve only just unboxed it, but “fluent lines” yes sir! This…
The 10 Most Attention Grabbing Bikes Of Cycle Show 2018 Plus A Few #teamrumours
We’ve collated our top favourite bikes of the 2018 Cycle Show from over the weekend, and come away with a list of 10 bikes that grabbed our attention for some reason or another. We’ve got race bikes, new bikes, retro bikes, custom bikes and weird…
“It looks like the worst 90’s mountain bike reimagined” – Rocker Mini DH Bike Launched
The mini BMX craze may have settled but could we be on the verge of an all-new mini bike craze? Nah, we don’t think so either, but Rocker BMX do and they’re hoping that the “Mini Rig” miniature downhill bike will be the Christmas must-have…
Review: Crank Brothers reinvents the wheelset with Synthesis
Oh look, another expensive carbon fibre wheel review! But before you roll your eyes and click the ‘back’ button, allow me the opportunity to wow you a little. If I said that this is one of the most interesting wheelsets to launch in the past…
The Trillion Shug Becomes The Shand Shug And Shand Cycles First Hardcore Hardtail
Are you looking at the ‘new’ Shand Shug and thinking to yourself “Huh, I’m sure I’ve seen this before” well that’s because you probably have. You see that Shand Shug wasn’t always a Shand but a Trillion. Remember now? or more confused? Let’s try and…
4 Retro Dream Bikes Spotted This Weekend – Which Would You Own?
The 2018 Cycle Show wasn’t all just about seeing the 2019 range of Whyte full-suspension bikes, or super expensive carbon XC race bikes. No, there was also a good selection of retro machinery on show, but of the following 4 mountain bike classics which would you most…
Meet The £12,799 Mondraker F-Podium Carbon RR SL
Possibly one of the most head-turning bikes of the 2018 Cycle Show was this, the Mondraker F-Podium Carbon RR SL 2019, it also won our award for the least sexy name of the show, possibly of all time. It goes without saying that the F-Podium…
2019 Whyte S120 and G170 C Works 29er First Look
More hot new bike news from the Cycle Show and more from the Whyte stand with a first look at the brand spanking new Whyte S150 and Whyte G170 bikes. Both models are 29er bikes, although the G170 will also be offered as a 27.5in…
2019 Whyte T130 – Now with 140mm travel! First Look
Along with the incredible looking Whyte T120 kid’s bike, Whyte also has a few more very exciting full-suspension bikes on display at the 2018 Cycle Show. We’ll have details of the Whyte S120 and G170 published later, but first of all, let’s see what Whyte…
Are these the most expensive glasses we’ve ever had? Fresh Goods Friday 415
FGF this week started off with just 2 products, but the last minute haul at the 2018 Cycle Show has fleshed it out into another bonanza of bike booty (not the ‘B’s again!). Before we get to the squawking, have a giggle at Hannah’s expense:…
Cycle Show 2018: Whyte T120 A Proper Kids Full-Susser First Look
We saw lots of nice new bikes over on the Whyte Bikes stand at the 2018 Cycle Show yesterday including the all-new Whyte S120, updated T130 and updated G170, but what took us by complete surprise is this, the Whyte T120 kids bike. The T120…
Cycle Show 2018 – Stanton Switchback FS First Look
We’ve only just arrived at the NEC for the 2018 Cycle Show but already we’re seeing some very lovely stuff. Case in point, the all-new Stanton Switchback FS. The Stanton Switchback FS shares the same suspension platform as the larger wheeled Switch9er we’ve already seen,…
Danny MacAskill and Claudio Caluori Take Fans On An Epic Adventure Around Graubünden
Superstars Danny MacAskill and Claudio Caluori take a group of fans for an epic ride on the trails around Graubünden, while taking in some of the locations used in the video “Home of Trails”. With over 17,000 kilometres / 10,500 miles worth of trails to…
2019 Mondraker Chrono Carbon Announced With 1,150g frame
If you’re a privateer XC racer looking for an ultra-lightweight race-bred ride for next season then cast your eyes over this. Now, we’ll be honest when we say that not everyone at Singletrack Towers is a fan of cross-country race bikes, but everyone in the…
2019 Pace RC627 Pushes The Geometry Envelope With Huge Updates!
Details of 2019 bikes are pouring in thick and fast with most brands upping reach numbers while dropping standover height, and Pace is no exception. Well, actually we suppose they are because the geometry changes that the UK brand is making to its classic RC627…
Fresh Goods 414 – Bamboo, BMX, Brakes, Algae, Smart Watches And Acid Brass!
I sit here listening to DJ Boring, sipping my brew from a bamboo cup and await the onslaught of Bronagh. There are a lot of ‘B’s in this weeks edition of Fresh Goods Friday! Beware, brace yourself, but above all do not become bemused! And…
GoPro Hero 7 Range Official Announced With Lower Pricing And New Features
After weeks of leaks and speculation, GoPro has finally released official details for the new GoPro Hero 7. You’ll notice that we’ve not referred to this action camera as an “all-new” GoPro, because it isn’t, but it does offer some major changes. After the leaks,…
Syntace C33i Carbon Wheelset Review. Are These Lightweight German Wheels Worth Buying?
Syntace is a German-based manufacturer of high-end alloy and carbon fibre components. It’s the same company as Liteville; a brand well known for full suspension alloy frames with a suspension linkage lovingly referred to as the “sausage chopper” around the office. Over the years, Syntace…
GoPro Hero 7 To Launch Tomorrow? Here’s What We Know
In a note to investors on its website, GoPro has confirmed that it will be holding a product launch via webcast on September 20th, which is tomorrow. Investors will get to see the launch 2 hours ahead of the new product/s going live on the…
Check It Out! Sam Hill’s Custom “Día de Muertos” Nukeproof Mega 275c
Sam Hill has continued to smash the EWS this year, not bad for a rider on flat pedals who still runs those tiny 27.5in wheels. As a bit of a Thank You for Sam’s hard work and determination over the past season, his team decided…
Steve Peat’s “Bikes And Beers” Tour Coming To A Venue Near You!
Mountain biking superstar, Steve Peat, has announced tour dates across the UK for his stage tour “Bikes And Beers”. The tour put on in association with Troy Lee Designs, Santa Cruz and Peaty’s Products will be held at 21 venues from 16th October – 23rd…
Video: Watch Graham Agassiz Ride On E, Kona Remote CTRL e-Bike That Is!
Ensuring that no one forgets that they have an e-Bike too, Kona has just released this short video of the Kona Remote CTRL e-Bike ridden by free-riding legend Graham Agassiz. The Remote CTRL is actually the second bike in the Remote range but differs somewhat…
Best Bike Over £4500 – Singletrack Reader Awards 2018 Finalists
The Finalists Mondraker Foxy XR 29 Orange Stage 4 Factory Santa Cruz Bronson Carbon C XO1 Reserve Voting instructions are at the end of this article. Read on to learn more about each finalist. Imagine for a second that you have unlimited funds, no mortgage,…
Best Bike Under £4500 – Singletrack Reader Awards 2018 Finalists
The Finalists Bird Aeris AM9 Canyon Spectral CF 8.0 Cotic Solaris MAX XT Cane Creek Helm Voting instructions are at the end of this article. Read on to learn more about each finalist. If you’re shopping for a bike at this price point then you…
Best Bike Under £1500 – Singletrack Reader Awards 2018
Tough competition for the best of our budget bike picks this year. We have two extremely capable full-suspension bikes up against a versatile steel hardtail, all of which are designed here in the UK. The finalists Calibre Bossnut Evo Genesis Longitude 2018 Sonder Evol NX1 Recon…
Best Hardware – Singletrack Reader Awards 2018 Finalists
We’re in sync people! The 3 final nominations for the Best Hardware Award, chosen by you, are 3 products that we all love here in the office too! Thank goodness you guys have the final say though, knuckle dusters and old handlebars are being brushed…
It’s Not Friday The 13th But It Is Fresh Goods Friday The 413th – The No Shock Or Gore Edition
After the shock and Gore of last weeks Fresh Goods Friday we decided to tone things down a little for this week with a few nice items, a lovely looking bike and a quality tune to get you ready for the weekend. Thule Chariot Cross…