Rachel gives the Thule Chariot Cross trailer a long term test, out on the bike, running, walking… but sadly not on the skis! Ah, the peace, quiet and restorative nature of a solo bike ride, truly one of my favourite things… But I now have…
Rachel Sokal
10 Tips to Surviving The Coronavirus Lockdown as a Mountain Biker
We’re all about the outdoors which can be difficult during the current epidemic, so here are our 10 Tips to Surviving Coronavirus Lockdown. Even with all the latest advice and restrictions in front of you, it’s still pretty hard to plan what riding you can…
Skinny Dipping #004: the World Cup hasn’t even started and we’re already two races down in the British series
In this month’s Skinny Dipping we start off in the UK before heading out to the racing and tech in sunny California. Homeward bound It’s only April and we’re already two races down in the British XC Series. Sherwood Pines hosted the opening event at…
Cycling UK wants you to nominate your top 100 Women in Cycling
Cycling UK have announced details of its 2019 Women’s Festival of Cycling. Now in its third year, the Festival will take place throughout the UK in July with cycling groups and clubs to individuals to register a women-only ride to inspire women to cycle. Earlier…
The 2019 Cape Epic onslaught is over. Maybe.
The Cape Epic is known as one of the toughest MTB races in the world. Although not the techiest of riding, the heat and unforgiving terrain make the eight day stage, 16,650m climbing and 630km race a pretty monumental challenge. It’s also the only MTB…
Skinny Dipping #003: British mud, South African dust and Brazilian firsts
From the mud of northern and middle England to the dust of South Africa and Brazil, we’ve got it here in this month’s round-up of XC and endurance news. Rain in Manchester shocker! We start up in the glorious setting of Whitefield, Manchester and hand…
International Women’s Day | A year of Inspiring Women
On International Women’s day last year we didn’t want to just do a one-day thing to say how awesome women riders are so instead we launched a year’s worth of interviews with inspiring women within mountain biking or people who have done lots to promote…
Interview: Gowaan Gals – Give It A Go And Remember To Be Silly!
It’s the last month of our Inspiring Women interview series and we’ve saved the most fun for last after I spent a very entertaining evening chatting to Enduro racers Bex Baraona and Martha Gill. Trying to keep track of our conversation at the time was…
Get yourself to the Gowaan Gals MTB Festival and win an Ibis frame for a fiver!
The Gowaan als (that’s Go On! in a northern accent and with lots of feeling, or if you need OED pronunciation it’d be something like ɡəʊ ɑːɑːɑː.n), aka Martha Gill and Bex Baraona have announced details of their first women’s MTB festival at Farmer John’s,…
Review | Forget the bum bag – the Camelbak Chase Bike Vest is a hydration pack for minimalists
Inspired by trail running packs, the Camelbak Chase Vest has been purpose built for the minimalist mountain biker that still needs to carry essential tools and spares, along with a decent amount of water. It’s a little different to your average mountain bike backpack though,…
Skinny Dipping #002 – Kielder, Courtney and the Cape
It feels like 2019 has got off to a galloping pace. Not only are we already on our second edition of our XC and endurance news, the year’s second 24 hour race has already been and gone. Kielder Chiller, Almost Weather Thriller Only in its…
Interview: Cycling UK’s Julie Rand – celebrating the good stuff
For this month’s Inspiring Women interview we talk to Julie Rand, Cycling UK’s Volunteer Communications and Engagement Officer. Julie’s been mountain biking since before it was a thing, and her enthusiasm for women’s riding and mountain biking has helped steer one of the Britain’s key…
Skinny Dipping #001 – ‘Puffer’s done, the rest of the season’s to come
In the modern MTB world of bike parks and 160mm full sussers it’s easy to forget that there are many other ways to ride and race mountain bikes, some of which involve actually pedalling uphill. This year on Singletrack we’re going to balance things out…
Interview: Adele Mitchell – it’s not about what you wear, it’s about how much fun you have
Our Inspiring Women interviews have featured a wide range of people from local heroes to seasoned pros. Whatever they are doing now they’ve all had an adventure sport background which makes it easy to see how they’ve ended up mountain biking. Our very own contributor…
Review: Are the Rotor 2INPower MTB Cranks worth £999?
For many mountain bikers, the mere mention of ‘power meters’ is enough to make our eyes glaze over. As Rachel Sokal discovered though, there’s a bit more to these 2INPower cranks from Rotor. It might be a bit odd to start a review of the…
Review: Blue Flow BF37/31 All Mountain Carbon Wheels
Rachel’s been testing some value-oriented carbon mountain bike wheels from a UK-based company called Blue Flow Wheels. How did they hold up? Over to Rachel for the review! I first came across Blue Flow when researching carbon wheel crash replacement schemes (see our ‘Ten Best…
Interview: The Adventure Syndicate – overnight on a school night
No self-respecting Inspiring Women interview series could be complete without featuring the motivational force that is The Adventure Syndicate. In fact, given the founding principle of the Syndicate is to ‘inspire, encourage and enable’, there’s a good argument for the whole series to be about…
Review: The ODI F-1 Float & Vapor grips might just be the perfect option for British XC riders
Ah, the modest grip. It’s probably one of the cheapest parts on your bike and likely one of the most overlooked. But given a pair are responsible for 40% of the contact points between you and your two-wheeled machine, they’re something that we could all…
Review: The Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29 rides well beyond its spec sheet
Earlier this year Wil had the pleasure of heading out to Spain for the launch of the new Specialized Stumpjumpers. We’ve now had the Stumpjumper ST Comp Carbon 29 (130/120mm) and Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29 (150/140mm) back on test to see how they perform on…
Review: The Specialized Stumpjumper ST Comp Carbon 29 may be shorter on travel, but it ain’t short on fun
Earlier this year Wil had the pleasure of heading out to Spain for the launch of the new Specialized Stumpjumpers. We’ve now had the Stumpjumper ST Comp Carbon 29 (130/120mm) and Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29 (150/140mm) back on test to see how they perform on…
Review: Canyon Spectral WMN AL 6.0
Canyon released the new women’s specific Spectral trail bike earlier this year, and it features a unique frame, suspension design and geometry. But how different is the women’s Spectral to the unisex version? We got one in for our speedy tester Rachel Sokal to find…
Interview: Lynne Armstrong – “Watch what happens, it could be awesome”
Everyone we feature in our Inspiring Women interview series has been nominated by you, the readers. The person we have the most nominations for by far is the queen of Scottish freeride, The Clan and Air Maiden, Lynne Armstrong. And why? Over to Heather McCann…
Review of the Highway Code will improve safety for cyclists
Even the purest of mountain bikers amongst us will occasionally venture onto tarmac, even if it’s only to get out the trail centre car park or onto the next bridleway. Today the Government has announced that there will be a review of the Highway Code…
Interview: Dan Jarvis – it doesn’t take much to sell women’s racing, they’re the ones serving up the drama
Dan Jarvis has been involved in promoting women’s mountain biking for many years, first through his university club in Brighton, then as the head of the BN3 DH team, and finally in his commentary and advocacy for all things MTB
Mountain Bike Personality of The Year: The Finalists’ Reactions
Compared to 2017, the finalists for this year’s Singletrack Reader Award ‘Mountain Bike Personality of The Year’ have a lot in common: they’re all current or ex professional racers, they have all been successful in more than one MTB discipline, and they are all women.…
Interview: Sally Bigham – I’ve certainly not made it easier by having a baby
Our Inspiring Women interview series has featured a wide range of people doing impressive things in the world of mountain biking. This month we feature our first professional rider: Sally Bigham. Sally is probably one of the most successful British MTB racers of the current day…
Inspiring Women: Michelle Haigh and the MTB Chix and Trails internet sensation
So far we’ve featured quite a different range of people in our Inspiring Women series. From Rachael Walker in the bike industry at Hope Technology, to the 75 year old downhiller Pat Horscroft, to MTB coach Ally Campbell and finally Amanda Tanfield who is the…
Review: Chicken Line Cargo Shorts and Solid Jersey
I’d first come across the Italian women’s MTB clothing company Chicken Line on the MTB Chix and Trails Facebook group where there was a debate about whether the tongue-in-cheek name amused or angered riders. If the replies were anything to go by, it’s not been…
Interview: Amanda Tanfield – When Ladies Do DH
We’re now well underway with our series featuring inspiring women (and those that inspire women) in MTBing. If you’ve missed the interviews so far, you can read about HopeTech’s Rachael Walker, Campbell Coaching’s Ally Campbell and DH hero Pat Horscroft. This month we’re featuring Amanda…
The Ten Best Carbon Wheel Crash Replacement Schemes
Lighter, stiffer and more available than ever. Is there anything about a carbon wheelset that there’s not to like…? Oh yes, the fact that they’re monumentally expensive compared to most alloy versions and if you do bash your carbon rim too hard it’s unlikely to…
Rachel wrecked two helmets to bring you this review of the sub-£100 Lazer Roller MIPS
When we sent out a Lazer Roller helmet to our resident pedal-head, Rachel Sokal, we didn’t quite expect her to ‘test’ it so comprehensively. Over to Rachel to explain further… The Roller is Lazer’s entry-level helmet sitting below the Ultrax (which I reviewed last year)…
Interview: Ally Campbell – it’s all about the confidence
A couple of months back we started off a series of interviews about inspiring women in mountain biking by chatting to HopeTech’s Rachael Walker and then 75 year old downhill racer Pat Horscroft. This month’s interviewee is MTB coach Ally Campbell of Campbell Coaching. Why…
The Boltby Bash Enduro 2018 brings dust-in-Yorkshire shocker!
Implausibly for some there was an era of mountain biking that existed before Enduro racing. Let’s call this time BE, Before Enduro. In these times gone by, not only did we ride rigid bikes (or maybe if we were lucky had an elastomer suspension fork),…
First Ride: 2019 Cannondale F-Si and new Lefty Ocho fork
It was obvious really that Cannondale would choose a World Cup venue and race weekend to launch its new flagship XC hardtail and super, dooper new and improved Lefty fork. But on account of not being a top international XC rider there was going to…
First Look: 2019 Cannondale F-Si – skinnier, more comfortable and faster than before
This week, whilst Britain was finally getting to enjoy some glorious spring weather, Cannondale launched the 2019 F-Si XC hardtail at the Albstadt World Cup in rather wetter and muddier conditions than at home. Given the pace of MTB geometry change over the last few…
First Look: The all new Cannondale Lefty Ocho suspension fork. It’s a Lefty, but not as you know it
The historians and fans amongst us will already know that the Lefty has been around for almost 20 years. For those of you who didn’t, you probably just feel a bit old now. Renowned for its stiffness, lightness and mind-bending one-sidedness, the Lefty has…
Alutech Cycles: a drop bar enduro bike, and a bike designed by committee. Eh?
Dotted amongst the big brands’ bike livery at the Garda Bike Festival were several smaller German and Italian companies proudly showing their wares. And none caught my eye more than Alutech Cycles, probably because smack bang at the front of their stand was a drop-bar…
6 New Products You Never Knew You Needed: Garda Festival 2018 Roundup
Garda Bike Festival has reached the ripe old age of 25. Whilst it may not be as big as its European brother Eurobike and misses out to Core Bike in showcasing all the springtime product releases, it’s still pretty big as MTB expos go. Plus…
Garda Bike Festival: SRAM and RockShox 2019 Roundup
SRAM was out in full force at this year’s Garda Bike Festival with an amazing array of bouncy and stoppy-go-y-ness. For once SRAM wasn’t launching any new products or upgrades but the amount of new MY19 (model year 2019) kit on there showed just how…
Garda Bike Festival Highlights: First Look – Felt Compulsion 1
Last weekend’s Garda Bike Festival saw the launch of the new Felt Compulsion full suspension enduro bike. You rather needed to pay attention though, Felt didn’t so much announce their new arrival, just put it up on their stand and left you to notice it…
First Look: Abus MonTrailer Enduro helmet
This weekend’s Garda Bike Festival finally saw the long awaited release of the Abus MonTrailer helmet and I was the lucky one who got to go out to the Italy to wear it for myself and sample the sun, dry trails, pizza and ice cream.…
Review: Schwalbe Rocket Ron Addix Speed. Fast XC tyres that last.
Claiming to offer more grip, faster rolling and improved durability, Schwalbe’s new Addix rubber compound has been implemented throughout its entire mountain bike tyre range, replacing the previous PaceStar, TrailStar and VertStar compounds in the process. Our resident pedal-head, Rachel Sokal, has been putting the…
Interview: Pat Horscroft – after you turn 60 it’s all downhill
Last month we launched a new series featuring inspiring women within MTB or people who have done lots to promote women riders and riding. First up was HopeTech’s Brand Manager Rachael Walker, intrepid rider and adventurer and force behind HopeTech Women. We then asked you…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 118: Staying Ahead, Being Last
Rachel Sokal spends a day with the British cross-country queen to talk all things Olympics, baggies, cake, and why if you’re not riding cross-country, you’re missing out on the fun. Words rachel sokal Photography olly townsend When I first arranged to meet Annie, we planned…
Review: The 2018 Genesis Mantle 20 is no boring XC race bike
Last year, Genesis Bikes brought out its brand new carbon fibre hardtail called the Mantle. We gave it to our lean, mean, climbing machine, Rachel Sokal, to put it through some winter slogging to see how Genesis’ lightest mountain bike stacks up. Over to Rachel!…
7 Ways To Beat The Riding Doldrums This Spring
Ah, winter. It can be cold, dank and wet with an absence of those super-cold days with a bright blue winter sky that make it all worthwhile. Normally I’m quite happy to get out and ride over winter. No, it’s not dry and dusty with…
Interview: Rachael Walker – bringing Hope to the masses.
We hope that STW is pretty good at featuring female riders, heroes, and contributors in the same way we do men, but there’s always more that we can do. So, to mark this year’s International Women’s day, rather than a one off feature, we’re launching…
Strathpuffer 2018: 17 Hours Of Darkness, 24 Hours of Snow, -12°C of Freezing
Was this the year we should all have been racing the Strathpuffer?
Behind the scenes changes for 2018 Pivot Twentyfour12
Long-time organiser Martyn Salt hands over the event to equally experienced hands
Review: In 7 Months Of Testing, This Chain Guide NEVER Dropped A Chain
If you use a 1x drivetrain, especially with an oval ring, then you'll want to read this review.