In this week’s podcast we have Andi talking about the Orange Phase that he reviewed recently. This EP8 powered enduro beast isn’t going to win any prizes at the ‘lightest eMTB’ contest, but that’s not really the point, is it? We also chat to Lauren…
Hannah Dobson
More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments.
Road Collision Reporting Guidelines Issued
Following consultation across a range of media organisations and representatives, the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines, produced in collaboration with the University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy, have been launched today. The Guidelines seek to reframe the reporting of road collisions so that they align journalistic…
Binners Has Axle To Grind After Ordeal
Demonstrating that age and experience are no guard against stupidity, Singletrackworld.com near-legend status Forum regular, Adam ‘Binners’ Rawlinson has had what some might describe as the most testing week and a bit of his life. His ordeal started as he prepared to head for a…
Vihti: A Self Shot Mountain Bike Movie
How much effort would you be prepared to put into your sick edit? If your mates are filming, it’s not too bad to push up and ride a feature a few more times. But on your own? How far would you go? Maybe a few…
Fresh Goods Friday 548 – The everything is secret edition
Yes, we have stuff, but we can’t tell you about it. It’s all secret. It’s a moving feast of secrecy. As if it wasn’t complicated enough to remember what can or can’t go in Fresh Goods Friday in any given week, now product launches keep…
Riding DJ Brandt’s X Games Canyon Gap
For most of us, stumbling across a canyon gap would be something to be avoided, probably with plenty of dragging of the brakes, a careful keeping back from all edges by at least three metres, and a good dose of definitely not looking down. For…
Midweek Movies: Steez, Recovery, and Snowboards
It’s practically the weekend already, thanks to the time warp created by that wet Bank Holiday Monday. Which means it is midweek, Wednesday, hump day, and the perfect time to kick back and spend some quality time with the internet. Or, you can go and…
Podcast: Trail Dogs, Tube Tech and Fire on t’Moors
This week’s podcast sees Hannah reveal her trail dog anxieties while Chipps and Charlie try to persuade her that she should be more welcoming of trail friends who lick you. The team tries to think of when you might want a smart inner tube, and…
The Duke, the bike ban and the taxman
In this instance we’re publishing Cycling UK’s entire press release verbatim. Read on, and then feel free to head to the comments! Cycling UK is calling into question the tax exemptions the Duke of Devonshire benefits from, supposedly in return for allowing public access to…
Dropping In: Short Stuff You Should Know
Here’s a round up from the world of bike news. Short stuff, serious stuff, and a bit of silly too. Who Is Taking This Seriously? Antoine Taillefer and Corentin Desbois have teamed up to attempt to break two snow speed records. In this video to…
Video: A Dog’s Tale by Shimano
Dogs or cats? Clips or flats? Pineapple and ham or pepperoni? There are a few topics of conversation bound to cause such division, and trail dogs is one of them. Some of you will view this with a tear in your eye and a happy…
Video: Back On The Bike – A Welsh Adventure
If you love riding a bike, there’s probably someone in your life that you wish you could take out there and share the joy with. Maybe even prove to them it’s never too late to try riding a bike again? That’s just what rider and…
Why Cycles Titanium – Now in the UK, for the connoisseur of niche
We know how some of you feel about titanium bikes. Add in belt drive compatibility and a choice of freak, sorry, niche options and there’s a whole Singletrack Forum thread here waiting to happen. For those of you that are so inclined, Why Cycles now…
Video Vault: Hydraulics, Trikes, Ebikes and MTB
Whether you’re all about the shred, the tech, or the feeling good, we’ve got a selection of bike videos here to pass the time. Pull up a chair, sit on the loo, or just stay in bed a little longer. Eyes ready? Go! Lapierre –…
Magura Raceline Editions – Pro Brakes for the Public
Whether you’re keen to imitate your riding heroes, have a hankering for the early 90s, or just want to draw attention to your very good brakes, Magura has an opportunity for you: Raceline editions of its MT7 and MT8 brakes. Usually reserved for the pros…
6 Freeride Videos – X Games Real MTB Edits
It’s a competition, but who cares – there are now six new short video edits for you to watch, from some of the best freeriders in the world. With its Utah setting, massive step shots and metal soundtrack, Cam Zink’s video has the raw feel…
Interview: Rocksled Suspension – doing things differently
There are few things that please me more than spotting a curious bike being built by someone and getting to ask them about it. Unlike some that I’ve seen, this creation from Rocksled Suspension doesn’t strike me as beautiful, or as a piece of technically…
The Singletrack Forum – probably better than Yahoo Answers
What is Yahoo Answers? Well, it was a ‘knowledge market’ where you could ask questions and the great world wide public would answer them for you – not always helpfully or accurately. However, it’s closing down and so all those important questions you never knew…
British Cycling: Will new structures benefit MTB riders?
British Cycling has announced a number of changes to its Talent Development Programme, which will hopefully be welcome among the MTB and off road community. Highlights includes a first lead coach for female riders, dedicated support for MTB gravity and cyclo-cross, and a clearer pathway…
How To Set Up Your Bike for XC Racing
Synchros has published the first in a series of new ‘Race Ready’ videos with Andri Frischknecht of the Scott-SRAM racing team. It’s actually a really useful introduction to setting up your bike and making choices about preparing for a race, so we’ve made you a…
Fresh Goods Friday 544 – Blinking into the bright future
Have you got your Big Coats at the ready? A nice warm hat? A fetching mask and a handy bottle of hand gel? The pubs are soon to open, and this is surely all essential kit for anyone venturing out there. Remember the days when…
Video Vault: Serious, Silly, Style, and Some More
It’s probably time to chill out, close your work tabs and take a moment for yourself. Bring your eyes and ears this way and enjoy some of the latest videos from the bike world. Amygdala – Brandon Semenuk Who doesn’t like a bit of Semenuk…
Red Bull Formation Returns – Women’s freeride is flying high!
2019 saw the inaugural Red Bull Formation, a freeride progression camp for women attended by a handful of some of the best known names in women’s freeride. After an inevitable year off in 2020, it’s returning, and is all set to take place in Virgin,…
Breakthrough for British Bike Industry Brexit Regulations
Perusing the duller corners of the internet, we were excited to discover some new government guidance which it is hoped will kick start British bike manufacturing. As you’ll be aware if you’ve listened to our podcast on Brexit or read some of our news coverage,…
The TrailRippers: Asking You To Stand Up To Hate
A recent social media post by ‘TrailRippers’ highlighted the importance of standing up to hate speech. While the response from the mountain bike community has been overwhelmingly supportive on social media, it’s one thing to give words of support online, and quite another to stand…
Shimano: All Bodies on Bikes
Earlier this week we brought you a lovely warm fuzzy video from Focus that featured riders from across the world showing what bikes mean to them, and now Shimano has brought out this ‘All bodies on bikes’ video. Are we seeing a shift in bike…
2021 HSBC UK National Cross-country Championships Announced
With any luck we’re going to see some racing this year. If you’ve managed to stay fit during lockdown, here’s a chance for you to get out your finest Lycra and push that heart rate up. Or maybe you’re going to the TwentyFour12 festival and…
All The Warm Fuzzies from Focus
It’s spring, the days are longer, and there are reasons to feel more optimistic. This video from Focus Bikes should give you an extra nice warm fuzzy glow. Focus says: We asked you – the cycling community – to share your stories with us. The…
Fizik Goes Gravity with Versor and Tensor Shoes – first ride review
Fizik has gradually built up its shoe range, starting with road, then heading through XC, trail and gravel – not forgetting winter boots – and now onto Gravity riding. The new Gravita Versor and Tensor are Fizik’s response to the quest for the perfect Downhill…
Pivot Point – Any excuse for some dirt jump fun in the sun
Pivot reveals its latest updates to its steel dirt jump bike, the Pivot Point. Are you rad enough? Who cares, come get your fix of fun, sun, blue skies and red dirt. It seems like everyone is getting in on the dirt jump act these…
Bike Check: Kingdom G 600 Belt Driven Custom Titanium Hardtail
Graham Stock of Sixth Element hasn’t matched his bike to his Porsche – instead he’s had himself a rather nice custom titanium hardtail built, and of course added his own company wheels. I suspect a few ears pricked up at the mention of ‘titanium’. Now…
Video: Yoann Barelli leaves his ego at home
Yoann Barelli loves gnarly riding so much that he’s got a whole YouTube series devoted to riding the gnarliest stuff he can find. But that doesn’t mean he’s mindlessly throwing himself down stuff. In this latest video he heads out on an especially slippery day…
What’s Inside Our 20th Birthday Edition? Order Now!
It’s our big birthday issue – 20 years of mountain biking stories and tech. By now, you should know all about our cover – and if not, where have you been?! It’s a magazine of two halves, acknowledging where we’ve come from, but looking forward…
Podcast: Bowhead Corp – making bikes for life
A life changing spinal injury is one of those things that we really hope never happens to us – but as mountain bikers we know it’s a risk. When it happens, as well as all the obvious and potentially major health, work and accessibility implications,…
Match your bike to your…bright green Porsche?
If you’re the distributor for a bike brand, how do you draw attention to yourself? Sponsor some great riders? Win some races? Do a like, tag, share competition on Instagram? Or, paint your bike to match your Porsche? It looks as though Stefan, the owner…
Revealed: Our 20th Anniversary Cover – how will you read yours?
We’re about to turn 20! Thanks to all our readers and Members, the next issue of Singletrack Magazine will mark 20 years of independent mountain bike publishing. We think that’s worth celebrating, so we’ve got an extra special edition magazine coming your way. To mark…
Save more on Shimano and Chrome at Sports Pursuit with Singletrack
Singletrack Members get more than a magazine – they get ad free access to the website, access to extra stories, and they get discounts with a whole range of online shops. One of those shops is Sports Pursuit, which we know lots of you like…
Singletrack Podcast: What’s the point of bike tests?
For this episode, it was a question from a reader that sparked the conversation: they wanted to know ‘why don’t we test bikes to see which is the fastest?’. Hannah, Mark and Chipps navigate their way through this question, plus a whole pile of tangental…
Rocky Mountain 2021 : Goodbye Thunderbolt, Hello Instinct
For 2021 Rocky Mountain simplifies its trail line up, merging the 140mm Thunderbolt and Instinct models into a single Instinct, but with size specific wheel sizes and frames. If you looked to Rocky Mountain last year for a trail bike, you could choose between the…
Making Time To Ride: a health check for your home
Leave the ‘mum guilt’ and ‘dad guilt’ at home – check your habits and find everyone the ride time and headspace they need. It’s International Women’s Day. In some respects, I don’t want to talk about it – it’s merely a focal point for an…
Perspectives For International Women’s Day
It’s International Women’s Day, which means many things to many people. Here are some different perspectives from around the web, on women in cycling, and on the issues that people are thinking about. SRAM – Four Essays SRAM has published four essays from four of…
Nukeproof Cub Scout First Look – a proper hardtail for kids
It’s been new bike day at Singletrack Towers this week – this Nukeproof Cub Scout 26 Race has made its way to a very lucky junior member of the STW family. This Nukeproof Cub Scout isn’t a test bike – it’s Kid2’s (Hannah’s youngest) new…
The Legend of Paul Buchanan and The Church Gap
Taj Mihelich has a hand in plenty of fun bike videos, and occasionally makes animations telling bike stories. If you like bikes, stories, effort, skill and art, then tune in to this latest tale. Five minutes of your time and a great little story –…
Mountain Mayhem Cancelled – Again!
If you thought this was the year when events would run smoothly, think again. Mountain Mayhem has been forced to cancel yet again. Will we ever see the return of this event in its new format? An announcement on their Facebook page reads: Coronavirus Cancels…
Video Vault: From BMX to MTB, and somewhere in between
Mullet bikes, 29ers, 27.5+… forget all that for a moment and dive into our weeny wheeled video collection. What can BMX bring to mountain biking, what can bikes bring to you, and what can you do if you throw all the rules our the window…
Evoc Launches new Trail Pro with Liteshield Plus back protector
Evoc has added a new backpack with Level 2 back protection to its range: the Trail Pro, which it claims to be one of the lightest protector packs on the market. The Trail Pro comes in three volumes and each pack comes in two sizes…
Interview: Making The Earthbound FS Bamboo High Pivot Bike
Building bikes with bamboo isn’t new, but this is a particularly lovely example of what you can do with a little time, patience and a whole heap of skill. Having spotted Earthbound Bikes on Instagram, we had a chat with maker Jason O’Nions about the…
7 Bike Videos To Watch With Your Kids
It’s not always easy to persuade your kids to get out there and ride – maybe you’ve bored them to death with tyre pressure discussions, scarred them for life with an epic bog slog, or they just don’t like bikes because you do. Whether you’re…
Fresh Goods Friday 538 – Are You Jumpy or Grumpy?
The countdown to (a bit more) freedom is on. We might (possibly maybe) soon be able to meet a few friends outside, or head to the pub after a ride, or travel to our favourite trail centre. Possibly, maybe, hopefully, if all goes well and…
Singletrack Podcast: Cairn Cycles and the Adventure 1.0 eGravel bike
Cairn Cycles – part of The Rider Firm that also makes Hunt Wheels and Privateer Bikes – produced one of the first e-gravel bikes we experienced, the Adventure 1.0. We’ve followed it from prototype through to production and testing, and as Cairn opens up the…
Salsa Timberjack 2021 – New Alloy Geometry
Salsa’s aggressive trail hardtail gets a makeover in alloy, and will be available in the UK in two builds plus a frameset. The SLX build is the red bike shown here, the XT the white. If titanium is your thing, that’s still available but doesn’t…
