If you were among the early orders, then you might be taking delivery of your Privateer 161 about now. Demand has been strong, and pre-orders of bikes are now being taken for delivery as late as September this year. We had a bit of a…
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.
DMBinS Survey | What Trails Do You Want?
While lockdown might be limiting riding opportunities right now, that doesn’t stop policy makers planning for the future. Scotland has been pushing mountain bike tourism and activities through DMBinS, and their work continues. Right now, they want your input on what trails you want, so…
Then And Now | 19 Years Of Advertising Singletrack Supporters
When Singletrack magazine started, back in 2001, the publishing world revolved around print advertising. Online advertising didn’t really exist, and the online ads that were around normally sent the viewer to a web page inviting you to phone or perhaps email the company… Advertising sales…
Diversion Diary | Making The Most Of Lockdown
Just like all of us, Hannah is looking to survive the social distancing and lockdown. The Diversion Diary is a tale of love under lockdown, and bikes. Only, there’s an added twist: Hannah’s partner, BK, lives in the USA, and they’re locked down on different…
Magura MCi Conceptbike With Internally Routed Everything!
Fans of cable ties and haters of internal routing should look away now. Magura has created a bike with hardly any visible cabling – everything is tucked inside, even (most of) the brake hoses. Does this make for a clean and tidy look, or does…
Bike Check | Jeremy ‘Kickstand’ Hottinger’s Custom Ferrum
Rampage rider Jeremy ‘Kickstand’ Hottinger reveals his new custom Ferrum Bikes frame and build, and gets sendy. A couple of weeks back we caught up with freerider and Red Bull Rampage competitor Jeremy Hottinger just as he’d taken delivery of his new American made steel…
Ferrum Bikes | Sendy Steel From Nevada
When we saw Jeremy ‘Kickstand’ Hottinger’s new steel frame by Ferrum Bikes, it brought a new company to our attention. What was a US brand from Las Vegas doing making steel full suspension bikes? We dropped them a line to find out who they are.…
Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Pedals | Shred The Trails, Not Your Legs
Hannah has spent the sloppy autumn and winter months on these Crank Brothers Stamp 1 composite entry level pedals. Having had my favourite DMR Vault pedals stolen from me (while attached to a bike), I decided it was time to try out some new options.…
3 Thrifty Lockdown Recipes From Singletrack Towers
However you’re getting your shopping at the moment, it seems quite likely that you’re faced with a few challenges due to not just being able to nip out for a few missing ingredients. Online shopping carries with it the perils of unusual substitutions, and with…
Audi Nines Freeride Video – Ski, Snowboard and Bike
Forget that this is actually Audi marketing, because this ski, snowboard and bike freeride video is worth a watch. With a healthy dose of self awareness and parody, it balances a heap of shots of people doing epic things with enough humour to make it…
Diversion Diary | Vintage Bike Finds
Just like all of us, Hannah is looking to survive the social distancing and lockdown. The Diversion Diary is a tale of love under lockdown, and bikes. Only, there’s an added twist: Hannah’s partner, BK, lives in the USA, and they’re locked down on different…
Guerrilla Gravity Gnarvana | Modular Frame Platform Gets 160mm Travel
Guerrilla Gravity announces its latest bike: the Gnarvana – a made in the USA big travel beast. Last time we reported on a bike with a name this good it didn’t end well, but Guerrilla Gravity has been steadily establishing itself with its USA made…
5 Minutes With Jeremy ‘Kickstand’ Hottinger And His Ferrum Frame
We managed to get Utah based freerider Jeremy ‘Kickstand’ Hottinger to keep still long enough to answer a few questions for us, as he reveals his new frame sponsor, Ferrum Bikes. Tell us who you are, what you do and why we should go for…
Diversion Diary | Silver Linings and Simple Pleasures
Just like all of us, Hannah is looking to survive the social distancing and lockdown. The Diversion Diary is a tale of love under lockdown, and bikes. Only, there’s an added twist: Hannah’s partner, lives in the USA, and they’re locked down on different continents.…
Trust Performance ‘Suspends Operations’ – UK Distributor Offers Direct To Consumer Deals
Trust Performance announces it is suspending operations. We look back at the brand’s short history, and wonder if it’s over, or will it rise again. 4th April 2020 – Update from UK Trust distributor, Upgrade Bikes: “As UK distributor for Trust we are gutted they…
Yorkshire Air Ambulance Suspends Services
Yorkshire Air Ambulance announces it is suspending its operations to allow for the redeployment of staff during COVID-19. In a move that emphasises the importance of staying home and staying safe as much as possible, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance will be ceasing its services as…
Diversion Diary | Making Connections and Breaking Wind
Just like all of us, Hannah is looking to survive the social distancing and lockdown. The Diversion Diary is a tale of love under lockdown, and bikes. Only, there’s an added twist: Hannah’s partner BK*, lives in the USA, and they’re locked down on different…
Desk Warrior | New eCommuter Cycle Simulation For Home Workers
Perhaps hitting the zeitgeist with an increase in working from home during the Covid-19 outbreak, online gaming entrepreneur Mr Romeo Fhowk has developed an eCommuter world called ‘Desk Warrior’ which he says he hopes to launch on Zwift, Peloton and other home trainers soon. Many…
Grab 22 Minutes of Good Vibes With This BMX Video
The BMX scene seems to be bringing out the best bike videos right now. This NSFW production from S&M Bikes has got to be up there with the best releases of the year. Good vibes. Warning: this is NSFW, and it’s NSFWFromHome either. It’s also…
Stolen While Still Secret! Gen 3 Stanton Slackline
Generation 3 of the Stanton Slackline has been revealed early – as it was stolen from Stanton HQ in a break in. Keep your eyes peeled folks – if you see it, it’s the only one in the world! Stanton Bikes’ post says: PLEASE SHARE…
10 Working From Home Products That Will Still Be Useful Later
Here’s our guide to working from home more in comfort, without buying a load of stuff you won’t need in future. If you’re working from home, you may have noticed that this presents some challenges. Not just the obvious one of trying to juggle kids,…
New 4th generation Cotic Rocket launches today
Today, Cotic brings us the new 4th generation Cotic Rocket. Made in the UK, with the strap line ‘You’d be faster on a Rocket’, read on for the full press release from Cotic’s owner, Cy. May I ask for your attention for the new, 4th…
2020 Women’s Cycling Awards Winners Announced
London Bike Show, the UK’s largest cycling and triathlon exhibition and Cycling UK, the national cycling charity, have today announced the winners of the inaugural Women’s Cycling Awards. Our Hannah was nominated, but was more than happy to lose out in such a great field…
Fresh Goods Friday 493 | The Lockdown Birthday Edition
Happy Birthday to Amanda, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to Amanda, hope you know we love you! Yes, today is Amanda’s birthday, and she is not entirely happy about it. She’s not entirely happy about anything at the moment, thanks to the local annoying…
Diversion Diary | How To Find Silence In A Virtual World
Just like all of us, Hannah is looking to survive the social distancing and lockdown. Only, there’s already a heap of distance between her and her partner BK, who lives in the USA. In some respects this week was easier, in that everyone was now…
Bike Shops Classed as ‘Essential Service’, May Remain Open
What do the new UK COVID-19 restrictions mean for bike shops? Yes, they can be open, but can we actually go to them?! When the UK Government issued strict new ‘lockdown’ or ‘stay at home’ rules last night, it specifically allowed for a single instance…
Are Bike Shops Seeing A Coronavirus Boost?
Perhaps contrary to expectations, bike shops up and down the country have reported exceptional demand today. Requests for servicing of bikes, as well as sales, were on a par with the busiest days of summer. One shop reported their 7th busiest day of trading ever,…
Europe’s Dream Trails | Llangollen, Wales
Radon Bikes has issued this new video highlighting the great trails of Europe. Of course, we can’t ride them all at the moment, but that needn’t stop us appreciating the fun we could be having (and will be having again, at some point). Radon says:…
Cotic Launches ‘Love It Or Your Money Back’
With brands trying to figure out the best way to keep sales rolling during COVID-19 measures, Cotic has taken quite the step, and is offering a ‘ Love It Or Your Money Back guarantee ‘. Here’s the press release. Hello! From today Cotic are offering…
FGF 492 – Moving Heaven And Earth For You
It’s been an interesting week, again. It’s taken a little more effort than usual to keep things ticking along. We’ve sent the next issue of the magazine off to the printer, thanks to all kinds of new ways of remote working, editing and proofing. We’ve…
IMBA Statement On Mountain Biking And COVID-19
IMBA – the International Mountain Biking Association, an advocacy group which is very influential in the USA and other parts of the world, but less prominent in the UK, has issued the following message to its members on mountain biking during the COVID-19 pandemic. To…
TweedLove Reschedule 80% of 2020 Events Calendar
It’s not unexpected, but with TweedLove’s COVID-19 induced reschedule, it’s a huge chunk of the cycling calendar being shifted. You have until 31st March to claim a refund if you can’t make the new dates. In response to the global CV-19 outbreak, TweedLove organisers Hillside…
Diversion Diary – Alone During Corona Virus Lockdown
Just like all of us, Hannah is looking to survive the social distancing and lockdown. Only, there’s already a heap of distance between her and the one she loves. My partner lives in the USA. This situation is less than ideal, but it’s how it…
DMR Versa Pedal – Clips, Flats or Both?
Clips or Flats? Both! The DMR Versa pedal seeks to offer the best of both worlds, by giving you both options in one pedal. The DMR Versa is an extruded an CNC machined aluminium pedal with chromoly axle, featuring a clip-in pedal interface on one…
ION Scrub Amp Flat Pedal Shoe – First Ride Review
Ion has been making shoes for four years now, and flat pedal shoes since 2018. The new range is launched today, and we have had the new ION Scrub Amp shoes in for a quick pre-launch test. The flat pedal shoes for 2020 use a…
Singletrack Issue 130 | Get It Delivered To Your Door!
On top of Covid-19 precautions and quarantines, this issue we’ve fought flooding and endless travel plan disruptions to bring you the next issue of Singletrack Magazine. We think it’s a great issue, and all you need to do now is subscribe. Do it by midnight…
PUSH Elevensix HD | Shocks Revised, Revamped and Revealed!
The precursor to the new PUSH Elevensix HD shock already surely fell into the category of dream-bike build kits – will the latest developments make the lust even stronger? Each PUSH Elevensix shock is built for the bike it will be fitted to, taking account…
Video: Madman Trails of Bhutan with Wyn Masters and Cody Kelley
Bhutan…a very long way away from Singletrack Towers. While we doubt we’re going to get out there to ride the event this press release was promoting, we have to admit the trails do look rather nice. Seemingly His Royal Highness, Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck is…
Bespoked Bike Show Delayed To October
Another event has been postponed thanks to Coronavirus: Bristol based Bespoked, the UK’s handmade bike show. Looks like us bikey folks are going to find ourselves with a lot of free weekends this spring. The press release reads: Bespoked is a celebration of our global…
Go Bananas, Go Disco, Go Retro – It’s Fresh Goods Friday 490
How often do you find that things don’t quite work out like you imagined? Cupcakes, for example. You order one in the cafe and it looks delicious, only when it arrives it’s all frilly icing and no flavour. Or when you look forward to being…
How to stop your bike being stolen
Wondering how to stop your bike being stolen? There’s no guaranteed way. But there are lots of things you can do to make it less likely. Sadly we’ve experienced a bunch of bike thefts in the area around Singletrack Towers. We’ve had bikes stolen, as…
Mondraker Celebrates ’20 Years of Winning’
Established in 2000, Mondraker is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. Pioneers of ‘Forward Geometry’, what looked funky then has grown into something of an industry standard now. To mark their birthday, they’ve made a video showing their bikes through the ages racing down the…
Teased: New EXT ERA Fork
Makers of very good coil shocks EXT are in full tease mode, as they prepare to reveal their first MTB suspension fork. We reviewed the EXT Storia V3 shock recently, and it left our reviewer very impressed by its performance. Count us interested then in…
From In A Tunnel, It’s Fresh Goods Friday 489
You can be forgiven for feeling a bit flat this Friday. Between floods, virus fears and the politicising of tea and crisps, it’s been a tough week. Here are some positive things that happened this week to try and brighten your horizons: Amanda – I’ve…
Recyclable Carbon Wheels Made By Robots! Revel Wheels Revealed
One of the complaints many have about carbon fibre is its inability to be recycled. Revel Bikes has teamed up with makers of Fusion-Fiber to bring you recyclable carbon wheels with better environmental credentials. Fusion-Fiber was developed by an aerospace company as a form of…
Stay Tuned For Bike Connection Winter 2020
Amanda is out in Italy at Bike Connection Winter 2020 – stay tuned to our channels for product news and inside info. Bike Connection is an opportunity for brands and media to meet up and look over products, test some out, and generally catch up…
Slickrock Trail Saved From Oil & Gas Operations
Moab’s world famous Slickrock trail seems to have escaped a recent threat from oil and gas operations… for now. Under US land laws, parcels of BLM land can be nominated for potential leasing for oil and gas extraction. A comment period follows, during which time…
Nina Hoffmann | The Newest Stif MTB Team Rider
Stif Mountain Bikes is ready to kick start the 2020 race season, announcing that rising DH World Cup star, Nina Hoffmann, will be flying the Stif Mountain Bikes flag across the globe throughout 2020. The press release reads: ‘In 2019 the 23-year old German racer…
Commencal Meta TR SX | A Bike For Those That Party?
Commencal reveals the new Meta TR SX, a bike for those ‘who want to ride harder and stronger and who think that enjoying oneself is most important’. It’s for those that want to play, not race. Take a moment to appreciate it – we have…
New Salsa Rustler in Aluminium, Plus New Range Colours
Salsa has revealed the new line up of colours and builds for the Salsa Horsethief, Spearfish and Rustler, plus a new Rustler frame in Aluminium. UK riders a can stand down however: due to import costs, you’ll only be getting the carbon frameset options here…
YT Jeffsy Primus | A Full Suspension Bike For The Young And Talented
It makes sense that YT should launch a kids’ bike, given they’ve been scouting the world for new Young Talent. So here it is: the Jeffsy Primus. There are two bikes in the range, one with 24 inch wheels, and one with 26 inch wheels…
