We’ve spotted an event we don’t want to do, but we like their videos. Our very own Jason Miles has already set off on the Pan Celtic race, a ‘self-supported cycling adventure, journeying through the Celtic Nations of Scotland, Ireland and Wales’. He did very well…
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.
Is this the year of the sub £2k bike? New Giant models coming soon!
When the Norco Fluid FS1 came through our doors we were all impressed – lots of full suspension bike for under £2,000. It was swiftly followed by a Calibre Sentry, and a Jamis Dakar. Joining the fray from Giant is yet another – the Stance –…
Fresh Goods Friday 456 | The Lonely Edition
We battle through the lonely desert that is Singletrack Towers to bring you this week’s Fresh Goods Friday. Stepping carefully over the body of Jess the dog – still alive, but lying deathly still to conserve precious energy. Past the desiccated remains of Chipps’ coffee…
Video | Midpoint – Brandon Semenuk
Watching a Brandon Semenuk video is like sinking into a deep bath after a long ride, or sipping a G&T at sundown. Invariably smooth with a choice soundtrack, they’re a quiet sidestep from the usual mountain bike videos. This latest release is no different. There’s…
Bike Lust | 2 New Moots YBB Softails
You’d have to be a pretty hard hearted soul not to look at a Moots and go ‘oooh’. All that titanium cleanness, all that muted bling, all that rainbow detailing… no? Doesn’t do it for you? Well. Really. Please, go find some bike shaped objects…
Raw! Raw! It’s Raw! Stanton launches new frame finish
Yesterday this cryptic (and slightly troubling to vegetarians) image appeared on the Stanton Instagram feed. Could it be a new beefier frame we wondered? Was Stanton expanding into farming? We already know owner Dan Stanton dreams of buying a farm to turn into a fully…
Golfie Trails Given Official-ish Status Under New Agreement
Three trails in Caberston Forest – known to many of us as ‘The Golfie’ – are to be adopted by the Tweed Valley Trails Association (TVTA). For one year, on a pilot basis, TVTA will maintain the trails known as New York New York and…
New 2020 Mondraker Super Foxy Carbon 29 – It’s Not For Chicken Lines
Mondraker has just announced the new ‘Super Foxy’, a bigger travel version of the Foxy Carbon 29. With 29in wheels, 170mm forks and either a coil or large volume air shock giving 160mm of rear travel, you get 10mm more travel front and rear over…
First Look | Open Wi.De – bigger tyres, tiny frames
Hannah takes a first look at the new Open WI.DE, which she got to ride around the dusty trails of Sun Valley, Idaho. Open Cycles was started by Andy Kessler and Gerard Vroomen, who had met while working at Cervélo. Wanting to put the big…
FGF 455 | The ‘It’s Bike Show Season’ Edition of Fresh Goods!
Prepare yourself. Get some popcorn and a brew, because you’re in for a long one. Hannah has been to visit her boyfriend Impact Sun Valley in Idaho, Amanda has been to Bike Connection in Andalo, Dolomites, and Mark is on the train to Verbier. Products…
Zoic – A brand for all the family
At Impact Sun Valley, Idaho, Hannah checked out a US brand that’s been around for 25 years but hasn’t really crossed the pond. American riders may well be familiar with the brand Zoic, though it’s likely you’ve come across them through friends or your local…
Review | Genesis Fugio 30 – Classic Steel Looks, Modern Capabilties
Hannah takes on the top-end Genesis Fugio. Find out she got on.
Cairn E-Adventure Bike – A new concept with a strong pedigree
From Impact Sun Valley in Idaho, Hannah brings us a look at the prototype Cairn E-Adventure bike, hitting the trails near you soon. It might seem odd to go all the way to the USA to chat to some folks from England, but that’s often…
Viathon – The new brand poised to take on the USA
From Impact Sun Valley in Idaho, Hannah brings us a look at Viathon, a new brand with some big hitting financial backers. You could launch a new bike brand in a blaze of publicity and radical geometry, or you could fairly quietly develop just three…
Showers Pass | Durable, sustainable ride gear for all weathers
Hannah has been out in Idaho at the Impact Sun Valley media event to check out a bunch of brands and products. Here, she finds out a bit more about the Showers Pass brand and products. I’ve had the pleasure of testing and reviewing a…
4 Unexpected Perks Of Rotor 13 Speed
When Hannah saw the Rotor 13 speed drive train in Idaho, a few little details beyond the basic benefits of Moar Gears caught her eye. 1. Rotor 1×13 Pick And Mix First up is its modular design. There’s only one derailleur for both MTB and…
First Look | Wild Rye Clothing – for women in the mountains
From Impact Sun Valley in Idaho, Hannah brings us a look at Wild Rye, a brand making mountain bike and ski clothing for women. When Cassie Abel started Wild Rye, she did so because she wanted functional and attractive clothing for riding mountain bikes and…
Highland Trail 550 | 2019 ‘Epic Wet Edition’ – What Did It Take To Get Round?
This year’s Highland Trail 550 was, by any stretch of the definition, epic. Heavy rain in the first couple of days turned rivers and streams into raging torrents and chest height flows. Kit was soaked. Not just the stuff riders were wearing, but all their…
Review | Aventyr: A Mountain Bike Board Game
Make even your rest time play time with Aventyr, a mountain bike themed board game. And now for something completely different… a board game? Based around the idea of ‘Trailquest’ or orienteering by bike, Aventyr is a game where players aim to collect points at…
Review | Etnies Jameson Mid Crank flat shoe
Hannah checks out the Etnies Jameson Mid Crank MTB shoes, developed with Brandon Semenuk. Suede? Pale grey suede? What kind of mountain biker are these built for? The answer is one who does tricks, probably on dirt jumps (which are a dry weather activity…) and who…
Tahnee Seagrave Crashes In Practice at Fort William.
Our Andi is on the hill at Fort William MTB World Cup and has just heard Tahnee Seagrave has crashed! Rumour is she’s injured her shoulder and had to be helped off the hill. As soon as Andi gets any more news to us, we’ll…
Review | 2019 Norco Fluid FS 1 – A Sub-£2k Full Suspension Bike
Hannah checks out the 2019 Norco Fluid FS 1, a sub £2k full suspension bike. Norco is sold exclusively in the UK by Evans cycles, and at this price point with that high street access, this is likely a bike that will catch the eye…
New SRAM DH Drivetrains And Troy Lee Camo Colab
Downhill riders get new SRAM drivetrains and a Troy Lee collaboration. While most of what we hear from SRAM involves singing the praises of wide range cassettes and 12 gears, there’s a group of riders for whom getting up hills is of no interest whatsoever.…
Marino Bikes Announces Sell Off Of Sick Bicycles Frames
The long and complicated saga of Sick Bicycles continues, with Marino Bikes, Sick’s Peruvian manufacturer posting this announcement on its Facebook page: Marino previously posted that it had made the frames for Sick Bicycles and the delay was due to non-payment rather than manufacturing or…
First Look: Genesis Fugio 30 – Svelte Steel With Plump Rubber
Hannah takes a first look at her new test bike – the Genesis Fugio 30
Review | 7Mesh Women’s Revo Shorts – Waterproof Your Bum
Hannah has been grinding these 7Mesh Revo waterproof shorts through a winter of slop. Is her bum still dry? 7Mesh is a clothing company based in Squamish, British Columbia. If you are British, this is of interest, because they have weather that is not too…
Fresh Goods Friday 448 | The If Only It Had A Freezer In It Edition
Move along. There’s nothing to be read here. And if there was one of us would probably misunderstand the other’s intention and we’d all end up hacked off with each other. It’s been one of those weeks where words shouldn’t be allowed. He said, she…
Review | Stanton Switch9er FS – UK Made Steel Full Suspension Play Machine
Hannah reports back on her time on the Stanton Switch9er FS, a hand made steel and alloy bike from the UK. Stanton Bikes has a well established reputation for building steel hardtails, so it was with some excitement that the move into full suspension frames…
Sick Bicycles – Are Things As Bad As They Sound?
What is going on with Sick Bikes? Hannah has been trying to get to the bottom of it. ‘Sick Bicycle Co‘ first came to my attention in May 2017, when I ran a story on its rather entertainingly named company and bikes. I liked the…
Video | YT Decoy – An e-MTB You Can Ride Like A Rampage Rider
Our Andi recently went on YT Industries‘ launch event for their new YT Decoy e-MTB, and came away impressed by both its looks and handling. Since the launch, YT has had its sponsored riders out and about pushing the boundaries of what you might think…
Last Chance To Subscribe! Singletrack Issue 125
You need to subscribe to Singletrack by midnight on 12th May to get the next issue of our magazine! Issue 125. One hundred and twenty five. There’s surely some kind of gemstone for that? A significant colour, metal, element? That’s a whole bundle of reading,…
Fresh Goods Friday 446 | The Products They Came In Two By Two, Hurrah! Hurrah!
Heellllooooo May! Are we pleased to see you! The traditional month for warm sunshine, terrible hayfever, and exam revision. We love you, May. So much promise. So often delivers. We’re clicking our heels and springing our steps. And not before time. Only now have we…
Review | Evoc Neo Protector 16L Backpack
Hannah reviews the EVOC Neo – A Backpack With Protection. I’m a fan of having a back pack on – I like having something between my back and the ground when I crash. Yes, I mean when I crash. I seem to have developed something…
Review | BikeStow Bike Rack – foldable storage, no drills required
The BikeStow offers bike storage without the need for fixing to a floor or wall. How did we find it? The unit is well built and has an appealing ‘thunk’ quality to it that I certainly wouldn’t achieve with a home brewed version of it.…
Review | Bell Super 3R MIPS Helmet – the ideal ‘just in case’ full face?
The Bell Super 3R MIPS helmet is a (surprise, surprise) MIPS equipped lid with removable chin bar, but as a touch lighter than Andi’s Editor’s Choice Super DH MIPS helmet, this one is designed for trail riding rather than more extreme downhill stuff. With 23…
Win! | Are You Ready For The Singletrack Easter Egg Hunt?
Want to win a digital subscription to Singletrack Magazine? Of course you do! We’re going to be giving away 10 FREE digital subscriptions in our Easter Egg hunt, but you’ll need to be quick to the party to be in with a chance of winning! Here’s…
How To ‘Fix’ Your Spongy Reverb Dropper Post In Under 2 Minutes
When my spongy Reverb Dropper is driving me nuts on the trail, this two minute hack gets me rolling again. Maybe you’ve grabbed your saddle and lifted your bike. Oops. Or maybe your Reverb Dropper has just mysteriously developed a bit of spongy squish. It…
Sixth Element To Supply British Olympic Tokyo 2020 Team
British Cycling has asked British wheel builders Sixth Element to supply their XC team wheels. With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games only a year and a bit off, training plans are firmly focussed on Tokyo 2020, and no doubt the team riders are looking to…
Review | Anita Active Air Control Sports Bra – No Underwire, No Rubbing
I’ve never really had a problem with my sports bra being too heavy, so the fact that this one claimed to be the world’s lightest sports bra wasn’t all that important to me. However, the fact that the Anita Active Air had no underwiring yet…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 124 : Grayson Perry, Bloke On A Bike
The artist and TV personality Grayson Perry is famously a keen mountain biker. Hannah travelled to his north London studio to discover that the legend might be overshadowing the reality. Words & Photography hannah I’d seen a few articles about Grayson Perry in which his…
Singletrack Magazine issue 124 : Last Word
hannah blind. Will following half-heard directions in the woods lead to peril? Or pleasure? I’m following directions that are little more than a rumour: ‘Through the horse gate, turn right at the fallen tree, push up past the puddle, to the top, where two trails…
GPS Scrambler Devices Cause Strava Tracking Chaos
It has been revealed that ‘Strava Scramblers’ are being deployed by local authorities in an attempt to reduce conflict around popular ride spots. On both road and trail segments, it is understood that by interrupting the GPS signal, phones and cycle computers are unable to…
First Look | New SRAM G2 Brakes – New Pads, Lower Price, Same Feel
Today, SRAM launches its G2 range of brakes, which replaces the former Guide brakes. They’re still a four piston brake, and our brief rides out on them suggest they’re still very good at stopping. So what’s changed, apart from the name? The big news for…
Video | The Unsung Heroes of Brendog & Olly Wilkins
Yes, it’s an advert. But it’s an advert with Brendog and Olly Wilkins in it, so that’s a plus. And they do crank flips, and a ridiculous gap jump, so they get an extra point for that. And, it’s an advert for DMR AXE LE…
Crankbrothers Synthesis Tuned XC Wheels Launched With Industry Nine Hydra Hubs
Crankbrothers launched its tuned carbon wheels for the hard hitting end of the market back in October last year. ‘Reinventing the wheel’ headlines abound, with the news that the rims were ‘tuned’. Front and rear specific tuning – what did this mean? The idea came…
Gallery | NAHBS Brings Out The Freaks And The Geeks
It’s been the North American Handmade Bike Show this week. Sadly we’re not able to fly out there and fondle the bikes, so we’re left to rely on the official press release and images to satisfy our freak needs. What we get is a huge…
Interview | Monē Bikes Reveals US Made Fillet Brazed Steel Full Suspension Bike
Some people think social media is a waste of time, that it’s a vortex into which your soul and time will rapidly disappear. It depends what you’re looking at – if it’s cats, the naysayers are probably right. But if it’s bikes you’re looking at,…
Singletrack Newsdesk 4: New Bikes And Old Legends
Hannah runs through this week’s bike related highlights. As always you can watch the Singletrack Newsdesk video or you can skip it and read the highlights below. Orange Alpine 6 Launched More different than you might think to look at it, this long travel 27.5…
British Cycling Wants YOU To Shape The Sport’s Future
British Cycling got in touch specifically to ask us to run this press release, because it thinks you, Singletrack readers, can help it improve the breadth of representation on their MTB commissions. TLDR? Need a summary? They’re looking for people to represent different cycling disciplines…
Mountain Mayhem 2019 Sponsors Announced
Mountain Mayhem, the longest running 24hr mountain bike endurance event in the world, has today announced their sponsors for 2019, to be held at the magnificent Marston Lodge in rural Northamptonshire on 21st, 22nd and 23rd June. The sponsors are: Cycle Surgery – Official Retail…
