Judging by these photographs, Wales is proving to be wet. So, as well as all the other obstacles, everything is going to be super slippery and slithery too. Frankly terrifying. It is due to be dry tomorrow when all the action will be taking place.…
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.
Video: Red Bull Hardline 2018 – Course Preview
If you’re still experiencing vertigo after checking out our gallery, then perhaps don’t watch this course preview. Gee Atherton manages to talk his way down this course, which combines downhill with freeride with lunacy. This year’s course combines the iconic road gap jump with some…
Gallery: Red Bull Hardline 2018 – The Warm Up
It’s Red Bull Hardline this weekend. As the name suggests, riders will be taking it in turns to swoop down a hillside on a trail punctuated by gaps which many of us would assume were whole sections of trail that had yet to be built.…
MTB World Championships 2018 – One To Have Watched
Through the miracles of modern technology, it is now pretty easy to watch the MTB World Championships wherever you are in the world, giving riders and fans an excuse to get together for a bit of a party to cheer on the action – even…
Yeti SB130 – Forget Longer Travel, This Is the Yeti You Need
It’s only been a few weeks since we brought you news of the new Yeti SB150, and here we are with another new bike from the Abominable Snowpeople of Colorado. But if you thought the SB150 was more bike than you need, then perhaps this…
The Rampage – Prepare For The Zombie Apocalypse, Raise Money For Charity
We’ve all seen the zombie movies where people find themselves running through a concrete multi storey carpark. Up they run, in and out of pillars, up, looking side to side for exits, up and up until the inevitable roof top finish arrives and the eating…
There’s A Hole In The Road, Please Can We Keep It?
Hannah reflects on the disruption that a burst water main near home has caused, and hopes it continues. There’s a hole in the road where I live. Not your average pothole, but quite a substantial chasm. In the way of things in small towns where…
Look At These Customised Saracen Mysts Heading To The World Champs
Three Madison Saracen riders will be heading to the Downhill World Champs at Lenzerheide this weekend, and to mark the occasion they’ve all been given new custom painted Saracen Mysts. So, perhaps Matt Walker won’t be needing that one we saw at Fort William anymore…
Cycling UK: Government law review ‘ignores the main cause of road danger’
Here at Singletrack we’ve been following Government policy on cycling because most of us don’t just ride off road – we ride on roads to get to trails, work, the shops – and our loved ones do the same. Bez has written extensively on road…
Review: Julbo Renegade and Resist Glasses – ‘They’re Better Than My Eyes!’
Julbo designs its glasses high in the Jura mountains of France, gets its frames made in Poland, and then makes all its lenses and assembles them with frames in its Jura factory. It’s one of very few glasses brands that are still independent, and personally…
Aretha Franklin: A Playlist For Mountain Bikers
Here at Singletrack Towers we’ll take any excuse to play a tune to everyone in the office. There’s a fair amount of track sharing goes on, whether it’s new and cool stuff, or golden oldies we’d forgotten about. While choosing today’s Fresh Goods Friday tune,…
A Yeti, 2 Bears, and a Giant Hannah: Fresh Goods Friday 409
How are you? Do you need a little therapy? Have you discovered that your planned spare room is going to be occupied for at least another year while its inhabitant does resits, or pursues alternative school-of-life type educational experiences? Or are you now steeling yourself…
Wash Your Bike, Save Tweedlove Trees And Trails
Tweedlove organisers have issued a statement urging riders to clean their bikes and kit before and after riding in the Innerleithen area, following the discovery of a disease which kills larch trees and will necessitate the felling of many trees in the area. We’ve heard…
David Turner E-bike Interview: ‘This is an opinion on our nature, which of course is arguable to the end of time.’
When Hannah was in Idaho for the Impact Sun Valley Media Event she caught up with David Turner to talk about his new all-road titanium drop bar bike. Somewhere along the way, Hannah asked him about e-bikes. If you want, you can watch the interview…
Poll: It’s #CycleToWorkDay – Why Don’t You?
Today is Cycle To Work Day in the UK, and we’re all being encouraged to try riding to work. Yes, you all ride mountain bikes (if you don’t, how did you get here?). But we wonder if you ride to work? And if you don’t, why? [poll…
Downhill’s Most Outspoken Pro: Amanda Batty Announces Retirement
If you follow Amanda Batty on social media, you’ll be well aware that a few weeks ago she crashed and injured her lower leg in ways that are not only leg threatening, but life threatening. Having just undergone another round of major surgery to install…
UK Government Launches Entirely Unnecessary Consultation Into Active Transport.
Hannah’s had enough with Government transport planners. Again… I’m going to scream. Actually, I did, though it was more of a desperate guttural groan of suppressed rage and frustration. Why? Because the Transport Committee of the UK Government has launched an inquiry into Active Transport.…
Finland. It’s not all about snow (okay mostly…)
This article was originally published in Issue 115 of Singletrack Magazine. Words & Photography by Hannah. Hannah takes a wintery fat bike trip to the Arctic Circle to discover dangerous downhills, Russian border stations, saunas and moose stew. Before it came to mean an afternoon’s bike…
Last Chance To Subscribe! Singletrack Issue 120
We’ve got a sweat on – and not just because it’s hotter than a furnace at Singletrack Towers today. No, it’s deadline day, and Issue 120 of Singletrack Magazine is off to the printer. Just in case you’ve not already subscribed and aren’t lounging in…
Aston Hill Mountain Bike Park Needs Your Help!
It’s easy to ride and take your trails for granted – especially if you’re paying to play. But it’s not the same as heading to the supermarket and swapping cash for a pint of milk and some bread, and behind the trails there’s often a…
Review: Specialized Motodiva Women’s Mountain Bike Shoes
Sold as an all-round trail riding shoe, I’ve been using these for the more pedestrian end of trail riding – mostly because when things get gnarlier I’ll switch to flats. However, these are so comfortable I have found myself wearing them for more and more…
Mountain Rescue And Ordnance Survey Say: Stay Safe And Stay Cool
Yes, we’re all loving the prolonged sunshine and sweet, dry trails – although we could definitely go with a few less wildfires. But as things are due to hot up again this week, Ordnance Survey and Mountain Rescue are warning people to stay safe in…
Talking Trickstuff: Factory Tour
Back in Premier Edition issue 116, Team Singletrack caught up with German precision engineering company Trickstuff, in its hidden factory deep in a German housing estate. Photography: James Vincent We’re not the first to follow the ‘Trickstuff’ signs off the main thoroughfare into the residential…
Wide tyres, huge towels and a small bike with big wheels – Fresh Goods Friday 405
Not only are our fellow Union compatriots, the Scots, laughing at us because they can ride all the trails, they’re also a fair chunk into their school summer holidays and they’ve had all the weather. Fingers crossed as us sassenachs head for the motorway queues…
Are We Blinded By Bling?
This year marked my first trip to Eurobike, the enormous trade show at which all parts of the bike industry converge on the small German town of Friedrichshafen. In three days I took notes on products from 32 different brands, plus spoke to many more.…
Fresh Kit For Your Kids: New shoes, packs, helmets & the tiniest back protector
There’s pleasure to be had in pulling on nice riding kit – and practicality too. Protective elements, fabric that won’t rip or chafe, and ventilation in all the right places can all make a ride much more comfortable. So while it’s easy to think that…
Heads, Torsos, Knees & Elbows – Eurobike Protection Round Up
Falling off hurts just a little bit less when you’re kitted up with pads and helmets – unless of course you gouge your leg in the inevitable gap between two bits of protection. We didn’t find any gap eliminating onesie padded suits – in fact…
Review: The Hoy Bonaly 24 is a great first mountain bike
The Hoy Bonaly range is Hoy Bikes’ answer to a mountain bike. It’s a step up from the usual children’s hybrid bikes – or hybrids with slightly knobbly tyres – but doesn’t go the whole hog and include any form of suspension. However, I’m still…
Eurobike: The Predictions That Came True
Before we even scanned our press passes through the gates of Eurobike, we’d looked into our crystal balls and brought you some predictions of what we thought the future held. It turns out that some of us should probably consider a career in picking lottery…
19 Brands In 2 Days: CrankTank Impact Sun Valley Round Up
A couple of weeks ago Hannah went out to Ketchum, Idaho, to a new media event ‘Impact Sun Valley’. It was a chance for brands to get a bunch of bike journos together in one place to show off their wares and talk about their…
Rubber Round-Up: New Tyres Of Eurobike
‘Are you interested in e-bikes?’. It was hard not to roll your eyes when being asked this again. It’s where the market is at, everyone is trying to cash in, and that includes the tyre manufacturers – which isn’t surprising, as tyre choice has certainly…
Bags Of Eurobike: This year it’s all about protection, hip packs and battery carrying
There were lots of new colours and suchlike at this year’s Eurobike trade show, but here’s a run down of the new models of bags that we’ve spotted. We’ve noticed that there’s an increasing emphasis on back protectors, the popularity of hip packs continues, and…
NS Bikes: The Best Looking Brand At Eurobike?
The NS Bikes stand – and its Rondo road and gravel bike sibling – surely offered up the most concentrated collection of want-inducing bikes at Eurobike. The stand itself was just a basic stepped display, unlike, say, Kona’s, which was effectively a free standing wooden…
Spotted! A New Suspension Platform Like We Have Never Seen Before
After all the endless sights of Eurobike, it was on the train back to our apartment that we spotted what is one of the most interesting things we’ve seen. We’ve garnered what information we could in the few stops we had on the train before…
RST: Radio Controlled Dropper And Beefed Up Forks
We tested the RST Rogue 27.5in fork in Issue 110 of Singletrack magazine, where it was the hands down winner when it came to value for money. While there was a big array of forks on show at Eurobike, there’s not too much by way…
Five Reasons We Might Want To Leave Europe After All: Spotted at Eurobike
We’ve had our heads buried in the world of bikes, and we’ve surfaced at the end of the today to discover that British politics is moving even faster than a souped up pedelec with go faster stripes. Just in case you’re feeling uncertain and fearful…
Lapierre Launches All New 2019 Zesty, Spicy (and a not-an-e-bike)
The flagship Lapierre models of the Zesty and Spicy have been completely redesigned for 2019, making these some of the few actual new mountain bikes at Eurobike that don’t feature a motor. While they retain their names and intentions, they are very different bikes from…
Is This The Goldilocks Casing? Maxxis Launches EXO+
Maxxis has announced a brand new casing option, which we think is going to get a lot of you quite excited. It’s called EXO+ and it’s designed to close the gap between Maxxis’ existing EXO and Double Down models. Maxxis has already had the EXO…
Ghost Bikes: All Coiled For Action
Ghost is a brand we haven’t seen too much of in recent years – although we’re sure you’re all going to come out the woodwork in the comment section and tell us we’re wrong and you own three etc. Anyhow, it was with interest that…
13 Speed Chainless Drivetrain – When engineers think differently
We’ve surely all thought that there must be a better way to operate gears than having a dingley dangly rear derailleur hanging off the back of our bikes and waiting for a sniper rock to catch it? Indeed, we think we’ve detected a rise in…
Spotted: From Walmart To The Skate Park
What the? Wandering around Eurobike, there was no way this wasn’t going to catch your eye. I mean, look at it. Is it amazing, or incredibly ugly? And then, what is that? It’s er…carbon…with things that might be components attached. Cue a round of eyeball…
3 Brands Taking On The Flat Pedal Market: Northwave, Ion and Vaude
Despite the rise in popularity of clip-in pedals, especially of the platform variety, we’ve got a new entrant into the flat pedal market this Eurobike, plus a bunch of new offerings – will they translate to flat pedal heaven, or just another pair of shoes…
Brose: e-Bike Motors Get Smaller And Quieter
Brose, one of the lesser known brand names in the e-Bike motor market, has today launched its next generation of e-Bike motors. The brand doesn’t plaster its name all over its product, but if you’re in the market for an e-Bike it’s well worth looking…
Five Ten Goes Retrotastic
Looks like our Amanda might have been right with her predictions, as sticky shoe makers Five Ten has brought out some retrotastic casual shoes which bring together ’90s retro with modern technology. Harking back to the days before Five Ten made bike specific shoes, the…
More Kicks For Kids – 3 Kona Bikes For Your Offspring
We’d already seen the bikes for big kids at Sea Otter: a carbon Process 153, a Big Honzo 27.5+ hardtail, and a nice Honzo ST in a special 30th birthday limited edition. Like many other 30 year olds however, Kona has started to turn its…
What’s going to be hot this year? Here’s our 10 predictions for Eurobike 2018!
Ah, Eurobike. It’s the humongous bike show where tons of brands, media, buyers and even the public come together to check out all that is new in the bike world. It’s not just mountain bikes – there’s every sort of two wheeled pedal powered (and…
Fresh Goods Friday 403: Apparently this is the underwear and gardening tools issue
Between the heat, the many (many) products, and the excitement about football Eurobike, we can barely think. SOme of you are probably past thinking anyway, since the Scottish school holidays have begun. The rest of us are frantically searching for improbable costumes for end of…
How Far Can You Go? A myth busting e-MTB adventure
In association with Canyon Bikes UK This is not how I imagined it. I’m pedalling hard, e-assist off, into a rain-bearing headwind, downhill. Not pedalling downhill in a full-enduro race-face way, but in a the-wind-is-blowing-me-up-the-hill kind of way. And my face is more of a…
Twice As Much Bike, Twice As Much Good, Same Amount Of Money
World Bicycle Relief provides bicycles for people – usually young girls – in developing nations, and those bikes are rugged, high quality machines designed to stand up to rural commutes. Hannah previously did a bike check on one of the Buffalo bikes they give. The bikes…
We Bet You Didn’t Know There Was This Much To Know About Fabric: An interview with 7mesh
Enduro baggies, XC lycra, gravel shorts, merino baselayers, merino boxers, waterproof jackets, windproof gilets…the list of possible ride kit is pretty endless. How much of it do you need? How much is just nice to have? And is ‘nice to have’ actually a need when…
What Can This New Orbea e-Road Bike Teach The e-MTB Market?
Today Orbea launches its new carbon fibre Gain – an e-road bike. Looking as close to a normal road bike as possible, it’s only the small button on the top tube and the rear hub that give it away as being something different. But it’s…
