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…
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.
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…
Moots Routt Range: USA Made Titanium With 3D Printing
Moots is a relatively small brand based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, that started life in 1981 building steel frames, but for the last ten years has been specialising in titanium. Using tubing from American mills, which have consistent tubing thicknesses and strength, Moots builds beautiful…
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…
David Turner Talks E-MTBs: ‘We First Worlders, We Want More’
If you’re not familiar with David Turner, then it would be worth reading Chipps’ interview with him from Issue 109 of Singletrack Magazine. He’s a guy that designs bikes that he wants to build and he wants to ride, and he rides because he wants…
Turner Launches New Titanium All Road Bike: CyclosisCXR
David Turner is one of those bike industry characters that’s never been afraid to stand away from the crowd. Indeed, he seems quite reluctant to be part of the trends and fads of the bike industry – check out Chipps’ interview with him from Issue…
NICA: American High School Mountain Biking – sport done right?
America has a long tradition of highly organised, competitive almost to the point of professionalism, school and young people’s sports. Track and Field, American football, swimming, basketball – many of which dangle the carrot of lucrative (or at least cost saving) college scholarships. In such…
Spotted In Salt Lake City: Cotopaxi
Hannah found herself with an unscheduled stop in Salt Lake City. A little too tired and confused by the rules of the road, she didn’t take advantage of the docked bike system, so instead on her way to hook up with Fahzure Freeride (the writer…
Maxxis Launches Rekon Race: An XC tyre for modern XC courses
Over in the dust of Sun Valley, Idaho, Hannah got the chance to ride the hot off the production line new Maxxis Rekon Race. This is a new XC race tyre aimed at catering to the modern aggressive race courses. The tread pattern is born…
The Orbea Oiz Gets Rowdy For 2019
The Orbea Oiz, a full suspension XC bike, has been around for 12 years now – our man Stu Taylor has just ridden one at high speed round the Highland Trail 550. Today, tapping into the ‘XC bikes doing a bit more and getting a…
Ride Your Bike, Play Music, Raise Money – 3 reasons to visit Hebden Bridge
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the environs of Singletrack Towers, we’re based in Todmorden. Todmorden is at the upper end of the Calder Valley and is…well…fairly normal. There are communal vegetable patches, and there’s a lucky dog in the park, but apart…
Thank Fork! It’s Fresh Goods Friday 401
Brace yourselves! After a brief suspension of service, summer is returning. Prepare for news coverage of lobster coloured people on beaches, children playing in fountains of questionable water quality, and exclamations of how it was hotter in Hull than Benidorm. Before you head home to…
Smokin’ Hot, Or Not? Kona Bikes’ Rolling Papers
This week Canadian legislators voted to legalise the consumption of cannabis in Canada, and Kona was quick to mark the occasion by launching its ‘4:20’ smoking papers. Let’s get 🔥! These Kona rolling papers have just arrived in our web store and may just be…
Fresh Goods Friday 400: The Stumpy And Pool Noodle Celebration Edition
There should probably be cake, and sparklers. Maybe a release of some doves, or a peacock or two. Definitely prosecco (cheaper than champagne, and usually nicer too). Dancing is optional, though you’re welcome to take off your shoes and have a barefoot shuffle if the…
Fresh Goods Friday 399; 2 Bikes, A Fork And A Spoon!
Don’t worry! The apocalypse has not come! Yes Nicholas Parsons missed an episode of Just A Minute, and yes we missed Fresh Goods Friday last week, but The Today Programme is still going, so all is well. And all is better still, as we’re back…
1500 People Can’t Be Wrong: Another great year for MTBMeetup
‘What a great vibe!’ ‘How cool is this?’ ‘We’ll be back next year’ Now its 5th year the award nominated charity event MTBMeetup is a fun and friendly free weekend of riding and socializing for all the family. Over 1,500 people headed through the gates…
Video Teaser: Highland Trail 550 – Making long distance racing look fun (almost)
In case you missed it, Stu Taylor was off to tackle the Highland Trail 550, after an intense training regime that even included ‘boredom training’. We’re pleased to say that he’s back from what must surely be the hottest and driest HT550 ever. Not only…
Peter Sagan: Roadie, Mountain Biker, And Possibly Cat?
Peter Sagan, surely one of the best riders we’ve ever seen (though arguably not quite as good as Pauline Ferrand-Prevot), has posted this video which has all us in the office making the kind of noises that we’d probably make if we tried this. Before…
Beers, Bikes And BBQ… Spin Up In A Brewery Returns For 2018
After taking a short break since the last event in 2015, “Spin Up in a Brewery” is back by popular demand! Established in 2012, it is again a collaboration between two West Sussex based companies, the craft brewery Dark Star and bicycle brand Kinesis UK.…
Will This Be The UK’s Ultimate Mountain Bike Festival? Malverns Classic Returns
Mention the Malvern Classic and Chipps goes a bit misty eyed. It was obviously an influential event. A recent ‘were you there, what do you remember?’ thread on his Facebook page elicited a similarly excitable response. And quite a lot of debate – what year…
Solaris Max, MaXalami and Max Madness – It’s Fresh Goods Friday 398
Good day prized readers. It is time. Time for you to sever ties with that yoga mat supplier you once made a purchase from five years ago. Time for you open your mailbox to find only highly relevant information of direct interest to you. Of…
Last Chance To Subscribe! Singletrack Magazine Issue 119
It’s off to the printers, which means that our designer, Amanda, is breathing a sigh of relief, and you have just a few days to subscribe in time to get Singletrack Issue 119 delivered to your door. The cut off date is Sunday 27th May…
Stu Taylor’s Highland Trail 550: Ready, Get Set…
Stu Taylor doesn’t just make Singletrack Beer. And he doesn’t just roast coffee (but he does that too – he’s a good man to know at any time of day). Somewhere in between the beer and the coffee, he also finds time to ride a…
