This article was originally published in Issue 117 of Singletrack Magazine. Hannah interviews five people who’ve said ‘Right! That’s it! I’m leaving to go and work with pushbikes!’ Then they’ve carried through with the threat. And how. Words: Hannah, Photography: Various Whether it’s ‘just a job’,…
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.
Breaking News: Singletrack7 Event Cancelled – forestry operations destroy trails
We’ve just received the following notice from the organisers of the Singletrack7 event: It is with much regret and disappointment that we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel this year’s edition of the Singletrack7. On a recent site visit we found that…
FINDRA’s lush, luxe, merino – now available for men too
There aren’t many brands where us women get to make the men envious. Usually us women find ourselves looking from the eight different pairs of men’s shorts, 12 jerseys in three colour choices each, all with matching socks, to the women’s option of one pair…
Jennride 2018: the perfect Lake District weekend?
This weekend saw the 2018 edition of the ‘Jennride’, organised by Richard Munro, in memory of our late Deputy Editor, Jenn Hill. There were three routes available: a 50km ‘dipping a toe in bikepacking’, a 100 mile ‘two days with a pub stop or two’,…
We’re Hiring! Could You Be Our New Technical Writer?
Singletrack is on the lookout for a new person to join our small, enthusiastic and hardworking team. We are looking for someone to work closely in our Todmorden office with Wil, our Technical Editor, writing news, shooting and appearing in video and photos as well…
A Threesome Of Bikes, Lots Of Pants, And A Couple Of Strap-Ons – Fresh Goods Friday 396
There is no introduction today because it’s *ping* too difficult *ping ping* to think straight when *ping* your Twitter feed has gone *ping* into overdrive because you *ping ping* innocently tweeted about a column that Bez wrote. *ping* It’s quite the experience. Being famous and…
First Look: Hoy Meadowmill 24 – #DirtyDropBarGoodness for kids
Why should it just be grown-ups that get to enjoy the fun?
Fresh Threads, Fresh Springs, And Fresh Water – It’s Fresh Goods Friday 395
∗Ēξū⊕ϖ ℘ÛℵЊ βγ Ηē¢κ ιτ˜ς ƒℜî∂αψ Never fear, normal service has been resumed. The walls have dried, the IT hamsters are lying with their legs in the air and the servers are floating in a cloud. The office has been moved around so that everyone has a new…
TweedLove festival and demo – uplift now available all weekend!
TweedLove organisers have just announced that they have partnered with Adrenalin Uplift to provide transport services up into Glentress and Innerleithen over the TweedLove Festival weekend. The uplift bus stop is part of the expo village, in the town centre of Peebles, and will be…
New Airdrop Bitmap: UK designed hardcore hardtail
Airdrop Bikes, a small Sheffield based brand led by Ed Brazier, has until now had just the one bike in the range: the Airdrop Edit. It’s gone through a couple of iterations since birth, but the full suspension enduro model has been an only child…
From Mood Board To Muddy Bike – the birth of a dream bike
You may have seen ‘Andy’s Hardtail’ by Mercredi in Wil’s round up of mountain bikes from Bespoked this year. You may also have dribbled a little bit when you saw it. And that’s OK, because, as Andy explains below, he wanted it to be a…
Fresh Goods Friday 394 – Office Redecoration Whitewash Edition
We are in a state of some upside down-ness. Chipps is back from his long haul trip and might be jet lagged and befuddled, but the rest of us are too muxed ip to notice. Our desks have become little floating islands of relocated office…
Cor Blimey It’s Hot! Hot sun and hot product in Fresh Goods Friday 393
Who is heading into the weekend with a light sun burn after over indulgence in the bright stuff this week? Who is heading into the weekend with the smugness of one who had booked Thursday off work and actually got to go and bask in…
Scott Sports Warns Scam Sites: We Will Sue You
While fake goods and online scams are nothing new, Scott Sports has today taken the step of issuing a press release warning buyers not to be fooled by scam sites, and promising ‘intense legal action’ against those behind the sites. We’ve certainly seen the adverts…
Dyfi Enduro 2018 Cancelled: Welsh Water Just Too Wet
We’ve just heard that, unfortunately, persistent wet weather and a resulting high water table means that this year’s Dyfi Enduro has had to be cancelled. This is certainly a favourite event of Chipps’ – he keeps taking part even though he claims to have given…
Review: Pinnacle Arkose Alfine 8
We've been long times of Pinnacle's Arkose range of bikes. How will this hub-geared version fare?
Here’s One Tip On How To Enjoy Riding More: Stop
Riding bikes is about movement. It’s about getting from here to there, or about the fun you have while you swoop round that corner, or bounce down those rocks. It’s not about the stopping. Stopping is bad – it means something has broken, and you…
Tyre Hack: Boost Your Roost And Get Insta-Famous
Image is everything these days. And really, a mountain bike video without roost just doesn’t cut it anymore. If you want to get sponsors, you need Instagram followers. And to get them, you’re going to need great video and photo content. And to get great…
Fresh Goods Friday 390
Last year I ruined Easter. I started off really well: I bought lots of chocolate eggs, and I wrote a bunch of riddles, and I carefully hid them all over a really beautiful wonderland of an arboretum, and then my children happily hunted all over…
Review: 2018 Whyte 909 Hardtail – A contender for the one-bike shed?
When the Whyte 909 turned up at Singletrack HQ, there were two riders particularly keen on riding it. Hannah already owns a Whyte hardtail, albeit a slightly older 901 hardtail, and she was more than interested to see what the latest chubby-tyred version would be…
Home Makeover Singletrack Style: Park Tool Workshop Wonderland
You may recall that some time back we were subject to a ram raid attempt. Nothing was taken, but the would-be raiders (never caught, by the way) did make a right mess of our workshop. Since then, we’ve had new walls and windows installed, so…
Interview: NAHBS Winner Altruiste Bikes
When we received the images from the North American Hand Made Bike Show (NAHBS) we didn’t get any accompanying information. Just a massive folder full of images of many, many different sorts of bikes, sprung from the minds of an array of framebuilders. So, when…
Review: Showers Pass Crosspoint Waterproof Knit Gloves
The Showers Pass Crosspoint Waterproof Knit gloves appear to be a fairly simple knitted pull on glove, and indeed they’re sold as ‘multi-purpose’ rather than ‘cycling specific’, so you might not expect many of the features we’ve come to expect in a cycling glove. But…
Last Chance To Subscribe! Singletrack Issue 118
Subscribe To Singletrack from as little as £1.50 Yes, it’s that time again: Deadline Day. As we send the Spring edition of Singletrack, Issue 118, off to the printer, ready to be published on 6th April, until midnight on Sunday 25th March you’ve got a…
Green Brexit Could Increase Countryside Access, Reckons Cycling UK
You might have noticed our ‘Get On My Land’ story about Cycling UK’s plans to improve off road and rural access for bikes, as they launched their new strategy at the London Bike Show. Well, they liked our headline so much, they’ve used it in…
Monday Debrief 118 – Notes from another planet
We signed up to an early deal with Elon Musk and this Monday’s Debrief comes to you from Uranus. We’ve been out exploring and the terrain is pretty hostile. Tests are being carried out to determine if these are possibly carvings depicting lifeforms from this…
Wireless Shifting Is Here! As Is Wide Rubber! Pumps! Bikes! Shoes! Glasses too! It’s Fresh Goods Friday 388!
No one ever reads this bit, but how else will they know they're missing Fresh Goods Friday 388?
World Cup XCO And Street Dual: Live on your TV this weekend!
The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup kicks off this weekend with the XCO racing from Stellenbosch. It’s an early season opener, and it’s the XCO riders kicking off the racing this year, with the Downhill not starting until Lošinj in Croatia, in April. If you’re…
2 Frames, 3 Gifs, And Really Hilarious Jokes! ROTFL with Fresh Goods Friday 387
Erm. Well. Sorry. Wil promised you last week that this week would be a bumper edition of Fresh Goods Friday on the grounds that there were very few courier deliveries last week due to the snow, so all the goodies would be turning up this…
Poll: Does Prize Money Need To Be Equal?
Sparked by a recent press release from an event organiser, we’ve been having a bit of debate about prize money, so we thought we’d see what you have to say. We know you might argue ‘it’s the taking part that counts’, and that prize money…
How we survived the snowpocalypse and made it to Monday!
BANG! It’s not just Monday, it’s March! Flip. For anyone who has just had an extended weekend of sledging and snow fun, this is probably not feeling like too bad a Monday. Since everyone else was off too, the email is not quite so overflowing…
Warm your cockles and melt that snow with the 386th Fresh Goods Friday!
SNOWMAGEDDON! BEAST FROM THE EAST! COLD WINTER CONDITIONS! Have you survived it? Are you currently huddled in your living room with your loved ones, circling around a fire on the floor with the front door jammed shut behind a huge snowdrift? Considering which family member…
Video: Rocks And Drops – the new Losinj World Cup trail in Croatia
Ever wondered what goes into building a trail suitable for a World Cup? It’s got to be challenging, and it’s got to be built well enough to stand up to plenty of practice sessions and riders hammering their way down the trail – whatever the…
24 Unusual Handmade Mountain Bikes from NAHBS. Well, sort of…
The weird and the wonderful - flat bars and knobbly tyres.
Review: Deuter Attack Enduro 16 Bag – capable of carrying a full face helmet
Hannah'd been carrying and crashing this pack around for 7 months - how has she got on?
London Bike Show 2018 Is Go! Come by and see us!
Don't miss out on all the fun of the London Bike Show
Fresh Goods Friday 385 – fresh product, strange sights
Strut your stuff and shake your thing, let the weekend begin!
Get On My Land! Cycling UK has plans to incentivise farmers to increase rural access
Bridleway connectivity also given priority in new strategy document
SPOTTED: Is SRAM Eagle Going Wireless?
The rumours have been circulating, and here's more fuel for the fire
Jenny Rissveds and SCOTT-SRAM Part Ways Following Tough Year For Olympic Champion
Riddveds steps back from racing to focus on her health
Possibly the most painful MTB video we’ve seen – and there’s not even a crash!
Life has a habit of going wrong when there's a camera pointing your way
Kona Surprises With The Return Of The All-New 2019 Satori Full Suspension Mountain Bike
We're barely into 2018, but Kona's embracing the future with the 2019 Satori full suspension bike.
MTB Mechanic In Central London – Look mum no hands! to continue Soho Bikes’ specialist workshop services
It's not all fixies and folders - there's a specialist MTB mechanic in central London
Fresh Goods Friday 384 – Two bikes and a guitar!
From all mountain to all racing, and plenty in between - all the fresh product in the office this week
EWS Bans Podium Girls – For The Right Reasons
It's not a publicity stunt, it's just setting a good example
Living In The ’80s – Muc Off And Transition Bikes Launch FMD Sponsorship With A Bang
Big name sponsors for Tahnee Seagrave's FMD team
Editor’s Choice 2017 – Hannah’s picks for the Singletrack Editors’ Choice Award
Hannah's favourite products and events from last year
Reversing The Polarity – are magnets a risk to safety in the mountains?
Mountain experts warn against magnets in clothing
Want to shake up sport from the top down? This course could be for you.
Scholarships available to help women enter sports leadership roles
Monday Morning Debrief 115 – The Big Weather Edition
All the weather, and a bonus video from someone far more rapid than us
