Katy Curd returned to racing this year after a long period of rehabilitation after a head injury. Is she going to be back between the race tape again in 2020? Tell us who you are, what you do and why we should go for a…
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Articles and features published exclusively for our full members.
6 Bike Related Things To Make With Pallets
Have a big pile of pallets? Like bikes? Have lots of spare time? Want to make something useful like a bike rack from pallets? Then this is the article for you! Before you read on, a word of warning: making things out of pallets is…
10 Top Tips: How To Prepare Your Bike For Winter
Excuse the attention-grabbing headline, but it’s entirely justified. There are many ways in which you can (and should!) prepare your bike for winter. More than six out of the ten top tips here and we reckon you’ll be on the right path for winter shredding…
Six Reasons Mountain Bikers Should Vote
With only a few days left to register to vote, we suggest a few reasons why you should bother
Gift Ideas For A Cyclist Who Has Everything (Or A Small Shed)
Our guide to buying gifts that don't need storage space.
A Bike Love Affair | My Ragley Piglet
The day my new Ragley Piglet frame arrived I washed my hands before opening the box. I didn’t want to put any fingerprints on it before I’d applied the EcoCoat ceramic glaze. Because god forbid I scratch the paintwork on a steel commuter, right? The…
Tahnee Seagrave – The Future Isn’t All Racing…
Amanda has just returned from an Athlete Immersion Day with Tahnee Seagrave, who has opened up about how her crash has changed her outlook and future plans. I have just spent a day with Tahnee Seagrave in her home town of Welshpool. The event, hosted…
Gary Fisher Interview | Red Bull Rampage And E-MTBs
Our roving American reporter Fahzure Freeride is out at Red Bull Rampage feeding you Instagram stories from behind the scenes. Among all the young dudes and dirtbags there, he was glad to find someone older himself: none other than Gary Fisher. Having got his attention…
10 tips to spend half-term cycling with the kids!
We know how hard it can be fitting your own fun in with everyone else’s – or even trying to convince everyone else that your idea of fun isn’t torture. If you’re looking at the school holidays ahead and wondering how you can fit your…
Vero Sandler On Red Bull Formation: “I’m hyped to see what it turns into”
Hannah chats to Veronique Sandler to see what the Red Bull Formation women’s Freeride camp meant to her. I’ve just given up trying not to put the heating on, and I’m wearing two jumpers and a hat. Veronique Sandler is just back from the Utah…
Islabikes | A Bike Company With Active Imaginations
Islabikes started back in 2006, when it was based in the corner of a cowshed. It grew into larger premises, and has recently grown again, into what might well be mistaken for a really big cowshed. Hannah went to chew the cud with some of…
Remembering Jenn Hill – And All Those Who Remind Us To Live
It’s been four years since Jenn Hill, our Deputy Editor, died. Hannah reflects on the legacy she’ll never know she created. I came to Singletrack just over four years ago. It was the silver lining (for me) to a sky of very black clouds. I…
Stolen | It’s More Than Just A Bike
Hannah and Amanda had their bikes stolen from under their noses. In the immediate aftermath, Hannah wrote this. I had a bike stolen once before. I don’t know what make or model it was, but my Dad bought me it as a surprise present. It…
Mountain Bike Bingo – Postcards from the Alps
Pete Scullion headed to the Alps to check out the Graubünden area – read his destination guide here. While he was there, we set him a ‘Mountain Bike Bingo’ challenge to find as many ride holiday in the Alps cliches as he could. How do…
Forestal Bikes: The biggest bike company you’ve never heard of
Forestal Bikes has been a mystery since we first learned Cédric Gracia would be working with them so Andi went on the hunt for a scoop. Forestal is possibly the most exciting bike company that you have never heard of. This start-up plans to enter…
#MakingUpTheNumbers | HSBC National Downhill Series Rd 5 – Ae Forest
George brings us his ‘race’ report from the HSBC National Downhill Series Round 5 / SDA Round 5 – Ae Forest “It’s your worst nightmare this isn’t it?” Binnsy isn’t wrong. After two days of glorious sunshine and dusty trails we’re on the first uplift…
RedBull Hardline – Bigger In Real Life, But Is It Worth The Effort?
What’s it like to be at RedBull Hardline? Should you make the trip to Wales, or stay home and watch on TV? James finds out. RedBull Hardline 2019 2.11pm, Saturday 14 September 2019. A pack of four sparrowhawks circle ominously in the sky, while butterflies…
Who Is Bicycle Pubes? We Chat To The Instagram Star
If you’ve not yet discovered the frankly bizzare and often hilarious Instagram account BicyclePubes yet then you are missing out on a whole heap of bike industry parody and satire wrapped up and delivered by the power of memes, hairy balls, and poop. We ‘despatched’…
MakingUpTheNumbers | National Downhill Series Round 4 – Hopton
Can 14lbs and 8mm make our George any faster? He heads to his next Downhill race to find out. ‘It’s worse than ever’. MrsMakingUpTheNumbers has finally snapped. My snoring is now unbearable apparently; so, after a visit to the GP I’ve been advised to lose…
Tales of The Unexpected | A Bicycle Commute Short Story
Hannah rides to work, and has another of those moments that remind you why taking the bike will always trump hopping in the car. I’ve not ridden the proper off road route to work for a while. A combination of logistics and a poorly knee…
Interview | Zack Rundell: ‘Mountain Biking Saved My Life’
Hannah chats to Zack Rundell, the U.S. high school mountain biking success aiming to inspire others to let bikes change their lives. While out in Idaho I attended a ‘Draft Meet Up’ – a community event combining beer and bikes, where locals and visitors get…
#MakingUpTheNumbers | National DH Champs – Revolution Bike Park
It was the National Downhill Championships at the weekend – how did our team of podium hopefuls (hope springs eternal…) get on? “Have you seen any older bikes?” Binnsy asks Kris Lord, of his 2014 Saracen Myst. Kris looks down at his pride and joy…
Stay Cool! 5 Top Heatwave Tips For Mountain Bikers
We bring you our top tips for beating the heat and keeping cool while pedalling. Yes, there’s a heatwave. And yes, this article was born from a heat induced stream of consciousness while we sat around in the office eating emergency ice cream and Gin…
The Longest Day – An Elan Epic Ride
Matthew Finch takes advantage of the longest day of the year, by leaving the trail centre behind and going for his longest ride. I awoke to the manic buzzing and beeping of my phone alarm. It was 3.00am. There’s something enticing and beautiful about the…
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…
#MakingUpTheNumbers | Whiplash, gravel rash and headaches – National DH Series, Rd 3 Bala
I have wondered if we’d ever get to this point; writing the blog on Monday morning from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. Safe to say it’s been one hell of a weekend in Bala… Rewind to noon on Friday… I’m still in Menorca, waiting for a flight…
Opinion: Insult and Battery – The Times Has A Pop At E-Bikes
I’ve written before about the fractious relationship that cyclists have with newspapers, and it seems like it’s not getting any better. This week it’s the turn of the Times, who have discovered, by dint of five minutes of desk-based research, that not only do people…
‘Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen’ For Mountain Bikers
We’ve discussed it in the office and we don’t know what to call it, but we’re pretty sure you’ve heard ‘Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen’ by Baz Lurmann. Whether it’s a poem, a song, a meditation or a public service announcement, (it was originally a…
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…
#MakingUpTheNumbers | Fort William – The Warm Up
National Downhill Series Round 2 & SDA Round 3 – Fort William. George Thompson brings us his latest downhill race report from the shadows of the podium. “Let me message Jules and see which one she wants to go to?” “No, no, no, no, NO! Don’t…
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…
Short vs Long Fork Offset | Testing On The Santa Cruz Blur
Wil delves into his experience of back-to-back testing 44mm & 51mm fork offsets to find out just how big of a difference it makes. Or doesn’t. If you haven’t already checked out Part One of my online feature on reduced-offset forks then you can do…
What Is Fork Offset? And Why Does It Matter?
Reduced-offset forks are all the rage at the moment, but what is fork offset? Wil explains in this two-part online feature about fork offset Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, you’ll have noticed that fork offset has been a…
Interview | Cycling UK: What’s Next for Welsh Access?
Wales is poised to shake up its outdoor access laws in a big way. We caught up with Sam Jones and Duncan Dollimore from Cycling UK to find out what's on the horizon.
Skinny Dipping #004: the World Cup hasn’t even started and we’re already two races down in the British series
In this month’s Skinny Dipping we start off in the UK before heading out to the racing and tech in sunny California. Homeward bound It’s only April and we’re already two races down in the British XC Series. Sherwood Pines hosted the opening event at…
12 Huge Cassettes For 1x Drivetrains That Aren’t Shimano Or SRAM
Not so long ago, wide-range cassettes were an Exciting New Thing. Actually, we still think they’re pretty exciting, and we’re seeing more brands outside the two Big S brands – Shimano and SRAM – bringing out their own versions. That got us wondering: how many…
#MakingUpTheNumbers | ‘I am not precise, I am cumbersome’ – SDA Rd 2, Innerleithen
George Thompson brings us his race report from SDA Round 2 – Innerleithen where he tries to weave in and out the trees. It’s not him that’s too big, it’s his bike. “We’ve got you a present” Hope’s Matt Rushton has just handed Adam Smith a.k.a.…
#MakingUpTheNumbers – DH English Champs on Danny Hart’s Home Turf
George Thompson reports from the English Championships Gravity Events Round 1 – Hamsterley As I arrive at Danny Hart’s Descend Bike Park in Hamsterley Forest, I’m three-quarters of the way through a podcast with ex-World Cup racer Eliot Jackson. He still hasn’t mentioned Making Up…
Mental Health | What if I want to die every day of my life?
I’ve asked Singletrack to withhold my real name and publish this piece under a pseudonym. Why you might ask? Whether you suffer from poor mental health or not, starting up a conversation about it can be pretty tough – it can feel embarrassing, shameful and…
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…
Skinny Dipping #003: British mud, South African dust and Brazilian firsts
From the mud of northern and middle England to the dust of South Africa and Brazil, we’ve got it here in this month’s round-up of XC and endurance news. Rain in Manchester shocker! We start up in the glorious setting of Whitefield, Manchester and hand…
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,…
Building Our Test Bike | Stanton Switch9er FS – Full Suspension British Steel
Any new bike day is pretty exciting, even if it is a test bike that you’re going to have to bid adieu to in due course. This one, however, is a little more exciting than some – it’s not every day you get to have…
#MakingUpTheNumbers | Ae-bandoned – SDA Round 1
‘What’s your favourite season?’ MrsMakingUpTheNumbers asks.Every fibre of my being wants to respond with ‘race season’ but as I open my mouth, I think better of it. ‘Spring’. Tension has been building over the past few weeks. We’ve not talked about it but we both…
International Women’s Day | A year of Inspiring Women
On International Women’s day last year we didn’t want to just do a one-day thing to say how awesome women riders are so instead we launched a year’s worth of interviews with inspiring women within mountain biking or people who have done lots to promote…
Interview: Gowaan Gals – Give It A Go And Remember To Be Silly!
It’s the last month of our Inspiring Women interview series and we’ve saved the most fun for last after I spent a very entertaining evening chatting to Enduro racers Bex Baraona and Martha Gill. Trying to keep track of our conversation at the time was…
Skinny Dipping #002 – Kielder, Courtney and the Cape
It feels like 2019 has got off to a galloping pace. Not only are we already on our second edition of our XC and endurance news, the year’s second 24 hour race has already been and gone. Kielder Chiller, Almost Weather Thriller Only in its…
How Sam Pilgrim Made Me Jump
While wandering around Eurobike last year I found myself being introduced to Sam Pilgrim, YouTube personality and former Freeride Mountain Biking (FMB) World Champion. As you do if you’re a bike journo meeting someone (fairly?) famous, I sat him down for a quick interview. It…
Opinion: Facial Hair Rorschach Test
Do fellow riders acknowledge your cheery greetings, or swiftly look at their front derailleur? If they have one
