You might be in need of a dose of ‘ahh, that’s just nice’, and thanks to Singletrack Reader Awards finalist, Total MTB, we have a large spoonful for you here. Total MTB has grown from a hashtag movement on social media to a Community Interest…
News
The latest stories from the world of mountain biking.
Fresh Goods Friday 599: Democracy Inaction Edition
We hope everyone (in the UK at least) is recovering from the white heat of excitement that comes with taking part in western democracy.
Still riding North Shore in her 70s
Back in 1993 Betty Birrell had a go at mountain biking. She was 45 years old. Now she's 73 and can still more than hold her own.
Microshift Super Short cage mechs: for small wheels… or big rocks
MIcroshift Super Short has launched: two new short cage groupsets, built with kids in mind, but with potential application for adults too.
Do you agree with this tyre pressure calculator?
Goodyear have some new tyres out - the Newton MTF and the Newton MTR. They've also got a new online tyre pressure assistant. From our preliminary messings about, it seems pretty useful.
50 years of Merida pushbikes
Who doesn't love a good ol' trip down a mountain biking memory lane, hey? Let's look back over the last 50 years of Merida...
Giro Havoc H2O Shorts review
The Giro Havoc H2O shorts are one of my current go-tos. Though best known for helmets, Giro has been putting out clothing for over a decade.
Kendal Mountain Festival Tour heads to Glasgow
Fancy a night of adventure? The Kendal Mountain Festival Tour combines adventure films with great speakers to inspire you to get out there – or just appreciate the comforts of home and the bravery of others. Climber and jungle explorer to speak in Glasgow An inspirational climber…
Fresh Goods Friday 598: Bluebell Search Edition
Hannah is back from the USA in body but not mind. She keeps waking up in the night convinced she’s still camping out in some California woodland, or jerking awake as dry ground skids underneath her tyres. Perhaps she needs a new mattress. Charlie is…
YT Capra Core 2 review: doing it for the lolz
After the carbon launch models, then the aluminium Uncaged versions, here is the more affordable alloy YT Capra Core 2.
Updated: If you’ve ridden the Borrowdale Bash, your trail needs you!
A rider in the Lake District is seeking to have a footpath often used as part of the Borrowdale Bash route re-designated as a bridleway. If you’ve ever ridden there, you can help. Updated Wednesday 27th April: Thanks to everyone who sent local rider Rich…
£290 saddle: Specialized Power Pro with Mirror
The new Specialized Power Pro with Mirror is not for inspecting your undercarriage at leisure, it's a honeycomb 3D printed saddle.
Winter Mountain Biking In Bellingham
Where is the weather as bad as in the UK? Ah, look. Bellingham. Riders here have to endure winter weather conditions like us here in the UK. In fact, our weather and the Tea and Biscuits film inspired this film, which is a joyous mashup…
Kendal Mountain Festival Tour: Caernarfon and Aberystwyth dates
Fancy a night of adventure? The Kendal Mountain Festival Tour combines adventure films with great speakers to inspire you to get out there – or just appreciate the comforts of home and the bravery of others. There are two upcoming Welsh dates in their tour diary: Caernarfon,…
Switchcraft Cycles: simple but not ordinary
Switchcraft Cycles is Jakub Junek. Hailing from the Czech Republic and specialising in steel machines with really short back ends.
Canyon Strive CFR: Shark Attack’s hacks maxed
EWS beast and all-round ace human Jack Moir has been a big influence on the new Canyon Strive CFR. His race mods have all been 'made flesh'.
British Cycling National XC Series Round 2: Rock UK, Newcastleton
Hannah Collingridge and Joolze Dymond are this year’s commentators for the British Cycling National XC Series. They’re also bringing us a race report from each round, with a bit more colour than the official British Cycling version. Expect to hear about a little more than…
Santa Cruz Megatower 2 joins the downtube storage gang
The new Santa Cruz Megatower 2 remains a big travel 29in wheel enduro bike with the most progressive geometry to date. And a Glovebox.
The Many New And Curious Products of Sea Otter
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Singletrack Forum Tool & Beaverage Ratios.
Introducing the Singletrack Forum Bottle Opener. The Singletrack forum really is one of the most amazing corners of the interweb. It is the virtual lounge bar that makes Singletrack so much more than a magazine… we are a community. One very real danger with the forum is…
British Cycling National XC Series Round 1: Parkwood, Tong, Bradford
Hannah Collingridge and Joolze Dymond are this year’s commentators for the British Cycling National XC Series. They’re also bringing us a race report from each round, with a bit more colour than the official British Cycling version. Expect to hear about a little more than…
Jeff Lenosky’s Prototype Reeb SST
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
We Are One Composites: Carbon Arrival, Made in Kamloops
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Fat Chance Is Back – teenage dreams for the modern mountain biker
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Sea Otter – New ‘Proven’ Carbon Wheels From Hunt
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Bowhead Real Life Star Wars Speeder Bike
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Sea Otter 2022: Aeroe Spider Rack makes any bike a long hauler
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see new products,…
Spotted: Vitus Trail Bike Prototype At Sea Otter
Hannah is out at the Sea Otter Classic in California, USA. It’s a four day festival of racing and a huge expo area. There are races for every type of bike, but there’s a strong leaning towards mountain biking, and if you want to see…
British Cycling statement: Transgender and Non-Binary Participation Policy
Full Press Release: When we developed and published our Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy, we did so with the intention of advancing the cause of promoting diversity and inclusion within the sport of cycling. Understanding that this is a fast-moving area of sports policy and…
What’s Inside Singletrack World Issue 142? Out Today!
If you receive a printed copy of the magazine each issue, it’s now in the post – we can’t be sure exactly when it will land with you, especially with all the Bank Holidays, but if you’re in the UK and you’ve still not got…
Five brand new tyres from Continental
Say hello to The Family 'Tal! The Xynotal, Kryptotal Fr & Rr, Argotal and Hydrotal are a massive revamping for Conti's mountain bike tyres.
Fox 36 gets new crown, more steerer overlap
The iconic Fox 36 receives a new crown with more steerer tube overlap improved stiffness and durability (whilst shaving 20 grams).
Crankbrothers Highline 11: yes, that’s a carbon stanchion
The latest Crankbrothers Highline 11 bum bling uses a carbon stanchion (or 'quill'), a carbon head and oh-so-desirable titanium bolts.
Orange Switch 7 : Linkage bike from Orange unveiled
The Orange Switch 7 is a 170mm travel MX wheeled enduro bike using a linkage-driven trunnion shock, mounted low in the frame.
XCO World Cup Season Preview – first stop Brazil!
This weekend the cross-country mountain bike season kicks off in Petrópolis, at the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup – bringing Brazil back onto the international mountain bike radar six years after the Olympic Games. How to watch the XC World Cup, Petrópolis, Brazil…
Mountains in Manchester! Kendal Mountain Festival Tour Date, 21 April
Fancy a night of adventure? The Kendal Mountain Festival Tour combines adventure films with great speakers to inspire you to get out there – or just appreciate the comforts of home and the bravery of others. The next date in their tour diary is Sale, Manchester, on…
Never Stop Playing – Charlie’s Birthday Merch Deal
At Singletrack we like to do a mega merch deal when we have a staffer birthday. Today I turn 50. Blimey. 50. Fifty. 50. Five O. Hmmm? For many years it’s been a personal tradition to go skateboarding on my birthday. You see, about 33…
2022 Intense Tracer 279 – All new and ready for the future
It’s 2022 and we’re seeing the 2022 Intense Tracer being launched. Wow, how novel – a bike for now (well, mid-May), not a year away. It’s been in the works for ages however, with development starting in 2019. Let’s take a look at the decision…
Behind the scenes: the development of the Intense Tracer 279
Curious about how a bicycle is developed? Here’s a look behind the scenes at the prototyping and development process of the 2022 Intense Tracer 279. Jeff’s welding mask. This particular welding mask is at least 15 years old and was used when Jeff welded up…
So you thought you could ride – and then you watched this.
Meh. Utah desert. That’s a different sort of skill and scale to what you ride. Sedona rocks? Yeah, very clever and all that, but at least you can feel your fingers while you’re riding, it’s warm there. PNW? So much woodwork, and loam. Your local…
A Movie Double Bill For Eyes and Emotions
We have two movies for you here, one from the Commencal Vee DH race team, and one from Vee Tire Co. One will require the close attention of your eyes, and one will require a little more engagement from your mind. First up, a feast…
Build Your Dream – From Road to Rad with Chris Burkard
If your friends are all riding road, shake their heads, and tell you they like their shins unblemished and their tyres skinny, then show them this video. Photographer Chris Burkard has gone from road and endurance riding to a seriously rad back yard set up…
Shimano Shoe Winners Revealed – was it you?
Whoop! Some good news for some of you! Singletrack Members can opt to receive our monthly Members’ Newsletter, and in the last edition we gave people the chance to win some Shimano shoes, and now you can find out who won. We have two newsletters.…
New Pennine Peak Discovered, Bringing Total to Four
A group of Yorkshire mountain bikers were extremely surprised to discover a ‘hidden mountain’ while out riding in remote countryside near Bradford. ‘We were just riding along, wishing we were somewhere with proper mountains instead of endless hills and moors, when suddenly we noticed an…
The Starling Fallacy: 36 Pages of Redemption
It seems it’s the season for publishing big fancy books about your brand. Here’s the latest addition to the bike library, from Starling Cycles: Born in the depths of the NSMB forum, the Starling Fallacy is Starling’s deepest, darkest secret. It lurked in wait, exposing the core…
New downcountry and trail bikes from Last
The Last Celo and Last Asco use the same essential frame but with different suspension and build kits.
Factor launch their first ever mountain bikes
The Factor Lando XC full suspension bike and the Factor Lando HT hardtail are outright XC race machines designed to go the (long) distance.
Kendal Mountain Festival Tour in Chester, with Matt Pycroft
Fancy a night of adventure? The Kendal Mountain Festival Tour combines adventure films with great speakers to inspire you to get out there – or just appreciate the comforts of home and the bravery of others. The next date in their tour diary is Chester,…
Lazer KinetiCore offers new type of rotational impact protection
Lazer KinetiCore doesn't use a slip liner or stuck-on elastomery things. It uses an internal crumple zone array.
Nicolai Saturn 16: did someone say water bottle?
The Nicolai Saturn 16 is a new development for the German marque and is designed to sit between the Saturn 14 ST trail bike the big G1.
New Pivot LES SL – 300g lighter than before
If you thought that all XC racing was going full suspension, you’d be wrong. Or, Pivot thinks so anyway. The LES SL is the latest addition to the brand’s hardtail lineup achieves one of the lightest production hardtail frames in the world at just over…
