Call it ‘downcountry’ or ‘fast trail’, we’ve been seeing increasing numbers of bikes coming out in the last couple of years aimed at riders who aren’t necessarily cross country racers, yet they aren’t enduro and who like nothing better than trying to pull their friends’…
News
The latest stories from the world of mountain biking.
2021 Commencal Clash | Same look but all-new sporty angles
Another new update from Andorra as Commencal unleashes the 2021 version of the popular Clash platform. Same look, but all-new sporty angles. The Commencal Clash has always been a bike that I’ve looked at as a freeride or mini downhill bike, but in it’s latest…
What Would It Look Like Now? The GT Lobo
We wonder what a modern incarnation of the GT Lobo might look like, and take a trip down memory lane with GT. Bike designer and fabricator Steve Salter of SmallTownBoyCustoms has been busy re-imaging the GT Lobo as it would be if it were around…
Welsh Trail Centres Move To Reopen In July With New Trails On Offer
In a joint statement last weekend, the major uplift bike parks in Wales announced that, in line with Welsh Government advice, and after consultation with Welsh Cycling and the Outdoor Alliance and other bodies, a measured reopening of some Welsh trail centres would start happening…
YT Shred Range: Coil Shocks For Decoy and New Alloy Capra
The YT Shred range sees the mullet Decoy e-bike get a coil shock, and the Capra get a full metal body and a coil shock too. If there’s not a hair metal video to go with this launch we’re going to be very disappointed. YT…
2021 Orange Five Evo and Stage Evo go big on geometry not travel!
The latest Evo bikes from Orange are short on travel, big on geometry and full of fun. Full details of the Orange Five Evo and Stage Evo. MY21 bikes seem to be following a similar formula no matter which brands are announcing them. It seems…
Video | Corona Coaster With Matt Walker
This week’s Corona Coaster video by Nico Turner features Madison Saracen‘s Matt Walker. Matt has taken the lockdown as an opportunity to double down on his training, investing in some Rocky Balboa style gym equipment and riding some of Shropshire’s finest trails. Nico says: ‘Due…
Video | Skem’ed by Nukeproof
Singletrack Towers may be in the North of England, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t use a few subtitles to go with this video from Nukeproof. Nukeproof says: Skelmersdale; for a region with few official hills let alone mountains, there is a quality crop of…
2021 Specialized Epic. Lighter. Faster. More Epic Than Ever!
2021 Specialized Epic For the 2018 model year, Specialized did a major revamp of its flagship race bike, the Epic. The full carbon frame was made a lot lighter, while the geometry was tweaked to reflect the changing needs of Olympic-level cross country racing. Well,…
Double Your Donation To World Bicycle Relief This Week!
We’re big fans of the work of World Bicycle Relief, and this week your donations are being match funded – making them worth double! How much did you spend on your last bike? How many bikes do you own? We know that many of our…
Matt Simmonds | Privateer 161 Öhlins Build
Earlier this year Privateer rider Matt Simmonds announced he was taking a step back from World Cup racing to focus on Nationals and his new venture, ProLine MTB. To help him along the team at Privateer helped him get his Privateer 161 ready, along with…
2021 Commencal Meta AM 29 gets revamped with new frame and features
Following on from the release of the radical new Meta TR, Commencal has announced the 2021 Meta AM with all-new frame, geometry and features. Commencal’s boffins have done it again and totally redesigned the 2021 Commencal Meta AM 29 to bring the design and features…
Go Outdoors’ Possible Administration Brings Calibre Future Into Question
JD Sports has filed a notice of intention to enter administration for subsidiary company Go Outdoors, the company who owns Calibre bikes. This will have fans of the budget bikes wondering when or if they’ll be able to buy another Calibre. The statement posted on…
Islabikes Prepares Two New Ranges To Improve Access to Cycling
Islabikes is working on two new products to improve access to cycling: an e-assist version of their Icons range, and bikes designed for people with restricted growth. Islabikes started because founder Isla Rowntree wanted there to be bikes that were better designed for the needs…
FGF 505 – The Enjoy This Weekend. Nights Start Drawing In Soon Edition
Did everyone’s grandad always greet midsummer like this? Or just mine? Was it a celebration of a summer barely half-through? Or a lament at months wasted and a looming winter to look forward to? Who knows? All we know is that the weather has mostly…
Cotic Solaris MAX 2020 | More Sparkles, More Bottle Bosses!
Cotic has revealed the latest update to the Solaris MAX, their 29er hardtail which they say can do everything from enduro to bike packing. This latest edition of the Cotic Solaris MAX features a slightly steeper seat tube, but that’s not what going to catch…
Commencal tweaks the Meta HT hardtail for 2021
Commencal’s tweaked Meta HT hardtail released with 2021 build and a couple of frame updates. Think Commencal and you will probably picture downhill race runs, enduro wins, and aggressive full-suspension bikes, but full-bounce isn’t all they do. The Commencal Meta HT has been a regular…
Fort William’s Nevis Range Hopes To Reopen July 15th
We’ve just had word that Nevis Range, the venue that hosts the annual Fort William downhill World Cup will hopefully reopen (with restrictions, obviously) for business and bike riding on July 15th, now that there have been some word on easing of restrictions in Scotland.…
Wiggle Data Breach – Accounts ‘Fraudulently Accessed’ – Updated Story
Wiggle customers are reporting purchases made using their card details, amid what appears to be a data breach. Updated 20:30 16th June We’ve received the following statement from Wiggle: Ross Clemmow, CEO at Wiggle: “Data security is of the utmost importance to us. We’ve investigated the…
Hayes XC Collection | Because Not Everyone Is Enduro?
Hayes has launched the Hayes XC Collection – a new range of XC gear aimed at ‘normal’ riders and not just pro racers. If you’re not sure what category of rider you are, here’s the introduction from their PR piece: You wake up at 5:00 am in…
2021 Commencal Meta TR 29 is lower, slacker, steeper and meaner!
The 2021 Commencal Meta TR 29 has more travel, a steeper 78.6° seat tube, slacker 64.5° head angle and is longer and lower than ever! For 2021 Commencal has made the Meta TR 29 longer, lower, slacker and meaner than ever. The TR, meaning this…
Missing Mountain Mayhem? Join in the #mayhem24 competition next weekend
To celebrate what could have been the organisers are planning a weekend of prize giving on the dates of the cancelled Mountain Mayhem 24 hour racing event, 20-21st June 2020. If you have a phone and a social media account then you have what you…
Get your limited edition Troy Lee lid while you can
Troy Lee has released a run of A2 and D4 helmets featuring custom designs available in limited numbers. Do you like standing out from the crowd? Perhaps you like your kit to be a little brighter, more exclusive, or maybe even a tad retro? If…
Meet the Moorhuhn, an utterly fantastic 3D printed Reynolds 953 stainless steel full suspension frame!
It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, I want you to stop it and soak in the majesty of this stainless steel full-sus Moorhuhn! Keywords are important when it comes to writing a story. We need to use the sort of words that will not only…
Corona Coaster: Matt Stuttard – from EWS to LBS
We’ve another ‘Corona Coaster’ episode for you, this time with Enduro Privateer Matt Stuttard. The series takes a look at how professional mountain bikers are dealing with a year put on hold and Matt’s been keeping himself busy working in his local bike shop, riding…
The 520% Eagle Has Landed! SRAM Updates Eagle to 10 – 52
SRAM announces updates to SRAM GX, X01 and XX1 with a move to a 10 – 52 gearing and boosted 520% range! SRAM’s Eagle has been on the market for a good few years now, and thanks to its 1 x 12 gearing and 500%…
Nukeproof Wheel Lineup Gets Update and Goes Pick’n’Mix
Nukeproof brings out an update to its Horizon and Neutron wheels, along with a bunch of customer friendly choices. Even if you’re a committed wheel wrecker, you probably don’t break both wheels at the same time, so being able to buy single wheels makes a…
Ibis Mojo 4 – 27.5 Ain’t Dead! The Ibis Mojo Gets Major Update
After the new 29in Ibis Ripmo appeared in 2018, followed by the revamp of the Ibis Ripley last year, it perhaps is no surprise that the venerable Ibis Mojo gets pulled into the new decade with the launch of the Ibis Mojo 4. In line…
2021 Specialized Demo with wheel options and adjustable geo launches
The 2021 Specialized Demo has been revealed with new mullet compatibility and adjustable geometry. If you cast your mind back to the past Downhill WC season then might remember that the Specialized Gravity Team had plenty of success on the 2019 Demo. Well, if what…
UK’s Bespoked Show Postpones Until ‘Spring 2021’
Having already had to postpone its dates once, from April until October 2020, the UK’s handbuilt bicycle show ‘Bespoked’ has announced that it has had to give up on that hope and will start planning Bespoked 2021 instead. Part of that decision has involved news…
Cane Creek Helm Mk II Gets Internal Updates
Cane Creek launches the Helm Mk II, the first major revision since it launched its air and coil spring versions. While it’s the internals that have changed in a variety of important ways, to celebrate the launch, Cane Creek has also announced a Hot Pink…
Reclaimdesigns Speedster 2.0 is a recycled, carbon mini Nomad
Vancouver based Chris Clarke, aka Reclaimdesigns, turns an old Santa Cruz carbon Nomad into a sweet one-off kid’s ride. Carbon fibre is an awesome material with standout properties that make it ideal for building bikes and bike parts from, BUT it isn’t the easiest material…
Pipedream Teases Updated Titanium Moxie Hardtail
The ultra-rare Titanium Pipedream Moxie hardtail looks set to make a return with updated geometry. If there is one thing that all mountain bikers can agree on it’s the fact that a Titanium hardtail is still considered super desirable. Even in a world of fantastic…
SRAM Commits $100,000 To ‘Listen. Learn. Take Action’
Amid the current conversation about what the cycling industry can do to improve diversity and the inclusion of people of colour, many brands are looking at their current policies, sponsored athlete roster, and advertising materials with a view to making changes. Some, like Cotic, who…
Corona Coaster – Canyon Collective’s James Farrar
EWS film-maker Nico Turner hangs out with Canyon’s James Farrar to see what he’s been doing during lockdown. Film-maker Nico Turner is usually busy working on the Enduro World Series highlights over the summer and with the season being postponed until late August this offers…
Surrey Mountain Bikers Asked To Help #saveyourwoods
Mountain bike advocates in Surrey are calling on their fellow riders to ensure a huge trail network on Crown land is left open for all to enjoy. The area in question is officially known as the Aldershot and District Military Lands, and covers 15,000 acres…
Ard Rock 2020: Cancelled Until 2021
For a second year running, the organisers of the Ard Rock Enduro Festival have been forced to cancel their award winning event. Official statement below. Ard Rock 2020 Cancelled We have waited out for as long as we considered fair, in hope that we would…
Love Our Lockdown Cover? Get A Piece Of It!
We’re so excited about the lockdown cover that we’ve created a bunch of new products celebrating its awesomeness, and all the different ways you have got yourselves through the last few months. I am a great believer that mountain biking is not really about bikes.…
New and improved Öhlins DH38 m.1 downhill fork can run at 120mm!
Nope, that isn’t a mistake you can run the Öhlins DH38 m.1 with as little as 120mm or as much as 200mm. Swedish suspension maker, Öhlins has released an updated version of the race-winning Öhlins DH38 m.1, the same fork that Frenchman Loic Bruni keeps…
Val Di Sole World Cup DH and XC Rounds Cancelled
Despite the UCI’s best efforts to get a new race schedule in place, already the plans for the MTB World CUpare coming apart as the proposed Val di Sole round is cancelled. As the Simon Burney made clear in his interview with us last week,…
Now groms can have custom kit with the Únic Junior range.
Únic has unveiled a new range of custom mountain bike clothing designed and developed for younger riders in mind. Head to any bike pack in the summer and you’ll be greeted by countless kids who can ride, jump, and schralp better than you ever could…
Liam vs Liam, Bike vs eBike – Which Is Faster?
As the Scottish lockdown eased, racer Liam Moynihan was itching for some action – but there are still no events. So he decided to race himself. Which is faster, a bike or an ebike? Lining up a Scott Genius E-Ride and a Scott Ransom, he…
Who lives in a place like this? Joe Barnes shed tour!
When Joe Barnes offers you the chance to look around his shed, think less B&Q lean-to and more mini chalet! Orange rider and all-around nice chap, Joe Barnes, has posted another instalment of his Lockdown Bites series, giving many of us at STW severe degrees…
#Blackouttuesday
It shouldn’t need saying, which is why it absolutely does: As the editor of a mountain bike magazine - a hobby dominated by white, middle class people - I wanted to state that there’s no room in our sport, magazine, or world, for racism. Everyone…
The Kids Are Alright – The Riders of The Future
Shimano teamed up with Cam McCaul to look at what made him a rider, and the mountain bikers of the future. There’s an emphasis on play, a good dose of dirt jumping, and a disregard for fear that many of us will wish we still…
Looking for RADVenture? Then you need a Stooge Scrambler!
The Stooge Scrambler is a fully rigid, adventure/drift machine designed to look like the old school scramblers of yesteryear. Talk about a niche within a niche! Stooge Cycles plans to put a new frame into production, one that combines the fun of pulling skids and…
Join The Fort William Virtual World Cup and Gathering, Sunday 7th June
We’re not able to race or spectate at the Nevis Range, but we can still mingle with racing legends on the 7th June via Facebook for the Fort William Virtual World Cup. Mountain bike fans could finally get a taste of some World Cup Racing…
2020 MTB World Cup | Your Questions Answered With UCI’s Simon Burney
In This week’s Making Up The Numbers podcast, we were lucky enough to have Simon Burney join the team to answer all the burning questions about that new eight race 2020 Mountain Bike World Cup season ahead. It’s clear that the UCI wants a 2020…
Granite Design adds the new Talon stashable tool to its range
Granite Design has introduced the £10.95 Talon, a ‘virtually indestructible’ pair of tyre levers / quick link pliers. Singletrack regulars will already know Granite Design for the Stash multi-tool we reviewed here, and our new Singletrack branded Granite RockBand on sale here. The company is…
The Quiet Of Quarantine | Hear the Sounds of Shred!
What is the sound of shred? In the quiet of quarantine, you can hear it! This MTB video comes from the Croatian quarantine zone. While many of us have been enjoying the sound of birdsong without the background hum of cars, or the buzzing of…
