Held this year on 17 and 18 June, Longest Day, Longest Ride is an annual 24 hour endurance race which also doubled as this year’s UK championship. 24 hour racer and new dad Matt Jones was there to try for the title, and sent us…
News
The latest stories from the world of mountain biking.
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…
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…
Interview: David Turner – “You’re either ‘enduro’ – or you’re not”
This article was first published in Issue 109 of Singletrack Magazine. Subscribe today from just £1.99 Chipps tracks down the quiet man with his name on the frames at Turner Bikes and finds out that you’re either enduro, or you’re not, why Turner was forced…
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…
26 Ain’t Dead! Cotic has just released a new BFe hardtail 🤘🤘🤘
Peak District-based Cotic Bikes has just released what we believe to be the only new 26in mountain bike frame launched in 2018 – the BFe26. Following in the footsteps of the latest 27.5in version, the BFe26 takes the same robust steel construction and 66° head…
Will There Be Open Access For Wales? ‘No’ seems to be the official answer…
The Welsh Government asked for our opinions about a ‘Scottish style’ open access for the Welsh countryside. We responded in our thousands, overwhelmingly in the positive. They listened. And then they seem to have ignored us in favour of a quieter life… Here’s the response…
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…
2 Videos To Show You How Good Shimano XTR 12-Speed Is
Unless you’ve been residing below a stone-based dwelling for the past month, you’ll be well aware that Shimano recently delivered one of the biggest product stories of 2018; new, 12-speed XTR. In one of the most eagerly anticipated moves of the year, Shimano finally retaliated…
9 hot product highlights from SRAM, Formula, Bell & MET that you need to see!
A brand new event for 2018, Bike Connection is a relatively small, multi-brand press camp. The first event – the winter edition – was held back in February of this year in Italy. Chipps went along and caught up with brands including Nukeproof, which launched…
Poll: How will you convert to 12-speed?
It has taken a little longer than we expected but there are now more 12-speed options available than ever before! The past few weeks have seen SRAM introduce the NX Eagle 12-speed groupset. Officially the most affordable 12-speed drivetrain on the market and a pretty…
Adroit’s Linkage Fork Takes Inspiration From the Girvin Vector
Linkage forks once again hit the headlines with news of 2 new forks from U.S based Adroit Cycleworks. Adroit is one of the few U.S bicycle manufacturers who has subscribed to UK standards of long, low and slack with its range of aggressive hardtails, but…
Canyon’s new Lux full suspension XC race bike will fit two bottles and has a sub-2kg carbon frame. Sort of…
Following two years of development, and a few rounds of testing on the World Cup XCO circuit, today Canyon proudly launches its brand new Lux full suspension race bike. Replacing the existing Lux – a model that has remained largely unchanged for five years –…
E*13 Releases Upgrade Kit To Convert 11-speed to 12-speed
If you have the 12-speed itch but are currently on a SRAM 11-speed groupset and on a limited budget the only option before today was to wait for it to wear out and bag yourself an NX Eagle groupset, but today there’s another way. E*13…
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…
Rushup needs you!Less than 20 days left to save a classic Peak District descent
Peak District mountain bikers are preparing themselves for the next stage in a long-running battle with Derbyshire County Council over the maintenance of Rushup Edge, formally known as Chapel-en-le-Frith Byway Open to All Traffic 144. The sorry saga began in 2014, when DCC started surfacing…
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…
Get Your Grip On..!! Not long to go to Northern Grip 2018
Northern Grip returns to Stubbylee Park and Lee Quarry in Bacup, Rossendale on Saturday the 7th July for its third year, promising to be bigger, bolder and even better than ever. Northern Grip is an annual celebration of Mountain Bike culture which last year attracted…
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…
Mountain Mayhem Returns For 2019. And yes, it’ll be a 24 hour race
Mountain Mayhem, the longest running 24hr mountain bike endurance event in the world, has announced its dates for 2019 – exactly one year ahead to the day. The iconic event, the first ever 24hr MTB race in Europe, has been copied by many, but none…
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…
Malverns. Classic! Is this the new must-do event of the summer?
What a weekend! With nothing short of the expectations of the British mountain biking world on his shoulders, event organiser, Si Paton pulled of a remarkable success with the first of the new-school GT Cycles Malverns Classic events – and by the look of it,…
Pivot Cycles Goes Big With 170/162mm Travel Firebird 29er
Officially unveiled as of today, Pivot Cycles has just taken the wrappers off this brand spanking new long-travel 29er called the Firebird 29. Joining the existing Firebird 27.5, the 29er version takes on many of the same ingredients including a gargantuan carbon fibre frameset that…
Limited Edition Singletrack Lifetime Subscriptions – available now!
Life subscriptions have been extremely popular each time we release a batch. The convenience of never having to renew your subscription, the joy of the cost never increasing, and the invitations to reader rides and awards may be a few reasons why. Other exclusive benefits…
Commencal Meta AM 29er Comes In 3 Flavours
Back at Fort William, we managed to get some eyes on time with the latest additions to the Commencal range. If those pre-production models managed to whet your appetite then news that Commencal has finally released the AM 29er to the public and at three different…
The New Intense Tazer Is Nothing Like The Old One!
Cast your mind back to last week, and you may remember our post about Intense boss Jeff Steber and his prototype e-Bike project. Well, it appears that it has come along quite a bit from the alloy mule we reported on. Again Steber has taken…
Stu Taylor’s Highland Trail 550 – Done And Dusty!
This article was written by and stars Stu Taylor. That’s it done, the Highland Trail 550 2018, in 4 days 7 hours and 24 minutes of the most amazing Scottish riding…and hiking. In the build-up and preparation for the event it never even crossed my…
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…
Calibre Releases The Triple B, An Upgraded Bossnut
Calibre, you know, that bike brand that keeps scooping up the awards with its low-cost mountain bikes? Well, the company is in the news again today with its latest variant of the popular Calibre Bossnut which it calls the Triple B. The standard Bossnut is…
SRAM Introduces NX Eagle 1×12 Groupset, Including A Sub-£100 Cassette
You read that correctly – SRAM has just unveiled its fourth – and cheapest – 1×12 Eagle drivetrain. Badged with the NX Eagle label, this new 12-speed groupset slots in underneath the GX Eagle, X01 Eagle and XX1 Eagle groupsets. However, it makes use of…
UPDATE: milKit Booster tyre inflator recalled due to safety issue
Update: We’ve just received the official recall notice from milKit regarding the Boost tubeless tyre inflator – see below for the full recall notice. Madison, the distributor that imports and sells milKit products in the UK, has just gotten in touch with us to let…
Jeff Steber Teases Prototype Intense e-Bike
Jeff Steber is handy with a welder so when you leave him in a room full of alloy tubes and TIG welding gear you can rest assured that he’ll whip out his welding mask, hit ‘play’ on the A-Team theme tune and get to work.…
Go behind-the-scenes on the bike test photoshoot for Issue 119
Back in May, Wil and Amanda headed off to Hamsterley Forest with three UK made 29ers we had on test for issue 119. They were to spend a couple of days shooting the video reviews for the digital magazine, followed by a day with James…
Bad Luck And Trouble In #MakingUpTheNumbers: Gravity Events DH Series Rd 3 – Llangollen
“Rachel” “Rachel” She can’t hear me can she? I’m locked in the bloody garage. “Oh ******* hell”. It’s 6:15 on Saturday morning. The van’s outside with the doors wide open, my wallet’s on the dashboard, phone’s in its cradle, the bike’s in the back and…
What’s It Like To Work At Fort William? Amanda finds out
My first Fort William experience was in 2017. I was relatively new to mountain biking, said yes to everything I was invited to and completely ignored the fact I had a freshly sprained ankle and a set of crutches. I did not enjoy myself. I…
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…
Poll: Where Do You Keep Your Bike?
Its new poll day today and while we wanted to ask something silly like “When was the last time you dressed like hip-hop sensation Kriss Kross?” our good sense has gotten the better of us. Today we’re asking where you keep your bike when you’re…
Sub £1000 Mountain Bikes That Aren’t The Calibre Bossnut
Following on from our list of full-suspension bikes that you can buy for under £1200, we thought we would cast our net out again and see what we could catch on a budget of less than £1000. We’ve been pretty strict with this and only…
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…
The 2018 Fort William World Cup Finals Gallery
Under blue skies and unusually warm conditions, the 2018 Fort William World Cup was run and won over the weekend. You may have followed all the action via our STWFortBill news feed, where you would have seen and heard all the drama involving mechanicals and…
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.…
Trek To Become Official Partner Of Nevis Range
Hot off the back of the Fort William round of the UCI Downhill WC is the news that Trek and the Nevis Range are teaming up in partnership for the next few years. The official partnership has already started with Trek and the first step…
Bike Check: Matt Walker’s Saracen Myst 29er
At last year’s Fort William World Cup, the one theme that dominated all of the hubbub both in the pits, and out on the race course was the 29er. Everyone wanted to know what teams were bringing out 29in wheeled race bikes, and which athletes…
Fort William 2018 – Elite Men’s Results
Following on from the Elite Women’s finals (check out the results and race report here), it was time for the men to come down Aonach Mor. Though earlier weather forecasts had predicted heavy rain around lunchtime, somehow, despite Scotland’s reputation for, shall we say, ‘eclectic’…
Fort William 2018 – Elite Women’s Results
It’s the fourth and final day of the 2018 Fort William World Cup, and you know exactly what that means – it’s FINALS TIME! Reaching a thundering crescendo after several days of growing excitement, anticipation and anxiety for many, Sunday stood as the opportunity for…
The Calm Before The Storm – Fort William Qualification
With practice in the morning and qualifying in the afternoon, Saturday was chock-a-block from start to finish at Fort William. Riders had plenty of time to get more familiar with the race track and the new rock-armoured section in the woods, while also getting their…
Fort William 2018: Qualification Results Are In!
It’s the end of Day 3 at the 2018 Fort William World Cup, and both the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s fields have made their way down the side of Ben Nevis to post their most rapid qualifying times in preparation for tomorrow’s big race.…
Dean Lucas’ Crash, Flat Tyres & Midges – It’s The 2018 Fort William World Cup
Friday was the first day of proper riding at the 2018 Fort William World Cup, after racers had a chance to scope out the course on Thursday’s track walk. Having seen the new rock-armoured section in the woods, riders were then able to see how…
Claudio Calouri talks pump tracks, concussion, and why he didn’t do the course preview at Fort William
For many mountain bikers and fans of the the sport, Claudio Caluori won’t need an introduction. Thanks to his hilarious course preview videos (many of which have gone viral online) and his entertaining race commentary, the Swiss downhiller has become synonymous with the World Cup…
