An interview with mountain biking photographer and ALS sufferer, Colin Meagher, therefore, also one of his last.
Interview
The best place for an interview with any bike industry A-lister is over a beer in a pub. Not all of these are beer fuelled but some very much are.
Issue 163: Pump them up and let them go!
The life of a World Cup cross-country mechanic isn’t quite as rigid as it might seem. Chipps catches up with Aaron Mc Cann from Trinity Racing.
Issue 162: What is Soul?
Do mountain bikes have soul? Does it need to be earned? Does it need to be retro? Or steel? Chipps delves into a topic with some strong opinions.
Issue 161: Mike Sanderson
Head of Bikes at The Rider Firm, Hannah found out how he got here, and where he thinks we’re heading next.
Issue 160: Calm Down – Interview with Brage Vestavik
Hannah interviews Brage Vestavik, freeride’s wildest Norseman.
Bob Seals: Devil, do-gooder or daydreamer?
Spiritual eco-warrior? Half-naked singlespeed pioneer? Genius machinist who brought you the Cool Tool and Klean Kanteen? Or someone who offended a race organiser so badly they forklifted his team truck out of the arena? Robert, Bobby or Bob Seals is obviously all of these things…
Issue 154 Interview: Gladiators… Ready!
It’s perhaps no surprise that one of the new competitors on TV’s Gladiators is a pro mountain biker. Hannah catches up with Privateer Bikes rider Kerry Wilson to find out what makes her tick. Look up Kerry Wilson on Instagram and you might need a…
Issue153 Interview: Flying Under The Radar
Joey Gough has been so busy riding her bike that she’s flown under the commercial radar in an industry that’s just catching up. Words & Photography Geoff Waugh Joey Gough is riding the big new line at Twisted Oaks Bike Park in Suffolk. She deals…
Issue 153 Tech Head: When It’s All Your Own Fault
A custom-built bike is a dream for many, but how hard is it to choose (and then live with) your exact, perfect machine? Words As told to Chipps Photography Credited For some people, commissioning and speccing a custom-built bike is a fantasy indulgence, for others,…
Issue 150: Full Time Tinkering
Steve Chapman talks to the man who makes your suspension work better than when it left the factory. Words Steve Chapman photography Sarah Barratt I’ve been harbouring a secret for a long time and I feel like I want to get it off my chest:…
Issue 150: ‘Who died and made you Keeper of the Peak?’
Hannah chats with Chris Maloney to find out what keeps him giving up his free time for the benefit of mountain bikers. Words Hannah Photography Alastair Johnstone / as credited I have a standing joke with my American partner: he asks where something is, and…
Issue 148 – Interview: Who Is Dylan?
Words Fahzure Freeride Photography JP Gendron Competing in his first Red Bull Rampage at 30 years old made Dylan Stark something of a veteran rookie. What took him so long to get there? You’re on the hill the day before your first-ever appearance at Red…
Singletrack World Issue 145: The Science Of Waterproofing
Fresh from a wet weather ride where he appeared to be wetter on the inside than the outside, Sanny sets off to find out what ‘waterproof clothing’ actually means and why it might not work quite the way we expect it to. Words Sanny Photography…
Issue 144: Searching For A Solution
Dean Hersey chats to the ball of energy that is Claudio Caluori. Words Dean Hersey Photography Red Bull Content Pool, Dan Griffiths, Tyrone Bradley, Dan Milner, Meri Hyoki You don’t have to dig too far into the colossal internet mountain of videos to have come…
Issue 143 Interview: Guy Kesteven
If he can tell how a bike will ride just by pushing it, why does he keep riding and testing? Words & Photography Chipps Whether you know Guy Kesteven through the thousands of bike and product tests he’s written over the last 25 years, his over-exaggerated ‘bike journo’ riding style, or…
Issue 142 Pete’s Pro’s: Rachel Atherton
Pete takes in laps and baby naps with Rachel Atherton on her home turf. Of all the routes I’ve travelled to go for a ride with those who make their living from riding push irons, few are as familiar to me as the run that…
Issue 142 Interview: Going Downhill
Steve Chapman chats to the unassuming Pearces who have shaped UK downhill racing. Words Steve Chapman Photography As Credited If you look at the movers and shakers of UK mountain bike events, it’s a small, close-knit pool of people. If you then dial in the…
Meet the Singletrack Big Hitters
This article is from Issue 136 of Singletrack World. Hannah crosses the paper/internet boundary to unearth some of the truth behind a few of the Singletrack Forum personas we know as ‘The Big Hitters’. Words Hannah Photography Various If you’ve hung around our Forum for…
Pete’s Pros: Hattie Harnden
Pete Scullion talks fun, work and sleep with the multidisciplinary bike racing dynamo. Words & Photography Pete Scullion Despite being a classic mountain biking destination, I’d never once stopped in Great Malvern. I’d certainly seen the signs from the A50 on numerous outings to South Wales over…
Chris Hinds – Unexpected Hero
How much physical and mental strength does it take to finish, let alone win, the 1,800km Great British Divide? More than we could ever imagine. Words & Photography Chipps & Chris Hinds How does that kitsch saying go? To truly appreciate the heights, one must…
Behind the Pencil: Cover Illustrator Interview
Singletrack issue 131 deadline is fast approaching for our next issue of the magazine, and if you haven’t already heard, it’s going to be a special one. The subscription deadline is Thursday 21st May and we highly recommend you subscribe as we are most likely…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 129 | Chris Akrigg: Quick. Change.
Chipps quizzes Chris Akrigg just before he announces his new bike sponsor, GT, after 12 years on Mongoose. Words & Photography Chipps I’m watching Chris Akrigg ride a bike through his local Yorkshire woods, and there’s something different about him. It’s nothing to do with…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 129 : Interview : Cedric Gracia
Andi gets Cedric Gracia to slow down for long enough to spend five minutes answering the questions we ask everyone. Words Andi Photography Forestal Tell us who you are, what do you do and why we should go for a ride with you. Well, I’m…
![Singletrack Issue 126 | Rock[et] Science – Manon Carpenter](https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cropped-stw-2019-08-08-Petes-Pros-Manon_12.jpg)
Singletrack Issue 126 | Rock[et] Science – Manon Carpenter
Pete catches up with an enthusiastic and at peace Manon Carpenter on her South Wales home trails. Words & Photography Pete Scullion A shout from the front of our three-person train manages to find its way to my ears through the clatter of bikes and…
Singletrack Issue 125 | (Not) Catching Up With Peaty
Pete Scullion catches up with Steve Peat, one of the most successful mountain bikers of all time, and a giant of the sport in many ways. Words & Photography Pete Scullion Rolling down Steve Peat’s driveway seems awfully familiar, although I’ve never set foot in…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | Jez Avery – Tears Of A Clown
Hannah catches up with Jez Avery, the official joker of the British mountain bike scene and finds a darker side that nearly did for him. Words Hannah Photography Mark and as credited “I love waking up in the mornings.” It’s taken stunt rider Jez Avery…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 124 : Dyfi Dynasty
Deep in the woods of west Wales, there lies a network of ancient (and very modern) tracks waiting to be discovered. The hidden trails of the Dyfi Forest could be the best-kept secret in Wales. Words chipps Photography james vincent Dan Atherton, the legendary trail…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 124 : Grayson Perry, Bloke On A Bike
The artist and TV personality Grayson Perry is famously a keen mountain biker. Hannah travelled to his north London studio to discover that the legend might be overshadowing the reality. Words & Photography hannah I’d seen a few articles about Grayson Perry in which his…
Singletrack Issue 124 | Fresh Fruit & New Hazzards
Pete Scullion’s regular series of rides with pro riders continues with one of the enduro circuit’s most enigmatic characters: Joe Barnes. Words & Photography Pete Scullion Overnight snow has turned Fort William into a winter wonderland as we shovel breakfast down our necks in Joe’s…
Singletrack Magazine issue 123 : 25 Years Of Chipps
January 2019 marked 25 years of Chipps being a full-time bike journalist. Here, he pulls up some of the highlights of a quarter of a century that spans cantilever brakes to e-bikes and McRoy to Minnaar. On 4th January 1994, I walked into the Trim…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 123 : It’s Pronounced “roo-ree.”
Words & Photography Pete Scullion As I stand in a frozen Innerleithen car park trying to wrap my arms tighter around my torso in a vain effort to warm myself up, I’m slapped by the irony of having Ruaridh Cunningham battle through Edinburgh rush hour…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 122: Jason Miles
Jason Miles Mind Your Manners Jason thinks we might be letting ourselves go when we get on a bike. I wrote in my last column that I believe we have too many rules and that cycling should have fewer of them. Or no rules at…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 122: Tracey Moseley – Mother Hucker
Tracy Moseley has had the world as her playground, Pete Scullion finds out whether it’s all swings and roundabouts ahead now that she’s a mum and a rider. Words & Photography Pete Scullion There are few better places to talk shop with a multiple World…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 121: Simon Gallup – There Is No Cure
Simon Gallup: There is no cure. He plays in a world-famous band and has toured the globe for the last 40 years. And yet, all he really wants to do is ride bikes. And if he can’t, then he likes nothing better than to talk…
Singletrack Issue 121: Jason Miles
Jason Miles Your big ride. Is it pure? Jason rails against the self-appointed, solo bike ride Council of Elders. I remember a couple of years ago, I threw my hypothetical hat into the imaginary ring and tried to put my name on the start list…
Interview: Tom Ritchey – The man behind the ‘tache.
This article was originally published in Issue 110 of Singletrack Magazine. We chat to (and ride with) this iconic framebuilder, product designer, owner and boss of Ritchey Components during his whirlwind visit to the UK. I’m at the Bicycle Academy in Frome, Somerset, and someone…
Singletrack Magazine 121: The Not So Nutty Professor
Sanny takes a step into the alternative bike world of Ben Cooper. What he finds is that it isn’t just about the bike. Not even close. Words & Photography Sanny I first came across Ben and his Glasgow-based shop Kinetics many moons ago when he…
Singletrack Issue 119: Dan Stanton – Hardtails with Shocks
Ian Bailey takes a trip to Stanton Bikes’ Peak District HQ to talk about steel bikes, the future of British framebuilding and following your dreams. Words ian bailey Photography Andy Heading The British bike manufacturing industry has a tumultuous history; once the world leader in…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 119: Scott Beaumont – Staying Professional
A lifetime as a pro rider, with Scott Beaumont. Words & Photography Geoff Waugh You’ve seen them in the magazines; we’ve seen them on our TV screens. Professional riders that is. We are bombarded by new ‘edits’ on a daily basis; they come at us…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 118: Staying Ahead, Being Last
Rachel Sokal spends a day with the British cross-country queen to talk all things Olympics, baggies, cake, and why if you’re not riding cross-country, you’re missing out on the fun. Words rachel sokal Photography olly townsend When I first arranged to meet Annie, we planned…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 117: Quit Your Job
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’, ‘your career’, or even ‘a vocation’, the chances are you’ll…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 117: Adrian Carter
Yorkshire Grit Chipps catches up with one of the UK’s original mountain bike pioneers, still making waves from his base in North Yorkshire. Words chipps Photography james vincent
Singletrack Magazine Issue 116: Talking Trickstuff
Team Singletrack caught up with German precision engineering company Trickstuff this summer, in its hidden factory deep in a German housing estate. Words Hannah and Wil Photography James Vincent We’re not the first to follow the ‘Trickstuff’ signs off the main thoroughfare into the residential…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 114: Keith Bontrager
“Strong, light, cheap – pick two.” Mountain bike pioneer, product designer, agitator. Words Chipps Photography Chipps and Steve Behr Keith Bontrager has been a bike industry name since the earliest days of the sport. While not a great self-publicist, his thoughts on bike design have…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 113 : Staying Intense
Jeff Steber: Staying Intense The founder of Intense, Jeff Steber, talks to Chipps about keeping up with the times and thinking about the future. Without forgetting the past. Words and Photography Chipps Jeff Steber is the first to admit that he’s not the best guy…
Singletrack Issue 1 – Michael Bonney (Orange Bikes) interview
Way back, in Issue 1 of Singletrack Magazine, we interviewed Michael Bonney. As friends, family, and the industry mourn his passing, look back fondly as he takes a guess, in 2001, at how mountain biking will develop. Intro From the depths of deepest West Yorkshire,…