Shut up legs, we’re trying to figure out what that rattle is.
Singletrack Magazine
All the features, tests, opinions and more that have been published in each issue of the printed magazine dating back to 2001
Issue 160: All That Matters
A bike tour through Morocco whittles away at daily concerns until all that’s left is what matters.
Issue 160: Last Word – Digital Dependency
Should ‘ready to ride’ mean more than just having a charged phone?
Why now is the best time to Subscribe to Singletrack
The simple answer is we’ve never offered as much to our members as we do now and we need our members now more than ever to keep us in the…
Issue 159: Fitting In
Chipps encourages us to get (just a bit) fitter. Do you know any rowers? They’re a special breed, aren’t they? Up before dawn for a few lengths of the river…
Issue 159: Tour de Farce
The Adventure Syndicate attempts to bring progress to bikepacking by taking it back to a simpler, sillier time.
Issue 159: Secret Diary Of Benjamin Haworth Age 47 3/4
What is a press launch these days? Who benefits? Who gets short-changed? Are they immoral? Are they ecologically indefensible?
Issue 159: Last Minute Tuscany, Bikepacking in Style
Sanny ditches the traditional endless planning of a bikepacking trip and jumps all in last minute.
Issue 159: Where are we going (with geometry, that is)?
Benji opines on what is right and wrong with the world of mountain bikes right now.
Issue 159: Hand Bagging
After a lifetime of thinking it could never happen for him, Neil and friends set out to bag a Munro – on a handcycle.
Issue 159: Digital Detox
Could you leave all of your electronic gadgets behind on a ride? No GPS, no Strava, no phone. How about three rides in a row? Chipps takes on the challenge.
Issue 159: (Calculated) Risks
Hannah reveals the careful behind-the-scenes work that brings the wild spectacle of Red Bull Rampage to the masses.
Issue 159: Last Word – It’s my birthday and I’ll fly if I want to
Hannah’s nerves age a little as her husband chases youth
The Grinder 159: RockShox Pike Ultimate, Stan’s Flow MK4 Wheels Alpkit Floe trousers and more
If you rest you rust, and there’s no rest for the wicked… so no rust on this batch of wicked products then? Stan’s Flow MK4 Wheelset The USP here is…
Islands In The Mud
You know how there are islands in the Galapagos where there’s a finch that’s perfectly adapted to eat just that one seed that grows on that one island? And then…
Issue 158: Bourganised Chaos
Barney skips the lifts for a self-propelled – and self-inflicted – Alps adventure. Words and photos by Barney Marsh It seemed like such a fine idea. In the thick of…
Issue 158: Special Notice Of Appreciation
Issue 158 was brought to you by a whole bunch of behin dthe scenes people but a huge part was played by all the people listed below.
Issue 158 – Last Word: Going Nowhere, Getting Somewhere
Hannah suggests we don’t need miles of new trails to become better riders. When it comes to bike infrastructure and mountain biking facilities we usually think of new trails. Perhaps…
Each Peach Pear Plum: Using e-cargo bikes to survive picnics with kids
Hannah enlists her friend Celia on a mission to re-enact a favourite book from her childhood. Luckily, Celia is indefatigable.
How to Thrive, not just Survive, this winter
Benji adopts the slithery path to zen in the darker months Acceptance. Acceptance and change. That, to me, is the key to getting through winter. If done correctly, winter can…
Issue 157: MTB Culture – Rain Stops Play
Chipps looks at the increasing influence the changing climate and other pressures are having on off-road events. As the climate changes, it is bringing more unpredictable weather with it. We’re…
Issue 157: Busman’s Holiday
Tracy Moseley’s idea of a holiday does not involve a sun lounger, but it is all-inclusive – and all-in. A trip of a lifetime to the BC Bike Race lives…
The Grinder 157: Granite Quiver, Madison DTE jacket, Feedback Sports Pro HD Repair Stand and more
Tried and tested by the Singletrack Crew, gear to help you survive a day in the hills – or the workshop. Granite Design Quiver Tool Roll This is marketed as…
Issue 157 – Better With Friends
Is mountain biking something best done as a group, or is there a certain singularity of experience to be had in the solo ride? Chipps and Hannah try to see…
Issue 157 – Norway Hans Rey
What would you say are the greatest innovations in mountain biking? Most would agree the invention of full suspension, then there is the dropper seat post; in more recent times…
Issue 157 Last Word – Catastrophe!157
After a dozen years of incident-free mountain biking, luck ran out for my wife in October and she found her foot pointing sideways after an innocuous slide-out into a gravel…
Issue 156 Editorial – A curated taste
Chipps gets to put together a menu of rides. Does he start bold? Or subtle and build to a crescendo? I had some riders in the village this week. Not friends or friends of friends…
Issue 156 – No place for science
Put down your calculators and pick up your pitchforks, because Benji has ideas about where you can stick your science… Despite what this article is called, I am not anti-science.…
Issue 156 – Arran’ a good time
Amanda, Rhys and James are reunited for further confirmation that ‘enduro-packing’ is a great idea. WORDS AMANDA PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES VINCENT I am spreadeagled on a rock slab. James is holding…
Issue 156 – Beyond Benidorm
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY CHIPPS One blazing sun, two very different worlds on Spain’s Costa Blanca. As I look around at the hotel breakfast buffet, there are two distinctly different groups…
Issue 156 – Earning your descents
In our next head to head debate, Chipps is a big fan of earning your descents – he thinks they’re all the better for having put in the effort to…
The Grinder 156: Formula Cura X brake, OneUp Alu bar, MSR tent, Specialized Method shoe and more
Bits for your body, bike, and the happiness of those who share your shed. Formula Cura X Brakes First things first, these brakes aren’t as powerful as the SRAM Maven…
Issue 156 – Pete’s Peaks
Pete brings us a selection of climbs (and descents) worth bagging, even if they’re not on a fashionable to-do list of must-do mountains. Words Pete Scullion, photography Pete Scullion and…
Before the Party’s Over
Mountain biking is getting old. It might be time to sit down and talk to our elders. Words Hannah, Illustration James Vincent Remember when you were a kid and every…
Issue 156 – Inconvenient Injuries
Very silly injury… Went OTB at about four miles an hour. Not a scratch, got back on the bike, rode ten feet, did the same thing. I was on an…
Issue 156 – Bhutan: On Royal Trails
Since Bhutan is keen on measuring happiness, it should be no surprise that there is great mountain biking to be found there. The small kingdom of Bhutan, nestled in the…
502 Club Roll Of Honour
Special Notice of Appreciation We wouldn’t be here without any of you and you’re all special, but the folks listed here are particularly special. Thank you to everyone who joined…
Issue 156 Last Word: Know Your Frenemy
Hannah Discovers the impact of mountain bike injuries on your trails and explores how a favorite trail can turn into a nemesis and the challenges it brings.
Issue 155 Editorial: Going The Extra Mile
Chipps urges you to put in that extra 10% today and you’ll get 30% back tomorrow. It’s like a fitness/friendship pyramid scheme… In some respects, ‘Going the extra mile’ and…
International Adventure: Gaze Up To The Breeze Of The Heavens
Pete’s overnight ride idea remains a dream, as the weather gods demand a change of plan. Words & Photography Pete Scullion In stark contrast to the bright white limestone towers…
Behind The Scenes: Getting The Shot
In Association With Calibre Bikes Words: Hannah Photography: Sam Taylor We’re waiting. Harry is up at the top of the hill, just out of sight. I am crouched in the…
Trail Tales: Midges
The midge can bring horror to the most perfect of days, and reduce rational beings to desperate evasive action. If you know, you know. If you think they’re just a…
Bike Check: ICE Trikes Adventure Trike
Accessibility off-road doesn’t need to mean flat or easy, and challenges are not always physical. Vicky goes on a family ride that makes her rethink her understanding of accessible adventures,…
UK Adventure: Learning Landscapes
Accessibility off-road doesn’t need to mean flat or easy, and challenges are not always physical. Vicky goes on a family ride that makes her rethink her understanding of accessible adventures.…
International Adventure: Atmospheric Andes
Amanda heads to the other hemisphere for some good vegetables and vitamin D* *Dust Words Amanda Photography Etienne Schoeman We haven’t even begun the descent to Santiago Airport when I…
The Trails Behind The Nationwide In Swindon
Hannah goes in search of a myth and finds a reality that should be on everyone’s doorstep.
Debate: Is It Even Mountain Biking?
As part of a new head-to-head debate series, Hannah and Chipps agree to disagree on what constitutes ‘mountain biking’ and, by extension, on what should appear in this magazine. We’ve…
The Grinder: Aeroe rack, Repente saddle, Madison glasses, Shimano shoes, Sinter pads, Muc-Off tool, Hyperlocal
Tools and tech for your convenience and comfort. Because suffering is overrated.
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…
The 502 Club: Special Notice of Appreciation
We wouldn’t be here without any of you and you’re all special, but the folks listed here are particularly special. Thank you to everyone who joined the 502 Club and…
Last Word: Choose Your Own Adventures
Hannah thinks there is much to be said for planning adventures. A friend of mine has just bought a tent. It is a lightweight single-person tent of the type you could…