Adam Batty welcomes back a lapsed member of the mountain bike club to enjoy the views. Words & Photography Adam Batty Great rides are full of hair-raising descents, jaw-dropping climbs, and belly-filling cakes. When I (a bona fide under-30) am riding with my old man,…
Singletrack Magazine
All the features, tests, opinions and more that have been published in each issue of the printed magazine dating back to 2001
Singletrack Issue 127 | Keeping track of time at the Trans-Provence
Tom Hill reflects on the phenomenon that was the Trans-Provence, and his part as a small cog in its machine. Words & Photography Tom Hill (unless credited) I stand at the bottom of a trail. Despite the beauty of the wider country that surrounds me…
Singletrack Issue 127 | Making it up in the Lake District
Nigel Page and Chipps strap on luggage and join forces again. This time to ride a completely made up North/South traverse of the Lake District. Words & Photography Chipps ‘Puckpuckpuckpuckpuck…’ All I’d been able to hear for the last hour had been the octopus-like sucking…
There and back again – putting the mountains back into mountain biking
In association with… There are some places you ride that stick in the mind long after you’ve brushed yourself down, cleaned the dust off your bike and moved onto places and adventures new. The towering peak of Binnean Mor, an imposing edifice of possibility and…
Singletrack Issue 126 | Editorial – There is no right or wrong…
Words Chipps How is it that I can love listening to a particular band, yet my friend hates them? Or that I can dislike food that is someone’s favourite dish? Or that I can laugh at a comedian who barely raises a titter from others…
Singletrack Issue 126 | Panning For Trail Gold In Arizona
Huw Oliver goes searching for singletrack gold in the arid mountains of Arizona. Words & Photography Huw Oliver My fingers yanked on the levers automatically, bypassing the usual thought processes and channels of communication, as if they knew what was needed before my brain did.…
Singletrack Issue 126 | Colour Wheels
Sim Mainey goes behind the scenes to find out who decides what colours you’ll be wearing and riding next year, and what will be old hat the next. Words Sim Mainey Photography credited While most of us would like to believe that we base our…
Singletrack Issue 126 Classic Ride | Don’t Mynd If I Do
It’s the Long Mynd Jim, but not as we know it. Tom Hutton proves there are still real classics out there just waiting to be discovered. Mountain bikers are creatures of habit. Even the more pioneering among us, those of us who are still happy…
Singletrack Issue 126 | Cornish Fasties
Barney takes a trip where few bike journos have dared to tread – Cornwall. Words & Photography Barney Marsh Ah, Cornwall! Last gasp of Great Britain westward before the relentless, unyielding expanse of the ocean. Kernow (in its local tongue) has long been spoken of…
Singletrack Issue 126 | How to lose friends and alienate people
Sanny takes on a Lake District pass too many, nearly breaks Mark and makes Nick Craig swear. Words & Photography Sanny This feature was originally published in Singletrack magazine issue 126. Features like this are normally only accessible to our full members. Help us create…
Singletrack Issue 126 | Hope’s Helping Hand
How one engineering student’s idea became a reality thanks to Hope Technology. Words & Photography Chipps Maxime Lallemand loves riding bikes in the French mountains. He loves racing enduros, and blasting down mountains flat out. The only trouble is, he’s always had a bit of…
Singletrack Issue 126 | Hello, my name is Jason and I’m a big scaredy-cat
Jason steps out of his comfort zone and under a combine harvester. Or something like that. In a week or so, I’m going to be starting a bike race and I’m getting really nervous. Nervous like I was the first few times I did a…
![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 126 | A Day In The Life Of.. Fort William World Cup
A look behind the scenes of Fort William’s biggest weekend of the year. Words Samantha Saskia Dugon & Chipps Photography Samantha Saskia Dugon As with all great things in life, the smoother and more professional the outward appearance of a venue, event or personality, the…
Singletrack Issue 126 | The Quiet Revolution
A safety and navigation essential for long-distance riding? Or another bleeping digital crutch for those who shouldn’t be in the wilderness in the first place? Rich Rothwell looks at the dramatic influence that GPS units have had on our sport. Words Rich Rothwell Photography Singletrack…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 126 – The Last Word
Red. Rocks. Hannah takes a mountain biker’s pilgrimage. Words & Photography Hannah
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | Padded With Knowledge
Words Chipps There’s a fresh sign that’s recently popped up on a bridleway near me. It’s at a road junction between a very minor road and a bridleway. The bridleway in question is flat tarmac for the first 500m until it goes past the end…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | A day in the life of Bike Park Wales
Sam Dugon goes behind the scenes at BikePark Wales and follows the staff during a typical day. Words & Photography Samantha Saskia Dugon As with all great things in life, the more professional a venue, event or personality appears, the more work has gone in…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | The Art Of The Possible
Has your biking mojo taken a knock of late? No longer quite feeling the love? Sanny reckons you might just need a wee challenge in your life to fire you up. Like a few Scottish Munros. Words & Photography Sanny What is it that first…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | Capital To Coast
Max Darkins rides off-road as much as possible from Richmond Park in London to dip his toes in the sea at Brighton beach. Words Max Darkins Photography Matt Pitts With springtime officially sprung and a day of sunny weather forecast, it is decided that Monday…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | With great power comes great grumpiness
Jason Miles has a run-in with the powers that are supposed to be helping him. A few weeks ago a mountain bike race happened in a park just outside Manchester. I’d organised it. It took a long time to get everything sorted out, mainly because…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | Chairlifted Orienteering
Chipps takes on a mountain orienteering event in the Italian Dolomites, organised by Germans, where the idea is to hunt for dumplings that don’t actually exist, but which everybody gets at the end. Words & Photography Chipps “Crunch!” And with that, our event was over…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | Electric Boogaloo
Chipps infiltrates the underground world of electric-bike-only riding weekends to discover the secret customs and handshakes of this growing mountain bike world. Words & Photography Chipps When you have a ‘special’ hobby, whether it be radio control cars, jigsaws or a rubber fetish, you’re always…
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 125 | The Road To Thundergay
Sanny and Dave explore the western slopes of the Scottish isle of Arran, far removed from the tourist-heavy honeypots of Brodick and Goatfell. Words & Photography Sanny “Is that a dude dressed as Princess Leia?” I expleted, more than a little taken aback when a…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | The Last Word
Swapping cars for handlebars By Mark Alker Mark swaps heated car seats and sunroof for a bike saddle and the open air in a move to become a daily bike commuter. In April I handed back the keys to my car to the guy from…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | Making Hay On Wye
Barney takes a trip to Hay, while the sun shines… Words & Photography Barney Marsh This isn’t how it usually works. If you’re a freelancer like wot I is (Barney Marsh, writer of rongs, that’s me), you usually find yourself pitching ideas like a desperate,…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 125 | Digital Downloads
Singletrack members gain access to each issue of the magazine in a multitude of formats and options. Read on for shortcuts to the digital extras included with issue 125 of Singletrack magazine. Issue 125 PDF For those digital members who like to read the magazine…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 124 : Editorial
The wider we travel, the more narrow our focus… Words Chipps It’s been said that travel broadens the mind. If you expose your mind to new experiences, new places and people, you will find that your understanding of the world at large is brought into…
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 : Filth Camp 2019
Chipps tries to teach Californians about winter riding and ends up learning as much about himself. Words & Photography chipps “Come to the UK in February! The trails will be wet and muddy. It might snow. Our goal is to get you miserably cold and…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 124 : I Love Wight
Dean Hersey goes island hopping with this early season leg stretcher over some of the Isle of Wight’s green, rolling hills.
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 : Getting’ High In Colorado
Rich Rothwell is a successful and experienced British endurance racer, but the 500-mile Colorado Trail Race nearly broke him. Fortunately, it merely changed him for life. Words & Photography Rich Rothwell The head of the Fooses Creek Trail hung a tantalising 50 metres above my…
Singletrack Issue 124 : Metal Machine Music
Barney visits this machinists’ paradise in Preston to find out what makes Bounce Cycles, er, bounce. Words & Photography Barney Marsh Preston, a city nestled atop the north bank of the River Ribble, has many things going for it. It’s a city, for a start,…
Singletrack Issue 124 : The Real World Of Vanlife
Anna Cipullo lifts the lid on the realities of spending a dream holiday in a camper van across Canada with an adventure buddy… and a whole load of damp clothing. Words & Photography Anna Cipullo Stunt Driver Tom Johnstone As I scroll through the endless…
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 124 : Last Word
hannah blind. Will following half-heard directions in the woods lead to peril? Or pleasure? I’m following directions that are little more than a rumour: ‘Through the horse gate, turn right at the fallen tree, push up past the puddle, to the top, where two trails…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 122: Vancouver’s Treasure Islands
Two jet-setting friends discover they’ve overlooked gold on their doorstep. Words Ryan Stuart Photography Ryan Creary A morning beer is always harsh and rarely a good idea. It burns the throat. Bubbles up the nose. And usually comes back to haunt in some foul tasting…
Singletrack Issue 122 | Ti Hard
Three titanium hardtails fit for an action hero. Words Andi Photography James Vincent Titanium. Four syllables that in the bike world may well hint at a significant birthday, or a recent (or impending) divorce. But just as Die Hard is not just a Christmas movie,…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 122 : Editorial
finding your place Words hannah Chipps is away. He’s off on sabbatical to what he calls ‘his favourite place in the world’: Moab, Utah. Now, I’m not going to argue with him – Moab is probably wonderful, and there are some ancient petroglyphs there that…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 123 : Editorial
Greasing Out Words Chipps Daz was our ride leader for the evening, so he got to deliver the pep talk at the top of the final descent – a rocky start with a rollercoaster grassy singletrack lower down that got faster. It was one of…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 123 : Kyrgyztan
Before the Silk Road Mountain Race, Rickie Cotter journeyed alone in Kyrgyzstan to find some peace – and some fear – for herself. She ended up finding far more. Words Rickie Cotter Photography Ellen Mosman “Can you find me a bra? A dog has eaten…
Singletrack Issue 123 : Grate Expectations
James Vincent travels to Cheddar, in the West Country for this issue’s Classic Ride, hoping to find fun trails and the one true cheese. Words & Photography james vincent They say knowledge is power. I say knowledge plays its part, but it helps to get…
Singletrack Magazine issue 123 : In Praise Of The Trail Less Travelled
Sanny heads off the beaten path to Glasgow’s Campsie Fells and discovers that the best rides don’t always need the best trails. Words & Photography sanny What makes the perfect trail? If you were to put crayon to paper, what features would you consider an…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 123 : Jason Miles
Jason Miles Just when you think you know it all Jason unwittingly becomes the local expert in a cycling sport he knows nothing about. I may have mentioned that I live in a small town in an almost forgotten, rugged corner of Scotland. It’s quite…
Singletrack Magazine issue 123 : You Can’t Script Adventure
Scribbles on a map and someone else’s GPX files can never substitute local knowledge. Unfortunately James McKnight didn’t have any of that and, as he discovered, he was soon in way over his head in some of the Pyrenees’ most remote countryside. Words James McKnight…
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 : Budget Bolognese
Sanny, Dave and Matt tackle the Veneto Trail to see if it is possible to have an overseas adventure without sending the credit card into meltdown. Words & Photography sanny I don’t know about you but every time I read a piece about some adventure…
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…