adam batty a spotters guide to mountain bike groups. Finding new routes for rad rides is pretty simple nowadays. You have standardised signs and symbols that give empirical evidence to inform your choices. Elevation can be calculated. Distance can be measured. Headcam footage absorbed. Bleep…
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 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: Snowdon All Ways
Tom Fenton makes a horrible plan, some questionable choices, and wins. Words Tom Fenton Photography Andy Heading “Hang on a minute lads, I’ve got a great idea…” Hoping it would be more Michael Caine than Baldrick, I continued, “let’s ride all the bridleways on Snowdon…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 122: The Borders Of The Borderlands
Olly thinks we’re overlooking a great trail network, and the perfect remote brew spot. Words & Photography Olly Townsend “I ground the beans fresh this morning,” said Kevin, opening a small ziplock bag and pouring a carefully measured dose into his portable cafetière and setting…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 122: Risking It For Polish Champagne
Sprinkled with snow, the crumbling landmarks of Poland’s past provide the backdrop for an unlikely first bikepacking trip. Words Dorota Juranek Photography Adam Klimek It’s 7am on Saturday. The town is lazily waking up from last night’s bash. The streets are empty and all I…
Singletrack Issue 122: Charlie And The Abus Lock
I have got to tell you about my first encounter with this lock. Well, not actually the lock, but a man in a full-on foam outfit walking around the Eurobike trade show in bitching heat dressed as one of these locks
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 122: In My Shoes
Products aren’t just for testing – they can find their way into our lives, our stories and our hearts. In the first of a new series, called Still Going, Hannah tells us about life in her shoes.
Singletrack Issue 122: Climbing Up in Trentino, Stepping Back in Time
Pete and trials rider Ali Clarkson take the ‘easy’ option round the historic fortresses of Italy. Words & Photography PETE SCULLION With the early morning mist lifting slowly off the Dolomites, high in the Trentino valley, we try to shrug off the hectic last few…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 122 : Last Word
The Highland Heist Charlie the Bikemonger reveals his criminal past. Does ‘I was very tired’ count as a defence? You know what? Bikepacking can really change you. Around ten years ago I cycled with my two great friends Crashy Simon and Beardy Martin from the…
Singletrack Issue 122: Charlie The Bikemonger – The Highland Heist
You know what? Bikepacking can really change you. Around ten years ago I cycled with my two great friends Crashy Simon and Beardy Martin from the south coast of England to Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands, so we could race the Single Speed World Champs.…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 121: There Be Dragons Here! Probably …
In search of trail treasure, Sanny and chums tackle what is reputed to be ‘the worst trail in the Lakes’. Do they find a hidden gem or should they have heeded the warnings? Words & Photography Sanny (unless credited) Let me be honest with you,…
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 Magazine Issue 121: Clwydian Hills
Tom Hutton dodges the sheep but feels the heat at one of the lesser-known mountain bike hotspots in North Wales. Words & Photography tom hutton Every year, there’s a day when winter relents and spring takes over. By midsummer, you could be forgiven for thinking…
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…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 121: Just When It Was Going So Well
Jason Miles headed to Valencia for a multi-day stage race armed with his race shoes, a positive attitude and, well, that was about it, actually. Words jason miles Photography T Pascual (unless credited)
Singletrack 121: Build it and they will come
Are ‘pirate trails’ breathing new life into our trail networks, or threatening their very existence?
Singletrack Magazine Issue 121 : Editorial
Longer shortcuts. Words Chipps Out in the car, running errands on a Saturday lunchtime… the Council tip, the shops, the cheese stall on the market… The usual. Wondering why it takes half an hour to go eight miles – and that’s even before the temporary…
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 Issue 121: MIPS: You’re Twisting My Melon Man
MIPS invited us to Sweden to explain its in-helmet safety system in words that non-neuroscientists can understand. Luckily we have our own actual PhD neuroscientist, so we sent Barney to translate.
Singletrack Issue 121: XXC: Cross Country Extra
Three bikes that take the short travel full suspension bike to another world.
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 121: Ley Lines – Don’t Do It!
Barney takes a good hard look at whether the legend of ley lines might hold spectacular secrets of sumptuous singletrack. Words & Photography Barney Marsh
Singletrack Issue 121: Crested Butte 40 Years On
Charlie Kelly and Joe Breeze retrace one of the most important rides in mountain bike history, 1978’s Pearl Pass tour. Words & Photography Charlie Kelly In 1978, a small group of early ‘mountain bikers’ rode over the 12,000ft Pearl Pass in Colorado. That event, and…
Singletrack Issue 121: Shakespeare’s Sister
‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players’. How your ride will play out – whether it results in comedy, tragedy or historic triumph – will depend on your cast of players. Let us head to the casting couch and…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 120 | Last Word: The same sort of different.
Three short stories from Hannah’s recent trip to the USA that demonstrate the reach of the bike and the unspoken bond shared by those who ride them.
Tyke Packing – A bike packing adventure with kids: from Singletrack Issue 120
Barney has taken the – if not impossible – then wildly ill-advised step of actually taking his young kids bikepacking. Read on for some abject lessons in what not to do...
Back to the Future: From Singletrack Issue 120
Sanny dusts down his old ’90s race bike and takes on the quintessential Peaks route. Was the bike as good as he remembers, or is it a case of distance lending enchantment?
Trans Angeles: Rock and rolling across the Angel’s city: From Issue 120
Hans Rey shepherds legends from wildly different backgrounds on a trip across his adopted home of Los Angeles.
Trail Hunter, The Quantock Hills: From Singletrack Issue 120
It’s rare that a good idea is found at the bottom of a bottle…
Beyonduro – Three big bikes that don’t fit under any label. So we made one up: Singletrack issue 120
Three big bikes that don’t fit under any label. So we made one up.
Uncharted British Columbia: From Singletrack Issue 120
A week of riding timeless, un-timed singletrack through unknown British Columbia with the BC Bike Race crew: From Singletrack Issue 120
Don’t call it a heatwave, just call it summer: From Singletrack issue 120
Chipps has vowed to only ride if it’s sunny. Unfortunately, this means he’s not stopped since early May. From Singletrack issue 120
Land of the midnight sun: From Issue 120
Pete Scullion heads to the northern tip of Scotland in search of midnight sunlight and spectacular trails. From Singletrack Issue 120
When did it all get so good? Chipps’ Issue 120 Editorial
I took a trip back in time recently, revisiting a place I used to ride when I was just starting out. Back then the mountain bike world was a rich, but obscure landscape. I’d not ridden in many places and I didn’t have many riding…
Singletrack Issue 120 Classic Ride | North York Moors
Olly Townsend takes us on a tour of this epic northern landscape. Words & Photography olly townsend “That was where I nearly met my maker,” said Mike. I craned my neck to try to see where the trail went next. It looked like the perfect…
Singletrack Issue 119: Ride Less, Be Happier
Adam concocts a recipe for happiness. Like a public bathroom mirror I am covered in the handprints of strangers, but I have also been doing a lot of reflecting. Reflecting on a snowy and wet winter with limited opportunities for adventure, and how these limited…
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 Issue 119: Was It All A Dream
Chipps looks back at the colossal impact of the original Malvern Classic event and asks if the ‘new’ one can ever live up to the hype. Words chipps Photography Geoff Waugh and steve behr/stockfile Remember those long, hot summers of your youth? The sun shone…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 119: Returning To The Dark Side
The former Red Bull trail opened in 1996 to wide acclaim as the first purpose-built trail in the UK. Chipps argues that it’s still one of the best trails anywhere. Words & Photography chipps Stepping off my bike, I look a little closer at the…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 119: Rubber Rendezvous
Singletrack’s self-confessed rubber sniffer takes a tour of the Hutchinson tyre factory in France to see what puts the knobs into our knobblies. Words & Photography james vincent I’m floating in the centre of the fuselage of a large passenger jet having the time of…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 119: Last Word
Mike Braybrook Lazy Lines Choices. How to quit them. Mike Braybrook discovers that the shortest line between two points is often the quickest way to the first aid tent. Last month I had a pretty decent head-meets-earth incident at a race in Scotland. It happens…
Singletrack Magazine issue 119: Never Trust The Weather
This adventure in Utah’s White Rim was supposed to be simple. And dry… Words Łukasz Piątek Photography Adam Klimek Sharp sunlight burns our motivation to pedal. We’re resting on the edge of the canyon. It’s a September afternoon and the Garmin on my handlebars shows…
Singletrack Issue 119: Tour de France The Fun Way
Jérôme Clementz takes on a crossing of the classic mountains of the Tour de France his way – off road. Words Pauline Dieffenthaler Photography Jérémie Reuiller The Tour de France has many iconic mountain peaks that have a special place in its legends. Mountains where…
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 Issue 119 Classic Ride – Ultimate Helvellyn
Words & Photography James Vincent This is a Classic Ride you’ve got to work for, but it’ll be worth it. Really, there’s just a bit more up… How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 118: A Glamorous Job
Jason Miles tells us a few home truths about the indignities of 24 hour racing. The physical battle doesn’t end at the finish line. On reflection, rounding off a cycling weekend by sitting in a hot bath shivering uncontrollably and shouting for my wife to…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 118: Surrounding Swinley
NB: Please read this article before attempting to undertake this ride. Words & Photography Geoff Waugh Fully paid-up southern mod, Geoff Waugh, takes on a tour of this riding gem within a short distance of London. The fact that it goes near his hero Paul…
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 118: Last Word
Train, Train Go Away Barney faces up to the inevitable: he’s not magically going to get fitter by doing nothing. It sits against one wall of the cellar, locked in by a barricade of old unused frames. Slowly collecting dust and detritus in the five…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 118: Finding Perspective In Lesotho
Can you really experience the culture of a country while racing through it? Kristi Stump finds herself pondering such things, when perhaps she should be concentrating on not crashing. Words Kristi Stump Photography Steffen Schraegle Shortly after the first feed station, I passed my teammate…