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…
First Look: Motion Ride E18 Linkage Fork
The chances are pretty high that you either own or have ridden a bike with front suspension. It’s also extremely likely that your suspension fork (or the one you’ve tried) is a “traditional” telescopic model, and you’re reading this to see why on Earth any…
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…
The Ten Best Carbon Wheel Crash Replacement Schemes
Lighter, stiffer and more available than ever. Is there anything about a carbon wheelset that there’s not to like…? Oh yes, the fact that they’re monumentally expensive compared to most alloy versions and if you do bash your carbon rim too hard it’s unlikely to…
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…
Notes from a small island: A Scottish sea to sky adventure
Sanny and friends head to the Isle of Arran in search of big mountain adventure. But is it a ridge too far?
Notes from a small island: A Scottish sea to sky adventure
In association with Canyon UK “So I’m off to Arran for a biking adventure” I said with no small degree of excitement and genuine anticipation to my erstwhile riding companion Dave. “Arran? Are you kidding me? That sounds far too dangerous to me. How will…
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…
Trek Powerfly LT e-MTB gets beefed up forks, battery and wheels for 2019
Last month Mark was whisked off to the Swiss spa town of Bad Ragaz to get a first look at the 2019 Trek Powerfly LT 9 e-MTB. After a day of riding it and listening to the presentation pitch in a rather swanky hotel he…
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,…
Jobs: Cairngorms-based bio-statistician wanted.
POSITION: SENIOR BIOSTATISTICIAN Do your interests include; cycling, walking, climbing, water sports and/or skiing? Would you like the opportunity to combine an exciting professional career with excellent quality of life in the Cairngorms National Park area of Scotland? Then Frontier Science is looking for a…
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…
First Ride Review: Pivot Firebird 29 Pro X01
After the first day of riding at the Pivot Cycles launch in Moab last month, we gathered inside the living room of one of the apartments Pivot had taken over, to get the full product presentation on the new Trail 429. We’d been out on…
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…
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…
Victorious Underdogs – Number 2 Plates Rule Tweedlove’s British Champs
What a Tweedlove finale! Crowning the midsummer cycling festival (that actually starts in March and finishes at the end of August…) of Tweedlove this year was the British Enduro Championships. And in true nail-biting finale style, it came down to the wire in both of…
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…
Review: SRAM NX Eagle 1×12 Drivetrain
Following the release of the XX1 and X01 Eagle groupsets two years ago, then GX Eagle last year, the latest NX Eagle groupset slots into the lineup as the fourth, and cheapest 1×12 drivetrain option to come from SRAM. Equipped with the same 12-speed technologies…
Review: Endura SingleTrack II Helmet
A few months ago I reviewed Endura’s MT500 helmet, and quite liked its fit and broad coverage design. So when the more affordable and similar-looking SingleTrack II helmet arrived at the office, I was handed the petrol coloured lid and told to get on my…
Review: Shimano GR7 vs GR9 Flat Pedal Shoes
Shimano unveiled a brand new line of gravity-oriented flat and SPD shoes last year, and since then we’ve been testing a whole swag of them. Two such shoes are the latest GR7 and GR9 models (GR = flat pedal specific), which we decided to give…
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…
Review: You want aggressive plus tyres? We test the Minion DHR II & High Roller II 27.5×2.8in tyres from Maxxis
Up until recently, the options for plus tyres have generally left a lot to be desired for riding anything beyond hardpack and dry, rocky trails. Thankfully for us British folk, Maxxis released its versatile High Roller II, and aggressive Minion DHR II tread patterns in…
First Look: Sonder Signal Ti 29er
Alpkit’s Sonder bike brand has been shaking up the cycling market for a few years now with good quality bikes, at attractive prices. We’ve ridden a few of Sonder’s bikes including the Transmitter, the Evol, and that 29er Protobike. Today we bring you another first look this time…
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…
Review: The SUNringlé Düroc 40 wheels are designed for chubby tyres from 2.5-2.8in wide
To go plus, or not to plus? Is that even a question? If it is, Tom Nash has been trying to answer it after receiving a set of SUNringlé Düroc 40 wheels designed to accommodate 27.5+ tyres. Over to Tom! 27.5+ isn’t something I had ridden…
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…
Gallery: Working Fort William – Through the eyes of Mr Love
This is a retrospective look at Round 2 of the UCI Downhill World Cup. The weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of June at Fort William was a great time for many. There were of course highs and lows, snapped chains, brake fails, high speeds,…
Water Pistols, Demos And World Class Enduro. Tweedlove 2018 Fires Up.
The jewel of the Tweedlove festival – the big weekend of the Whyte British Enduro Championships is well underway and we’ve been running around, getting a full taste of things. It’s not just about enduro racing though, there’s a whole weekend of events going on.…
My Top Shots: Andi Shares His Favourite Photos From Fort William 2018
Last week I was somewhere hot, dusty and full of amazing people from all of over the world. No, I wasn’t in Barcelona, Monaco or Naples, I was in fact up in the Scottish Highlands enjoying the 2nd round of the World Cup downhill at…
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…
Review: Auxtail Cycle Carrier. A bike carrier that’s even better if you have a Nissan.
For those of us that don’t own vans and have families that probably don’t want to share their personal space with a muddy, awkwardly-shaped bike while on a car journey, the only practical option to transport bicycles is one of the many different types of…
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…
First Look: Sick Bicycle Co. Titanium DFA And A Look At The Future
If you were to think of a young startup brand that knows how to hit the hype button in the right places you might look at a tech brand from Silicon Valley, but Sick Bicycle Co. also meets that criteria. Chances are you’ve read about…