This article was originally published in Issue 117 of Singletrack Magazine. Hannah interviews five people who’ve said ‘Right! That’s it! I’m leaving to go and work with pushbikes!’ Then they’ve…
Behind The Scenes On The Specialized Stumpjumper Launch
Two months ago, I had the fortune of travelling to Ainsa in Spain for the launch of the all-new Specialized Stumpjumper range. Having been there the year prior for the…
Review: Magura’s updated Vyron is the easiest dropper post in the world to install, and it’s better than the original too
Magura first announced the Vyron wireless dropper post in 2015 at Eurobike, and it’s been on the market for a couple of years now. We’d already tested the original, though…
The Boltby Bash Enduro 2018 brings dust-in-Yorkshire shocker!
Implausibly for some there was an era of mountain biking that existed before Enduro racing. Let’s call this time BE, Before Enduro. In these times gone by, not only did…
‘You could buy a car for that!’ It’s Fresh Goods Friday 397
This week, Amanda our designer has stepped in to write Fresh Goods Friday. Mostly because she has a story to tell… Two weeks ago I was on my way to…
Breaking News: Singletrack7 Event Cancelled – forestry operations destroy trails
We’ve just received the following notice from the organisers of the Singletrack7 event: It is with much regret and disappointment that we have had to make the difficult decision to…
Exclusive First Look: The New Cotic Solaris Max
Cotic’s new Solaris MAX launches today. And it’s in stock. And we’ve ridden one. It’s always an exciting day for British mountain bikers when Cotic releases a new model. And…
FINDRA’s lush, luxe, merino – now available for men too
There aren’t many brands where us women get to make the men envious. Usually us women find ourselves looking from the eight different pairs of men’s shorts, 12 jerseys in…
First Ride: 2019 Cannondale F-Si and new Lefty Ocho fork
It was obvious really that Cannondale would choose a World Cup venue and race weekend to launch its new flagship XC hardtail and super, dooper new and improved Lefty fork.…
First Look: 2019 Cannondale F-Si – skinnier, more comfortable and faster than before
This week, whilst Britain was finally getting to enjoy some glorious spring weather, Cannondale launched the 2019 F-Si XC hardtail at the Albstadt World Cup in rather wetter and muddier…
First Look: The all new Cannondale Lefty Ocho suspension fork. It’s a Lefty, but not as you know it
The historians and fans amongst us will already know that the Lefty has been around for almost 20 years. For those of you who didn’t, you probably just feel a…
5 Full Suspension Bikes That Cost £1200 Or Less
Believe it or not, we are probably at a point in mountain biking when we can pick up a very capable bike for a relatively low-price. Yes, there are superbikes…
First Ride: The All-New Trail 429 From Pivot Cycles
Setting out to redesign your most popular full suspension bike must be an incredibly daunting task. Get it right, and you can potentially turn a great bike into an even…
Smores and brews? The Solo Stove does both!
Truth be told, one of the best aspects of bikepacking or long days out on the bike in the hills is the point at which you decide to stop and…
2018 Fort William World Cup Track Course Preview
It’s less than a month to go before the World Cup circus arrives in Fort William and we’re as keen as you are to know if that dreaded forest section…
The Need For Tweed: The Scottish Valley With The Best Mountain Biking In the World?
“If you asked me where the best riding was, anywhere in the world, I’d have to say the Tweed Valley.” The man making this bold statement is Neil Dalgleish, a…
Mondraker Carbon Foxy 29er – The Most Obvious Bike Ever
Given that Mondraker has already launched a 27.5in carbon Foxy bike, the fact that it was going to launch a 29er version of the acclaimed Foxy took no great deducing.…
Cube Stereo 150 Rolls On Bigger Wheels With Enduro Geo
Cube has gone and given its EWS team a new tool to compete on and it is now available for us mere mortals to buy and ride.
Fort William: All the stars, plus #MakingUpTheNumbers – HSBC British Cycling DH Series Rd 2
Rather strangely, the story of Round 2 of the National Downhill Series begins roughly one week earlier, some 300 miles from Fort William on an uplift in Llangollen, Wales. “I…
Jennride 2018: the perfect Lake District weekend?
This weekend saw the 2018 edition of the ‘Jennride’, organised by Richard Munro, in memory of our late Deputy Editor, Jenn Hill. There were three routes available: a 50km ‘dipping…
Alutech Cycles: a drop bar enduro bike, and a bike designed by committee. Eh?
Dotted amongst the big brands’ bike livery at the Garda Bike Festival were several smaller German and Italian companies proudly showing their wares. And none caught my eye more than…
We’re Hiring! Could You Be Our New Technical Writer?
Singletrack is on the lookout for a new person to join our small, enthusiastic and hardworking team. We are looking for someone to work closely in our Todmorden office with…
A Threesome Of Bikes, Lots Of Pants, And A Couple Of Strap-Ons – Fresh Goods Friday 396
There is no introduction today because it’s *ping* too difficult *ping ping* to think straight when *ping* your Twitter feed has gone *ping* into overdrive because you *ping ping* innocently…
From Big Miles To Tiny Wheels – It’s All On The Spectrum
If you’ve followed Greg’s riding, you’re probably used to seeing him gobbling up the off-road miles, probably wearing lycra, possibly sleeping in a ditch. So when we saw him hopping…
2.6in Tyre Grouptest – Schwalbe Nobby Nic APEX Addix Speedgrip Tyre Review
The Nobby Nic is a well-loved tyre from Schwalbe, which has recently been bolstered with the new Addix rubber compound and a ‘plus-minus’ 2.6in width option. To put these new…
Success! Expansion Plans Approved For Dales Bike Centre
Everyone’s favourite cake emporium and mountain bike centre, not to mention the literal hub of the Ard Rock Enduro, the Dales Mountain Bike Centre in Reeth, North Yorkshire, has just…
2.6in Tyre Grouptest – Bontrager XR4 Team Issue Tyre Review
As Bontrager has developed wider rims for use on Trek’s hardtail and full suspension mountain bikes, its range of tyres has gotten wider too. Case in point, the versatile XR4…
10 Spring Saver Deals!
We’ve been waiting for the weather to improve and now the sun is here, and so are the super savings!
6 New Products You Never Knew You Needed: Garda Festival 2018 Roundup
Garda Bike Festival has reached the ripe old age of 25. Whilst it may not be as big as its European brother Eurobike and misses out to Core Bike in…
Garda Bike Festival: SRAM and RockShox 2019 Roundup
SRAM was out in full force at this year’s Garda Bike Festival with an amazing array of bouncy and stoppy-go-y-ness. For once SRAM wasn’t launching any new products or upgrades…
2.6in Tyre Grouptest – Maxxis Minion DHF EXO 3C Tyre Review
The venerable Maxxis Minion DHF tyre has been shaped and moulded into a wealth of different sizes over the past decade, though more recently the blocky tread pattern has been…
What One Old Lady Can Teach You About Cycling
Betty was our next-door neighbour. She was the archetypal elderly spinster: she was feisty, she was fiercely independent, and she used her home as a sort of hostel for local…
2.6in Tyre Grouptest – Specialized Hillbilly GRID Tyre Review
Designed as an intermediate mountain bike tyre suitable for winter slop and loose, technical trails, the Specialized Hillbilly tyre is distinguished by its sticky rubber and mud-cutting tread pattern. More…
Garda Bike Festival Highlights: First Look – Felt Compulsion 1
Last weekend’s Garda Bike Festival saw the launch of the new Felt Compulsion full suspension enduro bike. You rather needed to pay attention though, Felt didn’t so much announce their…
Fresh Threads, Fresh Springs, And Fresh Water – It’s Fresh Goods Friday 395
∗Ēξū⊕ϖ ℘ÛℵЊ βγ Ηē¢κ ιτ˜ς ƒℜî∂αψ Never fear, normal service has been resumed. The walls have dried, the IT hamsters are lying with their legs in the air and the servers are floating…
Routes and Manoeuvres: And why you really shouldn’t follow our route guide in issue 118
Why you must not ride our route guide published in issue 118 As mountain bikers looking for new places to ride it’s easy to fall in to the trap of…
TweedLove festival and demo – uplift now available all weekend!
TweedLove organisers have just announced that they have partnered with Adrenalin Uplift to provide transport services up into Glentress and Innerleithen over the TweedLove Festival weekend. The uplift bus stop…
First Look: Abus MonTrailer Enduro helmet
This weekend’s Garda Bike Festival finally saw the long awaited release of the Abus MonTrailer helmet and I was the lucky one who got to go out to the Italy…
Review: Schwalbe Rocket Ron Addix Speed. Fast XC tyres that last.
Claiming to offer more grip, faster rolling and improved durability, Schwalbe’s new Addix rubber compound has been implemented throughout its entire mountain bike tyre range, replacing the previous PaceStar, TrailStar…
Lock and unload: Vista Outdoor announces plans to sell off Giro, Bell and Blackburn
US-based outdoor conglomerate Vista Outdoor has announced plans to sell off some of its biggest cycling brands, including helmet manufacturers Giro and Bell. We previously reported how the brands had…
New Airdrop Bitmap: UK designed hardcore hardtail
Airdrop Bikes, a small Sheffield based brand led by Ed Brazier, has until now had just the one bike in the range: the Airdrop Edit. It’s gone through a couple…
After 8 months of foul-weather testing, here’s our review of the OneUp Components Aluminum Flat Pedals
Having tested no fewer than 17 flat pedals in last year’s epic group test, David Hayward has developed a keen eye (or is that foot?) for detail when it comes…
TransPennine Express Fails Basic Cycle Proficiency
Last year the Department for Transport published its Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, bolding asserting: “We want to make cycling and walking the natural choices for shorter journeys, or as…
From Mood Board To Muddy Bike – the birth of a dream bike
You may have seen ‘Andy’s Hardtail’ by Mercredi in Wil’s round up of mountain bikes from Bespoked this year. You may also have dribbled a little bit when you saw…
This Australian made hardtail uses 3D printing to make its exquisite steel frame
Part of the international contingent who turned up to the UK Handmade Bicycle Show on the weekend, Mark Hester from Prova Cycles made a very long trip over from Melbourne,…
Want to carry a chainsaw, Jagermeister and a BBQ on your ride? Portus Cycles’ steel utility bike is for you!
Looking for a way to raise the bar on the #coffeeoutside movement? Searching for the ultimate utility vehicle for your trail building ambitions? Well, we might have found the perfect…
Propain Hugene – A 29er ‘that doesn’t feel boring’
Propain is a small German maker of carbon trail and enduro bikes and you might have seen or heard about the Tyee – the company’s 160mm travel 27.5in trail bike.…
Fresh Goods Friday 394 – Office Redecoration Whitewash Edition
We are in a state of some upside down-ness. Chipps is back from his long haul trip and might be jet lagged and befuddled, but the rest of us are…
Exclusive! New 1×12 Drivetrain From SunRace!
Well here’s one package that we didn’t expect to turn up today! It’s a collection of new shifty bits from Taiwanese manufacturer SunRace, which assembled together, give you most of…
Sea Otter 2018: Found! New Giro Shoes Hidden In Plain Sight
The Giro booth at the Sea Otter is always a good source of news and gossip. Not usually because of the products on show (only because we’ve often already seen…
Chris Chance And The New Fat Chance Wicked
After many years out of the bike industry, legendary founder of Fat City Cycles, Chris Chance, returned with a new, updated version of the Fat Chance Yo Eddy back at…