Totting up here at Singletrack we reckon this is the fourth incarnation of the Santa Cruz Chamelon. Unlike its users, the Chameleon hasn’t changed a great deal over the years. The ‘Cham’, along with the GT Zaskar and, to a lesser degree, the Cannondale Beast…
Riding the Ridge, inches from disaster…
Chipps' favourite video of the week - this time some mental ridgeline riding action from Rene Wildhaber in Bolivia... Crazy, crazy stuff.
Specialized Defroster Boots
A decent pair of winter boots is long overdue from the (other) Big S. In all other fields, they rival both Shimano and Sidi in popularity and (for me at least) usually exceed both in ergonomics and fit. It’s good to see that they’ve done…
Fort William World Cup – Results and Freecaster Videos
NISSAN UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Fort William 4X-DH. Minnaar and Jonnier take the DH wins. Graves and Kinter dominate the 4X.
Pendle Wheel Support Bike Rack
When it comes to bombproof bike racks the Pendle wheel support rack takes some beating. We opted for the Type Approval two bike model which attaches to your car by way of a plate that bolts behind a two bolt tow bar. Each bike sits…
Petzl MYO XP
Not a riding light, but why shouldn’t your camping, walking and exploring lights not make the most of advances in LED technology too? Running off three AA batteries, the Petzl MYO XP uses one bright LED to give a bright, white light with a diffuser…
Geax Pit Stop Magnum
The Geax Pit Stop is a neat idea. You take a canister of CO2 but also fi ll it with latex sealant and stick a multi-fi t (Schraeder and presta) valve attachment on the end. This Magnum version is a bigger volume canister for bigger…
Extra Wheel Trailer
The Extra Wheel is basically one wheel hitched to the rear axle by a clever steel sprung bracket (you get both an adapted QR and 10mm axle nuts which will fit mountain and road bikes). Your kit is carried in two dry bags in cargo…
Faction Bike’s Zeitgeist 22″ Wheel Bike
Here's another wheel size for y'all...
Demo To Win At Mayhem With Crank Bros
Those nice guys and girls at 2Pure and Crank Bros are giving Mayhem riders an opportunity to demo - and then win - a pair of their Cobalt or Iodine wheels.
Royal Racing SP24/7 jersey
I must confess to being an unwilling tester for this garment. I’ve never worn tops like these before. Mainly because I think they usually look ‘goalkeeper’ naff. It was only when I ran out of other jerseys during a week’s riding in Italy that I…
10 Under the Ben: Race Report, Pics and Video
Three downhill specialists from Fort William - Alistair MacLennan (ex Masters Downhill Champion), Joe Barnes (2nd NPS Downhill Series 2008) and Liam Moynihan – beat off the strong competition from cross country endurance riders to win the Male Trio category of the Benromach 10 Under…
Ortlieb MudRacer Saddle Bag
Ortlieb are a company who I regard with some reverence. Their Back-Roller Classic panniers have transformed my view of what it is possible to do without a car, so I have tried their other products with some anticipation. Unfortunately, none of my other Ortlieb experiences…
Hope Race Series Round 4, Lee Quarry – Race Report
Short sleeves and sunscreen were the order of the day for racers and spectators alike, as the fourth and final round of the Hope Race Series got under way on Sunday. Race report and pics by Jenn Hopkins.
Loads And Loads Of New Stuff From Niner- Santacruz -Evil Revolt-Socks……
If you like bike stuff (which we do) It's been like pigs rolling in s**t the last couple of weeks here at the office and we thought we should share.
National Marathon Championship – Margam Park
Joolze Dymond reports from the UK National Marathon Champs - and the Singletrack Big Welsh Weekender down in Margam Park, South Wales this weekend.
Strathpuffer Lite, June 27th
The 'Puffer Lite', a summer version of the gruelling Strathpuffer all night winter endurance race, is set to take place on Saturday 27th June.
Howies Vail Merino Wool T-shirt
Some things are obviously good value for money. Some things need a little more contemplation before their value becomes clear. The Howies Vail T is a ‘normal’ T-shirt made from thin merino wool. Merino is well known for being able to absorb moisture without feeling…
And you thought you were fast?
Have a look at Greg Minaar's helmet cam footage of this weekend's Fort William World Cup DH run. Complete with very casual sounding commentary...
Watch Out in Wharncliffe This Weekend
Watch out for lots of horse riders if you're going to be near Wharncliffe Woods this weekend. Or aim to steer clear and visit next weekend instead. If we're nice to the horse riders, they'll be nice to us...
Making Hay
Even though I spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday messing about on two wheels under scorching sunshine I still felt the urge to "play out" on Sunday afternoon...
Rock Shox Lyrik Solo Air
Standing in the queue for the bike-park gondola I compared my Solo Air to a triple-clamp fork on someone else’s late 90’s downhill bike. With 35mm stanchions the single crown Lyric made the other fork look weedy. To have a fork that is as strong…
Knog Frog Lights
Emergency or ‘just get me home legally’ LED lights have been around for a while now and while most consist of single LEDs (one in white, one in red) Knog do things a little differently.
Singletrack Big Welsh Weekender getting full!
There are over 850 riders and racers booked in for this weekend's Big Welsh Weekender in Margam Park, South Wales. Looks like good weather too... Come along and watch for free - or enter the XC if you're feeling keen... The Marathon is booked up…
Kona Bristol Bikefest is filling up…
One of our favourite events of the year, the Kona Bristol Bikefest is only ten days away and it's filling up fast. Deadline for some entries is this weekend, so don't delay...
Magura Durin
Looking around at the number of dedicated XC forks you’d be forgiven for thinking fork manufacturers had decided that the market was dead and that we all need 160mm forks on all our bikes. Admittedly the need for 80mm forks isn’t what it was so…
The new Transition Bikes Covert model
Only slight apologies for the press release cut 'n' paste, but we thought you'd like to see the new 'genre redefining' Covert bike from Transition Bikes...
Straitline Stem
There’s something to be perversely admired about a company that kicks convention in the teeth and smiles doing it, and Canadian company Straitline have a lot of shattered enamel on their 5.10s.
North Shore Riding – on a unicycle…
Chipps' favourite video of the week - Mike Parenteau riding Nelson BC on two wheels - and then on just the one...
West Highland Way in a Day
Riding the West Highland Way is nothing new, but doing it in under 24 hours for charity is going to take some doing...
Top Bike Brands Line Up To Offer Bike Testing At Fort William World Cup
New ‘Bike Test’ gives fans the chance to test latest models at Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, presented by Shimano.
Islabikes Rothan
When you find that nearly everyone you meet is doing a double-take at your new purchase you know it’s either because you’ve bought something quite stupid, or you’ve chosen one of those products that attracts attention for all the right reasons.
Sram XX – the low down.
Dave A reports back from the SRAM XX launch in Italy having taken the test bikes around a blistering hot Tuscan landscape. There are US prices in here too - prepare to wince a little when you see them.
Sram XX shifter close up
Last post before I pop off for dinner, here’s the XX shifter. Designed from the ground up just like the rest of the groupset but influenced by what Sram have learnt from previous projects such as the road groupsets and XO
Sram XX forks
Here’s a taster of the new XX forks, more tech information later.. Here’s the XX Sid world cups with reworked lowers, steerer and crown. All forks feature the new X loc lockout lever.
That Sram XX cassette in close up
Dave gives us some super-closeups of the new SRAM XX rear cassette. It's a madness of intricate machining - which it should be for over $300...
2010 Commencal AbsolutSX
Albert from Madison says: "Rumour has it it’s the ‘bestest’ in t’world ever, ever!" See what you think…
Comment on the comments
Is it me or are the people posting comments on our stories getting increasingly more negative and cynical? SRAM launch their 10 speed groupset and within minutes of Dave posting his report from the launch itself the comments are ‘what’s the point?’, ‘it’s all just…
Freak Bike: Santa Cruz Easy Rider
This bike ticks all the boxes to qualify for a place in Singletrack’s "Bike Pron" feature: Would it draw a crowd if it were leant up against the food tent at Mountain Mayhem? Is it a bike that we’d all like to ride, even if…
Shhh – Sram XX Updated
Dave Anderson reports from the SRAM XX launch in Italy... Ten speed, two chainrings and Centrelock? Whatever next?
Identiti Alloy QR Seat Clamp
Are you a saddle dropper? If not, why not? The usual reply is “I can’t ride with my saddle down”. This confuses me greatly. What advantage to bike handling can there possibly be in having a saddle wedged up your crotch?
Cane Creek Double Barrel Shock
This shock comes out of a collaboration between Cane Creek and Ohlins Racing, the Swedish suspension gurus who have cut their teeth on the likes of Supercross and GP bikes to produce a handmade (every single one is made by just one man, called Paul,…
Hope 1.5in Stepdown Headset
Those of us with fat head tubes have traditionally only had two choices when it came to 1.5-into-1 1/8th headsets: cheap and nasty ball-bearing ones that weigh a ton and go rusty after about three rides, or very expensive ones that are okay.
Successful shoulder surgery for Rachel Atherton
Rachel's back home and better already...
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Free stuff is always good, really great free stuff is even better!
Singular Swift
Yes, it’s another 29in wheel bike. But for a change, it wasn’t sent from a manufacturer eager to get themselves into this subset of a niche before the boat left, but a bike we wanted to look at because it actually looked ‘right’.
Crickhowell Merida MTB Marathon Series 2009 – The Aftermath
The weather turned the already challenging trails into an extra tough ride but that didn’t stop almost 900 riders entering the event.
Atherton Attacks Aston!
World Champ Gee Atherton meets some proper journos and gets them dirty at Aston Hill whilst we play with alliteration.
Shed Shackle
The Shed Shackle is a security device that you fit to your shed, providing a fixed er, shackle to lock your bike to. It’s not going to stop anyone breaking into your shed but it might stop them making off with your bike, which has…
Editorial Juice
Is it that time again? Again?
Hope Race Series Round 3, Lee Quarry – Race Report
With June and the start of the British summer proper winching ever closer, it was touch and go whether the charm of the previous rounds would hold for the racers at Lee Quarry. Race report and pics by Jenn Hopkins.
