Curious about how a bicycle is developed? Here’s a look behind the scenes at the prototyping and development process of the 2022 Intense Tracer 279. Jeff’s welding mask. This particular welding mask is at least 15 years old and was used when Jeff welded up…
2022 Intense Tracer 279 – All new and ready for the future
It’s 2022 and we’re seeing the 2022 Intense Tracer being launched. Wow, how novel – a bike for now (well, mid-May), not a year away. It’s been in the works for ages however, with development starting in 2019. Let’s take a look at the decision…
RockShox Flight Attendant review: efficient, neat, fun
RockShox Flight Attendant is the new electronic suspension system from The House of SRAM that promises to solve your woes for good.
So you thought you could ride – and then you watched this.
Meh. Utah desert. That’s a different sort of skill and scale to what you ride. Sedona rocks? Yeah, very clever and all that, but at least you can feel your fingers while you’re riding, it’s warm there. PNW? So much woodwork, and loam. Your local…
Things The Bike Industry Will Try To Sell Us This Year
Call us cynical, or call us highly informed industry insiders with our fingers on the pulse. But we think the marketing departments of the bike industry are going to find new ways to sell old things. As component shortages continue, companies will seize the opportunity…
Internet Rummagings | Spring has Sprung edition
Do let’s, dear reader, focus on the evenings getting longer, the weather getting warmer and the trails getting drier rather than the current cold snap and potential for snow, for spring is springing! Here’s what I’ve found in that back room of the internet bike…
A Movie Double Bill For Eyes and Emotions
We have two movies for you here, one from the Commencal Vee DH race team, and one from Vee Tire Co. One will require the close attention of your eyes, and one will require a little more engagement from your mind. First up, a feast…
Build Your Dream – From Road to Rad with Chris Burkard
If your friends are all riding road, shake their heads, and tell you they like their shins unblemished and their tyres skinny, then show them this video. Photographer Chris Burkard has gone from road and endurance riding to a seriously rad back yard set up…
Shimano Shoe Winners Revealed – was it you?
Whoop! Some good news for some of you! Singletrack Members can opt to receive our monthly Members’ Newsletter, and in the last edition we gave people the chance to win some Shimano shoes, and now you can find out who won. We have two newsletters.…
Fresh Goods Friday 594: The Fifth Season
Here we are, back to winter, just in time for our energy bills to rise an unfathomable amount. So get your insulated jackets out, your merino base layers, your buffs and your fleece-lined hats. What you save on energy bills, you can spend on your…
New Pennine Peak Discovered, Bringing Total to Four
A group of Yorkshire mountain bikers were extremely surprised to discover a ‘hidden mountain’ while out riding in remote countryside near Bradford. ‘We were just riding along, wishing we were somewhere with proper mountains instead of endless hills and moors, when suddenly we noticed an…
The Starling Fallacy: 36 Pages of Redemption
It seems it’s the season for publishing big fancy books about your brand. Here’s the latest addition to the bike library, from Starling Cycles: Born in the depths of the NSMB forum, the Starling Fallacy is Starling’s deepest, darkest secret. It lurked in wait, exposing the core…
New downcountry and trail bikes from Last
The Last Celo and Last Asco use the same essential frame but with different suspension and build kits.
Factor launch their first ever mountain bikes
The Factor Lando XC full suspension bike and the Factor Lando HT hardtail are outright XC race machines designed to go the (long) distance.
Kendal Mountain Festival Tour in Chester, with Matt Pycroft
Fancy a night of adventure? The Kendal Mountain Festival Tour combines adventure films with great speakers to inspire you to get out there – or just appreciate the comforts of home and the bravery of others. The next date in their tour diary is Chester,…
Lazer KinetiCore offers new type of rotational impact protection
Lazer KinetiCore doesn't use a slip liner or stuck-on elastomery things. It uses an internal crumple zone array.
Nicolai Saturn 16: did someone say water bottle?
The Nicolai Saturn 16 is a new development for the German marque and is designed to sit between the Saturn 14 ST trail bike the big G1.
WTB Volt saddle review: safe bet for biking bums
The WTB Volt saddle is not a new saddle. New aesthetics aside, the shape and construction remain unchanged. Thank heavens for that!
New Pivot LES SL – 300g lighter than before
If you thought that all XC racing was going full suspension, you’d be wrong. Or, Pivot thinks so anyway. The LES SL is the latest addition to the brand’s hardtail lineup achieves one of the lightest production hardtail frames in the world at just over…
We’d like our Instagram account back please
If you follow us on the socials you may already be wondering why we’ve been very quiet on Instagram recently. The reason is simple – on the 15th February a hacker managed to gain access, lock us out completely and then demand a ransom. It…
DH World Cup Round 1, Lourdes – Race Report (Contains Spoilers)
The 30th season of UCI DH is underway and what a race we had in Lourdes, France to kick things off! Pre-race concerns about the weather in the foothills of the Pyrenees in March amounted to nothing as the sun shone from Thursday’s track walk…
Exhibit Fun with Max Nerurkar
Max Nerurkar, also known as 3Dumb, makes art, rides bikes and skateboards, and makes lots of notes. If you follow him on Instagram you’ll see a daily life of lists, thoughts, therapy and things with wheels. View this post on Instagram A post shared by…
2022 ABSA Cape Epic Grand Finale – Watch LIVE
7th Stage: Stellenbosch – Val de Vie. Distance: 68 km. Climbing: 2000 m After 8 days of limit-testing racing, there is a return to the good life, for those who can complete Stage 7. The Grand Finale takes teams to Val de Vie, the Valley…
2022 ABSA Cape Epic Stage 6 – Watch LIVE
6th Stage: Stellenbosch – Stellenbosch. Distance: 76 km. Climbing: 2700 m Boasting more singletrack per kilometre of racing than in any other 2022 Absa Cape Epic stage, Stage 6 is one for the mountain biking purists, as it explores the famed Banhoek, Idas Valley, StellenboschTrail…
Inside The Line – DH World Cup through the eyes of a coach
This new video series from e*thirteen will look at each of its sponsored teams, with their coaches taking the lead in providing the perspective on the Downhill World Cup. While tech and bike set up will still be key issues, expect to see more of…
2022 ABSA Cape Epic Stage 5 – Watch LIVE
5th Stage: Greyton – Stellenbosch. Distance: 115 km. Climbing: 2400 m Rusty Gate is, unquestionably, among The Race That Measures All’s most revered climbs. Usually, theassault on it features a pre-amble, a warm-up; but not so in 2022. Leaving Elandskloof, it’s Rusty Gatefrom the starting…
Fresh Goods Friday 593: Sunland vs Iceland edition
I would write a slightly longer introduction to this week's FGF but... the sun's out. I'm off out on my bike to ride all the trails that have been off-limits-soggy since November!
When & how & who to watch at Lourdes DH World Cup on Sunday
For race fans, the week preceding the first World Cup of the season is perhaps the most exciting of the year. “Who will be fastest this season?” is the ultimate question, but trying to formulate an answer produces many, many more. Some of them will…
2022 ABSA Cape Epic Stage 4 – Watch LIVE
4th Stage: Greyton – Greyton. Distance: 82 km. Climbing: 1650m The second day on the trails of Greyton wastes no time in introducing the teams to the region’sspectacular trails. A district road start provides a quick warm-up before the dual tracks into the mountains above…
Lapierre XRM and XR: Cross Down Country
Lapierre XRM bumps the rear travel up to 110mm and sports a 120mm travel fork up front. The XR still rocks yer 100mm of XC just-enoughness.
2022 Absa Cape Epic Stage 3 – WATCH LIVE
3rd Stage: Greyton – Greyton. Distance: 101 km. Climbing: 2250 m In 2022, the Absa Cape Epic explores the trails of Greyton like never before. It begins with a day backloaded with singletrack; thus, the opening kilometres of Stage 3 are characterised by the other…
60 bike companies pledge to increase sustainable packaging use
Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) and Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) have launched an industry-wide commitment to reduce plastic packaging and eliminate unnecessary packaging from the supply chain. 60 companies have today announced, via a joint CONEBI and CIE press release, to improve their…
Kendal Mountain Tour – bringing the mountains to a town near you
Maybe you didn’t make the main Kendal Mountain Festival event in…er… Kendal? Fear not! Kendal is coming to you. The concept is simple. Take the spirit and essence of Kendal Mountain Festival, and put it on tour. The result? Fun, great speakers, carefully curated films,…
2022 Absa Cape Epic Stage 2 – LIVE
2nd Stage: Lourensford Wine Estate – Greyton. Distance: 123 km. Climbing: 2350m Stage 2 of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic heads due east, taking the teams on an African Odyssey from the luxury of Lourensford Wine Estate into the heart of the hinterland. The route…
Continental Der Baron Projekt tyre review
Continental Der Baron Projekt is made of their 'secret sauce' Black Chili compound, which you’ll only find in their German-made tyres.
2022 Absa Cape Epic Stage 1 – LIVE
1st Stage: Lourensford Wine Estate – Lourensford Wine Estate. Distance: 92 km. Climbing: 2850m The first marathon stage of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic leaves nowhere to hide. Scaling King’s Climb is the first order of the day. A brutally long and steep ascent from…
Quick thrash on the Privateer 141 Öhlins edition
Here's a quick braindump about the prog rocking Scando-Brit colab called the Privateer 141 Öhlins edition.
50 minutes of Reece Wilson: The Flying Scotsman
To help tide us all over until World Cup racing resumes, here's a 50 minute film detailing Reece Wilson's 2021 season.
2022 Absa Cape Epic Prologue Stage – LIVE
Stage: Prologue: Lourensford Wine Estate Distance: 24 km. Climbing: 700m After eight years the Absa Cape Epic, that claims to be the toughest MTB race in the world, returns to Lourensford Wine Estate. We have live coverage of each stage right here on Singletrackworld.com In…
Back From The Dead: A Custom Toolbox For Every Eventuality
Be still your beating hearts, because for this edition of Back From The Dead, Dieter is giving you an in depth look at his tools. Oh yes. Here we go with the deep dive tool box love nerd fest. We know you love it. Tools!…
Benji’s Turbo Mega Birthday Deal Thing.
Singletrack’s leading bike tech botherer, Mister Benjamin Haworth, is celebrating his birthday this weekend. Benji has been in the mountain bike publishing game for literally ages. He has written guide books, worked for several publications, including Singletrack many many issues ago. Look, here is a…
Lightfall – A Journey in Photography with Sterling Lorence
What does it take to get a great photo? Pete Scullion gave us some insight in Singletrack Magazine Issue 141. He talks of things being easier with some riders other than others, and preparation, but Sterling Lorence is taking patience to an extreme degree in…
Fresh Goods Friday 592: Too many birthdays edition
What is it with March? It seems like it’s someone’s birthday every day. Well, obviously it is someone’s birthday every day, every day. But you know what I mean. Don’t you? Maybe it’s just me [Benji]. Can everyone stop having birthdays in March please? It’s…
POC Consort Dungarees – A Review Revisited
When I reviewed the POC Consort Dungarees I’d been wearing them for two months. You can go and read the original review – much of what I said still stands – however, two months on, I want to revisit some of what I said. My…
Video: Fergus Ryan Joins Privateer
With Matt Stuttard off to throw new shapes at Polygon, we knew Privateer and Hunt Bike wheels had a new signing to reveal. It’s been revealed that Fergus Ryan is joining their ranks, and he’s been out in Portugal getting familiar with his new bike.…
New Uncaged versions of YT Decoy MX and Capra MX
The Decoy and Capra Uncaged 9 bikes are basically Öhlins equipped (RXF 38 m.2 fork and TTX 22m shock) limited edition models.
Forum Sentiment Analysis: The mood of the ‘nation’ in 1 graph
The Singletrack Forum is really quite a thing to study. In the last 14 years its accrued more than 10 million posts generated by more than 120k registered users (In 2021 we averaged 1.5 million visitors per month). In that time every topic and reply…
Trash Free Trails: One Bag Challenge
Trash Free Trails launches Spring Trail Clean with a ‘One Bag Challenge’ to riders, runners and roamers alike. Here’s the full press release from Trash Free Trails. Get out there and get picking! Litter (or as we prefer to call it, single-use pollution) can feel…
Become a sponsored privateer with Vitus and the DirtFund Project!
The DirtFund Project is a volunteer and a completely non-profit effort, established in November 2020 by Daniel O’Shea and a bunch of mountain bike mates. Its goal is to help privateer EWS & WCDH racers from the UK and Ireland fulfil their dreams. In 2021,…
And the winner of the £500 Altura voucher is…
The lovely folks at Altura gave you the chance to win a £500 voucher to spend on whatever takes your fancy from the Altura range. A simple question, a click of a box, and your entry was in the hat. So who’s the lucky winner?…
Pivot Shadowcat first ride review: lightly outrageous
Pivot’s replaced the 5.5 Mach with a smaller, lighter, upright suspension trail killer. It it enough fun to justify the price?
