Up and down the country, clusters of riding friends navigate their way round local trails and personal challenges. The bikes help them fall apart, and stick together. Stephan Fowler brings us a tale from one such group. ‘The Tarpless Tour’ is possibly a somewhat confusing…
Video Vault: A Downcountry Rampage?
Grab yourself some downtime with this round up of videos from the bike world. Vittoria Syerra What is downcountry? What makes a downcountry tyre? This new video from Vittoria will reveal all… Wild and Loud It’s nearly Rampage, so all the riders’ fancy paint jobs…
The new Trek Top Fuel mixes uphill efficiency with downhill performance
The Trek Top Fuel was once considered the goto XC bike, but times have changed and the Top Fuel now blurs the line between XC and trail. We know that you don’t like the term ‘Downcountry’ but it’s hard to ignore especially when Trek are…
FGF 569 – The Week That Social Media Broke
It seems a long time ago now that some poor employee at Facebook HQ had to stand on a colleague’s shoulder, shimmy in through an open bathroom window, crawl through some ventilation ducting and make their way to the server room in order to turn…
OS Maps and Cycling UK – How to wild camp responsibly
As part of Cycling UK and OS Maps’ joint work encouraging more people to discover and enjoy the outdoors more responsibly, the two organisations have launched an awareness film on how to wild camp responsibly. As has been remarked on many times before on these…
Afan Valley and Neath Port Talbot | For Adventures Big and Small
When riding a trail centre route I do not usually expect to find myself eating emergency bilberries. Sure, I might stop and pick a particularly enticing blackberry, or savour a few wild raspberries while taking in a view, but this is different. I’m picking every…
On the Rampage: Behind Freeride’s Biggest Freakshow
Everyone knows about the riders of the Red Bull Rampage; the drops and hucks. but no one ever sees the hundreds of faithful fans who camp in the Utah desert and trek miles to watch and help make it the spectacle it is.
Funded cycle mechanics training for women, trans* and non-binary folk
We all know that the bike industry has been a very male dominated arena, and while that’s changing, progress remains slow. Projects and funding aimed at under-represented groups seek to redress the balance, and we’ve perhaps seen a greater number of projects aimed at getting…
Back From The Dead – How To Fix A Broken Maxle
Dieter is the kind of bike nerd mechanic that every good bike shop should want. He is endlessly enthusiastic about getting people of all kinds onto bikes of all sorts. He can fix your bike even when the outlook looks bleak. Go for a ride…
The “Be Excellent” Reminder Device.
It’s more than just a watch. I recently visited Elliot Brown watches down in my old stomping ground of Purbeck, Dorset. They had organised an adventure weekend for their ambassadors, and it all sounded like jolly good times were had by all, in what is…
Sram Flight Attendant is an electronic suspension wizard built into the new RockShox Ultimate family
You’ve likely heard some rumblings about a new electronic product from SRAM, well we can finally tell you all about it. Here’s everything you need to know about SRAM Flight Attendant. It was only a matter of time before SRAM launched a product like Flight…
The Carbon Chameleon is dead long live the aluminium Chameleon
Santa Cruz kills off the carbon Chameleon but replaces it with a new alloy Chameleon starting from just £2399. Wet muddy trails mean it’s about time for some hardtail hooning, and if you’re after something fresh Santa Cruz has the goods. The Santa Cruz Chameleon…
Mullet Commencal Meta SX and Meta Power SX models get SHORTER reach and LONGER chainstays!
Have we finally reached peak reach? Perhaps Commencal believes so with new shorter reach numbers on both the Meta SX and Meta Power SX! Commencal has offered a mullet version of the Supreme for most of this season, and now the Meta follows suit with…
Nukeproof Blackline Trousers
This review was part of the Singletrack World Issue 139 Kit Essentials Feature Tested by: Ross Price: £80.00 From: Nukeproof.com Riding pants just make sense. They offer added protection and warmth, keep nettle stings at bay and best of all, I can whip them off…
How do we improve the domestic XC scene?
Hannah Collingridge has been enjoying some XC racing, but thinks there is room for improvement, and plenty of room for more riders. How can we make it a more attractive experience for all? She’s got some ideas… Images by Joolze Dymond unless credited. Internationally it’s…
Patrol 691 Evo Review | This Indonesian enduro puts the SUPER in Superboost!
Patrol Mountain has taken input from riders and testers from around the world and brought the geometry of their 691 right up to date. I do bring this up as often as I possibly can, but a few years ago, when pandemics were something only…
New Blue Doon Trail – Full Run POV
The Nevis Blue Doon, the longest Blue grade uplift mountain bike trail in the UK, has been opened at Nevis Range Mountain Experience near Fort William. Joe Barnes and Pete Scullion shot us this POV of the full run. The Nevis Blue Doon, is a Blue graded downhill cross country mountain bike trail at Fort…
Internet Rummagings | Hubs, Brakes and Ti Curiosities
After so much time spent in our Forum, we felt that Tom Howard was well prepared to seek out the furthest niches of the internet. We’ve enlisted him to seek out the curious, the sublime, and the ridiculous. As a rider with something of a…
Come Celebrate Zoe’s Birthday With Us!
Go shorty,it’s my birthday,gon’ sip Bacardi like it’s my birthday!! Well its here, 2nd October and it’s my birthday, but not just any old birthday… I’m 40! Woohoo! I remember as a kid thinking 40 was practically dead! lol. To celebrate, Singletrack is giving you…
Could Northamptonshire Be Your Next MTB Destination?
It hardly has a reputation for being a mountain bike destination, but the flatlands of Northamptonshire might just be about to deliver a dose of trail excitement. Proposals currently at planning permission stage seek to turn a former golf course into a mountain bike park…
Singletrack Elliot Brown Watch Available Now. But not for long.
Less than a week to go ’til the order book for the Singletrack Elliot Brown Watch closes. Thanks to all the Singletrackers who committed to support the one off Singletrack Elliot Brown Watch collaboration, it is now a real thing. Myself and the Singletrack team…
Fresh Goods Friday 568 – Vive La Revolution!
Welcome to the corner of smug. Hasn’t it been a great week? All that sailing past queues of cars, all that totally not worrying about fuel because you don’t need any and you’re not actually that sure if your car still works. Some of you…
Trails for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30th marked Canada’s first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, a newly created statutory holiday to commemorate victims and survivors of Indigenous residential schools. These were state run Christian boarding schools that children were forced to attend in an effort to assimilate them into…
Remember the Alpinestars Ti Mega? Well, it’s back with modern geometry… sort of
The car world has resto-mods and even born again classics, and now so too does the mountain bike world. There are many many mountain bikes from the past that I still lust after. Now and then I’ll even scroll the classifieds to see if I…
Throwback Thursday: 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…
Video: It Has Become Beauty Again
There are many reasons to ride, here’s a video that illustrates some of the more meaningful ones. Jon Yazzie struggled to connect to his cultural identity for some time, leading him to make the wrong life choices and lack a sense of belonging. It wasn’t…
From Enduro To E Cargo | A New Perspective on 2 Wheels
Aran Francis is giving teenagers – and cyclists – a good name. What has this keen enduro rider learnt from riding for a cargo bike delivery service? This morning I got up ready to go for a ride, but instead of putting on my knee…
Making Up The Numbers Podcast | Vali Höll and Thibaut Dapréla
They’re the two young guns taking the DH World Cup by storm, but their 2021 seasons were diametrically opposed! Thibaut Dapréla started the season strong, podiuming at each of the first four rounds but crashed out in Snowshoe and lost his grip on the overall.…
Weight weenies rejoice! Canyon releases updated Lux and Exceed for 2022
Canyon releases details of the 2022 Canyon Exceed and Canyon Lux, no new frames but new lightweight builds! If your idea of a good ride is one where you power up the biggest hills you have locally then power back down them again with your…
EXT Superlight V2 springs weigh less than Zebedee on Keto
EXT’s first Superlight series springs were launched in 2015, now 6 years on they get a lighter V2 update. We don’t tend to think ‘lightweight’ and ‘coil shock’ together, but while a super plush coil might not be a low-weight as an air shock, there…
What A Year Of XC racing! A look back at 2021
Vedangi takes us on a romp through the fast and furious world level 2021 XC racing, and takes a peek into the future. (Featured image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com) The 2021 XC season has been a nail-biter. With the Olympics sandwiched into the season and all…
Behind the Build: Race Track Design with Léandre Alegri
It’s impossible to mishear the noise in the woods. A commotion growing bigger and coming nearer, the sound turns the heads of scattered spectators on its way through the terrain. A figure flashes between the trees, its arrival only preluded by the sharp warning of…
Schwalbe British 4X Series after a Dislocated Elbow with Scott Beaumont
Just a week after he dislocated his elbow in Val di Sole, Scott Beaumont raced in Afan to ensure he took home the overall title. Round 5 and 6 of the Schwalbe British 4X Series was held in Afan, South Wales earlier this month. Not…
Readers’ Rides: Tom’s Steampunk Deviate Highlander
What are you all riding? This is where we find out! You send us your submissions, and then we cast our judgemental expert lustful eyes over them and bring them to the world to ooh and ahh over. We’re picking the prettiest, the most curious, and the ones with…
Last Chance To Nominate! The Singletrack Reader Awards
Nominations close on Monday 27th September! Make sure you’ve told us who you think should get our attention this year, in a range of new awards. This year has been a bit different, again. Rather than grumble about the shortage of this and that, this…
FGF 567 – The Duvet Edition
This Fresh Goods Friday comes to you from under a duvet. We’ve kissed goodbye to Drink Beer At Your Desk Friday and said hello to Drink Hot Chocolate Under Your Duvet Friday. It’s less rock and roll, though the risk of disastrous spillages remains high.…
Watch Crankworx BC events Live on Red Bull TV
Want to check out the action from Crankworx BC? You can catch all the broadcasts live on Red Bull TV from 23 September to 2 October. The event will be taking in a few destinations in BC including Sun Peaks Resort, Golden/Kicking Horse Mountain Resort,…
Snowshoe DH World Cup 2021 – Final Highlights
As far as finales go, Snowshoe DH World cup was up there as one of the most exciting. It’s a little sad that the season is over but we get to look forward to next year. Eliot Jackson takes us through the final event. This…
This is what a bike edit should look like! Mattéo Iniguez rides Leysin Bike Park!
A video edit that actually inspires us to get out and ride! Mattéo Iniguez and Commencal team up to ride Leysin Bike Park. We get sent video edits on an almost daily basis, but very few actually make it onto the homepage of Singletrack. The…
Classic Ride 138 – Cakes and Ladders
Barney takes a trip around the shivering mountain to see if some favourite old trails still pass muster on new bikes. Words & Photography Barney Marsh There is absolutely no point in prevaricating about this – if you’ve been mountain biking for more than, say,…
Queens of Gnar – Women’s Debut Edit, Audi Nines 2021
Cast your minds way back to the start of 2019, when Hannah predicted this: Women’s Free(ride)dom Women haven’t had a platform for trick-based competition, so there’s a chicken and egg situation of lack of coverage for role models and lack of goals for role models…
Orange Releases Factory Racing Switch 6 Team Bike
Available from today for £5200, Orange are releasing their Switch 6 team bike with new spec for 2022. A mix of wheels (29″ up front and 27.5″ rear) with 160mm of front suspension and 145mm rear. This is the Orange Factory version, here’s a look…
Winning Runs Snowshoe DH World Cup Two
Did you catch the final round of the UCI DH World Cup? Round two in Snowshoe was the last race of the season, and it didn’t disappoint. There were some surprises and close calls, crashes and tight margins. There was some definite drama. The racing…
Video Vault – History, Hawgs, and Hucks
Maybe you’re trapped indoors, like our very own Chipps, waiting for the all clear from Track and Trace. Or maybe you’re just putting your feet up for a moment after a nice long bike ride. If riding is an option, go do it now! The…
Riding The Pink Elephant | Dirty Reiver 2021
I’ve been sadistically looking forward to this. Recently I’ve found great pleasure in testing my body to its limits, then just tipping it over the edge, ultimately extending the limit. 200km will be the furthest I’ve ever ridden in one go, and the fact it’s…
Got a Local Trails Group? Tell Stans’!
Stans’ is establishing a project to help donate to local trail groups and bike charities whenever you buy a new set of wheels. They want your help to reach the grass roots organisations. The idea is that you buy a new set of Stans’ wheels,…
Snowshoe XC Course Preview with Laurie Arseneault and Emily Batty
Take a lap of the XC course in Snowshoe with Emily and Laurie. Starting off in the resort it twists and turns up the hill. For the most part, it’s Laurie who takes us through the first bit. We see Emily later in the video…
FGF 566 – Happy Days, Sad Days
We start this Fresh Goods Friday with sad/happy news. Sad for us, and you, but happy for Lauren. She’s been head hunted by a marketing company and lured away from her Newshound work by the promise of office slippers (we kid you not) and the…
Winning Runs from Snowshoe DH World Cup One
So that’s one round down and two winners crowned. All that’s left is the final round of the downhill world cup. It will be the second round to take place out in Snowshoe, as this one is a double-header. The track is super technical and…
British Cycling Launches new Coaching Scholarship
British Cycling have made significant promises and shifts in the past year. We’ve seen a boost in campaigns, new staff and a wide range of strategies for the future. The latest move from British Cycling aims to boost representation within their coaching staff. Say what…
Orbea now offering Occam in LT long-travel option
Hot on the heels of the release of the new Rallon is the updated Orbea Occam and Occam LT trail bikes. If you read our first ride impressions of the 2022 Orbea Rallon last week and loved the design but were put off by the…