NS adds a new Define to the range sporting a mixed wheel combo and 180mm of front wheel travel! Meet the NS Define AL 170! Perhaps you follow Joe Breeden or the UR Team and have been wondering what this orange NS models is (see…
Fresh Goods Friday 543: A jam-packed Easter FGF
We’ve crammed so much stuff into this week’s Fresh Good Friday we worry we won’t have room for our Easter Eggs this weekend! If you have been following FGF recently then you’ll know that Andi spent some time on a not so secret mission. After…
Fort William UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Cancelled
The organisers of the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William have today announced that the event scheduled for 22-23 May is cancelled. The press release reads: Every effort has been made by the organisers, with significant support and backing from Scottish Government…
Podcast: Singletrackworld Turns 20 Years Old! The anecdotes episode
On April 1st, 2001 (no, really…) Singletrack Magazine and its website singletrackworld.com were launched. The website evolved off the back of the original GoFar-MTB mountain bike website, but it was relaunched as Singletrackworld.com on the first of April to coincide with the launch of the…
Breakthrough for British Bike Industry Brexit Regulations
Perusing the duller corners of the internet, we were excited to discover some new government guidance which it is hoped will kick start British bike manufacturing. As you’ll be aware if you’ve listened to our podcast on Brexit or read some of our news coverage,…
Member Discounts… Don’t be fooled.
Yeah it’s hot and sunny and about 20c in Yorkshire, but please don’t be fooled by this “fools spring”. This will be swiftly followed by the second winter, and the maybe the “spring of deception”, before the third winter stiffly punishes you for foolishly wearing…
The TrailRippers: Asking You To Stand Up To Hate
A recent social media post by ‘TrailRippers’ highlighted the importance of standing up to hate speech. While the response from the mountain bike community has been overwhelmingly supportive on social media, it’s one thing to give words of support online, and quite another to stand…
Shimano: All Bodies on Bikes
Earlier this week we brought you a lovely warm fuzzy video from Focus that featured riders from across the world showing what bikes mean to them, and now Shimano has brought out this ‘All bodies on bikes’ video. Are we seeing a shift in bike…
2021 HSBC UK National Cross-country Championships Announced
With any luck we’re going to see some racing this year. If you’ve managed to stay fit during lockdown, here’s a chance for you to get out your finest Lycra and push that heart rate up. Or maybe you’re going to the TwentyFour12 festival and…
All The Warm Fuzzies from Focus
It’s spring, the days are longer, and there are reasons to feel more optimistic. This video from Focus Bikes should give you an extra nice warm fuzzy glow. Focus says: We asked you – the cycling community – to share your stories with us. The…
Stanton Switchback Gen 3 Review
I had mixed feelings coming to this Stanton Switchback Gen 3. Firstly, I’ve often slavered a little at Stanton frames friends have had, as they always look immaculate. When they do come into Singletrack, they also tend to swoosh straight through the office and right…
Fresh Goods Friday 542 – Here Comes the Sun
Happy Friday everyone! This Fresh Goods Friday comes to you like a beam of sunlight piercing through the clouds. Optimistic, warm and filled with positivity. It’s a while since I (Amanda) have had much input to FGF. I’ve been busy doing handstands on my desk…
Fizik Goes Gravity with Versor and Tensor Shoes – first ride review
Fizik has gradually built up its shoe range, starting with road, then heading through XC, trail and gravel – not forgetting winter boots – and now onto Gravity riding. The new Gravita Versor and Tensor are Fizik’s response to the quest for the perfect Downhill…
Garmin Launches Rally XC Power Meter Pedals
Today, Garmin is launching a range of clip-in pedals with built-in power meter sensors. There are Look and SPD SL versions for the road but we’ll (mostly) concentrate on the Rally XC, which is the off road version above. The idea of power meter pedals…
Pivot Point – Any excuse for some dirt jump fun in the sun
Pivot reveals its latest updates to its steel dirt jump bike, the Pivot Point. Are you rad enough? Who cares, come get your fix of fun, sun, blue skies and red dirt. It seems like everyone is getting in on the dirt jump act these…
The story behind Troy Lee Designs A3 Helmet – The Stikman Interview
Last week Troy Lee Designs launched its new open face trail helmet complete with impressive list of features. Andi has had one on his head for a few weeks now and you can get his first impression thoughts right here.. This week Chipps caught up…
Salsa Cassidy and Blackthorn Review – One frame, two dream builds
There are times when this whole bike testing thing can be such a drag, man. Being faced with the prospect of riding a less than ideal BSO* with poorly specced components can really suck the joy out of life, and excuses not to ride pour…
Fresh Goods Friday 541 – The Sunn is shining edition!
While we won’t argue with anyone at all that it’s high time for spring – after all, the flowers are popping and the winter was soooo long and soooo cold, but we’re not quite ready for spring time yet just because we’re still finishing off…
Bike Check: Kingdom G 600 Belt Driven Custom Titanium Hardtail
Graham Stock of Sixth Element hasn’t matched his bike to his Porsche – instead he’s had himself a rather nice custom titanium hardtail built, and of course added his own company wheels. I suspect a few ears pricked up at the mention of ‘titanium’. Now…
First Look: Feature-Packed Troy Lee A3 Helmet
The 2021 Troy Lee A3 helmet is packed full of style, safety and features that make this the most comfortable TLD open face lid to date. The Troy Lee A2 helmet has proven to be really popular over the past few years. It’s a good…
Video: Yoann Barelli leaves his ego at home
Yoann Barelli loves gnarly riding so much that he’s got a whole YouTube series devoted to riding the gnarliest stuff he can find. But that doesn’t mean he’s mindlessly throwing himself down stuff. In this latest video he heads out on an especially slippery day…
What’s Inside Our 20th Birthday Edition? Order Now!
It’s our big birthday issue – 20 years of mountain biking stories and tech. By now, you should know all about our cover – and if not, where have you been?! It’s a magazine of two halves, acknowledging where we’ve come from, but looking forward…
BREAKING: Mum to be, Rachel Atherton in car crash (She’s fine)
Multi World Cup DH winner, Rachel Atherton, who recently announced her pregnancy, posted on Instagram pictures of her written off VW Camper van after a collision with an oncoming driver that sent her and partner Olly down an embankment. The pair were shaken up but…
Podcast: Bowhead Corp – making bikes for life
A life changing spinal injury is one of those things that we really hope never happens to us – but as mountain bikers we know it’s a risk. When it happens, as well as all the obvious and potentially major health, work and accessibility implications,…
Fresh Goods Friday 540 – The We’re Coming Up On 20 Edition!
Normally here it is customary to include some waffle and some wibble about whatever is happening in the world. But a) we’ve no idea what’s happening in the world because we haven’t been out in it and b) we’re way too distracted by the prospect…
Crankbrothers Stamp Lace flat shoe review
Is 4 years of development time enough for the Crankbrothers Stamp Lace flat shoe to make a mark on the MTB shoe market? Editors’ Choice 2021 This product features in our Singletrackworld Editors’ Choice 2021 round-up. Andi: “For years Five Ten were considered the champions…
Say ‘good-bye’ to Jeffsy Pro, Comp and Base and ‘hello’ to Jeffsy Core
YT are on a Good Times roll this week with the second release in as many days! Check out the new Jeffsy Core series. If the big travel of yesterdays new alloy Capra launches didn’t float your boat, then how about a refreshed version of…
Match your bike to your…bright green Porsche?
If you’re the distributor for a bike brand, how do you draw attention to yourself? Sponsor some great riders? Win some races? Do a like, tag, share competition on Instagram? Or, paint your bike to match your Porsche? It looks as though Stefan, the owner…
Revealed: Our 20th Anniversary Cover – how will you read yours?
We’re about to turn 20! Thanks to all our readers and Members, the next issue of Singletrack Magazine will mark 20 years of independent mountain bike publishing. We think that’s worth celebrating, so we’ve got an extra special edition magazine coming your way. To mark…
Five Ten Trailcross XT Review – fast drying flat pedal shoes
Combining Five Ten’s super sticky Stealth Phantom rubber sole, and technology from the Terrex trail running range, the Five Ten Trailcross shoes have been designed for what they call ‘adventure riding’. For the sort of rides where you’ll have your bike on your back carrying…
YT Capra Pro and Base alloy models refreshed for 2021
YT has replenished its stock with fresh new alloy versions of the popular Capra available in Base and Pro builds. If you’re after a new Capra then today might finally be your chance as two new alloy builds of the burly enduro bike have been…
Save more on Shimano and Chrome at Sports Pursuit with Singletrack
Singletrack Members get more than a magazine – they get ad free access to the website, access to extra stories, and they get discounts with a whole range of online shops. One of those shops is Sports Pursuit, which we know lots of you like…
Singletrack Podcast: What’s the point of bike tests?
For this episode, it was a question from a reader that sparked the conversation: they wanted to know ‘why don’t we test bikes to see which is the fastest?’. Hannah, Mark and Chipps navigate their way through this question, plus a whole pile of tangental…
Remember being young, when every ride was an adventure?
Sanny sees lockdown as the perfect excuse to take a trip down memory lane and ride like he used to as a kid, when every adventure started from home. I don’t know about you but when I was a kid, I had one bike and…
Rocky Mountain 2021 : Goodbye Thunderbolt, Hello Instinct
For 2021 Rocky Mountain simplifies its trail line up, merging the 140mm Thunderbolt and Instinct models into a single Instinct, but with size specific wheel sizes and frames. If you looked to Rocky Mountain last year for a trail bike, you could choose between the…
How Does The Female Hormone Cycle Affect Cycling Performance? Part 1
Hormones, the ‘chemical messengers’ that tell our bodies what to do and when to do it, aren’t optional. We can’t turn them off, at most we can try to balance them with the use of more hormones. But can we use them to our advantage…
Making Time To Ride: a health check for your home
Leave the ‘mum guilt’ and ‘dad guilt’ at home – check your habits and find everyone the ride time and headspace they need. It’s International Women’s Day. In some respects, I don’t want to talk about it – it’s merely a focal point for an…
Singletrack Women: What’s Our Motivation?
Who inspires the women of Singletrackworld and why? Our staffers Amanda, Hannah and Zoë bring you their picks. Of our small staff we’re fortunate to have three full time women on the team. Hannah and Amanda make up 50% of our editorial team, while Zoë…
Perspectives For International Women’s Day
It’s International Women’s Day, which means many things to many people. Here are some different perspectives from around the web, on women in cycling, and on the issues that people are thinking about. SRAM – Four Essays SRAM has published four essays from four of…
Nukeproof Cub Scout First Look – a proper hardtail for kids
It’s been new bike day at Singletrack Towers this week – this Nukeproof Cub Scout 26 Race has made its way to a very lucky junior member of the STW family. This Nukeproof Cub Scout isn’t a test bike – it’s Kid2’s (Hannah’s youngest) new…
Fresh Goods Friday 539 – The Where’d Everybody Go? Edition
It’s a quiet old day in Singletrack (Virtual) Towers today as several staff are off on well-earned days off and the rest of us are head-down and working towards the weekend and that well-earned beer at the finish line. With the last lot of winter…
Vee Tire Attack HPL Review – amazing grip and puncture protection
The Vee Tire Attack HPL tyre might have only been released to the public a few weeks ago, but I’ve been testing this new all-rounder for a few months already. There are a handful of parts that you can change on your bike that can…
No Spectators for 2021 Fort William DH World Cup
If you were hoping to head to the Highlands and watch the World Cup at Fort William this year, we have some bad news for you. Bad news downhill fans! An official statement has been posted by the organisers of the Fort William DH World…
The Legend of Paul Buchanan and The Church Gap
Taj Mihelich has a hand in plenty of fun bike videos, and occasionally makes animations telling bike stories. If you like bikes, stories, effort, skill and art, then tune in to this latest tale. Five minutes of your time and a great little story –…
Mountain Mayhem Cancelled – Again!
If you thought this was the year when events would run smoothly, think again. Mountain Mayhem has been forced to cancel yet again. Will we ever see the return of this event in its new format? An announcement on their Facebook page reads: Coronavirus Cancels…
First Look: Five Ten Parley Primeblue Recycled Freerider Pro Shoes
For Spring 2021 Five Ten is launching the popular Freeride and Freerider Pro shoes using Parley Ocean Plastic, here’s a first look. Five Ten being part of the larger Adidas brand is able to make use of the sportswear giant’s R&D facilities and this means…
Video Vault: From BMX to MTB, and somewhere in between
Mullet bikes, 29ers, 27.5+… forget all that for a moment and dive into our weeny wheeled video collection. What can BMX bring to mountain biking, what can bikes bring to you, and what can you do if you throw all the rules our the window…
Review: 2021 Saracen Ariel 30
Saracen is back in a big way and its major focus for the moment is the brand new Ariel line. Redesigned from the ground up, while still retaining the multi-link suspension that first appeared on the downhill Myst, the Ariel comes in many forms and…
New Saracen Bikes! “All About The Ariel”
Longstanding UK-designed brand, Saracen, has been a little quiet recently. Even before the pandemic, the range had slimmed down and news (apart from of the mighty Madison/Saracen downhill race team) was hard to come by. That usually either suggests a winding-down of effort from the…
Evoc Launches new Trail Pro with Liteshield Plus back protector
Evoc has added a new backpack with Level 2 back protection to its range: the Trail Pro, which it claims to be one of the lightest protector packs on the market. The Trail Pro comes in three volumes and each pack comes in two sizes…
Interview: Making The Earthbound FS Bamboo High Pivot Bike
Building bikes with bamboo isn’t new, but this is a particularly lovely example of what you can do with a little time, patience and a whole heap of skill. Having spotted Earthbound Bikes on Instagram, we had a chat with maker Jason O’Nions about the…