My favourite drugged up gun wielding dead motorcycle journalist once said: “There is an ancient Celtic axiom that says ‘Good people drink good beer. ‘ Which is true, then as now. Just look around you in any public barroom and you will quickly see: Bad people drink bad beer. Think about…
Video Vault – 7 films to escape the news
Turn off the 24 hour news, turn on, tune in and watch the riders dropping in. Here are seven films to escape with. Elation – Freeriding in B.C. Ooh, steep. Like Hebden Bridge, only more of it and less mud. We’d be fine, just with…
Fresh Goods 523 | Cars, Guitars, Beer and Women
Feeling a little tired? Thumbs suffering RSI from doom scrolling and refreshing? Now totally expert on US constitutional law? Still gripped? Go join in on the forum. Here, we’re taking a break from graphs, counts, and bemusing broadcasts with our own version of chaos. It’s…
Video: Flying Squirrels and Radical Rippers
If the feature in Singletrack Magazine issue 133 didn’t already make you want to move to Bellingham, the story of the Flying Squirrels and Radical Rippers might just seal the deal. The Flying Squirrels is an entry level programme to get girls into mountain biking,…
Win DMR V11 Pedals | We have 5 pairs to give away
Earlier this week DMR launched their new composite flat pedals based on the classic and very popular DMR Vault platform. Today, you have a chance to win a set of these pedals just by answering a simple question below. You can read all about the…
BikePark Wales to reopen on Friday 13th, unlucky for some
This might seem like a ray of sunshine at the start of a long lockdown tunnel, but this great news isn’t so great for everyone. Lockdown, in England, kicks in tomorrow and already bike parks across England are taking to social media to confirm that,…
Orange launches its lightest ever mountain bike!
In the market for an ultra-lightweight hardtail designed for UK conditions? Then check out this 10lb Orange mountain bike, if you can fit on it. Orange bikes have released their most lightweight mountain bike to date, and at just 10lbs it’s significantly lighter than most…
King Kong Slayed By A Witch, and other freeride tales
Hold on to your hats and prepare to feel a little inadequate. We bring you some freeride vibes from the far reaches of the globe. About this time last year we posted a video of Matt Walker, Brendan Fairclough, Olly Wilkins and Ben Deakin riding…
Nicolai Launches The Saturn 14 Full Suspension Belt-Drive Gearbox Trail Bike
In a ‘what took you so long?’ announcement that we know will delight some of our friends, Nicolai has announce a Pinion-gearbox shifting, full suspension trail bike. The new Saturn 14 will come in 27.5, 29 or Mullet wheel size and features 130 or 138mm…
Kit Guide For New Riders | How To Have Safer, Happier Bike Rides
We bring you a kit guide to help you figure out what you need to get the most from your bike rides. You’ve got your bike – maybe it’s brand new, maybe it’s new to you, or maybe you’ve just dug it out the back…
New Stif Squatch Launches – The All-Round 29er Hardtail
It’s taken three years of design and tweaking, but the steel tubed, Stif Squatch is finally here. It features 29in wheels, a 78° seat tube and 64° head angle and its designed for a 130mm, short offset fork. Just don’t call it ‘a 29er Morf’…
New DMR V11 Pedals Launched
DMR Press release follows In our anniversary year, we are very excited to introduce the newest member of V-series pedals, the V11. Whilst V11 is now our second composite nylon pedal, unlike the V6, its design is all about performance with no holds barred to…
DMR V11 pedals scrutinised, ridden and then opened up
There’s a general assumption that if a pedal isn’t made of metal then it must be made of plastic. Sometimes even carbon gets insulted by being referred to as plastic. These new DMR V11 pedals are not aluminium and they are not plastic. They are…
Whether you like it or not, bikes are political
Columnist Mildred Locke addresses those who would say ‘stick to bikes, keep politics out of it’ – she thinks bikes are political. Following my last column, there’s another phenomenon I want to delve into. Beneath almost every racism-related post from a cycling brand or publication…
6 Reasons Why Mountain Bikers Should Vote
It might have escaped your attention, but there’s an election in the USA. What does that have to do with you? You are a mountain biker, a free spirit, a shredder of gnar, and #VanLife needs no top down government. Smash the system, turn on…
Review: Öhlins RXF36 M.2 And TTX2Air From The Swedish Suspension Masters
Before we look at this review of the RXF36 and TTXAir shock, a little history lesson: Öhlins’ performance pedigree dates all the way back to 1976 when the company was founded by Kenth Ohlin. Originally set up in his father’s engineering workshop, Kenth started building…
Driving Nowhere For Christmas (with Twisted Sister).
This Christmas is looking like it is going to be the weirdest since rock legends “Twisted Sister” started doing Christmas songs. Yes, that actually happened. Will we only be able to celebrate Christmas with our own household? Will our kids be able to escape the…
MTB Personality of The Year | 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards
Who has worked the hardest, raced the fastest (not much of that going on this year though), championed the most or just helped enable more of us to get out and ride. Whose presence has made your 2020 that little bit better – who has…
Best UK Trail Centre | Singletrack Reader Awards 2020
Which destination has it all? From the best trails to the best cake in the cafe afterwards. We are looking for the ultimate all-rounder. Think trails, facilities, location… Which centre gives more smiles per mile than any other and leaves you planning the return before…
Best Image | 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards
Singletrack Magazine has always prided itself on the quality of its photographs and the skills of its contributors. In a time where a truly incredible photo can appear in a media feed and be scrolled past after just a glance, we feel printed media is…
Best Author | 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards
Whose words switched something on inside your head that had you reaching for the kit drawer before heading out to get on your bike? Or was it a feature that made you think about some aspect of your riding in a different way? Whether it’s…
What’s Zermatter With You? Singletrack magazine issue 129
Emma and Carly head off to a different part of the mountains in their home-made camper. This time, it’s Zermatt and the Matterhorn that are getting all the attention. Only now, Carly does the storytelling… This feature was first published in issue 129 of Singletrack…
The Saga of Magnus | Singletrack magazine issue 131
A haphazard retracing of St Magnus’s last journey by bike seemed a fitting farewell to the island of Orkney. Somehow, Adam had neglected to tell his friend Jack that it would be 55 miles of tractless marsh.
Catch My Drift? Singletrack Magazine Issue 131
With Barney Marsh In which your intrepid reporter attempts to get to the bottom of certain mountain biking vernacular using the ancient arts of Flannelling and Hand Waving. This feature was first published in issue 129 of Singletrack magazine. It has been selected as a…
Best Bike Shop | 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards
For that personal face to face service, this Best Bike Shop category is for the UK shop you visit and hand over cash to a person across a till. Which shop offers the whole package from smiles and expertise to the best deals, prices or…
Best Video | Singletrack Reader Awards 2020
A new category for this year, it’s Best Video. Did it make you laugh, teach you something, wow your eyes, or touch your soul? To qualify, it must have been published on YouTube during 2020, be free to view, and it needed to be about…
Yet Again Even More Singletrack Member Discounts
Charlie has news for you: “Great news everyone”… Is likely to become my catchphrase at Singletrack Towers. Within moments of the virtual ink drying on one Singletrack Member perk, another rolls in. I am quickly running out of puns and cryptic rock references. So, I…
Fresh Goods Friday 522 – The ‘Oh, Not Again’ Edition
Wasn’t that the thought of the Hitchiker’s Guide whale that turned into a plant pot (or was it the other way round?) Anyway, it seems that Singletrack Towers is locking down again and joining our fellow Tier 3 stalwarts just over the border. At least…
Best eMTB | 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards
It’s time to make your voice heard and vote for which you think is the best eMTB of 2020? Will it be Merida, Canyon or Specialized? The future of mountain biking or a motorised menace? Whatever you think of eBikes, they are here to stay…
Best bike over £4.5k | Singletrack reader Awards 2020
This category is our traditional collection of money no object bikes, colloquially known as the Bike Porn category. Imagine if price was no longer a barrier for you, what would you choose to ride? Here our the finalists for that award for 2020. Salsa Spearfish…
Best Bike Under £4500 | 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards
It’s that time of year when the best sub £4500 bikes duke it out to see which will take home the 2020 Singletrack Readers Awards. These finalists are all extremely capable machines, however which will take home the 2020 Singletrack Readers Award for best bike…
A Chat And A Video With Vali Holl
We’ve just had this interview in from YT bikes, Vali Holl’s bike sponsor about her thoughts on the past, the crazy year of 2020 and the seasons ahead. Let’s catch up with Vali Hol For Valentina Höll, 2020 was the year that would see her…
Best bike under £2k | Singletrack Reader Awards 2020
You shouldn’t have to drop thousands on a bike that will take a beating off road. Modern components are stronger and work better than they’ve ever done and increasingly the trickle down effect of the high end of the industry means we are riding bikes…
Best Hardware | 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards
Vote for your best hardware product in the 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards. Will be be Rockshox, Nukeproof or Shimano? It’s time to take on the most important vote of the year! No, it’s not between Trump and Bidden but between the mighty RockShox Zeb, Shimano…
Best Software | 2020 Singletrack Reader Awards
Software is all the stuff that goes on the rider, not the bike. It’s keeping you safe, warm, cool, dry, visible, and everything in between. We all have different requirements for our riding kit, but one thing we can all agree on is that comfort…
Hope Reopens Factory – Although It’s Not Really Been Closed
Hope Technology has been very quiet recently, and with little new stock on the shelves, it has led to customers wondering if the factory gates had closed. However, the silence has simply been due to everyone there working extra hard there, with no spare time…
Madison To Distribute Singletrack Magazine to UK Bike Shops.
When we stopped selling Singletrack on the traditional news stand there were quite a few sad faces lamenting the end of an era. It was great to casually grab a copy of Singletrack when in town. What we now needed was a plan so cunning,…
Recumbent eBikes: A niche too far?
Sanny takes a journey over to the Dark Side and attempts to leave his preconceptions at the door as he dives headfirst into the world of recumbent eBikes. Was it a match made in Heaven or a descent into niche Hell? “What in the name…
Singletrack Podcast | The why do we not stick to talking about bikes episode
Welcome to our weekly podcast. This week Hannah is back in the hosting chair and talks about the differences between plans and goals and recounts the time she went to the desert and it snowed on her. Following that Hannah has a chat with our…
Dropping In – Short Stuff You Should Know
Here’s a snack sized round up of bike news you might have missed, but probably want to know about. Formula – Where is MTB Distribution Going? With so many brands going direct to market, others selling direct to bike shops, and customers able to discuss…
Fresh Goods Friday 521 – The ‘Let’s Get Funky’ edition
Ahh, Friday, the gateway to the weekend and freedom from work. Or not, as seems the case with many of us at the moment. Wherever you are, we hope that you’re still able to get out on a bike (or at least spin some wheels…
Trash Bandits – A Half Term Excuse To Get Outside!
If you need a little extra motivation to get outside this half term, then maybe this Trash Bandit Bingo from Trash Free Trails will do the trick (or treat). Trash Free Trails encourages people to think about the products they use and how they affect…
How much should an enduro ready carbon bike cost? Vitus says from just £1999
Vitus updates the Escarpe and Sommet for 2021 with new carbon frames and pricing from just £1999! How much does a good trail or enduro bike cost these days? That’s kind of like asking how long a piece of string is isn’t it? When you…
Ling’s Bike Trip – The Pre-Ride Interview With Ling Valentine
There's no denying that Ling Valentine is quite a character. Her vividly-coloured, car-leasing website, LingsCars.com has been described as 'contract hire's RyanAir' and with a small staff and efficient practices, it has propelled her to become the UK's "biggest individual seller of new cars" -…
Save £££’s With Even More Singletrack Member Deals
If you are a full Singletrack Member, you should check this out. It’s our new members’ section, and we have been a wheelin’ and a dealin’ with a bunch of industry buddies to bring you some great discounts on cool stuff. New discounts this week:…
Video: See Stanton Bikes proto CNC and Carbon rear ends!
Want to spend a few moments checking out some curvy CNC machined goodness? Then watch Stanton’s latest video to see what they’ve been working on behind closed doors. Derbyshire based Stanton Bikes was one of the first steel frame makers to push the return of…
5 Reasons To Listen – The Downtime Podcast on Racism in MTB
Don’t just jump into the comments section – first, listen to this podcast on racism in mountain biking. Here are some reasons why we think you should. There has already been a Forum thread about this edition of the Downtime Podcast, but rather than post…
What people mean when they say cycling has a race problem
…Spoiler alert: it’s not about you. Mildred Locke examines why cycling brands’ support of the Black Lives Matter movement gets some riders in a flap. With the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, two major conversations have been sweeping through the comments sections of…
If You Want Riding On The Road to Feel Safer, Act Now
As the Government’s consultation on the revision of the Highway Code approaches its final week, you’re urged to make your voices heard by responding to it yourself. The consultation is the first wide-ranging revision of the code for a generation and closes on Tuesday 27 October.…
Neil Sutton’s 2021 Sonder Evol Dream Build
Neil Sutton, the designer of the Sonder bike range, shows off his newly built 2021 Sonder Evol boasting electronic shifting and kitchen tune suspension. For 2021 Sonder has updated the Evol to run on larger 29in wheels while also stretching the frameset out to give…
Singletrack Podcast | The who wants to be an event organiser these days episode
This week’s episode kicks off with a chat between Chipps and Amanda on what it’s been like to get away from the local trails for a bit. Then Hannah steps in with an indepth interview with TweedLove organ grinder, Neil Dalgleish about just how hard…