James Vincent takes on the classic Borrowdale Bash, complete with new official off-road start. Words & Photography James Vincent If ever there was a route that showcased all there is about Lake District mountain biking in a neat, easily accessible, all-weather package, the Borrowdale Bash…
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International Adventure: Big Mountains, Small Details
In the vast Himalayan landscape, a solo trip is the stuff of dreams. Words & Photography Matthias Stitz It’s 4.30am. Dawn is breaking, it’s freezing, and I’m standing at the foot of the 5,416m Thorong La pass in the Himalayas with my bike. My aim…
Column: Weight For It
Benji argues that weight does matter (but not much). The following column will hopefully unite the warring tribes in mountain biking. From the weeniest of weight watchers, to the whatever-est of funtime trail riders, everyone should be able to get behind the following words. Essentially,…
Purposeful Adventure: Eager Beavers
Pete and Rosie rides over hills and crawl through undergrowth in search of Scotland’s thriving beaver population. Words & Photography Pete Scullion This Purposeful Adventure idea came about via the whirlwind of excitement and flappy hands that is Rosemary Anne Holdsworth. Rosie has been a…
Last Word: Riding with Dinosaurs
Is Ian ‘@hardtail_only’ Storer trapped in the past or revelling in his eternal youth?
Issue 148 Editorial: Every ride is like an individual snowflake
What is it that sets our sport apart from most of the other sports/hobbies/lifestyles out there? After all, some people don’t even think that mountain biking is a sport anyway. While the cross-country tip of it has some Olympic cred, it doesn’t pop into your…
I ❤️ Love My… Bike Reviewing Kit
Benji brings you the details of his hard worn – and almost worn out – bike testing set-up. What’s he using and why?
Issue 148: Looking The Other Way
How can a failed attempt at a record be considered a success? Steve Bate shows how a struggle can offer an alternative perspective. Who is Steve Bate? After being diagnosed with the degenerative eye condition retinitis pigmentosis, Steve Bate MBE, to give him his proper…
Issue 148 Old Trails, New Tools
Sanny and Mark revisit a trail of previous misadventure and hope for a very different big day out. Words & Photography Sanny It is fair to say that when it comes to friendships, there are perhaps some shared experiences best forgotten. Case in point: a…
Issue 148 Classic Ride: Children Of The Dammed
Barney takes in some venerable Peak District trails that are anything but old and past it. Words & Photography Barney Marsh In many ways this ride might be seen as a sequel to the Classic Ride I wrote back in issue 138 – it essentially…
Issue 148 – Interview: Who Is Dylan?
Words Fahzure Freeride Photography JP Gendron Competing in his first Red Bull Rampage at 30 years old made Dylan Stark something of a veteran rookie. What took him so long to get there? You’re on the hill the day before your first-ever appearance at Red…
Issue 148 Kit Essentials: Sleeping Out
Words Amanda, Hannah and as credited Photography as credited Let us try to persuade you that a night outdoors can be a life-affirming experience, rather than one that has you questioning your life choices. While it’s not technically legal to sleep outside in most places…
Issue 148 Purposeful Adventure – Beyond The Blues
Trash Free Trails A-Teamers Pete Scullion and Ali Hair give a cold ride a warm glow by adding purpose to their adventure. What if our adventures not only sustained us and our connection to nature, but they actually contributed towards making a positive impact on…
Issue 148 Last Word: Pizza Tokens
Amanda discovers that engineers don’t necessarily make great meal planners. Words & doodles Amanda When you think of bikepacking, you may imagine adventurous riders following their noses, taking the turn that suits them in the moment, and following a vague plan to ultimately arrive at…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Charlotte Inman
Charlotte Inman: In it for the breakfast views Charlotte co-founded Sisters in the Wild, which organises community-focused bikepacking and gravel riding experiences for women, non-binary and trans people. What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit? Lightweight stuff that leaves plenty of space…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Chris Hinds
Chris Hinds: Fast doesn’t mean uncomfortable Chris won the Great British Divide, so knows a thing or two about sleeping out. What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit? If it comes down to a decision between comfort and weight I’ll usually choose…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Emma Osenton
Emma Osenton: Dialled in traveller Looking for Emma? You’ll find her in the bushes cuddled up to a titanium bike. What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit? Not sure there is one thing. It’s entirely dependent on what it is. Mostly light…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Kitty Dennis
Kitty Dennis: Overpacker to ride for longer Co-founder of the Steezy Collective, we’re not sure when she’s ever indoors. What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit? Whether it’ll keep me out longer, both in terms of times of the year and length…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Sam Jones
Sam Jones: Dirtbag camper who doesn’t mind a touch of luxury Sam has been championing Cycling UK’s ongoing bikepacking/camping challenge of #12nightsoutin1year. What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit? Durability – the last thing you want is for your shelter or sleep…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Sanny
Sanny: Like a veritable Scottish Mr T, I ain’t camping in no rain, fool! There can be few as enthusiastic about a night outdoors than our Sanny. What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit? At the risk of sounding like a bit…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Stu Taylor
Stu Taylor: Racing Dirtbagger Stu is another long-distance racer, who also enjoys a night out on his local hills. What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit? How packable the kit is and if it isn’t, do I really need it? A kettle…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Vedangi Kulkarni
Vedangi Kulkarni: All-weather bivvy freak As the youngest woman to cycle around the globe, Vedangi has plenty of experience of sleeping outdoors. What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit? Waterproofness and sturdiness of the material. Regardless of where you’re camping or what…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Amanda
What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit?I mostly care about how small it packs, with comfort and durability as a joint second priority. I generally go by the rule that you ‘buy once, buy well’, so the fact my kit ends up…
Sleeping Out: Bonus Content | Hannah
What’s the chief thing you look for when choosing kit? I look for budget options that will also be useful for family camping trips, sleeping in my car, trips to the beach, etc. I’ve never had the opportunity or need for multi-night bikepacking trips, so…
Issue 147 Editorial: Best Foot Forward
Admission time… I’m a secret, or perhaps ‘recovering’ left-hander. That is to say I write and use a mouse with my left hand, but apart from that I’m basically right-handed. I play guitar right-handed. If I played racquet sports or golf, I’d do it right-handed. I still rely on my left…
A Reyt Good Time Bikepacking in the Dales
Amanda discovers that bikepacking isn’t all beards, flannel shirts, and far-flung adventures. Words & Photography Amanda Bikepacking is one of those things I really like the idea of but when it comes down to it, I’ll almost always book a cheap hotel because the bed…
Classic Ride 147 – Island Adventure On Jura
A classic album provides the inspiration for an island adventure on Jura. Words & Photography Markus Stitz It was a small boat shed on the southern tip of the Isle of Jura that inspired me to return there in April. Neighbouring the Isle of Islay,…
Issue 147: Vinegar and Brown Paper
A nasty crash has Chad Bean looking at his local trails from a new perspective. Autumn is upon us, and the routes through the woods today feel damper, darker, more challenging. My rear tyre skids along a tree root before finding purchase in the damp,…
Kids In The Back(country)
Taking kids along for the ride may actually improve your experience. Words & Photography Tony Hutcheson For me, being a mountain bike dad has always been rather easy. You see, I’m not very good at stuff. I can’t wheelie, I’m not always searching for the…
Issue 147: Column: What New Standards Have Been Worth It?
Maybe don’t go to the pub with Benji if you’re a bike industry engineer… Words: Benji When I say ‘new’ I’m going to be talking about any standard that came out since the turn of the millennium. Also, I’d like to say that I…
The Aberdeen Scene
What’s the recipe for building a thriving mountain bike destination? Antony heads north to find out. Words Antony de Heveningham Photos Pete Scullion Scotland is a good place for mountain biking. That’s an accepted fact, on a par with the earth being round. In the…
I ❤️ Love My… Indoor Training Set Up
Amanda brings you the details of her finely tuned indoor training set up. What’s she using and why? I do not enjoy indoor training, but I’m not convinced that anyone does. My reasons for doing it are varied – persistent poor weather, a lack of…
International Adventure: New Kids Sur Le Bloc
For my part, I have moved with my wife Beate to a little place called Fuilla, in the southeastern Pyrénées-Orientales – about as far south as you can get in France. It’s a sleepy village of 450 people at about 600m altitude, sitting in a wide, grassy valley…
Issue 147: Last Word: Feel The Love
Hannah goes head over heels… in a good way. Was it an instant thunderclap of ‘this is it’, or a slow burn realisation that you were happy and you couldn’t imagine life without it? Did love hit you, or creep up on you? The feeling of giggling like…
Issue 146: Editorial – We Are Not Alone
Chipps encourages us to get to know our ride-group neighbours. As a reasonably feeble and glasses-wearing schoolboy, I was never great at ball games and was usually among the last to be picked for school sports teams. Imagine my delight when I later discovered mountain…
Issue 146: UK Adventure – Slymefoot Slide
Is it bikes or biscuits that hold this band of bikepackers together as they trial a new Northumberland route, the Slymefoot Slide? Words Rick Hamilton Photography Pete Scullion Who the heck is Rick Hamilton? Based in Mytholmroyd, Calderdale, Rick is known locally for his poor…
Issue 146: House of Cards
By Tim Wild Every adventure starts somewhere. Tim Wild’s BC trip starts here, with a prologue to the main feature. I’ve been obsessing over the logistics of this British Columbia trip for weeks. It’s complicated. Ten riders need to converge in Squamish, BC, on the…
Issue 146: International Adventure: Bring your ‘eh’ game
Tim Wild heads north for an epic BC trip. Will the stress of the planning pay off? Words Tim Wild Photography Casey Montandon Oh, Canada… I’ve been obsessing over the logistics of this British Columbia trip for weeks. It’s complicated. Ten riders need to converge…
Singletrack Magazine Issue 146: A Flying Start
Hannah thinks she’s discovered why mountain biking is fun: it’s because it started that way. “I didn’t realise you were trying to go fast.” I wasn’t trying to go fast, but I wasn’t intending to be slow either. I was trying to go as fast…
Issue 146: Singletrack World Kitchen: Bacon Jam Recipe
Charlie whips up something that sounds wrong, but tastes right. Especially after a few miles on the bike. Bloody Brilliant Bacon Jam. Words Charlie Photography Amanda Imagine a world where you can take not two, or three, but four great things, and orgy them together…
Issue 146: In Praise of Petrichor
Mountain biking smells aren’t just of damp shoes and disappointment. There’s joy to be found in the company of a good trail nose. Words by Chipps, photography by Mark Do you remember your first off-road ride? Of course you do. Those tend to be burned…
Classic Ride 146: Porlock Pleasures
Chipps ventures just that little bit further west than normal and discovers peace, quiet and trails from the sea and all the way deep into the hills. Words & Photography Chipps Many people make the journey south and west to Somerset’s fantastic Quantock Hills, but…
Issue 146: Pete’s Myths: Nesbyen Huldufólk
Pete chases shadows and Manon Carpenter in their search for this Norwegian myth. Words & Photography Pete Scullion Mention Scandinavian myth and legend to anyone, and they’ll no doubt think of trolls and fairies, or maybe even some of the bleaker aspects of Hans Christian…
Issue 146: Last Word: Mountain Biking Soup
If Hannah has you over for tea, don’t eat the soup… Trails are the onions of mountain biking. You can’t make soup without an onion, just as you can’t mountain bike without a trail. Without trails, it’s road riding, or perhaps hippity-hoppity trials. It’s just…
Reel Around The Mountain – A Mont Blanc Adventure
Originally published in Issue 110 of Singletrack World Magazine, let us take you back in time to the kind of adventure you might well find yourself planning from the comfort of your armchair. Words and photography by Joseph Delves Additional photography by Jeremy Valender The…
WTB: Cultivating Success
This story was originally published in Singletrack World, Issue 144. Hannah heads to the birthplace of mountain biking to meet a company that is part of mountain biking’s origin story. Words Hannah Photography Hannah & Fahzure Freeride. California’s coastal redwoods may be known for their…
Singletrack World Issue 145: Editorial
Chipps is in the flow zone… just don’t tell him. Been ‘in the zone’ lately? Have you achieved ‘flow state’? Perhaps you have; perhaps it’s something you’ve only glimpsed once or twice, or it might be something you’ve never heard about. ‘Flow’ is something that…
Issue 145: Red Bull Formation: A Foundation For The Future
Red Bull Formation pushes female freeriders into the mainstream. Words Nicole Formosa Photography Katie Lozancich Katie Holden and I are peering up at an amphitheatre of rust-coloured cliff bands in the Utah desert as she points out the zones where 12 of the best female freeriders in the world will…
Issue 145: Making Mountain Bikers
An exercise in learning to mountain bike reminds Hannah how much we take for granted. Words & Photography Hannah For some, becoming a mountain biker is a gradual process. A sort of metamorphosis where you start with a bike and gradually end up as a…
Issue 145: Precious Cargo: MET Helmets Factory Visit
Amanda reckons what you put on your head is worthy of closer examination and makes a visit to MET Helmets. Words Amanda Photography Ulysse Daessle Mountain bikers often have different views on what’s important to get the best from the sport. Frame material, the weight…
Issue 145: Going Off (Grid)
Petor recalls a simpler, damper, mouldier time measured in meals and miles, not hours and minutes. Words & Photography Petor Georgallou Until my MA degree, I didn’t have an email address, because I didn’t really use the internet – I didn’t really see its function.…