Singletracks Mountain Bike News

Casey Coughlin teaches bicycle repair at Minneapolis College in Minnesota, one of only two colleges to offer a certificate program in the subject. While applying to graduate school she worked as a bike repair tech and later as a manager at Erik's Bikes in Rochester. We ask Casey: What are some of the ways professional bike mechanics learn the trade?  What’s the most common path to getting a job in a bike shop? Why do you think the demand for bike mechanics is projected to increase over the next few years? Is this related to the Covid bike boom? When learning to become a bike mechanic, what is the first repair you start with? Why? Is problem solving something you can teach bike mechanics? What does your prospective student look like?  Is there any sort of continuing education for bike mechanics? Do today’s bike mechanics need additional skill sets to deal with more complicated systems like e-bikes? Beyond being able to work on bikes, what sorts of skills do shop employees and future ma

Neko Mulally is a professional downhill mountain bike racer and three time US National Champion.  He’s also the co-founder of Windrock Bike Park in Tennessee and is currently part of the Intense DH Factory Racing team. In this conversation, we ask Neko: How did you find your passion for mountain biking at such an early age? What’s it like racing the World Cup on familiar trails at Snowshoe, West Virginia? What have you learned through the experience of building and operating Windrock Bike park? When you’re not riding park, where do you like to ride? Do you have a favorite trail? Why do you think people are so interested in how much money professional mountain bikers earn? Did money play into your decision to pursue a career in racing? Do today’s young mountain bike athletes have advantages or opportunities you didn’t have growing up?  Do you have to live at the base of a mountain resort to become a pro downhiller? How do you feel about crashing? Is it true that if you’re not crashing,

Fabio Wibmer is an Austrian trials rider and mountain biker with almost 7 million YouTube subscribers and his videos have been viewed more than 1.2 billion times. He’s known for starring in videos like Wibmer’s Law, Fabiolous Escape 1 and 2, and most recently, Home Office. In addition to trials riding, Fabio is also a winning downhill and freeride mountain biker. How are you feeling following your dirt bike crash in November? Do you have any tips or tricks for recovering from injury? How do you fill your time off the bike? Are dirt bikes just a hobby for you, or is it something you use to get better on the mountain bike? Like a lot of people, I imagine you started riding bikes as a kid. When did you realize that you were more talented, or maybe just more passionate, than the other kids? Who were the riders who inspired you as you were growing up? Are there any tricks you really wanted to include in a video like Home Office, but weren’t able to complete? How do you know when it’

Today we’re wrapping up our mid-travel, trail bike mashup with our bike testers, Chris, Gerow, and Matt. We’ll meet the testers, discuss how the bikes were selected, and find out how the test rides were conducted. Then the team will share which bikes were their favorites, and talk about some of the surprises along the way. As a part of this roundtable discussion, Chris, Gerow, and Matt also talk about which bikes offer the best value, and offer advice for mountain bikers looking to purchase a new trail bike. Finally, we hear which bikes the team wants to text next! Read the written reviews at singletracks.com/MTM and watch video reviews at youtube.com/singletracksmtb.  --This episode is sponsored by Jamis Bikes.  Jamis has been designing and building quality bikes since 1979, and they were among the first to produce mountain bikes beginning in 1982. Check out the entire lineup of Jamis high performance mountain bikes at www.jamisbikes.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks

Arrie Rossouw is the co-founder and CEO of LuvTRAILS, an online and mobile platform helping groups raise funds for trail building and maintenance.  Jeremiah Bishop is a professional cyclist with countless major wins in short track, marathon, and ultra endurance racing. He’s also a leading advocate for cycling.  We ask Arrie and Jeremiah: How did Luv Trails come about? How is it connected to Trail Care? Jeremiah, what is your involvement with Trail Care and Luv Trails?  What does the Luv Trails app do? How do mountain bike clubs get included on the Trail Care website and in the Luv Trails app? Where do the donations go? How much of the money goes to the club vs. paying credit card fees and overhead? Why are monetary donations so important to trail groups?  How do riders connect their Stava account to Trail.care? What is the average donation per mile ridden? Do people tend to ride the same local trails over and over, or are you seeing people travel outside their area and sup

Chip Hawkins is the founder and chairman of the board at Wahoo Fitness (wahoofitness.com). The company’s stated mission is to “create innovative solutions to make hard fought goals attainable and lives better,” through products like smart trainers, bike computers, watches, and heart rate monitors. We ask Chip: Why did you start Wahoo Fitness? What were the limitations of existing fitness sensors at the time? Before smartphones and GPS units, were you big on tracking your own fitness data? What are the advantages of using a dedicated fitness head unit over the smartphone everyone is already carrying in their pockets? Why do we need another device? How important are accuracy and precision when it comes to fitness data tracking? Do you think the existing fitness software that’s available to athletes does a good job analyzing workout data? Are today’s algorithms helping riders make significant gains? Is tracking power output better suited to road training, or is it useful to look at it for trail rides

Jeremiah Stone is a mountain bike skill instructor who has taught hundreds of riders across the western USA with Ninja Mountain Bike Performance and the Sedona Mountain Bike Academy. He’s also a freelance trail builder and machine operator in addition to being a skilled rider. In this interview, we ask: How did you develop your own mountain bike skills? Did you have a coach? Do you think today’s mountain bikes make it easier to be a good biker, compared to the equipment that was available in the old days? Timing seems to be a big factor when it comes to landing jumps or clearing doubles. How can riders develop a good sense of timing and speed? Why is it easier to ride a technical feature once you’ve seen someone else ride it first? What are some common bad habits when it comes to technical trail descending? Beyond improving physical fitness, are there skills that can make climbing on the bike more tolerable? Do you have any tips for helping riders overcome their fear of trying something new? How

Joe McEwan is a career aerospace engineer and carbon composites expert who founded Starling Cycles in 2014. The brand’s bikes are developed, engineered and handmade for the demands of UK trails, and the bikes have been well received among both the media and athletes. Find out why Joe thinks carbon fiber is almost the McDonalds of bikes, and also: What first piqued your interest in building steel bikes? Have you tried building bikes with other materials? Can the average rider feel a difference between a steel frame and say carbon fiber or aluminum? Do fat tires and suspension limit the effect when it comes to mountain bikes? How does tube shape and bracing affect ride feel? Why do you use Reynolds over tube stock from other suppliers? How is the tubing sized in terms of lengths? What is the cost of raw tubing? How do you go about making a steel tube stiffer in one direction than the other? Are there any design considerations that are unique to steel full-suspension frames? Why are most steel FS

Gene Hamilton is a mountain bike skills coach and the founder of Better Ride.  He's taught clinics around the world to thousands of riders looking to ride faster and more confidently. In this episode, we ask Gene: How did you get into mountain biking racing? Once you realized that you had hit a wall in terms of your own skills development, how did you go about researching proper mountain bike skills? Were there any surprises based on your early research, or any “aha” moments that stuck out? How can riders take advantage of momentum to go faster on the trail without putting in extra effort? Is it possible for mountain biking to be bad for our health? What’s a mountain bike skill that separates pros from those who would consider themselves advanced or even expert riders? Are some bike tires better at cornering than others? Which ones? How has mountain bike skills training changed over the past two decades, in terms of the techniques and the skills you’re teaching? As someone who has won Ma

Sean Madsen is WTB’s Saddle Category Manager and is an expert in cycling biomechanics with more than 24 years of experience. Over his career he's studied and taught bike fitting to thousands worldwide, and he's helped create many innovative saddle concepts while working with top athletes. In this episode, we ask Sean common questions about bike saddles including: How are bike saddles constructed? What are some of the different materials that are used for padding? Are there advantages to using materials like gel? What is the purpose of titanium or carbon saddle rails? How does bike saddle sizing work? Are more expensive saddles more comfortable? What’s the idea behind saddle cutouts? Why do you think the Volt is one of WTB's best selling saddles? Do men and women need different bike saddles? Are saddles generally designed under the assumption that riders will be wearing a chamois? Are mountain bike saddles different from road bike saddles? How have saddle designs changed over the past few

Rocky Mountain Bicycles officially got its start in 1981, and this year the innovative brand is celebrating its 40th anniversary. In that time Rocky Mountain has produced countless innovations and firsts, and their sponsored athletes have won races on all of the world’s biggest stages. Today Dre Hestler and Stephen Matthews are joining me to talk about the brand’s history, and to look to the future. In this episode we learn: How Rocky Mountain got its start Why the brand's first production model in 1982, the Sherpa, was so special What it's like working at Rocky Mountain, and how the company's operations in BC and Quebec influence product design Which Rocky Mountain athletes and races stand out over the years How the brand partnered with freeriders Richie Schley, Wade Simmons and Brett Tippie at the dawn of the sport Where 27.5" mountain bikes came from, and where they currently fit in Which bikes Dre and Stephen are most proud of How DynaMe is different from other e-bike drive systems on the m

Chris Smith is the USA Marketing Manager for Lazer Sport (lazersport.com) where he’s worked for more than 7 years. In this episode, we ask: What’s the purpose of the helmet shell? What is it typically made of? What is EPS? What makes it such a good material for helmet construction? Where are most helmets produced? How do retention systems work? What is the purpose of a chin strap? Do you have any tips for testing helmet fit? How does sizing work? What are the main safety standards that cover bicycle helmets?  What kinds of tests are done on mountain bike helmets? Are there any common misperceptions when it comes to bike helmets? What is the advantage of extended rear coverage on a half shell helmet? How do rotational impact protection systems like MIPS work, and why is this type of protection important? Why do all mountain bike helmets have visors, unlike road helmets? Are you seeing more mountain bikers choosing full face helmets for trail and enduro rides? What are your thought

Jon Yazzie and Nadine Johnson own Dzil Ta’ah Adventures, an adventure travel company based in Arizona. A full-blooded Diné, Jon and his team run bike trips on Navajo land, and use the proceeds to help fund a local youth cycling program. What makes land in the Navajo Nation so special and unique? What is the riding like there? Why did it take so long to receive permits for conducting bike tours on Navajo land? How were you able to adapt your tour business in the time of Covid-19? What is bikerafting, and is it different from bikepacking? Do you combine the two on your trips? How are your trips set up? What is the cost? Do you provide history and context to the landscape as a part of your tours?  In addition to yourself, do you employ others as bike guides?  What role do you think tourism can play in terms of boosting the local economy? What is the goal for the Navajo-youth bike program you are supporting? Is there one thing you wish more people could understand or know about the Na

Penny Deck is the Operations Manager for the Fraser Valley Mountain Bikers Association in British Columbia. She’s worked as a volunteer trail builder with the North Shore Mountain Bike Association for over 8 years and led the NSMBA Trail Academy. In this episode, we ask Penny: Most mountain bikers have probably heard of the North Shore but may not be familiar with the area. Where is the North Shore? What makes the NS so unique and special for mountain biking? Is the NS a big draw for mountain bike tourists outside of Vancouver and surrounding areas, or are the majority of the riders locals? How are the trails organized in the North Shore? Are there a few key riding areas? Are there many family-friendly trails in the North Shore? Which rides are the most challenging? What are some lesser-known trails where riders can get farther away from town? Who builds and maintains the trails in the area? Are there tour operators or clubs visitors can connect with if they want to ride with locals? Where

Tinker Juarez has been a professional mountain biker for more than 30 years. In that time he's competed in the Olympics twice, was crowned the 24-Hour Solo world champ four times, and was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. This year Tinker turns 60 years old, and he's still racing strong. In this episode we ask: What was the local biking scene like in California in the 1960s and 70s when you were getting started? Why did you make the switch from BMX to cross country mountain biking? What was it like racing in the 1996 Olympics, the first year that mountain biking was added to the competition? Are you able to use the fact that you're such a well-known pro to your advantage, or are there drawbacks? Does winning big mountain bike races take more physical or mental strength? Do you think you excel at one more than the other? What’s the most difficult mountain bike race you’ve competed in? Do you miss the 24 Hour race scene? How do you train for ultra endurance races like La Ruuta, RAAM,

Julian Tyo has lived in the Wood River valley for over a decade where he started the Ketchum bike park and managed the development of gravity trails on Bald Mountain and at Sun Valley Resort. Today he’s on the board of the Wood River Trails Coalition and also serves as the Community Recreation Supervisor & Events Manager for the city of Ketchum. In this episode, we ask Julian: How did you end up in Sun Valley? What makes Sun Valley stand out among mountain bike destinations? Who builds and maintains the trails in your area? What are some of the challenges the Wood River Valley faces as a popular recreation destination? For someone visiting for the first time, what are 2 or 3 must ride trails or trail systems? What are the family-friendly rides, and which ones are the most challenging? What are some lesser-known trails where riders can get away from the crowds? Who are the tour operators or clubs visitors can connect with if they want to ride with locals? Where do people hang out after the

Dr. Kate Leeming is an explorer and adventurer who has biked tens of thousands of miles around the world, including 15,000 miles around the Australian continent in 2004 and 2005 and 22,000km across Africa from Senegal to Somalia. In 2019 she became the first person to cycle 1600km through the sands of the Namibian coast and is working toward the first-ever Antarctic bicycle crossing via the South Pole for her educational outreach organization, Breaking the Cycle. In this episode, we ask Kate: What is your first memory of going on an adventure? Were you a good student in school? Did you enjoy learning? Have you always considered yourself an explorer? How does Breaking the Cycle: Education connect with your expeditions? What is the goal? What got you interested in the traversing the Skeleton Coast in Namibia by bike? Tell us about the all-wheel-drive fat bike you used. Was this a custom set up, or something you were able to find off the shelf? How did the bike perform? Were there any surprises alon

Anya Bruhin is a Northwest Arkansas local who has lived and worked in Fayetteville and Bentonville for 25 years. She’s also the education program manager for Bike NWA. In this episode we ask Anya: What makes Northwest Arkansas stand out among mountain bike destinations? For someone visiting for the first time, what are 2 or 3 must ride trails or trail systems? What are some family-friendly rides? Which rides are the most challenging? What are some lesser-known mountain bike trails? Who builds and maintains the trails in Northwest Arkansas? What are some ways visitors can connect with local mountain bikers? Where do people hang out after the ride? Are there any bars or breweries that tend to attract mountain bikers? What is the best time of year to visit? Are there any festivals or races visitors can plan to attend? Are there plans to expand or improve trails in the area? Is there anything else mountain bikers need to know before visiting Northwest Arkansas? For more information and resou

Cimarron Chacon is the president and race director at GRO Promotions, which offers mountain bike event and trail development services in and around St. George, Utah. She also founded the Dixie Mountain Bike Trails Association which is now known as the Trail Alliance of Southern Utah. We ask Cimarron: What makes St. George stand out among mountain bike destinations? For someone visiting for the first time, what are 2 or 3 must ride trails or trail systems? Which trails are family-friendly, and which ones are the most challenging? What are some lesser-known trails where riders can get away from the crowds? Who builds and maintains the trails in the area? Where do people hang out after the ride? Are there any bars or breweries that tend to attract mountain bikers? What are some of the mountain bike races or events visitors can plan to attend (or avoid)?  Are there plans to expand or improve trails in the area? Learn more about mountain biking in St. George at tasutah.org and gropromotions.co

Kevin Adams is a board member for the Verde Valley Cyclist Coalition, a nonprofit group working to promote cycling in the Verde Valley, including the town of Sedona, Arizona. Kevin also is the President of the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund that raises money for the maintenance and enhancement of the non-motorized trails near Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek. In his spare time, he’s the Chair of the Arizona State Committee on Trails. Of course he’s a mountain biker too, and he’s been connected to the local scene for almost a decade. There are massive plans for new mountain bike trails in the Verde Valley, and Kevin fills us in on the details. In this episode, we also ask: What makes Sedona and the Verde Valley stand out among mountain bike destinations? What are 2 or 3 must ride trails or trail systems? Which trails are family-friendly, and which ones are the most challenging? Are there any lesser-known trails where riders can get away from the crowds? Who builds and maintains the trails in Sedona? Ar