Singletracks Mountain Bike Podcast

The Singletracks staff has tested a ton of gear this year, and this week we’re looking back at some of our favorites. Listen in to hear what impressed us about each of these items, from clothing and accessories to complete bikes. Some of the products covered in this episode: MTB components * TRP G-Spec brakes * Teravail Honcho tires * Schwalbe Magic Mary tires * Formula Selva R fork * Hope Fortus...

Dr. Chris Leatt is the founder of the eponymous bike and moto protection brand based in South Africa. The company’s bike product line has expanded over the years to include helmets, pads, goggles, and even hydration packs, all designed with a focus on safety and protection. We find out how the Leatt company got its start, and what the brand is doing to help athletes stay safe. Dr. Leatt explains h...

Mike Bush is the President of Stans, a brand whose founder Stan Koziatek pioneered the use of tubeless tires in mountain biking. Today the Stans brand designs and markets its own line of popular wheels and tubeless tire accessories to keep mountain bikers rolling. For most mountain bikers, tubeless tire sealant is basically magic, and Mike gives us one of the best explanations we’ve heard for how...

Vittorio Platania is the marketing manager for the Formula group based in Italy, and he’s here to fill us in on everything we need to know about mountain bike brakes. We’ll discuss how hydraulic disc brakes work, and the factors that going into making a more powerful brake. Vittorio explains why brakes need to be bled, how hose selection plays into the overall system, and how rotor and pad selecti...

David Juarez, known to mountain bikers around the world as Tinker, is a 2-time Olympian, 4-time 24 Hour Solo series champ, and Mountain Bike Hall of Famer from California. Long-sponsored by Cannondale, he’s been racing mountain bikes professionally for 31 years and continues to compete in ultra endurance racing at the highest level. Tinker talks about his BMX background, growing up in southern Cal...

Alastair Beckett is a mechanical engineer and bike race mechanic based in the United Kingdom. His firm Redburn Design helps small bike brands expand “their product range through innovative and award winning product development and manufacturing process refinement.” Listeners may be familiar with one of Alastair’s most recent design projects, the new 161 enduro bike from the Privateer brand. We lea...

In this episode we share an interview Singletracks podcast host and editor-in-chief Jeff Barber recorded with Gareth Beckett from the MTB Tribe podcast. Gareth and Jeff chat about the mountain bike industry, swap notes about how trail access works in the US compared to parts of Europe, and discuss general mountain bike culture. Be sure to check out the MTB Tribe podcast on iTunes and Spotify, or v...

Harry Molloy is the brains behind the Flow Style World Cup DH racing team, and runs the Flow Style riding apparel brand. He has been racing top level downhill for over ten years. In this episode, we find out what it takes to put together a professional mountain bike team racing at the World Cup level. Harry shares the strategies involved in competition and how race teams like Flow Style are financ...

In this episode, the Singletracks staff talks about the process we use to the evaluate the mountain bikes and gear we review regularly. * What are some things to consider when testing a piece of gear?* How are bike reviews different from component or accessory reviews?* Are there questions that can’t be answered in the review process?* What happens if a sample breaks, and how do press camps work?...

Jason Finnell is a mountain biker who works with the The Schejola Foundation and PedalUp , an organization that is working with Boys and Girls Club locations to start onsite mountain bike programs. We talk about how the program got started, and how it’s using pump tracks and funding for bikes to empower disadvantaged kids. The group is currently reviewing applications from Boys and Girls clubs aro...

Hannah Bergemann has been busy making a name for herself in the enduro and freeride scene over the past few years. We caught up the rising freeride star and talked to her about how she got started, her life in Bellingham, Washington , the women’s freeride scene, and how she shot her segment for the new Teton Gravity Research MTB movie, Accomplice. To hear more from Hannah, check out this March 201...

Scott Nydam is a longtime bike racer who has been inspired to start a NICA program for youth in Gallup, New Mexico . The city borders the Navajo reservation, and Nydam hopes to create numerous opportunities for native kids, both in Gallup and on the reservation. Vincent Salabye is the Diné comp NICA team head coach and board president of Silver Stallion bicycle and coffee works.  He’s al...

Lindsey Richter founded Ladies AllRide as “a movement dedicated to growing the community of female mountain bikers across the globe.” She’s a former professional mountain bike racer and was a contestant on the reality television show Survivor. Singletracks talks with Lindsey about why she’s so passionate about mountain biking, and how she and others use the sport to build confidence and self estee...

The Singletracks staff kicks off a busy summer mountain bike testing season! In this episode we share our impressions of the mountain bikes we’ve recently tested, and those we are just getting to know. If you’re considering a new bike this year, from gravel to enduro, and from expensive to cheap, we have you covered. Settle in, this is going to be a long one. Recently tested: * Guerrilla Gravity S...

Lael Wilcox started biking in 2008 at age 20 with an around the world bike trip that took her through more than 30 countries. In 2015, essentially her first year of racing, she won the Tour Divide and smashed the women’s record by more than 2 days. The next year  she won the 4,400 mile Trans Am Bike Race, and set the overall record for both men and women on the Baja Divide route in 2017. Toda...

Brad Copeland worked his way up the bike tuning chain, from shop mechanic to a full-time position at Specialized Bicycles, and eventually landed a spot wrenching for the brand’s domestic teams. His racing and career interests laid deep in the dirt side of cycling, and when asked to travel with the Specialized World Cup XC athletes to a few events, he excitedly accepted. Copeland developed las...

Larry Pizzi is the Chief Commercial Officer for Alta Cycling Group, the parent company of wll known bike brands including Diamondback, Raleigh, and Ghost. He is also a board member at People for Bikes, a non-profit organization dedicated to making bicycling “safer, easier to access and more fun.” In this episode, we get Larry’s take on gravel biking: Who are gravel bikers? How much are they spendi...

Ken Avery is the Vice President of product and marketing for Vittoria, the world’s leading producer of bicycle tires. As an industry insider for many years, Ken has a wealth of knowledge on everything from mountain bike product design to marketing. In this episode, we talk about how mountain bike tire design and technology evolved over the years, the tradeoff between tire weight and traction, and...

It’s an understatement to say Covid-19 has changed the world as we know it. Mountain biking is no exception. In this episode, Matt, Gerow, and Jeff talk about what’s going on in Colorado, Italy, and Georgia, respectively. We discuss the latest on mountain bike racing, athletes, tourism, brands, and of course everyday trail riders. If you haven’t been paying attention to mountain bike news lately —...

Paul Howard has been coaching mountain bikers all around the world for over 20 years now. He’s a co-founder of the Professional Mountain Bike Instructors Association (PMBIA) and is the owner and head coach at ZEP Mountain Bike Camps in Whistler. In this episode, Paul shares the #1 skill mountain bikers actually need to work on, and how that’s often different from the skills they think need improve...

Greg Williams is the founder of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, a non-profit group based in California that’s dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and enhancement of recreational trails. The group’s Connected Communities plan offers an innovative roadmap for bringing tourism through trails to former timber and mining towns. We talk about how the group formed, and how their trail work i...

Chris Cocalis is the founder and president of Pivot Cycles based in Tempe, Arizona. Pivot is known for creating cutting-edge, high performance mountain bikes and also for sponsoring many talented athletes over the years while giving back to the community. In this episode we talk about the mountain bike design process and how bikes are manufactured. Chris fills us in on current trends in the bike w...

Maurice and his partner Elaine started Dirt Rag back in 1989. For decades the magazine documented the sport and for many carried with it the very soul of mountain biking. Maurice talks about how mountain bike gear and culture has evolved over the past three decades, and his recent decision to cease operations at the iconic publication. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.c...

In 2012, Kate was the first American woman to win a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Junior title. Then in 2017, she won the Under 23 World Cup Overall title. In 2018, she won gold at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, and then the next year she took the overall UCI Mountain Bike World Cup title. Recently, Kate was named to the 2020 Olympics team for cross country mountain biking. This episode...

Chris Sugai is the co-founder and President of Niner Bikes, a brand which was an early adopter of the now ubiquitous mountain bike wheel size. Over the years Chris and Niner have worked with incredible athletes, produced countless innovations, and generously supported the International Mountain Bike Association. We get the inside scoop on how Niner got its start and talk about the current state of...