The REI Outlet sale is going on now, and we found some excellent deals priced 50% off or more. Some of these are previous-generation versions of popular items, which means you’ll save BIG while still getting a quality product. The sale ends Aug 4, and quantities are limited. Once this stuff is gone, it’s gone!

Race Face Chester pedals

$59.99 | $22.73 sale
Even though this is the previous generation Chester, it’s still a solid flat pedal choice. Available in red or green.

Smith Forefront 2

$250.00 | $94.73 sale
The Smith Forefront is a favorite based on fit and safety. Now that the Forefront 3 is available, you can save big on the Forefront 2!

Gregory 3D Hydro Trek Hydration Reservoir

$47.95 | $18.73 sale
Replace that funky reservoir for under 20 bucks. This should fit most medium- to large-size packs, even ones that aren’t Gregory.

Camelbak Rogue Hydration pack

$90.00 | $35.73 sale
This Camelbak Rogue backpack is lightweight on the back AND the wallet too.

Mons Royale Virage Bike Shorts

$160.00 | $47.73 sale
The classic shorts are made with recycled materials and come with a belt.

Osprey Siskin 8 Hydration Pack

$130.00 | $51.73 sale
The Osprey Siskin 8 comes with a 2.5L hydration reservoir and is the right size for all-day rides. Also available in red at this price.

Giro Tyrant Spherical MIPS helmet

$160.00 | $79.73 sale
If you’re looking for a little extra coverage, the Giro Tyrant, well, has you covered.

Want to find the best price on your next mountain bike? Try our comparison shopping tool and don’t miss our Weekly MTB Deals for the biggest savings on mountain bikes, gear and more.

The article Get a $36 hydration pack or $23 pedals at the REI Outlet Sale appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The UCI Mountain Bike “World Series” has long claimed the venerable name, despite offering very little in the way of globally dispersed competition venues. Over the past few decades, competition has been heavily weighted in Europe.

In 2024, the UCI added the first South American host city ever: Mairiporã, Brazil. In 2025, they continued the Brazilian connection with Araxá. The full 2026 calendar has not yet been revealed, so we can’t confirm if Brazil will still be represented in 2026.

However, we’ve just learned that the World Series will be returning to Asia for the first time in 25 years and to the Western USA for the first time in 21 years.

First mountain bike world cup competition in the Western USA since 2005

A world cup-level mountain bike race hasn’t been held in the Western USA since 2005, when Angel Fire, New Mexico, hosted both cross-country (XCO) and downhill (DHI).

Today, the UCI announced the addition of an XCC and XCO stop at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. According to a press release from the UCI, “the site demonstrated its mountain bike pedigree by hosting the 2024 Pan American Mountain Bike Championships and is also a highly regarded winter sports venue, set to stage events during the Olympic Winter Games Salt Lake City-Utah 2034.”

The trails in Midway are located close to the legendary singletrack network in Park City. In recent years, the Wasatch Trails Foundation (WTF) has taken charge of the network of trails surrounding Heber Valley, which is home to Midway. Currently, the organization manages over 175 miles of trails in Wasatch County, and they’re building several new trails in 2025. Earning the first World Cup stop in the Western USA in over 20 years is yet another substantial feather in the region’s cap.

“Bringing on board one of the world’s premier Cross-country destinations in Utah reinforces our commitment to delivering the sport at its highest level, and I am incredibly proud to bring these partnerships to life,” said Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe.

South Korea will host 3 UCI disciplines in 2026

PyeongChang, South Korea, is set to host “the first-ever Asian UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) and UCI Cross-country Short Track (XCC) World Cups and first UCI Downhill (DHI) World Cup on the continent for 25 years,” according to a press release. The wording in that quote is a bit unclear, but based on my research, this will be the first XCO and XCC rounds held in Asia. Furthermore, it will be the first downhill (DHI) World Cup held in Asia in 25 years.

Arai Mountain in Japan hosted World Cup downhill races in 1998, 2000, and 2001, though it seems that no other World Cup DH or XCO races have been held in Asia since then. In 2022, a World Cup cross-country eliminator (XCE) race was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The opening round of racing in 2026 will take place at a venue that hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 2018, which the UCI says offers “challenging terrain and elite-level infrastructure.” A photo included in the release shows a surprisingly hilly ski resort which appears to be Yongpong Resort.

Mountain Bike World Series Goes worldwide

If the UCI Mountain Bike World Series retains a South American venue and adds Asia and Western North America to the mix, the series will have taken major steps toward being a truly global competition series. Even so, most of the competition is still anchored in Europe, and Australia/New Zealand are a big miss on the calendar. But if this trend continues, the race schedule could look very different in the coming years.

The article UCI Mountain Bike World Series expands global footprint with new venues in South Korea and Utah appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Updated July 31, 2025 at 12:20p EDT to include an official response from Novatec US.

Another bike company has been forced to shut down due to “industry trends.” Novatec Wheels US, INC, based in Clayton, GA, has ceased operations, according to Bicycle Retailer. Novatec is based in Taiwan and the Georgia location is listed as the company’s global office for North America.

“We regret to announce that Novatec Wheels US, Inc, based in the United States, has officially ceased operations as of June 30, 2025, due to ongoing market challenges,” reads an announcement from Jake Scott, General Manager Novatec Wheels US, Inc. “This difficult decision was the result of careful consideration of economic conditions, industry trends, and the long-term viability of our operations. Despite our team’s best efforts and your valued support, the challenges proved insurmountable.

The Novatec Wheels US homepage currently displays a message that reads “sorry, we’re doing some work on the site.” However, portions of the website remain accessible, including e-commerce pages and product listings. It does not appear that customers are able to place orders, as no payment methods are available.

Established in 1989, Novatec became known for affordable hubs and wheelsets, including carbon and aluminum options. The brand made several attempts to establish itself in the US, notably in the early 2010s, though it never gained much traction in the upgrade market among mountain bike wheel buyers. In 2018, Transition was speccing Novatec hubs on some of their lower-cost builds, though some owners complained about quality issues.

As recently as 2024, Singletracks noted Novatec was offering one of the lowest-priced sets of carbon mountain bike wheels available, the M30 all-mountain wheels, for $950. At that time, we speculated that the M30 wheels — on sale for the very low price of $800 — were likely discontinued.

When asked about product service and support for existing customers, Scott told Singletracks, “I do not have word yet [if] they plan for future support for current US customers other than to reach out directly to the service@novatecwheels.com email. This is the primary communication portal for now.”

The closure of Novatec Wheels US does not appear to have affected the operations of Novatec Taiwan or Novatec EU, the brand’s European global office. Singletracks has reached out to a Novatec US representative and will update this article with any new information if it is provided.

This news follows other high-profile setbacks within the bike industry this year from brands including Intense, YT Industries, Alchemy, and Revel.

The article Bicycle wheel company Novatec USA has reportedly ceased operations appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Bosch’s latest software update is giving eMTB riders more power—literally. Version 1.28 of the company’s eBike Flow app, released this month, boosts the performance of select Bosch motors, including the widely adopted Performance Line CX. Riders will now see peak motor power output increase from 600W to 750W, which is the maximum allowed for Class 1 e-bikes in the U.S. The update also boosts torque from 85Nm to 100Nm.

It’s not clear why Bosch limited output below the legal ceiling in the first place, though the extra headroom now means quicker acceleration and more support when tackling steep or technical climbs.

Alongside the increase in raw power, Bosch is also introducing a new assistance mode called eMTB+. The mode is said to combine the natural-feeling control of their existing eMTB mode with the full-force capability of Race mode, offering up to 400% support depending on rider input. Bosch says the new mode can be customized in the eBike Flow app and applied via the app’s custom riding mode settings.

The update applies to current versions of the Performance Line CX motor and upcoming versions of the Performance Line SX motor (see notes). Given the number of 2025 eMTBs equipped with Bosch’s CX motor, the update is set to add more power to many brands’ top-end bikes.

However, some e-bike owners have reported issues unlocking the new settings for their bikes. A Bosch representative responded on YouTube, writing “in some cases the manufacturer will upload the upgrade in two stages (watt and NM) so please check for the second stage update after completing the first. To clarify: these are MAXIMUM values ​​but of course depend on the limit that the bike manufacturer determines based on the mounted components and their suitability. For example, if the e-shift can only handle 90Nm, the bike manufacturer will limit this option to 90Nm. The updates will therefore differ per eBike model. Please contact your eBike manufacturer about this if you have queries.”

Along with the new eMTB+ mode and power and torque updates, Bosch added several other new features to the eBike Flow app, including the ability to share your eMTB with up to five other riders. Some of these features are only available to paying Bosch Flow+ subscribers, which has led to a few owners voicing their frustration online. Fortunately, it appears the aforementioned eMTB+ and power and torque updates are available without a Flow+ subscription.

The Bosch power boost update comes as newer, more powerful e-bike motors are becoming more widely available. U.S. availability for the Amflow PL e-bike was just announced yesterday, and that eMTB makes use of the DJI Avonix motor, which is capable of producing more than 105Nm of torque and 850W of peak power. With this update, the Bosch Performance Line CX is capable of producing more power and torque than competitors like the Shimano EP8, though it’s still less than the DJI motor. Singletracks has been testing the new Amflow PL and will publish a review of the bike shortly.

As I pointed out in an opinion piece about electronics earlier this year, firmware updates like this can significantly enhance bike performance with just a few taps in an app. It’s still early days for truly upgradable bikes, but Bosch’s move is another clear signal that we’re headed in that direction.

The article Latest Bosch software update unlocks new features and capabilities for select eMTB motors appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

There’s a new way to get paid for your mountain bike POV footage, and surprisingly, it doesn’t involve building a YouTube following. GoPro has announced a new opt-in program that allows US-based subscribers to license their cloud-stored videos for AI training—and earn a cut of the revenue.

The company says it’s responding to growing demand from tech companies looking for high-quality, real-world footage to train artificial intelligence models. GoPro subscribers who choose to participate will earn 50% of the licensing revenue if their content is selected and used by GoPro’s partners.

According to GoPro, participation is voluntary and only includes content you specifically opt in. If you change your mind later, you can opt out, though previously licensed content will remain in use. You’ll retain ownership of your videos, and GoPro isn’t using the content to train its own AI… at least for now.

Platforms like YouTube allow users to monetize their mountain bike videos by placing advertisements alongside the content while also using those videos for machine learning without explicit or additional user compensation. GoPro’s approach flips the script by offering an AI-related revenue stream directly to content creators.

Other POV camera brands are experimenting with AI

AI tech and features are already making their way into the POV camera market. GoPro competitor Insta360 offers a feature called AI Warp that can take short clips and create AI renderings. Earlier this month, a United States Administrative Law Judge of the International Trade Commission issued an Initial Determination finding that Insta360 had infringed on GoPro’s HERO camera design.

The potential use cases for AI trained on MTB footage are vast: automatic environmental monitoring, rider technique analysis, and crash detection, just to name a few. Though GoPro says they “will not directly use your footage to train AI models,” their privacy policy dated November 2024 does note that the company may use user-generated content to personalize and improve their services.

The AI training program will launch by invitation to U.S. subscribers in early August, with plans to expand access over time. You’ll need to have videos stored in the GoPro cloud to be eligible, and payment will be made if—and only if—your videos are licensed.

Would you be willing to license your ride footage to train AI? Let us know in the comments.

The article GoPro will pay to license your POV ride videos to train AI appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Louise Ferguson made history as the first woman ever to complete a top-to-bottom run at Red Bull Hardline after qualifying at the 2025 UK event, held in Wales. During the competition, Ferguson officially won her category of one with a time of 3:44.593, again making history as the first woman to win Red Bull Hardline.

The absurd difficulty of Red Bull Hardline is evident in the fact that in the event’s 11-year history, a female rider has never completed a top-to-bottom run, “mainly due to the scale of the jumps and challenging terrain,” according to a press release from Red Bull.

“I feel so much pride,” said Ferguson after completing her first top-to-bottom run in qualifying. “All the girls have worked so hard over the last few seasons, and it hasn’t been easy. Getting the opportunity to come to Red Bull Hardline and progress each year has made such a difference. I’m a small part of it, but it feels so good to do it for all the girls, and it’s not going to take long before there’s more of us completing the course.”

“The run is a blur. I just tried to focus on one feature at a time to get through and it worked out,” she continued. “It’s so much harder than any other event, and it takes so much courage to hit even one of the features, let alone all of them back to back. I can’t explain how slippery some of the rocks were — it was such a mental battle to put a full run together. I just tried to focus on what I could control and trust in myself.

“The community at this event makes all the difference — all the men are so supportive and it feels like there’s no divide between the categories. It has an incredibly special support network and vibe. I can’t wait for tomorrow”.

Ferguson originally hails from Fort William in Scotland, but currently resides in Queenstown, New Zealand. She is currently ranked 14th in the world and recently won the British National Championships.

Other women in attendance at Red Bull Hardline UK were Vaea Verbeeck, Kirsten Van Horne, Cami Nogueira, and Hannah Bergemann.

The article Watch Louise Ferguson make history as the first woman to ride Red Bull Hardline appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Gnarly, steep, and chunky downhill trails are generally reserved for bike parks in the Park City, Utah, area. And when it comes to the Heber Valley, the trails have historically been even easier. While trails that cater to all skill levels are great and often make sense in a tourist town, they can leave locals wanting more.

And “more” is precisely what locals will soon be getting. Think black/double black, incredibly technical terrain, “more.”

The Wasatch Trails Foundation is hard at work building singletrack in Wasatch County

A web of trails extends outside the city limits of Park City, coming close to the boundary of Summit and Wasatch Counties. Near this boundary, Wasatch County dips into the Heber Valley, home to towns like Heber City, Charleston, and Midway.

As more people began to move to the smaller communities in the Heber Valley, residents wanted to ride their own trails rather than driving to ride in Park City. Around 2010-2011, Heber Valley locals formed the Wasatch Trails Foundation (WTF) and began building singletrack for multiple user groups. 

Just a few years later, WTF took on a massive project, building the “WOW” (Wasatch Over Wasatch) trail. WOW is over 10 miles long, climbing over 2,000 feet before towering over the surrounding valleys at 8,300 feet of elevation. It remains a must-ride for many folks visiting the Park City area.

Unfortunately, a few years later, steady interest in trails and WTF began to slow. But some locals, including professional rider Eric Porter, wouldn’t let the organization die. “So, it was Porter who kind of picked up the baton and was like, ‘Hey, this is something that we should actually do and focus on,’” Mia Yue, Executive Director of WTF, told us. 

Fortunately, others shared Porter’s vision and also got involved. The organization now oversees approximately 175 to 200 miles of trails in Wasatch County, with most of them located in the Heber Valley.

Now, a dozen years after they built the WOW trail, WTF is nearly done with a new hand-built trail teetering on the edge of black and double black. This new trail branches off the WOW trail, setting the stage for an even more intense descent.

Why now?

“Springer Hollow was originally conceptualized when they built the WOW trail,” Yue told us. “So it’s been in the back of people’s minds for a really long time.”

One of the reasons the time was now right to add a DH option for riders in the area was the growing popularity of the WOW trail. WOW stretches from north to south, and can be ridden in both directions; however, shuttling the southern portion has become increasingly popular. The south side of the trail overlooks a campground, where visitors and locals alike park one car and shuttle to the nearby Maple Grove trail for a more gradual climb. 

The new Springer Hollow DH, which will branch off of this southern portion of WOW and end near the same campground, adds another ride option entirely. Mountain bikers looking to bomb down WOW will have the option to take Springer Hollow, and they won’t have to worry about riders pedaling up.

Yue also mentioned the social trails that have historically been present in the Park City area and continue to appear. This is, in part, due to the abundance of beginner and intermediate trails catering to riders of all ability levels. More experienced mountain bikers, especially locals, often feel like advanced options are few and far between, and sometimes they take matters into their own hands.

While WTF wants to continue building accessible trails that cater to all skill levels, they clearly see the need to provide more advanced options. “That was another reason we wanted to build this section,” Yue said, “because it is a pretty gnarly downhill trail.”

Chips Down is one example of a social trail that leans toward the advanced end of the spectrum. The trail was built during the pandemic and had become a popular descent, dropping over 400 feet in less than a mile. WTF adopted it into its trail system last year.

While Chips Down isn’t as gnarly as the planned Springer Hollow DH, with rock features and some sizable gaps, WTF rates it as a black diamond. As they began posting riding clips from Chips Down on social media, they found that people interacted and engaged with that type of content the most.

Seeing the locals’ response to Chips Down and its growing popularity helped solidify the need for more advanced, directional DH trails in the area.

Building a gnarly downhill trail

Again and again, we speak with various trail organizations and trail builders who are accelerating the trail-building process by utilizing machines. When we do, the comments inevitably flood in from riders who want to return to rugged, hand-built, proper singletrack. 

That’s exactly the vision for the Springer Hollow DH trail. While the steep and rugged terrain makes it nearly impossible to bring in machines, WTF also saw an opportunity to deliver an authentic backcountry trail experience. “The beginning of this trail is so gnarly,” Yue said. “This trail is no joke. It’s very advanced.”

Yue said the top of Springer Hollow DH is chunky and steep, as riders follow a rocky ridge that they eventually ride down. Riding down the ridge provides some respite from the rocky terrain above as riders enter a steep, forested gully.

Here, in the gully, crews are building massive optional doubles, some spanning 30 to 40 feet. Then, the trail will funnel into more rock tech, some rock slabs, and even more gaps. The trail concludes with a roughly 20-foot canyon gap before re-entering another gully, which is relatively smooth and flowy, leading to the end of Springer Hollow.

Overall, rocks, roots, and off-camber singletrack mixed with off-camber corners can be expected over Spring Hollow DH’s two-mile, 1,100-foot descent. 

While there will be walk/go-arounds for some of the most challenging features, Yue emphasized that the difficulty will border on black/double black. Even B-lines and walking options are still down steep and rugged terrain.

WTF started digging on Springer Hollow DH last fall. “This is our first year funding our own trail crew,” Yue said. “We have a four-person trail crew.”

While a few tires have been on the new trail during construction, WTF is asking mountain bikers to stay off until Springer Hollow is finished. 

“We were hoping to have it completed by mid-July, but I think it’ll probably be the end of July/August,” Yue shared. “I mean, it’s getting really close.”

The article The Heber Valley is finally getting the gnarly black diamond descent locals have been begging for appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Asa Vermette, the 18-year-old phenom from Durango, Colorado, has made history as the youngest person ever to win Red Bull Hardline. Despite it being Vermette’s first-ever Hardline UK competition, he managed to take the win with a time of 2:24.477. Charlie Hatton took second, with a time of 2:26.158, and Ronan Dunne took third, with a time of 2:29.496.

Vermette placed a close second in Tasmania earlier this year to Jackson Goldstone. While Vermette has had a solid UCI World Cup season with four podiums in the Juniors division, he hasn’t yet managed to take a World Cup win this year.

“It felt like a bit of a sketchy run to be honest,” said Vermette after the win. “I wasn’t expecting to come across in first place after a couple of mistakes, but coming across the line and seeing green was an insane feeling. The conditions are mint — the rocks were still a little slippery, but all the dirt in between was so much fun I’d like to go and do another lap!”

“I haven’t been doing the best all year so to get this feels so good and hopefully we’ll keep going forward in this way! I just tried to have fun on the run and have fun while biking so I always try and stick to that. The whole race is super cool — Hardline is one of the funnest races I’ve ever done.”

The article 18-year-old from Colorado is the youngest ever to win Red Bull Hardline appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Drew Honzel used to watch trucks loaded up with bikes stop for gas in the southeast Oregon community of Klamath Falls en route to the mountain bike mecca of Bend and wonder what it would take to get a few of them to stop and recreate.

Although well-known in birding circles—the city sits in the Klamath Basin, one of the largest freshwater wetlands west of the Mississippi—Klamath Falls was not on the life lists of many cyclists. And outside of a network of user-built trails at Moore Park on the edge of downtown, local mountain bikers had to travel to Ashland, Bend, or the Umpqua to get their singletrack fix.

“We wanted to build a network that would attract the hundreds, if not thousands, of cars that were driving right by us on Highway 97,” said Honzel, a longtime resident and founding board member of Klamath Trails Alliance (KTA).

Building rocky trails on Spence Mountain

At a trails conference in Bend in 2012, Honzel ran into Paul Thomasburg, co-founder of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame inductee. The two set their sights on a 7,500-acre private parcel on Spence Mountain, a mass of volcanic rock and steep timber surrounded by Klamath Lake on three sides. Thomasburg’s initial vision emphasized Spence’s unique qualities: big lake views and big, chunky rock. Using Lidar and desktop mapping programs, Thomasburg sought out rock outcroppings and other terrain features in the timber that would make ideal inflection points on the trails, which would be built with an intentionally old-school feel.

In 2013, JWTR, the private landowner, approved KTA’s proposal to build a 21-mile trail network. Honzel and the KTA committed to raising money to hire pros rather than relying on volunteer labor, and their fundraising paid off when the Bend-based Dirt Mechanics broke ground on the first miles of the South Ridge trail in 2014.

Paul Lissette, the owner of Dirt Mechanics, had extensive experience working with volcanic chunder: he built many of the signature trails at Bend’s Mt. Bachelor Bike Park, including the iconic and Instagram-famous Redline. An inveterate experimenter, Lissette (affectionately known as “Kiwi Paul” for his New Zealand roots) challenged himself to build the black-diamond North Ridge, a tech trail with numerous non-negotiable rock rolls and drops, using a mini-excavator.

“North Ridge was the burliest, steepest, chunkiest terrain I’d ever worked on to that point,” said Lissette. Several sections were so steep that Lissette had to build an alternate trail for the mini-ex to get down the pitch and then build back up the flag line. At other points, he secured the machine to trees to rappel the mini-ex down the slope.

“That trail was the first time I had ever used 10,000-pound tow straps to tie myself in,” said Lissette. “Because if I fell, it wouldn’t just be a little oopsy daisy.”

A machine-built trail that feels as raw as the most rogue North Shore lines, North Ridge has a bit of it all: sniper-like rock drops, tabletops and doubles, and some hand-taxing tech in volcanic ballast. The black-diamond Nighthawk, likewise, layers on the cobble while allowing riders to find a rhythm that will skip them over the stonework.

Although Spence Mountain has begun to develop a reputation in the region for steep, technical riding, KTA and the build crews have also developed a network of green and blue trails in the Shoalwater Bay area that highlight the smooth riding qualities of the rich volcanic soil rather than rock. Elsewhere on the mountain, the black-diamond Speed King boasts one of the state’s best jump lines outside of a bike park. Speed King, North Ridge, Nighthawk, and others also highlight one goal of the trails plan: to emphasize directional trails to reduce user conflicts and foster a feeling of solitude.

KTA and its contractors have completed 57 of 70 planned miles at Spence. The final phase will add a mix of green, blue, and black trails to the map, including some more signature Spence black tech.

Spence Mountain has been protected for future generations

In 2022, the Trust for Public Land purchased the 7,500-acre Spence Mountain parcel and deeded it to the county, ensuring public access in perpetuity. The trail network has become a source of community pride.

“The community has been super supportive, which is not always the case,” said Honzel. “Discover Klamath (the local tourism organization), county leadership, the city, they’re totally for what we’re doing.”

“Drew is so entrenched in the old-school Klamath Falls community and knows a lot of people, so it’s easier for him to get support,” said Lissette. “He’s a grant-writing, money-raising machine.”

Spence Mountain averages 9,200 recreation visits annually, four in 10 of whom are non-residents. The county estimates the economic impact of those out-of-area visitors is $870,000 a year; local business owners have reported a surge of Sprinter vans and tailgate pads downtown.

“I’ve run into crews where half are coming up from the Bay Area and and half down from Portland, and they are meeting at Spence,” said Lissette. Visiting mountain bikers have reached out, unbidden, to Lissette and Honzel raving about how the Spence Mountain trails encouraged them to extend their stays in Klamath Falls.

Coupled with the in-town, old-school singletrack of Moore Park and the backcountry Brown Mountain loop near Lake of the Woods west of town, Spence Mountain has helped transform Klamath Falls from a mountain biking way-station to destination, and in doing so, the city has become a stopover for migrating mountain bikers in the same way the lake has for shorebirds.

The article Klamath Falls goes full old-school with gnarly rock-filled trails on Spence Mountain appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

I’ve been mountain biking for decades, and spend most of my time riding regular, non-electric bikes. However, I also ride eMTBs a few times a year, and every time I transition from non-electric to electric, it feels like there’s a bit of a (re)learning curve. Which made me wonder: when it comes to technical skills, is riding an eMTB any different from riding a traditional mountain bike?

To find out, I spoke with Dylan Renn, a longtime mountain bike coach who regularly leads eMTB-specific skills clinics. His take? Going downhill on an e-bike is pretty intuitive for most riders, but climbing requires a different approach.

More bike means more input

With eMTBs, “you have to rely on more controlled movements,” Renn says. “So better bike handling skills for sure.” The added weight of an electric bike means you can’t just muscle the bike around like you might with a lightweight trail bike, which can be a big adjustment for longtime riders.

“Once you slow down, if you don’t have good slow-speed balance, then it’s going to be far more difficult,” he says.

Heavier e-bikes require a bit more steering input, and recalibrating your muscle memory takes some adjustment. Most riders can make the transition pretty quickly, especially for those who regularly switch between their eMTB and non-electric bike.

Climb smarter, not harder

One of the biggest surprises for new eMTB riders? Climbing can still be hard—but in a different way. Though the motor gives you power, it can also lead to traction issues or timing miscues, especially on steep or technical sections.

“A lot of people get stuck in the novelty of the motor pulling them up the hill, and they’re in two to three gears higher than they would be if they were riding up it on an analog bike.”

I’m certainly guilty of this, and the result is that I often stall out at the steepest part of the climb. But why?

Renn offers a power-tool analogy. Imagine drilling a hole in a piece of hardwood. If you push and force the drill bit into the wood, it will get bogged down or start to smoke. But if you spin the drill at maximum speed and back off the pressure, it’ll go much more smoothly. Climbing a steep hill on an electric mountain bike works the same way.

And this is true not just for eMTB, but for regular mountain bikes too. Most of us naturally increase our cadence ahead of a steep climb, and we should do the same even when we have a motor attached.

Spinning a higher cadence also helps keep the motor engaged and smooths out power delivery. That, in turn, makes it easier to maintain traction—especially on loose or technical climbs. In situations where you need extra power, Renn recommends using the rear brake to avoid breaking traction or catapulting yourself into a rock or root in the middle of the trail.

“In certain situations, you might be pedaling into it using power, but then also using the back brake to modulate the power,” like a clutch, he says.

Body position still matters

Downhill body position doesn’t change much compared to a traditional bike, and Renn points out that e-bikes can be more forgiving. “The bikes are going to perform way better downhill, as long as you’re not trying to force it out of things,” he says. “The e-bike inherently is better because it has more mass, and the bike’s just going to roll through stuff easier. It has that natural momentum inherent in the weight of the bike itself.”

While the extra weight of an e-bike helps with stability going downhill, it demands a more conscious body position when pedaling and climbing. “E-bikes turn flats into downhills, and turn uphills into flats.”

With that in mind, on flat terrain, riders may find they need to consciously put more weight than usual on the front end of the bike to help with cornering.

And though an eMTB can turn the climbs into flats, that doesn’t mean you should stay seated the whole way up the hill. When the trail gets bumpy or more technical, a slightly out-of-the-saddle stance is helpful. However, you should rarely stand straight up while climbing on an e-bike because this can cause the front wheel to lift as the motor engages. Making matters worse, riders often over-correct and lean forward to bring the wheel down, which causes the rear wheel to lose traction.

Renn says he usually stays seated on climbs to maintain traction, though never passively. More on that later.

A powerful tool for skill building

E-bikes can be a useful tool for learning new mountain bike skills and improving existing ones. Personally, I’ve found that I’m able to focus on bike handling more clearly when riding an e-bike because my breathing and heart rate are much more relaxed. Renn agrees. “You don’t have the physical fatigue encroaching into it where you’re just trying to get through the situation” and you can put more of a focus on technique.

And because you’re generally riding faster on an e-bike, you can work on improving your reaction times and transitions involved in weighting and unweighting the bike, which is particularly helpful for cornering.

Rather than replacing your regular mountain bike, Renn sees the eMTB as a valuable complement. “You can go out and do skills work on the e-bike and [have a] recovery day,” he says.

Be an active rider

In the end, Renn says the key is to be an active participant in the ride—regardless of which type of bike you’re riding. “You’re not riding passively. You’re not just being lazy through there. You’re doing shit for a reason.”

That advice hits home, especially for those of us who feel a little out of sync — or worse, lazy — when hopping on an eMTB after weeks or months away. The bikes are definitely getting better — lighter, more responsive, and more natural feeling — but there’s still a learning curve, and the e-bike won’t do all the work for you. However, with the right mindset and a few adjustments, riding an eMTB can and should follow the same basic principles involved in riding a regular mountain bike.

Dylan Renn is a certified mountain bike skills coach through USA Cycling, BICP, Betterride, NICA, NASM. In August his company, A Singletrack Mind, is offering a shuttled skills and camping event at Mt. Hood in Oregon.

The article These eMTB-specific bike skill tips will keep you riding smooth and fast appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

More than any place on earth, California is steeped in mountain biking lore. The genesis of the sport on Mount Tam in Marin County at the hands of heroes such as Charlie Kelly, Gary Fisher, Tom Ritchey, and others is the stuff of legends. Even all these years later, if the mountain bike industry could be considered to have a headquarters, a hot spot, or a center of the mountain bike universe, that would be California.

Thankfully, California, the third largest state in the US, is also geographically gifted and uniquely qualified to be a revered mountain bike destination for much more than the fact that our sport began here. But would mountain biking have been conceived if it wasn’t for these mountains and trails? You’ll have to pose that question to the chicken-or-the-egg philosophers.

Regardless of which came first, the fact remains that California is home to all manner of excellent mountain bike terrain: tall sky-scraping mountains with endless singletrack, arid deserts, massive redwood forests hiding serpentine trails, and a plethora of coastal climate zones offering year-round riding.

California was the original mountain bike mecca, and while Colorado or Utah may now give it a run for its money, it’s still one of the hottest spots to travel to with your mountain bike in 2025. If you do head to California, here are five of the very best trails that you need to ride:

Downieville Downhill, Downieville

The Downieville Downhill never gets old. Especially if you take the shuttle to the top. Several outfitters in this small old mining town offer rides to Packer Saddle, and from there, you can choose to zoom or lollygag through Sunset, Butcher Ranch, and the Divide of one’s choice.

If training or practicing for the legendary Downieville race, you had better pad up and open the throttle, but be ready for that god-awful slap-in-the-face climb right in the middle of your rollicking descent, the one that makes you wish you brought the XC bike (but only for these 11 minutes). With a river running alongside, forming deep crystal pools beneath behemoth boulders, you might be tempted to abandon thoughts of the podium and answer the siren song of the swimming hole. While options abound, the race course is a great choice at 16 miles long with 1,100 feet of climbing (slap!) and 5,500 feet of descending.

And when you’re done, just behind the pizza parlor, picnic tables, and a nicely-kept public restroom, you’ll find a great swim spot at the confluence of the Downie and Yuba Rivers, in case you forewent the trailside dip. There are good and varied options for accommodation in Downieville from small rustic hotels, campgrounds near and a little less near, or you can rent a house with your crew.

If you’ve ridden the classic Downieville Downhill one too many times, be sure to try one of the many other epic shuttle runs spread throughout the Lost Sierra.

See also: “Shredding the Classic Downieville Downhill in California“

Cannell Plunge, Kernville

The Cannell Trail, finished off with “The Plunge,” ranks among the best shuttle-accessible rides in California—and possibly the country. This 25-mile point-to-point ride features about 2,000 feet of climbing and a massive 8,400 feet of descending, making it a big day even with a shuttle assist. This massive route has rightfully earned an IMBA Epic designation.

The Cannell Plunge starts high in the mountains with mellow singletrack through open meadows, but quickly drops into drier, rockier terrain typical of Southern California. The trail mixes fast, smooth sections with rockier, more technical bits, and corners that range from wide and flowy to tight and off-camber. The Plunge lives up to its name, delivering a long, fast descent that caps off the ride with a sustained drop into the Kern River Valley.

“The flow and speed on Cannell Plunge is unreal… I’m blown away every time I ride this trail,” said Eric Carter, Pro BMX racer, Mountain X, and Downhill Legend, according to KernRiverSierra.com.

Soquel Demonstration Forest, Santa Cruz

The Soquel Demonstration Forest, or “Demo Forest” as it’s more commonly called, is one of California’s historic trail networks that has remained a premier mountain bike destination to this day. “These are the most mountain bike-oriented trails — legitimate trails — we have in the region,” said Matt De Young, Executive Director of Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS).

Demo Forest was originally known for its raw, natural downhills, but the construction of the Flow Trail in 2015 changed everything. The new trail quickly became known as one of the best flow trails in the country, and even helped define the category as flow trails began to be built all around the world. In 2025, the iconic trail received a massive glow-up thanks to a top-to-bottom rebuild that has improved the flow, modified the features, and revitalized worn-out trail tread.

“Demo Forest is absolutely the must-do area in Santa Cruz… Period!” wrote Singletracks trail reviewer larryhogueisson. “There are many different routes, so pick your poison. I am one who never minds the opportunity to mash some pedals in order to earn some DH fun. In Demo Forest, there is definitely some work to be done in the earning department. It’s a slow steady climb to get to the Forest, but once you’re there, you’ll forget you just climbed to get there. Amazing flowing DH rides with GREAT natural terrain features, huge banking turns, and even a few spots to create some white-knuckled riding. A day of riding Sawpit, Braille, and Flow will give you PLENTY of fun and remind your legs why carbs are important when you pedal back to the car. You’ll take a puff or two with all the climbing, but EPIC flowing downhills make it every bit worth it.”

See also: “The iconic Demo Forest Flow trail near Santa Cruz, CA, is being rebuilt this spring“

Northstar Bike Park, Truckee

The Singletracks database reports 125 miles of black diamond singletrack at Northstar. While this may be true, it is important to note that the resort does have lift-serviced trails that do not require a full-face helmet, a neck brace, or a chest protector. But just so you know, the last time my partner and I showed up at the lift in our spandex with our XC helmets and 140 mm forks, we might as well have been aardvarks at the Kentucky Derby.

While the bro is strong here and most folks are riding massive rigs and catching serious air, there’s no denying that Northstar is a rip-roaring good time. And when you’re done hurtling down Gypsy, you can enjoy a beverage and lunch at the lodge, where you’ll also find a full fleet of rental bikes and gear. The lifts also serve hikers, so if your family or friends don’t ride, plan to meet them at the lodge after your respective forays.

“[I’ve been going] to Northstar a couple of times every summer for the last 4 years. Always a blast!!!!” wrote Singletracks trail reviewer Jnat1998. “I can get some double diamond runs in, and my kids love riding the fire roads and easy-rider trails. It’s got something for every skill level and is a great place if [you’re] new to lift riding. I would also recommend lessons for the kids. The instructors are great and my kids’ confidence is always sky-high after.”

Tahoe Rim Trail, South Lake Tahoe

Clocking in at 165 miles of intermediate singletrack at varying elevations (6,000 feet generally), the Tahoe Rim Trail, or TRT, spans six counties and two states. While some portions of the TRT are not open to bikes, and some operate on an even-odd day schedule, plenty of singletrack is available for two-wheeled adventure.

The beauty of this area cannot be overstated. Whether you choose Martis Peak to Tahoe City, Kingsbury to Spooner, be sure your camera battery is charged, you’ve got food, water, and a whole day to take in whichever segment you’ve chosen, for this is a truly special experience.

Shuttle services are available for some of the routes, and remember to check which segments operate on day-of-week restrictions—nothing’s worse than saddling up and finding out you’re there on the wrong day.

See also: “Mountain Biking the Tahoe Rim and Flume Trails“

Runners-up

1. San Juan Trail, Mission Viejo
2. Mammoth Mountain Resort, Mammoth
3. Mt. Hough, Quincy
4. Annadel State Park, Santa Rosa
5. Mount Lowe, Pasadena

Picking only five trails in the nation’s third-largest state is ridiculously hard, votes or no. Since we couldn’t nearly do justice in this article to all the best spots to ride in Cali, let us know in the comments below: What’s your favorite trail in California?

The article 5 of the best mountain bike trails in California appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Adding and topping off tubeless tire sealant can be a messy job, depending on how you do it. With multiple solutions available, we’re curious to know what you use to get sealant inside your bike tire.

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What do you normally use to add sealant to your tire? *

• Sealant bottle with nozzle
• Sealant bottle with hose
• Syringe
• Funnel
• Scoop
• Pour directly from bottle
• Something else I’ll tell you about in the comments

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Tell us why you think your method is the best in the comments below!

The article What do you use to add tire sealant? appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Specialized End of Summer Savings are live now through August 25 with big discounts on everything from bikes to clothing and accessories. We found 17-27% off some of our favorite bikes and even bigger savings — 33-78% off! — on in-season clothing and accessories.

Specialized bikes on sale

The Stumpjumper 15 is one of the best trail bikes we’ve ridden, and multiple builds are on sale right now, up to $1,000 off! And don’t sleep on the full-suspension Chisel; at the moment it’s priced under $2,000 and only weighs about 30lb.

Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Alloy: $2,199.99 (reg $2,999.99, 27% off)

Specialized Chisel: $1,999.99 (reg $2,599.99, 23% off)

Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Comp: $3,999.99 (reg $4,999.99, 20% off, lowest price we’ve seen yet)

Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Comp Alloy: $2,999.99 (reg $3,999.99, 25% off)

Specialized Turbo Kenevo SL 2 Comp: $5,199.99 (reg $6,999.99, 26% off, select sizes available)

Specialized Turbo Levo SL Kids: $2,499.99 (reg $2,999.99, 17% off)

Men’s and women’s MTB clothing

Specialized offers quality clothing items that look great and are built to last. Pick up baggy shorts with a liner for $39.99, and men’s jerseys for under $25.

Specialized Men’s Trail Air Shorts: $49.99 (reg $129.99, 62% off)

Specialized Men’s Trail Shorts with Liner: $39.99 (reg $119.99, 67% off)

Specialized Men’s Trail Gloves: $19.99 (reg $34.99, 43% off)

Specialized Women’s Trail Air Gloves: $19.99 (reg $34.99, 43% off)

Specialized Women’s Trail Cargo Shorts: $29.99 (reg $109.99, 73% off)

Specialized Men’s Trail Short Sleeve Jersey: $23.99 (reg $59.99, 60% off)

Specialized Women’s Trail Shorts with Liner: $39.99 (reg $119.99, 67% off)

Women’s Specialized/Fjällräven Wool Short Sleeve Tee: $31.99 (reg $79.99, 60% off)

Specialized MTB helmets and shoes

Save 33% off the Specialized Tactic and Ambush mountain bike helmets plus get flat or clipless shoes for under $40. The Recon ADV XC/gravel shoes are an especially good deal, and they’re still available in most sizes.

Specialized Recon ADV Shoe: $49.95 (reg $224.99, 78% off)

Specialized 2FO DH Flat Mountain Bike Shoes: $39.99 (reg $149.99, 73% off)

Specialized 2FO DH Clip Mountain Bike Shoes: $39.99 (reg $149.99, 73% off)

Specialized Tactic MTB Helmet w/ MIPS: $79.99 (reg $119.99, 33% off)

Specialized Ambush MTB Helmet w/ MIPS: $119.99 (reg $179.99, 33% off)

Mix and match carbon Roval Traverse HD 240 wheels for 26% off, perfect for everything from trail riding to the bike park. Or, snag a pair of lightweight and fast-rolling tires for just $39.99 each.

Specialized Roval Traverse HD 240 6B: $1,699.98 (reg $2,299.98, 26% off)

Specialized Fast Trak GRID 2Bliss Ready T7: $39.99 (reg $64.99, 38% off)

Want to find the best price on your next mountain bike? Try our comparison shopping tool and don’t miss our Weekly MTB Deals for the biggest savings on mountain bikes, gear and more.

The article Save big on Specialized mountain bikes, clothing, and accessories with End of Summer Savings appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Public land is a limited resource in places like Mankato, Minnesota, leaving trail organizations like the Mankato Area Mountain Bikers (MAMB) with few options for singletrack expansion. Fortunately, a private landowner is providing the acreage to develop six miles of new singletrack. 

Despite being built on private land, these new trails will be open to the public. As the six miles are being constructed, MAMB hopes to acquire more land, potentially adding about 10 more miles, which would bring the trail system’s total to 16. 

History of the Rockwell Quarry

“They’ve been mining on this site for over a hundred years,” Kyle Kaldor told us. “[Back to] the late 1800s.” 

The “site” Kaldor is referring to is the Rockwell Quarry that will eventually house the adventure park. Kaldor works with the construction company that purchased and is currently running mining operations at the Rockwell Quarry. He has stepped into a project management role as the quarry begins to wrap up its final mining operations before transitioning to recreation.

Rockwell has been a primary producer of limestone in the area ever since miners first broke ground there. Initially, the mining operations were smaller, with crews of only a few workers. 

Over 100 years later, in 2017, Joe Holtmeier purchased the Rockwell Quarry for his construction business. The decision was easy for Holtmeier’s business. “With their construction company, they do a lot of city utilities and things like that where they need gravel and sand and different aggregates,” Kaldor explained. 

As the quarry neared the end of its production capabilities, Holtmeier began brainstorming ideas for what could be done with the land. Ultimately, he wanted to do something that would benefit the community within the recreation space.

“So we’re developing an RV and adventure park with mountain bike trails in a reclaimed limestone quarry,” Kaldor said.

Old quarry, new adventure park

The plan is to turn Rockwell into an outdoor recreation destination. Along with mountain biking trails, Rockwell will offer RV parking with full hookups, as well as tent sites. The site pond will be transformed into a water sports area, featuring a floating obstacle course and cable systems to pull wakeboarders and skiers. 

Kaldor also said they are planning to build “free water solo” climbing walls over the pond. No ropes will be required since a fall from the climbing wall will result in a splashdown into the water.

However, the six miles of planned trails may be the most interesting aspect of the Rockwell RV & Adventure Park. These trails, located on private land, will be open to the public.

“The only land [for trail development] that we’ve ever had access to is in the floodplain of the river, and is literally flooded as we speak right now,” Justin Rinehart told us. Rinehart owns Nicollet Bike and Ski in Mankato and is on the board of MAMB.

Although MAMB has been around for over a decade, its trail portfolio is relatively small. This is due in large part to significantly limited access to land upon which to propose and build trails. So, for Rockwell to essentially donate their trails to the community of Mankato is a massive boost for MAMB and Mankato mountain bikers.

Simply put, Rockwell could charge for trail access, but they won’t. And best of all, the quarry is high up and out of the river valley, with no chance of seasonal flooding.

What trails are planned for Rockwell Adventure Park?

Rockwell won’t be the first time Singletracks has covered the reclamation of a quarry for future mountain biking trails. Cities like Colorado Springs are also utilizing old quarries for future recreational purposes. Similarly, other communities have converted old landfills into winding singletrack trails.

But Rockwell will be a little different. Mankato is located in southern Minnesota, where the top several layers of soil are relatively free from rock. This typically results in relatively smooth and flowy trails around the area. But not at Rockwell.

“What’s unique about this property, because it’s a quarry, is the exposed bedrock and rock,” Rinehart told us. “Until you get to northern Minnesota — north of Duluth, or east into the upper peninsula of Michigan — we don’t have really exposed rock anywhere.”

While the exact details on the six miles of trails are still unclear, Kaldor and Rinehart said they expect four or five trails to make up that mileage. The trails will likely be designed as stacked loops connecting one to another, creating a steady flow of progression. Most of the six miles will be on the quarry’s northern side, where a trailhead and a skills area will also be constructed.

“There are plans to put in some cool features,” Rinehart said. “Like one section of the woods on the southern part of the property has some old railroad tracks that are still in the woods. And [Holtmeier’s] the type of guy that reads about Bentonville having one train car, so he ordered three.”

Tentative plans for the rail cars include ladder bridges and jumps incorporated in and onto them, similar to Bentonville’s Railyard. There are also plans to integrate water pumps to create waterfalls along some of the corridors. 

Rockwell is consulting with Adam Buck of Pathfinder Trail Building on the design of the trails. For now, they are unsure if Pathfinder will build the trails or remain in a consulting position, since Holtmeier has the machinery to take on the task.

Future plans

Six miles is not the end goal for MAMB or Rockwell. A potential land acquisition was underway as we spoke. If all goes according to plan, Rockwell RV and Adventure Park will actually open with 16 miles of singletrack — six of which are located on the park property, with ten more connected.

Rockwell and MAMB see the transformation of this old mining quarry as a pilot test for trails in the area. And the organizations are thinking long-term, envisioning possibilities 20, 30, even 40 years down the line. If they are successful with the Rockwell RV and Adventure Park, why wouldn’t they try again when another quarry runs out of resources or a dump is full?

“There are a lot of other mines similar to this one that are still actively mined that, at some point, will be done,” Kaldor said. “Even right across the road to the east is eventually going to be mined. So that’s going to probably be a 10 to 20-year project, but once that’s done, maybe we’ll just put a tunnel underneath the road or something.”

Regardless of how it gets done, Rinehart and MAMB are dedicated to providing more singletrack opportunities to the Mankato community and beyond. They are continuing to explore adjacent properties, as they believe this could eventually become a 40 to 50-mile trail system. And they are grateful for partners like the Rockwell RV and Adventure Park, who have the same vision.

The article Minnesota quarry will transform into an MTB adventure park with 16 miles of trails appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

In a July 14 memorandum, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab announced they would be re-calibrating their five-star bicycle helmet safety rating system. The ratings, which are based on sport-specific tests, seek to reflect how well a helmet reduces concussion risk. As helmets have improved over the years, the vast majority of helmets have been able to achieve the highest 5-star rating.

“When a majority of helmets earn five stars, the top category no longer distinguishes the very best,” the memorandum says. “That’s where we are now.”

Helmets are getting safer

A 2020 Singletracks analysis found that eight out of ten of the highest-rated mountain bike helmets in the Virginia Tech tests utilized the MIPS rotational impact protection system. As MIPS technology has become widely available, even among entry-level helmets, it seems to have helped more and more of them qualify for a five-star rating.

The helmet lab memorandum addresses the widespread ratings drop. “This is not because [the helmets’] performance has worsened, but rather the bar for top-tier performance has risen. This shift reflects meaningful progress in helmet design and ensures that the five-star label continues to signal the highest level of protection available.”

All bicycle helmets sold in the US and Europe must be certified to meet a baseline level of safety. The Virginia Tech rating goes a step further and “assesses each helmet’s ability to reduce both linear acceleration and rotational velocity during a range of impact scenarios representative of real-world bicycle crashes,” according to the project website.

At least 129 helmets lost their five-star rating

Before the ratings reset this month, 167 out of 272 helmets tested were rated five stars. Now, only 38 can claim a five-star rating. The top-scoring helmet, the POC Cularis, makes use of a MIPS Air Node liner while the second highest-rated helmet, the Fox Speedframe RS, features MIPS Integra Split rotational impact protection.

The chart below shows the helmet ratings distribution before and after the July 2025 reset. Click for the full list to see how your helmet is rated based on the updated scale.

It’s possible that in the process, many helmets are no longer recommended

According to the Virginia Tech memorandum, the lab generally recommends any helmet with a four- or five-star rating. Previously, only 39 helmets fell below that threshold. Now, 139 helmets are rated three stars or below. A sub-four rating could potentially impact a helmet model’s sales significantly among those who follow the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab ratings.

For example, the MIPS-equipped, $119 Fox Speedframe mountain bike helmet saw its five-star rating drop to three. As of press time, the Fox website still lists “Virginia Tech 5-Star helmet rated” as a selling point. Fortunately for Fox, two of their higher-priced Speedframe helmet offerings remain at the top of the ratings scale.

Could the reset spur more helmet safety innovation?

The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab memorandum notes that “helmets today are much better than they were a decade ago.” With bike helmet brands touting their five-star safety ratings as a selling point, consumers have been conditioned to pay attention. Assuming buyers continue to demand a five-star rating from their helmets, brands should be motivated to improve their safety in order to regain a top rating.

The article The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab just re-calibrated its 5-star safety rating system appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

It appears there’s a price war happening between mini electric bike pumps on Amazon at the moment, so pick up one of these at a discount while you can!

All prices and availability are subject to change.

Flextail Tiny Tire Pump ACS

$69.99 $109.99

Based on our tests, the Flextail Tiny Tire Pump ACS can inflate a couple of 29er tires from zero psi on a single battery charge. Plus, it has a tail light built in, which is a unique feature we haven’t seen on other pumps. At $69.99, this price is $10 less than when we first reviewed it.

Buy from Amazon

Fanttik X9 Ace Mini Bike Pump

$42.99 $57.99

We wouldn’t wish eight flat tires on our worst enemy, but if that unlucky circumstance arises, the Fanttik has your back. This pump has the biggest battery of the bunch here, and Fanttik claims it can inflate eight tires on a single charge. Of course, that means it’s larger and heavier than the others. The upshot is you’re less likely to run out of juice on the trail.

Buy from Amazon

CYCPLUS Tiny Pump Bike Pump

$59.98 $89.99

The CYCPLUS Tiny Bike Pump (formerly known as the AS2) weighs just 97g and the battery is good for at least a couple inflations, depending on your starting pressure. In his review of the pump, Singletracks contributor Sam James concluded, “it’s the thing I never knew I needed until somebody bought one for me.”

Buy from Amazon

AIRBANK Mini Bike Pump with Gauge Pocket PRO

$57.59 $79.99

Singletracks hasn’t had a chance to test the AIRBANK mini, but based on the specs and online reviews, it looks like another good option.

Buy from Amazon

The article Don’t have a mini electric bike pump yet? These 4 are on sale. appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Over the years, I’ve accumulated and tested dozens of hip packs of all different shapes and sizes. I’ve got packs for short rides, long rides, and everything in between. So when I learned about the $200 High Above Venture 3D hip pack, I had to know: What makes this any different from the others I’ve owned? And just as importantly, why does it cost $200?

High Above Venture 3D key specs

• Materials: Challenge UltraWeave 400x shell, 210D Nylon Ripstop lining
• Fidlock buckles on the waist and closure
• Weight: 350g (about 0.75lb)
• Price: $200
• Buy from High Above

A rugged exterior

The High Above Venture 3D hip pack features a simple foldover top that’s secured with a magnetic Fidlock buckle. The advantage of a foldover is that there’s no zipper to get stuck or snagged, and water is less likely to work its way inside the pack on wet rides.

I wore the Venture 3D during an unexpected downpour, and everything inside the pack stayed as dry as parched desert singletrack. Mud and grit roll right off the pack, and High Above says you can just hose the Venture 3D off if it gets dirty. There’s not a lot of padding to soak up sweat and funk either, which is great for summer rides.

Every second counts when taking wildlife photos on the trail, and the Venture 3D has a speed advantage over a pack with a zippered closure thanks to the Fidlock buckle. If you’ve ever used a Fidlock on a helmet strap, you know how satisfying it feels when it locks in place, and the buckle works great even with gloved hands.

Friends have remarked on the clean look of the pack, and despite its simple design, the Venture 3D stands out in a sea of zippered packs. Leah says it looks like a purse, which is fair. One online reviewer called it “the Gucci of hip packs,” though an actual Gucci hip pack costs almost $1,500 and looks ugly by comparison IMO. Plus, I doubt the Gucci fits as much gear.

The waist strap

There are two mesh pockets on either side of the waist strap, though neither is large enough to hold a water bottle. You could fit a bar or maybe a couple Gu packets for easy access during the ride, but that’s about it. One nice touch is that the left pocket has a flap so that empty snack wrappers don’t work their way out during the ride.

The High Above Venture 3D is missing a couple of features I’ve come to rely on from other hip packs. First, there are no external straps or cords for attaching an extra layer once you’ve warmed up. Fortunately, there is just enough excess strap length to overstuff the main compartment and cinch the foldover top down to secure any excess cargo.

And as far as I can tell, there aren’t any reflective details on the pack for visibility at night, nor is there a loop for attaching a blinky light. The Venture 3D is only offered in black, which gives it a rugged and understated look that I love, just not at night when I’m trying to cross the road.

Inside the pack

Beneath the foldover top, the storage compartment boasts about 2.5L of capacity. There’s a sleeve for your phone, which I love because it prevents the phone’s screen from getting scratched by other items bouncing around inside the pack. (Two years later, my iPhone screen still has half a dozen scratches thanks to a loose multi-tool on a single long ride.)

On the opposite wall of the storage compartment there are two mesh sleeves I’ve been using to hold small items like mini pliers and a tire plug tool. Finally, there’s a zippered pocket with a corded hook inside for securing a set of keys. Because the pack is made from stiff materials that don’t really stretch, it’s not really possible to cram a lot into the zippered pocket other than cash or a couple credit cards.

With the small stuff sorted, the main compartment is free to hold more than enough gear for an after-work ride, or even a half-day jaunt, assuming you have your hydration sorted. The pack’s stiff material and solid construction allow the storage compartment to hold its shape, preventing it from flopping or folding over itself.

The High Above Venture 3D is roughly large enough to fit both halves of a foot-long sub cut in half. To put that into MTB terms, it’s large enough for a rain jacket, tools, an inflator (I like the electric ones), a spare tube, phone, keys, and gloves. I was surprised the pack even fits my full-size Sony camera with the 24-70mm lens, though the camera just barely fits and doesn’t leave room for anything else.

Because there’s just one main compartment, I know exactly where everything is inside the pack. With other packs that include a secondary zippered compartment, I’m never sure where I put my snacks or my multi-tool, which means I open the wrong one half the time.

The low-bounce hip pack

Compared to a backpack, hip packs tend to pinch your hips and stomach and also bounce around on the trail, especially if you’re hauling a heavy load. Wide, lightly padded wings on the Venture 3D waistband relieve any pressure on the hips, while the one-and-a-half-inch-thick nylon belt is wide enough for my comfort.

The waist belt is secured with a second Fidlock buckle, and the length can be adjusted simply by pulling forward on the ends of the straps. Stretchy cuffs prevent any excess strap length from drooping or flapping in the wind.

Now, the feature that makes the Venture 3D stand out from the standard Venture hip pack is a custom, 3D-printed back panel that’s both squishy and grippy. The panel is made by Carbon3D, the same company that produces materials used in fancy saddles like the Specialized 3D Mirror. The upshot is the sticky material stays locked in place without bouncing or sliding around, and is comfortable at the same time.

Although the open lattice structure is said to aid in ventilation, it’s not like you’ll feel a breeze. I think the real advantage is that the pack doesn’t stick to your back when you take it off at the end of a sweaty ride.

I’ve gotten used to rotating my hip pack to the front whenever I need to find an item while on the trail. However, the grippy Venture 3D back panel prevents the pack from easily sliding over my shorts, so I usually twist my back or remove the pack instead. It’s a small adjustment that I don’t really mind, given how stable the pack is, even when riding rough trails.

Why is the High Above 3D so expensive?

There’s no getting around the fact that $200 is a lot to pay for a hip pack. “This pack is expensive,” High Above says in a press release for the Venture 3D. “We realize that [it is] not for everyone […] We’re obsessed with rethinking how gear interacts with the ride. New materials. Streamlined design. Comfort. Minimalism. Maximalism.”

Obviously, the cost of producing any product comes down to materials and labor. On the materials side, the 3D back panel is clearly a premium choice, as is the lightweight and durable shell material. And Fidlock buckles aren’t cheap. A quick search online shows the wholesale price for a Fidlock buckle is at least $6, and this pack has two of them. The only other $200 hip pack I’m aware of, the Mission Workshop Axis, has just one Fidlock.

On the labor side, the High Above Venture 3D is expertly constructed, and the quality is clearly evident. It’s made in the USA, which adds to the cost of labor, too. For many buyers, that alone is worth paying a premium.

Pros and cons of High Above Venture 3D

Pros

• Foldover top and Fidlock closure make for quick access; waterproof and keeps its shape
• 3D back panel is comfortable and prevents the pack from bouncing up and down on rough trails
• Good amount of internal organization without going overboard

Cons

• Expensive
• Little room for expanded storage

Bottom line

Just based on the price, I want to hate the High Above Venture 3D hip pack. But after spending some time wearing it on the trail, I will grudgingly admit that there is a good case for a $200 hip pack that’s durable, comfortable, easy to use, and won’t throw me off balance on the trail.

The article The High Above Venture 3D hip pack is waterproof, durable, and made in the USA [Review] appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Intense Cycles has made the “difficult decision” to halt online sales and distribution in Europe and the UK, according to a statement posted on their website. This effectively means the brand will no longer be selling bikes in this territory for the time being.

The tough decision comes “as the global cycling industry faces continued economic challenges,” and the brand is working “to ensure the long-term strength and future of INTENSE Cycles.”

“This decision wasn’t made lightly,” the statement continues. “It’s part of a broader strategy to focus our resources and stabilize our core business in North America.”

Intense bike owners will still receive warranty and spare part support via the brand’s US warehouse.

The announcement ends on a positive note: “This change marks a temporary shift in how we operate in Europe, but it’s not goodbye. Our goal is to return to global markets, including Europe, stronger and better positioned to serve riders like you.”

Intense isn’t afraid to change

In March, we reported that Intense had launched a new “Frame First” program that lets US riders customize their bikes from the ground up. Instead of buying pre-built models, customers can choose an Intense frame and work with their local bike shop to spec out the build using components from QBP. The shop assembles the bike, giving riders more control over parts while reducing inventory risk for dealers. It’s a hybrid model aimed at combining the flexibility of direct-to-consumer with the service of local shops.

The Singletracks team spotted advertisements placed by Intense Cycles promoting their Frame First program on BicycleRetailer.com earlier today. “Maximize Margins and Control the Sale with Custom Builds that Set Your Shop Apart,” the headline reads. The ad continues, claiming the program “gives dealers control—lower cost, boost margins, and offer custom builds at up to 35% less than major brands.” Clearly, the brand is casting a wide net to maximize their distribution within the US.

“We believe strongly that the current bike industry model is broken and that the [Independent Bicycle Dealer] IBD is the unfortunate recipient of that brokenness,” said Mike Carr in the March press release announcing the program. With the recent insolvency of YT Industries; the foreclosure, sale, and re-opening of Revel Bikes; and numerous other brands such as Alchemy, GT, Rocky Mountain, Guerrilla Gravity, Kona, Pole, and Nukeproof that are floundering or have closed; we’re now seeing firsthand just how broken the industry actually is.

The article Citing “continued economic challenges,” Intense Cycles halts European and UK sales appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Ask any suspension expert which suspension setting is the most important, and they’ll probably tell you it’s sag. Get it right, and your bike tracks better, corners more confidently, and doesn’t bottom out when it shouldn’t. Get it wrong, and even your top-of-the-line mountain bike will ride like crap.

Despite its importance, most mountain bikers still rely on shock body O-rings and eyeball estimates to dial in sag. Slacker, a company already well-known in the moto world for its digital suspension tools, is now offering a more precise alternative with its new MTB Virtual Fender Mount. The tool promises repeatable, real-time sag measurements that are accurate down to the millimeter—and more importantly, ensures you’re running the ideal sag percentage for your bike and riding style.

Why the usual method falls short

Slacker founder John Casebeer says the traditional method of measuring sag at the shock body using an O-ring is inherently flawed. You can’t bounce the suspension to fully settle it, shocks can be hard to access, and even a 1–2mm measurement mistake gets amplified by the frame’s leverage ratio, notes a press release for the product. According to Slacker, that kind of error could result in a 4–6mm difference at the axle, which translates to a 3–5% swing in sag—a number that’s enough to noticeably change how a bike rides. And the percentage difference can be even greater for short-travel bikes.

How the virtual fender mount works

The Slacker MTB Virtual Fender Mount attaches to your seatpost or fork, with a rod extending out and aligning directly above the axle. A small loop guides a cable connected to Slacker’s digital measurement unit. Once in place, riders mount the bike in full gear and pump the suspension to settle it. Slacker measures the vertical distance the saddle moves downward, which can be used to calculate sag.

With the smartphone app or the optional Slacker Measurement Display, you can see percentage-based sag numbers, so you know exactly how close you are to your target settings. And because it measures at the axle, the data is a 1:1 representation of suspension movement and is not distorted by leverage ratios.

Does the axle path matter?

One question that comes up with axle-based tools is whether the rear axle path or suspension geometry could affect the reading. Casebeer says that’s generally not a problem. “The suspension is only compressing about 25–30%, so the tool remains aligned vertically with the cable,” he says. For high-pivot bikes with more rearward axle paths, “we recommend [aligning the cable] about one inch rear of vertical.”

You can use Slacker to measure fork sag, too

Slacker isn’t just for rear suspension—it can also be used to measure fork sag with the same level of precision. Using the included universal mount, riders can attach the tool to the upper and lower fork legs to measure front-end sag. The process mirrors the rear setup: strap on the mounts, position the loop over the axle, and view live readings through the remote or app.

Who is this for?

With a suggested retail price of $199.99 for the Slacker Digital Sag Scale and another $74.99 for the MTB Virtual Fender Mount (see below for purchase options), the system isn’t exactly cheap, especially if you’re only setting up one or two bikes. But for race teams, suspension tuners, or bike shops, the potential performance gains could easily justify the cost.

Whether you’re racing at the highest level or just want your trail bike to ride better, Slacker’s MTB Virtual Fender Mount could take the guesswork out of dialing in your sag.

• Slacker Digital Sag Scale: on sale for $179.99 at getslacker.com, $124.99 at Amazon
• Slacker MTB Virtual Fender Mount: $67.49 at getslacker.com, $74.99 at Amazon

The article The Slacker Digital Sag Scale is designed to deliver a more accurate measurement for shocks and forks appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Railing smooth singletrack trails in the Tetons is a bucket list trip for any mountain biker. Most riders tend to focus on Jackson Hole and the west side of the famed Teton Pass. However, those willing to drive west over the pass to the Idaho side will find plenty of new trail development in the works and some great under-the-radar rides to check out.

New trails have been built in the Southern Valley Trails / Mike Harris area of Teton County, Idaho, near the town of Victor. The new mountain bike trails include: LadySlipper, Happy Hour, and Hillbender. 

Mountain Bike the Tetons (MBT) Executive Director Chris Brule is integrally involved with the trails on both sides of the pass through the 501(c)(3) organization, which is an official chapter of the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). Brule shared details with Singletracks about the recent trail builds that have taken place near Victor, along with recent developments paving the way for even more new trails in the area. 

The latest mountain bike trails built in Victor, ID

New trails are a rare find in this region, but the city of Victor—nestled in “Wydaho,” a nickname reflecting its location near the Wyoming-Idaho border—has become a hub for new trail development. The small community of 2,000 people is growing and already well-known for its proximity to Grand Targhee Resort, which features its own bike park.

The new Southern Valley Trails / Mike Harris trail system is home to beginner and intermediate trails featuring a mix of older, hand-built trails and newer, machine-built singletrack, incorporating more sustainable, contemporary design practices. This trail system sees a significant number of riders and is also groomed for fat biking in the winter.

Here are the most notable trails that have been built in the network:

Ladyslipper Trails

The Ladyslipper Trails were built between 2017 and 2018 to connect the Pole Canyon trailhead to the Mike Harris Trails. The four-mile one-way connection includes the Upper and Lower Ladyslipper trail segments. 

Lower Ladyslipper, completed in 2017, is an intermediate, hand-built connector trail that offers an epic ride in the Tetons along the Pole Canyon ridgeline to the Mike Harris Trail.

Upper Ladyslipper was opened in 2018 and is a machine-built trail for beginner and intermediate riders. This second trail completes the connection from Mike Harris to Pole Canyon. Other trails in the area include Nemo and Grumpy Loop.

Happy Hour Trail

More recently, the Happy Hour Trail was completed in 2020, providing riders with two miles of machine-built singletrack. This section is easy and made for beginner mountain bikers. The segment of singletrack parallels the highway and connects the Mike Harris network to the Trail Creek campground. 

Hillbender

Also completed in 2020, Hillbender and Upper Hillbender are the newest trails built on the Idaho side of the pass, offering a mellow climb to the top of Grumpy’s. The Upper Hillbender portion of the trail is a fast and flowing, machine-built singletrack that offers great views while completing the upper loop of the trail. From there, the three-mile lollipop machine-built loop provides a super fun and flowy bermed downhill trail.

These trails are also groomed for fat biking in the winter.

Community Bike Park

In addition to these new trail developments, there has been work on a new Community Bike Park project in Victor. In 2022, MBT completed the first of a three-phase Community Bike Park expansion and redesign, which includes building a new dirt jump line with pre-fabricated ramps, a wall ride, drops, and berms—ideal for anyone looking to improve their riding technique and have fun.

This season, the MBT crew is adding some small drops in the park so bikers can build their skills. At the same time, the organization is seeking funding for phase two, which includes building an asphalt pump track and improving the kids’ skills area. 

“There are also two non-profits currently fundraising for a Skate Park and a Rock Climbing Park. We hope to be able to integrate the skate park into the asphalt track at the bike park,” Brule stated. “What’s exciting for Teton County, Idaho, is that a Taxing District was recently instituted and will have available funding to support projects like this one in the near future.”

Even more new trails are coming to Victor

In addition to the network of recent trail builds near Victor, there are some other exciting developments in the works across the region.

The Upper Snake Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Field Office finalized a new Travel Management Plan designating approximately seven miles of non-motorized, e-bike-legal singletrack routes on a BLM parcel bordering Victor. With official route designations now in place, MBT has partnered with Teton Valley Trails and Pathways, the City of Victor, and the BLM to begin developing a formal trail concept plan for the area.

“This is a unique opportunity to expand our region’s trail offerings close to town while maintaining a strong focus on sustainable design and thoughtful user experience, which will include bike-optimized trail features and directional trail designations,” Brule said. “We’re excited to be working with our partners to bring this vision to life.”

This BLM parcel development is MBT’s most exciting new trail project that’s currently in the works. They’ve been eyeing the land for years. Until now, access has only been possible via two private easements established in 2016.

“The Upper Snake East Transportation Management Plan provides a long-term and sustainable transportation system that maintains access to public lands, while addressing private property conflicts and natural resource considerations,” said BLM Acting Upper Snake Field Manager, Bret Herres, in a prepared statement. 

MBT and Teton Valley Trails and Pathways are currently evaluating the proposed existing alignments and working to refine them for long-term sustainability. The new trail alignment designs will be submitted to the BLM for review and approval. Pending that process, MBT anticipates breaking ground on new trail construction as early as spring 2026.

So the next time you are in Jackson Hole with your mountain bike, do yourself a favor and take the short drive over Teton Pass to explore an entirely new network of trails. The fun, flowy singletrack trails on the Victor side might fly a bit under the radar, but they’ve got the goods for everyone from beginners to experts.

The article Victor, ID, is quietly building the next must-ride zone in the Tetons appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The Ibis Ripley AF was already a wildly popular trail bike thanks to its dialed geo and budget-friendly price tag, and the latest changes announced today make it more compelling than ever. The updated Ripley AF gets more travel, a new flip chip, and the kind of smart geo refinements and frame features we’ve been seeing across the MTB industry.

More capability, still metal AF

Let’s start with the numbers: the Ripley’s travel gets a bump from 130/120mm front and rear to 140/130mm, slotting the Ripley AF solidly in the middle of trail bike territory. Ibis is introducing a new “extra medium” size for the Ripley AF, which sits between medium and large. According to our own research, nearly 70% of mountain bikers ride a medium or large bike, so this tweener size should be welcome news for those who fall in between sizes.

Looking at the geometry, every frame size gets a notable reach bump. For example, size large frames now stretch to 511mm (up from 475mm). While Ripley AF reaches were previously middle-of-the-road, the new reach numbers are possibly the longest we’ve seen on a medium-travel trail bike. In a 2024 survey, 44% of Singletracks readers said current generation mountain bike reaches were too long. Just two years ago, the average size large trail bike had a 476mm reach according to our research, and none had a reach even close to 500mm (the Rocky Mountain Instinct was the longest at 487mm).

The head tube angle gets slacker at 64.9°, and the seat tube angle gets steeper—and size-specific—for improved climbing comfort. Stack heights are higher across the board, which we’ve consistently seen as a positive trend for improving descending posture and cockpit comfort.

Following moves by other manufacturers like Pivot and Devinci, the Ibis Ripley AF chainstay lengths now vary by size, ranging from 436mm on the small frames up to 442mm. Crank lengths on the builds scale appropriately too—smaller sizes are now specced with 165mm cranks instead of the 170s, and even the larger bikes come with 170mm cranks instead of the previous 175s. It’s the kind of size-specific design we’ve been praising in recent years as brands dial in geometry beyond the one-size-fits-all era.

Storage, flip chips, and coil compatibility

One of the biggest frame additions to the Ibis Ripley AF is in-frame storage, something we’ve seen trickle down from high-end carbon builds to more affordable platforms over the past few seasons. The system includes two Ibis Stow bags, giving riders a slick way to carry tools or snacks without a pack.

The Ripley also gains a flip chip at the rear axle, enabling mixed-wheel setups. However, complete builds only ship with 29″ wheels front and rear, so if you want to mix wheels, you’ll need to pick up a 27.5 wheel and tire on your own.

Coil compatibility is another welcome addition, expanding tuning options for heavier or more aggressive riders. Previously, Ibis did not recommend coil shocks for the Ripley AF. The Ripley AF features the patented DW-Link suspension system, beloved by riders for its descending performance and climbing efficiency.

The latest Ripley AF is UDH-compatible just like the last one, and buyers can choose either a Shimano Deore or SRAM Eagle 90 build, both with mechanical drivetrains. Ibis has not provided weights for the various builds.

Price bump, but still a great value

All these updates do come at a cost: the base model now starts at $3,499, up from $2,999. Considering the modern geometry, suspension upgrades, and added tech, it’s hard to argue the Ripley AF isn’t still a solid value—especially with a lifetime warranty on the frame, bushings, and rims.

What about the Ripmo AF?

While the Ripley AF sees more changes this time around, the longer-travel Ripmo AF also gets the in-frame storage and flip chip treatment for 2025. Rear travel increases slightly to 150mm, and smaller sizes now ship in mixed-wheel configurations. Previously, the Ripmo AF was designed for matching 29″ wheels only. Like the Ripley, geometry gets a size-specific refresh as well.

Pricing starts at $3,749 for the Ibis Ripmo AF Deore build, up from $3,299 for the previous generation Ripmo AF.

It’s clear Ibis is making the most of its aluminum platform, bringing in smart updates that mirror what we’ve seen from their carbon models—and what modern trail riders are asking for. The price tags may be a bit higher than before, but the AF bikes are still a great value and feel anything but entry-level.

The article The New Ibis Ripley AF gains in-frame storage, mixed-wheel flip chip, and is coil-compatible appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

There are fenders to protect our backsides, but what about the undercarriage? Selle San Marco is introducing a feature they call Shield that’s described as a “built-in mud guard.” It’s designed to keep dirt and water out of the saddle cutouts, which is welcome news. However, there’s a chance your current saddle already has a hidden cutout that works in a similar way.

Why do saddles even have cutouts?

Saddle cutouts “do a good job of relieving perineal pressure,” WTB Saddle Category Manager Sean Madsen told Singletracks in a 2019 podcast interview. “The human crotch is not designed to bear weight. So we want to make sure we’re shifting our pressure and our mass and supporting our mass out onto the sit bones, which is away from the midline. We want to avoid midline pressure, and cutouts can do a really good job of that.”

Even saddles that appear to have a solid surface on top may have a cutout underneath in the base, like the SDG Bel Air III shown above. In fact, in our podcast interview, Madsen said WTB designs their “saddles to kind of act like they’ve got a cutout even without having a visual cutout because a lot of feedback we’ve gotten from riders is that the cutout in a mountain biking environment, especially in a wet mountain biking environment, man, you get a lot of spray and a lot of mud coming up through the middle.”

The Selle San Marco Ground Shield saddle

The Selle San Marco Ground line of saddles is among the first to get the Shield treatment. The off-road saddle is offered in two sizes, and buyers can choose carbon, manganese, or steel rails. As far as we can tell, the cutout doesn’t add any weight to the Selle San Marco Ground saddles, with the cutout and Shield versions of the brand’s Ground Dynamic saddles both weighing a reported 271g for the S3 size.

Unlike the SDG saddle pictured above, the Selle San Marco Shield is much thinner and doesn’t add any padding. “The Shield mud guard is integrated into the saddle shell for enhanced durability and to prevent it from detaching even when subjected to extra strain,” according to Selle San Marco.

Selle San Marco Shield tech can also be found on the brand’s Shortfit 2.0 saddle. US pricing and availability are unknown, though Ground saddles without Shield are priced starting at about $66.

The article Selle San Marco Shield covers the saddle cutout to protect your undercarriage appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

As far as we can tell, 2021 was the last year that Santa Cruz offered an aluminum full-suspension bike in their lineup. Now, four years later, aluminum is back in the mix, at least for one model: the electric Santa Cruz Vala AL trail bike. Why? The brand wants to give buyers a more affordable option that’s “within reach of more riders.”

Similar specs to the carbon Vala, with a couple of tweaks

Santa Cruz claims the Vala AL delivers the “same ride quality and specs as the carbon Vala, but [is] accessible to more riders.” Judging by the specs, they’re not wrong. The Vala AL features the latest Bosch Performance Line CX motor, which former Santa Cruz Brand Manager Garen Becker told me last year is “the best thing on the market.” Just like the carbon Vala bikes, the Vala AL comes with a 600Wh battery, and buyers can purchase a 250Wh range extender for even longer ride times.

The Santa Cruz Vala AL is a mixed-wheel bike with 160/150mm of suspension travel front/rear. It utilizes a four-bar suspension design, rather than VPP. Santa Cruz smartly specs a more puncture-resistant rear tire with Maxxis Double Down protection paired with a lighter, EXO+ protected tire up front.

One feature that’s missing from the aluminum Vala that’s found on the carbon bike is a flip chip to adjust the bike’s geo and suspension. Santa Cruz presents this as a positive, “no fuss” simplification that will surely frustrate some riders, though honestly, most probably won’t miss the feature.

The Vala AL is offered in sizes small through extra large. Buyers looking for an XXL will need to upgrade to a carbon Vala model.

Not surprisingly, aluminum Vala models are heavier than the carbon bikes. Both the Deore and Eagle 70 builds have claimed weights above 53lb, compared to just under 50lb for the least expensive carbon build.

How much cheaper is it?

Buyers will save $1,300 with the cheapest Vala AL build compared to the cheapest carbon Vala, though the component comparison between the two isn’t exactly apples to apples. The Vala AL 70 build is pretty similar to the carbon Vala 70 build, and is priced at $800 less. That’s real money, but it’s still only about 10% off the price of the carbon bike. A Vala AL build with Shimano Deore components is $5,999, while an Eagle 70-equipped build is priced at $6,849.

Could this aluminum offering hint at more affordable non-electric Santa Cruz mountain bikes in the future? We’re hopeful. Tell us which Santa Cruz bike you want to see offered in aluminum in the comments below. 👇

The article The aluminum Santa Cruz Vala AL gives riders a more affordable eMTB option appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Any opinions expressed in this article belong to the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Singletracks.com.

I came across an article recently that shared an extensive list of “mountain bike trails you’ll regret attempting.” Unfortunately, the article was trash through and through, from including iconic routes like The Whole Enchilada and A-Line, all the way down to sharing photos from Scotland for a trail that was supposedly in Moab *eyeroll*, so I won’t link to it here.

But it got me thinking: when was the last time I regretted attempting a mountain bike trail?

Before we get there, we need to talk about what it means to “regret” something.

What does it mean to “regret” something?

“Regret” as a verb can be defined as “feeling sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity),” according to Oxford Languages.

Even in this simple definition, we can see that regret is “especially” related to a missed opportunity. Based on this and other definitions, it seems rare to regret attempting something new, and much more likely that you’d regret not trying something. This tracks with the key insight from Bronnie Ware’s book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.

The #1 regret of the dying is, “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me,” according to Ware. This, in a nutshell, is a regret driven by not attempting things. The chances not taken include unfulfilled dreams, such as traveling, pursuing passions, starting businesses, writing books, and creating art. This regret also includes playing it safe by staying in jobs, relationships, or routines that felt comfortable but unfulfilling. And it also includes fear of judgment, when people didn’t pursue what they truly wanted because they were afraid of what others would think.

This insight has created a truism that has been trumpeted across social media by self-help gurus in one form or another:

Or put another way:

So why the hell would you regret trying a new trail?

In my experience, almost all the trails I’ve regretted have been the ones that I didn’t get to ride. On a few big trips, I’ve gotten rained/snowed out, and regretted not being able to ride my desired lines. Or in some cases, I prioritized certain trails over others on a trip (due to time constraints), and later regretted not riding an epic trail that I had passed over.

Sometimes this regret is caused by learning new information at a later date about an epic trail in a destination which I hadn’t heard about before. Then, I regret missing out on the opportunity to ride that epic line, because who knows when I’ll be back?

But do I really regret any of the trails I did ride?

No, I can’t say I do. Similar to the #1 regret of the dying, I regret the things I didn’t do.

But what if you get injured?

Erroneous foundational definition of “regret” aside, the author appears to assert that mountain bikers will regret attempting trails when they could get injured — and especially if they do get injured.

“Mountain biking attracts thrill-seekers who love pushing their limits, but some trails take that concept to terrifying extremes,” writes Carina Sandoval. “These aren’t your typical weekend rides through scenic forests or gentle rolling hills. We’re talking about trails that have earned their reputation through broken bones, emergency helicopter rescues, and riders who’ve sworn off certain routes forever.”

Surely if you get injured on a ride, you would then regret making the choice to go on that ride, right? Wouldn’t you regret that decision, that attempt, if it ended in injury? This is the most generous interpretation of Sandoval’s poorly considered “article” that I can give.

Even so, regretting the choice to ride because you happened to get hurt on that one ride is actually an example of a cognitive trap called “resulting.” Renowned professional poker player Annie Duke popularized the term in her book, Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts.

Avoid “resulting” when it comes to mountain bike injuries

The gist of Duke’s argument is this:

Every choice that you make is a bet based on the information available to you at the time. You never know with 100% certainty what the result of a certain choice will be. However, you can make a bet based on the probability and the information at your disposal.

For example, if you head out to ride a smooth, flat, XC trail, you might estimate that you have a 1% chance of crashing while riding the trail. In contrast, a double black diamond downhill trail in Whistler might present a 75% chance of a crash.

Based on these percentages, a smart decision (if you want to avoid crashing) is to ride the smooth, flat XC trail. But even still, in 1% of rides (or 1 out of 100), you can still expect to crash on that XC trail.

Furthermore, if 1 out of 1,000 crashes results in serious, debilitating injury (0.1%), you can say that even if you do crash, it’s unlikely that you’d be seriously injured.

Despite the dramatic odds against it (0.001%), it’s still possible that you could crash on a smooth XC trail and sustain a life-changing injury. The odds are not high that it will happen, but it is still a possibility.

Duke’s basic argument says that by choosing to ride a smooth XC trail, you made a good bet based on the available information. But even if you happen to encounter a low-probability crash and an even lower-probability life-changing injury, that doesn’t mean you made a bad decision. It simply means you experienced a poor outcome.

The cognitive trap occurs when people judge whether a decision was good or bad based solely on its outcome. If someone says that you made a bad decision to ride because you unfortunately happened to crash and/or get injured on the smooth XC trail, they’ve fallen into the resulting trap.

In conclusion, you can’t “regret” the decision or “regret” the ride. As long as you used all of the information available to you on the front end, then you made the best decision possible.

But sometimes shit still happens.

But if I had to pick a trail…

If I had a gun to my head and I had to pick a trail that I regret riding, it would have to be a recent “ride” in Shreveport, Louisiana. I had not yet pedaled singletrack in Louisiana, so we went to check out the closest trail posted in Trailforks. The woods where the “trail” was located had been developed into a massive staging area for some sort of oil or natural gas infrastructure, destroying the core of the trail network.

While locals had attempted to reroute sections of trail to stitch together the remaining singletrack into a logical loop, it was clear that the area had been largely abandoned. We spent most of the ride bashing through briars and thorns, scrambling over down trees, and wandering around through the undergrowth looking for the next sign of singletrack.

After less than two miles of this misery, we bailed out onto a paved road and quit.

Frankly, the mountain bike “ride” was so bad that I wished I had used the limited time we had available to pedal pavement instead. So, in a way, the thing I actually regret is the road ride not taken. Even so, now I can say that I’ve ridden singletrack in Louisiana, and if I never have to go back to that state ever again, I’ll be OK with it (rad trails at Bogue Chitto notwithstanding).

Living with regret is a recipe for a miserable life

Whether in mountain biking or the rest of life, living filled with regret is a recipe for a miserable existence. So how do you avoid it?

If you take the chance, head out the door, and ride the trail, you’ll have very few reasons to regret the way you spent your life. As long as you carefully evaluate your skill level and choose your trails accordingly, the only thing worth regretting is not giving it a shot!

The article I biked one of the worst trails in America—and I don’t even regret it. Here’s why. appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Stock MTB build components can leave a lot to be desired. Whether you’re looking for a longer-travel dropper post, burlier tires, or a better fit overall, the items below can make a BIG difference for a small price. Tell us: What’s the best under-$100 MTB upgrade you’ve made?

Also, Backcountry is offering an extra $500 off select mountain bikes that are already on sale through Monday. Size availability is limited, so you’ll need to do a little digging.

Stickier (and grippier) tires

$60.00 | $55.94 sale

The Specialized Butcher Grid Trail 2BR T9 29″ is an aggressive tire with the brand’s stickiest, grippiest T9 rubber compound for maximum traction.

Buy from Jenson USA

Longer dropper

$219.00 | $89.00 sale

Many bike builds err on the side of a shorter dropper post that fits a wide range of riders. Upgrade to the Race Face Turbine R Dropper Seatpost for 200mm of travel, and a bargain price!

Buy from Jenson USA

Better protection

$79.95

A lot of trail bikes come with ISCG-05 tabs, and you can put them to use with the MRP AMg CS Chainguide. Say goodbye to dropped chains and bent chainrings!

Buy from Jenson USA

More stopping power

$55.00

Get extra stopping power from your existing brakes without having to buy a whole new set with the Hope Floating Disc Rotor. Size up from your current rotor using one of these adapters.

Buy from Jenson USA

Smoother pedaling

$99.00

A lot of riders have found that oval chainrings provide real pedaling benefits, and these 5Dev 7075 oval rings are available in a number of different sizes and colors.

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Riser bars can improve your handling, especially on descents, and the 50mm-rise Chromag Fubars FU50 handlebar is a great choice. Taller riders can benefit as well, especially if your stock bars have minimal rise.

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Resin brake pads may not last as long as the metallic pads you’re already running, but they’re quieter and provide better initial bite. Click to find pads to fit your brakes and give resin a try!

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Ergonomic grips can make a big difference in terms of comfort and control, and the Ergon GA3 All-Mountain grips are a popular choice.

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Most bikes come with the light version of popular tires, and though heavy casing tires like this Maxxis Minion DHR II 29×2.4 DD cost more and weigh more, they can stand up to much more serious abuse.

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For riders with wide sit bones, this WTB Volt saddle with titanium rails is a great investment. If you don’t know your saddle size, measure yourself and upgrade to a saddle that fits ASAP.

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The Spank Spike 800 Vibrocore Handlebar has vibration damping foam inside the bar which improves control and comfort, especially on long days in the saddle. Read more.

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Want to find the best price on your next mountain bike? Try our comparison shopping tool and don’t miss our Weekly MTB Deals for the biggest savings on mountain bikes, gear and more.

The article For under $100, you can truly upgrade your MTB with one of these picks appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

There are a lot of reasons to ride mountain bikes, obviously. Still, for most of us, there’s one reason we ride that’s above all others, and without it, we just might find ourselves drifting to another activity.

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the primary mountain

What is the primary reason you ride mountain bikes? *

• For fitness/exercise and a sense of accomplishment
• Because it’s fun/exciting
• Because I enjoy spending time outdoors
• To socialize with my friends who ride
• To explore new places/travel
• To blow off steam and reduce stress
• It’s my job
• Other (tell us in the comments)

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Is the primary reason you ride today the same as it was when you started mountain biking in the first place? Tell us in the comments below!

The article Why do you ride mountain bikes? appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

A new network of purpose-built mountain bike trails is being developed in Whippendell Wood, located in Watford, just northeast of London. The 165-acre forest is an ancient, beautiful area that “has been continuously wooded since at least 1600,” according to Wikipedia.

Whippendell Wood was used as a filming location for the planet Naboo in Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace, released in 1999. Now, local residents will soon be able to ride (legal) mountain bike trails through this iconic landscape.

The Watford Borough Council is building what it claims to be the “UK’s first council-led semi-urban mountain bike trail” in conjunction with Bike Park Chilterns CIC. The new trail development “will cater to riders of all levels, featuring purpose-built elements such as flowing berms, progressive jumps, and technical descents,” according to Watford.gov.uk. Maps shared online show two top-to-bottom runs, with a third trail splitting off about halfway down the hillside.

The Wood is located within the London commuter belt, making it one of the few natural areas so close to this major metropolis. Whippendell has long been home to mountain bike trails, and despite boasting a series of large dirt jumps, all of the trails were illegal. According to an article published in the Watford Observer, the illegal trails were dismantled in 2021.

The new trail development is intended to meet the obvious demand for mountain biking in the region, and to do so in a way that protects the natural environment. Whippendell Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and since it “is enjoyed by thousands of people each year, […] to make it a healthy woodland, it needs to be managed sensitively to ensure it can be enjoyed by future generations,” said Peter Taylor, Mayor of Watford.

The new trails are being built in a different area of the park, which isn’t as environmentally sensitive as where the illegal trails had been constructed. In fact, a section of land leased by the West Herts Golf Club has been returned to the Woodland, which is making this new trail development possible.

“With the ever-increasing popularity of mountain biking, this new trail area will contribute to the vibrant outdoor recreation scene in Watford,” said Taylor. “The addition of purpose-built trails and jumps will provide a unique and challenging experience for riders, where they can also enjoy the natural surroundings of Whippendell Wood.”

The trails will be accessible from downtown Watford via a short pedal on a paved bike path through an adjacent park. “By providing a dedicated space for mountain biking enthusiasts, it will promote healthy and active lifestyles,” said Councillor Tim Williams, Portfolio Holder for Streets and Parks.

The new trails are under construction and are slated to open in fall 2025.

The article New purpose-built jump trails are coming to the Whippendell Wood just outside of London appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

An Oregon mountain biker was reported missing on Friday, July 11, near Trillium Lake in Mount Hood National Forest. The missing person report launched a massive search and rescue operation over the past six days that even involved the Oregon National Guard.

The rider is Ralph Sawyer, a 52-year-old mountain biker who is said to be familiar with the area. Shortly after he was reported missing, his car was located at a trailhead by his wife Marcy. His cell phone had accidentally been left inside.

“On Sunday, around 70 searchers covered over 250 miles using ground vehicles, ATVs, and motorbikes,” wrote Sana Aljobory in an article on Katu.com. “Technical rope teams and drones were deployed to search steep terrains, while a helicopter from the Oregon National Guard provided aerial support.”

By Thursday, the search efforts included teams from the Clackamas County Search and Rescue, Portland Mountain Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, Hood River Crag Rats, Mountain Wave Emergency Communications, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Air Unit, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Posse, and the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Posse. Despite an intense search effort, the teams were not able to locate Sawyer.

So you can imagine everyone’s surprise when he wandered out of the woods on Thursday, returned to his car, loaded his bike, and drove himself home.

Lost mountain biker wanders out of woods, drives himself home

Sawyer apparently had stashed his bike near the trail and headed off into the mountains on foot, according to an interview with Diane Brown, a friend of the family. The search and rescue teams had not been able to locate his bike.

“Somehow, he didn’t fall, but he lost his footing, ended up having to go down a very, very steep incline, and ended up in a lot of brush, in this area that was really difficult to maneuver. He ran out of water and had to drink the stream water and then make his way out,” Brown said.

According to Brown, Sawyer couldn’t climb back up the mountain the same way, so he followed a stream out to a road. “He walked out through a lot of brush, [and was] incredibly ill during that time from drinking some of the water.”

Sawyer returned to his car on Thursday morning, retrieved his bike from the woods, put it on his bike rack, and then drove home.

“Mr. Sawyer showed up to a neighbor’s house tired, cold, dirty, and worn out,” wrote the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office in a news release. “Gresham Police confirmed it was him, and he was transported to a local hospital to be checked out.”

“We knew if anyone could make it out, it would be him,” Brown said. “I think it’s fair to say that as the week went on, you start to be a little discouraged and confused on why you can’t find him, but when we got the call today, that he had driven home, I think there was shock, [and then we thought], ‘Well, of course he did.'”

Jennifer Burkhart, another friend of the family, expressed “immense gratitude and relief. There really aren’t any words to express. I’m just glad he’s okay, and glad for his family, for Marcy and Finn, it’s incredible.”

The article After 6 days lost in the mountains, Oregon mountain biker wanders out, drives himself home appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

A new grant program from the She Sends Foundation, in partnership with the Strava Strive for More initiative, is taking direct aim at one of the biggest barriers young women face in off-road cycling: funding for equipment, training, and race travel.

The Strava x She Sends Foundation “Strive for More” Grant Program, launched earlier this summer, offers $5,000 in financial support to women aged 19–22 who are working toward elite-level competition in cross-country, enduro, or freeride mountain biking. Whether it’s plane tickets to Europe, a race entry fee, or just a working rear derailleur, this funding is designed to help bridge the gap between junior development programs and full-time pro racing—something She Sends founder Kate Courtney knows all too well.

“Finances can absolutely be one of the biggest barriers for young athletes trying to make it to the professional level. I was incredibly fortunate to not only have early support from my family and junior development team, but to have early results that helped me get fully funded international racing opportunities with USA Cycling,” Courtney told me over email. “The more time I’ve spent in this sport, the more I’ve realized how unique and limited that pathway was — and how many talented athletes never get the same chance.” She notes that some athletes have to walk away from the sport because they can’t afford to keep training and racing long enough to break through.

Courtney points to athletes like Gwendalyn Gibson as examples of what’s possible with grit, and how much harder the road is without a financial safety net. Gibson juggled a job and a full college course load while chasing her World Cup dream, long before she landed on a factory team or stood on a championship podium. Her journey helped inspire the grant program.

“Athletes like Gwen show that we have big gaps in our system for developing and supporting young racers,” Courtney said. “Gwen’s journey will absolutely inspire the next generation to keep chasing their dreams.”

In total, She Sends awarded $25,000 to five riders in its first round of 2025 grants. Strava, which launched the Strive for More initiative in 2022 to promote gender equity in sport, is backing the project with a $40,000 commitment. Applications for the next round of grants—three more to be awarded for 2026—open October 1.

The grant program goes beyond cash

In addition to the financial award, recipients will also be paired with mentors and asked to give back through local youth rides or girls’ cycling programs, building a feedback loop of support and representation.

It’s that combination—opportunity and visibility—that Courtney says is key to getting more women into mountain biking in the first place. She acknowledges that increasing mountain biking opportunities and representation for women can be a chicken-and-egg situation.

“If I had to choose where to start, I’d say that opportunity is the foundation and the reason we spend so much of our energy at the She Sends Foundation trying to cast a wider net of exposure and support for young riders,” she said. “You can be inspired by someone who looks like you or shares your background, but if there’s no team to join, no funding, and no coach who takes you seriously — that inspiration doesn’t have anywhere to go.

“That said, representation at the top level in the sport provides the fuel for the fire. When young riders see women leading, racing, and succeeding, it ignites their own ambitions and shows them what could be possible.”

For more info on the grant and how to apply, visit shesendsfoundation.org/grants.

The article Strava and She Sends are teaming up to offer $5,000 grants to aspiring off-road athletes appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

“What we’re doing here is not like what’s going on in Northwest Arkansas — not in trail growth, not in cycling adoption, anything like that. [But] compared to most places around, like your average place, Little Rock’s doing pretty good.” That’s Frank Webber, owner of Shift Modern Cyclery in downtown Little Rock, and I found his sentiments to ring true after riding in Little Rock.

While the Arkansas mountain biking boom may have begun in a small town in the state’s northwest corner, the capital city (and the largest metro area in the state with 750,000 residents) has been playing catch-up over the last 5+ years.  In fact, the trail development in Little Rock landed not one but three trails on our list of 5 of the best MTB trail systems built in Arkansas since your last visit.

But Little Rock’s story goes much deeper.

The Nature Conservancy kickstarted modern trail development in the region

“The Nature Conservancy kind of started the trail boom with hiring us for Rattlesnake Ridge. And then everybody loved the new trail, and they just kind of kept it going,” said Jeff Gannon, President of Affordable Trail Solutions.

The Rattlesnake Ridge project was designed and managed by Mitchell Allen, who, at the time, worked for the Nature Conservancy. Rattlesnake was Allen’s first trail design project, “and I like really technical trails, and so I built this trail system that was extremely technical, and then later realized, ‘Oh man, I’ve done the one thing you don’t do as a trail builder,’ like just build something for yourself,” he said.

Despite Allen’s rookie mistake, the network offers intermediate and advanced riders enjoyable rock-strewn singletrack with punchy climbs and descents, as well as extended wooden bridges. Several optional features are sprinkled along the trail, which push the difficulty into the black-diamond range. “Farkleberry” stands out as the most prominent.

Rattlesnake was completed in 2019, and as Gannon said, they just kept going.

“Really, it’s a conservation project that is involving recreation, which is something we were really pushing for in The Nature Conservancy — trying to figure out how we build a constituency for conservation through recreation,” said Allen when speaking of their ongoing trail development efforts.

Enter the Monument Trails

Allen has since moved to the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation (APRF), where he is now the Executive Director. The APRF, in partnership with Arkansas State Parks and the Walton Family Foundation, is one of the organizations that has brought the iconic Arkansas Monument Trails program to life.

“The Monument Trails are a collection of world-class mountain biking destinations within Arkansas State Parks,” reads the official description. “These shared-use trails are professionally crafted by some of the world’s best trail builders to showcase natural iconic beauty through innovative and sustainable design and build. [sic] Monument trails are seamlessly woven into the beautiful landscape of Arkansas State Parks to highlight unique terrain, historic landmarks, and scenic vistas.”

Little Rock’s hometown Monument Trail is located in Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Pinnacle Mountain is one of the newest Monument Trails, with the bulk of the trail build completed in late 2021 by Jagged Axe, Rogue Trails, Natural State Trails, and Affordable Trail Solutions. Two of the park’s trails — Chaotic Zone and Middle Mountain Run — were entirely rebuilt in January 2025 by the trail crew from the renowned Highland Mountain Bike Park in New Hampshire.

Local riders all agree that Pinnacle Mountain is the best all-around trail system in the Little Rock region. The rebuilt Chaotic Zone jump trail stands out as a crowd favorite, thanks to its dialed tabletop jumps and sweeping berms. In addition, Pinnacle offers plenty of raw, rocky lines on trails such as Turkey Tracks, Twistflower, Glade Runner, and Carnasaw. While a few of the trails are downhill-oriented, there’s enough mileage to stretch the legs and get in an honest pedal ride.

This expansive network truly covers the range of difficulty, with trails from beginner to advanced. Today, Pinnacle Mountain attracts 600,000 visitors per year, making it the most visited day-use park in the Arkansas State Park system.

A planned trail expansion will create one of the largest interconnected trail systems in Arkansas

In 2023, Affordable Trail Solutions built the Blue Mountain trails, which connect to the existing Rattlesnake Ridge trails. The new trail expansion provides a kid-friendly place for true beginners to get started, but thanks to its connectivity to Rattlesnake Ridge, it creates a fantastic 12-mile loop option.

Rattlesnake isn’t located far from Pinnacle as the crow flies, and a connection between the two parks seems logical. At least, Allen thought so.

Allen is planning a 13.5-mile trail development in what’s known as the Maumelle Pinnacles Conservation Area. The new trails will connect Rattlesnake and Pinnacle, creating 55 miles of interconnected singletrack.

“Whenever we get done with those 13 and a half miles, basically there’s 55, I think, miles of connected singletrack right there in that area, which is pretty insane for 15 minutes from downtown,” said Allen. “I think it’s the most singletrack in one area in the state.”

“It’s not trails that are in and out of houses,” Allen quipped with a not-so-subtle dig at the Back 40 and Little Sugar trails in Northwest Arkansas. “This is truly a wild landscape that these trails are on.”

While downtown Little Rock might only be 15 minutes away, the trails have been designed to provide residents with a progression from a manicured state park to a wilder landscape. Between the Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Nature Conservancy, and Central Arkansas Water, about 30,000 acres of protected land are located right outside of the city — and these mountain bike trails cover just a fraction of it.

In-town trails provide easy access for residents

Little Rock boasts a plethora of small in-town trail systems, such as River Mountain, Allsopp Park, and Boyle Park. River Mountain was constructed by world-renowned builders Rock Solid Trail Contracting, and it provides two flowy downhill lines and several drawn-out XC trails to pedal.

The Gravity Falls and Whirlpool downhill runs at River Mountain may be short, but they’re feature-packed. A few of the steep roll-ins and optional features on Gravity Falls earn it a black-diamond rating, though B-lines have developed around the hardest features. Whirlpool offers a more intermediate-friendly descent, with big, sweeping berms and mellow tabletops.

Allsopp Park was home to some of the first singletrack trails in Little Rock, and Affordable Trail Solutions is currently in the process of rebuilding 3.5 miles of singletrack there. “We were contracted to go in and keep the same flavor for the historical value of it, and then revamp and reshape sections that were too steep,” said Gannon. They’re going to do some reroutes and “modernize it and clean it up.” In addition, Gannon’s crew is constructing about 1.5 miles of new bike-optimized trails in the trail system.

Boyle Park is another in-town trail network, and it’s providing residents with easy pedal-access jump laps. “It’s only got 30 or 40 feet of elevation, but […] instead of just doing like a pump track or just doing a skills park, we were like, ‘Well, what if we just do little downhill lines, little flow lines, and you could lap them over and over and over again?'” said Allen. “It’s cool, because the kids can lap it so easily. But it ends up getting used a lot.”

Burns Park, located just north of the river, offers some 15 miles of mountain bike trails as well, and it ties into the paved bike path infrastructure lining the Arkansas River. Burns Park offers easy access to the Big Dam Bridge, which, at 4,226 feet long, is the longest pedestrian and bicycle bridge in North America specifically designed for this purpose.

The historic trails haven’t gone anywhere

Allsopp is one of the oldest trails in the area, but historic trails at places like Camp Robinson, just north of the city, haven’t gone anywhere — even if some people may have forgotten about them.

“I think it’s a lot like a lot of other places — you got a bunch of old volunteer-built trail that everybody loves, until you get new trail, and then they kind of forget about the volunteer-built stuff just because the new stuff flows better and is more fun — optimized for bikes,” said Gannon.

That said, the Camp Robinson trails are still “very popular,” according to Richard Machycek, owner of Arkansas Cycling & Fitness. “It’s a lot of people that have been riding for longer than I have [that] go out there,” said Machycek, who’s 58 and has been riding in Arkansas since he was a kid.

The Camp Robinson trails were built decades ago on a military base that allows public access with a background check and the purchase of a pass. “There’s probably close to 50 miles of trail,” said Machycek. “It’s all old school, hand-cut singletrack — real twisty and turny. There’s a number of retired people that keep those trails well-maintained. It’s one of the best places to ride when there’s been a lot of rain, because it drains well, and there’s such a variety of it that you can avoid the lower wet stuff.”

Should you plan a mountain bike trip to Little Rock?

Admittedly, Little Rock doesn’t offer the massive number of trail miles that you’ll find in destinations like Bentonville. Even so, the capital city makes a strong case as one of the most trail-rich towns in Arkansas. Based on my time riding in Little Rock, you could easily plan a long weekend to ride in the city and leave wishing you had more time.

If you want to plan a longer trip to Central Arkansas and skip NWA entirely, consider combining Little Rock’s trails with the Northwoods Trail System in nearby Hot Springs, less than an hour away. Between these two towns, you can easily fill a full week with top-tier singletrack built by some of the best in the world.

Finally, Little Rock provides a great destination for riders who like to combine cultural experiences with their mountain biking. The city’s downtown provides a wealth of fantastic dining opportunities, including eclectic spins on classic southern dishes at acclaimed restaurants like The Root Cafe. The downtown murals and street art could make for their own tour, and the paved bike paths beckon riders to take a relaxed cruise along the churning waters of the Arkansas River.

Thanks to tireless work by advocates like Mitchell Allen and the boots-on-the-ground construction by the likes of Jeff Gannon, Little Rock is rewriting its destiny with the words “mountain bike town.”

The article The city of Little Rock is reinventing itself as a mountain bike town appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Just a few years ago, the Presta was the only choice for tubeless tire valves. Invented in the 1880s, Presta pre-dates even the Schrader, which was patented more recently… in 1893. Tubeless tire valves got a legit shakeup in 2020 when Santa Cruz patented the Reserve Fillmore valve, designed to increase airflow and decrease clogs.

Today, there are more than half a dozen tubeless tire valve designs on the market, each with its own pros and cons. Though your tubeless wheelset likely came with a set of valves, you might want to consider upgrading to one of these valves based on your setup.

Reserve Fillmore

When the Reserve Fillmore designers set out to improve the Presta valve for use with tubeless tires, they were determined to increase airflow while eliminating the removable valve core that can get clogged or, worse, unscrewed accidentally. The result is a valve with an integrated stopper that extends beyond the base of the valve stem, freeing up precious space for air and sealant to flow.

Pros: high-flow design makes seating tires and adding sealant easy; standard valve stem diameter fits most rims.

Cons: non-repairable/replaceable valve core; requires the use of the valve cap to function; inserts may interfere.

Weight: 5.6g each

Price: $50 at Backcountry

Read Matt’s in-depth review of the Reserve Fillmore valve for more details.

Muc-off Big Bore valve

I’ve been running Muc-off Big Bore valves for about a year off and on, and they’ve proven to be quite robust on the trail. The unique ball valve design basically operates like a giant on-off switch, making it easy to add a blast of air to your tire — or release all the air at once. The large-diameter stem guzzles sealant, which is especially helpful for thicker sealants like Muc-off’s own. The base of the stem features outlets at the bottom and sides, so it works well with inserts.

Pros: easy to fully open and close the valve for quick blasts of air; large diameter valve resists clogging; fits standard rim holes.

Cons: requires caution so you don’t accidentally release all the air when topping off; not rebuildable/repairable.

Weight: 9g

Price: $50 at Muc-Off and Amazon

Clik valve

The Clik valve basically mashes up a Presta and a Schrader, and adds a little lip that allows you to snap a proprietary pump head onto the valve for a fast and secure fit. Otherwise, it works like most standard tubeless tire valves, with a removable core for adding sealant. You can order replacement Clik cores, and I’ve found that standard Presta cores fit as well. A normal pump will work with the Clik valve, but it doesn’t snap on like the proprietary Clik pump head.

Pros: simple pump attachment without the need to unscrew anything; removable/replaceable, though proprietary, valve core; base is designed to work with tire inserts; fits standard rim holes.

Cons: works best when used with a proprietary Clik pump head; you need to remove the core to add sealant.

Weight: 6.5g

Price: $36.95 for Wolf Tooth Tubeless valve kit with Clik

Orange Seal VersaValve

The Orange Seal VersaValve is likely the closest thing to the valves that came with your wheels, and that’s by design. The kit is meant to fit most rims thanks to a set of interchangeable washers that sit inside the rim channel for a secure fit.

Each of the valves pictured above came stock with a different wheelset, and as you can see, each has a different base designed to match the shape of a specific rim channel. While having the right base to fit your rims is ideal, I’ve found it usually isn’t necessary. Aftermarket valves generally use a funnel-shaped base that fits most rims.

Pros: provides a secure fit for a variety of rim shapes; uses a standard replaceable Presta valve core and cap; standard diameter fits more rim valve holes.

Cons: low flow compared to others; not optimized for use with tire inserts; need to remove the core to add sealant.

Weight: 4.7g

Price: $26.39 at Orange Seal

Stan’s Exo-Core

Stan’s Exo-Core delivers more airflow than a standard Presta valve, and the design makes it easier to clean sealant residue. Stan’s added a few other enhancements as well, like an unthreaded cap that pops on so you don’t accidentally unscrew the core when removing the cap. To bleed air, unscrew the valve an eighth of a turn, or a full turn to inflate. The base gets along with tire inserts and, naturally, it’s designed to make adding sealant quick and easy without the need to disassemble the valve.

Pros: easy to add sealant and clean out sealant buildup; robust design; standard cores fit the lower half of the valve assembly to be used in a pinch.

Cons: more complicated design than others; standard cores don’t fit.

Weight: 6.9g

Price: $55, currently on sale for $37.54 at Backcountry

Miles Wide Ultimate Schrader Valves

Fat Schrader valves are more robust than Prestas, and Miles Wide uses this to their advantage. A removable valve core allows you to add sealant without breaking the bead, and because it’s a Schrader, the larger diameter makes it easier to add air and sealant.

Pros: large diameter; designed to work with inserts; compatible with gas station inflators; replaceable cores; available in a variety of colors.

Cons: requires a larger hole in your rims than a standard Presta valve.

Price: $35 from Miles Wide Industries

Teravail Tubeless Valve

Teravail tubeless valves are basically Prestas, but with modern touches like an insert-friendly base and a cap with a built-in valve core remover. Though we haven’t tested the Teravails, they appear to make use of a pretty safe design.

Pros: standard valve core; tire insert-friendly; fits standard rim hole.

Cons: need to remove the core to add sealant; standard Presta core limits air flow when seating a tire.

Price: $30 at Teravail

Other considerations

In addition to considering tire inserts and how you plan to inflate your tires, there are several other factors to consider when choosing a valve system.

Valve length

Some stems are offered in multiple lengths, depending on how deep your rims are. In general, mountain bike rims are pretty shallow compared to road bike rims, and it’s best to choose the shortest valve that will reach. And remember, longer valves are more prone to break, especially when it comes to mountain biking.

Caps

Do you use valve caps or leave them off? Personally, I don’t bother with the standard plastic caps because they add an extra step when it’s time to top off my tires. However, caps do protect vulnerable valve parts, especially if you’re running standard Prestas. Some valves, like Reserve Fillmores, require a cap to function. Others, like Clik valve, are well protected and benefit less from a cap.

What’s your valve choice? Tell us which tubeless tire valves you’re running in the comments below!

The article Tubeless tire valves for mountain bikes, tested and compared appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

YT Industries announced that the company is entering into a “self-administrated legal restructure” after struggling to secure additional funding. The direct-to-consumer German mountain bike brand was founded by Markus Flossman in 2008 with a focus on providing hard-hitting, quality mountain bikes at affordable prices, for young riders in particular. Flossman provided an update on the company’s situation in a video posted to YouTube earlier today.

Filing for insolvency “allows us to restructure our finances, attract new investors, and ultimately set up the brand for long-term success,” he said.

YT’s post-COVID struggles were compounded by more recent problems

Like many brands, YT struggled to balance supply and demand during the COVID years. In late 2020, Flossman handed the reins over to a new CEO, and the brand took on a private equity investment in 2021 to help fund the brand’s expansion. Ultimately, YT ended up with an oversupply of bikes at a time when other brands were facing the same situation, leading to what Flossman describes as “a brutal discount war for survival.”

On February 19, 2024, Flossman returned as CEO, taking over from Sam Nicols, who led the brand for three years. Flossman and his team worked to cut costs and improve operations, which he says had the brand on track to recover until they were faced with new challenges earlier this year.

“A key supplier failed us with quality issues and delivery delays right when we needed them most,” he says in this video announcement.” At the same time, the US market became widely unstable. Everything from natural disasters to chaotic trade policies hit consumer demand hard.”

Customers have been reporting delays recently

Though Singletracks was unable to find an official record of YT Industries’ insolvency filing, customers have been reporting issues on Reddit over the past several days. One buyer said their bike order was canceled without explanation, and when they went to re-order the bike, the price had increased significantly. Another posted saying they still hadn’t received an order placed more than a month ago, and received the following email today:

We regret to inform you that, due to ongoing insolvency proceedings, your order[…] has been put on hold. As your payment was received before the proceedings officially began, it is legally considered part of the insolvency estate.

At this stage, we are unable to issue refunds or provide further details about the status of your payment. We understand how frustrating and disappointing this situation is, especially without a clear resolution.

If you wish to explore your options, we recommend reaching out to your payment provider to inquire about potential next steps.

The YT website says the company is “experiencing a high volume of requests” and that they’re “currently experiencing issues with our phone lines.” The message goes on to suggest customers email the brand for support.

A unique industry model

YT was one of the first to pioneer large-scale, direct-to-consumer mountain bike sales, regularly selling out new bike shipments within days of arrival. Even today, a check of the YT website shows staggered availability for bikes like the short-travel Izzo, with some sizes/colors in stock, others arriving August 11, and still others arriving August 25. For the first 10 years, Flossman says the company operated without outside funding, which no doubt contributed to the brand’s scrappy, creative ethos.

It’s not clear how the insolvency will affect future pricing and availability. At the moment, the YT website shows US bike prices are discounted for select models, though other bikes are listed at their full retail prices. All builds of the popular Jeffsy trail bike are currently on sale, some discounted by $2,000 or more.

The brand promises ongoing support and new products on the horizon

Flossman says the company’s internal restructuring shouldn’t affect customers in the long term. “Our day-to-day operations will go on,” he says in the video. “We are still here for you. Our service team is still at your side, and we will do everything we can to keep our customers unaffected.”

He also notes that YT has invested in new products and has plans for exciting launches in the near term.

“It’s not the end,” he says. “I still believe in YT.”

The article Direct-to-consumer MTB brand YT faces insolvency appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

The Heber Valley lies just south of the expansive trail systems in and around Park City, Utah. For years, Heber Valley locals, including Eric Porter and others with the Wasatch Trails Foundation (WTF), have advocated for the development of singletrack trails in their valley. 

As WTF continues to expand the trail systems it manages, it is prioritizing trail connectivity. This connectivity push includes an ambitious project they are calling, for now, the “Heber Valley Halo.”

MTB trails in Wasatch County

WTF, first organized as the Wasatch Trails Alliance, was founded around 2010-2011. Now known as the “Wasatch Trails Foundation,” the organization manages over 175 miles of trails in Wasatch County, most of which are in the Heber Valley, home to Heber City.

“When the Wasatch Trails Alliance first started, it was in part because there was this established trail system in Park City, but the people who were moving into the Heber Valley wanted their own trail system,” Mia Yue, Executive Director of WTF, told us. “So a handful of people started building singletrack trails here in the Heber Valley.”

While WTF is a multi-use trail organization, most of its leadership is deeply rooted in the area’s mountain bike community. The Wasatch Over Wasatch trail, or “WOW” as the locals call it, was one of the first major projects the organization undertook. WOW spans a massive 10 miles, climbing and descending over 2,000 feet and topping out at over 8,300 feet, and offers some of the most breathtaking views of the area.

Yue pointed to their neighboring trail organization in Park City, the Mountain Trails Foundation. Without early partnership from them, there was potential that WTF may have never gotten off the ground. The two organizations continue to partner and strategize, connecting Yue with donors and funding, which have allowed her to step into the position full-time. In doing so, Yue has been able to take a broader look at WTF, hoping to establish the organization in the Heber Valley for years to come.

The two organizations continue to work together on trail development, with recent and ongoing projects building connections between trails in Wasatch and Summit (Park City) Counties.

WOW to Bonanza Loop Trail (BLT)

“Technically, this will be the first open connection from Wasatch County to a Summit County Trail System,” Yue said.

The majority of the WOW trail stretches north to south, leaving only a handful of miles between the northern tip of the trail to the Bonanza Loop Trail (BLT). The Mountain Trails Foundation built BLT in 2024 at the southern edge of Park City.

Yue informed us that a connection between WOW and the Park City trails has been in development since 2019. However, hiccups and setbacks continued to push the project back, and the folks at WTF began to wonder if a connection would ever be built. 

But, with the completion of BLT and a consistent push between the trail organizations to connect systems, WTF finally broke ground on the connector trail in the fall of 2024. At the time of our interview, Yue reported that the connector was approximately 40% complete.

As the project gained traction, however, a simple connector trail turned into two trails, then three, and eventually four.

“We started hiking around up there, and we realized that there’s some really amazing terrain,” Yue told us. “When we were designing this trail, we were literally just hiking around the woods, finding big rocks and [asking] how we get to the rocks.”

The connector will be an entirely blue trail, spanning over three miles. The northern side of the trail, connecting to BLT, will climb roughly 700 feet, while the side coming from the south (WOW trail) will gain approximately 1,000 feet. It is on this side that this once-simple connector trail will provide options for riders.

To descend the nearly 1,000 feet to the WOW trail, WTF is constructing a dedicated downhill-only trail. This will connect back to the multi-use route that can be used for climbing back to the top, providing a lapable loop on the WOW/BLT connector.

“It’s downhill flow. There are jumps, there are a ton of big rocks. We’re working with a contractor who has a company called Coyote Canyon Construction to do a bunch of wood features in there as well. It’s going to be blue, but there will be black options, essentially,” Yue said.

Both the downhill and uphill trails will be approximately one to two miles long. Yue also noted that the DH trail features some larger slabs and rock formations, which are relatively unique to the area.

WTF will also be hand-digging a hike-only trail that will provide more options for other trail users in the area and reduce trail conflict. 

WOW connector to Deer Valley East Village

While the WOW/BLT connector heads toward Park City to the northwest, WTF has also built another connector trail off WOW to the northeast. This trail connects WOW to Deer Valley Resort’s East Village.

“It’s a little tricky right now because it was supposed to be open this spring, and then they shut all of it down for construction,” Yue explained. Deer Valley is currently undergoing a massive expansion, adding ten chairlifts and 100 new ski runs over the next two years. Unfortunately, the area where the lifts are being installed is where the new connector trail is located. For safety reasons, the trail was shut down until construction is complete. Yue said the connector is called Tricky Pickle, appropriately named for the situation they find themselves in.

Tricky Pickle doesn’t perhaps have the same flash as the WOW/BLT connector trail, as it is simply an intermediate trail connecting the trail systems. It climbs and descends roughly 600 feet before connecting to Deer Valley. 

However, this connector trail allows for easy access to the Deer Valley bike park, enabling Heber Valley residents to ride from their garage for some laps at the bike park. The Deer Valley trails and Park City trails are so integrated that uphill travel is allowed (on climbing trails) in the bike park.

“You could pedal from [home], all the way up to the top of Deer Valley where you drop into the bike park,” Yue said. “There are multiple access points to pedal on to the lift-serve riding.”

Aside from the bike park, Tricky Pickle connects to about 50 miles of multi-use trails in Deer Valley and even more trails in Park City’s trail systems.

“Heber Valley Halo”

As WTF continues to establish connections to Park City trail systems to the north, they’ve also been considering how to connect more of their trail systems around the entire Heber Valley.

“One of our pillars is to connect our community,” Yue said. “So we’re working on a feasibility study and stuff like that. And people have been asking for that connection for a while.”

The “connection” Yue is speaking of is a massive undertaking they’ve dubbed, for now, the “Heber Valley Halo.” This (mostly) singletrack trail would circle the entire valley, providing trail access to communities like Midway, Charleston, and Daniel. 

Currently, in Heber Valley, trail access means driving to a trailhead. WTF hopes to provide more opportunities for folks to ride from home. While it is still in the earliest stages of planning, the result could be many miles of singletrack surrounding the entire Heber Valley, potentially transforming the area into the next great bikepacking destination.

“We’re working towards accessibility. We’re working towards less crowding and spreading people out, and more options for those who live in different places.”

The article New MTB trails now connect Park City’s trail system to neighboring Heber Valley appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

After a year with little visible progress, the Durango Mesa Park project is taking its next big steps forward in 2025. The park will contain “Colorado’s largest bike park,” which is “one of the biggest bike parks in the nation,” according to Hogan Koesis, Program Director for the Durango Mesa Park Foundation.

Gaige Sippy, Venue Manager for the Durango Mesa Park Foundation, took it one step farther in a 2023 interview, claiming it will be “the largest municipal bike park in the USA.”

Durango Mesa Park: a recent history

In 2023, Durango Mesa Park opened a 7-mile “demonstration project” to give the community a taste of what’s to come. The initial 7-mile trail development included the first purpose-built jump trails in the city of Durango, and they quickly became some of the most popular trails in the city.

From the outside, the Mesa Park saw very little visible trail development in 2024. This lack of development was due in part to a change in the planning leadership for the project.

The Katz family purchased the 1,850-acre parcel of land and subsequently created the Durango Mesa Park Foundation to own and manage the land. The Foundation has worked closely with both the City of Durango and La Plata County, and the county initially took the lead on the master planning process for the project. In 2023, “they determined that they had other priorities that they wanted to focus on, and so they stepped back from the project,” said Moira Montrose Compton, Executive Director for the Durango Mesa Park Foundation. This “step back” came during a wave of local political infighting between the county and the city, which continues to this day. The Foundation was forced to take over the reins for the master planning process, which is still ongoing in 2025.

During this time, the Durango Mesa Park Foundation recruited Hogan Koesis to help finish the master plan. Koesis has roots in Durango; he served as the Director of Mountain Biking for Mountain Capital Partners, the owners of Purgatory Mountain Resort, from 2017 to 2019. Most recently, Koesis lived and worked in Bentonville, where he oversaw over $175 million in trail and infrastructure development as the Director of Soft Surface Trails for the Trailblazers from 2019 to 2024.

Trail development is again underway in Durango Mesa Park

Trail development in the Mesa Park is again underway in 2025. A 1.4-mile traversing connector trail was finished in the spring of ’25. It runs from the Meadow Hub (built in the 2023 demonstration project) to the Crites Connect and Carbon Junction trails. This flowing, machine-built traverse is a joy to ride on its own, but it also opens up a plethora of new loop options with the trails in the Sale Barn area. Previously, the only connection between Horse Gulch and the Sale Barn trails was the historic Telegraph Trail, which climbs steeply over a rocky pass. The beginner-friendly connector provides riders with an easier option to access Sale Barn (and associated trails like Big Canyon), and it also creates fantastic loop options with Telegraph.

Above and beyond new loop combinations, the connector will prove to be a critical conduit through the future bike park development. The trail runs above the zone where the bulk of the bike park infrastructure will be developed.

In addition, four new trails in the upper reaches of the bike park have already been built, located above the new connector trail and below Crites Connect. Known as the “Upper Drop Zone,” the small batch of trails includes a dedicated climbing trail and green, blue, and black downhill directional lines.

While all the downhill lines feature berms and jumps, they retain a raw, enduro-style flavor. The black line, in particular, mixes wedge booter-style doubles with a steep rock garden and a wooden bridge step-down drop. The intermediate and beginner lines don’t include any rocks to speak of, and are easy, flowy lines.

Trail difficulties are inconsistent in the Mesa Park

Notably, the assigned trail difficulties in the Upper Drop Zone are dramatically different than those found on the jump trails in the demonstration project. The “Intermediate Downhill” trails (don’t get me started on these trail names) in the demonstration project include near-vertical lips up to 10 feet tall and tables stretching over 20 feet in some cases. Riders will also find massive hip jumps and a variety of tabletop shapes, and will often be forced to send to blind landings on these massive features.

In contrast, the blue/intermediate line in the Upper Drop Zone, known as “Yeti Run,” includes a couple of small lips built onto rollers in the trail, and doesn’t have a single tabletop to speak of. In fact, the jumps on the “Intermediate” trails in the demo project are dramatically larger than those found on the black diamond-rated “Hairball” trail in the new Upper Drop Zone.

While I’ve written extensively about how trail difficulty ratings don’t often align from one region to another, generally speaking, trail difficulties retain some semblance of parity within each individual trail system. That currently isn’t the case in Durango Mesa Park, which could cause some confusion (and crashes) for visiting riders.

Trail ratings aside, the latest trails built in the Upper Drop Zone offer a promising sign of what’s to come. With carefully crafted rock work and even a wooden feature (the first in the region outside of the Purgatory Bike Park), this first taste of the bike park development has left local riders excited and wanting more.

In addition to the bike trail development, a new hiking-only trail was constructed in 2025. It begins along the new Durango Mesa Park Connector Trail.

Ongoing development in 2025

Major infrastructure development is currently underway in the Mesa Park. An entire intersection is being built on the nearby highway, complete with a stoplight, which will allow substantial traffic to easily access the park. A waterline is being built into the park, connected to the City of Durango’s water and sewer system. Most notably, the road climbing up onto the Mesa is being completely rebuilt to accommodate the expected traffic, with the road’s grade being reduced from 12% to 8%. The Foundation expects this infrastructure work to conclude in late 2025.

The Foundation is currently working to finish the master plan and acquire permits for the next phase of work. “Immediately upon the notice to proceed with the bike park permitting will be the mass grading exercise,” said Koesis. Much of the property is “a big hillside that is a free extraction site, a gravel mine, and it’s terraced and stepped. We’re going to homologate, re-terraform, and revitalize the area so that it feels like it wasn’t impacted from extraction. It’ll feel like a park. It’ll look like a park.”

Once the mesa has been mass-graded, work can commence on the core of the bike park development. The first trails to be constructed will include key infrastructure and connectivity trails, such as a promenade loop trail that will encircle the park and anchor the area.

An ambitious vision for the future

The Durango Mesa Park Foundation’s vision is ambitious, and tapping Koesis to lead the project shows how serious they are. When complete, the bike park will be able to support high-level events “like Colorado League, US Pro Cup, etc.,” according to Koesis. “They will definitely complement what Fort Lewis needs for cyclocross racing, dual slalom, collegiate-level events.”

There’s also a plan to build a top-tier BMX racing and training facility capable of hosting national and world championship-level events, and it will be open 365 days per year. Shane Fernandez of USA BMX compared the planned facility to one built in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which generated $45 million of economic impact in its first two years.

Down the road, Mesa Park also plans to build an amphitheater capable of holding 20,000 attendees, but the plan is still conceptual. Infrastructure such as campgrounds and a disc golf course are also planned for the Mesa Park. Initially, Mesa Park planned to move the La Plata County Fairgrounds onto the property from its current space-confined location, but the breakdown in communication with the county appears to have put those plans on hold for the time being. The fairgrounds were notably absent from a presentation made by the Mesa Park Foundation in March of 2025, but Koesis did note that land has still been set aside for the fairgrounds if the opportunity arises in the future.

The Durango Mesa Park Foundation is considering a whole host of potential infrastructure and connectivity options as well, such as a cyclist and pedestrian underpass beneath Highway 3 to connect to the Animas River Trail — a paved bike path connecting the Durango area. They’ve also explored the idea of building a gondola to connect downtown Durango and Three Springs, built over the Durango Mesa Park property.

While some of these pie-in-the-sky developments, like a gondola, may never come to fruition, the scale of the trail and bike park development in the Durango Mesa Park is almost unprecedented. The Katz family and the Foundation are charting a new course with this ambitious project, with the Durango community — and everyone who visits — as the luckiest beneficiaries of their hard work.

The article Durango Mesa Park takes a major step forward with new trails in 2025 appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Topping off tubeless tires with sealant is one of those tasks most of us conveniently forget, or avoid altogether. Injectors clog, hoses leak, and scooping sealant into the tire by cracking a bead feels downright prehistoric. Fortunately, there’s a simple tool for the job designed by rider and tinkerer Tim Straz that promises to make the process easier—and a lot less messy.

New Hampshire-based Straz says he designed his sealant funnel out of frustration. “I was sick of the mess,” he tells me. “Injectors are cumbersome and messy. The hoses often leak, and cleaning is a pain. The Funnel is just simpler, and it’s built to last.”

Simply enough, his product is called the Sealant Funnel, and it’s 3D printed with a threaded brass insert that attaches directly to most presta valve stems. Unlike plastic injectors that rely on a flexible hose that fits over the valve, the Sealant Funnel threads on securely so it won’t accidentally slip off or leak around the edges under pressure.

It works with most, but not all, tubeless tire valves

The standard version of the funnel worked well with most of the of valves I tested, including the Reserve Fillmore, Orange Seal VersaValve, and Stan’s Tubeless Exo-Core. I found it didn’t thread tightly onto the Clik valve or Muc-Off Big Bore valve, both of which lack a standard threaded body. For the Muc-off Big Bore valve, you’ll need to remove the top half to attach the funnel.

Straz makes another version of the funnel — the Sealant Funnel PT — that’s designed for use with partially threaded valve stems like the Reserve Fillmore and Stan’s Tubeless Exo-Core valves. The standard funnel also fit those valves well enough in my tests, though the PT offered an even better fit. Additionally, the PT version fits the Clik valve. Unfortunately, if you’re running Muc Off Big Bore valves, you’re out of luck, as neither the standard nor the PT funnel is a fit.

Given the variety of valves my bikes are running, I’d probably go with the Sealant Funnel PT as it’s the most compatible, though again, while it does fit standard valves pretty well, it’s not quite as secure as the regular Sealant Funnel.

The Straz Sealant Funnel has a 30ml fill line etched on the inside, which equals roughly one fluid ounce. That makes it easy to eyeball your dosage without reaching for a separate measuring cup or an injector.

No glugging

Pouring sealant directly into the funnel was surprisingly smooth. I expected the sealant to glug as the liquid drains into the tire — like when you add oil to your car engine using a funnel — but that never happened.

How quickly the sealant drains into your tire will depend on how thick it is, and as we’ve found in previous tests, there’s a wide range of densities and viscosities among tubeless tire sealants. An ounce of Orange Seal Endurance drains in about two seconds flat, while Muc Off sealant takes an excruciating 30 seconds.

OK, so I’m being overdramatic. But in all seriousness, the drain time multiplies if you’re mounting a new tire and need to put five to six ounces of sealant inside. Sealant injectors can get the job done faster, though they do struggle with thicker sealant formulations, some of which actually form clogs in the tubing.

Added 7/15/25: Straz tells me he likes to push some of the air out of the tire before pouring sealant into the funnel. Releasing the tire allows it to suck the sealant inside more quickly.

Low-mess, long-lasting construction

I generally use an injector when it’s time to add sealant, and every injector I’ve used gets gummed up eventually, despite doing my best to remember to clean up after every use. Straz notes that injectors generally have at least three parts, all of which need to be cleaned. The funnel, on the other hand, can be rinsed after use and doesn’t require disassembly.

When it comes to injectors with tubes that slip over the valve stem, I generally get a drip or two, though nothing crazy messy. With the Straz Funnel, I got zero drips. The only other zero-drip solution I know of is the Milkit injector, which features a thin hose that fits inside the valve stem.

I found I can also use the sealant funnel as… well, a funnel. Transferring sealant from a big bottle to a smaller one or creating your own custom blend is messy if you don’t already have a funnel in your toolkit.

The patent-pending design features a threaded brass insert that should last a long time, and because there are no hoses, seals, or moving parts, there’s nothing to break or wear out. Priced at $17.99 ($18.99 for the PT version), the Sealant Funnel costs a couple bucks more than most injectors but should last longer.

Bottom line

Available in four colors, the Sealant Funnel is a small but welcome upgrade for anyone running tubeless. If you’re still using a scoop or fighting with a sticky injector, this might just be the fix you didn’t know you needed.

The article The Straz Sealant Funnel makes adding tubeless tire sealant simple appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

A lot of the best MTB deals you’ll find online are for odd-size bikes, like the last XXL or XS. If you’re an outlier when it comes to sizing, that’s great, but what about the rest of us? According to our survey data, about 70% of Singletracks readers ride a medium or large mountain bike, and these deals are for you.

Still, if you do ride a small or XL, don’t worry; many of these bikes are available in those sizes too, as noted.

Yeti SB120 C2 GX Eagle

$5,800.00 | $3,850.00 sale

The SB120 is a beautiful downcountry machine, designed for long days and fast descents. Available in multiple sizes, including medium.

Buy from Backcountry

Trek Fuel EXe 8 XT

$6,999.99 | $5,299.97 sale

The Trek Fuel EXe eMTB looks and handles more like a traditional bike and on sale, you’re getting a lot of bike for the price. Available in sizes M, L, and XL.

Buy from Trek

Intense Tracer 29 DVO Expert

$5,399.99 | $2,999.99 sale

The carbon fiber Intense Tracer 29 features 170mm of travel front and rear plus in-frame storage and adjustable geo. Sizes M, L, and XL are still available.

Buy from Bikes Online

SCOTT Contessa Genius 920 Bike

$4,499.99 | $2,250.00 sale

Save 50% off the women’s specific all-mountain Genius with a carbon front triangle and aluminum alloy rear. Sizes medium and small only.

Buy from Scott Sports

Pivot Trail 429 Ride GX Transmission

$6,799.00 | $4,600.00 sale

The Pivot Trail 429 is a beloved short-travel bike thanks to its light weight overall and proven geometry. This build includes a wireless SRAM GX Transmission and is curently available in sizes medium, large, and XL.

Buy from Backcountry

Trek Fuel EX 9.8 GX AXS T-Type Gen 6

$7,149.99 | $5,499.97 sale

The Fuel EX is a favorite do-all trail bike, and this latest-generation 9.8 build comes with a carbon frame, a GX Eagle Transmission drivetrain, and Fox suspension. Not only does Trek have these available in medium and large, there’s also a medium-large size for those who are in between sizes. (XS – XL sizes are in stock too, depending on the color.)

Buy from Trek

Large bikes on sale

Polygon Siskiu T9 29er

$3,499.99 | $2,699.99 sale

Riders love the value of Polygon bikes, and this build features a Shimano XT drivetrain, TRP 4-piston brakes, and a Fox 36 fork with an aluminum frame that’s sure to stand up to plenty of abuse. Size large and small bikes in stock.

Buy from Bikes Online

Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 3

$5,000.00 | $3,500.00 sale

The Scalpel Carbon 3 is a race-ready XC bike with a lightweight Lefty fork and reliable XT drivetrain. Available in size large and small only. Read more.

Buy from Backcountry

Revel Ranger V2 GX Bike

$5,999.00 | $3,599.94 sale

This short-travel carbon Revel features CBF suspension and clearance for up to 2.6″ tires. Save 40%! In addition to size large, size small and XL bikes are in stock too.

Buy from Jenson USA

Santa Cruz Megatower 2 C R

$5,399.00 | $3,239.94 sale

This size large carbon Megatower is on mega sale. The basic build kit, with an NX Eagle drivetrain, keeps the price low, and you can always upgrade parts down the line. S and XXL bikes also available.

Buy from Jenson USA

Yeti SB140 C2 GX Eagle

$6,000.00 | $3,975.00 sale

The Yeti SB140 with Switch Infinity suspension is a goldilocks trail bike; not so much travel that it’s overkill for weekday rides, yet enough for big weekend epics. Tall and taller riders can get on board with this deal — sizes L through XXL are in stock.

Buy from Backcountry

Pivot Firebird GX T-Type

$7,899.00 | $4,299.94 sale

Get a killer deal on a killer enduro bike with the Pivot Firebird. Featuring a wireless SRAM GX Eagle Transmission drivetrain, only size large bikes are left.

Buy from Jenson USA

Want to find the best price on your next mountain bike? Try our comparison shopping tool and don’t miss our Weekly MTB Deals for the biggest savings on mountain bikes, gear and more.

The article If you ride a medium or large bike, you’re in luck with these 12 MTB deals appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

If you’ve ever found yourself railing left-hand berms like a pro but fumbling through rights—or vice versa—you’re not alone. Riders frequently mention struggling with corners or switchbacks in one direction more than the other. It’s such a common experience, we had to ask: why?

To find out, I spoke with Dylan Renn, a long-time coach and mountain bike skills instructor with A Singletrack Mind, which offers skills clinics and camps in Oregon and California. His answer? It’s complicated—but not mysterious.

It starts with your lead foot

Almost everyone has a foot they lead with predominantly. It’s the foot that naturally wants to be forward when you’re coasting in a neutral position. And that forward foot can determine how your body behaves in corners.

“In high-speed corners, usually people are better turning towards their forward foot,” says Renn. “So if you have your left foot forward, high-speed corners are usually better for those people to the left.” With our lead foot forward, more weight is on the back foot, which tends to be our stronger side. As a result, “it’s easier to unweight the front foot and have better bike body separation, and the bike leans better.”

The problem becomes apparent when you try to go the other way, ie, a left-foot forward rider cornering to the right. Fluidride founder Simon Lawton explained it this way in a 2019 podcast interview.

“They go into a right-hand turn, they have a tendency to press that right foot by mistake, instead of actually moving to the left foot,” he said. “With very high-level riders — like, very, very high-level riders — they’re so surprised when I show them the weakness in their front foot.”

If you aren’t sure which is your front foot, “stand up and just ride around for a second, sit back down, and then stand up and coast around for a second,” Renn says. Your rearward foot tends to be your stronger, more dominant side. And more often than not, turns toward your forward side are easier compared to turns on your dominant side.

For right-handed riders, the left foot tends to be the lead foot. “We have handedness, like right-handed or left-handed,” Lawton said. “And we have footed-ness, so we have this ability on one side that we maybe don’t possess on the other side.”

Even your bike knows which side is your better side for cornering. “If you look at your tire, you’ll notice, especially the front tire, […] you’ll see that you wear one side of your tire more than the other,” Renn said. That’s because you’re pushing harder into the turns on your better side, and over time, the additional force adds up.

Climbing switchbacks and jumping are also affected

As most riders know, this left-versus-right imbalance doesn’t just apply to descending. Many of us find it more difficult to climb switchbacks in one direction than the other. In fact, at slower speeds — ie, when climbing — we turn better on the side of our rearward dominant foot. For left-foot forward riders, that means switchbacks to the left are more challenging.

“Most people get caught in a pedal stroke at slow speeds, which then brings their forward foot down and then places weight inside or under the bike,” which makes it harder to turn that direction, Renn says.

Personally, I’ve noticed that I tend to dip my handlebars to the right when jumping, and though this appears to add a little steez, it’s rarely intentional. I asked Renn about this, and he told me it’s likely because my hips aren’t square, which comes back to being a left-foot-forward rider.

“As you release, and you stand up, you’re starting to rotate,” he said. With my left foot forward and right foot back, my right arm is naturally pulled backward, which causes the right side of the bar to dip.

Yes, you can train yourself to turn better in both directions

Fortunately, cornering and climbing imbalance isn’t a life sentence. Renn says he personally corners better to the left—even though he rides right foot forward—because that’s the side he practiced most growing up. “I just made left turns off the side of the road on the way home,” he said. “I did that for years.”

If you want to improve your weak side, Renn suggests intentional practice. “Don’t just do a bunch of drills on your good side,” he says. Practicing figure eights in a parking lot is a good way to get in a lot of turns on both your stronger and weaker sides.

At Fluidride skills clinics, Lawton incorporates drills to help riders improve their corners and turns in both directions. “Immediately, like right off the bat, in the first 10 minutes of class, we’re working on becoming ambidextrous with our lower body.”

Sessioning corners is another way to get better, too. “Make a left turn over and over and over again, and do it at a pace that’s not necessarily at a true high speed, do it at a pace that you can disassemble the movements a little bit so you can be more aware of where your feet, where your hips, where the hands are, where your eyes are.”

Renn also suggests getting comfortable leaning your bike to the left and the right, and returning to the center. Skills instructors call this bike-body separation, and it’s important, especially when cornering. “A lot of people get lost in that. When you hear ‘bike body separation,’ you hear left to right.” Rather, “It’s left to center to right to center. So many people try to separate and just go left to right instead of returning back to center.”

Though it’s natural to have a preferred side when it comes to cornering, and even pro riders struggle, it’s possible to make real progress. “Even though one is going to be significantly more coordinated than the other, you can actually start picking up coordination of what I call ‘your second favorite side,'” Lawton said. “You can start picking up coordination of your second favorite side much more quickly with your lower body than you can with your upper body.”

What about muscle imbalances?

Most people have a dominant hand and, by extension, a stronger, more dominant side of their body. For example, right-handed people tend to have more strength in their right hand because they use it more often, which results in a slight, though noticeable, muscle imbalance.

Mobility is an important factor too, and for some riders, limited mobility can lead to challenges when it comes to cornering. “A lot of people I work with have a hard time creating a body position necessary for a super technical section of trail.” Getting your chest low for climbing switchbacks is key, and if you have a hard time getting your body into that position, you’ll struggle in either direction.

Renn suggests incorporating yoga, stretching, and strength activities to ensure your mobility is good and you don’t have any major imbalances.

Constant improvement

Mountain biking is full of twists and turns for everyone. If you struggle to rail high-speed berms to the right and climb around sharp switchbacks to the left, Renn’s advice is to continue training your body.

“You can always work on it. You can always be better.”

Dylan Renn is a certified mountain bike skills coach through USA Cycling, BICP, Betterride, NICA, NASM. In August his company, A Singletrack Mind, is offering a shuttled skills and camping event at Mt. Hood in Oregon.

The article How to get better at turning your bike both directions appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

There’s been a lot of buzz around 32-inch-diameter mountain bike wheels and tires this year. A handful of brands are offering bikes that run the oversized standard, though no major brands have officially committed to the size… yet. With a Maxxis Aspen 32×2.4″ tire now available, buyers have a great tire choice at the very least.

Still, we couldn’t help but wonder how many riders want a bike with 32-inch wheels right now.

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• Yes, I already own a bike with 32″ wheels
• Yes, I’m considering buying a bike with 32″ wheels
• Yes, I’d like to try riding one
• I’m casually interested in learning about them but not really in the market for one
• Not interested at all. I’m happy with my wheel size.

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Share your 32″ thoughts in the comments below 👇

The article Are you interested in mountain bikes with 32″ wheels? appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Short crank arms are sweeping the mountain bike industry, with brands, bike fitters, and riders alike claiming they provide numerous benefits. Experts claim that shorter cranks can reduce knee and hip pain, increase acceleration, improve descending performance, and reduce pedal strikes.

While many savvy riders have taken the initiative to install shorter aftermarket cranks, others may have begun riding shorter cranks without even knowing it. Historically, mountain bike cranks measured 175mm in length, but now, many brands are speccing shorter cranks by default — especially on smaller bike sizes. For instance, my size-medium 2024 Pivot Switchblade shipped with 170mm cranks — already 5mm shorter than what might have been specced previously.

Even so, I decided to take things a step further and put the new trend to the test by reducing my crank length to 160mm. To do so, I installed Race Face’s all-new Era cranks on my 2025 Pivot Trailcat SL.

After over 400 miles of riding, here’s what I’ve learned about both the Race Face Era and short cranks in general.

Race Face Era mountain bike crankset key specs

• Carbon crank arm
• Stainless steel wear plate guards
• Arm lengths: 160, 165, 170, and 175mm
• Spindle diameter: 30mm
• Claimed weight: 499g (includes 170mm arms, 32T chainring, crank boots, pedal washers, and hardware)
• Price: $499
• Proprietary carbon chainring ($149) and bottom bracket ($60) sold separately
• Buy from Jenson USA

The Race Face Era cranks are a sculpted expression of elegant performance. The beautiful carbon cranks are paired with a stainless steel wear plate, which not only eliminates carbon wear but also adds a shiny aesthetic touch. The crank pairs with its own proprietary carbon chainring featuring stainless steel teeth, providing a perfectly matched aesthetic and a lightweight, resilient driver.

While this review focuses on the shortest Era crank available, note that these cranks are sold in 160, 165, 170, and 175mm sizes. The proprietary chainrings are currently sold in 30, 32, and 34T options.

While the Era crank lists a $499 MSRP, note that in order to achieve the correct chainline with the Era’s 136mm spindle length, you must purchase an Era chainring, which provides the proper offset. Race Face claims the $149 chainring “is expected to last five times as long as a typical alloy ring for less than twice the cost.” The bonded carbon-stainless steel chainring purportedly provides the lifespan of steel with the weight of aluminum.

In addition, the Era features a 30mm spindle diameter, and if you’re upgrading from most Shimano drivetrains, you’ll also have to factor in the price of a new bottom bracket, too. This brings the total upgrade cost to $708.

Out on the trail

In a word, the performance of the Race Face Era crankset has been flawless. The cranks spin up to speed quickly, providing instantaneous power transfer. There’s no noticeable play in any direction — the cranks provide precise control the instant you need it.

The durability has been top-notch, with only small scuffs on the carbon from a few glancing impacts. The rubber boots have taken the brunt of the few pedal strikes I’ve experienced, and the stainless-steel plates have proven to be perfectly positioned to absorb any shoe rub.

Of all the features incorporated into the Era, the stainless steel plates seem to be the most ingenious. The bonded carbon fiber and stainless steel construction is used in both the crank arm and chainring to great effect. By focusing the majority of the wear and tear on a highly durable material like steel but then reducing the overall weight with carbon, Race Face is truly providing the best of both worlds.

So the Race Face Era provides fantastic performance regardless of crank length, albeit at a price. But how do the shorter cranks measure up?

During my 400+ miles of testing, I found that shorter cranks provided two major benefits, one minor benefit, and an inconclusive result — but with no visible downsides.

You don’t realize how much pedal strikes suck until they’re gone

There are few things worse than cranking up a steep, boulder-strewn trail and accidentally pegging an awkward rock with the bottom of your crank arm, jolting you off balance and potentially causing a crash. That painful experience can only be topped by ripping downhill at high speed and catching a pedal on a hidden stump or rock, catapulting you over the front and pile-driving your sorry carcass into the ground. Just such an experience in 2024 proved to be my worst crash in years.

Slow-speed pedal strikes and high-speed pedal catches have two things in common: ground clearance. In the first instance, you’re generally moving the cranks through space, while in the second, they’re often stationary. But in both instances, having the pedal or crank hit the ground or an obstacle can cause you to have a really bad time.

Of all the purported benefits of shorter crank arms, this is the #1 benefit that I experienced during testing. I didn’t realize how much even small pedal strikes sucked until I dramatically reduced their occurrence. I say “reduced” not “eliminated” on purpose, as there’s no way to ever truly eliminate pedal strikes. But of all the possible solutions, shorter crank arms appear to be the best one with the fewest downsides. (Unlike increasing bottom bracket height, which brings with it dramatic handling downsides.)

Faster acceleration is readily apparent, with no noticeable side effects

During the test, I switched back and forth between my Trailcat, my Switchblade, and my Pivot Vault gravel bike with 172.5mm cranks. The 160mm cranks on the Trailcat are noticeably faster to spin up to speed than either of my cranksets. Fast acceleration is useful in many scenarios, especially on trails when you frequently switch between climbing and descending or slow down for obstacles and then speed up afterward.

Notably, the faster acceleration didn’t seem to create any other negative downstream effects. Overall, I’ve been blazing fast on the Trailcat, which, of course, can’t be 100% attributed to the shorter cranks. However, I haven’t felt any negative effects in terms of speed or power while utilizing a shorter lever length.

Short cranks keep your hip more open at the top of the pedal stroke

One reason that short cranks are supposed to help reduce hip pain is that the hip doesn’t close off as much at the top of the pedal stroke. With a proper bike fit, the leg will reach the same extension at the bottom of the pedal stroke on a short crank, but at the top, the crank will come 10mm (170-160mm in this case) shorter, thereby reducing the acuteness of the angle that the hip is forced to endure.

Essentially, the circle that the pedal is spinning has a smaller diameter (and circumference), and that smaller circle is located at the bottom of the previous pedal stroke — not in the center.

I found this sensation to be easily discernible during testing, and can see why this would be a major benefit to those who struggle with hip pain.

Do shorter cranks reduce knee pain? Test is inconclusive.

My primary motivation for testing these shorter crank arms was simple: my knees hurt. I’ve struggled with knee pain ever since my first ACL surgery in 2016, and I’ve been willing to try every potential solution.

On the surface, the logic makes sense. By shortening the length of the crankarm, you’re reducing the maximum knee flexion angle at the top of the pedal stroke by several degrees, which thereby reduces tension on the patellar tendon and the rest of the joint structures.

But here’s where the theory breaks down.

If, for example, you’re pedaling on a fast section of trail (or on a road) and you have the choice to either 1) spin faster and push more lightly or 2) push harder but at a slower cadence, you can often achieve the same overall speed through either strategy. However, one of the two is radically easier on the knee: spinning at a higher cadence.

The problem with mountain biking, especially in the big mountains, is that often, while climbing, riders will find themselves in their lowest gear, grinding slowly uphill. In this scenario, you don’t have the choice of spinning faster. The two choices are walk or ride. Once you get down to your lowest gear, you’re still going to be putting incredible force through the knee joint as you battle your way up thousands of feet of steep mountainside, regardless of how long the crankarm is and what the maximum flexion angle is.

To help my knees as much as possible, I always run a 30T chainring to increase my odds of spinning instead of grinding. And yet, if you live in Colorado or another mountainous area, you’re inevitably going to have to grind if you want to tackle the big epics. In this scenario, I remain unconvinced that a shorter crank offers a dramatic reduction in knee pain. Sure, it might play a small role… but based on my testing, I’m not convinced that it’s a big one.

Pros and cons of the Race Face Era mountain bike crankset

Pros

• Beautiful construction
• The right material for the job: steel in all the right places, and carbon everywhere else
• Tons of crank length choices, including 160mm

Cons

• Expensive, proprietary chainrings

Bottom line

Race Face’s new Era carbon crank is both a work of art and a workhorse, all at the same time. If you’re looking for a high-end crank with no performance sacrifices in sight, look no further.

While the 160mm Era didn’t prove to be the knee pain relief panacea that I had hoped for, the other benefits of shorter cranks, such as fewer pedal strikes and faster acceleration, were noticeable and much appreciated. At the same time, I found little to no downsides to running the shorter cranks.

All upside and no downside? I’ll take that deal every day.

The article Race Face Era mountain bike crankset review appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

Following last week’s announcement that the new Formula Selva V mountain bike fork will not be offered in a 27.5 version, a frustrated reader emailed Singletracks. “It’s a shame a person cannot get [the fork], considering many people much prefer 27.5 over 29 wheels,” they wrote.

Though plenty of mountain bikers love to ride their 27.5 bikes, demand for new 27.5 bikes and compatible front-end components has been declining for years. However, the decline appears to have accelerated over the past year or two, and as a result, component supplies are becoming more scarce. We reached out to Formula and other fork brands to understand what’s happening, and why.

Fewer 27.5 options when it comes to the latest forks

By all accounts, the Formula Selva V is a refined, high-performance mountain bike fork with all the modern features riders demand, including a reliable, low-friction air spring and even an integrated fender. But unlike the previous-generation Selva forks, it’s only available in a 29er chassis.

“We’ve seen 27.5 sales drop markedly in the last year or so, so when it came to making a mold for the Selva V lowers (which costs about half a million euro), we had to think hard about whether it was worth investing in something we’re seeing dwindling interest in,” according to Formula MTB Communications Manager Sim Mainey. “In the end we decided it wasn’t financially feasible.”

Cane Creek Product Marketing Manager Will Hart confirms that his company has also seen demand for 27.5 forks take a nosedive.

“The popularity (and sales) of 27.5 forks fell off the edge of the earth a couple of years ago when the meat of the industry moved to 29-inch wheels,” he said. “It happened fast, and the sales numbers could not be ignored. We’re running out the parts and won’t plan to make more.” A note on the Cane Creek Helm II fork product order page says, “All 27.5 forks are final sale“.

Earlier this year, Fox revamped their mountain bike fork lineup in a major shakeup, and in the process, quietly phased out 27.5″ forks for most applications. Based on a check of the Fox website, none of the latest XC or trail forks are offered in a 27.5 size. It’s not until you get into the all-mountain category that you find a single 27.5 option, the Fox 36 Factory Grip X. Singletracks reached out to Fox for confirmation but did not receive a response.

RockShox updated their SID SL and Reba forks just last month, and while the cross-country SID SL is only available for 29ers, the new Reba Gold XC/short-travel fork is available in both 27.5-inch and 29-inch sizes. The brand continues to offer several other forks in 27.5″ sizes as well, including the Pike and Revelation.

At least for the time being, 27.5 Formula buyers still have excellent options available. “The Selva S, C and R are all still available in 27.5 though, so we do have that option available in the lineup,” Mainey said. Not only that, select 27.5 Formula forks are compatible with the all-new V air spring, giving some owners a path to upgrade their 27.5 fork internals to take advantage of the latest and greatest.

Jenson USA currently shows more than a dozen 27.5-inch forks for sale, and nine out of 19 of them are listed as “last chance closeout,” priced at 30% off or more. Across the board, the lack of available 27.5 forks is particularly pronounced at the shorter end of the travel spectrum.

Why 27.5 forks are disappearing

Over the past several seasons, enthusiasm for matched, 27.5 wheels has shifted to mixed-wheel bikes. Many riders have found they can get the best of both worlds with a larger, 29-inch wheel up front and a smaller-diameter 27.5-inch wheel in the rear. Mixed-wheel bikes fit a wider range of riders than 29ers alone, and many bike brands have embraced mixed-wheel over 27.5 in their lineups.

Riders converting a 27.5 bike to mixed-wheel will need to upgrade their fork, which adds to the demand for high-end 29er forks. It also adds to the supply of used 27.5 forks for sale.

Though mixed-wheel may have killed 27.5-inch forks for some brands, there’s a chance that mixed-wheel bikes could actually save them. Or, at least ensure that a few decent 27.5 forks are around for years to come. Youth and kids bikes are going mixed-wheel too — for example the Giant Faith and Commencal Clash — and these bikes make use of a 27.5″ fork paired with a 26-inch rear end. The full-suspension Faith comes with Giant’s own Crest fork, which doesn’t help fork brands sell more 27.5″ forks, though the Clash features a 27.5″ Fox fork, at least for now.

Will 27.5 forks disappear completely? Almost definitely not, though it appears unlikely brands will bring back or expand their 27.5 offerings anytime soon.

The article Many of the latest MTB forks are 29er only, leaving buyers with fewer 27.5 options appeared first on Singletracks Mountain Bike News.