Jeff co-founded Singletracks with his wife Leah in 1998 and has been dedicated to sharing the mountain bike information that inspires others to take epic adventures ever since. He started mountain biking in high school and served in the US Air Force before devoting himself full time to Singletracks in 2007.
Though formally educated as an engineer, Jeff began writing stories at an early stage, inspired by his mother who is a longtime accomplished author. He enjoys covering the world of mountain biking from every possible angle, whether it's trails or gear or skills. His goal for every story: that readers learn at least one new thing.
Author snapshot
MTB Background and expertise
- Riding experience: Trail, XC, and bikepacking.
- Mountain biking since: 1992
- Number of products reviewed: ?. I think my first product review for the site was this one for a plastic wallet.
- Current stable: Canyon Neuron, Orange P7 hardtail, and Scott Fun XC
Education and writing experience
- Bachelors of Science in Engineering, Duke University
- Masters of Business Administration, Duke University
- Other publications: Panther Press (Lakeside High School - Augusta, GA), CitySearch.com
We discuss both subjective and objective measures of trail difficulty, and explain the difference between technically and physically difficult trails.
These are the best mountain bike grips according to Singletracks readers and our editors.
Singletracks tests the third generation Santa Cruz Tallboy in North Carolina.
Specialized recently updated the iconic Epic hardtail mountain bike, and the new version is the company's lightest bike frame to date. But wait, does that mean it's lighter than any of…
The Fort Whyte trails were built on the site of a former concrete plant. photo: Alex Man Mountain bike trail builders tend to get a bad, though undeserved,…
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, we discuss the history of mountain bike suspension and the advantages hardtail mountain bikes still have over their fully squishy brethren today.
photo: Brendon Voelker (Pivot) Last week the first-ever Fall Cyclofest presented by Interbike was held at the US National Whitewater Center (USNWC) just outside Charlotte, NC.…
photo: David Folch Yay, another new wheel size! Before you jump to the comments in a huff, take a deep breath and read on. DirtySixer is…
In this episode, Aaron, Greg, and I share tips for choosing a great bikepacking route and attempt to dispel the myth that you need fancy gear to get started.
We've selected some of the highest-rated, beginner-friendly singletrack mountain bike trails on Singletracks to help both newbies and friends of newbies get started.
At just 270g per shoe, Specialized is claiming the new S-Works 6 XC shoes are the lightest mountain bike shoes in the world. Not only that, the company is claiming this is…
SORBA mid-TN is working to build and maintain mountain bike trails in the Nashville area, and they recently suffered a setback when their new DitchWitch trail building machine and custom trailer was stolen.…
One of the best ways to get to know a mountain biker is to ask what kind of bike they ride.
Finding a decent cycling GPS, let alone one you can wear on your wrist, priced under $150 is difficult. Yet somehow, Polar is offering the new M200 for $149, and it includes a built-in…
Over the past few years many riders have purchased 27.5 bikes, only to have plus-envy once 27.5+ bikes started catching on. Some intrepid 29er owners (including yours truly) found they could…
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, Greg talks about his summer MTB trip to Spain.
SHRED is already well-known in the snow sports industry, and now they're taking on mountain biking with a great-looking line of helmets packed with serious tech. The line includes two full face…
While part of my job is to test and review mountain bike gear, I'm also a mountain bike buyer just like everyone else. In fact, I decided to purchase both of my current mountain…
photo: Bombtrack.com In conjunction with the bikepacking craze of 2016, several bike companies are offering drop bar mountain bikes. Not to be confused with gravel grinders or…
Plus bikes have been all the rage at Sea Otter and Interbike over the past two cycles, and at this point, pretty much every bike brand has at least one 27.5 plus…
Interbike tends to be dominated by some of the largest brands, but if you look closely, there are many small companies doing interesting and oftentimes weird things. Here are just a few examples from this year's…
The Voytek is a versatile carbon fiber mountain bike from Otso, a new bike brand founded by the crew from Wolf Tooth Components. I took the Voytek on a quick test spin at Interbike, and…
We test rode a Ventana mountain bike with a Rohloff internally geared hub at Interbike.
The all new Razik Epitome is a carbon hardtail mountain bike that utilizes a unique carbon Isotruss framework in place of traditional top, down, and seat tubes. The company claims this not…
Two years ago I rode the Salsa Bucksaw full suspension (FS) fat bike, and at the time I said it was the best bike, fat or not, that I had ridden all…
Interceptor Most of us have heard that mountain bike helmets need to be replaced after a serious crash, but the thing is, few riders actually follow through. Often…
The GT Sensor has been around for several years, though it's a bike I've never personally ridden. So I jumped at the chance to saddle up on the 2017 Sensor Carbon Pro…
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, Aaron, Greg, and I reflect on this year's tradeshow and discuss some of the most interesting products we found.
Cannondale showed the Bad Habit at Interbike back in 2015, and this year the bike is offered in both aluminum and carbon frames. I got a chance to test the top-shelf, Bad Habit…
REI is retiring the 34-year-old Novara cycling brand next year and replacing it with a new line of bikes called simply, Co-op. This spring the company plans to release its…
Mountain bike suspension keeps getting better and better while options for wheel sizes continue to expand. We asked Singletracks members about their favorite mountain bike fork, and based on the 2,200+ responses…
Interbike just announced the 2016 Interbike Awards, including the following noteworthy MTB categories. Best Mountain Bike Specialized Stumpjumper sixFATTIE (also a Singletracks "Most Innovative Bike" winner). Best in Show - Mountain Scott Spark RC (read…
8 LEDs are crammed into this behemoth. Remote pictured on left, rear light on right. The latest mountain bike lights in the 90X series from MagicShine feature…
Bikepacking seems to be becoming more and more popular, especially considering the number of bikepacking products we saw at Interbike this year. One of the most interesting products that caught my eye, the Topeak Bikamper,…
GoPro cameras changed the face of action sports and even more broadly, gave filmmakers the ability to put cameras in places cameras had never gone before. Just one little problem for mountain bikers: the POV video almost…
Aaron, Greg, and I talk about the most interesting products we saw at Interbike on Wednesday while also lamenting our overall lack of stoke for new MTB products.
In this better-late-than-never episode of the Singletracks podcast, Aaron, Greg, Helena, and I talk about the bikes we tested at Outdoor Demo on Tuesday.
If you're reading this article, chances are you don't need the OutBraker system. But don't stop reading yet! The OutBraker is an interesting MTB product that is actually pretty useful for…
Two years ago I test-rode the Salsa Bucksaw full suspension fat bike, and it was honestly one of the best mountain bikes I've ever ridden. In the two years since, very…
At Outdoor Demo I rode the Patrol 671 and unfortunately, the size large was just too small for me to give the bike a fair test. If owning a bike is like…
KTM is an Austrian company best known to most Americans for their motorbikes, but for the past couple years the company has been working to enter the US mountain bike market. John…
Sure, mountain biking is full of diversity: we have guys who shave their legs and race lightweight XC bikes, bros who shred DH bikes in full face helmets, and men with…
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, Aaron and I talk briefly about Interbike Outdoor Demo, Day 1.
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, Aaron talks about his recent mountain bike trip to West Virginia.
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, Aaron and I offer tips for responsible mountain biking.
The Leatt DBX 6.0 Carbon full face mountain bike helmet is NOT messing around. Not only does this helmet pack serious safety features, it packages everything into a sleek, accessible package that's every bit…
Staran, a Gaelic word that means "trail" or "path," is a brand new bike brand out of Canada that's working to offer well spec'd bikes, along with great customer service, at affordable…
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast we talk about some of the barriers to getting started with mountain biking and share specific ideas for improving fitness and technical skills.
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