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
While chatting with another reviewer at Outdoor Demo I asked which bikes he was stoked about and he mentioned the Intense Spider 29comp. Syd (element22) also recommended this bike to me before…
I've been trying to steer clear of the 650b hype but sometimes it's almost unavoidable. Don't get me wrong--I have nothing against 650b bikes--but I'm more than happy with both my 29ers.…
I've ridden a few long-travel 29ers (5+ inches of travel) over the last 12 months and up until now, I haven't been totally impressed. Not only did the bikes seem to handle…
Here’s something you may not have considered: an all-wheel-drive mountain bike. The idea has been around for some time—most notably, Christini produces all-wheel-drive models—but it’s something most of us have never experienced.…
This year SRAM is introducing a new 11spd drivetrain that targets both XC and gravity riders alike, which seems like a crazy idea. But it turns out the company has done their…
Grip shifters literally launched SRAM into the bike market back in 1988. As a scrappy start-up, SRAM introduced grip shifters in the road market that year and just six years later the…
Each year ahead of Interbike we score the user-generated mountain bike product reviews on Singletracks and compile a "best of" list. There was a ton of cool gear released in 2012 so…
This weekend during the Southern Spokes Festival I got a chance to visit MOMBAT, located inside First Flight Bicycles in Statesville, NC and it was a revelation. Like Moab, MOMBAT is one…
Downhill MTB banner in Steamboat Springs. Despite living in Colorado four years and spending part of the past three summers there, I had never visited the town of Steamboat Springs. Well known…
Last month on my drive back to Georgia from Colorado I decided to make a detour to check out the IMBA Epic Syllamo trails in the Arkansas Ozarks. The riding was pretty…
Cliff Cave trail work. Photo: Matt Hayes / GORC. Congratulations to the 2012 Singletracks trail grant recipients, the Gateway Off Road Cyclists (GORC) of St. Louis, MO and the Birmingham Urban Mountain…
In early 2000 I was preparing to graduate from college and decided it was time for a new mountain bike. After browsing the local shops I fell in love with an electric…
Most mountain bikers probably don't know this but the "World's Greatest" bike trail is located in Eagle, CO, less than 30 minutes from the well known ski resorts at Vail and Beaver…
Singletracks members have posted GPS data for nearly 2,000 unique mountain bike trails over the years, not to mention countless updates and additions to existing trail maps. In that time we've refined…
The latest IMBA Trail News report featured a short note about IMBA's 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and supporting charts and graphs showing how the organization is funded and where those funds…
Last week Greg and I were in Colorado where we hooked up with Corey (maddslacker) for a couple of classic Front Range rides, and as usual, we had a blast! Fair warning:…
Even the local beer is MTB-flavored in Boulder. Boulder, CO has a bit of reputation for being unfriendly toward mountain bikers and that reputation isn't entirely undeserved. Still, judging by the number…
Along with my recent test of the RaceFace Turbine 2x10 crankset I also got a chance to try the latest RaceFace Turbine 3/4 Riser Bar and Stem on my full suspension 29er.…
Switchgrass Trail. photo:Sucio_Sanchez / Adrenaline Images. Driving through Kansas on my way to Colorado I've often thought Kansas must be the worst place on the planet for mountain biking. At 75 mph…
Breckenridge 100. Photo: Mountain Moon Photography. In the mountain bike world the closest thing we have to the runners' Marathon is the dirty century, or 100-miler as some like to call it.…
It's hard to believe that just last year RaceFace closed their doors. Judging by the comments on the forum at that time, there were a lot of disappointed mountain bikers out there.…
Last week I met up with Greg and Jeremy near Chattanooga, TN to check out a couple mountain bike trails. Chattanooga was recently named "Best Town Ever" by Outside Magazine thanks to…
Not everyone wants to race their mountain bike 100 miles. If you want to ride - and finish - a dirty century for fun, this is the plan for you.
And now for something completely different. The Tyke Toter is a seat + handlebar that attaches to an adult's bike seatpost, allowing your toddler to go along for the ride. My daughter…
This past weekend I completed my first dirty century mountain bike ride - the Cohutta 100 - near Ducktown, TN. It took me nearly 13 grueling hours to finish the 100-mile course…
Updated 11/26/2014 We've published hundreds of in-depth mountain bike product reviews here on the blog and from time to time we get valid questions about how the review process works. Readers are…
SORBA Woodstock is hosting the Pedalpalooza Bike Festival at Blankets Creek this Cinco de Mayo and the schedule is jam-packed with activities. Singletracks will be there with a tent and we can't…
With just 19 days to go until my first 100-mile mountain bike race, I'm feeling bruised and battered. On Saturday I spent about 8 hours on the bike and experienced one of…
GPS units are great for mountain biking, filling the role of both cycling computer and trail map in one simple package. Back in 2006 we wrote about using your GPS for trail…
Several years ago I started wearing baggy mountain bike shorts, admittedly because they look much cooler than spandex. Sure, there are modest benefits to wearing baggies on the trail (like added abrasion…
To say thanks to the local clubs that work so hard to build and maintain incredible mountain bike trails all around the US and Canada, Singletracks is stoked to announce two new…
photo credit: Wende Cragg / Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Rider: Joe Breeze, 1977. The question of which came first - the mountain bike or the trail - isn't really a philosophical…
We knew the whole fatbike thing was starting to blow up but this is crazy: a new indoor mountain bike park specifically designed with ultra-fat-tire mountain bikes in mind is opening just…
According to internal surveys, 67% of mountain bikers ride, in part, to explore new places. The desire to explore new mountain bike trails is what motivated us to start singletracks.com almost 14…
Photo: C. Vanderjagt. Rider: G. Ryan. Mountain Creek Bike Park in New Jersey is set to open May 5 and there's a ton on tap this season, including the Spring Classic USA…
The new Elixir 9 hydraulic disc brakes from Avid feature a completely re-worked TaperBore design and other refinements that make for a smooth, solid package for your MTB stopping pleasure. I've been…
With a little over a month left until my first dirty century, my training is really ramping up and yesterday I clocked my longest mountain bike ride yet ever. Here's a recap…
My buddy Joseph at the local bike shop, Decatur Bikes. Photo: mudhunny. Want to start a heated discussion among mountain bikers? Just ask a group of riders where they buy…
On Thursday Greg and I met up for a ride at the Five Points trail system in far northwest Georgia. I needed to get in a 6 hour ride as part of…
Back in November I built up my first FS 29er mountain bike and when it came time to select suspension components, I knew I wanted a fairly aggressive XC-style fork to complement…
A couple weeks ago we wrote about the Global Conservation Mountain Bike Club's collection of exotic singletrack trails around the world and that got us thinking: where can we find our own…
Unlike the trend analysis articles we've been posting recently, I have no hard data on this trend but it's one that appears to be growing in my area: unauthorized mountain bike trail…
Some of you may know I've been busy training for my first 100-mile mountain bike race, the fabled Cohutta 100 on April 28. The race is now officially sold out with 305…
Imagine a mountain bike club funded by a billionaire with access to private trails in exotic locations all around the world. A club so exclusive the trails are guarded by stone and…
At the Southeast Bike Expo this weekend I got a chance to demo the Niner W.F.O., a 5.5-inch all-mountain/trail bike that also happens to be a 29er. You can basically count the…
The Louis Garneau Edge mountain bike helmet is a true XC-style brain bucket that is comfortable, functional, and stylish - well, at least as stylish as a vented helmet can be. Time…
We had a lot of fun with the mountain bike ownership analysis a couple weeks ago and now it's time to delve into some trail stats. Ever wonder which US states have…
The first ever Southeast Bike Expo is being held this weekend at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, site of the 1996 Olympic mountain bike competition. Online registration closes at midnight…
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