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
This week we added the 700th mountain bike trail map to singletracks and it's amazing to see how many people are riding with GPS units these days compared to just a couple…
Let me start this out by saying I almost never review nutrition or hydration products. Nutrition and hydration choices will generally be specific to each rider and what works for me might…
While all eyes will be on Lance Armstrong and his comeback at this year's Tour de France, the man himself seems to have something bigger on his mind: winning the Leadville 100…
This week's MTB news round up has a decidely "happy" flavor to it and with Independence Day coming up, what more could you ask for? Lost mountain biker rescued. On Sunday a…
As we head into the weekend there are a few cool things happening: Chicago is gunning to host the Olympic Games in 2016 but one problem: Chicagoland is flat as a pancake.…
So apparently this story is getting picked up all over the place and at first I was pretty excited at the prospects: Google Street View is expanding to hiking and biking trails.…
I've been using Yakima car roof racks for at least 10 years now - in fact, THE SAME two Yakima racks and 4 bike trays to be precise. Both the racks and…
On June 12, 2009 the Tour Divide kicked off in Banff, Alberta (Canada) with an international field of 42 riders. The completely self-supported race from Banff to Antelope Wells, NM at the…
Ok, so we missed the first day of summer by a couple days but better late than never, right? Today we posted a Google Map showing singletracks trails around the world using…
Well, it turns out the rumors about Iron Horse were mostly true: the company declared bankruptcy and an auction for assets and trademarks is scheduled for July 13. Bids are coming in…
A few interesting stories from around the MTB world: Missy Giove charged with marijuana distribution. Badass downhiller racer, 14-time NORBA champion, and 11 time World Cup winner Missy Giove was busted this…
We wrote about ByeKyle's Simple Strap product a several weeks ago and noted how simple and versatile it is (even the name is "simple"). Now ByeKyle is simplifying the entire sales process…
When mudhunny and I started singletracks back in 1998, our mission was simple: to help mountain bikers find the best trails. Eleven years later it's still our focus and to make sure…
Regular readers know I'm a nut when it comes to GPS and mountain bikes and these days it seems like more and more riders are catching the fever. The problem? Using a…
The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) announced yesterday that the 2010 IMBA World Summit will be held in Augusta, GA May 5-8. Augusta may seem like an odd choice, especially to mountain…
This week I came across a couple MTB news items that, although unrelated, point to interesting trends affecting the mountain bike world... Image from cnano-rhone-alpes.org. James Easton donates $2M to UCLA for…
Rider Sam Hill photo courtesy fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk. This weekend more than 20,000 spectators turned out to watch the MTB World Cup competition at Fort William, Scotland which, I'm told, was voted the best…
Saturday was National Trails Day and I got a chance to help out with the MTB trail reroutes out at Sope Creek just outside Atlanta. I assumed this would be just another…
Santa Teresa Park (San Jose, CA) photo by gab26. Tomorrow is National Trails Day here in the US and as a mountain biker I gotta say I'm a little confused about what…
Mudhunny and I started getting curious about Blue Competition Cycles last summer after hearing about them from a friend and over the next several months we talked with people at the company…
No, unfortunately this isn't a joke. The first ever World Indoor MTB Championships were actually held over the weekend in the UK and featured top riders including Gee Atherton and Greg Minnaar,…
As if mountain bikes weren't becoming geeked out enough with GPS and electronic suspension, now you can get keyboard grips for your ride. Okay, so these are actually BMX grips from Odyssey…
California State Parks proposes opening 4 miles of trail on Mount Tamalpais to mountain bikes
Bummed by the NASCAR rain delays this weekend? This might cheer you up: NASCAR drivers Andy Lally and Craig Stanton will be competing in 24 Hours of Big Bear (West Virginia) on…
This week there are several large MTB recalls involving suspension forks and frames: Trek is recalling 16,000 mountain bikes due to faulty suspension forks that can become misaligned leading to a loss…
Dr. David Batterbee, a Sheffield University boffin (look it up) will be awarded $62,000 from the Royal Academy of Engineering to develop a prototype for a new mountain bike suspension system he…
This weekend I rode the Sumter Metric Century, a 62 mile mountain bike race through the Sumter National Forest in South Carolina, home to some of the best singletrack the southeast has…
A sampler of MTB news from this week: Bike rescue team rescues missing hikers: Yet another example of bikers helping hikers, this time in Manchester, NH. A group of 4 hikers became…
West Fork trail in Oakridge, OR. Photo posted by AK_Dan. Oakridge, OR bills itself as the "mountain biking capital of the Northwest" and while we haven't ridden there yet ourselves, they have…
Japanese Gulch photo by singletracks member chris_donovan. Last week we talked about the idea that hikers and other outdoor groups should work with mountain bikers to preserve public lands since united we…
Photos courtesy MTBPursuits.com. Looking for a way to celebrate the Queen of New Zealand's birthday in style? Try manning up to the Run 79 Lake Tekapo mountain bike race on May 31.…
Yep, it's official: Mountain bike season begins May 16. Whistler Blackcomb is opening the Whistler Mountain Bike Park next Saturday "on whatever trails are clear - or can be cleared - of…
Next week is bike to work week and while not *officially* a mountain bike event we thought you'd want a heads up. SFGate.com published an article with commuter fashion tips from none…
Emerging from a dark tunnel on Gold Camp Road in Colorado Springs, CO. We've profiled some unusual MTB races here in the past (ones that go through brewpubs, parking structures, etc.) but…
There's an article over on NewWest.com about allowing mountain bikes in wilderness areas that's stirring up some serious controversy (thanks to chukt for sending the link). The jist of the opinion piece…
Another damp weekend training ride in north Georgia. I'm less than 2 weeks away from my first metric dirty century in Sumter National Forest and this weekend I had my toughest training…
There seems to be a lot of buzz around carbon fiber mountain bike frames these days but there's another frame material you may not be familiar with: magnesium. Yep, it turns out…
Photo from Red Trail Racing flyer. Slick or knobby tires are ok :) This weekend we got a chance to attend the Athens Twilight Criterium and even though there weren't any mountain…
Lots of mountain biking news to share this morning. Kona Naming Contest: A couple weeks ago we told you about the contest to name Kona's new Magic Link all-mountain bike and one…
IMBA's April newsletter is chock-full of new trail news from across the country: Oregon: An anonymous donor has pledged $1 million to help fund a "destination bike park" on a 35-acre plot…
I'm not a car guy which you could probably tell by looking at my Honda Civic with 176,000 miles, a leaky door, and busted suspension or my Jeep Cherokee with a dying/dead…
2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp If you bought a new Specialized mountain bike between June 2008 and February 2009 check this out: Specialized is recalling 14,000 2009 model bikes due to a serious…
We hear about womens mountain bike skills clinics all the time but the Dirt Series program (put on by Rocky Mountain Bikes) sounds a little different. While most clinics focus on getting…
Photo by Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun The Vancouver Sun published an article on Kelly Smith, a wheelchair athlete who won the wheelchair division at the Vancouver Sun Run 10K this weekend and…
Markus Stockl on his way to a world MTB speed record. Mountain bikers are always looking for new ways to push the envelope - mountain biking wouldn't be an extreme sport if…
Muddy conditions on the forest roads outside Helen, GA this winter. Spring can be a frustrating time of year for mountain bikers. The weather is finally warming up, the flowers are blooming,…
Riding in the clouds above 3,000 feet this weekend. Regular readers may recall I signed up to ride the Sumter Metric Dirty Century on the trails near Augusta, GA next month. I…
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![VANCOUVER, B.C.- APRIL 19, 2009- Wheelchair winner, Kelly Smith, at the 25th annual Vancouver Sun run in Vancouver on April 19, 2009. (Ian Smith/Vancouver Sun) News story by Gary Kingston Trax. # 0034380A [PNG Merlin Archive]](https://images.singletracks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/kelly-smith.jpg)
