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
In case you hadn't heard yet, there's an encore presentation of Race Across the Sky, the movie about Lance Armstrong's epic battle with Dave Wiens in the Leadville 100 MTB race this…
Element22 did a kick-ass job designing the singletracks jersey and we're finally ready to start taking pre-orders. We need to order a minimum of 10 of each style so to make sure…
Rebecca Rusch wins the 2009 Leadville 100 Back in September I got a chance to chat with 2009 Leadville winner and 2-time 24 Hour Solo World Champion Rebecca Rusch about racing, training,…
A few weeks back I got an invitation from W.L. Gore & Associates, makers of Gore-Tex, Gore Bike Wear, and Gore Ride-On Cables (among many, many other things), to come visit them…
photo by Nils Nilson, xterraphotos.com On October 25 the Xterra Triathlon World Championships took place in Maui, HI with 550 racers from 22 countries around the world. The World Champs is the…
OK, so I actually had a dream about this just a couple days ago before I even heard about the contest so I'm pretty sure I'm going to win. Go ahead and…
Itusi trail @ Lake Norman State Park - photo by EZ-E IMBA is on the ball again, this time organizing mountain bikers to comment on the North Carolina State Parks Systemwide Plan.…
Last night I watched Race Across the Sky, the movie about this year's Leadville 100 MTB race and I gotta say it was pretty awesome. I was surprised the see the movie…
... or today, depending on when you read this :) The movie is playing for one night only in movie theaters across the country and a quick check shows there are still…
So a couple weeks ago I got to meet Nate Stinson of Down South Cyclery, Atlanta's only mobile bike repair service. Nate is a mountain biker with a pretty sweet set-up that…
Over the weekend you may have noticed some changes we're rolling out to the MTB review pages here on singletracks and I wanted to talk about some of the new features. In…
Singletracks member Outdoornut clued me in to the latest issue of IMBA Trail News where they talk about the 5 newest IMBA Epic trails added this year. Here's a summary from east…
Sorry for the late announcement but here it is: The dirtiest mountain bike drivetrains on the planet. Ok, so maybe there are nastier chains, cassettes, and cranks out there somewhere (probably in…
This week Lance Armstrong signed a 3-year deal to become spokesman for Michelob Ultra. Here's what the 1-time Leadville 100 MTB race winner had to say: "Im always making decisions that complement…
When I started riding back in the early 1990s, there was basically just one flavor of mountain biking but today MTB categories can get a little confusing. I found this helpful chart…
photo courtesy cyclewise.co.uk. So this is a cool concept: a mountain bike trail built explicitly for mountain bike coaching. The Cyclewise Coaching Trail provides a place for mountain bike coaches to work…
A few mountain bike news bites to start the week. Backyard bikepark. Over at ihatebikes.net the author is busy working on a backyard bike park and apparently things are getting pretty serious.…
Believe it or not there are things happening in the MTB world that have nothing to do with Interbike this week. Chris Eatough is retiring. Yep, the man who won six straight…
ckdake may be tough to beat with this pic. Just a couple more days left in the Tri-Flow "Dirtiest Drivetrain" contest. Post your pics to the dirty drivetrain photo album for consideration…
Sometimes it can be tough to cut through the noise at Interbike to find new and interesting products from smaller companies. I found one such product, call Bike Armor, in the new…
I know, I know - by now some of you are sick and tired of hearing about 29ers. I promise this is my last 29er post from Interbike and I plan on…
Suvacrew mentioned that he wanted to hear about the Pivot Mach 429 and on Thursday I got a chance to talk to a Pivot rep about the newest addition to the Mach…
Things were a little hectic at Interbike last week but somehow we still managed to push out more than 20 posts - and there's more where that came from! Look for posts…
Cannondale introduced a (previously) secret suspension project called "Simon" at Interbike that is generating some serious buzz. The idea is that the rider can tune and control suspension characteristics using an electronic,…
Some cool notes that don't warrant a full post: The most expensive hardtail I've ever seen. The Lapierre Prorace 900 retails for a cool $6,999 (at least it's under 7 grand) and…
When you think of Camelbak, you might not necessarily think of innovation. Sure, every year Camelbak gives us new pack colors and more pockets but many of the best selling packs have…
David Blaine himself would be impressed: a mountain bike with 4 inches of rear travel that can scale to 6 inches when needed and responsive, shifting frame geometry. The Kona Abra Cadabra…
We spoke with Denny Yunk at the Hayes group this morning about everything from wheels to bars to brakes. Here's a short video clip with Denny talking about the new Black Flag…
This morning we talked with Gore Bike Wear about their latest off-road jacket called the Fusion and came away suitably impressed. The Fusion features "comfort mapping" which places the right materials in…
Aside from the test rides Monday and Tuesday, there were a number of interesting things we learned at Outdoor Demo. Here are a few quick hits: Trek 69er discontinued. If you're a…
Let's admit it: bike racks aren't usually all that exciting. Getting your bike to and from the trailhead is a nuisance at best and most of us are just looking for something…
This morning element22 and I got a chance to speak with the folks at Time and saw some pretty cool mountain bike shoes and pedals. The MXS Carbon shoe features a thermoformable…
Theres a lot of buzz around the SRAM XX component group and this afternoon I got a brief opportunity to see how the rich live. Clearly its tough to evaluate an entire…
Im starting to think that bike manufacturers are onto something with steel 29er hardtail mountain bikes. The Raleigh XXIX Pro shows why this is such a winning combination: its lightweight, supple, and…
These days mountain bikers like to talk about the 29er revolution but the fact is that even just a few years ago 29ers were generally poorly designed and awkward to ride. Today…
The Yeti ASR 5 is brand new this year (not even on the Yeti website yet) and marks a bit of a departure from the 575 and ASR 7 models. The ASR…
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be a mountain bike test pilot? Today I got just a taste when I rode a prototype of the Banshee Spitfire, a…
The Moots MootoXz offers an embarassment of riches: it's a 29er, made of titanium, full-suspension, and it's built in Steamboat Springs, CO. If you're imagining a super plush ride that can climb…
Regular readers know I'm into simple, lightweight XC bikes that just work and today I rode what is perhaps my new favorite: The Spot Longboard. This is a steel frame, 29er (natch),…
The carbon Trek Fuel EX 9.9 performs exactly as you would imagine it does: flawlessly. I had the chance to demo a shiny extra-large EX 9.9 today and here are the not…
Steve Peat. Photograph: Kathy Sessler / Santa Cruz Syndicate via Guardian.co.uk. The LA Times just ran a two part article profiling mountain biker turned Tour de France dominator Levi Leipheimer. As you…
Rust. Dirt. Grease. Grime. Mud. All of this adds up to a dirty drivetrain which can seriously harsh your ride. Fortunately Tri-Flow offers a full line of products to help you get…
National Public Lands Day @ Continental Divide Trail. Photo by Erika Knoth. Mark your calendar - this fall there are several official events you can participate in to celebrate mountain biking! As…
The first ever Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race is happening next month and from what we've read this could be a very cool race. Riders will compete over 4 days, riding 145…
In less than 10 days element22 and trek7k are hitting the Las Vegas strip for Interbike 2009 and we're bringing everyone along for the ride! Well, not literally, but we will be…
IMBA's annual "Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day" (TAKMBD) is set for October 3, 2009 and if you register your event with IMBA before September 15 they'll send you a goody box…
For those who have purchased or are thinking about purchasing a singletracks premium subscription, just wanted to let you know about some recent improvements. High resolution trail maps in PDF We're rolling…
29er mountain bikes are more popular than ever these days but there still aren't a lot of choices when it comes to components, especially wheels. Fortunately Easton offers 29-inch versions of two…
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