Aaron Chamberlain has been in the bike industry since 2012, and was a member of the Singletracks staff from 2015 - 2018. He's written dozens of product reviews and travel reports and is an expert on mountain bike components.
Aaron says, "I love any kind of mountain biking, but especially all-day rides with plenty of climbing and descending. Used to race a lot and I still do the occasional endurance event or stage race. Most of my rides now are just about enjoying my time in the woods."
Going over the route last year Last spring, we hosted a ride with our friends from Mulberry Gap in Ellijay, GA. That ride, dubbed the #BrutalLoop, covered 35 miles…
During a recent trip to visit my friends Gwyn and Kurt, the topic of where to ride quickly came up. The couple had just finished building a house in the mountains near Saluda,…
Jeremiah Bishop leading Thomas Turner during the 2015 race; the two ran neck-to-neck all week with Turner eventually taking the win by less than 2 minutes While some…
Hot on the heels of the recent NX1 drivetrain announcement, SRAM is releasing a new brake called Level. It takes several design cues and technologies from their Guide line of brakes including pistons,…
I may have been born in the frozen tundra of central Michigan, but after spending most of my adult life in the Southeast, I have developed a strong aversion to the cold.…
New year, new bike. Eliot Jackson on the Pivot Phoenix (photo: Colin Meagher) Today, Pivot announced an updated Phoenix DH frame. The "old" - like two years old…
With the 2016 North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) in Sacramento, CA, coming up at the end of the month, we've been getting plenty of press releases from companies that will be attending. This…
Over the past few years, Western North Carolina has really come into its own as a destination for outdoor activities of all types. But it's also become a hub for companies that…
"Pinhoti" means Turkey Home in Creek Indian; the route is blazed with the turkey foot symbol (photo: Jeff Barber) The Pinhoti Trail is one of the premiere hiking…
Hope Technology is a company known for their no B.S., made in the UK, machined components. Probably like many of you, my first set of "nice" hubs were from Hope. Those Pro…
Along with their crankset, Hope sent over their Slick Chain Device for review. It's a chain guide intended to be run with a 1x drivetrain. Unfortunately, the Zen TRAIL frame that I used for…
Lindarets--makers of the Remount and Goat Link--have announced the "Boostinator," a clever bit of kit that allows you to adapt certain 100x15mm front and 142x12mm rear hubs to the wider Boost standard. Assuming you…
SRAM offers three categories of complete wheelsets to cover the spectrum of mountain bikers: Rise, Roam, and Rail. Those monikers probably give you a clue as to each wheel's intended purpose. Rise wheels are…
The past couple of seasons have seen bikepacking explode in popularity. I can speak from personal experience, as it seems many of my friends have caught the bug. My favorite local shop,…
The Mio Fuse Heart Rate and Activity Tracker Earlier this year, our own Jim Hodgson tested the Mio Link. That unit was very basic, functioning solely as a…
Labeling anything as "Ultimate" sets a high bar, but that's exactly what Canfield Brothers did when they released the latest version of their Crampon pedals. Canfield Brothers Crampon Ultimate…
While I test rode the Marin Attack Trail during OutDoor Demo, I was really interested in the Pine Mountain--a steel hardtail that uses the new 27.5+ wheel size. Why? Well, this plus/mid-fat/husky size…
The older I get, the faster the years seem to go by, and 2015 was no exception. It's hard to believe 2016 is nearly here. This year was fun, challenging, frantically busy…
With the prevalence of narrow/wide chain rings, you'd think that innovation in chainguides would have dried up. Not if the folks at MRP have anything to say about it. Today they announced…
The SRAM 1x11 GX drivetrain offers quality at an affordable price.
Earlier this year I tested the Niner JET 9 Alloy. I found it to be a capable bike, so much so that the rear suspension was able to easily outride the 100mm RockShox…
As we all know, the POV camera market is dominated by one brand: GoPro. In our Best MTB Gear of 2015 survey, they were miles ahead of second place Sony. That said,…
Club Ride Apparel was founded in 2008 as a company with a different take on mountain bike clothing. Instead of choosing between spandex race kits or "chee-yeah brah" DH-leaning gear, Club Ride…
Fording a river in the Oasiz (photo: Helena Kotala) The Oasiz mountain bike helmet sits atop Lazer's MTB line as their premiere trail helmet. Tested here…
WTB has been on a tear the past couple years, releasing all kinds of new products. We stopped by their booth at the 2015 Sea Otter Classic to check out the new wares,…
WTB gave me the Trail Boss to use as a front tire in conjunction with the Riddler in the rear. Some of the info for the tires is the same, so I…
As mentioned in my "On Review" article, I've always been a big fan of hardtails. I think everyone should have one in their quiver. Riding a hardtail will keep your skills sharp,…
American Classic's Wide Lightning wheelset Carbon wheels tend to garner most of the attention these days, but the vast majority of riders are still rocking aluminum hoops. American…
You've spent months reading reviews online, ridden all kinds of bikes at demo days, and saved your pennies. After much deliberation and fretting you've finally pulled the trigger on that new bike.…
With a basic design and smart features, the Alpinestars Pathfinder shorts are a no-nonsense bit of riding kit. They retail for $115, which includes a removable liner (chamois), and are available in black…
Ah, Scotland. Land of clear blue skies, warm temperatures, and sandy beaches. Except not really. Scotland is just as much known for its rugged terrain and weather as its delicious whisky. Basically,…
After a couple days of riding in the desert, walking from the hotel through smokey casinos dozens of times, and wandering around the convention hall, Interbike can seem like just one big…
Many brands were touting their new gear for women at this year's Interbike, but Bell Helmets had one of the most comprehensive collections that I saw. The Super…
Spank is known for their no-nonsense, durable, and affordable products. In an age of $2,000 carbon wheels, it's nice to see a company working to keep gear attainable. Spank's products are made…
American Classic is a company that is dedicated to continuos innovation. I guess that's what happens when your founder, Bill Shook, is an engineer. If you spend any time talking to Bill,…
The stylish Swedes at POC Sports were showing off a bunch of new gear at Interbike 2015, but they were most excited about their new full-face mountain bike helmet, the Coron. [caption…
While talking to the rep from Topeak, it was apparent that they're focused on adding as many features to their products as possible. This seems to be an industry-wide trend as well,…
The engineers at Maxxis have been busy trying to keep up with all the recent changes in wheel sizes. On display in their booth was a bevy of new tread patterns, sizes,…
The Highlighter Yellow Transition Patrol Transition was another company that had empty racks for much of the Outdoor Demo. One guy I talked to on the shuttle truck…
Tuesday afternoon at Outdoor Demo brought a brief rain shower, which was great for those of us testing bikes. Not only did it cool things off and tamp down the dust, it…
Marin has been making bikes since the early days of our sport, but kind of lost their way in the earlier 2000s. Their bikes, were, uh, "unique looking," to put it mildly.…
Giant has always made some great riding bikes, but like a Toyota Camry, there was a certain "wow factor" that was missing. That all seems to have changed over the last few…
A test ride review of the 2016 Rocky Mountain Altitude enduro bike.
A subdued beauty The plan was to ride Specialized's highly-acclaimed Enduro 29er, a bike that changed many minds about what a 29er could do. Well, when we showed…
If you follow World Cup Downhill racing or live in the Pacific Northwest, you are probably pretty familiar with Devinci's bikes. However, if you live just about anywhere else, they're likely a…
Santa Cruz doesn't follow model years for their bikes. Instead, they only get updated when there are real improvements to be made. It's been two years since the Bronson and the 5010…
A few members of the Singletracks Editorial Team recently got together in Salida for a long weekend of riding some of Colorado's best trails. Absolute Bikes in downtown Salida provided me with a…
I recently spent a week exploring Oregon with my girlfriend. We drove all over the state with nothing more than our camping gear and some very loose plans. One of the places…
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