Greg began mountain biking in 2005, and since then, the pursuit of singletrack has taken him around the world. While Greg first started adding trail reviews to Singletracks in 2008, his career in mountain bike media officially began in 2010. He started writing for Singletracks in 2011 while simultaneously finishing his formal secondary education in writing and publication. Greg has the distinction of being the first employee that Singletracks ever hired, and he went on to serve for seven years, including five years in the Editor in Chief role. After a six-year hiatus, Greg is back at Singletracks, serving in the Managing Editor role.
While Greg has reviewed innumerable mountain bikes and products over the years, his true passion lies in writing about mountain bike trails and destinations. Greg has ridden over 8,000 trails and visited 21 countries (and counting). He recently spent four years traveling full-time, including two spent living in a camper van with his wife, Christine. In between epic trips, he now resides in Durango, Colorado.
Author snapshot
MTB Background and expertise
- Riding experience: Primarily trail and enduro, with experience including endurance XC, bikepacking, downhill, and gravel riding.
- Mountain biking since: 2005
- Number of trails ridden: 8,000+
- Number of countries visited: 21+
- Current stable: Pivot Switchblade V3, Pivot Vault, Scott Big Jon
Education and writing experience
- Bachelors of Arts, English: Writing and Publication, University of North Georgia
- Other publications: Strava, FATMAP, Dirt Rag Magazine, MTB Project, Hiking Project, GearJunkie, Outside 365
Editor’s Note: "Over a Beer" is a regular opinion column written by Greg Heil. While Greg is the Editor in Chief for Singletracks.com, the opinions expressed in this commentary are his alone…
If you needed more evidence that wide tires make mountain biking easier and more forgiving, look no further than Specialized's recent announcement of a whole new wheel size for kids bikes: 24+!…
All photos via Rocky Mountain Rocky Mountain has just announced their inaugural entry into the 27.5+ market: the Pipeline. This is an aggressive, carbon trail bike built for…
All photos courtesy of Yeti The new SB5.5c from Yeti is a 29er sporting 5.5 inches (140mm) of Switch Infinity rear travel. However, Yeti is maintaining the front/rear…
You may have clicked on this article while asking yourself, “what the heck does he mean, ‘Over a Beer?’ I’m so not “over" beer—give me all the beers! I need more beers…
All photos courtesy of Ibis Cycles Ibis has just launched 6 new asymmetric rims--4 in carbon and 2 in aluminum. The new wheels consist of the 742, 942, 735,…
Mavic has just announced their revamped Crossmax Pro and Crossmax Elite wheels. The new wheelsets both feature a wider 22mm internal rim width and have dropped the bead hooks in favor of…
Hot on the heels of the announcement from six bike industry shock manufacturers that they had settled on new metric sizing for rear shocks, RockShox has released two brand-new metric-sized shocks: the Deluxe…
Whistler-Blackcomb recently announced a new "Renaissance" expansion, in which they plan to invest $345 million in expanding various parts of the resort. While this expansion will be rolled out in three phases and…
According to a recent article published on SFGATE.com, Marin County will begin enforcing a 15mph speed limit on mountain bike trails in their open space areas. "Beginning this month, park rangers will…
New Zealand should need no introduction as a mountain biking destination. If it does, then you really haven't been paying attention. :) Picture this: two islands in the Pacific Ocean, that are…
Club Ride says that these pants are designed for cool-weather rides, so for winter use I added a thermal layer beneath them.
The smartphone is the single most ubiquitous piece of technology today. These days, everyone from your 80-year-old grandma on down to your 12-year-old nephew is walking around with their head down, tapping away…
SRAM 1x12 is officially here! While it may have been one of the worst-kept product launch secrets in recent memory, and we were even speculating about an expanding gear range following the new…
Mountain biking is currently in the throes of an identity crisis. This isn't exactly news, but has rather been an ongoing issue in our sport for many, many years. But I think…
The Fahrenheit Jacket from Hincapie is a warm puffy jacket that's designed to perform well in cold weather, both on and off the bike. Specs This puffy jacket isn't actually natural down…
Extremities are the first parts of the body to get cold on a mid-winter fat bike ride and the last to warm up. As they say, the best defense is a good…
Pogies are a popular solution to the problem of cold hands when fat biking. However, having big sacks of windproof fabric covering your handlebars isn't exactly a lightweight, elegant solution, and frankly,…
All photos courtesy of Ibis Ibis has just released the ability to overhaul your Ibis Mojo HD3 and turn it into a 27.5+ rig. This new capability comes…
If you've picked up fat biking and have attempted to partake in this chilly version of mountain biking for any length of time, you probably know that you can get away with…
Arkansas is flush with excellent mountain bike trails, and is home to challenging topography thanks to not one, but two mountain ranges: the Ozarks and the Ouachitas.
Leadville, Colorado is a small mountain town with the dubious honor of being the highest incorporated town in the United States--we're talking about elevation above sea level, here, although you can hit…
In a statement released yesterday, the San Diego Mountain Bike Association (SDMBA) publicly voiced their disapproval and opposition to IMBA's stance on not fighting for mountain bike access in Wilderness areas. Despite being…
New South Wales (NSW) is home to the largest Australian city: Sydney. Add in the Great Dividing Range of mountains, which roughly parallels the coast running north/south through NSW, and it's only…
I'm not going to spend this introduction trying to convince you to love fat biking. Either you're a fat fan already, you're a fat hater, or you haven't been paying attention for…
MTBparks.com has launched its third-annual Best Bike Parks Survey. With this annual survey, they provide a readers' choice award ranking the top 5 best bike parks in eight regions across North America.…
Ibis has just announced the release of their brand-new Mojo 3. The big news? The new Mojo 3 comes stock as a 27.5+ rig with 2.8"-wide tires. However, this plus-size setup uses Ibis's…
IMBA has announced a new "assertive stance" to fight what they view as wrongful trail closures without due process in places where they have an active IMBA chapter, during their press conference Thursday.…
We just wrapped up our biggest survey ever (by number of responses) on Singletracks.com. 4,334 mountain bikers chimed in to tell us about what bikes they own and ride, and we threw…
Riding the new Ibis Trans-Fat. Photo: Ibis Cycles. While generally new bike announcements are very scarce between Interbike and Sea Otter, fat biking is breaking the mold, with…
Bicycle Retailer reports that Giant USA will begin direct-to-consumer sales via their website by August 2016. However, in this case "direct to consumer" is a bit of a misnomer, because while parts…
Bicycle Retailer reports that Shimano has slashed wholesale and retail prices on many components above the SLX level, although price cuts aren't uniform across the board. Changes in prices range from a…
With the release of SRAM's GX drivetrain last year we finally exclaimed, "Ah, now 1x11 is actually affordable!" And that is undoubtedly still the case for that drivetrain: GX offers an incredible value…
Alabama may not boast the big east coast mountain ranges that can be found in nearby Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina, but the Appalachian Mountains actually do extend into northern Alabama, providing…
Sure, you've probably heard talk about riding in Sedona, but there's so much more to Arizona than just Sedona.
Santa Cruz has just announced an all-new mountain bike in their lineup: the Hightower 27.5+/29er. This new rig is available stock in both wheel size configurations and can be switched between the…
A hidden motor was discovered in a bike at the UCI Cyclocross World Championships this past weekend. The offending rider was Femke Van den Driessche (Team Kleur op Maat). This is outstanding as…
News has reached us that freerider Kelly McGarry has died while riding in New Zealand this weekend. Having met Kelly briefly, in addition to watching probably all of his videos, I can…
Photo: Greg Heil Last week we received word that John Bliss, former chair of the IMBA board of directors, had joined the Sustainable Trails Coalition. And now we…
I've come to the conclusion that there are many crappy fat bikes on the market today. From poor component choices (wheels and tires), to poor geometry creating awkward handling, to excessively high weights,…
Editor's Note: Greg Heil made it one of his primary goals to not enter any races in 2015--and he succeeded. While Greg is the Editor in Chief for Singletracks.com, the opinions expressed in this…
The existence of "mountain" biking in the state of Mississippi is a testament to the tenacity of human beings. Not willing to settle for riding skinny tires on pavement, the residents of…
Photos courtesy of Spirt Mountain Facebook Page Spirit Mountain, located in Duluth, Minnesota, announced today that they are opening their lifts for lift-served, downhill winter fat biking, from…
While the Southeastern US is a popular mountain bike getaway for northeasterners and midwesterners during the dead of winter, riders in the northern rockies need an escape, too!
Testing the 4-inch-wide Maxxis Mammoth fat bike tire.
photo: Matthew Koehnemann (horton581). While reviving our Five2Ride series as the northern hemisphere plunges headlong into winter might not seem logical, the reality is that mountain bikers around the world are still riding dry…
Mountain biking is expensive. We all know this. The thing is, I hate the idea of having to pay hundreds of dollars for a pair of simple mountain bike shoes. Many top-end…
The Hangover Trail in Sedona, Arizona is hands-down the sketchiest trail I've ever ridden. Rarely do videos and photos do a trail's technical, high-consequence nature justice, but this recent video from Nate…
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