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
Right smack-dab in the middle of Interbike 2015, Wahoo Fitness raised the curtain on their brand-new GPS Cycling Computer: the ELEMNT. Now, is this a cycling computer, or is it a GPS…
The "Patrol" mountain bike brand is officially launching in the USA! If you haven't heard of Patrol before, don't fret: they hail from Indonesia, home of a burgeoning mountain bike scene thanks…
Norco had several new and updated mountain bikes on display at Interbike 2015. New for this year is a 27.5+ hardtail, dubbed the "Torrent 7." The Torrent 7 is a budget-friendly hardtail,…
When 27.5+ first hit the scene, I initially thought that the ideal use case would be long-travel trail/enduro bikes. "Why do we need 27.5+ tires on a hardtail?" I asked myself. "Wouldn't…
We take a look at 22 fat bikes launched in 2015.
Ellsworth is yet another convert to the 27.5+ life, with two versions of the Epiphany available with the plus-size tires: carbon and alloy. The Bike I tested the carbon version, which is…
I've ridden Jamis bikes off and on for years. In fact, my first full suspension bike was a Jamis Dakar XLT, and I reviewed a newer version of the Jamis Dakar back…
I'll be honest: I hadn't heard of 9point8 before I spoke with them at Interbike this year. But after finishing my conversation with Steven Park, the owner, I decided that their latest…
Scott's inaugural entry into the fat bike market, the Big Ed, was launched last year. But we hadn't had a chance to ride it--until now. The Bike The Big Ed features an…
IMBA presented scientific findings from an inaugural study comparing the soil displacement of mountain bikes, eMTBs, and dirt bikes, at the Interbike E-Bike Theatre sponsored by Bosch, the industry leader in e-bike…
Most of the major mountain bike trends over the last four-plus years have involved an increase in tire widths. With 4-inch fat bikes giving way to 5-inch rigs, and 27.5-inch and 29-inch…
My mission at Interbike this year was to demo and photograph as many 27.5+ bikes as possible. It turned out that there were so many new plus-sized that I couldn't possibly ride…
I spotted some very interesting products tucked away in the shady corner of Cannondale's booth at Outdoor Demo this year. Technically the info is already available on Cannondale's website, but these new…
The Pivot Mach 4 might seem like it's solely a lean, mean, cross country machine. But I'm not lean, only mean some of the time, and I don't consider myself an MTB…
Crested Butte, Colorado. All I need to do is speak the name, and mental images of towering, jagged mountain peaks, flowing singletrack, colorful wildflowers, and whispering aspens fill my head. I may…
Over the course of the coming weeks you'll read numerous articles about the new 27.5+ products launching at Interbike 2015. By relating all of this content, we're not trying to convince you…
Singletracks is at Interbike and Outdoor Demo this week checking out the latest and greatest mountain bikes and MTB products on the market. One of the first that we spotted at Outdoor…
Ahead of Interbike this year, Borealis has announced the release of two all-new models: the carbon Crestone and alloy Flume. The all-new Borealis Crestone Crestone The new Crestone…
Scotland covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain, and is the most mountainous kingdom in the United Kingdom. (Source 1, Source 2) The Scottish Highlands contain Scotland's tallest mountains (with…
Yeti has just announced a newly-redesigned SB6c frame, featuring a new carbon front triangle, Boost 148-compatible rear end, and internal cable routing. To showcase this redesign, Yeti is releasing a limited run…
And we're off! The Sustainable Trails Coalition has officially raised enough money to hire lobbyists and begin their work on Capitol Hill! The STC sent out an announcement to all monetary donors…
Spain is an incredibly mountainous country, with ranges such as the Pyrenees, the Cordillera Cantabrica, Sistema Iberico, Sistema Central, and others dominating the landscape. The highest point in mainland Spain--and also the…
This spring I had the opportunity of a lifetime: I got to spend a full week riding in Sweden. I had an absolutely fantastic time shredding the trails there, and would love to…
Giro has just launched the Montaro helmet, a new MIPS-equipped mountain bike helmet with enhanced coverage over a standard XC model. All photos courtesy of Giro With both…
Yeti revamped their suspension design in 2014 to the Switch Infinity design, and has continued to migrate this design to all of the top-tier bikes in their lineup. With the SB5C and…
The closure of the Boulder-White Clouds to mountain bikes thanks to its new Wilderness designation and the coincidentally-timed launch of the Sustainable Trails Coalition is brewing a controversy of epic proportions in…
While the Alps run for 750 miles and span eight different countries, whenever I dream of going to the Alps to ride or ski, I immediately think of Switzerland. (Source) The Swiss…
Editor's Note: Greg Heil is a self-stated fan of backcountry mountain biking, and he can see four different Wilderness areas from his house. While Greg is the Editor in Chief for Singletracks.com,…
For years Park City, Utah was notable as the only gold-level IMBA Ride Center. Of course, there are a plethora of incredible destinations that haven't chosen to apply as ride centers, so…
Victoria is geographically the smallest state on the Austrlian mainland, yet it's an extremely diverse location! With a climate that ranges from wet, temperate forests to semi-arid plains to snowy alpine mountains…
Are you passionate about mountain biking, and do you love to share your adventures through carefully-crafted words and photos? We’re looking for an enthusiastic, dependable writer based in California to contribute to…
Trek has just announced that they are going to begin online bike sales, as reported by Bicycle Retailer. This is big news, as they're the first brand of the big three to…
Getting to experience a mountain bike destination during the early stages of its development is a rare treat. Such an experience is even more rare in the state of Colorado, a mountain…
Del Norte is home to a very diverse climate, with everything from high alpine trails above treeline to low-desert, and everything in between. For more on Del Norte's geography and what the…
The metaphor of a child entertaining himself on a playground is often used in an attempt to express the sheer joy that we adults find in riding our bikes in the forest.…
The Enduro World Series (EWS) stop in Crested Butte, Colorado had been canceled, yet hundreds of racers, spectators, locals, journalists, mechanics, and more still gathered under dark, stormy skies at the race…
We've received official confirmation from Enduro World Series that there was a fatality during the today's first stage here in Crested Butte, Colorado. The official release from EWS follows: It is with…
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the United States, with only 1,045 square miles of land mass. Since it's located on the ocean, with many large inlets and bays, the land…
If you caught my previous plus-size article, you know that I think plus-size tires are the future of mountain bikes. You also read about my impressions of the Scott Genius LT Plus…
While much of the international MTB awareness of South Africa centers on the Absa Cape Epic stage race, you don't have to sign up for 800km (500mi) of racing and 15,000m (49,000ft)…
Plus-size tires, bikes, and components designed to accommodate them, are taking center stage in the latest-and-greatest MTB trend for 2015. However, based on Facebook comments left on a plus-size news blurb a…
Click here to watch more from Brandon Semenuk. When I first saw Brandon Semenuk's one-shot segment during the unReal movie premiere, my jaw was on the floor. Yes, the tricks and skills…
The Scott Genius 930 is an unsung hero of a trail bike. While it forgoes some of the flash and bling that some other brands offer, the Genius has the ability to…
South Carolina is in many ways the definition of the Southern US. It was the first state to vote to secede from the Union on December 20, 1860, and the cotton heritage…
Leo Ranta, owner and founder of Hillside Cycling, was willing to guide me to the very best mountain biking that Gothenburg had to offer.
From the outside looking in, the trail networks that infiltrate the city of Gothenburg are indistinguishable when you move from one to another.
Leo Ranta has developed a legendary mythology around himself in the West Sweden mountain biking community, a legend which nobody but Chuck Norris himself could hope to best.
Our time riding Marstrand Island in Sweden may go down in the books as one of the most unique mountain bike experiences of my life.
2
