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
Van-lifers and car campers heading to Crested Butte this summer may find some of their favorite camping spots and pull-offs are no longer available for use.
Gene Hamilton is a former pro downhill racer who created one of the first mountain bike skills courses in the late 1990s. Today Better Ride holds clinics around the US, teaching regular riders and pros alike how to ride faster.
In 2018 Singletracks surveyed readers and found that 85% of respondents had never ridden an electric mountain bike. We're curious to know how things have changed in three years.
Last year many of us tried bike packing for the first time, though not everyone made it out of the garage.
Pyga embraces the all-mountain label for the Hyrax, and I've been testing the bike for several weeks this winter. Despite the pandemic and the weather, I've managed to notch a variety of rides aboard the Hyrax, and it's left me suitably impressed.
How do I get mountain bike trails built in my area? To answer this, we reached out to trail building and advocacy professionals at both the local and national level to put together a basic outline of the process.
Rick Reed is the Brand Manager for Ride Concepts, a mountain bike footwear company based in Reno, Nevada. In this episode he answers all of our questions about how mountain bike footwear works.
Depending on the weather and the local soil, some seasons are better than others for hitting the trails.
Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland just announced a massive investment in mountain biking as a part of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, including funds for the world's first MTB Innovation Center.
We all have a different hill to climb.
"Mountain bikes have never been so good," write the authors in Pro Mountain Biker. We uncover two big reasons why today's mountain bikes so much more capable than the bikes of the past.
Shape memory alloy tires are being designed for bikes using technology developed by NASA for space rovers.
Jumping a mountain bike isn't for everyone, though most of us agree it looks pretty dang rad.
We're often confused by sizing too.
Do mountain bikers tend to bother animals more than other trail users? We ask Douglas Carchrie, a trail consultant at Big Mountain Scotland, who has studied how communicating conservation info can change behavior.
In short, yes. Trail bikes have continued to get longer, lower, and slacker over the five years we've been tracking averages. But the changes haven't exactly been linear over time.
Mountain bike brake pad choice can depend on a number of factors including weather conditions, riding style, and even the makeup of the local dirt. And sometimes, pad selection just comes down to personal preference.
The non-electric Canyon Spectral was one of my favorite bikes tested in 2020. Does that same balanced and dialed ride feel come across when a little juice (and weight) is added in? I'm about to find out.
Mountain bikers have an opportunity to be known as stewards of the environment and to protect and enhance the places we ride.
Everyone has been forced to make life adjustments big and small over the past year. So where does that leave our mountain bike fitness?
Is it just us, or do mountain bike gloves get real gross, real quick?
In the northern hemisphere trail construction and grand openings tend to slow down a bit, but we learned about at least three new mountain bike trails that managed to open or expand this month.
Today Trek adds a new electric mountain bike to their line: the E-Caliber. Based on the design of the Supercaliber cross-country race bike, the E-Caliber adds slightly more aggressive touches while keeping the bike to a reasonable weight.
Jeremiah Stone is a mountain bike skill instructor who has taught hundreds of riders across the western USA with Ninja Mountain Bike Performance and the Sedona Mountain Bike Academy. He’s also a freelance trail builder and machine operator in addition to being a skilled rider.
A quiet mountain bike is a happy mountain bike. Still, even the most dialed chariot rattles and clicks down the trail.
A veteran rider swears off hardtail mountain bikes, then discovers how much the bikes have grown up.
Moots is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year so we look back at some of the brand's unique bike designs and product decisions over the years, starting with the YBB soft tail mountain bike released in the 1980s.
For many, the next best thing to riding mountain bikes is watching -- and talking about -- other people riding mountain bikes.
The latest Shimano 4-piston XT brake set, officially designated BR-M8120, boasts a few notable tweaks and improvements as I've discovered over the past several months of testing.
So THAT'S why we can't have cheap, nice things.
It's a tough time to be in the search and rescue business. Not only are calls up significantly in many areas as more folks seek solace in the outdoors, but the pandemic has significantly slowed rescue team recruiting and training events, leading to fewer available workers in the field.
Named for a wily critter, the Pyga Hyrax is a 140 travel bike with a 150mm fork, designed to be as fast and as sure-footed as its namesake across challenging lines.
Tony Boone has been building mountain bike trails for more than 30 years, and literally helped write the book on the subject, contributing to IMBA’s Guides to Building Sweet Singletrack and Providing Great Riding.
Over time brands and consumers alike have latched onto designations like trail and enduro as a way to convey a bike's intentions. But shorthand descriptors leave important details unstated, and in some cases, can lead buyers astray.
Tired of cold hands, a mountain biker invents battery-powered heaters that fit inside standard handlebars.
The Axon Elite34 is a high-performance mountain bike fork designed for rough XC tracks and light duty trail riding.
Earl talks about how the pandemic and surprising bike boom has affected business, and his approach to connecting with new and old customers.
It takes a surprising amount of effort to build and maintain mountain bike trails.
This week Enve added a new set of "mid-priced" carbon gravel wheels with wide rims, external spoke nipples, and improved pinch flat protection, made in the USA.
MTB Atlanta was recently awarded a 2021 IMBA Dig In grant in support of a potentially large trail project at Chattahoochee Bend State Park, and the group is seeking donations to maximize matching funds.
An update on the newest mountain bike trail openings from Colorado to New Zealand.
The latest Shimano XT mountain bike wheels are affordably priced and are designed for trail riding.
In April Centennial Park at Millsap Mountain in Fayetteville, Arkansas will host two US Pro Cup cross country mountain bike races for Elite and Junior racers.
The Sedona Mountain Bike Festival and Sea Otter Classic both recently announced the postponement of events that had been scheduled for this spring.
Rab Wardell is a mountain bike athlete and coach living in Glasgow, Scotland. He recently set the fastest known time on the West Highland Way, a 96 mile off-road route connecting Milngavie and Fort William.
One of 15 limited-edition Specialized Enduro bikes is being raffled off with 100% of the proceeds equally benefiting both trail building and conservation projects and agriculture and livestock assistance to small farmers in Tanzania.
Mountain bikes are personal items, and we all customize ours to some degree. Still, our preferences changes and skills evolve, and as a result our bikes are really just works in progress.
Mountain bikers are probably the only group that currently thinks hip packs look cool.
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