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
With more folks on the trails than ever before, trail conflicts seem to be on the rise as well.
The updated, second generation bike lights from Gloworm generally keep the same form factor as the previous versions, but see improved specs and added features.
The Repairing Existing Public Land by Adding Necessary Trees (REPLANT) Act of 2021 seeks to access existing funding for reforestation projects in the US.
Sometimes the best solutions aren't necessarily the simplest ones.
On May 1 FB4K is encouraging bikers around the globe to join them on a virtual group ride, with all proceeds from registration supporting the non-profit.
The Fugitive features a straight seat tube for longer-travel droppers, a Super Boost rear end, and fresh geo.
We geek out on a topic many of us take for granted, and learn how waivers and warranties work in the bike world.
Capital One asks "what's in your wallet." Singletracks wants to know: What's in your toolbox?
That sick long-travel 29er build just might have to be a 26er with a rigid fork until the proper parts arrive.
The Bryton Rider 750 is a fully-featured and connected GPS designed for cycling that boasts a color touchscreen and more options than any rider could possibly exhaust in a season. Here's what I've learned after testing the device over the past few weeks.
In the second half of our conversation with pro MTB skills coach Gene Hamilton, we ask which skills separate pros from advanced riders, which tires are best for cornering, and more.
Mountain bikers tend to be a pretty prepared bunch, but it's impossible to plan for every contingency.
Dropper posts and bike prices have at least one thing in common.
Here are ten MTB-related prank ideas from the Singletracks team that you can use on your ride today, or any day really. In fact we've pulled many of these ourselves.
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.
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.
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