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
Mountain bikers overwhelmingly prefer single chainring drivetrains. New 12-speed cassettes are quickly gaining traction, while 11-speed cassettes are still the most popular.
In this episode of our podcast, Aaron, Greg, and Jeff set the scene at Interbike 2017, talk about the most interesting products on display, and recap news and reviews from the show.
The Arofly is a $249 bicycle power meter that weighs 10g and is easy to install on any tire valve.
The BodyFloat Kinekt is a tunable, vibration damping bike seatpost.
Innova Integrated Tubeless Tech adds a liner to tubeless tires in an attempt to deliver the best features of both tube and tubeless bike tires.
The KHS Team 29 Carbon mountain bike is lightweight and whip fast, yet it's not overly harsh on rocky trails.
The Orange Seal Removable Valve Core (RVC) kit can be customized to fit almost any tubeless bike rim.
Funkier is working on a pair of bib shorts with four pockets you can wear with or without a jersey.
Diamondback has added carbon models to the Release line of mountain bikes, starting at $3,000.
Yakima and Rocky Mounts are both offering single-bike, tray-style hitch-mounted racks for transporting bikes.
The Fumpa is a portable electric pump for inflating bicycle tires.
Tubolito's new TPU mountain bike tubes could be the biggest thing to happen to mountain bike tubes since tubeless tires. Unlike traditional bike tire tubes which are made from butyl rubber,…
We talk with Ross Martin, a PhD candidate at Texas State University, about his research into the environmental impact of mountain biking.
Founded in 2014, Nonstop on Wheels (NOW) is a fairly new brand in the mountain bike industry, but they're quickly making a name for themselves by claiming at Interbike to have…
These are five must ride bike trails in the Columbus, OH area. When visiting Columbus, be sure to check out Alum Creek Phase II, Chestnut Ridge Metro Park, and Mohican State Park.
By now, most parents are hip to the concept of starting young kids on balance bikes -- basically tiny bikes without pedals -- to get them comfortable riding two-wheel bikes. But…
Mondraker Dune Carbon RR. Photo: Thomas Woodson | Thomaswoodson.com Spanish mountain bike brand Mondraker is partnering with QARV Imports to bring its line of DH, enduro, Trail,…
Learn how to identify trail traps and find out what to do if you encounter one on your next mountain bike ride.
Mountain bike trails in Texas and Florida suffered extreme damage from flooding and fallen trees associated with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Learn how you can help rebuild popular bike trails.
The city of St. Louis is located on the banks of the mighty Mississippi river, dotted with rolling hills that are perfect for mountain biking, particularly on the southwest side of the metro area. The…
Summer is a busy time at Singletracks, with mountain bike events and trips seemingly booked solid from May to September.
66% of mountain bikers use a smartphone app to track trail distances, and 42% use a GPS device.
The PNW Cascade dropper seat post for mountain bikes is based on a simple design that's proven to be reliable, easy to use, and simple to install.
The history of the 29-inch wheel size, the advantages and disadvantages of 29er wheels compared to other wheel sizes, and the future of long-travel and even downhill 29er bikes.
As a part of our annual mountain bike gear survey, we asked questions about several fringe but potentially up-and-coming mountain bike technologies to gauge current adoption rates. For example, we found 1.2% of our…
All photos: Stan's No Tubes Podium SRD 29er Wheelset Stan's No Tubes just announced the Podium SRD 29er racing wheelset, weighing in at just 1,287g for…
Rudy Project is known for their eyewear, but the company also offers a number of eyewear-compatible bike helmets. Today the company announced its first mountain bike specific helmet, the Protera. The Protera…
The new Garmin Edge 1030 packs a ton of new software features like popular bike route navigation, plus a couple hardware updates including a more aerodynamic mounting system.
Video may have killed the radio star, but did narrow-wide chainrings kill the chain guide? In a recent discussion on the Singletracks forums, many riders reported running a chain guide on 1-by drivetrains with a narrow-wide chain…
Everything you need to know about making mountain bikes lightweight.
Here are the top 5 favorite mountain bike stems as determined by Singletracks members worldwide. Consider one of these bike stems from Race Face, Thomson, Renthal, or Enve if you're looking to upgrade this necessary but often overlooked mountain bike component.
NICA supports middle and high school mountain bike riders all over the USA through coaching, mentoring, and racing programs.
Singletracks readers pick the best trail bikes on 2017. Top-rated mountain bikes include the Trek Fuel EX and Specialized Stumpjumper FSR.
Rossignol is planning to launch a big mountain bike line in North America in 2018 with DH, enduro, trail, and hardtail mountain bikes.
We attempt to explain the unique characteristics that make Northwest Arkansas an appealing mountain bike destination, and what other up-and-coming communities can take away from the area's success.
Last year we started asking Singletracks readers if they were interested in reading electric mountain bike news and reviews on Singletracks, and also if they owned an electric mountain bike. Not only are we interested…
We'll talk route selection, communication, logistics, and what to do if you lose someone on the trail.
Mountain bikers in the Twin Cities enjoy mountain biking year-round, with access to groomed fat bike trails in winter and flowy singletrack in the summer. Not only that, there's even fun singletrack to…
Take it all in. In my opinion, bib shorts are the unsung heros of the mountain bike wardrobe. While jerseys get emblazoned with craft beer logos…
photo: Guerrilla Gravity Having a custom mountain bike frame built is a bit like building a house: it's not cheap and can take a long time,…
We'll cover the basics for getting started, how to increase distance and speed, nutrition, and more.
If you do any bikepacking, you've no doubt heard about the kLite Bikepacker PRO light. kLite claims it's the brightest dynamo bike light in the world, pumping out up to 1200…
photo: Aaron Chamberlain Launched just over two years ago, SRAM's Boost 148 spacing has quickly gone mainstream. Of course we've seen pretty much every new and updated mountain…
photo: bikepacking.com Last week the Southern Highlands Traverse bikepacking route was officially unveiled, and it looks to be an instant classic! Brett Davidson and Logan Watts, along…
Singletracks has spilled gallons of digital ink ranking, categorizing, and highlighting some of the best mountain bike trails in the USA, but what about the rest of the world? We decided to consult with…
A mountain bike podcast with Chris Tavel of Loose Nuts Cycles, a bike shop in Atlanta, Georgia.
Each year we survey thousands of Singletracks readers to uncover various trends in mountain bike purchase decisions. Back in 2015, Singletracks readers selected Shimano's electric drivetrain, known as Di2, as the most innovative product of the…
photo: Aaron Chamberlain When I asked Singletracks readers whether they preferred baggy or tight shorts for mountain biking, I thought there might be some debate. It turns out--for…
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