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
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast Greg talks with the 2016 Arizona Trail 750 winner and Bikepackers Magazine co-founder, Neil Beltchenko.
We start by talking about what eMTBs are and dive into the controversy surrounding them.
A flow trail "typically contains features like banked turns, rolling terrain, various types of jumps, and consistent and predictable surfaces." With that definition in mind...
Looking for something to do this weekend? If you live in the SF Bay area, you should definitely go to the 18th Annual Trips for Kids fundraiser! For just $25 you get…
Kings Mountain as seen from Crowders Mountain State Park. Photo: ncparks.gov. IMBA and the Tarheel Trailblazers are working with State and National Parks on designing a brand-new 16-mile…
Over the past 18 months we've seen an explosion of plus bikes hitting the market, so we wondered: "Who is buying these bikes and what are the most popular configurations?" As usual, we uncovered…
Aaron and Jeff provide a recap of Sea Otter 2016 while filling in Greg on what he missed this year.
Vittoria had two exciting new products for plus bikes at Sea Otter this year: the Cannoli and Deamion-Plus. The Cannoli tire will be offered in both 27.5 and 29er sizes (3.0" wide)…
Surly Instigator. Photo: Greg Heil. Surly introduced a 26+ bike about 3 years ago but since that time, we really haven't seen any others. Then, at Interbike six months ago, I saw a…
The Fabric Slim Grip is an ultra lightweight mountain bike grip weighing just 68g for the pair.
GT is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Zaskar this year, and for 2016 they introduced several carbon models of the venerable hardtail. I tested the tippy top of the Zaskar line,…
Technically the Fabric Cell saddle is a "comfort" saddle--but that shouldn't stop mountain bikers from checking this one out! Who doesn't want comfort? First off, the Cell is a really cool looking saddle with…
...and man, they came out of the gate with an innovative design! Bolle is calling their line of cycling helmets The One, and it's a fitting description for this truly modular and…
Looking to save weight and get rid of that ugly water bottle cage? Check out Fabric's cageless water bottle. I saw this for the first time at Sea Otter last week, and my…
Plus bikes may not have fully trickled down to consumers yet, but if Sea Otter was any indication, it's about to start raining plus bikes on your local trails in 2017 and…
The Arktos is a carbon fiber trail bike from Alchemy, a small Denver company that's dedicated to hand-building bikes in the USA.
A look at Topeak stash tools.
Rocky Mountain recently launched a brand new 27.5+ bike called the Pipeline, and at Sea Otter last week I got a chance to take one out for a quick test ride. While the trails at Fort…
In this episode we interview Transylvania Epic (TSE) Stage Race director Mike Kuhn and find out what makes the TSE the beloved "singletrack summer camp" experience it has become.
While the idea of a fighter pilot-style heads up display might have seemed impossible just a decade ago, recent products like Google Glass and Garmin's Varia Vision have given us a glimpse of what…
If Pisgah is on your bucket list, be sure to tune in for tips on planning your visit!
The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame exists to honor individuals and groups "whose activities in mountain biking have made a significant contribution to the sport, having lasting influence on a national and/or…
I'm not a big knee guard guy... until I hit my knee on a ride, and then I swear I'll wear knee guards on every ride, from now on! But then I don't, usually…
A review of the Patagonia Dirt Craft mountain bike shorts.
In case you haven't heard of it, Strava is a website/mobile app that allows you to share information about your mountain bike rides using GPS data collected during the ride. The social…
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast we talk about what to expect from Sea Otter next week and discuss Greg's opinion that mountain biking has an identity crisis.
A new mountain bike advocacy group has been gaining momentum after recognizing a gaping, black hole in current mountain bike access laws. It turns out the 1973 Agreement Governing the Activities of States on…
The DBX 4.0 Windblocker gloves offer serious protection for your hands. Not only do they keep hands comfortable and firmly attached to the handlebars, they also offer a level of protection most mountain…
In this episode of the Singletracks podcast, we explain what Strava is and how mountain bikers are using the service for good (and sometimes evil.)
In case you hadn't heard, Patagonia entered the mountain bike apparel market late last year, and their spring collection is starting to hit retailers as we speak.
If you're looking to give singlespeed mountain biking a try, listen in for tips and bike recommendations.
In this episode we offer some ideas for getting your ride dialed after wintertime neglect, ready to roll for summer!
photo: Springwise.com. We've seen drones with GoPro cameras that can be programmed as "follow cam" flyers, and now this drone software from the University of Zurich can be used to…
Last year a woman in North Vancouver, BC was caught and eventually charged with intentionally sabotaging local mountain bike trails. Well, it seems someone is at it again in BC, this time…
photo: Chris Leimberger If you're a regular Singletracks reader you've noticed that we updated our logo today. Changing a logo, especially for a brand with a long history like Singletracks, is always…
We recently named Moab, UT as the mountain bike capital of the USA and today we talk about some of our favorite trails in the area plus share our tips for planning a trip to this must-ride destination.
Troy Lee Designs (TLD) released their spring full face mountain bike helmets and beyond the colors and graphics (which are super rad), there are some minor updates to the D3 full face…
In this episode we talk about why racing is important to the sport of mountain biking and explain some of the more popular MTB race formats.
In this episode we discuss recent mountain bike industry news involving a number of brands, including Giant, Chain Reaction, SRAM, Shimano, Specialized, and Stan's.
A review of the Feedback Sports Pro-Elite bicycle work stand.
We share our favorite mountain bike and gravel handlebars tested and share tips for choosing the best bars for your bike.
On this Episode In this episode, we talk about how Singletracks got its start in the late 1990s and also talk about where the site is headed in 2016 and beyond.
The BULLS brand was launched by German bike distributor ZEG in 1997 and began making a name for itself in the mid 2000s with big marathon and stage race wins by Team BULLS riders. The…
Editor's Note: Singletracks does not encourage or condone underage alcohol consumption or excessive drinking. If you're underage according to local law, choose to abstain, or just can't stand when people geek out…
On this Episode In this podcast episode we try to answer the question: How much suspension travel is necessary? We talk about how suspension can affect a bike's geometry and how to choose…
I set out to determine just how much added rolling resistance low tire pressures produce, and to try to find the sweet spot where both rolling resistance and traction are optimized.
photo: Scott Anderson On this Episode In this episode we talk about this week's mountain bike news including the mechanical doping scandal, the new Hightower 29er/27.5+ bike from Santa Cruz, and the Fat…
What's your favorite mountain bike trail in the Philippines?
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