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
There seems to be a lot of buzz around carbon fiber mountain bike frames these days but there's another frame material you may not be familiar with: magnesium. Yep, it turns out…
Photo from Red Trail Racing flyer. Slick or knobby tires are ok :) This weekend we got a chance to attend the Athens Twilight Criterium and even though there weren't any mountain…
Lots of mountain biking news to share this morning. Kona Naming Contest: A couple weeks ago we told you about the contest to name Kona's new Magic Link all-mountain bike and one…
IMBA's April newsletter is chock-full of new trail news from across the country: Oregon: An anonymous donor has pledged $1 million to help fund a "destination bike park" on a 35-acre plot…
I'm not a car guy which you could probably tell by looking at my Honda Civic with 176,000 miles, a leaky door, and busted suspension or my Jeep Cherokee with a dying/dead…
2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp If you bought a new Specialized mountain bike between June 2008 and February 2009 check this out: Specialized is recalling 14,000 2009 model bikes due to a serious…
We hear about womens mountain bike skills clinics all the time but the Dirt Series program (put on by Rocky Mountain Bikes) sounds a little different. While most clinics focus on getting…
Photo by Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun The Vancouver Sun published an article on Kelly Smith, a wheelchair athlete who won the wheelchair division at the Vancouver Sun Run 10K this weekend and…
Markus Stockl on his way to a world MTB speed record. Mountain bikers are always looking for new ways to push the envelope - mountain biking wouldn't be an extreme sport if…
Muddy conditions on the forest roads outside Helen, GA this winter. Spring can be a frustrating time of year for mountain bikers. The weather is finally warming up, the flowers are blooming,…
Riding in the clouds above 3,000 feet this weekend. Regular readers may recall I signed up to ride the Sumter Metric Dirty Century on the trails near Augusta, GA next month. I…
3D Arizona Trail image created in TopoFusion (from TopoFusion.com) The Arizona Trail 300 Race starts today at 9am Arizona Time (MDT/PST) as riders race unsupported 300 miles following the Arizona Trail north…
After years of design and searching for the right manufacturing partner, Cam Zink and crew finally got the Sensus Grips in stock last week. That's a ton of R&D and attention to…
Kona needs your help naming their forthcoming long travel all-mountain bike and there are some pretty cool prizes on the line including a brand new (unnamed) Kona Magic Link Bike! You can…
Master Lock Street Cuffs Bike Lock Ryan Nicholl, a roofer in Trowbridge, Wiltshire (UK) had his $2,900 (2,000) mountain bike stolen in 2003 when he was just 14 18 years old. Recently…
Yours truly at the 2008 Outdoor Demo (Boulder Canyon) More great news for mountain bikers in the northeast: The Interbike Outdoor Demo East will be open to the public October 10 and…
Photo courtesy Adirondack Bike Ranch What do you do if there aren't any good mountain bike trails in your area? You build your own of course - at least that's what Paul…
Okay, so this video is a little old (2005) but I thought I'd share it for those who missed it. The video was shot during a Red Bull downhill MTB race event…
SRAM recently created a channel on YouTube with how-to videos showcasing SRAM, RockShox, Avid, and Truvativ service and installation. So far the most popular SRAM channel videos cover how to bleed Avid…
The Scalpel Team Replica, one of the winningest MTB frames ever. This news isn't all that surprising: Cannondale announced it will be moving all its frame manufacturing operations from Bedford, PA to…
There has been a lot of talk on the forums recently about ways to shave weight from your mountain bike but unfortunately most tips involve spending green (and often lots of it).…
We wrote about the Khanchendzonga Mountain Bike Challenge back in January because it sounded like an interesting multi-day race through the Indian Himilayas. Apparently the race wrapped up a few days ago…
We don't typically blog about MTB products unless we've had a chance to try them for ourselves, mainly because it's a waste of time to regurgitate specs sheets you can read online.…
Freeriding in BC? Nope - try central FL. It must be frustrating to be a Florida mountain biker. The weather in Florida is great for riding pretty much year round but most…
It's been a while since we filled you in on the guys who are "riding the spine" on their mountain bikes - from Fairbanks, AK to Tierra del Fuego on the southern…
That's according to the May issue of Mountain Bike Action magazine which hits newsstands next month. The editors were stoked on access to lodging, weather, local breweries, and of course, the trails…
Of the 3 main contact points on a mountain bike, the saddle has to be the most important one. It carries the most weight for the longest time (unless you're a strictly…
Slickrock MTB trail photo posted by Dave&Patti My brother passed this article to me and I was stoked to see what Forbes had to say about the best mountain bike trails in…
Google Street View of Trek's Waterloo, WI facility. In February 300 workers at Trek's Waterloo, WI road and mountain bike assembly plant were forced to work one week on, one week off…
Photo courtesy of Doug LePage via Revelstoke Times Review. Mountain biker Sam Brown, who was featured in the New World Disorder 3 film, died in a Spokane, WA jail two weeks ago…
One of the reasons I love to ride new trails is that I never know what to expect. I've been mountain biking for about 15 years now and every now and then…
To say Klunkerz is "a film about mountain bikes" is a bit of an understatement, especially given that it's racking up awards at film festivals all over the country (including "2009 Cycling…
Guess my predictions about MTB price trends were a little too conservative - Ellsworth is taking it to the next level! Basically the deal is if you send them your old (functional)…
While mountain biking season is just getting started here in the northern hemisphere there are some late-season epics taking place on the southside. Photo from cape-epic.com. The Absa Cape Epic presented by…
Over the last year or two you've probably noticed that mountain bikes and components are getting more expensive. Industry insiders have told us costs jumped around 20% or more last year and…
If you're looking for the perfect mountain bike tire and off-the-rack just won't cut it, why not mod your tires? As crazy as it may sound, riders like Eric Carter have been…
Two interesting MTB news items to start off your Tuesday... Several months ago we reviewed the Jimi Wallet, a plastic case for holding your credit cards, cash, etc. while you ride and…
Photo from blacksheepbikes.com As a recent convert to the 29er mountain bike movement, I'm a big fan of wheeled mountain bikes but this thing is honestly a little scary. The ZAMer from…
GreenGiant's Iron Horse MKIII Comp (more Iron Horse pics) Singletracks member Luli79 alerted us to a forum thread supposedly posted by a former employee of Iron Horse who says the company has…
Lots of interesting stuff in the MTB news this week: Photos of SRAM XX MTB component group leaked: A Taiwanese website has posted purported spy pics of SRAM XX components which will…
Freeriding in Florida. Photo posted by ositoking. I just spotted this announcement for a MTB skills clinic and race series in the British Virgin Islands that's sounding pretty good to me right…
Joe Auck was willing to do anything to get out and ride his mountain bike. The 40-year old, who lost his right hand as a teenager, wanted to get back into cycling…
It seems like everyone is running marathons these days. Oprah did it. Diddy did it. Heck, even I did it a few years back. Today's marathon is yesterday's 10K and it seems…
Brent Thomson, Trail Master at Bootleg Canyon in Nevada, passed away yesterday due to complications from his recent quadruple bypass surgery. We wrote about Brent and his struggle several weeks ago and…
IMBA recently posted the 2009 Trail Care Crew schedule and chances are there's a planned stop at a trail near you. The winter/early spring stops seem to be clustered in the west…
Dirt Diggler DH trail in Fernie, British Columbia. Photo posted by birdman. Ok, so I'm not a freerider - not even close. My riding style is probably best described as cross-country or…
Map courtesy Morznet.com. If you're like me you're already starting to plan your summer MTB adventures and the Pass Portes du Soleil is definitely on my "wish list." The Pass Portes du…
Photos by Reserverockhopper We drove up to North Carolina this weekend for a wedding on Valentine's Day (romantic, huh?) but luckily the weather was great and mudhunny and I were able to…
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![VANCOUVER, B.C.- APRIL 19, 2009- Wheelchair winner, Kelly Smith, at the 25th annual Vancouver Sun run in Vancouver on April 19, 2009. (Ian Smith/Vancouver Sun) News story by Gary Kingston Trax. # 0034380A [PNG Merlin Archive]](https://images.singletracks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/kelly-smith.jpg)
