John has been mountain biking since the year 2000. He's traveled extensively across the USA, sampling the best mountain bike trails along the way. As a result, John topped the Singletracks leaderboard for "most trails ridden" for many years. He spent several years writing for Singletracks as a freelancer and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Sustainable Trails Coalition.
Day 5 of the ultimate spring break mountain bike trip marked the end of our streak of two-a-day trail days. While the rest of our Tucson experience would be less successful in…
Novice and Intermediate rider alert: this day’s for you! After a fantastic, if a little painful, day three, day four of the ultimate spring break mountain bike road trip promised to be…
Most mountain biking destinations have a marquee ride, that one “must ride” everyone will hit when they visit (think Slickrock in Moab or Trail 401 in Crested Butte). But in each case…
Day three of our trip would start out with what would be our most adventurous ride yet, which is surprising given that the destination was inside a major metropolitan area almost adjacent…
Day two of the ultimate Spring break mountain bike road trip would prove to be just as successful as the first. There’s a whole lotta’ nothing in much of New Mexico and…
I love it when a plan comes together! A combination of my wife wanting to visit family in Tucson, my son’s 10 day spring break schedule, and my surplus of accumulated vacation…
In my last article, I described the Maryland half of DC’s Dirty Dozen, 12 great trails close to the Capitol Beltway. This time we're crossing the Potomac to the south and east…
When I received notice of being transferred to Washington, D.C., I thought my life was over. Well, at least my mountain biking life was over, and what is life without great singletrack?…
Who actually says “hydration pack?” Some brands are so ingrained in the public image their name becomes synonymous with an entire product category. Nobody goes to the grocery store to pick up…
Beginning at a fork off the East-West I-10 in Las Cruces, NM, and ending at a merge with the East-West I-90 in Buffalo, WY, Interstate 25 spends much of its length flirting…
Mountain biking is full of the joy of discovery; you discover new techniques, friends, places and trails. Of course, these are just new to you at the moment--it's unlikely that you are…
If you’re heading from greater Los Angeles to interior Canada, then I-15 is your ticket. Heck, even if you don’t have a need to travel that direction, you may just want to…
Every time I click my cleats into my Shimanos, I expect to have a wonderful interaction with the trail, and those expectations are almost always met. But some rides end up being…
Stretching from Baltimore in the East to the great Southwestern plateaus, Interstate 70 spans a broad range of American geography—and provides easy access to some of our most excellent singletrack. While the…
Finding the perfect, or even the best, mountain bike shoe is a real challenge--at least for me. When one has a hard-to-fit foot, high demands, and is a cheapskate to boot, it's…
Like any recreational activity we pursue, we mountain bike because it's fun. Sure, mountain biking is great exercise, but so is running, something a lot of hard core cyclists really don't care…
There’s nothing like dropping your knobbies onto a new trail, and travel offers great opportunities to do so. Whenever I hit the road, I try to finagle a way to bring my…
Rider: Jeff Barber. Photo: Michael Paul In my last blog post, I shared sweet seven climbs. But mountain biking isn’t all about cardio-punishment and “character building.”…
Few riders, even dedicated ones, plan rides with the climb in mind. The climb is a means to the end—the downhill! Fighting gravity is a necessary evil to be endured as the…
This is the second part of my exploration of novice-friendly western trails that are actually great fun for riders of all levels. Click here for Part 1. Blue Diamond Trails, Las Vegas,…
When I first reviewed my favorite local trail here on Singletracks, I vividly remember what was written by the reviewer before me. He gave the trail one star, mostly bemoaning the lack…
This is a continuation of my Montana mountain biking trip report. In case you missed it, go back andread part I here. Day 6: Chestnut Mountain, Bozeman, MT Chestnut is another relatively…
Bagging Big Sky Country Ever since I was exiled from Montana in 2008, Ive vowed to return. But taking any vacation, let alone a bike vacation, can be tough. So when my…
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