Matt lives in the Front Range of Colorado and started working at Singletracks as a staff writer in 2018. He served in the Marines and has a journalism degree from MSU-Denver. Since joining Singletracks, he’s covered every corner of mountain biking, from racing, to tech development, and trail building efforts in remote corners of Central and South America.
Though he writes about all aspects of mountain biking, he's used his journalism education to excel as a reporter covering trail access issues and the intersection with wildlife, and population growth, and competing recreational interests. Still, he loves writing about a $30 camp stove or must-have piece of gear that elevates the outdoor experience. Want to talk MTB news? Send him an email.
Author snapshot
MTB Background and expertise
- Riding experience: Primarily trail, with occasional dabbling in XC and enduro racing and bikepacking
- Mountain biking since: 2012
- Number of products reviewed: Too many count—I started reviewing MTB and outdoor products full time in 2018.
- Current stable: Canfield Lithium, Ibis Ripley AF, Obed Boundary
Education and writing experience
- Bachelors of Arts, Psychology, University of Colorado, Denver
- Bachelor Arts, Journalism, Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Other publications: Colorado Community Newspapers, VeloNews, The News Station, 5280 Magazine, Eskapee, GearJunkie
The Osprey Savu hip pack is an easy choice for short rides, and done right, big rides as well.
The Oakley DRT5 is a brand new mountain bike helmet and is packed with thoughtful features like a sweat guard and sunglasses clip.
A mountain biking pack that keeps water cold and looks great. We check out the first-ever hydration pack from Hydro Flask.
We check out a Singletracks reader's customized bike. This Scott Contessa is decked out in pink and ready to race.
We check out Pearl iZUMi's 2019 mountain bike line up, including rain jackets, bib liners, shorts, and jerseys.
Matt takes a brief test ride on the Santa Cruz Megatower on the singletrack mountain bike trails just outside Santa Cruz headquarters.
This was the weirdest looking new product at Sea Otter. We had to take it for a ride to see what this front end linkage mountain bike is all about.
CushCore has new product with wider applications, and some science they say backs up their claims.
The MRP Ramp Control PRO gives riders even more adjustability than the MRP Ramp Control. We also check out the new Raven mountain bike fork.
A few new items around Sea Otter including shoes with impact-resistant soles, waterless bike wash, and lights by Knog.
Go big or small on your mountain bike rides with these bags from Ortlieb and Evoc.
US distributor Cycle Monkey brings German Brands Nicolai and Tout Terrain to the states with Gates Carbon Drive and Pinion gear boxes.
The Vee Flow Snap is an enduro mountain bike tire from the Thai company. It's a little on the heavy side, but seems to be a great aggressive trail tire.
The Mountainsmith Cycle Cube is a bike-specific duffel bag meant to manage lots of awkward and stinky bike gear.
A San Diego mountain biker finds a barbed wire trail trap and a rider in Colorado leaves the scene of another trap with several broken bones.
There's a lot of hype about the new WaveCel structure in new Bontrager helmets. Competitor responses came just as quickly, and it's hard to recognize who's right in the end.
We test ride the new Revel Rascal trail bike in Moab.
The Clear Creek 10 is Mountainsmith's first hydration pack marketed for mountain bike. It's fairly simple and affordable.
This week we get news on who's dominating the EWS, new bikes from Diamondback and Bold, and another NICA expansion.
Adding an eMTB category to the EWS has some riders calling it the EEWS.
Life is busy, but often it's easier than not to ride with friends. Matt reflects on a trip years ago that formed lasting friendships.
Crankworx Rotorua and Absa Cape Epic results, Revelstoke gets a lift and new trails, plus new Teravail MTB tires and etnies shoes.
The Kuat Transfer is an entry-level rack that can be converted from a single to a double bike hitch rack. The Pivot get mountain bikes them out of the way to get to the trunk or truck bed.
Cities around the US are working to attract new workers with mountain bike trails. For some places, this gamble more important than ever.
New mountain bike shoes from Rapha, a taste of the Pivot Phoenix 29 downhill bike, new Stans rims, and more in the MTB News Mix.
In this first Pro Skills article, we get advice on recovery from endurance mountain biker Payson McElveen.
The Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt A50 is an affordable and fun trail bike with price-minded performance.
Matt reviews the aluminum Rocky Mountain Thunderbolt trail bike and shows it in action!
The new Santa Cruz Megatower 29er is a long travel enduro mountain bike with 160mm of suspension front and rear.
The Rascal is a brand new trail bike from a brand new mountain bike brand called Revel. We took the 29er out for a spin in Moab.
Leatt adds mountain bike goggles to the lineup, while 100% announces their first MTB pads. There's a new large-capacity pack from Evoc, and the Absa Cape Epic kicks off on Sunday.
The VeloToze wet weather bike gloves keep fingers warm and dry, but aren't the most comfortable.
We want to share your unique, fun, and rad mountain bike builds.
The Bell Super DH MIPS is a good choice for enduro racers or anyone wanting one helmet to ride both bike park and singletrack.
In August 2019, the UCI will hold the first-ever E-MTB World Championships race in Mont-Saint-Anne, Quebec.
Point of view ride footage for a quarter of the price of a GoPro? We had to find out if this 4K camera from Van Top delivers.
Want to make the move from flat pedals to clipless? Don't worry, it's easy. This article covers the basics from pedal and shoe selection to learning how to clip in and out like a pro.
A Phoenix mountain biker gets bitten by a rattlesnake and rides 30 minutes back to the trailhead before calling poison control.
Hop-flavored Gu, a new trail helmet from Lazer, and a gentler way to do maintenance from Silca.
Matt talks about the advantages and disadvantages of running a coil shock on a trail bike. It's generally pretty easy to set up a mountain bike coil shock, but here are some tips for getting dialed.
Italian tire brand Pirelli takes their first crack at mountain bike tires.
Revel Bikes launches with carbon trail and enduro mountain bikes based on a Canfield Brothers suspension design.
Magura brakes are different in nearly every way from SRAM or Shimano. Does that help or hurt them?
A trail connecting Eldorado Canyon to Walker Ranch in Boulder, CO has been in the works for more than a decade. The project is close to finally becoming a reality despite some local opposition.
Winter can be a tough time to balance the desire to ride and the reality of making it happen. Sometimes the best thing for a rider and their bike are time apart, even if the feeling isn't the same.
What does it take to draw mountain bikers to a destination? Great trails, MTB festivals, and a business strategy.
We tour Pearl iZUMi headquarters to get a look at the brand's new direction and the mountain bike apparel testing and development process.
We talk with strength training coach James Wilson to find out how mountain bikers can use plyometrics to get stronger.
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