Sam has been a regular Singletracks contributor since 2018 and has written bike reviews, trip reports, and repair articles. He's a professional bike mechanic, self-professed tech geek, trail and enduro rider who has worked in bike shops in New Zealand and British Columbia. Most of all, Sam loves going for riding and camping trips, and pedaling until his legs fall off.
Author snapshot
- Instagram: @Samandhisvan
- Web: samjames.bike
- Location: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Previous locations: North Wales UK, Sydney Australia, Wanaka and Christchurch NZ
MTB experience
- Mountain biking since 2006
- Current bike stable: Santa Cruz Tallboy and Salsa Warbird
- Favorite place to ride: Craigieburn NZ, Cumberland BC, and pretty much anywhere else in the province for that matter
Writing experience and education
- Media & marketing coordinator for Steed Cycles
- Contributor, Trail Builder Magazine
- Master's Degree by Research: Sub-Millmetre Manufacturing for Microwave Medical Devices, Bangor University
- Bachelors Degree: Music Technology with Electronic Engineering, Bangor University
Rubbing disc brakes driving you nuts? You're not the only one. Check out our guide to adjusting your brakes to make them as quiet as a mouse.
Fall is here and with it comes the wet weather. We check out a bunch of different mountain bike fenders from cheap to expensive to see how they compare.
The 2023 Santa Cruz 5010 is a trail bike with a playful edge. Rocking mixed wheels, short-ish travel and long and low geometry, the name of the game is fun.
The Banshee Prime is a 135mm travel 29er that rides bigger than it is thanks to its progression geometry and KS2 suspension design.
We take a second lap at Crankworx Whistler to see what else is new and exciting in the village, including new packable trail tools, affordable MTB tires, and more.
We checked out some of the new bikes on show at Crankworx: some electric, some prototype, some carbon, and some 3D-printed.
Some of the most interesting MTB gear and tech from Crankworx Whistler, 2022. New bikes, suspension tech, clothing, pedals, and more.
The We Are One Arrival super bike is made in Canada with a not unreasonable price tag given its premium construction. We tested one in BC to see if it lives up to the hype.
Foam grips don't sound terribly exciting, and in the past I've completely dismissed them for a whole bunch of reasons. But after testing some, it turns out they are pretty comfortable.
The We Are One Arrival is an all-Canadian all-mountain bike, handmade and designed to be a premium product. Will it ride as good as it looks? We have one in for test to find out.
The Banshee Prime is the brand's answer to the trail/all-mountain 29er segment. We've got one fresh in for test to see how it performs.
PNW Coast bar tape Is a grippy, comfy, and reasonably priced gravel grip.
Sticky brake pistons can be an absolute nightmare, making it difficult or even impossible to align your calipers. Learn how to quickly and easily service your caliper for free-spinning brakes.
Are you intimidated by the idea of installing or removing a tire insert? Worry not, we've got you! Check out this full guide to CushCore removal and installation.
SRAM AXS is usually pretty damn reliable, but occasionally things can go wrong. Check out this guide for some tips and tricks to get back to shifting nirvana.
Cartridge style dropper posts are both cheap and reliable, but a little preventative maintenance certainly helps. Learn how to keep your dropper post in tip-top shape with this guide.
The PNW Coast Suspension dropper is a seatpost that incorporates 40mm of suspension travel with up to 120mm of drop for gravel riding and mountain biking. It's a novel idea for sure, but how does it stack up?
PNW's Coast gravel handlebar and stem are much wider than a conventional drop bar, helping off-road riders feel more comfortable on their drop bar, off-road bike.
Electronic shifting is heralded as a revelation in mountain bike drivetrain technology, but is it all that it's cracked up to be?
A ride report and guide to biking the Sea to Sky trail from Squamish to Whistler, British Columbia.
Learn the basics of bike wheel truing and keep your wheels running straighter, longer.
The Bontrager Foray is a great shoe for anyone who wants a mid-range XC/trail riding shoe and values comfort and efficiency over either race-level stiffness or sending gnarly trails.
The Bontrager Blaze WaveCel helmet is a high end trail/enduro helmet with some impressive features but isn't quite perfect.
Bontrager's Rally shoe is burly, affordable, and comfortable enough to wear on all day epic rides.
The Marzocchi Z1 Coil fork is a super plush trail tamer for hard hitters in a low maintenance and affordable package.
The new Knolly Chilcotin rocks 29" wheels with 170/167mm travel, front and rear, and is designed to hit the gnarliest trails around while still being able to pedal it back to the top for more. Does it deliver?
The Industry Nine Enduro 305 wheel set costs a pretty penny but is one of the best sets of alloy mountain bike wheels money can buy.
Knolly's all new Chilcotin comes updated with 29-inch wheels, modern geometry, and a burly build spec for smashing technical trails.
The Banshee Titan is a modern enduro bike that breaks the mold with stunning frame details and geometry that shreds on the descents.
We test the new super simple 7Mesh Slab shorts and Desperado henley to find out how they fare out on the trails.
Check out the Banshee Titan enduro bike, steeped in North Shore MTB tradition.
Sam checks out SQlab 30x carbon mountain bike handlebars, and explains the advantages of more back sweep.
The Ranger from Showers Pass is their newest, and largest waterproof hip pack designed for mountain biking.
The PNW Range bars offer additional backsweep for a comfortable position while the stem has a mount for a camera or light.
For the hardtail-curious, here are six reasons why some mountain bikers chose to say no to full suspension.
A pair of long, waterproof mountain bike shorts that work well for riding in the winter.
Even if you don't have a fat bike, riding your mountain bike on a snowy trail can be a lot of fun.
This Chromag Stylus is a hardcore hardtail mountain bike, built up for shredding sketchy winter trails around the North Shore of Vancouver.
The Shimano MW7 winter mountain bike shoe stands to the task of keeping feet warm and happy in cold, wet environments.
Sam shares how much cycling and mountain biking in particular have improved his life.
The PNW Bachelor dropper seatpost is reasonably priced, reliable, and easy to set up.
Working in a bike shop isn't perfect, but if you live for bikes then it can be one of the best jobs out there.
Internal cable routing for a mountain bike frame doesn't need to be a thing of mystery. Sam James shows us how to make it simple.
The new Santa Cruz Hightower is a great all-rounder of a mountain bike. It climbs well, is comfortable to ride, and can shred downhill.
Recent Vancouver transplant Sam James fills us in on the best mountain biking around North Vancouver and the legendary North Shore with trail guides to Mount Fromme and Mount Seymour.
Their Yari Up is an upgraded compression damper assembly that simply drops into a Yari fork, replacing the standard damper to improve suspension performance without replacing the whole fork.
For the price, I'd highly recommend the Guide RE as a budget gravity brake, and if it's specced on a bike you're considering buying, buy with confidence.
Though Smith Optics' new Forefront 2 mountain bike helmet shares its name and aesthetics with the previous iteration of this lid, it is, in fact, a complete re-design from the ground up.
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