Chipps lifts the lid on the obsessive world of 26in tyre reproduction fanatics.
Author: Chipps
With nearly 25 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 32 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)
Issue 165: The Long Goodbye | Colin Meagher
An interview with mountain biking photographer and ALS sufferer, Colin Meagher, therefore, also one of his…
Issue 165: That Bike Deserves You
If you want to buy that particular bike, then you buy that bike. We're not judging…
Outta the Archive: Ibis Ripley review from 2001
You won't believe the ride (probably because you won't believe it'll work at all...)
Colin Meagher, legendary MTB photographer, and just all-round legend has left the planet
But, despite it being eight years since his ALS/Motor Neuron Disease diagnosis, he left on his…
Fresh Goods Friday 796: The Lie-In King Edition
FGF's goal is to show you everything that turns up. Which partly explains the largest item…
Editor’s Choice: Madison Roam Men’s Windproof Packable Primaloft Gilet
Madison Roam Men's Gilet hits all the right off-road notes: windproof, packable, & effortlessly stylish.
Issue 164: Guiding Lights
In a world with few remaining secrets, why are mountain bike guides still in demand?
Issue 164: Riding The Little Yellow Train
Chipps explores a different way to take the uplift for a day’s riding in the Pyrenees
Fresh Goods Friday 786: The Dutch Ovine Edition
Have you ordered the big bird yet? FGF is sponsored by Yellow Jersey.
Issue 163: Every. Single. Rock
Chipps wonders just how well you know your favourite trail? It might be better than you…
Issue 163: Pump them up and let them go!
The life of a World Cup cross-country mechanic isn’t quite as rigid as it might seem.…
SRAM RED XPLR AXS Gravel groupset review
I’m not, for a minute, thinking that you’re going to go out and buy one of…
Fresh Goods Friday 779: The Where’s Benji? Edition
Fresh Goods Friday! It's the world's longest-running weekly produce-related internet bicycle gadget feature!
Record-breaking Three Peaks Cyclocross (plus new drivetrain spyshots!)
Lining up were a number of past winners of the event, many old hands (including one…
Staff (Race) Bike Check: Chipps’ Three Peaks CX-ready Genesis Vapour
Our Analogue Editor is heading for his 15th go at the legendary Three Peaks Cyclocross race…
New Shimano XTR pedals and the first new SPD cleat in 30* years!
Shimano releases a new XTR trail pedal, plus the first new SPD cleat in 30 years!
Issue 162: Good enough for ya?
Chipps reckons that bikes are good enough these days, aren’t they? But good enough for what?
Issue 162: What is Soul?
Do mountain bikes have soul? Does it need to be earned? Does it need to be…
Full list of 2026 UCI World Series Dates & Venues (including Whistler!)
This just in on the PR wires from the UCI with full dates and deets for…
Fresh Goods Friday 770 : The Benji’s Away Edition
Everyone's on holiday, so this week's FGF contains retro, cheese and Garmins, just for you!
Specialized Recon 3.0 Shoe review
Chipps reviews Specialized Recon 3.0 clip-in shoes. Can they be stiff AND comfortable at the same…
Staff Bike Check: Chipps’ Genesis Croix de Fer 931
A look at the gravel bike Chipps uses for his, er, style of gravel riding when…
Fresh Goods Friday 764: The Bat Releasing Edition
Mark has got bats in his belfry. Partly literally. Just substitute 'belfry' for 'walls'.
Issue 161: Don’t Wait For The Next Disaster
Chipps urges us not to wait for the bad times to remind us what’s important.
DT Swiss GRC 1400 DiCut 50 x 24mm Carbon Clincher wheelset review
As a set of wheels for a long/flat/fast gravel bike, these are well worth looking at…
Shimano goes fully wireless with new gravel groupset GRX RX827
With the launch of wireless XTR Di2 (and XT and Deore) the path is clear for…
Fresh Goods Friday 748: The M.C. Escher Trail Centre Edition
Don't you just love the pointlessness of mountain biking?
Shimano EX7 (EX700) Gore-Tex Shoes review
The Shimano EX7 (EX700) Gore-Tex shoes can be hard to find; searching for Shimano EX700 often…
Issue 159: Fitting In
Chipps encourages us to get (just a bit) fitter. Do you know any rowers? They’re a…
Issue 159: Digital Detox
Could you leave all of your electronic gadgets behind on a ride? No GPS, no Strava,…
Fresh Goods Friday 739: The In Peach Meant Edition
Well, you’ve done it. You’ve made it through the first proper working week of 2025. It…
Predictions for the mountain bike world in 2025
It’s that time of year when we look into the mists of time, peer into the…
Editors’ Choice 2024: Hammerhead Karoo 3 GPS Unit
Could the new Hammerhead Karoo 3 rival the latest from Garmin and Wahoo? Chipps certainly thinks…
Issue 157: MTB Culture – Rain Stops Play
Chipps looks at the increasing influence the changing climate and other pressures are having on off-road…
Issue 157 Last Word – Catastrophe!157
After a dozen years of incident-free mountain biking, luck ran out for my wife in October…
Danny MacAskill and Chris Ball among 2024 Hall of Fame nominations
Today, the International Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, located in the Marin Museum of Bicycling in…
Welsh Cycling Industry Unites Against Welsh Trail Centre Closures
Over 90 separate Welsh cycling organisations have today co-signed a letter to Welsh Deputy First Minister…
Issue 156 Editorial – A curated taste
Chipps gets to put together a menu of rides. Does he start bold? Or subtle and build to a…
Issue 156 – Beyond Benidorm
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY CHIPPS One blazing sun, two very different worlds on Spain’s Costa Blanca. As…
Is NRW About To Close Coed Y Brenin?
According to several reports we have seen, it’s looking very likely that in the short term,…
Eurobike 2024 – Chipps went so you didn’t have to
Chipps gives the Singletrackworld members his personal takeaways from the massive 2024 Eurobike Show, held recently…
Issue 155 Editorial: Going The Extra Mile
Chipps urges you to put in that extra 10% today and you’ll get 30% back tomorrow.…
Debate: Is It Even Mountain Biking?
As part of a new head-to-head debate series, Hannah and Chipps agree to disagree on what…
Rob Fisk. Stand down, Merlinman
Long, long, longtime friend of Singletrackworld, Rob 'Merlinman' Fisk passed away earlier today. We're so glad…
Obituary: Greg Fuquay by Chipps
Another massive influence on my life has left us. I’ve just found out that Greg Fuquay…
Bob Seals: Devil, do-gooder or daydreamer?
Spiritual eco-warrior? Half-naked singlespeed pioneer? Genius machinist who brought you the Cool Tool and Klean Kanteen?…
Are Welsh Trails Up For Sale By NRW?
Local mountain bikers and councillors around Coed y Brenin are concerned that Natural Resource Wales (NRW)…
Singletrack World Issue 154 Editorial: Let’s Get Lendy
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be, For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And…