Singletracks Mountain Bike Podcast

In this episode of the Singletracks podcast we're going to be discussing some of the latest news and trends from the world of mountain bike trail development. We discuss:A recent meta-analysis of mountain bike tourism by IMBA and the Trust for Public LandThe use of private land for trail developmentThreats to existing trail systemsWhat's happening in ArkansasWhat to expect in 2025 and beyondVisit Singletracks.com for a complete transcript,--Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

David Folch is the founder and CEO of Dirty Sixer, a boutique bike builder focused on fitting tall riders with big wheel bikes. The Dirty Sixer line currently features gravel, all-road, and electric bikes, and will soon include a mountain bike with 32" wheels.How did your brand Dirty Sixer get started?How tall do you have to be for a 32er to make sense?What are some of the MTB geometry challenges involved in designing around 32" wheels? Does anything get easier in terms of fitting tall riders thanks to the bigger wheels?Has tire availability limited the development of 32" wheel bikes up until this point?Are any current MTB forks designed to fit 32" wheels?You hinted that you're working on a full-suspension mountain bike with 32" wheels. What are the challenges involved in designing a bike like that?Will a 36er mountain bike ever be viable in terms of tire and fork availability? There are several comments on your Instagram posts from people who are against the idea of a mountain bike with 32" wheels, seemingly because this would represent another standard. Do you think 32" wheels will ever gain significant traction like 29er wheels did in the early 2000s?What's next for you in terms of big wheel mountain bike development?Visit dirtysixer.com to get more info about the bikes and tech discussed in this episode.--Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Thomas Schoen is the CEO of First Journey Trails, a trail building company based in British Columbia. He's also the Director for the Williams Lake Cycling Club, the Aboriginal Youth Mountain Bike Program and is the President of the Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium.How long have you been building mountain bike trails professionally? How did you get started?Which aspects of a trail build do you enjoy the most?Is everything on track to get the First Blood trail officially opened this season? What's left to be done?Are you seeing increasing demand for more technical trails? Do you think trails are too easy because our bikes are so good, or because bikers are getting better?Considering all the trails you and your team have built over the years, which one is your favorite trail to ride?What's the expected lifespan for a wooden bridge on a trail in BC?What do you think makes for a successful mountain bike destination?Tell us about your work with aboriginal youth First Nations trail builders.What's the next big thing for you and for trail development in BC?You can learn more and connect with Thomas and First Journey Trails at firstjourneytrails.com.An automated transcript of this episode is available at singletracks.com.--Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Cory Wallace is the reigning, six-time World Solo 24 Hour Mountain Bike Champion and the Head Organizer for the Rockies 24 race in Canmore, Alberta. His mountain bike adventures have taken him all over the world, inspiring riders and raising funds for various humanitarian causes along the way.  How did you get interested in endurance mountain bike racing, and 24 solo racing?  What happened to 24-hour racing? Is it making a comeback in terms of interest and participation? The race you organize, Rockies 24, started in 2022. Why did you decide to start up a new 24 Hour race at Canmore? How do prepare for a 24-hour solo race? Is it different than preparing for a stage race or an XC marathon race? Do you have a team at the race supporting you in terms of nutrition and bike repair? What is your strategy for such a long race? Is the strategy different for teams? Are you excited about pursuing a record-breaking seventh title this year? Where and when is the championship race being held? Which bike are you planning to ride? I saw that you were recently training in Nepal. What's the riding like there? As someone who has mountain biked all around the world, what is your favorite place to ride? What are some of the humanitarian projects you've supported through your rides and advocacy, and why did you choose them? Which projects and rides are you stoked for in 2025?You can follow Cory @wallacesworld on Instagram.An automated transcript of this episode is available at singletracks.com.--Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Chris Canfield's company, Suspension Formulas, develops and licenses mountain bike suspension designs used by brands including Revel and Canfield Bikes. Now he's launching his own bike brand, Vampire Bikes while also continuing to race DH at the Masters level. In 2019 you won the UCI Masters World Championship at Mont St. Anne when you were in your 40s. What's allowed you to be so fast for so long? How much of DH racing is about equipment vs. rider?  Did you get involved in building bikes out of necessity, or was it something you really enjoyed from the beginning? Tell us about the Canfield Balance Formula suspension design. Is it primarily focused on pedal efficiency? What does "controlled braking" mean? Is designing suspension for a DH bike easier in some ways since you aren't as concerned about pedal efficiency? CF3 is a newer, patent pending suspension design. How is that different from CBF? With the expiration of the original DW Link patent, does this open opportunities for new designs and/or improvements? Is it difficult working with bike brands as a suspension designer? Does your design end up getting compromised in some ways? What does the Vampire Bikes customer look like? What do you make of recent news about athletes launching their own bike brands? What do you think is driving this? You can follow along with the launch of Vampire Bikes on Instagram @vampire_bikes and learn more about some of the suspension designs we discussed at suspension-formulas.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Miranda Miller is a downhill mountain bike World Champion and three time Canadian National downhill champion from Squamish, British Columbia. Her video series, Here, There, Everywhere regularly features inspiring riders and mountain bike destinations around the world as Miranda takes on new cycling challenges ranging from gravel biking to gravity racing. How did you get introduced to downhill mountain bike racing at such an early age? What was the biggest difference between racing DH and enduro for you? What are some favorite trails or mountain bike destinations you've ridden over the years? Do you do a lot of specific training or prep before big endurance rides like the 22-hour, 360km gravel ride and a 5-day bikepacking trip on the AZT you completed?  How involved are you in the creative side of the Here, There, Everywhere video series? Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? Does the search for perfection ever cause problems for you? What do you make of the state of professional enduro racing today?  What's next for you, and for your video series? You can follow Miranda on Instagram @mirandamillermtb and catch up on Here, There, Everywhere on the @DVRGNTminds and SRAM YouTube channels. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Lance Canfield is a mechanical engineer and former professional mountain bike racer who drew his first mountain bike design in 1996. Today his bike brand, Canfield Bikes, sells mountain bikes and components designed and tested in Poncha Springs, Colorado.  What were downhill bikes like when you began racing in 1994? What did you want to improve about your bike? Your first bike design in 1999, the Big Fat Fatty Fat, had 12 inches of travel front and rear. How did that work? You competed on some of your own bikes in Red Bull Rampage, including at the first competition ever in 2001. What was it like? How did it compare to today's spectacle? Why do you think there aren't many (any?) dedicated freeride bikes on the market today? What makes the Canfield Balance Formula (CBF) suspension design different from others on the market? Is CBF better suited for certain applications or travel ranges? Why are you such a proponent of shorter cranks for mountain biking? How has Canfield been affected by industry supply fluctuations over the past few years? What's next for Canfield? Which mountain bike developments or trends have you excited about the future? Visit canfieldbikes.com to see the bikes and components discussed in this episode. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Riley Amos won overall Under 23 World Cup titles in both short track and cross-country this year and finished seventh in the Paris Olympics, the highest an American has ever placed in the event. He is a member of the Trek Factory Racing Team and lives and trains in Durango, Colorado. Going into the 2024 season did you expect to win the overall U23 titles in short track and cross-country? Do you plan to change your race training or strategy when you move up to Elite next year? How much do you focus on nutrition as a part of your training and racing? For the last World Cup XC race of the season you rode the Trek Top Fuel which is a FS bike with 120mm of travel front and rear. What made you choose the bike for that course? Were you running a dropper post? I read that you joined the Durango DEVO mountain bike program in second grade. Did you participate in any other sports? Do you think it's helpful for athletes to specialize in MTB from an early age? As a USA Cycling National Team member, have you done much training in Bentonville? How does the riding there compare to Durango?  Why did you decide to ride the Palisade Plunge as a loop? How did it go?  In addition to the World Cup circuit, are there other races you're targeting for 2025? Do you have any fun rides planned? Follow Riley @rj_amos on Instagram.

Lennard Zinn is a bike designer and frame builder based in Louisville, Colorado. His shop, Zinn Cycles, offers "a full line of semi-custom and off the shelf bikes for riders from very small to very tall and everyone in-between." He’s also the author of Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance, one of the world’s best-selling guides to mountain bike repair. In this first-half of our podcast discussion, Zinn talks about drivetrain maintenance, focusing on chains and lubrication. Later in the show we talk about the benefits of big 32-, 36-inch, and 750d bike wheels and designing bikes for riders both tall and small. Understanding bike chain wear and elongation 0:00 Chain wear is caused by dirt and oil-based lubricant sticking to the chain, creating a grinding paste that wears down the rollers, bushings, and pins. Zinn describes how the chain's inner links are made. The chain's flexibility increases as the bushings and plates wear, affecting shifting performance. A chain's lateral stiffness is crucial for proper shifting, and a worn chain can cause skipping during shifting. Chain elongation and its effects 6:46 Zinn discusses how a chain's elongation affects its performance, particularly when the distance between rollers exceeds the half-inch standard. He explains that a worn chain can misshape the cassette's teeth, leading to skipping and poor shifting. Chain checkers can be used to ensure the chain's length is within spec to prevent cassette wear. Lubrication and its impact on chain wear 22:35 Zinn explains that a dry chain will wear faster due to friction, while lubrication helps reduce wear but can attract dirt. He discusses the differences between factory lube and other lubricants, noting that factory lube is designed for machinery, not for low friction on the bike. Zinn recommends using a cleaner to remove factory lube before applying chain lube. He introduces the concept of chain waxing, which involves immersing the chain in molten wax to create a low-friction, clean-running chain. Zinn shares the benefits of chain waxing, including reduced noise, lower friction, and longer chain life. Chain waxing process and benefits 35:43 Zinn describes the process of chain waxing, including the need for a clean jar of mineral spirits and denatured alcohol for cleaning the chain. He mentions the cost-effectiveness of chain waxing compared to replacing chains frequently. Wheel sizes and their applications 1:03:20 Zinn discusses the advantages of larger wheels for tall riders like 32-, 36-inch, and 750d wheels, noting that 32-inch wheels can make a bike look proportionally sized. He explains the challenges of using larger wheels, such as increased weight and the lack of suspension forks. Zinn mentions the development of new carbon rims and tires for larger wheels, which could improve their performance and weight. Barber asks about the feasibility of using suspension forks with larger wheels, and Zinn confirms that rigid forks are the only option. Challenges in designing bikes for small riders 1:16:58 Barber asks about the challenges of scaling bikes for smaller riders, and Zinn explains the limitations due to the need for certain components. Zinn highlights the importance of proportional design, where larger wheels can make a bike look more proportionate for tall riders. He discusses the ergonomic issues for small riders, such as wider Q-factors and shorter steerer tubes on forks. Zinn mentions the UCI's weight limit in road racing as an example of how smaller riders are often disadvantaged. Modern trends in bike design and their impact 1:18:46 Zinn highlights the shortening of steerer tubes on forks which can be a problem for taller riders. He discusses the trend of wider rear ends in modern bikes, which can be detrimental to smaller riders due to increased Q-factor. Find out more about the chain waxing service and bikes discussed in this episode at zinncycles.com.

Craig Calfee is an innovative bike builder and the founder of Calfee Design. Calfee was an early adopter of carbon fiber for bike frames in 1987, and brand's ​​Tetra road bike is said to have been in production longer than any other carbon bike. You might also recognize his work with Bamboo bike frames, which he began in 1995. How did you get your start building bikes? What did people think about the carbon bike frame you debuted at Interbike in 1989? Were there concerns that carbon frames were untested? Are you still doing carbon frame production in the US? How does carbon frame repair work? Your mountain bike, the Cephal, utilizes a system called Quick Tune Steering. What's the idea behind this feature? The Cephal is a hardtail with "leaf spring chain stays."  What are the benefits to having flexible chain stays? Were you surprised about your bamboo bike frame prototype? From a practical standpoint, is bamboo a good material for building bike frames? Why do you offer so many different tandem bikes? What are the challenges associated with building a tandem, particularly a mountain tandem?  How does your electric pedal assist retrofit service work? What kind of work have you done on adaptive bikes?  What's next on the horizon for Calfee Design? Connect with Calfee Design and learn more at calfeedesign.com. Visit singletracks.com for a complete transcript of this episode. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks