Singletracks Mountain Bike Podcast

Ryan Standish is a professional mountain bike racer from Australia who is currently living in the US. In addition to competing in top level mountain bike and gravel races, he’s also working to raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis. In this episode, we ask: How long have you been riding mountain bikes? How old were you when you realized you were fast? How did you end up in the US after growing up in Alice Springs, Australia? How did you qualify for the World Cup XC and short track races in West Virginia this year?  Why did you decide to wear jorts in the races? What is it like to race in the World Cup? How is it different from the other races you’ve competed in? What type of race or ride do you like the most? Do you prefer sprint formats like short track, or longer races like gravel grinders and stage races? How are you able to recover with so many back-to-back races? How did you get involved in raising awareness for MS? What’s your favorite place to ride? Do you have a favorite trail? Are you a good cook? Do you tend to eat healthy during the race season? What’s next on your 2021 race calendar? What are your goals outside of racing? Follow Ryan on Instagram @ryanstandwich and keep up with him online at RyanStandish.com. This episode is sponsored by Gloworm Lites. Gloworm is a mountain bike light brand founded almost a decade ago by two mountain bikers in New Zealand, and today the company offers some of the highest quality bike lights on the market – Including Bluetooth control and complete customisation through their app. Gloworm’s complete line of lights start at 1200 lumens and range up to a blinding 3600 lumens, all at reasonable prices. Save 15% off all light systems on the Gloworm website with the coupon code SINGLETRACKS2021. Shop for lights at glowormlites.co.nz --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Casey Coughlin teaches bicycle repair at Minneapolis College in Minnesota, one of only two colleges to offer a certificate program in the subject. While applying to graduate school she worked as a bike repair tech and later as a manager at Erik's Bikes in Rochester. We ask Casey: What are some of the ways professional bike mechanics learn the trade?  What’s the most common path to getting a job in a bike shop? Why do you think the demand for bike mechanics is projected to increase over the next few years? Is this related to the Covid bike boom? When learning to become a bike mechanic, what is the first repair you start with? Why? Is problem solving something you can teach bike mechanics? What does your prospective student look like?  Is there any sort of continuing education for bike mechanics? Do today’s bike mechanics need additional skill sets to deal with more complicated systems like e-bikes? Beyond being able to work on bikes, what sorts of skills do shop employees and future managers need to develop? Are there certain repairs that are more fun, or satisfying than others? Are there jobs no one wants to do in the shop? What makes working in a bike shop, or in the bike industry, a good career? Learn more about the Bicycle Assembly and Repair Technician Certificate at the Minneapolis College website. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Neko Mulally is a professional downhill mountain bike racer and three time US National Champion.  He’s also the co-founder of Windrock Bike Park in Tennessee and is currently part of the Intense DH Factory Racing team. In this conversation, we ask Neko: How did you find your passion for mountain biking at such an early age? What’s it like racing the World Cup on familiar trails at Snowshoe, West Virginia? What have you learned through the experience of building and operating Windrock Bike park? When you’re not riding park, where do you like to ride? Do you have a favorite trail? Why do you think people are so interested in how much money professional mountain bikers earn? Did money play into your decision to pursue a career in racing? Do today’s young mountain bike athletes have advantages or opportunities you didn’t have growing up?  Do you have to live at the base of a mountain resort to become a pro downhiller? How do you feel about crashing? Is it true that if you’re not crashing, you’re not learning? Do you have any tips for avoiding serious injury when you do fall? What does your preparation for the World Cup season look like?  How do strength and endurance training play into getting ready for competition? What’s are the best and worst parts about traveling the world to race mountain bikes? Visit NekoMulally.com to purchase this year’s Bike Giveaway Fundraiser Poster and follow Neko on Instagram @nekomulally. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks Photo courtesy Neko Mulally.

Fabio Wibmer is an Austrian trials rider and mountain biker with almost 7 million YouTube subscribers and his videos have been viewed more than 1.2 billion times. He’s known for starring in videos like Wibmer’s Law, Fabiolous Escape 1 and 2, and most recently, Home Office. In addition to trials riding, Fabio is also a winning downhill and freeride mountain biker. How are you feeling following your dirt bike crash in November? Do you have any tips or tricks for recovering from injury? How do you fill your time off the bike? Are dirt bikes just a hobby for you, or is it something you use to get better on the mountain bike? Like a lot of people, I imagine you started riding bikes as a kid. When did you realize that you were more talented, or maybe just more passionate, than the other kids? Who were the riders who inspired you as you were growing up? Are there any tricks you really wanted to include in a video like Home Office, but weren’t able to complete? How do you know when it’s time to give up on a trick and move on? Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? Where do you get your confidence? Which video project are you the most proud of? What are some of the skills that cross over between trials and freeride mountain biking? What’s the secret to pulling off a really good tail whip? What are some of the best mountain bike trails you have ridden around the world? What do you have to say to younger riders who look up to you? If you weren’t a trials rider and Red Bull athlete, what would you be doing instead? Photo: Hannes Berger / Red Bull Content Pool This episode first aired on January 11, 2021. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Today we’re wrapping up our mid-travel, trail bike mashup with our bike testers, Chris, Gerow, and Matt. We’ll meet the testers, discuss how the bikes were selected, and find out how the test rides were conducted. Then the team will share which bikes were their favorites, and talk about some of the surprises along the way. As a part of this roundtable discussion, Chris, Gerow, and Matt also talk about which bikes offer the best value, and offer advice for mountain bikers looking to purchase a new trail bike. Finally, we hear which bikes the team wants to text next! Read the written reviews at singletracks.com/MTM and watch video reviews at youtube.com/singletracksmtb.  --This episode is sponsored by Jamis Bikes.  Jamis has been designing and building quality bikes since 1979, and they were among the first to produce mountain bikes beginning in 1982. Check out the entire lineup of Jamis high performance mountain bikes at www.jamisbikes.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Arrie Rossouw is the co-founder and CEO of LuvTRAILS, an online and mobile platform helping groups raise funds for trail building and maintenance.  Jeremiah Bishop is a professional cyclist with countless major wins in short track, marathon, and ultra endurance racing. He’s also a leading advocate for cycling.  We ask Arrie and Jeremiah: How did Luv Trails come about? How is it connected to Trail Care? Jeremiah, what is your involvement with Trail Care and Luv Trails?  What does the Luv Trails app do? How do mountain bike clubs get included on the Trail Care website and in the Luv Trails app? Where do the donations go? How much of the money goes to the club vs. paying credit card fees and overhead? Why are monetary donations so important to trail groups?  How do riders connect their Stava account to Trail.care? What is the average donation per mile ridden? Do people tend to ride the same local trails over and over, or are you seeing people travel outside their area and supporting other clubs? Are clubs seeing meaningful revenue yet? How does this compare to the old-fashioned trailhead donation box? How do you convince riders to sign up or to make a one time donation? Once people sign up, do they tend to stick around and keep donating? What does the future hold for Luv Trails and Trail Care? Find the Luv Trails app in the Apple and Android app stores, or visit trail.care. --This episode is sponsored by Jamis Bikes.  Jamis has been designing and building quality bikes since 1979, and they were among the first to produce mountain bikes beginning in 1982. Check out the entire lineup of Jamis high performance mountain bikes at www.jamisbikes.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Chip Hawkins is the founder and chairman of the board at Wahoo Fitness (wahoofitness.com). The company’s stated mission is to “create innovative solutions to make hard fought goals attainable and lives better,” through products like smart trainers, bike computers, watches, and heart rate monitors. We ask Chip: Why did you start Wahoo Fitness? What were the limitations of existing fitness sensors at the time? Before smartphones and GPS units, were you big on tracking your own fitness data? What are the advantages of using a dedicated fitness head unit over the smartphone everyone is already carrying in their pockets? Why do we need another device? How important are accuracy and precision when it comes to fitness data tracking? Do you think the existing fitness software that’s available to athletes does a good job analyzing workout data? Are today’s algorithms helping riders make significant gains? Is tracking power output better suited to road training, or is it useful to look at it for trail rides too? Can sensors help with nutrition tracking? What can mountain bikers gain from riding a smart trainer? Does tech make the experience any less terrible? How do products like smart bikes and smart trainers play into the evolution of sport and competition? What’s next in the fitness tracking arms race? If everyone has access to the same tools, how can individual athletes use tech to gain an edge over competitors? --This episode is sponsored by Jamis Bikes.  Jamis has been designing and building quality bikes since 1979, and they were among the first to produce mountain bikes beginning in 1982. Check out the entire lineup of Jamis high performance mountain bikes at www.jamisbikes.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Jeremiah Stone is a mountain bike skill instructor who has taught hundreds of riders across the western USA with Ninja Mountain Bike Performance and the Sedona Mountain Bike Academy. He’s also a freelance trail builder and machine operator in addition to being a skilled rider. In this interview, we ask: How did you develop your own mountain bike skills? Did you have a coach? Do you think today’s mountain bikes make it easier to be a good biker, compared to the equipment that was available in the old days? Timing seems to be a big factor when it comes to landing jumps or clearing doubles. How can riders develop a good sense of timing and speed? Why is it easier to ride a technical feature once you’ve seen someone else ride it first? What are some common bad habits when it comes to technical trail descending? Beyond improving physical fitness, are there skills that can make climbing on the bike more tolerable? Do you have any tips for helping riders overcome their fear of trying something new? How does that advice change for someone recovering from a traumatic crash? This episode first aired on February 22, 2021. Connect with Jeremiah on Instagram @vitabrevis and learn more at ridelikeaninja.com. --This episode is sponsored by Jamis Bikes.  Jamis has been designing and building quality bikes since 1979, and they were among the first to produce mountain bikes beginning in 1982. Check out the entire lineup of Jamis high performance mountain bikes at www.jamisbikes.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Joe McEwan is a career aerospace engineer and carbon composites expert who founded Starling Cycles in 2014. The brand’s bikes are developed, engineered and handmade for the demands of UK trails, and the bikes have been well received among both the media and athletes. Find out why Joe thinks carbon fiber is almost the McDonalds of bikes, and also: What first piqued your interest in building steel bikes? Have you tried building bikes with other materials? Can the average rider feel a difference between a steel frame and say carbon fiber or aluminum? Do fat tires and suspension limit the effect when it comes to mountain bikes? How does tube shape and bracing affect ride feel? Why do you use Reynolds over tube stock from other suppliers? How is the tubing sized in terms of lengths? What is the cost of raw tubing? How do you go about making a steel tube stiffer in one direction than the other? Are there any design considerations that are unique to steel full-suspension frames? Why are most steel FS frames single-pivot? What are some design considerations around the headtube junction? How do you make that area stiff enough to hold a slack fork while keeping the bike’s weight low? Why do larger bike sizes need a brace between the top tube and seat tube? What can you do to dial in BB stiffness when building with steel? Has the recent shipping dilemma affected your frame business? How about components? What are you hearing from owners and fans of the gearbox driven Starling Spur? Are there advantages to a gearbox over an external drivetrain that go beyond broken derailleurs? What are your thoughts on the rising popularity of mixed-wheel bikes? What’s next for Starling Cycles? Are there any steel e-bikes in the future? View photos and learn more about the bikes mentioned in this episode at StarlingCycles.com. --This episode is sponsored by Jamis Bikes.  Jamis has been designing and building quality bikes since 1979, and they were among the first to produce mountain bikes beginning in 1982. Check out the entire lineup of Jamis high performance mountain bikes at www.jamisbikes.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Gene Hamilton, mountain bike skills coach and founder of Better Ride, shares tips on mountain bike skills, the importance of momentum, the impact of bikes on performance, and the evolution of mountain bike skills training. They also discuss tire choice and cornering, staying fit as you age, and the significance of help and support in the sport.