Mike Repyak is the Director of Planning and Design at Trail Solutions, the trail development arm of the International Mountain Biking Association. He’s been involved in recreation planning and trail network design for many years and is currently based in Madison, Wisconsin. In this episode we ask: How is Trail Solutions related to IMBA, and what does it do? What are some ways designers can influence trail riders' experience? Would you say we generally have the right mix of green, blue, and black trails in most places in the US? How does the cost to build a new trail today compare to 10 years ago? Are there enough experienced, quality MTB trail builders in the US? How do maintenance considerations play into trail planning? Is chipseal something that is helpful in building low-maintenance trails? What are some current mountain bike trail projects you’re stoked about? From your perspective, is there a connection between the growth of MTB participation with the growth in trail building? Does a growing sport make it easier to get projects approved and funded? Find out more about Trail Solutions at imba.com, and for information about current, open positions at IMBA, visit ride.imba.com/explore-imba/meet-imba/careers. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Jason Williams is the Senior Sports Scientist in the Human Performance division at Specialized and a bike fitter at Retul, a Specialized brand that’s focused on delivering technically advanced bike fitting and product matching technology. Retul works with top level athletes and uses collected data to help inform product design, notably the Specialized Body Geometry line. In this episode we ask: Is bike fitting today different than it was 10 or 20 years ago? Have bike fits always been so data-driven? Has bike fit data traditionally been fed back into bike design? How are current trends in mountain bike frame geometry like steeper seat tube angles and longer reach affecting bike fit? Is there tension between a good bike fit, and the idea of a “normal-looking” bike setup? How do ride dynamics play into bike fitting? Are you able to optimize a rider’s weight distribution on the mountain bike? Is there an easy way to tell if you are running the proper bar width for your body? What are the considerations for sizing up or down? Are there riders who could benefit from shorter or longer crank lengths? Are ergonomics a part of bike fitting, for example brake lever and shifter setup? Do customizable electronic controls help? What are some of the interesting things Retul has learned fitting professional and amateur riders alike? Check out retul.com get more info or book a fit. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

In this episode Matt and Jeff discuss the results from a recent survey that asked, "What is the least useful mountain bike innovation?". For those who missed our survey, the top five answers among nearly 10,000 votes were: Electronic suspension control (22%) Electronic shifting (17%) Flip chips (14%) Internal cable routing (12%) Hip packs (7%) Commenters pointed a few choices we didn't include in the survey, so we talked about those as well. Steering stabilizers and limiters Tire inserts 20mm thru axles

Aaron Chamberlain is the Bicycle Sales and Marketing Manager at Maxxis, one of the largest bicycle tire manufacturers in the world known for producing high quality products. In this episode we ask: Where are we at with bike tire widths? Clearly fat and plus tire adoption have peaked so are things looking pretty stable these days in terms of widths? What are the considerations when choosing the right tire width, especially when there are so many choices? Will a tenth of an inch in width make a noticeable difference to anyone? Do you think bike brands do a good job speccing tires on bikes? Do price and weight get prioritized over performance in some cases? Which MTB tire features are a good fit for gravel? Is it more difficult to design a gravel tire that’s both lightweight and fast and also durable? Do any of the innovations in gravel tires have the potential to filter to MTB? With access to pretty much any and every MTB tire you could want, how often do you change your tires: Seasonally? Every ride? Never? One of the key specs when looking at tire casings is a number called TPI, threads per inch. What does that number tell us? How does TPI work when there are multiple plies or casing layers involved? What’s the best way to dispose of worn out bike tires? What are some of the trends you’re seeing with pro gravity riders? Are there changes in the key things they’re looking for? See more at maxxis.com and on Instagram @maxxisbike. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Calvin Jones is the Director of Education at Park Tool company, a position he’s held for more than 15 years. He’s the author of the Big Blue Book Bicycle Repair and his repair videos on YouTube have been viewed by millions. We ask Calvin: How did you learn how to work on bikes? What type of riding do you like to do? Do mountain bikes require more or less repair and maintenance than other types of bikes? Are today’s bikes easier to work on than the bikes 10 or 20 years ago? Do bike manufacturers do a good job considering maintenance and repair when they design new products? Are Torx bolts taking over hex bolts? Which repairs are your least favorite? Will future bike mechanics need electrical skills, or is diagnosing and repairing electronic components something manufacturers will want to control? What’s the effect of YouTube videos like yours that help folks make repairs themselves at home? Check out the Park Tool YouTube channel and parktool.com. Programming note: For 2023 the Singletracks podcast will be published on Tuesdays each week instead of Monday. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation will be available at singletracks.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

After a year of testing and covering the latest mountain bike releases, Matt and Jeff discuss their favorites and talk about trends for 2022 and beyond. Our favorite mountain bikes tested Bikes released and updated in 2022 2022 mountain bike trends Predictions for 2023 mountain bikes A full transcript is available for free at Singletracks.com. Cover photo Hannah Morvay. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Tom Place is the co-owner and head of Product Development for Outbound Lighting (outboundlighting.com). He’s a former Cree LED manager and holds multiple LED chip design patents. In this episode, we ask Tom to fill us in on how bike lights work, and how we can get the most out of our setup for night riding. What is the ideal beam shape for trail riding? Are certain beam patterns better than others depending on where you ride (eg. wide open desert vs. thick forest)? How does light placement affect the beam shape? What’s the theory behind helmet vs. bar mounted lights? If you only have one light, is it better to be on the bars or the helmet? Can brightness make up for an inefficient or poor beam shape? Why shouldn’t buyers focus on lumen numbers? Which features can buyers look at to compare bike lights? How do you determine the optimal battery size for a bike light? Why do LED lights produce so much waste heat? Is there better tech on the horizon? What could cause a poorly designed or manufactured light to pose a safety risk? Do you have any tips for night riding? ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available at singletracks.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Hannah Otto is a World Cup mountain bike racer, FKT record holder, and Leadville 100 winner who has been racing since the age of 9 years old. Last month she set the fastest known time for riding the Whole Enchilada from bottom to top, and top to bottom in a time of 5:50:38. You can watch a short film about her FKT attempt here (https://youtu.be/oErEWLGdPlI) and follow Hannah on Instagram @hannah_finchamp In this episode we ask: How did you first get into mountain bike racing? How do FKT attempts compare to races like the Leadville 100 or even a World Cup XC race? Is one more stressful than the other? Tell us about your Whole Enchilada FKT attempt. Why that route? Was this your first time riding this exact route? Had you ridden the Whole Enchilada descent before? According to Strava all the fastest times on the Whole Enchilada were posted by men. How did it feel to best all of them by nearly an hour? Which was more challenging: the climb or the descent? Was the weather a factor when you made your attempt? Did you do any training specific to this trail, and this FKT attempt? I assume all of your gear held up well. Any surprises out there? What have you learned by working with bike coaches over the years? Do you use caffeine before or during races? Why or why not? What does your rest and recovery routine look like? Which races or FKTs are you targeting for 2023? This episode of the Singletracks podcast is sponsored by Explore Brevard. Professional mountain biker Adam Craig says it’s one of the top three places in the universe he’s ever ridden. Where is this magical mountain biking nirvana? It’s none other than Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and DuPont Recreational Forest. The area boasts over 300 miles of peerless singletrack, not to mention hundreds of miles of gravel roads, creating a near endless array of routes, terrains, and challenges to explore. Four vibrant bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need gear, service, or a top notch rental. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes and gathering spots that have earned Brevard the title as one of the best small towns in America in 2021. It all adds up to a premier mountain biking destination you’ll want to experience for yourself. Find out more at ExploreBrevard.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available at singletracks.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Jonathan Hagerman and his wife Alexandra co-founded The Dirt Therapy Project, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to helping military veterans heal through riding. Jonathan served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2009-2013 and deployed to Afghanistan as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom. With Veterans Day just around the corner, Matt and Jeff, also both veterans, speak with Jonathan about his experience serving and learn how The Dirt Therapy Project is connecting veterans with mountain biking. Learn more about The Dirt Therapy Project and find out how you can get involved at tdtp.org. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available at singletracks.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Tony Boone has been building mountain bike trails for more than 30 years, and literally helped write the book on the subject, contributing to IMBA’s Guides to Building Sweet Singletrack and Providing Great Riding. He established the first bike patrol in Colorado in 1989 and has been an active member of the Professional Trail Builders Association since 1995. In this episode we ask: What was it like working as a Boulder open space employee? How do the early trails compare to the ones you’re involved in creating today? How do you learn and establish best practices for trail building? What are some of the most common mistakes new trail builders make? How did you get involved working with IMBA, and building trails overseas? What was it like seeing the development of mountain biking in places like China? What are some of the trail projects you’re most proud of? What led you to create a community college trail building course? How do trail builders benefit from a more formal education? What is life like as a full time trail builder? How do concepts like sustainability and stewardship fit into recreational trail building? What does the Jim Angel quote, “People don’t need trails, the land does,” mean to you? Connect with Tony and learn more at tonyboonetrails.com. This episode of the Singletracks podcast is sponsored by Explore Brevard. Professional mountain biker Adam Craig says it’s one of the top three places in the universe he’s ever ridden. Where is this magical mountain biking nirvana? It’s none other than Brevard, North Carolina, home to Pisgah National Forest and DuPont Recreational Forest. The area boasts over 300 miles of peerless singletrack, not to mention hundreds of miles of gravel roads, creating a near endless array of routes, terrains, and challenges to explore. Four vibrant bike shops will get you sorted, whether you need gear, service, or a top notch rental. Top it off with an array of craft breweries, cafes and gathering spots that have earned Brevard the title as one of the best small towns in America in 2021. It all adds up to a premier mountain biking destination you’ll want to experience for yourself. Find out more at ExploreBrevard.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available at singletracks.com. --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks