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. In this episode we ask: What first piqued your interest in building steel bikes? Have you tried building bikes with other materials? Is it true that that steel absorbs road and trail vibration better than other materials, and if so, can the average rider feel a difference? Do fat tires and suspension have more of an affect on ride feel than frame material? 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 frames single-pivot? Why do some bikes like the Murmur Trail need a brace between the top tube and seat tube? Some Starling products are made in the UK, while others are welded in Taiwan. How do you decide which bikes to build in house, and which ones to outsource? 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 ebikes in the future? Check out the full suspension steel mountain bikes at starlingcycles.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

Scott Morris is a self-described “lifelong mountain biker, trail mapper and programmer.” He’s the creator of Track Leaders, a live tracking website for bikepacking races, and TopoFusion mapping software. In this episode we ask: How did first make the connection between mountain biking and computer programming? Why did you and your brother decide to create TopoFusion? Have there been growing pains as bikepacking races like the Arizona Trail Race become more popular? Will some of the unofficial races need to become more official and organized as they get larger? Are you able to keep the list of ultra endurance records for races like the Tour Divide and Huracan 300 up to date? Do you think there’s a value in keeping official records for races like this, and for FKTs? What are the challenges involved in maintaining an official list like this? What led you to create Track Leaders, and how does it work? Are SPOT devices still the best way to track outdoor races? Do you see other devices like smartphones becoming viable for this anytime soon? As a programmer, how do you account for GPS data accuracy when tracking races? Is it easy for someone to cheat? Why is elevation data so notoriously difficult to track accurately with a GPS? When did you fully commit to the digital nomad lifestyle? How’d you finally make the jump? Do you have any tips for going full nomad? When you go for a ride in a new place, do you rely on GPS entirely or do you also pack a paper map? What are you planning for your next adventure? Find out more at trackleaders.com and topofusion.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

Dr. Kate Leeming is an explorer and adventurer who has biked tens of thousands of miles around the world, including 15,000 miles around the Australian continent in 2004 and 2005 and 22,000km across Africa from Sengal to Somalia. In 2019 she became the first person to cycle 1600km through the sands of the Namibian coast and is working toward the first-ever Antarctic bicycle crossing via the South Pole for her educational outreach organization, Breaking the Cycle. In May of this year Leeming completed her latest expedition, The Andes, the Altiplano & the Atacama. The 4,400km adventure began just as Covid-19 hit, forcing her to end her trip after 1,100km of riding. She returned earlier this year to successfully complete the trip. In this episode, we ask: What is your first memory of going on an adventure? Were you a good student in school? Did you enjoy learning? Have you always considered yourself an explorer? How does Breaking the Cycle: Education connect with your expeditions? What is the goal? What got you interested in the traversing the Skeleton Coast in Namibia by bike? Tell us about the all-wheel-drive fat bike you used. Was this a custom set up, or something you were able to find off the shelf? How did the bike perform? Were there any surprises along the way? How do you prepare for such massive expeditions, especially ones that no one else has completed before? How much of the preparation involves physical training versus research and logistics? How do you prepare yourself mentally? What are the challenges that women continue to face in the world of adventuring and exploring today? Are there ways we can be “explorers” in our day-to-day lives? What is the value of staying curious? Learn more and connect with Kate at KateLeeming.com and BreakingTheCycle.Education. ✏️ 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

Ned Overend is a mountain bike Hall of Famer and highly accomplished racer, winning the first ever UCI mountain bike World championship in 1990, the XTERRA world champion in 1998 and 1999, and the UCI Masters World Cyclocross Champion in 2012. Today he’s the Specialized XC mountain bike Team Captain and lives in Durango, Colorado. In this episode we ask: How did you end up settling in tiny, out-of-the-way Durango? When did you first hear the term “mountain biking”? What was your initial impression of the sport? How do you train for bicycle hill climb races? What are the keys to building endurance in general? Do genetics help? Does fat bike racing require a specialized skill set, or is it pretty similar to XC racing? Tell us a bit about the local cycling community in Durango. How has it grown and changed over the years?  What was it like last year seeing hometown rider Christopher Blevins become the first American to win a WC mountain bike race since 1994? What are some of your fondest mountain bike racing memories? Tell us about the Test Track in Durango, an area that’s now known as Overend Mountain Park. Did you help build the original trails there? What were some of the innovations tested on the trails? You appeared in one of the first mountain bike videos ever, in 1988. Do you think it’s even possible for a video to fully express what it’s like to ride? What’s been the biggest innovation in mountain bike equipment over the years? Do you have a favorite trail in Durango? Find out more about Durango's Spoketober festival at durango.org/spoketober. ✏️ 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

This week we’re re-sharing one of our favorite podcast episodes, and we’ll be back next week with an all-new show. Sean Madsen is WTB’s Saddle Category Manager and is an expert in cycling biomechanics with more than 24 years of experience. Over his career he’s studied and taught bike fitting to thousands worldwide, and he’s helped create many innovative saddle concepts while working with top athletes. In this episode, we ask Sean common questions about bike saddles including: How are bike saddles constructed? What are some of the different materials that are used for padding? Are there advantages to using materials like gel? What is the purpose of titanium or carbon saddle rails? How does bike saddle sizing work? Are more expensive saddles more comfortable? What’s the idea behind saddle cutouts? Why do you think the Volt is one of WTB’s best selling saddles? Do men and women need different bike saddles? Are saddles generally designed under the assumption that riders will be wearing a chamois? Are mountain bike saddles different from road bike saddles? How have saddle designs changed over the past few seasons? What’s driving the changes? What are some signs that it’s time for a new or a different saddle? Find out more about saddles and WTB designs at wtb.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Emmy Andrews is the Executive Director of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance, also known as COTA. The group's mission is to "develop, protect, and enhance the Central Oregon mountain bike experience through trail stewardship, advocacy, collaboration, and education." Tell us a bit about COTA. What’s the organization’s mission and how large is your membership? When and why did COTA get its start? How long have you been with COTA, and how did you get involved? How is COTA organized? How many miles of singletrack does your group support? What are some of the most popular trails COTA helps support? Is there currently a good mix of trails in Bend for riders of all skill levels? Who are the land management agencies COTA works with? Do you see a lot of riders coming from out of town to ride in Bend, and some of the other areas COTA supports? What’s the best time of year to ride in Central Oregon? Tell us about the mountain bike community in Bend. Are there standing group rides, or businesses that are particularly MTB-friendly? Are there some under the radar trails that visitors might want to consider riding? Is there growing demand for e-bike trail access in Central Oregon? Do you have any new MTB trails in the planning stage, or currently under construction? How is COTA funded? What’s the biggest constraint or challenge that COTA faces in carrying out and growing the mission? What’s next for COTA? Learn more and support the Central Oregon Trail Alliance at cotamtb.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

This week we’re re-sharing one of our favorite podcast episodes, and we’ll be back next week with an all-new show. Last year Christopher Blevins became the first American man to win a World Cup race since 1994, taking first in the final XCO race of the season at Snowshoe, West Virginia. He’s also the 2021 short track world champion, and has notched numerous podium finishes at national and international mountain, cyclocross, and road races. This past weekend Blevins crashed during the short track race (XCC) at Les Gets but still managed a top-20 finish. In the cross country race on Sunday he was not feeling well due to injuries suffered in the XCC race and pulled out of the competition. In this interview we ask: How did the Durango DEVO community-based cycling program shape who you are as a rider? What is it about Durango that produces so many talented riders? Is it the elevation, or the terrain, or something else? How does being a playful rider translate on the race course? How did you get interested in spoken word poetry? What did you learn through the process of preparing for and then racing your FKT attempt along the Los Padres route? Which do you find more challenging: FKTs or World Cup racing? How are they different or the same? As a professional athlete, what do you see as your role in important issues like climate change? How can we balance the positives that tourism can bring to an area with the impact that it has in terms of the carbon footprint of travel and the strain on local resources? Why did you decide to join the Trinity Racing team? Were you thinking about becoming the first US male to win a World Cup race in 27 years at the start of the Snowshoe XC event last year? Who are some entrepreneurs you admire? Do you see yourself becoming an entrepreneur in the traditional business sense, or is entrepreneurship applicable to making a career as an athlete? What’s next for you? ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

In this episode Chris, Jeff, and Matt talk about the 12 best mountain bike destinations in the United States that was recently shared on Singletracks. We'll go over the criteria we consider when choosing our favorite mountain bike destinations and go through the list and share more about the best spots to visit. Moab, Utah Sedona, Arizona Bentonville, Arkansas Grand Valley, Colorado (Fruita / Grand Junction / Palisade) Crested Butte, Colorado and the Gunnison Valley Park City, Utah Pisgah, North Carolina (Brevard / Asheville / Old Fort) Lake Tahoe Copper Harbor, Michigan Kingdom Trails, Vermont Durango, Colorado Bellingham, Washington Cover photo: Matt Miller ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

This week we’re re-sharing one of our favorite podcast episodes, and we’ll be back next week with an all-new show. Pat White is a longtime product manager for Kona Bicycles and Doug Lafavor aka Dr. Dew has been designing bikes at Kona for decades. In this episode we ask: Which factors make a hardtail ‘hardcore’ or more aggressive compared to say an XC or entry-level hardtail? What are aggressive hardtails good for in terms of riding style or trails? What are the limits? How important is frame material when it comes to designing a hardtail? Is there one material that’s generally superior to the others? Are there higher costs involved in building hardtails from steel than aluminum? Where does the compliance in a hardtail frame come from? Do you look at component selection differently for a hardtail vs. a full suspension bike? If so, what are the key areas where the builds differ? Is there any lingering debate about wheel size when it comes to hardtails? Are sliding dropouts an important selling point? What do you think about Internal cable routing on hardtails? There seems to be a focus on making seat angles steeper lately. How do you approach seat tube angles for hardtails compared to FS bikes? Are there things you’re able to do with hardtail geometry that just aren’t feasible with a FS design? How is the balance between chainstays and reach considered on a hardtail? For a lot of riders cost can be a factor in deciding to go with a hardtail. What does the typical hardtail rider look like? Do you own a hardtail mountain bike? How often do you ride it? What are some tips for riders to get the most out of a hardtail mountain bike? Do we need to modify our riding style, or reconsider preferences for things like tire and fork pressure? ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Mike Giese is an industrial designer based in Salt Lake City who has designed products for bike brands like Revel, Trust, and most recently, Evil Bikes. Evil just announced their first electric mountain bike, and we’re curious to learn about some of the design challenges that were involved. In this episode we ask: How do industrial designers and engineers work together? Does one usually take the lead on starting a new bike project, or are you working in parallel from the beginning? Is it beneficial, or even possible, to simply take an existing mountain bike design and electrify it? Or is it better to start from scratch? Why? Evil is using a Shimano e-drive system in the new Epocalypse. Is choosing the drive system one of the first steps? Why choose Shimano for this bike? What are the challenges involved in designing a frame to accommodate a motor and battery? Are there any unique challenges with wiring, or is it pretty similar to internal cable and hose routing? How do build kit considerations differ for an e-bike vs. a traditional mountain bike? We’re seeing e-bike innovations, particularly in components like tires and brakes, trickling down to traditional bikes. Are there similar opportunities when it comes to frames? Was the goal to give the e-bike a similar ride feel to other bikes in the Evil lineup, or did you see this as an opportunity to deliver something unique? How do you make decisions about touch points and usability for things like power switches and charging ports? Do you think e-bikes are closer in spirit to motorcycles or bicycles? Who do you see as the target customer for electric mountain bikes like this one? Is it geared toward more experienced riders, or do you think it will appeal more to folks who are new to the sport? Check out some of Mike’s work at mikegiese.com, and see the new Evil bike at evil-bikes.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks