All photos Jeff Barber unless otherwise noted. Pinarello is an Italian brand known for their world-beating road bikes, and now they’re applying that winning knowledge to the realm of cross-country mountain bike racing. This isn’t the first time Pinarello has marketed a mountain bike; in fact, the Pinarello Dogma XC isn’t even a new model for the brand, having first debuted in 2013 before quietly disappearing. However it’s clear the latest Dogma XC is not messing around, with Olympic gold medals in its sights. I wanted to see what it feels like to ride a $13,000 top-level XC race bike with the ..read more

Building phase 1 of the Baker’s Park trail system. Photo: Jess Didion, courtesy IMBA The iconic mountain bike experience has long been synonymous with epic rides in big mountains, deep forests, and desolate desert landscapes. In fact, the sport was founded on endless backcountry singletrack trails in places like Crested Butte, and as a result, riders have spent decades seeking out epic loop rides like trail Trail 401 or point-to-point shuttles like the Monarch Crest. While those epics still attract throngs of mountain bikers today, as the tireless trail advocates at the International Mountain ..read more

Gear Watch Wednesday is a weekly update on the latest mountain bike gear releases and products that Singletracks has received for test. Have gear news to share, or products you’d like us to check out? Email jeff@singletracks.com. Sea Otter is kicking off tomorrow and ahead of the festival, many mountain bike brands are releasing new and updated products which means this week’s Gear Watch is PACKED. So, we’ve divided the news into two articles, one for bikes (here) and this one for products. All photos provided by the respective brands unless otherwise noted. Digit Ring Digit turned a lot of he ..read more

All photos provided by RockShox. The RockShox Psylo suspension fork is back with new and updated tech and a compelling price tag. Offered in 27.5″ and 29″ versions and with travel amounts ranging from 130-160mm, the Psylo is targeting trail bikes and eMTBs too. RockShox Psylo key specs 130-160mm travel, available in 10mm increments Weight: 2320g (160mm travel, 44mm offset) 27.5″ and 29″ versions available Isolator RC damper and Debonair air spring Fender included Price: $539 Buy from RockShox retailers With the (re)launch of the Psylo, RockShox has a new damper, the Isolator RC. The three-po ..read more

Photo: Jeff Barker. The relationship between e-bikes and the Tahoe National Forest (TNF) can best be described as “on again, off again.” Singletracks first reported on the allowance of eMTBs on non-motorized TNF trails in the summer of 2019. E-bike access was granted on 32 trails in five different trail networks. While the TNF officially gave the “okay” for this new group of trail users to access trails, they made it very clear that they were not changing any policies.  However, this allowance was short-lived. Only a few months later, several equestrian groups filed lawsuits against the T ..read more

Photo: Mike Cartier By now you’ve probably heard that Bentonville, Arkansas is home to quality mountain bike trails, with something for everyone from beginners to expert riders. But Bentonville is just one dog-eared corner of the Arkansas MTB trail story. Whether it’s a chance to experience high quality gravity trails or to become a faster rider, mountain bikers from all over the US are discovering there’s a lot more to Arkansas than flow trails, and it’s accessible all year ’round.  “There’s a lot to offer in terms of fun and diverse trail aspects, but typically you got to go a little bi ..read more

Photos provided by Cane Creek. The new Cane Creek Invert is a lightweight suspension fork designed for gravel bikes, and the North Carolina based brand has made some interesting performance and aesthetic design choices. Cane Creek Invert fork key specs Weight: 990g for the SL version, 1113g for the CS version Suspension travel: 30mm for the SL version, 40mm for the CS version Tire clearance: 700x50c Price: $1,099 (SL) and $1,199 (CS) Available summer 2024 Starting with the biggest design choice of them all, the Cane Creek Invert is an inverted fork; that is, the stanchions are located at the ..read more

Spring is MTB announcement season, and with the Sea Otter Classic happening in California next week, we’re cresting the wave of annual press releases and product launches. Countless mountain bike brands are vying for your attention which can be exciting — or annoying — depending on how you look at it. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form. How closely do you follow new/updated MTB releases? * Obsessive: I want to know about all of them, even minor ones like color changes. Very: I want to know about bike updates from most/all brands Selective: I only care about the bi ..read more

In 2017 Singletracks gave away custom Opinel knives to Brutal Loop participants, and the swag was a hit. So when I recently learned that Opinel also makes folding saws I had to give one a try. The Opinel No. 18 folding saw is a quality piece of trail maintenance equipment that’s a joy to carry, and a joy to use. Opinel No. 18 folding saw key specs About 9.5″ long folded, about 16″ long unfolded Blade: 8″ long, XC 90 carbon steel Wooden handle Weight: 185.1g Price: $59.99 Buy from Amazon I threw the Opinel No. 18 saw into my hip pack before a regular Tuesday night ride just in case, and almo ..read more

Whether your MTB skills are feeling a little rusty, or you’re finally ready to make good on that New Year’s resolution, now is an excellent time to sign up for one of the Ninja Mountain Bike Skills clinics happening around the US this spring, summer and fall. Choose a clinic to learn fundamentals, intermediate skills or jumping, or sign up for a full-day or weekend combo. There are also women’s only clinics available. To get the 60% discount, use code SINGLETRACKS at checkout now through April 30, 2024 at ridelikeaninja.com. Clinics are offered through the fall but some of the April and May c ..read more