Singletrack
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CONTENTS 09 / Editorial Chipps asks you to trust us, even though none of us are doctors. 10 / (Hand) Made In China Chipps follows a Saracen frame from design through to testing and discovers that the factories in China and Taiwan aren’t what you might think. 24 / Column: Jason Miles Jason thinks there’s a place for every kind of bike, however niche. 26 / Trail Hunter: Snowdon Tom Fenton reminds himself why Snowdon should be on everyone’s must-ride list. 40 / Singletrack Recommended We bring you a clutch of products so good, we’d buy them ourselves. 46 / Singletrack Room 101 Judge Charlie decides which of your submissions will be successfully consigned to cycling’s Room 101. 48 / Bike Test: Killer Hardtails Hardtails take many forms. We test out a Kona, Nukeproof and Trillion from across the spectrum. 64 / Kit Bag: Enduro Proving that it’s not all enduro bum bags out there, we look inside Tracy Moseley’s more than comprehensive race pack. 66 / Classic Ride: Northern Ireland Ian Bailey takes us on a tour of the countryside that he loved so much that he moved there. 79 / Oddball: The Black Fuel We don’t just love bikes, we love coffee too. Our Rob Crayons shares some favourites. 80 / Interview: Keith Bontrager What’s the difference between fashion and progress? Keith has some words of wisdom. 90 / Adventure: Shropshire Why do so many top riders come from this small corner of England? Barney goes on a quest to find out. 98 / Group Test: Hi-Tech Tyres James Vincent tests out a bundle of rubber and narrows it down to those that you need, whatever the conditions. 113 / We Just Work Here Where we are, who does what (but not why), and what our speciality dishes are. Cover Photographer: James Vincent Location: Stuttgart, Germany Rider: Wil Barrett Towards the end of our European road trip, team Singletrack descended on Stuttgart. Late in the afternoon we managed to sneak out for a ride and while darting between the trees, the hazy summer evening light hit an all time high, so we just had to stop and shoot some photos. - - - - - Contents Photographer: Rob Crayons Location: Hebden Bridge, Calderdale The longest day of the year may have passed, but our local packhorse trails are still in more than fine nick, with all routes leading us to the pub. Of course. Premier Edition Content This expanded section is available for Premier subscribers and Premier Dealer customers. 116 / Adventure: Azores Karen Eller explores this tropical island paradise in the mid-Atlantic. 128 / Column: Grand Finale Through a blur of painkillers and adrenaline, Ian Bailey reflects on a riding holiday gone wrong. 132 / Adventure: My First Mountain Sanny takes a friend to revisit the first big mountain they ever rode. Is it any easier on a modern fat bike than on an early Pine Mountain? 146 / Last Word Chipps discusses the abusive relationship between race organisers, racers and races themselves. We want you to be clear where we are receiving a financial benefit that you might think could influence us, so where you see the above icon, you can find out about any sponsorship or gifts that have helped make the article happen. We will never accept sponsorship that could be perceived to influence a review, nor do we charge for reviews. Head to page 113 to find out how to get more out of your copy of Singletrack Magazine. 7
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- Page 12 and 13: Into China. A bleary, jet-lagged st
- Page 14 and 15: Wailing welding solos on the wah-wa
- Page 16 and 17: Building Boris. Our afternoon visit
- Page 18 and 19: Laying up the slices of carbon, rea
- Page 20 and 21: Final holes are drilled, post mould
- Page 22 and 23: Our final stop was to see the sampl
- Page 24 and 25: JASON MILEs PHOTOGRAPHY ED ROLLASON
- Page 26 and 27: TRAIL HUNTER EXPLORES THOSE MUST-DO
- Page 28 and 29: That’s LegoLand down there in the
- Page 30 and 31: Soon to be railing corners on the w
- Page 32 and 33: We climb higher. Al leads the way,
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- Page 36 and 37: Pick a better day for weather, we d
- Page 38 and 39: Balls. The walkers, sensing blood,
- Page 40 and 41: RECOMMENDED HERE AT SINGLETRACK TOW
- Page 42 and 43: TROY LEE DESIGNS RAID KNEE PADS Pri
- Page 44 and 45: TOPEAK RATCHET ROCKET LITE NTX Pric
- Page 46 and 47: WORDS CHARLIE THE BIKEMONGER ROOM 1
- Page 48 and 49: KILLER HARDTAILS Wil and the crew r
- Page 50 and 51: KONA HONZO CR TRAIL DL Price: From:
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- Page 54 and 55: NUKEPROOF SCOUT 290 RACE Price: Fro
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