Just a quick shout to let you know we just got a fresh batch of singletracks t-shirts in stock this week. For those who have been looking and waiting for sizes small and XXL – we got ‘em!

As always, 100% of the t-shirt sales proceeds will go to IMBA. T-shirts are just $10 each and we’ll even throw in a couple singletracks stickers with every order. A few jerseys are available as well, check out the full singletracks schwag selection for more info.

Easy. Photo by trekker.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Name that Trail photo contest sponsored by Osprey. In the end joetutt came out on top with a 90% hit rate while maddslacker wasn’t too far behind at 80%. Both guys will be taking home sweet hydration packs from Osprey for their expert-level mountain bike trail knowledge.

Hard. Photo by trek7k.

Based on the results, the easiest trail photo of the contest came on day 1 – Slickrock in Moab, UT. Almost 70% got that one right which is ironic because no one (0.0%!) correctly identified the Moonlight Meadows trail (also in Moab) on day 3. View all the photo results here.

We had a lot of fun with this contest and we’re already prepping for the next one (how does “Name that MTB Gear” sound?). Free singletracks stickers are on the way to everyone who participated, just reply to the email we sent earlier today with your mailing address.

The “Name that Trail” photo contest kicks off on singletracks today and if you haven’t submitted your answers yet, get on it! The contest will run for 10 days with 2 new trail pics posted each day. The two members who identify the most trails correctly will each receive a killer new hydration pack from Osprey and anyone who submits at least one correct answer gets singletracks stickers. Sweet.

For those who are serious about winning, here are a couple strategy tips for ya:

• Submit an entry every day, even if you aren’t sure which trail is pictured. Set an alarm on your phone if you have to, you don’t want to miss a chance to score more points!
• Scour the singletracks trail photo archives. Remember, there are more than 25,000 pics in there so try to narrow your search a bit by region or even state. If you find the pic, you’ll know you have the right answer!

Thanks to the folks at Osprey for sponsoring this month’s contest. Head over to their new Osprey blog and check out the latest!

Do you know what mountain bike trail is pictured above?  Every day we are inspired by pictures uploaded by Singletracks members of mountain bike trails around the world.  We’ve hand picked 20 trail photos for you to try to “Name that Trail” and get FREE Singletracks stickers, plus, the top two winners will receive an awesome hydration pack from our partner, Osprey.

First and second place winners will receive Osprey’s Viper and Verve men’s & women’s specific hydration packs.  Utilizing Osprey’s Hydraform reservoir, the Viper and Verve series incorporate a streamlined feature set and simplified reservoir-to-pack interface.  Features include:

·  LidLock helmet clip
·  Top zippered pocket for quick access
·  Elastic sternum strap & magnetic bite valve attachment
·  Cell phone/MP3 pocket on shoulder strap
·  Blinker light attachment
·  Reflective graphics
·  Biostretch Harness
·  Spacer Mesh backpanel
·  Detachable webbing hipbelt.

The “Name that Trail” contest starts Friday Oct 1, 2010 so come back soon for more details and see how well you know your trails!

After several months of work we’re stoked to finally tell everyone about the Singletracks Mountain Bike Trails, Reviews, and News iPhone app! Download it free from the iTunes store right now.

Here’s a little bit about what the app includes and how it works. Screenshots attached for those who aren’t on iPhone yet.

Trail Info

The trail tab gives you two options for searching: map and list. The map view allows you to enter a city or region (say Denver or North Carolina) and shows all trails within 150 miles of that location. You can also click the “Current” button on the map page to automatically center the map on your current location (great for road trips). As on the main website, blue pins show exact trailhead locations while white pins show approximate locations. Click a pin to see the trail’s name and difficulty rating; click the trail name to view a photo, average rating, description, and more.

The trail list organizes trails by state (or country outside the US and Canada). Admittedly the list can get a little hairy for states like Colorado and California and we’re workin’ on it; for now, we recommend sticking with the map view if you live in a state with a lot of trails.

Once you’re on a trail page you can click the “Rating” link to read member trail reviews. On many trail pages the “Directions” heading will also be a clickable link that automatically calculates driving directions to the trailhead from your current location. Shazam!

Gear Tab

The gear tab gives you access to the entire singletracks MTB review catalog on the go so you can check ratings and reviews as you drool over the latest bling at your local bike shop. Mountain bike reviews are categorized and alphabetized to make stuff easy to find. Individual review pages show a small pic of the item, average rating, MSRP (if available), and basic info about the item. Click the “Rating” block to read individual member reviews.

Blog Tab

Some of you may be reading this very post via the Singletracks iPhone app right now via the blog tab. The latest news is on top and articles and pics are formatted for easy reading.

Officially this is version 0.9 of the Singletracks iPhone app and we’re already thinking about how we can make the app better and easier to use. We’re also exploring other mobile app platforms as well so stay tuned! And don’t forget you can also check out the singletracks mobile website on any phone, m.singletracks.com.

Yesterday we unveiled a new look to the trail category pages here on singletracks so today I thought I’d talk about some of the changes (click here for an example). Most of the new features were suggested by our members and we’re stoked about the updated look!

• Trailhead map on state pages: Click the “View bike trails on a map” link at the top of any state page and you’ll see a Google Map showing all the trailhead locations in the area. The map even updates when you filter by city so you can easily see how trails are spread out around town.
• Tabs to organize other state content: New tabs make it easy to switch to the “best trails,” “bike shops,” and “race” pages for each state.
• Simplified filters: Filter trails by city and/or difficulty.
• Sub-trail integration: A few weeks ago we added the ability to link individual trails to trail system listings. The new state page format groups individual trails with the system listing for a cleaner look.
• Faster page loads: The new trail category pages make use of AJAX so in many cases only part of the page is reloaded for things like sorting, paging, etc.
• More trails per page: We bumped the trails per page to 75 and cut out a lot of the text that made pages difficult to scroll through.
• Trail previews: Hover your mouse over any trail link and you’ll get a preview of the trail photo (if available) and other key trail stats like length, configuration, and trail type. Sweet.
• New map column: Find out which singletracks trails have been mapped and which ones are yet to be explored.

For singletracks junkies the new format may take a little getting used to but the overall experience should be snappier and easier to use. Find a new trail to ride this weekend!

We’re restarting the singletracks weekly email newsletter today. Even if you’ve opted in (this is not automatic), you will only receive the newsletter if:

- You signed up for an account in the last 6 months OR
- You’ve logged into your singletracks account in the last 6 months

As always, you can opt in/out of the email list on your account page OR by clicking the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the newsletter. Starting in August we’ll be giving away one free Pro membership to a random subscriber each week so make sure you’re on the list! More details soon…

The newsletter features a trail spotlight, trending forum threads, featured blog articles, hot deals from our partners, and top rated gear. We hope you find it useful!

Heil Valley Ranch photo by Rebus.

Next week I’m heading out to Colorado for the first of two trips to the state this summer and I’m getting super stoked! Trip #1 takes me to Boulder and the agenda is looking pretty tight so far.

• Mountain biking @ Trestle Mountain Bike Park, Winter Park, CO. On Tuesday morning we’ll be hitting the slopes at the Trestle Mountain Bike Park which just opened for the season last weekend. We’re told all the trails aren’t quite open yet (target July) but I know we’ll still have a blast riding sick DH bikes on the slopes.
• Visit with Spot Brand Bikes in Golden, CO. I got a chance to demo the Spot Longboard 29er mountain bike with carbon drive at Interbike this year and I immediately realized these guys were onto something. With much of their production still taking place in Colorado I’m excited to get a look behind the scenes to see how mountain bikes are made and to learn more about the carbon drive system. Fingers crossed for another demo ride with some of the guys after the tour.
• Singletracks group ride @ Heil Valley Ranch, Boulder, CO. Friday at 5:30 some of us will be meeting up for a group ride at Heil Valley Ranch near Boulder. I’m super stoked because I haven’t ridden here before but the reviews I’ve read sound promising. Give us a shout on the forum if you think you can make it, should be fun to meet offline.

We’re also hoping to hit Boulder Indoor Cycling to check out the indoor mountain bike circuits, though it does seem like a crime to ride outside during the amazing summer in Colorado. There will also be plenty of Colorado beer sampling, including a few delicious mountain bike themed brews.

Our overall summer riding calendar is jammed and the trip to Boulder is just the beginning. In July I’m heading to Northstar Resort at Lake Tahoe for a Beer, Bluegrass, and Biking trip (though not necessarily in that order) where I’ll be checking out the slopes and hopefully picking up some basic DH skills. Then in August it’s back to Colorado for a week-long, hut-to-hut mountain biking trip from Durango to Moab which promises to be epic. Closing out the summer will be Interbike in Las Vegas where I can’t wait to get back out on the trails at Bootleg Canyon.

Look for plenty of pics, videos, and articles covering all our MTB adventures this summer right here on the blog. See you on the trail!

Thanks to everyone who responded, we’re out of free stickers for now but stay tuned for the next opportunity to score!

——————–

About twice a year we like to give out free singletracks stickers to our members so here’s the deal this time around: submit a video comment OR a gear review and email us the link, along with your name & mailing address, and we’ll put two stickers in the mail. It’s that simple.

To find a video to comment on, go here. Choose a video, watch it, and click the “Comment/Rate” link on the right. Email us a link to the video page & your mailing info and you’re good to go.

Looking for gear to review? Go here, choose the category, find your product, and click “Review this Item.”

Don’t forget to send an email with your mailing info and a link to your comment / review. Offer good while supplies last!

Last week we let you know about a video contest we’re sponsoring and the response has been – well – muted. We’re not too worried though since we don’t mind holding onto the iPod Touch for ourselves (though we already have a singletracks jersey).

For those who missed the announcement, we’re looking for helpful mountain bike trail and gear review videos and MTB how-to videos (how to fix stuff, MTB skills, etc.). Submitted videos will be plugged into the appropriate trail and gear pages and the how-to videos may go into a new beginners area we’re working on. Don’t worry about trying to make a long, complicated video – check out the sample below to see what we’re talking about.

With less than 40 days to go, someone is going to take home an iPod Touch and someone else is going to get a singletracks jersey – why not you? Even if you don’t plan on submitting a vid, drop by the contest and vote for your favorites. We’ll be using that feedback to help us create better product and trail review videos in the future.

Roll camera on the trail this weekend and show us what you’ve got!

One of the coolest features on singletracks that doesn’t get a lot of attention is the ability to “tag” gear and trail listings throughout the site. In talking with folks it seems tagging may be a little confusing at first so I thought I’d share a bit more about the concept.

What tagging does

Before we get into how to tag items I thought I’d show you what tagging can do. Say you’re looking for parts to upgrade your DH rig (tires, bars, wheels, etc.) – just hit up the gear tag page for ‘dh’:

Or say you’re tricking out your bike and want all red components:

Or you want to find a mountain bike with a scandium frame:

There are dozens of ways to categorize mountain bike gear and tagging is a great way to do it. Categorizing trails works just as well and goes beyond the simple singletrack/doubletrack designations with categories like ‘forest,’ ‘fast,’ and ‘rail trail.’

How to come up with tags

So now you’re convinced that tagging rocks and you want to know how to improve the gear and trail tags on singletracks. The key is choosing words that describe (adjectives for you grammarists) the gear or trail you’re tagging. So a good set of tags for the Kona Hei Hei 2-9 might be “scandium, 29er, fs, xc, am, black, lightweight.” If you were tagging a trail, say Slickrock in Moab, you might include “hot, fast, scenic, xc, desert.” Notice that each tag is separated by a comma and you can even use multi-word tags like “entry level” or “steep climbs.”

How to enter tags

Whether you’re on a gear or a trail page, the procedure is the same. Just click the tag link in the dashboard on the right side of the page and enter your comma-separated tags into the form field. You can also click the same link to delete tags by clicking the tiny ‘x’ icons (if you made a mistake) or to add more tags later.

Get busy!

The singletracks crew has been adding tags to gear and trail listings for a while now but clearly we can’t do it all alone (plus we’re not nearly creative enough to think of everything). The next time you’re cruising the gear or trail reviews, add a few descriptive tags and check out the tags others have created. Tag – you’re it!

Singletracks is hosting our first ever video contest and we’re stoked. Unlike some other MTB video contests you may have seen, this one doesn’t require a helmet camera or MacAskill moves to win. Just come up with a good concept for your video and enlist your friends to vote!

Here’s how the contest works: create a video review or how-to related to mountain biking. This could be anything from a review of your favorite trail system or beloved bike to a how-to video showing the best way to detail a muddy bike. You can even create a video showing how to do a trick on your bike – the possibilities are pretty much wide open.

When you’re creating your video, be sure to mention singletracks.com either on camera or on screen for those with fancy video editing software. Upload it to the contest site and let the votes roll in!

Anyone with a Twitter or Facebook account can vote on videos – not just singletracks users – so be sure to get your friends to help you out. Make your video funny, awesome, or weird – whatever you think will get you the most votes.

The winner will take home an iPod Touch which has been optimized for viewing the singletracks mobile website. Second place gets an official singletracks jersey (or REI gift card depending on size availability) and third through fifth places get a singletracks t-shirt and PRO membership. Contest rules and more details can be found on the official contest site.

The contest ends June 1, 2010 and we’ll be posting updates periodically here on singletracks. We already posted a few videos to get things started and can’t wait to see what you come up with!