No foolin’ – it’s finally t-shirt weather in many parts of the US so now is the time to get your singletracks gear for the upcoming season! For one week only (through April we’re offering free shipping within the US on just about everything in the singletracks store (excludes items sold through CafePress and Evomo.com).

T-shirts are still just 10 bucks and we even have a few DH and XC jerseys available in select sizes. As always, 100% of the net proceeds will go to IMBA and we’re even throwing in free singletracks bike stickers with every order! Stock up before this deal expires…

Hey everyone, we put together a quick survey about the singletracks blog to find out which types of articles you like and which types you don’t. We want to continue to be the best mountain bike blog online and your responses will help us improve our MTB coverage this spring and summer. So c’mon, it’s Friday – what else are you gonna do to kill time at work?

Take the survey.

In the past 30 days alone, nearly 3,000 visits to singletracks.com were on an iPhone or iPod Touch (plus hundreds more on other handheld devices). If you were one of those visitors, you probably had a hard time reading the site without zooming and panning so we decided to do something about it. Meet singletracks mobile v1.0.

The new mobile site has all our trail and gear reviews in a no-frills package that’s easy to read and navigate on just about any portable device. Just hit singletracks.com on your phone and you’ll automatically be redirected to the mobile site (m.singletracks.com). Simple.

Perhaps the coolest feature (iPhone only) is the ability to find the nearest mountain bike trails no matter where you are. The site taps into the iPhone’s integrated GPS to find bike trails within 25 miles of your coordinates and returns an ordered list in seconds. We know there is at least one iPhone app out there that claims to do the same thing but it’s clunky and it costs $$. Singletracks mobile is free, fast, and isn’t a silly app. It’s a webpage. (if you use Firefox 3.5 or higher you can give this feature a try on your desktop)

Our heads are full of ideas for future mobile enhancements so stay tuned for more!

Just wanted to give an update for those who are still on the fence about ordering a jersey. We’re super close to making our minimum on the DH jerseys and we’re about halfway on the SS jersey. If you’re thinking about getting one, now is the time to do it – otherwise you may miss out. Orders received before the end of the week will also receive a 1-year singletracks Pro membership (value: $29.99).

The price for each jersey is $55 which is just barely above cost and proceeds (if any) will go to IMBA. Check here for more info on the jersey and how to order.

This summer we’ve been busy giving away other peoples’ products here on singletracks but now it’s time to give away some of our own gear. This contest is simple and it’s a “fastest finger” style contest so listen up and act quickly! (this time everyone will win something)

Just add a link to singletracks.com from your website or blog (Facebook or MySpace links don’t count) using one of the codes below. Then fill out this short form so we can check your link and will know where to send your loot. First 5 submitters get a 1-year Pro membership to singletracks; next 5 submitters get a singletracks t-shirt; everyone else gets singletracks bike stickers. Pro membership and t-shirt winners will be notified via email and you can submit links through Friday, September 18. One entry per person.

Link codes (or roll your own!)
Mountain Bike Reviews @ singletracks.com
<a href=”http://www.singletracks.com/mountain-bike/reviews.php”>Mountain Bike Reviews</a> @ singletracks.com

Mountain Bike Trails @ singletracks.com
<a href=”http://www.singletracks.com/mountain-bike/trails.php”>Mountain Bike Trails</a> @ singletracks.com

Mountain Bike Blog
<a href=”http://www.singletracks.com/blog/”>Mountain Bike Blog</a>

Mountain Biking @ singletracks.com
<a href=”http://www.singletracks.com/”>Mountain Biking</a> @ singletracks.com</a>

VholdR.com is holding a mountain bike video contest through November 30 and there are some pretty sick prizes up for grabs. It’s simple to enter: just upload your mountain biking related video to VholdR.com and tag it ‘mtb.’ VholdR members can rate videos on the site and the top 5 video producers will walk away with the loot. Of course there’s even a video explaining the contest itself – ain’t technology great?

Prize details from VholdR:

Winners of this contest will receive cool stuff from Diamondback and Avenir, as well as the usual mount, battery, or store credit from us.

1st: Diamondback Drifter1 Beach Cruiser
2nd: Avenir Cargo Trailer
3rd: Avenir Home Mechanic Tool Kit
4th: Avenir Torque Wrench
5th: Avenir Handler Pro II Floor Pump

The submission deadline for this challenge is Nov. 30th.

We’re pulling for you maddslacker, make us proud with your shiny new Contour HD camera!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the VholdR contest last month. Maddslacker ran away with the lead early on and never looked back. Soon he’ll be the proud owner of a slick VholdR Contour HD helmet camera and we expect to see some sweet videos from him soon!

By the end of the contest, members linked 437 new trail videos to singletracks trail listings and added footage for more than 100 trails. The video tab on our trail pages is quickly becoming the most popular destination and with sweet HD video it’s no surprise

Thanks to VholdR for hooking it up on this contest! Stay tuned for more contests in September…

Now that you’ve figured out how to find the best mountain bike trails on singletracks.com, it’s time to learn how to use the trail pages (we sometimes call them trail “listings”). Each trail listing is chock full of information so with this article, you’ll get an overview of how the trail information is laid out and how you can start contributing!

Trail Page Layout: Top Half

Starting with the top half of the page, you’ll see the trail title and the location of the trail (city, state). Click either the city or state name to find more mountain bike trails in that area. Below the location there are several tabs with additional trail content (photos, maps, video, races, etc.) and each is mostly self-explanatory. The “More” tab contains links to nearby bike shops and campgrounds (if applicable) and guidebooks covering trails in the area.

The trail photo displayed on the listing page is the most popular photo of the trail as rated by singletracks members and may change based on photo ratings. If the trail has been mapped, a clickable map thumbnail will appear below the trail photo preview.

The MTB Stats area includes aggregated information about the trail including length, tread type, and configuration. The average rating is based on a 5-point scale (1=bad, 5=great) and is averaged over all the reviews of the trail (the # of reviews is listed to the right of the average rating). The trail status is updated by singletracks members and shows when the status was last updated. Trail difficulties are averaged based on member ratings and are tied to IMBA Trail Rating guidelines.

Trail rankings are based on a number of factors you can read about here. The # of members who have ridden the trail (based on “My Trails” list entries) and the # of members who want to ride a trail (based on “Trail Wishlist” entries) is provided as well. Finally, the average speed and time to complete the trail is based on member ride log entries. Directions and description fields are self-explanatory; note that directions may not be visible if you are not logged into singletracks.com

Trail Page Layout: Bottom Half

Below the main trail info you’ll find links to similar mountain bike trails based on member ratings. The trail recommendations basically work like this: if a member likes this trail, we grab a list of the other trails that member likes. Nearby trails are listed next if the trailhead has been pinpointed on a map.

Individual member reviews follow. You can edit your own review at any time by clicking the “Edit” link next to the star rating on your review.

Below the reviews you’ll find trail tags. Clicking on a tag will bring up a list of other mountain bike trails that have been tagged similarly.

The green box at the bottom of the page provides links to other area resources including links to other outdoor activity websites (like camping, hiking, trail running, etc.).

The Trail Dashboard

The trail dashboard on the right side of each trail page is basically the hub for all your interaction with the trail page. To view all available actions (as in the screen shot above), click the “More Actions” link at the bottom of the first column of the dashboard.

1. Review this trail: Self-explanatory. Click this link to open the review form to add your overall rating, comments, and difficulty rating.

2. Watch this trail: Click here to be notified via email each time this trail is reviewed. Click the “X” icon to stop watching a trail.

3. My Trails: Click here to add the trail to the list of trails you’ve ridden. Once a trail has been added to your list you can remove it by clicking the small “X” icon to the right of the “My Trails” text.

4. Wishlist: Similar to the “My Trails” list mentioned above, this list tracks the trails you want to ride.

5. Update Status: Click this link to reveal the trail status update form. Choose from “Open,” “Closed,” or “Wet/Sketchy” and click the “Update Trail Status” button.

6. Tag This Trail: Add description tags (basically adjectives) that apply to this trail. Trail tags will appear at the bottom of the trail page as described above and you can add/delete your tags any time using this form. The tag form will appear inside the trail dashboard just below the “Tag This Trail” link.

7. More Actions: Described at the beginning of this section. Basically shows/hides actions #9+.

8. Correct/Update: Use this form to report inappropriate content or to amend the main trail info if you are not the original listing author. Your corrections and updates will be emailed to a moderator for review.

9. Share This: ShareThis is a service that allows you to share a link to the trail page on many social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Digg, etc.).

10. Training Log: Add an entry for a ride at this trail to your online training log. The basic training log allows you to enter the date, the distance you rode, the time it took, and notes about your ride. The advanced ride log (available with a Pro or Training subscription) allows you to enter more detailed info and view charts and graphs of your progress. Speed and time data is anonymously aggregated for use in the trail stats mentioned above.

11. Print Trail: Printer-friendly trail format to take with you on the go.

12. Add video: This form allows you to submit a link to a video of the trail from most popular video sites (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). Video links will be reviewed by a moderator before being posted to the Video tab.

13. Add photo: Upload a photo of the trail and provide your caption.

14. Add bike shop: Use this form to add a local bike shop but please check to make sure the shop isn’t already listed.

15. Add GPS data: If you’ve mapped this trail using your GPS, use this form to submit your GPX-formatted data.

16. Travel Tips: Locals, let everyone know where to eat, stay, and play during their trip to the trailhead.

17. Add a Race: Let us know about races happening at the trail.

18. Edit: If you added the trail listing you can edit some of the trail details yourself without having to use the Correct/Update form.

19. Facebook Like: Give a click if you like this mountain bike trail and a quick note will be posted on your Facebook profile.

The singletracks trail pages offer a ton of information so all this may seem a bit confusing at first but we promise once you get a feel for things you won’t want to rely on any other resource!

Just wanted to let everyone know the HuckNRoll.com coupon promotion is officially over but there are literally 3 coupons left to give out today – though no guarantees and you’ll have to hurry! We ran out of coupons about a week early so clearly people were stoked for such a great deal with their singletracks membership purchase…

If you were one of the lucky subscribers to receive a HuckNRoll.com coupon code remember you only have until August 1, 2009 to get $10 off your order at HuckNRoll.com. There’s no minimum purchase and they have some really nice stuff online including complete bikes from Santa Cruz, Titus, and Rocky Mountain. Thanks to HuckNRoll for hooking it up for this promo – show them so love this week!

We’ve been pretty swamped here with new members and content this month but we’ve also found time to make a few updates:

1. Members can now edit trail information. If you added a trail to singletracks you can now update trail details yourself anytime – including mileage, configuration, directions, description, and more! Of course all registered members can continue to add trail reviews, closure information, photos, videos, and GPS data using the trail dashboard on the right side of the trail pages.

2. Trail tags version 1.0 is now live (again). Some members recently pointed out that our trail tagging system was broken and this week we finally got around to getting things straightened out. It’s simple to add descriptive tags to any trail using – you guessed it! – the trail dashboard. We’ve even posted a short blurb about how trail tags work and include some suggestions to get you started.

We plan on integrating trail tags even more in the future but for now you can view the most popular tags, find individual trail tags at the bottom of each trail page, and view your personal tags to help you organize your favorite places to ride. Here are a few cool tags to check out to see how this works: NC Triangle, fast, and technical.

3. Forum issues resolved? A few of you have reported having trouble posting to the forums with random cursor movements but now we’re hearing that things seem to be back to normal. This fall we’ll be making some big changes to the forums so look for continued improvements…

More singletracks news to come, including a post explaining how we organize and map trail information, new contest details, and much more. Summer rocks!

If you’re on the fence about upgrading your singletracks account or purchasing a subscription for the first time, today is your lucky day! The guys at HuckNRoll.com have hooked it up and they’re giving new singletracks subscribers $10 off coupons to their huge online MTB shop. This offer is extremely limited and once the coupons are gone, they’re gone…

Some restrictions apply, so here’s the fine print. You’ll receive your unique coupon code via email within 24 hours of your singletracks membership purchase (free basic accounts are not eligible) and you can also view your code on your “My Account” page at that time. Coupon codes can only be used once and there is no minimum purchase at HuckNRoll.com. Your coupon code will expire August 1, 2009. Purchases of complete bikes, frames and wheels, Fox Racing, Oakley, Nixon, The North Face, and Sidi Footwear are not eligible for the $10 off coupon. Singletracks membership purchases made prior to June 25, 2009 are also not eligible. Terms, conditions, and restrictions may be updated at any time.

Of course if you have any questions, feel free to email us – info@singletracks.com – and we’ll do our best to take care of you.

About HuckNRoll

Started by the peeps who brought us Backcountry.com, HuckNRoll.com stocks more than 6,000 MTB products from 130 brands. The site opened its virtual doors just last month but it’s already taking the industry by storm. Just read this excerpt from the launch press release:

HuckNroll.com is an online mountain bike shop. You heard right. Online. And we wouldn’t be putting it lightly to say that the bike industry didn’t want us. The consensus when we first approached suppliers about launching a high-end online mountain bike shop was, “It will never work, the bike industry is different.” Our response? “Damn right, it’s different. It’s the last industry in existence to accept the Internet as a viable sales channel.”

Read the rest of the press release here – you’ll be ROFL.

About Singletracks Memberships

With a singletracks Trail membership you’ll get access to nearly 700 MTB trail maps (695 to be exact) complete with GPS data, topo maps, and elevation profiles. More maps are being added every day and your annual membership gives you access to EVERY MAP as it’s added.

The singletracks Pro membership adds an online training app and full access to the GPS data manager. With the training app you can keep track of all your workouts, on the trail or off while the GPS data manager lets you map and plot all your rides.

One more secret: you can get a big discount off our annual rate by purchasing a 2-year membership. With the HuckNRoll coupon it’s almost like getting the second year for free – just don’t tell anyone

It’s June and things are heating up on the trail AND on singletracks.com. Here’s the new stuff to keep you in the loop:

Video Contest Winners: It was a battle royale and in the end we had 3 clear winners. Devin_P killed it with 1535 points making him the proud owner of a brand new set of Kenda Nevegall 2.35 tires! Maddslacker earned himself a PRO membership and a singletracks t-shirt while Goo is taking home the third place package with stuff from Camelbak, Nite Rider, and Mr. Smith. Thanks again to all our sponsors and everyone who contributed.

Trail Video Comments: Speaking of trail videos, the contest helped us iron out some kinks that were preventing members from rating trail videos. With hundreds of new videos added this month, it’s a great time to post your comments and ratings to move the best trail videos to the top of the list!

New Trail Pages: We’ve been getting overwhelmingly positive feedback on the new trail page design and if you haven’t taken a look yet, check out this page for an example. The new tabs organize stuff like trail maps, photos, and videos and we’ve placed all the “action links” in a convenient dashboard in the right column. With this new framework in place look for more trail page enhancements this summer and fall.

New Forums: Mongoose has been hard at work moderating the forums and he’s adding two new discussions this summer for MTB beginners and folks interested in mountain biking with families (coming soon). We’re also adding more moderators to help out with the avalanche of new posts – stop in and holla!

Gear Reviews: We’re currently testing hot new gear from Easton, Sun Ringle, Manitou, Yakima, and others and will be posting articles and reviews here on the blog in the next few weeks. Want us to review a particular MTB product? Hit us up on the contact form and we’ll see what we can do.

Top Secret Stuff: Yep, there are a few things coming down the pipe that are on a strictly need to know basis right now. One thing I can tell you: we’ve located 1,100 trails for our Google Maps project. It’s still not nearly 50% of the trail catalog but get ready for a new way to search for MTB trails coming soon…