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!

You may have seen mobile bike repair services advertised but apparently this is a new concept: a bike-powered bike repair service. Leave it to the Germans to find a way to use bikes to repair bikes - somehow I’m envisioning a snake eating its own tail here…

The cool thing is that stranded cyclists can call the ‘Radambulanz’ in Cologne or Berlin and a bike mechanic will show up on a bike towing a tool-trailer. The service boasts zero emissions (remember what I said about green biking?), quick service, and, according to the article I read, affordable prices. I’m guessing most of the calls involve flat tires on the commute home but even pro mechanics could use a hand with a snapped derailleur or bent wheel. Sorta like having your own support vehicle that only shows up when you need it.

Unfortunately I don’t think this service extends to off-road areas or mountain bike trails yet. During my ride on Tuesday I was thinking, in my semi-delirious state, that it would be cool if there was a “hydration man” that cruised the forest roads in popular MTB areas sorta like the ice cream man in the suburbs. Instead of frozen treats he could offer Gatorade, water, and Power Shots to thirsty and exhausted bikers in addition to providing light repair services. Think about how sweet it would be to hear the hydration man’s song just when you’re miles from the car and about to bonk!

Here at singletracks we’ve incorporated biking into many of our t-shirt deliveries (bet you didn’t know that!). We print postage right here in the office then deliver the packages to the post office or drop box via bike. I wonder why Nashbar doesn’t do the same