Jeff co-founded Singletracks with his wife Leah in 1998 and has been dedicated to sharing the mountain bike information that inspires others to take epic adventures ever since. He started mountain biking in high school and served in the US Air Force before devoting himself full time to Singletracks in 2007.
Though formally educated as an engineer, Jeff began writing stories at an early stage, inspired by his mother who is a longtime accomplished author. He enjoys covering the world of mountain biking from every possible angle, whether it's trails or gear or skills. His goal for every story: that readers learn at least one new thing.
Author snapshot
MTB Background and expertise
- Riding experience: Trail, XC, and bikepacking.
- Mountain biking since: 1992
- Number of products reviewed: ?. I think my first product review for the site was this one for a plastic wallet.
- Current stable: Canyon Neuron, Orange P7 hardtail, and Scott Fun XC
Education and writing experience
- Bachelors of Science in Engineering, Duke University
- Masters of Business Administration, Duke University
- Other publications: Panther Press (Lakeside High School - Augusta, GA), CitySearch.com
photo: supersizedcycles.com. In general mountain bikes are designed to stand up to enormous impacts, especially FR/DH rigs where big hits are the norm. Burly bikes typically have wider, deeper rims, stiff suspension…
photo by Alan Ofsoski, fotoengineers.com The Singlespeed Mountain Bike World Championships are being held in Rotorua, New Zealand this weekend and there are over 1,000 riders from 30 countries registered for the…
After 25 years (!), Mountain Bike magazine will cease publication with the November, 2010 issue. Parent company Rodale Inc. plans to fold the content into Bicycling magazine and Bicycling.com so all is…
On my week-long hut-to-hut mountain biking trip this summer I brought along a raft of extra parts: chain, derailleur, spokes, cables, and brake pads but to be honest I really didn't know…
Riding a mountain bike can feel like flying a jet sometimes - high speeds, split second decisions, a 3-D range of motion, and adrenaline pumping through your system. For years fighter pilots…
One thing we've learned over the years is that mountain biking is always more fun in a group - whether it's two of us or ten of us. But sometimes coordinating schedules…
Just as high school mountain biking leagues are gearing up across the country, an elementary school in Lake Placid, NY will become one of the first to offer a mountain bike program…
If you followed our coverage of the Durango to Moab hut-to-hut trip this summer you know we used a SPOT GPS transmitter to plot our position along the route. The SPOT was…
Last month I got a chance to stop by the Niner booth at Interbike to chat with Carla about big wheel bikes. Believe it or not, I still haven't personally ridden a…
The Red Bull Final Descent series wrapped up last week when 121 riders saddled up at Angel Fire Resort in New Mexico for a shot at $5,000 in cash prizes. The object…
I read an article several weeks ago that talked about how Trek and Schwinn have been using landmarks around Madison, WI to name their bikes and it got me thinking: Where do…
At Interbike last month, element22 and I got a chance to chat with Tony Ellsworth, founder and CEO of Ellsworth Handcrafted Bikes. These days only a handful of bike companies bear the…
Cleaning and lubing your mountain bike is about as exciting as waiting in the doctor's office but it's one of the most important things you can do to maintain your bike and…
There's more great stuff to share from Interbike but frankly I think we can all use a short break from the coverage. Ever since I got back from the Durango to Moab…
After seeing more than one set of super wide 800mm bars at Interbike, element22 and I were having a conversation that went something like this: element22: Wow, 800mm bars - that's gotta…
At Interbike last week element22 and I got a chance to stop by the Topeak booth to chat with Eddie O'Dea and Matt Karaus about the 2011 products. For those who don't…
Last year's Race Across the Sky was a great mountain bike movie that seemed to have it all: star power (Lance Armstrong), an epic clash between an outsider and a local hero…
Last year I took my first test ride on a Spot bike equipped with the Gates Carbon Drive and even though I'm no single speeder, I loved how smooth and quiet the…
Here's a quick item for those of you who like your nutrition in gel form: Clif Shots just got a new formula for 2011. Previously, Clif Shots used organic brown rice syrup…
While walking between appointments at Interbike, element22 and I spotted a large, well-lit booth with carbon fiber mountain bikes, all decked out with high end components. The name, Triace, wasn't familiar so…
I've always been a fan of the Garmin Edge series of GPS devices for mountain biking but to be honest the color screen units (605 and 705) always seemed overpriced for the…
Every year I'm excited to visit the Camelbak booth because it seems like there's always something new and this year was no exception. The Camelbak hydration system has been around for more…
While element22 and I haven't had a ton of time to wander around the show so far, we have come across a few strange and interesting products like: Scented bar grips. Spank's…
Here's a quick one for the GPS geeks like me out there. For 2011 Timex is introducing its first GPS-enabled Ironman watch, the Global Trainer, and it's chock full of features. Beyond…
Although we haven't had a chance to get hand-on with the hydration packs from Hydrapak yet, we got to snap a few pics and learn a little more about the goods. Unlike…
Ive always been a fan of Moots bikes for a number of reasons: theyre from Colorado, the frames are titanium, and theyre generally built for speed on the XC trail. But the…
Why would a mountain biker want to ride a cyclocross bike? Before you decide Ive gone off the deep end, let me make some observations. Cyclocross bikes have knobby tires and V-brakes…
In case you hadnt heard, the legendary Joe Breeze is back designing mountain bikes and for 2011 Breezer is introducing its first line of 29ers. I got a chance to demo the…
On my trip from Durango to Moab my buddy Nate rode a Pivot Mach 5 and LOVED it so I decided to see what the fuss was about. I knew from Nates…
With the Gary Fisher brand folding into Trek this year, I was interested to demo a bike from the new Gary Fisher Collection, the Superfly Elite. The Superfly Elite is a carbon…
To me, the most stressful part of planning our recent Durango to Moab hut-to-hut trip was figuring out the transportation logistics. During the trip itself things would be simple - pedal our…
Our bags our packed and our schedule is full for Interbike next week! We're stoked to check out the new 2011 mountain bike stuff but before we do, it's time to look…
GPS data for your MTB videos.
For the discerning mountain biker, there's nothing quite like a custom mountain bike frame that's been hand-fitted down to the millimeter. Now, for about the cost of ordering a custom frame, two…
These days mountain bike movies seem to come in two flavors: documentary and music video montages. Both formats seem to work well, though we're a little bummed no one has found a…
Syd and I are getting stoked for Interbike next week and our appointment schedule is pretty much jammed. A list of appointments is below, let us know if you have specific products…
Although this is the final trip report, I'll be posting additional articles over the next few weeks covering packing strategies, gear reviews, logistics, and more. For those following the saga of the…
Part three of a hut-to-hut mountain bike adventure.
Here's a quick news item from a couple weeks ago for those of you who don't really give a s%!t about the Durango to Moab trip. After realizing that most members of…
Mountain biking hut-to-hut from Durango to Moab. The is part two of the trip report from the San Juan Hut System.
Mountain biking the San Juan Hut system, from Durango to Moab. Trip report, part one.
Garmin MapSource is a popular software tool for transferring maps and trail data to Garmin GPS units but it canbe confusing for first time users, particularly when it comes to loading singletracks…
photo courtesy NPR's State of the Re: Union. A couple mountain bike news items to share today: 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike Course Takes Shape Over on Echo News, reader Andrew Batty shares…
I've been riding my hardtail cross-country 29er with a 1x9 drivetrain for nearly 2 years now and I love it. The set-up is lightweight, simple, and lower maintenance than a 2-derailleur system…
Brenda Simril (Motor Mile) and Sue Haywood caked in Georgia red clay and loving it. This past weekend the annual Fool's Gold 100 took place in the north Georgia mountains near Dahlonega…
photo courtesy San Juan Hut Adventures. On Friday I'll be setting out on a week-long mountain bike odyssey from Durango, CO to Moab, UT on my mountain bike. The trip is organized…
IMBA Epic Copper Harbor Trails. Photo posted by copperhippie. The International Mountain Bike Association is gearing up to pick its 2010 class of "Epic" mountain bike trails and anyone can submit their…
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…
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