Farewell Aaron: Favorite Articles Written by the Hardcore Hardtailer

Sadly, Aaron Chamberlain is moving on from Singletracks. Here are 5 of the most popular articles that he's written over his 3-year tenure with Singletracks.
photo: Chris Leimberger

Sadly, Aaron Chamberlain is moving on from Singletracks. It’s hard to believe Aaron has been at Singletracks for three years, and we, along with our readers, will wheelie miss him.

Aaron is known around the office for enjoying long enduro rides (ha!) in the mountains and for using words that would cause even a drunken sailor to blush. And podcast listeners will certainly miss Aaron’s ability to identify even the slightest beard-ter-ference emanating from Greg’s microphone.

So for his last day here at Singletracks, we want to honor Aaron by re-sharing some of the most popular articles he has written over the years.

The 10 Best Hardcore Hardtails for Getting Rowdy

Aaron wrote this article back in 2016, and yet it was still among the most read Singletracks articles of 2017. As those who listen to the podcast regularly know, Aaron is a big fan of hardtail mountain bikes, though to be fair he does regularly ride full suspension mountain bikes too. His handpicked list of excellent hardtails continues to hold up, even 18 months after being written.

Fastest DH Mountain Bikes in the World, According to Race Results

Downhill mountain bike racing is ultra-competitive, and winning margins are often razor thin. Aaron analyzed five seasons’ worth of World Cup downhill results to see which bikes performed the best.

Dropper Post Buyer’s Guide

photo: Greg Heil

Aaron put together this excellent guide to finding the best dropper post, and readers continue to find it useful when shopping for the best posts. Not only does Aaron share his expert recommendations, but he also talks about the history of dropper posts and highlights the specs that really matter.

2017 Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Review

photo: Aaron Chamberlain

During his trip to West Virginia, Aaron tested the latest (at the time) Specialized Stumpjumper. His honest assessment? “I found the Specialized Stumpjumper to be an agile and snappy climber. […] While I felt confident on the descents, I can’t help but think what the bike would have been like if I could have used the full travel of the rear shock.” If you missed his review, be sure to click here to get the full story.

Opinion: There’s Nothing Wrong with Your Bike

While Aaron arguably owns and rides some of the nicest bikes of the entire Singletracks staff, he’s more than happy to ride… well, just about anything with two wheels. And he thinks you should be, too. Just pedal, damn it!

More Highlights

Last year Aaron rode the Huracan 300 in Florida, and during his time at Singletracks he also covered the Steamboat Ramble and Cohutta Cat bikepacking routes. Aaron reviewed a ton of bikes and gear including the Pivot Mach 429, the Trek Remedy 9.8, SRAM’s GX Eagle group, and the Garmin Edge 520. And let’s not forget his excellent tradeshow coverage and podcast contributions over the past three years.

Happy trails Aaron, it’s been a great adventure!