Singletracks Mountain Bike Podcast

Jeff Cayley started Worldwide Cyclery in 2011 when he was just 21 years old, and today he's also the founder and CEO of two more brands, KETL Mountain Apparel and Trail One Components. Jeff is based in Nevada, where he also co-hosts a podcast known as the MTB Podcast. In this episode, we ask: What was happening in the bike industry when you started Worldwide Cyclery that made you think it was the right moment to launch an online retailer? What made you focus specifically on the high-end, enthusiast market? Is content creation and media an important part of selling bikes? What Covid-era effects are retailers like Worldwide Cyclery still seeing today? As someone who loves bikes, how do you square the convenience and price advantage of ordering online with wanting to support your local bike shop? In 2019, you acquired KETL Mountain Apparel when it was still in its infancy. What was the vision behind growing that brand? In 2021, you co-founded Trail One Components with a giving component attached to every sale. How does that model work? What's the value proposition for Trail One products compared to other component brands? Why is owning your own brands, like KETL and Trail One, important to you? You're known for building really dialed, unique custom bikes. What are you riding at the moment? You've mountain biked all over the US and even internationally. What are some of your favorite places to ride? An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. This episode is sponsored by Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. If you’re looking for your next mountain bike destination that offers just about everything, put Sandpoint, Idaho at the top of your list! The Lower Basin trail system serves up world-class riding through towering timber and across massive granite rock slabs, with trails for every rider — from technical black diamond descents to fast, flowy cross-country loops. For excellent park-style riding, head up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort with dedicated downhill trails and e-bike access to more than two dozen trails. Or pedal from town to the Pine Street Woods trail system where the trails range from flowy to technical. When you’re ready to take a break from the trails, Lake Pend Oreille is right there for camping, boating, swimming, or even standup paddleboarding. And after a big day outdoors, head into the town of Sandpoint where you'll find a great selection of bars and restaurants to relax and refuel. Get all the details to plan your perfect getaway at ⁠⁠⁠visitsandpoint.com⁠⁠⁠. The trails and the good times are waiting for you when you Visit Idaho!

Thomas Turner is a professional mountain bike racer who's been competing at the top level of gravel and mountain bike racing for nearly two decades. He's been sponsored by Jamis since 2010, was the 2012 cyclocross masters world champion, and has notched multiple National Ultra Endurance Mountain Bike Race Series along the way. He just got back from racing El Reto del ket sal in Guatemala, and he's here to talk about stage racing, training, and what it's like to rides bikes around the world. Follow along with Thomas Turner's adventures on Instagram @thomasturnermtb. An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. Follow Singletracks on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@singletracks⁠⁠⁠ to keep up with the latest mountain bike news.

Leo Kokkonen is the founder of Pole Bicycles, a boutique mountain bike brand based in Finland that's known for its innovative design and construction techniques. Founded in 2013, the brand was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2024, but now they're back with a brand new prototype and a desire to continue pushing the envelope. Visit polebicycles.com online and follow @polebicycles on Instagram to see the bikes and to keep up with the brand. An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. Follow Singletracks on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@singletracks⁠⁠⁠ to keep up with the latest mountain bike news.

Gabriel Wibmer is a 23-year-old Austrian free ride and trials rider who's built a massive YouTube following with his creative urban riding videos, including the viral late for school series that's racked up nearly 25 million views, sponsored by Canyon bikes and hailing from East Tyrol, Austria, Gabriel has proven himself both as a Downhill Racer and as one of the most innovative content creators in mountain biking today. Wibmer ImpossibleGravel ManiaFollow Gabriel @wibmergabriel on Instagram and his YouTube channel. Cover photo: © Hannes Berger An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. Follow Singletracks on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@singletracks⁠⁠⁠ to keep up with the latest mountain bike news.

Josh Whitmore is the founder of the MTB Skills Factory in Brevard, North Carolina. He's a Level 4 certified mountain bike coach and he’s spent more than 25 years helping riders, from total beginners to professional racers, improve their skills and confidence on the trail. We'll dig into what makes riders better: how to train your instincts, how to practice effectively, and what separates skill from fitness on the trail. An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. Follow Singletracks on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠@singletracks⁠⁠⁠ to keep up with the latest mountain bike news.

Today we’re talking with Nick Ryan, the Trails Coordinator for the Copper Harbor Trail Club in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Copper Harbor has been on mountain bikers’ radars for years, both for its remote location and its incredible trail quali. With some exciting new projects underway and a lot of lessons learned over the years, we get up to speed on Copper Harbor with Nick. An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. Follow Singletracks on Instagram ⁠⁠@singletracks⁠⁠ to keep up with the latest mountain bike news.

Jarrod Harris is the co-founder of Jarrod's Place bike park in Summerville, Georgia. We'll be diving into what it takes to open a bike park, the challenges and rewards of building trails, and we'll talk about Trail Armor, an innovative product that was actually developed right there at Jarrod's Place. Learn more and buy a pass to Jarrod's Place at jarrodsplacebikepark.com. An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. Follow Singletracks on Instagram ⁠@singletracks⁠ to keep up with the latest mountain bike news.

The Virginia Tech Helmet Lab has been providing independent safety ratings for sports helmets since 2011, and today we’ll hear from Dr. Barry Miller about how their testing works, why their rating system stands apart from standard certifications, and how the system has pushed manufacturers to improve designs over time. In this episode we discuss the following questions. An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. Follow Singletracks on Instagram @singletracks to keep up with the latest mountain bike news.

Alex Larson is a registered dietitian who works with endurance athletes, including cyclists, helping them fuel smart both on and off the bike. In this podcast episode we’ll be tackling some serious nutrition questions—like how much protein do you actually need?—and some not-so-serious ones—like if hot dogs make for a good pre- or post-ride meal. Learn more and connect with Alex at alexlarsonnutrition.com and on Instagram @alexlarsonnutrition. An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. This episode is sponsored by Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. If you’re looking for your next mountain bike destination that offers just about everything, put Sandpoint, Idaho at the top of your list! The Lower Basin trail system serves up world-class riding through towering timber and across massive granite rock slabs, with trails for every rider — from technical black diamond descents to fast, flowy cross-country loops. For excellent park-style riding, head up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort with dedicated downhill trails and e-bike access to more than two dozen trails. Or pedal from town to the Pine Street Woods trail system where the trails range from flowy to technical. When you’re ready to take a break from the trails, Lake Pend Oreille is right there for camping, boating, swimming, or even standup paddleboarding. And after a big day outdoors, head into the town of Sandpoint where you'll find a great selection of bars and restaurants to relax and refuel. Get all the details to plan your perfect getaway at ⁠⁠⁠visitsandpoint.com⁠⁠⁠. The trails and the good times are waiting for you when you Visit Idaho!

Miles from Mullet Cycles has carved out a unique niche in the bike industry by going against the grain. From his brash and unconventional approach to bikes to his knack for creating one-of-a-kind accessories, Miles has been challenging industry norms for years. He's dedicated himself to perfecting the mixed-wheel format for mountain bikes, and he’s also the creative force behind Miles Wide Industries, which offers clever, rider-focused accessories. Today we’ll talk about his path into the cycling world, why he’s sticking with mixed-wheel setups, and what’s next for his two companies. An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. This episode is sponsored by Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. If you’re looking for your next mountain bike destination that offers just about everything, put Sandpoint, Idaho at the top of your list! The Lower Basin trail system serves up world-class riding through towering timber and across massive granite rock slabs, with trails for every rider — from technical black diamond descents to fast, flowy cross-country loops. For excellent park-style riding, head up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort with dedicated downhill trails and e-bike access to more than two dozen trails. Or pedal from town to the Pine Street Woods trail system where the trails range from flowy to technical. When you’re ready to take a break from the trails, Lake Pend Oreille is right there for camping, boating, swimming, or even standup paddleboarding. And after a big day outdoors, head into the town of Sandpoint where you'll find a great selection of bars and restaurants to relax and refuel. Get all the details to plan your perfect getaway at ⁠⁠visitsandpoint.com⁠⁠. The trails and the good times are waiting for you when you Visit Idaho!

Behind the scenes, it takes a lot of planning and hard work to keep a massive trail network like Coldwater Mountain in great shape. That responsibility falls to Marcus Tillman, who works with the Northeast Alabama Bicycle Association and the city of Anniston as Recreation Trails Director for Coldwater Mountain. Today we’ll hear from Marcus about what it takes to maintain such a large system, what’s involved, and what’s in store for riders in the coming months. In this episode we ask: An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. This episode is sponsored by Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. If you’re looking for your next mountain bike destination that offers just about everything, put Sandpoint, Idaho at the top of your list! The Lower Basin trail system serves up world-class riding through towering timber and across massive granite rock slabs, with trails for every rider — from technical black diamond descents to fast, flowy cross-country loops. For excellent park-style riding, head up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort with dedicated downhill trails and e-bike access to more than two dozen trails. Or pedal from town to the Pine Street Woods trail system where the trails range from flowy to technical. When you’re ready to take a break from the trails, Lake Pend Oreille is right there for camping, boating, swimming, or even standup paddleboarding. And after a big day outdoors, head into the town of Sandpoint where you'll find a great selection of bars and restaurants to relax and refuel. Get all the details to plan your perfect getaway at ⁠visitsandpoint.com⁠. The trails and the good times are waiting for you when you Visit Idaho!

This week we're joined by Greg Heil, Managing Editor at Singletracks. Over the years, Greg has shared stories from trails all over North America—and for two of those years, he was doing it all while living full-time on the road in a van. We’re going to talk about what that experience was like: the incredible places he rode, the highs and lows of vanlife, and what ultimately led him to settle down again. Whether you’ve been dreaming of hitting the road yourself or you’re just curious about what it takes to live that lifestyle, there’s a lot to learn here. This episode is sponsored by Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. If you’re looking for your next mountain bike destination that offers just about everything, put Sandpoint, Idaho at the top of your list! The Lower Basin trail system serves up world-class riding through towering timber and across massive granite rock slabs, with trails for every rider — from technical black diamond descents to fast, flowy cross-country loops. For excellent park-style riding, head up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort with dedicated downhill trails and e-bike access to more than two dozen trails. Or pedal from town to the Pine Street Woods trail system where the trails range from flowy to technical. When you’re ready to take a break from the trails, Lake Pend Oreille is right there for camping, boating, swimming, or even standup paddleboarding. And after a big day outdoors, head into the town of Sandpoint where you'll find a great selection of bars and restaurants to relax and refuel. Get all the details to plan your perfect getaway at visitsandpoint.com. The trails and the good times are waiting for you when you Visit Idaho!

If you’ve ever watched a World Cup downhill or cross-country race at Mont Sainte Anne, you’ve seen Mountain Bike Hall of Famer Pat Drouin's work. And if you’ve ever wondered how a venue like that gets selected—or what it takes to actually host one of these massive events—we’re going to dig into that today. We’ll also talk about the riding in and around Quebec City, which you might be surprised to learn is one of North America's most vibrant mountain bike destinations. If you're heading to Quebec, check out the Auberge & Campagne tavern and inn, which is owned and operated by Pat and his family. Photo: Drouin pictured with his GESTEV business partner, Chantal Lachance. An automatically generated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. This episode is sponsored by Trailbot. Trailbot is the smarter way for trail managers to communicate updates without relying on social media. Don’t let The Algorithm bury your posts—easily share conditions and closures to your web site, social media and the app all at once. Best of all, it’s free. Trailbot is used by over 260 trail systems in 17 states and growing fast. Over 50,000 riders have installed the free iOS and Android apps to get official updates with optional push notifications, without having to see what their weird relative posted on social media. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠trailbot.com⁠⁠⁠.

If you follow the bike industry, you probably saw the news earlier this year that Revel was shutting down. It caught a lot of people off guard, including customers, fans, and even some insiders. But just a few months later, found Adam Miller announced he was buying the brand back and relaunching Revel with a new vision. So today, we’re going to talk about that journey—why Revel is going direct-to-consumer, what Adam learned during his time away from the company, and why he believes now is the right time to double down on building bikes again. An automatically generated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. More info about Revel at revelbikes.com. This episode is sponsored by Trailbot. Trailbot is the smarter way for trail managers to communicate updates without relying on social media. Don’t let The Algorithm bury your posts—easily share conditions and closures to your web site, social media and the app all at once. Best of all, it’s free. Trailbot is used by over 260 trail systems in 17 states and growing fast. Over 50,000 riders have installed the free iOS and Android apps to get official updates with optional push notifications, without having to see what their weird relative posted on social media. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠trailbot.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you want to get better at jumping, or you’re trying to progress your riding without a mountain in sight, this episode is for you. Tadas Puodžiūnas is the founder of MTB Hopper, a Lithuanian company that designs and sells portable bike ramps. An automatically generated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. More info about MTB Hopper at mtbhopper.com. This episode is sponsored by Trailbot. Trailbot is the smarter way for trail managers to communicate updates without relying on social media. Don’t let The Algorithm bury your posts—easily share conditions and closures to your web site, social media and the app all at once. Best of all, it’s free. Trailbot is used by over 260 trail systems in 17 states and growing fast. Over 50,000 riders have installed the free iOS and Android apps to get official updates with optional push notifications, without having to see what their weird relative posted on social media. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠trailbot.com⁠⁠⁠.

Joe is the Calirado Kid, a Sacramento-based mountain bike content creator known for posting hilarious bike-related videos on Instagram, TikTok and Youtube. This summer he's teaming up with a nonprofit organization called Adventure Scientists to encourage riders to help document biodiversity in California. Get involved at adventurescientists.org and follow @caliradokid on Instagram. An automatically generated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. This episode is sponsored by Trailbot. Trailbot is the smarter way for trail managers to communicate updates without relying on social media. Don’t let The Algorithm bury your posts—easily share conditions and closures to your web site, social media and the app all at once. Best of all, it’s free. Trailbot is used by over 260 trail systems in 17 states and growing fast. Over 50,000 riders have installed the free iOS and Android apps to get official updates with optional push notifications, without having to see what their weird relative posted on social media. Learn more at ⁠⁠trailbot.com⁠⁠.

Joey Klein has been involved in mountain bike trail design for more than 30 years, and has worked for the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) longer than anyone else. This year he's being inducted into the mountain bike hall of fame in recognition of his contributions to the sport. don't like flow trailsGet more information about IMBA and IMBA Trail Solutions at imba.com. An automatically generated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. This episode is sponsored by Trailbot. Trailbot is the smarter way for trail managers to communicate updates without relying on social media. Don’t let The Algorithm bury your posts—easily share conditions and closures to your web site, social media and the app all at once. Best of all, it’s free. Trailbot is used by over 260 trail systems in 17 states and growing fast. Over 50,000 riders have installed the free iOS and Android apps to get official updates with optional push notifications, without having to see what their weird relative posted on social media. Learn more at ⁠trailbot.com⁠.

Jack Pittens is the co-founder 9point8, an Ontario-based bicycle component brand known for its dropper posts and other innovative products. INVRS pedalGet more info at 9point8.ca. An automated transcript is provided at Singletracks.com. This episode is sponsored by Trailbot. Trailbot is the smarter way for trail managers to communicate updates without relying on social media. Don’t let The Algorithm bury your posts—easily share conditions and closures to your web site, social media and the app all at once. Best of all, it’s free. Trailbot is used by over 260 trail systems in 17 states and growing fast. Over 50,000 riders have installed the free iOS and Android apps to get official updates with optional push notifications, without having to see what their weird relative posted on social media. Learn more at trailbot.com.

Lee McCormack is a mountain bike skills instructor and coach, and he's the author of nearly a dozen books, including the NICA Skills Training Manual. He's written extensively on bike fitting and fitness training, and just last year he launched his own bike brand, Mistress Cycles. You can keep up with the latest from Lee McCormack on Instagram @leelikesbikes, where you'll find links to all of the projects we talked about today. An automated transcript of our edited conversation is provided at singletracks.com. Click here for an unedited video of our conversation, where Lee illustrates many of the concepts discussed. Note: may contain brief language some readers find offensive. This podcast episode is sponsored by Backslope Tools. Backslope Tools designs and produces innovative lockable, stackable, and field-repairable tools for trail building, landscaping, and gardening. With 20 years of trailbuilding experience, Backslope is putting the right tools for the job into builders' hands, from individuals to full-on trail crews. Order online at backslopetools.com and save 15% on your order with code SingletracksPod.

In this episode of the Singletracks podcast we're going to be discussing some of the latest news and trends from the world of mountain bike trail development. We discuss: Visit Singletracks.com for a complete transcript, --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks