Mountain biking is an excellent way to experience nature and have an adventure off the beaten track. Unlike road bikes, you are not held back by thin tires and a lack of suspension.

On a mountain bike, you have the option to explore several different types of track and trail. A mountain bike singletrack is simply a track that is only as wide as your bike.

Singletrack

The term is not just applicable to mountain biking. A singletrack trail is just a trail where users are forced to use it in a single file. Singletrack riding is popular in mountain biking because you explore the environment much more than if you just cycled all day on fire roads. 

Singletracks often wind their way up (or down) a mountain, avoiding obstacles such as trees along the route. This makes them more technical and a lot of fun to ride.

Rarely will you find a single track that is not a natural surface. You won’t come across singletrack with gravel (and certainly not a tarmac) surface. The unpredictability of the surface is another reason why they are perfect for mountain biking. 

It may be slower than a more direct and straight double track or fire road, but that is not the point.

Singletrack mountain biking is so popular because it is technical and requires you to be present and pay attention to the track and the nature around you at all times. 

Double track or fire roads

The alternative to singletrack mountain biking is generally riding doubletrack and fire roads.

There are more expansive, allowing you to ride two abreast, and often have gravel or human-made surface .

Of course, you can go a bit faster, but they are nowhere near as fun to ride.

You will often find yourself having to use doubletracks and fire roads to get to the start of a single track.

Conclusion

In the end, mountain biking is mountain biking, whether it is on a technical trail like a Singletrack, or an easier pathway like a fire road or doubletrack. It’s up to you to enjoy where you are, and get out into nature!