Jeremy Benson is a Managing Editor at GearJunkie. He has been professionally testing and reviewing mountain bikes, gravel bikes, and all of the accessories that go along with them for 8+ years. Prior to GearJunkie, he worked for other outlets like Bikerumor and OutdoorGearLab, as a freelance writer, and was a sponsored ski athlete for 15 years.
Benson is also the author of two guidebooks, Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Routes: California, and Mountain Bike Tahoe, both published by Mountaineers Books. Based in Truckee, Calif., he can usually be found in the woods riding mountain or gravel bikes or climbing mountains with skis when there’s snow on the ground.
Title: Managing Editor
Email: jbenson@gearjunkie.com
Location: Truckee, Calif.
Expertise
Topics of Expertise: Mountain biking, gravel biking, electric bikes, alpine and backcountry skiing, bike apparel, bike accessories, bike components
Years in This Expertise: 20+
Number of Products & Number of Hours Expert Has Tested: 500+ products, 4,000+ hours
Education & Certifications
Education: Bachelor’s in Business Administration, St. Michael’s College
Years of Writing: 15+
Certifications: Avalanche 2
Club or Association Memberships: Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association (TAMBA)
Previous Publications: Bikerumor, OutdoorGearLab, Tahoe Quarterly Magazine, Powder Magazine, SKI Magazine, Skiing Magazine, ESPN.com, sole author of Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Routes: California, sole author of Mountain Bike Tahoe.
Experience
Prior to working at GearJunkie, Benson was an editor at Bikerumor.com, where he managed buyer’s guide content. Before Bikerumor, he worked for several years at OutdoorGearLab where he was a managing editor, tester, and product reviewer focusing on bikes, bike accessories, electric bikes, and indoor exercise equipment.
Benson never set out to be a writer. In fact, it sort of just happened naturally. After moving to the Lake Tahoe area in 2001, he decided to pursue a career as a professional skier as if nothing else in the world mattered. He worked for many years in the service industry to facilitate his skiing endeavors and ultimately became friends with many folks in the ski media.
These relationships, along with his sponsors, started his product testing career, and he helped many brands with R+D and product development, and spent 9 years testing skis for SKI and Skiing Magazines. At the same time, he began writing short articles for online and print publications, which eventually snowballed into two guidebook projects with Mountaineers Books.
After many years, Benson was eager to get out of the service industry, so he focused his efforts on freelance writing. As an avid mountain and gravel rider/racer, Benson found his niche in testing and reviewing cycling gear, which ultimately led him to GearJunkie.
Career Highlights
Getting paid to ski for a brief period in my younger days
Traveling the world to ski and appearing in pictures in numerous publications
Authoring two guidebooks to share my knowledge and passion for my mountain playgrounds
A Word From Jeremy Benson
As an editor, product tester, and reviewer for GearJunkie, I feel privileged to combine my passion for cycling and the outdoors with my love of gear and writing. Not only do I truly enjoy trying out and scrutinizing the latest and greatest products, but it’s also my goal to share my findings with our readers to help them make more informed purchase decisions. I feel truly lucky to be in this position, as I know that finding a job that you actually enjoy is a rare thing indeed.
