Fresh Goods Friday 193

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The weekend’s almost here and the sun is shining here at Tweedlove, so let’s get the Fresh Goods perused then hit up some trails just because we can…

Intense Tracer 275C

Mmmmm carbon
Mmmmm naked carbon
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The last of the Enduro World Series test bikes to arrive was this rather lovely Intense Tracer 275C in a naked carbon finish. The frame’s travel is adjustable between 140mm and 160mm and ours came with X01 1×11, Pikes and a stealth Reverb.

Wet look VPP
Wet look VPP straight out of the shower

Price: £2795.00 Frame only

From: Extra UK

1001 Bikes to dream of riding before you die

1001 – it’s a bike odyssey

All the best bike designs from road to MTB in one handy repository of lust. Can we have a Top Trumps set next please Guy? There’s everything from Boardman’s Lotus to the AMP B4 and the Santa Cruz V10.

It’s got the goods

Price: £20.00 in paperback

From: Local Bookshops

Office Chairs

Barney puts his best assembly-face on for one of our new office chairs. We’re having the office re-decorated and we’ve got a load of new furniture too. It’s still not quite a gleaming tower of chrome and glass, but we’re slowly getting there.

So this is what thumbs were evolved for?

 Hope Tech 3 V4 Brakes

Tech baby

Chipps has been busy upgrading the stoppers on his tandem. The Tech 3 V4 brakes from Hope are aimed at gravity riders so should do the job nicely at stopping a tandem. See the brakes in action this weekend at the Bristol Bikefest on Sunday, under Guy Martin and Terrahawk.

Price: £175.00

From: Hope Technology

Alpkit Stem Cell

The drawstring can be pulled shut so you don’t lose Jelly Babies on drop-offs

Originally long-distance bike riders/racers ‘borrowed’ climbers’ chalk bags as a handy way of storing snacks and other needed essentials on the handlebars for quick access. A few companies are now making them specifically for bikes, including the fine folk at Alpkit, who make this Stem Cell. It attaches to the stem and bars and can securely store a water bottle, or all the Jelly Babies you might need, plus gels and whatnot in the mesh pocket.
Price: £15
From: Alpkit alpkit.com

Beer bribe not included.

Volkswagen T5 LWB

We’ve finally decided to lease a new van to replace the ageing Mighty Sprinter. VW fans will probably be very excited to see that we’ve gone for a T5. It’s yet to be stickered up, but it’s already up at Fort William for our coverage of the event this weekend. Give us the special wave, or whatever it is, if you see us passing.

Price: £not cheap

From: Volkswagen Van Centre Manchester. vwvans-manchester.co.uk

 

Lego Minifig

Darren, an old friend of ours, popped into the office recently, having been to Lego Land. This is his version of Chipps, complete with bike helmet, cup of coffee as big as his head, cycling top and ‘deadline face’, which can be swapped for ‘calm face’ when deadline is over.

Price: £3.50 or so

From: Lego Land legoland.co.uk

 

Shimano Ice-Tech Rotors

Shimano’s heat-dissipating rotors are always impressive to see in the flesh. With their ‘how is that even possible to make?’ sandwich of steel/aluminium/steel and the fluted inner waves, they’re said to run 50°C cooler than regular rotors.

Price: £49.99 each

From: Madison

 

Shimano Unzen U2

Sounding like it might actually be a U2 album title, the Unzen U2 is Shimano’s most minimal hydration pack. With a fetish-club-approved rubbery, stretchy material on the main pack, it can stretch to get a few essentials in, but is quite definitely a race-day pack. The cross strap at the front works to keep the pack stable without needing a waistband (while enhancing the rider’s moobs)

Price: £49.99

From:  Madison

EVOC CC 6L and 3L

 

It’s definitely ‘lightweight summer packs’ weather here at Singletrack Towers and these two packs from EVOC fit the bill nicely. Offering six and three litres respectively, they’re minimal packs with room for one sandwich and no sandwiches respectively. Light and fast – like all of us, right?

Price: £59.95 and £74.95

From: Silverfish

We’re off to spread ourselves thin over the world, so if you see us in Peebles, Fort William, Ibiza or Bristol this weekend, wave a cheery hello. Stay tuned to the website and our @stwfortbill Twitter handle for Fort William World Cup coverage and we’ll see you on Monday for business as usual!

Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 22 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)

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