Last Coal V4 vital stats: full 29, 180mm fork, 165mm rear, 63° head angle, 77.1° effective…
Happy Bank Holiday to all of y’all. Well, all of y’all who have a Bank Holiday and don’t have to show up at work.
For those who don’t have a Bank Holiday Monday, at least you can maybe take some solace that World Cup Downhill racing resumes this weekend.
Should you feel so inclined you could even join the Fantasy DH 2024 STW league over on The Other Site. As well as some stellar forumites, there’s at least a couple of STW Staffers in there too if you look hard enough…
Starling MegaMurmur Enduro
- Price: frame from £1,990
- From: Starling Cycles
Don’t worry. The regular Murmur is still in Starling Cycles’ range. This new Mega Murmur, as you may be able to guess by the name, is the bigger travel version. 140 or 165mm of rear travel (we have the 165mm one to test). Paired with up to 170mm travel forks up front. Longer (455mm) chain stays than Murmur for “riders that want more travel OR taller riders looking for a more balanced fit” Vital stats: 64.1° head angle, 77.2° effective seat angle, 440mm seat tube (Large), 110mm head tube (Large), 485mm reach (Large). Oh, and Starling frames now come with a 7 year warranty. Feel free to read our Starling Murmur review (form 2018) and our Starling Twist review (from 2022).
Fresh Goods Friday 703: D’Movie
Cannondale Moterra SL
- Price: £8,550
- From: Cannondale
- SQUIRREL_TEXT_13045432
It’s one of the new breed of pedal assist mountain bikes that bears the SL suffix. But it’s not a mid-power motor on this one (unlike the recently reviewed Whyte ELyte 150 Works, or the soon-to-be-reviewed Focus Jam 2 SL). The 150mm travel (160mm fork) Moterra SL has a Shimano EP801 motor with 85Nm of torque paired to a 602Wh battery. You can read Hannah’s Cannondale Moterra SL 1 First Ride Review from the press launch back in February. This is a Large size that our resident ‘SL e-bike chinscratcher’ Benji will be pedalling, pondering and pontificating about.
Fidlock Twist Bottle 750 Compact & Bike Base
- Price: £49.99
- From: Ison Distribution
- SQUIRREL_TEXT_13045433
Yay for Fidlock. One of those brands/products that didn’t even exist a few years ago yet now has firmly cemented itself into MTB culture. The Fidlock system is, in my [Benji] opinion, just better than the trad bottle and cage system we inherited from the road cycling world. And here’s their new 750ml bottle. It’s not any longer than their 590ml bottle, it’s just girthier, and as such will fit in bike frames that do not accept regular (narrower, longer) 750ml bottles. Check the photo above. And the bottle comes with a removable dirt cap spout-cover as well. Just a great solution to an issue.
Schwalbe Tacky Chan Super Trail Addix Soft
- Price: £68.99
- From: Schwalbe
- SQUIRREL_TEXT_12999142
Yep, we’ve all seen the Tacky Chan before (read our Schwalbe Tacky Chan review while you’re here) but this is the first time we’ve got hold of a Tacky Chan that isn’t purple flavoured (Addix Super Soft). This TC is orange flavoured (Addix Soft). The purple TCs are a surprisingly swift-rolling tyre, so this slightly firmer version could be a whippet wheeler. We’re thinking it might make for a handy rear tyre on the right sort of upferrit trailduro bike… Yes.
Fidlock Vacuum Handlebar Base Flex
- Price: £29.99
- From: Ison Distribution
- SQUIRREL_TEXT_13045435
Hannah: “I’ve written a Fidlock Vacuum Phone Holder System review before, and find it so useful that I even replaced my old phone with the same model because I wanted to keep the case I had. This is an addition to it, in the form of a tool-less bar mount. Very useful indeed – especially for hire bike type city roaming, or exploring a new network of bridleways. I’ve used the others in the range on bridleways without losing my phone, so it’s a pretty robust attachment.”
Stan’s Exo Core Valve
- Price: TBC
- From: Upgrade Bikes
A nice looking new take on valves from Stan’s. It has multiple threads on it, so you can screw off the bit you want to without inadvertently undoing everything else. The valve core/needle is designed to let in as much air as a standard valve does with the core removed, but if you do need to get a big blast of air in, you just unscrew the top section. If things get clogged, it’s a simple pin/rod to pull out and wipe off. The base will fit a variety of narrow and wide rim shapes, and the valve is compatible with tyre inserts. Plus, a selection of pretty coloured bits is available to keep things decorative. Looks like a winner.
Hiplok Z-Lok Combo
- Price: £19.99
- From: Hiplok
- SQUIRREL_TEXT_13045436
A combination lock version of the Z-Lok. It’s the sort of thing that’s useful for keeping your helmet with your bike – a deterrent rather than an all out security solution for a bike.
Potholes and Pavements by Laura Laker
- Price: £16.99
- From: Bloomsbury
- SQUIRREL_TEXT_13045437
Out next week, this book by Laura Laker take a look at our National Cycle Network – or lack of it. If you’ve ever wondered why the blue signs send you along canals, behind industrial estates and then onto a bit of paint on a busy road, this will help explain it. Hannah has been reading it, review coming on official publication day!
Thread Of The Week
This week’s winner is blokeuptheroad for this thread right here:
The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So @blokeuptheroad please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for your random prize (it will probably be a Singletrack Forum Bottle Opener). Don’t forget to include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics like. K thx bye!
Downhill is back this weekend!
What is Fresh Goods Friday?
It’s Singletrack’s long running, weekly roundup of all of the new products that have been sent in to the magazine.
Where do all of the goods come from?
They’re sent in by bike companies and marketing agencies
What happens to all of the products?
They’re featured and then some are reviewed down the line in either Singletrack Magazine or in online reviews and photoshoots.
What happens to them when you’ve finished with them?
They’re usually sent back after review, or kept on long-term test bikes. But no one ever asks for shorts and shoes back. Trust us on that. Once we were asked to return some brake pads.
I’m a company making the next big thing. How much does it cost to feature in FGF?
Nothing. Nil. Zero. Diddlysquat. Sod all. Just send all ‘next big things’ to us at – Fresh Goods Friday, Singletrack Magazine, Lockside Mill, Dale Street, Todmorden. OL14 5PX. Please note that if you require the products back after they have featured then you are responsible for arranging collection at your cost. While it is our policy to feature everything we receive in FGF if we decide your product is not suitable for publication we won’t do it. Publication is at our discretion. Whether a product goes on for publication as a review is at editorial discretion. Beer, coffee & spirits will ALWAYS be tested.
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