Fresh Goods

Fresh Goods

by 15

It’s Friday! A weekend of biking/fettling/not biking or fettling but wishing you were awaits – well, as long as your work conforms to the 9-5, Monday to Friday pattern that is. We won’t judge you. Anyway, here’s our weekly round up of all the brand new kit that men in vans have delivered to the office for us to test…

First, in an exclusive for Singletrack, we have the first and only pair in the UK of the new Continental Baron 2.3″ trail tyre. It has a single ply sidewall and comes with our beloved Black Chilli compound rubber and should be available to buy in around 3 to 4 weeks. It has the same tread pattern as Continental’s great wet condition downhill tyre, the 2.5 dual ply Rain King. However the Rain King, which was reviewed in issue 53 of Singletrack magazine, is changing it’s name to Der Baron as Continental are launching a new DH mud tyre called the Mud King. Complicated. The new Baron trail version promises to bring a flavour of the DH tyre, but in a lighter and less sticky package.

Price: £TBC
From: Continental

It’s time for Sim’s much loved XTR drivetrain to be replaced – with an XTR drivetrain. It’s all 9spd kit but it’ll have to do until the 2011 10spd kit arrives. It’s a tough life – well, maybe not. Here’s an RD-M972 XTR GS Shadow rear derailleur…

Price: £139.99

From: Madison

…and a CS-M970 XTR 9-speed 12 – 34T cassette…

Price: £139.99

From: Madison

…Sim’s also worn out all his rings, so he’s got new 44, 32 and 22T XTR rings..

Price: 32T: £59.99 44T: £99.99 22T:£23.99

From: Madison

Obviously a new M970 XTR HollowTech II bottom bracket is required as well..

Price: £49.99

From: Madison

..and it’s all going to be driven by a CN-HG93 9spd chain.

Price: £29.99

From: Madison

Also from Shimano, we’ve a pair of new WM41 Women’s trail shoes. Why do women get the best colour schemes?

Price: £69.99

From: Madison

Shimano WM41
Shimano WM41 Womens' shoe

Matt is modelling a Odlo Men’s Evolution Light Sleeveless Singlet. It’s a base layer from Switzerland that uses silver ion coated fabric to stop it stinking up. It uses a mix of fabrics with less densely woven fabric in hot spots such as the back and less tightly woven material everywhere else.

Price: £23.99

From: Odlo

Here’s a subdued Matt wearing the super lightweight 63g windproof from Shimano, as seen in Chipps’ Eurobike coverage.

…and here it is packed away. Tiny innit?

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