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Fresh Goods

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We’ll kick this week’s Fresh Goods off with a dilemma. If four wheels are good, are two wheels better? Is a bicycle built for two better than two bicycles built for one?

Cannondale Mountain Tandem

Chipps is going to find out. It’s his new personal (is that possible?) bike, the classic aluminium Cannondale tandem. Frisbee sized 203mm Avid Code brakes should make it marginally less scary on the downs too. This one’s a medium up front and a small back, and it comes with rigid forks, which will probably get changed for a set of downhill forks sometime soon. We’d hate to see how much the Fatty forks flex under braking at the moment…

Matt and Jon have been banned from ‘sending it’ down any stair sets, rather upsettingly. It’s almost like Chipps doesn’t trust them.

The wheels are 40 spoke items on Sun Rhyno Lite rims and there’s a tandem specific super strong DT Swiss 540 hub out the back.

Price: £2,999

From: CSG

Keen Arroyo Pedal shoes

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We reviewed their closed-toe Springwater shoes recently, but with the fleeting arrival of spring, a set of Keen cycling sandals have turned up. Keen say the Arroyos combine the best of a cycle shoe, a trail shoe and a sandal. They’ve got a washable nubuck leather upper, their metatomical EVA footbed and a 3/4 length SPD plate.

Price: £89.99

From: Keen Footwear

Easton Haven Carbon wheelset

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Everyone in the office got a little bit funny looking at these. We reviewed the alloy all-mountain Havens in the last issue of the magazine but these are the incredibly bling carbon rimmed versions. They use the same alloy hubs with 24 straight pull, double threaded spokes. These use a 20mm thru axles on the front and a 135x10mm rear, although a 12mm thru axle with 142 or 135mm rear is available.

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (3) The rims are made from Easton’s proprietary Armored Ballistic Composite materials including High Modulus Polyethylene, the product of choice for ultra-light body armor and other ballistic military applications, so claims of a product being bulletproof could actually be true for once. They’re proper UST rims and have a 21mm internal and 26mm external width which is fine for tyres up to 2.4″ wide.

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (4) Shiny cartridge bearings hubs…

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (5) ..and the carbon fibre rim bed up close. We hope you’re sitting comfortably, because here’s the price for an all-mountain wheelset that doesn’t tip our scales very much at 700g for the front and 880g for the rear…

Price: Front: £960 Rear: £990

From: Extra UK

Shimano SH-AM45 shoes

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These are Shimano’s new BMX/DH/all mountain-ey SPD shoe. They use the same cunning lace cover as the popular MP66 shoe but with a soft compound rubber sole to make it even better with platform clipless pedals. They’ve got a tall inside bit to protect your ankles and a fibreglass reinforced sole for pedalling efficiency.

Price: £69.99

From: Madison

EDZ All Climate Bamboo T Shirt

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (7) Move over merino, because bamboo is the new old fabric in town. It feels lovely and soft, hence the photo and it’s also got natural wicking and anti-pong properties to keep you feeling and smelling good. If you’re a sensitive type then it’s also non-allergic and being made from on of the fastest growing plants in the world, it’s also good for the environment.

Price: £17.50

From: EDZ Clothing

Gore Bike Wear Path Ladie Skirt +

Mindbleach! Seeing as there was noone of a female persuasion to model this bit of clothing, Jon got the job. Is it a skirt? Is it a short? Well, it combines them both into a chic, feminine but functional package. Except for when a man wears it. The padded undershort has a ‘Power Lady’ seat insert with silicone grippers to make sure the only riding up or down is does is on the bike. The outer skort-ey bit is made from a stretchy mix of fabrics and provides plenty of ventilations too. You can stop being sick now.

Price: £64.99

From: Gore Bike Wear

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It’s just the thing for impromtu office cross dressing netball either way.

Madison M:Part Sport cartridge bearing headset

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (9) This is the frankly bargain-tastic entry level aheadset from Madison’s own brand M:Part catalogue. Sealed angular contact cartridge bearings, hardened steel cupsand you get your top cap and star fangled nut thrown in too.

Price: £12.99

From: Madison

Maxim Gel Bot

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (10) It’s a cunning one this. The normal 600ml water bottle outer hides an inner bit that holds up to three servings of energy gel so you can slurp goo or water as you choose, keeping you hydrated and full of energy with a single hand. The water is served as normal by lifting the tab and sucking but if you want gel you leave the tab down and give it a suck. The bottle and insert is dishwasher safe too.

Price: £15.99

From: Fisher Outdoor Leisure

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Sucky gel bit in action…

Maxim Energy Gel

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (12) These are highly concentrated carbohydrate gels with the pleasant taste of strawberries, although other flavours are available. It’s supposed to be ideal for high intensity exercise, giving you a quick boost of energy. Maxim also do these in large and resealable 100g pouches…

Price: £24.99 for 25

From: Fisher Outdoor Leisure

Nikwax TX.Direct wash-in waterproofer

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (13) With the spring showers turning up right on cue, this couldn’t have been timed better. The wash in formula revives breathability in GoreTex style fabrics and adds water repellency as well. This is the new version (11.1) which claims to last five times longer. Looks like we’re going to get plenty of chance to test that.

Price: £5.99 for 300ml

From: Nikwax

Alpinestars Morzine knee pad

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (14) Named after the famous French resort where thousands of Brits go to smash themselves to pieces each year, these flexible foam kneepads have a pre-curved design to make sure they’re comfortable on the bike. For when you unexpectedly dismount they use velcro straps, silicone grippers and lycra side gussets to keep them in place and the dual density liner offers plenty of protection.

Price: £42.99

From: Extra UK

Halo Choirmaster-R folding tyres

new mountain bike kit fresh goods singletrack (15) This 2.35″ tyre uses a directional, universal front or rear tread with a soft, super grippy compound. The carcass is a superlight type and it uses a folding Kevlar bead. It’s also excellently priced for a folding tyre…

Price: £34.99

From: Ison Distribution


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