Eurobike is over, Interbike is yet to come – that makes a Web Editor jetlagged and glum. On the plus side there’s some really rather special newness that’s arrived at Singletrack this week…
Deputy Editor Jenn Hopkins
Jenn is a Great Divide Racer, rider of innumerable solo 24 hour events, she’s taken part in the Hope Endurance Downhill, the Trans-Provence – in fact she’s the very definition of the modern all-round mountain biker and cyclist. She’s equally well known for her work as a freelance writer for a number of highly respected cycling titles such as Privateer, The Ride, the CTC Magazine and many other Mountain Biking titles in the UK and abroad.
We shan’t dwell on the past however, as she’s going to be bringing her highly informed and authoritative but feminine touch to the dank smelling chaos of Singletrack Towers. As Deputy Ed she’s going to be beating words from us, organising, creating, planning and instilling merciless discipline thanks to a combination of cake and a large stick. All of us at Singletrack are looking forward as she helps lead us into a bright future as the UK’s best mountain biking mag and website…
Price: Priceless.
From: The place that is not the past or the present.
Orange Patriot frame
Sim has decided that he’s entering a crisis period in his life and so needs a Big Bike. To this end he’s gone and shelled out his own cash for a new Orange Patriot. There’s a full 1.5″ headtube, 180mm of rear wheel travel and a 12x135mm Maxle back end. The hills will be ringing with the noise of folded aluminium monocoques ‘cos Sim is going to be sending it this winter…
Price: £1,749 with Fox Vanilla RC Coil shock
From: Orange Bikes
Straitline Silent Guide
If going 1×10 is the new fixed gear/singlespeed/cross/wide bars, then Jon has drunk the Kool Aid of the single chain ringed future. The backplate and bashguard are made from lightweight but tough 7075 T6 alloy and it uses elastomeric guides for quiet running. Those guides are easily replaceable as and when they wear out and more importantly they come in a host of different colours. There are 32-36T or 36-40T versions with ISCG and ISCG05 fittings.
Price: £109.99
From: Hotlines
Crank Brothers Mallet 2 pedals
New 2012 bits from Crank Brothers: first up, revised Mallet 2 pedals, which not only look completely different to the originals but have re-designed springs, axles and bearings.
Price: £74.99
From: 2Pure
Crank Brothers Pica+ multitool
The Pica+ multitool has the usual assortment of hex keys and screwdrivers you’d expect, plus a chain tool which is 8, 9 and 10 speed compatible, T10 and T25 Torx tools, and a five-year warranty, all in a tidy package.
Price: £54.99
From: 2Pure
Pedros Mini Pit Kit 2.0
Pedros’ Mini Pit Kit. Perfect for ‘cross season. Citrus degreaser, bike cleaner, sponge, brush and lube. Yummy.
Price: £39.99
From: 2Pure
Senzimi Skincare products
Senzimi have sent us some samples of their outdoor-friendly but ‘sensitive’ skincare products to test. We’re not sure who in the office will actually be able to test them effectively but they do smell nice.
Price: Moisturiser £15.99, cleanser, £13.99
From: Senzimi Skincare
Finish Line Gear Floss
Sim likes this and will probably use it to clean his keyboard as well as his gears.
Price: £6.99
From: Madison
Kali Protectives Durgana
Kali may be the Hindu goddess of destruction (much like Roo the cat) but she also has a caring side, so it’s not a bad choice of name for a helmet and protection brand. The Durgana has plenty of venting and uses a fibreglass outer to keep it affordable. That’s to it’s cunning construction it’s surprisingly light for an entry level full facer too…
Price: £TBC
From: Surf Sales
Five Ten Impact Low and Freerider shoes
More Five Ten sticky slippers! The Freeriders are now available in a rather catching purple and the classic muddy-moonboot Impact Low is still available…
Price: Impact £85.00 Freerider £79.99
From: Big Stone
Comments (39)
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The chainguide looks like it is causing chainsuck already.
Indeed I spotted that..
Gear floss… a product you wish you’d thought of.
Off to a diy place that does rope i go.
The bike that the chain guide is on doesn’t have a back wheel in, so the chain is slack, rather than sucking. 🙂
Been doing the gear floss thing with rag for ages, seems to work!
Looks like the granny ring mounts are rubbing the back plate rather than chainsuck.
Are you doing a review of that bike? Which at a guess is a NukeProof Mega.
Been doing the gear floss thing with rag for ages, seems to work!
+1 ….
Five Ten shoes – great, sole solid construction. I wonder why in place of a water proof leather tongue they put in a sponge. When it rains mine soak up about of pound’s weight of water each and take a week to dry out. A big flaw
£55 for a multitool…day-am.
and £40 for a buck with a sponge, brush and some soap???
“To this end he’s gone and shelled out his own cash for a new Orange Patriot”
I bet he didn’t pay £1749 for it though.
anyone that can write a reasonably lengthy review about a tea mug deserves a break.
Well done Jenn 😉
pedals only a mother could love
Great news about Jenn! I guess the holiday’s over now, eh lads?!
The yellow bike is an Intense Tracer 2
I hate it when things are slack rather than sucking.
great news re:Jenn 🙂
“Looks like the granny ring mounts are rubbing the back plate rather than chainsuck.
Are you doing a review of that bike? Which at a guess is a NukeProof Mega.”
It’s an Intense Tracer 2, as reviewed in Issue 67.
The Straitline guide isn’t strictly fresh, as it’s seen three weeks of hard and occasionally muddy use in the Alps on my hols and on a feature for Issue 70, hence the wear….
Fifty five quid seems a lot for that Crank Bros tool – when did multitools get so expensive?
Been using a silent guide for almost a year now with no trouble whatsoever. Completely faultless. Genuinely silent, weighs very little and does its job perfectly. I think they are great.
ive always flossed my gears, but with a nasty oily towel i keep for nasty oily bits of bikes.
been looking for a new mutli tool for a while and that pico thing ticks all the boxes, including not having the tools wrapped around the pivot… HOW MUCH!…. the parktool is staying for now!
Virtual high five to Jenn
:O)
These silly prices are surely not sustainable
Multi tool price stupid
Silly price for a bucket and sponge
And as for the pipecleaners wtf???
“ive always flossed my gears, but with a nasty oily towel i keep for nasty oily bits of bikes.”
+1
Better than the floss IMO too as the towel cleans the face of the gears too
Gear floss…. looks expensive for some rope…. but cool!
Someone did gear floss before they did!
http://purpleharry.co.uk/
i’m running a straitline silent guide on my mega build. of all the new bits on it that all work better than their predecessors, it is the chain guide which I am most impressed with. it truly lives up to its name. no moving bits to get gunked up and cause a racket.
Virtual hi five to Jenn..seconded here..would be more gushing in praise etc.
but better half says this is TOO PATRONISING!!!
Yey I liked Jenn’s article on the Great divide a few months ago
Yep great news re Jenn, always impressed with her words in the mag
Jenn on board, Fantastic, smart move, all the best girl, keep them boys in order, Paul @ TmtbR
Congratulations Jenn, such wonderful news!
Am I the only one who thinks that a bike with 180mm of rear suspension travel might be better with a 150mm wide rear hub?
Hello. Thank you for the warm welcome. I’m looking forward to reviewing more tea mugs and Jon is already in detention for his picture choice 🙂
The bigger boys told me to…
I agree with everybody above, fifty five seems to be a good price. Also i have been using a silent gear for about 2 years now and everything is ok.
Fab news to hear you’re gonna be deputy ed Jenn! 😀
Always like your stuff and always good knowing a female perspective is present in the mag 🙂
£55 does seem a lot for a multitool. Is it 100% corrosion proof? Got the 19 and that’s pretty good, only criticsim is it starts getting rusty pretty quick.
Great to hear you’ll be joining as Deputy Ed Jenn, looking forward to an even better mag now.
best wishes from an old ‘Rayment’ customer
Nice one Jenn! Best of luck with it.
Neil, the lad who’s wheel exploded while chatting on a Thetford winter enduro.