Yes, it’s been a week. But now the weekend looms, and we have just the thing to help you relax.

Ready?

Here’s the Singletrackworld Top Relaxation Technique!

Deep breath, people.

DEEP BREATH.

Breathe INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

And OOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTT

INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

and OOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Better?

No?

Try doing the same thing, but taking a slug of beer in between breaths.

Still no?

Try with whisky. That’ll do the trick.

Ah, nuts to it. Here’s Fresh Goods Friday!

Sonder Transmitter

You heard it here first, folks, Brant’s collaboration with Alpkit is known as Sonder!

Brant stresses it’s a division of Alpkit rather than a totally separate company though.

And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the Transmitter! Named after an oil painting, apparently.

SRAM 1x, of course.

Pretty neat seat clamp. This is going on the production ones, sadly. But it’s cool, all the same.

Bolt on cable guides “because it’s the right way to do it”. Build kits are 1x only.

Clearance even with regular BB.Flattened top tube, and some nicely swoopy and elegant curves.Ooh, lookit the welds on that!

This one has a Pike on it (which I don’t think production ones will), but even so clearance with a 2.8in tyre is acceptable. Minimal, sure, but acceptable.

This Transmitter is a pre-production prototype (the real ones will be here in 3 months). There will be a couple of tweaks from this one – Boost spacing for more widerer so you can fit 2.8 wheels and wide rims, and it’ll have 5mm longer chainstays.

Brant says the following:

65deg static head angle.
74.5deg sagged seat angle.
Alloy triple butted frame. Hard anodized finish.
Bolt on guides because it’s the right way to do it.

Price: Frames £300, complete bikes from £800

From: Alpkit (eventually)

American Classic Carbonator Tubeless

1595g of carbon-rimmed wideness from American Classic. 33mm external (26mm internal) width, 32 spokes front and rear for strength. Raarrr. Wide diameter hub flanges for stiffness…

…and we like the white spokes so you can tell where the valve is.

Price: £999.99

From: Moore Large

Hannah Dobson

New to the team, this is Hannah, who is already trying to organise the unorganisable, and will be doing so full time from September. Good luck with that!

Price: Classified

From: Edinburgh, via Hebden Bridge

Madison Recon Glasses

3 lenses – these ones, amber and clear, to maintain extra sharpness in vision and, natch, looks.

Price:  £79.99

From: Madison

Smith Over Drive Glasses

Orange, oh yes. Which goes disturbingly well with Barney’s new hoodie. Although he doesn’t look as good in these glasses as Grace does.

3 sets of lenses in here too, to maintain that coolness whatever the weather.

Price: from £150

From: Saddleback

*warning*

There now follows a series of photographs in portrait. If you’re of a delicate internet sensibility, LOOK AWAY NOW.

Also, they are a series of pics of Tom Alker looking SHARP. Sadly, ladies and gentlemen, he’s spoken for. But I can supply you with larger photos if you email in (and send biscuits).

Oddly, Tom’s chin is missing from all of these photos, but if you print the pic out and draw something in with biro, there WILL BE A PRIZE*)

*no, there won’t

Keela Saxon Jacket

Lime coloured. Flylite Aqua fabric. Wind and waterproof, and excellent at concealing Tom’s chin. It’s apparently good at withstanding the heaviest of downpours, which is good. It’s apparently ideal for runners and cyclists too, and the hood will fit a helmet.

Price: £84.95

From: Keela

Haglofs L.I.M III Jacket

Gale blue, apparently, this ChinConcealer, and is “minimalist and supremely packable”. Hood once again, and ‘full articulation’ which is handy. And they’ve “taken the environment into high account in the design and manufacture”. Coo.

£220.00

From Haglofs

Berghaus Vapour Storm Jacket

Tom demonstrates his Superhero Pummeling Technique in the Vapour Storm, “designed specifically for the serious multisport athlete”. Not the jocular ones.

It’s Goretex, natch, it’s got waterproof open vents (eh?) and is a sort of massively breatheable trailrunning top. It even works with a pack on, apparently.

Price: £270

From: Berghaus

Rab Flashpoint Jacket

Flashpoint fabric makes for a waterproof of much lightness and breathability (it says here). Ideal for the fast and light guys. That’s a big 0/2 for me then. Happily, I’m not testing it (especially not at a size ‘M’ – I need size ‘P’, for PIE).

The fabric is unique to RAB with “a 7 micron PU hydrophilic membrane with a 7 denier nylon face fabric and a 7 denier knitted nylon tricot backer”. CRIKEY

Price: £200

From: Rab

Bentley Components Premium Dirt Flaps

Protection for your dropper post. It sort of looks like a rubber strop, but it stops clag from getting where clag shouldn’t (in a mechanical sense).

Price: Premium Dort Flaps from £24. Dirt Flaps start from £14

From: Bentley Components 

Birzman Weather Warrior drybag

A no-nonsense bag to keep your phone dry in your sweaty jersey pocket.

Price: £11.99

from: i-Ride

OneUp chainrings and sprocket wheels

Toothed wheels for making your bike go more betterer. Some for the front, and some for the back. There’s a MONSTER 45T cassette sprocket. The idea is not to give you an easier granny, but to give you the same range with a larger front ring so you can go MOAR FASTERERER!

45t sprocket + 18t for Shimano XTR: $90

Cinch Oval chainring: $70

96mm BDC XT chainring: $47

XTR M9000 oval: $70

All from OneUp

Salsa Bikepacker’s Guide

An ace little book from Salsa, which aims to get first-timers keen to explore bikepacking out and about. It’s crammed with useful tips, bits and pieces and articles to get you inspired.

Charlie the Bikemonger sent it in for us, and it’s worth quoting some of the lovely letter he sent to go with it:

Main selling points:

• Buy it and go and have an adventure
• People have suffered s**tloads to get this information for you, you ungrateful b******s
• Yes, it is a tenner, if you don’t like it go and cycle the grand divide route, and write your own book, and see if you get change from a tenner you moaning roadie
• Covers:
  • Route planning
  • food planning
  • bike and gear planning
  • lots more, and a bunch of field reports

Which pretty much says it all…

Price: £10

From: Charlie – you can find it here.

Henty Wingman Backpack

Commuters! Mountain bikers with a need to be presentable at the end of the ride! This could be the backpack for you! You can stick your suit/dress/threepiece/evening tails in, roll it up and it turns into a rucksack a bit like this:So you can still be stylish, even with a face caked in mud/road grime. It’s actually a pretty neat idea. Grat for flying too, or travelling generally.

Price: £119

From Henty

Wooooo! That’s hit the spot! If you’ve been deep breathing through that lot, you’re probably a little light headed now, which is the perfect way to approach the weekend!

Hope you manage to get some ace riding in – ENJOY!

THAT’S AN ORDER

ST out

 

 

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