Holy mackerel, is it Friday already? Has the week sped past for you too? It appears that someone has very rudely had their finger on the fast-forward button, though admittedly there’s been a lot going on at Singletrack HQ that has left us struggling to keep grasp of the time. We’re still mourning (celebrating?) the departure of our lovely Jamie, though his lingering odour shows no sign of weakening, so at this point his memory sadly lives on. Mr Robarto celebrated his 13th Birthday this week, and Mark exercised some impressive chef’ing skills from a previous life to create a truly genre-bending delicacy that has blurred the line between food and art.
We’ve also been turning the office upside down in an organisational reshuffle, which has seen some incredible artefacts unveiled in the process. There were old pens, an eraser, and Hannah found a T-shirt with bloodstains on it, but no one is exactly sure who it belongs to (or belonged to?). Our Aussie addition Wil has been adapting to his new role with the Singletrack team, and we’re confident that he will soon be Calderdale’s most qualified shredder of paper in no time. Meanwhile Chipps is off swanning about in some far away land where summer actually exists, but we wouldn’t know because everyone here stopped following his irritating Instagram feed. Unfortunately for him however, he’s missing out on a bucketload of shwag that’s arrived in the office this week. So lets slow things down a little in time for the weekend and get stuck into this weeks edition of Fresh Goods Friday!
Kona Honzo Ti
- Price: £1669 (Frame only)
- From: Kona
Who does not like Titanium? Seriously, who are they, and where do they live?? We’d like to find out and show them the Honzo Ti, because if any bike is going to win you over to the wunder-material, it’s likely to be this one. Taking the successful Honzo recipe and mixing in 3-2.5 Titanium tubing, the Honzo Ti maintains the lovely classic lines of the metal frames, while delivering a magical blend of lightweight and vibration damping. It’s also highly corrosion resistant and has excellent fatigue life, so it’s likely to outlast Trap music. Mind you, that’s not really saying much. An unclaimed chocolate eclair on a communal table at a diabetic convention is likely to outlast Trap music.
Adjustable dropouts mean you can run the Honzo Ti as a singlespeed. Or if you’re running gears, it also means you can tweak the chainstay length to alter the handling. Nice beefy bolts lock down the dropouts to the gorgeous titanium tubing. And for the BOOST-haters, you can rest assured that the Honzo Ti uses good ol’ 142x12mm dropouts. So there.
You like grips? The Kona Honzo has got them – two of them in fact, so that is likely to satisfy even the greediest grip-lovers.
The Honzo Ti is only available as a frameset, but conveniently ours has come to us as a complete bike. Which is ideal, because we were a little concerned about how running around the woods and holding a Titanium frame above our heads would contribute to the review. In its rideable state, this Honzo has got a chunky RockShox PIKE fork and fat Maxxis tubeless rubber.
Mmmmm-mmm! Have a gander at that lovely chainstay yoke. That clever arrangement is there to maximise tyre clearance while running hella-short 415mm chainstays. Bonus anti-pitchfork points for the threaded bottom bracket shell.
Lovely curved tubing helps to deliver a little more ‘give’ from the Honzo’s derrière.
There’s a 12mm RockShox Maxle to lock down the rear hub into the Honzo’s dropouts, creating a rock-solid junction for the rear wheel. The rear brake mount is part of the dropout, so no need to adjust the brake calliper if you change the chainstay length.
A subtle gusset sits between the top tube and down tube to reduce twisting on the Honzo’s front end. There are a few little clues like this on the Honzo that should give you an indication of how this Titanium beauty is meant to be ridden. With pedals. Definitely with pedals.
Just in case you need reminding while you’re aboard. Heck, I’d have “Titanium” tattooed onto my forehead to remind me every day in the mirror if I owned a Ti bike. It would certainly make for a much more pleasant visual experience.
More of that big-arse PIKE fork on the front. This guy has 120mm of travel, and he enjoys being pummelled into rocks and roots.
The Honzo is proof that hardtails ain’t just for the racer-heads. This is a proper mountain bike built for proper mountain biking.
Ok, some more glamour shots ‘cos we can. Definitely impressed with all of that curvy tubing, which isn’t a cheap process when you’re talking about Titanium that initially began its life as a round tube.
Is this the dance move you do after nailing a sweet descent aboard your Honzo? Or is this in fact, “the Honzo” move itself??
More gusseting. This one helps to deliver extra strength to the top of the exposed seat tube, otherwise it would feel quite lonely and naked on its own up there. It does mean that Kona can build the Honzo Ti with heaps of standover clearance, and don’t you just love the line the top tube takes down into the seat stays? Nope? Just us? M’kay then.
Solo Stove
- Price: £60.00
- From: Lyon Outdoor
Hannah’s birthday present to herself from Lyon. Bought with actual money, for burning actual sticks and making actual tea, or baked beans, or whatever.
Stanton T-Shirt and Hats
- Price: £33.00 (Bobble hat), £n/a (T-shirts)
- From: Stanton
Hannah’s eldest showing that daft modelling poses are hereditary. Stanton hat and T-shirt which came with our Stanton Sherpa Ti the other week.
Never work with children or animals. Especially if you want the monkeys to be in focus. We managed to prise Jamie’s Liteville longtermer back from him, and Michael came along from Liteville to pick it up – and left us these very exclusive not-available-to-buy, staffer t-shirts. But we’re including them in FGF because 😛
Dynaplug Tubeless Puncture Repair Kit
- Price: $24.99 USD
- From: Dynaplug
No, this isn’t a suppository with tiny shrunken scientists inside who are destined to do battle with your intestinal worms, but you are very close. It’s actually a Dynaplug, and while we imagine that will likely be the name of robotic suppositories in the future, for the time being it’s a tubeless repair kit. Dynaplug actually comes from the motorised world (not the Ebike kind, the real kind), but this shrunken version has been adapted for mountain bikes. It features a sweet stainless steel housing with numerous implements inside for fixing bigger punctures in your tubeless tyre when the liquid sealant won’t quite do the job. Perfect for racing, and ideal to take on the group rides where you’re irritatingly unprepared friend is likely to attend.
So the metal supposi…I mean, the Dynaplug canister sits inside the black handle of the stabbing implement, so it’s all very neat and James Bond like. Choose the right stabby bit for the puncture you’ve got, then piece the tyre, leaving the plug inside to seal the hole. In most cases, you’ll be able to perform this procedure without too much air loss. It’s worth noting that you can get plugs with a rounded bullet-end, which is recommended if you need to put an inner tube inside the tyre. Made in the USA and all eco-friendly with no nasty adhesives or chemicals.
Fox Transfer Dropper Post
- Price: £282.00
- From: Fox
Just what we’ve all been waiting for – Kashima gold baby! Fox could make a Kashima toothbrush and I’d still buy it. In the case of the new Transfer post however, there are many other reasons you’d want this aside from it just being gold. Now infinitely adjustable (the previous D.O.S.S was a 3-position affair), the new Transfer is lighter and there’s an internally routed option too – basically it addresses all the previous complaints. Plus, there are two lever options that you purchase separately. One for a 1x setup, and one for a 2/3x setup. Is this the ultimate dropper post to end all dropper posts? We’ll be getting our test post muddy – very muddy – to find out whether it’s durability is up to standard…
Exped Downmat Winterlite
- Price: £169.99
- From: Lyon Outdoor
You can always tell who the inexperienced bike packers are, because they look more tired and a lot shittier than anyone else. Experienced bike packers know the importance of sleeping comfortably and having the right equipment to do so – just ask Sanny in his introduction to Bike Packing. And with the right camping gear, you’re less likely to be tired and shitty after a rough night in the middle of nowhere. First step is to get yourself a quality mattress like the Exped Downmat. This one offers excellent insulation qualities at a weight that is quite possibly the work of the devil. No really. It actually weighs 666 grams. Maybe they should rename it the ‘Sin of Sloth’ then?
Moon Arcturus-Auto Pro
- Price: £27.99
- From: Raleigh
Smart lights are becoming more popular and more widespread as the technology becomes accessible at lower pricepoints. Case in point is the new Arcturus from Moon, which features an in-built sensor to automatically turn the light on and off. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve accidentally left my blinky commuter lights on whilst parked up outside the pub, so I’m into this auto on/off feature. Oh, and it can punch out up to 100 Lumens of retina-melting RAW POWAAAR!
Grasp High Security D-Lock
- Price: £10.00
- From: Radial Cycles
Speaking of pub-related bicycle incidents, don’t forget to lock up your treadlie, or you’ll risk losing it and your fancy new smart light. Because that’s not smart at all.
Melio 14 in 1 Multi-Tool
- Price: £7.00
- From: Radial Cycles
Radial Cycles are pushing out some damn good value gear lately, including this neat folding multi-tool. It’s less suppository-shaped than a DynaPlug, but it houses significantly more tools inside for fixing whatever ails ya.
Pharos Safety Lights
- Price: £15.59
- From: Radial Cycles
Heading to a bike disco? You could do worse than bring these little Pharos LED lights along with you. In fact, you could bring a 100-Lumen tail light and blind the crap out of all your friends before they kick you out of the party. And that wouldn’t be a whole lot of fun. So don’t be a dick at your next bike disco, be modest with your choice of blinky lights.
Poly Bike Bottle Cage
- Price: £4.00
- From: Radial Cycles
I once said that I would never review a bottle cage. I mean, what’s there to review? It’s plastic, it holds onto a bottle. Mind you, I did also say that I would never wear makeup on a bicycle photo shoot, but then hey, here we are.
Y Wrench Allen Key
- Price: £4.99
- From: Radial Cycles
Y is definitely the most useful letter of the alphabet, and especially when it comes to shapes for workshop tools. Can you imagine a Z-shaped tool for allen keys? How utterly ridiculous would that be!
Porter Saddle Bag
- Price: £16.99
- From: Radial Cycles
More top value gear from Radial Cycles, this time in the form of an under-the-saddle bag to house crucial elements like your Dynaplug and spare inner tube. Crucially for a saddle bag, it’s got a sealed zip to keep the crud out and to stop the zip from opening itself on the trail.
Siege Hydration Pack
- Price: £13.00
- From: Radial Cycles
When you wear a T-shirt like that, it becomes necessary to have two fire extinguishers nearby at all times.
But in case you use up all your available fire extinguishers, you could always utilise your portable water source from the Siege hydration backpack. Nice compact size with a single chest strap for keeping water and the essential tools at the ready. Incredible value for money for those who like to travel light on their rides.
Funn Updown Dropper Post
- Price: £199.99
- From: Decade Europe
Not one, but two dropper posts in this week! This time it’s a brand new entry from Funn components, in the form of the Updown post. A single bolt keeps tabs on the saddle rails, while the actuation cable attaches externally at the top. Impressive value, but how durable is it? We’re going to find out…
Funn Black Magic Pedals
- Price: £39.99
- From: Decade Europe
Sweet sealed bearing pedals from the kings of hard-hitting components, Funn. The stealthy black bodies are made from plastic, which helps to whittle weight down to just 360 grams for the pair. Nice bit of bling from the replaceable pins.
Cycle Mugs
- Price: £7.99 (each)
- From: Boxer Gifts
Hail to the king of all bicycle gifts: the mug. These decorative vestibules from Boxer Gifts come with some ripper designs, but our favourite bit is the handle – it’s a freakin’ bike!
Lauf Trail Racer Carbon Forks
- Price: £679.99
- From: Velo
Lauf call their forks the “lightest suspension forks on the market”. And at less than 1kg, who are we to argue? Using a unique leaf-spring arrangement on each dropout, Lauf forks are designed to offer 60mm of travel in a package that is simpler and lighter than a traditional telescopic suspension fork. What do you think of the design?
Refuge Waterproof Duffle Bag
- Price: £140
- From: Showers Pass
Now this is an absolute gem – a proper waterproof bag from Showers Pass with a 51-litre volume that’s ready to swallow up all your muddy, dirty and wet riding gear. Spare your driving companions from your personalised ‘eau de bicyclette’ and put your smelly shoes and kit inside one of the three internal compartments. Trick anodized alloy hardware and a ballistic Nylon construction give the Refuge a bomber feel that’ll stand up to being thrown about in the boot of your car.
Okey dokey. So that about wraps up FGF for this week, and we hope we’ve given you a chance to slow down in time to enjoy your weekend doing whatever you decide to do. To get you in the mood (for whatever it is you’ll be doing), we’ve got a little slice of French electronica inspired by our own staff member Mark, who dusted off his rave pants last weekend at the Blue Dot Festival. Salut!
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Is that D lock really only £10?
I assume Wil brought the Aficionado T with him.
Would you really attach your bike to a lock that is worth a tenner?