Well, we’re not going to even attempt to gloss over it. Things have been a little subdued at Singletrack Towers over the past 48 hours. Especially for our ex-Californian Sarah. Like many others all around the world, we’re still trying to work out exactly what’s going on with our American pals on the other side of the Atlantic. Chances are, they’re still trying to work that out too.
Yep, the world has just been turned on its head by a bipedal Orangutan, who is now the leader of the most powerful nation in the world. Say hello to the new President of the United States Of America;
We’re not going to dwell on all of that though, because every news channel and social media outlet is already saturated with commentary about the US general election, and you’re probably as sick of it as we are. Whilst all of this madness has been going on, Hannah has been rocking out in Sedona, Arizona on a press launch for Liv/Giant. She’s there to check out the new Pique and Hail full suspension bikes, where she’s riding with some of Liv’s top shredders and brand ambassadors. Needless to say, Hannah is quite enjoying having limited access to internet…
Whilst Hannah is busy shredding the rocky trails of Sedona, it would appear that the entire country is crumbling all around her. But as we wait to hear whether she’ll be able to escape US borders and make it back to Todmorden, you know, because it’s so warm and sunny here right now, we’ve got some other news for you from last night’s CMAs;
Yep, Singletrack just bagged two awards at the 2016 CMA in London! And no, that’s not the Country Music Awards, though we think Chipps would fit right in with that shirt. It’s the Cycling Media Awards, and despite being up against the likes of BBC Sport and The Guardian, Singletrack still came away with two billet-machined alloy trophies. And a killer hangover.
So as we nurse ourselves through P.O.E.T.S day and the end of a slightly depressing week of international politics, we feel it’s a perfect time to indulge in some lovely new bike goodies. Ready for a distraction? Then saddle up, because right now it is FRESH GOODS FRIDAY!
NS Bikes Eccentric Cromo
- Price: £1649
- From: Hotlines UK
Known originally for its dirt jump roots, NS Bikes has evolved into a well-rounded mountain bike brand with full suspension, downhill and trail bike offerings. The Eccentric Cromo is described as “All Mountain / Trail”, and it uses a steel frame, while the other Eccentric models use alloy frames.
Opinion is divided in the Singletrack Office about the aesthetics of the NS Eccentric Cromo, but you can’t deny that it’s distinctive. The geometry definitely leans towards the more aggro side for a 29in hardtail, so we’ll be very interested to see what sort of attitude the Eccentric Cromo has on the trail.
Brake Force One H20 Brakes
- Price: €594 (complete brakeset front & rear)
- From: Brake Force One
This time last year, we found out about Brake Force One’s plan to shift to water rather than DOT or Mineral Oil for its hydraulic disc brakes. Now we’ve got a pair on test to see what it’s all about.
The BFO brakes are purportedly some of the strongest on the market, so they should be able to put a stop to anything in their way. Will they put a stop to Chipps’ lairy t-shirt choices? We can only live in hope…
Barfly Garmin Bar Mounts
- Price: £40 each
- From: 2Pure
Got a Garmin computer that needs mounting off the handlebar? And a GoPro too? Barfly make brackets for exactly that, which either places your Garmin out in front of the bars, or over the stem. The Barfly Max and Mini will also hold a GoPro at the same time, so you can have ALL THE ACCESSORIES.
Fix It Sticks Mountain Set
- Price: £19.99
- From: Raleigh UK
A Kickstarter success story, Fix It Sticks is a neat modular tool that offers multiple bits and two alloy handles that allow you to create a solid T-bar tool. There’s also a plastic mount that bolts on to your bottle cage bosses, so you can carry them on the bike rather than deep within a never-ending hole inside your backpack.
Blackburn Wayside Hybrid Pump
- Price: £64.99
- From: Zyro-Fisher
Is this pump a jack of all trades? Or a master of none? The Wayside Hybrid combines a floor pump and a compact pump in one, with a neat little fold-out foot hold for pumping some serious air into your tyres. Could be a good one for the back of the car?
Blackburn Outpost High Volume Pump
- Price: £32.99
- From: Zyro-Fisher
Sometimes a mini pump just ain’t going to cut it. If you’re fed up with blowing nothing but hot air when your mates are patiently waiting for you to sort out a flat tyre, then you might want a big volume pump like this one from Blackburn. Doubles as a baton in case you need to beat away any aggressive sheep on your ride.
SP Gadgets Phone Case Set iPhone 6/6S
- Price: €39.99
- From: SP-Gadgets
New from SP Gadgets is a range of smartphone accessories for the technologically anxious who require a screen to be in front of them at all times. Good for keeping up to date with politics then? Or just watching cat videos to cheer you up during a ride.
SP Gadgets Suction Mount
- Price: €39.99
- From: SP-Gadgets
Maybe you have a need to sucker your smartphone to glass-like objects? If you do, this sucky device from SP Gadgets does just that, and it uses the same twist-lock design as the rest of the SP Gadgets accessories.
SP Gadgets Wedge Case
- Price: €39.99
- From: SP-Gadgets
If you’re looking for a little more easy-access storage while having your smartphone in front of you, SP Gadgets makes the Wedge Bag that does exactly that. It’s like a piece of Lego, with the bag clipping onto a stem cap mount, before the phone case mounts on top of that. Great for things like munchies, smokes, sunglasses – anything that you want within easy reach really.
Exposure Lights Axis Mk4
- Price: £174.95
- From: Exposure Lights
British manufacturer Exposure has updated its light range for 2017, with new buttons and improved power outputs across the board. The Axis is a tiny little headlight that now punches out what the Diablo used to deliver only a couple of years ago. 1000 Lumens and a 1.5 hour run time. Includes bar and helmet mounts.
Exposure Lights Diablo Mk8
- Price: £199.95
- From: Exposure Lights
The Mk8 Diablo pumps up the jams to 1400 Lumens while retaining its compact CNC machined alloy body. Low will get you 24 hours of runtime, while it’ll run at full noise for 1 hour. Look out for our upcoming review of the latest Diablo.
Exposure Lights Toro Mk8
- Price: £279.95
- From: Exposure Lights
Using the same CNC alloy handlebar bracket, the Toro clips in place to give you 1800 Lumens of power from its three LEDs. It’s essentially the handlebar version of the Diablo, so it’s a bit heavier with a bigger battery inside to get 2 hours of runtime at full power.
Exposure Lights MaxxD
- Price: £344.95
- From: Exposure Lights
Bung in a 4th LED and an even bigger battery, and you’ve got the Maxx-D. The 9th iteration of the Maxx-D will get you 2350 Lumens of power, though the Reflex technology will drive that as high as 3200 Lumens. So you can basically see through walls.
Superstar Components Alpine Trail Wheelset
- Price: £399.99
- From: Superstar Components
UK company Superstar Components sent us in a whole bunch of new gear along with a press release talking up their new direction. Part of the new product release is its wide profile 29in Alpine Trail wheelset, which runs a 30mm internal width and a tubeless compatible bead. The wheels are built around Superstar’s new Electro hubs that feature no less than 102 engagement points for lots of buzzzzzz.
The Alpine Trail wheels can be had with a 24mm or a 30mm internal width, and they’re built with regular J-bend spokes and Superstar’s own hubset. The rims are apparently made from naughty-soudning 6069 T-XXX alloy, which means you have to be over 18 to ride them.
Superstar Components Raptor Chainrings
- Price: £29.99 each
- From: Superstar Components
With its new range, Superstar is aiming to manufacture more of its products in house, and longterm they’re hoping to produce nearly everything on British soil. That includes these CNC machined chainrings, which come in a whole variety of different standards, including both round and oval profiles.
The chainrings are 1x specific and feature a narrow-wide profile that Superstar says is unique to its chainrings. Looking at the teeth, there’s definitely some interesting shaping going on, which Superstar says offers superior mud-shedding abilities to typical narrow-wide rings.
Superstar Components Nano-X Pedals
- Price: £44.99
- From: Superstar Components
Bright orange anodized pedals from Superstar Components, which are made right here in the UK. You can get them in cromo for less than 50 quid, while the titanium version goes for £84.99.
Superstar Components Headset
- Price: £19.99 (bottom), £24.99 (top)
- From: Superstar Components
If you’re building up a frame from scratch, or your current bike has some grinding coming from the front end, then Superstar’s new headsets may be of interest. Made in the UK with sealed bearings and lots of rubber sealing to keep the crud out, this could be the Mexican wall of the headset world.
Superstar Components Angleset
- Price: £49.99
- From: Superstar Components
Slack head tube angles are all the range, but what if your bike could be even slacker? Superstar offer an angleset so you can tweak your bike’s front end to kick that front wheel out a little further again.
Superstar Components High Fill Bearings
- Price: £6.99 – £13.99 (pack of 4 hub bearings), headset bearings from £7.99
- From: Superstar Components
Because Superstar produces so many hubs and complete wheelsets, they need a steady supply of replacement bearings for people to be able to source to keep their hubs rolling smoothly. The High Fill bearings pack in more grease with tight tolerances to deliver smooth rolling at a decent cost.
Superstar Components Brewster
- Price: £12.99
- From: Superstar Components
If you’re going to cover up that unsightly front derailleur mount, you might as well do it with a cap that’s compatible with beer.
Ortilieb Frame-Pack Bikepacking
- Price: £95 – £115
- From: Ortilieb
Masters of all things bag-y and waterproof-y, Oritlieb now offers frame bags, and we’ve got one to try out. We’re thinking 8-10 cans of beer will get in this guy. What’s your guess?
Giro Jacket Shoe
- Price: £89.99 – £99.99
- From: Zyro-Fisher
The Jacket shoes from Giro are flat-pedal specific, with a sticky Vibram rubber sole and textured tread for locking in with the pins on your flat pedals. Army green with gum soles and bright red laces. Other colours available for civilians.
Bontrager Velocis S1 Softshell Jacket
- Price: £109.99
- From: Trek Bikes
Lovely new softshell jacket from Bontrager modelled by the…err…lovely Mark. Mark qualified as a model for this photo because he has arms, and they are necessary for modelling a winter cycling jacket. The requirements for our photoshoots are very low.
Bluegrass Eagle Golden Eyes Helmet
- Price: £89.99
- From: Bluegrass Eagle
The latest enduro-ready lid from Bluegrass Eagle, the Golden Eyes lid is a perfect match for Marks’ golden-boy looks. Extra coverage around the temples and back of the head, in case Mark slips over a sly banana skin in the office and does a whoopsie-do onto the floor. We reckon that’s what is going through his mind in this shot anyway.
Bluegrass Eagle Crossbill Knee Pads
- Price: £59.99
- From: Bluegrass Eagle
As part of an upcoming knee pad grouptest, we’ve got the lightweight Crossbill knee pads from Bluegrass Eagle to go with that shiny helmet. Mark is either confused as to where the second knee pad goes, or he’s training to be a Formula One pit mechanic. We’re not sure either.
Giro Pivot Waterproof Gloves
- Price: £59.99
- From: Zyro-Fisher
Insulated and padded gloves from Giro Cycling, which are built to offer you warmth and waterproofing against the harsh winter elements. Given that it rained this week in Todmorden, these gloves could come in handy a little sooner than we were expecting!
Altura Zero Waterproof Gloves
- Price: £49.99
- From: Zyro-Fisher
Mark is ready to launch his wrath on winter with another pair of waterproof gloves, this time from Altura. Full-length sleeping bags for your fingers, the Zero Waterproof Gloves are insulated for maximal warming properties. Textured palm so you don’t lose your grip on reality.
Mark is either questioning the intent of the weather gods, or he’s just tuned into the US general election results. Ok, so we’re back to politics now, but at least we provided you with a smidgen of respite in an otherwise bizarre week of world news.
To finish off said week, we fully intend to ride our bikes as much as possible and take solace in the fact that bikes are, and will always be, a perfect escape from reality. Because when things are getting you down, there ain’t nothing like fresh air and floating on two wheels to take your mind off the crap.
So that wraps up Fresh Goods Friday on this historic week in world politics. With that in mind, we’re off to ride bikes, but not before we enjoy this appropriate number from R.E.M.
Happy Friday everyone!
Comments (3)
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lol.
Sometime the song at the end should be Warren Zevon’s wonderful piece Werewolves of London.
Why are the SP products priced in Euros?