The weekend is (OH MY JESUS THANK THE LORD), mere hours away. Several painfully slow hours, but still, we’re closer than we’ve been all week. And what a week we have had here.
Despite crossing the finish line with Issue 114 of the magazine, the madness has most certainly not stopped. Chipps has been away en France riding some new e-MTBs from Lapierre, while Mark and Wil have been busy drying out their wellies after reporting from a very wet and muddy Pivot TwentyFour 12 down in Plymouth. You may have seen on the website this week a story about our recent tour of the Merida R&D facility in Stuttgart. Oh, and then we were attacked by zombies also.
Yes, all of the things have been going on. And no time to stop for a breather, as we’ve been out testing and shooting kit for some upcoming group tests that you’ll be able to read about on singletrackworld.com, including a glasses group test that I’ve been coordinating;
As you can tell, it’s been going really well.
Anywho, enough of that rubbish, because it’s time for some FRESH GOODS FRIDAY! Yes, it’s that time of week again, where we drive the Fresh Goods Friday wedge between the working week and the weekend ahead. So get excited, because although we’ve only just inserted the tip of the wedge here, you can be rest assured that the whole goddamn shebang will be in all the way by the end of this.
So lets get stuck in!
Canyon Exceed CF SL 7.9 Di2
- Price: £2999
- From: Canyon
The folks from Canyon paid us a visit earlier this week, so we went BMX’ing at the Manchester Indoor BMX Track. Of course.
But they also had mountain bikes with them, which they’ve kindly lent to us for a few weeks to give them a good proper testing on our local Calderdale singletrack. One of those bikes is the new Exceed CF SL carbon hardtail, complete with a Shimano XT Xi2 groupset and Fox 32 SC forks.
We’ve tested the top-end Exceed hardtail before, and you can read the full review of the Canyon Exceed CF SLX 9.9 here. This bike you’re looking at now uses the same geometry and frame shape as the Exceed CF SLX, but uses a cheaper grade of carbon fibre that Canyon refers to as ‘SL’. Claimed weight is still impressive at 1050g for a Medium size frame, though with complete bikes starting at £1799, it helps to make the price that much more appealing.
So it may be 150g heavier, but will it ride any differently? We’ll be finding out over the coming weeks as we spend more time aboard the Di2-equipped Exceed hardtail.
Trickstuff Matshi & Clapton Brackets
- Price: €29.90 per pair
- From: Trickstuff
On the German brand tip, we’ve received some goodies from Trickstuff – a brand we visited in Frieburg just a few weeks ago. Although Trickstuff is best known for its exotic hydraulic disc brakes, the brand makes a whole manner of different components, including these neat little adapter plates that are designed to integrate their brake levers with Shimano or SRAM shifters, as well as adapters that can marry a SRAM shifter to a Shimano brake, and vice versa.
Trickstuff Direttissima Disc Brakes
- Price: €24.89
- From: Trickstuff
Another not so well known fact; brake pads are Trickstuff’s most popular product. Aside from making pads for its own brake (Direttissima pads shown above), Trickstuff makes brake pads to suit brakes from Shimano, Formula, SRAM, Avid, Magura and a load of other brands too.
Trickstuff Direttissima Disc Brakes
- Price: €375 per end & rotors €37.90 each
- From: Trickstuff
Aha, but that wasn’t the only kit we got from Trickstuff! Here’s a set of Direttissima disc brakes that we’ve requested to review in an upcoming disc brake group test. Trickstuff makes two different disc brakes; the superlight Piccola brakes, and the powerful Direttissima brakes.
According to Trickstuff, the Direttissima brakes are some of the most powerful brakes on the market, with quad-piston callipers and a huge oil reservoir offering consistent braking on long and hot alpine descents. You may recognise the Direttissima as being the brake of choice for the Polygon UR World Cup downhill team.
Despite the claims of huuuuuge power, the Direttissima brakes are still quite light – about 234g per end without rotor and hardware. That is insanely light, and especially for a brake that’s designed to cope with the speeds of a World Cup downhiller. We’re eager to give these a thorough work out, so keep your eyes on Issue 115 of Singletrack Magazine for the full results…
SRAM Code RSC Disc Brakes
- Price: £229 per end & rotors £43 each
- From: ZyroFisher
Back in April, SRAM released the all-new Code disc brake. Drawing from the successful Guide series, the new Code utilises a similar lever to the Guide, but with a larger oil reservoir that’s designed to cope with proper downhill racing. The calliper is a beefy quad-piston unit, and uses a heat shield that sits between the pads and the pistons.
We’ve already tested a set of the new Code brakes, but we’ve now got a set in for some longterm testing that’ll stretch into the wetter, grittier and darker winter months that are not that far away…
Hope Tech 3 E4 Disc Brakes
- Price: £155 per end, rotors £40 per end
- From: Hope Technology
Another set of brakes for the upcoming disc brake group test, this time from a little closer to home. Hope Technology has been making disc brakes for as long as we can remember (that doesn’t say a lot TBH), but trust us, they’ve been making them for a long time!
These are the latest Tech 3 E4 brakes, and they’re listed on the Hope website under the ‘Enduro’ category for disc brakes. What makes them enduro? They’re not blue, so it can’t be that. It’s probably got something to do with those four big pistons in each calliper, and that massively adjustable brake lever that offers both reach and bite point fine-tuning without need for tools. And all in a beautifully machined, made-in-the-UK package.
NiteRider Lumina 1100 Boost
- Price: £110
- From: 2pure
The Boost standard has spread prolifically through the industry since Trek first debuted it all those years ago, and in 2017, it’s now finally available in LED lights. To be specific, the NiteRider Lumina front light that’s been Boost’d to 1100 Lumens. It’s still an all-in-one unit, with the battery and LED sharing the same space inside the casing that straps onto your bars, or helmet if you buy the mount separately. 1 hour run time on full noise, and up to 18 hours on disco mode.
Tifosi Camrock Photochromic Glasses
- Price: £69.99
- From: ZyroFisher
Full-frame riding glasses from our cobbers at Tifosi. At a bees dick under 70 squids, the Camrock glasses come equipped with a light-adjusting photochromic lenses called Fototec Light Night. That means they’ll transition from almost-clear, through to a much darker tint that should be sufficient for everything but the glariest of conditions.
Identiti Riding Tee
- Price: £16.99
- From: Identiti Bikes
Fresh threads from Identiti Bikes. This is the Riding Tee, which Identiti somehow was able to use as a medium for getting the fingerprint ID of Goliath. Now, all we need to do is find his iPhone.
Identiti EST 98 Short Sleeve Tee
- Price: £29.99
- From: Identiti Bikes
This is Ross. Ross has a T-shirt on. It is from Identiti Bikes. It is made from 100% cotton. The T-shirt, not Ross.
Stans NoTubes Tire Sealant Quart
- Price: £26
- From: Paligap
Not new, but holy cow do we go through a shit-tonne of tubeless sealant here! With a load of new tyres turning up for testing, we’ve just had a convenient top-up from our mates at Stans NoTubes. Still the original and most sought-after tubeless tyre sealant going.
Schwalbe Magic Mary Snakeskin Addix Soft 27.5×2.35in
- Price: £58.99 ea
- From: Schwalbe
Schwalbe has been making a song and dance about its latest super-dooper rubber technology that it’s calling Addix. Addix is available in a variety of different versions, including uber-sticky and super-fast (actual names may vary). Whatever the version, Schwalbe is claiming that the new Addix recipe is offering extra grip, lower rolling resistance, and better wear life. Too good to be true?
We plan on doing some testing to find out, so we’ve just had a bucket of tyres turn up for exactly that. Inside said bucket is a pair of Magic Mary tyres in a 27.5×2.35in size with the Addix Soft compound. They certainly feel sticky to the touch, and we’re big fans of the existing MM tread pattern, so we’ve got high hopes for these guys.
Schwalbe Hans Dampf Snakeskin Addix SpeedGrip 27.5×2.35in
- Price: £58.99
- From: Schwalbe
Slightly less knobbly with a lower mass than the Magic Mary’s, the Hans Dampf is another popular trail bike tyre. This one has got a slightly firmer compound, being the Addix SpeedGrip blend. Apparently that should give it a little more durability, which would be nice as we’ve made a habit of tearing cornering knobs off previous Hans Dampf tyres. Available in a plethora of sizes, we’ve gone with some 2.35in wide jobbies in a 27.5in diameter, and with the SnakeSkin casing.
Schwalbe Nobby Nic Apex Addix SpeedGrip 27.5×2.6in
- Price: £66.99 each
- From: Schwalbe
The new plus-minus tyre size is one that is gathering quite a bit of momentum lately, and is likely to be the new standard for trail and enduro bikes. With that in mind, we’ve got some fresh Nobby Nic tyres complete with the heavy duty Apex casing and Addix SpeedGrip rubber compound to put to the test in a 2.6in semi-chubber width.
Schwalbe Rocket Ron Addix Speed
- Price: £58.99
- From: Schwalbe
For the XC riders and racers out there, this’ll be much more your bag. New Rocket Ron tyres in a 29×2.25in size featuring the Addix Speed rubber compound. Schwalbe reckons this rubber compound is the fastest it’s produced yet, though it claims to have better durability than the outgoing PaceStar compound used on the old Racing Ralph, Rocket Ron and Nobby Nic tyres.
Lezyne Deca Drive 1500i Loaded
- Price: £209.99
- From: Upgrade Bikes
Lezyne has been making LED bike lights for some time, but most of its range has typically been for commuting and road riding. The Deca Drive looks to step things up a bit however, with 1500 lumens on offer via three big LEDs. The casing is made from stone-cold machined alloy, and the light attaches to your bars with a big fat rubber watch strap. You can get the light on its own for £139, or you can get it in this ‘Loaded’ kit, which comes with an additional Infinite Light Power Pack, which acts as a mobile recharging station that looks ideal for those travelling with their bikes/lights.
DirtBaggies Tailgate Bib Shorts
- Price: $179
- From: DirtBaggies
Hannah’s adorned with a new stretchy wrestling suit from DirtBaggies. It’s called the Tailgate Bib Short, and it’s a women’s specific design (non-female version also available). The harness features nicely wide straps along with a ventilated mesh construction that’s made specifically for wearing underneath baggy shorts (or at certain nightclubs).
Hannah’s giving us a squiz at the low hem design of the Tailgate bib shorts, which is designed to facilitate ‘nature breaks’. You’re welcome to come up with your own idea of what that might entail.
Speaking of tails, the Tailgate bib shorts feature a rather unique chamois that is sewn on to the outside of the shorts. It is quite unusual, and weird enough that Hannah refused to be photographed wearing it. Looks aside, DirtBaggies reckon this chamois design makes it mega comfortable, going so far to call it a 7-hour chamois. Ambitious!
Dirtbaggies Breeze Baggy Shorts
- Price: $89.99
- From: DirtBaggies
The matching baggy outer shorts for the Tailgate bib liners is the Breeze short that Hannah’s got on here. There’s a wide and stretchy waist band, along with 4-way stretch fabric throughout that’s there to help the shorts flex and move with you as you pedal. Loads of ventilation too.
Inside you’ll find a clever pop ‘n’ lock system that connects the baggy outer short to the bib shorts within. This helps to keep the baggy outer shorts from riding their way down your waist, and therefore avoiding your shorts from being sucked into the rear tyre and causing a horrible crash.
Fox 36 Float FIT4 RC2 Factory Series
- Price: £1129
- From: Mojo Suspension
New 2018 forks from Fox Racing Shox! This is the latest 36 fork that Fox announced a few weeks ago, and it comes in a variety of different sizes and spec options. We’ve got a 29er fork in the Factory Series model, complete with the RC2 FIT4 damper that features separately adjustable high and low speed compression adjustment.
Inside is the new EVOL air spring, which is being implemented throughout the 2018 Fox fork line. The larger negative spring promises smoother sliding, with a more linear feel throughout the travel to better emulate a coil spring.
Clement Crusade PDX 700x33c Tubeless CX Tyre
- Price: £50ea
- From: 2pure
We’ve got some more tyres in the goody bag this week, this time for them there skinny wheeled bikes with the curly bars. To be more specific, cyclocross bikes. These Clement tyres are going to be tested by our pal’s over at Grit.cx if you’re into such things.
Clement X’Plor MSO 700x36c Tubeless Tyre
- Price: £60ea
- From: 2pure
As well as the 33c PDX ‘cross tyres, Clement has sent us some more gravelly-based rubber by the way of the X’Plor MSO tyre. Biggerer bag with a 36c width for smoothing out the pavé. Oh and tubeless too.
Canyon Beer
- Price: £priceless
- From: Canyon
Alrighty then!
So, has the Fresh Goods Friday wedge been driven in far enough for you? Can you see the light at the end of the week-long tunnel?
We hope you’ve got plenty of exciting riding plans to come for this weekend, and maybe you’re making a visit to Yorkshire for the ‘Ard Rock Festival?
Whatever the case, we hope you have a banger! And to help you ease into the Friday vibes, here’s a steady builder from our boy Nicholas Jaar.
ST Out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n4wlP1ax9k
Comments (13)
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Hopefully I’ll be the first this week to say this:
£1100 for a fork!?!?!
@jim_the_saint – I highly recommend that you DON’T look up the price for a RockShox RS-1!
You could buy a bike for that 🙂
Good damn it! So much stuff!
“At a bees dick under” can i used this expression at work?
VERY excited to see the results of the ‘Trickstuff’ brake test. Was going to go new Code until I discovered Trickstuff recently. I need to know they are as good as they look.
Tr!ckstuff looks really nice.. .apart from that logo designed by a 12 year old! 🙁
(Good music choice this week!)
@RubbetBuccaneer – I did just buy a bike for that, with Yari, dropper and SLX….
Wil, aren’t you training everyone at Singletrack Towers how to do the Blue Steel?
The unusual looking chamois pad installation reduces the number of layers of fabric around your crotch and allows for flat stitching, this improves stretchiness and helps ventilation/wicking. It’s basically sewn in as if it were a fabric panel.
As you say, the odd look doesn’t really matter since they’re underwear, designed to be worn with baggy shorts.
@timlane – they’re slow learners 🙂
Also, I totally volunteered to model the bib shorts, but Hannah wasn’t too keen on my gooch being anywhere near an item of apparel that she would be testing.
It’s a shame, because the external chamois makes for a strong look.
Sometimes teaching those closest to you is hard, maybe this will help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FT2AnO-UMA
What’s the model name of the Oakley frames? They look to be just what I’m after.
@timlane I’m being misrepresented by that Wil! I didn’t model the bibs because they’re mesh! And, well, there are some bits of me I don’t want to share with the internet 🙂
@mat8246 those glasses Wil is wearing are the Oakley Mainlinks I reviewed late last year: http://singletrackworld.com/reviews/review-oakley-mainlink-with-prescription-lenses/