Fresh Goods Friday 359

We’ve been absolutely slammed at Singletrack HQ this week, partly because we’ve got a metric shit-tonne of stuff to get through before heading away to Eurobike next week, but also because everyone has decided to take holidays at the same time, while a whole bunch of companies have decided to have their product launches at the same time too. When it rains it pours eh?

So while Ross is down at Bikepark Wales checking out secret new wheels, and Andi is over in Europe somewhere riding 2018 Konas, Hannah and Chipps are enjoying some much-deserved time off, while us bottom-of-the-barrel types are left to hold the fort at Singletrack HQ. With that in mind, I’m going to breeze through Fresh Goods Friday as quickly as I can given I have a million stories and videos to sort out before we set off for Germany on Monday. Yeesh!

But everyone can relax, because Rob is working hard at Leeds Fest;

There’s no need to focus on our deep jealousy of Rob’s out-of-work enjoyment though, because we’re here to focus on the positives right? Right??

Anywho, lets look at the glass that’s half full of goods that are Fresh. Time for FRESH GOODS FRIDAY!

2018 Norco Sight A9.2

• Price: £2700
• From: Evans Cycles

Absolutely brand-spanking new is this 2018 Norco Sight 29er, which has just turned up at the office this week in time for an upcoming three-way group test for the next issue of Singletrack Magazine, after having just landed in the UK. The new Sight 27.5 and 29 models were actually launched earlier this year, but both debuted with full carbon frames. This is the alloy version, and it fills out the range at a more accessible price point.

The geometry and suspension design are the same as the carbon Sight, and it’s also available in a 27.5in version too. We’ve got the 29er on test, which gets 140mm of fork travel, 130mm of rear travel, and the A.R.T four-bar suspension design. Geometry is kicked out with a 67° head angle and a rangey reach, and there are Medium, Large and X-Large sizes available.

The model we have on test features the new 2018 RockShox Pike fork, and Fox’s latest DPS EVOL rear shock. Drivetrain comes from Shimano and Race Face, and there’s a TranzX dropper post doing it’s thing underneath the SDG saddle.

Stay tuned for a more detailed first look article on the new Sight alloy, followed by Barney’s review in Issue 115 of Singletrack Magazine.

Crank Brothers Stamp 3 Flat Pedals

• Price: £89
• From: Extra UK

We’ve actually had these pedals for a few weeks now, but it wasn’t until Tuesday before we could pull off the gaffer tape to blab about them. They’re the new Stamp 3 pedals from Crank Brothers, which have been launched alongside several other new Stamp flat pedals, and while they’re not quite as thin as the existing Stamp pedals (now known as the Stamp 7), they’re still packed with the good stuff and feature 10 adjustable pins per side. Plus, blue.

MRP Ramp Control Cartridge Model D (Long-Body)

• Price: £139
• From: Ison Distribution

The MRP Ramp Control Cartridge has been available since Eurobike last year where we first reported on it, and since then, MRP has been expanding the range of forks that the RCC can fit into, including a new version that suits Fox 34 forks. We’ve currently got an RCC on test, which is primarily designed for forks with 140mm travel or more. To suit shorter travel forks with 120-130mm of travel, MRP is now offering long-body versions, so we got them to send in a test unit for us to try on a 130mm travel RockShox Yari RC fork. Full review coming soon!

Soho Bikes Australian Care Package

• Price: £Priceless
• From: Soho Bikes

Arriving in the mail this week was a nice surprise from the legends at Soho Bikes. As well as selling and servicing bikes in their London-based shop, Soho Bikes also houses some talented baristas of the antipodean variety, and as such, they stock a range of Australian tasty treats including Double Coat Tim Tams and Cherry Ripes. Knowing of my indigenous heritage, Will at Soho Bikes posted up some fresh threads to us along with some vital supplies for surviving life in the Grim North™.

Troy Lee Designs X Soho Bikes T-Shirt

• Price: £28
• From: Soho Bikes

Soho Bikes makes loads of different t-shirts, including this rather lovely cotton tee that was co-designed with Troy Lee Designs. According to the shirt, there are bikes down below if you dare look…

Maloja Kienbergm Multi 1/2 Jersey

• Price: €75
• From: Maloja

More fresh threads, this time from Maloja and Polygeine. It’s a relaxed-fit jersey made of Airdry polyester that makes it quicker to dry when it gets wet. It’s also easy breezy breathable, and it’s been treated with Polygeine to battle the stink-factor. And how does it do that? Well according to Polygeine; “Polygiene® (permanent odor control treatment) neutralizes odor by stopping the growth of odor-causing bacteria and fungi.” So there you go.

Is it too good to be true? Chipps will be putting his body odour on the line to test this one out, so the rest of us in the office will be sure to find out in no time…

Bamboo Beer

• Price: Free with a Bamboo Home Build Kit
• From: Bamboo Bicycle Club

Bamboo Bicycle Club recently hooked us up with a home build kit that I gave you a look at in this video. Having watched the video and spotted how nervous I was about the idea of building my own frame out of bamboo, the legends at the BBC sent us another Bamboo Beer. According to their instructional videos, the beer is to celebrate post-building your own frame out of bamboo. However, I think I’ll be need a few of these before hand.

Mars Bar Protein Bars

• Price: £2.19 each
• From: Madison

With the Singletrack Trade Day coming up very soon (like, real soon!), we’re getting prepped to welcome a whole bunch of bike companies and industry folks to spend a day riding bikes and talking all things Singletrack. To help fuel our guests (and themselves actually), the kind folks at Madison sent us a few boxes of protein-infused Mars Bars. According to the box, they have 19 grams of protein in each bar, which is a lot of grams I think.

Nox Sox

• Price: £19
• From: Gone Biking Mad

How’s this for a novel idea? Mark from Gone Biking Mad has designed and manufactured (in the UK) his own pedal booty designed to protect you and other things from the sharp pins and edges on your pedals during transport or storage. The Nox Sox is made of neoprene fabric, and has two buttons to close the ends around the pedal body.

Specialized Boomslang Flat Pedals

• Price: £125
• From: Specialized

Spiky flat pedals from Specialized, along with the best pedal name we have ever heard – the BOOMSLANG! Designed with a 110x108mm platform that cuts a very thin profile at 10mm through the centre, these dangerous-looking flat pedals are equipped with 11 shin-eating (almost spelt something else there…) pins per side, along with four spares that are conveniently carried inside the frame of the pedal body. Probably a good candidate for those Nox Sox pedal covers then!

Roval Boost Conversion Kit

• Price: £40
• From: Specialized

This is one that’ll potentially make a bunch of Roval wheel owners happy. It’s a Boost Conversion Kit, which is designed to suit the Traverse and Traverse SL wheels that feature 100x15mm and 142x12mm thru-axle hubs. Want to run those wheels on your new Boost-equipped frame and fork? Then you’ll want this kit, which changes the hub end caps to fit the 110/148mm wide hubs, while also coming with a spacer for the disc rotor to put it into the right spot. Clever!

Aaaaaaand now breath!

That’s a wrap for this week’s Fresh Goods Friday, so shove that in your pipe and smoke it. And after you’ve finished that, make sure you have a bloody terrific weekend full of good food and drink, bike riding, and hanging shit on your mates ok?

ST Out.

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