Minty Fresh, Fresh Threads, Fresh Goods Friday 383

Fresh GoodsNews

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There is basically no point in writing anything for today’s preamble, because what could possibly be more exciting than those rockets landing. If you didn’t watch that in astonishment then we’ve got no chance of ever impressing you with anything. They plummeted towards earth and then rockets fired and bits folded out and then they landed exactly where they were supposed to land and didn’t even wobble and they’re super tall and skinny and don’t look like they should be able to stand up at all never mind land themselves from a great height. Blimey. 100% pure future-is-now awe. For anyone that grew up on a diet of Thunderbirds and still can’t quite get over green screen technology, it’s boggling.

And so we shall not attempt to wow you with rockets or astrophysics. Instead, we shall help you come down from that midweek high and gently lull you towards the weekend, from the rocket-propelled heights, through Fresh Goods Friday, and into whatever the future holds for you.

Orange Stage 4 RS

orange stage 4
Bright and perky even on a grim day.

Looking super fresh, this Stage 4 RS has been treated to a lick of ‘Mountain Mint’ paint. With 29in wheels, 120mm travel Pike fork and 110mm RockShox Deluxe RT3 shock, we’re looking forward to taking it out to the trails. It has a much lighter aesthetic to it than Oranges of old, and while you may think it’s designed as an XC sprinter we wonder if it will have a similar playfulness that it’s little brother the Orange Four had?

Orange Stage 4
Nom nom nom. Minty breath.
Orange Stage 4
The yellow decals really pop, but will the bike have pep?

Next up, a whole host of parts destined to be fitted to Chipps’ Saracen frame. Let’s take a look at his build kit…

Shimano Deore XT Cranks

So clean and shiny.

Shimano XT 11-46 Cassette, SLX 30t Chainring, 11spd Chain

  • Price: £99.99 cassette, £34.99 Chainring, £34.99 Chain
  • From: Madison
Valley gears.

Shimano 6 Bolt Rotors

  • Price: £31.99 (160mm), £34.99 (180mm)
  • From: Madison
Ah yes, we’re going to need wheels.

Shimano Centre Lock Rotors

  • Price: £29.99 (160mm), £34.99 (180mm)
  • From: Madison
Rotors for all wheel/brake interfaces.

Shimano Bottom Bracket

Not exciting, but essential.

Shimano SLX Brake

  • Price: £94.99 per end
  • From: Madison
Nowt too fancy for Mr Chippendale.

Shimano XT Rear Mech

Is it just us, or do you see a scared hermit crab too?

Shimano XT Shifter

Only one needed.

Elite Headset

  • Price: £19.99 (lower), £14.99 (upper)
  • From: Madison
Boring but important.

Pro Lock On Race Grips

Single ring lock on grip.

Pro Koryak 50mm Stem

Chipps can remember when this was short.

Pro Koryak Dropper

120mm drop – previously reviewed here.

Madison Prime Saddle

Maxxis Minion SS and Minion DHR II 27.5×2.3

  • Price: £49.99 (DHR), £59.99 (SS)
  • From: Madison
Optimistic in current conditions!

Pro Koryak 760×20 Handlebar

Ready for the future…
…Di2 ready should Chipps ever upgrade.

Phew! No doubt Chipps will be putting it all together in a last-minute frenzy the night before some event, or possibly flight. To complete the look, either while he’s building or riding, he’s got a couple of t-shirts to wear too:

Saracen Front View Bike T-shirt

Mrs. Statue looks happy with this addition.

Saracen Just Ride T-shirt

Model is less dynamic than Chipps.

And when he’s finished putting it all together, he might be in need of a drink:

Gin

  • Price: £nfs
  • From: Kind People
Wasabi gin!

A rather lovely 50th birthday present for Chipps from the folks at Madison. It’s not that bad being 50 really, is it?

Fox Suspension Clothing

  • Price: £29.95 (Ride 2.0 Tee), £29.95 (Trucker cap), £14.95 (Socks)
  • From: Silverfish
Ross deploying peak to hide from the sun. Not sure where the sock is going.

Since Silverfish is the new distributor of Fox suspension products, we’ve got a collection of promotional clothing. It’s a pretty cool cap, but perhaps not so much on Ross, and especially not on Hannah.

Seven iDP Arctic Glove

We expect to get a fair bit of use of these.

Designed to be both water resistant and quick drying, this is a glove for when the weather is a bit pants. The neoprene uppers will get wet, but should ask like a wetsuit and keep you warmer than other sodden fabrics would.

Seven iDP Transition Glove

Hannah is hoping that there will be hot weather for her to wear these in.

These are pared down lightweight racing gloves designed for breathability and dexterity. With a mesh palm and perforated uppers, these look like they might also be suited to summer riders who can’t bear to ride without gloves.

Royal Racing Socks

  • Price: £12.99 (Altitude, left), £9.99 (Crew, right)
  • From: Royal Racing
This week, we might just wear both pairs at once. Brr.

The Altitude is made with 7% wool and 53% Dri Release for long days out, while the Crew is 37% Coolmax and 31% Cotton for cool feet on summer rides.

Royal Racing Impact and Core Jerseys

  • Price: £44.99 (Impact, left), £29.99 (Core, right)
  • From: Royal Racing
Note the smattering of snow in the background. Do not be fooled by the sun.

The Impact is made with Polygiene for smell control and has a single zipped pocket for stashing a key. The Core is a simpler jersey made from CoolDry fabric and with nice raglan casual styling.

Royal Racing Drift Jersey and Impact Shorts

  • Price: £39.99 (jersey), £89.99 (shorts)
  • From: Royal Racing
Ah, for summer weather to do these justice.

The Drift jersey has 3/4 sleeves and Polygiene to tackle the pongs, while the Impact shorts have a ton of ventilation and 4-way stretch fabric. Two waterproof zip pockets should keep you jelly babies dry.

Royal Racing Heritage Jerseys

  • Price: £34.99 (L/S left), £29.99 (S/S, right)
  • From: Royal Racing
Wouldn’t look out of place at a 90s rock concert.

These jerseys are made of GI+Antibacterial fabric. Other than that, there are no pockets or anything, they’re simply cut and styled jersey that won’t look out of place on the trail or on the street.

Seven iDP TShirt and Royal Racing RR99 Hoody

A super warm hoody.

A simple cotton tee from Seven iDP to show your brand allegiance, plus a very warm fleecy lined hoody from Royal Racing for keeping warm post-race. Or in our studio – you might have noticed Hannah wearing one last week. Thanks to Dave for coming to visit us and show us all the new Seven iDP and Royal Racing products. What you’ve seen here are the more trail orientated items – if you want baggier and louder, check out the websites.

Royal Racing Core and Storm Shorts

  • Price: £59.99 (Core, left), £89.99 (Storm, right)
  • From: Royal Racing
Proper waterproof shorts

The Core is designed as a simpler short than the Impact, with a 2-way stretch fabric and a mid-thigh waterproof pocket designed to be big enough for modern phones. The Storm Shorts have been tested by us before, and Chipps rates them highly. They’re waterproof, with taped seams and waterproof pockets – there are no updates to them from when we tested them before because they work.

Revive 185mm Dropper

No perspective tricks here. It’s huge!

Longer than a long thing, this is the 185mm dropper from Bike Yoke. Ours is 30.9mm diameter, but it’s also available in 34.9mm. It’s a design that doesn’t have an internal floating piston, because BikeYoke doesn’t think you can get the required reliability with that setup. Instead, it only has two dynamic seals, and in case you do get air where you don’t want it there’s an on the bike bleed/reset option called the Revive Valve. It’s designed to be low maintenance, and for the servicing that might be required, you should be able to do it yourself. Check out our review of the Revive 165 dropper post here.

Aussie Grit Flint Thermal Gilet and Flint Shorts

  • Price: £125 (gilet), £149 (shorts)
  • From: Aussie Grit
A women’s range is also available.

Hannah unboxed this kit live earlier this week if you want a closer look. It’s former Formula One driver Mark Webber’s brainchild – he’s a keen mountain biker. The range is designed to work together to deliver ‘an absence of negatives’ – which broadly translates to no annoyances, like zips that rub, pockets you can’t access, or bunching of fabric. The fit is somewhere between full tight roadie/XC Lycra and trail baggies. This gilet has thermal panels and a soft lining, but also has a decent amount of ventilation. The shorts are a one-piece inner padded liner and outer baggy, so that you don’t have lots of waistbands. Instead, there’s a wide stretchy single band that looks very comfortable, plus a drawstring to cinch it tighter if needed.

Aussie Grit Flint Shell and Flint Running Top

  • Price: £220 (shell), £89 (run top)
  • From: Aussie Grit
Understated with subtle features.

The shell jacket is waterproof and breathable with a mesh lining and waterproof zips. The front zip is offset, with zipped chest pocket, and tail gripper to stop the jacket riding up. The running jersey is 11% merino wool, for warmth and stink properties, the half zip has a ‘garage’ to protect your chin, and there are reflective strips on the shoulders.

Aussie Grit Flint Bike Jersey and Flint Light Gilet

  • Price: £75 (jersey), £89 (gilet)
  • From: Aussie Grit
Summer, we are ready for you. We can skip spring.

The jersey has perforations under the arms for ventilation, three rear pockets plus a water-resistant zipper pocket, and is made with SPF 50+ protective fabric. Designed to be stretchy and not snaggy, so it’ll stay in place as you move around on the bike, and won’t get caught up and ripped on bushes. The windproof gilet has a central zip, so if you’re wearing it under the Flint Shell above, the zips are offset. This lightweight gilet has two pockets, including one with a zip, but will still pack down nice and small if you want to shove it into a jersey pocket.

And breathe.

That was a lot of product. With spring and summer entering our minds, we’ve no doubt we’ll be seeing a lot more clothing in the weeks to come, as brands release their warmer weather offerings. What will this year’s fashions hold? Signs are perhaps that we’re moving away from EnduroLoud™ to ShredStealth™ – maroons, greys, blues…the fashion police might be pleased, but it’s going to make us harder for Mountain Rescue to find.

If you’re reading this before 1.30pm, don’t forget to join us live over on YouTube. for chat, products and other nonsense.

Finally, here’s a rocket themed song for you. Not the one that’s been in your head all week.

 

 

Author Profile Picture
Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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