Two bikes, some round things, some sticky stuff, and a key – It’s Fresh Goods Friday 410

Amanda is curating Fresh Goods Friday this week. Let’s see what’s in store…

Am I actually the last person in the UK that’s still running tubes in my tyres?

This week I’ve been riding to work, rain or shine. Wind or… not wind. It’s not been the most thrilling of bike rides – it’s very far, uphill, and I haven’t managed to find my way onto the canal so I’ve been mostly on the road during rush hour. But still, I’m outside on a bike so shouldn’t complain. That is until yesterday. It was a pleasant morning, no jacket required. Fast forward to home time and it’s torrential sideways rain and I have a flat. No bother! I’ll patch it up. Straight back down, and there are no spare tubes at Singletrack. ‘What’s a tube? Those rubber snakes we used to use back when our bikes had front derailleurs?’. So given that I have never made a wheel tubeless before and I really needed to get home, Chipps kindly offered to tubeless me while I sat in the workshop grumbling about it. I never get punctures on my mountain bike, so I’ve never needed to either repair one or get with the times and go tubeless, but this palaver has made me realise that although I haven’t needed this knowledge up until now, it would be handy to know. And it’s not the only bike maintenance I’ve avoided learning – until recently I couldn’t split or re-fit a chain, I didn’t know how to remove a cassette… the list goes on.

So on that note, looking at some of the Fresh Goods items, I think it’s about time I learnt how to do it myself. If you, like me, have avoided sticky messy tyres up until now, stay tuned on our Youtube channel to see how it goes. Let’s have a look at what other goodies we’ve got.

Saracen Traverse Elite

• Price: £2999.99
• From: Saracen

One of three bikes being tested for the next issue of Singletrack Magazine – XXXC bikes. Not sure what that means? Me neither. I’m told they are XC bikes that can handle more than XC bikes should. Short travel, fun trail bikes. It certainly looks fun! 120mm travel up front, 100mm rear and 29in wheels. What’s not to like?

Canyon Lux CF SL 8.0 Pro Race

• Price: £3399.00
• From: Canyon

Destined to be pounded under one of our local race legends as it’s a little too steep of head tube to be featured in our XC bike test, yes that’s right, too steep for an XC test. The new Canyon Lux comes complete with a race stripe to make you go faster. And fast it is, check out Wil’s first look at it when it launched in July.

Hunt Enduro Wide Wheelset

• Price: £359.00
• From: Hunt

Hunt’s hardest hitting wheelset designed to take a beating on the most unforgiving trails. Hunt says these are optimised for 2.35in – 2.6in tyres but can fit any from 2.3in – 3.0in. Available in 27.5 and 29in, James will be putting this set of 27.5in to the test.

Hunt Wheel Truing Tool and Valve Stems

• Price: Truing Tool TBC, Valves £9.99
• From: Hunt

• Price: £9.99
• From: Ison

Designed to increase the clearance between the rear derailleur mech and the rear sprockets on the cassette when using one of these monster new 11-46 or 11-46 cassettes, this gear gadget is especially useful where a rear mech is found to be too close to the largest sprockets to function correctly. Doesn’t just work on SunRace stuff either, so you can space out a mech from one of those other brands…

Finish Line Tubeless Sealant 8floz

• Price: £14.99 each
• From: Madison

Finish Line tubeless sealant claims to never dry out, it’s latex free (brilliant! I’m allergic to latex, so I can actually try it) and it’s hypoallergenic, non-toxic with ‘FiberLink technology’ (where there are strands of tough Kevlar in the mix to plug holes). First impressions from a tire sealant noob – it’s quite runny and looks like an Oreo Milkshake. I can confirm it is NOT edible.

Maxxis Minion DHR II 29×3.00

• Price: £59.99
• From: Madison

As one of the most popular DH tyres of all times, Maxxis is keeping up with demand and providing 29in x 3.00 Minion DHs for those plus size downhillers who are keen for extreme bikepacking with extra grip.

And to round things off, here’s Amanda’s response to Chipps making her go tubeless: (Parental discretion and all that stuff by the way…)

Amanda Wishart

Art Director

Amanda is our resident pedaller, who loves the climbs as much as the descents. No genre of biking is turned down, though she is happiest when at the top of a mountain with a wild descent ahead of her. If you ever want a chat about concussion recovery, dealing with a Womb of Doom or how best to fuel an endurance XC race, she's the one to email.

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