Fresh Goods Friday 451: The Black, Red and Orange Edition

This week has brought us mixed weather and mixed emotions. We’re very happy to have Wil back in the office! Yet we’re very sad to report that he is walking around in shorts and flip-flops, apparently forgetting that he’s in the UK now. He’s kicking around for the next few weeks so if there are any super fans out there wanting an autograph, now’s your chance.

Something else to keep in mind is that it’s our Hannah’s birthday on Monday (it’s a big one!) and she likes pale American style citrusy beers, cacti and kind words.

Ritchey Ultra

• Price: £3,500ish as built, €999 for frameset
• From: Ritchey

This is only available as a frame set, but Ritchey has built it up here as a showcase for all their components, all in WCS alloy, including wheels and dropper post. Buy the frame, and it can be specced any way you like, so it does not have to be a mega expensive build.  They’ve been seen built with carbon 29” wheels, and as 27.5+, so it is a really versatile trail frame with very useable geometry. We got a first peek at this bike at Eurobike last year and we’ve been patiently waiting for this test ride to arrive ever since. Lucky tester Antony is already whizzing round the local trails and will bring you his review soon.

Kona Wah Wah 2 Pedals

• Price: £104.55
• From: Kona Bikes

Kona’s storied Wah Wah flat pedals have entered generation 2.0, with several key improvements over the original design that brings these right back up to modern standards. Using a broad alloy platform, the Wah Wah 2 pedals have thinned down from 17mm, to a very slight 13mm. The platform has gotten longer (120mm) and wider (118mm), but the overall profile is smoother to help them glance off of rocks more cleanly.

There are eight replaceable pins per side, and inside you’ll find a serviceable cartridge bearing and DU bushing combo. Available in five different colour options, and also a cheaper composite version.

Funn Funndamental Pedals

• Price: £75
• From: Funn MTB

The Funndamental is a new flat pedal design from Funn, which joins the existing Python, Black Mamba and Big Foot EVO models. Though it has a bigger platform than all of those (102mm long x 105mm wide), it’s the platform shape that changes most, with the CNC machined alloy body utilising heavily chamfered leading and trailing edges. The body is slightly convex, measuring 17mm thick through the centre and 16mm at either end. However, taller pins front and rear aim to create more of a bowl-like shape for your shoes to sink into.

The chromoly axles spin on a DU bushing and cartridge bearing, and Funn has integrated its Grease Renew System, so you can pump fresh grease directly into the main bushing. Like the rest of the Funn pedal range, these come in a range of colours, with various pin kits available for dialling in grip levels.

Granite Stash Chain Tool

• Price: £20
• From: Granite Design

Designed to hide inside the end of your handlebar, this neat little chain tool is machined from AL7075 alloy and purportedly weighs just 50g. It’s compatible with 9/10/11/12-speed chains, and there are small machined pockets for stowing a set of spare master links.

There’s a rubber bung at the end of the bar that expands as you tighten up the 4mm hex bolt. Two end caps come with the tool – a super low profile one that allows you to use closed-end grips, and a larger profile end cap that you use with open-ended grips.

Granite Stash Tire Plug

• Price: £16
• From: Granite Design

For the other end of your handlebar, Granite offers a tubeless tyre repair kit. This one’s also CNC machined from alloy, but comes in lighter at just 35g. You get a pokey bit for opening up the hole, then a fondue stick for jamming in a suitable tyre plug. Included with the kit are two different sizes of plugs, depending on the size of your hole.

SDG Bel-Air 2.0 Ti-Alloy Saddle

• Price: £79.95
• From: Silverfish UK

The SDG Bel-Air is a classic in the mountain bike saddle world, and version 2.0 aims to build on the original’s success with a new seamless microfibre upper, lightweight EVA foam padding, and a nylon base that’s stiff and supportive in the middle, and flexier on the sides to help with pedalling comfort. There’s a slight channel through the middle to ease perineal pressure, while the tail flairs up at the back, encouraging you to rotate your pelvis forward during seated pedalling.

This model gets Ti-Alloy metal rails, and has a claimed weight of 220g. Available in a host of colours, as well as a cheaper version with Cro-Mo rails.

Lazer Impala Helmet

• Price: £99.99
• From: Madison

Lazer’s latest trail lid, the Impala, comes in two different options; the regular version shown here, and a MIPS-equipped version that sells for £20 more.

Available in three sizes and five different colours, it’s pitched as a lightweight and breathable trail helmet that slots in underneath the Revolution convertible lid. Lazer includes an Action Camera Mount with the helmet, which is also suitable for helmet lights that attach via the same GoPro mount. An adjustable visor can be pushed up to stow goggles when not in use, while the fully adjustable harness gives you both circumferential and vertical adjustment to dial in the fit.

Funn UpDown 170mm MK2 Dropper Seatpost

• Price: £240
• From: Funn MTB

We’ve already tested and recommended the Funn UpDown MK2 dropper post, but since then, Funn has added this longer 170mm travel option. It gets the same twin-bolt saddle clamp and internal cable routing mechanism, and you also get that neat under-the-bar handlebar lever to activate it. Inside the UpDown MK2 is the Twin Tube Cartridge system, which allows any unwanted air bubbles to be automatically bled out of the oil every time you compress the post fully. It’s a very clever system, and it works.

Easton X5 Rear Axle and Cassette Body

• Price: £31.99 Rear Axle, £99.99 Cassette Body
• From: Silverfish UK

Chipps has just got in a replacement alloy axle and Shimano HG freehub body for a set of old Easton XC wheels that are in need of some love and attention. And no, this freehub body is definitely not Micro Spline compatible.

Timber! MTB Bell

• Price: £24.99
• From: Cyclorise

Hannah is very excited to have this new dingaling. She had a first generation model of this bell, which has now gone a bit baggy so is permanently deployed, rather than being retractable. This new generation bell features a better ratchet to stop that happening, so Hannah can ring her thing at the geese on the canal and sneak up on the walkers.

Shimano U6 Backpack

• Price: TBC
• From: Shimano

The Unzen is Shimano’s lightweight trail pack series, which offers 2, 6, 10 and 14L volume options. The pack we’ve got here is the not-quite-the-smallest 6L option, though it’s still a pretty minimalist hydration pack.

Despite the slim construction, it’s fully featured with a padded mobile phone pocket up town, a bright yellow rain coat, and an elastic bungy on the front for strapping on extra gear. There’s even a specific loop for your sunglasses on the left shoulder harness.

Inside is a 2L Hydrapak reservoir, and the bite valve has a shutoff lever so you don’t leak your fluids in the boot of your mate’s car like an idiot.

The harness is made from lightweight breathable mesh fabrics, and the shoulder straps come together at the sternum to form an ‘X’ over the front of your chest. There’s also an adjustable waist strap for locking it down. Inside you can adjust the vertical positioning of the shoulder harness to alter the fit depending on your torso length.

And with that, we wish you a good weekend of riding. For those of you heading up to Tweedlove please keep an eye out for Chipps and make sure he has a beer in hand at all times! We don’t want him dehydrating.

Friday Tunes

Here’s our regular playlist of the week to go along with our Fresh Goods. Each track is picked by a staff member here in the office and added to their individual playlist over on our Spotify page. Head over there to identify exactly who is responsible for each choice.

Hmm…what do the tunes say about our lives this week? Over on the Forum, we’ve been called ‘wilfully eclectic’. Kinda like Chipps’ wardrobe, then.

The Singletrack MTB Chain

Remember to use the hashtag #themtbchain to suggest your additions. If we like your suggested tune and your reason for adding it then it will be included in the playlist.

Check out our MTB Chain page here to keep up on the additions and to try out more of our Singletrack playlists.

All of the Singletrack staff have their own playlists that list all their choices for each FGF. So if you want to see who is responsible for which song you can find out by checking out their personal choices. Hey, maybe follow their playlist and boost their egos in the office. Not that any of us need reader validation of our musical tastes or anything. But, Hannah has significantly more followers than anyone else. Just sayin’.

Staff playlist | Andi

Here’s our content machine Andi’s personal selection. This is what keeps his fingers dancing on the keys and sniffing out the stories.

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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