Rum Fuelled Fresh Goods Friday 498

I had something deep and meaningful to open this Fresh Goods with, but on reflection, nobody needs that right now. So instead I’m going to share a recipe with you, a recipe with a story.

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 mango
• 2 fistfuls spinach
• 1 cup of water
• Blend the lot

I had this bright idea to make a smoothie to mask the taste of my powdered, twice-a-day medication that tastes like the inside of an old water-bottle. That’s way too much fruit for me in one meal, so I drank half and put the other half aside for the next morning. Well, long story short, that healthy green drink tastes AMAZING with a double shot of rum, and I’m writing this Fresh Goods on a comfortable rumbuzz. Make good choices, people!

On a more serious note, it’s been a busy week. Hannah has been oversharing again, a lucky little girl won a bike, more good people in the bike industry are helping in a time of need, and the Singletrack Team managed to make yet another forum member cry. Happy tears for once. Big love to Gnusmases! Now let’s round the week off with lots of colourful goodies:

Sonder Camino Al Rival1 Hydraulic

• Price: £1,299.00
• From: Alpkit

This adventure bike arrived in a box big enough to house a llama, but it’s not bulky at all. It’s a spritely little thing designed to be comfortable for big days out. With SRAM Rival1 gears and brakes, a 40t chainring upfront keeping it neat, Love Mud accessories and tan wall WTB Resolute tyres, finished with a glossy turquoise paintjob, it’s quite the head turner.

Fuji Jari 2.5

• Price: £779.99
• From: Hotlines

Another gravel bike?! The Fuji Jari 2.5 is an affordable option for commuting to big days out in the countryside, sans gnar. A stealthy Reynolds 520 Cr-Mo frame built up with Shimano 8-Speed gears and Tektro Mira mechanical disc brakes. We haven’t had chance to weigh either of these bikes, but keep an eye on our GritCX channel for first look articles soon.

Alpkit Rivo Henley Shirt

• Price: £29.99
• From: Alpkit

Designed to fit comfortably under or over other layers, this top has a waffle material for warmth, a button down collar for ventilation and relaxed fit.

Alpkit Kepler Velo Short Sleeve Jersey

• Price: £59.99
• From: Alpkit

Featuring 3 rear pockets varying with elasticated, overlap, and zip openings, reflective tape in front and rear zips and a cycling specific snug fit, this merino is made to regulate temperature and offer next to skin comfort. The short sleeves and half-zip collar give good ventilation, and the colour pairs nicely with that Sonder Camino further up.

Alpkit Woodsmoke Shirt

• Price: £59.99
• From: Alpkit

This is Alpkit’s rufty-tufty adventure shirt, made from ThermoTech polyester with hollow core fibres which according to Alpkit “trap more air to give you more insulation, it has a higher warmth-to-weight ratio than normal Polyester, making it an ideal mid layer.” It comes in three great colours, all of which really come to life when logging or sharpening your axe.

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Alpkit Morphosis Jacket

• Price: £89.99
• From: Alpkit

A jacket designed to be comfortable regardless of the activity, temperature, and effort level of the wearer. The outer layer claims to be more breathable than your average windshell, and the waffle fleece lining insulates you where you need it. The under-arms and side panels are unlined, the fit is comfortable and the hood fits over most helmets. Ideal!

Giro Sector Shoes

• Price: £199
• From: Zyro/Fisher

The Giro Sector is the new fast-trail shoe from Giro. Stiffer and sleeker than the more, dare we say ‘enduro’ than the recently launched Ventana (review coming soon) it features two BOA dials and a super high-tech ‘Synchwire’ fabric which is a one-piece upper, woven into the ideal shape for riding fast and crushing your foes. Ahem. The sole has a carbon composite base for extra stiff riding efficiency. The sole’s grippy bit, meanwhile is a dual injection material with a softer, gum (or black on the black shoes) trip for grip on the trail – it also extends across the instep, which many full on race shoes skip.

There’s room for toe studs and, well, what more do you want in a shoe? Especially for 342g, right?

Ryder Bike Tools

• Price: £9.99 for most tools here
• From: Freewheel

Ryder is a South African tool company, founded in 1996, which makes a huge range of multitools and bike accessories. These are their ‘get you going’ tools. There’s a bottle boss-mounted twin CO2 holder for racers, plus the ‘Slug Plug’ which is Ryder’s one-shot tubeless plug tool. The Nutcracker (also £9.99) is one of those odd tools you won’t need until you really need it… It’s a combined tyre valve remover with a built in replacement vale core holder (and valve core included…) – there’s also a pad spreader in the back end of the tool that will get you out of trouble.

Maxxis

• Price: £59.99 each
• From: Freewheel

A tyre set build for loose muddy conditions, it’s as if Ross had predicted the change in weather.

Stans Freehub & Race Sealant

• Price: $90.00 freehub, £32.00 sealant
• From: Paligap

A direct replacement for a Neo hub with all the required bits – drive-side specific endcap, pawls, springs, pawl retaining ring, and freehub spacer, with pre-installed bearings. Stans Race Sealant contains twice as many crystals as the regular sealant, and ‘XL’ crystals at that, meaning it should seal faster, and clog larger punctures. Stans warn that the quantity and size of crystals in this formula means that it can only be installed directly into the tire. As a result of its sealing capabilities, the Race Sealant will clog injectors and smaller bottles. Sounds good!

Farrow & Ball Picture Gallery Red No.42

• Price: £47.95 I had a voucher, I’m not that rich!
• From: Farrow & Ball

Amanda has bought some paint to warm up her home office, because let’s face it, she wont be going back to Singletrack Towers anytime soon. The ceilings in her living room are 12ft high and she isn’t very good with ladders. She doesn’t plan ahead.

For those of you with children at home, something worth looking at on YouTube is lofi playlists. There’s movement on the TV screen to hopefully satisfy their need to be watching something, but it can be nice and chilled in the background for reading, doing homework or just playing:

And for those of you trying my rum cocktail, may I make a film recommendation?

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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