Fresh Goods Friday 503 | Shed, solar, sunflower, Suntour, Stash, saddle and spokes!

Fresh Goods Friday 503 is filled to the brim with new forks, cool Troy Lee Designs clothing, Hope bling, saddles, and even shed accessories.

For a break with tradition, we did consider publishing Fresh Goods Friday on a Saturday, but instead we’re going to start with a video instead of the traditional waffle.

We look forward to welcoming the new wave of squawkers of ‘How Much!’ and very puzzled looks as we reference picolax. Singletrack once had the slogan ‘the world’s biggest clique’, and for anyone diving into these pages for the first time, it must be a strange world. Obscure references to Bombers, weeing in shoes, and baby robins. Memberships measured not in years but ‘before the great hack’ or ‘after Jamie’. Whether you have any idea what we’re talking about, or you’re still to learn, we welcome you all to step forth with us into Fresh Goods Friday, and beyond, down the rabbit hole, and into Singletrackworld.

Suntour Durolux EQ 36 R2C2 PCS

• Price: R2C2 PCS €759, RC2 PCS €739, RC PCS €639 (solid crown steel axle)
• From: SR Suntour

This is the 2020 version of the Durlux fork by SR Suntour, a fork that over the years has received many internal upgrades and is constantly pulling in good reviews. For 2020 the Durolux line has been updated to Durolux EQ, meaning that they now all have an negative air spring, or EQUALIZER, rather than the coil model that was used in the past.

The R2C2 which has been sent to us has both high and low-speed rebound and compression settings, an air spring and it uses volume adjusters for easy tuning. This 29in model is running a full 170mm travel but with the use of plastic clips can be reduced by 10mm increments all the way down to 150mm. An alloy steerer, hollow crown, Ti axle, external grease ports and fender mounts make up the rest of the features.

Granite Designs Talon

• Price: £10.95
• From: Granite Designs

The Talon is a handy set of fibre reinforced nylon tyre levers that can be joined together and used as a quick link tool. Granite Designs claims the tyre levers are almost indestructible and can be used on tough downhill tyres, while steel tips ensure they work correctly for quick link splitting. The Talon also has space to stow a spare link on too.

Granite Designs Stash Tool

• Price: £56.50
• From: Windwave / Amazon

We’ve already reviewed the STASH from Granite Designs but it’s such a neat little tool that we have another in. The STASH isn’t just a handy tool, but also a great alternative to the star fangled nut usually used for preloading the bearings in your headset, especially good when you have a number of forks on test and keep having to swap from one to the other.

Sapim Race Spokes

• Price: Various
• From: Custom Cut Spokes

Andi is finally getting around to building up a set of rims have been collecting dust in the office. These Sapim Race spokes were ordered from Custom Cut Spokes, a small UK business that will cut spokes to the correct length for your wheel build. The black J bend spokes will be laced up with brass nipples on a pair of Hope hubs and CrankBrothers Synthesis carbon rims.

Specialized Phenom Comp Women’s Saddle

• Price: £84.00
• From: Specialized

To replace her Power Comp MIMIC saddle that unfortunately got stolen, Amanda has carefully studied Hannah’s advice and sourced a new saddle. This is for swapping between her steel hardtail and whatever trail/enduro bike she has on test, so she has gone for a reasonably priced option that is designed for comfort and strength over lightweight racier models. Medium density foam, low friction outer fabric, and a women’s specific shape.

New Shop Merch and Issue 131

It’s all here, come and get it! We love this cover so much, and we hope you do too.

Lost Lanes – Glorious Bike Rides (in four different UK regions)

• Price: From £14.99
• From: Singletrack

The Lost Lanes series of cycling guidebooks cover the West Country, North, South and Wales. The routes are backroads rather than offroad, so gravel bike rather than mountain bike. I checked the routes near to my old home in Dorset, and new home in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, and they are indeed really rather charming old lane routes. The sort of routes that would suit a 1960’s Cycle Touring Club bimble with a jolly good tea and cake stop. One great feature is they highlight the best routes for: overnights, gourmets, ups n downs, history, arts and culture, wild swimming, families, pubs and natural wonders! All the routes in the books are supported with downloadable GPX files. There are 30 routes, plus write ups on several local events in each edition (do you remember when we had “events”). Being new to the North, I now have 30 rides ahead of me, and basically everything I need to discover the best bits of this beautiful region. Now, all I need is my Carradice saddle bag and lashing of Bovril in a tartan flask.

Hope Pro 4 Hubs

• Price:
• From: Hope Technology

Here’s another piece of the Andi wheel build puzzle, a set of Hope Pro 4 hubs. What can we say about Hope hubs that hasn”t already been posted online? They’re reasonably priced, extremely well made and are designed to shrug off the worst the UK can throw at them.

Troy Lee Designs Air Gloves 20

• Price: £30.00
• From: Saddleback

In need of some gloves more suited to warmer conditions, Andi has opted for a pair of TLD Air Gloves. Featuring an all over Micro-mesh material for full ventilation, the Air keeps your hands cool and protected. There’s extra protection on the fingers and silicon print on the tips means you won’t slip off the brake levers on long rocky downhills.

Troy Lee Designs Sprint Shorts

• Price: £90.00
• From: Saddleback

The Sprint short is designed to be a durable pair of shorts for more aggressive riding or in Andi’s case falling. These shorts have been updated for improved manoeuvrability and use lightweight and durable materials. 2 pockets are just big enough to carry a few bits and bobs on the trail and the design has an adjustable waistband and with mesh panelling, these should be cool enough for the sunny weather when it returns.

Off-Grid Solar Kit

• Price: £144.99
• From: Amazon

Some of you may already know this, but during lockdown, Andi has been building pretty large shed/office in his back garden. It’s not 100% complete yet, but it does have a roof and walls, enough to begin using it as an office. Instead of running a mains power cable from the house to his mini chalet, Andi has chosen to go off-grid with this simple kit.

The 25W solar power kit comes with a solar panel, battery, charger, and 4 LED light bulbs which should provide enough light for working in the evening or on cloudy days like today. The kit includes everything you need to install EXCEPT brackets for the solar panel, so this might not get fitted until next week.

Jump this way, put your arms in the air and party. It’s the weekend.