I’m putting my positive pants on for this round of Lockdown. It sucks, for many reasons we are all aware of, so I plan to make something good come of it, and you can too!
My plan is to choose a thing that I’m missing, and work out how to make it more enjoyable when I can finally do it again. Some examples:
- Travel to Spain with a bike: Improve my Spanish
- Hike up some mountains: Make my ankles stronger
- Ride with friends: Regain my bike confidence
- Ride bikes anywhere and everywhere: Get fitter!
I think we’re all on the same page with improving our fitness where possible, because being stuck at home really draws attention to your body and activity levels, and exercise is a good way to kill time. But I’d like to hear some of the more quirky self-improvement projects going on, so let us know in the comments. You might inspire others, and if you put it in writing you have to commit..!
¿Dónde está la Fresh Goods?
Yeti ARC T-Series Hardtail Frame
- Price: £1399
- From: Silverfish silverfish-uk.com
Classic 
Timeless 
Free bog roll holder 
Imagine spending £1399 on a frame and having Charlie balance it on a canal lock…
The Yeti ARC is back. Named after one of Yeti’s most famous (alloy) hardtail frames, Yeti has reimagined the all-round hardtail from the Tomac and Furtado era. For 2021 it comes with a ‘Turq’ series carbon frame, it takes 29in wheels, a 130mm fork and a long dropper post, thanks to a steeply dropped top tube. Retro fetishists will be sad to see it doesn’t feature a loop of bent aluminium for the rear triangle, however it does come in classic Yeti turquoise (and black for the shy).
Numbers? The medium we have here features a 445mm reach, 67°/76° angles, and a 410mm seat tube. And talking of numbers, Chipps has actually ponied up the cash to buy this – obviously with dreams of his lithe, hardtail racing self from years gone by. We’ll look to see what this gets built up with.
Shimano TF-FC39 Tool
- Price: £66.99
- From: Freewheel.co.uk
The Shimano TF-FC39 installation tool is designed to tighten the lock ring on Shimano STEPS motor systems. This version is the larger model and is for the E8000, EP8 and E7000 motor systems. The high-quality CNC machined tool is made in Japan and uses a standard Shimano BB tool to tighten. But what is it for? Well, its for fastening the lock ring on to the chainring of your Shimano eMTB. For those of you who either need to remove or replace your STEPS eMTB chainring, keep in mind that the thread is opposite what it would be normally.
2021 Nukeproof Scout
- Price: £2449.99
- From: Nukeproof
I predict a lot of jealous eyes will be on this 2021 Nukeproof Scout! Here we are, slap bang in the middle of hardtail season and the popular Scout is out of stock…. But I have one, so there! This is the Scout 290 Pro rocking a pair of 29in wheels and a rock-solid build spec including a RockShox Lyrik fork, DT Swiss wheels and a complete, no-nonsense Shimano SLX drivetrain. I love the lacquered brush alloy finish, external cable routing and threaded BB, and cannot wait to get this thing filthy!
Singletrack Subscription
- Price: From £20/year
- From: Here!
To save straining your eyes trying to read these proofs that are littering Amanda’s living room, you can check out what’s inside the upcoming issue of Singletrack Magazine here. You have until 25th January to subscribe in time for this one.
Clif Bars & Bloks
- Price: £1.59/each bars, £2.69/each Bloks
- From: Extra UK
Great bribery for bike test models 
Mmm Black Cherry 
CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE! 
Alpine Muesli Mix, Coconut Chocolate Chip, Black Cherry. Great choices.
We all need snacks on rides, and we need more energy in the winter because we’re shivering so much (Amanda-Science, possibly true, too busy to do the research). With a winter pack crammed full of emergency shelters, dry gloves and flasks of tea, you don’t want a banana squishing around, so a neat Clif Bar that doesn’t suffer too much when squashed is ideal. Fun fact: one Clif Blok is roughly equivalent nutritionally to a date.
For your downtime
If you are looking for some light relief in these troubled times then we may have some Instagram gold for you. I challenge you to not waste many minutes browsing through the posts on the Instagram account Animalsandsythensizers. Here’s a sample for your Friday smiling pleasure..
Well, there’s not much this week thanks to some issues with items being delivered to the UK… See you next week, hopefully with more goods!
Comments (17)
Comments Closed
Should that not be ¿Dónde están los productos frescos?
That Nukeproof is rather lovely! I think your prediction will come true…
No loop rear end on an ARC? Go to your bedroom and think about what you have done. Then apologise.
Oh and £67 for that tool. Jog on.
I admire your positivity; it’s much needed having just listened to the podcast :D. Nothing out there from me, I’m afraid, just making sure I keep in contact with mates more this time round.
With you on the Nukeproof @gbozo49.
“… one Clif Blok is roughly equivalent nutritionally to a date.” Really? With whom and where did you go?
I’ll get my coat.
Pedant mode…
It’s a Canal Lock – not Loch (that’s a Scottish lake…)
The Scout looks ace in brushed ali!
£67 for a glorified BB tool!
Happy stuff! Hooray. 🙂 I mean that. 🙂
Keep the faith. It’s all we have left.
For sure the grimmest January that I have ever had to drag my sorry carcass through.
That Nukeproof. Very, very nice.
I was going to comment on how ridiculous the price of the Yeti frame is.
Then Shimano upped the ante somewhat.
That tool bought one from Germany £22
Genuine Shimano free post. Expect this is brexit or cover tax
Do all Scouts come with the internal routing grommet hanging loose from the top of the down tube, or did the camera elf do that out of mischief to see if the photo editor was paying attention?
I thought the scout price must be a typo but apparently not! You could buy all the parts separately for a good chunk less.
@DVNTBikeCo it’s a feature – they all do it!
Northwind – Scout price is a casualty of Brexit. Was £2,100 a week or so ago and now its jumped to £2,450 at the click of a mouse
Good luck finding a Scout.
Can anyone give me £1400 for that Yeti frame? I need it in my life. It will go nicely with my new Tacx Flux 2 and even better with Woburn woodlandy trails
I’ve already travelled to Spain with my bike just before the 2nd lockdown. Hopefully this year for the first time by car and ferry with bikes. Solo déjame saber donde vas en España, por si puedo aconsejarte que lugares visitar 😉
£67 for the ebike tool.
Excellent.
I’ve long thought they should be taxed to the hilt. A £17 tool with a £50 lazy barsteward tax on top I hope.