Wheels, Tyres, Clothing, Chickens: It’s Fresh Goods Friday 549

Do you ever set out for a ride and realise the moment you’re out the door that your legs are too tired to join you? It happens frequently to some of us here in Calderdale, probably due to the gradients on our valley climbs. Amanda experienced this yesterday, but she needed to get somewhere (the pub to meet friends for food…), so a much flatter alternative route was trialed. It was fine, a bit of a false-flat at the beginning and two cars racing down the wide country lane, but right at the end she was rewarded with possibly the best thing you’ll ever see in Fresh Goods Friday:

We’re sure there’s a lesson here, buried deep within the mane of these disco chickens. Something about taking the scenic route and not beating yourself up for bailing on a bike ride? Or maybe the lesson is just to slow down and give yourself chance to notice what’s right next to your favourite gnarly trail? Regardless of lessons, these chickens are excellent and hopefully they will brighten your Friday. Now, onwards to the Fresh Goods, and the weekend!

Mark’s Half Century

Taking the day off is no reason for Mark to miss out on the group fun, which is to celebrate his half century. Our Glorious Co-Leader is 50 today and in honour of his (actually pretty good) breakdancing talents of yore, we choose to celebrate with this classic video. (And after that, we’re mercilessly going to post embarrassing photos of him…)

Happy birthday Mark Alker!

DMT KM4 MTB Shoe

• Price: TBC
• From: Chicken Cycle Kit

Aimed at the mountain bike and gravel market, the DMT KM4 shoe has a hybrid engineered knit upper, breathable mesh for ventilation, BOA® fit system, reflective accents, abrasion resistant coating on the toe cap for added protection and inserts for toe studs. Available in three colour ways, including black on black, they’re a sleek design that will hopefully stand the test of time.

Singletrack 20Th Birthday Organic Tea Towel

• Price: £11.99 (members get a a discount)
• From: Singletrack Merchmongery

Charlie says… Deep in the Singletrack merch laboratory we have been experimenting late into the night with our top secret Franken-project. And now we are super excited to reveal our creation. We have seamlessly combined the past, with not only the future, but also doing the washing up.

It has been proven that washing up is not a popular thing to do (I once did some, it was not fun), but now mountain bikers can rise up and stand tall high above the rest of society, for we can contemplate the past, whilst pondering the future, whilst making plates dry.

Shimano Deore XT CS-M8000 XT 11-speed cassette, 11-46T

• Price: £104.99
• From: Freewheel

This cassette and chain has arrived to swap out the 11-42T on Amanda’s Ragley Trig, in the hope that the wider range will give her more range.

Shimano XC3 Women SPD Shoe

• Price: £99.99
• From: Freewheel

These off-road shoes from Shimano are suited for everything from racing cross-country to a casual pub ride. They feature perforated synthetic leather composite uppers for breathability and comfort, lightweight glass-fibre reinforced nylon sole and a single mid-shoe BOA® L6 dial for a perfect, neat fit.

Hackney GT Wigan Charity Jersey

• Price: £55
• From: Hackney GT

Russ at Hackney GT teamed up with celebrated visual artist Mark Wigan to produce this charity MTB jersey (and also a road jersey) raising much needed funds for his wife Kerry’s cancer treatment. The total cost of the treatment is around £250,000. Click the link above the picture to find out more.

It’s a good fit, looks great and is literally covered in good vibes. Our model is almost 100kg and is wearing an XXL. It’s made in England and has a really cool retro perforated windtex MX style front chest panel.

Earshots Bluetooth Headphones

• Price: £90
• From: Earshots.com

These headphones flew all the way from New Zealand so we could stick them in our ears. Well, Mark’s ears – we are all close but we don’t share everything.

The USP of these buds are that they attach to your ears firmly thanks to some powerful a magnets* so that they won’t come loose while you run, ride or do whatever you do in the outdoors that makes ordinary buds fall out. The company behind them is claiming to keep all waste to a minimum, hence the simple cardboard packaging with instructions printed on. Check out the website for a list of pro-riders who are wearing these.

Maxxis Aggressor 29 x 2.5 TR DD WT

• Price: £77.99
• From: Freewheel

Billed as ‘the new standard in enduro tyres’, The Aggressor – from tyre supremo’s Maxxis – is designed for modern, high speed mountain bike trails. Available in a variety of sizes and carcass / compound options this one is destined for the rear of a new set of wheels due to be put the test by Ross. As it’s going on the rear of a set of hard hitting enduro wheels Ross has opted for the Double Down version for added protection without the need to run an insert.

Specialized Trail Clothing

• Price: Long Sleeve top – £55, Short Sleeve – £45, Trail Shorts £55, Trail Cargo Shorts £75, Trail Pants £110
• From: Specialized UK

Here’s a collection of new Specialized trail wear. The short and long sleeve jerseys have a nice, natural fit and fall, ideal for transitioning between van to trail to cafe. Bring your own pockets, or use some of Specialized’s SWAT Bib shorts. The Trail shorts are light and minimally featured for summer wear, while the cargo shorts are a little heavier and feature, yes, cargo pockets. Finally, the new Trail Pants are what all the cool kids are wearing these days. They’re slim fit and stretchy and they seem to measure up bigger than indicated – Chipps is wearing the 32 waist and he’s normally a 34.

Black is obviously the colour for this year – even if it’s a bit rubbish for photoshoots. Probably why Chipps has accessorised with the £175, Recon 2.0 trail shoes.

Hunt Enduro Wide V2 29″ Wheelset

• Price: £399
• From: Hunt Bike Wheels

The Enduro Wide V2 are the updated versions of Hunt Wheels super popular enduro wheels. First launched 3 years ago, the Enduro Wide wheels have been a common sight on everything from local tails to the EWS circuit, and been praised for their toughness and attainable price tag. Last month Hunt launched the updated V2 which is designed to build on that success and meet the demands of the the current crop of hard hitting enduro riders and bikes.

The Enduro WIde V2 are still running alloy rims with a 33mm internal width on the front designed for compliance and grip, with a 31mm internal on the rear with added reinforcement for durability. Thise rim s are laced to own brand Hunt hubs offering 5 degree engagement and Boost spacing.

We’ll leave you with a rare promotional video – from Specialized just, well, because it’s a welcome bit of fun.

Now go and have a great weekend – and no hugging until Monday, you hear?

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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