A combination of staffers taking half term off, and three staff households having the Covid has led to a half-staffed Singletrack this week. Many of us have been pinged by the NHS app and have gone off for testing, and Hannah, despite being double jabbed, is laid up in bed. We are all chipping in and keeping the good ship Singletrack afloat, and normal service is being maintained. However, I have prepared a testcard should things go south. I made this without the adult supervision of Art Director Amanda… can you tell?
Do you remember the testcard? Well youngsters, there was once a time when there were only three TV channels, and when someone at the BBC accidentally pulled a lead out and they stopped broadcasting, they would pop the testcard up. This image of young girl, and sinister clown, playing noughts and crosses by herself, would reassure everyone that everything was going to be OK. And hey… it is going to be OK.
Singletrack Forage’flage Corkscrew Pom Pom Beanie
- Price: £24.99 (log in for member discount)
- From: The Singletrack Hattery
The new Singletrack Pom Pom hat will protect your noggin when you are out and about without your bike. Quite how you got yourself into this being outside without your bike disastrous situation is your own fault/problem. Maybe you listen to people more than you listen to your bike?
It features a bobble so you know when you are about to bang your head in old pubs. It also captures all the bright and vibrant colours of autumn, and yet somehow it is also low profile. This makes it perfect for blending into the countryside when full on camo makes you look like the sort of weirdo who has a mobile phone holster under his arm, like a gun holster, but for their phone. These people are amongst us.
Adidas Five Ten GORE-TEX Trailcross Shoes
- From: Adidas
- Price: £150 (but read on)
Feet that are more than a foot
These look like a boot, but are really a shoe with a neoprene ankle cuff. The hook and loop neoprene ankle cuff provides a secure fit and stops debris from entering the shoe. And then a GORE-TEX waterproof lining keeps your feet dry. They have a new dotted outsole for grip in slippery condition. And best of all, from my point of view… they come in size UK 13.5.
They have an RRP of £150, however at the time of writing this there is a 20% code when you sign up to their newsletter.
Nukeproof Blackline Range
- Price: Jacket £130.00, Pants £85.00, Jersey £55.00
- From: Wiggle
Two out of three of these items have prevously won Editors’ Choice awards, so we’ve no doubt the new colourways are just as good. A great selection for riders that like a bit (or a lot) of colour, excellent weatherproofing, and durable kit with reasonable price tags.
POC Women’s Ardour All-Weather Pants
- Price: £230.00
- From: POC Sports
Fully waterproof from the knee down, and water resistant from the thigh up makes these POC all-weather trousers comfortable, breathable and perfect for the coming season. The waist comes up high enough to keep splashback out, and includes a card pocket that we all know is actually for your key, two Ibuprofen, and an emergency fiver. First impressions – the elasticated ankles make these much easier to put on than many riding trousers, yet still keeping the water off your socks.
Specialized 2FO Roost Canvas Mountain Bike Shoes
- Price: £110.00
- From: Specialized
The Roost are a new flat-pedal shoe designed for riders wanting that casual skate shoe look, but requiring all-out grip when hitting gnarly downhill and enduro lines. The Body Geometry sole is designed in such a way that the footbed is ergonomically designed to boost power and increase efficiency.
Read more
Thule ProRide 591 Roof Mounted Bike Rack
- Price: £103.99
- From: Halfords
Suitable for bikes under 20kg with tyres no wider than 2.5in, this Thule ProRide rack is suitable for all good choices of bike. Easily fitted to either side of your car, lockable, and currently on Buy One Get One Half Price!
WTB Tubeless Tyre Sealant
- Price: 4oz £7.99, 8oz £9.99, 16oz £14.99, 32oz £24.99. (Don’t try to do the maths…)
- From: WTB, wtb.com and dealers everywhere from December
WTB, or Wilderness Trail Bikes, to give it its proper name, was pretty early to the tubeless game, with tubeless-compatible tyres and rims, but was happy to leave the fluid bit of the system up to other manufacturers. This was fine when the universally loved St Stan’s was the only bottle in town, but now that everyone is coming out with their own take – with various levels of reliability… – WTB thought that it was time to make a tubeless sealant that was designed to definitely work with its rims and tyres.
The WTB Tubeless Tire/Tyre Sealant is on the thinner (Stan’s-like) end of the scale and is said to last for months while also working down to temperatures of -9°C (though it also says on the bottle to install it at more temperate room temperatures…)
There is a Large Boat of the stuff on the waters, so it should be here in time for Christmas present time…
(Incidentally, Laoganma crispy chilli in oil is AWESOME!)
#TOTW Thread Of The Week
- From: The Singletrack Forum
Each week we are picking our favourite Singletrack Forum thread, and bunging the thread instigator a small parcel of Singletrack merch. This weeks winner was almost “British Kabab Awards”, however it was narrowly beaten by the subject of blind etiquette… “what is the correct way to close blinds?”. Singletrack member “Skarkattack” gave us two options for closing blinds, A or B. Oh if only it was that simple, a forum full of bike geeks had dozens of theories on this subject.
And with that we sail into a winter weekend. Yep, its going to be cold, probably wet and you will also certainly need your lights at the end of the ride. It’s the time of year to find your Seal Skins and Crud Catchers, make the switch from cider to Guinness with a dash of Port in it, and settle into the pleasures of winter. Alaskan bearded piano beater Ben Caplan is playing Manchester (and elsewhere) this week… his music goes well with Guinness, log fires, dumplings and cuddles with damp dogs.
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