What tyres for a ploughed field? What mountain bike tyres for mostly road use? Is there such a thing as a mudguard with a built in mud scraper? Why aren’t heated grips more popular? What is the difference between pants, trousers, joggers and tights? What is the percentage of jigsaws gifted at Christmas actually completed? How many work meetings are you planning to take cheese and wine to in 2022? Does Pi come after Omicron? Will there be chicken in it?
It’s the time of year where we ask ourselves questions such as these, partly because we’re too tired to move anything other than brain cells, and partly because there’s almost no post to write about in FGF. But without Fresh Goods Friday on a Friday, the world would surely descend into disaster and chaos, and be swiftly followed by the absence of the Today programme on Radio 4. And so, in order to prevent total world disintegration, we have Fresh Goods Friday for you. Doesn’t that feel reassuring, ordinary and regular?
The theme for this week’s FGF is ‘Stuff What We Got For Christmas’.
Let’s kick off with what was under Benji’s Christmas tree:
Patagonia Men’s Micro D Snap-T Fleece Pullover
A fleece smock from the house of Patagucci. Made from 100% recycle material and Fair Trade certified sewn together.
Not actually as expensive as you might think (£80, I looked). But still expensive enough to get away with being purchased as a prezzie.
Black Champions In Cycling by Marlon Lee Moncrief
“From the first non-white rider to race the Tour de France in 1914 to the Black cyclists pushing boundaries today, discover how a determination to succeed in the face of discrimination defined the racing careers of these great athletes.”
A fascinating look back into overlooked history of black cyclists put together by former road racer Marlon Moncrieffe. I’ve not had chance to have proper delve into it yet but it’s at the top of the bedside pile once 2022 hits and I can stay awake past 9:15pm.
Sealskinz Warm Weather Waterproof Socks
Socks are the classic Christmas gift. Often exasperatedly mocked as a boring AF gift from your Mother-in-Law. These Sealskinz were bought for me by my Mother-in-Law and they are very not-boring. They’re thinner and not as lengthy as my usual ‘Skinz, which pretty much completes my mountain bike wardrobe for the 2021/22 A/W/S/S collection.
Thread of The Week
Yes, there is plenty to be sad about, and some have good reason to struggle find positivity, but we’re going to give it a go. This week’s Thread Of The Week goes to @reluctantjumper for helping to remind us of the chinks of light in life. This thread is a celebration of the good things that happened in 2021, and covers everything from births to just-not-dying, and the small stuff in between. If you finally cleared that log drop, learnt how to make the perfect omelette, or saw an amazing sunset, this is the thread for you to go and record those moments of happiness. May there be many more of them in 2022.
Next up, we have Hannah’s Christmas haul…
Cycle of Good cases
Singletrack doesn’t stock these particular items, though we do have their washbags and belts. This is – perhaps astonishingly – Hannah’s only bike related gift from this Christmas, and it’s from her dad.
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Product on sale
Singletrack Cycle Of Good Inner Tube BeltFrom£26.99£14.99
Black Diamond Enforcer Gloves
These are not bike specific – they’re ice tool specific, apparently. Shaped and insulated so that you don’t drop your ice axe even down to -18ºC, with leather palms and suede snot wipe and Goretex outers and huge cuffs. And by heck after finding out about these for this article Hannah now knows how much they cost. Hannah doesn’t do ice climbing, so she thinks perhaps her partner, Kevin, just really really doesn’t like it when her hands are cold.
American Household Goods
American ziplok bags are superior to UK ones, especially if your primary use for them is when making tortillas. The plastic is different. Which probably means it’s full of chemicals banned under European law, so maybe in the sunlit uplands of the future we’ll get to have them here in the UK. In a similar vein, this no harsh chemicals cleaner (they only provide constructive criticism) has made it through airport security and is destined to remove stains from tupperware. You can tell it’s gentle and family safe because it’s got a fluffy chick on it. You can tell Hannah really loves Kevin because she was actually pleased to receive both these items, even before she knew the price of those gloves.
And then we have this, from Amanda…
Though she didn’t actually tell us what it is, she did say that it’s an instrument of torture, which makes us think she’s doing it all wrong as Google tells us it can be used ‘for daily relaxation’. One user review notes that it’s quiet enough that can still watch TV without annoying your spouse whilst using it. Relationships come with all sorts of dynamics. This item comes with all sorts of attachments. We bet there are some interesting safety warnings on the instruction leaflet.
And Mark got this…
Apparently the three people he likes don’t play guitar, bass, or keyboards. So you don’t get a tune from him. Have some JJ Cale instead.
Happy New Year to all of you, we’ll see you in 2022!
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