Fresh Goods Friday 593: Sunland vs Iceland edition

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One of our number has been in Iceland this week. The actual country. Not the amazing frozen retailer. It is this person that we have to thank for the fantastic weather the rest of us have been enjoying.

Thank you!

I would write a slightly longer introduction to this week’s FGF but… the sun’s out. I’m off out on my bike to ride all the trails that have been off-limits-soggy since November!

Sun’s out, Nina’s out

Atherton AM.150

Digital Sharpie in full effect

Earlier this week I [Benji] spent some time over Dyfi way with the Family Atherton. I was fortunate enough to spend a day uplifting at Dyfi Bike Park. After a couple of fun runs on the Atherton AM.200 downhill bike I hopped onboard their enduro flavoured Atherton AM.150 machine for the rest of the afternoon.

A First Ride Review is in my fingertips at the moment, with a view to a longer term full review further down the line.

POC Otocon Race MIPS

POCtrooper

The Otocon Race MIPS comes with a variety of ‘digital integration’; Recco and NFC medical ID chip. The MIPS is MIPS Integra (badsically more-built-in as opposed to a slapped-in extra slip-liner.

750g ish. Uses two different density foams. Ventilation channels. Break-away peak. New strap and retention band system. Can be used with or without the cheek pads.

POC Ora Clarity Goggles

Inc. bag in a box

The Ora Clarity MTB goggle features a Carl Zeiss lens that’s designed to heighten the contrast of browns and greens.

The cruved shape of the goggle supports a wider field of view. The goggle also features zero vent foam (the stuff I always remove with an exacto knife anyway). Impressively flexible frame.

Hornit Clug Pro Bike Rack

Clug it

The world’s smallest bike rack, apparently. It certainly appears so. Designed in collaboration with Fidlock, the Clug Pro utilises a magnet and ratchet system to hold a bike in place. Either via the front wheel if storing vertically/upright or via the rear wheel if ‘reversing’ the bike into it and keeping both wheels on the ground.

Shimano ME502 MTB SPD Shoes

ME five oh too

Supple synthetic leather. Offset tongue. RC9T BOA layout. This allows micro-adjustment across the mid and upper of the shoe while a strap closes down the lower part of the shoe. A simple and unfussy fit every time.

Proprietary Shimano rubber sole. Torbal midsole. Overall stiffness rating of 6 out of 12 Stiffness Units.

Shimano SLX M-7120 Disc Brakes

SLXy

Mid-range 4-pot stoppers from Shimano. These are further grist to the mill of our upcoming 4-piston disc brake group test.

It feels like we only ever see either XT or the mighty Deore 4-potters on test everywhere of late, so it’ll be interesting to see what these in-betweeny SLX ones perform like.

100% Speedcraft HiPER Blue Mirror

Blue on the outside

Ultra-grip rubber nose and temple pieces. Lower air scoops for ventilation. Massive lenses. Grilamid TR90 frame for a bit o’ bendiness.

Blue flavour HiPER lens. Nice hard case, an alternative fit nose pad, additional clear lens and a cleaning bag. Not cheap.

Scrub Alloy Trail Wheelset

Scrub-a-dubs

The Alloy Trail wheelset comes in at 1,860g and uses a welded and shot peened rim. It’s a real general purpose wheelset. Andrew from Scrub: “While testing I’ve used mine from uplift days to big mountain pedals. It’s really capable though I prefer to keep it listed in the ‘trail’ category.”

The rims measure 30mm internally and hubs can be fitted with any of the big three freehub types and are available in 6 Bolt or CenterLock.

All Scrub wheels are hand-built in the UK – by a guy called Andrew.

Hutchinson Tundra Tyres

Fake tan

The Tundra is designed for riding in Northern Europe where riders regularly have to deal with muddy sections and wet conditions. It’s a mud gravel tyre. Or is that a gravel mud tyre? It’s all quite confusing, but we know exactly what conditions they’re talking about, don’t we? It’s available in 700×40 and 700×45 size options.

Singletrack Road Trip Enamel Cup

Mugs for chugs

After two years of lockdowns and harsh winters, it is now time to get out and saddle-tramp or vanlife the summer away.

Our enamel mug has the turbo groovy Singletrack Freedom Bus on to it, to remind you to get on it and get outta here.

Hang it off your saddlebag, use it as a desk tidy, fill it with coffee, or sit on the side of a mountain with a nice wine.

Thread of the Week

This week’s TOTW goes to jimmy for asking an important question that many of us have thought about many, many times…

#STWFGF Winner

Every week we running a competition over on Instagram and Twitter to win a free subscription to Singletrackworld (or some other item of merchandise if you’re already a subscriber/member). Simply tag your riding pics with #STWFGF on Instagram or Twitter and… that’s it.

We sift through the tagged candidates at the end of each week and pick a winner. The winning #STWFGF pic gets proudly displayed in Fresh Goods Friday.

Congratulations go to @vmgscot for this week’s winning piccie. Email editorial@singletrackworld.com we’ll sort you out with your prize.

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A post shared by Vincent Gregory (@vmgscot)

Signing off…

The only acceptable guitar solo of all time

Until next week. Make it so.

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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Home Forums Fresh Goods Friday 593: Sunland vs Iceland edition

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
  • Fresh Goods Friday 593: Sunland vs Iceland edition
  • dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    It can’t be lunch time already? I don’t think the clocks went forward just yet did they?

    johncoventry
    Full Member

    It’s early so Ben can get out on his bike in the sun on dry trails.

    IHN
    Full Member

    Is it just me, or does the Atherton bike look really ‘dated’? It looks like a mid-noughties Ellsworth or Turner or something.

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    I think it’s fairly pretty as bikes go (ghastly orange fork aside), but it certainly looks short, tall and not especially slack, maybe that’s the next big thing in mtb?

    tomparkin
    Full Member

    I actually had to check Wikipedia to see whether Neil Young was in Palace or not. He’s not, to save anyone else the same trouble. Very nice all the same.

    prettygreenparrot
    Full Member

    How much for the Atherton?

    The grey and orange reminds me of the Marins of the late 80s. A look I really liked at the time. But I went for a red Specialized in the end.

    The shock looks sort of upside down to me. Like mud would end up dragged into the ‘barrel’ of the shock.

    Those wheels seem fairly-priced. What am I missing?

    ktache
    Free Member

    Iceland, the food one, does a range of barrats ice lollies, for when the weather gets even better. Not expensive, and damn fine. Though for the life of me I have never understood blackjacks, and what is it with Parma violets?

    mlindarets
    Full Member

    Those ME5s are fantastic. I’ve been running a set for over a year now and have zero complaints for ‘trail’ riding. So riding, walking, dabbing, etc. Not bro, not too pro: just a good honest trail shoe.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    dangeourbrain
    Full Member

    I think it’s fairly pretty as bikes go (ghastly orange fork aside), but it certainly looks short, tall and not especially slack,

    Just playing about with the geo charts and the 440 low is really kind of astonishingly similar to my 7 year old Remedy 29. The difference really is that my Trek is a large and teh 440 low is one of the Atherton’s smaller sizes, but still interestingly close. But tbh I think they somehow “look” short and tall without really being notably so. They’re no geometrons mind.

    They seem to struggle a bit for dropper post insertion? I put in my details and it came back with 125mm drop. The frame looks reasonably compact but the seattube doesn’t seem to allow for much post- it might break Northwind’s Law “You must be able to have more dropper post travel than suspension travel, lest ye be Unduro”

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