garlic press

Fresh Goods Friday 598: Bluebell Search Edition

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Hannah is back from the USA in body but not mind. She keeps waking up in the night convinced she’s still camping out in some California woodland, or jerking awake as dry ground skids underneath her tyres. Perhaps she needs a new mattress.

Charlie is here in spirit but not body, as he’s been rather poorly. He’s now working hard at regaining his lost body weight.

As if all that wasn’t discombobulating enough for team STW, there’s the calendar shenanigans of local elections and bank holiday, with added school training days just for the fun of it next week – does anyone know when our children are supposed to be at school? We have lost track.

Do you have a good name?

Bike Fit Book

Including information on why most cyclists would benefit from shorter cranks, a detailed look at saddle health with special attention to female cyclists, watt-saving advice (what? Watt?) and how to make indoor cycling more tolerable. This book has gone straight to Rhys, our local time-trialing enduro-racing watt-chasing cross-country-endurance chain-ganger. Who better to summarise it for us?

Specialized Power Pro Mirror Saddle

We featured this new 3D printed saddle earlier this week.

36 comments and rising…

Garbaruk drivetrain bits

  • Price: £289.99 cassette, £67.99 jockey wheels
  • From: cyclorise.com

The lightest MTB cassette for Micro-Spline freehub on the market? At 335 grams, Garbaruk Micro-Spline-compatible cassette is not heavy. The jockeys – sorry, pulleys – are CNC-machined out of a single 7075-series aluminum bar and anodised.

Rapha Trailwear

  • Price: £110 Fast+Light Pants, £60 Lightweight Technical T-shirt
  • From: rapha.cc

New collection of lighter weigh mountain bike apparel from Rapha Performance Trailwear. “Crafted for riders seeking to go faster, farther, and cooler as they savor the haze of summer dust. Built for hot laps, all-day singletrack sessions, and everything in between, the Fast + Light collection will enhance your riding season as the mercury rises.” Over to you Ross.

Bussani Garlic Crusher Press

Charlie says… When I recently lost my garlic press I went searching for something a bit kickass. You know, just like those roadies buying $100 titanium bottle cages that weight 3g (and then adding a bottle and 700g of heavily marketed power water to it).

It has a very large capacity, more than double a normal garlic press, which will save me much fiddling about when cooking. The hinged plunger gives a nice vertical pressing action, and its spikes drive the garlic through effectively.

The ergonomics are great… if Ergon made garlic presses. It comes with two de-cloggers. It’s almost as if they know you are going to lose at least one of them. The handle has a wee slot where the de-clogger can reside until its lost.

All presented in a “Cute Jute Bag”… that has more authentic rustic charm than a phony Italian restaurant, serving microwave pasta, at Euro Disney Land, served by Luigi, whose real name is Keith and he is from Bognor not Bologna… just, only just more authentic than that.

Ride Wrap Covered Protection Steel MTB Frame Kit

Protecting high risk areas of the bike. The Covered Protection kit offers a generic fit per frame category (Dual-Sus, eMTB, etc) to cover high wear areas. This is for steel frame bikes.

Ride Wrap: “Paint protection provides great benefits starting from the aesthetics side, right over to the functionality/ durability. Our paint protection vinyl is clear high gloss or satin finish polyurethane films that are applied to bikes to protect them from scratches, rock chips, small dents, or swirls caused by trail debris, rocks, cable rash, heal or ankle rub, chain slap and other environmental elements that are thrown into the mix when out on the trails or roads.”

Included in the box: squeegee, cleaning wipes, Install Solution Concentrate, microfiber, install key.

Hayes Dominion A4

Mo’ brakes for our forthcoming 4-pot disc brake group test. Ttuned for the shortest dead stroke possible and a crisp bite point (who doesn’t love biting crisps?) Cold-forged caliper. KingPin structural pad retention bolt that increases stiffness. Two-Stroke dual port bleed system. DOT 5.1 fluid. Kevlar hose. D-Series rotor. Crosshair Caliper Alignment.

Shimano Bottom Bracket

Far and away the most exciting delivery for Benji this week (there were actual squeals as he opened this package of highly sought after rare goods). Hopefully it means he can say goodbye to his bike’s grumbly rumbly drivetrain (for a while).

Untamed 3/4 Jersey

Polyester 3/4 sleeve jobber. Design is called ‘Meadows’ (presumably after Shane Meadows, director of This Is England and Dead Man’s Shoes?) Zip pocket on left hip.

No UK distributor at the mo. Watch this space though…

Tommy Breeze California Poppy Special Edition Hat

This is the flat brim trucker California poppy special edition of this hat, which means it has some extra hand sewn embroidery on it by Kelsey Ruggaard. The company – and the design on the front – is by very nice guy indeed Tommy Breeze, son of MTB legend Joe Breeze. You can choose from a vast array of his designs on an even more vast array of cap styles, or just have one of his patches to put on something you already own. Hannah dropped in on Tommy’s workshop while she was in California, and wore this hat pretty much every day afterwards. And now she’s back in the UK she’s a little scared her kids will laugh at her.

Women’s Diesel Jorts

Super stretchy denim shorts designed for riding bikes in. The concept works surprisingly well in sunny climes, and Hannah is yet to try them out going through puddles. These are the hemmed variety, though there are frayed cut off versions too. They’re cut with a high waist, so there’s no gap for your bum to hang out of when riding.

Merida 50th Birthday Coffee Gift

Merida is 50 years old this year, and to mark the occasion they’ve sent out some ickle mini enamel mugs and a teeny weeny coffee pot, along with the suggestion that they’ll bring some luxury to your next bike packing trip. Hannah is not sure she has the energy for this, and thinks perhaps along with this luxury should also come a bike packing butler to carry said items, and deliver freshly brewed coffee to one’s bivvy in the morning. And maybe re-inflate her airbed through the night too.

MET Veleno MIPS Helmet

Back in black on black

In a modest claim, MET says that the Veleno MIPS helmet is “made for any bike and none in particular.” By that, it means that it’s a MIPS-equipped, peaked helmet for mountain biking, but it’s also got a short enough peak that you can still see when you’re in the drops of your gravel bike, or you can remove it altogether and take to the tarmac.

It comes in S/M/L sizes and six different colour options. Peak on or peak off – it’s up to you, right? But leave it on, OK?

Thread of the Week

No contest this week. Congrats to @jonnyrobertson

#STWFGF winner!

Every week we run a competition over on that there Instagram to win a Singletrack Forum Bottle Opener. Whit-woo etc.

Simply tag your riding pics with #STWFGF on Instagram and… that’s it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Howard Binysh (@howardbinysh)

Congratulations to @howardbynysh for this nutty pic.

Olde internette golde

Until next time…

Hyvästi!

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Amanda Wishart

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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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Home Forums Fresh Goods Friday 598: Bluebell Search Edition

Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)
  • Fresh Goods Friday 598: Bluebell Search Edition
  • Gunz
    Free Member

    Logging off to go practice my dancing.

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    Don’t get me wrong but shorts that short are not for folks concerned about their bum hanging out (or at least no more so it having out the top than the bottom).

    I can see a high waist band is beneficial for reducing trail muck ingress though.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Will you look at the weather in these photos? Ace.

    Those Hayes brakes interest me…

    gazzab1955
    Full Member

    Ok I’ll be the first to say it, how much(!) for the Rapha t-shirt! It’s a t-shirt for gods sake, not even a very nice colour. It’s a £20 t-shirt with a £40 badge, I don’t care how light or technical it might (?) be. This mornings news was little apart from stories about families who can’t afford food, pets being taken to shelters because their owners can’t afford the food or vet bills, oh and something about Keir Starmer doing Sharon Stone impressions (might of been another politician) and Rapha think its ok to launch a £60 t-shirt.
    Ok rant over, feel a bit better now, perhaps it’s time for lie down 🙂

    zx970
    Free Member

    Sorry, Rapha, but I will never buy anything from a company that markets clothes as ‘apparel’, because I know that using that word immediately adds at least 10% to the retail price of every product they make.

    stwhannah
    Full Member

    @matt_outandabout Ha! The jorts pics were taken after nearly 2 weeks in California, and I was still as pale as I was when I landed – that was one of the only days I wore short shorts. It turns out that northern California is quite damp, and whipped by a biting cold wind that comes in off the ocean. The thermal dungarees in last week’s FGF got a lot more wear!


    @dangeourbrain
    They’re not all that short, I’d rolled them up a turn or two. Mid thigh shorts make me look like a soccer mom, IMO.

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    They’re not all that short, I’d rolled them up a turn or two. Mid thigh shorts make me look like a soccer mom, IMO.

    I think they’d make me look like John candy doing his best kylie impression.

    chrismac
    Full Member

    No wonder bike prices keep going up when brands keep sending out freebies to every journalist and utuber they can find.

    nickc
    Full Member

    the Garbaruk Jockey wheels seem to come with quite a bit of packaging, that’s not so cool.

    LongboardSi
    Free Member

    I’m slightly disturbed by the thought of a ‘wee slot’ in a garlic press…

    chrismac
    Full Member

    I was wondering what a garlic press has to do with mountain biking and if the mag is eyeing up the good home readers with the recipes

    FOG
    Full Member

    I think what shocks me most about Rapha pricing is the fact that there seem to be an increasing number of brands charging as much and more. Where are all these cyclists who are happy to shell out hundreds on bib shorts? You know who you are.

    joemgh
    Full Member

    Take a look at the price of high end surfing boardshorts. They make these things look like amazing value.

    chipps
    Full Member

    @chrismac – have you not been following Charlie’s excellent mountain bike cookery column in the magazine? We all need to eat, so might as well do it properly, eh? 🙂

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    mountain bike cookery

    Vertically compliant, laterally stiff and tastes wonderful flash fried with a little brandy, garlic and some cannellini.

    thepurist
    Full Member

    Isn’t using a garlic press a bit of a no-no in cheffy circles? I thought they all chopped it using a stupendously expensive knife then squashed it using a different but equally outrageously priced knife? Perhaps their knives come in almost authentic jute bags too.

    Oh and why do so many clothing companies assume that mtb tops don’t need zips? Some of us get hot on the climbs!

    redsnail
    Full Member

    The Ripton link takes me to the Trucker Breeze hat site.
    Will the “jorts” (WTF??) be available in the UK?

    As for pricey kitchen gadgets, I am all for them. Husband is the chef in our household, the more techy gadgets he buys, the more MTB kit I can buy 😉

    bikesandboots
    Full Member

    Those Hayes brakes are meant to be great according to reviews – including the previous STW review of them.

    chrismac
    Full Member

    @chrismac – have you not been following Charlie’s excellent mountain….

    Yes that’s my point. If I want to read about mountain bikes I read a bike magazine. If I want a recipe I look in a food magazine. I don’t pick up a food magazine to read about bikes so Iwhy I would want to read a recipe in a bike magazine

    ryanmart96
    Free Member

    What makes the ride wrap steel specific or is it just like the others?

    IHN
    Full Member

    have you not been following Charlie’s excellent mountain bike cookery column in the magazine?

    Nope, I flip past it with an eye roll and a underbreath mumble of “FFS”.

    mahalo
    Full Member

    is Ross in mourning or is he team captain?

    tenfoot
    Full Member

    have you not been following Charlie’s excellent mountain bike cookery column in the magazine?

    Nope, I flip past it with an eye roll and a underbreath mumble of “FFS”.

    Me too ☹️

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    Can’t say I go so far as a mumble but yeah, the cooking column isn’t my thing any more than articles on camping bike packing don’t either.

    Different strokes for different folks isn’t it?
    (I seem to recall various coffee related items popping up in FGF over the years and very little complaining about those despite their having no more to do with bikes than a garlic press)

    HB47
    Full Member

    Glad you liked the picture of Julie with her new friend, it was very keen on the 510s !

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    I assume those moaning about the non MTB content never look in the chat section of the forum?

    chrismac
    Full Member

    If you go into the chat forum you expect to see non biking related threads. If you subscribe to a mountain  biking magazine you don’t expect to see a recipe section. You expect to see articles about mountain bikes and riding them

    Personally I don’t like seeing articles containing curly bared bikes either because it’sa mountain bike magazine not a gravel or camping magazine

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    Should there even be a non bike chat forum on a mountain bike website?

    big_scot_nanny
    Full Member

    Well, i for one like Charlie’s recipes. So, there. Huw FW has a challenger 🙂

    As for the Hayes brakes, I’ve had a set for 2 years and they are utterly glorious. Due recent massive price drop to about 80 p/end, thanks to the PSA on here I bought another set for the other bike. Happiness.

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    If you subscribe to a mountain biking magazine you don’t expect to see a recipe section. You expect to see articles about mountain bikes and riding them

    Maybe the magazine needs rebranding to reflect it’s current day content, ‘Singletrack’ doesn’t really cover it as a name. Yes, a fresh new launch with a less pigeonholing name. How about ‘Fathom’?

    charliedontsurf
    Full Member

    Ive just returned from a weekend of motor-bike-packing to learn of the “garlic gate” scandal.

    We have always thrown in random other things in FGF. Amanda got some new wheels for a car. I got a dog. Did Chipps add a wife to FGF?

    edhornby
    Full Member

    I like the recipies

Viewing 32 posts - 1 through 32 (of 32 total)

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