Hip hop hooray it is Friday! Round these parts it’s all been about the Singletrack World Reader Awards. Specifically it’s been about two things: 1) arguing how many things should go in the shortlist, and 2) annoying the IT Dept with last minute tweaks to voting forms.
Now that this stage of the Reader Awards is underway, it’s now time for Singletrack staffers to come up with their selections for the ‘end of year report card’ that is Editor’s Choice. Once again. we’ll be doing it a bit differently this year. The only thing that will be the same as ever is.. the arguing.
Anyway, on with FGF. We wonder if any of this lot below will end up in next year’s Editor’s Choice? (I have a suspicion one thing might make my shortlist actually – Benji) And/or will anything below end up in the 2023 Reader Awards?
Specialized Turbo Kenevo SL Comp
- Price: £7,750
- From: Specialized
We’ve got this in for a planned Diet vs Mid vs Full Power ebike feature. With its 35Nm Specialized SL 1.1 motor and 320Wh battery the Turbo Kenevo SL Comp is representing the Diet option. That’s not to say the rest of the bike is undernourished. There’s a lot of capability here. From the 170mm travel at both ends, through to the slack geometry (that’s adjustable too via headset cup and rear flip-chips), this bike is pretty much the assisted version of the Specialized Enduro.
Klean Kanteen Insulated TK Wide Mug Flask
- Price: £32.99 (members get a cool discount)
- From: The Singletrack Shop
Charlie says… The mega impressive Singletrack Klean Kanteen flasks are back in stock. Why are we so impressed? Basically, they keep drinks hot (or cold) for a shed loas of hours. I tested one on a drive from Hebden Bridge (north of Manchester) to Brighton (north of France) and still had piping hot coffee upon arrival some 8+ hours later. Klean Kanteen actually claim 14 hours hot time!
Fancy a pay rise?
You see paying £3 or more for a takeaway coffee is the behaviour of fools and rich folk. Add it up… one coffee a day, five days a week… you are soon at £750+ a year. Buy this flask and give yourself a £750 pay rise.
But that’s not the best bit.
This flask will give you a quadruple whammy of warm feelings. The first is the magnificently hot coffee warming you up on a winter ride. Next is the internal smugness from not putting yet another disposable cup in a bin. Third is the joy of whizzing straight past a service station full of sweaty ill looking people queueing up for food that’s not made from food. And the last… is the warm feeling you get inside for helping to keep Singletrack on the right track. And for that we are very grateful. Thank you.
Oh… and it has cool nipple’y bits.
Endura MT500 MIPS and SingleTrack Helmets
- Price: £169.99 MT500, £89.99 SingleTrack
- From: Endura
A couple of ATB hats from Endura. The ‘Paprika’ coloured MT500 MIPS helmet has an adjustable peak, anti-bacterial padding, eyewear ‘dock’, clip-on accessory mount, a MIPS liner and the familiar Koroyd construction. The ‘Spruce Green’ SingleTrack helmet is the more affordable trail lid in the range. Not quite as many bells and whistles but still Koroyd and well vented.
Endura Hummvee Gilet
- Price: £42.99
- From: Endura
We don’t know about you, but round here it’s very much gilet time of year. Still not cold enough to wear a full jacket without sweating to death but definitely too chilly to go out without some sort of outer layer on top. Hence, gilet time. We like this one from Endura. The DWR finish is weather proof enough and the general cut of the garment isn’t overly roadie (too often gilets are cut too high around the belly button for MTBing functionality). Nice ‘blueberry’ colour too.
Endura Hummvee Waterproof Socks II
- Price: £37.99
- From: Endura
Talking of autumn-winter, it’s time for these things to come out of the sock drawer too. You can talk all day long about GoreTex shoes and waterproof trousers. That’s all well and good. But the first – and most usefully effective – item to pull on is a pair of waterproof socks. And you need to own at least two pairs because they take ages to drip dry.
Endura MT500 Freezing Point II Trousers and Jacket
- Price: £149 Trousers, £164.99 Jacket
- From: Endura
Trousers have front thigh panels insulated with PrimaLoft GOLD. PFC-Free, non-toxic DWR finish. Stretch thermal softshell fabric on back and lower legs. Stretch-adjust waistband with additional belt loops. Zipped hand pockets. Zipped thigh vent and ankle opening with waterproof gusset.
Jacket has body panels with PrimaLoft GOLD insulation. Stretch PrimaLoft backed softshell fabric on back and underarms. Underarm 2-way zipped venting. Front pockets doubling as vents and hidden internal pocket. Reflective trims.
Yale Maximum Security Chain & Lock 1.1m SS Gold
- Price: £58.99
- From: Yale
Another thing about autumn-winter is it’s often a bad time for bikes being nicked. As well as the increased cover-of-darkness going on, there’s something about rushing to get back inside your warm home that means it easy to not think properly about bike secutiry. Don’t do that.
This chain and padlock system from Yale has 10mm thick ‘titanium enforced’ hexagonal hardened steel chain. Four-point heavy duty crossbar. Resistant to pick, pull, bump and drill attacks. Rubber bumper for protection against scratches. Lifetime guarantee.
Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC Classic Tyres
- Price: £63.99
- From: Extra UK
Gravel-racing tyres. Tread inspired by the Pirelli Scorpion XC RC. SpeedGRIP compound has come from Pirelli’s experience in the World Rally driving. Casing theory: “On the road the majority of punctures are caused by the penetration of sharp objects while off-road the most common punctures are caused by sidewall cuts, for this reason the TechWALL Gravel features a cut-resistant 120tpi fabric all over the perimeter of the tyre still offering a supple riding feeling.”
Pirelli Cinturato SmarTube
- Price: £27.99
- From: Extra UK
Even if you’re tubeless, it’s still a good idea to take a tube with you sometimes. And if you’re racing – or bikepacking – then it’s a good idea to make the tube be as light and small as possible. TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) inner tubes like this aren’t exactly new and they aren’t exactly without their pitfalls (they’re rather fragile in our experience) but for some folk they might be the best solution/compromise.
Fizik Winter Cycling Socks
- Price: £17.99
- From: Fizik
Blend of lycra and Q-Skin microfiber, anti-bacterial, quickdry, thermo-regulating, anatomic support, compression zone, seamless construction, 19g, 15cm calf-height.
RockShox Pike Ultimate 140mm Fork
- Price: £964.00
- From: SRAM
35mm chassis. Charger 3 damper with the all-new IFP that “offers more consistency through the stroke and truly independent adjustments that reduce harshness and increase control without any ‘cross-talk’.” Ultimate Bushing Package increases bushing overlap. Pressure Relief Valves on the lowers. Bolt-in torque cap adapters now included for use with standard hub end caps. Lightweight machined and anodised crown. Fabulous silver colour too.
Mucky Nuts Face Fender
- Price: £12.00
- From: Mucky Nuts
We often run morer-fuller-onner mudguards than these types on our personal or longer term test bikes but we never say no to dinky ‘guards like these for shorter term test bikes. “Lightweight, discreet, and very effective, the Face Fender is a simple front mud guard for mountain bikes, made from 100% recycled plastic.”
Wolftooth Resolve Dropper Post
- Price: £350.00-380.00
- From: Saddleback
We did the launch story about this new Resolve dropper post that promises to never develop any squish (nor squidge) and then a day or so later we received our test sample in the post. Not cheap but it looks like a very well thought out and fabricated product at least. Time will tell how it gets on. Long term review to follow!
Oxford Combi Zip Lock
- Price: £12.99
- From: Oxford
Not a hugely secure method of locking up a bike (or indeed anything) but there you are. Three digit combination lock. Stainless steel core sheathed in vinyl. 470mm length. 73g. It is what it is. It’s not really something we’d ever use ourselves as it just gives you a false sense of security. Having said that, it could possibly be useful for locking accessories (helmet?) to your properly locked-up bike while you pop into a shop for a quick something or other.
Fox ProFrame
- Price: £309.99
- From: foxracing.co.uk
The first helmet on the market that combines an EPP liner and EPS layer with MIPS’ Integra Split protection. BOA Fit System. Dial it in. Micro adjustable. Fidlock buckle. Customisable fit with a 4-step adjustable cradle, and two sizes of cheek pads. Ionic+ anti-microbial liner and pads. Adjustable three position visor, goggle compatible, with removable GoPro mount included. New design featuring increased ventilation and decreased surface contact area improve cooling.
Singletrack Reader Awards Voting!
- Price: £0.00
- From: singletrackworld.com/readerawards
The nominations have been examined and sorted into this year’s list of worthy finalists. Now it’s down to you to pick the winners. Click on each of the categories listed on the page above to see the finalists and cast your vote.
Thread Of The Week
This week’s winning forum post comes from matt_outandabout …
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