Fresh Goods Friday 644 – The Where Am I Edition

It is, inexplicably, Friday again. The longest fastest week to date. Are we sliding ever faster, reaching terminal velocity, and then about to hit British Summer Time? Hopefully it’s like one of those waterslides, that then launches you high into the air, whoosh into the joys of summer. There’ll be tulips, and blue bells, and buzzing bees, and oh so much green… We’re just ignoring April here. It’s probably better that way. April is usually more like the end of those waterslides where all the water goes up your nose, your swimsuit goes up your bum, and as the water reaches your brain you forget where you are for a moment.

Anyway… where were we… oh yeah, Friday. Time to get into the weekend attitude, and for Fresh Goods Friday!

Sonder Broken Road GX Eagle

• Price: £2,649
• From: Sonder Bikes

The clocks are about to change. It’s about to be time to do some exploring. The Broken Road from Sonder is a titanium hardtail designed for multi-day expeditions. Or just big one-off days out. Laden with luggage, or not. Originally promoted as a 27.5+ bike, the Broken Road has settled down into a classic Ti 29er.

Spec-wise it has: SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed groupset, Rockshox Reba RL fork, Sonder Alpha 29 wheelset, SRAM G2 brakes, Love/Mud finishing kit, Goodyear tan wall tyres. The frame has variously ovalised tubes and sliding dropouts.

North York Moors Mountain Biking Guidebook

• Price: £16.99
• From: Singletrack Bookshop

This the fully updated 2023 edition of the bestselling guide to some of the finest mountain biking in the North of England. Featured are over 20 of the best mountain bike rides in the North York Moors, between 10 and 76 kilometres in length, suitable for all levels of mountain bikers.

Researched, ridden and written by moors local Tony Harker, each route features clear and easy to use Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps; easy-to-follow directions; details of distance, timings and difficulty gradings; stunning action photography; refreshment stops and local knowledge. A Bonus Section includes information about the man-made trails at Dalby Forest and Sutton Bank, Top Tens and a detailed Appendix. Also included is a link to downloadable GPX files.

The Cycling Bible Book

• Price: £24.99
• From: Singletrack Bookshop

Here we have over 200 pages of good advice, covering just about everything you need to know to ride faster and/or longer. It covers training plans, nutrition, techniques, and cycling phycology. It’s not a book just for roadies, it covers mountain biking and the middle ground of gravel too.

Charlie says: “when I was doing long multi day rides and the occasional race, I swotted up on nutrition, training, and long-distance survival techniques. This really helped me enjoy the long days more and blast the short rides with a smile on my face. This book starts at the beginning and would make you an expert cyclist within 200 pages, rather than years of suffering and learning the hard way. I wish I had this book 30 years ago.”

Rab Cinder Phantom Waterproof Jacket

• Price: £180
• From: Rab Equipment

Hannah says this is so floaty light that she feels like she’s naked when she’s wearing it. Despite its light weight, it still has useful features like a stiffened/shapeable hood peak and a hood stash, and apparently it’s waterproof as well as windproof. Comes with a stuff sack and the means to strap it onto your frame to carry it. Hannah would weigh it, only her kitchen scales aren’t sensitive enough to know it’s there. This is a UK 14 Hannah is wearing.

Rab Cinder Kinetic Waterproof Jacket

• Price: £220
• From: Rab Equipment

A more standard weight waterproof jacket than the Phantom, this has a massive stash pocket on the rear that’s probably big enough for a hefty sandwich and a packet of crisps. Just don’t crash. The hood rolls up into a sort of collar if you don’t want it flapping around. This jacket promises breathability in spades, and the fabric has a bit of stretch to it.

Rab Cinder Downpour Waterproof Trousers

• Price: £150
• From: Rab Equipment

These are waterproof trousers that have such long zips all the way up the sides that you can actually get these on and off over a pair of boots. Genuinely useful. The side zips are two way too, so you can also you them for venting if you’re getting too warm. Velcro on the ankles and calves keep the bottom cinched up tight and out of your chain.

SRAM AXS Battery

• Price: £53.00
• From: SRAM

A bike journo/tester can never have too many AXS batteries. Particularly at the moment.

Little Northern Soaphouse

• Price: £5.80 bar, £7.00 tin of tinies
• From: Etsy, or Tod Almighty if you’re local

Amanda says… How Benji feels about tyres, how Chipps feels about guitars, how Mark feels about pie-charts, I feel about bars of soap. I stock up on French bars when in France, I stock up on shampoo bars when in Spain, and I have just stumbled upon The Nicest Smelling Soap In The World. The Helvellyn bar is a gift, but I’m going to have to get myself one because words cannot describe how fantastic is smells. I have also got a tin of ‘scraps’ that are ideal for travelling/bikepacking, as it’s often a messy task packing your wet soap bar into a plastic bag. I’m rooting through the tin looking for a scrap of Helvellyn as a type. Made in Calderdale, based in Todmorden, I picked these up from the local wholefoods shop but you can buy them on Etsy. Please let me know if you find a Wainwright that smells better than Helvellyn!

Sweet and Fluffy Liquorice Bears

• Price: €some
• From: Spainland

Amanda brought these back from a recent trip to Spain. They were a gift to Benji who, since giving up The Beer, has become addicted to liquorice. They lasted about 14 minutes. If anyone knows where one could purchase these amazing sweeties in the UK, please slide right into Benji’s DMs. Thx.

Non-alcoholic Beverages

• Price: £4.00 ish
• From: St Michael and ASDA

On a related temperance-tastic note, Benji is also now addicted to ginger beer. And Dr Pepper. And root beer. And Dandelion & Burdock. And Sarsaparilla. And Gold Coca-Cola. Basically anything brown or grey that’s fizzy.

Thread Of The Week

Congrats etc to sadexpunk for this week’s winning TOTW. How many (if any) of these Highs can you identify..?

The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. And it’s the fabulous majestic Singletrack x Granite Designs RockBand Strap! So, HOLLA! to sadexpunk! Please email editorial@singletrackworld.com. Please include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics init.

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OK. That’s your lot for this week. Get out there and be evil. No, not like that, like this.

What is Fresh Goods Friday?

It’s Singletrack’s long running, weekly roundup of all of the new products that have been sent in to the magazine.

Where do all of the goods come from?

They’re sent in by bike companies and marketing agencies

What happens to all of the products?

They’re featured and then some are reviewed down the line in either Singletrack Magazine or in online reviews and photoshoots.

What happens to them when you’ve finished with them?

They’re usually sent back after review, or kept on long-term test bikes. But no one ever asks for shorts and shoes back. Trust us on that. Once we were asked to return some brake pads.

I’m a company making the next big thing. How much does it cost to feature in FGF?

Nothing. Nil. Zero. Diddlysquat. Sod all. Just send all ‘next big things’ to us at – Fresh Goods Friday, Singletrack Magazine, Lockside Mill, Dale Street, Todmorden. OL14 5PX. Please note that if you require the products back after they have featured then you are responsible for arranging collection at your cost. While it is our policy to feature everything we receive in FGF if we decide your product is not suitable for publication we won’t do it. Publication is at our discretion. Whether a product goes on for publication as a review is at editorial discretion. Beer, coffee & spirits will ALWAYS be tested.

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