Long story short: the Cannondale Habit Carbon LT is a great little bike. Key question: would…
Some of us have been roadtrippin’. Some of us are still out there roadtrippin’. Some of us are merely plottin’ some roadtrippin’. How about you? Are you thinkin’ o’ ‘trippin’?
While you think, here’s a quick rundown of the stuff (that we’re allowed to show you) that’s arrived at STW Towers since last Friday…
Genesis Fugio 10
- Price: £1,699.99
- From: Freewheel
Steel is real and everything but we quite like a bit of alloy too now and again thanks. The Fugio is Genesis’ entry level gravel bike. Alloy frame, carbon fork, covered in mounts. The Fugio 10 trades steel for an aluminium frameset, keeping the grin on your face and cash in your wallet. There’s clearance for 47mm tyres in the intended 650B flavour. WTB Ventures in this instance. Or you can slap some 700c hoops in there so long as you keep the rubbers less than 40mm. SRAM Apex 1X drivetrain. TRP Spyre-C FM mechanical disc brakes. Nice paintjob.
Saracen Ariel 50E
- Price: £4,999.99
- From: Saracen
Another striking paintjob. Due to the nature of camera sensors and viewing screens etc this bike may not look to you like it does to us when viewing in The Real World. We recently reviewed the less-electric, more-travel Saracen Ariel 60 Pro (spoiler: freaking well good). The Ariel 50E has 150mm at the back, 160mm Marzocchi Bomber Z1 up front, a Fox FLoat X in the upper-middle, a Shimano E-7000 motor in the lower-middle and a 720Wh battery in the middle-middle. The drivetrain is a mix of Shimano Deore and SLX. Braking is Deore 2-pots with 203/203mm rotors. RaceFace and KS do the finishing kit honours. Rounding things off, kinda literally, are the DT Swiss HX552 wheels and Maxxis Minion DHR II tyres.
Kali Cascade Helmet
- Price: £209.00
- From: Oxford Products
More striking colour schemes. This is the Kali Cascade in ‘Feather Gloss Green’ colourway. The Cascade is the “most innovative helmet Kali have ever created.” Kali also claim that by using various eco materials (recycled EPS, an Oceanworks visor, straps made from recycled water bottles, sustainably-sourced bamboo pads) the amount of CO2 emissions has been reduced by more than 58% compared to standard helmet fabrication. What else? Conehead technology “dissipates the energy in a high-g impact and a RHEON Low Density Layer helps mitigate the low-g linear and rotational forces.” Lifetime crash replacement. FidLock buckle. 13 vents. 370g. Also available in Matt/Gloss Black.
Leatt MTB Enduro 4.0 V23 Helmet
- Price: £289.99
- From: Hotlines UK
For those of A Certain Age this convertible full/open face helmet from Leatt will emit strong VHS vibes. Regardless of this tape-tastic packaging aesthetic, this is a well put together lid. Removable chin guard. Dual foam construction, featuring EPS and EP0 impact foams to cope with slow and high speed whacks. Tough polymer shell. Adjustable visor, designed to break away, reducing the effects of rotation force impacts. 18 vents. Fidlock magnetic buckle. Sunglasses dock. Leatt’s ‘360 ̊ Turbine Technology’ which “works via 360 ̊moving discs, all made from an energy-absorbing material. These impart a reduction of rotational acceleration to the head and brain by up to 40%. The system also improves the absorption of impact energy – it reduces peak brain acceleration by up to 30% at the impact speeds associated with concussion.”
Leatt Knee Guard AirFlex Hybrid Pro
- Price: £129.99
- From: Hotlines UK
Combination of AirFlex gel impact pads and hardshell slide protection. The padding above the knee cap; “an area vulnerable to handlebar hits when you take a tumble”. Yep. Been there. Done that. The Hybrid Pros are made with a combination of MoistureCool and AirMesh wicking fabrics. Pre-curved fit. Non-slip silicone cuffs.
Leatt Knee Guard AirFlex Ultralite
- Price: £99.99
- From: Hotlines UK
Like a diet (zero cal?) version of the pads above. Lighter in weight and impressively flexible, the Leatt Knee Guard AirFlex Ultralite are for “those of you who want reliable mountain bike protection but with minimal bulk.”
Cube Baselayer Liner Shorts CMPT
- Price: £34.95
- From: Cube
I (Benji) hav just been on a Cube press launch (more about that next week). In the meantime, the following three items are things I picked up whilst I was there. First off, padded liner shorts. I’ve got high hopes for these. Decenet pad. Thinnihs material (to wear under riding trousers). Broad waistband and leg cuffs. No flipping silicone. Yes! Really not a fan on sticky silicone. Feels weird. Isn’t necessary if the garment actually fits.
Cube ATX Rain Jacket CMPT
- Price: £99.95
- From: Cube
This jacket could go one of two ways. Not that it’s reversible. I just mean that it will either be really great, or a disappointment. It’s a bit on the baggy side for me. And the cuffs aren’t adjustable. But… you never know. Jackets can surprise you. Will have to see how it does the job of keeping water out whilst breathing-out my various interesting body vapours. 2.5-layer fabric, water-repellent front zip, adjustable drawcord hem, hood, zipped side pockets.
Cube Strover MIPS Helmet
- Price: £199.95
- From: Cube
Gosh, helmets are expensive these days aren’t they? Well, flagship ones are anyway. You can still find decent ATB hats for well under a hundred quid. Even MIPS ones. Anyway, this Strover helmet. This is Cube’s enduro-stylee helmet. MIPS liner. Deep coverage at the rear. 14 gaping vents. Three position visor. Two flippable ‘X-Adapter’ mounts for attaching lights. Height-adjustable SILC 180+ retention system. Multiple-shell construction (gloss and matte). Coolmax pads. Magnetic Fidlock closure.
Kinesis UK Dorset Dirt Dash Beer Beaker
- Price: Only 100 miles
- From: Dirt Dash CC
Charlie says: “The Kinesis UK Dorset Dirt Dash is only two weeks away, with a few entries left in the one day 100 miler, and the two day 50:50 miler with a night under the stars. Beyond 100 awesome miles of Dorset’s best trails, sunshine, seaside, paella, beer and the finish line being in the middle of pirate festival… there is also this neat stainless steel beer beaker. The overnight bikepackers will get theirs at camp (because they will need it for the camping beer), and the one day belters get it in at the finish line (because it finishes at a pub).”
Singletrack Members get a £5.00 discount. Simply use ST2023 as a discount code when you sign up to the Dirt Dashes at entrycentral.com/dirtdash (you’ll have to enter the discount code in the questions section when you sign up).
Bikepacking Scotland by Marcus Stitz
- From: Singletrack Merch Store
- Price £20.00
Charlie says: “This book is so fresh, it has not arrived at Singletrack Towers yet. Order now for delivery next week ish. After creating the bestseller Bikepacking Britain, Markus then turned his attention to the crazy wild country at the top of the M6.”
“Round the world single speeder, relentless bikepacker and regular Singletrack writer Markus Stitz has produced another incredibly informative bikepacking guide. The best thing about his books is they are more than just routes as there is a lot of background details… they are very interesting reads. You also get excellent quality route information and GPX files. 20 amazing routes, suns out, you have air in your tyres… what are you waiting for?”
Thread Of The Week
This week’s originator of the most entertainingly useful forum post was walowiz with this inspirational query…
The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. And it’s the fabulous majestic Singletrack Forum Bottle Opener! So, biggupz! to walowiz! Please email editorial@singletrackworld.com. Please include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics init.
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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