Fresh Goods Friday 659 – The Fiddle Edition

Hannah here, fresh from a podcast recording which has left me full of beans and bike enthusiasm. Assuming I haven’t screwed up the technical side of recording, you should get to listen to another Desert Island Disc Brakes episode, this time with Jake100, who you may well have seen doing a 100km hour wheelie on YouTube. Despite me being an old fart in comparison to him, and him spending most of his time riding back wheel on tarmac, we’ve both managed to have a right life affirming chat about bikes and all the fun and joy you can have with them. Even  more than that, we’ve shared in the opportunities that bikes can bring people – whether that’s new friends, new horizons, or a whole new perspective on life. Bikes are great, get out there and see what new things a ride can bring to you this weekend.

P.S. It’s bilberry/whimberry/blaeberry season.

Benji says: How much do you fiddle with your bike? Are you still riding the bike as it was handed over to you by Mr/Mrs Local-Bikeshop? Or how it fundamentally arrived in a box from Direct Salesville?

GoPro Hero 11

• Price: £499.00
• From: GoPro

Still very much the Hoover of action cameras, GoPro is still the goto brand name when it comes to dinky video cameras. 5.3K video (60 fps). 155° lens. Waterproof to 10m. Built-in WiFi / GPS / Bluetooth. Front and back screens. 27 megapixel still photos. Time lapse modes. Two year guarantee. This GoPro Hero 11 is going to be principally pressed into service to record our experiences with the rest of the this year’s test bikes.

BETO CJA001S Tubeless Air Tank Inflator 700psi

• Price: £64.99
• From: Bob Elliot

Okay. Calm down. The ‘700psi’ in the title refers to the pressure that this pump’s tank has been test to. It is not how high you can pump this bad boy up to (which is still the ‘industry standard’ of circa 160psi). But still. This is a very exciting red thing that looks like a fire extinguisher. Destined to reside over at Chez Wishart so Amanda can not tear her hair out trying to get flippy-floppy gravel and roadplus tyres to seal on to wheels properly. Fingers crossed!

Strava Fatmap

• Price: Free (or Subscription for full featured version)
• From: Fatmap (Apple App Store or Android Play Store)

Now then. We don’t know much about this. Mainly because we’ve just noticed it ten minutes before publishing this week’s FGF. It’s something based on “the world’s best 3D maps” and is something to do with route planning. As with Strava, there’s a free version and a pay version. We think the pay version is included in your Strava Premium if that’s what you have already. So there you go. Over to you!

Modibodi Swimwear Tie Front Cut Out One Piece

• Price: £62.00
• From: ModiBodi

As summer arrives we’re getting a few more MTB-adjacent oudoorsy things in for review. Such as this swimming cozzy. ModiBodi, whose pants Hannah rates: “This leak-proof one-piece is the definition of life-changing. Have your mind blown by its undetectable, absorbent lining that holds 1-2 tampons without leaking. New tie front and cut-out design looks, feels and fits just like your favourite swimwear – so nobody will even know you’re on your period. Flattering high leg cut, with cheeky bum coverage. Concealed two-layer lining absorbs light period or pee both in and out of the water without leaking. Replaces the need for disposable pads, tampons and liners at the beach or pool, or can be worn as backup. Pre-consumer recycled fabric means less waste heading to landfill – and less energy use.”

Orange Seal Regular Sealant

• Price: £43.00 32oz/946.35ml
• From: Orange Seal

Honestly, it’s like feast then famine and back again with tyre sealant. We had endured many months with our sealant well running dry and then of late we’ve had hods of the stuff in. This is some from Orange Seal. Claiming to seal “punctures up to 1/4″ and perform under varying temperatures and altitudes” whilst being “eco friendly”. As with any sealant we mainly just want it to seal tyres when installing them and not stain our clothing and footwear when it spits at us during those high pressure tyre-bead-seating PING-ing moments.

Mystery Mango

• Price: £secret
• From: Mango Bikes

All we’re allowed to say about the bike inside this box is: it is yellow. What would you like this bike to be?

Hope Tech Red Flavoured Brake Pads

• Price: £16.50
• From: Hope Tech

Some standard (non-sintered) brake pads for Ross’ Hope Tech 4 V4 brakes on his Deviate Claymore. Ross is off to the Alps for a week. B*****d.

Showers Pass Ultralight Wind Jacket

• Price: £105 (Singletrackworld Members get a discount)
• From: Showers Pass

Charlie says: “Weighing in at less than two good swigs from a water bottler (150g for size medium) this super lightweight windproof jacket is intended for when things turn a little bit crappy. The mesh side panels stop you from getting wet from the wrong side, and DWR coating helps repel light rain, splashes and road spray. This jacket packs into a jacket potato sized stuff sack. Maybe that is how jacket potatoes got their name, because they are the same size as a ultra lightweight jacket?”

Singletrackworld Merch Summer Sale

• Price: from £6.99
• From: Singletrackworld Shop

Charlie says… Every now and then it becomes time to clear out the merch area at Singletrack Towers. Even the best-selling items needs to step aside to make space for new merch.

Here you have all your favourite Singletrack merch at a fraction of the price. We’re got a great selection of clothing, accessories and other bits ‘n’ bobs. Find bargain T-shirts, hats, belts and even the legendary Aeropress coffee maker and much, much more.Almost everything here is down to the last few items, and at these prices they won’t hang around for long. So don’t drag your brakes, stamp on your hypothetical pedals and snag a bargain while you can.

Bikepacking Scotland

• Price: £20.00
• From: Singletrackworld Shop

Charlie says: “‘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.

“You might be reading this on a train on your way to work, or on the sofa half watching some TV show with celebrities you have never heard of baking cakes or restoring a thing. Maybe you should be in Scotland with your bike. Buy the damned book, and get off the bloody sofa won’t ya! Summer is here, don’t waste it.”

Jury Service

• Price: Two weeks of your life
• From: The Crown

Charlie says: “Talking of summer. I got to spend the two hottest weeks of the summer trapped in civic bondage on jury service. You get £65 a day instead of proper earnings. You also get to wait for days and days in a hot waiting room. And then when you get on a case… it is really bloody depressing. One positive thing to come from it was the discovery of Brown Sabbath. Enjoy, and never forget how fortunate you really are.”

Thread of the Week

Congratulations this week go to molgrips for this post that reminds us of Ringo taking a suitcase full of tins of Heinz baked beans with him when The Beatles went to India…

The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. And it’s the fabulous majestic Singletrack Forum Bottle Opener! So, BONZA! to molgrips! Please email editorial@singletrackworld.com. Please include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics like. Ta!

Grab a Classifieds Bargain

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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