Fresh Goods Friday 663 – The Preparation H Edition

H in this instance being ‘Holiday’. Preparing for holidays can take many forms. Some can be fun (new hat!) Some can be stressful (passing the MOT) Some can be exhausting (doing loads of extra work in advance so you don’t come back to a total bin-fire in the office).

Hopefully you’re going on holiday this summer. Have a lovely time if you are. Don’t forget to send a postcard to whichever old people you have left in your family who are bothered about such things. Nice to be nice. And they probably aren’t checking out your Instagram feed 24/7.

At this point I feel duty bound to mention our recently launched Resort Guide to mountain biking’s hotspots. It’s probably too late to book yourself a summer biking break for this year but there’s no harm in thinking about next year’s dirty destination.

On with this week’s Fresh Goods Friday!

Melon Shred Gloves

• Price: £25.00
• From: Melon

These stretchy gloves come in an array of wild and loud designs. They’ve a simple pull on cuff – no fastenings – a touchscreen friendly finger, and silicone grip on the palms.

Melon Kingpin Glasses

• Price: £140.00 (+£20.00 for Low Light lens)
• From: Melon

These are the Melon Kingpin glasses – their full frame cycling option. You can choose from a range of 10 frame and 10 lens finishes (six of which are aimed at trail riding), and then select the colour of logo and noise piece you want too. These are Hannah’s colour choices: paint splat frame with pink chrome lens, pink nose piece and neon yellow icon. We’ve also got the low light lens £20 add-on, because let’s face it, we probably need it.

Specialized Power Comp with Mimic saddle

• Price: £95.00
• From: Specialized

Amand’s perch of choice. And when you put in as many miles as Amanda does (she’s very probably sat on this saddle as you’re reading this) knowing what saddle suits you it rather important. Hollow Cr-Mo rails and Level 2 padding plus all the usual Body Geometry input from Speech boffins. The Mimic stuff is essentially multi-layered materials which are designed to “maintain equilibrium and minimize swelling in soft tissue.”

Pirelli Scorpion Race Enduro M tyres

• Price: £76.61
• From: Extra UK

Yes, more Pirellis. We’re trying a load of these hard-to-find rubbers out on various bikes at the moment. These particular pair are going on Benji’s long-term test-bed Cotic RocketMAX [Yes, I’ll do another Bike Check about the bike soon! – Benji] The most versatile model in the Race Enduro range. Design for “mixed terrains, from hardpacked tracks to mid-soft natural”. DuallWall is double-ply 120TPI carcass combined with a rubber insert reinforcing the bead area. SmartEvo DH Compound is soft 42a. Genuine weight of 1,260g. Great yellow.

Ride Concepts Accomplice BOA Flat Shoes

• Price: £139.95
• From: Silverfish UK

In terms of sole grip, we’re almost of the opinion that the top two positions on the pedal podium are from Ride Concepts and Unparallel (read Benji’s Unparallel West Ridge shoe review). And we’re also becoming more and more fond of BOA systems for cinching up our sneaks. This is especially true when it’s filthy out there. Like in July, now. It’s so nice to not be wrestling with ‘orrid laces when things are wet and generally yuck. And the BOA system dries out faster than laces too! The new Accomplice BOA is made up of four-way stretch slip tongue and BOA L6 Fit System. There’s also anti-abrasion zones to deter wear, a supportive heel counter for a secure fit and MAX GRIP rubber outsole. Dual-density EVA insole. And you can’t go wrong with this black-and-gum colour combo.

Fox Racing Speedframe Pro Klif helmet

• Price: £169.99
• From: Fox Racing

The first item in a whole tip-to-toe ensemble from Fox Racing this week. This is an extremely fetching Speedframe Pro Klif helmet. Well, we like the colourway anyway. The Speedframe Pro Klif Helmet earned Virginia Tech’s best rating (5 STARS). MIPS to reduce the rotational baddies in impacts. Dual-density Varizorb EPS spreads impact forces across a wider area. Fidlock buckle (these are great). Plenting of the venting. Goggle compatibility. Three position visor. 360° Fit System. Nice colours.

Fox Racing Women’s Defend TS57 Gloves

• Price: £44.99
• From: Fox Racing

Part of the Tahnée Seagrave Collection. Lightweight 4-way stretch polyester on top. Minimal, single-layer Clarino palm with strategically placed perforations. Stretch mesh finger gussets. TruFeel internal ‘TPR knobbies’ direct-injected at fingertips. Oh yes. Touch-screen friendly too.

Fox Racing Women’s Ranger Wind Jacket

• Price: £89.99
• From: Fox Racing

Fox’s latest crack at a classic, packable, lightweight mountain bike wind jacket. Lightweight (approx 50g) Cordura ripstop main body. DWR finish. Elastic cuff and hem. ‘Rider Attack Position’ patterning specific for ATBing. Packable into left front pocket (also should stuff into jersey back pockets). Two zip hand pockets for yer bits ‘n’ yer bobs.

Fox Racing Women’s Flexair Vest

• Price: £99.99
• From: Fox Racing

This vest is technically more weatherproof than the long sleeve jacket above, even though it is armless. For those rides when you’re not that fussed about whether your arms get wet but you want your core to stay not-cold. 10K/10K waterproof front panel (Fox’s most breathable ‘proof fabric apparently). DWR coating. Two zip hand pockets to store essentials. Lightweight and minimal design. Can be packed away when not in use. Double-head zip (as shown in the pic above) for back/hip pack playing-along-nicely-ness.

Fox Racing Women’s DriRelease Fract Jersey

• Price: £44.99
• From: Fox Racing

This is a layer that’s all about dealing with moisture, quickly. Whether it’s wicking sweat off your person, or drying out as quick as poss once soaked by a summertime shower. DriRelease dries four times faster than cotton. Mountain bike specific tailoring with dop tail back panel. Full garment uses recycled materials. The fabric is a bit more airy/meshy at the rear and sides.

99p Singletrackworld Membership

• Price: 99p
• From: The Singletrackworld Shop

Charlie says: “You can now join over 6,000 other mountain bikers at Singletrack from only 99p. That is a one month digital membership offer. You will also find 1/2 price annual membership deals which are better long term value.” Click here to see all our membership deals.

Thread Of The Week

This week’s bestest forum thread was kicked off by Cougar. Don’t worry, it’s not what you think it is at first glance (of the forum post at least)…

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

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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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