Fresh Goods Friday 672 – The Metal Mullets Edition

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Autumn is here at last! Time to perpetuate all the various myths that come with it. Russet ferns, dusky pink sunsets, snuggles in front of log fires, mists, mellow fruitfulness, conkers for goal posts… that sort of thing.

Or we could be honest and say now is the time to swap tyres and chain lubes and dive into the chilling filth that awaits us out there on the fleeing fells.

I don’t know about you but I’m going to dig out my thickest oil, my spikiest tyres and go out mining for muck in the woods. TTFN!

On to Fresh Goods!

Giving props to the compilation that I encountered this tune

Orange Switch 6 Frame

  • Price: Framesets from £2,900, complete bikes from £4,900
  • From: Orange Bikes

Not long since the enduro dust has settled on his previous longtermer (Cotic RocketMAX Gen 4 review here) and Benji is off with another pushbike project. A pink pushbike project no less! I [Benji] don’t know why I’m talking about myself in the third person so I’ll stop doing that now. Basically, as soon as I saw the new Orange Switch 6 when it first launched in June of this year, I thought it looked like it could build into a very interesting hardcore trail bike (can I still say “All Mountain”?) And it came in a pink colour that was called ‘Angel Delight’. I mean, come on!

You can call it ugly if you want to. I know it is cool AF.

Seriously though, the Switch 6 ticks an awful lot of boxes that I think are very much worthwhile ticking. It’s a genuine single pivot. Single pivots done well are brilliant. I hope to be testing out various single pivot theories/myths on this bike.

What else? The bearing mount shock appeals greatly. The straight seat tube will accept proper length droppers (especially now that Orange have chopped a bit off their seat tube lengths). The head tube can take angle adjust – or reach adjust – headsets. The bottle mount in inside the front triangle. There’s frame storage for essential tools wrapped in a windshell jacket.

And it’s a mullet, which I’ve never been that swayed before but at least this mullet looks like it has decent length chain stays. Oh, and it’s UDH. So I can put SRAM AXS Transmission on it.

What else am I going to build it up with? Am hopefully going to get some coil sprung Formula suspension (fork and shock) as well as some of their impressive Cura (X?) disc brakes. I’ll be putting some existing mullet-ed Scrub Alloy Trail wheels on. Probably some Hutchinson Griffus 2.4in bronzewall rubbers to begin with. Dropper post, I’ve got a 175mm wireless Magura Vyron to try out but I imagine I’ll eventually slap a 200mm+ dropper in there. As for bars and stem… dunno! Will probably start with my standard 32mm stem and 50mm rise bars and see what happens.

The Beaches of Scotland by Stacey McGowan Holloway

Charlie says: “This is a great book to pop on your Xmas list. Just perfect for a winter of planning excellent adventures. The great thing with Scotland is their right to roam, which means that you and your bike can get almost anywhere. You will find over 150 great beaches in this book, but not one of my favourites, so let me spill the beans on that one. You know that classic endless summer road trip dream of living in the dunes, no one around, just seals and good surf? Check out Hosta in the Outer Hebrides. It is right on the 185 mile Hebridean Way cycle route. The book gives you a good insight into each of beaches with a great picture, description, location and notes on access. Next on my list of wild beaches to explore is Sandwood Bay on page 133″

STW Organic Mid-weight Sweatshirt

Not everyone wants to hide theselves away inside a hood, but even the extraverted among us…

502 Club Raffle #8 Win an Exposure MaXx-D Mk16 Light

Exposure MaXx-D Mk16 bike light worth £445 – See full description for terms ENTRIES CLOSE 12pm…

Issue 158

Preorder Decembers 2024 Singletrack magazine now. Delivery mid December, hot off the press.

Kommit Zugsystem (Bike-Towing System)

The round box thing goes under your saddle rails, the extending loop fixes around the rear bolts on the stem of someone who wants to be towed along/uphill (adult or child). Or there’s a carabiner for attaching it to the towed bike in some other fashion. As a big fan of the TowWhee stretchy-tow-rope system I’m very interested to see how this alternative fares. It may not offer the length of the TowWhee or the stretchiness but it does look like it looks like it could be quicker and even lass faffy to use than the TowWhee.

Lizard Skins Charger Evo Grips – Lock-On and Push-On

Lizard Skins are one of the venerable names in the world of grips. After browsing their extensive range of classic rubbers, we came across a couple of new designs that we’ve not tried before. First off, the new Charger Evo. We have it in both flavours, lock-on and push-on. The Charger Evo is the “most complex grip” the Lizards have ever created, apparently. Dual pattern design. 136mm long. 32mm diameter. A few colours (black, grey, blue, orange, red).

Lizard Skins Machine Grips Lock-On

Another new (to us) Lizard SKins grip. “We incorporated a waffle pattern to manage finger placement on the bottom surface. Specific right and left grip design for optimum performance.” 135mm length. 31mm diameter. Colours: black, gum, olive, red, orange.

Lezyne Hecto Drive 500XL & Fento USB Set

While it may not be deepest, darkest winter just yet, the mornings and late afternoons are decidedly dingier than they were a few weeks ago. It’s that gosh darned rotating planet in a solar system type thing again. This is a classic combo of easy-on/off tool-free LED lights. The front is the Hecto Drive 500XL with 500 lumens on tap, spat out of an aluminium body. The rear LED is the Fento, 5 lumens, with an angled base/platform so that it compensates for seat angle. Both lights are USB rechargeable.

Timber! Yew! Quick Release Bell

The all new (as of this month) quick release Yew! offers a few improvements: spring loaded piston in the on/off lever for smoother shifting, stronger, all parts are now completely modular. Tool free mounting and removal. New beefier, grippier bands mount firmly. Made of “UV resistant EPDM” so they shouldn’t degrade.

Reverse 220mm Disc Rotor

Mahoosive six-bolt rotors made from steel. 1.8mm thickness. Engraved by frikkin’ lasers. Weight: 210g. Look a bit like a slantier slotty SRAM Centerline design. Will principally be used here on any e-bikes that come in with sub-par stopping power.

Reverse Organic Disc Brake Pads

  • Price: £13.99 for Magura MT7
  • From: Cyclorise

Another aftermarket brake pad option for you. Reserve claim: “Long life. Very good cold braking performance. Very good braking performance on cold, dryness or wetness. Optimal braking and long life in the mid-temperature range. Low noise. Asbestos free. We assume this means that there no asbestos in them as opposed to an amount of asbestos being included at no extra cost.

Graubünden | Singletrack Magazine Destination Guide

Nevis Range Mountain Resort, Scotland

Crans Montana MTB Destination Guide

Whistler: A Singletrack Destination Guide

Reverse Base Flat Pedals

We’re always interested in a new flat pedal here at STW HQ. Vital stats: 116 x 104 x 20mm. Slightly concave shape with added CNC work. 16 x 11mm pins per pedal (9 and 13mm pins optionally available). The relatively chonky body is due to the bushing design: 1 x industrial bearing and 1 x Reverse Baurillium bushing. Baurillium you say? Reserve: “Our newly developed ‘Baurillium’ bushing ensures a long-lasting and low-maintenance pedal. The bushing replaces plastic or Teflon bushings with a special metal alloy with particularly effective sliding and lubricating properties. This bushing is significantly more resilient and has a long service life. A permanent lubrication is generated by the metal alloy with micro pores.”

Gardinól Plant Based Garden Lubricant

  • Price: from £11.00 on Kickstarter
  • From: Green Oil

Green Oil are branching(!) out into the gardening world. Their new Gardinól brand launched oin Kickstarter this week and we received these items in the post a few days beforehand. “Green Oil needs your help to get Gardinól off the ground. The plan is to displace not just water from your metal parts, but GT-85 and WD-40 with all the pollution they cause from the market place. Gardinól can be used on almost anything. Great for garden sheers, locks, hinges, bed springs, nearly anything with moving parts. Whilst other brands use PTFE which is bad for the environment and the production of which is carcinogenic, Gardinól is superior. It utilizes plant based ingredients and eco-graphite, a friction modifier which is totally biodegradable.”

SRAM Powertrain

  • Price: N/A
  • From: Yesterday

SRAM finally officially revealed their e-bike motor/system this week. You can read all about it – and our first ride impressions of it – by checking out yesterday’s story: SRAM Powertrain motor is a gamechanger.

Thread Of The Week

This week’s prize-winning Fourm post was kicked off by bonzodog. Do you have any ano crimes you need to confess?

The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So @bonzodog please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for your random prize. Don’t forget to include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics like. Ta!

Happy Weekending!
What is Fresh Goods Friday?

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Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

More posts from Ben

Home Forums Fresh Goods Friday 672 – The Metal Mullets Edition

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 20 total)
  • Fresh Goods Friday 672 – The Metal Mullets Edition
  • 5
    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Orange Switch 6 Frame

    (And I have been an Orange fan boi and sponsored by them in the past!)

    1
    sharkattack
    Full Member

    The only thing comforting about that Orange Switch frame is knowing that I can’t be forced to buy one.

    landslide
    Full Member

    Bit function over form, isn’t it? I like the pink colour though.

    2
    liquid
    Free Member

    Currenly own an orange, previous bike was an orange, am looking for a new frame that is a mullet it will not be an orange – Ellsworth are going to loose their crown of fugly bikes kings

    1
    sharkattack
    Full Member

    Ellsworth are going to loose their crown of fugly bikes kings

    OK, so now I have to check.

    Yep, bizness as usual.

    IdleJon
    Free Member

    John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 theme, disco version.

    1) It’s not very discoey.

    2) He wasn’t a very good music maker.

    3) If that’s the disco version, what’s the dirge version sound like.

    4) Why, other than the title would you inflict that on us?

    😀

    1
    zerocool
    Full Member

    I’m an Orange fan (and had a neon pink Alpine 160 for years) and normally like their aesthetic, but I do think that frame isn’t very pretty.  I wonder if it would look better in black (as most bikes do).  I’m interested to hear how it performs as I do fancy another one at some point.

    prettygreenparrot
    Full Member

    That is an ‘interesting’ pink colour for sure. 🙈

    desperatebicycle
    Full Member

    I quite like the pink, but this bit –
    https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/P1390458-scaled.jpg
    Are they trying to disguise it as an ebike?

    3
    footflaps
    Full Member

    4
    brakestoomuch
    Full Member

    No tables or scrubs allowed on that Orange. It says so on the box.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    No tables or scrubs allowed on that Orange. It says so on the box.

    *applauds*

    1
    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    No tables or scrubs allowed on that Orange. It says so on the box.

    One of those can be fixed with a little TLC

    eulach
    Full Member

    John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 theme, disco version.

    1) It’s not very discoey.

    2) He wasn’t a very good music maker.

    3) If that’s the disco version, what’s the dirge version sound like.

    4) Why, other than the title would you inflict that on us?

    😀

    FTFY

    3
    Mark
    Full Member

    This is a much better version of The End

    clubby
    Full Member

    Bit function over form, isn’t it? I like the pink colour though

    Looks like a flamingo in fishnet stockings.

    tintim
    Full Member

    The Orange frame is marmite, but I like marmite.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Could be wrong but I suspect the Orange might have grown from them trying to figure out how to stop their recent bikes from cracking? Sure it’s a storage box but it’s also effectively a massive reinforcing plate around the BB and pivots. The massive top/seattube infill piece has the same feel, “let’s just add metal til it holds together”.

    chakaping
    Full Member

    Orange solved the cracking issues 4 or 5 years ago. I’m sure some still crack, but there was a specific problem with the swingarms on the 2018-ish bikes.

    I think the design driver for them has purely been fitting in a bottle and frame storage.

    Got to agree this could look better in a less “NHS denture pink” colour (think someone on PB said that, not my gag). I’m a confirmed Orange fan so I won’t be mean about this, but if I was gonna have a bike that looked like this I’d prefer it had a motor and battery.

    dirkpitt74
    Full Member

    How small are those brake pads!! – or does the ‘hand model’ have a massive thumb for comparison?

    Not too keen on the Orange with the stash box – or that pink……

     

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 20 total)

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