Fresh Goods Friday 675 – The Black, White & Read All Over Edition

by 46

Welcome one and all to the six hundred and seventy fifth installment of Fresh Goods Friday.

I don’t know if its due to strong winds messing with my cerebral cortex, or it’s just part of aging, but I’ve been reminded of the noughties mash-up era a lot this week. Who remembers that mashup that mixed Wu Tang’s ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ with The O’Jays ‘For The Love Of Money’? Just me? I can’t find it anywhere on YouTube. I’ll have to dig out my old iPod from the bedside drawer.

What was the first mashup? It may have been Adina Howard x Gary Numan ‘Freak Like Me’. Maybe it was Kraftwerk x Whitney Houston ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody‘. Or that ‘Kid Will Rock You‘ Queen x Reggae x Kids tune?

Anyway. Where were we? Here’s what you actually came in for: Fresh Goods Friday!

Grey skies call for Grey Albums

Shimano GF8 GTX Shoes

Why shoulder SPuDders get all the weatherproof footwear eh? Flat-sole shoes built for the wet and cold conditions we are into now. The sole is a special “low-temperature version” of ULTREAD GF rubber “formulated for sticky and stable pedal grip in cold conditions”. GORE-TEX sock-style liner with a stretchy ankle collar. BOA with the L6 dial (plastic shielded) prevents accidental undoings. Robust toe cap for additional toe protection (when booting out clogged up drainage channels, for example).

Madison Eyewear Enigma Glasses

One of the lesser appreciate daspects of Modern Life is that the bendy plastic frames of cycling glasses are loads better than the snappy-clicky-latchy awks-tastic designs of yore when it comes to changes lense in and out. Take these Enigma specs for example. Just grab ’em, pull ’em open, pull the lens out, stick the new lens in, squash ’em shut again. Modern Life isn’t always Rubbish despite what Messrs Albarn et al claimed. Oh yeah, these glasses come with the usual three lenses: orangey-pinky (pictured), grey-dark and clear.

Wolf Tooth Waveform Pedals

Gosh darn these peggles look lush. To my eyes anyway. I don’t care if silver-is-the-new-oil-slick (and thus soon to be naff and dated), I think Waveform flatties from Wolf Tooth are gorgeous. Which is just as well because they cost nigh on a hundred quid. Each. Deets ya want is it? Okay then: 14mm thickest, 12.5mm in the centre, 112mm x 106mm (Large version), 400g, 6061-T6 aluminium platform, 11x 304 stainless steel rear-loading pins per side, fully serviceable, six spare pins included, 5-year warranty.

Stages Power L – Shimano GRX RX810

Now that there is such a thing as the Gravel World Championships, there are plenty of serious AF training aids for gravel bikes. This Stages power meter is built onto the non-drive side of a Shimano GRX crank arm. Accuracy: ±1.5%. Over 200 hours battery life claimed. Power range (Watts): 0 to 2500, so probably okay. Compatible with Stages Link, Training Peaks, Strava, Garmin Training Center and other software/apps. Price does include lifetime access to Stages Link for power meter management and firmware upgrade. Also available in two-crank versions. For mo’ money, obvs.

Feedback Sports Thru-Axle Chain Keeper

A non-essential but very-nice-to-have item this. The Thru-Axle Chain Keeper will er, keep the chain of bikes with 12mm Thru-Axles out of the way during washing, tune-ups or travelin’. Installed by hand. Made from recyclable, bio-based plastic.

Silca Mondrian Bright Water Bottle

From the moment I saw this bottle I knew that it will be mine. Oh yes. It will be mine. What is there to say about this bottle besides its super rad graphic design? Well, it has a “transparent visual guide” on the side letting you know how much liquid is left. And there’s a MoFlo cap ont top.

One Up Aluminium Handlebar

Our guy Ross recently did his shoulder in (technical medical terminology there). Anyway, he was chatting to the bods over at One Up Components about stuff (probably about the whys and wherefores of building goat-proof fencing or such like) and the subject of returning to riding post-injury came up. This handlebar promuises to offer the same comfort as OneUp’s handlebar but a more wallet friendly price. “Get carbon performance at an aluminum price. The Aluminum Handlebar uses the same patented oval shape as our Carbon Handlebar to deliver increased vertical compliance without sacrificing steering stiffness. It’s the perfect mix of durability and performance.” 800mm wide. 8° x 5° sweep combo. Guaranteed to never get fitted to an e-bike (Ross init).

One Up Stem

A collar to match the above cuffs. Here’s a One Up stem to hold on to Ross’ new comfy bars. 35mm diameter. 35mm length too. 39mm stack height. 55mm clamp width. 6061-T6 aluminium.

Lazer Chase KinetiCore Helmet

A 5-star Virginia Tech-rated full face helmet, built with KinetiCore technology to protect against direct and rotational impact. Features a breakaway peak for enhanced neck protection, a flexible front grid to protect the face from splashes and thick padding for a snug and comfortable fit. Destined to contain Hannah’s bonce when bikeparking.

Ortlieb Seat Pack QR 13L

  • Price: £160.00
  • From: Lyon

Is this the best saddlebag ever? If you want to read more about what this pack is great at, read our Where the wild things aren’t – A Cairngorm bikepacking adventure feature from last year. P.S. it will also work just fine for plain old commuting to your workplace along the canal.

Shimano GF6 Shoes

Shimano’s benchmark flat pedal shoe. Synthetic leather upper. A new ULTREAD GF slow rebound rubber compound and wide profile hexagonal tread pattern. Asymmetric raised padded ankle collar. The “trail tuned upper” is tighter around the ball of foot for enhanced bike control and pedalling efficiency and has increased volume at the toe box and heel for improved walking comfort and shock absorption.

Shimano GE7 Shoes

Downhill/enduro SPD shoes. Shimano ULTREAD GE rubber compound and tread pattern. TORBAL 2.0 torsional midsole “improves outer edge flexibility for excellent control on aggressive descents and corners.” Updated Pedal Channel has an expanded toe-to-heel design for SPD stability when unclipped. Asymmetrically raised padded ankle collar and sidewall sole for added protection. Reinforced toe cap for additional toe protection.

Shimano GF4 Shoes

Yes, these were the only Shimano shoes in the box that fitted me. Comfortable flat-sole shoes these. Shimano ULTREAD GF rubber compound. Layered half-length EVA foam absorbs impacts. Breathable fabric upper with laces and elastic retaining strap. “Cascaded upper and outsole designs deliver competition-level performance to even more gravity riders” (no, I’m not sure what that means either). Asymmetrically raised padded ankle collar and robust toe cap for protection.

Ere Research Tenaci GA40 Aero Wheels w/ Tenaci TLR Skinwall 700×38 Tyres

  • Price: from £1,399 (wheels), £49.00 (tyres)
  • From: Ere Research

Resident Gravelleure Amanda will be pleased. Ere Research: “The fastest wheels you’ll ever need for your gravel bike. No compromise on either materials or design was made to make this wheelset a reality from our ideas on paper to the final wheels in our gravel bikes. It might need some getting used to that hollow whooshing speed sound these wheels make when accelerating… off-road! Tried and tested for over a year by many pro riders in UCI gravel series and coming out on top winning several Gravel UCI Worldcup’s in 2022. We are proud to present the new GA40 carbon aero wheels for gravel bikes. Weighing in at only 1.549 grams with 40mm carbon rims.”

Madison Flux D30 Arm Pad

Lightweight mountain bike trail elbow pad with a stretch fit, designed to worn all ride. Features a D3O insert which “offers excellent protection and minimises bulk”, it sez ‘ere.

Madison Flux 3-Layer Men’s Waterproof Trail Jacket

Lightweight waterproof mountain bike jacket with hood, protects from downpours in milder conditions. Cool enough to wear all day and small enough to pack down. Fully taped seams and a DWR coated. When not in use this jacket can be rolled up into the hood for stowage.

Madison Isoler Merino Waterproof Socks

Can you have too many waterpoof socks? Er, no. “Merino wool retains its thermal properties when it’s wet to better regulate the body’s temperature. The inner and outer sock have a waterproof, windproof and breathable membrane sandwiched between them, which is what keeps your foot dry and warm.”

Madison Flux Men’s DWR Trail Trousers

A lightweight mountain bike trouser. Ratchet strap with elasticated waist and four way stretch fabric. Water resistant to shrug off splashes and light rain. Designed in conjunction with the Madison Saracen Factory Race Team. Leg lengths! You can choose from three leg lengths Madison offer: 30 inch SHORT, 32 inch REGULAR or 34 inch LONG. Yes!

Print & Digital Gift Subscription to Singletrack World Magazine

A reminder of our subscription offering…

  • Save up to £23 per year – save £3.83 every issue
  • Free Delivery via Royal Mail every 2 months
  • The perfect gift!
  • Secure Online Payment
  • 6 issues of the Singletrack print magazine a year
  • Instant access to all back issues dating back to 2001 (There’s over 150 of them!)
  • Frequent subscriber-only online articles (and instant access to all existing subscriber-only content)
  • View the website without Ads
  • Exclusive editorial email newsletter every month
  • More discounts and downloads than you can shake a stick at (route GPX, PDFs, iBooks, gift vouchers…)
  • Future proof – All new features automatically added to your membership

Thread Of The Week

Absolutely vital convo going on throughout Merak‘s stunning post on the Chat Forum this week:

The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So @Merak 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!

Six and a half hours(?!)
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.

Sign up to receive awesome editorial content from Hannah every week.

Check your inbox for our confirmation email and click the link to activate your newsletter.
We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

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

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 46 total)
  • Fresh Goods Friday 675 – The Black, White & Read All Over Edition
  • Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    £200+ shoes?

    nickc
    Full Member

    Been like that for ages hasn’t it? Expensive shoes, I mean.

     

     

    IHN
    Full Member

    At least they £200+ ones have some gore-tex and stuff. I’m more amazed/appalled at the £180 trainers (and I know someone will pipe up and say they’re not trainers they’re technical riding shoes or some such guff, but in materials and construction they’re basically trainers).

    And let’s not ignore eighteen quid for a two quid water bottle.

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    And let’s not ignore eighteen quid for a two quid water bottle.

    Assumed that was a typo. £1.80.

    ton
    Full Member

    one day hopefully, i will look at the Fresh Goods Friday thing, and it will be a budget edition………. where i can actually afford something on show.

    jeffl
    Full Member

    TBF those glasses with interchangeable lenses seem vaguely sensible at £30.

    oldfart
    Full Member

    Agreed with Ton , also Chinese made daps have a hell of a mark up ! Oh and the “ innovative “ feature on an £18 bottle ? I see right through that ! 🙄 

    The same marketing mumbo jumbo that brought us hands free technology on Sketchers shoes , they are slip ons like we used to wear before we learned to tie laces 🙄

    jacobff
    Full Member

    True but I read ST and frequent STW for shiny bits and odd stuff.

    Do I need it? No

    Is it overpriced? Yes / Sometimes / No

    Do I want shiny stuff? Yes I’m a magpie in human form.

     

    Pedals look great, I’d love a pair. However I’m running some 6 year old composites with 13 year old 510’s, cause I’m tight and they work (enough anyway for now)

    vmgscot
    Full Member

    GF has just taken delivery of some of those Shimano winter flats (paid £180).
    She is normally womens size 7 in 5:10 and the blokes Shimano size 7 fits lengthwise.
    Her report is they are a tad narrow (but not restrictive narrow) – we’ll see how they bed in.

    zerocool
    Full Member

    That Lazer helmet has reminded me how few pink and/or purple full face lids there are out there. I just spent far too long tracking down a small helmet for the daughter. In the end we found a pink/blue Bluegrass lid that kept her happy.

    desperatebicycle
    Full Member

    I need ebike specfic bars! I can’t believe I was fobbed off with normal bars (what I changed for bargain carbon ones and now want EBIKE specific ones!) Life is unfair. £150! Crimmins!

    LAT
    Full Member

    MBR used to measure tyres with a Shore durometer. it would be interesting to know the rating for the soles of flat shoes.

    She is normally womens size 7 in 5:10 and the blokes Shimano size 7

    interesting. what model of 5:10 is she comparing them to?

    vmgscot
    Full Member

    @LAT Womens Freeriders
    I double checked and she said she was using womens size 7 freeriders for ever but had to size up to womens 7.5 freeriders for last pair.

    Bruce
    Full Member

    One day on FGF I will actually see something I want🙃

    Jonno
    Full Member

    One day on FGF I will read it and not wonder why everything in mtbing is so driven by marketing guff and so stupidly expensive.

    Or maybe I will just stop reading it…. 

    doomanic
    Full Member

    200 quid pedals???

    alloypenguin
    Full Member

    Those GF8 shoes look like a 19th century cure for something. Ugly.  And the water bottle……really, £18.00?  Nah, pass.

    sam_underhill
    Full Member

    Where are the gf8s available for 180?

    I “need” some of those for my commute and winter riding.

    rockhopper70
    Full Member

    Is that the correct image for the bar, as printed on it are the words, “Oneup Components Alu Bar” suggesting it’s not Carbon?

    bikesandboots
    Full Member

    £200 pedals and they run so close to the cranks you can only use 80% of them

    davidmoyesismydad
    Free Member

    Please can we stop the constant how much. Yes there expensive just don’t buy them then.it gets tedius week in week out .

    Personally I’ll happily dump 200 notes on shoes because I can and pedals .

    It’s an expensive sport  if you want it to be equally it doesn’t have to be just quit the whinging

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Those GF8 shoes look like a 19th century cure for something. Ugly

    There are endless skate shoe style flat pedal shoes out there for you. If the GF8 works well as a filthy conditions shoe I will get my wallet out for a pair.

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    It’s an expensive sport  if you want it to be equally it doesn’t have to be just quit the whinging

    But it needn’t be. Selling water bottles for £18 is taking the piss. The issue is that people are happy to be ripped off.

    People need to stand up to it! The whole pricing structure is broken.

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    Chill Harry, they’ll be discounted on CRC in no time……

    doomanic
    Full Member

    Personally I’ll happily dump 200 notes on shoes because I can and pedals .

    Humblebrag much?

    Harry_the_Spider
    Full Member

    Seriously, we are being ripped off!

    How does a bike tyre cost almost as much as a car tyre? The technology, materials and energy consumption in vehicle tyres surpasses those in bike tyres. The reason is that the vehicle market wouldn’t stand it.

    I work in the tyre production industry BTW.

    We are being taken for mugs.

    johnnystorm
    Full Member

    I work in the tyre production industry BTW.

    Have a word sayong theres a killing to be made by making cheap but top quality tyres.

    As an aside, there is at least one person up there moaning about the cost of the items whose last bike was a Titanium Fargo with a Rohloff! 😉

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Nice to see some gluten free shoes at last.

    TBH if they really do the job, £220 RRP for a proper bike shoe with goretex is something I might buy, if I could count on them working for me. But shimano shoes I’ve had in the past have been great but not lasted very well, and riding shoes are a matter of taste so you might just not like the feel or the grip level or they might have hotspots or dig in or something and so £220 seems insane with that many ifs that you can only answer by buying em and gettign them dirty. The Five Ten goretex ones turned out not great for me, worse than some non-bike shoes I use for biking- in fact worse even than some non-bike Five Tens. So it’s a no for me

    I’m pretty sure this is at least the 10th year in a row of shimano redesigning their flat pedal soles, is “just copy a five ten freerider” really so hard?

    darlobiker
    Full Member

    You can still get a budget bike tyre for less than £20 and high quality car tyres will cost more than 10 times that. Comparing a top end mountain bike tyre with a budget car tyre is equally misleading.

    ton
    Full Member

    As an aside, there is at least one person up there moaning about the cost of the items whose last bike was a Titanium Fargo with a Rohloff! 😉

    haha, but now that bloke is a poor pensioner…………… ;o)

    rootes1
    Full Member

    If anyone wants to see pedals with axle dims / centre width – approx. here with axles added to the WT template (odd they don’t include this to start with). The cage is of the pedal design that is close to the crank which makes them less wide than they could be and think is you wide more midfoot is terrible.

    waveform-Model

    In any case after previously wasting money on expensive premium pedals in the past, I just buy these:

    https://www.ht-components.com/product/productDetail/13

    Big, durable, grippy and reasonably priced

    IHN
    Full Member

    TBH if they really do the job, £220 RRP for a proper bike shoe with goretex is something I might buy, if I could count on them working for me

    Me too, and I made the initial comment about the shoe prices. It’s not those ones that are taking the piss though, it’s the ones that are, basically, a pair of skate pumps but are £180.

    People need to stand up to it! The whole pricing structure is broken

    Especially when magazines/websites like this that purports to offer balanced reviews of the stuff, so you’d hope would be a fairly impartial arbiter of quality, performance, value etc, just swallows it whole.

    Eighteen quid for that bottle is mental. Now, Benji might really like the design and be prepared to pay that, fair enough, but it would be a fairly obvious thing to say “I love it so bought one, but yeah, eighteen quid is a bit mental”.

    noeffsgiven
    Free Member

    Well even if my dad was a mediocre football manager I wouldn’t drop £200 on pedals or shoes, and plenty here can easily afford it but don’t feel the need to say so, it’s about seeing the value. it’s overpriced, end of. It has a knock on effect, they get away with it cos there’s always mugs willing to pay it.
    For example if people stopped buying trickstuff brakes they wouldn’t go under they’d just charge £600 instead of a grand, probably shift more and expand production too.

    desperatebicycle
    Full Member

    Personally I’ll happily dump 200 notes on shoes because I can and pedals

    Just the kinda mug they love. I’ve got the money so I’ll spend it on shit. Mug.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I guess put it another way, if I was still racing, and back up kinlochleven in the snow racing down what are basically streams of icemelt, and there was a little stall in town selling goretex flat pedal hi-top shoes for £220 I would not hesitate 🙂

    Definitely agree about the other ones that are basically just shoes. I mean, the GF7 seems similar to but simpler than the GE7 but they’re the same price? Meanwhile RRP aside, you can pretty much always get freeriders for £60-£70, or the slightly techier DLX version for £80, or the Pro version for £90 if you like a stiffer less feeley sole, and they seem like the exact competitors except also the well-proven benchmark that these ones seem to be yet another attempt to match.

    Likewise there used to be a semi-sensible market for **** expensive pedals back when cheap pedals were crap or heavy or bulky, but now I can think of a half a dozen pedals at £45 or less that are probably just as good as those. My Thinkriders are bloody awesome and they cost me £18.

    Also, just noticed the thread name- my twitter handle is adeadpenguin, cos I used to ride a cotic hemlock that was black and white and red all over, so I approve

    smeear
    Full Member

    shimano shoes looking like they might actually be wide enough for my wide feet! hopefully?

    anyone else now have proper wide feet from wearing barefoot shoes?

    chipps
    Full Member

    To be fair, we rarely bring the price of products into our assessment of them in reviews. One person’s view of value is going to be different to another’s. We try to review products based on their intended use and how well they rate on that. If it’s an expensive way of going about it, we’ll mention it, but won’t necessarily slam something because it’s expensive.

    It’s up to the buyer to decide if they want to spend that money on that product to make them that much happier/better. We could spend ages looking for the AliExpress versions of every product we’re sent, but that’s for someone else to do. We still work in the bike industry biosphere, where people add a margin for their efforts for importing/distributing and retailing a product and we’ll present things as such. The STW-appropriate example would be watches, where a £5 Casio will tell better time than a £5000 (£10K now, surely?) Rolex.

    Sometimes you’re not just paying for the function, you’re paying for the R&D, the marketing, the sponsored riders, the flagship store and the nice keyring you get in the box. Other times, you’re just paying for the minimum fuss, don’t even get a box and can wear them right now and go out riding. You’re only being ripped off if you buy something that you think is going to be more awesome, life-fulfilling than it actually is. I’ve got some 10 year old Camelbak Podium bottles that are still going strong. They cost £16 a go. If you don’t lose it, that’s £1.60 a year and dropping. 

    IHN
    Full Member

    It’s up to the buyer to decide if they want to spend that money on that product to make them that much happier/better.

    The problem with this argument is that it’s publications like this that, largely, set buyer expectations. So, by not bringing price into a review, you’re effectively saying that £18 quid for a water bottle or £180 for a pair of pumps is reasonable. So that becomes the received wisdom in the market, and that’s what stuff costs.

    Whereas you could be saying “yeah, they’re good, but the price is nuts”.

    I remember years ago you reviewed a Rapha jacket and basically said “you’re taking the piss with your pricing”. There’s very little of that now.

    [And I know FGF isn’t about reviewing stuff, it’s just saying what you’ve been sent, but even there there’s scope]

    gowerboy
    Full Member

    There are so many flat pedals on the market now… those Wolf Tooth ones look nice but you are so spoilt for choice I’m not sure why I’d chose them over Hope, Gusset, Superstar, etc.  I did just buy some Pinnd flats because they use all bearings rather than bushes so I thought I’d see if they last longer before developing play…

    gazzab1955
    Full Member

    Why do companies keep selling water bottles without a proper cover for the nozzle? At £17 I would expect one. On an MTB they always get covered in crap (literally!) and mud, sheep shit, cow pats, etc, just don’t taste nice.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 46 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.