Testing, testing, one, two, three… is this thing on? Welcome one and all to the latest and – some* would say – greatest edition of Fresh Goods Friday!
*possibly no one
Auckland Cycle Works Marra
- Price: £2,750 (50% pre-order payment)
- From: Auckland Cycle Works
We’ll not devle too much into this machine just yet. A deep dive will appear on this very website shortly (next week, prevailing winds depending). What is this bike? This bike is an Auckland Cycle Works Marra. No, not that Auckland. Bishop Auckland. The Marra is a limited edition full-custom build. Only 25 Marra frames will be built during 2024. 175, 180 or 200mm rear travel. 170-200mm fork travel.
“Marra is built from Reynolds 853 chromoly steel tubing. The ‘stronger when welded’ properties of Reynolds 853 make it the obvious choice for a bike of this nature. The KOLARP suspension design is unique to Auckland Cycle Works. This new design of rear suspension means Marra pedals and climbs better, the suspension is more effective so you go faster, it delivers unmatched chassis stability, and the braking performance is like nothing you’ve experienced before. Learn more about KOLARP here.
Fresh Goods Friday 689: The Movie
Do you even have transparent spectacle frames bro?
Michelin E-Wild Tyres
- Price: £79.99 for 2.4in, £89.99 for 2.6in
- From: Silverfish UK
Electric rubbers! What makes tyres ebike specific? It’s hard to say what really differentiates them from yer common or garden downhill tyres. They’re chunky, sticky and stiff. The proof as ever will be in the riding and we’ve duly slapped these on a nearby ebike to see how they do. The tread patterns look interesting; the front looks like an Assegai that we might actually get along with (sorry, Ass’ fans). The rear looks like no other tyre we can think of. Keep an eye on our Instagram feed as Benji will no doubt be doing some sort of reel about them on the very first ride.
Dark City DVD
- Price: £2.99
- From: eBay
Yes, another bargain basement dystopian future film from back-in-the-day. Dark City kinda got lost amidst all the Matrix film(s). Great cast of Brits in this overlooked gloomy gem.
Spare Battery For E-chainsaw
- Price: £13.95
- From: Lidl/eBay
It’s been a bit windy out. Plenty of trees paid the price with their lives. As we deal with their bodies lain across our trails we often find the need for a leccy chainsaw that lasts a bit longer.
100% Brisker Cold Weather Gloves
- Price: £31.99
- From: Silverfish UK
I [ Benji ] will come clean about these; I asked for another pair of these oft-featured-in-FGF gloves because I thought I’d lost the previous pair. And then I found them in the bottom of a lesser used backpack. But still, you can never have too many Briskers. And despite 100%’s efforts to expand upon the design, I still think the original Cold Weather Brisker is the best at what it does. No, they aren’t for ice climbing in the Cairngorm during Storm B’stard, but for regular chilly rides they’re a market leader for a reason.
Vallon Watchtower Glasses
- Price: £122.00
- From: Vallon
Made with 85% recycled fishing nets, these 80s inspired glasses come with three nose pieces to adjust the fit and have lenses treated with Zeiss’s RiPel technology – a hydrophobic and oleophobic coating. There are three frame colours to choose from – we’ve got these green ones because they come with the copper tint lens which looks nice, and lets in 14% of visible light. The smoke tint lets in a little less light, at 13% VLT.
Buff ThermoNet Multifunctional Neckwear
- Price: £21.95
- From: Buff
A real and official BUFF®, this new ThermoNet version has been ‘engineered for extreme cold conditions’. Apparently the Primaloft ThermoNet fabric provides enhanced warmth and retains heat while remaining lightweight. It certainly feels sort of magically thick and thin at the same time. Techno. This ‘Skatick Graphite’ design is one of those ‘but what is it?’ graphic patterns. Is there a hidden meaning lurking in the zig zags and splodges? It took us a long while to spot the cyclist.
Buff Merino Lightweight Multifunctional Neckwear
- Price: £22.95
- From: Buff
Another real and official BUFF®’s, this time made with 100% Merino. Posh, stylish and non-stinky. Which probably makes it smart enough to wear to the office. Well, your office. You can wear anything you like to our office.
Bafang display
- Price: £0.00
- From: Vitus Bikes
Apologies for all of you awaiting our review of the Vitus E-Mythique LT. It is coming. It’s just had a few teething issues. One of which is a pesky display screen that appears to have been causing some glitches in the Matrix. We shall see.
Bikepacking Diaries: Members’ Only Series #2
- Price: £Membership
- From: Account Newsletter settings
Singletrack World members have access to loads of bonus content, which includes a diary series of my bikepacking trip across Spain. Well since then I’ve been on a much bigger trip, which is being introduced in the upcoming print magazine. The remainder of the journey will be delivered straight to your inbox if you sign up to the members’ newsletter. If bikepacking isn’t of interest to you, don’t worry! The editorial team take it in turns to write the monthly members’ newsletter, so there will be something for everyone we’re sure.
Thread Of The Week
The win this week goes to kramer for kicking off this thread on the world’s best bike forum:
The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So @kramer please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for your random prize (it will probably be a Singletrack Forum Bottle Opener). Don’t forget to include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics like. K thx bye!
Shameless Self Promotion
- Price: Your email
- From: singletrackworld.com/newsletter (or the box below)
A really great email that turns up once a week, fronted by an excellent editorial column written by our managing editor, Hannah. Chock full of extras.
It’s Singletrack’s long running, weekly roundup of all of the new products that have been sent in to the magazine.
They’re sent in by bike companies and marketing agencies
They’re featured and then some are reviewed down the line in either Singletrack Magazine or in online reviews and photoshoots.
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.
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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