Fresh Goods Friday 702 – The Quality Street Edition

Hello to you all and welcome to this week’s edition of stuff-that-has-arrived at STW HQ! Otherwise known as Fresh Goods Friday.

What dowe have for you this week? Why, simple take a gander below. All human life is there. Well, the section that rides mountain bikes anyway.

Merida One-Twenty 700

• Price: £3,100
• From: Merida Bikes
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The confusingly-named 130mm-travel One Twenty trail bike. You can read Ross’ Merida One Twenty first ride review from last September’s launch. Essentially, the One Twenty is more a the XC end of the Trail Bike spectrum.Running. the140mm fork up front gives a relatively steep head angle of 66° and a pleasingly steep seat angle of 78.5°. The reach on this size Large is 485mm. The build kit is a SRAM NX/DB8 affair for the stoppers and the goers, with plenty of Merida’s own-brand finishing kit. The suspension is handled by a RockShox Pike Select fork and Deluxe Select+ rear shock. This is destined to be Ross’ mile-slaying machine for the year so expect it to see some upgrades before too long.

Fresh Goods Friday 702: D’Movie

Where’s Wally yeah?

Fox Union BOA Flat Shoes

• Price: £209.99
• From: Fox Racing UK
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These have got to be up there as the most tech flat pedal shoes currently available. Essentially they are BOA’d versions of the excellent Union Flat shoes that came out last year. Feature list: Ultratac outsole, dual BOA Li2 system, hex-shaped lugs in the pedal pin zones, toe and heel zones are more spaced out for hike-a-biking, molded toe cap and reinforced toe for, one-piece upper with welded construction (does an impressive job of keeping dampness at bay), replaceable lower/higher arch supports via Velcro.

Kali Trinity Gloss Carbon Helmet

• Price: £349.99
• From: Oxford Products

Shiny, shiny… shiny hat of carbon. That’s how The Velvet Underground would no doubt describe this lid. Which is all well and good but it’s hardly informative is it? Typical of Reed/Cale et al that is. The Kali Trinity has: carbon outer shell, in-molded with Nano Fusion and Conehead technology, ERT Low Density Layer to help mitigate low-G and rotational impacts, adjustable visor, Fidlock buckle, 17 vents, 1,092g. Passes the ATSM F1952 & EN1078 Downhilly safety standards.

Madison Roam Primaloft Gilet

• Price: £69.99
• From: Freewheel
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First thing of note, there’s not a whole lotta Primaloft in this garment (you kind of make out the chest area where the Primaloft-ing is in the photos). Which is more of an observation than a criticism. The lack of bulk after all, is part of parcel of what a gilet is. What else is there to this garment? Refreshable DWR coating, 2-way zip, semi-elasticated neck and a mildly dropped hem at the back. Also available in a Moss Green colour as well as this Lake Blue.

Madison Roam Packable Jacket

• Price: £79.99
• From: Freewheel
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Another lightweight Lake Blue layer from Madison. A stretchy fit, wind resistant jacket that is easily compressible and packable and can be stuffed into its own pocket when not in use. You don’t have to then use it as a Hacky Sack, but the option is there. Features: DWR coating, roll down hood securement (is that a word?), two-way chunky front zip, elasticated cuffs and hood to keep drafts at bay.

Madison Code Breaker Sunglasses 3 Pack

• Price: £59.99
• From: Freewheel
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Even though we probably shouldn’t say it, these are essentially Madison’s… er, tribute the Oakley Jawbreaker. There’s no pivoting hinges or Mark Cavendish to be found on these though. The flexible TR-90 frame simply opens up and the lens pops out/in. This is the three-lens pack edition that contains a Cat. 3 tinted lens for bright conditions, a Cat. 1 amber lens for medium-light conditions and a Cat. 0 clear lens for low-light conditions. Also available in a clear blue frame.

Restrap Race Hydration Vest

• Price: £139.99
• From: Restrap

Restrap’s new product was officially launched yesterday: “Introducing the Race Hydration Vest: a comfortable and practical way to carry fluids and nutrition while riding long distances or out into the unknown. Made with a focus on functionality, the Race Hydration Vest is designed specifically around fuelling on the bike. The high placement on the back ensures maximum comfort in the riding position and compatibility with jersey pockets, allowing for easy access to essentials while on the move. It’s packed full of useful features and comes supplied with a 2L water bladder.”

Arrow Carbon Trail MX Pro 5 Wheelset

• Price: £1,199 inc. valves and taped
• From: Arrow Wheels

We needed a set of lightweight mullet wheels for A Thing. The Thing being a magazine feature to be specific. A magazine feature about the pros and cons of lightening up a ‘heavy’ bike versus bulking up a ‘light’ bike, to be even more specifc. As it happens, there aren’t many carbon wheelsets available in mixed wheel sizing. So we approached our relatively local wheelsmith – Matt at Arrow Wheels – and it turns out you can get mixed wheel combos of Arrow’s Carbon Trail wheels. These are based around Hope Pro hubs. The wheels come in around 1,600g before tape and valves.

Maxxis Forekaster 27.5×2.40 WT 3C MaxxTerra EXO Tyre

• Price: £69.99
• From: Freewheel
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The thought of all-out XC tyres frightens Benji somewhat. The ‘lowest’ he’s prepared to go in terms of rubber grrr is the Maxxis Forekaster, in 2.4in WT flavour. We already have some of the 29in versions of these on test at the moment, so you can expect a full review of the Forkeasters relatively soon (in time for summer at least!)

Vans x YT 114 Shoes

• Price: £99.99
• From: YT Industries

This one of them there colabs init. These new sneaks aren’t really intended for mountain biking. They’re more for dirt jumping and BMX: “built for the needs of the Vans BMX team, making it a match for heavy jump jams, bike park laps, and endless pump track sessions”, if you will. Vans Wafflecup BMX outsole, Ppopcush insoles. Something called “Duracap underlays” for support, protection, and durability.

And for the LOLZ, here’s a pic of Benji riding in some ye olde Vans BMX back in the previous century. 10 points for identifying the frame. And the fork…

Öhlins TXC2 Air Rear Shock

• Price: £615.00
• From: Windwave

So dinky we almost mistook it for a bit of Lego Technics. The Öhlins TXC2Air XC is designed for XC bikes with a less progressive nature (this particular shock is going on to an Orange Stage Evo).”TTX twin-tube technology for superior small bump sensitivity and enhanced traction.” The TXC2Air comes with a 3-position manual lever, rebound adjustment and 16 clicks of low-speed compression (when in the Open mode).

Öhlins RXC34 M.1 Fork

• Price: £1,252.00
• From: Windwave

The Öhlins RXC34 M.1 is up there with the Fox 34 Float Factory GRIP2 as the very best of shorter travel trail forks. Our main with the plan RHys W first ride reviewed the Öhlins RXC34 M.1 last summer (along with the dinky rear shock above) and it’s taken until spring 2024 to get a test pair in at last!

Evening Rides!

• Price: £0.00
• From: Teatime

Regardless of what weather we’re experiencing, the fact that the sun doesn’t set until 8.30pm at the moment is cause for celebration. Heck, on a brighter, less cloud infused evening, ‘golden hour’ lasts until nearly 9pm. Bod be praised! The ability to just get out there and ride is a real blessing. A sanity saver for a lot of us, no doubt.

Thread Of The Week

Congratulations this week go to hardtailonly for being the kicker-offerer 🦶 of this thread right here:

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

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