Fresh Goods Friday 707: The Spot of Bother Edition

Despite there only being 4 days left of this holiday week for things to go wrong in, it’s been a slightly tricky week here at Singletrack Towers. Zoe had a couple of days off doing wedding anniversary and half term type things, and without her around it’s touch and go whether any of us manages to keep pointed in the right direction. Amanda is in isolation with some sort of lurgy – possibly a cold, possibly something more Dickensian, like mumps or consumption. Whatever it is, she is keeping it to herself. Benji is off in the big wide world, having flown in a plane for the first time in 11 years. We hope he has fun. As if that wasn’t enough for a short week, Mark’s wife, Vic, has been rushed off to hospital and surgery for whatever it is that appendixes do wrong (update: it turns out that it did actually burst. Flip). And so here we are. Carefully trying to get through to the weekend without any more incidents…

Oh ffs. Intro written and saved. Staff chat messages checked. Ross has dislocated his shoulder (again). It’s back in now but he’s in a sling. Please could everyone just take things very easy and carefully? Maybe a gentle spot of crochet this weekend, no power tools or sharp implements? Let’s have an appropriate tune to hopefully see everyone through the weekend safely…

Sonder Evol GX Eagle Transmission

Price: £3,749
From: Alpkit

This is a 160/160 travel mullet bike with alloy frame from Sonder, at what looks to be a very reasonable price for electronic ‘transmission’ shifting. Don’t be fooled by the orange-ish photos on the Alpkit website, this ‘butterscotch’ colour is very much in the caramel custard/burnt Caramac brown hue. And is it just the effect of a long week, or is that GX crank particularly attractive in a space robot sort of way? Actually, the whole bike kinda just looks right. Benji will be seeing how it rides.

DMR Flat4 pedals

Price: £60
From: Upgrade Bikes

Whether you’d like a flat pedal on your gravel bike but don’t want huge MTB flats, or just want something grippy for your commuter, these pedals might be the answer. A smaller platform than traditional mountain bike flat pedals slims them down a little, and a mix of 4 pins and rubber grip on each side gives grip for a variety of shoe soles.

DMR Vault Black Chrome Edition pedals

Price: £120
From: Upgrade Bikes
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The classic DMR Vaults, but in a new colour: ‘black chrome’. This is some sort of ultrascience finish that is both black and mirrory at the same time. Benji has run off with them already so we can’t test if they’re reflective enough to put a contact lens in by them. Or to pluck out a menopausal beard hair by. Honestly, Benji seemed more excited by the arrival of these ‘Darth Vader Vaults’ as he calls them than he did at the prospect of going on a plane to a trip of a lifetime type destination.

Bother Mag

Price: £20
From: HebTroCo

Billed as ‘the antidote to the algorithm’ this is part magazine, part marketing exercise. It’s definitely not a Facebook ad. You need to turn the pages, read the words, look at the pictures. Funnily enough, we’re all in favour of that sort of thing. There is trouser-adjacent content in Bother, but there’s also stuff like art and architecture.

Thread Of The Week

Congratulations to @bikesandboots for this winning thread right here. It’s like a list of nice outings for the summer, or perhaps mag features for the future?

The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So @bikesandboots 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. K thx bye!

Have a spot of music from Hannah’s hair muse for your outro:

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.

Ben Haworth

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.