Fresh Goods Friday 713 – The Lasting Gasping Winning Edition

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Welcome, welcome one and all (not you though) to the internet show your telly was made for: Fresh Goods Friday!

Since last Thursday various teams who aren’t really used to winning, have been winning. Not that that includes us. Or you. We’ve always been winners. If you ride mountain bikes you are inherently winning. Even when you’re losing.

With such positivity in mind, let’s take a dive in the penalty/ballot box known as FGF!

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Top Secret Very Significant Bike

Those of you with eyes will notice that decidedly unblingy RockShox fork leg. Those of you with more eyes will notice that particular type of disc rotor also. So, yeah. We ain’t talking about a five figure megabucks mountain bike here. Other than that, we’re not at liberty to say. What would you like this bike to be?

FGF 713: D’Movie

Tern Orox R14 (27.5)

This is the Tern Orox in R14 format with Rohloff hub, Bosch motor, and 27.5 custom Schwalbe Johnny Watts tyres. This fat bike meets cargo bike does come in other options – slimmer wheels, standard gears – but this is the one we’ve been rolling around the valley on for an upcoming feature. It’s been set up to carry two children, plus rear panniers, front rack, and fork mounts for more gubbins should you need it. The frame pack is currently hauling around a spare battery – not that we’ve needed it yet. Picnics, trail maintenance and the nursery run have all been a little more fun this week. Vrooom.

Stans NoTubes Tyre Sealant Injector & Sealant

  • Price: £15.00 (Injector), £10.00 (250ml sealant)
  • From: Upgrade Bikes
  • SQUIRREL_TEXT_13065472
  • SQUIRREL_TEXT_13065476

Sealant is life. Well, that’s what I [Benji] am often overheard preaching to the skies. Anything that makes dealing with tyre sealant… nicer, is a big win in my book. I have numerous sealant-stained footwear and disc rotors to testify as such. Okay, so this is appears to essentially be an oversized syringe but there is a bit of ingenuity here. It used patent pending system with an air relief channel at the top of the 150ml capacity injector chamber. The cross-slit valve in the press-on adapter that claims to offer a drip-free experience. The red thing? That’s a plug/hanger. Hang the tool on a hook or store in a drawer/tub/toolbox. Stans NoTubes was thoughtful enough to include a dinky bottle of sealant too. Sealant is life!

Weldtite All-Weather Lube

Something of a rebranding for the legendary TF2 lube that has something of a cult following out there. This lube is intended to be very durable and is also optimised for use during the colder months. Such as July.

Vauxhall Movano/Renault Master OEM Rear Mudflaps

Complete with brackets and hardware. #vanlife hey? It’s all glamour.

Alpinestars A-Aria Polartec Switch Jersey

  • Price: £79.99
  • From: Alpinestars
  • SQUIRREL_TEXT_13065489

Despite its long sleeves and matte-black fabric, the new Alpinestars A-Aria Switch jersey is intended to keep you cool on mid-summer jaunts. The Polartec PowerDry fabric is a super-wicker of moisture and works to keep both you and the jersey dry by pulling sweat from the skin and evaporating it away. The jersey features natty gold graphics and abrasion-resistant panels at the shoulder, with laser-cut holes for extra ventilation. Severe-looking Chipps sports an XL though he reckons he’s really a Large. Perhaps that’s why he looks so grumpy?

AXA LT1 Fazua Drive Unit Lock

For anyone worried about baddies having away with your Fazua battery (hey, it happens), this aftermarket security alternative looks a bit more substantial that the stock unit (Abus). Suitable for all makes of bike using the Fazua Evation or Ride 50 system (Kinesis, Boardman, Trek and so on). Supplied with two keys.

WTB Macro 2.4 Tyres

  • Price: £75.00
  • From: WTB

Did you hear? XC racers want 2.4 tyres these days… WTB has a new set of tread to answer that call in the form of the WTB Macro 2.4. The tyres feature supple 120TPI carcass, but with SG reinforced sidewalls for puncture protection. There are copious tread blocks to maintain traction, running fully from edge to edge, but with wide spaces to clear any of that damp ‘summer dust’ that you might find. The tread itself is triple compound with a hard durometer base for all knobs, topped with medium durometer in the centre tread and the softest compound on the cornering knobbles.
And, fashion fans, they’re available in tan wall or black wall.

WTB Vulpine S Gravel Tyres

  • Price: £65.00
  • From: WTB


And while we’re keeping the speeds high, here’s a glimpse at the new WTB Vulpine S gravel tyre. It features a completely slick centre section to keep you pinned on anything hard surfaced and road-like, but there are still lots of small block treads to keep the bike gripping in the corners. Comes in a pretty Gravel-standard 40mm casing size and black or tan sidewalls.

One Good Thing Oat/Protein Bars

Marketed as “the world’s first wrapper free bars with a 100% natural edible coating”. That’s right, you don’t unwrap these edibles from their opaque wrapping, you just eat the lot. The idea being that it cuts down on packaging and potential litter. It also cuts down on the faff/risk of trying to open a packet of something whilst riding along in a race. In the name of science, we’ve already sampled a couple of these and, as OGT say, the experience is akin to eating an apple. Treat the ‘wrapper’ like the skin of an apple. It takes a few chews for it to homogenise with the bar itself but after that it’s perfectly fine. The oat bars are easier to deal with than the protein bars, which do that protein bar thing of being rather dense and dry. Impressively, the bars claim to be waterproof and pocket-proof. Apparently Team Skoda are using these in Le Tour at the moment.

Saracen Ariel Mullet Links

Benji found these down the back of the sofa. Not really. He found them in an anonymous looking small cardboard box on a shelf downstairs in the Singletrack Office. He’s not sure if they originally came with the Saracen Ariel 50E or Saracen Ariel 60 Pro. Anyway, these are a pair of push links that can be swapped into a 29er Saracen Ariel 30/60/80/50E to convert into a mixed wheel mullet machine. You’ll need to supply the rear wheel and rubber, mind. What are we going to do with these links? Well, we can’t use them in the Saracen Ariel 30 Elite that Hannah has been schredding around on because, as a Medium size bike, it’s already 27.5in rear wheel. Oh dear. We’ll have to get another 29er Ariel in then. Shame.

Stickers & Bells

  • Price: N/A
  • From: The Big Pile of Small Boxes

The Singletrack Office had no internet the other day. It was Hell/Heaven. What does one do when there’s no YouTubes to watch or cloud-held shared document to bat back and forth? You have a sort out is what you do. That’s how Benji found the Saracen mullet links above. He also found several packets/boxes with – amongst other stuff like reflectors and awful pedals – several bells and numerous RockShox stickers. This is the sort of stuff that arrives with (new) test bikes but doesn’t get put back in the box upon return.

Shredzy Cartoon Tee

A cute Tee from our local friendly neighbourhood bike apparel company Shredz. “Made of heavyweight 220gsm organic cotton, this tee features a bold cartoon character, perfect for daring rides on and off the trails. Bag yours now for an adventurous addition to your wardrobe!”, it says here. Water-based inks. Oversized/loose fit. 

Forum Thread Of The Week

This week’s winner is Bullet with this winning thread here:

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

We’re featuring this one again because it was so popular last week!
Oh go on then
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.

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.

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Home Forums Fresh Goods Friday 713 – The Lasting Gasping Winning Edition

Viewing 14 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)
  • Fresh Goods Friday 713 – The Lasting Gasping Winning Edition
  • kimbers
    Full Member

    mystery bike? looking at the saddle all the way forward its got a relatively slack seat angle

    Is it the new kona process alloy version, prices seem really good

    dirkpitt74
    Full Member

    I  recon it’s a new Calibre Boss Nut.

    2
    IdleJon
    Free Member

    Marketed as “the world’s first wrapper free bars with a 100% natural edible coating”. That’s right, you don’t unwrap these edibles

    The point of a wrapper is that the food doesn’t get coated in whatever crap is in your pack/pocket/car boot. If you want to eat an oat bar covered in dog hair/dried sealant/pubes then crack on.

    The idea being that it cuts down on packaging

    No, it just means that they’ll be shoved in a sandwich bag or foil before being taken on a ride, assuming that they aren’t only eaten in the house, meaning exactly the same amount of waste just that the manufacturer passes it down the chain.

    darlobiker
    Full Member

    Skoda provide the support vehicles for the Tour, they don’t have any actual cyclists in the race.

    1
    tthew
    Full Member

    I’ve got one of those Stans injectors, (although it sounds like they’ve pimped it a bit). Works better just using it as a funnel, pressurising with the plunger tends to make the sealant do it’s sealing thing in the tube!

    Kink the tube into an S shape next to the rim, use the volume scale to fill the body and just lift it up to straighten the tube, sealant just glugs into the tyre. Easy.

    1
    tall_martin
    Full Member

    Can we have a thread of the year chosen by the forum from the threads of the month?

    Maybe the prize could be the same as previous prize…. But with bells on ?

    prettygreenparrot
    Full Member

    Stan’s injector sounds very cool.
    In the garage I just keep reusing an old Stan’s small bottle (for trail use) and refill it from a bigger bottle. No waste.

    rickon
    Free Member

    Those WTB Macro tyres look like a Maxxis Rekon. Except almost double the price 😐

    jkomo
    Full Member

    I’m pretty sure using and reusing a reusable sandwich bag is better than individual wrappers.

    IHN
    Full Member

    Can we have a thread of the year chosen by the forum from the threads of the month?

    Maybe the prize could be the same as previous prize…. But with bells on ?

    IME there ain’t no prize for thread of the week. Hurrumph.

    zerocool
    Full Member

    My guess is Calibre Bossnut. That’s due to be released in the next few months.

     

    zerocool
    Full Member

    @prettygreenparrot – same, those mini Stan’s bottles fit perfectly in a schrader valve.

    chipps
    Full Member

    @zerocool – I use exactly the same. I guess the injector is a little more mess-free, though I think the floor of my workshop has an even layer of Stan’s to it now. 🙂

    seriousrikk
    Full Member

    Another guess for a new thing from Calibre.

    Since Vitus went under the good/cheap full susser category has got a but more sparse so – if correct – it should do well.

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