Fresh Goods Friday 723: The Big Strapping Edition

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We are a relatively broad church here at Singletrack World and this week’s Fresh Goods Friday is testament to such. Droppers ‘N’ strappers. Video ‘N’ rubber. Flatties ‘N’ sunnies.

Let’s get it on!

KS Lev Circuit Wireless Dropper Post

We’ve been waiting a long time for this. Not necessarily this specific post, just generally we’ve been awaiting a wireless dropper with a proper amount of travel to it. This Circuit post from KS has a full 200mm of drop to it. Huzzah! You will need to check if you have the sufficient space between saddle and seat tube top; it measures 260mm from bottom of its silver collar to the saddle rail clamp. Which is about the same as a lot of 210mm mechanical droppers (I think OneUp’s V3 may be a bit shorter). I [Benji] have actually been using this for a couple of weeks now and my initial verdict is pretty shamelessly ravey: I freaking love it. Super quick (in reaction) and light in operation. The remote locates and actuates virtually the same as a regular mechanical remote, which is nice. It’s not cheap but so far I can’t fault it. I’ll publish a proper review once it’s had an autumn and a winter thrown through it.

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Fresh Goods Friday 733: D’Movie

Slow cranked goodness.

HT Components AN-71 Talon MTB Pedals

We stumbled across these (not literally) whilst browsing HT’s wares trying to find a metal version of its excellent PA03A composite pedal. We didn’t find a metal PA03A but we did find these Talon pedals. Sure, there’s nothing amazingly pioneering about them but that’s arguably a good thing; there’s not a whole lot wrong with a 105 x 105 x 17mm slanty parallelogram. If it ain’t broke etc. Not a bad price either in a world of £100+ flatties. Available in any colour so long as it’s black.

Problem Solvers Big P-Nut

Have you ever been unable to undo the lockring on a tubeless valve? It’s a common issue once a valve has been in-situ for an amount of time and has become seized in place with a combination of dried sealant and general trail filth. It’s not too much of a problem if you’re at home and near a toolbox (pliers to the rescue!) but if you’re in the middle of a ride and you need to undo a seized lockring valve (you need to install an inner tube, say), you’re screwed. This is where a Big P-Nut can really save the day, as they’re big and offer a decent amount of finger purchase.

Passport Cage Mover Mount

Another problem solver. If you have a frame that has bottle bosses just slightly in the wrong place (ie. your bottle fouls the rear shock or something), this dinky bit of metal from Passport essentially moves your bottle bosses. Fore or aft. 30mm of waggle window.

Problem Solvers Bowtie Strap Anchors

Okay, gird your loins for a whole lotta strap-on chat for the next few FGF items. Kicking things off is this pair of Bow-Tie Strap Anchors. Essentially a way of putting strap-on points on to bottle bosses. How you choose to use them is up to you. I, for example, use just one Bow-Tie on an empty bottle boss and use it as a place to stow a CO2 canister and chuck-head thingy (all held in place with an O-ring).

Fixplus Rack Pack 46cm & 86cm

  • Price: £18.00 (46cm), £20.00 (86cm)
  • From: Ison Distribution
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‘Rack Pack’ somewhat confusingly refers to these straps. Not a rack. But they are rack-specific in that they’re straps with U-brackets on each end which clip on to rack bars (see the last photo above). Easy to use. Extremely hard-wearing. Secures all sorts of random loads very er, securely. Either 46cm or 86cm in length. And orange which, as everyone knows, is the most secure colour.

Fixplus Gear Tightener Kit 46cm

Ideal for attaching large containers or… things on the eyelets of the bicycle fork or trad bottle bosses if need be. Sleeping mats, sleeping bags, lightweight tents, etc.). The set consists of two retainers, two screws for attachment, two tension straps and two strapkeepers.

Fixplus Strap 86cm

These are the beating rubbery heart of the whole Fixplus thang. Designed to replace the bungee and/or zip-tie bodging oft witnessed in carbobike circles. Can be used with one hand. Flexible like a bungee but without the treacherous ‘snap back’. Reusable. There’s a bit of stretch/give in them but they’re reassuringly sturdy too.

Fixplus Strap Board

Aluminium cargo holder for frames or forks. Intended for securing round items of luggage on bikepacking adventures. Or just jolly cycle touring jaunts. Items can be fixed with the aforementioned Fixplus Straps or use whatever toe-strap/enduro-straps you have lying around if you prefer. Numerous strap guides and boss slots for flexible fastening. Cute little rubberised patches on the underside to both protect paintwork and keep straps in position during rough riding.

Passport Cage Mounts Small

The final item in our Strap-On Special, the Passport Cage Mounts afford you the ability to carry stuff (typically puncture repair stuff) via the customisable Velcro strap. More secure, stable and kinder to frame paintwork than just using an enduro-strap type thing. The Small size is intended for mounting to accessory bosses on the undersdie of bike top tubes. The Large goes on trad bottle bosses elsewhere on a bike. Made from 6061-T6 aluminium.

Firewire Hot Tips Re-Usable Cable Ends

We love a niche product. Although maybe this product isn’t as niche as we think. I certainly can already see them making my life a little bit easier. Traditional crimp-on cable end caps work but cause an issue when you need to remove them as most of the time you end up having to cut them off, which means the cable gets increasingly shorter. Not great when you’re dealing with dropper remote levers that already have a modest amount of ‘spare’ cable on show.

Gusset Sleeper Grips

  • Price: £10.99
  • From: Ison Distribution

The Best Grips. Yes, better than even the lookalike that very probably inspired them. Classic ribbed. Super-soft 15A durometer (this is the main thing really). 30mm diameter, 147mm long. Good plugs. Black, blue, red, green, orange, yellow, pink, purple and aqua. Dear Gusset, can you please, please, please make some Grey ones? TIA.

Vallon Watchtowers & Howlin Glasses

Top eyewear brand VALLON are putting up a pair of their Watchtowers™ cycling sunglasses in the current 502 Club Raffle, as well as giving the winner then chance to select a pair from their performance lifestyle range. Plus we have a Prevail helmet in the winners size and a riding Räven jacket, both from the super exclusive current collaboration between Specialized and Fjällräven. Vallon: “The shatterproof lens developed with ZEISS ensures exceptional quality and optical clarity. The 80s inspired frame is made from 85% recycled fishing nets fused into a highly durable and lightweight nylon fabric, and come with interchangeable silicone nose pads for a secure and personalized fit.”

DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Adventure Combo

  • Price: £409
  • From: DJI
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We’re big fans of DJI cameras. As well as shootig really great footage, they’re just easier to use. You always know what the camera is doing. You can aways remember your way around the menus. This is often not the case with other action cameras. The new Osmo 5 has some genuinely useful improvements over the previous Osmo. For our needs the standout features are: bonkers broad 13.5-stops of dynamic range, impressive 4hr battery life, built-in subject centering (and tracking!), larger OLED high-brightness touchscreens and a whopping 47GB of built-in storage. We’ll have an in-depth review of the new DJO Osmo Action 5 Pro in a couple of weeks’ time.

Bum Butter: “This is a wonderful locally produced vegan chamois balm / bum butter. It’s a healthy and natural alternative to the nasty petrochemical based products that cyclist have been stuck with for decades. It can also be used as an ‘aftersun’ if you are sunburnt, great on shaving rashes etc, and also as a lip balm – but please don’t double dip!”

Instagram Readers Ride of the Week

  • Price: using #stwreadersrides hashtag
  • FromInstagram
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A post shared by Tom Stephenson (@tomste_00)

Whether you’ve got a special new bike or just a bike that’s special to you, this is how you get to tell everyone about it! You can either tag the bike pic with #stwreadersrides on Instagram or you can send us your submissions via this form.

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 723: The Big Strapping Edition

Viewing 18 posts - 1 through 18 (of 18 total)
  • Fresh Goods Friday 723: The Big Strapping Edition
  • 2
    BruceWee
    Free Member

    So £700+ is just what we pay for dropper posts these days?

    Anyone know if I can still by a Gravity Dropper with the big knob you have to reach between your legs to grab hold of?  That’s all I need.

    Hang on, that came out wrong…

     

    1
    kimbers
    Full Member

    for £730 Id want that dropper to gently caress my perineum at all times

    2
    rockandrollmark
    Full Member

    A dropper post, or this moderately fun looking hardtail?

    I get that one’s at the top end of dropper post technology, and that the other’s at the bottom end of what constitutes as a useable mountain bike, but £730 is a bit bonkers. IIRC the first Reverb droppers (back when if you wanted to drop your seat post you had to stop and loosen your seat collar) was only $300

    nickc
    Full Member

    Ooh, does that mean hot-tips are back in stock then?

     

    4
    faustus
    Full Member

    You managed to talk about the fixplus straps without once mentioning ‘Voile’, ‘copy’, or ‘bandwagon’, nice going!

    kimbers
    Full Member

    IIRC the first Reverb droppers (back when if you wanted to drop your seat post you had to stop and loosen your seat collar) was only $300

    gravity droppers came out in 2003, I think I got one around 2008 and it was £200

    https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/components/seatposts/seatpost-and-seat-pin/gravity-dropper-turbo-seatpost-review

    desperatebicycle
    Full Member

    This is where a Big P-Nut can really save the day, as they’re big and offer a decent amount of finger purchase.

    And are worth about 99p. I’ll continue to carry some small pliers ta!

    2
    dc1988
    Full Member

    Super glue is the answer to sorting cable ends. No frayed ends and no need to cut anything off the cable.

    And the big P nuts are a good idea, I once had a locknut that wouldn’t even come off with pliers so I had to chop the whole thing out. Having said that, if something is seized then the whole valve is likely to turn before the nut loosens.

    onetimeews
    Full Member

    P nut/P lugger combination tool? All in one tubeless repair solution

    shouldn’t be too much of a stretch.

    If it isn’t already available I’m happy to take a small commission

    Tom83
    Full Member

    kimbers

    for £730 Id want that dropper to gently caress my perineum at all times

    Even when off the bike?

    1
    wheelsonfire1
    Full Member

    The P nuts have a chamfered recess on the underside that enables the tubeless valve to pull through and seat against the o ring. It’s quite a neat design which apart from enabling trailside repairs facilitates the quick checking of valve security before going for a ride. Also, rims don’t get scratched from the use of pliers!

    1
    tomhoward
    Full Member

    So £700+ is just what we pay for dropper posts these days?

    No. Some cost that. Most don’t.

    alanclarke
    Full Member

    I needed bottle cage boss relocators to fit a frame bag + bottles on a gravel/tourer and have to say that the generic ebay ones look to be a better design than the passport ones here – basically using low profile bolt heads on the frame connection halves the depth of the aluminium bar, which helps if the reason for using is lack of front triangle space. The ones I got were excellent quality and of course a lot cheaper.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    You can get cheap presta valve lockrings with similiar shapes, not quite as big as the p-nut I think but they’re usefully easier to tighten and remvoe than a standard one.

    Mine came with a teeny tiny anodised wrench to tighten them up, which I thought was adorable but of course I lost it 2 seconds later.

    oldfart
    Full Member

    Those Sleeper grips look comfy but would I be right in guessing they wear out really quickly?

    doomanic
    Full Member

    Even when off the bike?

    Especially when off the bike…

    Rivett
    Free Member

    Those Gusset grips look very similar to ODI Longnecks,,,?

     

    Ben_Haworth
    Full Member

    They do indeed. Different feeling rubber though IME.

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