Tell the world! Derailleurs are dead! Long live the belt! Well, that’s what some folk are saying anyway.
We’re a bit more drivetrain agnostic here at Singletrack World Towers. Obviously, this is mainly because we’re part of The Big Derailleur Conspiracy. But seriously, we’re open to anything that’s a bit different and it’s always nice just to have options.
What are we on about? Keep scrolling. All will be revealed…
Moustache Clutch 160.9
- Price: £8,899
- From: Moustache Bikes
It’s pretty much Gear Box week (month? season?) at the moment. With the World Series DH featuring many a gearbox race bike this coming weekend, and Haibike announcing the TRN/IQ eeb with the same Pinion MGU gearbox-motor as this Moustache Clutch that our Benji had a day testing out this week. First Ride Review stuff coming soon! The Moustache Clutch is a belt-drive gearbox eMTB made out of aluminium a rolling on mullet wheels. It has 160mm rear/170mm front travel. The Pinion motor kicks out 85Nm of torque, 600w of peak power. The battery is 780Wh.
Sonder Falco Eagle 70
- Price: £1,449
- From: Sonder Bikes
As announced in our Sonder Falco launch article the other day. Sonder: “Falco brings 29er fun, alloy resilience, and sweet spot geometry tuned for UK trail centres.” Basic spec gist: SRAM Eagle 70 groupset, Rockshox Recon Silver RL fork, Sonder Nova wheelset, 6061 Aluminium frame. “Falco was built to be a rider’s trail love. It’s playful, confident, and capable enough to keep up as you grow. It’s a true trail bike for people who take their fun seriously, and want a ride that keeps up. It doesn’t shout — it just works, ride after ride.” – Neil Sutton, Sonder Designer (yes, that’s his name on the seat tube).
One Up Wave pedals
- Price: £149.99
- From: One Up Components
Velly interesting peggles. Essentially they’re concave. And convex. The front is concave. The rear is convex. Hence the ‘Wave’ name. As with most pedals from any brand, they claim to be ideal for everything and everyone. We shall see. We’ll be passing these between as many flat pedal riders as we can find. Spec: Thickness. at axle 14.2mm / edges 11.5mm, 107mm x 110mm platform, inboard igus bushing and 3 outboard cartridge bearings, forged and CNC’d 6061 Aluminum body, M4 hollow pins (10 per side). Colours: Black, Red, Dark Green, Dark Blue, Orange, Purple, Grey, Bronze.
One Up V2 Carbon Handlebar
- Price: £149.99
- From: One Up Components
One Up have the reputation of making some of the more comfortable handlebars out there. Especially carbon fibre handlebars. It’s all down to that flattened/ovalised shape to the rise section. We’ve tried their carbon bars before but we’ve got a higher rise (50mm) version in of the V2 Carbon bar, in 800mm width (it’s also available in 760mm width).
7Mesh Atlas Shirt & Glidepath Short 14in
- Price: Atlas Shirt £95 (Currently £78 in the sale), Glidepath Short 14in £130 (Currently £104 in the sale)
- From: 7mesh
Chipps here is modelling the latest spring drop of 7Mesh colours to arrive. Up top, there is a long sleeve, but lightweight Atlas jersey. Enough room to slide up the sleeves in the heat, but easy enough to roll down on descents. It’s also SPF30, ready for the summer. Comes in black or this far more summer-optimistic shade of ‘almond’.
The Glidepath shorts are a classic from 7Mesh with a ‘longer’ 14in inseam (though we’ve always found them a touch too short if you’re wearing pads) but they are great for summer rides and for that slim racing or gravelling look. They’re currently on sale, too.
Fold’n’Roll 2025 Editions
- Price: £30 / €36
- From: Foldnroll
The Foldnroll – the Yorkshire-designed, made in France, packing solution has just been upgraded with six new colours and designs (featuring a tiny curled-up sausage dog). The Fold+Rºll is a simple, compact way to pack an overnight or cycle commuting bag – keeping clothes rolled so they don’t wrinkle. A full roll (about 3L) “…turns a tote into an overnight bag or slips into a backpack or cycle pannier for those who like to run or cycle to work”.The original bright palette is now also available in three neutral tones and three original dog-shaped patterns. All are manufactured in organic cotton jersey in the EU.
GX Eagle AXS Transmission Upgrade Kit
- Price: £570
- From: SRAM
If you feel the need to turn your SRAM Eagle Mechanical Transmission into a wireless setup, this is for you. Remove the threaded cage assembly and mount bolt from your mechanical Eagle 90 or 70 derailleur, and reinstall on a new GX Eagle AXS Transmission derailleur body. Includes AXS-enabled GX Eagle Transmission derailleur body, AXS Pod Controller, AXS Battery, Battery Charger, and Eagle T-Type PowerLock chainlink. T-Type Hangerless Interface (UDH) frame compatibility only, kinda obviously.
Featured Subscriber Perk of the Week
- Perk: 10% off LITELOK
- From:Singletrack Subscriber Rewards
About LITELOK: “At LITELOK, we design and manufacture the world’s toughest bike and motorcycle locks. Founded by engineer and cycling enthusiast Neil Barron, we set out to solve a growing problem—bike theft, especially from angle grinders. All of our locks are independently tested. Our LITELOK X range is Sold Secure Diamond-rated, and built in Britain to withstand real-world attacks. No gimmicks. No compromises. Just high-security locks engineered to protect what matters most—your ride.”
Forum Thread Of The Week
This week’s winner is lister for this kerrazay thread right here:
As before, the winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. Solisterplease email editorial@singletrackworld.comfor your random prize (possibly a mini cowbell). Don’t forget to include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics, init. Increase da peace!
Singletrack Podcast The 15th
This week’s Podcast is sponsored by Join.cc the training app for cyclists. Sign up and get 30 days free by visiting join.cc/singletrack
Stale Goods Friday – 2012 Salsa Horsethief
- Price: £1,199.99 for frame, Fox RP23 shock and Salsa seatclamp
- From: Fresh Goods Friday 168
Thirteen years ago we typed these words: “We saw Salsa’s big wheeled 120mm travel bike at Eurobike during the tail end of last year but we’ve finally got one to test. It’s a linkage driven single pivot design doing without a pivot on the seatstay, instead relying on flex in the flattened tubing. It’s all kept stiff with a 142x12mm rear Maxle rear end and up front you can stick forks ranging from 120-140mm travel in the tapered headtube. This bike is built up with a selection of importer Ison Distribution’s finest bits and pieces, with Salsa bars, stem and post, White Brothers fork and Halo wheels.”
Ah man, I KNEW I should have taken another photo of my “anarchy in cutlery" this morning. It was a good one too…
“Moustache Clutch" is definitely taken from Roger’s Profanisaurus
The Sonder looks… odd. There’s something that my brain is not keen on and I don’t know why.
Like the simplicity of the Fold n’ Roll though, probably a better solution that my normal tactic of “cram everything in the bag and hope the creases shake out"
I keep reading the ‘CLUTCH’ on the top tube as ‘CWTCH’. It’s not the prettiest bike in the world is it, so probably needs a hug.
Electric, gearbox, beltdrive, full suspension bike with the full on dog-curling-one-out top tube design, vs. a classic derailleur hardtail. I know which one I’d pick out of that pair every day of the week.
I’m still wondering why rolling clothes inside another layer means that they don’t get wrinkled, as per the undoubtedly 100% accurate sales blurb. Not sure why I’d need sharp lines in my duds when I’m bikepacking either. 😀
Gearboxes make sense on electric bikes as they can be packaged with the motor but I am less convinced if I have to pedal.
That clutch makes the new Haibike look handsome.
Moustache should have called it the Crotch instead of Clutch.
That is what you’ll be whacking on the unsightly top-tube hump when you make an unplanned dismount…
I think it’s the curve in the seat tube – or the wild idea of using Nobby Nic as a front tyre…
I wonder how well the Gates belt handles the power from the motor. When I was running one (more than 10 years ago) I could make it skip teeth on my singlespeed by putting in loads of power standing up.
I see they’ve had to add the guide pulleys to try and get better wrap around chainring/sprocket.
At first I thought it looked neat. The trail bike with big wheels to replace my 27.5” Crush.
Then I looked again. Like @princejohn says there’s the seat tube curve, there’s the bend in the down tube, and, what jarred me, the top tube and seat stays are almost in a nice, clean line but not.
Unconditionally Guaranteed what an album ?
That should be a thumbs up not a question mark!
There is also this – surely the wheels should be central – that isn’t a camera angle is it?
I find electric bikes with gearboxes a bit worrying. They give me the eebee geebees.
I’ll get my coat.
Looks to me like the camera is one side of the seat tube.
I feel that it’s that the top tube tapers gracefully to the seat tube only for the aesthetic to be ruined by the chunkiness of the seat stays on the other side of it.
Chunky top tube to stays of the same size, fine, chunky (or slender) top tube to thinner stays, also fine, skinny top tube to chunky stays, sick in mouth ?
I’m sure i remember a grey Kinesis frame that had a similar profile back in the dim and distant, might have been a Pha5e
it should just be a matter of direct tension – dint they handle a lot more in automotive/motorbike use? You need the spring loaded front tensioner due to suspension growth and most added a small “snubber” at the back (they’ve gone for a large roller here).
I love the idea. But I dread to think of the weight. – c800 battery, that frame design. Gearbox. It’s going to be heavy isn’t it?
A Gates belt slipping on a SS is probably due to frame flex, poss with some lack of tensioning. Gates have a spec for alignment and frame stiffness. The belt itself will handle SSer legs on a full fat e-bike no problem.