Break out the talc! Throw on your finest singlet and oddly baggy loon pants! It’s time to soil yourself in this week’s FGF!
Northern Soil badge
- Price: £TBC
- From: The Singletrack Shop (eventually)
In the forthcoming/imminent new issue of Singletrack Magazine there is a feature about soil. Yes, soil. Just when you thought the magazine couldn’t get anymore rad, we go and do a feature on soil. Soil is the very lifeblood of British mountain biking after all. Being based in the Pennines our soil is not southern soil. It is Northern Soil. Hence these magnificent pin badges. If you’re interested in keeping the faith, let us know in the comments below.
Northern Soil fridge magnet
- Price: £TBC
- From: The Singletrack Shop (eventually)
Spot the difference. Well, apart from the fact that this is a magnet and not a badge. This alternative Northern Soil logo design design features a subtle ‘MTB’ and the Singletrackworld ligature logo. Thoroughly tested, as you can see in the last photo above.
Schwalbe Shredda Front tyre
- Price: £79.99
- From: Schwalbe
We were feeling a bit down in the mouth about the return of the dampness to our trails. But then this piece of rubber arrived. And we don’t feel quite so bad anymore. A radial ply mid-spike mud tyre is the very manna from heaven. Or somewhere in Germany. Time to break out the big tyre lever and head for the deepest, darket, steepest, sketchiest woodland.
Ochain S w/ 155mm cranks and 34T chainring
- Price: Ochain S £339.00, cranks £79.00, chainring £43.00
- From: Brink
For those who don’t know, Ochain is essentially a chainring that is able to move backwards independently from the cranks (by up to 12°). The theory goes that it frees up your rear suspension to move and react to bumps and trail features without any feedback getting through to your pedals ie. classic pedal kickback theory. Even if this theory is now becoming more and more questioned (I, for one, don’t really think it happens to a signficant degree) the Ochain does something else: it’s a chain damper. This alone may not as fancy or significant but chains are heavy and they whip about up and down alarmingly over rough terrain (it’s this chain bounce that some people is Actually What You’re Feeling). Anyway, we’ve got one for some primo chinstroking. And to put up against the Rimpact version we already have.
Shimano XTR Di2 M9250
- Price: £various
- From: Freewheel
This week saw the final revelation of the new Shimano XTR stuff. THe Di2 drivetrain, the new brakes, the new wheels. You can read all about in My 10 favourite things about new Shimano XTR story. TLDR: the electronic shifting is all well and good (and about freaking time) but it’s shorter cage mech, the revised brakes and the rejigged wheels that are the real highlights here.
DT Swiss 350 DEG Classic hubs
- Price: £84.99 front, £264.99 rear
- From: Freewheel
Coloured hubs from DT Swiss! Also available in a lovely pink and a striking green as well as this turquoise option we have here. DT completely reworked their ratchet system to allow the largest drive ratchets they have ever used, the 350 version offers 72 teeth and 5° of engagement whilst retaining the reliability of the rachet system. Limited to just 10 in each colour for the UK. We’ll be offering these up as a prize very shortly. So keep your eyes on the front page. Better yet, subscribe to our famous Weekly Newsletter and you’ll hear before anyone else. Dare to dazzle!
Saracen Myst LTD
- Price: £2,299.99 frameset, complete bikes from £3,599.99
- From: Saracen
I’m unashamedly sticking this in Fresh Goods Friday (despite the fact we don’t actually have one) because I like a nice paintjob. And this new launch has three of ’em. Nice nice nice! “Saracen is excited to launch the updated Myst, featuring Limited series colourways and is one of the first bikes to come to market with the new FOX DHX2 system … Taking inspiration from the eye-catching, fan-favourite Madison Saracen frame which was raced during the opening two rounds of the 2024 Downhill World Cup.” BTW the Myst – along with the rest of Saracen’s range – is available to demo at Antur Stiniog or the Nevis Range. Check out Saracen’s upcoming Shred Sessions for demo dates.
Singletrack World Magazine Issue 161
- Price: £10.00 (or subscribe from £7.99 and get this issue included for FREE – while stocks last)
- From: The Singletrack Shop
It’s here! Here’s just a few of the things that this magnificently designed piece of papery perfection includes:
- UK Adventure Free Time: Hannah goes in search of time away from being on the clock, on a schedule, and hitting goals.
- What Happens After Bikes… Is More Bike: When a downward spiral found him jobless, homeless but riding a bike. David Herbold decided to ride himself back into his life.
- Wacky Races: we wants bike races to involve fewer clipboards and more pallets.
- Pisgah In a Brewery: Deep in the North Carolina backwoods, Luke Ellis Bradley discovers a vibrant and welcoming outdoor scene, where hunters happily rub shoulders with mountain bikers down at the craft brewery.
- An Englishman On New Dirt: Benji invites you to celebrate soil, in (almost) all its forms.
- Start ‘em Young: Pete Scullion discovers that riding with kids might be the perfect way to feel good about the future.
- Through the Grinder: The Singletrack Test Team put this parade of products through their paces.
- Mountain Biking at the Bottom of the World: John Hellowell takes us to the Falkland Islands. Think the scenery of the Scottish isles, but the size of Wales. With penguins.
Stan’s Biobased Lubes
- Price: £13.00 Fork Boost, £16.00 Dry Lube, £13.00 Wet Lube
- From: Upgrade
Stan’s have teamed up with WPL and gone done some eco lube making. They only use bio-based and eco-friendly ingredients in their slippery sauces. This means no petro-based additives, synthetic oils, or organic-but-toxic solvents. From left to right we have… Forkboost: lubricates and cleans suspension seals (apply, pump the suspension, wipe away the grime). You can also use it during fork rebuilds to soak foam seals. And then we have yer classic Dry Lube (for optimists) and yer Wet Lube (for realists).
Photo Creator Mini Cam
- Price: £14.99
- From: Smyths
The PR says: ‘Whatever your age, this keyring-sized camera is all about fun on the go. With six bold designs, real photo and video capability, and a range of customisable filters and frames, it’s the perfect pocket companion for spontaneous snapshots, creative clips, or just showing off your style.’ The PR does not say that it’s also good for really messing with your head in an Alice in Wonderland style scale way.
It’s also handy for taking pictures of geese that look like criminals. A 1GB memory card is included, and you get 8 preset filters. 4MP photo, 1080p video, and 0.96″ screen.
Forum Thread of the Week
The lucky and/or deserving winner this week is redmex for this juicy thread:
As before, the winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So redmexplease email editorial@singletrackworld.com for your random prize (possibly a mini cowbell). Don’t forget to include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics, like. Ciao bella!
Subscriber Perk of the Week
- Perk: 20% Off Power Of Attorney
- From: Singletrack Subscriber Rewards
About Power Of Attorney: “PowerofAttorneyOnline.co.uk is a purpose driven company that simplifies access to the main tool that helps safeguard your money & wellness in the future: an LPA (Lasting Power of Attorney). We believe this is the most important thing you can do in your lifetime to retain control of your finance & health decisions.”
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Stale Goods Friday – 2014 Singular Swift
- Price: £495 frame & fork
- From: Fresh Goods Friday 196
The Us back in 2014 wrote: “A nice and simple but sweet 29er frame with 29er+ compatible fork up front and room for a 2.4 out back too.”
Want your product featured in Fresh Goods Friday?
Send it in to us. Er. That’s pretty much it. Send to: 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 and coffee will ALWAYS be tested.
Ooh, those Myst frames are nice. I want one now.
Can’t wait for the Northern Soil compilation – songs like
– Out on the moor (Dobbie Grey)
– If this is love (I’d rather be biking) (Geno Washington)
– Ain’t no soil (left in these old spd shoes) Kenny Bernard
Love the Northern Soil badges.
Didn’t everyone have micro digicams like that in the early noughties? I’m sure I remember them coming out at random moments on Friday nights.
Maybe – in the time before everyone had a phone with a camera in their pocket, one that actually takes a decent photo too. Somewhat surprised at STW promoting next weeks Chinese e-waste.
I thought it looked OK to give to my five year old. Any better recommendations?
I’ll be having a Northern Soil badge/magnet. For a few years I was a scooter boy back in the day. A subculture that only the UK could do.
“Baggy loon pants”? Perhaps, Oxford bags…
“A radial ply mid-spike mud tyre is the very manna from heaven. Or somewhere in Germany."
Manner is from Vienna and is indeed food of the gods (look for it in The Middle of Lidl on special).
That Sarazin looks mint. I love a wild paint job and almost no-one does them.
My Rimpact chain damper arrived this morning. 155mm cranks are in the post.
I bought it for the exact reasons you mention above. I don’t think pedal kickback is as much of an issue as people imagine it is but chain slap definitely is. I chose the Rimpact as that’s what they’ve focused on specifically. If it can turn down the volume on my uplift/park bike then it’s a win.
Northern Soil – like it!
The Shreddas seem like much more than a mid-spike to me tbh? Should be awesome though, I reckon the more extreme the tyre the more sense the radial will make. Though it’ll probably roll like a brick? Not sure the addix ultrasoft is quite as full-on as I’d like in a beast like this though.Mboy suggested the Shredda Rear works really well as a less extreme front, a sort of Super-Mary, the Pinkbike review (*) reckoned it was useful more of the time than the Front, and that the Front was basically awesome at one job. I really want to give that a go(* obviously Pinkbike reviews are often an absolute joke but this seemed to be a genuine one)
Have you seen this?
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/spotted-radial-casing-schwalbe-rick-race-pro-prototype-leogang-xc-world-cup.html
Move on up (a gear) – Curtis Mayfield
The snakebite (puncture) – Al Wilson
Long after the ride is all over – Jimmy Radcliffe
Nowhere to ride – Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
@rubberbuccaneer, yeah, intersting stuff that. I think for normal people the radial is best used to get low pressure feel and grip out of a mid pressure tyre but I guess for racers it could let them run harder and still have grip? There’s a fair difference in rolling resistance unless you add pressure, on the mary at least.