Are you in camp 808 or tribe 303? Maybe you have absolutely no idea what we’re talking about. That’s fine too.
Basically we’re talking about techno, acieeed house and warehouse parties. For some riders of a certain age, mountain bikes and raves were very much a life-changing/saving/ruining combination. And we’re here to commemorate the late 80s/early 90s era with this week’s Fresh Goods Friday. Sorry, no Mitsubishis today.
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Canyon Lux World Cup CF 9
- Price: £3,799.00
- From: Canyon
I think it’s fair to say that the previous Lux WC was something a little bit out of step with what was happening with XC racing. Basically, it was twitch-a-mungous and too close to an offroad road race bike than a mountain bike suited to modern XC race courses. This new Lux XC appears to address a whole swathe of such issues. It’s a bit slacker, there’s heaps more standover, the wheelbase is bit less terrifyingly short and there’s even a dropper post plumbed in. Oh, that flouro yellow zone? That’s adjustable anti-squat that is.
Abus Targon
- Price: £270.00
- From: Abus UK
The new convertible (full- or open-face) helmet from Abus. You can read all about it our Abus Targon helmet: making convertible covetable mini-review from earlier this week. TLDR: another decent lid from the German locksmiths.
Thule RoundTrip MTB Bike Case
- Price: £699.99
- From: Freewheel
This arrived just in time for Mark to nab it and disappear across the Atlantic with it. Hence the ‘real world’ travel guy piccies. The Thule RoundTrip MTB Case features: fits wheelbases up to 1,300mm, includes a work stand, security-proof packing, rigid side panels, molded HDPE bottom tub, swiveling front wheel makes for effortless maneuvering through airports, brake rotor pockets locate wheels in the optimal packing position, work stand fits all front axle sizes.
Vee x Nutrak Rad Core tyres
- Price: £64.99
- From: Freewheel
RAD = radial init. Now then, some brands’ ‘radial’ is not the same as other brand’s ‘radial’. Meaning, Schwalbe (for example) make radial tyres but the carcass threads aren’t aligned 90° to the direction of travel. These RAD-CORE radial tyres from Vee x Nutrak do claim to be genuinely radial ie. threads 90° perpendicular to the direction of travel. There’s no way of telling whether this is strictly true without cutting open the tyre and having a nosey. Which we will do, once we’ve ridden the tyres for a decent amount of time. I, for one, am looking forward to trying the Attack FSX as I don’t think I’ve ridden one before, radial or regular.
Lego Icons Road Bike
- Price: £109.99
- From: Lego
It my not be a mountain bike but it is definitely a bike and it is made of Lego! What’s not to like? Coming in 1015 pieces, this particular set has found its way into the hands of our resident Lego super fan, Sanny, who it is fair to say has quite the Lego collection dating all the way back to when he was a teeny sproglet. Over to Sanny: “This is a really cool build with some great attention to detail. The deep section rims are bang on trend, the frame has a spot on aero aesthetic with no cabling on show and even the pedals are clipless. I’m really looking forward to building this while watching the Giro D’Italia. Now I just need to figure out what niche magazine I need to write for to be sent the AT AT Driver helmet set?” Currently running at 47 pages and counting, we are pretty sure that this set will appeal to a lot of our readers who have contributed to the Lego want of the day thread. And seeing as today is the day that The Madalorian and Grogu hits cinemas, Sanny has sent us a pic of his most recent big Lego build, the Razor Crest. After all, This Is The Way.
Adidas Alkator glasses
- Price: £126.12
- From: Cool Frames
You gotta love the marketing spume that often comes attached to sports eyewear. “Representing strength, power, and victory, the Alkator embodies the core essence of adidas and its determined attitude toward sports and life.” Okaaay. If you say so. What do these giggs offer? ‘Zero Bounce’ (adjustable rubber touchpoints to keep things in place), ‘Anti-Steam’ ventilation in the top bar. It clears fog in seconds, not minutes. ‘PowerVizin’ lenses are “tuned to highlight roots and ruts in the high-contrast transitions of the woods”, lens material features hydrophobic and oleophobic treatments to “repel water, sweat, dirt, and oils”.
Subscribe now to get Issue 167
- Price: from £9.00
- From: The Singletrack Shop
The theme of Issue 167 is ‘New vs Old’. Thusly, contained within these pages are things like: 90s MTB takes on Gravel Bike, The Rough Stuff Fellowship, The Dyfi Trail Rippers yoof, Coffin Roads & Trail Centres and so on and so forth. What else? New editor (hello!), a column from the old editor, route guides, galleries, cover shot from one of our old designers, a cartoon from another of our old designers, and other radical niceties. Get on board!
Singletrack OG Ride & Shine T-shirt
- Price: £27.00
- From: The Singletrack Shop
A shameless attempt to piggyback on to the sunny weather happy vibes. Bank Holiday Monday too. Woo! Anyhoo… This shirt is a fairly relaxed fit. If you want an oversized down-with-the-kids look, go for your usual size. Otherwise, please refer to the size guide in the description and be prepared to size down from your usual.
Forum Thread Of The Week
This week’s winner is dannybgoode for the How unfashionable is your bike? thread:
The winning FTOTW in FGF gets a prize. Therefore, dannybgoode please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for a random prize. Don’t forget to include your postal address please.
Stale Goods Friday – 2017 Santa Cruz Tallboy Alloy
- Price: £3,299 (or £4,527.13 in today’s money)
- From: Fresh Goods Friday 358
Back in August 2017 we wrote: “This is the alloy version of the Tallboy, which is regularly overlooked by it’s pricier and more exotic carbon brother. However, the alloy model offers the same geometry and the same suspension design, all in a more affordable package starting at £2699 for a complete bike. Rear travel has grown to 110mm over the previous Tallboy model, and the frame is rated for a 120mm travel fork when setup in 29in mode, or 130mm when setup in 27.5+ mode. The Tallboy takes a 120mm fork, and your choice of 29in or 27.5+ wheels.”
Covered by the crew
Insurance handled by people who ride, wrench and understand mountain bikes.
When something goes wrong, your claim is handled by people who genuinely understand how mountain bikes are ridden, repaired and put back together after a bad day on the trails.
From blown suspension to cracked frames, decisions are made by cycling specialists – not general insurers.
We also keep key bike parts in-house and work directly with trusted bike workshops, helping reduce delays and get riders back on the trails sooner.
What this means for you
- Cyclist-first decisions focused on getting you back on the trails
- Claims handled by people who ride and work with bikes
- Experience with real mountain bike damage, including off-road riding
- Repair-first approach using specialist cycle workshops
Fresh Goods Friday is Sponsored by Pedal Cover – The better route for cyclists
Glasses with a full face? I can hear the knickers being twisted 😀
I thought ‘Alkator’ was Mark’s new nick name – Mark ‘The Alkator’ Alker.
Like an MTB version of the Terminator…….
What’s the integrated Work Stand on the Thule bike bag like?