Fresh Goods Friday 814: The No Shoes Edition

July 3, 2026

It was Eurobike last week. You may well not have noticed. If you didn’t notice, never fear, someone called ‘Chopps Choppendale’ (I think) will be writing this evening’s Newsletter all about his Eurobike findings. So please feel free to sign-up to that.

In the meantime, here’s this week’s Fresh Goods Friday for y’all. Tuck in!

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Soft is all well and good Gram, but what about an actual durometer?

Pace RCE429

  • Price: complete builds from £3,659, frame & Mahle X20 & wheelset £2,379
  • From: Pace Cycles
A mountain bike leaning against a wooden fence, featuring a grey frame, large tyres, and a water bottle mounted on the frame.
Close-up of a bicycle handlebar featuring a textured grip, a gear shifter, and a Shimano brake lever.
Close-up of a bike frame showing a black control button with a blue indicator light.
Close-up of a bicycle frame with a black component featuring a purple indicator, set against a blurred background.
Close-up of a bicycle's head tube with a black emblem, showcasing the frame's detailing and cable routing.
Close-up view of a mountain bike frame showing the Reynolds 853 sticker, a pedal, and a textured tyre in the background.
Close-up of a bicycle rear wheel hub and drivetrain components, showcasing the gears and brake system.
Close-up of a muddy bicycle frame showing the brand logo and components.

Erm. As you can see, I have already soiled this bike before taking pictures. Not only that, I’ve swapped out some of the components it came with (front tyre, grips and handlebars). Why did I do this? Because I am an impatient fool and I just couldn’t wait to have a go on this fascinating bicycle. Even though I should be all professional here and say something like “keep an eye out for a review soon”, I’m just going to come out and say that this bike is well good. It is absolutely not what I thought it would be. It does not ride like a rod of iron dragging an anchor behind it. It rides like a really excellent hardtail mountain bike. The hub motor is not unpredictable, nor crude. In some ways, I find it better than a mid-motor in fact. Anyway, keep an eye out for a review soon.

Hope freehub

A close-up of a metallic component with a green gasket, placed inside a transparent plastic packaging with branding.
A close-up of bicycle components featuring a green-sealed aluminium hub and a silver spacer, placed on a branded plastic bag.
A bicycle component kit featuring a green and silver part, a silver spacer, and a black O-ring, displayed on a branded plastic bag.
Close-up of mechanical components, including a metal part with grooves, a green rubber seal, and two small washers on a branded plastic bag.

Say what you like about Hope but there’s no arguing with the fact that their spares and aftercare service is amazing. Pretty much unrivalled in the bike industry. Not that this Microspline freehub for a Pro4 rear hub is much of a reach – compared to Hope still supplying parts for things that are decades old. Here’s a question for you all: do you lube your pawls? If so, what with? I went with a very slight smear of RockShox Butter.

Osram Explorer X 1000 Light Set

  • Price: £56.99
  • From: Osram
A hand holding a compact light with two circular LED bulbs in front of a textured red brick wall.
A person holding a red bike rear light with four LEDs, against a blurred wooden background.
Close-up of a handheld light with two bright LED bulbs, held against a brick wall.
A person holding a compact black device with a circular connector and a small port, against a red brick background.
A hand holding a small black and red OSRAM bike light with a clip attachment against a blurred wooden background.
A close-up image of a person's hand holding a small electronic device, showing a USB port and a red element on the side, with a blurred wooden background.

Whilst these budget lights are perhaps not quite powerful enough for ‘proper’ night riding offroad (we’re kinda of the opinion that 1500 lumens is the minimum), they are still a set of nicely fabricated lights that look ideal for a bit of mixed terrain commuting. Easy to mount. USB-C chargeable at home or office etc. Garmin-style quarter-turn fornt light mount. Quick on/off rubber bracket for the rear light.

Topeak JoeBlow Mountain X Digital track pump

A black and green pump standing against a red brick wall, with a wooden deck beneath it and an orange rubber object nearby.
Close-up view of a digital pressure gauge showing 0 PSI, mounted on a black air pump handle.
Close-up of a Topeak bike pump featuring a black nozzle and a green patterned pump body against a blurred brick background.
Close-up view of a black bicycle pump handle featuring textured grips, mounted on a green pump body, with a wooden surface in the background.

I love a good track pump. And I not averse to the world of digital – and the battery ownership that is attendant with such things. This pump looks to tick a whole heap of my boxes: 3.5in LED digital gauge, TurboHead pump head, 722cc stroke volume, steel barrel, steel base, padded handle, 65cm hose. And yeah, the green contour-lines panel is nice.

Topeak Shuttle Gauge Digital 2.0

Digital tyre pressure gauge displaying 0.00 PSI on a wooden surface.
A close-up of a black and gold microphone attachment resting on a wooden surface.
A digital pressure gauge with a black body and green LED display, resting on a textured wooden surface.

Digital pressure gauges aren’t a new thing. Indeed, the newer thing (electronic pumps) have arguably rendered digi gauges somewhat redundant. BUT hold your horses. This little thing can be simply attached to a pump that you already own and it acts as a digital gauge display. You basically attach your pump to the back of the head and then attach the Shuttle 2.0 to the tyre valve. Nice.

Crankbrothers Stamp Evo pedals

Close-up of a black bicycle pedal resting on grass, showing textured surface and design details.
Close-up of a bike pedal resting on green grass, showcasing its textured surface and grip pins.
Close-up of a grey component, featuring multiple bolts, set against a green background with grass.
Close-up of a black and grey bicycle pedal with the text 'STAMP EVO' visible, resting on a grassy surface.

20% longer than the Crankbrothers Stamp 7. Thin AF profile (11mm-15.5mm thickness). Concave platform. 13 adjustable pins per side. Grease port screws. EVO Small for shoe sizes 4-9 (UK). EVO Large (pictured)for shoe sizes 9-14 (UK). Extra pin kit and bashguards included. 103mm wide x 117mm long (Small). 114mm wide x 133mm long (large). Also available in Silver.

Amflow 800Wh battery

A black AVINOX device mounted on a wooden post, with a grassy background dotted with yellow flowers.
Close-up view of a black device marked 'AVINOX', showcasing its power button and connectors, positioned on a wooden surface with a blurred green background.
Close-up of a black device with a strap, mounted on a wooden post, set against a green background.
Instruction panel showing battery installation steps with illustrations, set against a blurred outdoor background.

So, this arrived. Does this mean that our Amflow PR Carbon (essentially the Amflow PX Carbon with removable battery) test bike is imminent also? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

Some shoes

  • Price: nope
  • From: nada
A black athletic shoe with the word 'PROTOTYPE' printed in white, displayed on a rounded metal surface with a textured design.
Close-up of black LEATT prototype shoes with branding details, focusing on the textured sole and design elements.
Close-up of a black shoe featuring a 'Lace Stash' design and Cordura branding, showcasing its textured materials and laces.
Back view of black sports shoes with reflective branding on the heel, set against a blurred garden background.
Close-up view of the sole of a black sneaker, featuring a textured pattern with triangular shapes.

Nothing.

Forum Thread Of The Week

This week’s winner is chiefgrooveguru for the The more I ride the less I think about new bike (stuff) and vice versa – is it just me? thread:

A written post discussing the challenges of balancing life and cycling, exploring thoughts on bike gear upgrades and satisfaction from riding experiences.

The winning FTOTW in FGF gets a prize. Therefore, chiefgrooveguru please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for a random prize. Don’t forget to include your postal address please.

Stale Goods Friday – 2012 Lapierre XR 529

A mountain bike with a black and white frame, featuring green accents, positioned against a stone wall.
Close-up of a mountain bike's rear suspension, featuring a combination of black and green components, with highlighted adjustment knobs.
Close-up of a green and white bicycle's rear derailleur and cassette, showcasing the drivetrain components.
A modern mountain bike positioned against a stone wall, featuring a black and white frame with green accents, thick rubber tyres, and advanced suspension components.
Close-up of a mountain bike frame displaying the logo and design features, with a focus on the head tube and cables.

Way-ish back when, we wrote: “This is the entry bike to the XR range, the 529. It’s got a full carbon fibre frame, even down to the rocker link, using a pivotless back end and neat shock cradle. This medium comes up on the scales at a rather impressive 26lbs with a Rock Shox Reba RL 100mm fork with remote lockout up front, Fox Evolution CTD shock, Shimano XT 2×10 drivetrain, Formula RX brakes and smattering of Lapierre’s own brand finishing kit. The back end uses a 142x12mm through axle to keep things stiff and 15mm axle up front to minimise any front end twang. We’re loving the colour scheme too – and the rather cute and dinky head tube plus negative rise stem and flat bars help keep the front end nice and low.”

Singletrack FGF Wordl

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A mechanic wearing gloves and an apron is working on a blue bicycle in a workshop. The background features windows with natural light and indoor plants.

Fresh Goods Friday is Sponsored by Pedal Cover – The better route for cyclists

*Discount available subject to our business terms and conditions: pedalcover.co.uk/business-terms

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185cm tall. 74kg weight. Orange Switch 6er. Saracen Ariel Eeber. Schwalbe Magic Mary. Maxxis DHR II. Coil fan.

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