Hot damn, it’s been a while since we’ve had such strong TFIF feels here in grit.cx HQ. We are staring at the weekend with the kind of hollow, vacant eyes of a junky waiting for their next hit. We are junkies waiting for our next hit. It’s been a week of sneaking out for an hour of riding here and there, making use of commutes and errands as excuses to turn the pedals. This isn’t right, people. We know that the simple act of riding is the meaning of life itself, not a note in the margins.
While we’ve been steering the laptop a little more than we’d like there’s always been an extra tab open in our web browsers. The bonkers Trans Continental Race is currently running, and is once again showing that the world of ultra-distance racing can serve up its own moments of beauty on a regular basis. Sadly, there are all too frequent moments of tragedy as well. Friends of grit.cx, Gavin and Jo are racing as a pair and trucking on nicely, despite some tough times. They are also raising money for Cancer Research UK as they pedal, #forjenn and for others. Track their (and everyone’s) progress here. While we are at it, check out this clever little site, which joins up rider’s instagram feeds to where they currently are.
Right, dear folk. Thank you for indulging our waffling, for we know the main reason you are here is to see the flaming hot new goods that have dropped into the grit.cx Secret Lair this week. The fact that the lair is, well, secret has made delivery a little tough. It’s meant that Dugast the Butler has had to hide behind the retractable palm trees in wait for each van turning up. It was a price worth paying for these beauties though.
Sven Pathfinder
- Price – £1600 (frame and forks), £2900 (as built)
- From – Sven Cycles
We’ve had a few interesting and striking bikes come through the testing turnstile at grit.cx recently. None have come close to attracting the comments that the Sven Pathfinder has received. Hand-built in Sven’s Dorset workshop, out of Reynolds 921 stainless steel tubing, the Pathfinder is definitely the shiniest bike we’ve tested. Sven also manufacture the matching Reynolds 921 unicrown fork with 12mm through axle. The bike is designed around 650b wheels and is currently built up in ‘drop-handle barred mountain bike’ mode.
There is way, way too much to talk about on this bike here, so we’ll be posting a full first look in the next couple of days. If you can’t wait that long, head on over to Facebook for Darron (Mr Sven) giving us a run through of the bike. He had heard how good the riding was in the grounds of our weekend country home residence, so made the long drive up from Dorset specially. Good lad.
Komoot
- Price – Free for the app, buy additional features from £2.99. All features and world maps £19.99.
- From – Komoot
And now for something a little different. Komoot only popped through our virtual letterbox. It’s an app and website, not dissimilar to other ride recording and planning apps, but with some clever features. At its core, Komoot uses some clever tech to help you plan rides. Type in where you want to ride from and to (or use your phone’s GPS to select a route from where you are right now) and Komoot will do the hard bit. You can select whether you want a mixed, road or mountain bike ride.
You can use your phone for navigation (maps are available to download – access to the entire world costs £19.99) and it will even give voice turn-by-turn directions if you want to ride with your phone in your pocket and don’t mind using headphones. Alternatively, you can pair your Komoot account with a Wahoo GPS and it will pull routes across. Finally, there’s a social element to Komoot. You can follow friends and check out the routes they are planning or seek inspiration by looking for routes in a particular area.
Tom will be testing the app locally to see how good Komoot is at finding the good stuff he knows, and further afield, hunting out trail heaven. Thanks to TwoToneAms for the heads up.
Café du Cycliste Mireille shirt
- Price – £87
- From – Café du Cycliste
Tom had a revelation as Dugast the Butler laid out his choice of skinsuits for the day. While form fitting lycra onesies are the only choice for the ‘cross race course, they lack some practicality for the office, pub or pretty much any other social setting. Eschewing the typical bike journo uniform of free t-shirts, he’s stepping things up on the smartness meter.
Based in Nice, Café du Cycliste make some beautiful riding wear, but also do a fine range of clothing with a nod toward city commuting and (smart?) casual riding. Here, the Mireille is a cotton shirt, with a bit of extra stretch built in for on-bike comfort. It’s not going to help you win any KOMs, but you’ll look good when you get there.
Café du Cycliste Odette shorts
- Price – £110
- From – Café du Cycliste
After yet another ‘Linford Christie lunchbox’ moment while doing his supermarket shopping, Tom was even more thankful for these shorts. The Odette shorts are made of a stretchy soft-shell type fabric. They also feature a reflective ‘tie’ for safer riding at night. The tag can be tucked away during the day, or removed all together.
Jagwire Sample Box
- Price – Not available to buy.
- From – Moore Large
Finally, we have this nice little box of tricks from Jagwire, to celebrate their 20th anniversary. It comes loaded with Elite Ultra-Slick Brake Cables, Pro Shift lightweight shift kit, Sport Organic disc brake pads and a pair of socks (win!).
And that, our friends, is that for this week. grit.cx signing off.