Tools and tech for your convenience and comfort. Because suffering is overrated.
A new dawn, a new day, a new batch of bike bits for you to spoil your ballots over. Yes, there’s been a general election but we all know that Chief Lizard Charles is still the real power pulling the strings, don’t we?
Don’t we?
The key question that almost none of the mainstream political parties deemed to address was the debate around thru-headset cable routing. Surely we can’t just go on pretending that it isn’t happening? It’s a blight on so many people’s lives right now.
Please sign our petition below to get the matter debated in parliament. Thank you.
An alloy hardtail 29er with a 140mm travel up front, some pretty progressive geometry numbers and a well-sorted looking build kit. We really liked the previous Big Trail but we had one reservation: we thought the sizing was off. Basically, the XL was more like a L. Merida appears to have addressed this sizing glitch. The new Big Trail is around 20mm longer in reach. This makes this X-Long size Big Trail 600 come with a healthy 505mm reach. With the L(ong) size sporting 480mm, I’d say this sorts things out and makes things more in line with other modern progressive mountain bikes. Other interesting numbers: 64° head angle, 76.5° seat angle, low slung 70mm BB drop, short 435mm chain stays. Spec highlights: Shimano XT 4-pot brakes, Shimano Deore drivetrain, RockShox Pike forks, Maxxis rubbers and a long dropper. The dropper on the X-Long is whopping 230mm travel post, which is unfortunately a bit too long for my legs and is non-adjustable (ignore what I say in the video below!) so I’ve swapped it out for a 200mm dropper that was lying around doing nowt. Anyhoo. This should be a fun bike. Despite the thru-headset cable routing.
Yep, the new Stumpy came out this week. We were at the launch event and you can read our Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Pro: first ride review here, if you please.
Designed to fit in most carry-on luggage situations, this 42 litre pack has a clamshell style opening, combining the best of suitcase and rucksack functionality. Hannah’s sister is a travel agent (so gets to travel a lot – damn her and her good life choices!) and reckons this is the best luggage she’s ever had. There’s a variety of different sized sections within, so you can keep your gear organised on the go. A laptop sleeve keeps your electronics protected, there’s an external water bottle sleeve, it’ll fit on your suitcase handle for easier carrying if you’re taking hold luggage too, and a rain cover keeps everything dry if your holiday weather is disappointing. Looks like a great option for when you want to avoid hold luggage (and possibly getting to your destination without it), or need to move from place to place on your trip. Stubble & Co is a British company with B-Corp certification too. Nice.
New Bluetooth Speaker from TRIBIT that uses Bluetooth 5.3 for a range of 30m. Customise the sound using the TRIBIT App, with 24 hours of playback and 34W peak power, you can listen to 7 Skies H3 by the Flaming Lips without recharging. IPX7 rating means you can drop it in a puddle up to 1m deep and it’ll be OK (if you fish it back out within 30 minutes). If you want to have multiple sound sources, you can pair two StormBox 2 speakers, or pair with the StormBox Flow or XSound Plus 2.
A brand new tyre from WTB. Unlike most new rubbers from WTB – which have either been gravel or grrr – the Macro is an out and out XC tyre. WTB sez: “Macro reinforces the notion that XC shouldn’t be categorized by rigid posts and pinner tires. XC is growing faster by the day and Macro is here to exceed its expectations. Minimal, fast-rolling tread wraps over a wide casing to increase traction and confidence without added knob weight. Minimal tread overhang also reduces weight while a round tire profile provides smooth cornering on hardpack surfaces. Macro is here to go faster.” There are new anti-puncture casings and new betterer compounds from WTB by the way.
Annnd… back to the gravel rubber. The Resolute is designed to be the fit-and-forget all-rounder gravel tyre. WTB: “Resolute is the ultimate all-weather gravel tire for those who don’t want to fuss with conditions-specific tires for every season. Small, square knobs deliver consistent bite into a variety of terrain, while the ample spaces between them prevent packing up when conditions become fun (a.k.a wet). Truly all-season in nature, the Resolute’s 42mm width makes it a set-it-and-forget-it gravel tire for endlessly undulating roads through all varieties of weather. Now available in 50mm width making the go to tire of choice for any adventure rider.”
Vulpine. Which, if nothing else, is a great name for a tyre. The regular Vulpine has been around for a few seasons now but here it is in a new volume (45c). The Vulpine S is ostensibly the same tyre but with a solid centre strip and ever so slightly smaller and tighter packed knobbles. WTB: “The Vulpine S is the fastest tire we make. Vulpine S is the latest race-focused addition to WTB’s line of beloved gravel tires. Vulpine S is the gravel revamp of a proven semi-slick mountain tread with years of swift efficiency under its belt. The slick centerline decreases rolling resistance while its round tire profile is packed with short, tightly-spaced knobs to provide predictable cornering traction on hardpack terrain.”
Way back in the mists of time (Fresh Goods Friday 709 to be exact) we featured the new Peaty’s Monarch grips. Well, these fancy aftermakret collars for them arrived this week. Available in nuff colours (these are Stella Can Top Gold, not really): black, bourbon, emerald, gold, mango, navy, punch, red, silver, slate, turquoise, violet.
The big news here is arguably that 7iDP stuff is available again in the UK after being knocked out of action by the whole CRC/Wiggle/Hotlines implosion. Anyway, these gloves then. Feature list: insert to protect your two outside fingers from tree/shrub impacts, AX 4-way stretch perforated palm, ripstop 4-way stretch back of hand fabric, adjustable cuff closure, microfibre thumb panel, silicone printed finger and thumb, one-piece neoprene. Also available in a less shiny no-hologram version if you’re a shy and retiring type.
The Sam Hill edition of 7iDP’s knee pads were always a popular choice amongst riders so it’s good to see them available once more. The USP of these pads is the ‘breathable sock’; “running the length of the pad in the rear and extending across the lower front a breathable 4-way stretch mesh maintains airflow for all-day comfort.”
Named after the number of vents, the Project.21 combines airflow with bonce coverage. The Project.21 uses Energy Reduction Technology (ERT) which is a 4mm layer of “lightweight polymer material dissipates both linear and rotational impact energy”. In the helmet foam there is additional ConeHead crumple zone tech which claims to “reduce the likelihood (or severity) of concussion.” The helmet also features Crash Release Visor system to reduce rotational forces during impacts. Limited Edition padded helmet bag.
WordPress VIP. It’s more of a concept… An ideology if you will… A theoretical space that actually isn’t in space of itself. It’s a coagulation of data within a framework of a silicon lattice structure.
This week’s winner is convert with this winning thread below:
The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So @convert please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for your random prize. Don’t forget to include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics like. K thx bye!
The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So @convert please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for your random prize. Don’t forget to include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics like. K thx bye!
It’s Singletrack’s long running, weekly roundup of all of the new products that have been sent in to the magazine.
They’re sent in by bike companies and marketing agencies
They’re featured and then some are reviewed down the line in either Singletrack Magazine or in online reviews and photoshoots.
They’re usually sent back after review, or kept on long-term test bikes. But no one ever asks for shorts and shoes back. Trust us on that. Once we were asked to return some brake pads.
Nothing. Nil. Zero. Diddlysquat. Sod all. Just send all ‘next big things’ to us at – 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, coffee & spirits will ALWAYS be tested.