Alright, alright, everything’s going to be alright. That’s what the chaps from Walthamstow say anyway. And who are we to argue?
This past week has seen Singletrackers in the desert and in the snow. All part of the rich pageantry of mountain biking.
Next week sees us e-xecute our first e-ver E-Bike Week. What is it? E-ssentially it’s a bunch of content, reviews and advice about e-bikes and e-biking that we’ve saved up to e-mit all at once, e-xactly at the time of year when a lot of people are out there contemplating if/when/how/why they should get an e-bike.
In the meantime, here’s a totally e-free Fresh Goods Friday for y’all.
Thule EasyFold 3 is the latest in the Thule line-up of super high end bike racks that quickly/easily/securely mount on to tow balls. You may remember reading our Thule EPOS Towball Carrier review we rpublished at the start of this year. The Easyfold design features an adjustable bike arm with a strap and pivoting head. Designed very much with the family in mind, the rack can adapt to hold kids bikes all the way up to hefty ebikes. The maximum weight per bike is 30kg. Need to bring more bikes? Thule EasyFold easily converts from a 2-bike to a 3-bike – or the 3-bike up to a 4-bike – carrier with an additional adapter. Integrated number board and lighting array included as you’d expect for such a top end bit of kit.
And we’re back! Sorry about that.
WTB have come out with a new super-burly casing for some of their MTB tyres. Called SG1 it is dual-ply, with an under-tread protection layer and a sidewall/bead armouring too. They’ve also rejigged the rubber blend of their TriTec tyres to be a bit less slippery when it encounters moisture. You can read more about this in our WTB Judge review from earlier this week.
No, it’s not titanium (even though it costs nearly as much…) – this is a Croix de Fer – the all-round gravel, ‘groad’, ‘mixed media’ bike from Genesis – in steel. Reynolds 931 stainless steel to be precise and it makes a return to the Genesis lineup, having previously appeared in stainless a decade ago. Since then, there have been many changes: the bike now sports a T47 threaded BB, tapered headtube and room for 47mm tyres (over the 35mm capacity of the 2014 version). There are many, many braze-on mounts and very flexible cable routing options. The frameset comes with a carbon fork too.
This is the new Karoo 3 GPS bike computer from Hammerhead, and the first update since the company was acquired by SRAM a couple of years ago. The new Karoo boasts a brighter, more visible screen, better battery life and more obvious, tactile buttons. Once paired with a free Hammerhead web account, route plotting and uploading to the unit is quick and simple. Having used the previous version, Chipps is off to go and get himself lost with it.
Worried about shifter spares availability after the coming zombie apocalypse? Tired of searching for CR2032 batteries so that you can shift gear with your whizzy wireless shifters? Want to be quirky and different? What you need is a thumb shifter… Coming from solid shifting ranks of Microshift, the catchily named M12-R shifter is designed to index flawlessly with Shimano’s latest 12 speed groupsets (there’s a SRAM version too). The system can also work in friction mode if your mech has taken a smack, or if you’ve taken a replacement wheel while escaping the zombie horde. The futurepast is now!
Made by Burf from BTR in Frome, Somerset, this trail tool should appeal to anyone who needs to rake, chop, shape, tamp or grade a bike park, jump park or woodland trail (or allotment if you’re looking for a respectable excuse to buy one). They’re made from toughened steel and zinc plated for rust resistance. There’s even a hole in the blade so that you can lock it to a tree and leave it in the woods ready for the next dig day.
The first of a trio of casual clobber from Canyon. Loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt with ribbed cuffs, raglan cut, 100% organic 280 g/m² cottom, high-density print, high-quality feel, soft to wear. Nice colour.
Something of a curious garment (maybne we’re just old?). T400 material (79% Polyester, 21% organic cotton). Large side pockets with zip. Integrated belt with clip.The leg cuffs have elasticated drawstrings, “this allows you to pull the trousers up over the calf on the chainring side to prevent them from getting caught in the chain when riding.” But these aren’t reall riding trousers. All five pockets have YKK zips with fine teeth so as to be “smooth-running and … not scratch your hands when you reach in.”
This garment is what inspired this week’s East 17 theme. Big ‘n’ baggy bottoms with a distinctly ’90s vibe. Three pockets. Two logos. 480 g/m² American fleece made from 100% mercerised organic cotton (Mercerised means a finishing process in which cotton fibres are treated in a special solution to make them “shinier, stronger, smoother and more tear-resistant.”).
Yep, mudguards. It is time. I [Benji] am a rear mudguarder. Don’t @ me. Well, you can if you want to. I have no shame about it. What I do have is more comfort and less stressed washing machine. This is a pair of Mudrockers from SKS. The front mudguard can attach in various ways: trad zip ties, or rubberised Velcro straps, and/or a bracket-and-screws into the rear of the fork arch. The rear mudguard has slightly slanted rubber anchor feet for fine tuning how the guard lies on the swingarm in relation to the rear tyre. Yes, we have mounted it far too close for these pics! The rear guard also has an optional extender. Which you should use. From our experience, rear mudguards need be really, really, really long for them to do the job properly.
Saracen recently agreed a five-year deal to be the official bike supplier to the Nevis Range. And Benji went up to have a looks (and ride the gondola). There’s full catalogue of bikes available to hire including the excellent Saracen Ariel 60, Saracen Ariel 30, big travel Ariel 80, Saracen Ariel E Bikes, Saracen Mantra LSL hardtails and the race-proven Myst downhill bike. As well as the infamous Fort William World Cup track there are over 80km of MTB trails at the Nevis Range. The Nevis Range complex is now an official Shimano Service Centre as well as a Freewheel store and offers Lazer helmets as part of the hire package. For the little uns there’s Ridgeback Skills School, with a full demo fleet of 14 children’s bikes to be used as part of the Nevis Range helping kids develop their cycling ability.
Oh and by the way, although there’s no World Cup at Fort William next year, we do have Top Secret information about a couple of new races happening there in 2025. Both will have bigger-than-World-Cup prize money. Watch this space.
About Garmin: “From Saturday group rides to solo long ones, improve every ride with the Edge 1050 premium bike computer and its incredible performance insights, in-ride competitions and free personalised coaching. We make products that are engineered on the inside for life on the outside. We do this so our customers can make the most of the time they spend pursuing their passions. Garmin brings GPS navigation and wearable technology to the automotive, aviation, marine, outdoor and fitness markets. We think every day is an opportunity to innovate — and a chance to beat yesterday”.
Congratulations go to Walter Wolf (not Winston Wolfe from Pulp Fiction) for this week’s winning entry.
Whether you’ve got a special new bike or just a bike that’s special to you, this is how you get to tell everyone about it! You can either tag the bike pic with #stwreadersrides on Instagram or you can send us your submissions via this form.
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.
