Yes, it’s everyone’s very favourite day of the whole calendar year: Black Friday. And yes, we have an offer on (see below). But that’ll do.
It’s undeniably a good day to purchase something that you genuinely need (or just want) so do that if you want to. It’s fine. Lord knows, not many folk are swimming in excess cash right now.
In terms of the more permanently interesting aspect of today, it’s time for Fresh Goods.
An idler bike. A bike with an idler. But unlike most idler equipped bikes, the Norco Optic doesn’t have that much travel (125mm) and its main pivot location isn’t all that high up the seat tube. The fork travel is 140mm by the way. We’ve decided to join in calling this bike a ‘mid pivot idler bike’. Mainly to make people tut and roll their eyes. Will that idler do enough of the claimed magic carpet doesn’t-tug-yer-tootsies stuff? Or is it all a bit OTT? Personally speaking, I [Benji] am in favour of this bike regardless because it is… interesting. It’s also rare that a Norco isn’t really, really good. Which is nice. The year of our Lord 2024 has not been a great one for Interesting MTBs has it? This is the 2024 model. 2025 model year is jkust about coming into stock about now. Whilst the MY25 is principally an exercise in BNG*, there are some striking spec changes from the 2024 range (such as SRAM Code brakes instead of Level). This is size C4: 497.5mm reach, 65° head angle, 77.5° effective seat angle, 430mm seat tube, 433mm chain stays. And of the best things about Norco bikes? Their online Ride Aligned bike set-up wizard. It really is very good; it’s never very far away from how I ultimately end up with my psi and my mm digits.
*Bold New Graphics
“This is Reel Life, you’re telling me” – Magazine
The ‘Ergowave’ shaped profile which steps-down from the rear to the front claims to offer a “perfect form-fit shape for most sit bones”. Regardless of whether your posterior is suitably perfect there’s no doubting that the saddle material is impressively robust. This may be a very expensive saddle but it does retain its looks for a very long time. This sort of saddle arguably makes more sense on bikes that don’t have steep seat angles; they support (literally) a rider who is semi-constantly moving fore-aft depending on the terrain gradient. Oh, and that little squidgy thing where the rails enter the saddle at the rear is essentially an elastomer. This can be swapped out for different firmness/damped inserts, all of which allow the saddle to rock during pedalling movement.
Techno grips. Prescription grips. Whilst most of this grip is trad-looking diamond file knurling, there’s a lot of the grip that is highly specialised and specific. Tapered core means there’s less plastic pipe under the outside of your hand. ‘Ergobar’ finger pad zone. Raised outer end top. Slimmed down at the index finger area (underside near the collar basically). The whole intention being to reduce arm pump, and reducing excess pressure on the ulnar area of your palm, by spreading the load. Whilst they undeniably have that gawky sort of saddle-wearing touring bikist aesthetic so common with ergonomic grips, we think there’s a lot of sense in this design. We have some on test at the moment.
These are handlebars these are. And what they may lack in rise they more than make up for in rearward sweep. Well, not literally. Back sweep doesn’t greatly affect rise does it? Sorry. Anyway. Mega swept back bars. SQ Lab sayeth: “The 12° backsweep with its short reach provides a natural transition from the lower arm to the hand when in a more upright riding position thus protecting the wrist from the extreme strain occurring in downhill riding.The 4° upsweep brings the elbows into a perfect position for a dynamic riding style.” As well as all that, it could be yet another method of tweaking the realtionship between your hands and yourfront tyre’s contact patch. Which is always interesting to mess with.
This pedal is available in three different axle lengths, the largest of which is intended for “a V-shaped foot position or larger sit bone distances, which usually require a higher Q-factor.” Which is nice. The mild concavity of the pedal body is slightly rotated outwardly. 115 x 105mm platform size. Fibre reinforced plastic body. Japanese ball bearings. IGUS friction bushing. Replaceable pins. P.S. why do pedal designers place pins in the middle area of the body? Doesn’t everyone just end up removing them? Just us?
This is the latest watch to be released by Coros. You get an AMOLED display – visible even in bright light, so none of that squinting and looking for shade you get with some screens. It has built in maps, GPS tracking, promises up to 38 hours of battery life while these functions are being used. You should get 20 days out of it in basic watch mode, without tracking. It’s got an optical heart rate monitor, optical pulse oximeter and ECG sensor. It’ll track your sleep and help you get the most out of your training. Sadly it doesn’t do the dishes, but it is waterproof while you’re doing them. You can use it control your action camera too! Probably not a function to combine with doing the dishes.
They may not quite be the size of dinner plates but these 220mm rotors are pretty much as big as you can get. We’ve got these in as we’ve found certain gram-counting mid-weight ebikes not quite having brakes that cut the mustard (again, not literally). And yes, the Center Lock option is what we wanted; the aforementioned wee-bikes always seem to have Center Lock flavoured hubs (gram shaving init).
What would you call it? It stretches and wicks away your cranial outpourings. Perfect for under a helmet all year round and you can even rock it as an 80’s vibe headband. Hair bobble, sweat band, beanie, pirate hat. This one time, at band camp, we saw someone wear one as a boob tube. What would you call it if you couldn’t call it what you know it as?
As ever, Post free for Subscribers.
STWBF20 for 20% off any subscription. Expires Monday 2nd December.
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.
