Hello and welcome to this week's rundown of shiny bikes and shinier bike stuff. Having said that, most of this has a matt finish.
Hello and welcome to this week’s rundown of shiny bikes and shinier bike stuff. Having said that, most of the stuff detailed below has more off a matt finish. Possibly eggshell.
Without any further ado, tuck into Fresh Goods Friday seven hundred and eight…
Another very e-bike. The very definition of full fat. The new Merida eOne-Sixty is being promoted with the tagline “Goodbye range anxiety”. While its 750Wh internal battery is no great shakes these days, there is an option to run a piggyback 360Wh range extender battery. Which, if my maths is correct, brings the total capacity up to… fecking loads.
Big batteries and especially range extenders are pretty rare for Shimano motor-ed machines. Though there does seem to have been a bit of loosening up of the control freakery reins from Shimano’s e-department of late. It started with bigger non-Shimano internal batteries (eg. Darfon), then non-standard power assist level options (eg. Cannondale Moterra SL) and now have range extenders. Oh, and Shimano have admitted that the new EP801 motor has got 100W more peak power apparently.
Anyway, enough about E. What about the bike? 174mm rear travel aluminium mullet. And a flex-pivot design no less. That is quite a move. The suspension is Select level 170mm RockShox Zeb fork ‘n’ a Super Deluxe shock. Not a whole lotta bling bits; we’re talking Merida own-brand stuff and Shimano XT Linkglide drivetrain and 4-pot brakes. Which is absolutely fine by us. And yes, that is a semi-integrated front light (it can be removed pretty easily by unplugging a couple of wires from the drive unit and pulling out of the headset top-cover etc).
‘Tis the season. i [Benji] am a shameless hand-guard fan. I don’t (just) want them for tree punching protection. The main thing my locale struggles with from now until Autumn is overgrowth. Nettles, brambles, ferns. After one too many splinter-injected bulbous knuckles, last year I had a go with some Revgrips Handguards and that was that. For this season I’ve got some other brand’s ‘guards in. The first to arrive were these SendHit Nock V2 MTB handguards from across the Channel. Aside from the new colour aluminium bracket arms (silver and grey are new options), these Nocks feature: “unbreakable guards with optimized ratio between rigidity (protect the hand) and flex (handle impact without breaking)”, a flip-chip offering fore-aft and side-to-side positions, impact foam inside the shield, thick decals (to help protect shields and brackets as well as aesthetics).
Something new from SendHit. We’re not actually sure if they’re officially out yet but here they are anyway. Essentially they’re adhesive wraparounds for brake levers, intended to improve braking feel. The material is some sort of textured rubber. It feels a bit like micro-suede (is that even a thing?) Whilst they don’t explicitly say as much, we feel they are principally designed around Shimano brake levers.
Whilst a lot of the Fjallraven x Specialized colab stuff is peak bikepacker hipster cringe, this pack is still undeniably a nice item. No, it is not good value. Yet. It does feel like it will last for a long time however. Apparently designed to fit inside a Fjallraven ‘Cool Cave’ bike pannier, it works pretty well just as a backpack. It has a separate, fully padded laptop compartment, an easy-access pocket on top plus a large front pocket, padded shoulder straps (that can be neatly made flush) and two handles on the top. Also available in ox red, ochre, black and navy as well as this ‘Travis Bickle meets Rambo uptown’ green.
A technical Tee that’s perhaps a little bit more loose fit than most. Chest screen print on the chest. Fabric is a blend of 85% drirelease Polyester and 15% Elastane. We’re not sure if it really comes across in these pics, but this ‘birch white’ colour is really rather lovely.
These need to be worn under a pair of oivershorts or riding trousers. Not just because they’re rather revealingly skimpy and delicate open mesh, but also because they can look like they’re a garment that’s still in the middle of being stitched together. Three floating rear pockets. Stretchy elastic braces are plush and soft against the skin. Mesh elastic leg grippers. New smaller and thinner mountain bike specific Body Geometry pad. Outward facing seams reduce chafing and increase comfort.
This may look like drug paraphernalia but it’s not. Although it is designed to help you get high (PSI) again. The Racer Pro allows you to store four pre-loaded tubeless plugs ready to go in a single tool. Snap-on caps protect plugs from dirt and damage. “When your ready to make a repair, just pop off a cap to deploy either a standard size plug (with wheel-friendly soft brass tip) or the aluminum Megaplug for mega-big punctures. If you need more plugs just unthread the Twin Tube
and flip it around for more plugging action!” What a cutie.
It’s he-rrre! If you want to find out what’s inside this glorious new edition, head over to the product page and click ‘Description’ and all shall be revealed unto you. Glory be!
If you are a Full Member here at Singletrack World, chances are you aren’t yet fully aware of the ancillary perks on offer via our Rewards Scheme. One of the most popular Reward offers of late has been with Garmin. If you wish to upgrade to being a Full Member of Singletrack World and access these perks as well as receive the magazine, you need to visit the Membership page and do the deed.
This week’s winner is the majestic SaxonRider with this thread right here:
The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So @SaxonRider 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.
