Fresh Goods Friday 773: The Whole Nut Hang Edition

Be warned: this edition of FGF mostly contains things that are not cheap. Yes, even more than usual.

Having said that, for the most part you can understand – perhaps even sympathise with – why the price tags are so high. Clue: making stuff in the UK is not cheap.

But hey, conkers!

Auckland Cycle Works Marra v2.4

• Price: £TBC
• From: Auckland Cycle Works

We featured the previous version of the Marra back in Fresh Goods Friday 689 but the frame size was too small for us to get any genuine sense of how the unique design actually performed. Now we’ve got hold of the latest test version of the Marra – in Large – and it fits our test squadron just fine. I [Benji] do not want to get sidetracked by delving into the theory and counter-theory of this bike’s ‘KOLARP’ suspension layout. What I will say is that, after riding it for a week, the Marra is an exceedingly capable and fast bicycle. It does the whole not-getting-slowed-down-by-bumps thing of high-pivot (rearward axle path) bikes and it has one of the calmest handling feels of any bike I’ve tried. I don’t know the whys and wherefores and graphs and the ‘but Tony Foale said’ whataboutery. But what I will also say is that the KOLARP design is not very forgiving (ie. at all) of set-up. Do not rush the sag procedure folks! So far, I am loving this machine.

KOM Xeno Rear Hub

• Price: £550
• From: KOM

This technically just came fitted on the bike above but we thought it was so freaking genuinely interesting that it needed its own spot in FGF. Essentially, the freehub engagement is on the disc rotor side of the hub. Bearings operate in two separate pairs (drive and freewheel) which seamlessly switch as you transition from pedalling to coasting. Much more even load distribution, stiffer (ten times stiffer is the claim), better bearing alignment, reduction of wheel twisting, greatly reduced drag, 120 POE, larger ratchet size than rival designs. Any choice of cassette. Does require a unique 4-bolt rotor.

Rapha MTB Clobber

• Price: £18 Merino Socks, £145 Trail Lightweight Jacket, £180 Trail Finale Pants, £45 Trail Finale Gloves, £65 Trail Technical T-Shirt, £110 Trail Finale Windblock Jersey, £130 Trail Finale Shorts
• From: Rapha

Rapha first range for the ‘gravity’ ish riders and racers. The name comes from Finale Ligure. The collection features “lightweight and hard-wearing apparel for the most demanding conditions.” General design goals: weather protection, improved fit, moisture management, durability and easy access storage. Our Lakeland Lubber James Vincent will be putting this lot through the wringer for reviews.

PNW Loam 225mm Dropper Gen 2 & Midcap Band

• Price: £225.00 post, £6.00 midcap band
• From: PNW Components

There are numerous decent droppers out there now. Whether you want wireless or not. Whether you want the easiest-action. Whether you want the exact amount of travel that your frame and legs allow. Why go for the new Loam dropper from PNW? I can tell you why I have opted for it: the 225mm travel will fit exactly dropper to the collar of my main bike, it has the easiest no-tools travel adjustment of any post out there (which comes in handy as and when it may be required on other test bikes), and – perhaps most importantly – you can get coloured midcap bands to match your grips (in this case, grey). Oh yeahhh.

PNW Loam Gen 2 Pedals

• Price: £147.00
• From: PNW Components

Truth be told, I am not a massive fan of the Gen 1 Loam pedal. I was alright, but nothing more than that. My main issue was that the leading outside corner was rather too cut-away; apparently I use a lot of the leading corners of my pedals when riding my ATB. Anyhoo. Here is the Star Trek Next Generation version of the Loam. Thicker. Squarer (not as stand-mixer blade shaped as before. And let’s be frank, they look really, really cool. Which is half the battle in a sea of decent flat pedals. Also available in Blackout Black, Blood Orange, Moss Green and Fruit Snacks (purple), as well as this winning Lightning (silver).

PNW Elements Water Bottle

• Price: £15.00
• From: PNW Components

Continuing my search for the most stylish looking water bottles out there, this is PNW’s attempt. I like it. This is the Seafoam Teal colour. Also available in Safety Orange, Pacific Blue, Lichen Green and Obsidian Black.

Have you seen any cool water bottle designs? Let me know what they are in the comments below please!

Wizard Works Hobgob Hip Pack & Quick Draw Bottle Pocket

• Price: £199.00 hip pack, £33.00 bottle pocket
• From: Wizard Works

A sizable 4.8L capacity hip pack, plus the optional bottle holder. Made in London, which partly explains the price tag. This thing is impressively designed and constructed. We particularly like the molle anchoring method for the bottle holder, which feels more more stable and trustworthy than most. And we’ve not encountered a Fidlock Hook main buckle before, which is nice. Sufficient organisation inside, bungee stowage underneath outside, cinch straps at the sides. And available in plenty of pleasingly well executed colourways.

E-Thirteen Helix Race 12-Speed 9-45T Cassette

• Price: £304.95
• From: E-Thirteen UK

Benji doesn’t often overly look at the weight of things (“function is all” etc) but for his Pace Project (see Fresh Goods Friday 772) he’s been bookmarking Weight Weenie Websites and getting his orders in. Hence this spangly cassette from E-Thirteen. 500% Range, 330g. XD/XDR driver only. Two aluminium cogs, ten steel cogs. ‘PVD ‘finishing on Intergalactic model claims to improve durability.

E-Thirteen Grappler Mid Spike Tyre

• Price: £69.95
• From: E-Thirteen UK

We never say no to testing a mud tyre. This is the latest from E-Thirteen. The Grappler Mid Spike claims to perform not only in the mud but also on roots and rocks. 90tpi x 1.5 ply construction, under-tread reinforcement, apex sidewall inserts. 42a Mopo compound. E-Thirteen: “The widely spaced, angled, and offset tread pattern sheds mud quickly and punches through dirt while still providing consistent support and traction leaning into turns. Siping on the pyramid center and sidewall knobs work in harmony with the supple casing, conforming to the terrain to maximize cornering and braking grip.”

Method Frameworks ZAPR Ti

• Price: £4,400 frame only
• From: Method Frameworks

New Scottish bike brand from the creators of Five Land Bikes. Method Men: “Originally product designers, we got our start as frame fabricators at Shand Cycles in 2013. We (Matt and Callum) started the B2B manufacturing company Five Land Bikes in 2017. Since then we have been lucky enough to build for lots of brands that are great at what they do and are committed to supporting UK manufacturing. Folk like Cotic, Mason, Swarf and Frameworks.” The ZAPR Ti then. “A modern day short travel trail bike totally capable of XC laps, big days out loaded up or making the most of your local singletrack.”

Conkers!

• Price: £0.00
• From: Horse Chestnut trees

The Man may say that autumn ain’t here for another couple o’ weeks, but who pays any attention to The Man these days? We all know that the true sign of autumn is the appearance of conkers. We also all know that you have to collect them when you see them, keep them in the kitchen for three weeks, then throw them in the bin. It’s the law.

Havok Bike Park Race Weekend, 20-21 September

• Price: £22.15 – £32.63 (includes uplift)
• From: Havok Bike Park

Our friendly neighbourhood radical bike park is having a race weekend to ‘celebrate’ the end of summer. Havok Bike park: “We’re mixing up sections of our original trails to create a fresh downhill-style line that’s rollable yet challenging. Expect flow, speed, and a few smaller features to keep things spicy – you’ll need to keep your head in the game to pick the best lines! The track will stay completely secret until the weekend, with your first chance to ride it on Saturday during practice. This will be a mates race – meaning while there’s still a competitive edge, the focus is on a fun, supportive atmosphere where everyone can push themselves and have a laugh with their mates.” Schedule: Saturday 20th September: Open practice (normal day rates) – uplift tokens £5 each. Sunday 21st September: Race Day – practice in the morning, race starts 1pm.

Forum Thread Of The Week

The week’s extremely child-ish winner is morecashthandash for this thread:

As before, the winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. Therefore morecashthandash please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for a random prize. Don’t forget to include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics, M8.

Member Reward Of The Week – 18% off Exposure Lights

• Reward: 18% off Exposure Lights
• From: Singletrack Member Rewards

About Exposure Lights: Designed, engineered and made in the UK to benefit every ride, no matter the terrain. Road Specific beam patterns that can be dipped at the touch of a button. DAYBRIGHT, a specifically designed pulse pattern for day time riding that can be spotted from more than a kilometre. Reflex technology that provides the right lumen output at the right time automatically from your bar light combined with TAP technology for Helmet, simply tap the light or helmet for rapid mode change. No matter the ride, we have you covered.

Stale Goods Friday – 2014 Kona Process 111

• Price: £3,599
• From: Fresh Goods Friday 209

Back in the pre-DownCountry Days we wrote: “This lovely slice of purple landed in the office for our upcoming test on short-travel 29er long and low gnarbikes. Our XL test bike has a whopping 26″ top tube, and an unsurprising 111mm of rear travel … with 120mm of Pikeyness up front … Super-burly linkages. Rawr. … Lots of linkages help keep the chainstays supershort, which means there’s no room for a front mech. Not a problem, as it runs a SRAM 1×11 groupset … It comes with a press-fit BB and some super-burly looking pivots and stays.”