Do you like tomatoes? Perhaps you’re one of the many who only like them once they’ve been tortured sufficiently? Ketchup, puree, on pizzas, pasta sauce, that sort of thing. But is there anyone out there who doesn’t like tomato in any format whatsoever? We need to know!
While we wait, here’s this week’s Fresh Goods Friday…
Maxxis Dissector G2
- Price: from £64.99
- From: ExtraUK
We did receive a pair of these but I got all excited and installed one on my bike straight away. The one you can’t see is a Maxxis Dissector G2 3C MaxxGrip EXO+ version (AKA front flavoured). The one pictured above is the 3~C MaxxTerra compound DoubleDown casing version (AKA rear flavoured). As not-biggest-fan of the outgoing Dissector, I’m looking forward to what this slightly gappier, slightly knobbier, slightly Kryptotalier, slightly Assegaiier version like.
DMR Gridlock Grips
- Price: £18.00
- From: Upgrade Bikes
Although it’s technically illegal to say so, I’m not a fan of the DMR Deathgrip. Sorry. But this Gridlock grabstick I can get behind. Mushroomy in the main with a nice fingerbox and a cute flange. Also: 34mm fat and squishy. The ‘just because’ chamfered collars are nice too. I’ll be giving ’em a go because I like the cut of DMR’s jib in general.
Latest Singletrack Merch
Buying and wearing our sustainable merch is another great way to support Singletrack
Acros EC34/EC44 Headset Cups
- Price: £32.99 upper, £41.99 lower
- From: Oxford Products
I feel that Acros have something of a bad rep. Why? Because the only time you tend to encounter the brand is when dealing with bikes that come with flipping thru-headset cable routing. As well as being an evil-enabler, Acros also make headsets (really good ones too) for sane bike designs. Like these two cups here. Oh, the ‘No Ketchup’ sachet contains some appropriate headset-suitable grease.
Sigma Pocket Tool Small
- Price: £14.99
- From: Oxford Products
A very pleasing collection of actually-useful tools. Phillips screwdriver, slot screwdriver, T25,
2.5/3/4/5/8 mm Allen keys (yep, no 6mm – which is fine by me). Dimension: 74 x 29 x 11 mm. Weight: 76g. Don’t drop it on a night ride, you’ll never see it again.
Oxford Aquatex Bike Cover
- Price: £39.99
- From: Oxford Products
What do you do with hackbikes that you’re not overly precious about – and there’s no more room in the shed/garage? You leave it outside round the back of your house don’t you? Maybe you don’t. At the very least you need to protect them from the elements to stop them turning into rust buckets. Oxford are the ubiquitous bike/motorcycle cover of choice. This one swallows up a pair of bicycles.
Endura MT500 Advanced Jacket
- Price: £300.00
- From: Endura
“I’m going back in”. Yes, expensive-jacket-skeptic me is going to give things another go. Believe it or not, I’ve had decent experience of Pertex Shield fabric before. I’ll report back as to how this garment is performing once it’s had a disgusting winter rinsed through it repeatedly! Deets: “light and packable” Pertex Shield 3-layer waterproof fabric, helmet compatible hood with adjusters, hood stowage, pockets, hidden laser-cut perforations allow under sleeve venting, water-repellent front zip and popper system allows for “flap-free front airflow” (that is a nice feature actually).
Endura Singletrack Fleece
- Price: £70.00
- From: Endura
My boring AF mantra when it comes to UK autumn-winter mountain biking is “don’t bother trying to stay dry, just concentrate on not getting cold”. Words to live by. Or possibly die. Anyway, this is a classic mid-layer fleece from Endura. Slightly tailored for cycling (but not overly, thankfully) and pleasingly minimal featured. Just a little pocket on rear right hip for keys or multi-tool. Nice ‘brick’ colour too.
Endura BaaBaa Pro S/S Base Layer
- Price: £80.00
- From: Endura
The Magic Eye of base layers; you need to squint at the fabric and all sorts of amazing patterns appear (“body mapped technical textures”). Non-mulesed merino blend, odour resistant, fast wicking, quick drying, “3D knit” to reduce seams and chafing. High warmth to weight ratio. Easy-care machine wash.
OG Ride and Shine Shirt
- Price: £25.00
- From: The Singletrack Shop
Our classic Ride and Shine t-shirt is back! Amanda (remember her?) originally designed this image for our coffee, and it was so good we had to put it on a shirt. Now available in a range of colours, or you can still go for ‘Mocha’ for a true throwback to this design’s origins. This shirt is a very relaxed fit. If you want an oversized down-with-the-kids look, go for your usual size. Otherwise, please refer to the size guide in the description and be prepared to size down 1-2 sizes from usual.
Forum Thread Of The Week
The winner this week is jfab for the Outdoor Coffee Making – StoveTrackWorld? thread:
‘Tis true: the winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. Alors… jfab please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for a random prize. Don’t forget to include your postal address, as it really speeds up delivery logistics, like.
Member Reward of the Week – 20% off Ass Saver
- Reward: 20% off Ass Saver
- From: Singletrack Member Rewards
About Ass Saver: “Since 2011, Ass Savers design and produce minimalistic mudguards and weather protection gear for cyclists out of Gothenburg, Sweden. With the ambition of doing more with less, through the smart use of mainly recycled materials, they provide simple and clever products to make life on the bike more enjoyable.”
Stale Goods Friday – 2014 Pivot Mach 6
- Price: £2,500 (frame only)
- From: Fresh Goods Friday 184
11.5 years ago we wrote this: “155mm of enduro action wrapped up in a fast blue finish? The Pivot Mach 6 is all low, long and slack [how times change – Benji] with a DW-Link in the rear for fast pedalling up and down. Carbon framed for lightness we’ll be pushing it hard to see just it much it rips…”
Thanks for re-issuing the Ride and Shine t-shirts (I assume that’s entirely down to my emailed request!) 🙂
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PS I like tomatoes in all forms
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PPS “cute flange" <chuckles>
While Acros deserve all the hate they get for being front and centre with the whole headset cable thing, I think it’s fair to point out that they were making terrible headsets long before then – they do not make “good headsets" as anyone who has had one crumble and fall out of a YT or commencal will testify
They probably do make some good headsets… but the shortest living set of lower headset bearings I’ve ever seen were in an Acros headset… and they came on the most expensive bike I’ve ever worked on, the year before that model changed to through headset cable routing. The top cap also used what can only be described as a single use plastic collar. That was binned and replaced by another brand’s full metal alternative.
New Dissectors look great – a lighter/faster/slightly less grippy Assegai? Magic. Just wish the current weather was less Shortyish and more Assegai/Dissectorish.
That Pivot is still a looker.
Mocha Ride And Shine t-shirt ordered. I accidentally tumble tried mine from medium to a-bit-too-snug. Thanks for the timely discounts reminder; I was about to order their MTB guard. Saved me a few quid.
I don’t want to be the grouch here but I’d be quite keen to buy e.g. T-shirts if they were true to size, the idea of a sizing lottery puts me off.
We are happy to exchange any mis-sized t-shirts.
Could we have inflation adjusted prices alongside historical prices for Stale Goods Friday bikes? Please?
@bearGrease yep!