by Ben Haworth 1 week ago 32
I’m writing this with stinging fingers. Summer is well and true upon us. The trails have grown their hair out and every ride sees regular brushes with nettles, brambles and other various whipping green things.
Are nettle stings more powerful than they used to be?
Anyway. Before we commence Fresh Goods, let’s shoot over to Downing Street to see what’s happening in the doorway…
High pivoting idlering red radness from Deviate. The Claymore is the Scotland-based brand’s 165mm travel enduro type bike. Full carbon construction. 170mm fork potential. 18T idler pulley with twin outboard sealed bearings. We’re not sure if it’s the size of the pulley, or its position, or it’s twin-bearing-ness, but straight away the Claymore feels like its losing fewer watts in the system compared to most high pivoters.
Ross first took for a spin last Friday – somewhat reluctantly we might add because he’s not really gelled with idler bikes before – and he hasn’t been off it since. “There’s just something about it” he keeps helpfully proffering whilst at the same time not remotely suggesting that anyone else can have a go on it.
Flippin’ ‘eck we very nearly include this one as it’s literally just arrived this morning! Thankfully the bike went together swimmingly and it didn’t seem to mind posing for piccies either.
What can we tell you about it? Not a lot yet. Appears to still be 100mm travel at both ends. And it’s lock-out-a-(don’t)-go-go on the front and rear boingers too. StepCast Fox 32. Flat-mount rear disc mount. Non-dropper post. Cables through the headset. One piece bar and stem with a rather aggressive dip to it. Extremely cute chain retainer.
Canyon: “This full-suspension XC race bike is more than just fast. It’s World Cup-fast. With a superlight frame, pinpoint handling, and incredible speed and efficiency.”
The rules are simple: one dice has tricks (X-up, barspin, tuck-no-hander, unturndown, tailwhip), the other has combos (180, 360, straight air, opposite, transfer).
Throw both dice then simply thrown down your trick and combo. If you roll the Funn logo, you choose your trick or combo. Such as, have-a-lie-down + 360.
If you land the trick, you pass the dice to the next player. If not, you strike. Three strikes are you’re out. Or in A+E.
Charlie says… Will from VitxCycle can supply you with a one month stash of vitamins to help you cycle. There are three daily tablets or capsules covering protection, flexibility and recovery. They reassure us that they care about what we put in our bodies and they believe that food supplements should be of the highest quality and offer the purest ingredients without the use of any additives.
Bryan Steel, an Olympic roadie says “Since using VitxCycle I have found a massive improvement in my recovery especially after a hard session. I have also found the middle aged man aches and pains have mainly gone when I wake up in the morning”. Oh now you have my attention… I can confirm middle aged man aches are a real thing.
A revision of Five Ten’s tried and trusted Sleuth, it comes with the Stealth Phantom rubber with a dotty outsole. The mesh upper is a bit more breathable (and possibly quicker dry-out-able) mesh canvas stuff that is a recycled material made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic.
A canvas upper and traditional lacing give them a casual look, for those folk who don’t like to be seen looking overly bike-flavoured. Two colour options: ‘Core Black’ or this ‘Focus Olive’.
Another week, another new helmet for Amanda. The MET Parachute has so many features, including in-mould polycarbonate shell with EPS liner, magnetic chin bar, MIPS , 360deg head belt plus vertical and occipital adjustments for the perfect fit, adjustable and flexible visor, BOA fit system, Fidlock buckle, loads of vents, removable cheek cushions, the list goes on!
Amanda doesn’t waste her time with minor crashes. If she’s going to dismount, she goes OTB everytime, so here’s a back protector to pair with that new helmet. The seamless design is a great fit, there’s loads of elasticity to it. The D3O pad is easily removed for washing the vest, a vest which has really useful cargo pockets at the back!
Rather than tackling the consequences of pollen getting inside your face, HayMax aims to stop so much of it getting in. A balm that you put on your nose drills and around the eyes that the pollen (hopefully) sticks to. Like an air filter balm. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this worked?! Amanda will find out…
Benji has moved home office as he could no longer bear overlooking his dreadful, dreadful lawn. Anyway. This majestic cable means he can output his synthwave soulcore megamixes directly to the creaky old hifi on his sideboard (tastefully out of focus in the background here). He is post-wireless. AKA Modern Life Is Rubbish.
Whyte’s all-new 140mm travel platform. This is pretty much the shortest travel Whyte in the full sus range now it seems.
64.7/65.3° head angle. 76° seat angle. 330mm BB height. 435mm chainstays. We don’t know the reach figure at the mo.
We’ll have a First Ride Review of this bike up on the front page very soon!
Whyte ebikes have reputation for being some of the more dynamic, fun-handling ebikes around. This new E-160 RS model has a big 750Wh battery in its downtube, powering the latest Bosch Performance Line CX motor and system.
Again, we have a First Ride Review of this very machine in the pipeline as we speak. So stay tuned if you want to hear more about this juiced jaffa juggernaut!
Your mum’s going to kill you when you get these dirty…
A simple, four hole lace, suede upper skate shoe, the Vulc XLT is flexible and smart in its white suede upper and navy sole. It makes you look like a yacht-owning skateboarder. Or a skateboard-owning yachterist, perhaps? We’ll have to ask Charlie later about what the best outcome of that is. There’s a Michelin sole, with tread obviously inspired by gravel tyres, so perhaps this is one for you flat pedal gravelleurs…
The Etnies Windrow Vulc is a slightly more involved construction compared to the Singleton, with seven pairs of lace holes and a more padded tongue and sides. The shoe comes in probably the worst colour combo for British wear; namely a light, tan suede upper that’ll show the first water drop and make you forever sad, combined with a white, inverted pyramid ‘Geohex’ sole that’ll fill up with grit and grime the second you wear them outside. Saying that, though, they’re instantly comfy, with an EVA midsole and, like most skate shoes, will spend their lives helping their owner drive to the shops, or to drink macchiatos while wearing.
Our endless love this week goes to Stirling Crispin for this championship quality thread posting…
For a limited/unlimited time we’ve decided to award An Actual Prize to the TOTW. And it seems pretty obvious that it’s the item featured below (Forum Bottle Opener) that should be awarded. So, well done jekkyl. Email editorial@singletrackworld.com to claim your opener…
Opens bottles of beer and other drinks. Oversized hole to make hanging it up extra easy. 180mm length delivers industry leading beverage to leverage ratio. 2mm stainless steel. It’s a steel without stains! Subtle text reminding you why you are here.
Please give @singletrackmagazine a follow on Instagram. Or the puppy gets it.
A post shared by Singletrack World Magazine (@singletrackmagazine)
Enjoy your bicycling this weekend! There’s plenty of pushbike racing on telly an’ all.
Join our mailing list to receive Singletrack editorial wisdom directly in your inbox.
Each newsletter is headed up by an exclusive editorial from our team and includes stories and news you don’t want to miss.
We hand pick these deals and refresh them every week. Singletrack may earn a small commission from any purchases you make
Sign up as a Singletrack Member and you can leave comments on stories, use the classified ads, and post in our forums, do quizzes and more.
Join us, join in, it’s free, and fun.
had to google claymore, thinking a Mine, also a sword.. very nice Red
is the bluegrass d30 back protector cool?, my fox one is well hot..
ps. £110 for the canvas sleuth, black leather ladies ones are £30 on Evanscycles
Headset-routed cables can get to fuck
is the bluegrass d30 back protector cool?, my fox one is well hot..
I’ve got the slightly bigger one with shoulder pads in and it’s not bad at all in the grand scheme of these things. You’d never forget you’re wearing it but it’s not bad.
thanks @ dangeourbrain, i’ll see if they drop in price
Amongst some strong contenders for the title of “worlds’s ugliest E-bike” that Whyte goes straight into the top 5. Why are they (as a group) so uniformly bad?
FWIW The pockets are a good size and there’s space for a bladder in with the back protector of mine too.
Why are they (as a group) so uniformly bad?
I guess its just that we’re used to seeing skinny tubes and the like. Give it a decade or two and I reckon they’ll look the same but we’ll think that’s very normal rather than awful
We all know the vitamin stuff is nonsense, right?
It is absolutely not @IHN its even more potent than purest rattle snake distillate
May as well replace every side on those dice to “crash horrificly” for me…..
Pretty standard vitamins and readily-available supplements, with added marketing… for £££
That T140 looks like the play bike I want. Please tell me its less than £3k…
Tell me I’m not the only one who opened the article so see what these ridiculously overweight bikes were that pushed even STW to title it the Heavy Bikes Edition
and offer the purest ingredients without the use of any additives.
Where are they mining this pure vitamin ore?
Such bollocks and £30 a month! 🤣
Give it a decade or two and I reckon they’ll look the same but we’ll think that’s very normal rather than awful
Maybe mountain bikers will evolve cat-like pupils so we see things slimmer and massive shoulder muscles so we don’t notice 40kg bike weight when lifting them over gates.
Headset routed cables and flat mount brakes can go do one.
I reckon if you add a decent waterbottle to that Whyte E160, it will weigh roughly the same as 3 of those Canyon bikes.
Those dice should have “compound” and “fracture” along with “dislocated” and “shoulder” on them.
@Kryton57 the Whyte is listed at £4099 by Balfes, cheaper model at £3299 has full Deore groupset and Rockshox at both ends. I saw the Guy Kesteven review and went looking, no idea if the prices or spec are correct.
It’s coming to something when the title of FGF makes it sound like it is an anomaly for it to actually contain several bikes
its even more potent than purest rattle snake distillate
As good as directional hi-fi interconnect cables?
Doesn’t help that the Whyte is in Flymo orange.
That Claymore looks ace, has turned my head more than any other recent bike I can think of
As good as directional hi-fi interconnect cables?
Better than that, it’s like directional cables crossed with conti vert pros.
Where are they mining this pure vitamin ore?
Such bollocks and £30 a month!
There isn’t even an out of date discount code in the member’s area
I love you all. I may have been drinking.
@whatyadoinsucka so as it came up yesterday…
I’ve been out for an all day and wholly inappropriate for a back protector ride in mine today, under a thin ls jersey, and I haven’t been too hot despite the weather.
As to why I would do this there is a reason, its not very good, so I’ll pretend it was in the interest of science and being able to tell you if I died of heat exhaustion or not. I didn’t.
Whyte have got rid of that horrible seat tube brace, the T140 now looks like most of the bikes in that 4-bar style, but at least they have UK company and support backing them up, would have been a contender before i got the norco if this had been out.
Has the integrated Canyon handlebar/stem combo broken yet? Like many other needless bollox designs they’ve put out in the past couple of years on road and TT Bikes ? If not, it’ll probably be doing so before long.
£1 per vitamin pill on a monthly subscription vs £3 for 90 pills in Aldi. That is quite some mark up!
And zero evidence they do any good.
Are nettle stings more powerful than they used to be? Not for people who wear gloves like they used to do.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Contact Us Privacy Forum Rules Classifieds Rules Link Removal Login/cookie issues? Newsletter Settings Advertising