The Doomsday clock has moved a little closer to midnight. There’s no time to spare. You need to get down to the supermarket and stock up on Spam. Although, do we really want our last meal on earth to be reconstituted meat? Let’s crack on with Fresh Goods Friday, then hop on our bikes and spend time with our loved ones. In that order, of course. If the Doomsday clock reaches midnight before we get to the loved ones, well, they’d be pleased to know we died happy on our bikes, right?
Olsen Pinion P-Line
Price: From £3000 (although Kickstarter offers currently available)
From: Olsen
Carbon fibre, 27.5+, belt drive bike with Pinion gearbox. This is maker Steve Olsen’s own bike, and he’s letting us test it.
This bike comes fitted with the P1.9CR Pinion gearbox. If you like technology and engineering, it’s really worth a look on the Pinion website. There’s a lot going on in there.
For those of us that just want to know that we’ll be able to get up the next hill, this gearbox gives you 9 gears, and a 364% overall ratio. The P-Line comes in a range of pretty colours too – just choose this as an option when you order your frame.
With this gearbox set up, the idea is that everything is sealed away from all the mud and dirt, so you can keep smoothly rolling onwards, with your legs giving up long before your gears do.
To add to the to infinity and beyond (ok, we may be exaggerating, expected belt life is long, but not infinite) this bike comes set up with a belt drive. You can however opt for a sturdy chain instead.
There’s quite a lot going on on this cockpit, as there’s a twist shift for the gearbox, plus a remote for the fork. No dropper though, but you could add one.
There’s an air of Mad Max about this, helped along by finishing touches such as this.
There’s that twist shift. It’s been a while since we rode one of these – will it take us back to our youth?
There’s a whole bunch of purple Hope bling on this, but this red Funn stem has snuck in there too – possibly to coordinate with the red belt drive?
The frame comes in raw carbon weave finish.
Olsen Bicycles lay up each frame to the customer’s weight and specification. The reach geometry can be changed from a 66-68 degree head-.angle to suit 120mm travel or rigid forks.
With these bikes being made to order, you’re not going to see too many of these out on the trails.
Fox 34 Forks
Price: £889
From: Mojo
140mm travel fork from Fox in 27.5+ guise. Heading off to be put on a test frame from Pace which you’ll be seeing here soon. Ooh…
Mavic Crossmax SL Pro Thermal Boots
Price: £170
From: Mavic
Winter boots from Les Francais. Made with breathable Gore-Tex, designed to keep your feet dry. The neoprene ankle gusset and water resistance zip should help. Apparently these features are inspired by nordic sports, which sounds like as good a place to learn about warm dry feet as any. Designed with cushioning and grip, these should be comfortable for a bit of hike-a-bike as well as speedy pedalling. We’re sending them off to Scotland for a thorough test.
Nukeproof Horizon CL
Price: £100
From: Hotlines
Nukeproof is expanding its range of finishing kit this year. Their Horizon flat pedals have proved a hit, so it will be interesting to see if this clipless version is as successful. These come in four colours in a CL and CS size (L for large, S for small), and are supplied with a cleat offering 4 degrees of float, with an 8 degree float cleat available separately. They’re compatible with Shimano cleats too – handy. Check out our Facebook Live video from Core Bike for a closer look at these pedals and other items from Nukeproof.
Bontrager SE4 Team Issue TLR 29×2.40
Price: £44.99 each
From: Trek
A softer compound than the XR3 we had in a few weeks ago, but with ‘Core Strength’ casing instead of ‘Inner Strength’ casing. Should be super sticky and nice and tough. Let’s go hit some trails.
Cycle Star Nanotech Lube
Price: £19.99 (15ml), £34.99 (30ml)
From: Gone Biking Mad
It’s a teeny-tiny bottle full of teeny-tiny nano particles. This 15ml bottle contains 35-40 applications worth of lube. Here’s the science bit: ‘Cycle Star Bicycle Chain and Drivetrain Lubricant is an expertly blended combination of the most advanced, laser-produced nano and micro carbon particles to date. Such high specificity gives our lube the same watt-saving qualities as today’s nano-optimized chains, but is user-applicable and lasts twice as long. Carried in a lightweight, synthetic oil, our mixture of hard nano and soft microparticles is 100% non toxic and contains no wax, teflon or other chemical additives.’
Go Bites
Price: £9.99 for a mixed pack of 6.
From: Go Faster Food
This is the ‘Refuel’ apricot and seeds flavour of these bite-sized energy balls. There are also ‘Boost’ date and coconut and ‘Recover’ hazelnut and chocolate flavours. All varieties are gluten free, wheat free and dairy free, and while this ‘Refuel’ option contains honey, the other variety are vegan.
Production Privee Shan GT
Price: €699 Frame. €2649 Complete Bike
From: Production Privee
The Production Privee Shan GT is the 29in brother of the Shan 27, and the first big wheeled bike from the Andorran bike brand.
Our test bike also comes with Production Privee bar and stem which legendary mountain biker Cedric Gracia also uses.
Most Shan GT’s are likely to be built with 29in wheels but there is plenty of room around the specially designed KTP+ yoke for 650b+ wheels too.
Slender 4130 steel tubing as used in the all new Shan No 5 we had news about yesterday.
We can’t wait to hit the local trails on the Shan GT to see if the original Shan’s lively ride character translates to a compelling 29er. See more soon.
Beer Taster Kit
Price: £9 Special Offer!
From: Honest Brew
We’ve teamed up with HonestBrew to introduce you to the finest craft beer on the planet. Take your first steps onto the craft beer landscape with their Honesty Box service for half-price. Sign up today and you’ll receive a Taster Kit with 6 craft beers and tasting guide for only £9.00 (including free delivery). Click the link above to access this special offer.
HonestBrew’s experts source the best small batch beer from breweries all around the world and tailor every selection to your tastes. Light & crisp, citrus & fruity, dark & rich, or wild & interesting, the choice is yours… The Honesty Box service is flexible, which means you call the shots. You decide your delivery frequency, your flavour preferences, and you can skip a box or cancel at any time.
This week we have:
Wylam Brewery – Hickey the Rake – Limonata Pale Ale
Siren Brewery – Vermont Tea Party – Earl Grey Pale
Northern Monk Brewery – Northern Star – Mocha Porter
Eight Degrees Brewery – Sunburnt – Amber Ale
Beavertown – Neck Oil – Session IPA
Wild Beer Co – Wild Goose Chase – Saison
For more info on all these beers, check out this story.
Right, while we work our way through that beer box of heaven, you’re going to need a tune. Let’s get funky, and maybe a bit angry too.
Hell, let’s have two tunes. It’s the revolution, we’re making our own rules.