The Worst Product to Photograph Edition – Singletrack World Magazine

It’s the battle of Big Pop this week as Monster Energy was announced as main sponsor of the 2026 Mountain Bike World Series, beating off stiff competition from Strike Cola.

Fresh Goods Friday is kindly sponsored by Yellow Jersey.

There are no fizzy drinks featured in this week’s Fresh Goods Friday but there are numerous wizzy tings. Let us dive on in!

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*Discount is subject to T&C’s, which can be found at yellowjersey.co.uk/terms. Coverage is subject to T&C’s. Please refer to the policy wording for full details.

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Deity Black Kat

Deity are probably better known for its distinctive looking models such as the T-Mac and SuperVillain. The Black Kat is something a bit more trad looking. And I’m here for it; I’m a fan of flat pedals with a decently sloping leading edge. I seem to suffer significantly more serious pedal strikes with flatties that don’t feature such a slope. The other thing I’m interested in finding out is this pedal’s durability. Deity: “Built around a larger double sealed bearing system, our goal with the BLACK KAT was to create a MTB pedal that would not only feel incredible underfoot, but would last the test of time.”

Evoc Hydropro 1.5 + Hydration Bladder 1.5

A racing rucksack. Although Evoc highlight activities such a running and bikepacking, we’ve got this in to give to our in-hoise gravity racer (Aran) to review. Pretty light (220g) yet still impressively constructed. Lots of ventilation-y fabric choice. Designed to fit very snugly so as not to move around. Supplied with a 1.5L bladder. Magnetic hose anchor point.

Joe’s No Flats Elite Racer Sealant

If you’re one of those folk who prefer the viscosity of your tyre sealant to be more like milk than yoghurt, you’ll probably get on well with this thinnish stuff from Joe’s No Flats. Joe’s: “Seals small slits faster and more permanently than any other sealant on the market. Instantly seals punctures in the tread up to 6 mm. For effective puncture resistance, add fresh sealant every 3-8 months.”

Maxxis 27.5 rear tyres

The sort-of modern move to mullet mixed wheels has presented something of a problem. Namely, we don’t really have a tyre pile of 27.5 tyres. Specifically, 27.5 tyres that work decently on the rear wheel. Even more specifically, 27.5 tyres that work decently on the rear wheel of ebikes. So we’ve got in a couple of classics from Maxxis: the brilliant all-rounder DHR II and the “is-that-a-Shorty?” High Roller 3.

Nutrak x Vee Snap WCE MK2 2.50

More 27.5 rubber. We’ve had the MK1 of this tyre before and not been overly blown away by it. The MK2 version is essentially a smaller volume Snap WCE. Despite the naming/sizing being only 0.1in difference, once installed and inflated on to a rim, the difference is instantly visible. Designed as a kinda DHR II-alike all-rounder, the Snap WCE MK2 is made from the confusingly named ‘Full 40 Compound’ (which is actually 42a rubber) with ‘GXE Core’ casing (1.5-ply with ‘Apex’ sidewall inserts).

DMR Sweeper Handlebar 35

You may remember seeing the 31.8mm flavour of these bars before (they were one of our 2025 Editor’s Choice pics). Long story short: I love ’em. Not only are they a better/cheaper way of achieving an effective stem length of under 35mm, the 12° backsweep just… works. We’ve got these 35mm diameter Sweeper bars in to see how they feel.

(So yeah, it is handlebars that are the worst product to photograph btw)

DMR Defy 35 Bike Stem

Not a new stem by any means, but we’ve got this is to pair with the Sweeper bars above. The Defy 35 is something of a cult stem. There’s not many short stems out there that offer significant rise. And certainly not many that also have a very short stack/clamp height. It’s not particularly light. It’s not particularly cheap. But it is unique in what it does. And I also just think the styling on this stem is beautiful. Especially in silver with the matching top cap (supplied).

Gravel Rides Loch Lomond & The Trossachs by Markus Stitz

Gravel Rides Loch Lomond & The Trossachs showcases 15 gravel bike rides across the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and west into Argyll. From 15 to 79 kilometres in length, plus a 177-kilometre bonus route (oof!). Researched, ridden and written by regular Singletrack Magazine contributor Markus Stitz.

Moon Canopus Pro

Stats: 6,000 lumens, 10,050mAh, battery pack, beam angle: Total: 105°, Spot: 23°, Flood: 34°, CNC aluminium heat sink casing body, USB-C remote control, over heat protection, QR handlebar mount (31.8-35mm), QR helmet mount, water resistant (IPX7) including USB port. As ever with Moon Lights, it feels extremely well put together. Crisp and chunky but without being hefty or clunky. It also looks pretty stylish, which doesn’t matter but does.

Forum Thread of the Week

The winner this week is kormoran for the Share your top toastie construction methods and recipes thread:

The winning TOTW in FGF gets a prize. So redthunder please email editorial@singletrackworld.com for a random prize. Don’t forget to include your postal address.

The Return of Reader’s Rides

We’ve kickstarted Readers’ Rides back up. We rejigged the online form and pic uploader to make it clearer, quicker and simpler. And we’ve had a few excellent submissions already. Keep an eye for those appearing on the front page next week. We’ll be rewarding any submission published with a piece of STW merch. NB: they don’t have to be new bikes. Or expensive bikes. Or even clean bikes. We want to see real bikes from real riders.

Stale Goods Friday – 2010 Transition Bottlerocket

Waaay BITD we wrote: “You know the clichéd ‘Braaaaaarp!’ motorbike noises you sometimes make when you get on a bike? If you don’t, please imagine, because that ‘Braaaaaarp!’ was made for this bike. The frame, in a word, is meaty. 7.95lbs of hefty aluminum (and that’s without shock!). The rear suspension is modified single pivot attached to a DHX Air shock. It produces a not-crazy 5.5in of travel. From the front of the bike with a 1.5in head tube and associated gussetry through to the CNC’d linkage through to the incredibly thick dropouts on the rear, this bike screams ‘RAG ME! The Transition guys describe the Bottlerocket as ‘short travel Freeride’. I’d describe it as a ‘sprung BMX on steroids’.”

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