One of our best dealers, Head for the Hills in Dorking, Surrey are running a demo day on Sunday March the 4th. I will be there with the full Singular range available to ride. If you have any specific requests for models, sizes or configuration let me know in advance and I'll see what I can do. More info available here. 

Recently Jonathan at Strada wheels got in touch to see whether I might like to try out some of the new 29er wheels he's been putting together with BOR rims and hubs. The rims are the BOR XMD-333, a lovely lightweight (355g in the 29er version), fairly wide (24mm), eyeletted (!!!), tubeless friendly rim. They are made in Italy through a joint venture between BOR and FRM Just when you thought you couldn't really have everything in an alloy XC rim these rims really do appear to do it all. They are tied to the very tidy German made BOR hubs with Pillar spokes (who make spokes for Campag wheels among many others) which are a very nice triple butted job which are like a corss between a DT Super Comp and Revolution, finished off with spangly red alloy nipples. Maxxis Beavers (already my favourite wet conditions 29er tyre) inflated tubeless without issue. The wheels come in at 1470g for the pair - very decent indeed for a pair of alloy rimmed 29er wheels.

As lovely as the rims are (and they really are), the very nice thing about these wheels are the hubs. Made in Germany by BOR they have a number of unique features. They are rated for all mountain use but still come in at a svelte 244g rear and 144g front. They also utilise a nifty end cap design which allows you to swap between standard QRs, 9/10mm through axle QR (which can be supplied and are excellent units in themselves), and 15mm and 20mm through axle for the front - very versatile. They run very smoothly and the freehub has fast engagement with a nice ratchety sound without being 'swarm of angry wasps' noisy. The only slight niggle I had was the freehub had a slight tendency to become disengaged from the hub body when the wheels weren't in the bike. Not a big deal to put it back in and of course not a problem in use. 

Most experienced cyclists know that you can take the fanciest wheel components you like but if the build is poor they are not going to be a very reliable set of wheels. I'm glad to say that Jonathan and the guys at Strada know their wheelbuilding. They came out of the box dead straight and perfectly round, and built to a very high tension. They have stayed exactly that way as well, despite getting a fair hammering the past few weeks under my 85 (mybe a bit more at the moment...) kilos. Absolutely top notch build. They also come with tubeless rim tape and valves installed.

How do they ride? Like any light, stiff fast wheelset should - smooth, no notable flex compared with other lightweight alloy rims (if you want ultimate stiffness they now also build with Enve rims), great acceleration and responsiveness. 

If you are looking for a lightweight XC wheelset which is a bit different from the standard Hope/Stans combos out there then definitely take a look at these. They are easily the equal of such wheels if not nicer! 

Couple of (poor phone) pics of the new rack mounts on the Gryphon. They'll still require use of a disc compatible rack like the Tubus disco, but look fairly inconspicuous and are strong enough to carry a decent load.

Had a few shots done in the studio of the Buzzard prototype - here's a small preview. I know I know, needs a black fork and black cranks - but we're getting there.