We’re at Fabric’s 2018 product launch as part of the run up to the first UK edition of the Grinduro — a unique gravel-enduro event that’s been transplanted from sunny California for the considerably less sunny Isle of Arran on the west coast of Scotland.
While there are the expected additions to the brand’s long-standing line of saddles and pumps, a handful of new products present an interesting new direction for Fabric.
Fabric Scoop Sport
The Scoop Sport is a new addition to the Fabric saddle lineup, and while definitely not one of the sexier products the brand had on show, is among the most interesting.
The saddle shares the same vacuum-bonded construction used in Fabric’s higher end models, but uses a polypropylene base — in lieu of the slightly pricier nylon used in its other saddles — and steel rails to keep the price point comparable to the legendary Charge Spoon.
Fabric decided to bring this saddle to market in an aim to get more riders on its saddles, with the assumption that riders will want replace their existing saddles once perched upon its… perches.
- £29.99 / €39.90
Fabric Lumacell front/rear light
These nifty day-running lights are a new addition to the range and are quite unique in their construction, with the fully waterproof ‘shell’ injection moulded around the internals as the very last step in the production process, keeping things incredibly well sealed.
Illumination is provided via a strip of 30 lumen COB LEDs, which are claimed to have an 180-degree range of visibility. As you would expect of a modern rechargeable light, these are charged directly via USB.
The lights are sold individually for £17.49 / €24.90 or as a pair for £34.99 / €44.90.
Fabric Accubar inline gauge
We’re particularly fond of this funky inline pressure gauge.
The gauge was specced specifically for Fabric — built with a high-quality spring steel that is said to be better than anything used in the majority of pressure gauges — and is optimised to work best between pressures of 0–40psi, so appears to be ideal for obsessive mountain bikers and worried gravelistas.
Fabric claims that this gauge is far more accurate than the majority of consumer models on the market and will work with any Schrader compatible pump.
The gauge can also be used independently, automatically dumping the pressure in a tyre to 40psi with a bleed port used for fine adjustments.
- £44.99 / €44.90
Fabric Picobar minipump
The Picobar is Fabric’s new super-stripped-down, ultra-light minipump.
Weighing in at a paltry 64g, this minimalist pump is designed to be shoved in a jersey pocket or saddlebag and forgotten about until you actually need it.
The fixed head and diminutive size will no doubt make it more of a fiddle to use than some of the brand's larger pumps, but you’re probably not fussed about ease-of-use if you’re in the market for something this light.
And at £19.99 / €29.90, it’s pretty light on the wallet too.
Fabric Stratosphere Sport track pump
The Stratosphere Sport represents a significantly new direction for Fabric’s track pumps, with the brand previously focussing its efforts on the higher-end market.
To keep prices down, the new pump uses a lot of ‘catalogue’ parts including the head and internals, but still retains a stiff steel shaft and Fabric’s own, custom moulded head and base to keep things feeling quality.
At £29.90 / €39.90, this pump is priced to compete directly with the Joe Blows of this world and we wouldn’t be surprised if this one ends up appearing in a lot of bike shops in short order.
Fabric Lumaray Garmin integrated light
We’ll keep things short on the new Lumaray light, having covered it in greater detail as part of our coverage of the recently launched and updated Cannondale Synapse, but as a quick recap, this brand new day-run light is designed to sit below or between a Garmin, mounted on an out-front mount.
The light is priced at £34.99 / €29.90 and should be shipping to clean-cockpit nerds soon.
Fabric Gripper water bottle
We can assure you that what you’re about to hear about this new bottle from Fabric is… gripping (sorry).
The bottle is moulded in such a way that, despite the addition of easy-to-grab, grippy-grabby bumps just below the lid on the exterior, the interior remains smooth, keeping things easy to clean and smelling fresh.
Fabric didn’t indicate whether it plans on updating its now legendary cageless bottles with the grippy pattern, but we suspect this may be a move the brand makes in the future.
- 600ml — £9.99 / €8.90
- 750ml — £9.99 / €9.90
Australian and US pricing was unavailable at the time of writing, but we'll update this article as soon as we get a hold of this.
