News

’10 SRAM: The new derailleurs have a new finish also.

’10 SRAM: The new shifters have a unidirection carbon finish (instead of a weave) and white graphics.

'10 SRAM: Half an hour before starting the Sea Otter road race (which he won), Leipheimer gave his two cents on SRAM.

'10 SRAM: SRAM’s road product team liason Alex Wassmann was on hand to introduce Force and team Astana star Levi Leipheimer.

'10 SRAM: The new Force features the same shifting mechanism as before, but with new graphics and a BB30 crank option.

Sea Otter 09: Leipheimer in the field

Sea Otter 09: The road race featured a short, sharp climb on each of 8 laps

Sea Otter 09: California Giant Strawberry led the chase

Sea Otter 09: Leipheimer and three Bissells rode half the race off the front

Sea Otter 09: Leipheimer at the start

Sea Otter 09: Leipheimer wins with ease

Thule’s lightest hitch-mount bike carrier is now available. The 6061-alloy rack has a convertible 1.25- to 2-inch hitch adaptor, integrated lock and fold-down design. Two- and three-bike models are available.

The Prologue differs from other trays in the Thule line via a single-wall tray and simple cam-type quick release mount. Nonetheless, it easily accommodates large tires and disc brake calipers.

Thule released its new Prologue bike tray ($89) at Sea Otter.

Specialized’s new 29er hardtails and Epics have something surprising — a narrow diameter clamp on the S-Works carbon handlebar. The 25.4-clamp bars will be found on the brand’s competition XC models for 2010 instead of 31.8mm models.

Pedro’s has a new natural wax based chain lube, the eco-friendly Ice Wax 2.0, born from sponsorship of the MIT cycling team. Katie Lovejoy, a graduate student in MIT’s chemistry department, formulated the first prototypes.

The clamp of the RockStand opens up to accommodate a 74mm seat post, and accepts aero posts like that of a Cervélo P3 time trial bike.

This prototype combines Pedro’s RockStand clamp with its Folding Workstand base.

This shot is from the opposite end of the arm and shows the third, center, channel. All three channels are drilled, not forged.

This view of the Rotor crank arm shows two side channels drilled from the bottom.

The new Rotor crank uses a simple pinch-bolt style clamp on the non-drive arm rather than the brand’s DTT Evo mounting design.

The Rotor “Swiss cheese” crank design that appeared at the Tour of California has been shelved in favor of a new version with three hollow channels. EFBe tested Rotor’s latest prototype and it passed current CEN standards; the previous proto did not.

The 386 cranks are available in MegaEXO and BB30 options. Both cranks are 9-speed compatible, with a 10-speed version undergoing testing.

FSA launched a new bolt circle diameter at Sea Otter for double mountain cranks, called 386. (Three bolts - 86mm BCD design.) Two models will be available, Afterburner and K-Force.

Tomac has a line of paintings and prints by Randy Rigg, who also creates the brand’s graphics.

Legends of Sea Otter: Johnny O’Mara, Ned Overend and John Tomac.

The man, John Tomac, with his new bike.

The size large Carbide SL on display weighs a hair over 21 pounds with DT Swiss suspension, Formula R1 brakes and Shimano XTR components and wheels.

According to Tomac president Joel Smith, the Carbide SL was three years in the making.

Structurally unchanged for 2009, Giro’s Ionis comes with four new graphics packages now. Giro’s Advantage 2 time trial helmet comes in the same graphics, so riders can match helmets to their kits.

Giro’s orange tint offers 67-percent VLT (standard for light transmission), while the yellow lens offers 56-percent.

Giro has two new Zeiss lenses for low-light conditions: light orange and yellow. These tints are available for the Havik, Filter and Semi.

Easton’s $700 EC90 crank (without bottom bracket) is now available in a compact version.

The R4SL’s sport grade 3 ceramic bearings with Easton spec’d grease and grease-fill, and feel super smooth out of the box.

The new Easton wheels come with the new ceramic-equipped R4SL hubs, which push the price up to $2,000.

The EC90SL wheelset weighs 1,230 grams and ships with branded SwissStop Yellow King brake pads.

Easton’s marketing manager Sean Coffey has the new EC90SL 38mm carbon tubulars in hand.

A Ritchey single-bolt, zero-offset in WCS trim, for riders with no need for seatpost set back.

In aero bars, Ritchey now has a bullhorn base bar with drop.

With a titanium spring, and adjustable high- and low-speed compression, the Vector HLR offers a range of tunability.

Also new from X-Fusion is the Vector HLR downhill shock.

A redesigned damper cartridge in the Vengeance fork now offers both high- and low-speed compression damping.

X-Fusion is out with a new 6-inch fork, the Vengeance.

Stoltz’s Epic 29er looks like it has a RockShox Reba 29er fork.

Final production parts on the Fury are likely to be forged and machined.

Suspension function on the Fury is essentially a modified I-drive, with machined BB shell and linkage.

The front end of GT’s Fury is similarly oversized, with a 1.5-inch headset and steerer.

The massive carbon swingarm offers tire clearance, and a huge bearing should keep it stiff.

The Fury is all-carbon, including the swingarm, with radical frame shapes.

GT downhiller Eric Carter has a prototype Fury DH bike.

The Epic 29er is still in testing but could be introduced as a 2010 bike.

No mistaking this rider’s bike, a Specialized Epic 29er.

Stoltz is using O.Symetric chainrings, which require creative front derailleur placement.