Gear Shots

Gear Shots #44 - Race Face, Straitline and Bell

Words by Stuart Kernaghan. Photos by Stuart Kernaghan.
Date: 2008-10-15

Race Face D2 stem and Diabolus 1/2 rise bar
The Race Face D2 freeride / DH stem has been revamped for '08 to update the styling and tweak some of the little details. It's CNC machined out of a block of 6061 aluminum and uses a u-shaped, four-bolt clamping system to hold the handlebar. Two opposing bolts clamp the stem onto the steerer tube.

Unlike a lot of other stems, the faceplace for the D2 clamps down on the body of the stem rather than onto the front of it. Kind of makes sense when you think about where the forces are going on a stem...


The D2 is a sharp looking stem with a BMX feel to it. The face plate screws down, rather than back, onto the body of the stem.

I've been using a 70mm / 0° rise D2 on my Transition Blindside with 888s and it's been solid since I installed it in the middle of the summer. In addition to providing a stiff interface between the bars and bike, the D2 also lowers the front end of your ride – especially when it's used in conjunction with the new Diabolus 1/2 rise bar.

The D2 stem is available in a bunch of sizes. OnePointFive D2s come in 50mm or 70mm lengths in 0° rise, while the 1 1/8" size option comes in 0° and 10° rises at 35mm, 50mm and 70mm lengths. Both steerer sizes are only available in 31.8mm clamping diameter, and they come in any colour you want as long as it's black. Weight for the 50mm version is 250g. 

As noted, I was using the D2 with the new Diabolus 1/2 rise freeride / DH handlebar. The 1/2 stands for what you'd think - 0.5" of rise. It's made from cold drawn alloy, and is internally tapered to increase strength without a weight penalty. Sweet touches on the bar include cutting increments on the ends to simplify the trimming process, and bead-blasted flames spreading out from the centre of the bar.


The Diabolus 1/2 rise is a great option if you want to keep the front end of your ride low and tight.

Width on the 31.8mm-diameter bar is 28" / 710mm, so it's perfect for aggressive riding, and the 9° back / 4° up sweep puts it in a comfortable position. The only drawback of this bar is the weight – it comes in at 355g, which is a bit heavy if you're picky about those sorts of things.

This bar has seen a lot of use in the bike park and on the Shore over the summer, and I've been very pleased with it. I even swapped it out with the bar that was on my all-mountain bike, which has a tall front end, and it had a very positive effect on the ride. Check out the 1/2 rise bar if you want to lower the front end without having to chop your steerer or buy a new stem. 

Pricing for the D2 stem is US$94.99 / CDN$99.99, and the 1/2 rise bar is US$64.99 / CDN$69.99.

Straitline Components pinch clamp stem
Straitline Components in Sidney, BC has been busy trying to keep up with orders for the company's sweet CNC-machined parts. I've been riding Straitline pedals and a vertical wedge clamp stem for a while, and have been loving the look and performance. And if the aesthetics or solid construction are't enough to sell you on Straitline parts, Jeff Lenosky has his own signature Straitline pedal and Red Bull Rampage 2008 runner-up Kurt Sorge has been rocking the pedals as well.

I ran into Greg from Straitline at Crankworx, and he gave me a pre-production model of their new tricked-out pinch clamp stem to try out. It's a significant departure from what they were producing in the past, but that's a good thing.


As you'd expect, the new Straitline stem shows some serious machining. The Straitline spacers are a nice finishing touch.

Details on the production version are still a little scarce, but the version I have is 50mm long with a stack height of 35mm. More importantly, it uses the traditional pinch bolt clamping method. The benefit of the pinch over the Straitline wedge design is that you can play with stem height a bit more without having to cut your steerer (it isn't possible to run headset spacers above the top cap on the wedge stem).


It's a solid and stiff piece of hardware that won't weigh down your bike.

Production versions of the stem should be available soon and will ship with a Straitline top cap. You can also get Straitline spacers to complete the look.

So far, I've only seen black and red pinch clamp stems, but don't be surprised to see them available in the usual medley of Straitline colours. MSRP for these new stems is $125, but dealers may sell for less. Check out the Straitline site over the next few weeks for more info on when the pinch clamp stem will hit the streets.

Bell Drop Helmet
The Bell Bellistic full-face helmet has been the company’s staple - and only - big bike lid for a long time. There were always lots of them on the trail or at the bike park, but the Bellistic lacked some of the features and style that characterized other full faces. Bell set out to change that with the introduction of its new Drop helmet.

The Drop takes the basic concept of the Bellistic – a simple, reasonably-priced full-face lid that is well ventilated and that uses a buckle rather than d-rings – and brings it to the next level.
First thing you’ll notice about the Drop, and in particular the Black / White Crest model I was testing, is the graphics. The mongoose-fighting-cobra / dragon / snakes / flames motif is busy, but not obnoxious and the quality of the graphics is excellent. In terms of features, the helmet is constructed of an ABS hard plastic shell, with your standard adjustable visor with three attachment points, eight vents (including a mouth vent with wire mesh covering), a buckle closure, and a removable liner. Weight is a respectable 1,050g, which is the same as a Giro Remedy.


The shiny new Bell Drop helmet, ready for action.

I was impressed by just how comfortable the helmet was right out of the box. The padding was smooth and didn't feel rough, while the helmet itself sat well on my head – not too low, not too high. The ear cut-outs were in the right place, and the chin strap was well positioned to hold the lid in place. The strap is also padded with smooth material, so it doesn’t chafe your neck.

Although I didn’t spend a lot of time wearing goggles while I was testing the Drop, the face opening was sufficiently large when I did have them on. It was also wide enough to provide unobstructed peripheral viewing.


More shots of the graphics. Mr. Mongoose, meet Mr. Cobra. Note the vents just behind the vior and bottom of the helmet - there aren't any on the top.

The Drop is as well ventilated, if not more, than some other full-face helmets. I tend to get pretty hot and sweaty in a full face, but air flowed thru the helmet when travelling at speed. It's not as breezy as an XC lid, by any means, but it certainly wasn't as bad as some helmets I've tried.


The Drop, from the bottom. Lots of comfortable padding, including a padded chin strap. Take it out every now and then and wash it to keep the stink to a minimum.

I was happy with the Drop when I first started wearing it, but a few minor issues arose with the helmet over time. I found that the size Medium helmet was too snug so I went with the Large. It seemed to be the right fit, but once the padding in the helmet packed out (especially the material that sits at the base of the skull) it started shifting around when I was doing steep roll-ins. A combination of different body position, my hydration pack and impact from the landing all contributed to varying degrees, but the bottom line was that the helmet moved.

This wasn't a big deal on the trail and the helmet certainly didn't slop around, but coming down a rock face or ladder and having your helmet slide forward was both frustrating and dangerous at times. It’s a good reminder to buy the right shape and size of helmet for your head. That means a snug fit when you first try it on.

The Drop’s shell held well to a summer in the gear bag, on the trails, and on and off my hydration pack, but the visor suffered a serious blow during the test. I had parked my bike against a tree while I was checking out a stunt, with the helmet on the bars. Unfortunately, the bike tipped over and the helmet hit the ground. I didn’t think much of it at the time because the trail was quite soft, but when I looked at the helmet later, I noticed that the paint on the visor had cracked. Since then, the paint has continued to flake off the visor, and while performance or safety haven’t been affected the helmet now looks kind of bargain.

Fortunately, I didn’t have any actual bell ringers while wearing the Drop, so I didn’t get to test its crash-worthiness. I'll just put my faith in the CPSC bicycle standard and the new ASTM downhill helmet standards that the Drop passes.


One small accident = one ugly looking visor. I was a little disappointed when the paint started flaking and peeling..

Finally – and this is minor – the white trim around the bottom of the helmet and around the face opening doesn’t stay white for very long. It’s another case of aesthetics versus performance, but it illustrates the downside of using white in an application that is characterized by dirt and abuse.

The Drop is a big step up from the Bellistic and Bell should be commended for that. The graphics are solid, the helmet is very comfortable, and it’s well ventilated. Just make sure that it fits your head shape. And don't drop it on the visor.

Pricing for the Drop is US$130 and about CDN$160. It comes in sizes small, medium, and large in the following colour schemes: Matte Olive / Black Crest, Black / White Crest, Matte Black, Blue / Blue, Red / Black, White / Green.

Pros

  • cool graphics that aren’t too far over the top
  • good value
  • weight is comparable with other full-face helmets
  • comfortable out of the box
  • venting is on par with other full-face lids

Cons

  • didn’t fit as well once the helmet packed out
  • visor damaged in minor incident
  • white trim doesn’t stand up to wear
  • no carbon version available?

Have you used any of these products?  Want to try them?  Post up here...

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