New Product @ Crankworx

Words Stuart Kernaghan

Photos Stuart Kernaghan

Date Aug 23, 2009

New product and Crankworx go hand in hand. Manufacturers have been using the world’s premier mountain bike event to showcase their wares to riders and the general public for the last several years, and 2009 was no exception.

There were fewer companies lining the Village stroll this year than there have been in the past, but there was still lots to see. Here are some shots and short descriptions of the things that I came across in my travels. And stay tuned to nsmb for more coverage / product reviews of selected items during the next year.

– Stuart

Troy Lee Designs put on a little shindig on the Friday night of Crankworx at one of the bars in the Whistler Village. They used the occasion to unveil the new D3 carbon full-face helmet.|| Photo: Cam McRae

This new helmet is for the racers in the crowd. It’s designed to be safer and offer more airflow. The shape of the helmet has changed, as well, with more of a square look. Check out the article on the Troy Lee site for full details and a video of the technology used here. || Photo: Cam McRae

The pull straps allow first aid crews to remove the cheek pads and slide the helmet off an injured racer without moving the head or neck. MSRP for the new D3 is CDN$599 and US$450. The increased cost over the existing D2 model is to cover material and technology costs for this new lid. || Photo: Cam McRae

Saturday morning came all too early after a night out on the town with Cam and Pete. After a couple of cups of coffee, some baked goods and a visit to the Whistler medical clinic to visit nsmb team rider Justin Wyper who had just broken his foot, I grabbed my gear and headed out to the expo area. This is what I found…

SRAM always has a big tent and tech support trailer set up at the base of the Fitzsimmons chair. One of the things on display was the new anodized component parts, like these red X.O shifter levers and clamps, which matched the rear derailleur.

Another thing on display at the SRAM tent was this Holzfeller DH / FR crankset with a unique-looking bashguard that kind of looks like an old-fashioned dinner plate.

Answer / Manitou has been very quiet on the long-travel fork front for the last few years, but they certainly got people’s attention with the relaunch of the inverted Dorado fork. The $2,800 price tag for the carbon version of the fork (centre) also got people’s attention. The aluminum version (left and right forks) is supposed to be considerably cheaper. The fork is supposed to be making an appearance at the Interbike Dirt Demo, but when it will hit store shelves is anyone’s guess.

Colour coordination is the name of the game these days, and Specialized isn’t missing out on that action. This new Demo 8 is going to be hard to miss. Want to know more about it? Check out Fergs’ article on the ’10 bikes from Specialized.

I know that some people aren’t big fans of the new-look Norcos, but I think this ’10 Team DH is dead sexy. And again, Fergs got to check out these bikes when they were unveilled on the Shore.

Xprezo is a Quebec company that has been around since 2003. The Furax DH bike is the newest bike in the company’s line, and gets 8.5″ of rear wheel travel using a single pivot linkage. It’s available as a frameset / shock for CDN$2,989 or complete bike for $5,449.

There was one bike that Giant didn’t include in its 2010 launch last month in Colorado – the Reign SX. This bike is only available in the U.S. and Canada, and is intended to be the quintessential park bike. It uses the same frame as a regular Reign X, but gets a different spec that’s geared more towards chairlift riding.

Giant reintroduced the Faith model to its line-up for ’10. The Faith 0 has a brushed aluminum finish with ano blue parts, while the Faith 1 (above) uses a white and gold colour scheme.

The new Glory 1 gets a different kit than the 0, with RockShox suspension parts instead of Fox and a mixture of SRAM / Avid and RaceFace drive train parts instead of a full Shimano Saint group.

Giant didn’t forget the hipsters in the crowd. Those of you who MUST pedal without gears have a choice of these two bikes. Real men will, of course, take the brakes off.