11/22/2008

Now that the RockShox forks for '07 are out of the way, it's time to get to the other new product from component giant SRAM. And pictures of the heroes (Geoff Gulevich, Tyler Morland, Kirt Voreis, and Jeff Lenosky) doing their thing in the desert. We'll start with product, though...

The view of Castle Valley, from Upper Porcupine Singletrack - it's a seriously long way to the bottom

The Code is a four-piston hydraulic brake that provides approximately 10 to 12% more power than the Juicy 7, thanks to the new centre-mount hose. The four 15mm pistons push inward at the same time, and result in a brake that is right in the middle between the 7 and the Magura Gustav in terms of stopping power. That power increase comes in a package that's only 80g heavier than the 7s. In addition to more stopping power, the centre-mount hose is also more durable in the event of a crash.

The Code rear caliper with Clean Sweep rotor and highly-adjustable centre-mount banjo

Available in the 185 and 203mm sizes only, the Code uses the same size mounting brackets as existing Avid products. The system uses two long brake pads, and comes with an organic pad compound to offer a more linear feel. The organic pads are better suited to dry climates, but sintered pads will be available for aftermarket purchase.

When I asked Paul Kantor, the brain and brawn behind Avid, about the noise issue that some riders have with their Avid brakes, he acknowledged there was a problem in some cases and said that their goal is to have a quiet system. That has meant revisions to rotor designs and pad compounds to achieve as silent a ride as possible. Rotors now come in the Clean Sweep and Roundagon shapes.

The author railing a bowl at Bartett Wash, in full control thanks to the Code brakes

The two-piece caliper uses four bolts to hold it together, and the lever uses three sealed bearings for better modulation, ligher lever feel, and less hand fatigue. There's also an internal cam for the split-clamp mounted lever, so it breaks away and comes back into position rather than snapping off. The reach adjustment screw has been moved to the front of the lever, near the pivot point of the lever blade, for easier access and the pad contact knob has been revised and moved to increase durability.

A particularly nice touch that demonstrates the cross-platform compatability of SRAM products - the Totem rebound adjust knob (which incorporates a 2.5mm Allen key) works on the reach adjustment of the Codes.

The Code lever, complete with lots of bearings, lots of nifty adjustments, and nothing that will break too easily

Changing hose length is relatively easy, thanks to the ability to cut brake hoses at either end. Avid is sticking with the same brake lines it's used in the past, saying that braided steel lines make the brake grabby. Kantor also said that the inherent flex in the brake hose adds to the linear feel of the Code.

Bleeding the Codes works the same way as with the Juicy, but the Codes have one added feature to make your life even better - there's an inverted v-shaped ridge just below the banjo fitting to divert brake fluid away from the pads in the event of a leak. There's over 200° of adjustment in the banjo position, so you shouldn't have any problems with hose routing on weird suspension designs or large / small frame sizes.

Schematic of the new Code lever - kind of cool to see how things work, isn't it?

Avid also introduced the Ultimate XC hydraulic brake earlier this year at the Sea Otter event in California, so between that, the Code, and the Juicy Carbon from late last year, there wasn't much time for a mechanical re-working of the other Juicys. Gee, I wonder why... There were, however, cosmetic changes and minor hardware tweaks to the line. The Juicy 7s are now black in colour, and they get an aluminum pad contact adjustment knob. The Juicy 5 is now silver in colour and gets the split clamp treatment, while the Juicy 3 is strictly an OE brake.

If that wasn't enough, the other brake-related upgrade now available is the Matchmaker clamp system. The forged aluminum Matchmaker allows you to connect your brake clamp and your X.9 or X.0 shifters to one piece of hardware, in order to reduce clutter on the bar. You can still adjust the shifter in or out, and change the angle of the shifter relative to the ground. All nice touches for people who are picky about set-up. There will be some OE spec with the Matchmaker, but it will also be available aftermarket. Matchmaker will work with all split-clamp Juicy brakes.

Pricing for the Codes is in line with other high-end freeride brakes: US$230 per wheel for the 185mm rotor size and $235 per wheel for the 203mm size. Matchmaker will be $25 per pair.

Truvativ
Truvativ is well-represented on a lot of complete bikes sitting on showroom floors. In fact, SRAM says that Truvativ cranks are spec'd on 65% of bikes with over 130mm of travel. Truvativ uses several different types of aluminum in the forging process - including 6061, 6066, and 7050 - depending on the desired price point and level of performance.

This year, Truvativ is taking performance to the next level in its high-end freeride cranks with the introduction of a new 3-D hollow forging process called Open Core Technology (OCT). OCT is a proprietary technology that combines 7050 aluminum with a special stamping and forging process to create a hollow space inside the crank. Hollow cranks have been around for a while, but what's different about these cranks is the material that's used.

The aluminum is stamped and pulled several times by different machines, in order to achieve the desired strength and shape. The void is maintained during this process thanks to a special semi-solid material that is placed inside the crank arm. SRAM wouldn't say what that material was, but I suspect it's either cornstarch or raspberry yoghurt. My money's on the latter. Once the machining process is complete, the material is extracted from the crank and the end of the arm is sealed.

As it sounds, this is a labour-intensive process but it results in cranks that are very light and very strong. Wall thickness is approximately 3mm, depending on the crank model, but the new Project Holzfeller OCT cranks are more than capable of taking on Shimano Saint and Race Face Diabolus cranks in a head-to-head test.

Cut-out of a new Holzfeller OCT crank - the new 'Powered by SRAM' logo will be making an appearance, as well

The first benchmark was weight. The Holzfeller OCT cranks, complete with a double-ring set-up, bashguard, and bottom bracket, weighed in at 1124g. The Saints were 1164g, and the Diabolus crankset was 1310g. In a stress test that measured load capabilities, the Holzfellers withstood 4,043lbs. of force, while the Race Face cranks took 3,659lbs. and the Saints 2,364lbs. The Holzfellers were also stiffer on the driveside than both other cranks, but came in just behind the other two in non-driveside stiffness. All in all, very impressive results.

Other features of the new Holzfeller OCT crankset include the option of three different chainlines: 51, 56, and 66mm. They use the Howitzer external bottom bracket system that was introduced last spring in San Luis Obispo, which features massive, purpose-built bearings that incorporate wider, bigger balls and eight seals.

ISIS, Gigapipe, and Howitzer bearings - you tell me, does size matter?

Gang Green Ruktion cranks - about the colour of old pea soup

The OCT technology is only available at the Holzfeller level, but there are multiple crankset configurations to choose from. You can also get non-OCT cranks at the Ruktion, Hussefelt, and Holzfeller. Pricing for the Holzfeller OCT cranks is about $235, and the BBs are $47 for the Team version and $33 for the XR. Another option if you're interested in Truvativ cranks but want something other than basic black (or mirror black) is the new Gang Green colour. I don't know if sweet is the right word to use to describe them, but that may just be me... You'll eventually be able to pick up Gang Green bars and stems to match your cranks, as well.

SRAM
SRAM spoiled a lot of us last year with the introduction of its X.O carbon fiber derailleur and trigger shifters. They're damn fine shifters, but they're also out of the price range of many riders. Thankfully, the boys from Chi-town decided to carry the X.O goodness over to the X.9 level. That precipitated a trickle-down effect, where most mountain bike shifters were upgraded.

The first thing you notice when you see the X.9 is that it looks very similar to the X.O. And it is, minus the carbon cover and CNC'd pull lever. The X.9 also has fewer bearings, but it still has the adjustable clamp, and Zero Loss Travel for ultra-snappy shifting, and it works with Matchmaker.

It looks like X.O, but it ain't... Close, but not quite.

The new X-9 rear derailleur - light, smooth, sexy

The X.9 rear derailleur is a de-tuned version of the X.O rear mech. Fancy, fancy, fancy. Choose from short, medium, or long cages. Weight is only 20g more than an X.O, if that's an issue for you. As for the other mountain bike trigger shifters, the X.7 effectively takes on the old X.9 technology, and the SX-5 is the old X.7.

SRAM is also rolling out a new, lighter X.9 high-mount front derailleur for '07 to replace the X.Generation front mech, but even bigger than that is the introduction of a new low-mount front derailleur. The low-mount derailleur has a wide link for better shifting and more rigidity.

This is huge news, because it was high mount or nothing until this point. The dream of an all-SRAM drivetrain is now a reality for people who are riding full squish frames with complicated seat tube / BB interfaces. The only drawback - it's X.7. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just not the same as X.9 or X.O level. Those will be coming - in that order - in the not-too-distant future.

The X.7 low-mount front derailleur - soon to find a home on many dual suspension bikes

Pricing for the '07 rear derailleurs is the same for each cage length, and is as follows: X.O will be US$230, X.9 is $99, and X.7 is $64. The SX-5 is only available in a long cage, for $45. The X.9 front derailleur is $48, and the X.7 low clamp is $35. Shifters break out as follows: X.O triggers are $230 for a set, X.9s are $128, and the X.7s are $70. Price for rear shifters only is half of that.

The Rides
As mentioned in my first article, we did four rides in two days in Moab: one at Slickrock, one shuttle near the start of the Porcupine Rim trail, the Upper Porcupine Singletrack, and Bartlett Wash. All of the rides were amazing. The scenery was spectacular, the equipment was great, and it was cool to ride with some of the SRAM-sponsored riders. I'd suggest all three, if you ever get a chance. If you can only do one, pick Moab. It's definitely worth the trip, regardless of where you're coming from.

Kirt Voreis likes doing tables. He did them all the time, whenever he had a chance. This one happened to be at Slickrock.

Not surprisingly, all four of the pros - and Greg Herbold in his own right - are great riders. Throw them on a bike, just about anywhere in the world, and they rip it up. Best comment of the trip (that I heard anyway) went to Gully, on Upper Porcupine, when he had to raise his saddle to ride the singletrack sections: "I didn't know the seatpost went that high..." Priceless.

Gulevich, Lenosky, and Voreis looking death in the face... || Photo: Rob Rebholz

Not one to be outdone by his fellow pros, Tyler Morland threw down and rode this really tight chute that everyone else took a pass on. The entrance wasn't so bad, but the bottom was a seriously tight turn that had to be executed before that root, and there was no room for error - just out of frame, there's a long, loose embankment that would not have been fun to go over. And once you made the turn, cleared the root, and made it over the rocks, the next section of singletrack was coated in sand the consistency of powdered sugar. Somewhat less than stellar traction.

We headed back to the hotel after Upper Porcupine for a swim and some lunch. At 5 p.m., we headed out to Bartlett Wash, a series of petrified sand dunes about half an hour north of town. The traction is unreal, and there are a million different lines to take. Some of the most fun are in the bowls, which have amazing traction. It's like riding in a giant swimming pool lined with sandpaper; your tires never seem to slip, provided you've got a bit of speed. It's only of my favourite rides in the Moab area, and the pros had fun hitting some the big lines, too.

The last ride of the trip was at Bartlett Wash. One of the locals shows the tourists how it's done.

So there you have it, the highlights of the SRAM 2007 product launch in Moab. It's not all the product that will be available, not by a long shot. But it's the newest stuff, it's the cool stuff, and it's the stuff that they showed us. Talk to your local SRAM dealers about products you didn't see here.

I'd like to close by thanking Eric Schutt in particular for making this trip happen, and for showing all of us media scum such a great time. Thanks also to the other SRAMmies who were there to organize, wrench, talk, drive, and ride bikes. They're a very cool bunch of people. Thanks to the pros for coming out and riding, and having fun with the rest of us. And finally, thanks to Lindsey Voreis for coming out and preventing this trip from being a total sausage-fest. That must have been the ultimate challenge.

Until the next time I'm in the desert...

Stuart Kernaghan

Taking a breather at Bartlett Wash, as a storm rolls into town