05/16/2008

Back in the day, FSA (Full Speed Ahead) used to be the name in lightweight XC parts. The company moved from there into the road racing scene, and established itself as a top-notch producer of high-performance aluminum and carbon components. FSA has also been turning out the well-known and durable Pig headset that has been a part of many big bikes, but for the most part, the company stayed out of the freeride and DH scene.

That changed last year with the introduction of FSA's all-new line of big bike components, which was split into the higher-end Gravity models and the less-expensive GAP models. There are bars, stems, headsets, cranks, and seatposts to choose from. Here's a sampling of some of the Gravity and Gap goodies on the market.

Gravity Stem The FSA Gravity stem is cold-forged and CNC machined from a block of T6 6061 aluminum. It features three alternating bolts to clamp onto the steerer, and a four-bolt face plate. You've got the choice of 25.4mm or 31.8mm handlebar clamp sizes, and 1 1/8" or OnePointFive steerer diameters. The 31.8 stems come in 40mm and 60mm lengths with a 10° rise, while the 25.4 and OnePointFive stems are only available in 60mm lengths.

The Gravity stem - nice CNC machining, and three bolts holding onto the steerer

Gravity Aluminum and Carbon Handlebars
The Gravity and Gravity Carbon bars are available in 25.4 and 31.8 clamping diameters, to go along with both stem sizes. They all feature an 8° back sweep and 3° upward bend.

The aluminum and oh-so-sweet carbon Gravity bars

The Gravity bar is made from triple-butted, tapered and shot-peened 2014 aluminum. It has a 40mm rise, and is 710mm wide. Weight is 420g. The Gravity Carbon bar is 700mm wide, with the 25.4 version offered in 40mm or 50mm rises, and the 31.8 version in a 40mm rise. Weight for the carbon bar is 230g.

MSRP for the Gravity bar is US$59.99 / CDN$79.95 and US$119.99 / CDN$179.95 for the Gravity Carbon bar.

Gap Crankset and MegaExo Bottom Bracket
There are a whole whack of FSA big bike cranksets to choose from, but we're on the GAP. The GAP features T6 6061 aluminum crank arms, and a polycarbonate-composite bash ring.

The GAP crankset, complete with pedal inserts and clear bashguard

It comes with a cro-moly inner ring, a 7075 aluminum middle ring, and cro-moly chainring bolts. Choose from 165mm, 170mm, or 175mm lengths, and 32/22T or 36/22T chainring options.

The GAP gives you a 50mm chainline, and there are versions available for either 68/73mm or 83mm BB shells. The axle has been pressed into the driveside crank, while the non-drive crank uses both a pinch-bolt clamp and axle bolt to hold onto the splined interface. Speaking of bottom brackets, the GAP uses an integrated MegaExo Quad bottom bracket, FSA's outboard bearing BB. According to FSA, the MegaExo BBs offer greater bearing life than conventional bottom brackets. Bearings are 40% larger than those in most Isis-drive BBs, which offers greater strength and longevity. The bearings are also spaced wider apart, to increase the stiffness of the bottom bracket/crankset interface. The MSRP for the GAP MegaExo crankset with BB and bashguard is US$189.99 / CDN$279.95.

Now that's one big bottom bracket...

A note on headsets - there are a whack of FSA headsets to choose from. Not only do you have the old standard - the Pig - but there are also two OnePointFive headsets to choose from: the Big Fat Pig and the Orbit Xtreme Pro. If you're looking to fit a 1 1/8" fork on a OnePointFive frame, there are Big Fat Pig and Xtreme Pro reducer headsets as well.

For more information on where to find FSA components in your area, check out Orange Sports Supply or Cycles Lambert north of the 49th, the FSA U.S. distributor list, or the FSA international distributor list.

Wanna talk about the new FSA gear? Here's the place to do it.