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09/06/2008
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Syncros
- 6 months down the road
Words and photos - Cam McRae
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They didn't have to go big. Considering the strength of the name and
the approach of much of the competition, Syncros could have just rebranded some
generic Taiwanese product and still made a go of it. Instead they decided
to send it large. Propelled by the enthusiasm and mad science of product
manager Marshall Cant, they have designed every product from the ground up with
the goal of making the best freeride specific components out there.
There is certainly room in the marketplace for another component maker.
Some weak and poorly designed components find their way onto almost every expensive
bike aimed at the freeride market; pedals with only one bearing, hubs that come
loose after every ride and seatposts and saddles that wouldn't support Tinkerbell
if she hucked a six-footer to flat.
Marshall Cant, who was previously Rocky Mountain's product manager knew this
all too well. If there was a problem with a frame he could do something
about it but components were out of his hands. Every time I talk to Marshall
he goes into a glassy eyed trance as he tries to explain his latest innovation
so we mortals can understand. It's inspiring to meet someone so committed
and passionate about producing a quality product. Below are my thoughts
on the parts I have tried thus far.
nsmb team rider Jerry Willows stepping it up in Kelowna. White
rims pop in photos. Photo Aurelio Marogna
You wouldn't think there would be too much you could do to improve rim technology
at this stage in the game but Syncros looked at every design and manufacturing
possibility and attempted to refine each step to make a stronger, straighter
rim that would build up perfectly every time. Here's an excerpt from the
2005 catalogue to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:
Eyelets and Drilling: most rim holes
are drilled simultaneously using a machine that employs a step drill. This step
drill has a small lead in drill bit that creates a pilot hole which is enlarged
by the ‘stepped’ drill behind it. At Syncros we concentrically drill
our rims on a single axis machine so that the ‘outside’ hole aligns
perfectly with the ‘inside’ hole every time. For the wheel builder
this means that all holes are in exactly the same plane on the rim which in
turn means spoke lengths are the same….no one or two thread variations
due to misalignments and variations in the offset of the holes.
The way the rims are rolled out has been revolutionized as well and every rim
is sleeved and pinned so the joint is actually stronger than the rest of the rim.
Our team has beaten the hell out of their Syncros rims and while some have a little
shimmy all (except for one destroyed by DH racer Michelle Dumaresq) have lots
of life left in them.
Syncros components don't have the Cartier finish of Chris King
but they look solid and they are as reliable as the Swiss railway.
Syncros front hubs have four cartridge bearings - custom made ones at that.
A bearing is placed directly under the disc rotor to deal more effectively with
the massive forces generated there. The rear hub sports six bearings - I
shit you not. There are 4 bearings in the hub shell and an additional 2
in the freehub body. On top of that the front and rear hubs are designed to be
converted from QR to thru axle and the rear hub can even accommodate a Shimano
Saint axle.
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The most anticipated part of the Syncros group was the pedals. More than
once I have been disappointed by expensive flat pedals that simply weren't
up to the challenge of the North Shore. I have had them fall right
off the axles, shake loose after a couple of weeks of riding or simply
become so damaged that replacing pins becomes impossible. I felt
violated when I discovered that almost all of them ran on only one cartridge
bearing while the rest of the load was left to a cheap bushing.
Syncros hit it out of the park with their Mental pedals. To begin
with they are available in both regular steel or stainless - and soon
in magnesium and 6066. I have only tried the steel ones and
I can tell you they are heavy and effing strong. I have dragged
them through rock gardens all summer and, aside from the pins, they still
look like new.
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A Syncros Mental pedal in steel after a hard summer of abuse.
The pins on the centre of the pedal can be removed and used as grease ports.
Fill them up and the pedals won't spin when you pull a no-footer. |
One downside I have found is that these pedals can destroy cheap or
aging shoes. I wore channels in an old pair of Vans and a brand
new pair - just because the pins have so much grip. Now that I
have a pair of shoes with decent soles (Airwalk Foster Brothers) they
work like a charm.
The good news is that I have yet to lose a pin. I have caught
a few working their way loose but the original 56 pins (14 on each side
of each pedal) are still going strong (they now ship with Locktite
applied). The pins are easily replaced from the top side, like soccer
cleats, using a 6mm wrench. They also stick to your shoes like
gum on a hot day. All the small parts to rebuild these pedals will be
made available so they can be completely rebuilt. These could
be the last pedals you ever buy.
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This is what happens to these pedals when you bash them
against rock at Sun Peaks, Whistler, on the Shore - virtually nothing. |
Another downside to the grippy little pins is that they can make
a mean pedal pizza. nsmb team rider Colin Miller had been using
his SPDs for awhile when he received a pair of Mentals. As usual
it took him awhile to get used to not being clipped in and in that
time he did some work Jack The Ripper would be proud of. These
are not for the faint of heart.
The pedal axles are made from SNCM CroMoly - said to be the hardest
axle material available. Thomas Vanderham has been trying the
pedals out while filming for NWD 5 and has yet to have a problem.
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Team rider Colin Miller serving up some piping hot pedal
pizza. |
The saddle is another Syncros product I have grown quite fond of. Over the
last few months it has molded to my bony ass so that it is now as comfy as a pair
of well worn Birkenstocks. It also looks pretty much good as new but since
the Monsoons haven't hit yet I can't actually tell you if the cover is tough enough
for the North Shore. The elliptical rails seem to be up to the challenge though.
Comfy and tough - the Crushzone FR saddle.
I haven't had a chance to
use the Syncros FR headset because the frame I'm currently riding isn't
designed to accept a deep cup. At around 20mm these cups aren't
as deep as the Chris King Steelset
(about 25mm) but they are still more than twice as deep as conventional
headsets which are only 8mm. Personally I'm a fan of cartridge bearings
but Syncros figures loose balls - 1/4" in nifty grease-charged butyl
retainers - have a greater load bearing capacity. The Syncros HardCore
headset weighs 100 grams less than the FR and it is a cartridge bearing
unit with standard cup depth. |
Medical quality stainless steel - and custom bearing retainers. |
Bars and stems work or they don't - there isn't too much to
say about them - and these ones do the job. I really like the rise (2.5")
and sweep of the Bulk bar and it's nice and wide. The stem bolts to
the steerer with a bolt from each side - hence the name Bearhug. The aluminum
is cold forged and finished using a "5-axis CNC process."
An interesting thing about Syncros bars is that they come in a huge variety
of widths, lengths and rises. There are even 'smaller person specific'
bars that allow a narrower bar to accommodate shifters and brake levers in
the right position. When a long bar is cut down there often isn't room for
everything because of the width of the bent section. Check all the bar options
here.
The G2 Bearhug stem and Bulk bar - 31.8mm.
There is more from Syncros - including tires, grips that lock
in place, seatposts and even tubes. I haven't had a chance to try the
tires but our team riders have raved about the grip of the soft compounds.
One rider had some problems with casing cutting through on the lighter weight
dh tires but otherwise the appeal has been universal. The Derived seatposts
have been well received because of their accessible bolts as well as good
clamping force and durability.
The Future.
Some exciting news is that Syncros is working on a solution to keep
your chain in place. I have made it known publicly that I hate
chainguides. They are a pain to install, they often come loose
and they are difficult to fix/adjust on the trail. The best one I have
seen thus far was a carbon fibre effort made by Livid
Components. Because the fibres can be aligned to be rigid in one
direction and flexible in another it makes an ideal boomerang material.
Syncros also uses carbon fibre but their guide will cover from 32 to
46 teeth and it will install on almost any bike - with or without ISCG
mounts.
You can bet that Syncros will complete the package with cranks and
bottom brackets in the near future
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This and salt and pepper shakers too - and belt buckles
and watches. I'm not kidding. |
I just received some pricing info from Syncros and it looks to be reasonable.
Tires run between $50 and $70 US and a Derived seatpost will set you back about
US$100. The pedals will be US$200 in stainless steel and magnesium, US$160 in
cromoly and US$150 in aluminum. The hubs will range from $150-$260. Norco
is the Canadian distributor so we'll have to wait and see what the prices will
be north of the border. Considering the quality and performance we have
seen from the products thus far, none of the numbers seem unreasonable. You'll
also see some top name bike manufacturers sliding some Syncros onto their complete
bikes this year - a good sign considering the increasing abuse you riders are
putting bikes through these days.
For more on Syncros click
here.
Cam McRae
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