Syncros - 6 months down the road
Words and photos - Cam McRae

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.

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.


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.


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.
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
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