Fresh meat is something that Pinkbike.com takes pride in. Showing ya'll what we are going to be testing, and items that we have found to be a good buy, or well worth your hard earned dollars. This fresh meat article is featuring products from Deity Components new line up, Easton Components high end products, Biker Soaps awesome cleaning agent, Shimano's new XT lineup, Forumla's new high end disc brakes, and some flashly 661 Gloves.
Deity has done their homework, and started with a fresh page.
Dirty30 bars:
Colors:
Black (Shown)
White
Gray
Price:
$65 USD
Size:
Size Big - 30" wide.
Eric over at Deity has been doing a lot of work to his line up of products this past couple of years. Not only is he trying to ditch the "heavy, over built" name Deity has been dubbed with, but he is trying to convert that into a "light, and reliable" name. To achieve that Eric has gone back to the drawing board to re-create all his products.
Upon seeing all his products at The Vegas Resistance, Eric has definitely got his stuff dialed in this year, but the one thing that really caught my eye was the new, massive, Dirty30 Bar. In case you didn't guess it, the Dirty30 bar is 30 inches wide, or 760 mm. It's made out of custom drawn 7075 T6 aluminum, making it one of the lightest DH race bars on the market. With 25mm of rise, 9 degree's of ergonomic bend, and 5 degree's of up sweep, the Dirty30 bar is definitely a go fast bar. A lot of people wonder what the benefit of a big bar is? Increased stability. With such a wide controlling surface, your motions are transfered at a lesser amount, compared to a smaller bar where you may feel it to be "touchy". The Dirty30 comes in a 31.8 clamping surface, and is compatible with all the 31.8 stem's on the market.
Fantom 31.8 stem:
Colors:
Black (Shown)
White
Gray
Price:
$65 USD
Size:
50mm Reach - 0 Degree bend
The next thing I noticed was the Fantom 31.8 stem, that the Dirty30 bar was clamped into. With 50mm of reach and 0 degree's of rise, the Fantom stem is designed to be light, realistic, and comfortable. Weighing in at 282 grams with hardware, the Fantom stem is quite light, and has some great features to go along with it. Featuring a super low stack height of 1.5 inches the Fantom stem is designed to keep the profile low, and allow you to have as much adjustment to your stem height as possible. The Fantom stem has been re-designed countless times, to create the lightest model. Featuring machined side windows, internal cross machining, and machined pockets in the face plate, no material was left behind on this stem. The clamping system is even reversed for increased clamping strength, and resistance to backing out. As well, it has rounded edges for those knee and stem greetings. Rumor has it that there will be a late 2008 release of the Fantom Stem-REV2 and it will be even lighter at approx. 200 grams for the 31.8 and approx 174 grams for the 25.4 version.
Lifesavers:
Colors:
Black (Shown)
Price:
$22 USD
Size:
It fits on the ends of your bars.
The final product that caught my eye was the Lifesaver bar ends. How unique could a bar end be? Well, Deity has found a way to make it their own. The Lifesaver is shaped like, you guessed it, a life saver. With smooth rounded edges, and being machined so much they are one of the lightest bar end sets on the market, the Lifesavers are a super cool design. They use 2 set screws for increased durability, and no slippage. Even the bolt holes are counter sunk and recessed to lighten the caps up. They come in a high gloss black finish to match the rest of the Deity parts.
Deity's new website
Easton is holding down their ground with a strong force.
Easton Monkey Lite DH bar:
Color:
Carbon/Gold
Price:
$140 USD(MSRP)
Size:
711mm - High Rise
Easton was formerly known for their "world's strongest carbon riser bar" claim to fame. Once again, nothing changed this year. The Monkey Lite DH bar is now even stronger. Still utilizing Easton's CNT, or Carbon Nanotubes, and their Enhanced Resin System, the Monkey Lite bar is now 15% stronger and tougher than last year. Featuring a 31.8 clamping surface, reinforced stem and brake lever clamping zones, and Easton patented TaperWall design, these bars were made to go big, and accept the abuse. At 710mm wide they utilize a 9 degree bend, and 5 degree up sweep, and are nice and light at 230 grams. Not only is there a lot of technology in this bar, but they are sick looking with a gold/carbon color scheme going on.
Easton's Havoc DH stem:
Color:
Black - Polished Logo on front.
Price:
$80 USD(MSRP)
Size:
25.4 and 31.8 mm clamping area
50 and 65 mm reaches
Easton's Havoc DH stem was designed to be rugged, and abused, and still stand strong and straight. The unique forged CNC design is exceptionally strong, and with a weight of 178 grams, it's quite light as well. With the option of 25.4 or 31.8 clamping surface, and a 10 degree rise, the Havoc stem was designed to get your bars just slightly higher. As well, it has the option of 50mm of reach, or 65mm. The Havoc stem only comes in black anodized, and comes with a limited 5 year warranty.
Easton Flatboy Pedals:
Color:
Black
Price:
$100 (MSRP)
Specs:
-9/16 inch spindle
-16 pins per pedal
Easton has been making pedals for a while now and their Cully's were staples on a lot of pro's rides back in the day. Now they produce just the one model and it's called the Flatboy. The Flatboy pedals weigh in at 612 grams, and feature a 9/16 inch spindle for increased strength, and an O-ring preload system that controls the pedals ability to spin freely. The body of the pedal is CNC-machine from a chunk of billet, heat-treated 6061 T6 aluminum, created with a stable low-profile design and adjustable, replaceable pins. The Flatboy pedals have a limited 2 year warranty.
EastonBike.com
Shimano Steps it up once again. Deore XT Cassette-Engineered Perfection
Color:
Silver
Price:
$114 (MSRP)
Specs:
-11-32T 9 speed
-11-34T 9 speed
-256 grams
Shimano Components has been a massive name in the cycling community since day one, and with the introduction of the new 2008 Deore XT groupo, things can only continue to get better for them. Deore XT is Shimano's answer to the "average Joe wanting high performance parts". The parts are designed to provide the most performance, for a reasonable cost.
The Deore XT cassette, or CS-M770, as no different than the rest of there group. Designed to provide precise shifting, long lasting performance, and a bill that won't blow the door of the hinges. With gear clusters available for 11-32 teeth, and 11-34 teeth, the Deore XT cassette was designed to be open for the XC group, and the Freeride and Downhill group as well. The sprocket has a chrome finish for abrasion resistance, and is also equip'd with an alloy sprocket cluster. The sprockets are made out of steel, and are designed to work with the Super Narrow HG chain.
Shimano's website
Formula "The One" Brake - Jet Li ain't got anything on these
Color:
Black
Price:
$288 Per End (w/o rotors or adaptors)
Spec Options:
6" IS - 55$
6" post mount - 45$
7" rotor IS - 60$
7" post - $60
8" IS - 65$
8" post - 65$
(IS = International Standard)
(Formula offers rotors in 160mm,180mm,200mm, and 220mm*)
*220mm Rotor features a Alloy Carrier
Formula Disc Brakes, known for their high end brake setup's, just released their new set of Downhill brakes. Named "The One", these brakes are done to the tits. Based on a patented solid forged caliper, which is coupled with the new patented master cylinder, provides an astonishing braking power and incredible modulation. With tool free reach, and stroke adjustments, The One brakes are designed to be the most user friendly, and reliable brakes yet. With a flip flop master cylinder, the lever is able to be mounted on either side of the bar, and with a glossy finish for a high profile look and improved wear resistance, no matter what side it's on, it will look fresh. Formula also designed the master cylinder to be more compatible with shifters. The One brakes come with high-resistance polyester tubing, and Nickel plated hardware, these brakes are ready to go from the factory.
The caliper is a work of art in itself. With a one piece patented forged caliper, and two opposed pistons in composite material, the amount of power and modulation is unreal. Equip'd with a easy pad removal system system that allows you to change the pads without removing the rotor, or caliper. The open caliper design also allows for better heat dissipation, and with available mounting brackets for 160mm, 180mm, 200mm, and 220mm rotors, you're not limited at all. They even have center lock adapters available for Shimano XC setups. Simply put, these brakes are good to go out of the box.
Formula
SixSixOne just won't stop doing what they do best
Color:
White/Green (Shown)
Red/White
Black/Gray
Blue/Brown
Price:
$35 CND
Size:
XS, SM, MD, LG, XL, XXL
SixSixOne has been featured in many a Fresh Meat article, and simply put, they make nice stuff. Recently Tyler bought a set of 2008 Comp Gloves, in a fancy white and green combination that is super flashy. They feature protective TPR rubber, embossed Airprene and a vented Spandura mesh back for maximum protection and breathability. They also feature a full cuff, with Velcro closure so no dirt gets in there. The fingers have Spandura sections to keep the air flowing, and the lightly padded palm area keeps your hands from getting sore. Even the knuckles have flexible Airprene, and TR ruber to keep them protected. As stated, SixSixOne knows what they are doing, and will continue making nice stuff for years to come.
SixSixOne dot com
Biker Soap leaves us clean, soft, and smooth
Color:
n/a
Price:
$6
Size:
354 ml
When you stand out in the blazing hot sun, licking condensation off the outside of your empty water bottle, looking at endless rows of sand covered bikes, your hands get dried and dirty. When we met the guys from Biker Soap at Interbike 2007, we were super stoked to see what they had. However, no bedside Vaseline could have cured how cracked and dry my hands were after the desert adventure, so I was a little reluctant to try this stuff out. However, it works incredibly well. Not only will it not damage or dry out your skin, it will actually moisturize your hands, leaving them soft, smooth, and dirt free. Biker Soap is an all natural cleanser which contains no drying agents, or harsh chemicals, and no pumice or abrasive materials. Not only that, but it does not contain any animal ingredients, and is not tested on animals. Simply put, Biker Soap is strong enough for those extra hard jobs.
Biker Soap's website
Stay tuned for more Fresh Meat article's, and complete product test in the future.
so hopefully everyone can co-exist without any worries. Thanks for responding, its always great when companies are actually close enough to their market to discuss things like this. 
