Industry NineIndustry Nine added some 31.8 options to their recently released A-series stems. The stem is completely made in house at their Asheville, NC facility and comes in a smorgasbord of colors. The 31.8 version is available in 30mm/40mm/50mm lengths and retails for $145-160 USD. Available September 25th.
In addition to the stem, I9 was showing their 101 wheelsets. The 101 wheelsets have a 45-tooth drive ring and 6 pawls acting in a dual-phase setup. This delivers 90 points of engagement, a click every 4-degrees. The hubs sell for $425 USD and you can get a wheelset for $750.
GiroGiro's Radix helmet is an evolution of the Hex which has been in Giro's line for years. The Radix has a dial adjust fit system with MIPS, tons of ventilation and an adjustable visor. There are a lot of new helmets being launched that ditch adjustable visors in favour of aesthetics, so it's nice to see a traditional visor here. The Radix sells for $85 USD and will be available next year.
Giro's new Ventana shoes launched this week with two different styles of lacing up. There is a BOA LP6 option as well as a Fastlace option. Both versions of the shoe have a breathable Synchwire upper and a nylon shank. There's a molded EVA footbed and the toe and heel are reinforced. The shoes have Giro's sensor rubber on the outsole.
The idea behind them is to have a trail shoe that is capable in a variety of conditions both on and off the bike. The Ventana BOA sells for $180USD and the Fastlace is $130 USD. The shoes will be available this fall.
The Ventana Fastlace sells for a bit less than the BOA version and has many of the same features.
There were also a few new styles of gloves on hand as well. The knit back gloves above looked pretty slick, but the fully knit and waterproof gloves below really caught our eye. The XNETIC H2O glove (below) is fully waterproof and designed to wear well down to just above freezing temperatures. We're just not sure how to pronounce it... Crossnetic? Exnetic?
Anyway, the gloves are thin enough to use on the trail and pack down small to toss in a pocket or bag. The XNETIC H2O will be available in October and sells for $50 USD.
SupacazCali-based Supacaz is the brain-child of Specialized founder Mike Sinyard's son, Anthony Sinyard. They sponsor riders like Loic Bruni and Peter Sagan, and have gone all in on the oil slick colorway trend. They do more neutral, muted colors too, but their display had So. Much. Oil. Slick.
These SupaG gloves are oil slick (surprise!) and sell for $55.
FizikFizik is joining the game of 3D printing saddles. Partnering with the company Carbon, Fizik is using the Digital Light Synthesis printing technique to develop the polymer lattice padding that makes up the saddle which can be finely tuned and made for an individual rider. Specialized recently announced a similar saddle, also in partnership with Carbon. Pricing is yet to come but we don't expect it to be inexpensive however, a comfortable saddle is a game changer so it may be worth it. We'll have more details as they're available.
www.oneupcomponents.com/collections/stems-1/products/stem
amzn.to/2kaJcKW
"What's that?"
"The bit that goes between the fork steerer and the handlebars."
"Ohhh... this kinda money?"
"Well, it is a whopping 40g lighter than the forged one I have. That's the weight of an espresso."
"Ohhh..."
Next stop, carbon brake leverblades.
Same goes for his new shock.
Hope products also cost a fair amount less (especially the Hubs) while producing in Europe... The I9 stuff is just overpriced and lives on the "Made in USA" badge
Lets say it costs "Large Boutique Brand A" $25 to make a stem, they sell it to distributors for $45 ($20 profit), who sell it to shops for $65 ($20 profit), who sell it to consumers for $130 ($65 profit, but they assumed most of the risk).
By contrast, lets say it costs "Small Boutique Brand B" $65 to make a stem because small scale manufacturing is less efficient, and they sell it to consumer for $130 ($65 profit, but they assumed all of the risk).
Assuming they both perform equally, is it fair to say that one is more "overpriced" than the other? I personally don't think so. There are lots of solid, inexpensive stems out there for people not looking for something fancy.
Also, the Hope stem was about $136 USD back in 2014 when it came out.
Why are you covered in glitter? Did you go see Chrystal again?
Nah babe. Just out rippin on my Sworks.
For direct reference, it is the 3mm thick in neon yellow.
Moot point now though, I won't buy more, there are plenty of other options at half the price.
Spoiler: it's not really a new standard as much as a single bike manufacturer asked for bigger fork steerers and crowns, probably largely for aesthetic reasons, and a few fork manufacturers agreed to make them as an OE-only option.
I'm not saying it won't one day become a standard that the industry will push, and we'll cross that bridge to evaluate the changes if/when we get there. But, for now it looks more similar to a brand requesting custom colours or some other non-series "off menu" change from a component manufacturer.
guess who joined the club? exactly, sram
The big benefit to companies entering the bike world is the constant influx of a new and mostly short lived customer base. It's always been this way but in the last decade or so it happens more often, because the sport is so accessible to people with short lived disposable income. If I were in my mid 20s again and gullible, it might be right up my alley.
When are we going to see some oil slick steel and aluminum frames?