Pinkbike Awards - Component of the Year Nominees
After twelve months of traveling around the globe to trade shows and product launches, and countless hours of real-world testing, Pinkbike's technical editors selected three products that made a lasting impression over the course of 2015. There's everything from an ultra-reliable dropper post to the first electronic drivetain for mountain bikes, but the one consistent theme is that all of the items chosen can help improve a rider's experience out on the trail. Of course, in some cases that improved performance does come with a high price of admission, which is why we'll also be announcing our choices for the Best Value Component award in the near future. Until then, read on to learn more about the nominees for Pinkbike's Component of the Year.
Shimano Di2 XTR Drivetrain
Shimano is the first company to bring electronic shifting to the mountain bike world with their Di2 XTR drivetrain, freeing riders from the possibility of muddy, gritty cables affecting shift quality, and ensuring perfect gear changes, no matter how ham-fisted your shifting technique may be.
Worries about battery life proved to be unfounded (we only needed to charge it twice in five months), and the water and mud the drivetrain was exposed to didn't affect its performance in the slightest. Di2's high price places it out of reach of most riders, but that's usually the case with emerging technology, and it's not unreasonable to imagine that it will eventually end up being available at a more affordable pricepoint, especially once SRAM returns fire with an electronic gruppo of their own.
Schwalbe ProCore Tire System
As advanced as mountain bikes have become, flat tires still haven't been completely eradicated, even at the highest level of the sport. The advent of tubeless ready tires and sealant has certainly helped, but it's still possible to lose air or even pull a tire completely off a rim, especially while cornering.
That's where Schwalbe's ProCore dual-chamber system comes in. The system (one of the nominees for Pinkbike's 2014 Innovation of the Year) uses a tire-within-a-tire design that effectively locks the outer tire into place, virtually eliminating the chance of pulling the tire's bead off the rim, even at ridiculously low pressures. It's not an entirely new concept, but it is the first time a dual chamber system has been readily available, rather than being reserved only for elite racers.
ProCore does add 200 grams of weight to each wheel, but if that extra weight means the difference between finishing a race or being forced to make the walk of shame down a track those grams become pretty easy to justify. While it may not completely eliminate flat tires, it's one step closer, and for that Schwalbe's ProCore system earns a nomination for Component of the Year.
9Point8 Fall Line Dropper Post
For trail and all-mountain riders dropper posts are here to stay, and the days of trying to get through a technical descent with your seatpost halfway to the moon are fast becoming a distant memory. There are a number of good dropper posts on the market, but not nearly as many great ones. Reliability is still the biggest hurdle, and both cable and hydraulically actuated systems have their share of quirks that keep them from being 100% perfect.
9Point8's Fall Line dropper post was a standout performer this year, offering excellent reliability thanks to its cable-actuated hydraulic brake design. As an added bonus, there are multiple remote options, making it easy for riders to get their cockpit set up exactly the way they want. Other than being a little tricky to install, once it's up and running the Fall Line is as trouble free as it gets, making it one of the few posts that to earn a place in the great category.
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Ahem****Wheel sizes
then everybody would win
I'm sure XTR Di2 is very good but you can buy a half decent bike for the cost of the groupsets.
XT @ CRC - $223.46
GX @ CRC - $282.96 + XD driver ($60-$200) = minimum $342.96
Again, i'd like to point out that GX is not an XT competitor. X1 is the XT competitor and is $504.31 + XD Driver.
To me, the best setup right now is XT with the OneUp 45t kit. Then you have more range than SRAM can offer, and you save about $200 over the X1 groupset (not counting the XD driver cost). I spent months researching and sampling parts and ended up selecting M9000 (XTR) shifter/derailleur with the XT cassette and 45t kit.
@Rubberelli - 90% of the world's riders are riding on Shimano or clone hubs. I know it seems like the majority of us use convertible SB hubs, but Pinkbike only accounts for a tiny fraction of the MTB riding public. For the overwhelming majority, upgrading to SRAM 11-speed means not only buying an XD driver, but a new wheelset too.
I agree that for us guys who spend time reading and posting on Pinkbike, it sure looks like the majority of the MTB world is riding 2012 or newer bikes with Hope hubs and Stans rims, Pike/CCDB setups, and Reverb droppers. But in reality that's less than 1% of the riding public.
You haven't seen a Shimano 1x setup yet because they just came out. Unless you were looking at XC hardtails (and being a member of this site I would imagine you pass right by those), then you might have seen the new XTR, though it probably still would have been a 2x setup.
Really it just comes down to the fact that there are not that many people crazy enough to spend $3000+ on a BIKE (don't misunderstand, i'm definitely crazy, as I have three). Maybe if we didn't spend so much money on bikes, we would be ACTUAL 1-percenters.
The droppers out there are shit - couple of normal guys get together, build a dropper - dropper gets shitty reviews - a new dropper is designed - new dropper gets rad reviews - everyone is stoked - the droppers out there are still shit... except for the 9point8 one, that is.
f*ckin' ugly though.
I had to service it this year, and it took me about an hour and $20 for the parts.
It's working as good as new. Maybe you should learn to wrench on your bike and not pay $150 to someone else to do it for you.
As far as the Reverb goes the first thing I would try is bleeding the hydraulic line. There are great tutorials online how to get it done it looks like a pretty simple process that fixes 80% of the issues reverbs have.
There's also the very strange irrational love for all things SRAM/Rockshox on this site. This is the only place i've seen it, but it's pretty rampant. In the real world (meaning not the internet) the Reverb is known as a "part-time" dropper (it works for half your ride), and the Pike is a great fork when it works. I have a Pike RCT3 on my 29er, and have been through 3 Reverbs on bikes that i've bought and sold. The Pike has already been back to Rockshox (for three weeks, mind you) despite the fact that it's not even a year old, and all three Reverbs had to be rebuilt.
Yet reading here you'd think that both are the best there is.
Cheers and happy new year
My assumption would be if my shoes were wet and out in the cold they would pull warmth from my foot regardless of my socks. Therefore, waterproof socks never occurred to me.
If you are saying I can put on soaking wet fivetens and Sealskinz socks and be warm, you've blown my mind. That would sell me on your socks.
Watch this from 4 minutes in
m.youtube.com/watch?v=LgALP2FO70U
Well, the warmer the sealskin socks you want the more expensive they become. The cheaper ones do not keep your feet warm but dry.
I think for many people buying waterproof shoes can be a lot more expensive than buying waterproof socks. Also, low top MTB shoes still can get wet since the water may splash and allow water to get inside. I personally ride in shorts even on the coldest of days. easy remedy would be to throw on some waterproof pants and cover the top of the shoes.
I personally use Sealskinz and stick a thin wool sock underneath for added warmth. I have low top 5 Tens and no matter the splash of water my feet stay warm and dry
www.sealskinz.com/US/socks/thick-mid-length-sock
Riding in sub 20 degree weather here is awesome with these on~
no issues with wear or washing? Can they be thrown in the wash or do they take special care? Does the waterproofing fade? Do they smell? Can I wear them a few times without washing? The reason I love my Darn Tough socks is that they are pretty much indestructible and can be worn 2-3 times without washing.
Thanks for your useful reviews thus far. I'm a gear nut and I love it.
All socks can smell if you don't wash them
Can you ride them a few times without washing? Sure you can just depends on the activity and how bad you can tolerate the smell.
As for durability I only use these when biking. So I hardly ever walk in them. Walking in them is the true test as you can wear out the fabric and create holes over time. They feel durable but I've worn durable socks before that I had to throw away due to holes in the heel. So I can't help you there. Since these are $50-$60 socks I'll use them only when needed to extend their life
I wonder how much Schwalbe paid to have that product included in this...
The idea that this is driven by companies is asinine. If that was true, why would Pinkbike want to alienate every company that advertises here but didn't make these lists?
I think reader interest is what drives this.
and also one you can remove on the street if you have to park it outside. Love this little thing....not prefect by any means...but perfectly usable and convenient.
First ride in sub zero weather, and it fails to work. Not only does it fail, but it goes into OOMF mode. Whats that? It's called 'Opposite Of My Function" mode and it's when the post does the exact opposite of what you bought it to do. It extends when you get up, then drops when you sit. So in other words, it not only completely ruins your ride but leaves you stranded with a dangerous post that you can't sit on and is fully extended in ball smack mode. This is due to the design of the internal mechanism. Now, this happens in cold weather, then it creeps into warm weather until the post is broken and it does it all the time. I had to ram a portion of an inner tube into the oring to slam it down so I could get out of the woods without a fully raised post. The next stop for it was the trash, because that's where it belongs.
Now you may say, it's just yours. it wont happen to me. but you wait and see. Google it. it happened to everyone who got one, just a matter of time.
It also can't be rebuilt. Is very heavy compared to every other dropper post, and the lever is cheap plastic that breaks if you look at it wrong.
So, yea. Worst seat post ever made. Literally. it does the exact opposite of what you bought it to do almost exactly 1.5 years after you buy it. Good luck, the rest of us weren't so lucky.
Well...I have to remember your words and come back in 1.25 years. Though I ride a lot so maybe I'll find out sooner. : |
In my defense, I've owned other dropper posts that did almost equally shitty things that were nearly three times as expensive--and that cost almost as much in time, effort and parts to service as it does to buy a new one of these.
Also...I live in California and in the SF bay...we don't have subzero temps.
My bike already weighs basically 30 lbs...I can deal with a post that's 1-2 pounds heavier if it keeps my wallet thick. But as you said...I'll just have to wait and see!
Crashed a few times including some big stacks...lever ok thus far!
If @cptstoney is anything like his name...he prob just zoned out for a minute at the beginning and end of his comment... he's likely ok now....
No one gives a shit if you are bad tool maker that doesnt make you gods gift to man. I can build a wheelchair better then you does that make me cool? No
Piss off with your holy then tho bullshit.
Pankacke sorry for the thread! I'll let you know how it goes. Hoping I can sort out the locking mechanism, and hoping it's not the cartridge. But i've read somewhere that someone tried a cart from another source and it worked, so if that's the case it'll be a simple fix.
"build (something) again after it has been damaged or destroyed.
"he rebuilt the cathedral church"
synonyms: reconstruct, renovate, restore, remodel, remake, reassemble
"rebuilding the barn"
swapping out a broken part for a working part is rebuilding. getting all bent out of shape over semantics is pointless.
and you still havent dropped that holy then tho attitude i see.
1: Your explanation is incorrect when it comes to engineering. You don't rebuild something by replacing it. You replaced it. Ask your mechanic if he is doing a motor rebuild when doing a motor swap. Or ask your bike mechanic if he rebuilds bikes when replacing the frame, or if he rebuilds your wheels when he replaces tires. This isn't a house which is a structure in itself that isn't modular. It's mechanical engineering. Arguing this may be semantics but you're the one whos arguing incorrect information. Replacing the actual assembly (not just a part) isn't rebuilding the post. Do you 'rebuild' your fork by replacing all the guts inside of it? No. You rebuild it by replacing wear and tear items like seals and oils. Not the cartridge which is the functional mechanism. On the other KS posts, these can actually be rebuilt. Not so on the ETen. You need to replace it, not rebuild it. Getting through to you?
2: You said 'not by you'. To which I replied with only a gander of what I do, which means 'hey, if it's rebuildable I would be able to do it'. That response to your vapid call out isn't 'holier than thou'. It's a logical response to you saying I can't do it when you have ZERO inclination of what I can or can't do. YOUR attitude is what's rotten here.
Feel free to check my tag on IG to see what I do. You make take it as 'attitude' but the correct interpretation is a professional is correcting your lame ass call out and you're trying to say he's the problem. Yea ok there hot shot.
I just have to weigh in at this point and say that @cptstoney you're acting like a tool and that @atrokz has basically handed you your ass. Seriously...and sorry if you can't see that.
In any event cappy, quoting the dictionary and thesaurus was alone enough to put the final nails in your rhetorical coffin. You might think you're in a fair fight, but you're surrounded. So just give up and come out with your hands up. It's okay. We forgive you already. You're probably a stand-up dude under pressure.
Thanks to atrokz for the actual information. I'm really just pulling for 6-10 months of use out of this thing before it starts to fail. Problem is that I'm an artist who's just not mechanically inclined at all; but I ride a lot and pass the supposed (and actual) service intervals on all suspension parts so quickly that I can't keep up in maintaining them. So until I'm on a team with a full-time mechanic, or I manage to have a slave, I will only run cheap, easily serviced (or affordably REPLACED, cappy...you get that...REPLACED) coil suspension and can't foresee going back.
As for the seatpost, I'll report back to this thread when and if it decides to start dying off. Cheers mates!
dude. cue one month later or whatever....and my freaking KS Eten is now doing EXACTLY what you said it would.
what a piece of garbage.
hahahahaha.....?
Has anyone ridden and tried both posts for comparison reasons?
Where do I need to spend my money people?
I've gotta think that electronic shifting will be the biggest innovation in hindsight. Like others here, I wouldn't buy it in its current form/price point, but in 5 years I imagine that this tech will be very common.
PB first said this:
"Reliability is still the biggest hurdle, and both cable and hydraulically actuated systems have their share of quirks that keep them from being 100% perfect."
So the existing dropper posts are unreliable due to being cable and/or hydraulically operated(btw, my KS Lev has a cable, and has never let me down, but I digress)
Then PB said THIS about the 9.8 'Fall Line' post:
" excellent reliability thanks to its cable-actuated hydraulic brake design"
So the reason(s) why every other dropper is unreliable makes this one 'as trouble free as it gets'
Firstly, they rip on all the others for not being 100% perfect, then give props to this thing for being 'as trouble free as it gets', and the reason they give for it being so good is the reason(s) they gave for all the others NOT being 'so good'.
They've got NO case for this thing being ANY better than ANY other dropper, and actually a case for it NOT being as good as the others, as even in their over-the-top fluffing of this POS, they gotta mention what a PITA it is to install.
Oh, but once you DO get it installed, it's as good as any other. uhhhhWHAT?!?!
Do these guys even read this crap before they publish it?
Make it wireless, ditch the FD option, and make the price XTR +10-20%....then we might be talking component of the year.
As a datacenter engineer who knows the complex internal workings of wireless data transmission - unless it's good old AM/FM or PCM, NEVER trust your life to it.
Also, wires are a HELL of a lot easier to route than cables in housing, and having the battery centralized, rather than a battery for every component, is huge.
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