First Look: Hyper, SRM, Kitsbow, Spank - Sea Otter - 2013

Cam Zink's Hyper Slopestyle Prototype
Hyper had two interesting bikes at this year's Sea Otter: Eric Carter's 150mm travel, 650B all-mountain rig that we showed you earlier, and Cam Zink's prototype slope bike pictured here. While the lines are similar for both, there are some important differences between the two, with Zink's machine focused on allowing him to throw down on the massive jumps and drops that make up today's courses. The 100mm travel bike uses shorter rocker arms than utilized on Carter's bike, as well as forgoing the linkage under the bottom bracket. Instead, the shock's lower mount is located directly on the swingarm, and the design features an aggressive rising rate that suits its intentions. Carter told us that the linkage simply isn't required given how the bike is going to be ridden, and it also allows the rear end to be shortened up to 16'' on this first prototype, with the production bikes set to be even shorter, at around 15.15''. Production is slated to begin around late September.

www.hyperbicycles.com

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XX1 Power Meter
SRM showed us their new XX1 compatible power meter (it fits X0 arms as well) that replaces the stock crank spider, with the XX1 ring bolting directly to it. Current, SRM power meters require the user to send the battery back to the factory for replacement - it does last for over 800 hours, though - but the prototype shown here allows for charging at home, with a claimed life of around 300 hours. Production units will also be slimmer, SRM told us.

www.srm.de

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Kitsbow Clothing
The mountain bike clothing market is pretty saturated these days, with countless options when it comes to shorts, jackets, and jerseys. So what does a new company like Kitsbow have to offer over the rest? Outright premium materials and design, according to the people behind the company. Their mission statement includes the line "We believe that anything worth doing is worth doing with the best of what’s available,'' and their approach looks like it rings true when it comes to materials and manufacturing. Their Soft Shell A/M Shorts are made with fabric from the renowned Swiss company, Schoeller, and everything is put together in their Tamoda, British Columbia, facility. The mid-weight fabric features a "lightly brushed backing'' inside, and the cut is knee length. Smart details like true sizing between 28 and 38 with both even and odd jumps, as well as a comfy looking quilted waistband and a 'Slider Snap' button from RiRi of Italy, all make this a top-end short. Their price, $269 USD, means that they won't be everyone's cup of tea, although we have to admit to be looking forward to testing a pair ourselves.


Kitbow's Mixed Shell jacket is built with Schoeller's softshell fabric for its core, and a lighter duty fabric for the sleeves that Kitsbow says offers a good mix of protection and mobility. The jacket is said to be both wind and waterproof, and sports neat features like an off-center zipper that should eliminate chaffing when it is fully done up, and dual zipper vents that allow the jacket to expand slightly to increase airflow. The made-in-Vancouver Mixed Shell retails for $369 USD.

www.kitsbow.com

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Spank Your Spikes
Spank has come up with an upgrade kit for their popular Spike pedal that takes them down from an already reasonable 400 grams to an even more reasonable 335 grams. The majority of the savings comes from a brand new titanium spindle that replaces the stock steel units, and Spank told us that theirs has proved to be stronger than any other titanium spindle that they've tested. This, despite the tapered hollow internal bore that runs deep from from the axle threads into the spindle. Further weight savings come from a set of aluminum pins that replace the stock steel hex head screws, with them threading in from the top rather than the rear loading stock versions. No, the aluminum pins won't last as long as the steel pins, but Spank has designed them with a tapered point that means that they become wider as they wear down, and therefor less likely to break off. Spank hasn't decided on a price for the kit yet, but they expect it to be somewhere around $75 USD.

www.spank-ind.com