The Lightest Carbon Crankset and a Magnetic Hip Pack - Sea Otter 2019
If grams matter, you might be interested in e*thirteen's new XCXr crankset that weighs just 392 of them.
e*thirteen's downhill and enduro-focused LG1R carbon fiber cranks got all the attention when Kazimer reviewed them a few days ago, but there's also something new for the weight-watching set.
The XCXr crankset that comes in at just 392-grams, otherwise known as "The lightest mountain bike cranks on the market,'' according to e*thirteen. I'm sure there's a crazy smart German or Italian out there making their own carbon arms that weigh 57-grams and cost a few thousand euros, but can you find a set of mountain bike cranks that are attainable and lighter than the XCXr arms? I can't.
There's the usual 30mm spindle with its triangular 'P3 Connect' interface that e*thirteen employs for all of their cranks, although it has been moved to the non-drive-side arm for 2020 to make installation smoother. They've also designed the 1X-only chainring interface so that you use a 3mm washer to get the 'ring in either the Boost or non-Boost position. Length options are 170mm or 175mm, and they go for $399 USD.
There's the usual 30mm spindle with its triangular 'P3 Connect' interface that e*thirteen employs for all of their cranks, although it has been moved to the non-drive-side arm for 2020 to make installation smoother. They've also designed the 1X-only chainring interface so that you use a 3mm washer to get the 'ring in either the Boost or non-Boost position. Length options are 170mm or 175mm, and they go for $399 USD.
The XCXr crank has 30mm diameter spindle with e*thirteen's triangular 'P3 Connect' interface.
A 9-tooth small cog and 50-tooth big cog add up to a monster 556-percent range for e*thirteen's new TRS+ 12-speed cassette.
If you want all the range from your drivetrain, you'll probably want to check out e*thirteen's new TRS+ 12-speed, 9-50 spread cassette that provides a whopping 556-percent. No reason to walk if you have this thing on your bike. It's a two-piece design, with the bigger cogs being aluminum and the smaller ones manufactured out of steel, and the two pieces lock together after you've clamped the bottom section onto your freehub with a 3mm hex key.
The 398-gram TRS+ will be available soon, and it'll sell for $299 USD.
High Above's prototype hip bag uses FidLock's Bottle Twist magnetic bottle attachment system.
Remember FidLock's Bottle Twist magnetic bottle attachment system that RC checked out last summer? How could you forget! Bellingham's High Above is working on a modular hip pack design that uses that same FidLock system to carry a bottle. The idea is that instead of reaching to slide your bottle back into its sleeve (or stopping altogether to put it inside), you can just snap it into place via the magical power of magnets.
The production version will have a modular storage layout, too, so you'll be able to choose how big you need your hip pack to be. No word on pricing yet, but expect to see it sometime this summer.
Vant uses small sections of aluminum for reinforcement at the spoke holes of their carbon fiber rims.
These carbon fiber rims look a lot like, well, carbon fiber rims, but they're hiding something. If you cut one in half close to any of the 24 spoke holes, you'll find small aluminum inserts that have been molded into the rim. Vant actually extrudes what looks like a very thin, very lightweight single-wall aluminum hoop before cutting it up into small sections that are then inserted into the layup during the rim's construction.
If you're thinking back to the late-90s when companies used to wrap aluminum components in carbon to make them look cooler, you're probably not alone. Aside from be reversed, this is a different thing, Vant told me, because the small aluminum inserts mean that they can use a lot less carbon at the spoke holes. They also said that it makes for a lighter but stronger rim than if they were straight carbon fiber.
Vant offers two wheelsets using these carbon and aluminum hybrid rims, with the B25 being their 1,470-gram 29er cross-country setup that goes for $1,450 USD. Internal rim width is 25mm. If you want to go wider, it's the 28mm wide B28 wheelset that weighs 1,568-grams and costs the same as the B25.
Vant offers two wheelsets using these carbon and aluminum hybrid rims, with the B25 being their 1,470-gram 29er cross-country setup that goes for $1,450 USD. Internal rim width is 25mm. If you want to go wider, it's the 28mm wide B28 wheelset that weighs 1,568-grams and costs the same as the B25.
Vant says that the aluminum inserts make for a stronger, lighter rim.
Author Info:
Member since Oct 18, 2005
Must Read This Week
[UPDATED] Final Elite XC Results & Overall Standings from the Mairiporã XC World Cup 2024
42183 views
42183 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
Our team rider Morgan Schugenkleutzfahter: I need good components and E13 is a company that listens to riders and never rests to bring the best components they can. It’s funny how by the time they release a product they are already working on something else.
Nooooo sht!
"just ride without a water backpack". AND have the light cranks... AND have a big poo before you ride
BTW does WAKI even ride? I always just see weird long posts about EVERY topic/product. Nauseating.
www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/04/sram-acquires-powertap-what-it-means-for-both-brands-and-consumers.html
Of course there is, 340g: www.german-carbon-group.de/clavicula-m-mtb-243.html
But the above is the tame, "overbuilt" MTB version. For the full on crazy treatment they make a road crank with carbon axle at 302g:
www.german-carbon-group.de/clavicula-se-road-compact-and-standard.html
hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/6/ProductID/68