It's that time of year again, where we look back to honour the most outstanding athletes, innovators, products, and achievements of the year. 2017 was an important year for mountain biking, with some major business and product paradigm shifts underway, as well as some of the most impressive athletic performances in recent memory.
Only products we actually used this year are eligible to be nominated for the 2017 Pinkbike Awards. The nominees are hotly debated by our senior editorial team to arrive at consensus. We will roll out the nominees first, before announcing the category winners later this month.
As always, we want to know what you think—what are your top picks for the year?
Component of the Year Nominees
Within the realm of human-powered sports, mountain biking is as gear-heavy as they get. Selecting a handful of nominees from the galaxy of new drivetrain items, wheels, brakes and cockpit accessories that debut each year can be a daunting process. This year, however, the reverse was true. Three standout components earned a clear thumbs up after a short, but heated debate among Pinkbike's tech menagerie. You may be surprised that each candidate also qualified as a good value.
E*thirteen's TRS Race 9 by 46 tooth cassette offers 11-speed owners a wider gearing range than SRAM's 12-speed Eagle for a fraction of the cost. If that wasn't good enough, e*thirteen backs it with a five-year warranty. Next up is TRP, a name most would not expect to read here. The brake maker learned a lot after they paired up with a certain Aaron Gwin. That experience eventually trickled down to become TRP's four-piston Quadium - a sharp looking stopper that edged out the sport's heavy hitters for its outstanding modulation. Our third pick was also the industry's choice: SRAM owned the 2017 trailbike market with the debut of its affordable, exactly-what-I-want, 12-speed GX Eagle group. The ramifications of GX Eagle will be felt for years to come.
Why it's Nominated: Many riders had just come on board with 11-speed one-by transmissions when SRAM sprung its wide-range, 12-speed Eagle group on the industry at large. There was no arguing that Eagle's 500-percent gearing spread was a necessary improvement. Most, if not all of the early naysayers quickly became Eagle converts. SRAM Eagle's unilateral takeover of the trailbike market left thousands of unfortunate 11-speed owners hungry for Eagle's lower climbing gear and extra top speed. Count yourself among them? E*thirteen's TRS Race cassette handily addresses SRAM's injustice with a whopping 511-percent gearing range that operates with your existing SRAM or Shimano 11-speed derailleur and shift lever.
TRS Race cassettes retail for $349 USD. That is a big chunk of change for most, but (depending upon the quality of your existing components) you'd pay $250 to $1000 more than that to step up to 12-speed. E*thirteen's TRS Race cassette is lightweight - only 303 grams - and it comes with a spline tool and assembly grease, so you can install it at home. Maintaining the TRS cassette is made simpler by e*thirteen's two-piece design which allows its owner to replace the faster wearing cogs separately. In action, the gearing steps seem more consistent from top to bottom than SRAM Eagle, which makes it easy to forget that the TRS Race is "only" an 11-speed cassette.
From the review: | E*thirteen’s TRSr cassette offers riders a range that’s wider than what’s possible by going to 12-speed, without requiring an entirely new drivetrain. The steps between gears and the range offered are really good, making this something to seriously consider for anyone who had been holding off on converting to one-by until the easiest gears were more user-friendly.—AJ Barlas |
Why it's Nominated: TRP is OEM brake maker Tektro's elite-level brand and, after teaming up with Aaron Gwin, TRP fulfilled that role with its Quadiem four-piston system. Billed as a downhill and all-mountain brake, the G-Spec Quadiem has already proven itself in World Cup DH competition under Gwin. It should not be surprising, then, that Pinkbike's review was also complimentary. Tops on our list was the modulation, which reviewer Mike Levy insists is better than any DH brake he has experienced. Consistency was a close second.
G-Spec Quadiem brakes retail for $199 per side and weigh 317 grams (front) without a rotor. Powered by mineral oil, the sturdy, two-piece finned caliper houses steel/ceramic pistons and sports one-piece pads that are interchangeable with Shimano XT and XTR. Standard pads are semi-metallic with reduced stopping, compared to TRP's powerful $19.95 metallic option that we recommend. Levers are comfortable, slightly longer and larger than Shimano Zee, with Gwin-inspired traction dimples and an indexed reach adjustment. Finally, G-Spec brakes are finished with a mirror polish, so even the most casual observer will take notice.
From the review: | While not the most powerful setup out there, the G-Spec's class-leading modulation makes them far more than just a shiny alternative to SRAM and Shimano's brakes. Impressive control aside, as so many other brakes seem to become less reliable, it might be the G-Spec's consistency that wins many riders over.— Mike Levy |
Why it's Nominated: Three years of pushback from enthusiast-level riders against the proliferation of ten thousand dollar trail bikes fell largely upon deaf ears. Bike and parts makers were competing to produce the ultimate enduro bike, and the shortest path was to bolt the most expensive components onto the lightest frames. Enter SRAM GX Eagle. Less than half the cost of SRAM's elite-level 12-speed ensembles, with performance that nearly matched them. Whether it was a brilliant move on SRAM's part, or serendipity, GX Eagle crashed the party at exactly the right moment. The message was clear: "Keep the gold chain, we'll take the 12-speed." Bike makers who caught on used GX Eagle, combined with creative component choices, to offer true high-performance trail bikes at realistic prices in 2017.
SRAM priced GX Eagle at $495 USD in the aftermarket (much less for OEM customers).The street price for XX1 Eagle is $1500. That leaves a cool $1000 to upgrade the bike's suspension or wheels, both of which would pay greater performance dividends. There is no escaping that there is a weight penalty to GX. The cassette alone weighs 448 grams, but upgrades elsewhere on the bike made possible by the more affordable transmission can make up for its added heft. GX Eagle's success has already inspired suspension and wheel makers to follow suit. Insiders say that the MSRP of a top performing all-mountain trail bike has already dropped $2000. The dominoes are just beginning to fall.
From the first ride: | The fact that a more affordable Eagle drivetrain came sooner than expected will be welcome news for anyone who was on the fence about purchasing a new drivetrain. It also means that we'll be seeing more 12-speed, single ring setups on relatively affordable bikes, pushing the front derailleur another step closer to extinction.— Mike Kazimer |
Three strong contenders for Pinkbike's Component of the Year Award. Each nominee addresses issues shared by a great number of fellow mountain bike riders. All represent significant performance benefits, while offering a more affordable alternative. We already have a pretty good idea which component will be the winner, but before we cast our final votes, we'd like to hear from you.
The 20-24 (4 tooth difference) makes me question what e-13 is doing.
Not sure what racers wants a 4 tooth jump in the middle of the chainline.
The one that come up with the extra cog before oneup and other copied?
The one that Cannondale Factory Racing buys stems, steering tubes and other things from?
Funny I had 8 ups last time I checked, out of magic my comment is below the threshold...
e-13 cassette is a joke, not sure what is racing about it, since the gearing jumps are good for a commuter bike. The only reason they call it racing is to justify the short lifespan.
I've taken it a step further by pairing the e*thirteen cassette with a Box shifter and derailleur for a "No BS" (that's "big S-brand") drivetrain without any noteworthy complaints. It's nice to have solid alternatives!
There is a huge amount of fanboy love of E13 on this comment section despite real concerns being raised (and downvoted).
If we compare the TRSr to the 1195, the weight spread is only a few grams, the 1195 wins on price, and, again, the TRSr wins on range. I still prefer the TRSr.
One last point tips the balance in favour of e*thirteen: as a small builder, e*thirteen offers me good pricing at quantities I can reach; SRAM and Shimano do not. If I buy SRAM or Shimano, it will be from a distributor with prices virtually equal to those at Jensonusa.com - sometimes higher, even. A complete bike would be built up with parts I'd have to sell at cost.
I'll never spec anything on a Structure that isn't top quality and a solid value, though, so you can see why smaller manufacturers are so excited to have good alternatives. I don't blame SRAM and Shimano - they're juggernauts and my business amounts to a rounding error on Trek's order - and it's led me to interact with some great companies I might've overlooked if I had access to OE pricing with the Big S twins.
You are right, given the equivalent cost of 1295 and TRSr, the TRSr is lighter, but the 1195 more durable.
It's a tough call. It may be the best choice for a cassette for some, but I'm not sure that merits a "component of the year" nomination. Their TRSr tire on the other hand, certainly does. It's about time someone released a sticky tire that is sub-1kg and can actually corner AND clear mud... too bad it disappeared. Hoping the new mfg makes it as good as the last one.
How do you know it's a "cheaply made copy"? Based on what information?
The jump from 3rd to 4th gear on the General Lee is 5 teeth, and as you said "not sure what racers wants a 4 (or in this case 5) tooth jump in the middle of the chainline"
3rd to 4th gear is 5 teeth on the e-13 as well.
That is not in the middle of the chainline.
For racing, the shifting needs to be optimized on the outer cogs, because those are the ones used the most.
General Lee 9-45 came out in late 2013.
e-13 9-46 come out in... 2017?
Can we say it is a “copy”?
Just read around about durability issues on e-13 cassettes form people who actually bought them and not from people who got them for “free” or never seen one, as some of the commenters on this post.
one-up, ab, wolftooth, e-13 etc. have their page bookmarked. As they do with carbon-ti, ari, etc.
Just look at what these companies are offering now, and you'll see a similar product offered by the ones above after a year or three.
I've just checked the RRP for this item and in the UK it is 300 pounds.
I suppose people just need to stop and think - how the heck for some that sort of money became a 'norm' for a wearing component??
People riding with excellent 10/11-speed Shimano cassettes must be having a laugh
1x10 definitely isn't for everyone, I can barely get up any hill in January after i spend 3 weeks eating and drinking... But once the fitness is there you can get up anything, even in the Alps.
As someone who used to work as a bike mechanic and numerous bikes equipped with Sram X9, the eagle is very sensitive.
Never had a transmission that has constantly had me thinking is it working right? is it shifting ok? what’s that noise?
Get out of your back yard and go somewhere where it's steep. There are tons of places around the world where you'll be wishing you didn't say what you just said. And some people sadly don't have the time to be on the bike that much to have enough fitness. Because you know, real life and all (i consider myself very very lucky to be able to have ~100 riding days per year).
That or riding with someone slower on a 2x drivetrain, where you just can't go slow enough, even if you have the fitness.
@Primoz - steep argument is bollocks, I have as steep climbs as it is possible to climb, often in wet, with mud rock slabs and roots. Too fast cadence robs you off the rear wheel grip on steeps and increases the risk of rock strikes, not to mention how hard it is to steer when each pedal stroke wants to lift the front. Climbing steep fireroads, especially with chunky loose rocks is next to impossible on low gear. Then such steeps are impossible to be climbed for any longer distance. Finally, coming from Beskidy mountains, having been riding in Sudety, in Alps and in Norway I can say without a shadow of a doubt that all this climbing chat is pointless since it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that nearly each area has climbs that are climbable and those that are not, regardless of cassette size. I climbed Kralicky Sneznik in 1,5h on DH tyres and 180 fork. 34 front, 40 in the back. 15kg bike, 27:5, 160 travel, 175 cranks. Fitness is most of what matters. Then if you fancy spinning at walking speed be my guest, I prefer to save legs for descents in such case.
Eagle is what tripple chainrings were.
Not everyone needs Eagle, but OP should not suggest that Eagle is only for those who are unfit. There is a very real benefit to having a higher top-end speed.
Not saying I wouldn't buy Eagle if my whole drivetrain exploded tomorrow. Just saying I live near and ride a fair amt of steep stuff and I think there's a point where low gearing stops helping and you simply need the fitness to push a higher ratio.
But there is little rationality behind it.
And Nino given his paycheck has no choice. He must ride Eagle and I don’t think he gives much fk about it. I know 2 XC racers of mediocre results by world cup standards who were cranking out 36 front out of 34 back. Shifting to granny for very brief moments during the race, so Nino won’t care much. He wins on a fkng 650B bike against a field of 29ers for fks sake and everyone knows that 29ers are faster.
The experience around me with GX is not convincing as well - needs adjustment much more often compared to M8000.
If I moved to bigger mountains I’d simply use the dirty finger system instead of having a giant cassette bouncing in the rear. 28-36 chainset mhwaaa
Seriously though, this my favourite recurring PB conversation...
If you have an 11, 10 or 9 speed Shimano or 10, 9 speed Sram cassette currently on it, then its a Shimano driver. If you have a 12, 11 speed Sram cassette currently on it, then its an XD and compatible with the E-Thirteen
Instead, I recommend selecting a ratio with just enough top gear and letting the low gear be whatever it will be. For me, this was a 28/9 top gear, which I can comfortably turn up to about 40 km/h, and a 28/46 low gear. I assumed the latter would be unnecessarily low, but it allows me to maintain a quick, easy spin with 170 mm cranks while others are standing or grinding away, adding hours to my endurance on big days.
@scott-dl - I may look into it when my XTR cassette wears out. I am considering Sunrace or lashing out for Sram XD driver and X01 cassette. So the price difference is like 76€ for Sunrace against 65€+220€ for Sram, so not that... wait WHAAAAT?!
I personally can't imagine climbing a 29er on 30 - 50t... just can't. If I had my 6 year old daughters 145 cranks then maybe... If I had a 150-160 29er with 1.5ply tyre in the front and 2ply in the rear, I'd probably run 34t front with 11-46 cassette with 46 as a gear to flush the legs off lactic acid from time to time. I won't lie last summer during all day rides I wish I had 46t in the rear, but not as bail out gear, as this is a misconception leading to involountary stop and pushing, possibly with serious back pain. I'd like that flush gear to keep legs fresher during the day. I guess everyone has been there where you climb on some gear and then you upshift for a moment to rest, then downshift, then upshift again, until you find yourself on the last cog riding up at the pace of a 90 year old hiker. That's no place to get a medal. That's you fkd up, get ready for the suffer fest until the day ends, no matter how much you eat drink and rest - and tomorrow you are out. That's about heroism of climbing at all costs, a problem that Eagle and tripple chainsets promise to solve.
@wakidesigns
What you are all missing are the the days with heavy backpacks during multi day trips. Tell me you are going up extended climbs 20% with 8kg pack in 30 - 36 with flats and I'm inviting you for a free stay and some climbing and beers in Bavaria.
Also I am certain a lot of those granny gear addicts are flat pedals user. My experience has been I need 1-2 gears easier than with clips and I have used both for a long time . Simple mechanics/ergonomics. ..
No absolute proof but a lot of indication's pro clips for efficiency after you ve read up here
bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/14059/are-there-any-scientific-studies-proving-the-benefits-of-clipless-pedal-systems
Makes for nice bedtime reading...
Also these gearing threads seem like a touchy topic and whenever I read your post I am reminded of this
dilbert.com/strip/2005-08-19
Not meant disrespectfull because your colorful and humorous posts are what keeps me coming back since the articles often lack focus
Did you click the link and subsequently read the several linked scientific studies? Spoiler alarm: it''s still no unrefutable proof.
But there''s a" good reason" the ratio from 0.66 has been around since pretty early in mtb evolution/history throughout 8/9/10 speed shifting. If you're able to crank out more than 3-4 watts/ kg FTP eagle and e13 cassettes are unnecessary. But the other 95%weekend warriors are wishing for easier low end gearing other wise they have to turn 40 rpm up the steeper hills with their meager power/weight ratio and bigger than 0.8 gear reduction.
AND BY THE WAY, GLUTEUS MAXIMUS IS THE BIGGEST MUSCLE IN YOUR EFFING BODY AND UTILIZING HAMSTRINGS IN PEDALLING IS JUST ROBBING IT OFF ITS OPTIMAL POWER OUTPUT!!! AND NOBODY REMEMBERS TO PULL ON PEDALS HOURS INTO THE RIDE OR WHEN THEIR PULSE REACHES LACTIC THRESHOLD!!! NOT EVEN TOP ROADIES!!! AAAAAAH COCKSUCKERS!!!!
Aaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaaaaaah
@garneau565 ROASTED.
garneau565, because Crank Bros with cleats set to 20 degrees are a breeze to clip out from... please... that intimidates me as much as a teenager telling me about how much sex he is having
BTW, walking is just a horrible thing to do and i only want to do it on really steep, technical stuff, where there's no way to ride up. Walking on a fire road is just dumb.
First: a 65-70 year old man passed me running up while I was on granny ring. I said f*ck it and bought 10sp 11-36 cassette, having 32t in the front. Since then I started training on the gym and never had much problem with rather hairy climbs around my place. It took me half of a year to adjust. 2 years later I bumped up to 34t front.
2nd - a trip to Italy. Climbing from Garda Lake to Monte Altissimo in 3,5h + 0,5h pushing the last part which is virtually unclimbable. Then coming back to the bike rental shop and guy asking me how much did it take and saying, you're f*cking strong man. Two days later i was climbing Monte Tremalzo on Liteville 601, 170 fork and Super Gravity tyres (5h from Riva del Garda). I passed at least 20 shaved XCers cranking up 150RPM. The second experience told me I was right.
Toughing up just works. Always. What Eagle does to MOST people (read not all people), it just takes away this incentive. I can suck and get away with it.
BTW Wheelieng on steep is a matter of three things: poor skills, too low gear and it's too steep.
Ego is also underrated. It is a tool, it depends how you use it. If a faster dude intimidates you and gets you bummed out once or twice, and motivates you to do something to be more like him - it's good. But if it keeps happening and you eventually take a grudge, it will eat you. I've been there and can manage it these days. I know a few dudes like that and I'm fricking disgusted by them. It happened to me very lately, that it was me being the better at something and a dude took umbrage because it is usually him being the star. I didn't feel a tiniest bit of pride. If you see a few dudes pushing each other like this 50/01 thing, what do you think makes them push? Fun? Yeah, but there's certain degree of ego involved. Probably a big one. Trying to outdo your buddy, do something better or come up with even more stupid idea.
Sod that, if I get to the top of my chosen hill without too much pain and pushing, then that's job done. There are so many better ways to spend 3 hours and I'm not a sponsored rider. I'm self-employed, have small hyperactive kids and low-level musical ambitions. Time is precious. Gym is just below self-tattooing my scrotum with a biro on my list of priorities..
However, a mindful approach to the Gym with use of a quality program does for you the following:
- improves on bike performance in a plaethora of ways, strength, handling etc.
- injury prevention in case of a crash - trained body is a durable body
- maintains your fitness in times when you can't ride (injury, sickness, workload)
- improves your coordination after you teach your brain and body to move correctly, fire muscles in particular sequence - aside of increasing strength of those muscles
- makes you have less work related pains, like neck pains from sitting by the desk, working in carpentry, whatever.
- makes you a better dancer
- makes you a better lover
- compound movements like deadlift, reaching fatigue limits through reps (max 15 though, no 100 crossfit bullshit) release a coctail of hormones and stimulants. Maxing or near maxing deadlifts and deep squats in particular increases testosterone levels and make you high as a fricking house. You want to jump and f*ck everthing. which leads us to
- makes you a better husband - happy wife happy life.
- you look good and feel good due to all of the above.
- it lower cortisol levels in the long run = less of depressive states.
All that from spending 2x 1-1,5h a week. It can be a home gym too...
There is nothing that deteriorates a mountain biker more than one 3h ride a week with no other form of workout... and then you get dudes who say they ride road to complement MTB. 3h of road riding a week gives you... NOTHING ELSE THAN 3H OF RIDING ON A ROAD BICYCLE. In training season I try to ride 1h a week on road to flush muscles of sht, but I have no delusions as to what it does to my body or on trail performance as it's value for that in time scales of a regular person is zero.
Signed, father of two kids, 4 and 6. Architect and troll. If I can do it, most people can... oh I also do cold showers, f*cking amazing. if you push into the area where you get shivers (after you learned how to control your breath and not have them in the beginning), your body goes "whaaaat the faaaaack" releases all sorts of hormones and stimulants, connects you directly to your reptilian part of the brain - the adrenaline rush is amazing.
@WAKIdesigns
Gym is good, yoga is good, stretching is good but nothing is as good venting your anger online aka pinkbiking. But time off the bike to improve on the bike is not available for everybody.
Also climbing/bouldering indoors gets me through the dark season.
I'll be going with Eagle and a 32T so i have a pure, but rarely used granny gear in the form of 32-50 ratio. The majority of stuff will be handled by the smallest 11 cogs. That will also improve the life expectancy of the cassette. Win-win.
EDIT: and NO WAY IN HELL am i going into the gym. I'd rather watch youtube for those three hours or ride my bike, depending on the season. I am going to an exercise class, where we do stuff with only the body weight, but sadly it's only an hour per week and only over the winter. It helps immensely, but no way in hell do we train specifically to be strong enough to use stupiddly hard gear ratios. And before you start shouting your 'get tougher routine', it's not the legs that give up on me on steeps, it's my lungs and heart. And this is not something that gets fixed by going to the gym. This gets fixed with cardio training.
On the other point, Waki's the kind of brute I think might actually do well in the industry, but he needs to acknowledge the fact and contact the right people.
But hey, you like walking up the hills, i wonder why you don't go SS on your enduro, trail, XC or whatever bike you ride daily. After all, all you need is to get tougher and you'll be pedalling up the steeps with a single speed in no time.
But hey, look at me, i'm a weirdo, when i have to, i almost always throw the bike on my shoulders, even on fire roads. Since carrying it is much easier than pushing it.
So, all the best mate. Sorry for involving you in my exercise After all I am trying to understand why would people use... Eagle... or 28t chain ring... when in my days of double chainsets I was wishing to have 28t as a granny to 36t.
Cheers!
@ceecee - I love Zizek. He is a genius. I wish everyone could listen to his lectures. The perverts guide to ideology should be a mandatory watch for every human being. “Earth is not a caring mother, she is a whore trying to kill its child the moment it is born” I bet Leo from Pole didn’t hear that.
Gearbox is probably christmas calender giveaway, haha. Pinkbike would go crazy....
A lighter cassette is very beneficial to your suspension performance. Remember Gwin winning chainless and talking about how well the suspension performed? Part of that was ditching the unsprung weight of the chain. Think of how much work your suspension does for you- all that work doesn't apply to things hanging off the actual wheel. There will be less stress on the rim, spokes, etc, plus faster wheel tracking over rough ground with a lighter cassette.
Trp brakes - I do not see any benefits over hope Shimano or sram;
GX 12 - never tried, I believe it is awesome as a part on new bike, rather than drivetrain upgrade
Is this 1986 all over again?
Last time I checked, my bike has 30 speeds.
At least in my experience, the 9-46 isn't much more noticeable than the 9-44(I ran this cassette for a year on another bike), and the TRP Quad doesn't have NEAR the power of Saints. I bought 'em thinking they actually had Saint power, but with better modulation. I find myself sometimes having to use multiple fingers,and I still don't get the power I need. I've also found them to be really noisy(I'm using the pads they came with on Ice Tech rotors).
My long-winded point here, is that IMO it'd have to be a slow year for new product for either of these two to win 'component of the year'
A good 2x system would do the job just as well, but it does seem awfully out of trend right now.
MRP Ribbon Coil (27.5" coil fork FTW... or Ohlins, but only 29 )
PUSH AC3 coil conversion kit
Race Face Cinch power meter
Deity Tmac (everyone seems to love them)
Wolf Tooth CAMO chainring setup
Who didn't want that the first time they saw it?
a cassette I can install at home? definitely product of the year.
Nr.2: won't pay it.
Nr.3: can't afford it.
SRAM paying for this placement?
Nice to see TRP in there though. I just ordered a set.
It is called "earned feature" after dropping $$$ on ads the whole year.