Despite the date, this is no joke: Santa Cruz will offer their Nomad all-mountain bike in carbon fibre from this summer.

The last revision to the Nomad came less than two years ago and focused almost solely on the bike’s suspension design. That bike went on to garner acclaim from the industry as well as scoring an excellent 4.5/5 stars on BikeRadar.

The mk2 bike will remain in the line but Santa Cruz will add a new version, the Nomad-c, that takes all they have learned building the new Blur XC, LT and Tallboy in carbon.

Carbon fibre frame

The new carbon chassis chops a whopping 1.25lb off the weight of the aluminium model, while at the same time, according to Santa Cruz, increasing strength and stiffness by large margins. Keep in mind, the aluminium Nomad isn’t exactly a porker and has proven its strength for the past year-and-a-half. Early production Nomad-c frames are weighing in at a claimed 6.1lb with RockShox Monarch 3.3 shock.

“Before anyone calls foul about using a light shock like a Monarch for a hard hitting bike like the Nomad, add a third of a pound for a Fox DHX air or just over a pound for a DHX RC4 coil,” said Michael Ferrentino, the brand’s marketing manager. “Then go compare …”

VPP suspension

The suspension on the Nomad-c is the same found on the aluminium Nomad. It features Santa Cruz’s latest generation Virtual Pivot Point design with 160mm of travel. VPP is defined by a pair of counter-rotating links that offer a falling to rising shock rate, along with instant centre migration traits that minimise chain growth and maintain lively pedalling with a designed-in degree of anti-squat.

The shock rate allows for plush, compliant suspension behaviour in the early part of travel, letting the shock react quickly to trail debris and smaller impacts. Then, as the shock rate flips to a rising rate later in the travel, it offers progression to resist bottom-out near the end of the stroke.

Santa Cruz pay special attention to the hardware they use within their VPP suspension system. The lower link is aluminium and equipped with a pair of grease ports to ease maintenance. The upper link is moulded carbon fibre. The pivot axles are 15mm diameter aluminium rods that thread into the frame on one side, with locking collet heads on the other. This allows them to tighten down and correctly preload the angular contact pivot bearings.

By threading into one side of the frame and then locking into the other, the pivot hardware plays an important part in maintaining the stiffness produced by the carbon front and rear ends. The axles are designed to allow for easy removal for service and there isn’t a need to remove the cranks or disassemble the bike around the pivot hardware.

Frame construction

Santa Cruz say that by laying up and curing the entire front triangle as a single piece, instead of assembling or bonding pieces together during the process, less material can be used to achieve the same end. Suspension pivots, disc mounts and ISCG05 tabs are all moulded into the frame in this process.

“We overbuilt things in critical areas,” said Ferrentino. The underside of the down tube features five layers of uni-directional fibre, two of Aramid fibre and one layer of 3k weave. This is all in an effort to ward off all things sharp and pointy. The chainstays have extra layers of material for the same purpose.

The one-piece layup and moulding allows the use of continuous fibres throughout the frame, which is said to allow the structure to more widely distribute loads and absorb impact energy. A proprietary manufacturing process allows Santa Cruz to precisely control both the outside and inside frame shape while compacting the laminate layers, which in turn results in superior stiffness and strength while eliminating excess material.

“We don’t have any fancy acronyms for this, but it is unique – nobody else is making carbon fibre mountain bikes this way at this time,” said Ferrentino. “And, while we don’t have the selling power of a carefully focus-grouped nickname behind the process, the results are pretty enough that we are proud to show off what the insides of our frames look like. You’d be surprised what you might find inside some of the other frames out there.”

Details, and stuff

Alongside the carbon fibre makeover, the VPP suspension and solid pivot hardware, Santa Cruz have added an impact absorbent protection strip underneath the down tube and along the drive side chain- and seatstays. There’s a metal plate to protect from chainsuck and you’ll find cable stops for telescopic seatposts integrated into the frame.

An ISCG05 chainguide mount is moulded into the bottom bracket area during layup, as are the disc brake tabs and dropouts. Up front, there’s a 1.5in head tube since Santa Cruz believe this bike can take more abuse than most tapered-steerer forks are intended to see. “You can have it any colour you want, so long as it’s white with black decals or a matt carbon colour with gold pinstripey decals,” said Ferrentino.

The Nomad-c will be available for delivery from mid-June, in all the usual build options per the Santa Cruz website. A Nomad-c page is still in the works. Prices start at US$2,499 for a frame and Monarch 3.3 shock (approx £1,650 – direct currency conversion).

SRAM just released details of their 2011 X7 10-speed mountain bike group — yes, it’s a whole group — which is aimed squarely at mid-level cross-country and entry-level downhillers, but looks downright desirable to any mountain rider on a budget.

The new X7 group leaves little doubt that the company’s other higher-end kit (X.9 and X.0) will soon follow suit with 2×10 drivetrains.

By launching a 2×10 budget group, SRAM reveals more about it’s commitment to the design than it ever could with a top-tier group like XX. SRAM says new group is lighter and has better shifting performance than anything previously offered at the X7 level.

“The response to XX was so positive and across the board, even from a trail rider’s standpoint,” said Tyler Moreland, RockShox and Avid press manager told BikeRadar. “2×10 is easier to shift, it’s more efficient and I think that it’s totally exciting for this level of component.”

In the ultimate trickledown of technology, SRAM brings top-level features including: X-Glide timed front shifting, Exact Actuation shifter technology, wide range PowerGlide cassettes, carbon rear derailleur cages and Elixir R Taper Bore brakes to price just about every rider can afford.

The X7 breakdown

Rear derailleur: In a departure from the single cage length of the 10-speed XX derailleur, X7 offers three choices: Long, medium and short. The mech operates via SRAM’s Exact Actuation cable pull ratio. It has a 3K-carbon pulley cage and the ability to accommodate a 36-tooth cassette. The long cage derailleur has a claimed weight of 239 grams.

Carbon fibre trickles down to X7′s rear derailleur for 2011.

Front derailleur: The new front derailleur is designed specifically for the X-Glide two-ring timed front shifting system. The X-Glide X7 design is the same as XX and SRAM subsequently touts X7’s front shifting, as ‘the fastest shift ever,’ just like XX. The mech is available with high and low clamps, plus the option of direct mounting that’s compatible with most major frame manufacturers using direct-mount technology. The low clamp model has a claimed weight of 137g

10-speed shifters: SRAM combines an Exact Actuation 10-speed rear shifter with a dedicated two-speed front shifter, for a streamlined 2×10 shifting system. The new X7 shifters have a removable clamp that’s MatchMaker compatible and feature a new cable change access point on the topside of the shifters. The shifters are also available in a 9-speed version that accommodates a triple crankset. The 10-speed shifter set has a claimed weight of 232g.

S1400 2×10 crankset: The 7075 alloy OCT hollow forged crankarms use the same 64mm/104mm bolt pattern design and timed, 1:1.5 small to large chainring ratio to recreate the fast shifting of the XX group’s X-Glide design. The XR GXP bottom bracket has a new ‘Gutter Seal’ design, which is claimed to reduce seal drag and increase resistance to bearing contamination. Like XX, the S1400 chainrings come in 42/28-tooth or 39/26-tooth combinations. The arms are available in 170mm and 175mm lengths. The 175mm crankset weighs a claimed 871g with the XR GXP bottom bracket.

SRAM’s OCT S1400 double mountain bike crankset will also be available in black.

PG-1050 PowerGlide 10-speed cassette: The PG-1050 features a semi-spidered construction, heat-treated steel cogs and lock ring. It’s available in 11-32- and 12-36-tooth ratios. Weight is claimed at 302g for the 11-32-tooth model. This will cassette undoubtedly be as useful to XX owners, for their training wheels, as it is an integral part of the new X7 component group.

Elixir R brakes: The Elixir R Taper Bore brakes feature new, larger pistons and top loading pads, as well as the new storm grey finish to match the X7 group. Rotor options are 160mm, 185mm and 203mm. Avid also offers a carbon lever blade option, which knocks 10g off the 160mm rotor option’s claimed 375g weight.

The optional carbon fibre lever blade, shown here, knocks an additional 10g off the Elixir R’s 375g claimed weight.

PC-1051 10-speed chain: The entry-level 10-speed chain in SRAM’s line features solid pins and the PowerLock connector link. Its weight is claimed at 277g for 114 links.

X7 hub set: SRAM will offer a disc compatible, 32-hole, cartridge bearing hubset with standard quick-releases as a complement to the new group. The front hub is claimed at 108g and the 3-pawl rear hub weighs 425g.

The group will be available first on new 2011 model bikes expected in late August, then aftermarket. Stay tuned for pricing and more detailed availability information.

In the meantime, use the comments section below to let us know whether you think 2×10 is a good direction for X.7 to take.

Shaums March has been with Marin bikes for a number of years now, so who better to tell us about the QUAD XLT 180 series of bike and more specifically the Quake 7.9.

The Quake has undergone a lot of changes and Shaums tell us all about them inside,

Marin Quake 7.9:
-Small, Medium and Large sizing
-180mm Quad Link 2.0 suspension platform
-150x12mm MAXLE Drop outs
-6061 Aluminum frame
-RockShox suspension
-Full SAINT drive train and brakes
-1.5″ internal headset
-More leg clearance due to slimmer frame
-64.5 degree head tube
-uninterrupted seat tube for full length posts

Please visit www.marinbikes.com/2010/ to learn more about the whole 2010 Marin bike’s line up or visit madmarchracing.com to find out about a demo nearest you.

Here’s the Race XC caliper and floating disc with lots of weight-saving titanium and aluminium fittings in evidence. (John Stevenson/BikeRadar.com)

British hub, brake and lighting maker Hope has an interesting handful of new components for 2010 including a seatpost that’s been in development for so long the company has named it, with typical gritty Northern humour, the Eternity. Also new is a lightweight disc brake, carbon fibre road wheels, and tweaks to Hope’s extensive range of stems.

Brake lightly on the earth

Cross-country racers and everyone else who picks parts with a gram scale will be interested in Hope’s new Race XC brake, which replaces the Mini Pro X2 in Hope’s line-up. Hope have shaved weight wherever possible, retaining the carbon fibre lever blade, but using aluminium and titanium fittings in place of steel, and aluminium back plates on the brake pads. Even the top cap will be carbon fibre.

Hope are aiming for a complete weight of 270g including their signature floating disc.

The world in a grain of sand…

The new Eternity post has taken rather more than an hour to get right. With tapered, side-closing clamps to hold the saddle rails, it’s a similar design Bontrager’s widely-used post, but the reason it’s taken four years to come to fruition is that every time Hope was ready to go into production, they came up with a way to improve it.

Even the version you see here isn’t quite final: production posts with have 6mm Allen bolts instead of 5mm, a change that Hope CEO Ian Weatherill says adds very little weight for a lot of extra security.

Like a Model T Ford, it’ll come in any colour you like as long as it’s black – with silver clamp components. Different colour clamps will be available as accessories if you want to pimp your ride. The Eternity post will be available in November in 27.2, 30.9 and 31.6mm diameters.

Wheels to road

It’s quite surprising to hear that Hope has gone from nothing to 10,000 pairs of wheels per year in just a few years, especially as they have steered away from doing anything gimmicky with their wheels. Where other companies quite literally tried to reinvent the wheel, Hope’s first wheels used conventional J-shaped spokes, Mavic rims and their own hubs.

Their latest road wheels were motivated by the desire to put decent hubs into the carbon fibre rims popping up all over, as they were being asked for hubs for rebuilds on expensive carbon wheels.

The wheels – with 50mm rims –will be available in clincher and tubular versions, with Sapim CX Ray spokes (20 up front and 24 in the rear) and in Campagnolo and Shimano compatible versions. They will retail for UKP950 per pair in the tubular incarnation.

Stems for descending

Hope’s also known for very tidy stems, and for 2010 they have diversified from the do-everything approach that saw their CNC-machined stem being used for both cross-country and downhill riding to making what Weatherill calls “a proper downhill stem”. The new unit closes with a combination of a dovetail and bolts and will be available only in 50mm and 70mm lengths.

For riders who use Fox 40 or RockShox Boxxer forks and therefore want a direct link between upper crown and stem, Hope is also introducing a direct fit stem.

Not your cheap bearings

Finally here’s an interesting bit of random Hope trivia. The bearings Hope use in their bottom brackets cost them 11 quid each. Seems the way to get outboard bottom brackets to last is simply to throw money at the problem by using spendy rollers.

Obtainium springs are made in the USA using high quality aerospace grade titanium (3-8-6-4-4 Beta-C Titanium), and the available spring rates for 3″ stroke shocks rage from 200 Lbs/Inch to 600 Lbs/Inch, in 25 Lbs/Inch increments. K-9 Industries believes that the 25 Lbs/Inch increments allows for better fine tuning of the wheel rates for different riders and bikes. No More Compromises, when choosing a spring rate, why compromise when you can get the right one!

Obtainium Performance Products are the choice of champions, Obtainium Performance Products are currently used by some of the top riders in the world including the Syndicate Team and the Monster Energy Team.

“We are excited to have K-9 as our exclusive distributor in the United Kingdom. Most of our UK customers had to wait forever because of shipping and customs; now they can make a phone call to K-9 and have their bikes ready for their next weekend ride”

Jim Harvey
Owner
Obtainium Performance Products

Product Detail

Springs
Obtainium springs feature a wide internal diameter (1.5″) that allows the spring to fit some of the most popular dampers in the market including the Cane Creek Double Barrel, the Bos Stoy, the RockShox Vivid, the Marzocchi Roco, the Fox DHX and many more. Spring rate are also available in 3.5″ stroke, so anyone with a Morewood Makulu, Session 10 and Intense M6 can now fit a titanium spring on their bike.

Adapters
In order to ensure that the titanium springs have a proper and secure fit to the damper, Obtainium have designed and manufactured individual Performance Adapters for each damper. The adapters are made out of Delron which has a very low coefficient of friction to increase the spring’s performance and make sure the spring is free to move and won’t bind or buckle.

Bearings
Another exciting and unique product from Obtainium Performance Products is the Trust bearings. The idea is as the spring compresses, it is now free to rotate and as a result it offers a true spring rate throughout the travel as the spring does not bind.

Product Sales

The first batch of titanium springs; performance adapters and bearings have just arrived to the K-9 Industries head quarter. The springs have a unique finish and distinctive look that defines quality; the fit of the springs, performance adapters and bearings for the Double Barrel, Stoy, Vivid and DHX dampers are very precise. They are also extremely light: the springs are on average between 50-80 grams lighter than RCS titanium springs of equal spring rates.

Obtainium Performance Products were displayed for the first time at the National Champs on 18th-19th of July at Innerleithen, at the K-9 Industries stand.

Obtainium performance products are now available for purchase to OE, retailers and general customers

For more information, prices, availability and to purchase please contact us at.

sales@k9industries.com
info@k9industries.com

Tel: 01865 349013

Nicolai have added a new model to their Helius full-suspension mountain bike range – the AFR, which stands for ‘All FreeRide’.

It’s described as a “purebred fun-bike” which has been designed for “bikepark playgrounds, trail hunting, gaps ‘n’ steps, epic descents, spot hopping while dropping in wherever you want, and always full throttle”.

The AFR’s Horst Link rear end delivers 7-8in of travel, and with a 7in RockShox Totem fork fitted the head angle sits at 66.8° and bottom bracket height is 0.9in.

The new bike features a lower top tube than the cross-country and all-mountain Helius models, and an offset and flattened seat tube. It is compatible with Truvativ’s Hammerschmidt planetary gear system, and comes with a 12mm through-axle as standard. Claimed frame weight is under 8lb.

The first Helius AFRs are expected to be delivered directly after the Eurobike trade show in September.

The Shore series is a flagship amongst the Norco bike line and has been serving riders for the better part of a decade. Based in the North Shore region of the world, where a lot of the aggressive, and abusive riding has been fathered, Norco has been doing research and development not only on the Shore terrain, but on the Shore as a bike that can tackle it all.

The Shore has gone through a number of phases, from a burly downhill bike designed for the most abusive, and technical trails this side of the water, to an All Mountain orientated “Shore” bike, designed for total domination on that terrain.

Norco has recently made some changes to the Shore, read here more… The North Shore is known for being the most abusive, hardcore place to ride on 2 wheels. Massive rocks, roots, and an always wet climate ensures whenever you go to the North Shore, you’re in for a treat. This is the exact feeling that Norco wanted to achieve with the all new Shore 2. Based off the same tubeset as the Downhill bikes, the Shore 2 shares the same low slung, trail pounding design.

For 2010 the Shore has taken a more well rounded approach to the industry. Spec’d with a 2 ring design, Norco has decided to combine two aspects of the Shore into one bike, climbing, and descending. Trails that descend on the shore tend to have slight inclines, or extremely short run ins, where this gearing would come in handy.

To match up with the 2 ring cranks for climbing, Norco has spec’d the Shore 2 with a telescopic seat post. Telescopic seat posts are a nice advantage, as you can raise your seat for climbs, and getting over aggressive terrain, or drop them down for the descents. All this does come with a slight weight penalty, but the advantages far out weigh the negatives.

Shore 2

Construction wise the Shore 2 features a few new things for Norco. First off Norco started forging their own parts. The forging process takes a solid piece of material, and machines a designed out of it. This makes for a much stronger finished product, especially after treatment processes. Norco has adapted this technology into their main rocker link, and the bottom bracket yoke. These two parts are what secure the rear triangle to the front triangle, so anything that increases the stiffness and strength of these links is welcomed with open arms.

As well, for increased strength with minor weight addition Norco has opted for the tapered headtube, from a 1.5″ base to a 1.125″ on the top. This tapered designed has been adapted to a number of bikes, throughout different companies, all for the same purpose – adding a lot of strength without added a lot of weight. The dropouts on the Shore 2 are standard 150mm x 12mm Maxle, however, Norco has stepped down the size of the drop out for a cleaner rear end.

Like the other 2010 bikes, the Shore 2 has a more color matched approach to it. Clean lines, subtle graphics, and a well thought out component layout all add up to a very nice bike. Red makes up a large portion of the Shore 2, while light browns, and white make up the rest. The Shore 2 carries a Canadian MSRP price of $3,699 and weights in at 42 pounds from the factory. To check out more about the Shore 2, check out www.Norco.com

“My new Tetris Boxxer is here and eff-in sweet. Thanks Sram Corp…”

Chain Reaction Cycles have some of the first stock in the UK. Grab ‘em while they last! (more…)