We’re sifting through the 200 or so photos we’ve been snapping daily at Eurobike and just have time to slip in a couple of reports before pounding the halls again, scouting for more new stuff. Here’s a quick look at Santa Cruz and SRAM. Both companies have had big launches earlier in the year (the carbon V10, the Nickel and Butcher for Santa Cruz and the XO, X9 and X7 launch for SRAM) but there’s always something new if you poke around…
Santa Cruz admit there's mostly a lot of BNG (Bold New Graphics) in their ranges, but of interest is this new brushed aluminium finish under a clearcoat. Looks great on the slabbier models like the Driver8
It's hard to get over in a photo, but this red is almost painfully glowy without being 80s fluoro. Those strips are painted and clearcoated, not decals too.
It's an orangey red we'll call rorange... Santa Cruz doesn't though.
Yes, it's nearly cyclocross season. A nice Stigmata sir?
New graphics, here on the Blur LT Carbon
Santa Cruz will be making a very limited release of Syndicate liveried Carbon V10s. Get in the queue now...
Single pivots still live on (and have come down in price recently too)
Moving down a hall or two we find SRAM. As well has having walls lined with fast bikes from this year (Oh that? That’s Andy Schleck’s bike, next to Absalon’s…) SRAM is showing the full XX, XO, X9 and X7 line, and there are a few more things besides.
The newly redesigned Holzfeller stem comes in 40/50/60mm lengths and three colours (and two diameters)
The Descendant crank is a new, lightweight downhill 'race only' crank. It's what Peaty has been running for the past two seasons, badged up as a Blackbox crank. Seeing as he's done OK with it, it's coming out. Based on a Stylo crank, but with a thicker BB axle it'll save a huge 450g over a Holzfeller crank and Howitzer BB.
SRAM has redesigned the GXP bottom bracket range too. There are clever new 'gutter' seals that stop water collecting around the bearings which should improve bearing life somewhat. Comes in three levels (lowest has cast BB cups, the medium has forged and machined cups and the top end Blackbox one has forged cups with ceramic bearings.
That? Oh, that's Lance's bike...
The view down the aisle from SRAM land
Albert from Madison says 'Make sure you know where you're staying, before your colleagues all go to bed and turn their phones off. Otherwise you'll have to sleep in a tent without a sleeping bag on a very chilly night.'
With 22 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)
The Descendant crank would be even more desirable if it was called the Descendents crank and played I Don’t Want to Grow Up while you cruised along.
^ yes!
^ no!
what other colours does the LT carbon come in?
And that is why Tom should never be allowed to name bike parts. ;o)
Any news on when the 2 x 10 SRAM X9 and X0 will be hitting the UK shelves?
Jambon et fromage.
2×10 x9 and x0 is at Fishers now……..