Just before Sea Otter week, Rocky Mountain bikes announced the Pipeline, a 150/130mm travel, aggressive 27.5+ bike running 2.8″ tires. There were a lot of them here for demo through the weekend. It’s a nice looking bike and Rockys always work really well. Will 27.5+x2.8″ take over the AM market? I think it will.
Now here is something that looks seriously fun. Raleigh is a small company, as compared to the biggies in the biz, but sometimes good things come from small packages. I rode my gravel bike more last year than any other bike I own and the new Stuntman seems to be aimed at 11 on the fun scale. Steel frame (with internal rear brake routing), alloy fork, thru axles, BIG tires (2.1″ shown), and the name comes as a tip of the helmet to the old ‘Fall Guy’ tv show.
The European wheel companies have been slow to respond to the wider is better trend in rims. But I love DT Swiss hubs and the wheels I have used from them have been solid, but narrow in today’s world. The XM1501 fixes that. At 1887g in the 27.5″ version, 40mm internal, it has a 240S based hub with the 36T ratchet system. Nice. Comes in 29″ too and in multiple widths…22.5, 25, 30, 35, and the shown 40mm.
Fluid is a company I have know for years now. In a very competitive business full of 800lb gorillas, Fluid is a little guy with a quality product. The recovery drink is my favorite product from what they offer. The Chocolate Wave is da’ bomb, but they have a new flavor out, Cinnamon Vanilla, that tastes like something from the chai tea family or maybe horchata. Yummy, if you like that type of thing.
Fluid® Unveils Game-Changing Recovery Drink Formula
Fluid® Sports Nutrition is proud to announce a new flavor to its line of award winning recovery drinks, and with it, an entirely new Vegan-friendly formula. Introducing Fluid® Recovery, Cinnamon Vanilla – the first recovery drink of its kind to offer non-GMO Pea Protein in a 3:1 carb to protein ratio, 3 grams of the amino acid L-glutamine, and an absolutely delicious natural flavor.
“We couldn’t be more excited about this flavor of Fluid® Recovery Drink,” says Richard Smith, Founder & CEO of Fluid® Sports Nutrition. “This is much more than a new flavor for us, it’s about inclusion and living up to our mission. The first time someone told me they couldn’t use our original recovery formula because of a dairy intolerance, my heart sank. Not only is the new flavor dairy free, it is also completely free from soy, gluten, and entirely plant based. Now we can offer a superior recovery option to everyone.”
The new flavor is in production and is now shipping to customers. Initial feedback from product testers included “incredibly effective”, “possibly the best tasting Fluid® Recovery product yet”, and “tastes like horchata, my new favorite flavor!“.
Manitou suspension forks was showing a new fork, the Machete, that is a bargain priced fork, intended to be a beginning cyclist’s first real fork. With a simple damper system and 30mm stanchions, it’s no raging piece of trail hardware, but it is all a lot of riders will ever need. Maybe the best news from this fork is the revised axle system. the Hexloc system is very good at keeping your fork legs pointed dead ahead, but the old QR system was fiddly and hard to deal with. This looks sleek and effective, still keeping the Hexloc in the package (and dropping weight as well). This needs to find its way onto the other, higher end products.
FSA has more options in cranks then I can even count. Here is a line of cranks that allow you to move easily between Boost and non-Boost with a 3.5mm spacer (shiny alu). Comes in 1x and 2x options. The spider takes a special tool for the lock ring. Slick. Also, they have steel 1x rings for those who like to keep the same chainring for more than a couple of months.
Kona had the Honzo in Ti and Pivot had the improved/revised LES carbon HT, which now is Boost and Di2 ready as well as being lighter. Two opposite ends of the spectrum, these bikes. Options…gotta love ’em.
I will have some dedicated posts after this, so hang on. Be back.
