TI CHROMAG DUALLY!
Stuff we saw at Crankworx
Chromag Darco Titanium Dually
Look what we saw hanging around at the SRAM booth. Can't say anything because we don't know anything, but we sure do have opinions. It shouldn't be a surprise that Chromag is rolling out a short travel dually - they hinted at it in this interview, and had already released the Minor Threat for the juniors, now it's the big kids' turn. But this thing...The Ti is beautiful, but so is the silhouette. Geo looks right on point for Chromag.
All we know is it's a shortish travel dually.
Short stroke piggyback. Hmmmm.
It's a Lyrik, so it's somewhere between 140 and 160mm.
Rocky Mountain Apparel
This one's not a collab - Rocky Mountain Bicycles just rolled out a good-looking, thoughtful lineup of men's and women's apparel. Several unique features include a clever bib short design for women, a rear pocket on shorts that was inspired by running belts (flexible capacity using stretch mesh, capable of carrying things as varied as phones and jackets), and Recco chips inside shorts and jerseys. We'll have more to say after we've tried them all out. More details here.
Rocky has a new men's and women's apparel line.
Recycled polyester for the new jerseys.
This is a goggle/glasses shammy where you can also write your contact details, blood type, astro sign, etc...
There are various takes like this on women's bib harnesses, but here's Rocky's version. This is the women's Darkside 90 Bib Liner. We'll let those equipped to pass judgment tell us about it in an upcoming review.
Here's the new bit: Rocky marketing coordinator Elie Petersilie showing how stretchy the Darkside bib is (men's and women's are constructed similarly). Gotta go? Just pull 'em down...and go.
Recco chips in all the jerseys and shorts. Rocky is apparently the first MTB apparel manufacturer to use them.
Maxxis DH Park Spec Tires (and new Forekaster)
Maxxis has got a new 'DH Park Spec' Minion they were showing in 27.5 and 29 x 2.40. It's built with a DH casing, wire bead, and Dual Compound tread and is going to retail at 80 USD / 108 CAD. Rumours of other popular treads coming to life in DH Park Spec were not addressed.
They also had the new Forekaster on display. We'll have a test set rolling soon. More info on the new Maxxis Forekaster here.
Maxxis' new DH Park Spec is Minion DHR II with a DH casing, wire bead, and Dual Compound rubber. It's intended for heavy duty bike park miles, probably on rear wheel duty for a lot of riders.
For now, the DH Park Spec Minion is only available in 27.5 & 29 x 2.4, so the 2.5 part is either a typo or who knows, maybe it's coming soon.
And the new Maxxis Forecaster, gen 2 of the mixed conditions XC tire has been beefed up for trail bike duty. Swipe to see the tread.
Sorry it's just a Maxxis studio photo. The sunlight was harsh and we didn't manage to pull it down to get a better shot.
Lacy / Kona
Kona's booth is always fun. They have BINGO and ice cream and big smiles. It's basically like a super successful 6-year-old's birthday party with tequila and cussin'. This is Lacy and we think she's awesome, like Kona people tend to be. Also, Miranda Miller will be around signing autographs. Ask her about her new film project.
THCrank Brothers
Once you see it.
Comments
thaaad
1 year, 5 months ago
That Chromag though... wow
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Perry Schebel
1 year, 5 months ago
Ugh, that's sweet, hey?
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Konda
1 year, 5 months ago
Very little rear tyre clearance with a 2.4" from the looks of the 3rd photo though...
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Onawalk
1 year, 5 months ago
Dollars to doughnuts that it’s a rear designed for 275, with a 29 stuffed in there
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Pete Roggeman
1 year, 5 months ago
You're gonna owe people a lot of dollars. Or doughnuts.
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Onawalk
1 year, 5 months ago
You….you might not understand the phrase fully.
Can’t wait to find out,
There’s a real good chance you know more than me on this, so I’m already a bit disappointed.
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Pete Roggeman
1 year, 4 months ago
I know what it means, and I'm taking it a bit further ;)
mrbrett
1 year, 5 months ago
If there's an aluminum version, made overseas, I will order that day.
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Andy Eunson
1 year, 5 months ago
I’ve seen a not titanium version in the wild. I think it was steel front aluminum rear. It’s coming.
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Merwinn
1 year, 5 months ago
Chromag... alu frames? Sacrilegious.
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Cam McRae
1 year, 5 months ago
Those Rocky Jerseys are very, “live long and prosper,” for better or worse.
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TristanC
1 year, 5 months ago
I have a shop sample Patagucci jersey and it's 100% Kirk.
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DanL
1 year, 5 months ago
Haha, who's going to wear the red shirt on the ride....
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Jake Smith
1 year, 5 months ago
I've used this crankbrothers tool for like 7 years now, sometimes even under the influence of THC, and never noticed this.
This is the kind of bombshell mountain bike content I come here for.
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cheapondirt
1 year, 5 months ago
SRAM: "With a simple upgrade to AXS, any old externally routed bike could look just like... that!"
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Velocipedestrian
1 year, 5 months ago
There was a fast reaction change on my couch, from; Yay, external! To Boo, trunnion!
Do the saucepans mean you're auditioning for the bib review?
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dolface
1 year, 5 months ago
Ugh, trunnion. Now I am sad :(
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Martin
1 year, 5 months ago
Most people won't care, but details like that keep my wallet safe!
The bike is gorgeous and looks like the geo is dialed though.
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WalrusRider
1 year, 5 months ago
At least it's not a clevis yoke. Why are people so against trunnion?
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BadNudes
1 year, 4 months ago
Traditional eyelets handle a bit of misalignment better, focusing the wear on the easily replaceable bushing. In comparison trunnion mounting has a tendency to chew up bearings and shock shafts quicker.
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Mammal
1 year, 5 months ago
A Ti Chromag 160/150 bike would be the cat's ass.
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LAT
1 year, 5 months ago
cat’s arse in british is the exact opposite of the dogs bollocks.
that chromag is the dogs bollocks.
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Velocipedestrian
1 year, 5 months ago
Cats pyjamas might be the phrase you wanted.
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Pete Roggeman
1 year, 4 months ago
That's funny - over here I've also always known the cat's ass to mean something great. We don't hear the dog's bollocks except from our British friends. But I think we can all agree on the bee's knees being the oldest-fashioned of the three.
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blaklabl
1 year, 5 months ago
I’m in for the Ti version as soon as it’s released. Let’s gooooo
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DBone57
1 year, 5 months ago
The Forekaster tread shot is the old version.
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Deniz Merdano
1 year, 5 months ago
Fixed!
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mikeynets
1 year, 5 months ago
I know there's not a lot of love for trunnion mounts, but I have no complaints with it on my Spitfire. Just curious: is there a lot of evidence it leads to more rapid shock/bearing/bushing wear than traditional mount?
Also, any idea if it's an iterative thing similar to press fit BB — not so good at first, but progressively gotten better?
But a ti Chromag dually??!! I'm interested.
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mrbrett
1 year, 5 months ago
I changed trunnion bearings on the Process I was riding like I changed my underwear. Unless brand new, I literally can't recall a time I inspected those bearings and found them smooth. They're tiny!
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Mammal
1 year, 5 months ago
The increased shock wear issue is more prevalent on bikes that use a yoke to drive the shock (increased effective shock length = more leverage), and on frames that aren't aligned well. Banshees are usually on the better end of frame alignment, from what I've heard, so that could contribute to your better experience. That said, a buddy of mine has a V2 Prime that's pretty bad in that regard, that misalignment already contributes to premature shock wear, and it's not even a trunnion bike (would be far worse with trunnion). With traditional bushing pivots in the shock, there's a bit more side-side play in that interface, giving more movement for the shock to self-align.
That's aside from the fact that tiny bearings don't usually have a very good lifespan, especially if they are low rotational pivots like a shock mount. And you really don't want those little bearings to seize up, because that makes the shock wear problem MUCH worse.
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JVP
1 year, 5 months ago
I think it's a flex + alignment thing. If you've got a frame that doesn't side load the shock, and the alignment is bang-on, they're fine. The trunnion bearings on my Carbon Patrol last forever with an annual repack.
But get a bit of twisting or alignment that binds even a little bit, and you're in for some frustration. My shop/shock buddies have seen quite a few prematurely worn trunnion shocks and destroyed bearings.
Basically there's a lot less margin for alignment error or weird loads with trunnion vs the standard mounts.
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cxfahrer
1 year, 5 months ago
Does that "park spec" mean, those Minion versions with Dual Compound and DH folding casing are being replaced and not available any more? I found it already near impossible to find them in any shop in EU.
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Pete Roggeman
1 year, 5 months ago
No idea but I don't think so. If anything this new one represents a new SKU category, I don't have the sense it's an evolution if a current model.
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letsgethurt
1 year, 5 months ago
The $80 usd price tag seems a bit ridiculous for a wire bead hard compound DH tire but maxxis gonna maxxis i guess! Michelin DH34 or Schwalbe Big Betty are literally the same tire and they've been available in similar bike park version for €20-30 in EU shops
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cheapondirt
1 year, 5 months ago
DH34 BP is $60 CAD in Canadian shops, which is really good.
It however, has a slightly lighter casing, seeps Stans through the sidewalls, and the compound is less grippy but faster wearing than Maxxis DC - chunking off the braking edges as if the rubber is brittle.
If I was riding a lot of park, I'd be willing to pay a little more for the Maxxis, especially if on sale. Full MSRP stings a little but it's still a better value than other Maxxis DH tires when you factor in lifespan. Edit: I reread and it's a new compound, not DC, making my comparison irrelevant.
I haven't personally tried Schwalbe BP because it's too heavy for my taste, but for park use, and comparing MSRPs directly, I suspect it to be the best value of the three.
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SomeBikeGuy
1 year, 5 months ago
I need that Chromag bike, so hopefully it isn't just a tease like that time I saw Chromag clipless pedals.
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Sanesh Iyer
1 year, 5 months ago
That Chromag is already old news, they sold out the first steel production run already! so jealous of the lucky owners....
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Jonathan Fournier
1 year, 4 months ago
Hey Sanesh!
How is this so? There was a local pre-sale?
Are you from Whistler?
Still that's a bit sad :(
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Pete Roggeman
1 year, 4 months ago
Chromag is known around the world, but are still first and foremost a very local Whistler brand and it's a tight community. Friends of Chromag help inspire and test their products, and protos of their dually have been in use in Whistler for years. With their hardtails, they usually do a small batch of locally-built frames first, and follow it up shortly thereafter with a larger batch of frames made in TW. Don't know if that's the case here, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened the same way.
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Jonathan Fournier
1 year, 4 months ago
Hi Pete,
Yeah, that would make total sense. Hopefully we see this going live for sale soon :)
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Sanesh Iyer
1 year, 4 months ago
I think that's quite common for most brands. I've certainly seen it in North Vancouver, Quebec, and even the brief time I was in Switzerland it's apparent. It makes a lot of sense to gather data and stoke out the community. Anywhere where there a company has a head office, you'll see bikes months before wider launch.
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JT
1 year, 5 months ago
At this point in life I recognize the instant I feel the need to increase the debt on one of my credit cards I am absolutely not ready to do so from a financial well being sense. That Chromag makes one helluva case for ignoring that voice (and the look that would be sure to come from my spouse when the frame showed up). Now, if it comes out in a steel flavor....
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fartymarty
1 year, 5 months ago
According to the PB article it will be coming out in steel. Better start earning those brownie points now...
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JT
1 year, 5 months ago
Fingers crossed it'll be less than the Reeb SST...
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creakierthanyourbb
1 year, 3 months ago
Hi Pete, did you definitely see the Maxxis bike park spec in 27.5? I've only found them available in 29, and no mention of 27.5 on their website, either.
Cheers
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