Gear Watch Wednesday is a weekly update on the latest mountain bike gear releases and products that Singletracks has received for test. Have gear news to share, or products you’d like us to check out? Email [email protected].
Sea Otter kicks off tomorrow, and ahead of the spring expo there’s a pile of new mountain bike product news to share!
Factor launches mountain bikes
Factor Bikes mounted a flat bar on their frames! Oh, wait, those are two legit new XC frames. The new Factor Lando bikes have already raced Cape Epic, piloted by the Amani Racing Team.
The brand’s first full suspension frame has 115mm of rear travel to be paired with a 100-120mm fork. The frame looks light and tidy, with a skinny top tube trailed by narrow chainstays. The head tube angle leans back to 67°, and the seat tube stands ahead at 75.5° on all sizes.
- Price: The LANDO HT and XC are priced at $7,099 and $9,199 respectively.
- Available now.
Fox 32 Taper Cast Gravel Fork
How does the joke go? Something like “add a dropper and flat bar and you get a 90’s mountain bike.” Gravel grinders can now choose between 40 and 50mm of travel on their forks with the 1226g Fox Taper Cast gravel fork. The lightweight pogo can employ a FIT4 or GRIP damper above its 12×100 axle. The short stanchions don’t require an extensive overlap with the lowers, allowing for an aero taper at the base that, along with the reversed arch, cuts drag and weight in tandem. Riders can mount a 160mm or 180mm rotor and up to a 700×45 tire with a fender installed.
- Price: $769-949.
- Available TBD.
Reynolds carbon trail wheels get new rim profile
Reynolds says their updated line of trail wheels with a “new low profile wide channel rim increases cornering speed, direct power transfer, and improved compliance.” All of the wheels sport a 32mm internal rim width, and are offered in 27.5″ and 29″ diameters. We just got a set of Reynolds Blacklabel 329 Trail Pro wheels in for test and can’t wait to get them dirty! Out of the box, and with a Microspline driver, the front and rear 29er wheels weigh 710g and 870g, respectively.
- Price: $1,499 – $2,299.
- Available at HayesBicycle.com.
Ultralight Industry Nine carbon wheels
The new Industry Nine 1/1 Ultralight Carbon wheels are built up with 1/1 hubs with a 25mm inner rim width and only 24 spokes. The result is a set of 29er wheels that weighs just 1440g.
- Price: $1,600
- Available at Industry Nine.
Manitou Jack dropper post
The Manitou Jack is an updated dropper post from the brand with a cartridge system that’s designed to be fully serviceable. There’s even an 80mm drop youth version that is just 320mm long to fit smaller frames.
- Price: $399.
- Available at HayesBicycle.com.
Last Bikes new Celos and Asco models
Germany’s Last Bikes claims to have one of the lightest enduro-capable bikes on the market with their 160mm Tarvo frame, and today they add a pair of weight-conscious models to fill out the lineup. The fresh Celos 29er frame has 120mm of travel front and rear, moving through a flex-stay single pivot, and the longer travel Asco can complement its 130mm of rear travel with a 140 or 150mm fork. These bikes are built around aggressive geometry that looks poised to pounce, and their frame-storage slots will help keep the paint shiny for a long while. Both of the frames are made in Germany and include a six-year warranty.
- Frame price: €4,399 without shock.
- Available from Last. (Not shipping to the US or Canada.)
Outdoor Master GEM Helmet with MIPS
The GEM bike helmet from Outdoor Master has MIPS, 25 vents, and comes in 10 colors. Now through April 15, this helmet is being offered at an early-bird price of just $39.99 (first 200 email sign-ups only). It sounds too good to be true, so we hope to get our heads in one for a review soon.
- Price: $69.99 MSRP, $39.99 for early-pricing sign up
- Available from Outdoor Master
A handlebar for your kid riding shotgun
Hold on, junior! Kids Ride Shotgun just announced a handlebar extension that features a quick-release clamp and grips sized for little hands.
- Price: $70, or get the bars with a Shotgun Pro Seat for $310.
- Available from Kids Ride Shotgun.
An electric igloo for your bike
This seems both awesome and a little absurd at the same time. The new Alpen Basecamp bike storage solution adds e-bike battery charging and is larger than the Classic model. It’s said to be both weatherproof and secure so you can finally get your bikes out of the living room.
- Price: $1,799 for the Classic, $2,399 for the Basecamp. Bulk pricing available for those with a quiver of 10 or more bikes.
- Available for purchase online.
Canyon Spectral:ON
The updated Canyon Spectral:ON e-bike is now lighter with weights starting at 48lb, and it gets up to 60 miles of range on the larger 900Wh battery. Canyon is also doing something interesting by offering a smaller, 750Wh battery on size small bikes. Ultimately the brand will have three models, with all sizes of the entry-level Spectral:ON featuring the 750Wh battery.
- Price: $5,999 to $10,500.
- Available in the US starting spring 2022.
Bulls updates Copperhead AM line with new BOSCH Smart System
Bosch says, “The Copperhead EVO AM 750 and Copperhead EVO/EVO HD 750 series come spec’d with the new BOSCH Smart System and 750Wh Powertube battery for all-day adventures. The AM 1-4 models are built on a 150mm full suspension mullet+ platform to keep you glued to the trail, while the EVO HD models sport a 27.5+ wheelset for nimble handling and a payload of 330lb.”
- Price: TBD
- Availability: unknown.
