Wolf Tooth Components is always coming up with an eclectic blend of interesting products, designed around making the experience of riding a bike better and more fun, and focusing on reliability, functionality, and performance. The company focuses on chainrings, additional and replacement cassette cogs, and small parts to solve problems or improve upon existing products. Here are some of their latest offerings, which I got to check out at Interbike this year.
49T Cog & WolfCage
Want to convert your 11-42t cassette to an 11-49t? Wolf Tooth has a solution. Enter the massive 49t extender cog, which is compatible with Shimano, SRAM NX, and SunRace 11-speed cassettes. It also comes with an 18t cog, which replaces the 17 and 19t to create room for the pie plate 49t. There is one cog set that works with both SRAM and SunRace, and a different one that is compatible with Shimano. If you have a Shimano drivetrain, you’ll also need the WolfCage, which is a modified inner derailleur cage and upper jockey wheel that allows for compatibility of the 11-49t cassette. The WolfCage can be ordered with the cogs in a kit, and can be installed without breaking the chain or removing the derailleur off the bike.
The SRAM/SunRace cogset (49t and 18t) retails for $89.95. The Shimano kit, including the cogs and WolfCage, retails for $124.95. The WolfCage alone retails for $39.95.
Valais 25
The Valais offers a solution to the dropper post vs. saddle bag conundrum, allowing riders to run both without hassle or damage to the dropper. It’s simply a piece of plastic that snaps on and provides a safe spot to attach the velcro strap of a saddle bag so that it doesn’t rub the post or damage the seal when the dropper is all the way lowered. It does limit travel by 25mm, but by the same token, can be used as a crutch in the event of a dropper failure far from the trailhead. The Valais comes in both 25 and 26mm diameter versions to fit any dropper post. The Wolf Tooth website has a complete compatibility list if you aren’t sure which size you’ll need.
MSRP: $24.95
ReMote Dropper Lever
The worst thing about droppers is some of the levers, which always tended to be awkward and not very accessible during the times when you really need a dropper (barreling down some nasty, loose descent when you really don’t want to loosen your grip on the bars).
With the shift towards ubiquitous 1x drivetrains, companies have started making more ergonomic dropper levers, placing them where the front shifter lever used to be. But if you have an older dropper post, or just don’t like the lever that comes with the one you have, Wolf Tooth offers the ReMote, which they claim solves all the most common dropper lever complaints. It’s easy to mount and includes a barrel adjuster for quick cable-tension tweaks.
The lever can attach directly to several models of Shimano and SRAM brake levers, or directly to the bar via clamp. A 21mm sealed cartridge bearing keeps things running smoothly, and a specially-designed “fail point” protects the expensive pieces of the lever and instead allows a cheap piece that is easily-replaceable to break instead. The surface of the lever is textured to promote maximum traction for your thumb, even in wet conditions. The ReMote has been tested and proven to work with a wide variety of droppers, including KS, Thomson, Fox, RaceFace, and Easton (and probably works with more as well, but these have been tested).
MSRP: $59.95
BarBag
The Wolf Tooth BarBag offers another storage option for small items, such as nutrition, on any flat bar bike. It’s easy to open with one hand, and the magnetic Velcro closure allows it to snap shut with just a quick flick–no need to fiddle with a zipper. It also seeks to adopt a perfect fit on the bars and side of the stem in order to minimize knee interference when standing. This is an issue I’ve had with similarly-mounted storage options, such as the Mountain Feedbag from Revelate.
The BarBag has a capacity of just over half a liter. It will fit on stems over 50mm in length, and you’ll need at least 18cm of bar space in between the stem and anything clamped to the bar (shifters, brake levers, etc.).
MSRP: $34.95
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From what I've heard, the seat bag attachment does work with the 3-position droppers, but in many cases, will inhibit the use of the lowest position.