Who is Twenty6? I met with owner Tyler Jarosz at Interbikeand, judging by our conversation, he is highly passionate about riding and his products definitely reflect that. The company is based in Bozeman, Montana, surrounded by some of the best biking in the country which clearly influences Twenty6 designs.
From pedals to brake levers, everything from Twenty6 has design appeal as well as function. After picking up my pimped-out package of the new Predator pedals, F1 stem, and Dualie levers, I was stoked to get back home and install these parts. Looking at the gear from Tyler, you can truly see the level of his CNC skills.
Predator Pedals
The Predator pedals have seen significant changes over the previous model (the Prerunner). For one thing, the body has been increased in size, with a bit more meat towards the outboard of the pedal. Not only did the body size get larger, but the pedal’s profile has actually changed with a more pronounced concave shape that provides better pin placement and traction. Speaking of the pins, Tyler explained to me the importance of his pins: these are not run-of-the-mill hex pins… they are engineered to have a break-away point to prevent damage or pull through.
The axle features an Enduro bearing near the axle root and a turcite bushing at the other end. Making sure everything stays mostly clean and running smooth, a Quad O-ring is designed to keep the crap out and provides a measure of pedal resistance (i.e. you can control the spin of the pedal). To keep the weight down, you have the option of either a titanium axle or a chromoly one. At a weight of 320 grams (ti axle) or 390 grams (chromoly), both options are very light for their size.
F1 Stem
The F1 Stem has been revised for this year with a one-piece mount to the upper crown while still keeping the same front cap. The added support stiffens the stem,preventing possible bending when you do case it, and it gives the rider more feedback. The stem is offered in two lengths with a choice of 40/45mm or 50/55mm and weighs150 grams, slightly heavier than the previous model as a result of the stiffer design. The F1 has a clamp diameter of 31.8 only, so installing your older 25.4 bar won’t work here. It mounts easily to any 4 bolt direct mount fork.
Dualie Levers
Small parts like a brake lever can easily be missed and taken for granted, but Tyler went to the trouble of coming up with some great levers for many a brake, including the Avid Codes that I reviewed earlier this year. The Dualie levers are machined from billet 6061 T6 aluminum and weigh about 50 grams (depending on the model). The attention to detail that went into the two finger design is impressive, with the machining both reducing weight and enhancing grip.
Installation
I had an easy time installing the new gear on my bike. The most work went into installing the levers on the Codes because you have to make sure that you engage the spring and carefully swap out the reach adjuster. A tip here would be to apply a bit of grease to the small hole where the spring and detent ball is installed then carefully slide the adjuster nut sideways, ensuring the detent ball stays put (use a toothpick or a slender tool to hold in the ball). The pedals and stem installations were no-brainers. The stem is a plug and play affair with a very straightforward install – just remember to torque everything down evenly (6Nm).
Predator Test
I used both the Predators and F1 stem on my Opus Nelson and the Dualie levers on my Banshee Legend, and they work great! The pedals had excellent grip, with no issues. My foot felt firm and balanced on the pedal and the large platform worked well even when it got really messy. The pin pattern on the Predator worked great at holding the shoe yet allowing me to rotate my foot without too much resistance when I needed to use some body English. You would think that the large pedal would strike every rock in sight (and I thought that too), but that was not the case. I make it a point to keep my feet at the 3 and 9 o’clock position when traveling through rock gardens and rock drops (places that will destroy most pedals if you’re not paying attention). Even so, I still thought that these would strike. They didn’t though… as long as I was upright. Even in the berms I was paying attention to see if I was close to striking, but I had no issues. The very thin profile of the pedal keeps it away from most everything, though I did strike a few times on an exceptionally large boulder section aptly named “The Coffin” at Blue Mountain.
To keep the pedals fresh, Tyler has an extensive choice of replacement pins, and he even has a repair kit available.
F1 Stem Test
The F1 stem worked well, holding the bar firmly in place without even a hint of creaking. Even after going down hard on a few occasions, I was impressed to see that the bar and stem remained perfectly aligned without a hint of movement or bending.
Dualie Test
I instantly loved how the Dualie levers felt over the stock Code levers. They provide a definite improvement in feel without any hint of slipping: I never had to use a second finger to stop the bike. Speaking of feel, the machining on the levers grab the finger nicely, even with wet gloves on. All this equates to a better, more confident braking experience with the Dualie levers. If you are looking for a major upgrade on your levers, look no further.
Bottom Line
All in all, Tyler’s Twenty6 products are definitely worth checking out. They easily offer the most color choices around! So what will all these cost? For the Predator Ti pedal you’re looking at $269 – $289 (white). The F1 stem comes in at $129 – $139 (white) and the levers are priced at $74 – $79 (white). Some of these parts may be a bit on the pricy side of things, but these are not your run-of-the-mill components!
I would like to thank Twenty6 for sending the gear down for review.
6 Comments
Nov 7, 2011
Nov 2, 2011
Nov 7, 2011
Nov 2, 2011
Nov 5, 2011
Nov 2, 2011
Any idea how much the chromoly pedals cost?