Not to be out done by Shimano, the boys and girls at SRAM have some tricks up thier sleeves with the SRAM / Avid / Rock Shox / Truvativ family. First up is a new sweet looking full hydraulic brake kit. Avid has put the flagship Ultimate name on it. More carbon and the addition of magnesium instead of aluminum drop the weight even lower.
The caliper is a one piece forged aluminum, said to be lighter but not quite as stiff as the older two piece.And yes, we've all been burned by Shimano's one piece brake/shifter combo package in the past but the SRAM kids have sorted it out. I saw and early proto of this at Interbike but they've taken it one step further.
Introducing "Matchmaker". By replacing the back clamp on the brake lever you can retro a new clamp that allows the mounting of not just the shifter pod but also the Pop Lock. No more fighting for bar space on riser bars.
And finally, Giant throws down a full carbon version of the Anthem. Lanny says these bikes kick ass, never ridden one myself. The Highgear guys have good things to say about the Trance. I know Lanny is a Blog lurker, fill us in dude!Check out more Sea Otter tech at Cycling News.
3 comments:
The prototype looks like it has a 2x9 drivetrain. Also rerouted the rear brake and deraileur cables from top tube to down tube and across shock pivot compared to the alloy model. Fox fork instead of Manitou R7.
Bike Masters has four demo Anthems I'm taking down to Swanson Monday (10th) from 4-7p.m. Come on down and see how they drive.
They are fast, climb, descend, and accelerate well, and turn on rails. The new generation Pythons hook up better than the old ones did on my NRS. With the 72 degree head angle, you need to stay on top of the steering or you will get out of shape. I had to minimize my steering input and learn to turn more through leaning the bike.
The Anthem is a race bike with a long top tube, short chain stays and steep head angle. But that geometry works well on the type of trails we have around here. Thus, it works as short travel trail bike, too. But don't expect a squishy ride.
That's funny that you like the new Python's. I think they suck compared to the old pattern. I'm making the switch to the Geax Mezcal. Very similar to the Python. Big air volume, semi knob design. I'm going to try it with a more knobby tire called the Barro on the front.
Thanks for the info on the Swanson Demo. Might try to make it out and check one of them out.
Just looking at the new python, I didn't think I would like it either. I have preferred a round profile and this is more square. Maybe its the Anthem that is making the difference and not the Python?? I don't think I've ridden the new python on anything else.
Come on down for a ride, I would like your, and anyone else's, perspective on the Anthem after riding it.
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