SRAM For Roadies & More

Tired of Interbike coverage? I hope not, because there’s still a ton more for me to type. If news of new products just doesn’t do it for you, you can always check out the new Off Road to Athens teaser or the new New World Disorder VI trailer, here on the site (scroll down to the video section of the homepage). I’ve also been updating the photo galleries, so give that a spin.

Me? I figure Interbike only comes once per year, might as well do it right. So, on that note, here’s some more Interbike coverage—this time covering SRAM, Hayes and Salsa.

SRAM STEPS UP ITS GAME To integrate or not to integrate? That’s the question SRAM is glad consumers are asking themselves these days. Shimano’s recent marketing emphasis on integrated mountain bike brake-shifters has, interestingly, created an opening in the high-end mountain component market. SRAM has jumped to exploit that opening with a revamped line of trigger-style shifters that are showing up as original equipment on more and more new bikes.

There are two (as I see it) basic facts about Shimano’s integrated shifters: (1) the dual controls work well for cross country applications, and (2) the dual controls restricts your choices. It’s this latter fact which has helped SRAM out in the market place.

Shimano’s dual control shift/brake levers essentially dictate that you also run some form or Shimano disc brake (if you go hydraulic). While Shimano’s disc brakes (from the tiny XTR calipers to the monster Saint stoppers) work quite well, many riders chafe at the idea that running dual controls limits their ability to choose their disc brake. It’s one thing to come to the conclusion that you prefer XT to Hayes, Magura, Hope or Avid…it’s another thing entirely, to have that decision made for you. In short, some consumers feel hog-tied by integrated shifters.

Even though Shimano hasn’t stopped producing its stone-reliable trigger shifters, the emphasis on dual control in many ads has rubbed some riders the wrong way. Timing, it appears, is now on SRAM’s side, as the company began pushing its line of trigger shifters around the same time Shimano began its integrated shifter move.

Light, adjustable, rebuildable, and, yes, plenty of Bling.

Pimp My Levers
This year, SRAM is fielding a new set of trigger shifters that possess the kind of precision and polish necessary to give Shimano’s XTR a run for its money. I’m, of course, talking about XO. SRAM’s new XO shifters are lighter (225 grams a pair), more adjustable and more precise than the XO shifters of yore.

Everyone is carbon crazy these days and SRAM has jumped on the wagon by outfitting the shifters with carbon covers. Removing the covers is easily accomplished with a few turns of the little knob on the top of shifter pod. Why would you remove the covers in the first place? To swap out the derailleur cables. It’s a simple, too-free way means of accessing the shifters’ internals. The composite covers, by the way, cut 16 grams from the shifters.

The rest of the shifter is made of machined aluminum. It’s been buffed to a lustrous shine that evokes memories of Suntour XC Pro during its glory days. It’s beautiful stuff that stands, aesthetically, as a counter point to the industrial gray tones of XTR. Marketing types might say that SRAM was establishing a bit of product differentiation here. That’d be a savvy move.

In addition to looking spiffy, the new levers possess a few noteworthy functional features. The first is Zero-Loss-Travel. In a nutshell, most shifters have a bit of lag time between you pressing the shifter lever and the shift actually taking place. To be more precise, most shifters require seven to fifteen degrees of travel in order to engage the pawls and allow the shift. SRAM’s Zero Loss Travel feature eliminates this excess lever play. The result is quicker shifting.

SRAM also improved the way their front shifter pulls cable. The new XO front derailleur shifter moves your chain from the small to the middle to the large chainring with equal pressure (they did this by using a linkage mechanism instead of a spool).

The new XO shifters are also rebuildable. There are over 40 separate parts lurking in those shifters, so this probably isn’t an option for the less skilled folks, but SRAM is offering rebuild kits and that’s an admirable thing in this age of throw-it-away consumerism.

Finally, you XO triggers are very adjustable—you can move them inboard and outboard of your brake levers. You can also adjust the starting position of the pull lever itself. Both adjustments are made with the twist of an allen bolt. Simple.

The X.O. trigger shifters retail for $248. SRAM is also still selling twist shifters (though with much less marketing emphasis). If you still prefer to twist, you can get the X.O. twisters for $105.

What about compatibility? You can run SRAM’s XO front shifter with either a Shimano or SRAM front derailleur, but the XO rear shifter is 1:1 shift ratio only—in other words, it will only work with SRAM XO, X9 and X7 rear derailleurs.

Rear Derailleur Gets Carbon Cage
The XO rear derailleur gets a carbon derailleur cage next year. Though some of you are undoubtedly wondering if this is actually a good thing (is carbon really better than aluminum in this application?), SRAM contends that the carbon cages are quite a bit more robust than the aluminum cages they will replace.

Going carbon also cuts 10 to 12 grams off the mid-cage model. Short, medium and long-cage models are available and yeah, if you own an older XO rear derailleur and just have to have the carbon cage, SRAM will sell you the carbon cage as an upgrade. The new X.O. rear derailleur sells for $235 (long cage) and $248 (short and medium cage models).

SRAM For Roadies
Yes, SRAM will soon (think 2007) field a road group of its own—an impressive feat given the gang of patents that Shimano, Campagnolo and Mavic already own in the integrated brake lever/shifter field.

The new road group was on display—under glass—at the Vegas show. I can’t tell you anything substantive about how it works as that information is still top secret. You can stare at this carbon shift lever and speculate how it actually operates, but that's about as good as it gets for now.

While you may or may not care about road components it is yet another indicator (if buying Avid, Sachs and TruVativ weren’t already clear signs) that SRAM intends to challenge Shimano on every possible front. At this point the company produces: shifters, derailleurs, cassettes, chains, disc brakes, bars, stems, seatposts, cranks, bottom brackets, forks and rear shocks. That only leaves wheels, headsets, pedals and high-performance hubs…..

The Salsa La Raza features a 4-pound True Temper OX Platinum frameset. It warms my heart.

SALSA BRINGS BACK THE STEEL
Salsa brought a wide range of bikes to Interbike, including its 29er dual suspension bike (the Dos Niner) and its Scandium El Santo full suspension model. The bikes that caught my eye, however, were the steel bikes. Salsa is still making its Ala Carte hardtail out of OX Platinum—they’re even offering a disc-brake/v-brake compatible rigid chromoly fork (the CroMoto) for all the crusty bastards who strive to “keep it real” by shunning the benefits of suspension.

Sadly, I didn’t snap a picture of the Ala Carte (guess I was still groggy from previous days and nights at the show), so just trust me when I say that it’s a sexy, Tang-colored, orange vision of a hardtail. I managed to shoot the next image of the company’s answer to ultralight aluminum and carbon road frames.

A 3-pound steel frame? Salsa brings it to the public.

Freaky-Light Steel
Everyone wants a super light bike these days. Some folks still crave the smooth ride quality of steel. Salsa is aiming to hit both of these markets with their Primero. The Primero is the only production bike being built today from True Temper’s S3 (Super Strength Steel). The material is, reportedly, a real pain in the ass to build with (hence its high cost), but the results are impressive: a 3 pound steel frame and a complete bike weight in the neighborhood of 16 pounds.

Some salient factoids include, a sloping top tube design, bi-axially ovalized downtube, tear-drop shaped top tube, and an Alpha Q CS10 carbon fork. The Primero frame retails for around $1,540.00

Hayes' new V7 offers 14% more stopping power than a six inch rotor.

HAYES GOES 7
Last year, Hayes showed up to Interbike with El Camino—it’s new, highly adjustable hydraulic disc brake. Well, the company hasn’t added any new disc brakes to the line for 2006, but they are introducing a seven-inch rotor for all those people who need more stopping power than the six inch cross country rotor provides, but aren’t looking to make the transition to eight-inch downhill racing-style rotors.

The V7 essentially serves as a transition rotor and probably fits quite well into the All Mountain segment. It offers a 14% increase in stopping power (over the six inch rotor), weighs 156 grams and, yes, you can upgrade to one if you already own six inch Hayes rotors—you just need to buy the V rotor and adaptors.