Previewed: SRAM Teases Reba and Colors

The Sea Otter Classic this April 17-20 already promises to be chock full of new product goodness. SRAM has even decided to give everyone a sneak peak at some of the hardware they'll be debuting.

Rockshox plans to show off a new Reba fork that should be noticeably lighter than the current design. It's expected to incorporate many of the weight-saving features found on the new SID fork that we got to preview at the 24 Hours of Moab race. One of the standout features on the new Reba is a 20mm thru-axle called the Maxle Light. The new Maxle Light is reported to be 50 grams lighter than the standard Maxle via a paired down alloy main tube and an alloy, instead of steel, tightening bolt as well as the machined out lever that you can see in the photo here. Its inclusion on the Reba should bring improved steering precision to the cross-country crowd.

Additionally, the fork will remain compatible with standard 20mm x 110mm front hubs already made by many manufacturers. Of course we'd love to see SRAM make hubs again. Could their purchase of Zipp last fall possibly reignite their entry into the MTB wheel world? For an answer to that question we will simply have to wait and see.

Expect a slew of different color options on SRAM bits this year. The SID alone is supposed to have 24 different color combinations. Avid Juicy Ultimate disc brakes have been floating around since Interbike in a very limited white color, so we'd expect to see more white treatment this spring. SRAM also gave us a sneak peak at the Juicy Ultimates in the bright blue hue shown here, which should be available to purchase some time in '08.