Saturday, March 02, 2024

Gravel Grinder News: Wilde Waypoint Fork, Panaracer X1 Tire

Image courtesy of Wilde Bicycle Co.
 Wilde Bicycle Co. Announces Waypoint Carbon Fork:

One of the complaints about carbon gravel forks is that they are too stiff. Wilde Bicycle Company's Jeffrey Frane set out to tackle this issue and now Wilde offers the new Waypoint Carbon Gravel Fork.

Designed to be more vibration absorbing and lighter than most other carbon gravel forks, yet still retaining the versatility which has become a hallmark of gravel adventuring, the Waypoint comes in at an incredibly low weight. 

The fork features internal brake and dynamo routing, fender mounts, and Three-Pack bosses on each leg. Here are the features and specs for the Waypoint as provided by Wilde Bicycle Co. 

Features
Three Pack Mounts
Flat Mount Brake
Thru Axle - 12x100mm
Internal Brake Routing
Internal Dynamo Routing
Fender Mounts
Fully Threaded Center Mount

Specs
Fork Weight: 478g with uncut steerer
Tire Clearance: 700c X 2.1 or 27.5 X 2.3
Axle to Crown - 398mm
Rake - 49mm
Steerer - 350mm length, Taper 1.125 to 1.5
Spacing - 100mm
Axle Length - 130mm 12 x 1.5
Compatible Rotor Size - 140mm and 160mm

Capacity
Three Pack Mount - 6 lbs per side
Rack - 20 lbs

 Total System Rider/gear weight limit: 250lbs

The price for the Waypoint is $525.00 USD and special pricing is offered to frame builders who want to use this fork on their builds for customers. See the website here: https://www.wildebikes.com/collections/frontpage/products/waypoint-carbon-fork-tapered

Image courtesy of Panaracer
Panaracer Revamps Gravel King Line, Adds X1 Model:

Panaracer celebrates 10 years of the Gravel King line by revamping the entire Gravel King line up of tires. New to the line is a compound casing Called "R" and a new model called "X1".

The new X1 is a lower tread design with a centerline of alternating "T" shaped blocks and squares. Taller, thicker lugs appear on the shoulders. 

The X1 looks to be available in 35mm, 40mm, and 45mm. The only option on their site now is the black with tan sidewalls. Prices are $79.99 each for any of the sizes offered.

Comments: This looks to be a great all-arounder gravel tread design. Unfortunately it is not offered in a larger size than a 45mm.It would have been nice to have 50mm and even a 55mm would have been well accepted, I think. 

It's also nice to see brands leaning in on their history in the gravel market. Many riders think this is a "new" idea when in fact it is definitely not. Especially when you stop to consider that individuals born when the first Trans Iowa happened are now graduated from high school. (Feel old yet?)

Images and information used in this post provided by the brands mentioned in this post.

3 comments:

shiggy person said...

“R” is the casing type. The lightest most supple of the three offered, all of which are said to have lower rolling resistance than the previous versions

MG said...

These look good, but I do wish they’d offer the X1 in a 50 or 55c version. That seems like a big miss for me.

scottg said...

Checking the Panracer site, the 30mm versions were available.
Which explains the new Rene Herse tires.

https://www.renehersecycles.com/introducing-the-tubeless-700c-x-31-orondo-grade/