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| Sour Bikes Pasta Party 32"er (Image courtesy of Sour Bikes) |
The hype and number of bikes surrounding the 32" wheel continues to grow. This week Sour Bikes, a German based company, released news concerning their Pasta Party 32"er. This is a production frame which you can order now.
Interesting bits on the bike shown on Sour's site include a Manitou fork modified for 32" wheels having a claimed 120mm of travel, Schwalbe Rick Race XC tires, and Reynolds aluminum rims in 32" size.
Sour claims this bike has only marginally longer chain stays and stack height over the similar Pasta Party 29"er model. They used a very short tapered head tube and a curved seat tube to achieve this result. I think it is very reminiscent of Gary Fisher's early 29"er prototype which also sported a modified Manitou suspension fork, a very short head tube, and a curved seat tube.
Also, a press release was sent out by Tubolito saying they are going to offer TPU tubes for 32" wheels. Tubolito is a German based concern as well. It would seem the Germans are really pushing 32" wheels then as all the companies represented in today's 32" Watch are German based companies.
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| Image courtesy of Teravail. |
Teravail Launches Component Range:
Teravail is getting into the components game with a range of handle bars in carbon and aluminum, stems in aluminum, and seat posts, including a dropper post.
News released on Tuesday of this week revealed a few flared drop bars of interest to gravel riders, some MTB flat bars, and they also dropped news on some grips and handlebar tape as well.
Comments: The QBP owned brand seems to have a bit of redundancy now considering QBP's Whisky Parts Co. also has similar products. The drop bars look fine, and carbon is good for gravel, so I suspect the products will be good performers. But why double up on product offerings with two different brand names? Curious move....
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| Image courtesy of Castelli |
Gravel racing is pushing apparel design into new territory. This Castelli jersey is evidence of a new trend in gravel racing jersey design which combines the function of a jersey with that of a basic hydration pack.
The jersey is designed for hot weather. Castelli recommends this piece for anything from 64°F - 95°F temperatures. The jersey has a close fitting, race cut. The design features shoulder fabric treatment which is intended to enhance aerodynamic efficiency. The pocket on the upper back of the jersey will hold a 1.5L bladder, (not included) and there is fabric loop to hold the drink hose down across the shoulder and upper chest area.
The jersey is available in three colors. Paprika, (shown), Elmwood, (a tan hue), or black. Price ius set at $230.00 USD. You can view more details and images of the Unlimited Pro 2 Jersey HERE.
There is also a matching bib short called the Pro Aero Race S Kit which you can check out HERE.
Comments: I was offered a chance to test this jersey but since I am built like a linebacker and not a Pro level cyclist I declined the offer. Sizing runs small, by the way. What is shown as 3XL comes out to an American XL, and I'm being generous there, I think. Suffice it to say that this is a serious bit of kit for anyone who wants to glean every marginal gain they can in competition at unpaved events.
The price is a bit dear, but if you are attacking the pointy end of the gravel racing scene, you probably already are caught up in the "arms race" and a 230.00 dollar jersey for race day is maybe no big deal. I have it on good authority that Castelli gear is well made and does the job it is intended for well enough that the price seems justified. I'll leave it at that.
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| Berd spoke (Image courtesy of Berd) |
Berd Spokes now offers complete wheels for XC racing which tip the scales at barely over 1000 grams. Featuring a carbon, hookless deign for a rim, and Berd branded hubs, these wheels should be some of the lightest wheels out there for XC MTB.
The inner rim width is listed at 30mm, so these are legit MTB racing width rims. The rims are backed by a Lifetime warranty as well. The Berd wheels are dubbed the Hawk30 Gold. A set of the Hawk30 Gold wheels runs $2,395.00 USD and can be purchased direct from Berd HERE.
Comments: The Berd spokes are picking up steam with racing teams and people looking for the best, lightest, and most comfortable riding spokes. I've been using a set of wheels since 2020 with Berd Spokes and they have been solid wheels with no issues for me. I would imagine these Hawk30 Golds would be fantastic riding wheels, if mine are anything to go by.
Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #97:
Another podcast dropped this week since N.Y. Roll has made it back from Mexico where he had a little vacation time.
On this episode we discuss a wide variety of topics beginning with series events and why we like them and don't like them. We also get into the news which came out yesterday concerning those new Conti racing tires and the new Singular Albatross 32"er.
We also discuss how some event directors are bowing out now who had been producing events for several years. We discuss this within the context of the Raputitsa event, because it has been garnering a lot of attention on Facebook with their recent posts, but this is just a high profile example from what I have noted as being a small exodus of event directors from the gravel scene of late.
If you'd like to listen to this latest episode, please click THIS LINK to go to the Spotify home page, or find the Guitar Ted Podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Pleas like, subscribe, and leave a review. It sure helps us out on our end if you do. Thanks!
That's a wrap on this week. Get out and ride those bicycles!
In regards to the Teravail components, this is a quote a friend sent me from John Watson @ Radavist "Yeah, Whisky (also a Q brand) shut down, so I'm assuming Teravail picked up the component division."
ReplyDelete@james- I don't think it is hard to see that QBP has been going through a "sanitizing" of all their brands over the course of the last 5-6 years.
DeleteLook at Surly. They are not anywhere near as edgy as they used to be, and it is my opinion that if the brand wasn't so successful, Q would have ditched the brand by now.
Salsa's naming convention is totally different and non-offensive in every way possible. (Warbird notwithstanding, but just wait....;>) )
So, with Whisky being a nod to alcohol and what that stands for, I totally get it.
I wonder if the legacy of Whisky’s safety recall meant that a clean break with a relaunch under the Teravail name was a way to revive sales.
DeleteMany, if not all, of the Whisky dropbars are also sold with a Salsa label
DeleteThe BB drop on that Sour is surprising to me... Not much more than a 29er. Not sure how I feel about that.
ReplyDelete@MG - I think there will be a lot of experimentation with that particular geometry point and 32" wheels.
DeleteFitting a fork, and the offset/head angle part is the other metric I see which will have many experimenting around to find an optimum range.
This is such a niche wheel size though. You have to wonder how much depth in terms of sales and usage there really is going to be for the wheel size. Early information I have seems to point to a VERY expensive bar to entry to even try the wheel size out. That will negatively affect acceptance, and therefore, any real investment beyond a certain point.
And as you are well aware, this isn't just a guess on my part.
125mm trail! 50%+ more than my first mtb that I called “The Truck” because it was so hard to turn
Delete