We just got word from Art’s Cyclery that the Kind Suspension LEV 27.2 dropper post is out!

Featuring a bottom mounted cable placement should keep many riders happy, and for those with the smaller diameter 27.2 seatposts, it’s about the only show in town. Art’s has some in stock, and we confirmed with KS that MSRP is $399 and they’re shipping with good availability. QBP has ordered a lot, but one of KS’s reps did say they’re in high demand, so order early.

The 27.2 version was introduced at Eurobike along with the Integra stealth versions of their dropper posts. One of the restraints on the narrower diameter is that travel is limited to 100mm, but otherwise it’s just like it’s fatter brothers.

More pics, including actual weight, below…

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Today, some interesting pictures of Easton’s next generation of burly trail/freeride/downhill oriented Havoc components began to circulate on several mountain bike forums.

On the less interesting side of the spectrum, the grainy picture above depicts a new seatpost with updated graphics, to match the rest of the Havoc line-up. It’s difficult to tell from this image if anything else has been updated or altered.

Update from Easton:

“Thanks for the Easton write up and good eye on the seat post. That thing does look good, eh? We currently do not have plans for bringing that post into the aftermarket product line. Chris (commented above) is right that the post was in our booth at Eurobike and Interbike last year on Loic Bruni’s bike.

As for the Havoc Carbon wheels: They’re not for sale. We never actually brought them to market. We tested several iterations with our pro riders and our grassroots testing team in 2011. We mistakenly put them in the 2012 catalog thinking that we’d bring them to market in the fall of 2011. Although that wheelset tested stronger than our current Havoc UST and stronger than Haven Carbon (in fact it’s the strongest wheel we’ve ever tested), we wanted it to be a downhill equivalent to our Haven Carbon. By that I mean the Haven Carbon is a virtually indestructible All Mountain/Trail/Enduro wheelset. We really wanted to have a “virtually indestructible” downhill wheelset. Something capable of withstanding a 280-lb guy on a 45-pound DH bike riding a flat tire on a rocky race course.

The Team Lapierre International guys loved that wheelset and they had a lot of success testing it. But we still haven’t gotten the Havoc Carbon wheelset to where we want it. And we’re not going to introduce a new wheelset until we’re really happy with its performance. Sorry to anyone that’s been waiting to buy a set!

Dain Zaffke
Easton Cycling”

Spin past the break for the scoop on the new wheels….

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Open, the mountain bike company with its composites expertise rooted in Cervelo, first introduced the limited edition AXX1 last year at Eurobike. Since then it has made a few component changes to the bike that not only make it more exclusive, but lighter weight as well. According to the Bikerumor scale the original XX1 equipped AXX1 came in just over 17 pounds while the newest version is a claimed 7.3 kg, or 16.09 lbs. Changes to the bike include a Cannondale Lefty Carbon XLR fork, new graphics, and the addition of a special THM BBright crankset to fit the bike. According to co-founder Gerard Vroomen, their four spec partners were willing to make custom graphics for the parts included on the limited edition.
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WTB is developing a new mountain bike tire specifically with enduro racing in mind, likely with much input from international racer and employee Jason Moeschler. We also spotted it on a couple other Cannondale athlete’s bikes at the team training camp in Italy.

The design will change slightly from what’s shown here. Word is a lot of 29er riders wanted it, so they’ve had to rework the tire a bit. The casing will get thicker and more durable, which makes it more puncture and tear resistant but also lets them run a softer tread compound because, as a whole, the tire is stiffer. The tread block height and size will change slightly from what’s shown here, though they wouldn’t say which way.

It’ll be out in about 90 days, just in time for race season 2013. It’ll be offered in both 26 and 29er in TCS (tubeless ready).  If trends hold, likely a 650b, too, but that’s just our speculation.

Unrelated, the Nine Line we saw at Eurobike is closer to shipping now that the exclusive agreement with Cannondale for OEM spec nears its end this summer. They’ll have a 650B version called B-Line, too.

Less than a year ago, 45NRTH introduced their Wölvhammer SPD winter cycling boots, and they quickly went on to win a Eurobike Design award for innovative design and construction. While the SPD version could be used with flat pedals, 45NRTH received enough requests for a flat pedal specific version that they have gone ahead and launched that very thing. Not only is the sole of the shoe specifically designed for flat pedals, but the foam shank used for the Wölvhammer flat pedal is flexible for hiking and designed to work extremely well with 45NRTH’s Heiruspecs and Helva pedals.

Check out QBP’s video detailing the new Wölvhammer along with forth coming changes to the Escalator Studded tire after the jump!

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VP’s new blade is easily the leanest pedal we’ve seen. The platform is lost-wax cast titanium with a forged/CNC machined ti axle. It rolls on LSL (lightweight self lubricating) bushing and sealed ball bearings.

Claimed weight is 260g per pair and suggested retail when they officially launch later this year is likely going to be “very expensive”. Admittedly, it’s aimed at the upscale commuter or casual fat bike rider. Yes, we very much want a set.

For the rest of us, they’ll also have a full chromoly version that’ll actually be affordable. Look for both at Eurobike.

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After reviewing the Hayes CX5, people asked how they compared to some of the other mechanical disc brake options out there. So, we requested a few things to test, and Avid’s new BB7 SL calipers were the first to arrive. As fate would have it, they got here just in time for our NC cyclocross series finals, which was covered in snow, mud and crud. In other words, perfect testing conditions.

Introduced last year (but spotted before hand at Eurobike), Avid’s BB7 SL replace some of the steel hardware with titanium to bring the weight down, and they get a nice dark metallic “Falcon Gray” finish to set them apart…and match up with the new Red group. Functionally, they’re the same as standard Road BB7 brakes, which I’ve had

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Image c. Yorick Carroux photography

If you’re tuned into the gravity side of mountain biking, then Dave Watson will need no introduction. A fixture on the North Shore since the beginning of Freeride, Dave has achieved entrepreneurial success in channeling his lifestyle into his clothing company, Sombrio. At one point or another, Sombrio gear has been seen on most of the big names of freeride, and now the company is making a push into the All Mountain and Enduro world of mountain bike technical apparel.

We sat down to chat with Dave about what’s new with Sombrio, his history, and jumps over the Tour de France.

Read it all, after the break.

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When Rocky Mountain Bicycles unveiled the carbon fiber Element RSL 29er line this summer, we had one of the first bikes available and were able to post actual weights, tech specs and first impressions for the debut.

Now, with half a year of riding on it, we’ve got a much better grasp of the bike’s capabilities.

In a nutshell, the Element RSL line is meant as a race bike, albeit one tough enough to carry an XC racer through BC’s rooty, rocky trails and spit them out the other side at the front of the pack. The frame+shock comes in under 2kg (claimed), and our size XL 970RSL hit the scales at 26lb 5oz with tubes in the tires. Plenty light for a full suspension 29er, and the alloy cockpit and tubed treads left room for an easy diet.

We rode the bike around our local XC trails and took it to Bent Creek and other mountainous trails for a proper test. Here’s how she fared…

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TRP has just shown two new disc brake calipers, and both are quite exciting and interesting. Above is the Hy/Rd, a cable actuated hydraulic disc brake caliper. The hybrid design lets you run standard cables all the way from the lever to the brake, which should make installation on internally routed frames a cinch while still (theoretically) providing the power and modulation of a hydraulic brake. And if you’re already running mechanical discs, it’s pretty much a drop ‘n’ swap operation.

It works by putting the master cylinder directly on the caliper body, letting the cable pull a lever connected to the plunger. We really like the inline barrel adjuster, too. Overall, it looks like a much more user friendly option compared to their Parabox while still letting you run whichever drivetrain group you currently have.

More details on this, plus a dual-pull mechanical caliper, below…

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