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Interbike 2008 – FSA Components

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2009 FSA k-force kforce k force light carbon fiber mountain bike cranks crankset bb bottom bracket bb30 super light weight lightweight interbike 2008

FSA, aka Full Speed Ahead, had a lot of new lightweight goodies for both road and mountain bikes, plus some new components for the All Mountain / Freeride / Downhill set.

Shown above is their K-Force Light BB30 carbon crankset for mountain bikes.  They use hollow carbon crank arms and ceramic bearings to get the weight down to just 720g for the whole package (including bottom bracket). MSRP is $824.99.  They’ll only work with BB30 designed bikes, but it seems like more and more manufacturers are headed in this direction.  This crankset is also available in 2×9 format, which is what you’ll find on the new Trek Top Fuel.

Read “more” to see the rest of the new goodies, like a 50g carbon-ceramic headset, fighter-jet time TT/Tri bars and full carbon road wheels…

Just in case you didn’t believe me…here’s the spec placard for the MTB cranks.  Click on any of the parts pics to enlarge them.

For those of you who are wary of putting (spending) carbon cranks on your mountain bike, FSA presents the Afterburner alloy crankset.  It weighs about 150g more, but is less than half the price.

Like it’s carbon sibling, though, it’s designed for BB30 bikes.  It uses cartridge bearings rather than ceramic.

Here’s the road-going K-Force Light carbon crankset.  Same general spec as the MTB set (hollow carbon, ceramic bearings, BB30, etc.) with a weight of 645g (versus 690g for 2009 Dura-Ace, which is not BB30).

The last crankset we snapped pics of is their new Neo Pro Time Trial / Triathlon bad boy.  1000g of aero carbon gearing.  Even the back of the arms are slightly recessed to cover the edges of the (ceramic) bearings.  It uses hollow carbon arms that are tear drop shaped to cut through the wind.  This crankset propelled Fabian Cancellara to two World Championships (or is it the other way around?) and took Gold in Beijing.

Here’s a little comparison of BB30 weights versus standard external BB’s from FSA.  Click on image to enlarge it.

FSA’s new MTB wheelset uses a 15mm thru axle to increase stiffness over a standard QR skewer and save weight over the more FR/DH spec’d 20mm axle.  Most fork manufacturers now offer 15mm designs on their popular models.  It has a wide rim to accommodate bigger tires and is built to take some abuse.

They also have an XC-SL wheelset that weighs in around 1650g for racier riders.

FSA’s new RD-888 carbon road wheels use a high-pressure molding process with super smooth mold interiors to give their wheels a shiny finish without the added weight of lacquer.  These puppies aren’t even up on their website yet…no word on how the lack of a coating may make them more susceptible to the elements…

The FSA logo is embossed slightly in the carbon.

Revolution ceramic-bearing hubs.  Very sharp looking.

They come with carbon-specific brake pads, QR’s and valve extenders.

The Plasma Compact is a one-piece, full carbon handlebar/stem combo.  Very nicely shaped hand positions and a variety of lengths and widths give you comfortable sizing options in a weight you’d be hard pressed to match with separate components.  Even the drops are flattened on top to give you a better resting position.

Of course, you’d be hard pressed to spend this much on separates, too, but they wouldn’t look nearly as cool.  They also have a standard (non-compact) sized Plasma handle bar.

For the more traditional folks, they also have their K-Force carbon handlebar with a more classic rounded shape.

This stealth fighter jet-looking thing is your next weapon against the clock.  Called the Vision Ultimate, it’s designed to make you very aero and comfortable.

The aero bars / arm rests adjust fore/aft and left/right.  The bar system weighs 990g and retails for $900.

Also in the Vision line is this giant carbon aero water bottle that attaches to the bottom of aero bars (should fit any brand) and has two massive straws.

Looking down into it, the openings for pouring your drink in should make great 12oz cup holders aprés ride.

All that go fast stuff still needs to stop, and FSA has you covered there, too, with their K-Force brake calipers.

One of the last of the really sweet new things (before we get into the Gravity stuff) was this carbon/alloy headset with ceramic bearings.  Smooth and light (and expensive!).  50g for 1-1/8″ with an MSRP of $240.

For the Gravity set, FSA had a new line of heavy duty components to deal with the stresses of free riding.  The handlebars above include their monster new 31.5″ wide version.  Ultra-wide bars seem to be the new thing creeping out for AM/FR/DH use (like the 31″ Syncros one we saw at the show)

It’s actually 405g for the 800mm (31.5″) width version.

Their new Gravity pedals have dual concaved sides to help keep your foot in place, and they come with two sizes (5mm and 6mm) replaceable pins, eight per side.  Cro-Mo spindle, sealed NorGlide teflon bushings inside an extruded and machined aluminum cage.

New chain guide and bash guard.  Bash guard available in 32- or 34/36 tooth sizes.  Nylon composite guide materials, stainless hardware and AL7075/T6 boomerang.

Last up is there new Gravity grips.  Specs below.

 

 

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