Perhaps unknown to U.S. cyclists, Syntace has a bicycle brand on top of their component line.
Called Liteville, they’ve got an all new, adjustable travel model called the 601. Here’s what they say about it:
The new long travel do everything weapon: From everyday trail riding to Super D racing or steep, highly technical terrain, the 601 takes everything in its stride. The weight and efficiency of a trail bike, the control and comfort of a LT all-mountain bike, and the descending prowess of a DH bike.
Make the jump for more on that and an assortment of new components…
The Liteville 601 has both adjustable geometry and travel. The geometry is changed by moving the shock mount forward or back on the downtube. The mount also doubles as cable guides. The short travel setting is 165mm rear wheel movement with a 222mm Fox DHX Air 5.0. Throw a different front mount and a 241mm shock on there and you bump travel to 190mm in the rear.
The rear axle is a Syntace X12. The top tube has a cable hole in it for running a dropper seatpost remote and keeping the cable from flopping around on the side of the frame. There are a whopping six sizes available, from XS to XXL, with frame weights ranging from 2,690g to 3,040g. It’s also available in black, and these are actually available in the U.S. via direct order…they have licensed the Horst Link patent from Specialized for this market.
Shown on the bike is one of Syntace’s newer products, the H.A.T. spacer. It’s available for both 1-1/8″ and 1.5″ and helps fill the space between the stem and frame better on bikes that use internal headsets.
The new Megaforce 2 stem uses an ovalized boxy shape for the main tube, which pushes the clamps out wider and provides a much stiffer platform.
The design pushes the clamps about 8mm wider than their standard round stem. They have a 6º rise and come in 10mm length increments from 30mm up to 80mm. Weights range from 107g to 137g. They’re for 1-1/8″ steerers and OS 31.8mm handlebars only.
Now that the 31.8mm oversized handlebar clamp diameter is fairly well everywhere, there’s a need for aftermarket aerobars to fit them. The XXS takes their standard model and does just that.
Syntace’s VRO angle/fit adapter stem system isn’t new, we just hadn’t seen it before. The stem has a standard diameter round bar sticking out of the front. The dual VRO clamp mounts to that and your handlebar with a single bolt and allows adjustment of reach and angle to help you get the fit just right.
So, if you’re wondering what it is that some people are comparing the new Niner RDO carbon post to, this is it: the Syntace P6 Carbon HiFlex seatpost. Indeed, it does look very similar, but the Syntace model’s alloy lower clamp section is larger, the top piece is shaped a bit differently and this one’s carbon sections where the adjustment bolts go through seem a bit slimmer than Niner’s post. Weights are about the same, too, ranging from 213g (30.9 x 400) to 232g (34.9 x 400) but Syntace’s offers a massive 480mm length in addition to the 300mm and 400mm. It comes in 27.2, 30.9, 31.6 and 34.9 diameters. The design offers a considerable amount of rearward flex to take the edge of bumps, hence the “HiFlex” name.
Update: Just got confirmation from Chris Sugai at Niner that, despite appearances, these are different posts made at different places.
Lastly, Syntace has a new alloy pedal that’s machined from forged 7075 alloy. Besides the simple approach to design with two large openings to clear crud, the genius is the small, medium and large size offerings. They’re available in raw silver and ano black with 14 to 16 pins per side. Weight for the Medium pair with 64 pins all installed is 395g. The pins are collared to prevent damage that could jam them into the holes and make them stronger. 16mm platform height.
