Tons of good karma finally paid off in the form of an invitation to the 2005 SRAM Media Camp in San Luis Obispo. As you know, SRAM owns Rock Shox, Avid and Truvativ;
each respective brand was at the media camp to debut their 2006 product line. The purpose of the camp was to educate editors and athletes alike on the fine details of each
new product. There is time in the classroom, watching presentations from engineers and product managers as well as time in the field riding the new product!! Naturally,
the preferred activity was riding, but the classroom time gave us great insight into the inner workings of each component.
The first day started off with a presentation (that I missed due to <ahem> extraneous circumstances) of all the new SRAM and Rock Shox product. Fortunately for me there were
many folks there taking notes during the presentation and I was able to get all the pertinent information.
Luckily I arrived just in time for the ride portion of the product presentation!! This is where editors and athletes get to try out and test all the new product. We headed
off to Montana De Oro, which is on the Central Coast of California, for a killer ride loop. The ride consisted of a 40 minute climb with a 10 minute descent. The
climb had some technical rocky sections and the descent was laden with burm shots, whoops and rocks. The bike I used looked like the 5-6in. travel Azonic frame but it
had no logos. It was equipped with X.O triggers, an X.O rear derailleur with composite cage, Avid Juicy 7's, SRAM's new PG-990 billet Cassette, Truvativ Stylo GXP Carbon
cranks, Rock Shox MC 3.3 Rear Air Shock, Rock Shox Tora 318 fork set at 130mm of travel. Ron Ritzler (Product Manager) and Michael Zellman
(PR and Media Manager, pictured to the right) were able to give me a rundown of the new product line as we climbed.
Right away I noticed a change in the rear derailleur shifting from last year's high end offerings from SRAM. As a group, the new product seemed to shift much faster than
the X.0/X.9/990 cassette from '04. The SRAM Engineers attributed this to the PG-990 billet cassette body being much stiffer than last year's model. The front derailleur seemed to
shift much better than last year's as well and the engineers said that was due to the new PC-991 Chain that has a chamferred link that catches the ramps on the front chainrings
easier.
Truvativ Stylo GXP Carbon 2 piece cranks proved to be much stiffer than I would have guessed; I'm a heavy rider pushing 195 lbs and I didn't notice much flex at all. The ride
went great, but then it was off to the classroom for a full day of factoids�
Here are the new offerings you will see from SRAM, Rock Shox, Truvativ and Avid for 06�
SRAM X.0 Triggers long awaited but well worth it:
- Available in single right hand shifter pod or both
- It is modular so that broken pieces can be replaced rather than buying a whole new one.
- It has a narrow clamp that can be put on either side of the brake
- Does not interfere with popular disc brake models
- Shift increments on the front derailleur are all equal
- SRAM has saved weight, reduced size, increased strength and stiffness.
- 30 degree +/- Adjustable Pull Lever
- The 30 degree +/- Pull Lever is making everybody happy. The adjustability of rotation allows the rider to choose between fast single shifts or easier multiple shifts.
If you ride in a flat area or a lot of winding trails, you like to switch single gears fast. You just move the lever more away from the rider.
Weight: 115 grams
MSRP: $225
Available June 1st
SRAM X.0 Triggers: internal view of spring
30 degree +/- Adjustable Pull Lever:
- The 30 degree +/- Pull Lever is making everybody happy. The adjustability of rotation allows the rider to choose between fast single shifts or easier multiple shifts.
SRAM X.O Rear Derailleur Cage: C3 CompositeTM
- The cage is lighter than Alloy, making the chain action have less "sprung weight". This means that the cage can react to shifting and suspension movement better than a heavier cage assembly. It controls the chain better.
- The composite material is very slippery on the inside edges, making the chain less likely to "grab" or scratch the cage. In some weird occurrences the chain can catch or bind on the cage, which can lead to jamming or ultimately RD failure.
- The C3 Carbon composite cage cannot bend like an alloy cage. It can flex more under lateral (l to r) bending loads and so its more compliant upon impacts. Tortionally the C3 cage is more stiff, in other words its stays aligned under twisting and shifting stresses. After impacts or hits, the cage should stay aligned and straight. It is five times more durable than aluminum while providing crisper shifting based on our experience with professional race testing. Yes the C3 cage can break, but at that respective amount of force the alloy cage usually rips the whole drop-out and RD off the bike.
- The C3 mid cage RD can work perfectly with most gearing choices, even when using a 34 rear cogset. As usual proper chain length is key here. Remember the short cage model is designed for single chainring use (like 4x or DH racing).
- Composite cage is much stonger than aluminum. Steve Peat used the same cage (short cage) for the whole season last year.
SRAM X.O Triggers: Shifter Paddle Shot
SRAM X.O Rear Derailleur Cage: C3 CompositeTM
- The NEW X.0 cage assembly is made of several materials with distinct
properties. Sandwiched in the middle of the inner and outer cage plates is a multi layer carbon fiber weave with an epoxy resin. This provides superior strength and stiffness, and is lightweight.
- Bonded to one side (of each plate) and surrounding all exposed edges is an
over-molded layer of 40% carbon fiber filled nylon composite. The composite
protects the carbon from the chain and reduces wear.
Herbold: Greg Herbold holding up the goods!!!!!
SRAM Cassette: PG-990
- SRAM's new PG-990 Rear Cassette is machined from 1 piece bar stock aluminum so it is extremely stiff, which gives the rider tighter and more precise shifting. I witnessed this first
hand as I've been running SRAM X.0/X.9 drivetrain for the last two years.
The engineers kept reiterating that the cassette is the reason that the new product shifts so well. It is light weight and looks really trick.
SRAM Cassette: PG-990 (on bike)
SRAM X.O Rear Derailleur:
SRAM X.O Rear Derailleur:
