Interbike Tech—DT Swiss, Camelbak, Titus, and 2XU
- By Zack Vestal
- Published Sep. 25, 2009
- Updated Sep. 25, 2009 at 5:32 PM EDT
We got a first look at a new 2010 DT Swiss wheel line in Germany, at the Eurobike show. Like so many things over there, we ran out of time to have a good look and get the story out. Fortunately, DT Swiss is well supported here in the States with a U.S. office, and they put on a great show here at Interbike as well.
DT Swiss’s “Tricon” line includes one road wheelset and one mountain bike wheelset. Tricon technology refers to a complete system of hub, spokes and rim, which are not sold as separate components, only built into a complete wheel.
Tricon starts with a completely new hub from DT Swiss, one in which the hub flanges are threaded on to the main hub body. The goal is to isolate any strain or deformation on the hub caused by spoke tension, and thus, keep the bearings turning more smoothly and tension-free. The new flange design also incorporates straight pull spokes which anchor in the flanges not with a normal spoke head, but a threaded end. DT Swiss says that this reduces peak load and stress on the hub end of the spokes.
At the rim, the Tricon system also uses a new interface, this time in the form of an insert in the inner rim wall. The insert, rather than a normal eyelet, is said to better distribute the load of spoke tension and permits a lighter rim. Best of all, the Tricon spoke insert eliminates the need to drill through the rim at the tire bed, making the rim 100-percent tubeless ready—it’s airtight and requires no rim strip.
Other features include what’s called “open crow’s foot” lacing (a mix of 1-cross and radial spoking) and a slight concave shape to the rim sidewall, for extra strength. The hub internals are based on the tried and true 240 hubs, so new spare parts won’t be needed.
Two wheelsets use the Tricon system. A mountain bike wheelset called XM 1550, which weighs about 1550 grams for the pair and uses a 26 mm wide rim is meant as a trail or “cross-mountain” wheel, is great for bikes in the 5-inch travel range. The RR1450 wheelset is a versatile road wheelset, using 18 spokes in the front and 24 rear to present a reasonably light, reasonably aerodynamic option.
In other news from DT Swiss, their suspension fork line is getting some love in the form of new magnesium lowers, with a hollow, internally braced arch called “Torsion Box.” Torsion Box significantly improves stiffness in new forks with magnesium lowers, like the XMM and EXM, available with 120 and 150 mm of travel, respectively. Additionally, DT Swiss’s damping units have been reworked for better performance.
CamelBak Podium bottles get even colder
CamelBak gained attention for providing insulated Podium Chill water bottles as standard equipment to the Garmin-Slipstream team at the Tour de France. The Chill is claimed to keep fluid cold twice as long.
Now, CamelBak introduces Podium ICE, an insulated bottle that should keep your water cold up to four times as long. Podium ICE uses Zero-Loft™ extreme aerogel, a highly effective insulator with the lowest thermal conductivity of any solid. This water bottle will cost $20, weighs about 120 grams, and will be on shelves this spring.
Also new from CamelBak is a digital accessory for hydration pack tubes, called Flow Meter, and also revised wearable hydration, in the form of RaceBak and VeloBak jerseys and base layers. Flow Meter calculates the remaining fluid in your hydration bladder, and can also be programmed to monitor your fluid intake and help you stay hydrated. It will integrate with any CamelBak reservoir and will be available at retail locations nationwide in October for $30.
VeloBak is a jersey with a hydration bladder sleeve built into the back, and joins the newly revised RaceBak base layer in the wearable hydration collection from CamelBak. In both pieces, mildly compressive material supports the hydration bladder without restricting breathing or ventilation. The new VeloBak jersey will retail for $130.
Titus revises multiple models
At the Dirt Demo, we had a chance to see a couple of new bikes from Titus, but didn’t have time to ride them or get the full scoop. Today on the show floor, Titus marketing manager Jeff Titone walked us through the line.
The big news is carbon bikes with a new look. The 105mm travel X Carbon cross-country race bike is completely re-tooled for 2010 with a swooping carbon fiber main frame, and full carbon rear stays (including dropouts and brake tabs) with an s-bend for heel clearance. A size medium will weigh less than 5 pounds with shock and hardware. The bike has a clean look with internal cable routing (including hydraulic hose), and a stainless steel plate on the down tube for impact protection.
Another bike with a new look is the FTM Carbon, a trail bike with 135mm travel in a 5.25-pound frame plus shock package. Like the X Carbon, it’s got internal cable routing, a “R.U.B.” protection plate on the downtube, and fully carbon rear dropouts, brake tabs, and suspension link. As it’s a longer travel trail bike, the FTM Carbon gets a tapered steerer.
Finally, the Rockstar 29er turned our heads, with 100mm of travel in either aluminum or titanium. It’s got a tapered head tube and carbon rear stays, and the geometry has been slightly revised over last year’s 29er to accommodate the increased suspension travel.
A cool aspect of the Titus line is the fact that the two principal full suspension models, X and FTM, are both available in carbon, titanium, or aluminum, depending on your preference and budget. All the geometries and features carry between the three materials, which means for example, the FTM Titanium has a tapered head tube—not something we’ve seen much of these days.
2XU compression in limited team editions
Finally, a quick stop at the 2XU stand turned up a couple of cool pieces. The company is doing limited edition Garmin-Slipstream and Cervélo TestTeam compression tops and bottoms. The tight, compressive material is ideal for recovery from workouts, in that it improves venous return and reduces post-exercise swelling. Compression tights are becoming widely accepted not only for recovery, as post-training attire, but also for travel, to prevent swollen, heavy legs on long air or car trips.
Some new pieces at the 2XU stand that I think will be particularly useful for those of us that travel frequently are the compression leggings. They look like legwarmers and offer the same compression as a full tight, but won’t be as hot during long travel.
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