Photo Credits: PinkBike.com
Well as you know InterBike has been and gone, unfortunately we didn’t have the time or money to devote to going over there and checking it out. But hopefully next year! Most of our brands were represented over there in various shapes and forms, Straitline emerged the only ones willing to lay down the cash for a booth space…although I think it was tucked away in a deep dark corner of an underground dungeon…but in this dungeon lurked the finest MTB components known to man. Most of the gear you have seen in 2007, as they have been devoting a lot of time and money into expanding production to keep up with the demand. But there are a few items to enter the ranks, check it out:
Green will be phased out as it seems not many people want to match bike parts to Mountain Dew cans, go figure? It has been replaced by Brown (left of the White lever), a new colour to the line up. This is a big colours in production bikes at the moment so will cater for alot of you out there trying to match things up, plus it is fairly neutral so will go with almost anything.
Pictured above is the Wedge Stem, the 50mm stems above are running the custom designed and CNCed self locating shims to run 25.4mm bars. Some guys have been getting 25.4mm bars just to run these because they add just a little more bling, crazy! The lower stems are the 70mm reach. Not the new Brown colour will be available, and we already have Red stems (a mid 2007 season release) in stock.
Here is a cut-away of the Wedge Stem. This is a great illustration of exactly how the stem works; as you screw in the 2 clamp screws it pulls the wedge block into the stem wedging the stem onto the street. As you can see it bottoms out at maximum clamping force so if you have a heavy handed mechanic they won’t crush your steerer. If it wasn’t there, they surely might just do that as this system is extremely strong distributing the clamping force 360 degrees around the steerer tube.
For 2008 we see the 3rd gen. pedal (2nd gen. was a minor change from rubber to Teflon seals). The 2008 models sees the use of custom iGus iGlide bushings with a shoulder. This means you don’t need the seals featured in previous versions of the pedal. Still the great performing axle system, but less parts means less can go wrong as well as easier and cheaper maintenance. These pedals have been extremely popular and for good reason. Everything you see in the pedal (bar the bushings) are custom made in house at Straitline Components, even the pins. They are extremely low profile with extremely good grip from the hardened pins (rocks will come off 2nd best). The bushing system is also impervious to water and mud, your pedal will continue to run smooth and unaffected. Jeff Lenosky has been riding the Straitline pedals for about a year and in he says they are “the best pedal I have ever ridden”. But they aren’t just good for Street and DJ, they are great for FR and DH too so give them a look in when you are buying new pedals.
Any of your street nuts out there will be stoked by this setup! You can now purchase add on grind plates, custom designed and manufactured by Straitline Components for their pedals. This setup will mean you don’t scratch up and damage your pedals when doing pedal grinds. Because the plate is a polycarbonate (Lexan) it means it will slide over concrete and rails, rather than catching and hooking up as aluminium is known for. If you are into your street, then definitely check out these pedals and the grind plate add on.
Pictured above is a exclusive shot of the prototype chain device coming out from Straitline Components. The Device has a fixed inner plate (polyurethane) and will sandwich the chain with an outer plate (bash ring) as well as a bottom roller to keep tension and guide the chain when back pedalling. The guide has interchangeable mounting plates to suit Flange, ISCG and ISCG 05, so all bases are covered. We expect the production model to come in at around 250-300g and are still waiting on prices, but will release them ASAP. As always with Straitline Components, you get the opportunity to bling it out; they will be offering an array of colours for the injection moulded back plate and bashing.
The Amp is a pure dirt jump / street bike with no compromises in geometry or weight. At an approximate frame weight of only 4.6lbs, combined with 400mm chain stays and low BB and stand over creates a very tight and nimble bike that will be easy to rotate and throw around, whilst also being strong and stiff enough to take the every day beatings that dirt jump bikes expect.
The adjustable horizontal dropouts are perfect for those who want to ride single speed, and fine tune their wheelbase. The frame will also come with a hanger that allows you to adjust the wheelbase whilst running a rear derailleur.
The Amp prototypes will be using integrated headsets to reduce build weight, and lower the front end to make for a very aggressive riding position. The Amp has an ISCG 05 chain guide mount, and uses the same custom hydroformed top and down tubes as the rampant 4x frame.
