US company Point One (Po1nt) Racing make some of the most innovative, not to mention nicest-looking, mountain bike components around, and their new limited edition super-shiny nickel finish is a real eye-catcher.
Pictured here is the four-piece Split-Second (DM) stem, which fits RockShox Boxxer, Fox 40 and Manitou Dorado forks. The standard black version (£120/US$129) is one of the lightest direct mount units on the market, at a claimed 106g (31.8mm, without crown hardware).
The nickel version (£150/$TBC) comes with titanium bolts so it should be even lighter. It's available to fit oversize (31.8mm) and standard (25.4mm) bars, and combines a zero-degree rise with a 50mm reach.
So, you've got an uber-bling direct mount stem but you don't want to cut the steerer tube of your fork to fit, just in case you need to sell it a couple of years down the line. The normal solution would be a pile of spacers.
Point One Racing's Time-Capsule combines a headset top cap and spacers in a single unit
Point One's answer is the Time-Capsule, which essentially combines an extra-long spacer (there's a choice of 15 or 35mm lengths, weighing a claimed 19 and 27g, respectively) and a headset top cap in a single unit. At £15 ($16), or £25 ($TBC) for the nickel finish, it's not cheap, but it is a neat solution. Point One do "mega light" standard spacers too, for £9 ($9).
Also looking good are Point One's super-thin Podium flat pedals. Made of heat treated 4140 chromoly, they run on four sealed cartridge bearings apiece and weigh in at a claimed 339g (with optional aluminium pins). RRP is £169 ($179), and they're available in black or 'raw'.
Point One's Podium pedals stand apart from the pack thanks to their conical axles and ultra-thin (11-13mm) bodies
Leatt
We showed you Leatt's latest mountain-bike-specific neck braces at this year's Interbike trade show – the DBX Ride (£229.99) and Comp (£349.99). Topping the range is the new DBX Pro which is made of Kevlar reinforced carbon fibre and weighs in at a claimed 500g, compared to 850g for the Ride and 790g for the Comp.
Leatt reckon it's the lightest neck brace available, and it also allows a greater range of motion than any of their other models. Unlike on the cheaper DBXs, there's no Velcro in sight and the hinges and spacers are made of anodised aluminium. RRP is still to be confirmed.
NS Bikes
We were shown NS's new prototype Soda all-mountain frame last month. Pictured below is the 100mm-travel slopestyle version developed for team rider Martin Soderstrom. It's designed to be run as a singlespeed, and the burly rear end pivots around the bottom bracket.
NS Bikes' Soda looks like just the thing for freeride comps; not sure how well it'll pedal though!
All of these products are (or will be) available in the UK via Hotlines.
