Top-value component maestros Superstar have been working on a load of new kit, including seatposts, stems and a new made-in-the-UK premium flat pedal. You can check these out in our image gallery. A £650 carbon wheelset is also in the pipeline, along with a dropper seatpost – more on these soon. There's even talk of a 915mm-wide handlebar called the Yardstick!
However, the big news in the pits at the Fort William World Cup was that they're branching out into bikes. The plan is to launch four models – two downhill bikes, a 6in-travel trail/all-mountain bike and a 4in cross-country rig.
All will be outfitted with name-brand suspension and groupsets, but the rest of the components will be from Superstar's extensive range. Not only will this help to keep costs down, but it means it'll be possible to colour-match – or colour-clash – everything from bar and stem to disc rotors, seatpost, pedals, headset and wheels at point of sale.
Seen here are prototypes of their new 8in-travel downhill bike, which, fitted with a RockShox Boxxer fork and Vivid shock plus SRAM X0 drivetrain, is expected to sell for around £2,500. The complete bike that was on show at Fort William is a one-off female-specific sample that won't make it into production, and significant tweaks are also likely to be made to the frame seen here before it goes on sale.
"We're knocking around with a few ideas," Superstar head honcho Neil Wilkinson told BikeRadar. "We want to do complete bikes, aiming at the market value of Boardman or Canyon but with a high-end finish and a killer spec... a boutique, custom spec with Boardman value."
We think £2,500 sounds like great value, but if you can't stretch that far there are plans for an entry-level 7in-travel variant, with a more basic Boxxer or Domain fork and new RockShox Kage shock for just £1,500. Sounds just the thing for younger riders. We'll keep you posted.
