Race Face Next XC Cranks Review

I have been testing the Race Face NEXT XC crankset for 3 months now, and it is very lightweight, highly engineered, very trick looking, and best of all it is extremely stiff.

Happiness is a nice Stiff one

The Race Face NEXT XC crankset system is comprised of the EXI bottom bracket, the drive side arm with bonded CrMo spindle, the non drive side arm, and arm protection end caps. It comes in a very pretty box with everything very nicely laid out.

Race Face has been making carbon cranks for 10 years, and they spent 2 years of extensive R&D to create these 100% carbon cranks. The workmanship, innovation, design, materials analysis and artistry of that allocated time really shows in the quality of this product. The cranks are manufactured in their British Columbia Canada manufacturing facility.

Carbon Fiber 101
The history of carbon fiber starts out in 1958 in the hands of a freshly minted Ph.D. in physics, Roger Bacon. While working at Union Carbide Parma Technical Center located outside of Cleveland, he was doing carbon arc testing using stands of rayon, and he created some deposits, which contained carbon fiber whiskers. Unbeknownst he may have also created the first carbon nanotubes?

Carbon fiber is composed of carbon atoms bonded together to form a long chain of extremely thin fibers about 0.005–0.010 mm in diameter. Thousands of carbon fibers are twisted together to form a yarn, the yarns are used in several processing techniques: the direct uses are for prepregging, filament winding, pultrusion, weaving, braiding etc. It is usually then combined with an epoxy resin to form a composite material. Carbon fiber needs precursors for its creation, and either rayon, PAN or pitch is used. The mostly widely used precursor is polyacrylonitrile (PAN), which was researched by the Japanese in 1961, and then developed by Japanese and the British. Using PAN as a precursor creates much higher strength and higher modulus fibers.

In a nutshell: carbon fiber is a high strength, high stiffness material that when combined with a resin matrix creates a composite with exceptional mechanical properties.


Construction
The Race Face NEXT XC all carbon crankset has big flat, and broad, and hollow cranks arms that have a very subtle carbon patterning to them. The patterning is really only noticeable to close inspection, and looks a bit more like someone took a cross section of a rock crystalline structure, showing off large phenocryst (crystals).


During the construction process, the crank arms have all unnecessary material removed from the center core, so they have none of the typical internal aluminum spines that most carbon cranks use. They use a pre-impregnated proprietary carbon material that is sourced from the North American aerospace industry, and supposedly is the same material used on the much delayed Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The composite material is cut it into the required shapes, and it is then laid up around a core, cooked at temperature, and compressed under 8 tons of force! How the core is removed is a trade secret.

The pedal and spindle inserts, and the CNC CrMo spindle is molded and bonded in place for strength, lighter weight and durability.

Installation
The new EXI interface external bottom bracket system is easy to install or remove with standard tools and has a fully adjustable chainline. The bearing cups are triple wiper sealed, and the bearings are filled with Phil Wood grease, which should provide good long term durability.


Installation steps:
1) Lube the threads of each bottom bracket cup, insert the drive side BB cup and tighten it to 47 N-m, insert the non drive BB cup and tighten it to 47 N-m.
2) Lube the race on the crank arm spindle, insert the spindle with its nifty guide cap into the BB, give it a few taps so that it lays flush against the bottom bracket, remove the spindles guide cap.
3) Lube the spindles spline and the non drive side crank arms threads, put on the non drive side crank arm 180 degrees to the drive side crank arm, tighten it down with a torque wrench with a 8mm socket to a monstrous 61 N-m (it takes a lot of turning to get it there).
4) Done!


Impressions
The set came with a very trick set of 'Pedal End Boots', which go over the end of the crank arms to protect them. I am always bashing my pedals and crank arms into rocks, so I really like these, not only for the protection they offered the crank arms, but the subtle cushion, they provided to me on impact with rocks. I am willing to put up with the small weight increase (16g) for these on any bike.

The CNC 7075 aluminum chainrings (22/32/44) shifted quite nicely using their patented S.H.I.F.T. technology, and when I did miss a shift once, the hollow arms made a unique ping noise. Do they shift as well as XTR? Close, but no, they are not yet at that magic XTR shifting level. The cranks did not come with the newer turbine shifting, so I can't comment on its shifting abilities.


While out riding I really noticed how stiff these cranks are, they give me instant power access and there was no noticeable slop in the system from them. I like to do a lot of slow speed and hard torque moves on technical terrain, which really puts a lot of stress into the drivetrain system, and these cranks were incredible in that realm. I found myself moving down one gear on some of my rides due to the increased ability to apply power to the ground. They offered fast acceleration and provided a snappier feel while cranking and mashing on the pedals. I could make some ugly technical climbs that I haven't been able to do before or at least could now do with better style.

Weight Specs(175mm size):
Pedal end boots 16.3 g
Right arm, spindle, chainrings and bolts 448.6 g
Left arm 171.6 g
Bottom bracket 112.8 g
Pedals washers 3.4 g
Total 733 g
Total w/ extra's 752.7 g


Bottom Line
This is an amazing lightweight crankset, that is all carbon (outside of the CrMo spindle and pedal inserts), has incredible power transition to the wheels, looks great and has very cool bash guards for the crank arm ends. They are the stiffest, and snappiest cranks I have ever used with shifting that is close to XTR (but not quite). Crackalicious!

Strengths:
-Stiff
-Lightweight
-Arm end caps
-Carbon

Weaknesses:
-Pricey
-Not quite XTR shifting

Specifications
Sizes: 170mm and 175mm
Material: Carbon fiber composite arms with CrMo spindle
Chainrings: 22/32/44 - 100% CNC 7075 aluminum with S.H.I.F.T. technology
Bottom bracket: external EXI system with triple seals and Phil Wood waterproof grease
Weight: 730 grams (with included BB)
MSRP: $774

Value Rating: 3.5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers
Overall Rating: 4.5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers



Purchase Race Face Next Cranks



Race Face Next XC Crank url: http://www.raceface.com/components/cranks/1/

KCNC Ti Pro Lite Seatpost Review

I have been riding the new KCNC Ti Pro Lite seatpost for over 5 months now, and not only is it a nice looking seatpost, but it is one of the best lightweight seatposts currently on the market.

My older KCNC Ti Pro Lite seatpost was starting to show its age, and I was having a difficult time discerning the height markings on the seatpost that I used for terrain adjustments. The seatpost was still functioning properly after many years of use, and except for the occasional squeak (fixed by a drop of lube on the bolts) it has never given me any issues, so I can vouch for its durability.

"Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative"

Earlier in the year, I got an email that the KCNC Ti Pro Lite was now available in colors! How cool was that. It used to come in basic black with an option for colored yokes, which was sort of boring. They now come in full Red, Blue and Gold in 27.2x400, 30.9x400 and 31.6x400 sizes.

The KCNC Ti Pro Lite is a pretty basic seatpost, and is comprised of a Scandium tube (an Aluminum alloy in which Scandium has been added) and an Aluminum yoke saddle clamp system with Titanium bolts.



Scandium is a chemical element with symbol Sc, and atomic number 21. It is a silvery-white metallic transition metal, discovered in 1879 by Lars Fredrik Nilson and his team. He named it Scandium, from the Latin Scandia meaning "Scandinavia".

Scandium Chemistry 101:

Symbol: Sc
Atomic Number: 21
Group: Transition Metal
Atomic weight: 44.9559
Density @ 293 K: 3.0 g/cm³
State (s, l, g): solid
Melting point: 1812.2 K
Boiling point: 3021 K
Shells: 2,8,9,2
Electron configuration: [Ar] 3d¹ 4s²
Crystal structure: Hexagonal


During the Cold War, the Russians were the first to use Scandium with Aluminum alloys, and it was used for military endeavors such as the fins on ballistic missiles (for blasting through polar ice) and MiG fighter jets. Scandium is used as a grain refining additive for Aluminum. It enhances malleability, strength, integrity of welds, resistance to recrystallization and fatigue life of the aluminum. For bicycling applications a thinner walled and lighter tubing can be used. Most of the Scandium used in the US goes into high-intensity lights. Scandium is quite expensive, costing in the neighborhood of $120 per gram ($55,000 per pound).

"Cocaine is like really evil coffee"

My test stead Ibis Mojo takes a 31.6 seatpost, and it is accessorized in Red, so I had an easy choice to test, Red!


Thanks to Jason at FairWheel Bikes for helping out with the review. Fairwheel Bikes out of Tucson Arizona not only carries some of the most tricked out weight weenie parts in the country, they are also the US KCNC distributor.


KCNC themselves is based out of Chunghua Taiwan, and have a decade of engineering experience making some very innovative CNC bicycle parts. Ken Chang the leader and chief engineer of the company spent many years working with Aluminum and Titanium for some of the largest bicycle manufacturers in the industry, and that experience shows in the fabrication of their products.



The basic yoke system (rail support, yoke, bolts and connecting rod) is the same that KCNC has used for years, but the bolts have been beefed up a bit, which had been a complaint by some users whom were breaking them on very rare occasions. I am glad I never had the issue with a bolt breaking on me in my many years of service with the Ti Pro Lite seatpost, that would have been a bummer. I think it might have been more to do with properly torquing the bolt then anything, but that is a guess. The old bolts were a M5 size, while the news ones are M6 and have a slightly larger head. This basic yoke system is ubiquitous with all the lightweight seatpost manufacturers, no matter where they are sourced or produced.


It is the small details to attention that sets the KCNC products apart from their competitors, and their tricked out CNC work on their bicycle parts is very innovative and technical. They are always striving to save weight wherever possible, and the unique hollowed out connecting pin on the seatpost yoke system really displays their creative artwork.


Installation was straight forward and even seemed easier than I remembered it? I saved the current seat angle, so I wouldn't have to spend any time doing tuning, which can be a lot of work with that type of yoke system. You have to loosen one bolt and tighten on the other, back and forth until angle and saddle are snug. You might have to be careful when using this type of system with some carbon or more fragile rails as they could be damaged, and some irregular rails might have fit issues with the tight fit into the rail support. The amount of surface area with the yoke system that contacts the rail is very small, so this could exacerbate the interface problems.


I didn't bother cutting the seatpost this time, since I wanted to see how it worked as a full unit. I am not sure if the extra length helps or if the seatpost has been slightly redesigned internally, but it felt stiffer while riding than my older one. I also think that the slightly larger bolts help just a tad with any flex issues (a seat of the pants feel). The larger bolts have also meant that I have had no squeaking bolt issues (until the other day) after nearly 5 months of use. The smaller bolts required more tender loving care and maintenance.

"I wish I had someone I could really respect. Hey, look at the cans on that bimbo!"

The weight saving on my current bike by cutting the seatpost would not be very much anyway (or is the anyweigh). I have been making my 5.5 inch full suspension weight weenie bike a bit more All Mountain these days, and depending on my current fluctuating build my Ibis Mojo can vary anywhere from 23-26 lbs! The 31.6mm x 400mm weighed in at 166.9 grams, which makes it one of the lightest seatposts on the market.

Measured Specs:

Length: 390mm or 15.5 inch
Post: 125 grams
Rail Support: 11.2 grams
Yokes: 2 @ 5.8grams
Bolt: M6x45 5.4 grams
Bolt: M6x35 4.4 grams
Connecting Rod: 9.1 grams
Total weight: 166.9 grams

So far, the seatpost height markings have not been worn as much as my older Ti Pro Lite, and I am not sure if it is better marking method, or that they are on the back of the seatpost?

Bottom Line:
In the 5 months of use the newer KCNC Ti Pro Lite seatpost has not given me any issues, and it should have even better durability than its already durable predecessor . The larger bolts (M6 vs M5) have helped keep the yoke system squeak free, have less flex and should prevent any of the reported bolt breakage issues from occurring. I did not do any empirical tests, but the new seatpost also feels slightly stiffer.

The new KCNC Ti Pro Lite seatpost is a winner, its lightweight, durable, slightly stiffer, has larger bolts and comes in colors. The yoke system can be a pain to use and might not be the best system for heavier riders or downhillers.


Strengths:
-Durable
-Colors
-Larger bolts
-Lightweight

Weaknesses:
-Yoke system


Value Rating: 3.5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers
Overall Rating: 4.5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers


KCNC Ti-Pro Specs:
Tube material - Scandium T7
Yoke system material - 7075 Aluminum
Bolts - Ti 6V-4Al, size M6x45 and M6x35
Colors - Red, Blue and Gold
Sizes - 27.2x400, 30.9x400 and 31.6x400
Weight - 166.9 grams (verified)
MSRP - $125?

KCNC US url: http://kcnc-usa.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
KCNC url: http://www.kcnc.com.tw

Wildflowers and other interesting encounters

"Viewing wildflowers from a car is like praying to God while watching television."


During my mountain bike wanderings this summer, I have seen a lot more wildflowers than usual, mostly due to the unusually rainy weather we have had. There have been many rides in which the humidity was very non Colorado like, especially first thing in the morning when the ground moisture gets warmed up by the sun, it reminded me of riding in the Hawaiian foothills!

I tried to classify some of the wildflowers, but I am not a Botanist, so please inform me if I have gotten any of them wrong? I will let the picture do the talking.

fi'zi:k Tundra Saddle Review

I have been out testing the new fi'zi:k Tundra for a couple of months now, and for a cross-country saddle I have been very impressed. It is not going to win any awards for the most comfy saddle in the world, but it is a specialty beast, and it competes well within its realm. It seems that the road-specific fi'zi:k Arione saddle has been tweaked as an off-road saddle, creating a minimalist cross-country saddle meant for the racer, cross-country rider and weight weenie.


Company
Per fi'zi:k, the company was "Born in 1996 as a brand made for high performance, fi'zi:k was designed in the USA, and handmade in Italy by the world's largest saddle manufacturer, Selle Royal. Fi'zi:k is the phonetic spelling of the word physique, referring to the form or state of the human body."

The new Tundra is fi'zi:k's lightest mountain bike saddle, and it comes in 2 versions, the Carbon braided railed version in white (which I tested), and the K:ium railed (a Titanium alloy) version in black. My test Carbon version weighed in at 209.8g (2 grams less if you take off the ICS fi'zi:k logo insert), and it is supposed to weigh around 20-40g less than the K:ium version?

The Carbon braided rails are not round, but have a fat ovaloid shape (7x9 mm), so it might not fit all seatpost clamps. The carbon rails are wrapped with another layer of carbon fiber cloth, so they have a grabby feel to them, so when it fits into a seatpost and is clamped down, it stays put, which is a very nice feature. The carbon fiber cloth is also supposed to reduce any damage to the carbon rails.


The saddle is covered in Microtex, which is a synthetic leather, and has 3 sides that have an internal carbon framing. The framing wraps around from the rear sides to the front and helps to protect the material edges. The material has held up well, and has survived a couple of good crashes, in which my body suffered a lot more damage than the saddle, thank goodness for my Chiropractor. The Microtex material does not fade, and is water resistant, which was noticeable when I didn't get a wet butt after the bike got soaked in a rainstorm.

The saddle has 2 sections of the material, a shiny slightly stickier/tackier section that runs along the center of the saddle (more pronounced on the nose), and then a normal section running along the edges and the wings. This differential allows you to move easily around the saddle, but gives you some added traction/grip when either climbing or putting the pedal to the metal.


The saddle has a carbon reinforced nylon shell and is 290mm long and 125mm wide, while the nose is 40mm in width. It has a flat top with the rear sides drooping off in the typical Fi'zi:k wing fashion, and it is sort of shaped like a Mandolin. The nose is slightly squared and nice and wide, so it is a great place to roll up onto for those tough steep climbs, although it could use a more padding since it is a bit too hard.


When I was playing around with the saddle, a small plastic fi'zi:k logo on the bottom of the saddle seemed a bit loose to me. I then realized the logo fit into a small plastic receptacle under the saddle shell and was the spot for the Integrated Clip System (ICS), where you can directly connect a fi'zi:k rear light or a saddle bag without the need for straps. The ICS is a very nifty idea, and what a great place to incorporate something in a usually unused space. I tested out the fi'zi:k Blin:k rear light, which popped into the ICS slot easily. The rear light uses two LED's and has a switch on the back (the light itself) that allows you to choose either a constant mode, a blinking mode or off. With the long summer hours, I didn't really get to test it out, but it will be a nice addition for Fall, Winter and Springs rides in the dark. I always ride singletrack trails at dusk with front lights, so it will be nice to have a light on the rear, mostly to alert chasing bears to keep their distance. I did not get to test the fi'zi:k Saddle Pa:k, which comes in 2 sizes, a medium and a small.





Bottom Line:
The fi'zi:k Tundra is a firm saddle, but if you keep your weight centered in the sweet spot, it rides nicely. The shape of the saddle worked well for doing technical moves, had plenty of maneuver room and the sides were decent for squeezing, and it had just enough slipperiness for moving around. The flat pointy nose is a great place to get up on for those steep climbs, but the nose was a bit hard and not the most comfy spot to sit on for extended climbs. I think that a tad more padding on the nose would really be a great addition. The carbon rails are very innovative and I really like the carbon cloth wrapping for gabbiness it gave to the seatpost clamp, but not all seatpost clamps might accept the somewhat fat carbon rails, so be forewarned. And let's just say the seat is White!

fi'zi:k's has another winner with the Tundra carbon in the cross country racing and weight weenie category, although it is a tad heavy for the weight weenie guru.


Strengths:
-Durable
-Tacky nose
-Square flat nose
-Carbon taped rails
-Lightweight
-Water resistant

Weaknesses:
-Nose needs more padding
-Firm
-White
-Expensive



fi'zi:k Tundra Specs:
Weight - 209.8grams (2 grams less if you take off the ICS fi'zi:k logo insert)
Color - White
Carbon railed - $199
K:ium railed - $159
Blin:k light - $19
Pa:k bag - $25


Value Rating: 3.5 Flamin’ Chili Peppers
Overall Rating: 4 Flamin’ Chili Peppers


fi'zi:k MTB url: http://www.fizik.it/products_mtbsaddles.aspx
fi'zi:k Tundra url: http://www.fizik.it/catalog.aspx?subid=Tundra_braided