Road and MTB Drops – Team BMC, new shoes from Crankbrothers and Fizik and more….

We’re back with a roundup of the latest in bike tech. On the drops for today are some team news, new shoes from Crankbrothers & Fizik, updates to SRAM’s Flight Attendant, new bikes and more.

Team BMC Announces 2024 Roster

After a successful 2023 season, Team BMC returns for 2024 aiming to support young talents on their way to becoming stars of the sport. The year promises to be exciting, with the World Cup returning to Brazil, the World Championships in Andorra, and, most notably, Paris 2024.

For the 2024 season, Team BMC’s Elite and U23 riders race aboard the World Title winning platforms Fourstroke and Twostroke. They will be supported by a strong set of partners including Öhlins, Pirelli, SRAM, ABUS, SKF, Motul and ASSOS of Switzerland.

Team BMC for 2024 is Jordan Sarrou (31), second overall in the World Cup in 2023; Titouan Carod (29), 2020 bronze medalist in the World Championships; Juri Zanotti (25), 2021 Italian national champion; Steffi Häberlin (26), top-ten World Cup athlete; Janis Baumann (21), medalist in World & European championships; Maxime l’Homme (21), new to the Elite rankings.

New Trail Lace Shoes from Crankbrothers

Crankbrothers’ new Mallet and Stamp Trail Lace shoes are engineered for adventure. Featuring an all-new MATCH tread pattern and a versatile yet lightweight upper, the Trail Lace shoes blend performance and durability, giving you the confidence and comfort to ride all day long.

Whether your next adventure takes you on a hike-a-bike through the Alps or a sun-up-to-sundown mission near home, the Trail Lace shoes are ready for the challenge.

Premium Construction 

The premium synthetic upper is constructed from durable, water-resistant materials and is also perforated for enhanced breathability and ventilation. In addition, a traditional lace closure system complete with lace pocket keeps your foot comfortably secure.

Toe Protection

A TPU-reinforced toe box combined with an outsole that wraps around the front of the shoe provides critical protection against possible impacts and rock strikes.

SCOTT Genius ST Concept by Dangerholm

Gustav Gullholm aka Dangerholm is back with his latest project, which agains pushes the boundaries of mountain bikes.

Dangerholm, the magician-technician from a distant land, has gazed into his crystal ball and created a concept bike, materializing his vision of how the mountain bike of the future might look. For this latest project, Dangerholm has transformed a SCOTT Genius ST into the cleanest trail bike ever to provide us a glimpse of what potentially lies ahead.

Fellow time travellers, fasten your seatbelts and join Dangerholm on his trip into the future, armed with the words of a similarly-minded, transcendent genius:

“The future’s unwritten. It’s what we make of it.”
– Doctor Emmet Brown, 1990

Dangerhom decided to push the idea of integration to the limit with his latest vision.  To best complement the technically minimalistic appearance of the bike, he started with the Scott Genius ST with an almost monochrome look when it came to colors and logos.

Frameset

The SCOTT Genius ST, or Super Trail, is the brand’s more heavy-hitting trail bike option and serves as the basis for the build. With the 150mm rear travel taken care of by the incredibly capable Fox Float X NUDE shock, with piggy back reservoir and a full range of adjustments, and with 160mm forks with no remote to instead focusing on having more adjustable dampers.

In order to make  the cockpit on this bike as visually clean as possible, Dangerholm created a custom frame-mounted remote to control the 3 positions of the rear shock.

Up front the custom theme continues with a unique Intend Hero 160mm fork. Aside from its upside-down design, which provides benefits such as perfect lubrication and supple performance, this German fork has also been prepared for what might be the most well hidden brake hose routing yet.

In similar style to what you’ll find on a gravel or road bike, the hose is routed through the steerer tube and crown. It then follows the back of the fork leg, and upon compression the brake hose will sort of coil to the side and rearwards.

Cockpit

On top sits a Syncros Hixon iC Rise one piece carbon handlebar, which also has been heavily modified to allow for the internal routing. Naturally it has been suitably reinforced, to compensate for the new holes and ensure that it’s safe to ride, but it is still very much a one-off prototype and not recommended to imitate in any way. Everything is then routed through a modified Syncros headset, which spins on CeramicSpeed SLT bearings.

The controllers for the rear derailleur and dropper seat post are almost invisible at a first glance, as they just look like lock-on grip collars. The super minimalistic controllers are made by Zirbel and called Twister WE03, actually providing great ergonomics and a tactile feel thanks to running on ball bearings and with strong small magnets providing the ”click” resistance. They have cables being routed under the grip, through the handlebar and into the frame where they connect to a SRAM BlipBox.

Seat/Seatpost 

Up top there’s a Syncros Tofino SL, which is not only very light but also one of Dangerholm’s favorites comfort-wise for MTB. What’s really special about it is that the rails and saddle shell is actually a single carbon construction, made in just one step. This gives it a superb strength-to-weight ratio and is a small fascinating feat of engineering and manufacturing upon a closer look.

The seat post is a standard RockShox Reverb AXS in 170mm.

Brakes

There were two main factors to consider with the brake choice on this bike: stopping power as it is a descending focused bike and also of course the integration possibilities. Trickstuff Piccola HD fit the bill perfectly, being very powerful with their 4-piston calipers and the levers are offered with a special banjo that lets you angle the brake hose directly towards the handlebar.

Rotors are Trickstuff Dächle UL (Ultra Light) in 180mm rear and 203mm front. The brake disc bolts are worth a closer look, as they are as beautiful as a set of bolts can be. Also made by METI like the thru axles, they are machined from titanium in the most intricate way and in this version relies on a socket for installation making the process rock solid and a joy for any mechanic.

Drivetrain

Up front there’s a SRAM X0 carbon crankset that has been custom painted in matte black, with a prototype 34T chainring attached. The chainring is made after Dangerholm’s own design idea by RadoxX components.

Pedals are the Xpedo Baldwin which is a quite lightweight option with a SPD style mechanism.

The SRAM X0 Transmission chain then connects to a matching cassette, before we reach the rear derailleur which is a small piece of art on its own.

The base is a SRAM X0 Transmission derailleur, which has had the outer face of the b-knuckle polished to go with the rest of the bike. The parallelogram and skid plate is made of forged carbon by Hopp Carbon Parts in Germany. Not only do they save a bit of weight, but once again it is also about the visual appearance.

They go perfectly with the carbon cage of the CeramicSpeed OSPW X for Transmission rear derailleur cage. It looks quite amazing, and has some clever features to keep friction low and durability high. The solid pulley wheels means that nothing can get stuck, and there are grooves around the bearing covers that mechanically keeps the dirt away from the bearings.

Wheels

Duke Racing Wheels makes both the rather interesting hubs and rims. Starting with the hubs, they’re called BadBoy and are the J-flange version compared to the slightly lighter MadMax straight-pull model. They feature a titanium freehub body and a ratchet mechanism with a special type of spring for perfect load distribution. Normally available in black, they have been custom anodized to match this bike.

For tires, Dangerholm went for his all-time favorite gravity thread pattern, the Maxxis Assegai.

SRAM Updates Flight Attendant

Utilizing data from Power Meters as well as AXS drivetrain components, the latest version of SRAM’s Flight Attendant analyzes the constant flow of ever-changing data to anticipate the perfect suspension setting for you, and for what the trail demands. By listening and learning from more data than ever before, Flight Attendant suspension delivers an unmatched experience for the rider. This wireless communication protocol enables Flight Attendant’s system of components to instantaneously receive data to optimize suspension settings.

Flight Attendant has a new tool that enables the algorithm to learn how you ride to continuously personalize your suspension: Adaptive Ride Dynamics. This smart functionality compiles data from your previous rides to precisely calculate your personalized Effort Zones. No buttons to push, your suspension is controlled by your effort. Flight Attendant components seamlessly switch between three compression damping positions: Open, Pedal, and Lock position.

Both new, out-of-the-box, and upgrade kits are available for Lyrik, Pike and ZEB forks, though it seems that the upgrade kits are currently bike specific and are limited to models from Canyon, Specialized, Trek, and YT.

Frameworks Racing Kicks Off Season in Tennessee

Frameworks Racing kicked off the racing season with the first stop of the Downhill Southeast series in the USA. Both Neko Mulally and Asa Vermette were in attendance to take on the rest of a stacked field of racers. As usual, Tennessee provided only the finest of conditions with a good dose of rain and mud. Asa was stoked with the conditions and mentioned “Where I’m from in Colorado we don’t get to ride in mud very often so this is sick!”. With two top-five finishes this certainly was a great start to the year.

This was Asa’s first race aboard the new Frameworks machine. While he is not used to these conditions he certainly adapted quickly and put down the fastet time of the day by over 5 seconds. What a promising start to the season for the young man!

Neko Mullaly ran a very smooth race and put down a fast time of 2:21.60 which put him in 5th place for the day.

Fizik Launches New Proxy Gravel Shoe

Fizik has expanded its off-road racing shoe range with the launch of the Proxy. The Proxy – now available in coral/purple, white and black colorway options – has been developed for competitive riders seeking race-ready features and optimal power transfer on unpaved roads.

Just like fizik’s top-tier products, the Proxy has racing DNA at its core, no matter the terrain.

Ventilation has been optimised by integrating an innovative, translucent PU laminated mesh that makes the shoe both lightweight and comfortable. The upper is ultra-durable too, thanks to its tear-proof construction which protects cyclists from the perils of riding on rough terrain.

Fine-Tuned Fit

The Proxy’s closure pattern is minimal yet supportive and utilises BOA® textile lace guides that balance tension and eliminate pressure hot spots. The single dial Li2 BOA® Fit System also allows cyclists to fine tune their fit, ensuring maximum performance without compromising on comfort.

Push Your Power in Comfort

The newly redesigned X3 fiber composite outsole offers improved stiffness for efficient power transfer. The thick rubber tread meanwhile delivers enhanced grip on the pedals and improved traction for those off-the-bike sections during CX races.

Speed That Blurs The Line

One thing cyclocross, cross-country and gravel racing all share is a need for speed, and the Proxy is made to move, whatever the discipline. Whether you need an explosive start in a CX competition, agility on technical XC trails, or putting the power down during gravel racing, the Proxy has you covered.

Specifications

• PU Laminated mesh upper
• Li2 BOA® Dial A Fit System
• X3 fiber composite outsole with rubber thread
• Stiffness index 8
• Weight: 326 g*
• Sizes: 36-48 (37 to 47 also in half sizes)

Color options:

Coral/purple, white and black

Prices:

€229 / £229.99 / $249.99

OneUp Components Partners With the Santa Cruz Syndicate

OneUp is super proud to be the official cockpit sponsor of the Santa Cruz Syndicate. Jackson Goldstone, Laurie Greenland and Nina Hoffmann will be racing World Cup downhill on OneUp handlebars, direct mount stems and chainguides for 2024 and beyond.

Meet The Team

Jackson Goldstone was born and raised in Squamish, Canada, OneUp’s hometown. Jackson lives less than five minutes from OneUp HQ and he’s already becoming a regular visitor. It’s really special to finally have him riding for us.

Nina Hoffmann started riding mountain bikes in 2015. In 2023, she finished second overall in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. She also holds a master’s degree in psychology, studying the effects of hypnotism on mountain bike athlete performance in a race scenario. Nina does not mess around.

Laurie Greenland has swagger. The Bristol kid’s demeanor is so naturally laid back that you’d hardly imagine he’s made a career from all-out speed. But behind the easy smile is a true competitor. On the downhill bike, Laurie’s drive to win hides behind effortless style.