Tech Randoms: Part 2 - Crankworx Innsbruck 2018

Jun 17, 2018
by Ralf Hauser  
Spank Exclusive Sneak Peek
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Spank was kind enough to show us some very early versions of some of their new products. Developed with the Commencal Vallnord DH Team and already piloted by Amaury Pierron in his winning runs at Fort William and Leogang, the new Spank Spike 40 mm Frenchie DM stem is a fully CNC-machined piece from 7 series alloy.

Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Made with a 31.8 mm handlebar clamp and adjustable rise from 16 to 21 mm, the chamfered bar-clamp zones reduce stress risers and improve fatigue life in bars of all materials. Weight comes in at a light 128 grams.

Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
In the saddle department, there will be the new Spoon Sniff Sam Reynolds Edition for dirt jump and freeride applications, which has been closely designed with - as the name already gives away - Sam Reynolds. With a weight of 305 g and tough Kevlar side panels, the Kevlar and Vinyl stitched upper fabric is made to take some beating, with the saddle stitched panels giving it a high-end upholstered look.

Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
And last but not least, another signature saddle will be part of the lineup in 2019. The Oozy 220 Geoff Gulevich Spank Dat Ass Edition has been developed with Geoff to support the rider equally well on the up- and downhill. A slight kick-up in the back helps on the climbs with added lower back support. Adaptive edges in high friction areas also contour to the rider's personal shape and movement. With reinforced impact zones and a pronounced relief channel, the Oozy 220 weights about 280 grams.


Melon Optics
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
With thousands of combinations to choose from, Melon Optics gives you the possibility to truly customize your goggle looks. All their lifestyle models are now only available with polarized filters, a statement to quality and performance.

Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
The Halfway is a new sportive frame style, with the new Drifter catering to the lifestyle segment. There are lots and lots of colors to choose from.


Rie:sel Design
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Always fun to look at: Rie:sel Design's colorful versions of practical bike add-ons like fenders or frame and fork protectors.


Mons Royale
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Mons Royale already brought its new lineup to Crankworx, utilizing some interesting fabric combinations in their clothing. On the men's side, their Vapour Lite 3/4 jersey is made with a mix of Merino wool and Tencel – threads made from the bark of eucalyptus trees – turning the jersey into a fully natural product. On top of that, the material has a cooling effect while retaining temperature-regulating features. The Momentum Bike Short is available as a men's and women's version, with 83 % Merino wool, 13 % nylon and 4 % Elastane, creating a comfortable and flexible fit.

Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
The Womens Phoenix Enduro VT is made from Air-Con. By wrapping merino wool around a core of nylon and elastane fibres, Mons Royale is retaining the benefits of merino wool next to the skin - but with greater strength at a much lighter weight. With different colors to choose from, you can match it perfectly with the new Womens Momentum Bike Short.


RockShox
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Yes, we've seen it quite a few times before, but there's something about classic bike products that keeps drawing us in. New Boxxer vs. old Boxxer. Both real pretty in their own way.

Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018

Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018

Crankworx Innsbruck 2018
Crankworx Innsbruck 2018


MENTIONS: @Spank-Ind, @SramMedia


Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Crankworx Randoms


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72 Comments
  • 129 2
 Over there they got the metric system. they call it...the Mons Royal with Cheese.
  • 36 3
 Well look at the big brain on Jason475
  • 15 4
 What?
  • 37 1
 @whistlingcoyote

They speak english in what?
  • 5 2
 66.04 isn't dead either
  • 11 3
 @Leo48333: what?!
  • 36 1
 @whistlingcoyote

ENGLISH MUTHAF@#*A! DO YOU SPEAK IT??
  • 3 1
 So I'm reading the article, at work in the boot room on my phone, and I see the Mons Royale. When I got to the comments section this was not the comment I was expecting!! Thinking more along the lines of how expensive bla bla bla. I had tearing coming out my eyes!! Everyone was like"what so funny" ... they just didn't get it. Absolute Gold!! Made my day.
  • 10 1
 @whistlingcoyote: Say what one more time. I dare you, I double dare you mother f#@er!


www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo5jnBJvGUs
  • 6 1
 This is what we all wanted to see from @SramMedia this year

www.pinkbike.com/photo/16016400
  • 2 1
 What do they call the Whopper?
  • 2 1
 @valhallascott: dunno, didn’t go to Hungry Jacks
  • 2 3
 The Oozy 220 should weigh 220 grams you friggin morons.
  • 1 1
 @whistlingcoyote: is “Hungry Jack’s” what you get when they dub “Burger King” in Australian?
  • 1 1
 @ReformedRoadie:the Burger King name was already trade marked by a little burger joint in Adelaide so the franchise went with the name Hungry Jack's when they expanded to Australia.
  • 2 4
 Hungry Jack's = Instant sloppy diarrhea.
  • 9 2
 @fecalmaster: Just like everytime I read one of your posts.
  • 2 1
 @fecalmaster: this guy would know
  • 1 1
 @whistlingcoyote: Burger King* Sorry, I had to...
  • 9 0
 I had a 1st or 2nd gen Boxxer back in the day. 150mm travel,no disc mount. I can proudly say I rocked a Avid Tri-Align v-brake as a front brake on my first Megavalanche!
  • 7 1
 Absolutely love Melons style and the possible color/pattern combinations - but - I've tried and failed like 6 times to make a custom pair of goggles and sunglasses I could buy of the past year. Every time their website says the parts are out of stock. I haven't given up just yet. In fact, I'm going to go try again now...
  • 1 0
 Melon ggls are the best gear around, got MX and Snowboard both top quality...and the options to choose from....
Luckily i got mine time ago, and it was easy-peasy now looking forward if they pop out with something new Razz
  • 4 0
 chamfered edges preventing stress raisers. Hmm.
Stress raisers where: bar or stem?
As deeply chamfered as that stem is, will reduce the surface area over which the clamping force is applied, effectively increasing the pressure on the bar, yes?
Uneven clamping surface area causes stress raisers which can cause bar failure.
I'm probably misunderstanding something here, but could Spank explain the chamfered edges and stress raiser situation?
  • 2 0
 I think we're mixing two things here.

1. The chamfering.
2. The removal of material from the middle of the clamp.

1. This is the thinning of the material towards the edges. If you look at the side view, it appears to have kind of a gap between bars and stem. A competing stem, like the Rental Apex for instance, doesn't have this. As it thins, it allows for more elastic deformation as the stem and bars are being stressed. Before I get too technical, I assume you may have come across products or situations where having a sudden jump from nothing to too rigid could cause damage to whatever is connected. For instance the tapered sleeve that goes over a power cable where it enters the wall plug. So that's the chamfering on the outside. On the inside (between bars and clamp) it kind of "softens" the point where the bars starts to come into contact with the stem. This is really nice and I don't think I've seen it often.

2. Apparently they've tried to reduce weight with this product. The middle of each clam does less than the outer edges so this is where they removed material. After all, there are already holes where the bolts pass through so initially the stresses were already on the outside. Fair enough I agree it seems like they're pushing it a bit too far here as it seems already like a light enough product. But if they are going to save weight, they'd better remove material from the middle than from the outsides. You may also like to take a look at the competing Renthal Apex stem. Even though they didn't go all the way through, they also removed some material from the middle.
  • 13 6
 Spank makes damn great looking and quality stuff!
  • 1 0
 50mm riser 800 wide - beep beeeep
  • 1 0
 Spank DM looks better than the BurgTec DM Wink
  • 2 0
 Just be careful being in work and searching for the Spank Spoon Sniff Saddle....NSFW
  • 2 4
 @gonecoastal: careful... I had some fanbois on my arse for not liking how Burgtec looks.
@sickbicycleco get a penis enlarger already!
  • 2 1
 @dro-cfr: they should have ridden the popularity of the Spike range and changed the company name to Spike, in my humble opinion. I mean, it's not a deal breaker for me but I get your point.
  • 2 4
 @jaame: what’s wrong with the name? It’s way better than Deity or Superstar or Nukeproof which would sound way better as Nuke. Or Nookie... Anyhoo Spike sounds like a good name for someone holding the camera filming spanking so not that much win there.
  • 5 0
 how exactly does that stem have adjustable rise? i mean other than adding spacers under it - in which case every DM stem has adjustable rise...
  • 2 1
 I wondered same. I like your username. It is literally one of my favourite words!
  • 1 1
 Spacers
  • 1 11
flag mollow (Jun 17, 2018 at 21:06) (Below Threshold)
 @jaame: except you're using it wrong... Ironic ain't it? Tool
  • 4 0
 @mollow: oh dear.

What kind of tool am I?
  • 3 0
 @jaame: Don't know about you, but he sure is a spanner.
  • 6 0
 Rockshox release more retro color ways!!
  • 5 5
 That yellow Pike DJ, Oh Mhy Lhawd! BTW Cane Creek does limited color ways.
  • 5 0
 Lyrik in Psylo Race gold?
  • 2 1
 @DavidSA: psylo gold legend
  • 2 3
 @browner: not sure if I want to remember Psylo... it seemed great on the picture and on paper then you got it and it was kind of ok and then slowly but surely it was becoming apparent that you should have spent same money on Marzocchi.
  • 2 0
 That new saddle developed with Sam Reynolds, all very well and good and may have some different coloured stitching, but that was a profile racing saddle (made by someone else), from probably 12 years ago. Cheap back of the catalogue job that!
  • 3 0
 It's a velo generic dirt jump saddle. I had a Velo branded one which looked exactly like this signature one twelve years ago. Vinyl top, Kevlar on the sides. 8mm rails and stuff.
  • 2 0
 @southoftheborder: Velo makes like, 87% of high end bicycle saddles in the world. That includes the ones that look like Velo saddles, and the ones that don't. There is a very interesting YouTube video about it somewhere...
  • 1 0
 @jaame: are you sure it's 87% at the high end? Fizik and several other companies, which probably account for a decent share of the market, still manufacturer in Italy, I thought.
  • 1 0
 @sspiff: no, I made it up. It's a lot though. I'm just saying, Velo makes most of the saddles. I am not familiar with the numbers though.
  • 1 0
 @jaame: Yes, I'm aware of that. Probably padding is also different in this premium-branded saddle versus a Velo branded one. And you won't find a great variety of designs in the realm of DJ, but it's still shocking the same exact model stuck around for 12+ years. I guess they won't fix it if it ain't broken.
  • 2 0
 @southoftheborder: yes it is notable. I guess DJ is seen as the genre in which low prices and dependable performance trump fancy materials, ever changing standards and light weight.
  • 2 0
 @jaame: well said. I guess it all comes down to its BMX roots. No weird ever-changing axle widths, wheel sizes or all the turmoil we've been through.

Thanks for the healthy exchange of opinions!
  • 1 0
 @southoftheborder: I reminds me of Taiwanese scooters actually. Most of them are using the exact same switch gear they have been using for 20-30 years. Great way to bring the costs down, and why not? They work!
  • 3 0
 Sniff. One off the worst names for a saddle. Trying to think of others...
Swett-eBolz?
AzcrackCradle?
Tenderizer?
  • 10 0
 Spank dat ass?
  • 1 0
 The Selle Italia Butcher is pretty bad too.
  • 3 0
 Maybe it's just me, but i don't think that the SPANK stem was what helped Amaury win his last two races... Just sayin'
  • 5 0
 Well you're wrong. If he didn't have it, how would he have attached the handlebars to the bike?
  • 1 0
 Can you guys do a break down of the old and new boxxers. I think it would be fun to see how all the #'s have changed throughout the years. Or maybe how much they haven't changed Wink
  • 2 1
 The melon goggle aren't a patch on 100% or Oakley. They steam up pretty easy and the lenses scratched easily. If you want fashion over function though you're winning.
  • 2 0
 this Sam Reynold's saddle looks like a decade old Velo/Funn/insert_other_brands saddle
  • 1 0
 C'mon Mons royale...Do you really think you're gonna sell much Air-Con clothes in France? (just have a look on Google traduction...)
  • 1 0
 So i am guessing the little sticker on the arch with all the colors means it is the Boxxer World Cup?
  • 1 0
 Spank stem with that hardware looks great. First sign of moving away from being a catalog company. Nice.
  • 1 0
 Har bloody har!
  • 1 0
 Dat underboob fender tho ...
  • 2 2
 Kind of astonishing how much hasn't changed in the BOXXER.
  • 2 2
 @gordon2456: to be precise, 28.99 times a day
  • 1 2
 Wish the stem came in 25.4mm instead..
  • 17 0
 Get with the times, 28.99mm offers the ultimate balance between stiffness, vibration damping and weight!
  • 1 1
 I'm confused because we would then not need stems that "reduce stress risers and improve fatigue life in bars of all materials"
  • 8 0
 Joke about 28.99 all you want, but their market department was genius! I swear 28.99 gets mentioned in the comments at least once a day.
  • 6 9
 @gordon2456: well, so it's been with covfefe...
  • 1 0
 @jamieridesbikes: hm, I have a task force stem and bar in 28.6 mm if you like







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