Carbon Shimano tubular wheels on Adam Craig's race bike
Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) sported several prototype Shimano and Fox bits on his race-trimmed Giant XtC Composite 29’er carbon hardtail in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Training wheels are fitted here for warm-up
Rabobank-Giant’s prototype Shimano carbon fiber tubular mountain bike wheels are ultralight, with claimed weights around 1,120g for the 26in version and 1,240g for the 29ers pictured here
This new Shimano carbon fiber tubular 29er rim isn’t borrowed from the road line nor is it a rebadged model from someone else. Rather, Rabobank-Giant mechanics tell us it’s a dedicated model
It’s difficult to see here but the spoke bed is offset on Shimano’s new carbon fiber 29er tubular rim
Shimano look to have both through-axle and standard quick-release versions of their new front hub
The new rear hub features straight-pull spokes that are stacked on top of each other to maximize the bracing angle
Rabobank-Giant rider Adam Craig was running these Vredestein clinchers set up tubeless for training, saving the tubulars for race time and only under the right conditions
Interestingly, the tubular tires run by many teams here in Pietermaritzburg aren’t being run at significantly lower pressures than tubeless clinchers. However, the far more flexible casings are supposedly better able to conform to the ground for improved climbing and cornering grip
Fox Racing Shox snuck a bunch of 2013 forks onto pro riders’ bikes at Pietermaritzburg. Here, Adam Craig’s new 32 Float 29 shows off the updated chassis with its more sculpted arch and trimmer 15mm through-axle dropouts
Kashima-coated fork legs reduce friction on Adam Craig’s (Rabobank-Giant) new Fox fork
Fox will apparently carry on with the low-friction SKF seals introduced last year
The OverDrive head tube houses a tapered steerer. Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) didn’t use a front derailleur here in Pietermaritzburg so that housing stop sits unused
The rear end is fairly straightforward on Adam Craig’s (Rabobank-Giant) Giant XtC Composite 29’er
Adam Craig’s (Rabobank-Giant) technically aggressive riding style is well suited to the through-axle fork
Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) was among several pros to run with a 1×10 drivetrain setup at Pietermaritzburg. Craig opted for a 36-tooth chainring
Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) is running a 160mm front rotor and a 15mm through-axle on his Giant XtC Composite 29’er
The Shimano XTR Race brake lever is paired with the trigger shifter via Shimano’s i-Spec integrated bracket
Adam Craig’s (Rabobank-Giant) bike is equipped with a Shimano XTR Shadow Plus rear derailleur and its trick pulley cage control
The rear caliper mounts to posts sized for 160mm rotors on the Giant XtC Composite 29’er frame
Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) uses a shim to step down to a 27.2mm seat tube diameter (internal) on his Giant XtC Composite 29’er
The ultra-wide press-fit bottom bracket shell on Adam Craig’s (Rabobank-Giant) Giant XtC Composite 29’er allows for a similarly broad down tube and widely spaced chainstays for extra tire clearance
See that little bit of rubber on on the rear derailleur line? That’s Shimano’s way of sealing up their derailleur cable housing and past experience has proved it to be remarkably effective
This is the GoPro setup we used to shoot the cross-country course video with Adam Craig. The aluminum mount is made by K-Edge and it’s rock solid
Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) rode a practice lap for us with two GoPro cameras fitted. If you haven’t watched the video (and listened to the running commentary), it’s worth a few minutes for sure
The tide of new gear spotted at this year’s opening UCI Mountain Bike World Cup round in Pietermaritzburg continues with Adam Craig’s Giant XtC Composite 29er and its prototype Shimano carbon fiber tubular wheels and Terralogic-equipped Fox 29er fork.
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Rabobank-Giant’s race tubulars use all-new carbon rims that, according to Shimano, are purpose-built for the project and not merely borrowed from the road range or rebadged from another company. While we didn’t have calipers on hand to measure, they’re visibly wider than Shimano’s road wheels for better support of mountain bike sized tires and also sport a braided external reinforcement layer at the spoke bed to better handle the rigors of off-road use.
Despite the racing intentions, Shimano don’t seem to have overlooked ease of maintenance. The hubs – which look to be borrowed from the company’s XTR wheels – feature rebuildable angular contact cup-and-cone bearings and the external nipples won’t require tire removal if a wheel goes out of true.
Rabobank-Giant’s prototype shimano carbon fiber tubular mountain bike wheels are ultralight, with claimed weights around 1,120g for the 26in version and 1,240g for the 29ers pictured here:James Huang/BikeRadar
Rabobank-Giant’s prototype Shimano carbon fiber tubular wheels are ultralight
Claimed weight for the 26in version is around 1,180g for the set, while the 29ers creep up to about 1,300g per pair. Actual weight of the complete 29er wheelset with tires, rotors, skewers and cassette was 2.98kg (6.57lb) and the complete bike in full-blown race trim was just 9.22kg (20.33lb).
Shimano representatives on site in Pietermaritzburg told BikeRadarthat these wheels are currently only available in prototype form for testing by key sponsored riders but we’re hopeful that at least the 29er variant will make it to production. While it may not sell in big quantities for mountain bike use, we’re hopeful it’ll be compatible with more ‘cross-appropriate rubber.
Adam Craig’s race machine also offered a preview of a new 2013 Fox 32 Float 29 fork with updated lower legs. As compared to the current version, Craig’s fork features a more heavily sculpted arch and trimmed-down 15mm through-axle dropouts, both of which we expect to shed a few extra grams. We don’t have details on the internals but Craig’s fork was equipped with Fox’s auto-locking Terralogic damper so we at least expect that option to continue moving forward.
Fox racing shox snuck a bunch of 2013 forks onto pro riders’ bikes at pietermaritzburg. here, adam craig’s new 32 float 29 shows off the updated chassis with its more sculpted arch and trimmer 15mm through-axle dropouts:James Huang/BikeRadar
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Adam Craig’s Fox 32 Float 29 fork has an updated chassis, with a more sculpted arch than the current model and trimmer 15mm through-axle dropouts
