A great big box of bike bling has just arrived in the office courtesy of FSA (Full Speed Ahead). The Mountain Biking UK crew will be putting these products through their paces in due course, but here's a quick first look.
SL-K
SL-K is FSA's lightweight mountain/road/'cross line. We showed you some of the kit at this year's Eurobike show, but one item that immediately caught our eye was this integrated seatmast head.
It's designed to fit any frame with a 31.6mm seat tube, and is also available in an aero version. Made of carbon Kevlar composite, it has 20mm of layback and weighs 198g. RRP TBC.
The SL-K MTB Triple MegaExo crankset is a work of art, with its carbon arms, chromoly axle and CNC-machined chainrings (44/32/22). Available in 170 or 175mm crankarm lengths, claimed weight is 662g (not including the supplied bottom bracket). RRP £499.95.
The SL-K Low Riser bar and anodised stem also look pretty tasty. The oversize (31.8mm) bar is made of carbon-wrapped 6066 alloy and combines an 18mm rise with a reasonable 660mm width, with a nine-degree backsweep and four-degree upsweep. Claimed weight is 214g. RRP £79.95.
The SL-K stem is suitable for road or mountain bike use and is made of 3D-forged 2014 alloy, with a carbon fibre faceplate and chromoly hardware, and a classy 'Storm Grey' anodised finish. It has a six-degree rise and comes in 80, 90, 100, 110, 120 and 130mm lengths. Claimed weight is 155g. RRP £79.95.
Afterburner
Carbon cranksets may be all the rage among the cross-country crew, but FSA's double-ring alloy Afterburner Compact 386 is one of the best looking options out there.
The arms are 6061 T6 hollow forged alloy, with a chromoly axle, 7075 T6 chainrings (40/27 or 42/27) and MegaExo bottom bracket. Claimed weight is 776g (not including supplied bottom bracket). RRP TBC.
Gravity
Gravity is FSA's sub-brand aimed at, you guessed it, gravity riders – downhillers, 4X racers and freeriders. Our box included a stem, bar, post and crankset.
The Gravity Light stem is CNC-machined from cold forged 2014 T6 alloy, with a four-bolt front clamp and chromoly hardware. It has a six-degree rise and is available in 50, 70, 90 and 105mm lengths. Claimed weight is 147g. RRP £79.95.
The Gravity Light bar is 710mm wide with a choice of 25mm or 40mm rises, eight degrees of backsweep and three degrees of upsweep. It's made of carbon Kevlar composite, with reinforced stem and brake lever clamp zones. Claimed weight is 225g. RRP £79.95.
The Gravity seatpost is an inline design that accepts 8mm and 9mm saddle rails. It's 3D forged from butted 2014 alloy, with a hard anodised finish. It's 350mm long and available in four sizes – 27.2, 30, 30.9 and 31.6mm. Claimed weight is 294g. RRP £52.95.
Finally, the Gravity Light MegaExo crankset comes in a two-rings-plus-bashguard configuration and weighs in at 877g (without included bottom bracket). The arms (160, 170 or 175mm) are 6061 T6 alloy with chromoly pedal inserts and chromoly axle. A polycarbonate bashguard protects the 7075 outer chainring and steel inner ring (32/22 or 36/24). RRP £199.95.
We'll be posting full reviews of all these products in print and online once they've undergone rigorous testing.
You can follow BikeRadar on Twitter at twitter.com/bikeradar.
