TriRig has launched three new aero-enhanced products – the Omega X brake, Sigma X stem and Alpha X aerobar cockpit – that look ideal for speed seeking marginal-gain upgrade hunters.
As with the rest of TriRig’s gear, all three 2015 upgrades here appear to exceptionally well-thought out, surprisingly practical and feature that all-important aero focus. They also look great – something not to be underestimated in the triathlon market. Feed your inner aero geek with plenty more images in the gallery above.
Omega X brake
TriRig’s original Omega brake has acted as proud figurehead to many a TT or tri bike. The new Omega X (US$185 / approx £125 / AU$240) might look similar to the original, but it’s a complete redesign that hones that wedge and lever design to improve power, ease of adjustment and wheel compatibility – all at a claimed weight of just 134g.
The clever wedge and lever set-up of the original Omega has been altered, with the new geometry of both wedge and levers centring more easily and able to take up more cable. This offers better modulation, with faster and more complete stopping power. A TriRig statement said: “We believe these are every bit as strong as other top brakes on the market today.”
Gone is the faff of unbolting the faceplate – it’s now fitted with a pair of powerful magnets on the rear, providing quick access to the mechanism for installation and adjustment. The installation itself is also quicker thanks to a new ‘home position’ created by the wedge redesign.
The faceplate also covers the internal mechanism from below, keeping it cleaner. The removal of the bolts means a sleeker front profile than before, improving aerodynamics compared with the original, which had already been shown to outdo even Magura’s RT8 hydraulic brake in TriRig’s wind tunnel tests.
There’s a new spring return on the rear of the brake that not only aids a speedy return to the open position, but has helped reduce the size of the unit, which already sat well within the frontal area of most forks.
Practicality is aided by independent pad adjustment – just tweak the small screw on each brake arm to set the pad-to-rim width. That means no cable adjustment at all when accommodating different rim widths or worn pads, in fact TriRig claims the maximum openining of 32mm at the top of the brake track makes it compatible with every rim on the market. Brake shoe alignment is achieved via traditional bolts on the outside of the brake arms.
Though the Omega X retains a single post mount, it’s also compatible with Shimano direct-mount and TRP U-brake standards thanks to a new adaptor. There’s a full compatibility list on the TriRig website.
If you're in the market for an aerodynamic upgrade without sacrificing power and practicality, the Omega X's improvement over the original brake's tried and tested performance put it at the top of the wishlist – we can't wait to try it out.
Alpha X aerobar
The full-carbon Alpha X, a fully-integrated aerobar setup, features a huge adjustability range and electronic gearing integration – as well as outstanding aero performance claims. It’ll ship in six to eight weeks from now, complete with extensions, for US$999 (approx £675 / AU$1,300).
The one-piece bar and stem combo is ultra thin, hiding exceptionally well from the wind when viewed from the front. But from above, it’s got a massive 6:1 ratio airfoil that’s well outside UCI regulations – or 10:1 if you include the virtual section that the truncated trailing edge design omits. The combining of the bars and stem has meant a saving of about 150g compared with the previous Alpha bar and Sigma stem.
According to TriRig, this shape, along with recessed bolts and hidden cables, makes its aero benefit greater than the drag difference between many frames.
Key to the clean look is the integration on offer here. The stem section has a cavity on its underside to hide a Di2 or EPS junction box along with all the wires, which can thread through the extension spacers – thanks to a snap-in channel – and into the base bar itself.
Interior cable routing is shaped such that it’s easily threaded with no kinking. The cables can be gathered and kept safe from the wind by a non-structural cover on top of the stem, exiting together over the top of the headset cap. If using a centre-pull brake, this cable exits directly through the bottom of the stem. All this helps to keep the whole setup very clean.
The Alpha X has a commendably wide 125mm height range with a minimum bar stack of 50mm and max of 175mm, achieved through a combination of 50mm of extension spacers and 40mm of aero stem spacers. There’s also a very comprehensive fit-guide on the TriRig website that lets you know where to start, compared with your current aerobar setup.
There’s also plenty of lateral pad adjustment, and the pads can be mounted directly to the base bar with supplied hardware. A between the arms bottle mount is included too – or if you’re going really low, the stem’s cable cover allows a cage to be directly mounted here.
Perhaps the best bit is that there’s no need to re-cable or unplug electronics when making position changes – all that’s needed is to unscrew a few simple bolts. What’s more, those bolts have been placed to allow access without having to remove any other bits of the bar setup.
The headset cap works with long steerers, meaning you can test out different setups before having to cut the tube down. 10mm of spacers above the stem will still be shrouded from the wind by the design. The underside features a super thin headset cap to allow a slammed set-up if required. The stem itself is secured with a seatpost-style wedge system that’s simple and aero.
We'll reserve judgment on stiffness until we have a chance to try one, but the Alpha X looks virtually flawless – offering a tiny frontal profile, light weight and superbike integration in an upgrade that's also cheaper than its key rival from Enve, while being comparable price wise to players such as Profile Design and Vision.
Sigma X Stem
The alloy Sigma stem has been superseded by a slicker-looking carbon version. It’s essentially the same as that of the Alpha X, but without the base bar and retails at US$190 (approx £130 / AU$250).
Dubbed as ‘The Superstem’ by the brand, the 100mm stem offers many of the benefits enjoyed by fully-integrated setups found on top-end triathlon super bikes, but as a fit-all upgrade.
Like the Alpha X, there’s 40mm of height adjustment thanks to supplied aero spacers and the same single bolt wedge to secure the stem to your fork steerer. There’s also the centre-pull brake exit and headset dust cap underneath. The cover that tidies cables from the wind features bottle-mounting bolts, but it's perhaps a bit strange (at least from an aero, if not practicality standpoint), that the cables now run out the top and over the headset cap rather than through the back of the stem as with the previous version. It's still much cleaner than most cable set-ups however.
If you've already got aerobars you're happy with, but want to clean up the front end of your bike and eke out those marginal gains, the Sigma X, with its full carbon construction and aero shaping could be just the ticket.
To find out more, visit TriRig.com. International pricing is calculated at the TriRig check-out along with shipping, the non-US prices above are approximate only.