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New whips at Crankworx Whistler

Crankworx isn’t just about competitions, big air and mountain bike celebrities. There are always plenty of new bikes to check out

Photos and words by Stuart Kernaghan

Crankworx isn’t just about competitions, big air and mountain bike celebrities. There are also plenty of new products to check out in the demo area. Here are some of the new bikes from Crankworx Whistler 2016.

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Rocky Mountain Element 999 RSL T.O.
Rocky Mountain Element

The venerable Rocky Mountain Element received a significant makeover for 2017 and the top-of- the-line Element 999 RSL T.O. (Team Only) version wasnon display at Crankworx. The new bike features a bump in travel to 120-mm on the front and 100-mm on the rear, a slacker 69/69.5/70 degree head angle, Boost rear spacing with room for 2.35-inch tires, two water bottle mounts inside the front triangle and the ability to run just about any kind of internal cable you’d like.

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Rocky Mountain envisages the bike being used for multi-day stage racing, marathon racing and real world cross country, so they have stuck with its Ride-9 system which lets riders adjust the geometry and suspension to their preferred riding style. There are five different models of the Element available, including a BC Edition with bigger tires, stronger wheels and wider bars and a Team Only frame option for custom builds. Very tall riders will be pleased to hear that XXL sizes should be available in selected models. Bikes are scheduled to be in stores in late 2016, pricing is still to be announced.

Norco Ithaqua Fat Bike
Norco Ithaqua Fat Bike

Norco has been a staple in the Whistler village during Crankworx for years. There was a full line of Aurum downhill bikes, Range all-mountain and Sight trail bikes at the Norco display, all of which received colour updates and minor component tweaks this year. Norco rolled out the 2017 Optic 27.5”/29” trail bike earlier this year and staff was talking up the bike. They were also proud of the Revolver XC bike which had just carried a number of team riders to podium positions at a Canada Cup race in Whistler the day before.

The newest thing on display from Norco at Crankworx was its carbon-framed Ithaqua fat bike. Fat bikes with their 4.5” tires are a decidedly niche-market item but the Ithaqua look like they would be a lot of fun in the snow or on sandy trails. Prices for the carbon fatties range from $3,600 to $6,100.

Liv Hail and Pique

Liv Hail and Pique
Liv Hail

Giant Bicycles re-branded its women’s line of bikes under the Liv moniker a couple of years ago and since then, has been doing a great job of purpose-building a full range of bikes for women, rather than just taking the “shrink it and pink it” approach of some manufacturers. Two bikes that stood out in the Liv booth were the new 160mm Hail trail/all-mountain and the 120-mm travel XC/trail Pique bikes. Both bikes use 27.5” wheels, as well as the new, modified Maestro suspension system which is designed to be more active than older versions of Maestro, taking advantage of metric shock sizing and save weight with a carbon rocker link. They also have women’s- specific geometry and different frames than bikes with comparable travel from Giant.

Liv Pique
Liv Pique

The Hail is designed for women who want to go bigger on the trails or in the park but don’t want a full-on DH bike. It’s available in both aluminum and carbon frames with prices ranging from $3,150 to $7,500; sizing runs from XS all the way to L. The Pique is your quintessential trail ripper and comes in both aluminum and carbon frame options. Pricing for the Pique ranges from $2,650 to $8,800; it’s also available in a full-size range.

Specialized Enduro
Specialized Enduro

Specialized unveiled the latest iteration of its Enduro line just before Crankworx, and had the top-shelf S-Works version on display. A quick rundown of the changes: 29” and 650b wheel sizes (Specialized chooses not to call them 27.5”), slacker geometry with a 66 degree head angle replacing the previous 67.5 degrees, a longer top tube and wheelbase, a 76 degree seat tube for better pedalling position, threaded bottom brackets and a bump in travel to 165 / 160mm for the 29er version and 170 / 170mm on the 650 version. The 29er Enduro can run tires up to 3.0” wide and the 650b version comes standard with a 2.6” tire. All Enduros take advantage of Specialized’s SWAT Door storage compartment in the downtube, which fits small tools and accessories.
Specialized Enduro
The S-Works 29er version of the Enduro comes complete with an Ohlins fork and rear shock; other models come with more traditional suspension offerings. If you’re really looking for something special, Specialized is making 100 of the limited edition black-and- rainbow coloured Jawbreaker frames globally. There’s even matching riding kit available to go along with the frames. MSRP on the new Enduros ranges from CAD$3,900 for the base level aluminum version to $10,500 for the S-Works model.