Crankworx 2023
Four Things No One Saw At Crankworx 2023
Crankworx Tech
If you just popped in to let me know that the cover shot of Tegan Cruz shredding isn't from Crankworx, well, I have news for you. It's not from Whistler either. That's Mt Prevost in May and the photo is from a SRAM media package that accompanied the launch of the new BoXXer 38.
In fact, the only photo below that's actually from Crankworx is the one that Deniz took of Knolly's MY24 one-piece shock linkage and all-bearing assembly. It's not the only photo from Whistler mind you - Morgan's shots of the latest Shimano Saint brakes are also from the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.
*Cover Photo: SRAM
Photos of the slick-looking new one-piece MY24 Knolly Linkage were everywhere, again. But apparently, there's no info on whether the update is backward compatible as an upgrade to existing models. Photo: Deniz
Crankworx historically had something for everyone. Riding, racing, spectating, people watching, swag, and for the bike nerds amongst us there was generally some interesting fresh tech that would show up as well. I can't speak to how most of that stuff went this year because I wasn't there, but following the coverage, there really did seem to be a dearth of interesting new bikes and gear to be seen.
So, I went full Scott Templeton and made up a bunch of totally plausible stuff that someone could have expected to see at Crankworx 2023 based on years past.
Tegan Cruz is not riding a Chromag. This photo was not in Whistler. Neither was I, so please work with me here. Photo: SRAM.
DH Doctahawk
"The Chromag Doctahawk is a bike for dickheads. And I mean that in the most affectionate way possible." - Tom Plum
With every other photo from Crankworx '23 featuring the newly launched 38mm stanchioned RockShox BoXXer, the one image that was clearly missing was a throwback dual-crown DH hardtail painted BoXXer Electric Red to match the fresh Ultimate fork. And clearly, the company to make said bike is Whistler hardtail brand and longtime SRAM partner Chromag.
Picture the stock Doctahawk with longer stays and then the 15mm of wheelbase adjustment via the Surface Voyager dropouts, but updated for UDH so it's compatible with the future T-Type DH drivetrain. Additional swap-outs for mullet compatibility, of course. And surely Brad Howlett would add some braze-ons for replaceable bolt-on bumpers for those gnarly gnashes when the fork meets the downtube.
When I heard there was a new BoXXer dropping I would have bet an Elizabeth* that there'd be a Chromag in the booth sporting one. Okay, so that would leave it open for a new Lowdown suspension bike sporting a 180mm dual crown, but we'd know that I meant a hardtail.
*I guess Twenty Dollars in Canuck bucks is actually a Charles now?
If you close one eye this totally looks like a steel Chromag sporting a new 200mm BoXXer Ultimate. Photo: SRAM
I was certain I'd find an image of a Doctahawk with a similar red and black fade paint job to sneak in here. No luck. Photo: SRAM
I was also certain I'd see a photo on the internet of a white Chromag TRL sporting a cherry red 2002 BoXXER. No luck. Photo: SRAM
New Saint Brakes
I'm not sure when Shimano's Saint brakes transitioned from the status of 'don't fix what ain't broke' to 'didn't these used to be awesome' but it happened at some point. I'd still take them in a heartbeat over any other brake in Shimano's lineup, but there are easily a half dozen superior options on the market now. From mainstream options, I'd go Hayes, Magura, Formula, TRP, Hope, Hayes, or Formula over the Saints.
Hayes and Formula both get two mentions because in addition to their four-piston Dominion and Cura DH brake options, they have two-piston brakes I'd choose over Saint.
SRAM has fallen behind as well, selling the Code brake for DH use, but the pending release of their new big bike brake isn't exactly a secret. Guide brakes have already been rebadged as Level four pistons, so when the Code slots into the trail category everything will make sense again.
There's a tool-free QR-axle and flip-lock drop-out system holding the wheel in this Fox fork. Photo: Morgan Taylor
Geoff Gulevich, Darcy Turenne, Mike Hopkins, Matt Hunter, Thomas Vanderham, and Andrew Shandro a decade ago at the launch of the still current Saint group. Photo: Morgan Taylor
The new Shimano Saint M820 brakes... from a decade ago. Photo: Morgan Taylor
The rest of the Saint drivetrain is perfect for purpose. Change nothing! Well, actually, how about LinkGliding it for that super robust shifting up and down the stack? Since all LinkGlide products talk to each other that would mean the addition of a top-level derailleur option with a super-short cage and mid-cage option, as well as an above XT quality shifter for LinkGlide bike builds.
Yum. In my books, this is the most delicious new bike tech that no one saw at Crankworx this year.
From DH to Freeride by swapping the three c's - cage, cassette, and chain. Plus holding the button on the T-Type derailleur for a certain amount of time or selecting a mode on the AXS appy thing. Photo: Andrew Major
Transmission DH
AXS, Transmission, T-Type, at whatever level let's say you're so f*cking in on SRAM's wireless shifting options that you can't imagine riding a stationary trainer or beater bar bike that doesn't use batteries to carry the chain up and down the cassette.
In the name of establishing a dialogue, we could agree there is the odd application where cables may still be better. The example that comes to mind is reading about SRAM-equipped multi-day offroad athletes packing multiple chargers and a half dozen batteries to be sure that they're not single-speeding for days in the middle of somewhere.
The GX T-Type derailleur architecture is going to be a significant improvement over the other Transmission options for DH racing. Photos: Andrew Major
As rare as it would be to eject a battery in a strike or crash with the previous system, the battery is now much better protected.
You give me that one, and I'll admit that the one application where a bomber T-Type setup with ultra precise and super speedy shifting really makes sense, but doesn't exist, is on DH bikes. Tool-free cage swap a super short setup on there and write a program for seven speeds instead of twelve. Let's go!
The new GX T-Type derailleur architecture tucks the battery inside where it's hard to imagine it getting punched. Cage aside, the Transmission derailleurs do have a larger presence than the current DH options but the trade-off with Full Mount instead of a hanger and of course, showcasing the top end tech on the bikes of their fastest sponsored riders seems worth it.
Also not Whistler. If it said '40' instead of '38' on the stanchions of Ryan's Fox fork would anyone notice the difference? Of course, everyone knows that bigger is stiffer, and stiffer is better. Photo: Deniz
Fox 40 Single Crown
When I heard that RockShox was going to be pumping a new 38mm stanchion BoXXer DH fork at Crankworx '23 I had this innate certainty that Fox would be showing up with an updated Enduro fork bumping their biggest single crown option right to forty.
No surprise here that I was wrong. At one time a couple of years back I bet a friend an Americano misto that Fox would go with a 36-DC (dual crown) rather than a 38-SC (single crown) and we know how that turned out - coffee was on me.
Am I the only direct mount stem loving and non-X-up-twerking mountain biker who still wishes we had Fox 36 and Lyrik 35 dual crown forks rather than the single crown Fox 38 and Zeb? I mean, as with other meaty questions in mountain biking I clearly am on the losing side of the DC Vs. SC culture war and need to move on. But I can't be alone here.
Deep down I still believe that most riders would have been better served by a long and lightweight Fox 36mm or Lyrik 35mm dual crown than going the route of the Fox 38 and RockShox Zeb. Photo: Deniz
And there we have it, the Crankworx 2023 coverage that never was but could have been. A number of brands have told me they intend to have a much larger presence and some new releases for Crankworx 2024 so maybe I'll see you up there.
Or maybe SRAM will launch their vivid looking new DH air shock in July next year and I can use Crankworx content to lament how sweet it would have looked bolted to an updated Girvin Vector fork with one-piece legs, massive bearings in the links, a direct mount stem, and a 20x110mm DH thru-axle. Damn, that sounds rad, too.
Height - Steve Buscemi-ish
Wait - Patiently
Ape Index - T-Rex
Age - The same as DOS
Favourite Trail(s) every week - Pipeline (thank you Ken!) to Lower Crippler (thank you Andy!)
Favourite Song(s) this week - I'm Your Man. Nick Cave (covering Leonard Cohen)
Favourite Colour - Cosmic Lilac
Bar Width - It depends
Reach & Stack & ETT - It depends
Crank Length - 175mm except when it's 170mm
Wheel Size - Hot For Mullets
Comments
roil
10 months, 2 weeks ago
If only!!! We can dream. Fun article.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Cheers! Glad you enjoyed it.
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fartymarty
10 months, 2 weeks ago
A great way to start the week. Thanks Andrew.
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Cr4w
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I too wish for all of these items.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
You can't have them. Sorry.
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DanL
10 months, 2 weeks ago
"The Chromag Doctahawk is a bike for dickheads. And I mean that in the most affectionate way possible."
Haha, can confirm.
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Tremeer023
10 months, 2 weeks ago
That quote alone makes me want one. And I'll have a single crown Fox 40 on it too thanks!
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DanL
10 months, 2 weeks ago
" Less is more... how can that be? It's impossible... more is more"
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
The Doctahawk is rad… but the DH Doctahawk with longer stays and a 200mm BoXXer? Look out!
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DanL
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Don't get me started
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
That whole article is solidly something different. My favourite ‘Pistons & Pivots’ of all time.
Linked here again if anyone’s interested.
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DanL
10 months, 2 weeks ago
It's absolutely magnificent. In my top 5 articles I've read.
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Velocipedestrian
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Not Whistler, more likely Red Rocks. But yes, fabulous piece.
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Velocipedestrian
10 months, 2 weeks ago
If you enjoy Tom's writing, here's a recent piece. Though it might be a better fit for the forum and discussion.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Fantastic.
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Andy Eunson
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I also didn’t not see that there 12° and 15° Chromag bars neither.
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fartymarty
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Andy, that one could happen tho.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
They all could happen?! I try not to harass Chromag too much about their alt-bar program in any given month.
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Kyle Smith
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Yeah, but the people want to know, what are we going to see at Cumberlandworx? SRAM single speed Transmission? Dual crown ridged forks? Three piston brakes? 29-minus tires?
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
The Clairebarian is all in to ride Thirsty Beaver this year, which is exciting. And beyond that happy note so far my notes are just a lot of me whining about Cronuts being sold out and Love’s ice cream being closed until Wednesday.
But, we’ll see what we see. Can always make something up hahahaha.
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Jeremy Sh
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Knolly and Slick are mutually exclusive :P
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
{Photos of the new slicker-looking one-piece MY24 update on the acquired-aesthetic that is the Knolly Linkage were everywhere, again.}
Better? Hahaha.
Not my jam, but I love that there are still bikes that don’t look like every other bike.
From the perspective of someone who’s turned wrenches on a fair few Knolly’s I think it’s potentially great they’ve gone back to cartridge bearings at every pivot. But it’s weird that no one reporting on it noted yes/no for backwards compatibility of the new link, right?
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Skooks
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I've had an all-bearing linkage on my Fugitive LT for the last 1.5 years or so. I think it's safe to say that this design will be backwards-compatible. Also, I'm pretty sure the new Fugitive 138 has an all-bearing linkage.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Bad writing that I’ll clean up. Fugitive 2018+ (LT is the same frame) are bearings as are, I believe, all the other bikes 2020+.
I was surprised that it seems no one has asked if the one piece link is backwards compatible. I think it’ll be a marked improvement to bearing life and maybe shock life as well - though many brands are beefing up their Trunnion shocks.
Cheers,
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Jeremy Sh
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Yep, they are an acquired taste!
Agreed - years ago I designed/built a bike with igus bushing and they aren't ideal in this type of application.
Thanks for delivering original content crew.
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Kenny
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I have one bike (160mm 29er full suspension) with Saint brakes, and anotjer bike (enigma) with MT trail sport.
This definitely requires some adjustment when swapping bikes. Particularly when going back to the Saints, but having ridden also MT7s and codes, I don't really see where the saints fall short?
I'm not calling you out, just wondering what I'm missing.
I assume you will say modulation, as IMO the power of saints is still insane.
I do find it a challenge going from the MT trails to the Saints, but I think that's just because they could not have more different power curves, so I need to re calibrate every time I swap bikes. I think if swapping between say, XT and saint it wouldn't be such a big deal.
Either way, I've been thinking I need to close the gap as the brake feel is just too large. I am bound to send myself OTB on the Saints after being on the Maguras for a while and not fully adjusting before riding something sketchy.
My thought has been to either swap the Saints for MT7s, aka make the "big" brakes more like the "little" ones, or swap the mt trail sports for Shimano of some flavor, and make the "little brakes" like the big ones. I'd also like to get on a single brand, just makes things easier. I hesitate to go mt7 though because I don't think the front would be drastically different from the front on the mt trail?
I took the mt trail sport off the big bike and put them on the enigma and the Saints I just had in a parts bin, so put them on the Enduro bike.
The instant reduction in arm pump was insane. With saints I maintain a much lighter grip on the bar and expend less hand energy slowing down, this makes a big difference to my riding overall. The MT trails have ok power for trail brakes but you need to squeeze the juice out of em to access it. Maybe I am weak. :)
The Maguras feel less under powered on the enigma, it's almost 10lb lighter, has a lighter rear wheel, and just generally carries lower average speeds.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Sounds like maybe you’re having a friction issue with your Magura brakes as opposed to a power issue? Maybe I’m reading too much into it but this does come up a lot when talking brakes.
I’d trying cleaning your rotors and sanding the glaze off your pads and then bedding your Magura brakes in again.
One thing I’ll say for Shimano is their sintered pads are pretty fool proof to setup versus other compounds.
I’ll be talking about this in an upcoming brake review using semi-metallic pads.
———
Non-Shimano, and actually Shimano non-Servo Wave brakes as well, don’t have that initial rotor ‘CLAP’ but you should feel the Maguras ramp up the harder you pull the lever.
Magura doesn’t use a sintered metal pad, so they don’t have that initial bite and actually apparently for many courses Hayes DH racers are choosing not to run sintered pads as well. So it’s tricky to do a perfect comparison between brake systems when the compounds are different. But once I was used to that more sophisticated leverage curve even after an adjustment period I don’t love riding Shimano brakes, and that’s increasingly the norm amongst folks I talk to.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I should say, for bed-in procedure for any brake I recommend 5-mins watching Brian from the SRAM Brake Team. This is my process for every brake now:
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DadStillRides
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I would agree. Just got a new bike with mt7s and was wondering why they don't bite as hard as my old mt5s. Possibly I need to start with a fresh bleed, but more likely it's that I haven't switched to the galfer green (metallic) pads yet as I had with the mt5s. I still have xts on my hardtail, and while they have a good amount of power the lack of modulation feels out of control after getting used to magura
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Most likely pads. I’ve always had great results with MAGURA’s Endurance compound as long as I cleaned my rotors and then bedded the pads in. But yeah, a true apples:apples comparison needs the same pads.
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Tjaard Breeuwer
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Galfer does not make any metallic pads*.
Green backing is their ‘pro’ pad, which has the best ‘bite’ but is not very durable. (Perfect for me here in the Midwest).
I think it is time to stop the idea that metallic vs semi metallic is the big difference in in brake pads. Individual compounds can have more variability than the two ‘classes’.
First it was a test of Trickstuff power pads , then Galfer, now Sram too has added a high performance semi-metallic pad.
Here is a discussion with Darryl from Galfer
*https://blisterreview.com/podcasts/galfer-on-mtb-brake-tech-ep-81
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I think the problem is that in some cases, actually the most common case, Shimano, it’s still very much a matter of sintered good, not sintered bad.
Even with SRAM the semi-metallic isn’t there yet? Less bite, less life, not real improvement at the lever?
I agree fully with your sentiment. I’ve run sintered and semi-metallic back and forth on Hayes and Formula brakes and there are pros/cons to both. Sintered does provide better stopping over a longer life, but on trail I prefer the semi-metallics in both cases.
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flatch
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I’ve ran all the big brand brakes and always preferred Magura. Currently running MT 7’s on my big bike. They can be very finicky to bleed and I’ve certainly had my frustration in finding that perfect bleed and that sounds like you may be experiencing that. It takes patience but when I find the sweet spot there is nothing else I’d rather use.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I have a solid bleed system. Even our cargo bike was a one and done (though in hindsight with it being external routing I would have bled it off the bike).
The little Magura how to I did is old but I think it still holds up.
*edit: I should probably add the disclaimer that I do have a lot of reps installing/bleeding Magura brakes in shops. But I still the above system will work for anyone.
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flatch
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Andrew, just wanted to say thanks for the tip on the top bleed. Worked great, super easy and clean. So again, thanks
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Andrew Major
9 months, 3 weeks ago
AWESOME! Happy to help and thank you for following up.
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Ride.DMC
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I loved my old Mr. T, which was much closer to being a DC Z1 than it was to a scaled down Monster T.
Could have used a wider stance though. I do remember the turning radius was pretty tight.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I don’t know if anything was tighter than my Manitou Sherman DC. Singularly responsible for me learning to do nose picks into stuff.
I had a Jr.T for a couple years on the front of a Kona Roast and loved it. The missing thing was knee clearance but bikes are so long now I don’t see that as an issue anymore.
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fartymarty
10 months, 2 weeks ago
DC Lyrik - isn't this just a rebadged cut down 35mm Boxxer?
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I think you could build it a fair bit lighter when it doesn’t have to survive the WC DH scene or Hardline?
Maybe I’m wrong.
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fartymarty
10 months, 2 weeks ago
It could be lighter but if I was building up a 160+ travel enduro bike it would be a fork I would seriously be looking at (assuming you could adjust the travel down).
I still can't see Fox / RS offering a DC fork when they still have their 38mm forks on the market as such it aint happening any time soon. A slimmed down Dorado would be tasty tho....
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I doubt we’ll ever see them Marty. If anything the new 1.8-to-1-1/8” single crown ‘Super Taper’ steerer tubes will catch on instead.
Can easily lower a Dorado but that’s A Lot of fork at 160mm. Or even 180mm. I doubt we’ll see dedicated All Mountain/Enduro DC forks. That’s no reason to stop talking about them though.
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fartymarty
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I'm as skeptical as you are about DC forks.
The other option is to go down the Paul Aston route and build a 200mm F+R enduro bike - this to me makes sense. If you're riding nasty terrain why wouldnt you want all the travel - given you can still pedal to the top on it.
In one way i'm glad my local terrain works for a 150/140 bike - but as you say it's no reason to stop the disussion of things that are logical.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
My thing with the 200mm F+R enduro rig and pedaling the thing here, there, and everywhere is what tires do you run on that?!
I have the same thing with the Arrival A170. In full-blown DH mode, I'd love some DoubleDown rubber MaxxGrip rubber front and rear with my CushCore inserts. But I don't want to climb that tire setup.
With an infinite amount of money, and given how much I ride alone, I'd love to really put time on a bike like Aston's Orange. The 279 with a big cassette range and a dropper post (thanks to the full-length seat tube - which almost no DH bikes have). But rubber would be the question for sure.
Timer
10 months, 2 weeks ago
@Andrew Major: Something like the new Contis? DH Supersoft front, DH Soft on the back. Still roll ok for such a tyre. Certainly much better than DH Maxxgrip.
Or maybe Schwalbes in Ultrasoft Super Gravity front, Soft DH rear.
Would probably still be a "shuttle first, pedal second" kind of bike.
Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
@Timer, even that sounds like a "shuttle first" setup as you say.
I think I'd maybe bump up to a DoubleDown/SuperGrav/Etc casing but keep something more MaxxTerra/60D/etc for the rear tire and just rely on lower pressure thanks to an insert for my wet trail grip. I actually still think the DHF is the best compromise rear tire in that regard. More than enough climbing traction with that much rear-wheel travel but it rolls along quite pleasantly.
Then up front, I'd go full-soft. I don't find it makes that big a difference uphill and I need all the help I can get on the way down. Hard to argue with a MaxxGrip Assegai or Ultra Soft Magic Mary.
I haven't ridden the new Conti tires. There are enough tires I already like/am confident in, and tires are so expensive, it's hard to take a chance.
Tjaard Breeuwer
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Andrew, I would just have two wheel sets for that super long travel bike. I already do for my Stumpy Evo (150 rear), because I use it in the bike park, for (slow) enduro racing and for riding smooth, easy trails.
So, a longer travel bike would not change that set up for me.
Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
@Tjaard, that’s probably the way to do it for most folks. With me just trail riding my myself I feel I could come up with a single compromise setup.
Or maybe like game of forks, swap the more pedal-friendly setup between my hardtail and FS rig.
Tjaard Breeuwer
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Travel doesn’t need to go down that much:
A 170 mm fork has about 150mm vertical wheel travel,
So if you had a 165 mm (vertical) rear wheel travel bike, 180 or 190 would match that pretty closely.
Also, most Dc forks have lower axle to crown heights than single crown ones, afaik, so even on a frames designed for shorter travel it would work.
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MTBrent
10 months, 2 weeks ago
I would buy a short(er) travel DC fork for all my bikes if only to satisfy stem/bar alignment OCD, let alone have greater stem/bar setup options.
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Andrew Major
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Yeah, direct mount stems are definitely a selling feature of DC forks for me. Even now that most companies seem to have largely solved their creaking CSU issues.
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Tjaard Breeuwer
10 months, 2 weeks ago
As a bike fitter, I dream of bikes all having DC forks, to adjust the height up and down, direct mount stems, that can be super short if needed, and any height or length you want, and easy height adjustments with the spacers.
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