ah what the hell, one more standard couldn't hurt.

take that Giant

http://www.bikerumor.com/2011/07/22/easton-launching-35mm-od-havoc-dh-handlebar-stem-havoc-carbon-wheels-with-150mm-rear-hub/

Wasn't it Easton that originally claimed 31.8 was of no benefit?

is it april?

WTF ? I already find 31.8 bars to stiff

I'm hard core 25.4 user.. so long as I can still find bars I'll never update

plus that 35mm bar looks bloody odd..

might try it. always spent a lil extra dough on bars. thought of breaking a bar is always in the back of my head. i'm guessing its to be stronger for people that would run it at a full 800mm

WTF ? I already find 31.8 bars to stiff

I'm hard core 25.4 user.. so long as I can still find bars I'll never update

what a good imagination you have

I cannot find words that describe how disappointed useless 'new standards' make me.

157mm rear hubs
35mm bars
1.5 to 1.25 headsets

What's next?…. 5 bolt rotors, change the pedal thread pitch, chain link length……

What's next?…. 5 bolt rotors, change the pedal thread pitch, chain link length……

Hope have had 5 bolt rotors and Cannondale had 4 bolt ;)

I cannot find words that describe how disappointed useless 'new standards' make me.

157mm rear hubs
50mm bars
1.5 to 1.25 headsets

What's next?…. 5 bolt rotors, change the pedal thread pitch, chain link length……

The 157 is exactly the same as the 142 syntace for DH hubs, and the tapered HT thing does make sense.

I wish that all manufacturers would just pick some standards and stick to them though (and get rid of that stupid 15mm thing while you're at it)

Hope have had 5 bolt rotors and Cannondale had 4 bolt ;)

Hope HAVE 4 bolt hubs and rotors…….but nobody adopted the 'standard'….thank god!!

I am all for new ideas and development of products, but changing something for the sake of changing it just to get a new standard is annoying.

The 157 is exactly the same as the 142 syntace for DH hubs, and the tapered HT thing does make sense.

I wish that all manufacturers would just pick some standards and stick to them though (and get rid of that stupid 15mm thing while you're at it)

Going from a QR 9mm/135mm to 142mm/12mm thru axle is an improvement in strength, stiffness and function, but 150mm/12mm to 157mm/12mm just to get some stupid alignment tabs is a waste of time, effort and money.

The head tube thing from a strength and engineering standpoint makes total sense, but another standard is frustrating.

15mm…….can't/won't comment as not to insult those that ride with it.

1.125 to 1.5 tapered is one thing. but giant's attempt to make (bring back?) 1.25" steerers is just dumb. the whole point of tapered is to save weight at the end that doesn't take near as much strain, why now go and make it bigger again, meaning more weight in material for a gain that no one is going to notice.

the awful thing is that giant makes so many freaking bikes that inevitably you'll be able to get aftermarket stems and 1.25" stems will be just another option.

I cannot find words that describe how disappointed useless 'new standards' make me.

I agree completely. This is getting ridiculous.

I find it ironic that Easton chose to reveal these "major new DH" bars on a Kona. Possibly the least innovative company in the entire industry.

Hope HAVE 4 bolt hubs and rotors…….but nobody adopted the 'standard'….thank god!!

I don't think Hope ever offered or promoted the 4 bolt rotors as a new standard. It was something they offered in their wheelsets to get them lighter. The rotors follow common sizing so pretty much any brakes with the correct adapters would work with it.
If they were pushing it as a new standard then boo to them.

As for the 15mm standard, as much as I think it is stupid and useless, I'm running a 15mm fork($275 for a Marz 44RC3 Ti was just too good to pass up for a brand new fork). The adapters were a wopping $18 and swapped over in a matter of seconds from the 20mm Hope hub. Any decent front hub should be convertable from 20-15-QR, so as much as the 15 is useless, it shouldn't be tuff to convert to it. Still think 15 mm is dumb though.

35mm bars, 1.25 steertubes,157mm hubs, etc all cause a ton of headaches as they are not soo easy to convert from one standard to another and don't really offer any real world benefits.