Easton’s using Crankworx to launch a few major new DH parts in their Havoc line.
First up is the new Havoc DH 35 handlebar and stem that, yes, introduces a new standard. The handlebar comes in at a whopping 35mm outside diameter in the center, and a wide center that is. To accommodate that girth, they developed a new direct mount stem that clamps fairly far out from center a good 1/2″ wider on either side than normal.
Of course, the official launch of all this is Friday, so we’ll post some actual specs as soon as we get them. In the meantime, we’ll float the rumors of the new 150mm wide Havoc DH hub (true) and carbon Havoc DH rims (pretty likely but apparently delayed) with some teaser images after the break…
The stem looks like you’ll have to remove one side of the bar’s grips/shifters/levers to slide it into the single bolt design, but that should keep things very strong. The curved/pointed face of the clamp area is likely done to spread forces over a broader area and prevent stress risers.
The stem has two mount points for either 45mm or 50mm of reach.
800mm wide and, yep, 35mm ’round.
The color of the bar is the normal Havoc pewter-ish gray, and this one looks like it has a bead blasted finish. Unfortunately, the tent we shot the photos under was reddish-orange, which wreaks, uh, havoc on the colors in the photos.
The other new product rumored to be announced is a 12×150 hub option for the standard Havoc wheelset and a carbon fiber rim option. The hub spotted above was on pro racer Steve Smith’s Devinci Wilson downhill bike, and it’s certainly not the current Havoc DH hub, which lends credence to the rumor that the 2012 models will look more like this:
2012 Easton Havoc DH hubs should look very similar to the current Havoc’s oversized front hubs.
They’re rumored to have a full carbon rim option, and both alloy and carbon rims will be UST Tubeless. More as we get it.