We’ve been told the full specs and announcement on this long anticipated component is about to come forth, but Tree Fort Bikes seems to have gotten an early look and the blessing to post it.
The complete spec sheet still isn’t public, but a few key tech bits have been sprung. For starters, the internals will have bearings to keep twists super smooth. Aiding the smoothness will be an external, separate locking collar that holds it onto the handlebar without putting pressure on the body of the shifter. Both are pretty big upgrades over the original Gripshift twisters and half pipes.
Another change is something evident when we played with it at Interbike: There’s no trim adjustment on the front shifter. From what TFB is saying, it’s designed this way to provide quick, crisp shifts and encourage you to set things up properly to begin with. Granted, it should make shifting more precise, but we can’t help but pine for the trim. With most new bikes coming with 2×10 drivetrains, though, and particularly the race/XC oriented bikes that these shifters are likely to target, it’s probably not that big of a loss.
Couple more pics after the break, and check TFB’s site for a bigger gallery…
The locking collar attaches on the inside edge of the unit.
Word is the XX version will have a carbon fiber body. Stay tuned, we should have a lot more info within a couple weeks at the latest.
Thanks to Dougie for the tip!