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BIKERUMOR.com 2009 SEA OTTER CLASSIC COVERAGE: Full Speed Ahead debuted two new cranksets at Sea Otter, both 2×9 mountain bike setups with a unique feature: A 3-bolt ring pattern!
The Carbon K-Force Light version updates their existing 2×9 crankset that’s available aftermarket and on the new Trek Top Fuel (read review here) from a 4-bolt to their new 3-bolt pattern.  The Aluminum version, above, gets the Afterburner moniker and is a new model for FSA.  They’ve had a standard 4-bolt, triple chainring Afterburner available for a while.
Aluminum Afterburner 2×9 specs include:
- MSRP: $290
- Weight: 674g
- Hollow arms
- Steel bearing BB 115g
- 27/40 or 27/42 tooth options
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Hit ‘more’ to see the new carbon crankset and it’s specs, plus their sweet new Metropolis Handlebar for city bikes…
The K-Force Light gets the new 3-bolt pattern, and the rings get a bit of a diet, too.  Compared to the current 2×9 rings, these have an angled inner circumference on the chainrings, and they’re a lot shorter than the very tall sides on the Afterburner’s rings.  Judging from the lack on outer chainring bolts, these use a single-bolt system, which should make changing rings much easier, too.  Specs include:
- MSRP: $769
- Weight: 608g
- Hollow Carbon Arms
- Ceramic BB: 108g
- 27/40 or 27/42 tooth options
The benefit of the 2×9 is slightly lower weight and a narrower “Q” factor, meaning your feet are slightly closer to the center of the bike, which is said to improve pedaling performance and making it more like a road bike.
UPDATE: More info and pricing, etc, on this post.
METROPOLIS HANDLEBAR
FSA has this sweet new city/commuter bike handlebar coming down the pipeline.  It has a 31.8mm center diameter and is made of aluminum.  MSRP is TBD, but estimated between $50 and $60 USD.
