Eric Sampson always has something new up his sleeve. At the moment, he’s putting the finishing touches on his new carbon crankset that promises to be incredibly stiff thanks to massively oversized hollow box-section carbon arms.
As shown above with a steel axle, 53/39 rings and a standard outboard BB, they’ll weigh in around 630g. He says they’ve just passed EU safety tests and should be available around December for $600.
For triathletes and time trialists, he’s got some super-sharp looking new brake levers and modular little bags that sit just where you want them for quick food grabs (which also makes them really good for stage races and marathon mountain bike events). New pedals and tool/gear bags, too. Check it all out after the break…
The new TT levers are currently in production. Two models will be available, one with a carbon lever and one with polished gray anodized alloy levers (shown). Both have a carbon fiber base that plugs into the ends of your bullhorn handlebars. Unlike some TT levers that use MTB cables, these use the road brake cable head (you know the two ends that come on new cables? One’s for mountain, the other road), which Sampson says gives you a better mechanical advantage. They have a strong retention spring and come in at 95g for the all carbon version and 110g for the alloy ones. Retail will be $79 and $149 and they should be available in November.
These are Sampson’s latest pedals, but he won’t show off the full body profile yet. What he is pointing out is that these things are coming in at 87g each with full mechanical springs and a super wide (66mm) body for greater stability.
Sampson’s got a brand new bag, and it’s called the System. Starting with the clip in the middle that mounts to any 1-1/8″ standard steerer tube above the stem, it can then accept any of his modular bags. Several bags of different shapes, sizes and materials are available, all from $10 to $20, which fit anything from a few gels to a tube and tool to your cellphone and keys. They clip in and out in less than a second, making them perfect for swapping out at support stops, sag stops and transitions or feedzones…or when you’re just running into the store for a snackeydoodle.
The pictures are kinda washed out, but you get the idea. Sampson says he not only has a lot of triathletes that like them, but has been getting interest from people that do stage races and things like Leadville 100 because they can have new bags preloaded in their support bags at rest stops and just swap and go.
A view of the System bags from the front, which nestle between your arms on a bike set up for aero riding.
