Loaded components is a company constantly in pursuit of the weight game. But unlike weight watchers, their components always hit the scales at weights that leave us grinning. For 2013, they’ve introduced a brand new line of carbon goodness that rivals anything currently in production for weight to strength.
Hop past the break for scale shots of their ridiculous light stems, handlebars, and more….
*Updated with wheelset weight chart*
The Napalm Stem has a full carbon face plate and titanium hardware that has been tapered to reduce every last bit of weight. Stems have a 35mm stack height and are available in 90, 100, 110, and 120 mm lengths. Each has a +/- 6 degree rise. Claimed weight for the 90mm stem was a claimed 91 grams but the stem was still an impressive 92 grams on our scale.
Also new are the Napalm and AmXC carbon handlebars. With the new carbon handlebars, Loaded set out to create the lowest absolute weights possible. In order to do that, they’ve developed a new proprietary construction process that utilizes a 1 piece, 1 pass hand layup technique, rather than the traditional method which involving molding 3 separate pieces. Switching to this new process has allowed Loaded engineers to drop significant weight.
The Napalm Bars are available in both flat and riser versions. The 680mm riser with a 15mm rise and 9×6 degree sweep and was 4 grams lighter on our scale than the claimed 114 grams. The flat version weighs a claimed 118 grams and has a 9 backsweep.
For brown pow disciples, the AmXc bar is a generous 760mm wide and has a 9×6 sweep, 15mm rise, and weighs a scant 210 grams. You can find more info on their Youtube page.
A Loaded Black Market Roam. You can order the decals to color match or remove them for a stealth build.
The company has also been developing a full line of carbon rims over the past two years. The long R&D process has allowed them to develop proprietary techniques that aren’t found in any other competitors offerings. For example, Loaded discovered that after a few seasons, carbon rims tended to delaminate, so they’ve knit their carbon layers together to improve the overall strength and decrease the likelihood of delamination. They’ve also strategically fortified the nipple bead rather than reinforcing the entire rim, in order to reduce weight in non-essential locations. All of Loaded’s rims also use their T.B.T. (True Bead Technology) tubeless system and either triple or quad butted Sandvik T302, cold forged, stainless steel spokes and the weights are impressive.
Mix and match rims, spokes, and hubs, and nipples for some incredibly light weight wheels
The three new rims are:
- X-Lite Ultra Carbon for XC racing = 27.5″ – 330 | 29″ – 350. Internal 19mm width.
- X-Lite Carbon for XC and Trail = 29″ – 375g. Internal 22mm width.
- AmX Carbon for Enduro/Freeride = 27.5″ – 410. Internal 24mm width.
The company also has a brand new option that allows you to custom select rims, spokes, and hubs via their website. You can either select Loaded Precision hubs or one of DT Swiss offerings. All custom wheels will be hand built in the United States.
For more, visit Loaded USA
