We first spotted Predator Cycles at NAHBS in Denver, where they showed The Major, a carbon fiber combination of FSA stem and road handlebars to create a massively stiff one-piece unit. Those are done by creating a huge triangle of carbon from the base of the stem that spreads about 3″ out either side.
The mountain bike version, however, eschews the huge triangulation in favor of a sleeker, more forgiving setup that realizes a good carbon bar assists in muting trail chatter. This particular one was made for Sergio Hernandez, one of Predator’s Pro riders that raced MTB in the off season. Founder and builder Aram Goganian says it comes in at just around 270 grams with the stem. Typically, he builds with FSA components, but the Lefty stem system is a little more custom.
More pics below…
This one had the Hi-Mod carbon upgrade. The Major starts at $600, but can easily hit $1,000 if you go for a lot of bells and whistles for a mountain bike. Other options include a Kevlar outer layer, Hi-Mod construction, extra stiffness for sprinters, integrated computer mount and more.
We’ve got one of their road Majors in for review and will be putting it on the ‘cross bike soon. The exterior finish isn’t as clean and smooth as what you’d see coming from ENVE, but when we post our factory tour from Aram’s shop, you’ll see he’s a pretty small operation that’s a bit more focused on function than form (not that these are ugly). And they’re good enough for Rahsaan Bahati.
Want one? Check them out at PredatorCycling.com.