The new Crank Brothers Cobalt 1 wheels bring their paired spoke design to a much lower price point.
They have a 21mm inside rim width using the same rim shape and bead hook design, but it gets a new extrusion that uses more traditional spoke lacing. That is, it’s still a paired spoke design, but they’re drilled and use much shorter nipples. Those, compared to the longer alloy spoke sections of their other wheels, saves money, as does the simpler rim construction.
The hubs look a bit different but the internals are the same as the higher end Cobalts. That means all axle XC-ish compatibility. It’ll be available in 27.5 and 29er only. Weights are 1,900g and 1,975g respectively.
They come ready to go tubeless with rim tape and valve stems and retail for just $399 (€350).
Crank Brothers has upped their tool offerings, dipping their toes into the shop tool segment with new Y-Tools.
The triangle wrench isn’t new, but these neatly tuck two of them into a plastic sleeve, holding together with magnets. One gets the commonly used 4/5/6 hex wrenches, the other gets a 2.5 and 8, plus a socket that’ll hold all the other size bits.
Two models will be available, the 16 with a built in CO2 inflator tip and chain breaker, and the 12 with extra storage compartments. Full specs below…
The 8 builds in a rubber o-ring to help stabilize the chain breaker, but it’ll still work for pedals and other large items.
Retail is $30 for the 12, and $60 for the 16. The wrenches and tools are all investment cast steel, and the bits are standard 1/4″ steel bits that can be found at any hardware store should you lose them.
The Mallet DH flat pedal now comes in black. We hear there are more colors coming to the brand, stay tuned for an update soon.
