Blktec is a new company that quietly debuted at Taipei show earlier this year with a couple of wheels, but Eurobike saw the entire line roll out.
The highlight is definitely the R3 bar and stem combo shown above. Using a unique two-piece construction that bolts the handlebar directly to the stem, it forgoes the front clamp altogether but still allows 6º of adjustment by simply loosening or tightening the top or bottom bolts.
It, along with the other bars and stems, features clever internal cable, with some feeding everything through the stem to shield it from sight and wind…
Simply loosen top bolts and tighten bottom ones to rotate the bars down, and vice versa.
Construction is full carbon monocoque. All cables and wires run inside the bar to gain a small aero advantage on the R3. Holes for mounting their under-or-over aero bar extensions are standard. It’s available in 40/42/44 cm widths (center to center). They didn’t have the production weights available, but word is some major brands were coming to by to check it out (it’s patent pending).
M1 stem runs $300 and uses a clamshell design to sandwich the bar between top and bottom. Combined with their R1 handlebar (not shown, but also has the aero extension mount holes and full internal routing), the cables and wires can run inside the bar into the stem to hide them completely. They pop out the back of the stem, above the steerer cap, and into the top tube of your aero frame.
An M2 stem uses a similar aesthetic but without the clamshell design. It’s $200, about 100g and looks like it’d be very stiff. There’s also an R2 handlebar that’s a standard handlebar without the unique cable routing.
Their TT Stem was first spotted on the updated Culprit Croz Blade in August. It works with either the R1 handlebar or their bullhorn TT bars to keep the cockpit tidy by hiding the wires and exiting them out the back. There should also be room in both the TT and M1 stems to hide a Di2 junction box.
The S5 triathlon seatpost (left) offers six positions of fore aft positioning – it doesn’t slide, there are six distinct fixing positions. It uses a Ritchey one-bolt clamping mechanism that allows tilt and position with a single bolt. The S8 adds a small aero shape to the top, giving you a small advantage on a traditional road bike and a massive tilt adjustment range. Diameter is 27.2 only. Both are monocoque carbon.
The C1 full carbon wheel is their flagship product. It’s a tubular that comes in at 1,200g for the pair they’re working on a clincher and disc brake versions, too, likely coming out around March 2015.
It has a 25mm wide rim, 45mm deep, and they can repair and replace spokes if they break in a crash.
Brand manager Greg Grobler said they wanted to make a really strong and light wheel that people could afford. Retail is $3,000, so, the affordable part is up for debate, but the weight is nice and they say it’s very stiff.
The C5 is a standard spoke model using their 55mm deep rims. Weight is 1434g tubular and 1550g clincher
They’ll also offer the C4 (40mm deep) clincher in regular and disc brake versions with 6-bolt rotor mounts. For more aero applications, the C8 (88mm deep) gets rim-brake-only clincher and tubular options. They’re working on road tubeless, too.
All standard wheels use DT Swiss 240 hubs with 20/24 spoke counts on all standard wheels. Those will come with SpinStix skewers, with your choice of steel or titanium skewers axles (the C1 gets ti standard).
The website’s up and running with some info, but not weights on most components.
