Since the #crossiscoming hashtags seem to be dying down, that must mean #winteriscoming. For many of us, winter also means fat bikes which is good news since there were a lot of new ones out at Interbike. From the Borealis camp, we were greeted with two new bikes – their new carbon wonder machine, and their first aluminum rig, the Flume…
Even though the Echo isn’t going away, the Crestone now takes the top spot in Borealis’ carbon lineup. Using an entirely new frame, Borealis claims to have removed 100 to 150 g from each frame depending on the size, while still managing to make the frame stronger. Moving to a new manufacturer and using a computerized layout for each piece of carbon fiber, the frames are built with 20% more surface area and tested to the downhill standard which Borealis claims will improve durability. Essentially, The geometry remains the same though the Crestone offers a lower stand over and shorter chain stays for a more agile ride. Crestone frames will be available with a rigid fork, RockShox Bluto, or the newest option, a Lauf Carbonara.
Available soon, the Crestone complete bikes will start at $4950 with X01 and XX1 build kits and in either the Colorado State flag paint scheme, or the Aurora shown bottom right. Borealis Echos Will still be available in a SRAM GX build as sort of a budget option, and the Yampa is going away for good.
This extra large Crestone with their new carbon Elite wheelset with 4.8″ Maxxis tires and XX1 drivetrain came in at 25.11 lbs (11.38kg).
Borealis may have been all about carbon fiber since the beginning, but the company has finally broken down and is offering their first aluminum fat bike. Meant to be a high-end aluminum offering, Borealis went to great lengths to create a 6000 series aluminum frame that offered similar performance and looks to their carbon bikes. That includes shapely seat stays, chain stays, and top tube along with smoothed out welds.
Built with almost the exact same geometry as the Crestone, the Flume uses a threaded bottom bracket, 15×150 mm front and 197x12mm rear thru axles, a suspension corrected fork, external cable routing with stealth dropper routing, and clearance for 4.8″ tires. Offered in black or orange, pricing starts at $2199 and will be available in October.
