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Spotted: Prototype SRAM Level Brake Levers give Lars Forster’s Scott Spark better hose angle?

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The Snowshoe World Cup week is solidly under way, and the pro race bike checks are starting to trickle in. While the DH double header may be the star attraction of the program, there is still plenty to be seen on the XC side as well. While taking a look at Lars Forster’s Scott Spark, Jordan noticed a peculiar setup at the brake levers…

Prototype SRAM Level Brake Levers

At the end of what appears to be a SRAM Level Ultimate lever, the hose on Lars’ brakes angles up instead of straight out like the current Level brakes. It’s quite possible there have been other changes to the lever (the Ultimate doesn’t include a tool-free reach adjust aluminum brake lever for instance, but for the post part the change looks to be an attempt to tidy up the front end of the bike. Prototype SRAM Level Brake Levers

The angled hoses allow them to hug closer to the bar, keeping a portion of the cable nest behind the number plate. It seems like this would be more beneficial on bars with bigger backsweep numbers which could be welcomed outside the racing world as well.

Prototype SRAM Level Brake Levers Prototype SRAM Level Brake Levers

From the outside, the Level brake calipers appear to be unchanged, and Lars is running the new HS2 brake rotors.

Custom Scott TwinLoc lever

It’s hard to tell what’s going on at the TwinLoc lever, but this is certainly not the same triple TwinLock lever you’ll find on the new Scott Spark. Or at least, not without some modification. Complicating things is that Lars’ training bike and race bike have different setups. The training bike shown above uses a mechanical dropper post meaning that lever setup above does function as the TwinLoc 3, but with a different lever setup. His race bike uses an AXS wireless dropper, so where’s the remote?

Lars Forster

If you look closely, that appears to be located on the right side of the bar using a SRAM Blip set up. When we’ve seen this before, it’s required the use of a SRAM Blip Box tucked somewhere in the build.

Now that the Blip Boxes are smaller, it appears that they can be taped right to the lever. Then a short length of cord is wrapped around the bar with the Blip secured under heat shrink tubing.

Pro-only blackbox power meter crank

Pro only black box power meter crank
We’ve seen a lot of pro-only Black Box Powermeter cranks and Lars’ bike is no different. The 175mm SRam XX1 Eagle Dub SL Black Box power meter has a massive narrow-wide ring and powers a SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS drivetrain.

maxxis test pilot tires maxxis test pilot tires

Maxxis’ Test Pilot hot patch indicates that these are not your off-the-shelf tires.

Lars Forster Scott Spark WC race bike check

Lars Forster Scott Spark WC race bike check Lars Forster Scott Spark WC race bike check

The race bike is one of the new Scott Spark RC World Cup AXS builds with 120mm of travel from the hidden rear shock.

  • Frame: SCOTT SPARK 120mm TRAVEL
  • Fork: ROCKSHOX SID ULTIMATE RD3 AIR/ BLACKBOX RACE DAY DAMPER 3 MODE, 120MM TRAVEL, 44MM OFFSET
  • Rear Shock: ROCKSHOX NUDE 5 RLC3 TRUNNION, 45MM LOCKOUT-TRACTION-DESCEND MODE SLOW SPEED COMPRESSION ADJUST
  • Remote: SCOTT TWINLOC 2 TECHNOLOGY, 3 SUSPENSION MODES
  • Handlebar Stem: SYNCROS FRASER IC SL WC-40° / 90MM / 700MM
  • Seatpost: ROCKSHOX REVERB AXS 100MM, TITANIUM BOLTS
  • Saddle: SYNCROS TOFINO REGULAR SL CHANNEL
  • Grip: SYNCROS FOAM
  • Pedals: HT COMPONENTS M2
  • Rear Derailleur: SRAM XX1 EAGLE AXS/ 12SPEED
  • Shifter: SRAM XX1 EAGLE AXS
  • Crank Set: SRAM XX1 EAGLE DUB SL BLACK BOX POWERMETER, 175MM
  • Chain: SRAM XX1 EAGLE CHAIN
  • Cassette: SRAM XG-1299 EAGLE/ 10-50T
  • Brakes: SRAM LEVEL PROTO
  • Wheels: SYNCROS SILVERTON SL2-30MM, 29″
  • Tires: MAXXIS ASPEN 29×2.40WT 170TPI EXO/TR TEST PILOT
  • Bottle Cage: TOPEAK SHUTTLE CAGE CARBON
  • Computer: GARMIN EDGE 130

 

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12 Comments
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Ron
Ron
2 years ago

Tell us more about those pedals.

Zach Overholt
Admin
2 years ago
Reply to  Ron

Looks like they’re the HT M1, Oil Slick is one of the many colors offered.

Joshua Brown
Joshua Brown
2 years ago

Any idea which chainring that is?

Bünzli
Bünzli
2 years ago

Tell us more about the dropper and why is everyone using Centerlock now?

Denis
Denis
2 years ago

I think the Reverb AXS is on Lars’ training bike. He and Nino use a Yep mechanical on their race bikes (with the joystick lever that lives easier next to the twinloc).

John
John
2 years ago

Hey Mate, love the bike check but you’ve got the dropper post situation a bit mixed up. The team trains with Reverb AXS droppers as it’s sponsor-correct. They race with blacked-out YEP Uptimizer 3.0 seatposts and JoyStick dropper remotes (set forward in the index “trigger” position) to save quite a bit of weight over the AXS set. The BlipBox is run externally to make it easier/faster to remove on race weekend. Similarly they just have to cut the shrink wrap and boom, the whole AXS set up is gone in seconds. Cheers!

Seraph
Seraph
2 years ago

Those are not modified Level levers, they’re modified G2 levers. Level levers also don’t feature the cartridge bearing pivots like we see here. They look like custom G2 RSC levers. Also you call the Blip a “Blip Box”, which it is not. The Blip Box is the junction box, and it has to be hidden somewhere inside the frame, like on Kate Courtney’s bike.

Santana
Santana
2 years ago

Or you can just tape the Blip Box to the brake reservoir like the one in the picture and wrap it with tape.

JimmyBoy
JimmyBoy
2 years ago

Seraph, the function box is taped to the right hand brake lever like it’s been most of the year. And the brakes are new, you can see the lever body has a different hose entry which does not run straight in to the body like the old, so there are a fully new brake lever at least

Michael
Michael
2 years ago

@Seraph it’s gonna blow your mind when you see a level ultimate brake lever.

Seraph
Seraph
2 years ago

@Michael: I have used Level Ultimate brakes on my bikes. They don’t have the tool-free lever adjustment nor do they have the cartridge bearing pivot. G2 Ultimates and Guide RSCs have those features. These new levers are likely based off of the G2/Guide lever with a custom exit port angle for the hose.

Michael
Michael
2 years ago

@seraph well buddy I have 4 sets of level ultimates with bearing pivots so sram must have screwed me.

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