Parts of Passion started as a distributor of lightweight parts and, since 2008, has slowly morphed into a product manufacturer.
This year, they brought out a mostly complete line of cockpit components and wheels. Shown above are the ridiculously lightweight seatpost (118g), seatmast (60g) and seat collar clamp (5.5g). For the post and mast, the tube is full carbon with alloy bracket and pins and titanium bolts. The collar is a carbon fiber clamp with aluminum bolt and ti screw. All are available in a variety of sizes and shapes.
More from them, plus Nuke Proof’s new body armor and some interesting gear box concepts from Pinion, after the break…
Their mountain bike hubs come in standard QR, thru axle and thru bolt axle options with weights ranging from 124g to 136g for the front and 210g to 219g for the rear. Freehub bodies are SRAM/Shimano compatible. Shell is CNC’d aluminum with a bonded carbon mid section. Internals include five hardened steel pawls with a 30-tooth titanium pawl ring and four bearings. The carbon sleeve can also be had in UD or this 3K weave.
The stems aren’t even listed in their catalog or website, nor are the similarly styled bar ends. In the background are their full carbon XC/Road saddles, which weigh in at a mere 60g. As the matching green brake lever bolts suggest, POP Products makes an assortment of “tuning kits” for all manner of components, including chainring bolts, derailleur bolt kits, top caps, spacers and more that are available in a wide range of colors or in titanium (some).
NUKE PROOF
Nuke Proof’s been going strong across the pond for a while now, we just haven’t seen them back in the states in years. So, technically, the stuff here isn’t brand new, but we hadn’t seen it and thought it worth sharing. The body armor “Vest” shown above and below has zip in panels and is compatible with a Leatt neck brace. The padding on it and the elbow pads is SaS-Tec, which is a lightweight, soft padding that firms up upon impact yet is highly bendable for comfort and withstands multiple impacts without permanent deformation.
If memory serves, the big news for Nuke Proof was that they’re now selling complete bikes for 2012. Shown here from front to back are the Snap (DJ), Mega (XC) and Scalp (Freeride/DH) mountain bikes.
PINION
Pinion was started by a couple of former Porsche engineering interns and avid mountain bikers. Their first device, P.18, is a fully enclosed 18-speed gear box that gets rid of derailleurs altogether, calling them the “last technical deficiency on the modern bike.”
Shifting is performed by a *gasp* 18 position twist shifter. That piece alone might be the limiting factor to adding additional gears, but considering there is overlap in the existing 2×10 systems anyway, maybe 18 is enough with the right range built in. The gears are stepped 11.5% apart with a total range of 636%. They’re fully enclosed and bathed in biodegradable mineral oil and claim to have a 60,000km service interval.
Two benefits could make this particularly appealing to DH bikes: Low center of gravity and drastically reduced weight at the rear axle, which improves suspension performance by reducing unsprung weight. Looking forward, it’s conceivably simple to add a motor to it, too. System weight is a hair under 3,200g, but that’s including the crankset/chainring, all gearing and shifter.
