Like so many other brands, K-Edge uses the TdF, ATOC and other classics to both test and launch new products. Several new products were quietly placed on Belkin, Sky and other team’s bikes at the Amgen Tour of California this spring, and now again at the Tour de France. With mounts for Pioneer and new magnet-enabled chain catchers for power meter cranksets ready to ship in about a week, K-Edge’s rep Tim Kelley couldn’t stand it any longer and had to send over these pics of the new goods…
The Pioneer mount is an extremely complex part, using a slide-in design with reverse sprung dial to lock the computer into place. Pioneer’s own plastic out-front mount uses a secondary clip, but it’s nothing like this.
The standard handlebar mount will retail for $59.99 and the TT mount for $79.99. They should start shipping by the end of this month. Red, black, blue or Belkin team green.
Co-developed with SRM, their new chain catcher has a position-adjustable magnet to work with both standard and compact cranks and varying frame sizes and designs. It’s currently being used by FDJ.com, Astana, BMC, Cannondale, Giant Shimano, Katusha, Movistar, Orica-GreenEdge and Trek Factory Racing. It works with both SRM and Quarq power meter cranksets, eliminating the need to glue or otherwise tack a magnet onto the frame and positions it perfectly.
This one will retail for $59.99 and should also start shipping by end of month.
This video was shot at ATOC and basically runs over K-Edge sponsored bikes and riders (including OPQS’s Niki Tepstra who reportedly bought his himself) showing who all’s using what. If you look closely, you might find some refined Garmin mounts being tested by Team Sky.
The only thing Kelley would tell us is they’re tweaking things to make “margin gains” and that any new version is quite a ways off from being publicly available. No, that’s not it above, that’s the current model. But check out grip tape on the tops of the aero extensions and bullhorns…certainly more aero than bar tape!
The other video he sent along was this one, showing footage from ATOC captured by cameras attached with their GoBIG mounts. Kelley explains:
“The second video is relevant because the UCI tested the idea of Shimano cameras in the races at ATOC and they didn’t fall off first and foremost, and they added incredible footage to spice up the sport. Our GOBIG Mounts were created 3 years ago due to cameras being tested on bikes at the ATOC and Joe seeing the cameras literally fall off while Levi and Zabriski were preriding the TT course. That company makes great cameras, but not great mounts, and hence, the UCI took the cameras off and didn’t try them again for 3 years!! When they allowed them at this years ATOC, but locked on with K-EDGE mounts exclusively.”
Back to SRM. The mounts for their computers started popping up on pro bikes this spring at the Giro, and now they’ve just started shipping at the beginning of this month.
