There are a couple of mountain-bike products in the Cyclingnews New Arrivals section this week. Look for future reviews of:
Ellsworth Truth - Ellsworth is a small California-based mountain bike builder with big heaps of suspension technology in the form of the patented Instant Center Tracking design. ICT consistently aligns the chain torque line with the instant center of the rear linkage, making for ultra-efficient pedaling while retaining the excellent bump-eating capabilities of its four-bar rear end. The Truth is Ellsworth's XC/Endurance-specific race machine with four inches or rear wheel travel in a lightweight aluminum chassis with sealed bearing pivots all around./JH
Manitou R-Seven 100mm - Manitou has reignited the XC suspension fork wars with their new air-sprung 2006 R-Seven. This successor to the Skareb has trimmed roughly 100g off of the old chassis while upsizing to 30mm diameter stanchions for dramatically improved rigidity. Manitou's new Snap Valve damper design promises a firm pedaling platform while simultaneously delivering near-instant bump response. This preproduction sample doesn't quite have all of the planned weight reduction features but should still provide us with an excellent opportunity to report on the ride quality of the new platform before actual production units are available. Even in its early form, though, this thing is already super light at 3.36 lb (1.53 kg) with an 8.5in steerer tube; production units should be nearly 0.2 lb lighter!/JH
Thomson Masterpiece 31.6mm - For owners of bikes with big, fat seat tubes that therefore need a big, fat (but not heavy!) seat post, Thomson has just introduced a 31.6mm version of its lightest post, the forged-then-machined Masterpiece. The newest incarnation of the Masterpiece has all the features that have made Thomson's posts a fravourite: one-piece shaft and head, and two-bolt clamp. It's a combination that makes for a very tough post and also one that's user-friendly - you can get the saddle angle just right with a two-bolt clamp in a way that's hard with a single bolt. In either an in-line or setback design the 31.6mm version of the Masterpiece weighs 190g in a 350mm length suitable for mountain bike and compact road frame use./JS
