The TORQ Performance Mountain Bike team have yet again been a dominant force on the XC race scene this season and there’s little doubt that the equipment they’ve been using has been integral to their success…
Here’s a little article about ‘The Bike’ itself and we’ll give you some insight into the other pieces of ‘non bike’ kit that the riders have become so dependent on this season in a couple of weeks time.
Kona Kilauea Frame: The Kilauea is Kona’s first ever carbon frame developed for the rigours of top mountain bike racing. Weighing in at a mere 2.4 pounds, it’s not only incredibly light, but has the stiffness and thoroughbred performance our riders demand. With full-length (fit and forget) cable outer to the rear mech and substantial mud clearance, it’s ideal for UK conditions too. Boasting the custom TORQ livery, we challenge anyone to find a better-looking frame.
SRAM XX Groupset: For 2010, the bikes have been equipped with Sram’s XX flagship groupset. This is the first fully-integrated mountain bike groupset from Sram combining, in one very neat package; cranks from Truvativ, Sid World Cup forks from Rock Shox, and Brakes from Avid. It’s an incredibly light groupset, taking nearly a pound out of its nearest competitor! Its also the first to adopt a 2 X10 set up, which removes many of the redundant gears found on a triple chain set and allows a straighter chain line giving unparalleled shifting performance and reduced wear characteristics even under load.
The carbon chainset from Truvativ is not only one of the lightest in existence, but uses some amazing new technology from SRAM which gives the fastest shifting of any chainset, so you never have to back off the power. The cassette is possibly one of the most amazing components, with eight of its ten sprockets taking nine hours to machine from a single block of billet steel giving remarkable mud clearance, shifting performance and component life.
The Rock Shox forks use the first ever hydraulic lockout and are incredible stiff. They have amazing plushness thanks to the 32mm chaise, integrated one piece carbon crown/steerer and the blackbox motion control damper and dual air spring.
The Avid brake set is one of the lightest yet full featured hydraulic disc brakes on the market giving precise braking and amazing stopping power. All the components are neatly integrated onto the handle bars with the shifters, brake and lockout all using the same clamp, so everything is kept light and looking tidy with no extra baggage. This groupset has been a massive leap forward for mountain bike technology and performance. Our riders are very privileged to be the only SRAM supported UK Mountain Bike team for 2010.
Superstar Wheels: Superstar components have provided the groundbreaking Superleggera Titanium hub, which has an incredible 120point engagement on the rear, so not a single turn of the pedals is not put into moving you forward. Anodised in TORQ colours and custom-etched with our logo, these wheels are again extremely light weight (see the trend here?). Laced using Sapim X-Ray spokes onto a super lightweight scandium rim from Alex Components, these have been the team’s no compromise ‘race only’ wheel set.
Schwalbe Tyres: Schwable have been the choice of top racers for many years and the TORQ team are clearly no different. Schwable cover all of our tyre needs from the Furious Fred for super dry and hard conditions thought to the Rocket Ron for wet and muddy and Racing Ralph for everything in between. These lightweight tyres have been our choice for many seasons and will continue to be for years to come.
Fizik Saddles: Fizik have again provided an excellent, lightweight and comfortable TORQ coloured perch. With our riders spending so many hours in the saddle racing and training, what could be more important?
Ritchey Finishing Kit: The favourite of many pro riders including the current world champ, Richey finishing kit has a reputation for being lightweight and durable. The kit is a firm favourite with our riders and has been for many years equipping the team bikes with seat posts, handlebars and stem.
Crank Bros Pedals: No lightweight race bike is complete without a super light set of pedals. Crank Bros Egg Beaters are just that, producing some of the lightest pedals on the market with exception mud clearance and for added bling, ours come in custom TORQ orange.
Jagwire Cables: There is nothing worse than having a high performance Sram XX groupset with sticky cables. Jagwire have equipped our bikes with TORQ orange gear cable sets to keep everything running smooth and looking buff.
So, do you like what you see? Well, 10 of these bikes are coming back to TORQ in the next couple of weeks and we’ll be selling them on, so drop us a line at enquiries@torqfitness.co.uk if you fancy one of these incredible race machines.
Photos: www.joolzedymond.com
Once again, a huge thank you to our sponsors for 2010:
www.konaworld.com – Frames
www.sram.com – Groupsets, Suspension Forks and Brakes
www.met-helmets.com – Helmets
www.ritcheylogic.com – Handlebars, Stems and Seatposts
www.schwalbe.com – Tyres
www.exposurelights.com – Advanced Lighting
www.juicelubes.co.uk – Lubrication
www.lakecycling.com – Shoes
www.jagwireusa.com – Cables and Housing
www.crankbrothers.com – Pedals
www.bikeboxalan.co.uk – Bike Boxes
www.fizik.com – Saddles
www.superstarcomponents.com – Hubs and Headsets
www.alexrims.com – Rims
www.sapim.be – Spokes
www.maxgear.co.uk – Glasses, Compression, Tools
www.champ-sys.co.uk – Performance Cycle Clothing
www.joolzedymond.com – Photography
www.fibrax.com – Brake Hardware
www.sport-torque.com – Torque Wrenches
www.cycleops.com – Power Measurement, Turbo Training and Bike Racks
www.notubes.com – Tyre Sealant
www.portablepressurewashers.co.uk – Cordless Pressure Washing
Follow the TORQ Performance MTB team’s progress on their facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/TORQ-Performance-Mountain-Bike-Team/110217305676815
