New Arrivals – May 15, 2008 Edited by James Huang Got Tech? Send press releases, news, and tech questions to the Cyclingnews tech-heads. Welcome to New Arrivals, a section showcasing the latest equipment that's landed on the Cyclingnews tech desk. Look out for reviews over the next few months when we've clocked up some saddle time with this stuff. PowerTap SL 2.4 disc brake hub Mountain bikers can now partake in the PowerTap fun Woo hoo! Saris has finally extended its range of power-measuring hubs to mountain bikers with the introduction of the PowerTap SL 2.4 disc brake hub. The new model uses the same accurate internals and easy-to-use computer head as the standard SL 2.4 but includes a mountain bike-specific aluminum-and-carbon hub shell with fittings for the included proprietary 160mm rotor. Wireless 2.4GHz transmission means that there also aren't any wires to snag or route along complicated rear suspension linkages. A wireless heart rate monitor chest strap is included in the package and an optional wireless speed and cadence sensor means you can also use the PowerTap head to display non-power related features if you prefer to use lighter wheels for race day. Speaking of which, Saris even includes shims so you can match the rotor spacing to your race wheels to ease the swap. The as-installed weight of 734g (including hub, rotor, computer head and all mounts and hardware) isn't light but the added mass likely won't mean much to riders who are mainly interested in obtaining a reliable power measurement for training purposes. Price: US$1599.99 FFWD F2R-190 Ceramic wheelset The carbon fiber tubular rims are just 20mm deep. Holy light wheels, Batman! Dutch company FFWD appeals to the climbers with its F2R-190 Ceramic road tubular wheels. Total weight is an impressive 1022g for the pair (456g/566g front/rear plus 100g for the included skewers) and the retail price is just as staggering at €1798.00 (roughly US$2800 by current exchange rates). The 20mm-deep carbon tubular rims clearly value light weight over aerodynamics although FFWD makes up some of the difference with the DT Swiss Aerolite spokes and alloy nipples. DT Swiss is also tapped for its ultralight 190 Ceramic hubs which are available in Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo spline patterns. Carbon-specific pads and wheel bags are included as well. The handbuilt wheels carry an 80kg (176lb) rider weight limit but that won't matter much in our case as we're sending these straight to the designated climber of the test crew who maybe comes to two-thirds of that limit with a full tummy… and cement shoes. We'll report back once she's logged the requisite 100,000m of vertical gain. Climb, Kirsten, climb! Price: €1798.00 Park Tool DS-1 digital scale Park Tool gets into the weighing game Park Tool offers its own method for determining just how light (or heavy!) your machine is with the introduction of the new DS-1 Digital Scale. The LCD readout displays in either kilograms or pounds with 10g/1oz resolution and Park claims an accuracy of 0.1 percent up to the 25kg (55lb) limit. The twin-pronged hook provides a more stable anchor point than single hooks and the plastic housing, though somewhat bulky, can be either hung from above or clamped in a repair stand. The DS-1 requires three AAA batteries; sadly, none are included. Price: US$62.00 Park Tool SG-7 oversized adjustable saw guide The new Park Tool SG-7 oversized saw guide Ah, integrated seatmasts… while they're undoubtedly trick-looking and sometimes lighter, cutting one can be rather nerve wracking. Many such frames come with appropriate cutting guides but Park Tool's new SG-7 should handle the remainder and will likely make for a good addition to any shop's tool wall. The plastic jaws grip well without undue marring and Park says the oversized dimensions will fit aero tubes up to 89mm (3.5") deep or round tubes from 32-45mm (1 1/4"-1 1/2") in diameter. Price: US$29.00 Park Tool CC-2 and CC-3 chain checkers The Park Tool CC-2 and CC-3 chain checkers Drivetrain wear is an unfortunate fact of life but timely chain replacements can extend the life of costlier drivetrain components, thus saving heaps of money over the long run. While some will continue to use the tried-and-true 12" ruler method to determine when a chain has seen its day, Park Tool takes much of the guesswork out of the process with its CC-2 and CC-3 chain checker gages. The CC-2 offers a fancier interface and more intermediate readings while the less expensive CC-3 is a simpler 'go, no go' gage that will probably appeal to machinists and the like. Both are compactly sized and easy to toss in a workbench drawer or toolbox. Price: US$29.00 (CC-2); US$10.95 (CC-3) Park Tool HT-6, -8 and -10 hex tools Get some leverage and grip Standard 'L' keys sometimes just aren't enough to get the job done properly and Park Tool answers the call with its new HT-6, -8 and -10 hex tools. The HT-8 and -10 provide plenty of leverage for crank bolts and pedals and the HT-10 extension is long enough to reach the fixing bolt on Campagnolo Ultra-Torque crankset. The HT-6 is a godsend for stubborn pedals although we wish it had even a bit more leverage for especially tough jobs. All of the new tools also include beefy rubber-coated handles to help save your palms (you're on your own against that chainring, though). Price: US$10.50 (HT-10); US$8.95 (HT-8 or HT-6) Park Tool SW-40 and SW-42 four-sided precision spoke wrenches Park Tool's SW-40 and -42 spoke wrenches aren't exactly a new idea but their three-sided and four-cornered grip provides a far more secure hold on alloy nipples (or seized brass ones) than standard wrenches regardless, thus reducing the chance of stripped wrench flats. The familiar vinyl-coated steel design and comprehensive Park warranty are on hand, too. The SW-40 mirrors Park's standard 'black' three-sided wrench for use with 3.23mm (0.127") nipples while the SW-42 is an analogue to the standard 'red' wrench for use with 3.45mm (0.136") nipples. Price: US$7.95 Lizard Skins Peaty Lock-On grips You can't ride like Peaty Few of us (if any) can ride like Steve Peat but now you can at least use his signature grips courtesy of Lizard Skins. The new Peaty Lock-On grips feature a small-diameter barrel with a tacky waffle pattern, neat 'Peaty' logos on both the grips and collars and a cheeky 'Cheers!' greeting molded right in. Lizard Skins offers the new Peaty Lock-On in a sedate gray color with red anodized collars but given the inspiration, we can't help but recommend the white option with red and blue collars. Actual weight is 108g per pair including collars and hardware. Price: US$24.99 Lizard Skins Charger grips The Charger's ribbed pattern Lizard Skins' new Charger grip recalls a more classic ribbed pattern but mixes it with a new single-compound elastomeric rubber that the company claims will deliver longer lasting performance than more standard Kraton-type grips. At the very least, Lizard Skins has freedom of choice down pat as the new Chargers are offered in seven different hues including baby blue, pink, brown, olive, orange, white and, of course, black. Actual weight is 90g per pair. Price: US$7.99 Photography For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com Mountain bikers can now partake in the PowerTap fun with the addition of the PowerTap SL 2.4 disc brake hub. The slickly designed proprietary 160mm rotor attaches to the oversized shell with an array of eight bolts. The carbon windows shave a little weight and also look trick. Want to climb faster? Then you might want to take a look at FFWD's featherweight F2R-190 Ceramic wheels which tip the scales at just 1022g per pair. The carbon fiber tubular rims are just 20mm deep. DT Swiss 190 Ceramic hubs form the heart of the FFWD F2R-190 Ceramic wheelset. Park Tool gets into the weighing game with its new DS-1 digital scale. The new Park Tool SG-7 oversized saw guide is just the thing for trimming integrated seatmasts or oversized round tubes. The Park Tool CC-2 and CC-3 chain checkers let you know how much life is left in your chain while the new four-sided spoke wrenches are easier on alloy heads. Get some leverage and grip with Park Tool's new HT-6, -8 and -10 hex wrenches. You can't ride like Peaty but at least you can use his signature Lizard Skins grips. Lizard Skins says the elastomeric rubber used in its new Charger grips will last longer than Kraton rubber. The Charger's ribbed pattern provides a soft feel and firm grip.