We attended the FSA press conference at Eurobike and had a tour of the product line.  The company already produces some of the tastiest products on the market for both MTB and road but have made some recent advancements that are worth a  special look.

First off, FSA have just annouced a special relationship with computer company AMD.  How is this relevant you ask?  Well the company has developed special simulation software which allows FSA to work out how a product will perform over a long period of time without extensive testing and can cut down on the design and testing time required to introduce a new product dramatically.  This gives a stronger product with improved design.  To give you an idea of AMD’s pedigree in this area they already work with companies such as Ferrari, Ducati and Dreamworks so expect big things from FSA over the next while.

Back to the products and FSA have been busy developing their carbon K-Force range.  The crankset has already won the Tour de France this year under Carlos Sastre and countless races both on and off-road.  The company was the first to use ceramic bearings in their products and have also developed a new bottom bracket system utilising the open BB30 standard.

This has been driven by the move to lighter but more dense frame materials (carbon over steel) allowing for oversize tubes giving more rigidity and strength.  Therefore companies can use narrower diameter tubing.  The bearings are moved to outside the bottom bracket and the cranks are redesigned to produce a narrower Q factor.  This concerns the distance your legs must be open to allow for the frame , bottom bracket and cranks and studies have shown that the narrower the better for pedaling efficiency (it is similar to walking - you walk with your feet quite close together).  Another distinct advantage is that the BB30 system is 25% stiffer than a standard BB.  Also as the bearing races are larger, the bearings will last longer and because there are no threads for the BB to screw into, it’s nicer to your frame as well.

The K-Force Light MegaExo 2×9 is the new MTB crankset which has been tested by the likes of Gunn-Rita Dahle Fleesja and Ralf Naef on the World Cup circuit this year.  Instead of the standard three ring chainset, FSA consulted with riders who often remove the granny ring altogether and therefore designed a crankset accordingly.  With a claimed weight of 694grams these are very light and come with either a 44/29 or a 42/29 tooth set up.  Ask yourself how often do you actually use your granny ring?

If you can’t live without it there is also a three ring version which is still really light at 745grams.  Both are available in either BB30 or regular BB fittings.  We liked the look and feel of these immensely.

There is also a really nice range of handlebars again from the K-Force family in either flat or riser bar and made from Carbon/Kevlar composite.

A number of years ago we rode a very nice FSA Orbit headset and very smooth it was too so we were interested to see the new FSA Gravity downhill headset to fit the new 1 1/2 to 1 1/8 headset systems.  This standard allows the use of forks with a tapered steerer resulting in a stiffer steerer tube and better tracking.  Of course FSA produce a huge range of head sets for road, mountain and gravity bikes including the curent Orbit model which has several improvements over the much loved version we rode previously.

The Gravity range is one which is growing rapidly with cranks also making a big impact.  We particularly liked this model which is also available with a bash guard.

Last but not least are the range of wheels available again for both road and MTB.  This set caught our eye at the show.  It’s a new direct pull spoke wheel-set aimed at the XC market and imaginatively names the XC-150.  It’s not exceptionally light at 2200grams but it is rugged and certainly looks the part.

See your local bike shop for more pricing and availability or go to www.fullspeedahead.com.