Coming down of the high of Crankworx, it’s time to shake out the remaining bits.
While this wasn’t the biggest year for expo booths at Crankworx Whistler, there are always some interesting prototypes and new products to be found around the village. In this article, we’ll check out Sam Pilgrim’s new signature watch from Swatch, Race Face’s recently released Chester pedals and eMTB Turbine wheelset, and peek at some prototype carbon dirt jumper wheels from NOBL.
Swatch Sam Pilgrim signature watch:
Swatch held an evening soiree to celebrate the release of their Proteam Collection watches, one of which is mountain bike freestyle superstar Sam Pilgrim’s signature ‘Tread On It’ model. The Swatch Proteam also includes mountain bikers Erik Fedko, Finn Iles, and Casey Brown.
Pilgrim’s signature watch features spokes on the watch face, a tire tread pattern on the rubber strap, and colorful details on the strap loops. The red pusher on the side also features a tooth logo, in honor of Sam’s missing front chomper!
Swatch’s first Proteam Collection also includes signature watches from Coco Ho (surf), Matthias Dandois (flatland BMX), and Andy Anderson (skate). Prices range from $120-205.
Race Face Chester Pedals and Turbine eMTB Wheels:
Race Face had a display to show off their recently released Chester pedals at Crankworx Whistler. This stand shows the small and large size options, plus their many colors. Check out our recent launch article for complete specs and details.
Hiding in plain sight at the FOX demo booth was the new Turbine eMTB wheelset. The wheels were on a Rocky Mountain Slayer display bike, set up with beefy parts for bike park shredding. If you’re wondering why they’re not on an eMTB, it’s because some riders may choose to run the eMTB wheels on unassisted bikes simply due to their increased strength. The wheelset was officially announced on July 16th.
Race Face wanted to ensure the Turbine eMTB wheels were strong, but not at the sacrifice of ride quality so they’ve maintained a degree of compliance. The wheels feature front and rear-specific aluminum rims, steel axles, and thicker spokes than Race Face’s Turbine wheelsets. Despite achieving a weight of 2145g per set, Race Face says the Turbine eMTB wheels can handle huge impacts before suffering unrideable levels of damage.
NOBL prototype dirt jumper rims:
At NOBL’s booth, I spotted this dirt jumper bike with some deep-dish carbon rims parked ‘prototype’, so I had to ask some questions! Upon request from some of their team riders, NOBL crafted some 26” carbon rims for dirt jumping. At this point, they have no plans to produce the wheels, but I’m told the team riders are pretty happy with them. One of NOBL’s employees mentioned the lightweight rims make it a bit easier to spin 720s!
