Imagine this: you’re in the groove, feeling the flow of the trail, and you come to a steep downhill section. If you’re like me, instead of launching straight into it you probably stop, adjust your seatpost, and kill the flow before you get to the best part. If this sounds familiar, Crank Brothers should be your new best friend. They say you can’t buy your friends but if you have $285 (MSRP) the Crank Brothers Joplin R will be your convenient, ride enhancing trail buddy. The post is available in only two sizes 30.9 and 31.6 so for now this great post is limited to those frame seatpost sizes (the Joplin R isn’t friends with just anyone).

When you receive the Joplin, it comes beautifully packaged – I almost didn’t want to remove it and actually considered having it framed. All kidding aside it came well packaged with no chance of  shipping damage and included everything I needed minus a few tie wraps. Installing it was very easy but there are a few things you should consider doing first before you go and stuff the seat post in your frame.

Check the remote lever to see if it actually fits on your bar – I had a hard time fitting the remote on my RaceFace Next SL carbon bar. I have heard from others that installation may be difficult on some Easton Carbon bars as well, so be sure to confirm it fits before you plunk down the cash. If all is good then installation is a snap – just keep the installation instructions handy during assembly.

Once you install the post and run the cable  (you may need to shorten it as necessary), compress your suspension to see if the cable will rub on any linkages.  Make sure you place the nylon tubing on the exposed cable that runs to the actuation lever and visually inspect that you have clearance between the actuation lever and the saddle (have someone sit on the saddle or place a weight). You may have to adjust your seat angle a bit.

I set the remote on the left hand side, seeing that I use that hand less and other than grabbing the front brake when I ride I rarely use the front derailleur. So it makes sense to have the Joplin on my left.

On the trails, the old scenario was to come to a steep descent, stop and dismount, lower the seat post, remount the bike, roll back a bit, then go down. Talk about harshing the flow. But no longer – now when I know there is a steep descent I just actuate the lever, sit on the seat to lower it, release the lever, and ta-da – down it stays, and down I go. When I clear the steep descent, a pull of the remote brings the seat back up to the original seat height. I can then continue pedaling efficiently at the correct ride height. To that end the Joplin is flawless and great – I couldn’t ask for a better solution. The seat post does not creak and the seat stays set at whatever height that I set it at.

After a few rides I did notice one thing that put a slight damper on this otherwise excellently engineered seat post. I noticed that the seat developed a bit of play which allowed the seat to wiggle a small amount (for some people this could be an issue). After visiting the Crank Brothers website they mentioned that it is normal to have some play and that anything less that 10mm movement is acceptable.  The post that I am testing presently has 6mm movement.

My final two cents worth:

The Joplin R is a great seatpost which will totally change the way you ride and the amount of fun you will have on the trails – it inspires confidence and enhances rider control . If you don’t sweat the details and you do maintain this post, it will be a great upgrade. The downside is that the post has a bit of play and unfortunately the Joplin at present only comes in two sizes: 30.9mm and 31.6mm.

Get out there and kick it.

Cheers.

The Crankbrothers recently got into the wheel business and after previewing the Cobalt wheelset at Interbike back in September we knew we had to try them out. Sure, the wheels look pretty (they’re made by the Crankbros. after all) but we wanted to know how they would perform on the trail – fortunately we weren’t disappointed.

The first thing you’ll notice when looking at a set of Cobalt wheels (aside from the color) is the unusual spoke arrangement. Cobalt wheels turn the traditional spoke model on its head with spoke nipples attached to the hub rather than the rim. Crankbrothers uses “elongated nipples” to provide extra strength and to concentrate mass toward the hub rather than the rims meaning you’ll need less initial force to get the wheels rolling from a stop. At the rim the spoke heads are attached to fins on the rim unlike a typical wheel where the spokes actually penetrate the rim. The upshot: stronger rims and no need for rim tape inside to protect your tubes and tires.

Speaking of tubes, the Cobalt wheels are designed to work with tubeless tires which is great news for anyone looking to save weight and cut down on flats. I set up my Cobalt wheels with Kenda tires and plain old tubes and found the fit to be impeccable. The seal between tire and wheel was so tight that after inflating the tube I heard a loud hissing sound and thought I had a pinch flat. I quickly spun the tire around only to find the air was escaping from the space between the tire and tube – now those are some tightly sealed rims! (remember – no spoke holes)

The Cobalt wheels are very light (688 grams front, 852 grams rear) and each one is a good half pound lighter than my regular wheels. Despite the light weight the wheels felt super strong on the trail and even on a recent urban ride. Wobble was nonexistent in corners and rocky patches and the wheels rolled ultra true right out of the box. Although the Cobalts are billed as XC wheels I didn’t notice any flex on jumps and the ability to upgrade to 15mm thru axles means even downhill riders could consider these wheels (Crankbrothers also makes an all-mountain wheelset called Iodine with many of the same features).

Crankbrothers innovation is evident throughout the Cobalt wheelset. Beyond the unusual spoke and nipple arrangement, Crankbrothers uses a two-stage, split quick-release skewer that reduces the amount of force required to release wheels after a ride. I honestly haven’t made use of this feature but I suppose it could be helpful for riders with weak arms after a long ride. The Cobalt rear wheel hub is a “noisy freewheel” (similar to Chris King hubs) and sound like you have a baseball card in your spokes whenever you’re coasting. At first the sound made me feel like a badass but it got a little annoying on long, flowy descents. The wheels are disc brake compatible only so if you’re still rocking V-brakes you’ll need to upgrade your brakes before adding these wheels.

Aside from the amazing technical features of the Cobalt wheelset, what really makes a Crankbrothers product drool-worthy is the design. Opening the Cobalt wheelset box felt like I was unwrapping an iPhone – the attention to detail with something as simple as the packaging is truly amazing. These wheels also turn heads on the trail – on a recent ride at Heritage Park I spoke with the only rider we saw about the wheels for several minutes. No doubt about it, these wheels have substance AND style.

Upgrading the stock wheels on your mountain bike can give you a whole new ride and the Cobalt wheelset from Crankbrothers is a great choice for aggressive XC riders. The only thing about these wheels that will slow you down are the gawkers!

Most folks may not realize this but Crank Brothers started making wheel sets last year and this year they’ve expanded the line to include All Mountain wheels. The iodine line has a through axle hub and felt super lightweight – the front wheel is just 870g! And like all Crank Brothers products the wheels come in an array of color combinations that allows you to customize your ride.

One interesting thing to note in the photos is the appearance of thicker, colored spokes closest to the hub. These are not spokes in fact they’re elongated nipples (sounds dirty, eh?). The elongated nipples give the bros’ a chance to add a little color around the center of the wheel but they also provide increased strength while shifting weight away from the outside the wheel. This means the wheels feel lighter and spin faster than if the weight of the spokes were evenly distributed toward the rim.

We also got a chance to check out the Cobalt wheels as well and they were even lighter than the Iodines, even with quick release bolts attached! Look for the Iodine wheels to be released in the next few months (they’re not even on the Crank Bros website yet!).