For those who may not be familiar with Kore, the mountain bike component company has been around since 1988. I still remember my first serious, full-suspension Cannondale Super V 2000 that I tricked out with a Kore stem and bar. Of course times change and so do product lines – these days Kore offers an extensive component line including wheelsets, cranks, bars, stems, pedals and a super cool I-Beam saddle and seatpost.

KORE’s products are very extensive and I urge you to take a peek at the website since I didn’t have time to take photos of all their products at Interbike last week. The photo above shows some of the bars that will be available in 2011. The 800mm Torsion bar is definitely a wide bar but it can be cut down to 680mm which should cover nearly everyone’s preference for bar width. The Torsion is offered in two models: the Race (made from 2014 series aluminum) and a 6061 series aluminum bar. The weight difference between the two is about 40 grams.

All the Kore wheel sets are handbuilt and the photo above shows just two examples. The Torsion wheel on the right is 32mm wide, made from 6066 AL and tough as nails. Featuring Sandvik spokes and 14-gauge spokes, these wheels are built for the big hits.

Kore’s T-Rail (TRT) saddle is very unique in the way it attaches to the Kore seatpost shown above. What I personally love about this post and saddle is the strength and range of adjustment it offers. There is a full 55mm of fore and aft movement and it takes literally seconds to adjust and hold firm.

Check out KORE’s website when you can for the rest of the product line and to see all the other cool colors that are available. Look for a few reviews of these products in the coming year…

http://www.kore-usa.com/

Here is some stylish bling from Italy for your AM / DH rig. Let’s face it, some of the best things come from Italy like cars, motorcycles, shoes, and yes, bike saddles. Unlike many minimalistic saddles, the 225g Selle Italia SLR T1 ($192 MSRP) is a balance of strength and comfort in a lightweight package. The T1 is a saddle that can soften the blow of rough trails while standing up to the abuse ride after ride.

The seat rails on the SLR T1 are made from Vanox, a combination of  Vanadium and Titanium which is actually lighter than Titanium alone. Even though the rails are only 7mm in diameter I found them to be very durable. Despite many jumps and drops they stayed straight and didn’t creak or groan during the abuse.

The beautiful and flawless Lorica cover (black or white) not only looks great but will maintain that sleek look for a very long time. Lorica is a high abrasion resistant material and the strategically placed Kevlar side reinforcements will keep this saddle from unraveling itself when you tank the bike.

Stripping away the great looks of the saddle we get into the feel of the ride. Gel placed in different thicknesses and densities under the skin of the Lorica allows the folks at Selle Italia to pinpoint comfort without unnecessarily increasing weight. Selle Italia’s gel is one of the lightest out there right now and this stuff absorbs impact 40% better than other saddle gels. After a little while in this saddle the gel will mold itself to your unique shape, further improving the feel and comfort of the ride.

The T1 is 131mm across and 275mm in length which is pretty similar in shape to other MTB saddles within ± a  few millimeters. For my size and hip width this saddle fit extremely well – just as good as my WTB Devo. Unlike the Devo, the SLR T1 feels a bit softer and although I personally prefer a firm saddle, the T1 was nice as well, especially when riding hard and hitting roots and logs.  Compared to this saddle’s cousin, the SLR XC, the tip of the SLR T1 is a bit more blunt with extra padding, great for when you have the bike on an extreme angle and you’re putting weight on the nose.

For the money the SLR T1 may not be for everyone but it’s tough to put a price on comfort. At the end of the day there are few saddles out there that match the quality of workmanship and good looks of the T1 and it shows. It’s a good idea to test ride any saddle before you buy but if it fits, the SLR T1 is a high performance saddle that will go the distance for miles to come.

Thanks to the folks at Selle Italia and ProNet for the saddle for review.

Selecting the perfect mountain bike saddle usually involves balancing the trade-off between comfort and weight. Super lightweight saddles often feel worse than metal folding chairs while really comfy seats are generally wide, bulky, and heavy. Fortunately Selle Italia has hit upon a winning design that carefully balances comfort and weight in the SLR XC Gel Flow.

Weight and Durability

Selle Italia claims the SLR line is the best selling high-end saddle in the world and there’s an SLR model for just about every style and budget you can imagine. While all the SLR saddles are rated for road and off road use, only the XC and XC Gel Flow are designed specifically for off road and free riding. At just 170g, the XC Gel Flow is the lightest MTB-specific saddle I know of and 30% lighter than my previous saddle thanks to the Vanox rails, lightweight silicon gel, and carbon composite shell.

The SLR XC Gel Flow is ultra durable and is, in fact, bullet proof, thanks to kevlar reinforcement. The saddle cover is made from something Selle Italia calls “Lorica” which is abrasion resistant and mud tends to slide right off the shiny, slick surface. Despite the slick surface, the saddle feels grippy under standard nylon/poly bike shorts. Unfortunately the middle and edges of the saddle don’t use the same material so mud and dirt stick in these areas (though grip is still excellent).

Style

Just looking at the profile of the SLR XC Gel Flow might make your cheeks sore but looks can often be deceiving. The SLR XC Gel Flow cuts a low profile and is fairly narrow (131mm) which gives it a super aerodynamic shape perfect for racing. The narrow tail also makes it easier to remount the saddle after behind-the-seatpost descents. I chose the white version because white bike components automatically make you 10% faster – or at least that’s what I heard

Comfort and Performance

The saddle is one of the main contact points between rider and mountain bike which makes comfort a top priority. If you’re looking for a magical saddle that won’t leave you a little sore after a 50-mile epic, I hate to break it to you but there’s no such thing. The SLR XC Gel Flow does incorporate some features to at least make epic XC rides more bearable like a center cut-out to reduce pressure points (and also weight) plus increased gel thickness around the cut-out itself. On 20+ mile rides I’ve had no issues with soreness, though your mileage may vary and will depend on your chamois choice as well.

The nose on the SLR XC Gel Flow is elongated (275mm) which adds to this saddle’s race cred. Transitioning from out-of-the-saddle climbs, the long nose made the saddle easy to find and also makes for a convenient shoulder mount during hike-a-bike sections.

The Vanox tube rails felt super solid throughout my testing and didn’t creak or groan once despite some serious saddle time. Vanox is actually a steel alloy which means these rails flex a little more than aluminum or even some carbon rail set-ups. The upside? A little added protection for your tush on rocky trails.

Overall the Selle Italia SLR XC Gel Flow Saddle is a race-ready, lightweight, and high performance saddle that doesn’t skimp too much on comfort. It’s honestly hard to find fault with a best-selling design like the SLR – give it a try and see for yourself!

Thanks to Selle Italia for proving this saddle for review.

At Interbike on Wednesday I just had to check out THE and ITS. If you remember a while back I wrote a few articles on the ITS tires as well as THE’s INK helmet. At the show I talked to Pete Dylewski and Toby Henderson, both super nice guys, and they walked me through the entire line up of whats new and exciting. I have to say there is going to be some super cool looking stuff coming from THE this year. With 10 new helmet graphics and revamped gear and armor offerings, the 2010 line up is going to be something to watch for.

Introducing the INK2, now in carbon and the CELTIC in composite.

Here are the TIKI and the BIOTIC, both in carbon.

These are only 4 of the 10 helmets and the other six are just as nice.  The armor also is worth taking a peek at – check out the full knee and arm protectors below. They even have pads for the little ones in the family.

For those of you who need even more protection, THE offers full upper armor; here is the new Storm upper body armor.

THE even offers MTB saddles.

ITS has revamped the entire line with new graphics and tweaked tire compounds. In 2010 ITS tires will be all black instead of the familiar grey and black. ITS also simplified things a bit by color coding the hot patch on the side of the tire: red for XC, blue for AM, green for FR and gold for DH. This new color system will help riders choose the right series of tires at a glance.

For XC, ITS still offers System 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. For AM, FR, and DH you have the Edge, Invader (formally DH), 909, Intruder, Zero and Spike.

Check out more cool stuff from THE and ITS at vsiproducts.com.