New for 2014 Thomson is rolling out a brand-new Titanium riser bar. Measuring 780mm wide, this bar is essentially a carbon-copy of the aluminum riser I reviewed a couple of months ago… actually, make that a titanium copy. 😉 MSRP: $388.
Thomson is also rolling out a 750mm aluminum all mountain bar that is nearly identical to their previous carbon AM bar. The aluminum model should be in stock in 60-90 days.
As you can see in the photo above, Thomson has a dropper post with stealth routing coming soon. The aluminum post will be cable actuated with hydraulic inners, and comes with a two-year warranty on the dropping mechanism.
Thomson is also developing a 27.2 dropper post that reportedly weighs just 600 grams. The 27.2 seatpost size has all but disappeared except for hardtail bikes, but Thomson is still going ahead with the post development. They figure that there are still plenty of bikes with 27.2 seatposts around that might need a dropper post upgrade, and with Gravity Dropper as basically the only 27.2 dropper post option currently available, they hope to make serious headway in that market.
Finally, Thomson is reportedly developing a road bike dropper post.
Yes, you heard that right: a dropper post for a road bike, and hopefully available next year. The post will probably provide up to two inches in drop, with a preset feature allowing the rider to easily drop the seat a quick 5mm. Reportedly, some roadies already run their seats 5mm lower on some rough European races, so Thomson hopes to appeal to that market, as well as the gravel grinder cyclocross set.
As to whether or not gram-counting leg-shaving road bikers will sacrifice a few precious ounces to get a little bit of seat clearance, that seems to be a gamble on Thomson’s part. Stay tuned to see how things develop….
