Plus Fox 32 Float 29er fork with updated lower legs
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Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) sported several prototype Shimano and Fox bits on his race-trimmed Giant XtC Composite 29 carbon hardtail in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Training wheels are fitted here for warm-up.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The ultra-wide press-fit bottom bracket shell on Adam Craig's (Rabobank-Giant) Giant XtC Composite 29 allows for a similarly broad down tube and widely spaced chain stays for extra tire clearance.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Shimano looks to have both thru-axle and standard quick-release versions of its new front hub.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The new rear hub features straight-pull spokes that are stacked on top of each other to maximize the bracing angle.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This new Shimano carbon fiber tubular 29er rim isn't borrowed from the road line nor is it a rebadged model from someone else. Rather, Rabobank-Giant mechanics tell us it's a dedicated model.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
It's difficult to see here but the spoke bed is offset on Shimano's new carbon fiber 29er tubular rim.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rabobank-Giant's prototype Shimano carbon fiber tubular mountain bike wheels are ultralight with claimed weights around 1,120g for the 26" version and 1,240g for the 29ers pictured here.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Adam Craig's (Rabobank-Giant) bike is equipped with a Shimano XTR Shadow Plus rear derailleur and its trick pulley cage control.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The rear end is fairly straightforward on Adam Craig's (Rabobank-Giant) Giant XtC Composite 29.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The rear caliper mounts to posts sized for 160mm rotors on the Giant XtC Composite 29 frame.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) uses a shim to step down to a 27.2mm diameter on his Giant XtC Composite 29.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rabobank-Giant rider Adam Craig was running these Vredestein clinchers set up tubeless for training, saving the tubulars for race time and only under the right conditions. (Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The Shimano XTR Race brake lever is paired with the trigger shifter via Shimano's i-Spec integrated bracket.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) rode a practice lap for us with two GoPro cameras fitted. If you haven't watched the video (and listened to the running commentary), it's worth a few minutes for sure.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The OverDrive head tube houses a tapered steerer. Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) didn't use a front derailleur here in Pietermaritzburg so that housing stop sits unused.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
See that little bit of rubber on on the rear derailleur line? That's Shimano's way of sealing up its derailleur cable housing and past experience has proved it to be remarkably effective.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
This is the GoPro setup we used to shoot the cross-country course video with Adam Craig. The aluminum mount is made by K-Edge and it's rock solid.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) was among several pros to run with a 1x10 drivetrain setup at Pietermaritzburg. Craig opted for a 36T chainring.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Fox Racing Shox snuck a bunch of 2013 forks on to pro riders' bikes at Pietermaritzburg. Here, Adam Craig's new 32 Float 29 shows off the updated chassis with its more sculpted arch and trimmer 15mm thru-axle dropouts.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Kashima-coated fork legs reduce friction on Adam Craig's (Rabobank-Giant) new Fox fork.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Fox will apparently carry on with the low-friction SKF seals introduced last year.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) is running a 160mm front rotor and a 15mm thru-axle on his Giant XtC Composite 29.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Adam Craig's (Rabobank-Giant) technically aggressive riding style is well suited to the thru-axle fork.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Interestingly, the tubular tires run by many teams here in Pietermaritzburg aren't being run at significantly lower pressures than tubeless clinchers. However, the far more flexible casings are still supposedly better able to conform to the ground for improved climbing and cornering grip.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Rabobank-Giant's race tubulars use all-new carbon rims that, according to Shimano, are purpose-built for the project and not merely borrowed from the road range or rebadged from another company. While we didn't have calipers on hand to measure, they're visibly wider than Shimano's road wheels for better support of MTB-sized tires and also sport a braided external reinforcement layer at the spoke bed to better handle the rigors of off-road use.
Despite the racing intentions, Shimano doesn't seem to have overlooked ease of maintenance. The hubs – which look to be borrowed from existing XTR wheels – still feature rebuildable angular contact cup-and-cone bearings and the external nipples won't require tire removal if a wheel goes out of true.
Claimed weight for the 26" version is around 1,180g for the set while the 29ers creep up to about 1,300g per pair. Actual weight of the complete 29er wheelset with tires, rotors, skewers, and cassette was 2.98kg (6.57lb) and the complete bike in full-blown race trim was just 9.22kg (20.33lb).
Shimano representatives on site in Pietermaritzburg told Cyclingnews that these wheels are currently only available in prototype form for testing by key sponsored riders but we're hopeful at least the 29er variant will make it to production. While it may not sell in mass quantities for mountain bike use, we're hopeful of the 29er version's compatibility with more 'cross-appropriate rubber.
Adam Craig's machine also offered a preview of a new 2013 Fox 32 Float 29 fork with updated lower legs. As compared to the current version, Craig's fork features a more heavily sculpted arch and trimmed-down 15mm thru-axle dropouts, both of which we expect to shed a few extra grams. We unfortunately don't have details on the internals but Craig's fork was equipped with Fox's auto-locking Terralogic damper so we at least expect that option to continue moving forward.
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Adam Craig's Fox 32 Float 29 fork has an updated chassis, with a more sculpted arch than the current model and trimmer 15mm through-axle dropouts
