Fox's £1,129 dropper post, the new Trek Procaliber, Santa Cruz's latest Bronson and more

Our recap of the most exciting releases of the past fortnight.

Liam Mercer

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Aug 31 2024

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With the World Championships well underway, there's always a minute to look back at the plethora of hot new kit that's come out over the past fortnight. Whether that's Fox's first wireless dropper post or Santa Cruz's updated Bronson, a lot's happened so let's get you up to date with all things tech.

The Santa Cruz Bronson entered its fifth generation

In perhaps the subtlest of updates, Santa Cruz graced its flagship do-it-all ripper, the Bronson with a revised suspension kinematic and small geometry changes. It now gets a slacker head tube angle and proportional chainstays, for a more uniform ride across the size range.

Where the magic has happened is within that suspension – a reconfigured shock layout to lower the bike's anti-squat for a more efficient pedalling character. Santa Cruz also claimed reduced pedal kickback.

Prices start at £4,900 and go up to £8,000.

For more, here's the story - New Santa Cruz Bronson gets updated suspension design.

Fox's dropper post went wireless with the Transfer Neo

It could be said that Fox is a little late to the party when it comes to wireless dropper posts but good things come to those who wait. With the Transfer Neo, Fox has made it super durable to reduce latency between the push of the button and the dropper post moving. Its battery is also housed in a little unit behind the post's collar for a lower stack. It also complies with the ISO's standards for tyre clearance.

The Transfer Neo is available with 125, 150, 175 and 200mm of drop and 30.9, 31.6 and 34.9mm diameters. But here's the kicker – it costs a whopping £1,129 and spare batteries are £99.95.

Here's the story for a deeper dive into this new dropper - Fox ditches the cables with its first wireless dropper, the Transfer Neo.

Kona added two e-MTBs to the lineup

After its reacquisition by its original owners, Kona has been churning out the bikes and added new e-mountain bikes to its range. For those who want a heavy-hitting winch-and-plummet machine, there's the Remote X or the Remote 160 DL which has a more trail friendly character.

Both bikes use Shimano's EP801 motor combined with a 612Wh battery and plenty of suspension.

For more details click here - Kona adds the remote X and 160 DL to its e-mountain bike roster.

The Merit Jumbo was the second bike to adopt 750d

750d is a new wheel size that came as a result of a collaboration between Moots, known for its beautiful titanium frames, and WTB, known for its saddle and tyres. The idea of a new, larger wheel size has been debated for a while but has never garnered momentum – well, until now that is.

Merit unveiled the aptly named Jumbo, a carbon gravel bike that employs the new wheel standard. Chosen for the larger contact patch and better ride for taller riders, the Jumbo is the first carbon bike on the market to run the bigger wheels.

Here are more details - Merit's Jumbo gravel bike adopts the 750d wheel standard

Voodoo revitalised the Canzo

Post-COVID-19 bike prices have been astronomical but Voodoo, the brand behind the mighty Bizango, has looked to knock the value-to-performance ratio out of the park with its revitalised Canzo offering.

With prices starting at £1,400 and going up to £1,800 Voodoo has made full-suspension goodness more accessible.

For more, here's the story - The new Voodoo Canzo is a full susser that starts at £1.4k

The Trek Procaliber swapped IsoSpeed for IsoBow

Trek's latest Procaliber takes the race-focussed lightweight hardtail blueprint to the next level.

Almost every millimetre of the bike's geometry has been changed to make for a more confident ride but importantly, Trek has binned IsoSpeed and has swapped it for IsoBow. Unlike IsoSpeed which relied on an elastomer to bring compliance to the bike's seat tube, IsoBow takes advantage of extended, thus more compliant seat stays. There are new alloy bikes, too.

More details are in the story - Trek's new Procaliber XC bike introduces IsoBow technology.

We listed the top tools that every rider must have

Whether you ride mountain, gravel or road bikes, any good cyclist is only as good as their tool kit. Without a solid roster of tools to turn to whenever a basic repair is needed, your bike may well find itself spending more time with a mechanic than in your garage. Because of that, having a basic range of tools is imperative in keeping you rolling but will also save you money in the long run.

We list the bare minimum tools that every rider worth their salt should own. Here's the piece - Essential tools for off-roading.

And dissected the world of Boost spacing

Boost is the hub standard for any modern mountain bike... But why? Lance dives into the millimetres and measures, explaining why it has become the go-to hub measurement for mountain bikes everywhere.

Here is the full feature - Boost spacing explained.