I have to start this off and let everyone know that I am a little biased when it comes to Chromag. Not only do they put out beautiful, well crafted products, they are based right here in BC and that means a lot to me. Not only that but they support a ton of awesome athletes and are easy to deal with, okay I do realize I am sounding like a bit of a fanboy, but I just wanted to be honest about this and let you all know where I am coming from with this preview.

 

Ian gave me a killer deal on the Chromag Trailmaster LTD saddle, The new Palmskin grips and the proven and sexy SeatQR. I have run Chromag bars and saddles in the past so it was a pretty easy decision to go with them again.

First off I wanted to try the Trailmaster LTD saddle, not only is this saddle great to look at with it’s heavy stock imported leather (I hear it’s imported from Italy), but it’s super comfortable and since I never had any issues with my Moon’s Ti rails (first rails I have not bent in years) I was stoked that the LTD followed that tradition. In the few rides I have had on it so far I have not run into any issues, but I did have a fairly bad crash that would have torn apart a lesser saddle, and nary a scratch on the Trailmaster LTD, very nice. Here are some fun fact for you to soak in:

• Seamless, Oiled Heavy-Stock Leather
• Solid Titanium Rails
• long day in the saddle & hardtail approved
• 320 grams  (294g on my scale)
• Colour: Natural Dark Brown
• 284mm x 140mm
• Retail: $148.00 (CAN)

Next up we have a new item for Chromag, Grips! They have three different patterns depending on your needs, I chose the Palmskins as I loved the blue and they reminded me of the mushroom grips that I loved so much when I was a kid. The clamp design is different than the ODI’s that I have been riding for many years now and I like it, I mean they do the job…clamps the bars. They were shipped with only three bolts, and my old ODI bolts will not fit in the Palmskins, but so far they have held tight (I did have to tighten them up once since installing them). They say these grips are good for those that ride gloveless, but I am a fan of gloves and have found them to be comfortable and grippy when it matters. Again…here are the details for those that like that kind of thing:

• Made with a Kraton based rubber that combines a soft 25a durometer and a proprietary additive for a combination of tackiness and durability
• Ribbed pattern is compliant under the hand while managing moisture by channeling it away into the groove
• Colours: Black with Black ends/Yellow with Black ends/Blue with Black ends
• Overall length 142mm
• 99 Grams (On my scale with 1 missing bolt)
• Retail: $30.00 (CAN)

The last item for today is the Seat QR. I have a special place in my heart for quality seat quick releases, I feel it is one of the small things on a bike that can not only make your bike look better but there is just something so nice about a nice seat QR, easy to open and close and clamps a seat post tightly…nothing worse than a post that slips. The brass bushing is what makes the biggest difference in this QR, it is the easiest clamp to open and close that I have used in my 29 years of mountain biking, and damn does it looks nice. Here are the details:

• Brass bushing interface that contacts the entire cam surface
• Long rounded-surface lever
• 6mm bolt
• CNC polished and hard anodized
• Available in 30mm, 32mm, 35mm and 36.5mm(Trek)
• Colours: black, pewter, red, gold, blue, purple
• Weight: 50g (54g on my scale)
• Retail: $50.00 (CAN)

So there you have it, three products that I will be riding over the summer testing them out on the awesome trails of BC. I will let you know how they fair in a full review later this year.

Check out the scale shots below!

Do you have any questions about the products above, just ask me in the comments below.