Full Speed Ahead (FSA) and its subsidiary VisionTech both had new wheels on display at Sea Otter this year. VisionTech started in Kona, home of the Ironman World Championships, and not surprisingly, has a strong line of aero wheels for triathletes and time trialers. However, it does offer a line of road wheels that are cyclocross-ready, which was verified by Lance Haidet's choice of the Metron 40 SL wheelset at Sea Otter.
Lance Haidet ran Vision wheels in the Sea Otter cyclocross race. Lance Haidet's 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross race-winning Pivot Vault. © J. Silva / Cyclocross Magazine
FSA's foci in the wheel market are road and mountain biking. A few years ago we looked at its cross-discipline SL-K carbon tubeless clincher designed for both mountain biking and cyclocross.
This year at Sea Otter, we looked at the Vision Metron 30 SL tubular and clincher and FSA K-Force AGX and TriMax KB TL 30 wheelsets. FSA also showed off new gravel cranksets and its new K-Force WE wireless groupset.
The new Carbon Vision Metron 30 SL is likely to catch the eye of cyclocrossers who still race on rim brake wheels, and those who use tubulars in particular. The new 30mm deep tubular and clincher wheels tip the scales at 1,260g and 1,400g, respectively and retail for $1,799. The wheels both have micro-dot brake surfaces, 17mm diameter axles and adjustable pre-load bearings.
FSA has tweaked its Vision Metron line and unveiled a new 30mm deep Metron 30 SL wheelset. 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross and gravel new products. © Cyclocross Magazine
The clincher version of the Metron 30 SL features a tubeless-friendly rim bed profile with distinct angled shoulders along the center channel, which is a departure from the gently rounded rim bed of the Metron 40 SL that the company claims is tubeless ready but may not offer as much low-pressure burp protection.
The new Metron 30 SL (left) has a different rim profile than the Metron 40 SL (right). photo: courtesy
If disc brakes and low pressure are your thing, FSA will soon be offering the new K-Force AGX wheelset for cyclocross, gravel or mountain bike applications. The 21.5mm internal width carbon rim is 25mm deep, will come in 29" and 27.5" sizes, and will weigh around 1,460g per pair for the 29" size.
FSA has new K-Force Light AGX tubeless disc wheels that feature a 21.5mm internal wide rim and weigh 1465g. Boost spacing is available for mountain bikes. 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross and gravel new products. © Cyclocross Magazine
Want alloy? The TriMax KB TL 30 wheelset will feature a 28mm deep and 19mm wide alloy rim. The rim brake version tips the scales at 1,495g.
The Vision TriMax KB TL 30 wheelset comes in a disc tubeless version. The 17mm internal wide alloy rim is 28mm deep and a set weighs 1590g. 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross and gravel new products. © Cyclocross Magazine
FSA is also making a big push into gravel and adventure, showing off its adventure gearing on its carbon and alloy crankset line. The 48/32t and 46/32t wide-range double cranksets offer plenty of gearing options for both never-ending gravel climbs and heavy loads as well as jumping in a group ride. The new cranksets join Easton's in a growing array of gravel-specific gearing choices.
FSA is pushing its adventure gearing crankset options, with several levels of 46/30 and 48/32 options, including the top-of-the-line K-Force Light. 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross and gravel new products. © Cyclocross Magazine
In our profile of Lance Haidet's Sea Otter cyclocross-winning Pivot Vault, we looked at FSA's K-Force WE wireless groupset that the company recently released after several years of development.
Lance Haidet's K-Force WE-equipped Pivot Vault was on display in the FSA booth. 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross and gravel new products. © Cyclocross Magazine
See the photo gallery below for more on FSA and VisionTech's new wheels, gravel cranksets and groupset.
More info: fullspeedahead.com and visiontechusa.com.
Photo Gallery: FSA and VisionTech New Products
Unlike its big brother, the Metron 40 SL with a rounded rim bed, the Metron 30 SL features tubeless-friendly angled shoulders for what looks to be a more secure, burp-resistant ride. 2018 Sea Otter Classic cyclocross and gravel new products. © Cyclocross Magazine
