If you’re in the market for an entry-level XC-Trail disc brake, Hayes has a new mineral oil brake called the Radar. Mantiou also has taken what they learned from designing the damping in the Dorado and applied it in a smaller Enduro-Trail fork package, called the Mattoc. The McLeod is a new rear shock Manitou is offering to meet the demands of Trail riders and more.

Video: Hayes Radar

Hayes was at the forefront of disc brakes in the biking industry when they introduced the first viable disc brake to mountain bikers. They’ve certainly grown from there and Hayes certainly has their roots deeply embedded in the beginnings of mountain bike disc brake standards.

The Radar is a new offering from Hayes that is aimed at the entry/budget rider but still packs a lot of technology into a nice package that is ready to stop quickly right out of the box. It will compete with the Shimano Deore, Magura MT3, and Avid Elixir 3. The brake retails for a mere $95 and will be available in June.

For the first time, Hayes is offering a mineral oil brake. Typically they’ve used DOT fluid in their previous brakes but have made the leap to mineral oil for a variety of reasons with the Radar including skin friendly, paint friendly, fluid won’t absorb water, and has a better shelf life once opened. Claimed weight is 280g and it comes with a sintered disc brake pads. Additional pad compounds will be available for riders as well.

The caliper uses 22mm pistons and has their centering system called crosshair alignment system to help ease centering the caliper over the rotors.

Other benefits include tooled reach adjust, split clamp design for easy installation for any setup, and more.

They’ve simplified the Radar design and reduced the part count throughout the brake to help improve reliability and make it easy to service should the need arise. They’ve got a full list of spare parts available and by offering a lifetime leak proof warranty speaks to how confident they feel about their products.

Visit hayesdiscbrake.com to learn more

Manitou

Trail builder will recognize the names of these new products as they’ve selected some of the popular trail tools that are used to build and maintain the trails we all love.

Riders who have ridden the Dorado know how well the damping works and Manitou has migrated this technology into a single crown fork for Enduro / Trail riders called the Mattoc.

The air sprung Mattoc is available in three models including a pro, expert, or comp in a 26″ or 27.5″ chassis with a QR15 axle. Travel is 140mm to 160mm of travel in all models and a 170mm option for 26″.

Damping responsibilities are given to their TPC system.  Adjustments include

• Air
• Compression (High Speed and TPC+)
• Hydraulic Bottom Out
• Rebound

To handle rear suspension duties, Manitou has their McLeod shock that will be available in Summer 2014. It’s built in their own factory to maintain quality control and has a variety of adjustments to keep your suspension working optimally. It has a sealed negative chamber and they plan to improve this shock even more throughout its lifecycle to make it even more versatile through custom tuning and various can sizes.

The black lever offers 4 positions to help dial in the platform of the shock. Position 1 and 2 are designed to be everyday riding modes with position 3 and 4 intended for ascending. The settings are intended to mirror the Mattoc front fork so riders can easily achieve suspension harmony.

Sizes include

• 152 x 32
• 165 x 38
• 190 x 50
• 200 x 50
• 200 x 56
• 216 x 63

Learn more about the manitou range of products at http://www.manitoumtb.com/

Stay tuned for more coverage on the 2014 Sea Otter Classic by keeping a tab on the tag or category we’ve created for this event.