We spent most of Monday riding and chewing the fat with Adrian and Cathy Carter from Pace, whose van contained some very interesting bits and pieces besides their good selves.

Before people start ringing up to order stuff though, we’ll make it clear that this is first batch prototype gear that’s only just been passed by the patent office. With something so complex as a carbon structure like this, Pace aren’t reckoning on production of the first models till 2003, with a fuller range hopefully in place by 2004.

The key to the “Hollowform” range is an entirely new one-piece fork brace and bearing housing section made entirely of carbon. Nowt that Manitou haven’t tried already we hear some of you say, but the difference is that the brace here is hollow and formed by a continuation of the inner leg fibres up and round the brace to the other side rather than separate glued sections.

The brass female thread sections for the v brake boss inserts are also buried deep inside the structure for maximum stiffness. Anyone who used to dread the fight with brake clearance and even medium sized tyres on the Mars Carbon’s will also be glad to see recesses on the Pace moulding to allow wide spread of the brakes, as well as decent tyre clearance.

The carbon lower legs then bond into the Hollowform section, with the usual sexy magnesium dropouts on the end.

Although the structure felt super light to us, Adrian told us that the main priority is to “significantly increase fork chassis stiffness, increase strength, take advantage of the damping characteristics available when using composite materials (as we have since day 1) whilst also reducing unsprung weight.”

(To those who don’t know, ‘unsprung weight’ refers to the part of the suspension the far side of the spring from the rider – in this case lower legs and wheel. The lighter this section is the faster and more responsive the suspension will be.)

Even though these first prototypes were just made to prove the concept they were startlingly stiff, which bodes very well for versions with the carbon laid up to handle specific fork loads.

As well as the new carbon section the demo forks also had a brand new 7075T6 hollow aluminium CNC crown and steerer. Although 7075 is slightly more expensive than industry standard 6000 forged or cast crowns, Adrian reckons it’s significantly stiffer and stronger. They’ve also used a much smoother, rounded shape rather than the current scalloped and sharp edged Pace crowns.

Two Hollowform platforms will be used- one to accept 32mm stanchions (inner legs), one 28.6mm. Both will share the new 7075T6 steerer.

Lightweight range will use 28.6mm steel stanchions and will include Hollowform versions of RC38 and RC36 with a new long travel lightweight RC38 currently in development.

The ‘Freeride’ range (although Adrian hates that expression) will be launched codenamed RC40. Again using Hollowform technology these models will bulk out overall (around increased diameter 32mm stanchions), will have totally new open bath damping system, 125 to 130mm travel and will include an ‘Extreme’ model in the range- built in high impact Kevlar. Super pimpy.

Pace have also received their first full set of Reynolds X-100 Lithium alloy tubing, and found someone who can bend it too, so are ready to start translating their XC full suspension bike plans into prototype reality.

Adrian also showed us an intricately machined pair of replaceable horizontal dropouts, with securing wedges and adjustable ISO arm to allow RC300 owners to fit disc brakes to singlespeed build ups. Again it’s only a prototype but it looked more like a vital piece of the Space Shuttle than a mere bike part!

With all this on the go, Pace have had to put other development plans on the back burner, but we did notice this headset on Adrian’s own RC300 bike. Rest assured we’ll keep you up to date with any developments, and we’ll be bringing you a long term test on their current RC36 Pro Class Lockout fork very shortly.

For more information on the rest of the range get yourself a cup of tea and head for the Pace-racing website, but be prepared to wait a while for it to load.