 What is OverDrive 2 all about?It all comes down to a .125″ increase in the upper section of the tapered steerer tube, taking it from the current 1 1/8th standard to an outer diameter of 1 1/4 inches. The lower section of the steerer tube, where the steerer and crown meet, remains the same. The goal is improved stiffness at the handlebar, especially given the rise of wider handlebars on trail and all-mountain bikes. Giant is claiming a massive 30% increase in stiffness at the end of the handlebar with OverDrive 2. Here are the facts:
• The fork’s steerer tapers from 1 1/2″ at the bottom to 1 1/4″ at the top where the stem clamps. This means that it does require a new stem, upper headset assembly and headset spacers.
• The bike’s head tube inner diameter actually remains the same, at least on Giant’s bikes. This means that not only can all of Giant’s bikes that come equipped with the OverDrive 2 system be easily converted to fit a standard tapered fork and stem, but older models from previous years can also be converted to accept a new OverDrive 2 steerer equipped fork.
• Other companies are free to use 1 1/2″ – 1 1/4″ tapered forks as well. Giant is not patenting OverDrive 2, so expect it to pop up elsewhere as well. It will be a while before we can truly call it a standard, at least two to three years, but with Giant behind it it’s not likely to disappear.
