News

What’s in the bag? Johan Museeuw ships his flax/carbon frames in a linen (flax fiber) sack.

Messenger bag maker Crumpler’s booth is a castle you could stand and stare at all day without tiring of finding new little details in the design.

Ibis’s polished Airstream booth offers the comforts of home away from home on the Vegas show floor.

The Tout Terrain single-wheel suspended trailer’s shock has two mounts. One shock-mounting position offers 200mm of travel, and the other offers 140mm of travel while lowering the trailer for improved stability and aerodynamics on smoother roads.

The Tout Terrain single-wheel suspended trailer allows you to ride singletrack trails with your kids before they are old enough to ride. The trailer attaches to the seatpost, out of the way of your heels or trail obstacles.

The Cervélo P4’s crotch between the head tube/fork and the down tube has been filled in for smoother air flow. The water bottle fills the crotch between the down tube and the seat tube. It pulls out like a normal bottle, but the bike is faster with it in place. The rear brake is hidden from view beneath the chainstays and from the wind by a cover.

Revelation. Cervélo company co-founders finally reveal the new P4 aero bike. The two were both Canadian engineering students when they started the company in 1995.

You know when you’re a success when you call a press conference at the last minute and the halls empty because of how many people are clustered around your booth waiting to see what you have under the sheet. And then when you run late and nobody leaves? Well, you can be sure you’ve emerged as the leader others must follow, and Cervélo is that leader when it comes to aero bikes.

What’s under the sheet? Cervélo was ready to show it's new P4, but not until creating a bit of buzz.

Electra partnered with artist Alexander Girard for a series of new cruisers.

Electra’s Amsterdam Balloon features Schwalbe’s Fat Frank rubber for extra style points, and 8 speeds for extra comfort. Cost to you, $750 for the works.

Courtney Lewis’ job is working out so far. While working at Hincapie Sports, she met and married George Hincapie’s Columbia teammate Craig Lewis.

Hincapie has sunscreen, too. It’s a spray-on zinc formula that protects against melonoma.

The women’s jeans are in the fifth prototype stage.

Hincapie’s casual wear, which includes a variety of jeans and merino tops, will be available in the spring of 2010.

Move over, Rock & Republic, George Hincapie has jeans now too.

Sock Guy is the name, custom socks — and now arm warmers — is the game.

As popularized by Cadel Evans at the Tour, Sock Guy’s custom undershirts are available online.

In addition to titanium dropouts, the Parlee Z2 CX features Bob Parlee’s custom carbon cable stops.

Bob Parlee has a ’cross bike for 2009. The $3,850 frameset is based on his Z2 lugged road model.

DeFeet’s Ciclismo was made for Paolo Bettini, who wanted padding in certain areas (red) and right/left specific socks. The result is the Ciclismo.

If recycled bottles aren’t exotic enough for you, DeFeet offers socks made from kelp (SeaCell, at left) and coconut (Cocona, at right).

DeFeet is incorporating an increasing amount of recycled plastic into its socks. Currently the white and black CoolMax threads are recycled plastic. Company founder Shane Cooper hopes to have 100 percent of the CoolMax color options from recycled sources in two years.

Pinarello brings Italian style to the masses with the FB3, which retails for $3,800 as a complete bike with a mix of Shimano Dura-Ace, Ultegra and MOst components.

For those who want a little less flash, the stealth Pinarello Prince is another $5,500 option.

The Spanish champion paintjob Pinarello did for Alejandro Valverde is now available on the Prince to retail customers. Retail customers with $5,500 for the frameset, that is.

The Merckx EMX-3 uses the same mold as the EMX-5, and therefore gets the same sculpted styling, but uses a less-expensive carbon fiber. The result is a $3,600 bike with Shimano Ultegra (sweet backdrop not included).

Merckx and Pinarello have begun working together. The EMX-5 is the first product of that collaboration. The $3,750 frameset uses the same 46HM3K carbon fiber as Pinarello’s Prince.

The Time RXR ULTeam integrated seatmast has 3cm of adjustment after the frame is cut to fit. Time dealers have a jig that not only assists with the cut, but also with drilling a hole for the fastening bolt. A vertical slot in the seatpost allows the seatpost to move for fine tuning, and a bolt inside secures everything.

The RXR ULTeam is Time’s first step towards an aero road bike, said company vice president Chris Smith. Built as a classics bike, the $6,000 lugged frameset includes the Monolink RXR ULTeam stem.

The Bulldog Bikes/Toyota Matrix Team will be performing two BMX exhibition shows during the USA CRITS Finals at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on Thursday, September 25. The race determines who will be crowned the world champion of criterium racing in both male and female categories. The BMX show features world class Bulldog riders performing aerial stunts to the beats of hip-hop master DJ Jay Ski and legendary MC Jimmy Mac, who founded the Bulldog Bikes team. Performances are during race intermission at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Races begin at 5:30 p.m.

It’s no secret that every bike nerd in America was holding his (or her) breath in anticipation of Lance Armstrong’s press conference today in New York City, at which he fleshed out some of the details of his comeback tour. Just a guess, but I’m willing to bet a bottle of Stan’s tire sealant that the 2009 Tour de Armstrong will focus on the skinny-tire side of bike racing. But personally, I hope Armstrong includes some off-road events in his 2009 schedule as well.

The new 303-R DH frame is 2.5-pounds lighter than the original 303, and its suspension gives more energy back to the rider producing a lighter, more flickable ride according to the brand’s downhill racers.

The shock mount of the 303-R offers a three-position adjustable shock mount that simultaneously influences bottom bracket height and head angle.

Yeti Cycles has a new downhill bike called the 303-R DH. The new bike has a single rail for the shock linkage to slide on instead of two, like the original 303 DH. The new bike has a single pivot and its rail influences the shock’s leverage rate.

Florian Vogel’s Addict CX also has a few custom touches.

Swisspower team members Florian Vogel, Nino Schurter and Thomas Frischknecht are in Las Vegas for the tradeshow and to race CrossVegas Wednesday night. Vogel (pictured) is a past elite Swiss national cyclocross champion.

Scott’s Addict CX has an integrated seatmast. The mast is topped with a Ritchey wet white single-bolt seat clamp.

SRAM’s Force works well enough for the former Swiss champ’s rig, especially with the addition of Gore’s sealed Ride-On cable system. SwissStop’s green GHP pads are fitted to Spooky wide-profile cantilever brakes.

Florian Vogel’s Scott Addict cyclocross bike is outfitted with SRAM Force shifters and derailleurs, Ritchey cranks, bar, stem and prototype alloy tubular wheelset, Dugast 34mm Typhoon tubular tires, Spooky brakes, SwissStop brake pads and Gore sealed Ride-On cables.

The two new Smith Interlock models, Spoiler and Profit, are for those who require a technical sunglass, but don’t want looks that scream “lycra dork,” according to Randolph.

Smith marketing boss Greg Randolph, better known as Chopper, offered a run down of Smith’s two new Interlock sunglasses. Interlock refers to an innovative lens interchange system, in which a twist of the earstem unlocks the lens for easy removal.

The clamp offers a micro adjust, which requires less clamping force than other models on the market, this makes for easier adjustment according to Rotor.

Rotor’s new SP1 seatpost weighs well under 200 grams, with a forged, then machined construction that steps down from the seat tube diameter to minimize weight.

DT Swiss will have two forks, the XMC 130 and EXC 150, equipped with 15mm thru-axles and its own 15mm RWS skewers.

DT Swiss has a number of 15mm thru-axle compatible products. The EX 1750 wheelset pictured has a convertible 20mm to 15mm hubshell. The brand also has a 240s disc hub with a dedicated 15mm axle, which is its lightest offering for the standard at 128 grams.

There’s always a long line of gravity riders waiting for the shuttle back to the top of them mountain, with no respite from the blazing desert sun.

The Storck Fascenario fork has a bonded-in threaded plug atop its steerer, with Kevlar wrap the top couple of inches for toughness. The fork is made from a continuous sheet of carbon, rather than lots of small pieces stacked up.

Storck’s carbon cap over its Fascenario fork’s crown is for aesthetics without adding significant weight. The fork as shown, made for a 54cm frame, weighs a mere 200 grams!

The Storck Absolutist’s huge, thin tubes offer great rigidity and steering precision. It’s a joy to ride, comes in sizes big enough for a 6’5” rider, and handles hitting those “turtle” reflectors well. It’s amazing that a bike this good (and this expensive – $6500 retail) is the fourth one down in the top of the Storck line.

Lightweight’s rear derailleur weighs a mere 120 grams and is compatible with both Shimano and Campagnolo drivetrains. The cable routing to the cable-fixing bolt differs depending on which levers you use. It is made in Friedrichshafen, Germany and even has carbon knuckles. To be even lighter, carbon jockey wheels are available instead of the cutaway aluminum ones, but they wear faster.

Lightweight’s super-svelte titanium wheel skewers weigh a mere 36 grams for both of them. Don’t ask the price, because you’ll be shocked.

Hutchinson’s RT1 deep-section carbon clincher is the French company’s first wheelset. It is made by Corima and sells for $2500; price includes two Hutchinson Fusion 2 Road Tubeless tires, two Hutchinson Fast Air cartridges, and four special brake pads specific to the rim.

Fulcrum’s Two-Way Fit Racing Zero wheels have a unique look and offer compatibility with my favorite clincher, the Hutchinson Road Tubeless. They are lightweight and stiff, and they are made for fast-rolling tires that won’t flat if punctured, won’t pinch flat, and will stay on the rim in the case of sudden air loss from a torn carcass. What more could you want?

Too bad that Fulcrum (and Campagnolo) wheels now come with these quick release levers. Remember the nice feel of steel Campagnolo QRs (now shared by Mavic Ksyrium and Dura-Ace levers)? They were nice and easy to close but there was a high resistance to opening them. But these Fulcrums are the opposite; they feel hard to close but flip open easily! Who wants that? I want them to stay closed, not to open easily!

The Cannondale TwentyNiner 1’s OPI stem is one piece hollow all of the way up the inside of the head tube and comes in 12 sizes. It’s more hassle to change stem lengths or angles, but it is very light and stiff. Also, the hollow stem cavity makes great trash can for bar wrappers or a place for cut flowers a’la VW Beetle. The Lefty 29er fork has a nice lockout lever.

The Cannondale TwentyNiner 1 comes with a nice, stiff Lefty 29er 80mm-travel fork, and the stem locks into the lower crown (but a standard Lefty steerer with a standard stem is available. The fork offers great steering precision and no binding under side loading. If you were racing the Great Divide race, for instance, you needn’t look further than this bike.

Being stiff, light, and a fast climber, the Cannondale TwentyNiner 1 is an awesome cross-country race bike. The big wheels roll fast and eat up terrain, which, along with its stable handling, make it a decent descender for a hardtail. I must admit to being spoiled by riding nothing but full-suspension 29ers the past couple of years, but its harsh ride coming down is smooth compared to any 26er hardtail.

The all-carbon Cannondale Six is a nice bike at a nice price, and I liked its ride. But it sucks to not have barrel adjusters on the frame or cable housings. It’s terrible at this event, where derailleurs are always maladjusted when you get a bike. Yes, you can keep stopping to adjust the rear derailleur barrel adjuster, but undo the cable-fixing bolt and pull the cable tight out on a ride? Come on! I wouldn’t have a bike that I couldn’t adjust cable tension on both derailleurs without stopping.