Road Gear

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Yes, even tech meister Lennard Zinn has fouled up disc brake bleeds. He tells how not to…

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Coach Neal Henderson answers a reader who wonders if, in the age of wattage meters, training by heart rate still makes sense.

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Home and travelling mechanics, trail guides and epic trail riders will all appreciate the Quick-True Tool's portable nature.

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Turn your iPhone or iPod Touch into an ANT+ power meter, or just a head unit.

GoPro now has an "entry-level" version of its hands-free HD HERO video camera —  the HD HERO 960.

Slideshow: Greg Herbold has remained one of the more recognizable characters in the bike industry since the early days of fat tires. His old Miyata race bike from the early to mid-1990s wears the years well too.

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From climbing to cornering to accelerating, the Top Fuel 9.8 wants to race.

The proliferation of helmet, or "wearable," cameras has never been greater, and there is one to fit just about every budget. Singletrack.com takes a look at the GoPro Hero, Epic Wide, the V.I.O. 1.5 and the ContourHD.

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Yes, there is such a thing as a rad (and functional) recumbent. If you have the time, we have the photos from the North American Handmade Bicycle Show.

Since 1985, Yeti Cycles has been pushing the envelope for off-road race bikes. Singletrack.com stopped by the Yeti lair to see what makes this little company tick.

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Why does my bike 'autoshift'?

Why is my bottom bracket noisy?

Can I retrofit QR15 legs on my SID fork?

Over the years Jeff Louder (BMC) has been a pretty noticeable guy at The Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic – he’s been on too many stage podiums to count, and has finished in the top three overall five times, including third overall at the 2009 race, which concluded July 26. At this year’s race, he stood out in another way – he had an odd circular pink and black object stuck to the top of his helmet.

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The cobbled classics in Europe are just around the corner, and ProTour team mechanics are likely to be prepping bikes in the coming weeks. In addition to fitting sturdy wheels, wider tires, and other heavy-duty parts, a common practice involves wrapping the handlebars with two or more layers of bar tape to soften the blows from rough roads.

Price: $120 to $220 Sizes: 140mm to 220mm Web site: www.sibexsports.com New for 2009 from Sibex Sports are titanium disc brake rotors. The rotors are available in eight sizes, between 140mm and 220mm, to meet the specific demands of the disc brake market. The Sibex rotors are made from hardened 6/4 titanium for maximum durability.

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Price: $11.75 Sizes: 2 ounces Web site: www.dumondetech.com New from Dumonde Tech, G10 Bio-Green, a 100 percent plant-based and biodegradable chain lube made entirely from plant, vegetable, or seed oil. G10 Bio-Green is currently available in a 2-ounce bottle, and eventually in 1- and 4-ounce sizes.

Price: $5,200 Weight: 26.5 pounds Sizes: 15.5, 17, 19, and 21-inch Colors: Black Web site: www.diamondback.com New from Diamondback is the five-inch travel, 26.5-pound Sortie Black trail bike. Diamondback introduced its Knuckle Box suspension platform a few years ago with the six-inch travel Mission, and then scaled down to the four-inch travel Sortie last year. Understanding the need to find a happy medium, Diamondback designed the 2009 Sortie for five inches of travel.

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Dear Lennard, I am considering storing my new full suspension bike using a vertical type rack that stores a single bike hanging vertically from the wheel. I was wondering if that could cause any damage to either suspension, front or rear. Does it make sense to hang the bike from the rear wheel? Nir Dear Nir, Hanging it from the front or rear wheel will not hurt it unless either of your shocks leak oil through the upper seals. In that case, hanging it could still be a good thing, because it will alert you to the problem and motivate you to fix it. Lennard

After several years of trying to make a breakthrough on the domestic cross-country racing circuit, mountain biker Ross Schnell needed just one event last season to launch his career in a new direction. Schnell’s 2008 win in California's legendary all-mountain race, the Downieville Classic, catapulted him to almost instant widespread fame in both cross-country and downhill circles.

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Price: $250 Sizes: Small to Extra Large Colors: Blue or Red Web site: www.showerspass.com

Price: $90 Weight: Colors: Silver and Black Web site: www.ryderseyewear.com

Price: $189 Weight: 315 grams Sizes: 39 to 48 Colors: Black/red Web site: www.lakecycling.com

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Price: Tubular $2500; Clincher $2800 Weight: Tubular 1840g/pair; Clincher 1910g/pair Web site: www.bontrager.com New from Bontrager, the high profile Aeolus 9.0, a 90mm-deep time trial wheelset. As with past Aeolus models, the 16 spokes are embedded within the rim for better aerodynamics. Why upgrade to the 9.0 model? Bontrager reports that the Aeolus 9.0 is 10 seconds faster over 40km than the Aeolus 6.5.

DT Swiss

I’m still being deluged with letters about CO2, and I promised to end it, so now I’m switching to letters about wheels. However, at the bottom, you’ll find one more CO2 letter addressing environmental points, which I think to be important and a duty to bring up.

Price: $220 Weight: 350 grams/pair Web site: www.time-sport.com New from Time are the Julien Absalon signature ATAC XS mountain bike pedals. Even if you can't attack like Absalon, at least you can ride the same pedals.

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Price: $125/pair Weight: 205 grams Sizes: 700 x 23 only Colors: White! Web site: www.conti-online.com With the popularity of white cycling gear gaining ground, Continental is releasing a limited model GP4000 white tire. The tire will use the same casing and construction as the GP4000 S, including Vectran puncture protection.

Suggested Retail: $12.24 Web site: www.cacoethespublishing.net

Price: $290 Weight: 165 grams Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, and XXL Colors: Black, Orange, and Blue Web site: www.rapha.cc New from Rapha, a high-end producer of stylish cycle wear, is the windproof and water resistant Stowaway jacket. Meant for year-round use, the Stowaway is designed to keep you protected from the elements, without compromising your sense of style.

Re-introduced in September 2008, after a two year hiatus, the Litespeed Blade is a bike with a storied history. The signature titanium airfoil tube shape was created by accident in the early 1990s and brought to widespread prominence when Lance Armstrong used one (disguised as a Trek) in the 1999 Tour de France. Ten years after that historic ride, Litespeed is wielding a totally new Blade, and we had a chance to check out one of the first bikes to leave the test lab.

Sharpening the Blade

The Segal I rode most of last season was without a doubt the finest Israeli-made magnesium road bike I've ever had the occasion to try. That's an admittedly subjective statement, but I feel pretty sure I can back it up.

Dear readers,
I’ve enjoyed the recent exchange on CO2 cartridges, and judging by the volume of lighthearted mail I’ve received on it, so have a lot of you. I thought we’d thoroughly covered all of the technical aspects of it to the point that no more needed to be said.

Price: $70 Weight: 71 grams Web site: www.eastonbike.com Easton EC90 bar ends, new for 2009, are made of Easton composite carbon fiber and are ergonomically molded. One-piece carbon construction lends strength and a clean look. The pair weighs in at just 71 grams and is approved for use with Easton bars. The EC90 bar ends carry a limited 5-year warranty.

Price: $389 Weight: 315 grams per brake with rotor Sizes: 160, 180, and 203mm rotor sizes Web site: www.magura.com The Magura Marta SL hydraulic disc brake is now available in a magnesium model, which is about 20 grams lighter than the original SL model. The Marta SL Magnesium uses magnesium for the master cylinder and the slave cylinder, typically the heaviest parts of the system. For added look and feel, carbon levers are used and for additional weight saving, Magura uses titanium hardware.

Price: $575 to $900 Sizes: 120mm spacing Colors: Silver, black, gold, red, blue, green, and purple Web site: www.philwood.com As part of their 38th anniversary, Phil Wood will be releasing 100 specialty track hubs. The 3.5 Track Limited hub has a 3.5-inch flange and is only available in 32 and 36 spoke models. [nid:89071]

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Several show-goers were surprised to see a De Rosa booth at NAHBS, placed within sight of trendy urban single-speeds and wild one-off full suspension mountain bikes. The De Rosa bikes on display cut a uniquely classic image compared to some of the exotic and experimental show bikes. Here’s a look at both ends of the spectrum: the handcrafted De Rosas, backed by years of history and family tradition; and some one-off show bikes not found anywhere else.

Price: $1.70 each Weight: 30 grams per packet Flavors: Wild Berries Web site: www.carbboom.com Carb Boom now offers all natural wild berry Energy Chews. These nutrient-rich snacks are perfect for times when an energy gel is not enough and an energy bar is too hard to chew.

With so many exhibitors combining to bring unlimited creativity to NAHBS this year, the stories and photos are far from exhausted. Among the myriad of bicycle configurations on display in Indianapolis, those with only a single cog and chainring represented a majority. Many were track bikes, urban fixed gear bikes, commuters, town bikes, and even a cyclocross bike or two.

Dear Lennard,
You may want to do a little better research when answering these questions next time because both of your CO2 answers were completely wrong.