Road Gear

Day two at the Taipei Cycle show and visitors continue to get intriguingpeeks at upcoming product that will likely appear in bike shops in nearfuture. Highlighting my trip through the hall today were a host of new tire options, some very economical pedals from CrankBrothers, FSA’scontinued progress toward creating a complete group and Aero guru, JohnCobb’s company, Blackwell Research, and its embrace of Taiwanese production. HutchinsonFrench tire manufacturer Hutchinson offered a little more insight toits tubeless road program, which should start making tires available thisfall. The line

As VeloNews first reported in its current print issue (see issue 4, March 13, "Shimano Tests Electric Dura-Ace in ProTour"), Shimano recently put battery-powered Dura-Ace drivetrains underneath nine ProTour riders. The wired systems feature LCD screens on the top of each STI hood, which otherwise look similar to 2006 cable-actuated Dura-Ace shifters. A battery pack is mounted on the downtube by the electric front derailleur. The system is still in early testing, and would not be available for sale until at least 2008, if at all. But Shimano, no stranger to electric shifting with its commuter

The 19th Taipei International Cycle Show opened March 8 in Taiwan, giving product managers four days to put the finishing touches on the 2007 model year, just two months and change into 2006. The show’s first day produced a number of new items; here are some of the highlights. SRAMSRAM has been doling out bits of information regarding its new road group of late, but that doesn’t mean the company has been neglecting the rest of its line. SRAM "leaked" some dirt on its X.9 mountain-bike derailleur and shifters last week, and while we can’t tell you much more now (expect details to be released

In its 19th year the Taipei International Cycle Show opened on Wednesday, offering product managers from around the globe a four-day opportunity to put the finishing touches on their 2007 product lines. Held in the Taipei World Trade Center, the show’s first day offered many of us a look at some interesting new items. Here are some of the highlights. SRAMThough the SRAM PR machine has been carefully doling out bits of information regarding its new road group, it seems SRAM has been using the new group’s release to divert attention from the rest of the line. The mountain components appear

After Ben Jacques-Mayne’s weeklong real-world test during last week’s Amgen Tour of California, SRAM’s new professional 10-speed road group comes one step closer to going public. While the group has been making waves since last fall’s EuroBike trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, SRAM did a good job of keeping its name — Force — under wraps. Now, with the name out there, the group once again steals the spotlight on its way to the retail market. The svelte shifters, newly designed carbon cranks and carbon-infused rear derailleur are the pro group’s highlights. The intentions to produce

Following SRAM’s European OEM camp in the hills above Malaga, Spain, photos of the new 2007 X.9 derailleur and shifters were leaked to European websites. In an effort to squelch rumors and hearsay, SRAM confirmed the redesign, releasing minimal information and photos of the components in question. SRAM’s official release follows: Here's some buzz that just leaked out. A well-positioned photographer snapped some sneak peeks of some of our new X.9 gear! Complete details will be released at Sea Otter. SRAM recently held a private test session in the remote hills of Malaga, Spain, where

Pressure washDear Lennard,Just wondering about a brief explanation on the “dos and don’ts” associatedwith bike cleaning and pressure washers. There seems to me to be two schoolsof thoughts around this and that pressure washers are a "no-no" that canruin components -specifically bearings, yet we see a lot of pro teams mechanicscleaning their teams bikes using stands and pressure washers? What areyour recommendations using pressure washers and some simple rules?DaveCanada (land of road salt and sand!)Dear Dave,My recommendation, in general, is to stay away from power washers.Of course, there

After straying from the usual question-and-answer format a couple of times recently, I have been encouraged to continue to mix things up a bit, so I’ll do it again today. This column does involve a technical question, one I have pondered considerably of late, so I thought I would share it with you, since I may not be the only one considering it. One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is to go on long road rides in the mountains. However, we all eventually get the message — sometimes subtly, sometimes not — that perhaps we are not as young as we think we are, especially when it

Those dang stripped threadsDear Lennard,What if anything can be done when the threads of a bottom bracket shellon an aluminum insert are stripped? I have not seen the bike firsthandbut I am trying to help someone out. They say that there is not enoughmaterial to cut new threads in. I assume that a tap has been runthrough already with no success. Is there any hope? I don't knowwhich side is stripped but if it is the non-drive side I can assume itis less critical. Is there a bottom bracket that will work better in thiscase?This is an old Look carbon time trial frame.JasonDear Jason,You

In keeping with my plan of varying things a little from the straight Q&A, I thought I’d use this week’s column to tell you about my recent visit to the USA Cycling (USAC) Bill Woodul Race Mechanics Clinic last month. Held at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs from January 12-15, the clinic offers a unique opportunity for shop mechanics wishing to be trained as race mechanics by some of the best in the country. It may also serve to open doors for participants to travel to international races and development camps in support of U.S. National Team riders. The setting under

Adjustable or disposable?Dear Lennard,Can you tell me if the bottom brackets on the two-piece style Shimano cranks have adjustable bearings, like those used in a hub or pedal or are they a non-adjustable sealed cartridge, like that used in the current Octalink bottom brackets? I don’t see separate bottom bracket bearings being sold for the new style cranks, so I’m guessing they are adjustable rather than disposable, but it’s just not clear. I need new mountain-bike cranks, but I chew through the Octalink bottom brackets pretty quickly, so a non-disposable bottom bracket would probably make

Save it or dump it?Dear Lennard,I have a 2004 model Trek 5200 , carbon frame road bike. The issue isthat rain water from Hurricane Rita affected lots of things in the garage,including the bike, since the roof was opened up by a falling tree. Thebike was really messed up, with its front wheel broken and the whole thingsitting in a foot of water.All of the components are ruined and when I removed the seatpost, waterpoured out of the frame, along with some small bits of white colored flakes.Is the frame salvageable with some type of treatment or is it, too, a lostcause?HalDear Hal,It may have

The limits of that braze-onDear Lennard,I just purchased a new compact Campy Centaur crank and front derailleur.I had a local bike shop install these on my steel frame bike and with thederailleur lowered all the way to the bottom of the braze-on we still havea gap of more than 8mm between the outer cage and the large chainring.It seems to shift okay but is there any spacer or part made that willlower this down to the 2mm spec called for by Campy or will it be finethe way it is? I tried the old derailleur and it installed with the suggested2mm of spacing. So I assume there is something in the

Is it the model year?Dear Lennard,I have a 1999 Cannondale CAAD 5 equipped with Campy Record 9-speed.It has never shifted to my liking. I just read on Campagnolo's web sitethat there is a difference between 1999/2000 Record shifters and post-20009-speed record shifters and derailleurs. This has me totally confused.They say there is a way to tell the difference but I am not sure how todo it.What I do know is that last year out of total frustration I purchaseda new 9-speed shifter, cable set, 9-speed chain and new Record rear cassette(12-23). It now shifts better but still not

Savings options? Dear Lennard, My question is regarding CO2 inflation cartridges. Is it okay to use CO2 cartridges that are labeled for use in BB guns and paint ball guns? I have been told that they contain a small amount of oil in them and because certain oils or lubricants can sometimes breakdown rubber that I should not use them. Is this true? These CO2 cartridges are sold at your local Wal-Mart or sporting goods store and are considerably cheaper. A box of 15 or 20 usually runs around 10 dollars as opposed to three or four dollars a cartridge at you local bike shop.

Making a Quantum leap?Dear Lennard,I have a circa 1996 Chorus 8-speed right index shifter (rear cogs). It is worn out and in a box. Do you know if it is possible to rebuild it as a ten-speed with the right parts?KhalilDear Khalil,No it is not. Eight-speed levers can only be upgraded to 9-speed, not to 10-speed. Also, the first year of 9-speed, with the current, more rounded shape to the knob atop the lever, could not be upgraded at all. After that, nine-speed levers could be upgraded to 10-speed.LennardTo click or not to clickDear Lennard, You recently received a letter regarding a freshly

A bunch of press releases, new products, and (gasp) a product alert have all piled up on my desktop over the past week. It’s time to purge. We first brought you the news a week ago, but we’ve since learned some more about the three-year deal between Health Net and Cannondale. The company will provide the team with Cannondale-branded clothing plus shoes and casual clothing from Diadora, a brand for which Cannondale owns North American distribution rights. "With the exception of Rudy helmets we’re head to toe," said Scott Struve, Cannondale’s product marketing manager. The riders have a

Screeeeeetch!Dear Lennard,I have a brand new Santa Cruz Blur equipped with Avid Juicy 7 discs. After a few rides in dry weather where the brakes performed flawlessly and silently, I rode the bike in the rain. I almost had to abandon braking altogether and just drag my feet to stop as the squealing sound was so loud it was shaking out my fillings. Since then, even in dry weather, the brakes continue to squeal on and off, and frankly I am afraid to use them in the wet again. The brakes are properly installed and bled. Did I not break them in long enough (three rides of easy road riding with

My fall is filled with cyclo-cross. Along with writing about exciting ’cross technology, I race on a single-speed and give up five weekends every fall to help a local promoter put on his ’cross series here in Boulder, Colorado. The finals, which doubled as the American Cycling Association state championships, were raced this past Saturday at Xilinx Software’s Longmont campus — complete with drum line. The men’s race was one of the most exciting local events I have been to in recent memory. I was a spectator because a lapse in concentration a week and a half ago, while testing the hardness

Dear readers,I am always amazed how a single reader letter can sometimes generate a flood of follow-up mail. Over the last couple of weeks I have received a good deal of e-mail about the potential problems people encounter when they soak chains in Simple Green for an extended period. Many of those notes focused on SRAM chains, and some writers suggested that it was the steel used in those chains that was the root of the problem.Now that I have learned a lot more about it, I doubt it. I believe that SRAM chains were mentioned most often simply because people who soak their chains for long

I got the galvanic corrosion and buzzin’ bottle boss bluesDear Lennard,I have a carbon frame road bike, and one of the water bottle bosseshas come loose. This makes for an irritating buzz, on any ride, and,I can't tighten the bolt sufficiently enough to stop the water bottle cagefrom bouncing a bit. Is there any type of epoxy, or other glue likesubstance that I can use to secure the boss?DaveHere’s an answer to your question from carbon guru Craig CalfeeMost carbon frames use aluminum Riv-nuts for water bottle bosses.The problem is that aluminum and carbon fiber don't get along well,

Ask your average die-hard cyclo-cross fanatic to comment on the burning social, political or economic issues of the day and you may not get much of a response. Ask, “Tubular or clincher?” and you’re bound to get an earful. Of course, much of what you hear is as likely to confuse as to enlighten. Old-school Euros will, without a doubt, defend their motto, “Tubulars or death!” North American racers with a mountain-bike background will thoughtfully explain that the tubular's advantages can be matched by superior rubber technology and the advanced tread patterns of today’s clinchers. No

With a host of common – and not-so-common – questions already answered in earlier Technical Q&A columns, I've been asked to touch on a few other topics now and then. In that vein, I will take this opportunity to tell you about the Gran Fondo Campagnolo, a very difficult mass-participation race I did for the third time this past June. The Italian Gran Fondo is a mass-participation event, but it is distinct from mass-participation rides here in the U.S. in that it is a race, and everyone wears a timing chip on his or her leg. The Triple Bypass in Colorado, for example (which I also did

Solving the solvent questionDear Lennard,Thanks for the recent notes regarding carbon fiber and solvents/lubrication.I wonder if you could recommend a safe way to remove old tubular cementfrom carbon rims. If you have already addressed the issue, can you pointme in the right direction?ScottDear Scott,This is one of those questions that warrants an answer straight fromthe horse's mouth. I sent off your question to a few carbon rim manufacturersand got these responses back.LennardAnswer from HedAcetone, a stiff plastic bristle brush, and a lot of time arewhat you use to get the cement off a

What are those pedals?It seems that lastweek’s column sparked a bit of interest in the pedals we hadmounted on the Zero G crankset. Well, those are M2 Racer’s ORB pedals andthe pair weighs in at just 99 grams. Fabricated from 6/4 titanium, theORBs feature 15 degrees of self-centering float. Their $228 price is wellwithin the ballpark for high-end titanium spindled pedals. The ORB is among a host of ultra-light M2 Racer products. Thecompany’s range includes a 43-gram saddle, a 69-gram seat post and a 6-grambottle cage. To highlight what a complete package of M2 Racer componentscan do, the

Zero Gravity is stepping up both its component development and its support for the sport in 2006, signing a three-year deal to co-sponsor the Jittery Joe’s road team and bringing a new crank project to market. Regarding last week’s sponsorship deal, Jeff Stewart, Zero G’s director of sales and marketing, said the boutique brake manufacturer has been "super happy with Jittery Joe’s." "We really have a great relationship with them. We put products on their bikes and get real world feedback," Stewart continued. As for the new Zero G cranks, which debuted at Interbike, Zero Gravity hopes to

Alberto Contador of Liberty Seguros has been hailed in Spain as the rider most likely to bring back the stage-racing glory days of Miguel Indurain. If such a thing is even possible, it may well be that Contador is the man to do it. And if not him, it may well be his younger teammate Luis Leon Sanchez. Able to climb as well as time trial, Contador is a big prospect for team director Manolo Saiz, who gave him his first pro contract with ONCE in 2003 and just signed him again for an extended contract. Contador, 22, and Sanchez, 21, made the trek from Spain to Boston in late September, with

Can I just have the new crank?Dear Lennard,I have an older Serotta Legend with 9 speed Dura-Ace and I wonderedif I can replace the crank set-up to the new stiffer 10 speed without compatibilityissues as I would like to leave the 9 speed rear end as is. Seems likeI remember Velo doing an article on this subject last year but I have forgottenthe particulars as to efficiency and effectiveness.GeorgeDear George,I have done it, and it works fine.LennardLong legs and lots of climbingDear Lennard,I'm 6 foot 4 with a 36-inch inseam and I prefer to run 180mm cranks. I also ride a lot of

Center-pull cantilever brakes, once common on mountain bikes, are now completely gone from the racing circuit. However, as summer winds down, the leaves turn and cyclo-cross bikes come out of hiding, the center-pull cantilever can once again enjoy the spotlight. To understand what makes a good cyclo-cross brake, you first have to understand some of the intricacies of cantilever geometry, lever ratios and the whole idea of mechanical advantage. At the most basic level, a brake and its lever must be matched in terms of mechanical advantage. A prime example is a linear-pull brake (the

Insisting on an embargo until Thursday, the SRAM corporation has releasedadditional information on the shifting mechanism behind the company’s newroad components, first introducedat the Eurobike tradeshow in September.While show-goers and consumers have had a look at the group,bikes equipped with the new components were kept behind glass and thosewho who were allowed to play with the shifters were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Few chose to argue the point with SRAM's six-foot-five-inch media rep' Michael Zellman.Now that the embargo is lifted SRAM is touting what calls its

Dear Lennard,Regarding your TechnicalQ&A with Lennard Zinn: Carbon tubes and lubes the consensusis unanimous that no grease be used on carbon seat posts, one thingwas not shared is how you remove grease from a seat tube if you want tochange to a carbon post from an aluminum post. If solvents shouldn’tbe used what can be used to safely remove grease that has already beenapplied? And on new frames should any prep be done to ensure thatthe frame is free of any contaminates before assembly.I want to share what I personally ran into with a new frame and carbonpost. Knowing that no grease was

In an industry increasingly dominated by mega-corporations, pumping outhi-tech, relatively affordable, but admittedly soulless bikes, you haveto wonder if there’s still a place for the small frame builder.How does a guy in a worn shop apron, often operating out of a garage,manage to compete against a sub-$1000 Chinese-made carbon frame?Quite nicely, thank you.“I do maybe 100 frames a year,” notes Ashland, Oregon's Mike DeSalvo.“That's not a lot for Specialized, maybe, but I sure stay busy.”DeSalvo Cycleswill never rival any of the biggies, but its owner and founder says that’snot the

As VeloNews.com has shown over the past week, Interbike offers a smorgasbordof cutting edge, high-end bikes and related goodies. It’s also filled withbizarre, who-would-possibly-buy-that type gizmos. Wading through the blinkingplastic safety vests to find the 100-gram rear derailleur is just partof the fun.

While the 2005 Interbike International Bicycle Expo has wrapped upanother busy week in Las Vegas, we're still sorting through our briefcases,hard drives and digital cameras for those things that left a big impressionon us. Here's a list of stories that our staff produced over a week inthe desert, but keep checking back, we'll be adding to the list for thenext few days.Interbike - Las Vegas '05Leaving Las VegasHighbrow saddles; Hi-Zoot technology; High-end carbonMore product; more photosOrbea:High-end bikes from the Basque countryInsidethe hall, a Day 1 photo galleryTanned,

Thecustom 11.9-pound bike on which Tyler Hamilton won the 2005 Mt. WashingtonHillclimb was on display in the Parlee booth (Parlee makes a Tyler HamiltonFoundation model, the proceeds from which go to Hamilton’s foundation).Parlee also showed a carbon bike with sculpted carbon lugs decorated withthe new superlight Alpha Q orange metallic GS-10 fork and matching Orangemetallic panels on the frame. Built up with Lightweight wheels, there washardly a steel part on it, but it was meant to evoke the steel frames ofold with sculpted lugs and painted frame panels. All Parlees can be

Produced in the heart of the Basque country, Orbea has a long history of producing carbon fiber bicycles. The company has invested heavily in monocoque molding technology and constantly refines and updates one of the broadest lines of carbon bikes in the business. The company is sure enough of its quality to offer a lifetime warranty on all of its frames, even the lightest of its carbon models.

The heavy and retroSurely the most elegant, no-holds-barred booth at the 2005 Interbike Trade Show in Las Vegas has to bethat of Brooks Saddles. The recreation of an English sitting room (exceptfor the fact that smoking is not allowed in the show) drove home the pointof how English this product remains since its purchase and re-vitalizationby an Italian saddle company, Selle Royal.The factory remains in Smethwick, on the outskirts of Birmingham, whichis where the gawdy red carpet with yellow flowers for the booth came from.All of thesaddles remain the same, made entirely out of thick leather

As Day 2 dawned on the most fun part of Interbike, namely riding cool bikes all over the great trails in Bootleg Canyon, the mechanical bull waited, its single horn barely attached but its pride and determination intact. Soon enough, in Yakima’s Bucking for IMBA promotion, one attendee after another came to be spun and tossed about by it while hanging onto a little stub of rope, all under the laughing gaze of people wearing pink foam Yakima-labeled cowboy hats. And sure enough, every would-be bull rider found themselves on his or her back soon enough, thrown off into an inflatable swimming

Fighting desert heat and a big afternoon windstorm, bike manufacturers did their darndest to keep Interbike tradeshow attendees happy for the second day of Outdoor Demo Tuesday, a task made easier by offering up a ton of new and interesting equipment. Giant Bicycles has big news for 2006, two new mountain bikes based on the company’s Maestro suspension technology. Our old colleague, Andrew Juskaitis, now Giant’s communications manager, said the two new bikes are the “bookends” of the Maestro series, offering the suspension design on both cross-country and downhill models. Billed as

Ibis is back and doing its thing... but this time in carbon.Tuesday marked the official return of both Ibis and its founder, ScotNicol, to the bike industry after a three-year absence. The brand thathad a devoted following in the 1990s and floundered on hard times sinceNicol sold the company in 2000.While Ibis fans have suffered the absence of a favorite, Nicol has spent the last few years most constructively: "retired and riding my bike." Not bad work if you can get it. Still Nicol has felt the itch and finally found his way back into bike biz' as a "partner" (read unpaid employee) in a

Interbike’s International Expo opened Tuesday, with more than 10,000 attendees swarming in among next season’s bikes on the red carpets of the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas. After two dusty days of testing product at the Outdoor Demo in nearby Bootleg Canyon, the show moved indoors to get down to business. More than 10,000 buyers for about 3500 bike shops have registered to check out the 2006 wares that some 750 companies — representing more than 1000 brands— have on display. The business they do here determines what will be cropping up in your local shop in the coming months. That

The tradeshow season culminates with the start of the Interbike tradeshow in Las Vegas. Although the majority of the show takes place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center - in Sin City itself - the show actually starts a couple of days early, with bike demos in Bootleg Canyon roughly 20 miles outside the city limits. The area is renowned for exceptional mountain bike trails (a few have even earned IMBA’s renowned “Epic Rides” label to prove it). The Interbike folks have been coming to Bootleg canyon for the past few years, because the area offers demo’ riders the opportunity to try out

The 2005 Interbike show kicked off with a warm, cloudless day over the rocky, serpentine singletrack trails of Bootleg Canyon above Lake Mead. The venue has a short section of closed, divided paved road for road-bike testing and a vast area riddled with interesting singletrack for testing mountain bikes. The trail system offers so much mileage that, despite the large crowds at this well-attended Outdoor Demo, many of the nicest trails I had almost completely to myself all afternoon. Ah, the freedomA revelation for me was riding the Santa Cruz VP Free, the company’s all-out freeride bike.

Hey, be careful of those split tails!I just discovered a reason not to face your bike rearward on a roofrack, especially if you have a split-tail saddle. And another reason tofile the Nader hooks off of a road fork besides just the convenience ofgetting the wheel in and out! I was driving into my driveway with a bike on my roof as I have doneproblem-free for 15 years here. It’s a long gravel driveway lined withbig trees, and while leafy branches droop down, I keep the large branchescut back so no big ones cross the driveway less than 10 feet up. Both ofmy garages are full of bikes, so cars

The second day at the 63rd International Cycle Exhibition in the Nuova Fiera Milano proved substantially more hectic. In the past the show has been limited to industry insiders for the first two days; this year, only one day was afforded. When the doors opened this morning there was an air of urgency in everyone’s step. For the consumers, it was simple excitement, but for the vendors it was anticipation of a hard day’s work ahead. Highlights Saturday included visits to Shimano and Campagnolo. FSA had Ivan Basso on hand for a marathon autograph session promoting its compact cranks. Components

Milan’s 63rd International Cycle Exhibition kicked off Friday, celebrating Italy’s passion for the road bike and doing so in the massive and very new Nuova Fiera Milano. The new venue put all of the EICMA show’s attendees on the same level: We were all lost and most standing in slack-jawed amazement at the building designed by the famous Massimiliano Fuksass. Its 21,032 square meters of floor space increases the amount of room afforded the show by a whopping 25 percent. The convention center lies just outside of Milan’s city center. It can be reached by a convenient 25-minute subway ride.

The Eurobike trade show in Friedrichshafen first opened its doors in 1991. Back then it was a funky little thing that felt more like a gathering of the tribe than the prestigious international event it has become today. Friedrichshafen city’s old trade fair arrangement contributed to that feeling, consisting as it did of a mismatched hodgepodge of creaky buildings connected by a confusing warren of halls and passageways. The buildings were clumped around an irregular courtyard that the Eurobike show filled with test tracks, jumps, a BMX freestyle arena and the inevitable overflow of

Seat tubes and lube?Dear Lennard,I have been in the bicycle industry for many years and have consistently had conflicting advice about using grease in a frame's seat tube when using a carbon seatpost. With the many materials that frames are using now, are there some frames that should have grease in the seat tube when using a carbon seatpost, or is using grease in a seat tube with a carbon seatpost a big no-no? What do the majority of frame and carbon seatpost manufacturers have to say about this and why isn't it more clear? Also, if grease is a good idea, is there any particular

For our third day at the Eurobike show in beautiful Friedrichshafen, Germany, let’s take a quick tour of some new brands coming to the U.S., and new products from some established brands. Then, in our final report, we’ll take a look at the scene here, inside the halls and out in the courtyard, in an attempt to convey the unique flavor of this terrific show, now in its 14th year. AX LightnessAX Lightness components, much coveted by weight freaks, have been trickling into the U.S. for a couple of years. Production quantities are small, so they are sometimes hard to find. But if you have your

The Eurobike trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, is a wonderful place to gather information. It turns out it also is a good place to generate misinformation, as we inadvertently did yesterday. After seeing the Sram road group prototypes, we speculated about the shifting system, noticing that there was one shift lever behind the brake lever on each side, but no apparent way for the brake lever to swing or rotate to provide the other half of the shifting equation. Well, that’s because the one lever does it all. Today, we talked with two people who have used the system -- neither one of

Eurobike, the bicycle industry’s annual trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, opened its doors Thursday for the 14th consecutive year. Although many companies these days are electing to display their new wares earlier in the summer in a race to be the first to capture dealer interest and begin filling their order books, Eurobike is still the first collective look we get at what’s in store for the new year. Unfortunately, 2005 did not treat the European bicycle industry so well. While few companies are willing to disclose hard numbers, the general indication is that bicycle sales have been

VeloNews associate editor Fred Drier was in Downers Grove this past weekend bringing us coverage of the USPRO Criterium championship, when he stumbled across something to get the product geeks among us talking: Someone was riding a bike with a road group from SRAM. Yep, while many of you have been waiting for a 10-seepd cassette from the mountain bike biased company, they are poised to give us the whole shebang, a complete group. Though many of the products are still in the prototype stage, the company is hinting at a 06’ release. The one photo we have is of a prototype shifter. Jittery Joe’s

Merlin Metalworks has announced an entirely new line of titanium and carbon bikes, dubbed “Works,” for 2006. The Merlin TiWorks series will join the existing Merlin models, which continue as Merlin Classics. Merlin also has a new CarbonWorks bike, the C110, which is essentially a Merlin Proteus carbon frame stripped of its titanium embellishments. The TiWorks bikes are divided into three categories:Compact Racing - CRTraditional Racing - TRMountain Racing- MR. Many of Merlin’s traditional touches are present in the TiWorks line, including 6Al/4V titanium alloy dropouts, size-specific tubing

With the September trade-show season just around the corner, the word about 2006 product has begun pouring into the office. And the latest comes from Italy, where Campagnolo is dropping some hints about wheels, compact cranks and a chain. Eurus: a complete redesignTaking heavy cues from Campagnolo’s sister company Fulcrum, the Eurus has been blessed with some major improvements, including a healthy weight-loss program. For 2006, the Eurus wheelset weighs in at a manufacturer-published 1510 grams. The new version also introduces radical improvements to rim, spokes and hubs. The wheelset uses

The reasons behind those long stemsDear Lennard,Judging from photos, it seems that the pros favor longer stems than the rest of us. Is there any truth in this observation? If so, does it have to do with pros being fitted with smaller frames than amateur/recreational riders, or just preferring a longer reach?Tom Dear Tom,Yes, they definitely do favor long stems. For instance, all of the Bontrager carbon stems on the Discovery team bikes are 140mm. Riders on the team using shorter stems (130mm mostly) do not have carbon stems because only 140mm stems were delivered at the team training camp in

Ten-speed chains and ConneX linksDear Lennard,I've broken two 10-speed chains, but since using ConneX links I have not had a problem. I use the ConneX chain and the Campy chain and the connecting link seems like one of the best bits of design ever. Are they being used in the peloton, and if not, why not?Peter Dear Lennard,Given the tight tolerances of 10-speed chains and the importance of correct reassembly, why don't teams use ConneX links? I understand that these work very well with either Campy or Shimano chains, as well as with Wippermann.Mark Dear Mark and Peter,Master links

How many Pro Tour teams ride tubies?Dear Lennard,Approximately what percentage of Pro Tour teams rides tubular tires? A friend and I recently debated this topic. We agreed that team members rode whatever tire sponsors provided, but we couldn't agree on what percentage of Pro Tour teams rode tubular tires. A ballpark estimate would be appreciated and will determine who buys post-ride ales for the next few weeks.Bart Dear Lennard,I realize from your recent article that several teams are using tubeless tires at this year's Tour. That seems like the way of the future, but as for the ways

Keeping ten-speed chains intactAll of the teams contesting the Tour de France this year are, of course,are using 10-speed chains on their 10-speed Shimano or Campagnolo groups. While you rarely see a broken chain in the professional peloton, youcertainly do see it among everyday enthusiasts nowadays with 10-speed chainsfar more frequently than you used to with 9-speed chains, and especiallymore so than in the old days when riders used 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-speed chains.Back then breakage on a road bike was practically unheard of. You knowthat if there is any time you would not want to break a

Tool bag?Dear Lennard,The other day during stage 9 I noticed a small black box under the saddle on Jens Voigt's Cervelo. Obviously he wasn't carrying a tool kit like us mortals, so what was it? A radio?Brett Dear Brett,I am posting this since I continue to get this question every day, even though I answered it already. For the answer, check out this link. You really ought to check out the daily SRM telemetry, especially in the Pyrenees and the final time trial. There are a lot of riders hooked up with them. The display isonly live during the stage and there is no file to see

Many people have been asking what those wheels with red hubs like old Mavic Heliums were on David Moncoutie’s bike. The Cofidis rider won stage 12 on the new Mavic Ksyrium ES Dixieme Anniversaire wheels, which indeed are supposed to honor and carry on the tradition of those Heliums, which premiered 10 years ago in the Tour as special climbing wheels, ridden by luminaries like Laurent Jalabert and Richard Virenque, among many others. The front and rear rims of the 10th Anniversary Ksyrium ES are different, with the front being lighter. Mavic says the tubular version weighs 625 grams () and

Each Tour team has a bus and a slew of station wagons. But otherwise, teams vary widely in the other vehicles they bring along, and this has changed even further with the advent of the Pro Tour. And of critical interest to all of the teams is security of all of those bikes and expensive wheels and parts they carry along. Most teams have a bus and a big truck. The buses for the riders are roomy inside and have comfortable seats, tables and other amenities, such as espresso machines. Teams use them as conference rooms for entertaining guests or negotiating team sponsorships, as well as for

First, a question or two: Dear Lennard,The Liberty Seguros shifters: What’s up with them? They aren't any Campy ones I've seen before. Are they the 2006 edition? I first noticed them on the stage to Courcheval.Ignacio Dear Lennard,I noticed today while watching the Tour that Liberty Seguros's Record shifters didn't look all carbon. They appeared to have a metallic streak of some sort near the top of the actual shift lever. Did you see anything like that? The rider’s bike I saw was Jorg Jaksche's. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, as I was going crazy with Lance

First, a question: Dear Lennard,What does Jens Voigt carry in his seat bag? Do any of the other TdF riders carry a seat bag?Steve C. Dear Steve,That is the transmitter that sends telemetric data live from Voigt's SRM. And yes, some of the other Tour riders are doing the same thing. Voig, Matthias Kessler (T-Mobile), Gerrit Glomser (Lampre) and Sebastian Lang (Gerolsteiner) all have been wired for live SRM data on various stages. This is one of the (few) benefits of the UCI weight limit on bikes; since the riders can have bikes below the limit, they can add components of their choosing

On Friday, as the Tour de France headed to Karlsruhe, Germany, Gerolsteiner’s Fabian Wegmann rode solo for hours on his carbon Specialized S-Works Tarmac. However, once the race hits the mountains, two of his teammates, namely Levi Leipheimer and Georg Totschnig will be riding the even lighter, next-generation S-Works Tarmac SL frame and all-carbon S-Works fork. The SL shares the Tarmac’s geometry. Yet, because Specialized tweaked both tube shapes and dimensions while custom tuning the orientation and number of layers of carbon, the SL has been designed for maximum shock absorption, road

First, a question: Dear Lennard,I was wondering why the Saunier Duval team is allowed to wear their yellow outfits in the Tour. I thought that teams that had yellow in their colors had to change them for the Tour, as ONCE did in the past.Peter Dear Peter,Here is the official answer from Virginie Geinoz, the press officer for Saunier Duval-Prodir: “The Tour asked us to make a new jersey with less yellow. Therefore, we have designed this special edition for the Tour with the shoulders in white.”Lennard Ag2R on carbon clinchersTeam Ag2R is using unmarked Reynolds carbon clincher wheels

Tuesday’s stage was a showdown between the powerhouse time-trial teams, as well as a battle between old and new philosophies about racing against the clock. At the beginning of Lance Armstrong’s Tour victory run, the time-trial powerhouses were Telekom (now T-Mobile), ONCE (now Liberty Seguros) and U.S. Postal (now Discovery). But Liberty Seguros has become only a shadow of its former time-trialing self, and T-Mobile has also slipped a number of notches. The new guard still contains Discovery, but CSC, Phonak and Gerolsteiner are the new young bucks trying to kick the door in. All these

After David Zabriskie’s first day in the yellow jersey, I ran into Allen Lim, Floyd Landis’s personal coach, who described some of Zabriskie’s mental preparation leading up to the Tour. According to Lim, Landis repeatedly told Zabriskie that the yellow jersey was his for the taking. “Floyd lives with Zabriskie in Girona, and ever since the Giro, Floyd’s been telling David, ‘Dude, you’ve gotta aim for winning that prologue at the Tour.’ David was nervous about doing the Giro and the Tour back to back, but that helped ease his concerns. Floyd told him that if he won the prologue and got the

David Zabriskie’s third brake lever probably did not play a role in Saturday’s opening time trial, although his bunny-hopping entire traffic circles instead of riding around them certainly raised a few eyebrows (just kidding). But the extra brake lever on the handlebar extensions has been a source of great interest (see VeloNews, June 27, 2005), and a number of the teams are using them. In a flat individual time trial like the one that opened the 2005 Tour de France, the third lever may not help much beyond taking a little speed off for a corner here or there. It is very useful in courses

Dropped chains - Why? Dear Lennard,

Water, water everywhereDear Lennard,My Spinergy Xaero's quite literally fill up with water if I ride whenit rains even reasonably hard. Only way to get it out is to eitherdeflate the tire and pry it off at the valve hole when the hole's at thebottom, or remove the tube/tire and drain with the hole at the bottom.This drives me nuts! It's not a little water either.It makes a big puddle. Any suggestions?MattDear Matt,I can imagine why this might drive you nuts! It’s amazing how manyquestions about this exact thing I have gotten this spring, regarding manydifferent wheel brands.

Lance Armstrong unveiled a new time trial bike this week at the Dauphiné Libéré that he hopes will catapult him to a seventh Tour de France crown. Following its track record of developing new technology in time for Armstrong's annual summer Tour assault, Trek rolled out the new "TTX" time trial frame utilizing a cutting-edge software design program used to develop Ferrari racing cars and sail boats. "We turned six months of development into five weeks," said Trek's Scott Daubert, adding the project didn't get the green light until right after the Tour de Georgia in April. "We

What about that tape?Dear Lennard,I think I do a pretty good job of gluing my tires securely, and I re-glueevery year. However, on some of my tires the actual tape is separatingin some places from the tire (the layer between tire and rim). Isthere any way to fix this, or is the tire done for?RyanDear Ryan,I have had good luck in the past using Bargecement. This is a contact cement I have been using since childhoodto patch rafts and I first got some from a shoemaker who used it to gluesoles on. I would guess that it’s widely available at hardware stores or whitewater equipment stores.

Third brake lever on CSC’s TT bikesDear Lennard,From the UK - watching the TT at the Giro on Eurosport the other day I noticed CSC were running what seemed to be a third brake lever on the aero’ extension. Can you give any insight to this, as there is nothing on the team website - i.e., would it be wired up like a 'cross lever? Why hasn't anyone done it before and so on?Stuart Dear Stuart,A number of people wrote me about this. A lot of people with sharp eyes out there! Yes, David Zabriskie and Ivan Basso placed 1-2 using Cervelo P3s (one aluminum, one carbon) with a second

Will a 31.7mm bar fit a 31.8mm stem?Dear Lennard,What do you think of using a 31.7 diameter road bar with a 31.8 stem? I'm under the impression that it is widely accepted to be okay. to use 25.8 diameter bars with 26.0 stems, and I do this on three of my bikes as I really like Deda bars, but prefer other stems. I would like to change one bike to a Thomson X4 stem and Deda oversize bars.Shane Dear Shane,The oversized handlebar diameter is done on an inch standard, namely 1-1/4”. Well, 1.25 inches is equal to 31.75mm, putting it squarely between the 31.7mm and 31.8mm dimensions. My opinion

The importance of gluing in earnestDear Lennard,I read with interest your detailed plan for gluing tubulars in yournewCycling Primer. One thing I left out in my process of gluing on a newtire is to scrape the latex on the base tape on my Vittoria Open Corsa– it did not look like it had anything to scrape. Anyway, since I havealready put a couple layers of glue onto the base tape and mounted thetire, how can I go back and re-scrape and re-glue this tire? Or is it toolate?AndrewDear Andrew,Interesting timing on this, as I just wrote an article on tubular gluingfor the VeloNews issue No.8,

Until recently I had forgotten how much fun it is to just get out and ride for the sake of riding. Over the past 10 winters (give or take a few) I have been logging mile-upon-mile, all in the name of establishing a good base to support my body throughout the next six to eight months of torture it would be put through racing. You see for the last 15 years, right up until about 8 months ago, I was working hard to be a professional cyclist. In some ways I made it, and lived a small part of the dream I had been chasing. I have raced in the pro-class at NORBA Nationals, and I have stood atop

Cold-setting (that means bending to you and me)Dear Lennard,I ride a 1980's vintage Klein Quantum with an 8-speed rear. ShouldI be able to get the frame adjusted to fit a wider 9- or 10-speed wheel?BrianDear Brian,Were this question about a steel frame, it would be not be a problem,but no, you cannot adjust an aluminum frame permanently without damagingthe frame. But you can flex the stays to put in the wheel each time youdo it without hurting the frame. You just can't make fast wheel changes.However, cold-setting an aluminum rear end so that it holds 130mm rearspacing rather than the

Crank optionsDear Lennard,I am going to Corsica in September. My bike has a standard Dura-Ace10-speed drivetrain with a double chainring. I would like to put on a compactcrankset for the trip, then reinstall the original after I return. My preferencewould be to not install a new bottom bracket. I could go to a triple. Doesany compact crank fit the Dura-Ace outside bearing bottom bracket? CanI run a triple Dura-Ace or Ultegra as a double without changing out theread end? I would rather not have to get a new crank and bottom bracket(like an FSA) just for one trip.Many thanks.BobDear Bob,The

Road size versus 'cross sizeDear Lennard,I'm in the process of purchasing a new cyclo-cross bike and a little confused about the sizing. I currently ride a Trek Madone (M) 56 with a top tube length of 56.2 and this fits me fine. I originally thought I would get a 56 XO1, but according to Trek's website, this is an XL but the top tube length is 55.5, a little less than my road bike, and the stand over height is 1.6 larger than the road bike. Should I be on a 54 (L) with a 54.0 top tube length?Any advice would be greatly appreciated.InsungDear Insung,There is no reason to go shorter

Clamping powerDear Lennard,I am hearing that disc brakes can cause the axel to shift within thedropouts when paired with standard quick release skewers causing alignmentproblems in the rotor/caliper interface. Is this true? If so, is movingto a beefier mechanism (such as a new Marzocchi QR20 fork) the only fix?Is there a difference between steel and titanium skewers in this respect?I am thinking of making the change to discs and need to know how much hiddencost there is, new fork, hub, etc.BlairDear Blair,Yes, that’s true. Indeed, the clamping force is definitely less withsome skewer designs