Road Racing

Floyd Landis (Phonak) ground just about everyone into the asphalt in Wednesday’s hilly 168.5km third stage to capture the overall leader’s jersey at Paris-Nice in an impressive display. Just in case the Euros hadn’t noticed that Landis came flying out of the gates this season with a big win in the debut Amgen Tour of California, he provided a wake-up call dropping everyone except Spain’s Patxi Vila (Lampre) to surge into the yellow jersey and position himself as the favorite to win Europe’s first major stage-race of the year. "I knew I had good legs after my victory in the Tour of

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

No offense to Allan Davis or anyone else in Tuesday’s finish line dash, but it’s going to take more than a good try to stop Tom Boonen. The reigning world champion sprang to his second consecutive victory in Paris-Nice in Tuesday’s hilly 200km second stage and widened his lead to 17 seconds over prologue winner Bobby Julich (CSC). The Quick Step-Innergetic train did nice work to set up the mass gallop after reeling in a long breakaway by French rider Nicolas Crosbie (Agritubel). Boonen made easy work of relegating Davis to a consecutive second-place and earned his ninth win on the 2006

The rainbow jersey curse has yet to strike Tom Boonen so far this year. The reigning world champion put down a textbook-perfect sprint to win Monday’s first stage of Paris-Nice and snatch the yellow jersey away from Bobby Julich (CSC) thanks to time bonuses. It was Boonen’s eighth win in the young 2006 season, and the Belgian was already looking ahead to the spring classics moments after slamming the door shut on Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros). "It’s good to have won the stage because now I can take it easy until the end of Paris-Nice," Boonen told reporters. "For me, this race is ideal

Defending champion Bobby Julich (Team CSC) roared to victory Sunday in the 4.8km opening prologue of the 64th Paris-Nice on a day he didn’t expect to win. Julich – who enjoyed his best season last year with wins at Paris-Nice, Criterium International and the Tour of Benelux – said earlier this year he wouldn’t be chasing the smaller races, but that could change very quickly. “This is a surprise win for me today because this was not among my main goals this season,” Julich told reporters. “I only came here to gear up for other objectives later in the year.” Emboldened by the sensations of

Aussie Anna Meares outfought American Jennie Reed to take the gold medal in the sprint on Friday at the fourth and final round of the UCI World Cup Series, being staged at Sydney's Dunc Gray Velodrome through Sunday. The Athens Olympic time trial champion, who qualified fourth fastest, claimed the victory without conceding a single race, winning every match along the way. In the semi-finals Meares defeated Tamilla Abassova of Russia, the 2005 world championship silver medalist, to set up her gold-medal showdown with Reed. In their first match, Meares attacked from the front and Reed was

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

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

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

Final overall 1. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak, 22:46:46 2. David Zabriskie (USA), CSC, 0:29 3. Bobby Julich (USA), CSC, 0:34 4. George Hincapie (USA), Discovery Channel Pro Cycling, 0:45 5. Nathan O'Neill (Aus), Health Net Maxxis, 1:08 6. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Gerolsteiner, 1:10 7. Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 1:29 8. Thomas Danielson (USA), Discovery Channel Pro Cycling, 1:49 9. Christian Vande Velde (USA), CSC, 1:55 10. Jason McCartney (USA), Discovery Channel Pro Cycling, 1:58

The inaugural Amgen Tour of California is one for the books, and for two riders, it couldn’t have ended better. Saturday’s field-sprint winner, T-Mobile’s Olaf Pollack, narrowly edged out another tour double-stage winner, J.J. Haedo of Toyota-United, to win the final stage Sunday, a 76.5-mile circuit race in Redondo Beach. Pollack's teammate Andre Greipel rounded out the podium.

In a blur of pink, T-Mobile’s Olaf Pollack streaked across the finish line at the Amgen corporate campus in Thousand Oaks, upsetting a hard-charging field to win stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California on Saturday. It was the first victory of the season for Pollack’s German T-Mobile squad, and a nice present for T-Mobile's bike sponsor, Giant, whose USA headquarters lies just two miles from the finish line.

It hasn’t been easy for Floyd Landis and his Phonak team to defend his lead in the Amgen Tour of California for the past two days, but with the week’s major climbs now completed he’s almost ready to be crowned the historic first winner of America’s richest-ever race. Like Landis, Discovery Channel’s George Hincapie has used the new event to open his season in confident form, adding the stage victory in Santa Barbara Friday three days after he scored a similar success in San José.

Perfect weather, postcard scenery and a long day in the saddle marked the Amgen Tour of California’s fourth stage, from Monterey to San Luis Obispo, on Thursday. After 131 miles — 140 miles, to be exact, after a 9-mile neutralized parade section through Monterey — Toyota-United’s Argentinean sprinter Juan Jose Haedo, winner of stage 1 in Santa Rosa, proved he’s the man to beat in fast finishes at this tour, crossing the line ahead of Davitamon-Lotto’s Fred Rodriguez.

Five minutes after he crossed the line in a blur, warmed down, pulled up to his Phonak team soigneur for a jacket, and signed some autographs for a couple of fans, Floyd Landis was ready to talk. He was anxious to find out how he had done in the crucial 27km time trial stage of the Amgen Tour of California. "Did I get it?" he asked his team helper. "We’ll find out in a minute," he was told, knowing he had already beaten stage favorite Dave Zabriskie of CSC by half a minute and that Discovery Channel’s race leader George Hincapie was about to finish.

George Hincapie of the Discovery Channel team lit up the Amgen Tour of California stage race on Tuesday with an electrifying sprint win in downtown San Jose. Hincapie’s win came with a 10-second time bonus, which leapfrogged him past race leader Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) and into the golden race leader’s jersey.

It didn’t take long for the upstart Toyota-United team to make an impact on the American road-racing scene. Just a couple of weeks after announcing its team name and roster, Toyota-United’s four-time Argentinean champion, Juan Jose Haedo, scored the biggest win of his career in Monday’s opening road stage at the Amgen Tour of California, an 81.5-mile jaunt north from Sausalito to Santa Rosa.

The big names of American road racing made their message loud and clear at Sunday’s opening day of the Amgen Tour of California. Led by Gerolsteiner’s Levi Leipheimer — one of a handful of homegrown stage racers being touted as hopefuls to take the torch from the recently retired Lance Armstrong — American riders swept the top-five of the 1.9-mile prologue in scenic San Francisco.

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

High speeds, paving bricks and torrential rain were not the right combination for Sunday’s final stage of the 11th Tour de Langkawi. The final-stage criterium was called early after multiple crashes and rider caution split the 102-strong peloton on the ninth of 18 laps of a 3.1km circuit in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The stage winner’s first prize went to Spaniard Angel Vallejo of Relax-Gam, who was on a solo break when “rain stopped play,” while South African David George took overall victory in the 10-day race by 1:52 over Italian Francesco Bellotti of Credit Agricole.

As expected, South African David George easily maintained his leadership of the 11th Tour de Langkawi on Saturday, with just one day remaining in the 10-day race. He cruised to 19th place on the completely flat 16.2km course, 77 seconds slower than the stage winner, Ukrainian Sergiy Matveyev of Panaria-Navigare.

With the overall leaders already focused on Saturday’s crucial time-trial stage that will decided the podium in this year’s Tour de Langkawi, the sprinters were expected to fight out the shortest road stage on Friday. Instead, the rain came tumbling down on a hot, muggy afternoon and French opportunist Sébastien Hinault gave Crédit Agricole its second stage win of the 10-day race.

Once again, the sprinters’ teams didn’t make it at Malaysia’s Tour de Langkawi. After being 11 seconds short of catching an eight-man break on Wednesday, they fell short by seven seconds on Thursday’s 188.2km stage 7 from Muar to Kota Tinggi won by Italian journeyman Elio Aggiano of team LPR. South Africa’s David George retained the yellow jersey with three days remaining in the 10-day race.

No one had an easy day on Wednesday’s stage 6 at Le Tour de Langkawi, which resulted in a tight win for one of eight breakaway riders, Laurent Mangel of AG2R. The 24-year-old Frenchman from Burgundy attacked the break in the final kilometer and just hung on to beat the fast-closing Aussie neo-pro Gene Bates of Team LPR, with a second Frenchman, Yohann Le Boulanger of Bouygues TÈlÈcom, in third.

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

Colombian rookie José Serpa, 26, was racing as an amateur two weeks ago. Now, just five days into his career as a professional with the Selle Italia-Diquigiovanni team, he has won two stages of the Tour de Langkawi — including Tuesday’s prestigious ascent to Genting Highlands. Serpa’s two stage wins have impressed the whole race entourage, including Ed Beamon, Navigators Insurance team manager, who told VeloNews that “Serpa would surely be the race favorite had he not missed the break on the first day.”

Traditionally, the infamous ascent to Genting Highlands in Malaysia — the “Alpe d’Huez of Asia” — is the decision-maker at the Tour de Langkawi, now in its 11th year. For the first time this year, the giant climb is coming in the middle of the 10-day race, rather than toward the end.

American Saul Raisin (Crédit Agricole) won the third stage of the Tour de Langkawi in Malaysia on Sunday. In a sprint finish South Africa's David George took second and teammate Darren Lill finished third. Raisin won the 150.6-kilometer (93.4-mile) stage in four hours three minutes and 55 seconds. Richeze, Maximiliano (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) leads the overall standings.Results - Stage 3
1. Raisin, Saul (USA), Credit Agricole 4h03:55
2. George, David (RSA), South Africa
3. Lill, Darren (RSA), South Africa, at 17

Ceramica Panaria-Navigare finished one-two in stage 2 of the Tour de Langkawi as the race leader delivered a teammate to the line for the victory. Argentinian sprinter Ruben Bongiorno won the 164.7km stage from Tanjung Malim to Sitiawan after a leadout from countryman Maximiliano Richeze, the winner of Friday’s first stage, who took second and successfully defended his yellow jersey. Steffen Radochla (Wiesenhof) took third.

Argentinian neopro Maximiliano Richeze (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) won the first stage of the Tour de Langkawi on Friday. The 23-year-old Argentinian edged Erki Putstep (Ag2r), Takeshi Miyazawa (Japan) and Steffen Radochla (Wiesenhof) in a sprint finish, claiming his first professional victory in his first race as a pro.

World champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step) won the Tour of Qatar on Friday after capturing the fifth and final stage, a 151km run between Al Thakira and Doha. The Belgian rider, who also won the first three stages, sprinted to the final victory ahead of Germany's Erik Zabel (Milram), and Italy's Fabrizio Guidi (Phonak). The 25-year-old Boonen was deprived of a clean sweep this week only after Austria's Bernhard Eisel (Française des Jeux) took Thursday's fourth stage. Boonen credited the weather with an assist in what appeared to be an easy victory. "Because of the wind, which

Austria's Bernhard Eisel finally ended the winning streak of world champion Tom Boonen when he sprinted to victory in the fourth stage of the Tour of Qatar on Thursday. The Francaise des Jeux rider nicked Germany's Erik Zabel (Milram) and Belgian Boonen (Quick Step) at the line after the 145km run from Al Zubarah to Doha, scoring his first win of the season. Boonen, winner of the first three stages, has been unbeaten since he won his world title in September. He holds the overall race lead going into Friday's 151km final stage between Al Thakira and here with a seven-second

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

World champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step) maintained his perfect start to the Tour of Qatar with victory in Wednesday's 160km third stage. The 25-year-old Belgian once again beat Germany's Erik Zabel (Milram) and Matti Breschel (CSC) of Denmark to add to his wins in the first two stages. Once again the stage was marked by blustery winds and an early break, as Bart Van Heule (Chocolade Jacques-T Interim), René Weissinger (Skil-Shimano) and Geert Omloop (Unibet) took off at 12km. Twenty-four kilometers later, they were joined by a counterattacking bunch of six: Chris Horner

World champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step) won the windy second stage of the Tour of Qatar Tuesday, a 138km leg between Doha's camel race track and the Al Khor Corniche. The 25-year-old Belgian, who also won the first stage on Monday and heads the overall standings, proved too strong for Italian Paride Grillo (Ceramica Panaria-Navigare) and German veteran Eric Zabel (Milram) in a sprint finish. "It wasn't so simple today," said Boonen. "The wind and the sometime-dangerous roads made the course difficult. There were a lot of falls and punctures. You had to be careful." Frenchman Gilles

World champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step) won the opening 131km stage of the Tour of Qatar between Doha and Al Khor Corniche on Monday. The 25-year-old Belgian proved too strong for German veteran Eric Zabel and Robert Hunter of South Africa in a sprint finish. Top 10 resultsStage1. Tom Boonen (B) Quick Step, 131km in 2:56:342. Erik Zabel (G), same time3. Robert Hunter (RSA), s.t.4. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), s.t.5. Fabrizio Guidi (I), s.t.,6. Aurelien Clerc (Swi), s.t.7. Nick Ingels (B,) s.t.8. Sebastien Lang (G,) s.t.9. Aart Vierhouten (Ned), s.t.10. Steven de Jongh (Ned), s.t.Overall (after

For the second time in 24 hours the Dutch national anthem of Wilhelmus was played for the assembled crowds at Zeddam, in the Netherlands, as the host country celebrated another victory at the World Cyclo-cross Championships, after Marianne Vos outsprinted defending champion, German Hanka Kupfernagel, to take the women’s title on Sunday. Indeed, Dutch riders dominated the women’s event as Daphny van den Brand and Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel rounded out the top-four. The top North American result was recorded by U.S. champion Anne Knapp in ninth, while pre-race podium hopeful Lyne Bessette

The Dutch hosts wasted no time getting on the podium, with a win in the opening Junior Men's race at the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Zeddam. The appropriately named Boy van Poppel dropped the rest of the leaders to solo across the finish line in front of a cheering crowd. Bjorn Selander was the top U.S. finisher in seventh place. The 40-minute race began, as expected, very fast, with eight riders gapping the rest of the field by the halfway point in the opening lap. Van Poppel was there, as was Selander. Others in the lead group included Robert Gavenda (Slo), the leading rider

Zdnek Stybar of the Czech Republic took his second straight world title in the under-23 category at the cyclo-cross world championships on Saturday, outsprinting Lars Boom (Ned) and a bitterly disappointed Niels Albert (Bel), the favourite going into the race. American U-23 champion Troy Wells went down in a crash at the start of the race, cutting open his forehead and nose and eventually finishing a lap down. This was expected to be a race between Stybar, Albert and Boom, and they did not disappoint. Albert opened a lead in the first half lap on the downhill, and had a 10-second lead over

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

Adelaide, Australia - Up-and-coming Australian cyclist Simon Gerrans was celebrating his second stage race win inside three months Sunday after winning the Tour Down Under, the last stage of which was won by Allan Davis. Davis, who is set to be the Australian team leader for the Commonwealth Games road race in March, grabbed his second win of the five-stage race after pipping compatriot Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) at the finish line of the 90km downtown Adelaide circuit.

Round three of the UCI Track World Cup closed Sunday in Los Angeles with Argentina, Australia, Belarus, France, Russia and the United States each collecting multiple gold medals over the weekend. In the women’s 40-lap scratch final, American Sarah Hammer, already having earned gold the day before in the individual pursuit, rode squarely at the front for eight laps - the last eight - and won. Ostensibly leading out fellow American Becky Quinn of the Spike pro team, Hammer gradually wound up the pace from 2k out, with Quinn glued to her wheel. But coming around the final corner, Hammer was

Adelaide, Australia — Australian Simon Gerrans (AG2R) endured his toughest test yet as a cycling professional on Saturday but emerged smiling after the fourth and penultimate stage of the Tour Down Under, won by Russel Van Hout (UniSA-Australia). Gerrans had to dig deep to defend his seven-second lead in the general classification over last year's winner, Luis Leon Sanchez (Liberty Seguros-Wurth), in the race's hardest stage — featuring the feared Willunga climb, 20km from the finish of the 147km stage. Sanchez attacked on the 3km climb, whose gradient is 7 percent, but Gerrans was

In the second night of Track World Cup competition in Los Angeles, riders in five events laid it on the line for victory — and qualifying positions for the April 13-16 world championships in Bordeaux, France. American Sarah Hammer took gold in the women’s pursuit, following a morning qualifying ride of 3:37.799 — a track record. More than 200 athletes from 36 countries are racing in Los Angeles over the three-day weekend. A standing-room-only crowd of 3000 people filled the ADT Event Center Saturday evening at The Home Depot Center, banging on the upper boards and ringing bells throughout

Yankalilla, Australia - The Liberty Seguros team scored its second Tour Down Under stage win in as many days as Spaniard Carlos Barredo gambled and attacked in the final kilometers of Friday’s 154km third stage from Strathalbyn to Yankalilla on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula. Barredo’s win comes a day after teammate Allan Davis claimed a stage victory in Hahndorf. AG2R’s Simon Gerrans retains the overall lead, but admitted his bid for victory will hinge on how he handles the tough climb in the Tour’s fourth and penultimate stage on Saturday. Barredo took a gutsy stage win after

The United States’ first-ever UCI pro track team made a powerful debut on the first evening of the Los Angeles World Cup, with Spike rider Becky Quinn claiming silver in the women’s points race. With two U.S. national team women also in the mix, Quinn secured the silver medal behind gold medalist Italian Giorgia Bronzini after taking the final sprint. See the Casey Gibson photo gallery below Quinn scored two second-place sprints to get into contention. Then, with two laps remaining, U.S. national rider Lauren Franges got to the front with Quinn on her wheel. With one lap to go, Canadian

Hahndorf, Australia - Simon Gerrans enjoyed the protection of his French AG2R team to retain control of the Tour Down Under on Thursday as fellow Aussie professional Allan Davis finally bagged a stage. Davis, who along with Stuart O'Grady was one of two Australians to come close to winning the world championships road title in 2004, is one of two riders, the other being Estonian veteran Jaan Kirsipuu, to have competed in all eight editions here. It was something of an albatross. An established sprinter in the European peloton, the diminutive Liberty Seguros sprinter had never managed

Angaston, Australia - Up-and-coming Australian Simon Gerrans took a big step toward winning the five-stage Tour Down Under on Wednesday with a gutsy victory that saw the list of overall contenders slashed by a decisive break. Gerrans, in his second season with the French AG2R team, made the race-winning move move with less than 5km to race in the 148km stage between Adelaide and Angaston in the hilly Barossa wine valley. The 25-year-old played his cards perfectly, first by joining an early break and then by linking up with defending TDU champion Luis Leon Sanchez (Liberty Seguros),

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

World champion Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the ninth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Liévin, France. The Belgian crossed a few lengths ahead of two French riders, Francis Mourey and John Gadret, to claim his eighth victory in nine starts during the World Cup. It was his 22nd cyclo-cross win this season. Czech Petr Dlask shot away at the start of the race, and was quickly joined by Mourey. The Frenchman then launched an attack of his own with his compatriot Gadret, marked by a Belgian trio composed of Nys, Erwin Vervecken and Bart Wellens. At mid-race, Nys joined the

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

Belgian Bart Wellens soloed to victory in the sixth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup Sunday in Igorre, Spain. Czech Petr Dlask and Italian Enrico Franzoi crossed second and third, respectively. It was a black day for world champion Sven Nys of Belgium, undefeated through the first five rounds. Nys had a good start but suffered mechanical problems on the muddy, sodden course, and had to be satisfied with eighth place. Wellens, by contrast, was delighted with his performance. "I always gave the best of myself, but Nys was too strong in the earlier races," he said. "I continued to

Just how bad was the snow, freezing rain, wind, sleet and more snow on Friday, the opening day of the 2005 Liberty Mutual U.S. national cyclo-cross championships?

New Zealand edged Great Britain to take victory in the men's team pursuit Saturday at the Union Cycliste Internationale Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England. Great Britain had led the Kiwis into the dying seconds before just missing out on the line. The team's bid had been hampered by illness, with both Mark Cavendish and Rob Hayles falling sick with viruses this week. Hayles blamed his virus and also an incident at his local supermarket when he "clothes-lined" a bag snatcher attempting to escape on a bicycle. "That's got to be worth at least a couple of seconds,"

Sarah Hammer of Temecula, California, took gold in the women’s points race during the first day of competition at the Union Cycliste Internationale Track Cycling World Cup in Manchester, England. Hammer’s victory comes in her first World Cup since a one-year hiatus from cycling. Hammer, 22, lapped the field with China’s Yan Li to claim a majority of her points. Hammer will ride in the women’s pursuit in Saturday’s competition. Teammate Becky Quinn (Quakertown, Pennsylvania) consistently finished in the top four during the points race sprints, placing her sixth overall. Michael Blatchford

Belgian Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the fifth round of the cyclo-cross World Cup Wednesday in Milan. The world champion soloed to victory ahead of compatriot Erwin Vervecken (Fidea), who finished second at 12 seconds back, and Italian Enrico Franzoi (Lampre-Caffita), who took third just two seconds later. The win kept Nys’s unbeaten streak going in this year’s series and marked his 25th career victory in World Cup competition. In women's competition, the Netherlands' Daphny Van Den Brand (Van Bemmelen-AA Drink) won handily over countrywoman Marianne Vos, who finished more than 30

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

World champion Sven Nys (Rabobank) won the fourth round of the UCI cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Wetzikon, Switzerland — but the victory didn't come easily. The Belgian had to come from behind to take the win over Netherlander Richard Groenendaal and Belgian Bart Wellens, who crossed second and third, respectively. Nys flatted while answering an attack by Italian Enrico Franzoi and had to make up a deficit of more than two minutes on Groenendaal, who had taken the lead. Wellens and Groenendaal tried in vain to shed themselves of Nys, but the world No. 1 proved far superior to his

For a man whose chief cyclo-cross training in 2005 has involved more hours spent remodeling his house than racing, Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai) has been using his race days to their fullest. With a strong elite men’s field gathered in anticipation of next weekend’s U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships, Saturday’s W.E. Stedman Grand Prix in Wakefield, Rhode Island, round five of the 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, was a regional race with national implications. But Wells put paid to the rest of the field’s dreams, dominating the cold, wind-whipped course from start to

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,

With bright sunshine and near-tropical heat, the Aloha spirit was alive and well Saturday in Santa Cruz, California, at round 5 of the Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross. Hosted by the Northern Californian Velo Bella team, the final round of the Surf City Cyclo-cross series wasn't exactly a day at the beach - unless you count the weather, which inflicted mid-80s temperatures on a field more accustomed to snow, mud and bitter cold than to sweat, salt and baking heat. Instead of slick ice, racers were met with technically challenging loose and dry conditions, steep climbs and

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

Rabobank’s Sven Nijs easily won the third round of the UCI’s cyclo-cross World Cup in Pijnacker in the Netherlands on Sunday. Nijs rode away from his Dutch Rabobank teammate Richard Groenendaal and fellow Belgian Gerben De Knegt, after the trio moved off the front of the field early in the race. The win represents yet another in the Belgian’s recent domination of the discipline. Nijs, winner of cyclo-cross’s “triple crown” – Belgian national championship, world championship and overall World Cup title – won the first two rounds of the World Cup this year, taking the opener in Kalmthout,

Organizers on Saturday unveiled the course of the 2006 Giro d'Italia, the 89th edition of Italy's most prestigious cycling race, starting in Belgium to pay homage to the victims of a 1956 mine disaster. The first of the 21-stage grand tour will be a 6.2km individual time test in Seraing. The second of four Belgian legs will end in Charleroi-Marcinelle, where 136 Italians were among 262 miners who perished following an explosion and fire in a coal mine. Paolo Savoldelli, this year's Giro champion, did not attend the unveiling ceremony in Milan but organizers said he was expected

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

American Colby Pearce took the silver in the 30km points race on Saturday during day two of the UCI track World Cup in Moscow. The TIAA-CREF rider, from Boulder, Colorado, scored 27 points to secure the runner-up spot behind Argentina’s Sebastian Cancio, with 32 points. Petr Lazar of the Czech Republic was third with 24. In other action, Australia easily won the team pursuit; Stefan Nimke of Germany won the sprint; Natalia Tsylinskaya of Belarus took the 500-meter time trial; and China’s Lee Meifang con the individual pursuit. UCI World CupMoscow, RussiaNovember 5MenTeam pursuit1.

Two former champions regained their titles at the Canadian national cyclo-cross championships Saturday at the Hardwood Hills Mountain Bike Centre, 90 minutes north of Toronto. Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) won the women's title, after an absence of two years, and Peter Wedge (Kona-Les Gets) took his seventh Canadian title after his streak was snapped at six last year. The streak continuesBessette remains unbeaten in North America this season, with the nationals being her ninth consecutive win, and making her a strong contender for the world championships in Holland

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

Can Simple Green cause chains to crack?

Do you recommend compact cranks for climbing?

I'm a tall rider and my foot hits my rear derailleur, what can I do?

Do cranks flex, or is it the bottom bracket and frame?