Road Gear

Dear readers,I have gotten so many questions on fork rake and front-end geometryfrom my Nov. 23 posting that I realized the need to fully address thissubject again. I have written about this before, both here and in the magazine,but there obviously remains a bit of confusion out there about the subject.Consequently, I have posted a number of the recent questions I have receivedabout it as well as the “block” I wrote on the subject from my most recentbook, Zinn’sCycling Primer. I hope it clarifies some handling questions for a lot of you out there.Merry Christmas,Lennard Dear Lennard,I'm

More tire talkDear Lennard,I really enjoyed your recent wet-road tire discussion with Tom Petrie and Alberto De Gioannini. Just the topic I was looking for, but I'm still a little confused. I thought the cord compound made a big difference and it wasn't mentioned at all. I recall racing in the rain in a crit next to a friend who was running cotton-cord sew up tires as opposed to my silks. While we'd been comparable in bike handling otherwise, I found myself nearly sideways in corners while hewent around like on a rail. We'd pumped our tires to comparable pressures.I'm taking a group over for

You simply can’t get away from it. Obviously, bicycles for commuting purposes rule the earth when compared to their internal combustion engine bastard off-shoots, but who would have imagined running into a pack of dedicated mountain bike racers in the middle of nowhere? With the racing season on winter hiatus, and activity here at VeloNews a bit slower than in the heavy season, I felt it the perfect time to grab a bit of vacation time a couple of weeks ago and head south across the Mexican border aboard my motorcycle (yeah, yeah... I said motorcycle. Deal with it). My original route

Need a long-valve tubie? Try VittoriaDear Lennard,I have been looking around and have been unable to find a long-stem tubular tire. Almost all the tire websites don't even mention the stem length. I thought for sure with the popularity of deep carbon rims there would be at least one company that offered a model with a long valve stem. Thanks for any help.Brian Dear Brian,My tire-aficionado friend Tom Petrie assures me that at least Vittoria offers tubular tires with 51mm long valves with a removable valve core as well as 42mm-length valves without a removable valve core. Vittoria also offers

What happened to Clement red glue?Dear Lennard,I have been riding tubulars my whole life, and I have always liked the Clement red glue. Now I cannot find it anymore. Do you know of a source? Also, I have been using the Tufo tubulars with good luck. I just don’t understand how they measure the number of threads per inch in the casing. They claim 420, yet Vittoria says their 290tpi is the highest density on the market. Any observations?Mark Dear Mark,I, too, loved that glue and have missed it. When Clement went bankrupt and was acquired by Pirelli, I think that the Clement red glue might have

Look Cycle, a member of the pro peloton since 1983 and always an innovator, has introduced a host of high-end products for the new season. In keeping with the company’s design tradition, the French manufacturer’s new pedals, frames and forks are extremely light and purposeful to meet the demands of pros who depend on their equipment to make a living. Look’s carbon fiber technology is particularly advanced. The company was among the first to deliver carbon steerer tubes on forks, and has now produced a fork entirely in carbon fiber, including the dropouts. Look has also introduced a new

Rake, trail and the difference between the twoDear Lennard,In your November9 Technical Q&A you said that a 44/45mm rake would steer less quicklyand be more stable than a 47mm rake. Is that a typo? I thought shorterrake would tighten up the wheelbase and make the head tube angle feel steeper--yieldingquicker handling and a more "twitchy" feeling bicycle.Jeremiah Dear Jeremiah,Sorry, but the statement is correct and your interpretation about forkrake’s effect is wrong. Indeed, a steeper head angle does make the bikehandle more quickly (reduces fork trail), yes. However, a reduced forkrake

Rob Vandermark has always had a knack for turning the impossible into the desirable. As the head designer for Merlin Metalworks, back when Merlin was a struggling independent, he figured out how to create externally butted, seamless titanium tubing. The result was the Merlin Extralight, which for many years reigned as a benchmark in the road bike stratosphere. He also created the Merlin Newsboy, a bona fide mountain bike disguised as the most stylish of cruisers. Easy to do, you say, if you have all the money in the world to work with. So at the opposite end of the price scale, he delivered

I just returned to a very chilly Boulder, Colorado, after spending a few days in the warm sun of Santa Barbara, California, where Giant Bicycles arranged to show off its 2005 product line. While the majority of major manufacturers already paraded their 2005 wares this past summer, Giant was forced to wait until the Interbike tradeshow because its new Maestro suspension mountain bikes weren’t quite ready until then. Indeed, even the bikes that Giant brought to Interbike’s Outdoor Demo were not 100-percent ready, so I was eager to try out the actual production road and mountain models that

Time Sport International, founded in 1986, is a comparatively young company, but it has been at the forefront of the pro racing scene ever since the debut of its revolutionary TBT pedal in late 1987. The TBT was the first modern clipless pedal to allow rotational float, a common feature on high-end pedals today but one that was unheard of at the time. Despite the system’s unusual approach, the TBT was an immediate success, garnering victories in the men’s and women’s Tour de France in 1988 with Pedro Delgado and Jeannie Longo. Shortly thereafter, Time developed a clipless mountain-bike

Losing my gripDear Lennard,I am having a problem with the removal of the drive-side bottom bracketcup. It is a Shimano UN 72 and it has been removed so many times that thesplines are now gone. The bottom bracket itself works fine and I can leaveit in, but eventually it will need to be replaced. The splines are so rounded off that when pressure is applied in an attemptto remove the cup, the bottom bracket tool spins and further chews up thesplines. I am turning the tool clockwise for removal.Jeff Dear Jeff,The first thing to try would be to get your hands on a Tacx BB cupremover, since it

After two years with Mario Cipollini’s Domina Vacanze team, Specialized Bicycles announced that it was switching its sponsorship to Germany’s Gerolsteiner squad for 2005, in part because the team has added American Levi Leipheimer to its roster. Specialized also announced an expansion of its domestic sponsorship role next year, adding its support to the men’s side of USA Cycling’s under-23 development program. Specialized will supply bikes and equipment for road, mountain, cyclo-cross and track to the U-23 team. We chatted with Mike Sinyard, Specialized’s president and founder, about his

The Crank Brothers Cobalt crank was one of the big hits of this year’s Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, largely due to its unexpected and unconventional design. Eschewing carbon, the Cobalt is a composite of a different kind: an aluminum base bonded to a stainless steel cover. Like all Crank Brothers products, the Cobalt combines a striking industrial aesthetic with hardcore cycling functionality. Andrew Herrick, who serves as Crank’s marketing guy (though not officially; the company does not use job titles) gave us the lowdown on how this unusual product was created. VeloNews: When did

Questions of rakeDear Lennard,I have a 1994 Trek 5200 54 cm. I want to raise up my handlebarheight for comfort reasons. I figure I need to raise it 2 cm.I thought about the Serotta head tube extender. It's titanium, pressedin and adds 2 cm. I would have to buy a new fork. The literaturefor that model year states a 47mm fork rake.I think I could accomplish two things - more comfort and better ride- with the right fork. From a safety standpoint, is this a good idea?If so which fork? Since less rake equals more trai that would make it morestable with same head angle, right? Would a 44 mm rake

Andy Ording, President of Zipp Speed Weaponry, is determined to maintain his company’s lead in lightweight composite technology, and he’s also committed to making his products in the United States. With the miniscule margins most bike companies have to work with, that’s not an easy task, especially considering that most of Ording’s competitors source their products in China, where labor and materials costs are but a fraction of Zipp’s. Moreover, in Ording’s quest to create the lightest, most advanced wheels and components possible, he does not shy away from expensive solutions. The new

While a record number of you turned out to vote on Tuesday, it’s only the VeloNews editorial staff that for better or for worse has a say in our upcoming 2004 Awards issue. While the crew is hard at work arguing over who might be named the Masters Road Racer of the Year, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the award that matters most to me: the Technical Development of the Year. A number of candidates have crossed my mind, but unfortunately the one idea that sticks out most prominently is not a component, frame or wheelset. Instead, the most notable impact has been made by a technology

If proof were needed that the dollars you spend on racing sponsorship come right back to your bottom line, Trek Bicycle Corporation’s investment in the U.S. Postal Team and Lance Armstrong would be the only spreadsheet you’d need to see. Although the company’s longstanding domestic team programs made Trek a top brand among cycling fans many years ago, it was Postal power that put Trek on the map for a much wider base of casual riders. Today, Trek is a familiar name in millions of households worldwide, and the Trek brand has become the most valuable franchise in cycling. Of course, Lance

Interbike may have ended for the rest of the bicycle industry three weeks ago, but for us here at VeloNews, the annual trade show wasn’t over until Tuesday, when we wrapped up 13 pages of coverage. We visited nearly a hundred companies at this year’s show, and it was very difficult to decide what to include in the magazine. Still, somehow, we managed. Even so, we had to trim a few items right at the very end, and so we’re telling you about them here. Don’t think of these reports from me, Lennard Zinn and Chris Milliman as “leftovers,” but rather as “first looks.” Gore Bike WearIt was 92

Cane Creek has a long history in bicycle suspension, starting with its role in manufacturing the original Rock Shox forks. The company went on to develop some of the lightest air shocks available, perfecting a novel Delrin seal technology and speed-sensitive valving that lives on in CC’s current Cloud Nine and AD air-sprung and air-damped shocks. But the big news this year is Cane Creek’s partnership with Swedish suspension-maker Öhlins Racing AB, a company that dominates the field in high-end motorsports suspension. Starting with its first 250cc motocross victory in 1978, (only two years

Today’s report will be a short one, describing a few final items from this year’s Interbike trade show that you might not hear about any other way. Spiuk-KuipsKuips is a Basque Country bicycle brand being imported into the USA by DPM Sports. Joanne Somarriba, multiple winner of the women’s Tour de France and the 2003 world time trial champion, races on Kuips road bikes; Spain’s professional cyclo-cross champ rides a Kuips, too. The pictured frame is the top cyclo-cross model. The company has a full line of accessories and clothing under the Spiuk name. Altogether, it is an extensive and

We are just putting the finishing touches on VeloNews magazine coverage of the 2004 Interbike Expo, and I found myself thinking about all the companies and product we didn’t see while out in Las Vegas. Here we are providing plenty of ink to the Treks and Specializeds of the bicycle world, but what about the little guy who couldn’t or wouldn’t cough-up the dough (let alone take a week of vacation from their “real” job) to set-up a booth at the Sands Convention Center? Certainly there are hundreds of creative minds out there producing quality products that just didn’t make it to Las

After a long period of hit-or-miss availability in the United States, Guerciotti bikes returned to Interbike this year with a new importer, Torelli, and a new commitment to widespread distribution and support. Paolo Guerciotti’s bikes gained fame among American riders in the 1980s as part of a wave of high-end Italian imports that raised the expectations for what a great road bike could be. Guerciotti’s cyclo-cross models were especially sought after, thoroughbreds in a field of balky, unwieldy CX beasts. Today, the Guerciotti family — Paolo, his son Alessandro and daughter Micaela — still

As I sit down to write about Interbike for VeloNews, it seems a shame not to show you some of the things that there probably will not be room for in the print magazine. So here we go…. SDGSDG has forged ahead with its I-Beam saddle, which eschews the normal saddle rails for a longitudinal beam molded into the saddle shell. SDG also is offering new super-light carbon-fiber seat posts that grip the beam. Since a saddle is normally a suspension item, like a hammock suspended between two rails, it seems that a saddle with a single, unyielding center rail might be a little hard on the crotch. But

I am still settling back in from last week’s non-stop insanity - otherwise known as the 2004 Interbike International Bicycle Expo in Las Vegas. Sleep deprived, fighting a cold, I am only today regaining an ability to see in full color. But enough whining… I thought I would share a few notes I gathered while attending all five days Interbike. After two days at Outdoor Demo and three days in the Sands Convention Center, I knew what the standard question would be: “So what was cool this year?” I would usually find myself responding with something like, “well, it’s not like it used to be in

Days of life under bright fluorescent lighting, breathing air-conditioned air and listening to the thump, thump, thump of “tunes” emerging from the BMX section of the showroom floor is enough to put even the cheeriest bike geek in a foul mood. And, were the Interbike International Bicycle Expo anything else, say, a convention of ladder salesmen or mobile home dealers, we’d have lost it by now. But the great thing about the country’s largest bicycle industry trade show at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas is that it’s all about bikes and that part can make the lights, the air and the

Day two of the 2004 Interbike Exposition kicked-off with hundreds of enthusiastic retailers packing shuttle busses and heading 35 miles out of Las Vegas for another day of road, mountain and ‘cross bike test rides in the Nevada desert. With attendance numbers nearing and possibly surpassing last year’s numbers at the increasingly popular Outdoor Demo, manufacturers were kept busy setting up rides on Bootleg Canyon’s miles of tricky singletrack and twisty paved roads. Here’s a look at what made news today. Giant NewsOne thing is standard at Interbike, no matter what the year. It’s the

The doors of the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas opened up Tuesday morning to the usual swarm of retailers looking for stock, manufacturers looking for customers and bike racers looking for contracts. (We won’t mention the usual gang looking for swag.) Two steps into the hall, many were surprised to spot Tyler Hamilton already cruising the aisles, greeting sponsors, working the crowd and signing autographs. The American Olympic gold medalist decided that even after his positive blood test at the Vuelta a España that he would be attending the trade show. "People say you're crazy to go

The first of two days of the Interbike Outdoor Demo kicked off on Monday, October 4 without a hitch. This was the second year at the Bootleg Canyon venue above Boulder City, NV and overlooking Lake Mead. The trail system is extensive and challenging and keeps growing, unlike the previous location, which was threatened by development and would continue shrinking until it disappeared. This year, in addition to cross-country trails, downhill trails, a BMX loop, and various large man-made jumps of different sizes, there is a cyclo-cross trail with obstacles to mimic a European ‘cross course

The plan of attack has been formulated. Reinforcements put on notice. Theweaponry checked twice. Notebooks and pens held at the ready… Yup, Interbike kicks-off next week (October 4th-8th) and the crack staffat VeloNews are ready and waiting… With two days of On Dirt Demo and three days of convention floor timescheduled for this year, look for daily reports from several of us attendingthe show. Indeed, with more than half of the editorial staff attendingthe Las Vegas, Nevada trade show, you can be sure we’ll do our best tohave every angle of the show covered: from the latest technology to

This is show season, and between traveling a lot and writing the fourth edition of “Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance” (due this week) as well as building a few bikes, I have had my hands full. Although I have received your questions, I am filing them away for now in favor of answering the questions people have been asking about new products at the shows. This, combined with my article in the print version of VeloNews, will conclude my coverage of the 62nd annual Milan bike show, held this year September 17-20. Next Monday, it’s off to a week at Interbike! Among all of the cool

Coming a week before the 2004 world road championships in nearby Verona, the 62nd annual Milan bike show, September 17-20, marked the beginning of the 2005 selling season for road bikes and products in Italy. In a season that’s packed with international trade shows, Milan 2004 set itself apart with a focus on improving the climate for cycling in Italy and worldwide. Maurizio Fondriest, one of several former world champions from Italy who showed up to speak about the future of cycling in Italy, stressed the need for better bike paths. The 1988 world champion, who hails from Cles in the

Dear Lennard,I just installed a new Wippermann 10-spd chain on an otherwise Campy Record group. All the components are one year old. I'm trying to eliminate an annoying "tinging" that I'm getting when climbing hard out of the saddle or sprinting. No success with the "tinging" but I introduced a new problem ... the new chain jumps and skips and won't stay engaged in the larger cogs. Have I worn out the rear cogs? I'm now thinking that the "tinging" noise may be coming from the engagement of the chain with the chainrings (30-42-52 ); the old Campy chain engages the rear cogset okay, but perhaps

By the morning of day three, with the Eurobike show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, only half over – the show opens its doors to the public for a day after three business-only days – the consensus was already firm: This was one of the best bike shows in years. Some of that good cheer is a spillover from the general heartiness in the industry. Through June, 2004 was on track to be a banner year, with bikes of all kinds selling well at all prices. Sales went suddenly soft in July and August, in Europe and the U.S., but the slowdown in spending affected all discretionary purchases, not just bikes,

Mit der golden and silver people yet.

More items of note from the shores of the Bodensee: personal trainers, power measurement devices, saddles — do you detect a theme here? Tacx i-Magic Fortius trainerThe i-Magic Fortius trainer from Tacx is billed as a "virtual reality trainer," a claim that may seem overly modest when you witness the stunning capabilities of this amazing device. Hooked up to your PC or projection television, the Fortius can put you in the middle of a virtual reality race that you program, or a ride up the Alpe d'Huez taken with real-life video. You can also load in training software that analyzes and

The Eurobike show, held annually in Friedrichshafen, Germany, has become the traditional kick-off to the new-bike season since its somewhat tentative start as a mainly mountain-bike event back in 1991. These days, the mountain bikes are overwhelmed by the flood of road machines that compete for space in the show's handsome 10 main halls. But no matter what's on display, Eurobike's early place on the calendar — September 2-5 this year — means that extra importance is accorded each intro. Have a good show here and you can relax on the ride as the show carnival bumps along to ANCMA Milan and

My fellow VeloNews editor Neal Rogers and I just got back from the final round of the NORBA national points series down in Durango, Colorado. Since this was the final opportunity for many of the racers to score some very-needed points, many pulled out all the stops when it came to equipment choices. So, while Rogers was running willy-nilly from racer to racer getting quotes for his cross-country and short track race reports, I found myself sneaking around the start and finish lines scouring every inch of some of the fastest bikes in the business. Both the men and women showed up to Durango

Dear Lennard,I read with interest your article "Wobble? Not!" in the September 20issue of VeloNews.Of special interest was your side bar on page 61 in which you discuss smallpads inserted in your shoes to relieve pedaling induced foot pain.I too suffer from what I describe as "hot foot" which becomes very problematicon longer rides. I use custom footbeds in my cycling shoes, but theyoffer little relief. I live in Denver - can you share more informationabout the pads that you use and where you got them?RayDear Ray,It is a small, foam metatarsal pad that lifts the metatarsal arch (atthe "ball

Under the innovative drive of title-sponsor Crank Brothers and the collaborativevision of both the organizers and the promoters, the 2004 U.S. Gran Prixof Cyclocross Series is poised for take-off. With cooperation from USACycling and the UCI, the landmark USGP of Cyclocross seeks to bolster thethriving regional U.S. cyclocross scene by incorporating six races intoa national series with USA Cycling automatic world championship selectiongoing to series overall winners."Our hope," according to Series Marketing Director Bruce Fina, "is tobring out the best of USA cyclocross-the top riders

ScrewedFirst off, you’re probably wondering why you’re looking at a photo of VeloNews’s Lennard Zinn drilling a hole into the sole of a perfectly good $400 pair of cycling shoes. Good question. As we put the finishing touches on our 2004 carbon road shoe comparison, we’ve begun to notice that actual sole thicknesses seem to vary a bit from numbers claimed in advertising. Because most manufacturers want their numbers to reflect the lightest/stiffest/thinnest “interpretation” of the measurements, Zinn and I decided that the only way to find out exactly how thick the soles were was to measure

Olympic cover-upDear Lennard,After watching the Olympic road race and time trial, I noticed an abundanceof tape covering helmet, bike and component logos. Why would countriesgoverning bodies force this on riders knowing that they race professionallyfor other teams?Some examples: Julich and Hamilton covering up the Bell logo on thesides of the TT helmet but not the front. While it looks like most peoplein the TT field were covering up bike and fork logos on the headtubes andfork legs. What gives?ShawnI’ll let Bell Sports answer that:It basically comes down to limits on equipment logo sizes

When Bobby Julich crossed the finish line just 26.45 seconds behind teammate Tyler Hamilton in Wednesday’s Olympic individual time trial, it wasn’t just a victory for a man and his country–technology also won in the streets of Athens. Helping to power Julich’s bike were two very unusual chainrings that could very well transform the way we propel our bicycles in the future. Julich was riding a pair of French made, out-of-round, “Osymetric” chainrings which Julich claims have helped him all season. Now before you say, “Biopace,” think again. In a phone interview with VeloNews from France

Dear Lennard,On one of the tech segments during the OLN coverage, they interviewed someone from CSC and he talked about a different type of chainring they were using for the time trials. But they didn't explain what the differences were. Did you hear anything about this?Leonard Dear Leonard,Those chainrings are called Harmonic, and they offer a larger gear ratio when the crank is horizontal than when it is vertical (the opposite of Biopace). I asked Bobby Julich about them, and he referred me to the company’s website. And lest you think they are a revival of the old Biopace design, Julich

Dear Lennard,There was much discussion before the Tour about Lance's mountain TT bike. In “The Lance Chronicles” he was trying several different models and he used the aero' bars on Mont Ventoux. What happened to them? Was it something at Ventoux that made him change?Anthony Dear Anthony,I’ll let Trek’s team liaison, Scott Daubert, field that one: There are two answers here. Steve Hed used one of the formulas we developed through F-One and learned that the clip-on’s weight would cost Lance six or seven seconds during his assault up L’Alpe d’Huez. Their aerodynamic advantage is impossible to

Euskadi bikesDear Lennard,I have noticed that the Euskaltel team is riding a bike called Orbeathat looks very much like the new Kestrel full carbon frames I have seenin my local stores. Is the design just a common configuration of the tubedesign or are these companies in some way connected?Steve Dear Steve,Orbea is a large bike manufacturer. Indeed, it’s far bigger than Kestrel.Located in the Basque country of Spain, Orbea is part of the CooperativoMondragón, the world’s largest worker’s cooperative. Being co-ownersof their companies, workers tend to work harder and more devotedly thanthey

Dear Lennard,Here’s a question. There was some hype about Lance’s speciallydeveloped skinsuit (Project 1 as seen on OLN) with wind tunnel testingand so forth. Special light jerseys for climbing and so on.How does that factor in when he’s in the yellow jersey? Does Nikehave to submit samples to the tour organization for approval to wear asthe yellow jersey?Charlie Dear Charlie,Yes, Nike made the white, yellow, polka-dot and green jerseys withthe same fabrics as the Postal clothing, so the TT suit is the Swift andthe jersey for mountain days is the HC, which I described in detail in the tech

Dear Lennard,How about a report on the stuff that hasn't work in the Tour? I don't think I've ever heard of more riders being injured in crashes or having to stop from broken handlebars, stems and forks and other equipment-related mishaps. One really goofy example is Phonak using track tires in the rainy team time trial. Are these folks pushing the envelope too far? I didn't used to thinkthe minimum bike weight was a good idea, but it might keep things safer. On the other hand, how about Ulrich on L'Alpe? It looks like he carriedan extra couple of pounds of useless aero stuff up the hill.

Dear Lennard,What was Ivan Basso using for a bike in today’s time trial up l’Alpe d’Huez?William Dear William,Funny you should ask, since I was just putting a few finishing touches on a piece John Wilcockson sent in last night.Lennard Readying Basso’s rideIvan Basso rode the new bike he will race on Wednesday in the Alpe d’Huez time trial for a few hours on the rest day on Monday. He was planning to ride it in the stage from Valréas to Villard-de-Lans on Tuesday, and his race number 61 was already affixed to the rear end of the carbon-fiber Cervélo. But when weighed on the UCI scales before

Watching the Tour de France, one can easily conclude that one of Lance Armstrong’s biggest strengths is he can be coldly calculating, but the same can be said of the U.S. Postal Service team, which also plays the Tour de France as if it were a game of chess. Armstrong and the team have brought many new things to the Tour, like chiropractors, team chefs, and the scouting of every single stage route prior to the race. Less publicized and perhaps as unprecedented are the tiny details of meticulous planning that the team does. As in chess, every move a team or rider makes during the Tour has

Dear Lennard,After watching the prologue and the TTT in this year's Tour, I have noticed T-Mobile is not riding rear discs. Why is that? Everyone knows that a rear disc is faster than a non-disc. What gives?John Dear John,First, all of the T-Mobile riders I saw in the prologue used a reardisc. Here is one on the start ramp, on the new Giant time trial frame. As for the team time trial, Dirk Spiers of Giant Europe said that T-Mobile chose to not use rear discs out of concerns raised by that day's strong crosswinds on the course. He is not at all sure that it was the right choice in

Dear Lennard,What is up with Erik Zabel's shifting cables? Is he trying to hide them like Campagnolo's under the bar tape? Looking at the pics of the finish of Stage 6, looks like Zabel has his Shimano Dura Ace shifter cables routed in this cute little loop around the shifters, and back under the bar tape, a la Campy cable routing. What’s the skinny on this? Looks like he is using Nokon cable housing to make the bend, but why? Is it a visual preference, or a tactile one?Stephen Dear Stephen,Yes, Eric Zabel is one of a number of riders who has concealed shift cables with his Shimano STI

When Domina Vacanze's Filippo Simeoni scampered off the front of the peloton today, he did it astride one of Specialized's new full-carbon, 1100-gram Tarmac S-Works frame. The bike features some pretty cool touches that are worth a closer look. His teammate, Michele Scarponi, gets a special, 40-gram-lighter versionusing finer-weave carbon fabric, while sprint ace Mario Cipollini got his own custom version... well, before he pulled out of the Tour the other day. Last year’s half-aluminum/half-carbon Tarmac will still exist as the Tarmac E5, and the new one has a similar shape to the top

Dear Lennard,This isn't a technical question per se, but it's still got me scratching my head: why doesn't Lance have rainbow stripes on his sleeves like all the other former World Champions? Chris Dear Chris,He has had them on his jersey in the past. I expected him not to have them on the time trial suit and on the yellow jersey, but sure enough, he does not have it on his road jersey. I figured that since Nike prepared all kinds of special clothes for the Tour, including new versions of the Swift skinsuit for time trials and the HC jersey for mountain stages, maybe in the rush to produce

Nestled away in the rugged mountain valleys of central Switzerland, the posh Euro town of St. Moritz is better known for its fur-covered, jet-setting ski bunnies than for high-tech carbon fiber. But for three days in July, carbon was en vogue as Scott showed the press its 2005 product line. The media event July 6-8 showcased the company’s impressive investment into the ever-developing world of carbon-fiber frame construction. Unlike frame manufacturers that simply day-trip over to Taiwan, pick a stock carbon configuration from a major producer, alter a few shapes and call it their own

Getting a rider ready for the Tour de France, and the six- and seven-hour days in the saddle that come with it, requires a great deal of attention to detail. One detail that gets constant attention before and during the Tour involves the proper set up of new shoes and other equipment. These are often critical issues, because if a new shoe cleat is in even a slightly different position from where the old one was or a seat is a bit higher or lower or more forward or back from what the rider is used to, or the bar is positioned differently than before, it can be a big problem. Riding so hard

Today, for the team time trial, I caught a ride in the second of Saeco’s team followcars. It was very interesting from a technical standpoint, even thoughthe team had no mechanical problems until the very last moment. Saeco wasamong the first teams to start, so I watched the remainder of the teamsfrom the finish. In the end, I think that the cycling gods smiled on TylerHamilton for the second day in a row, and they did not Gilberto Simoni,both of which I will explain. The director sportif, Giuseppe Martinelli, is in the first vehicle andcommunicates with the riders over their radio

Those of you who watched the prologue time trial may have been wondering why some teams were using standard road helmets and others using aero’ helmets. In October 2003 the UCI passed a requirement that all time-trial helmets meet certain safety standards as of January 1, 2004. This threw out the old time-trial helmets, which were little more than thin plastic fairings with straps. Helmet companies were caught largely unprepared by the ruling, so in the spring, most pro teams were racing time trials with standard road helmets. By the Giro d’Italia, many teams were using clear plastic covers

During the Tour, you can now see exactly how hard some of the riders are pedaling, as well as how fast they are going, how fast their pedals are going around, and how fast their heart is pumping. This is due to special agreements between SRM and the Saeco and T-Mobile teams. Even though many riders would like to use SRMs in more races, it is often not possible due to it conflicting with their crank sponsor. Furthermore, the SRM cranks are not as light, and not as stiff as the latest oversized hollow cranks, so riders are reluctant to take that step backward. But now SRM’s Ulrich Schoberer

So what’s up with tubeless tires these days? A fair amount, actually. There are now three teams riding tubeless road tires at the Tour de France. As in the past, teams that have both Mavic and Hutchinson as sponsors are in a position to use them, but now, teams that have both Shimano as a wheel sponsor and Hutchinson tires could ride them as well. Shimano, it seems has joined the group of companies sharing the technology and working together on the project. That group is now Shimano, Mavic, Hutchinson and Michelin, but no Michelin-sponsored teams are racing on them. Mavic’s Chris Zigmont

Hi from the Tour de France! I have been in Liège for a few days, visiting the teams and taking lots of photos of bikes and equipment, sometimes even of people. There is always lots of new equipment at the Tour, since every team and sponsor focuses more on this event than any other. When team technical sponsors start developing new products for racing, they always point to the Tour start as the date for completion. There is no better place to premiere a new product, and the riders and teams place so much emphasis on Tour results that they create pressure which helps the development process

Let’s start things off with a first-look at Tyler Hamilton’s freshly unveiled BMC time-trial bike, which he will ride at this year’s Tour de France (from a BMC press release): The core structure of the bike is a 100% carbon-fiber monocoque frame — and when we say carbon-fiber, we really mean it: Even the smallest details, such as our fork drop-outs and derailleur cage, are made of carbon-fiber. The revolutionary new fork-stem design (patent pending) sets the standard in cycling technology. In addition to perfect aerodynamics, we also achieve maximum rigidity from the minimum possible

The recent announcement that Discovery Communications would be sponsoring Lance Armstrong and his mates for the next few seasons got me to wondering…. Do you suppose Armstrong might pop in from time to time as a special guest host on one or another of the TV network’s 14 channels, like Animal Planet or Discovery Español? Can’t you just imagine the wily Texan wrestling with an endangered white rhino and somehow relating his past Tour experiences to getting a friendly mauling from the giant albino beast? Or instead of trying to make a Tour de France winner fit its programming mold, might the

Watching the Giro or catching some of the action from Wachovia week, did you happen to notice “Fast” Freddie Rodriguez’s choice of pedals? While his team is officially sponsored by Look pedals, keen eyes may have spotted the fact that the newly recrowned USPRO National Champion was riding a pair of Crank Brothers Triple Ti Egg Beaters. We asked the folks at Crank Brothers about that one and marketing director Christina Orlandella said Rodriguez has been using the pedal for most of the year. “He’s been riding the Egg Beaters for the last four months and in that time he's won three big

Davis Phinney may well qualify as a cycling legend. These days, though, the man who has won more bike races than any other American is facing the toughest challenge of his life: Living with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. Each May, during the final week of the Giro d’Italia, I have the pleasure of working to put on a bike camp in northern Italy with Phinney and his wife, 1984 Olympic Gold medalist Connie Carpenter. The two have been hosting bike camps in the U.S. and in Europe for many years, but now the physical difficulty ramps up steeply each year as his disease progresses. Phinney,

Look introduced a line of high-tech, French-made carbon goodies during the company’s 2005 product unveiling Thursday in San Jose, California. Most impressive is the latest incarnation of the HSC fork line, the HSC 5 SL. Retailing for $500, this all-carbon fork is truly “all-carbon.” Using a new proprietary process working with super-high-modulus carbon fiber, Look has been able to produce the first road fork with a carbon steerer, legs and even drop-outs. No bonding is used in the production of this breakthrough fork; instead, the unit is molded as one continuous element. “This is designed

Looking over my notes from the Big Bear national mountain bike race, I realize there were quite a few interesting bits of info that I wasn’t able to include in the print article I wrote for VeloNews issue No. 10. First off, this third round of the 2004 off-road race season had more roll-outs than an oriental rug factory, so here are my brief notes on the following subjects: Mongoose FreedriveMongoose’s Chris Holmes grabbed my arm and hustled me into the Mongoose pits to take a peek at a bit of 2005 ‘Goose tech. While I had the opportunity to see some initial drawings of its Freedrive system

I came down to Trieste the afternoon prior to the Giro d’Italia stage13 time trial in Trieste last Saturday to watch a skeleton crew of mechanicssetting up bikes and equipment while their teams and other support staffwere out on the road racing to Treviso toward Alessandro Petacchi's sixth sprint victory. For me, it was a good time to talk to mechanics, as they were workingalone or in pairs, and were free from fulfilling the panicked requests ofriders, coaches and other mechanics. One mechanic working alone on his team’s time trial bikes was SaunierDuval’s David Fernandes. The truck that

I’m honored. No, really, I am. I’ve finally made it to the big time. I’m talking about getting my name plastered all over the most prestigious cycling website there is (aside from velonews.com, of course): www.drunkcyclist.com. A warning before you go dashing gleefully over there: This site is definitely not for the eyes of minors or those ultra-conservative types who are not big fans of pornography. My column last week apparently struck an off-key chord with the single-speed audience. To boil down my side of the argument, I mentioned that I’m not a believer in racing classes specifically

Replace those face-plate boltsDear Lennard,I have heard that 3TTT has recalled their Zepp stems. I have an XL version of this stem – how can I find out if it is on the recall list? Can you tell me more about the problems associated with the stems? Should I pull this puppy off the bike?William Dear William,Yes, there has been a recall of those stems. You do not necessarily need to remove it from the bike, but you must replace the face-plate bolts with longer ones.Lennard Wippermann chain with Dura-Ace?Dear Lennard,I’ve got a Shimano 7800 drivetrain on my Seven Elium. In your most recent

As luck would have it, a few members of the VeloNews staff and I were able to sneak away two weeks ago to Moab for a little product testing/vacation mountain bike riding. But before we hit hit the legendary slickrock, I wanted to make sure to bring along a fair share of mountain bike product to test in the harsh desert environment. Coincidentally, RockShox is nearing final production of its 2005 Pike and Reba suspension forks, which provided me the perfect opportunity to beg to borrow one for a bit of test riding. A quick call to one of the RockShox product managers resulted in a

A few members of the VeloNews staff and I were able to sneak away two weeks ago to Moab for a little mountain-bike product testing that was part work, part vacation. Coincidentally, RockShox is nearing final production of its 2005 Pike and Reba suspension forks. And as luck would have it, a quick call to a RockShox product manager resulted in a freshly-built, long-travel Pike being delivered just in time for our departure. I planned to install the Pike on my 2004 Specialized S-Works in the classy digs of Moab’s Apache Motel, then head for the trails. Silly me – I forgot that Pike is a

Dear Lennard,My right leg is half-an-inch shorter than my left. The difference appearsto come from a shorter right tibia. I get saddles sores on the right side.Should I shim or raise my right cleat? If so, how? I ride Look A-5 pedaland Sidi Titan blue cleats. Thanks for any input you might have.Rick Dear Rick,With a shorter tibia, a cleat shim of the same thickness as your leg-lengthdiscrepancy should work out pretty well. But it is not always so simpleas that. I get so many questions about leg-length discrepancies that inthe Bike Fit section in my new “Zinn’sCycling Primer,” I have devoted

We’re still settling down from the madness that was this year’s Sea Otter. While you can read the blow-by-blow race coverage in VeloNews No. 8, I thought I’d follow up on one of the more interesting tech stories fluttering about the Laguna Seca raceway: The return of Scott U.S.A to the United States market. You may or may not remember when Scott – which began life as a ski pole manufacturer – became involved in cycling. The company started producing aero' handlebars based on Boone Lennon's design way back in 1986. Of course, the brand really hit the big time when Greg LeMond used a Scott

Dear Lennard,Aargh -- so much about getting UST tires on the rim (seelastweek's Technical Q&A), now what about some help with getting themoff!?!? I mounted my tires pretty easily, but I just bought some Stan's andneed to yank them off again to install the Stan's. And I can't for thelife of me get them off. Any help?Philip Dear Philip,The first thing you need to do is to deflate it completely. Starting opposite the valve, push one bead inward with your thumb sothat it drops into the rim valley all of the way around. That reduces thecircumference it encompasses when you push it over the

Like an annual rite of spring, the Sea Otter is not only the first major outing of both domestic and international-caliber mountain and road teams, but it’s also one of the best opportunities to see next year’s product now. Here’s a quick look at an assortment of mountain bike related goodies spotted while we roamed the pits. Photo #1 The most significant question of the day for the pro racers competing in the super XC was tire selection. Choices ranged from traditional size 26x2.0 knobby and semi-slick tires to 700x32c cyclo-cross tires. On of the race’s favorites, Trek/VW’s Sue Haywood

Dear Lennard,The question is simple enough: What is the quickest/best way to change/fixa tubeless tire? While I love the ride characteristics and generally betterflat resistance of tubeless, fixing a flat--when it eventually does happen-orsimply swapping tires for another tread pattern is nothing short of anordeal. Skinned knuckles, broken tire levers (which you're not supposedto use anyway) and at least a half-hour's worth mano-a-rubber WWF styleaction seem to be the minimum commitment. On a recent ride, a friend who used a tubeless sealant nicked his sidewallon a sharp rock, adding a

Dear Lennard,I would like to know how to assess whether a bicycle crank arm or the pedal shaft is bent following a road crash or just hitting an object with the pedal as often happens off-road. Apart from obvious signs like the crank arm hitting the frame or other visible damage, there should be a way to determine that the pedal shaft is perfectly horizontal and 90 degrees to the frame. Hitting an object with the pedal may slightly bend parts upward when the pedal is at the bottom. Then when the pedal is at the 12 o'clock position the damage is effectively doubled as the effective bend is

Poke around our sport a bit and you’re sure to find a handful of ex-pro’s still making a healthy living as shills… er… spokespersons for a particular product. Sometimes, like George Foreman pitching his line of “Double Knockout” grills, many of the cycling spokespeople know (or care) little about the product they’ve associated themselves with (no offense George). Still, even if you throw out the long list of “big time” names connected to product solely to make a quick buck, you’ll get a healthy list of riders who are seriously committed to improving the sport and bettering a particular

Dear Lennard,For the sake of example, let’s say you are in 39/17 and switch to 53/23 (or whatever the equivalent ratio is). Assuming the gear size is the same, is the 53/23 more efficient because the chain is on a larger tooth cog?When compared, does the rider have more leverage on generating rotation of the rear wheel when using the larger ring? Also, does the 53T chainring reduce leverage that the crank arm exerts on the chain and thus the back wheel?TreyFrom Wayne Stetina at ShimanoAn interesting question to be sure. Basically at the heart of the debateabout any potential advantages for

This time of year is almost like Christmas for those of us who love bicycles and the annual improvements to the technology that adds to the pleasureof riding them. That's right, it’s time for the 2005 product roll-outs! I've really been enjoying the fact that next year’s suspension product lines are going to be marked by serious competition and some major developments. Manufacturers have been particularly eager to showcase technology to help them hold or regain a foothold in the lucrative bicycle suspension fork and shock market. Manitou was first this year to debut its 2005 product