Road Racing

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

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 - 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.

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

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

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?

Last week, I left you with a thought from Greg LeMond after Frenchman Laurent Fignon won the 1983 Tour de France: “We all thought it was kind of a fluke.” Had LeMond, then 22, started that Tour, he might well have won it. He was two months older than Fignon, who was his teammate, and LeMond would have gone into the race with much better results, including victories at the 1982 Tour de l’Avenir and 1983 Dauphiné Libéré. Backing up that theory was the manner in which LeMond continued the 1983 season, winning the world championship and then the Super Prestige Pernod title (see “Inside Cycling,”

[nid:33141]With remnants of Saturday’s unexpected blizzard melting away under a balmy afternoon sun, Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) ran her season win streak to eight and Ryan Trebon rode a daring and impressive solo to win Sunday’s fourth stop of the 2005 Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross, the Michelob ULTRA Grand Prix of Gloucester.

Every stereotype is grounded in at least a little bit of reality. And the tired old stereotype about the variable nature of New England weather proved all too true in Saturday’s Michelob ULTRA Gran Prix in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the third stop of the Crank Brothers US Gran Prix of Cyclocross.

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

German sprint king Erik Zabel sensationally brought the curtain down on his career with the T-Mobile team by claiming a record-equallng third victory in Paris-Tours Sunday. Zabel, riding his last race for the German outfit after 13 stellar seasons, dominated a rare bunch sprint in the one-day classic to beat Italian Daniele Bennati of Lampre by half a wheel. Australia's Allan Davis (Liberty Seguros) finished third with Australian champion Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) fourth. Zabel, the winner here in 1994 and 2003, produced a powerful burst in the final meters of the 253.5km race to

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.

Paolo Bettini pumped all the frustration and anger from last weekend’s road world championships into his pedals Sunday to score his biggest win of the 2005 season at the 92nd Championships of Zürich. The “Cricket” wasn’t given the freedom to jump until it was too late in last week’s battle in Madrid, but no one was holding him back in the rainy, 241.8km race over the hills near Zürich. The Olympic champion attacked with 38km to go, and by the time the main bunch reacted, it was game over. “I am over the moon,” Bettini said after taking a dramatic solo win. “The weather today was dreadful,

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.

Tom Boonen was among the top-line favorites for the 2005 world road cycling championships, but with less than three kilometers to go in Sunday’s 272km race, it didn’t look like he, Alessandro Petacchi or Robbie McEwen had a chance. A six-man break had slipped away from the sprinters in a chaotic, attack-filled final lap, but Boonen’s Belgian bodyguards saved the day, hurling him onto the finishing straight to catch the attacking Alexandre Vinokourov with 600 meters to go. Boonen finished off the job with a long, 300-meter sprint and roared across the line to claim the coveted rainbow

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

Roberto Heras could finally smile after safely crossing the finish line in Sunday’s 21st stage of the 2005 Vuelta a España. While the race had all but been decided in last weekend’s epic climbing stage, it wasn’t official until he made it through Sunday’s 136.5km finale, finishing 32nd behind stage winner Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo). With that, he rode into the history books by winning a record fourth Vuelta crown. "I don’t know what I will do next year. Right now I want to enjoy this win at the Vuelta, the race that’s given me so much," said the triumphant Heras. Heras’s easiest

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

Ruben Plaza (Comunidad Valenciana) narrowly edged a surprisingly strong Roberto Heras to take the 20th stage of the Vuelta a España, a 38.9km individual time trial from Guadalajara to Alcalá de Henares. Plaza beat Liberty Seguros's Heras by a mere 0.9 seconds to win the stage, but Heras is now virtually assured the overall victory in the race, making him the only rider to win the Vuelta four times. Carlos Sastre (CSC) finished in third for the day and ensuring that he has the same spot on the final podium in Madrid tomorrow. One-time race leader Denis Menchov finished in fourth place on

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.

Unsung German rookie Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) delivered a surprise Friday to snatch the 142.9km 19th stage while Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) enjoyed a relatively easy day in the saddle with only two days left in the 60th Vuelta a España. Haussler was all smiles as he streaked through ahead of Swiss national champion Martin Elmiger (Phonak) and David Latasa (Comunidad Valenciana) to win his first professional race. The rolling race through the hills north of Madrid proved a frenetic day of racing for riders desperate to win a stage as the Vuelta rolls into its final weekend of

Sometimes it’s cruel that only one rider can win a stage as spectacular and attack-laden as Thursday’s 18th stage in the 60th Vuelta a España. Nicki Sörensen (CSC), Javier Pascual Rodríguez (Comunidad Valenciana) and Chente García Acosta (Illes Balears) went mano a mano in the 197.5km, five-climb march over the final hard mountains of this year’s Vuelta and the Dane came out the winner. The three were the survivors of a 16-man breakaway on a day that saw no major shifts in the overall standings. Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) retained his 4:30 lead with just three stages to go in the 2005

The Vuelta a España might be all but over as far as the fight for the overall victory is concerned, but the battle is still on for the final podium spots. Race leader Roberto Heras (Liberty Seguros) only had to follow the wheel Wednesday to protect his 4:30 lead and watch the other top riders duke it out in the four-climb, 165.6km 17th stage. "Another day done," Heras said after finishing ninth in a small chase group. "My teammates were sensational and I felt good. The race was very fast with a lot of attacks, but we controlled them without problems." Carlos García Quesada (Comunidad

Quick Step’s Paolo Bettini was forced to dig deep to win the 16th stage of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday. The 2004 Olympic champion almost ran out of space as Fassa Bortolo’s feared sprint ace Alessandro Petacchi, who has already won four stages in this year’s Vuelta, came surging up on the outside at the end of the 162.5km stage from Leon to Valladolid in northern Spain. Already the winners of four stages in this year's Vuelta, Petacchi's Fassa Bortolo team lost control of the stage on a slight ascent close to the finish and Bettini made his move 300 meters from the line, narrowly

Roberto Heras usually wins when the road turns uphill, but the three-time Vuelta a España champion won Sunday’s rainy epic thanks to a daring attack going downhill. Heras punched the accelerator on the treacherous descent off the day’s penultimate climb with some 45km to go, opening a small gap on overnight leader Denis Menchov (Rabobank). With four Liberty Seguros teammates waiting up the road, that’s all it took to build the winning difference. "We knew it would be hard today, more so with the rain," said Heras, who won in 4 hours, 53 minutes, 53 seconds. "There’s still another week to

Way back in the eighth century, King Pelayo won a battle against the attacking Moors at the Lagos de Covadonga that marked the beginning of the Reconquest of Spain, which lasted 700 years. As the Spanish tend to do, they built a huge cathedral marking the spot. Flash forward to 2005 and Saturday’s epic climbing stage high in Spain’s spectacular Picos de Europa, and Roberto Heras unleashed an attack just as the peloton rode past this monument of Spanish fortitude. The three-time champion was hoping - and praying - for a similar turning of the tide in his increasingly vain efforts to shake

It’s one thing to celebrate a win too early at the finish line, but it’s something else entirely to celebrate 100 yards from the tape. Maurico Ardila (Davitamon-Lotto) looked to have the attack-laden 13th stage in the bag when he threw his hands up in victory ahead of Oscar Pereiro (Phonak) and Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi). The only problem was, his victory gesture came as he rode under the day’s King of the Mountains banner atop the category-three finish. There was still another 100 yards or so of asphalt to the finish line and the ever-attentive Sánchez shot past the confused

Disaster can strike at any time in a bicycle race, just ask Roberto Heras. The three-time Vuelta a España champion was rolling along safely tucked in the main bunch when suddenly someone clipped tires with less than 40km to go in Friday’s 12th stage, causing riders to drop like dominos all around. Jakob Piil (CSC) dropped out with a concussion and Niels Scheuneman (Rabobank) broke his hand, but all eyes were on the frail Heras. The Liberty Seguros rider fell hard on his left knee, leaving him with blood streaming down his leg as he gingerly remounted the bike. Nothing was broken, but Heras

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

Roberto Laiseka doesn’t win often, but when he does, it’s usually pretty good. Take Tuesday’s climbing stage to Cerler, as an example. The Euskaltel-Euskadi veteran attacked a group of five cautious favorites with 3km to go in the grueling 12km finishing climb high in the rainy Pyrénées to sneak away with another impressive mountain top victory. “I attacked because I knew the others would be worried about each other. It was an opportunistic win,” said Laiseka, after finishing 15 seconds ahead of Carlos Sastre (CSC). “I had some luck because I knew the last kilometer was kind of downhill, so

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