French-Canadian brand Louis Garneau might not immediately spring to mind when you think about top-tier road shoes. However, they’re no newcomer to the space, having catered to the market since the late ’80s. The Course Air Lite II is Garneau’s newest top-tier road offering, and with a long list of innovative features, it won a Gold Award at Eurobike 2017. Most notably, the shoes are built with neat expansion zones to cater to a variety of foot shapes.

A long list of features

While most premium shoe offerings aim to conquer width issues through multiple last options and/or soft and malleable uppers, Garneau uses a fresh approach called X-Comfort Zone, which places a stretchy panel around the base of the small toe – a common point of irritation. Between this, and a perforated panel on the medial side, Louis Garneau claims that the Air Lite IIs can accommodate foot widths from B to D+, all with the same last.

Otherwise, the Air Lite IIs are fairly standard pro-level road shoes, albeit with a few neat features.

The arch area is built with a “Power Zone” panel designed to prevent the foot collapsing inward while pedalling. In the simplest sense, it’s a small plastic insert that adds shape and support to the upper. The heel is given a similar supporting structure, with a molded band wrapped around the plastic heel cup. Inside, the heel cup is shaped with a deep pocket, and is lined with a a grippy directional fabric.

I first came across this so-called cat’s-tongue material on premium Shimano shoes over a decade ago, and it has become a popular method for heel retention since. Where many brands use it simply on the back of the heel, Garneau uses it to surround the whole back of the foot.

Two Boa IP1 micro-adjust dials are used on each shoe, and the fabric wire guides are hidden on the inside of the upper — there’s no plastic to be found here. A generously padded tongue helps eliminate pressure points.

Ventilation is a big part of the Air Lite IIs, and there’s more going on than the immediately obvious mesh panels above the toes and perforations in the microfibre upper. The hollow carbon sole uses Garneau’s patented Ergo Air design, channeling air from the ports below the toes, beneath the cleat, and then back out through vents behind the forefoot.

The innersoles offer interchangeable arch support.

Inside is Garneau’s “Ergo Air Transfo 3D” insole, which includes three interchangeable foam wedges that work in tandem with the carbon sole’s subtle raised shaping to provide tunable arch support. In addition to the Coolmax inner soles which offer maximum airflow for summertime use, there’s a second winter pair included, built with a solid base that blocks the sole vents.

The Air Lite IIs are available in sizes from EU38 to EU48, with half-sizes available between EU40.5 and EU46.5. My sample EU42.5 weighs 469g without inner soles, or 510g with the summer option. They retail for US$370 / £290 / AU$N/A.

How’s the fit?

The black panel is a stretch zone for what’s commonly a problematic fitment spot. It effectively allows the shoe to act as if it’s a wider fit, but only when necessary.

Slipping on the Air Lite IIs reveals a somewhat narrow fit overall, with the ball of the foot feeling snugger than regular-fit Specialized S-Works, Shimano S-Phyre or Giro Empire shoes. However, while it may feel narrower, the expansion zones mean the shoe simply stretches where it would otherwise feel like you were being pinched.

As someone with feet on the narrow side of average (in Australia), the shoe conforms without giving a feeling of excess space, nor uncomfortable tightness. I have long toes and the outside of the toe box tapers a little too suddenly, meaning my pinky toe gently (it’s not uncomfortable) bumps the edge of the toe protector that sits just forward of the stretchy X-Comfort Zone panel. At the heel, it’s tighter-feeling than a Shimano but not nearly as restrictive as a Specialized. I like it.

I often fit an EU43 with a bit of wiggle room to spare, and I often find many EU42.5s can be a little touch and go. In this case, I was told Garneau shoes run slightly long and that’s certainly backed by how my EU42.5 samples fit. They run approximately half a size longer than a Shimano or Giro.

Dialing in the fit further, I settled on the medium arch wedges, providing a similar feeling to a green Specialized inner sole.

Pedalling circles

I got along well with the Air Lite IIs, experiencing no discomfort or irritation during my testing. The snug – yet yielding – fit gives a performance feel to the shoes, and they feel wonderfully supportive under power. There are certainly lighter shoes available, but the Air Lite II’s are suitably competitive.

Most shoes with vented soles provide a place for air to come in, but not go out. The soles on the Louis Garneau Air Lite II shoes, however, have proper flow-through channels.

Dropping your heels exposes the sole vents to the wind and rewards you with a sudden burst of air flow. It’s like turning on the air conditioning, but it shows the ventilation isn’t optimised to suck in air if pedaling with a toes-down style. Thankfully, the mesh panels above the toes are still effective when the sole ports aren’t, and together there’s enough ventilation to keep your feet dry. When the cold front hits, swapping in the winter foot beds certainly makes a difference, especially as a mid-season option.

Like any top-tier race shoe, the Air Lite II is very stiff with no noticeable flex. However, those flow-through air channels in the hollow carbon sole are not without compromise. The obvious downside is the increase in stack height beneath the cleat. Admittedly, except for the very subtle difference in resulting saddle height, it’s not something that bothered me, but regardless, higher stack naturally comes with less stability, at least in theory.

Getting the shoes on and off is super easy with the Boa IP1 dials, which release completely with a quick pop. These dials are the same as what’s used on other premium shoes, such as Shimano S-Phyre RC9, Fizik Infinito R1, and many others. They allow for easy micro-adjustments in either direction, made simpler on the move thanks to the grippy material on the dial’s outer edge. The Air Lite II’s somewhat traditional tongue can occasionally get pinched between the upper when putting the shoes on, but all is well if you just push it in while fastening the shoe.

There’s a generous amount of fore-aft cleat adjustment, but the markings are basic.

The cleat inserts are titanium to save a few grams, but there’s a noticeable dearth of printed markings. The Air Lite IIs offer just simple fore-aft and side cleat markings, the latter barely visible with a Shimano SPD-SL cleat installed. It’s a stark contrast to many other premium shoes which offer multiple angle markings for easier setup and adjustments.

Louis Garneau hasn’t been shy about marking the rest of the shoe, however. All the technology is clearly marked, with “X-Comfort Zone” (the stretchy zone at the ball of the foot), “HRS-400” (the heel retention), and “Power Zone” (reinforced instep) logos all printed on the upper of each shoe. While the text is only small, it’s an element that still looks a bit cheesy. I’d rather a cleaner aesthetic with little more than the Garneau brand visible. Certainly, Garneau could learn from the latest Specialized or Shimano offerings in this regard.

Sticking to the aesthetics, I learned to love the “look at me!” yellow color option with subtle reflective details at the heel, especially given the science that supports the notion of improved safety when moving limbs are outfitted with contrasting colours. However, the shoes are also available in black, orange, or white. The glossy microfibre material is easy to keep clean, but it didn’t take long to spoil the front of the toe by walking; the tread material could certainly wrap around that area a little more. Despite the cosmetic damage, walking in the Air Lite IIs is about average for a performance road shoe, with the hard plastic heel grippers and toe tread feeling secure on tiles. The heel tread is replaceable, too.

The outer layer of the toe edge on my test shoes may have chipped away, but underneath is a reinforced toe guard, which provides a surprising amount of protection for a road shoe. Assuming you ignore the risk of aesthetic damage, the shoe is built tough, and seems sure to provide a long service life.

One width fits most

In the end, the innovative fitting solutions leave me somewhat divided. On one foot, allowing expandable width is really quite smart for riders on the edge of sizing, or riders whose effective foot size changes with sock choice and temperature. But on the other foot, I can’t help but feel it’s reminiscent of a budget one-size-fits-all helmet, where more premium options can afford to offer more specific and tailored size options. And more to the point, fancy stretchy panels aside, they’re still a pretty narrow shoe.

That said, CyclingTips US technical editor James Huang has also been using the Air Lite II shoes, and he found them to be very helpful with the small bunions he has at the base of each small toe, so your experience may vary.

Given I have a narrow foot, I really enjoyed using these shoes, and they have a lot going for them. The ventilation from the hollow sole design is noticeably effective, and the shoe holds the foot snug and offers no signs of energy loss. Likewise, I found the expansion zones, to an extent, work as claimed and offer a comfortable fit. The Air Lite II is one of the best shoes I’ve used, however they fall shy of pushing my favourite off the perch.

The Course Air Lite II shoes are new for 2019.

The style has an obvious Euro flair, which is hardly a bad thing.

The microfibre upper is perforated to enhance airflow, but most of the cooling is done via the clever channelled sole design.

The Boa wires are neatly looped beneath the upper, and nylon webbing is used for the wire guides instead of hard plastic. It makes for a softer feel, but riders that like their shoes especially tight might also find that the nylon webbing isn’t stiff enough to keep adjacent eyelets from being pulled toward each other.

The Power Zone. It’s effectively a supporting plastic rib that’s designed to prevent the foot from collapsing inward.

Reflective details are placed on the heel. The moulded heel retention band helps provide more support while pedalling.

Grippy “cat’s tongue” material lines the entire rear area of the shoe, extending all the way forward past the ankle.

The heel tread is replaceable, with the hidden bolts accessible from the inside.

These soles are seriously vented.

Two sets of inner soles are provided with the Air Lite IIs, one for summer and one for winter.

The summer (white) inner soles are generally perforated, while the winter (black) versions are solid.

Three sets of wedge inserts are provided for tunable arch support.

In addition to the inner sole and wedge choices, the shoes include this snazzy carry bag.

The post Garneau Course Air Lite II shoe review: One shoe, multiple widths appeared first on CyclingTips.

In this edition of Bikes of the Bunch, we take a closer look at a bike that was on show at the recent Handmade Bicycle Show Australia with insight from both the bike’s owner, Paul Black, and its builder, Mooro Cycles.

A Wagyl, or more properly, the Wagyl, is a rainbow serpent that was responsible for shaping the land and rivers occupied by the Noongar people in the south-west corner of Western Australia. The Swan and Canning Rivers that flow around Perth were created by the mythical creature, and according to Noongar lore, it was also responsible for bringing life to the land and maintaining all fresh water sources.

For Paul Black, the Wagyl was an obvious choice as the decoration for his new custom titanium cyclocross frame built by Mooro Cycles. That’s because he could see that he would be re-tracing the Wagyl’s journey on the all-surface bike while racing cyclocross alongside the Swan and Canning Rivers, adventuring in the hills of the Darling Scarp, and commuting to work amongst the dunes and freshwater lakes on the coast.

The theme also suited Mooro Cycle’s links with Aboriginal art and lore, the brand owing its name to one of the Noongar clans that occupied the Perth region where the frames are made. Chris Morgan, the driving force behind Mooro, doesn’t share that heritage, but as he brought the business to life in 2016, it was something that slowly permeated the new enterprise.

Chris and Paul have been mates since the early 2000s, when they became acquainted through a mutual friend and mountain-biking. “We have always been very similar in speed,” said Chris, “so we started training together, did some duo mountain bike races, and over the years, we’ve developed a strong friendship.”

It was Paul that suggested the project for a new cyclocross bike in the first place. “I had been following Chris’s work,” he said, “and could see from the rapid improvement and his fanatical attention to detail that he would build something special.”

The timing was perfect for Chris, because he was looking for another bike to take to the upcoming Handmade Bicycle Show Australia. “We were having a coffee after one of our rides when Paul started talking about maybe getting a CX bike built in titanium by us. I jumped on that straight away, and with the show approaching, he had no chance of backing out!”

Mooro is the name of an Aboriginal clan that lived in Perth and their land includes much of the coastal area north of the Swan River.

The brief: a versatile all-surface bike

Paul’s first experience with titanium was in the form of a second-hand Merlin frame 10 years ago. “I loved that bike, and I know titanium lasts,” said Paul. “Out of all my bikes, the cyclocross bike gets the most use, and I expect to keep it the longest, so I thought it would benefit from a titanium frame.”

Paul’s last CX bike was a Trek Boone, and it was due for an update to disc brakes and thru-axles. At the same time, Paul wanted a bike that was versatile enough that he could swap from 33mm CX tyres for racing to 28mm road tyres for training and commuting.

“I don’t want one of those CX bikes that sits in the shed,” said Paul. “I like to relax and not worry about cars when I ride, so I do a lot of miles on the rough and uneven network of bike paths across Perth. 28mm road tyres are brilliant for this and can easily handle grass and unpaved limestone surfaces when you need to dodge walkers and escape their dogs.”

A T47 bottom bracket shell was used to accommodate a 30mm crank axle while providing room for the rear brake hose to pass through, but, a custom sleeve was required to make sure the axle wouldn’t rub on the hose.

Paul’s only other requirement was a move to a 1x transmission. “I rarely seem to use the small chainring, so my preference was for a 1x drivetrain. I wanted to use SRAM to keep the shifting the same as my road bike, but Chris talked me into a Shimano Di2 setup for crisp shifting in the mud.

“In terms of geometry, I had no idea, but luckily Chris did. He was not happy with the high front end on my Trek and the short stem. He was convinced that he could make something that handled the tight turns of CX better, but still remained comfortable to ride on the road. He took some measurements, studied the Trek geometry charts, and I gave him full licence to make whatever he thought would ride best.”

In the hands of a chiropractor

Chris is a professional chiropractor, so he has a good understanding of the human body, but when it comes to frame geometry, he points to his early experience with bicycles and motorbikes as the source of his understanding.

“I grew up on a farm riding bicycles and motorbikes from a very early age and started racing motocross from the age of 12,” he said. “My dad always liked making changes to my bikes and sending me out to test them. I think this is where my love for tinkering with geometry all started, though I may have just inherited it all from my dad.”

The Wagyl, or rainbow serpent, stretches along the top tube of the frame. Anodising gives the creature its colours.

“In designing the frame for Paul, I had to keep in mind that while the Wagyl was for CX racing, he was going to be spending most of his time commuting to work and doing some group rides. To fit Paul’s long legs and short torso, I shortened the top tube, used a longer stem, and reduced the headtube to lower his position.

“The chainstays were bent and shaped to allow for 33mm CX tyres and a 48T single chainring. We decided to run the rear brake hose internally through the downtube and out of the bottom bracket, then under the chainstay to the flat mount brake calliper. Running the hose through a T47 shell was another challenge to overcome, because we didn’t want it rubbing on the 30mm crank axle.

“After looking at many of the T47 bottom brackets on the market, we couldn’t find one that had a sleeve with enough room for the brake hose, so we designed our own to suit Chris King’s cups, and we’re very happy with how it turned out.”

Construction of a Mooro frame is a two-man operation that takes place in Chris’ home-based workshop: Chris takes care of preparing the Grade 9 titanium tubing, while Stuart Dash, a long-time client of Chris’ chiropractic practice, handles all of the welding. “One day, I asked Stuart if he could give me some advice. He has had many years of experience with TIG-welding titanium, and it turned out that he was keen to come on board as the welder. So now I can leave it all in his hands, and his experience has been invaluable for ensuring a high quality product.”

The Wagyl was finished off with Syntace X-12-ready dropouts from Paragon Machine Works, a common choice amongst bespoke framebuilders, because alignment of the thru-axle can be easily, and accurately, adjusted. Once completed, the frame weighed 1,460g.

All of Mooro’s custom frames are made from Grade 9 titanium in a small workshop in the outer suburbs of Perth.

The finishing touches

As a bike that was destined to be put on display at the Handbuilt Bicycle Show Australia, Chris wanted to use the Wagyl as a canvas for showcasing what Mooro Cycles was capable of creating. Paul’s suggestion for honouring the rainbow serpent became the driving theme for the finish as Chris worked with a local artist, Bradley Kickett, and frame painter, Rod Gilchrist, to achieve the final product.

Chris was responsible for anodising the frame to achieve the rainbow of colours for the serpent on the top tube and the logos on the rest of the frame. The electrolytic process is a simple one to learn, but there is an art in mastering the chemistry and voltages required to produce each colour. Chris started teaching himself in his kitchen before drawing upon a friend’s knowledge of chemistry to increase his repertoire.

“The anodising has been another learning process,” explained Chris. “It has taken lots of practise, trial and error, and I’m still discovering ways to improve it.” In this regard, it’s worth noting that no colour is actually applied to the frame; instead, it is caused by the interference of light by surface oxides, where the depth of the oxide layer determines the colour that is observed. It’s a fascinating phenomenon that is unique to titanium, plus, it makes for an eye-catching rainbow serpent.

It’s not paint, it’s just a trick of the light.

The idea for the contrasting matte black finish for the frame came from Paul. Purists may baulk at the notion of painting a titanium frame, but for Paul, it was something that he fell in love with long ago when he saw it on an old Litespeed. It was a challenging request for Chris, though, because he had never painted a titanium frame, which is where Rod Gilchrist was able to help.

Rod not only took care of the final coat of paint for the frame, he was responsible for preparing the fork, stem, and seatpost for Bradley Kickett’s artwork, then he applied the logos and clear-coat to finish each part.

From the moment the Wagyl was suggested for the bike, Chris knew he was going to use some indigenous artwork as a centrepiece for the bike. “The story of the Wagyl needed to be represented by some local aboriginal artwork, and luckily, I have known the Kickett family for many years through my practice. Bradley and Rohin were keen to apply their talents to our bikes for the show, so Rohin painted my road disc bike and Brad painted Paul’s.

“It was the first time they had used automotive paint, and initially, the local supplier wasn’t going to sell it to them because he didn’t think it would work. They did a fantastic job with both bikes and you can see more of their work at www.bradleykickett.com and www.dushongart.com.

Bradley Kickett used the fork, stem and seatpost to tell the story of the Wagyl, which was responsible for bringing life and fresh water to the land around Perth.

The build

“We tried to keep the cost down on the build,” explained Paul, “so we started with a run-out Shimano Di2 road groupset, alloy bars and stem, and a set of Hed Ardennes Plus wheels, which are brilliant for the price. My old S-Works carbon seatpost came off my MTB but we went high-end with some Chris King bling where the mud sticks, and lashed out on re-covering my old faithful Fizik saddle with matching bar tape for the bike show.”

Frame: Mooro Cycles custom titanium
Fork: Columbus Futura Gravel
Headset: Chris King Headset
Handlebars: Pro Vibe alloy
Stem: 3T Arx II
Shifters/brake levers: Shimano R785 Di2
Rear derailleur: Shimano XT Di2
Brakes: Shimano Flat Mount with 140mm rotors
Wheels: Hed Ardennes Plus LT disc with Schwalbe X-One tyres
Cranks: White Industries with 48T single chainring
Pedals: Time ATAC XC8
Bottom bracket: Chris King Bottom Bracket with custom sleeve
Cassette: Shimano XTR 11-40
Seatpost: Specialized S-Works
Saddle: Fizik re-covered by Busyman Bicycles
Bar tape: Busyman Bicycles
Bidon cages: King

For Chris, the Wagyl was his first CX build and his primary goal was to hide as much of the Di2 wiring as possible. Thus, he made use of Shimano’s bar-end Di2 junction box and routed the main lead through the down tube. After that, he went to the trouble of re-programming the shifting to mimic SRAM’s eTap, so each shifter is devoted to one function.

“When the bike was completed, I was amazed at what Chris had achieved,” said Paul. “I even felt guilty that I was going to ride it. Chris lives at the bottom of one of the steepest hills in Perth, so I went straight up it, and I didn’t need to use all of the sprockets. The shorter top tube felt a bit weird, but once I went around the first corner I was sold. And when I came flying back down, the bike descended beautifully.

“I cannot think of anything I would do differently, other than maybe make the bike look a little more ordinary so I don’t feel so guilty getting it dirty! The paintwork and anodising is a showstopper — it always draws a crowd — but I don’t think it would ever be quite the same bike without it.”

The post Bikes of the Bunch: Mooro Cycles Wagyl appeared first on CyclingTips.

Welcome to Masterclass, the latest new series on CyclingTips. In it, we’ll take you behind the scenes with renowned artisans to share the tips and tricks which help make them masters of their craft. In some cases they’ll be skills you can practise at home, other times they’ll simply provide an advanced understanding of how something is created.

In this first addition, we look at how to mirror polish new or used aluminium with Chris Howard of CycloRetro.

Polished, chromed, and silver components are coming back. Whether it’s the boom in rebirthing vintage rides to their former glory for events like L’Eroica, or through those building a brand new bike with a classic aesthetic, the love of shine is making a resurgence.

Chris Howard runs CycloRetro, a small home-based business based in Melbourne that is focused on bicycle restoration, pantographing, polishing, and replicating designs of years past. Over the last few years, Howard, a trained graphic designer and former bike painter, has earned himself a reputation as being an artisanal master in his restoration craft.

Wanting to know more about how he goes about turning well-loved and dull bike components into mirror-polished masterpieces, I visited his workshop and bothered him with a bunch of questions. They were questions he was more than happy to answer because, as it turns out, polishing parts takes a long time (warning: it’s a tedious task), and Howard would happily spend that time elsewhere in his restoration business.

Starting components

Before we start, it’s worth knowing what can and can’t be polished. For Howard, he mainly works with aluminium and steel components. Carbon components are obviously off the table, as are plastic. This can make polishing new high-end components rather limited.

A container of sweets bike parts await.

“Looking at new Campagnolo, it’s pretty much Potenza or Athena [ed. which is discontinued],” says Howard. “You can get really tricky, such as swapping Super Record shifter/brake blades and paddles out for Athena metal versions, so you can end up with Super Record guts, but in a silver finish. Likewise, I’ve turned silver Potenza cranks to make it look like Super Record.”

Looking through Howard’s workshop (away from the polishing area mostly pictured), there are stacks of boxes containing new Campagnolo Potenza components, and a number of plastic tubs filled with older and highly sought-after Campagnolo components. “I don’t often take new old stock (NOS). Usually, people send me well-abused stuff, stuff that I can then restore,” he says. “I like to resurrect old stuff, rather than destroy NOS. But dealing with newer Potenza stuff, you have no choice.”

Amongst the stacks of Campagnolo, I didn’t find much Shimano at all, something that Howard admits he only sees 10% of the time.

“For Shimano, any metal components can be done, but the aesthetics may not lend itself all that well to the polished look,” Howard says. “Dura-Ace 7700 is what I do most of in Shimano, also 7400 stuff.”

Howard’s claim of not seeing much Shimano may undersell his experience with it, and he later suggested that he’d done approximately 40 7700 groupsets over the years. More recently, he’s also dabbled with a few 7800 groupsets, sometimes pantographing older logos on to the surface.

Whenever possible, start with silver components. Black components will always mean more work.

Speaking of Potenza, Howard suggests that starting with the silver groupset makes the work much easier. It means you can be a little less anal about polishing every single nook and cranny. But unfortunately, as Howard has found, Potenza in black is readily available and the silver option is forever in short supply. Sometimes he’ll avoid the six-month wait and choose to polish the black components. It’s certainly more work, but sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got.

Component prep

Just as any chef will tell you, most of the time investment is in the prep work, and it’s no different in Howard’s craft. Howard will disassemble the selected parts as much as needed. With newer Potenza, he chooses to keep many of the factory riveted pieces together, choosing instead to work with the complete sub-assemblies.

Older Campagnolo components are easier to disassemble, providing more ready access into the tight spots and with less risk of damaging delicate parts. Keeping a careful check on every single separate part is critical, especially little washers and other tiny bits that are essentially irreplaceable.

“You can go nuts and remove all the parts, but you should just take off what you have to. I leave the springs in, ’cause I work around it,” Howard says. “Campagnolo are going to assemble these much better than I can, so if I don’t have to pull it apart, you’re better off not to.”

Laid out and ready to polish. Note that not all parts are fully disassembled.

Some parts are not worth pulling apart. Consider what you can work around.

Disassembly of newer derailleurs can only go so far, too.

Stripping, anodising, coating, and painting

Once all the parts are in pieces, Howard will work on removing whatever logos and coatings are in place. It can be very tricky to know what coating each component uses, and as Howard has found out, there’s very little consistency, even within the same groupset. Using the Potenza examples, Howard showed amazing efficiency in making the stock logos disappear.

“The first process is to remove the logos. Most come off easily,” Howard says. “Steel wool for the brake calipers. Paint stripper to remove the screen printing, such as that found on the rear derailleur. The brake levers are extremely stubborn. You have to sand off the logo on the brake levers.”

Nothing too fancy here, just household oven cleaner for anodisation stripping – the same as you’ll find in many supermarkets. Funnily enough, Howard has never actually used the stuff in his oven.

With the logos removed, it’s time to strip the anodising away.

“Easy-Off Oven Cleaner is the easiest way to get anodising off,” Howard explains. “I go through this stuff like you wouldn’t believe. It’s very cheap. I can use a tiny amount at a time without the chemical going off. And it’s readily available. It’s very effective at getting the anodising off.

“Cover it well, do it in a nice ventilated area, and don’t breathe it in. It usually takes a few minutes. Brake calipers and levers are generally more stubborn and require a second coating, whereas the cranks and derailleurs, the anodising comes off really quick. For Potenza, if the part is still shiny, it still has anodising on it. You want it more evenly dulled. Sometimes it can take five minutes, sometimes it can take five hours [with the oven cleaner].”

Howard explained that Shimano’s older Dura-Ace stuff is clear coated, not anodised. So you’ll need to use paint stripper on it before starting any polishing.

“After the oven cleaner, you want to clean everything off [with water]. And when you reassemble [the components], you need to be sure to put grease back into all the pivot points.”

Paint stripper on some logos, steel wool for others, and then the bench grinder for the most stubborn bits, like brake levers.

Steel wool is used to remove more stubborn graphics.

Within minutes, the paint stripper works its magic.

Parts are hung up with used spokes (or cut-up clothes hangers) and are ready to be sprayed with oven cleaner.

Once left for 5-10 minutes, the oven cleaner should have done its job. You’re looking for a dull look in the metal. This still has some shine, so it’s time for a second coat.

Now it’s a little more dull. Time to buff.

Buffing to bare metal

Once the chemicals have done their thing, it’s time to get buffing. In buffing, you’re effectively taking microns of metal away to achieve a smooth and consistent finish. “If you’re working with older groupsets, that have dings and scratches all over them with use, then a coarse cutting compound and a coarse cutting wheel will do the job,” Howard explains. “You’re effectively restoring the alloy back to what it used to be like at the factory; you’re getting it back to the nice, smooth finish. From there, you can engrave, and then highly polish the component.”

Howard certainly spends plenty of his time in this position.

However, it’s not just old parts that need such treatment.

“The frosting (of Campagnolo Potenza, as pictured above) can be hard to get off. Some of the anodising, such as on the levers, will leave indents in the metal once you’ve stripped it off,” Howard says. “From there, you still need to buff it out of the metal, effectively cutting the metal down past that point.”

Tools of the trade typically include a buffing wheel mounted on a bench grinder. However, it is possible to achieve similar results with a small rotary tool (such as a Dremel) or purely by hand with progressively finer grades of sandpaper and steel wool.

“A standard bench grinder will do the job, but I prefer something with a little more horsepower than the cheapest units. Doing so allows you to use a bigger wheel.”

For those sticking with sandpaper, start with dry, then move to wet/dry paper, then to fine grits, such as an 800-grit wet and dry.

Cutting compounds are everything.

If you do decide to go the bench grinder route, then Howard suggests using a high-grade cutting compound, with a cutting compound wheel. The cutting compound is effectively a wax-based product that has some fine grit in it. The embedded abrasives help cut away at the surface, and the wheel merely acts as a way to hold and apply the compound.

“You usually get it with polishing kits,” Howard says. “I use the Josco brand. There’s a whole heap of other ones out there.”

“Things can get really hot when you buff parts (on a wheel),” he continues, while wearing some thick leather workshop gloves. “Sometimes it’s best to juggle between multiple parts so they don’t get too hot. Likewise, you need to be careful where any rubber or plastics are involved, such as on the rear derailleur. If you can get it too hot around here, it can be the end of that derailleur.”

Knowing how to work with the grain of the metal takes practise. If you can, learn on a cheaper part you care less about.

“It is a learning process,” Howard explains. “If you’re working with older, damaged parts, where there’s road rash or a gouge, then you have to work the aluminium in the same way [of the gouge]. The aluminium is effectively made up of pores, and when you get a scratch, you need to understand the structure of the metal. You can’t just polish them out from one direction; you need to constantly change direction to evenly polish the grain.

“Diagonally, up and back, side to side. it’s like sanding warped floor boards: you need to do it evenly and until you get that flat finish. You need to get rid of all the against-the-grain scratches and achieve a flat finish before you can polish it with the grain. Some people actually like that brushed looked, but if you want it shiny, you need to polish it with the grain. If you’re using new components, such as Potenza, it’s easier to do and you’ll get a good finish because it’s brand new.

“On a part that’s quite wide, such as a Potenza crank, you want to make sure that you’re even with your direction and not go off on an angle. Otherwise, you’ll see lines in different directions.”

It’s at this stage of the process that Howard takes the parts into his workshop and does any detailed pantograph or engraving work required. Once that is ticked off, it’s back to the buffing wheel to get the mirrored shine.

Can I see myself yet?

Remember when I said polishing metal is all about the prep? Well, if everything has been done right, the prep is now over and the end is near. In this final step, the goal is to achieve a perfect mirror finish.

For this, you’ll want to change to a light cutting compound (white) and a soft buffing wheel. If you’ve decided to spend hours and do it by hand (and endured the sore fingers), then a metal polish and a clean rag will be the tool of choice.

From one buffing stage to the next. If everything was prepped right, you should be able to see yourself. Here, the top brake piece is yet to be mirror polished.

Similar to the previous stage, the goal is to get a mirror-like finish, but this time, polish it with the grain of the metal. In the example of the Potenza crank, Howard recommends working “straight down on the face of the crank. A nice even finish here is important or otherwise you’ll see it in the sun. But it’s not so noticeable on smaller little parts.”

The end result

In the end, if done right, you’ll be left with a part that makes others stop and take notice. You can clear coat your handiwork, or just occasionally go back to that last polishing stage when required.

As one would expect, Howard says that this type of labour-intensive work can be slow going.

“I’d only get a set of levers and one set of brakes done in an entire day of work,” he says. “That’s from starting with a part straight out of its original box, to being able to put it back in the box as a completed product (including pantograph work).”

Pricing wise, for CycloRetro to customise and polish a set of Potenza levers, it would typically cost about AU$180. Both brake calipers would be AU$150, and a crank is AU$150. All up, customers could expect to pay AU$600-$700 in labour to have a groupset stripped, polished, and pantographed. And if you follow Howard’s requests, pantograph work would cost less.

“I’d love it if people did their own polishing and sent it to me pre-polished”.

The end result.

And from the inside.

Taken a step further. These brake levers on Howard’s personal daily ride show the engraving and a little bit of paint. It’s this type of work for which for which he’s best known.

Time for some real bling. An older Record crank with some custom pantographing and paint, nearly ready to be sent off.

The left crankarm sits waiting for paint.

Nearly ready to send back.

An example of an older Record brake lever restored.

The bling doesn’t stop. More components awaiting final touches.

More rare goodness.

Howard’s workshop may be small, but it offers an impressive walk back in time.

When asked who was the most stylish cyclist of all time, Howard simply pointed toward this poster.

Chris Howard and his recent KickStarter success, the Quickguard. It simply replaces the nut of your quick release skewer and quickly provides a front or rear fender. Apparently he made the sample shown here many many years ago, and only recently thought it’s something people would actually buy.

The post Masterclass: How to polish aluminium parts, with CycloRetro appeared first on CyclingTips.

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What good is a pair of road cycling shoes without pedals to go with them? In this third round of CT Recommends, we take a look at what CT staffers are using for road pedals.

Ultimately, there really are only four main players when it comes to road-oriented, three-hole pedal systems: Shimano, Look, Speedplay, and Time. There are others to consider, such as Keywin and Coombe, but you’ll be hard pressed to find any of these alternatives in your local bunches. Given this, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see that our team’s preferences are split amongst the mainstream brands. Many of us have used many others, but we retain our go-to choices. Read on to learn more about our personal choices, and why we all went that way.

Road pedal basics

Mountain bike pedals have to be engineered with a broader approach that more evenly prioritises both on-bike and off-bike use. Road pedals, on the other hand, have the luxury of a far more narrowly focused approach. After all, it’s unlikely you’ll need to walk far when you’re out on a road ride, and so there’s greater emphasis on foot support, stability, and security. Road pedals also aim to keep you closer to the pedal axle for better biomechanical efficiency, they’re shaped for improved cornering clearance, and as always in the road world, weight and aerodynamics are often considered in high regard.

The topic of road versus mountain bike pedals is a hotly debated one and is something we plan to revisit in near time. Until then, here are our picks.

Our favourite road pedals

Shimano SPD-SL

Shimano’s SPD-SL system has remained fundamentally unchanged for many years. Each new generation of pedals typically only receives minor improvements, often to slightly reduce weight.

Shimano’s SPD-SL system is the clear favourite amongst our team, with US tech editor James Huang, CyclingTips founder Wade Wallace, roving reporter Dave Everett, Australia senior editor Matt de Neef, US editor-in-chief Neal Rogers, and myself all going this route.

SPD-SL pedals are much like Shimano’s groupsets: reliable, functional, easy to use, readily available, and without significant cost. As I’ve covered in my review of Shimano Dura-Ace R9100 pedals, Shimano is simply the best once you factor in all-out durability and dependability. They’re not the lightest or most adjustable, but they just work. Adding to their popularity is the fact that they’ve often been included as standard equipment on many entry-level road bikes.

Even better, those attributes hold true throughout nearly the entire SPD-SL range. For example, the PD-R550 is simply the best budget road pedal going; spending more earns you lower weights and improved bearings, but essentially no difference in stability, security, or longevity. The top-end Dura-Ace pedal does offer a lower stack height and increased clearance angle, thanks to its slimmer bearing design, but it’s a minor advantage that not many will consider to be important.

Add in the relatively low price, widespread availability, and decent durability of the large plastic cleat, and Shimano also set the benchmark for running costs. The cleat’s generously wide platform and softer co-molded contact points even make it far better to walk in than you’d expect, even decent to walk in, even on those dreaded tiled cafe floors. Other makes have sought to catch up in this regard, but SPD-SL still remains the best option in that respect.

On paper, Shimano pedals aren’t the best at any one thing. However, they’ve proven their place in the real world.

While some of the team arrived to Shimano pedals from their first road bikes, others got here through issues or failure elsewhere. For example, Neal recalls his break-up with Speedplay vividly.

“I got sick of them clogging up with dirt. There was one specific ride; I remember it clearly. I forgot to pee before I left the house, was out riding on local dirt roads, pulled into the first porta potty, saw that the ground was muddy, and had a decision to make: unclip and risk clogging up the cleat, or continue riding and hold my bladder. I refused to have my bladder held hostage by my equipment. I unclipped, got off, peed, and could not clip in for the remainder of the ride. It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened, but it was the last straw. When I got home, I ordered three sets of Shimano pedals. Haven’t switched back since.”

Wade’s move to Shimano is similar to that of Neal’s, but for a different reason.

“I used to use Speedplay and still think they are the best pedals in the business, but they failed me so many times (three catastrophic failures in big races/events), admittedly because of my lack of maintenance. I switched to Shimano, which have been flawless ever since.”

Personally, I’m in a similar boat. I used to swear by Look pedals, but the stability of earlier Keo versions would quickly degrade due to pedal body wear. This issue is now fixed, but Look’s bearing durability and serviceability doesn’t hold a candle to Shimano’s. Despite being a weight weenie at heart, I made the decision to have the weight penalty of Shimano and haven’t felt compelled to change since.

Look Keo Blade

The Look Keo Blade has proven a popular and lighter alternative to Shimano pedals. The regular Look Keo is slightly heavier, but offers tension adjustment and more rugged durability.

Look created the clipless road pedal market in 1984, and remain a strong competitor to Shimano, especially by users of other groupsets. The Keo platform – essentially a downsized version of the original Delta format – launched in 2004, and the current Keo Blade faithfully uses the same cleat design that Look debuted 14 years ago, but with a carbon fibre leaf spring in place of a wound steel spring to hold that cleat in place. Replacing that chunk of steel with a thin sliver of carbon fibre leads to an impressively low weight, as low as 248g (including cleats). There’s no traditional tension adjustment as a result, but Look at least offer three different Blade stiffnesses that can be swapped to provide the same functionality.

A key figure behind the CyclingTips Emporium, Mitch Wells, is one member who loves the Look Keo Blade.

“I started with (Shimano) 105s that came with my first roadie. When I built a custom bike up for the first time, the Look Keo Blade had just been launched and looked pretty attractive, so I went with the Look Blade Carbon Cromo. I haven’t looked back. The biggest positive changes over Shimano are the solid, loud, and confidence-inspiring clip-in feel and sound. No second guessing if you’ve clipped in or not. My current set has about 14,000km and are still going strong without a single service or bearing replacement.”

CT site developer Josh Kadis shares Mitch’s pedal choice.

“I was skeptical when the Blades first came out a few years ago, but I’ve liked them so far. I’ve used Look or Look-compatible pedals for most of the time I’ve been riding, with a couple of forays into Time and (Shimano) SPD-SL.”

The Keo Blade features a solid carbon fibre leaf spring that snaps the rear jaw of the pedal shut on the cleat. In the event of a direct impact, though, this spring (or the surrounding material) can break.

Caley Fretz is another Look Keo Blade user, but for a very different (and very honest) reason.

“At some point a couple years ago, Look sent over a bunch of pairs and now I have so many it’s easy to keep them on whatever test bikes I have in. Previously my pick was Shimano because they’re bombproof. I have broken a couple of Keos, but I usually break them by groading too hard and smashing the blades on rocks. Basically, I killed them because I’m dumb.”

As happy as Mitch is, he has run into one issue.

“I have had a few weird squeaks coming from the worn metal faceplate, but a drop of chain lube quietens them down for a few months.”

It’s an issue also reported by James, and one that he has remedied in the past by changing to aftermarket cleats from Exustar.

Speedplay Zero

The Zero Stainless is arguably the most popular pedal in Speedplay’s range.

Hailing from the USA, Speedplay take a completely different approach to pedal design then the other three listed. Instead of clipping a solid cleat into a sprung pedal body, Speedplay reverse the system and put the sprung mechanism in the cleat. Doing so affords Speedplay, and its lollipop-like Zero pedals, the clear advantage of dual-sided entry without a cost to cornering clearance.

Many Speedplay users favour the modern aesthetics and low weight that such a minimalist pedal design provides. However, it is worth noting that as a complete system (including cleat), both Look and Time beat Speedplay’s lightest offering in the weight war (sorry Shimano, you come in last). And while on the topic of weight, Stewart Morton of bike fitting company RiderFit.cc warns that a common mistake riders make “is chasing the lightest and usually the most expensive pedal as part of a new bike build. The lighter pedals usually have a shorter spindle (to save weight) and this can have negative effects on knee tracking by creating a stance width that is too narrow for the rider. Common problems, as a result, can present as lateral foot pain, symptoms of iliotibial band syndrome, knee pain, and a lack of power.“

That said, many bike fitters have also long loved the Speedplay system for its adjustability. Four different spindle lengths are available, along with different base plates that afford a huge range of fore-aft adjustability. Speedplay cleats are also the easiest of the four major systems when it comes to compensating for different leg lengths. Only recently has Shimano added a choice in pedal axle lengths (standard or +4mm), and it’s likely Speedplay’s success encouraged such an option.

Australian tech Matt Wikstrom switched from Time to Look for just such a reason.

“My move to Speedplay (about 10 years ago) was all in pursuit of extra cleat adjustment, and it’s something I still prize along with the double-sided entry for the pedals. I use the aluminium 3-hole-adapter baseplate for my cleats because it offers extra fore-aft adjustment and isn’t prone to cracking like the standard plastic adapter baseplate. I’ve found a dry lube works well for the cleat springs, but I always forget to use it as often as I should. I keep using the cleats long after they should have been replaced, which has probably accelerated wear on the pedals, but I’ve still gotten at least a few years before as noticeable rock develops in my pedal stroke.”

The newer Speedplay Aero Walkable cleat has taken the pedal system from being horrible to walk with, to one that’s pretty decent.

There’s no denying that Speedplay has some real benefits, but as Matt states, they’re the highest maintenance option suggested here and are therefore not for everyone. The pedals themselves run on tiny needle bearings and need periodic greasing (easily done with a grease gun). Likewise, as Neal noted, you need to be especially careful of what you step in to prevent fouling the cleat mechanism with debris, and on occasion, it’s suggested to lube the cleats with a dry lube. I remember a bike fitter friend used to say “Speedplay are not a pedal for Sydney”, a reference to the reliability issues that would surface through constant clipping in and out at lights.

Time Xpresso

Time’s Xpresso pedal offers the lightest system weight and the most generous float. It’s also known to be an exceptionally easy system to get in and out of.

While his first preference is Shimano, James did throw in a suggestion for Time pedals. They’re very lightweight, the lower-priced options are very appealing in terms of value for the money, their unique retention system is especially easy to engage, the float is particularly smooth in feel and generous in range, and recent changes to the cleats have made them nearly as good to walk in as Shimano.

Time pedals have historically had issues with bearing durability, though, and while that aspect seems to have improved, it’s still a big unknown. And even more troubling is the fact that they’re technically not user serviceable. While the retaining collar for the axle assembly can be removed at home, the official tools aren’t made available to consumers.

“I’ve been toying with the idea of switching to Time, but still currently prefer Shimano. Time offer smoother float and a lower weight. And the cheap Time pedals are pretty damned good. But I’m not switching until I know the bearings are sufficiently durable.”

Time (pun intended) will tell if these pedals can lure James away from the old faithful.

What road pedal systems have you tried and settled on? What do you wish was different or better?

The post CT Recommends: Best road bike pedals appeared first on CyclingTips.

HJC is not a brand that many cyclists will recognise, but in the world of motorcycling, it is a giant, producing over one million helmets per annum. Now the company has turned its attention to cycling, launching four helmets at Eurobike last year. In this review, Australian tech editor Matt Wikstrom takes a look at two of the new helmets, the Ibex and the Furion.

HJC is a Korean company that has been manufacturing motorcycle helmets since 1971. With that kind of experience, it’s fair to say the company understands helmets, and that experience has been underpinned by heavy investment in research and development. Part of that commitment included construction of a wind-tunnel at the company’s Korean headquarters, along with an extensive array of testing equipment for every safety standard.

The company also knows how to sell its wares, distributing millions of helmets worldwide that satisfy a variety of categories. According to HJC, it has been the top-selling brand in the USA since 1992 (on the motorcycle side), and it now holds 20% of the European market. Sponsorship of high-profile competitors and events has also helped raise the profile of the company, which remains a family-run business.

There are some pretty obvious parallels between motorcycling and bicycling, so it’s not really surprising to see that HJC has turned its attention to our sport. In fact, some may ask why it has taken the company so long. HJC seems to have a pretty clear strategy for its new business, because it has chosen to focus on road cycling almost exclusively, and in particular, the high-performance end of the market. To this end, the company is sponsoring Lotto Soudal for three seasons (2018-2020), and feedback from the team is likely to provide critical input for the design of future products.

Two of the road helmets from HJC’s new catalogue, the aero-prioritised Furion, show here in pink, and the breezier Ibex, in black and gold.

All three of the road helmets in HJC’s current catalogue feature in-mould construction with an internal skeleton to keep the shell from breaking apart upon impact. Weights are also low, and air channels are used to help with cooling and comfort, but the balance between ventilation and aerodynamic performance varies with each model. At one end of the spectrum there is the breezy H-Sonic that has 24 vents; at the other end, there is the sleeker Furion with 15 vents; and in between, there is the Goldilocks-blend, dubbed the Ibex, that has 16 vents.

Of those three helmets, it is the Furion and the Ibex that Lotto Soudal riders have been using this season, which also happen to be the candidates supplied for this review, thanks to HJC’s Australian distributor, Vivelo Sports.

The Furion: a helmet optimised by wind-tunnel testing

HJC is quick to point out the importance of having an in-house wind tunnel when designing its new helmets, especially the Furion. Air flow over the helmet was optimised to reduce drag, and according to HJC’s data, the Furion bests three unnamed aero competitors by 4-7% at 45km/h, and 6-7% at 60km/h. At face value, that makes for an attractive marginal gain, but it must be remembered that won’t translate directly to the rider, because the head is just part of the total drag. It’s also important to note that direct comparisons of aero results aren’t always as straightforward as they might seem, even if those other competitors were identified.

HJC’s data for the performance of the Furion in its wind tunnel against three unnamed aero competitors at (A) 45km/h and (B) 60km/h.

HJC’s engineers also paid attention to the flow of air through the helmet, supposedly exploiting the Venturi effect to accelerate airflow through the helmet so as to maximise the cooling efficiency of the front vents. According to HJC’s data, the Furion offers more exhaust ventilation than its aero competitors, though it’s unclear how that translates to the comfort of the rider.

The rest of the features of the Furion are familiar by contemporary standards: adjustable occipital cradle, adjustable strap splitters at the ears, and padding infused with anti-microbial silver salts.

There are just five modest vents at the front of the Furion. According to HJC, some internal channelling and the Venturi effect help make the most of the airflow on offer.

The Furion has another vent on each side of the helmet that makes it look a bit like a jet fighter, plus, it works.

Three pieces of polycarbonate are moulded into the foam shell of the Furion.

The exhaust vents are modest, too.

The pink/black version of the Furion reminds me of the Team Telekom era.

The Ibex: more air for your hair

While the Ibex boasts just one more vent than the Furion in terms of total number, those vents are much more conspicuous and stretch from the front to the rear of the helmet. According to HJC’s marketing material, wind-tunnel testing also figured in the development of the Ibex, but I couldn’t get any information on how the drag of the Ibex compares to the Furion.

The Ibex clearly promises better ventilation than the Furion. Once again, HJC points to the importance of the Venturi effect and internal air channels to ventilation, however the company makes no specific claims.

Like the Furion, the Ibex features an adjustable occipital cradle and strap splitters, however neither are as sophisticated as those found on the Furion. There are just three options for the position of the occipital cradle while the strap splitters depend on friction to stay in place. As for the helmet’s padding, it also features silver for its anti-microbial properties.

The Ibex is more open to the breeze than the Furion.

The vents reach from front to back with internal channels and small exhaust vents to encourage cooling.

The Ibex, like the Furion, has an internal skeleton for reinforcing the foam shell.

The polycarbonate shell is moulded into the foam core of the helmet.

HJC used a wind tunnel to optimise the design of the Ibex as well as the Furion.

Two helmets, two different fits

HJC made use of 3D laser scanning for shaping the fit of its helmets. Over 200 people were scanned — comprising men and women from a variety of ethnic groups — to create what the company describes as “the ultimate fit.” The result is a choice of three sizes for the Furion and the Ibex: XS/S (54-56cm), M/L (57-59cm), and XL/XXL (60-62cm).

Surprisingly, the fit of the Ibex and Furion proved to be quite different. With a head circumference of 58cm, I expected the M/L to fit me, and while that was true for the Ibex, the Furion was too small. Moving up to a XL/XXL, I was able to get my head into the Furion, but it was too wide for my head. Adjusting the occipital cradle did little to improve the fit, so I was left with a helmet that could wobble on my head.

By contrast, the M/L Ibex did not wobble on my head, though I’ve experienced a more comfortable fit with other brands such as Giro and Bell, which better suit my oval head. From what I can tell, HJC’s helmets offer a little less length relative to the width of the helmet, making for a rounder fit. In the case of the Ibex, a little extra length would have been welcome.

The Furion has an adjustable occipital cradle with a simple dial that is easy to find by feel.

The height of occipital cradle of the Furion is adjustable thanks to a simple ratchet strip.

HJC uses silver-impregnated materials for the padding to keep odour at bay.

The Furion has easy-to-adjust strap splitters that lock into place.

The Ibex also has an adjustable occipital cradle, but the adjustment knob is smaller.

Height adjustment is also much simpler on the Ibex, with just three settings.

The Ibex also has simpler splitters that don’t lock into place as securely as on the Furion.

Weight, prices, colours, and accessories

The M/L Ibex sent for review weighed 247g; a Furion in the same size weighed 215g while the next size up (XL/XXL) — which actually fitted me — weighed 243g.

HJC cycling helmets are currently available in Europe, the UK, and throughout Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. The Furion sells for AU$290/€199/£149 with a choice of up to 10 colours; the Ibex costs a little more at AU$310/€249/£179 with up to eight colours on offer.

Each helmet is supplied with a cloth carry bag and, praise be, a replacement set of pads. The latter is typically overlooked by other brands, which is close to unforgivable for any helmet with a triple-figure asking price. After all, replacement pads are inexpensive and will breath life into a used helmet, but they are often difficult to find via any kind of retailer.

The Furion (left) is a little cheaper than the Ibex (right), but they can both be considered expensive helmets targeted at performance-oriented road cyclists.

Out in the world

Most of the utility and appeal of any helmet rests with the quality of its fit, and in this case, HJC’s helmets failed to win me over. As I’ve mentioned above, the Ibex and Furion appear to be better suited to round heads, and judging from other reviews for each helmet, both can be very comfortable for some individuals.

Both helmets are light on the head and reasonably well-equipped with user-friendly features, though I was a little surprised at how rudimentary the occipital cradle was for the Ibex. There are just three coarse settings for adjusting the height of the cradle compared to 20 for the Furion. The Ibex does offer finer adjustment for the width of the occipital band, although some might find the tiny knob a little fussy to use. As for the strap splitters, I found it easier to adjust the locking clasps on the Furion than the friction buckles on the Ibex.

Leaving the quality of the fit aside, few would be surprised to read that the Ibex offered better ventilation than the Furion. I was testing these helmets during a mild Australian winter, so ventilation wasn’t critical for my comfort. However, I still gravitated towards the Ibex. I could wear it on a daily basis without any areas of heat build up, but I still wouldn’t describe it as a particularly breezy helmet.

HJC’s helmets offer a rounder fit than some other brands. For the Furion, I needed to go up a size, which proved to be too wide for my head.

The arms of my Oakley Radars played well with the Furion.

 

Side-by-side testing with a mid-range Bell Falcon was enough to prove this point. By contrast, airflow through the Furion was much more difficult to detect. I found that heat would build up at the front of the helmet and over my scalp. Meanwhile, the sides of my head remained quite cool and comfortable, though that might have been helped by the loose fit of the helmet.

For the cooler months of the years, the Furion might be tolerable, but in warm-to-hot conditions, I would never be tempted to reach for it. Or the Ibex, for that matter, and HJC seems to acknowledge this, because it has the H-Sonic with even more vents and larger openings in its catalogue.

With a simple brow pad, neither helmet promises much in terms of sweat management. I wasn’t able to challenge either helmet during the review period due to the mild weather conditions, so strictly speaking, this remains untested. However, having experienced just how effective Bell’s new “Sweat Guide” is at keeping the brow dry, anything less is starting to look outdated.

Finally, as far as sunglasses are concerned, I was able to wear a set of Oakley Radars without any interference from either helmet, which is notable given that model’s particularly long arms. Stowage was a different matter, since it wasn’t possible to slide the Radars into front vents of either helmet, so the only option was to wear them on the back of my head. My Radars fitted easily under the rear of the Ibex and the Furion, and they did not interfere with either helmet.

The Ibex was not a great fit for me, either. I found it had a habit of locking onto the bumps on my skull rather than sliding smoothly into place.

No problems with the arms of my sunnies getting stuck under the helmet.

 

Final thoughts

Bicycle helmets have become increasingly sophisticated and there is no sign that innovation in this sector is slowing down (witness Giro’s novel approach to diffusing rotational forces with the design of the Aether). As a newcomer, HJC has a lot of ground to make up before it can be considered an innovator, but at this early stage, the Ibex and Furion are sound offerings that address the major needs of the market.

One obvious weakness is safety, at least in terms of the information that is made publicly available. Now that Virginia Tech/IIHS has started publishing the results of its independent testing, I expect that a four-star rating will add considerably to the value and appeal of any helmet. HJC’s helmets have yet to be assessed by Virginia Tech, so it is too soon to say, but the company has eschewed additional safety features such as MIPS that are likely to help this rating.

Another might be price. Without any innovative features (aside from a set of replacement pads), added safety measures, tangible performance benefits, or a proven track record, HJC’s helmets seem expensive. That statement probably overlooks the effort required to produce not one, but two, sub-250g helmets that meet all of the various safety standards. Nevertheless, shoppers are currently spoilt for choice with what the established brands have to offer, so it is easy to see how the Furion and Ibex will get overlooked until HJC is able to offer more value, either by adding more features or revising its prices.

 

 

 

 

The post HJC helmet review: Ibex versus Furion appeared first on CyclingTips.

Here’s a little thought experiment:

You come home one day and all of your bikes are gone. Stolen, burned — the specifics of their horrible fate is less relevant than the fact of their absence. You have insurance. It will cover the replacement of most, but not all of your collection.

Your bikes were accumulated over years. They are a mix of machines that are right for you now, or were right for you then, or that you barely ride anymore. You can rebuild, but it will take some time. Where do you start?

Which bike do you replace first?

Second?

Last?

Not at all?

This hypothetical was posed by our own Iain Treloar on our internal messenger earlier this week. We then asked our VeloClub WhatsApp group the same. As the responses came back, we realized that this simple question holds up an interesting and honest mirror. It reflects who each of us is as a bike rider in this particular moment. Not who we once were, or who we will be, but what type of cyclist we are right now.

It’s more useful than a question we’ve asked each other plenty of times — What would your next bike be? — because that question is a function of the bikes you already have.

With a blank slate, what couldn’t you live without?

Iain would first pick up a gravel bike, with an extra set of nice road wheels. Something to do it all. Very modern of him. Then he’d get a drop-bar commuter. Then an e-cargo bike. Also very modern. Iain is a human metaphor for the growth currently occurring in the cycling industry, which exists almost entirely in the gravel and e-bike sectors.

Garry Timms, a VeloClub member, would replace his newest rim-brake road bike with another new rim-brake road bike. That’s very traditional; it’s also a response we got quite a lot. His current cyclocross bike would be replaced by a disc gravel bike. The two are similar, but a gravel bike is more versatile. It has more tire clearance and more stable geometry.

Stephen Garland’s first replacement would be a gravel bike, titanium, with a couple of wheelsets to swap out and disc brakes. “So I can ride on the road when wet and explore other times,” he says. Very practical. Then a carbon road bike.

Some VeloClub members said they just don’t understand the appeal of gravel bikes. A few said they’d never buy another pure road bike.

The answers shifted with location. This is something we all know somewhat intuitively — that if you live in a city surrounded by pavement, you’re likely to be into bikes for pavement, and if you have a plethora of trails nearby, a mountain bike is likely more appealing — but it’s interesting to see the data play out, even in our small sample size.

James Huang, our tech editor in Boulder, Colorado, would replace his gravel bike (also with two wheelsets) first, and then his e-cargo bike, as it’s been his family’s primary mode of in-town transportation for the past several years. After that would come his enduro mountain bike, with a disc-brake all-road bike in a very distant fourth.

Matt Wikstrom, our tech editor in Perth, says he over-indulged in gravel bikes, and a road bike would be the first back in his stable.

Me? At first, I said I’d replace a mountain bike before anything else, then a gravel bike, then a road bike with couplers for travel. But the more I thought about it the more I realized I’d actually go gravel bike first. That’s because it’s what my friends have, and riding with them is valuable to me.

We live in turbulent times, from an equipment perspective. Drop-bar bikes didn’t change much for decades. Now they’re changing every season. It feels a bit like we’re all scrambling to catch up. That’s perhaps why this question is so interesting to me: What would you do if you had to start over?

The post Your bikes are gone. What now? appeared first on CyclingTips.

“Sydney is getting gnarly with custom bikes. On any given day, you’ll see half a dozen Baums, a few Speedvagens and even Parlees. I always thought: when you look at custom bikes these days, everyone seems to get the same thing. The typical faded paint job, Chris King components, Enve and covered in eTap. It’s the custom bike shopping list. So why go through the process of custom, just to get the same as others?” – Lucas Tarnawski

In the pursuit of getting something different (and timeless), Sydney-based Lucas Tarnawski found himself attracted to a historic family-run framebuilder out of Tokyo, Cherubim — a name that just isn’t seen on the local streets. The thought of a custom steel frame wasn’t a perfect match for Tarnawski’s love for super-light bikes, but it was balanced by his desire to ride a traditional road bike – mechanical shifting, rim brakes, tubulars, standard gearing and deep drop handlebars. “I wanted this bike to retain the purity of a ‘real’ road bike,” said Tarnawski, providing a polarising viewpoint shared by many.

Tarnawski first came across Cherubim through online coverage of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS). “In 2012 they won best in show at the NAHBS for their Humming Bird concept. It was ridiculous,” Tarnawski said. “They did the AirLine, another aero steel bike which was equally as crazy.”

And while Tarnawski has been to Japan, there was no connection to the country that drew his decision toward the storied brand. The motivation was far simpler: “I’d been stalking them on Instagram for ages.”

The Cherubim story dates back far further than recent awards at NAHBS. The Tokyo-based company got its start in 1965 with Hitoshi Konno at the torch. Three years later, Cheribum would be the official frame supplier for the Japanese national team at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. The company quickly became a family business, run by three brothers, and today, it’s Hitoshi’s son, Shin-ichi Konno, at the helm.

The build process

As it turned out, ordering a bike from the Japanese company wasn’t all that simple. “I tried to deal with them directly at first,” said Tarnawski, “and it wasn’t going to go anywhere due to an obvious language barrier.

“So I reached out to Mike at Blacksmith Cycles in Toronto. I noticed they had so many going through their Instagram. And he acted as the liaison between myself and the guys at Cherubim.

“There was shit-loads of back and forth. [Questions] started with what I currently ride, what’s working, what’s not. I even sent photos of me on a bike. You’re dealing with a guy in Toronto and a guy in Tokyo — I just wanted to give them as much information as possible.”

Adding to the international process, Felice Santoro of Cycling Projects in Sydney (a store perhaps best known for its long-running Campagnolo repairs) was involved, too. “He helped with the build including mocking up an entire bike for me to ride for a few months in the same setup/position of the proposed build,” Tarnawski explained. “Felice’s decades of experience with custom bikes really shone through. Nothing was too hard and I can’t praise him enough for his patience and attention to detail.”

With a wait time of somewhere between 9-12 months, Tarnawski had plenty of time to play with the specifics. “We had so many conversation around [geometry], but funnily enough, we actually ended up going with the very first figures that were mocked [up],” he said. “After all of that, we went through this huge circle to come back to the initial Cherubim figures. Most of the messing with it was me, not them. Their first draft was spot on.”

The frame is built with custom Kasei tubes, a Japanese-made steel tubing which offers a higher strength-to-weight ratio than the equivalent tubing from Columbus. “They’re used to building bikes for smaller dudes, and so they have experience building lighter bikes that aren’t noodles,” Tarnawski said. “I’m 5’9” [175cm], and only 64kg so I’m no power monster.

“There were a few details I was firm about. They’ve got a really cool CNCd head tube with an internal headset, but I wanted external. I love Extralite external headsets. I’ve always liked lightweight bikes, and this is a steel bike, so it’s never going to be crazy light, but when you’re starting with double the frame weight of what you’re used to, these little pieces are easy grams [to save] without impacting performance.

“Paint wise, I actually selected something from Cheribum’s archives that they’d used on a triple-crown track bike ages ago,” Tarnawski continued. “It’s very Japanese and quintessentially Cherubim.

“Mike from Blacksmith handled all the translation and transaction. Always responsive, open and honest, he went above and beyond to ensure the finished product exceeded expectations.”

With all pieces of the puzzle finalised, the finished frame was sent from Tokyo to Sydney. “[The frame arrived somewhat] raw from the maker,” Tarnawski said. “It’s a really old-school way — the guys have been around since the ’60s. The head tube and bottom bracket had to be faced.

“It has the old-world construction method to it. There is a bit of prep work to be done by the builder when it arrives. Facing and reaming is just a part of that. Thankfully I was working with Felice at Cycling Projects who knew how to do all that stuff and was comfortable with it.”

Skinny fat

As touched on, Tarnawski shows signs of being gram-obsessed. “It’s ridiculous, but many of the parts on this bike are from the parts bin,” he said. “Such as the older eebrakes and the 3T TourNova LTD bars. The seatpost was from my old NeilPryde. I have a mate who owns an auto-body shop, and he helped strip the graphics from it. I tried to keep everything understated and let the frame shine through.”

Some seriously lightweight wheels.

While Tarnawski claims he’s mostly rehabilitated from his darkest weight-weenie days, and the steel frame hints at such progress, the wheels and tyre choice say otherwise. Built by Skunkworks in Sydney, the carbon tubulars are another item from a previous bike.

Built with AX lightness rims, Pillar Mega Lite spokes, and Extralite Cyber hubs, they’re said to weigh just 760g for the pair. And apparently, they’ve been rock-solid despite Sydney’s notoriously poor road surfaces. “I tend to ride light, and I don’t tend to be too hard on my gear,” Tarnawski said. “Beyond the Carbon Works bottle cages, the wheels are the only super-weight-weenie item on the bike.”

Tarnawski is a loyal tubular user, and chooses to ride them full-time. “Vittoria Corsa Controls (25c) are my practical everyday training tubulars,” he said. “Veloflex Extremes are reserved for special occasions.” Liquid sealant is used inside the tyres and Tarnawski states he’s meticulous about checking for glass and other debris. Likewise, he finds the occasional gluing process to be therapeutic.

Still, tub life isn’t for everyone, and Tarnawski suggests that it’s best reserved for those with a somewhat obsessive maintenance routine.

At just 6.5g a piece, the Carbon Works bottle cages offer a surprisingly firm hold. We tested these at Eurobike and they do indeed grip tight.

Those Carbon Works bottle cages are said to weight just 6.5g a piece. “They sound like they’d be terrible, but they’re one of the grippiest cages I’ve ever used,” Tarnawski said. “They do nail bottles though; scratch them up heaps. Especially larger bottles, such as CamelBak.

“[The] saddle is Berk Composites. I had them custom make it as they don’t do wide as standard anymore. We went through a couple of iterations. The first they did was leather and it just scuffed immediately. The new cover came out lighter. I get along with the shape. I don’t really have issues with saddles, as long as it’s within a certain width.

“As far as the ride, it’s everything I was told steel would be. It feels like it has an inherent springiness to it,” Tarnawski continued. “I was expecting it to feel a little sluggish, but I don’t get that at all. It just seems super nice.

“I didn’t want it to be super stiff, or super racey. I wanted a good all-rounder that I could hopefully keep for a long time. And it’s kind of ticked all of those boxes.”

The question one has to ask: Is it the holy grail or is there another bike in the pipeline?

“The itch for the next bike never ends,” Tarnawski admits. “The next bike will be a 1990s downtube shifting replica race bike. I want to do a massive ‘fuck you’ to modern bikes [laughs]. It’s the anti-aero, anti-electronic, anti-tubeless [bike]. Something like a Merckx or similar.”

SPECIFICATIONS

Frame: Cherubim Uli custom geometry and Kasei tubing
Fork: Enve
Headset: Extralite Ultratop and Ultrabottom
Drivetrain: Campagnolo Super Record 11, Jagwire Elite Link cables 
Brake calipers: Gen 2 eebrakes (now a Cane Creek product)
Wheels: AX Lightness 25 Tubular rims, Pillar Mega Lite spokes, Extralite Cyberfront and Cyberrear with Kogel ceramic bearings
Skewers: Tune AC14 Titanium
Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Control Tubular 25c
Seatpost: NeilPryde (tuned)
Saddle: Berk (custom covered)
Handlebars: 3T Tornova LTD
Bar tape: Pro Race Control
Stem: Deda Superleggero (painted)
Pedals: Speedplay Zero Titanium (tuned)
Bottle Cages: CarbonWorks (6.5g model)
Weight: 6.4kg as pictured

GALLERY

The post Bikes of the Bunch: A fresh Cherubim appeared first on CyclingTips.

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18 New Articles

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Italian frame builder Dario Pegoretti passed away yesterday at the age of 62. Pegoretti was perhaps best known professionally for the intricate paint jobs that decorated his framesets, but those who recall him more intimately remember the passing of a warm, kind, and truly inspirational figure who was far more than just a painter or frame builder.

Below is a tribute to Pegoretti, written by his friend and business acquaintance, Joshua Poertner of Silca. CyclingTips wishes to offer its condolences to Pegoretti’s family and friends. A true legend was lost yesterday.

Of all the people I’ve worked with in this beautiful sport, Dario Pegoretti is the one I am most often asked about. He was an artist and artisan of the highest order, but he was also intelligent and insightful, technically brilliant, and continually reinventing himself. Chatting with Dario in his studio late in the day over a glass of wine could be a bit like walking the streets of Verona: winding, twisting, delightful, and full of beauty and surprises.  

I first talked with Dario over the phone in 2014. He had sent me a Facebook message following the launch of our Ultimate pump congratulating me for resurrecting Silca and for doing something “unique and beautiful” that “poked the industry in the eye.” He had a long and fraught relationship with the cycling industry, oscillating between love and hate. It was an industry that had both embraced and rejected him over his career, and coming back from cancer, he penned a letter to the industry that he painted on a bicycle.

“You really need to reinvent yourself soon,” it said. “Some of the work is very repetitive and unimaginative. Sorry, guys. I am totally confident that you can do even better if you try.”

He hand wrote it using his famous micro-brush-strokes in black paint on a bright pink background splashed with yellow and black details reminiscent of caution or crime scene tape.  

He understood the value of supporting young art and talent in the industry, and ours is one of so many stories of the great master sending a note, or an email, or later a Facebook message to young builders. Imagine being a young builder and having Dario show up and praise your work on Facebook. It was delightful and inspirational. He understood that this was part of the power he had and he used it well.  

He had a bit of a reputation for being the quintessential Italian artist — difficult, late, unpredictable — but what was rarely told was that he was also a solid businessman. I was caught off-guard in one of our first sit-down discussions when I asked him about his sales in Italy.

“My shtick doesn’t work here so well,” he told me nonchalantly. “And besides, the Italians are currently obsessed with plastic bikes.”

The irony of Dario’s “shtick,” of course, isn’t that he was pretending to be an amazing artist, but that he was pretending not to be a brilliant business and technical mind. He helped me understand the demise of the original Silca brand in Italy over lunch, explaining that, “Italy was the original low cost ‘offshore’ labor platform for cycling.” He went on to explain how the exchange rate on the lira had given Italy a large export advantage, allowing brands like Colnago, Cinelli, Silca, and others to spread globally, only to experience massive inflation when Italy moved to the euro, which dramatically hurt the ability to export and price competitively.  

This was the Dario that most people never knew. 

He could deliver a dissertation on the economics of trade, the history of Hi-Fi, the intricacies of Miles Davis or Etta James, architecture, woodworking, cycling, the benefits and limitations of curvature smoothing functions in CAD software, etc.. A few hours spent with him could be the equivalent of a three-credit-hour course at a university. 

On my last trip, we discussed his work with a professor in Rome on recreating a sponge painting technique described in ancient Roman documents, how they identified the particular type of sea sponge and then figured out how to grind and mix the paints from natural pigments and how he had worked this technique into his art. He then showed me the work he was doing with gas sublimating inks and everything he was doing to make custom paint bases that he could sublimate onto. He mentioned that America’s most powerful exports were our ideals and our worldview, and that would we should worry about who fills that gap if we create barriers to trade. Then, after a few seconds pause listening to the loud freeform jazz playing in the shop he said, “It’s a good time for Nirvana,” promptly adjusting the shop music to fit his mood.

My favorite line from Dario was him talking about the constant reinvention, learning, and growth from an interview I did with him last year. It feels more prescient than ever this morning.

“You have told me that perfection is not possible,” I said to him. “Is this what gives you the freedom to reinvent and experiment?”

“I experiment because everything interests me,” he replied. “There is just too much to learn, but I think about perfection in everything I do; it is always in my mind. I think about Michelangelo (painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel). If you spend a lifetime at the bench and you give everything, maybe before you die you can be a fingertip away from perfection — a fingertip away from touching God. We can try, no?”

Master, teacher, poet, philosopher, artist. 

RIP Friend

Josh

The post Dario Pegoretti, a fingertip away from God appeared first on CyclingTips.

After a short hiatus, the iconic Blur nameplate is back in the Santa Cruz lineup, this time as a dedicated XC racing machine designed for chasing finishing lines rather than laughs and grins. Without a doubt, the Blur’s newfound speed and quickness is better suited to competition than any previous iteration has ever been. But as a result, it also loses some of the wider appeal that characterized earlier versions.

A turning point

Few nameplates truly qualify to be labeled as iconic, but the Blur has had such an impact on the Santa Cruz brand that it’d be almost impossible to not label it as such. When the original Blur first debuted in 2002, Santa Cruz was already established as an early pioneer in full-suspension mountain bikes. However, the brand at that point had solely relied on the simplicity of single-pivot designs, with such memorable models as the Tazmon, Heckler, and Superlight.

The Blur (along with Santa Cruz’s first-generation V10 downhill platform) marked the first major use of the then-revolutionary Virtual Pivot Point concept, a design Santa Cruz bought from original inventor Outland, a tiny niche mountain-bike brand that was never able to fully realize the concept’s potential. Mountain-bike rear suspension was arguably still in its infancy in the early 2000s, and so the VPP system of dual short counter-rotating links joining the otherwise-rigid front and rear triangles was truly radical.

The original Santa Cruz Blur was more of an all-around trail bike, and nowhere near as focused on a single discipline as the current model. Photo: Santa Cruz Bicycles.

That original Blur turned out to be wildly successful for its ability to balance pedaling efficiency, bump compliance, and control in a way no other bike that came before could. VPP has undergone multiple revisions since those early days, and though Santa Cruz would continue to offer single-pivot bikes through 2015, the VPP system has come to define the brand.

A less blurry Blur

One of those early Blur offshoots was the racing-focused Blur XC, which would eventually morph into a more advanced carbon-fiber model in 2009. But Santa Cruz walked away from that segment of the market when the Blur XC was discontinued in 2013. It wasn’t until last year that the company decided it was time to come back.

Five years is a long time to be away, but the latest Blur (technically it’s the “Blur 3”) benefits from the break by skipping a lot of the awkward transition period that befell many cross-country bikes in the interim. It’s now far more of a dedicated XC racing machine than ever, sporting 29in wheels (the predecessor rode into the sunset on 26in ones), a lighter and more rigid carbon-fiber frame, and a shorter-travel VPP rear end that is purpose built with a firmer and more efficiency-oriented tune. Previous Blur XC frames offered 105-115mm, but Santa Cruz now caps it at 100mm out back, with both 100mm and 110mm options offered up front.

Santa Cruz’s Virtual Pivot Point suspension design relies on one-piece front and rear triangles that are connected with two short counter-rotating links.

Claimed frame weight on the top-end Blur 3 CC version is just 2,060g (medium size, without shock), and with the almost universal acceptance of 1x drivetrains, Santa Cruz didn’t bother to incorporate front derailleur compatibility, instead adding a second upright on the drive side of the rear triangle for extra rigidity under load.

Geometry-wise, the Blur wholly embraces the new school of thought when it comes to how cross-country bikes should handle.

As compared to most other cross-country racers currently on the market, like the Specialized Epic, Trek Top Fuel, and even the “XXC” Cannondale Scalpel, the Blur has both a longer reach and shorter stack, which allows for an especially aggressive position, especially when used with the racier 100mm-travel fork. Chainstays are notably short at just 432mm across the S-XL size range, and seat tube is fairly upright at 74° in order to place the rider in a more powerful position on steep climbs, while the moderately slack 69° head tube angle slightly mellows out any front-end dartiness.

As a bonus, that more relaxed head tube angle also lengthens the wheelbase, which combines with the low 42mm bottom bracket drop to promote high-speed stability.

Santa Cruz’s lengthy history in the full-suspension market shows in several finer details of the new Blur. The large-diameter aluminum pivot axles use a neat expanding collet design that automatically wedges itself up against the surrounding frame structure to help prevent creaking, for example, and though most of the lines are internally routed for cleanliness, the rear brake cable still runs along the top of the down tube so you don’t have to rebleed the line during removal or installation.

There’s also enough room inside the main triangle for a large-sized water bottle (with an additional mount on the bottom of the frame), a bolt-on plastic guard on the underside of the down tube to protect against rock strikes, and — hallelujah — a standard threaded bottom bracket shell to further help keep things pleasantly silent.

Build kits and options

Santa Cruz offers the Blur as a frame-only (US$3,000 for the lighter-weight Blur CC version), or with a number of complete build kits starting with SRAM’s entry-level Eagle NX groupset and topping out with SRAM XX1 Eagle or Shimano XTR component groups. Santa Cruz’s own Reserve carbon fiber wheels are optional across the board, too, as are “TR” variants that include a slightly longer 110mm-travel fork, a bigger front disc-brake rotor, meatier tires, and an internally routed dropper seatpost.

Prices for the complete builds range from US$3,700/AU$TBC/£3,700/€4,300 to US$9,600/AU$TBC/£8,200/€9,700, with the two lowest-priced options using a slightly heavier frame built with a lower grade of carbon fiber.

SRAM’s new X1 Eagle carbon crankset uses the company’s latest DUB axle design, which is built around a universal 29mm-diameter aluminum spindle that supposedly fits just about every frame on the market, regardless of shell format.

For this review, Santa Cruz sent the SRAM X01 model in cross-country trim, upgraded with the company’s 25mm-wide (internal width) Reserve carbon wheels. Retail price is US$7,600/AU$TBC/£7,000/€8,200, and actual weight for my medium sample is 10.27kg (22.64lb) without pedals, and with the tires set up tubeless — a touch lighter than company claims.

A conundrum

Let me get this out of the way first: Cross-country bikes have gotten a bad rap in recent years — and maybe deservedly so. While it’s certainly true that race bikes from just a few years ago were far too biased toward going up, with little consideration for how they’d perform going down, modern XC bikes (like this Santa Cruz Blur) are far more capable and versatile.

One might even say they’re fun, even if you’re not totally interested in suffering.

A race bike the Blur most certainly is, and its behavior on the trail still adheres faithfully to this mission. Even with the rear shock intentionally inflated slightly lower than manufacturer recommendations, the XC-tuned VPP rear end is highly efficient while pedaling, with very minimal unwanted bob, even on smoother fire roads and pavement. To further stiffen things up, Santa Cruz equips most Blur models (including the one I tested) with a handlebar-mounted remote lever that instantly locks out both the rear shock and fork.

Santa Cruz fits the Blur with a dual remote lockout that simultaneously operates the fork and rear shock. It works as advertised, almost completely eliminating any suspension movement, but it’s debatable how much it’s really needed. The rear suspension is already very efficient on its own, and the suspension remote takes up valuable real estate that could otherwise be used for a dropper-post remote.

“We use a digressive compression tune on this bike, whereas we use the linear tune on our trail bikes,” said Santa Cruz product manager Josh Kissner, referring to the way the rear shock is factory-set to be a little firmer than usual at the beginning of the travel. “This gives it a little more of an XC feel and platform. [The leverage curve] isn’t dramatically different than the Tallboy. I’d say it’s a little better, which is easier to do with shorter travel: less fall in the beginning, a little more rise later on.”

This sort of scenario strikes me as a bit perplexing, however.

Such a pedaling-focused shock tune is usually more desirable when a suspension design is mechanically less efficient — in other words, when the kinematics of the various pivots and linkages doesn’t inherently resist pedal-induced motion. Santa Cruz shouldn’t be limited to that sort of thing given the flexibility of its VPP design, though, and so the combination of what feels to me like a heavy-handed compression damper tune plus a remote lockout on top of that seems like overkill. The standard shock tune provides a sufficiently firm pedaling platform already, at least in my opinion, and if Santa Cruz is insistent on including a remote lockout, I would have preferred a more compliant base tune that provides better suspension performance overall.

Historically, Santa Cruz has built all of its full-suspension bikes (save for dedicated downhill models) with a single upright on the non-driveside joining the seatstay and chainstay, in order to allow room for a front derailleur. Modern drivetrains no longer use front derailleurs, though, so the latest Blur gets the double-upright treatment, too, along with the boost in rear-end rigidity it provides.

Nevertheless, combined with the fantastic rigidity of the front and rear triangles, the aggressive positioning, and the bike’s very low total weight, the Blur is a joy when climbing — not quite like a hardtail, but I suspect that only the most diehard racers will be regularly reaching for that remote when the trail heads upward. Steady, seated climbing ticks by with nary a complaint, and the bike is highly responsive when rising out of the saddle for a steep pitch.

That focus on all-out speed is also evident in the choice of rolling stock. The Maxxis Aspen tires roll as quickly as you’d expect given the minimal tread, and they’re also very light with a claimed weight of just 645g apiece. The relatively generous 2.25in casing width puts a healthy amount of rubber on the ground, though, and at 19-21psi (and on reasonably forgiving dirt), they grip better than you might think. I didn’t suffer any punctures during testing, but riders who regularly find themselves on rocky terrain will want to keep in mind that the minimal tread will provide minimal protection, too.

And yet despite the impressive climbing chops — and even with me slamming the stem and flipping it upside-down for maximum handlebar drop — the Blur is pretty damn fun when it comes time to bomb back down. That firm suspension tune does make for a slightly bouncier feel relative to more softly tuned designs that do a better job of keeping the tire contact patches more firmly adhered to the ground, but given just a little bit of finesse, the Blur is more than capable of blasting even moderately technical descents.

Unlike the rear shock, the differences between the Fox 32 Step-Cast Performance Elite fork and the flagship Factory version are a little more significant. Here, you not only get a simpler black anodized finish on the aluminum stanchion instead of the slippery gold Kashima coating on the Factory edition, but there’s also a simpler Grip damper cartridge inside instead of Fox’s more advanced FIT design. The difference in feel on the trail is a little more obvious on longer-travel forks, but with just 100mm on tap here, few riders will ever feel the need to upgrade.

A big part of this capability is undoubtedly due to the progressive geometry. The tires may slide on occasion, but the more forgiving front end makes it easier to control that slide through the corners, and without making the bike handle like the Titanic. Likewise, the lower bottom bracket provides a more stable feel, and although there’s just 100mm of travel available, it’s well controlled so you’re at least able to make the most of it. Fox’s higher-end Factory suspension components (mid-range bits are fitted here) would help, but the difference would be so subtle that few people would even notice. However, just swapping the front tire for a grippier model would do wonders here.

What would make an even bigger difference is a dropper seatpost. Santa Cruz only includes a dropper post in the TR build kits, which also come with a larger front rotor and knobbier tires. A good dropper would add about 400g or so, but the positive effects on overall maneuverability can hardly be overstated. Even many World Cup racers — the most weight-conscious of all mountain-bike disciplines — are now using dropper posts, and not because of convenience. It’s because they help riders go faster overall as courses are becoming more technically demanding.

Unfortunately, Santa Cruz’s decision to run stock remote lockout levers for the front and rear suspension complicates matters, since there’s no real estate on the handlebar left for a dropper remote. TR builds swap the lever-type suspension remote for RockShox’s new GripShift-like control, but anyone starting with a standard Blur would have to add that separately. Removing the standard remote altogether isn’t an option, either, as the rear shock defaults to the locked-out mode when the cable is disconnected.

Parts, schmarts

Aside from the suspension remote, I have few complaints with the rest of the spec.

The SRAM X01 Eagle 1×12 drivetrain is well proven at this point, and offers a very usable 10-50T range out back that should satisfy the needs of even moderately fit riders. Chain retention is a non-issue with SRAM’s refined narrow-wide chainring tooth profiles and the clutch-equipped rear derailleur, and especially so given the intended application. Shifts aren’t quite Shimano-esque in terms of smoothness, but that’s to be expected; it works nonetheless.

There’s a good reason why SRAM has taken firm hold of the 1x mountain bike drivetrain market. Shift performance of the XO1 Eagle rear end is precise and consistent, and chain security is more than ample for cross-country applications.

Braking duties are handled by SRAM’s Level TLM hydraulic discs, which use the same dual-piston calipers as the company’s road groupsets, along with a pared-down lever design that saves weight relative to the more trail-oriented Guide family. Lever action is reasonably light and snappy, and overall power is very good, as is the level of fine control on loose ground. For most XC riders, the standard 160mm-diameter front and rear rotors will be just fine, and it was only in the wet that the brakes offered up any sort of audible protest.

When it comes to wheels, I’d strongly recommend that prospective buyers with sufficient funds opt for the Reserve carbon wheel upgrade. They’re lighter than the standard DT Swiss aluminum wheels, yes, and the DT Swiss 240s hubs (Chris King and Industry Nine hubs are also available) should also be very durable long-term. But what’s more appealing to me here is the generous lifetime warranty that Santa Cruz includes with the rims.

“In short, we cover all breakages, regardless of defect, and we replace the entire wheel, not just the rim,” said Santa Cruz Marketing Manager Brian Bernard. “It’s a pain to have to deal with bent spokes/new nipples/getting the wheel rebuilt, so we just ship a new one out so that folks can get back to riding. If someone were to back over their wheel with a truck, or melt it with their exhaust, we’d do rock-bottom, crash-replacement kind of pricing.”

Spoke holes are reinforced with additional layers of carbon fiber to prevent pull-through.

I even asked Bernard for further clarification on the policy, specifically about JRA-type incidents where a rider merely cracked a rim after hitting a rock on a trail, and when there’s no specific rim “defect” to speak of.

“We’d replace it [free of charge],” he said. “We definitely don’t encourage people to ride like Danny MacAskill did in our launch video, but nailing a rock and breaking your wheel happens, and we don’t want anyone to miss a ride because of our product. Our intent was to make it as simple as possible for the customer, and to stand behind products we make that may well break under normal use. Everyone’s hit a too-sharp rock at some point.”

In short, those wheels are more expensive initially, but they potentially represent a better overall value in the long run, and even more peace of mind than what you’d usually get with aluminum. And the fact that they’re pleasantly light, durable, and not overly rigid is a nice bonus, too.

www.santacruzbicycles.com

Aside from the name and basic suspension design, the latest Blur bears little functional resemblance to the original.

My mid-range sample came equipped with a Fox Float DPS Elite rear shock, which is functionally identical to the flagship model with the exception of the standard anodized finish on the shock shaft. In theory, this rear shock runs with a little more friction than the Kashima-coated shaft on the Factory version. In reality, almost no one will be able to tell the difference.

All of the pivot hardware on the Santa Cruz Blur uses a clever expanding collet design to help prevent creaking. As the bolts are tightened, the surrounding collars expand outward into the surrounding carbon structure to more securely lock them in place.

Riders who limit themselves to drier conditions aren’t likely to have any issues with the lower suspension link. But for everyone else, the flat shape and nearly horizontal orientation make it a magnet for mud and debris.

Santa Cruz equips the Blur frame with a threaded bottom bracket shell. This may be a few grams heavier than press-fit options, but the silence that results (not to mention the ease of service) is indeed golden.

Cable routing is a mix of internal and external, with the rear brake running along the top of the down tube so there’s no bleeded required during installation.

The soft plastic cable ports do a good job of keeping things from rattling.

The dual suspension remote makes for a cluttered cockpit, even with the single-ring drivetrain and the lack of a dropper seatpost.

The soft plastic down tube guard protects against rocks kicked up by the front wheel. A second bottle mount is situated just above this on the underside of the down tube, but anyone that regularly uses trails frequented by cows, horses, or other animals should do so at their own peril.

The 10-50T spread on the SRAM Eagle XG-1295 cassette provides plenty of range for both steep climbs and fast descents.

SRAM’s narrow-wide chainring design does a fantastic job of keeping the chain engaged over rough terrain. Dropped chains simply aren’t a concern.

SRAM’s new Level hydraulic disc brakes have a similar feel in your fingers as the Guide range, but with less power and less weight. This Level TLM version lacks the carbon lever blade and titanium hardware of the Ultimate version, but we’re talking a difference of just a handful of grams here.

The 160mm-diameter rotors provide sufficient power for XC racing applications. For more bite, you could easily upgrade to a 180mm setup instead just by purchasing a new rotor and an adapter kit for the caliper.

The aluminum spider on the disc rotor helps save a few grams. It also makes it less prone to warping relative to all-steel rotors.

Santa Cruz offers its Reserve carbon wheels as an upgrade on the XO1-equipped Blur. They’re light and impressively rigid, but perhaps even more appealing is the generous warranty and replacement policy Santa Cruz provides for them.

The Maxxis Aspen tires are fast-rolling and lightweight. Riders who regularly find themselves on loose terrain will invariably want something a little meatier, though.

Syntace claims its P6 HiFlex carbon seatpost provides a smoother ride than conventional carbon posts. But given the 31.6mm diameter, any difference is wholly imperceptible.

There’s enough room on a medium Blur frame for a large-sized water bottle.

The standard ESI silicone foam rubber grips are comfy and lightweight.

The steerer tube is cut at the factory with plenty of flexibility for adjusting bar height. Much of the XC racing crowd will likely just slam the stem, though.

The post Santa Cruz Blur long-term review: A sharper focus, but more limited appeal appeared first on CyclingTips.

Fox’s Live Valve electronically controlled suspension system has long been rumoured and seen in testing by many of its professional riders, and now it’s finally official. Instead of relying on manual lockout levers or clever suspension linkage kinematics to balance ride quality and pedaling efficiency, Live Valve uses electronic sensors to actively automate damping adjustments based on the terrain with no input required from the rider. Assuming it all works as intended, this means you can have that buttery smooth suspension on the descents, but also full efficiency when on the pedals – all without having to do anything other than ride.

Such automation isn’t the first of its kind; about five years ago, Lapierre and RockShox joined forces for the e:i suspension system. And more recently, Pinarello introduced the Dogma K10S Disk, a bike with an electronically-controlled softtail shock.

However, compared to the Lapierre and RockShox collaboration, Live Valve goes about it in a simpler and more effective way. It’s also more reactive, and can be implemented onto just about any mountain bike and with fewer pieces to go wrong. The tech is no doubt interesting, but it’s perhaps where the tech could go from here that’s even more exciting.

What is Fox Live Valve and how does it work?

Think of Live Valve as a lockout switch that is automatically flicked off and on to match the terrain before you can even think about.

Fox Live Valve detects bumps inputs at both wheels and the angle of the bike using accelerometers placed at the fork, rear axle, and main triangle. This information is sent to the suspension controller at a claimed rate of 1,000 times a second. The system interprets this information and reacts within three milliseconds (100 times faster than the blink of an eye), opening and closing solenoids at both the front and rear shocks to adjust to the changing terrain. Technically speaking, this means that Live Valve doesn’t exactly predict what sort of terrain is coming. However, the company claims that the system reacts so quickly that you don’t even realize that it’s working.

Fox may only just now be introducing Live Valve technology to the mountain bike space, but it’s already been implemented in the automotive industry: first on Polaris Dynamic UTVs, and more recently, on the 2019 Ford F-150 Raptor. Live Valve isn’t the first time Fox has implemented electronics on its mountain bike suspension, either, with the recent iCD system offering electronic lockout controls and Shimano Di2 integration for cross-country racers. Although iCD was still basically just a fancy manual lockout, it still provided valuable information. According to Fox, iCD-equipped cross country racers used their lockouts more than twice as often than those with a traditional manual lockout – up to 90 times in a single 1.5-hour race. By comparison, Live Valve supposedly makes 720 changes in the same time frame.

Mounted to the frame, the external battery acts at the system controller, charge point, and computer.

Unlike iCD, which relied on a Shimano Di2 battery for power, Live Valve uses its own externally-mounted 800mAh USB-rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Also tucked away inside the tidy battery case is one of the system’s accelerometer and position sensors, as well as the system controller that process all of the incoming information. Among other things, it’s responsible for determining bike pitch and whether the bike is jumping or in free fall. The pitch detection uses an algorithm that assumes three states: uphill, downhill, or flat ground. Sensors at each wheel determine whether the terrain is rough or smooth, and all of the system components are connected via physical wires. According to Fox, wireless systems are visually tidier, but also more complex – and more importantly, they’re still too slow to react relative to wired systems.

With Live Valve, the suspension remains closed over smooth terrain and then opens once a bump is detected at the wheel. The sensor at the front wheel will open both front and rear suspension and start a timer. If it’s a single bump and no further bumps are detected, then the timer will automatically set the suspension back to the closed mode. However, that timer is reset with each successive bump, and so the suspension will remain open on a rocky or technical descent. The timer system means that the battery only has to send a signal to the solenoids in the dampers once per suspension event, thus conserving system battery life. Speaking of which, Fox only vaguely states that the Live Valve battery will last for “16 to 20 hours of ride time,” with a full recharge taking just over 1.5 hours. And in the event you forget to charge the battery and the battery dies, the system will default to the open mode on both the rear shock and fork.

Most traditional suspension adjustments remain available to the user. Even low speed compression can be tuned with a 3mm hex key.

As fancy as Live Valve sounds, it still only affects the compression damper; much of the suspension setup otherwise remains the same. Air spring pressure, rebound adjustments, and the firmness of the open mode setting are also customizable by the rider. Riders can also tune the overall sensitivity of the Live Valve – in other words, how big an impact is required before the system reacts. However, the firmness of the closed mode is preset.

As expected, there is a small weight penalty for adding Live Valve to your bike – an extra 144g relative to the cable-actuated remote system on a 2018 Scott Genius, for example. More specifically, the battery is 72g, the controller and sensors are 104g, a Live Valve rear shock is quoted at 466g (185x55mm trunion mount), and a Live Valve fork damper by itself is 249g (sized for a 160mm-travel Fox 36 29er fork).

The front wheel sensor is attached to the fork crown. While the rear wheel sensor sits just below the rear brake caliper.

Fox clearly believes that its Live Valve technology is relevant wherever there’s lots of pedaling required. As a result, the technology is available across Fox’s whole air-sprung range, with the exception of its downhill-focused products. The system was designed to be mounted externally, allowing it to be retrofitted to most mountain bikes already on the market.

A number of brands are expected to use Live Valve suspension on top-tier models, with Giant, Pivot, and Scott already committed to it for 2019 bikes. Pivot and Rocky Mountain are the only brands to offer specific frame compatibility with Live Valve, including a dedicated battery mounting point. Aftermarket systems (including fork, shock, controller, and sensors) will be available in 32 Step-Cast, 34, 34 Step-Cast, and 36 fork configurations. System prices start at US$3,000, which is approximately US$1,400 more than a regular top-tier suspension package from Fox.

Pivot is just one brand to be offering Live Valve for 2019.

Future speculation and application

With such new technology, it may seem odd that we’re already speculating on what’s next. However, despite Fox’s years of development, it’s clear that the technology is still in its infancy.

Fox built Live Valve as an external system for easy bike compatibility, and it’s easy to imagine that the next step will be a system built around frame integration. A similar thing happened to Shimano Di2 in its second generation, and as a result, bikes became more visually appealing and weights dropped (although marginally).

Pivot’s latest frames put the battery somewhat out of the way.

Unless you have the latest frame from Pivot or Rocky Mountain, the Live Valve battery currently mounts to a bidon cage boss. It’s likely Fox has a solution to place the battery below the bottle cage (like was the case with first-gen Di2), but equipped bikes currently show it taking the spot of a bidon, a likely deal breaker for any cross-country rider. Certainly expect to see more frames offering cleaner integration with Live Valve, especially given such a change on most frames would likely only require a couple of extra rivnuts and perhaps wiring provisions, rather than a whole new frame design.

With the battery acting as the central control unit, it’s unlikely we’ll see an integration with Shimano Di2 return anytime soon; despite how well Di2 works off-road, its adoption has been less-than-widespread. However, such a collaboration shouldn’t be ruled out entirely, and a central battery unit would open up the technology to being more competitive on the scales and with increased purpose.

Dropper seaposts also allow room for further integration, especially with many brands working on electronically controlled posts. Such a thing could at a minimum share the Live Valve battery. Taking it a step further, such integration could offer automated dropper post control based simply on the pitch of the ground.

If such technology continues to be improved – with prices and weights coming down – then it’s possible to consider that frame designs could change, too. For example, suspension kinematics could theoretically be optimised solely for descending instead of currently having to balance ride quality and pedaling efficiency.

And finally, any technology that has the potential to make mountain bikes more efficient with less rider input has potential applications in other disciplines, such as on gravel bikes or even road suspension like Specialized’s FutureShock. Pinarello may have been the first to bring similar automated suspension tech to the road, but it’s advancements like Fox’s Live Valve that will push it into new space.

Fox’s Live Valve technology raises a number of important questions: Does all this sophisticated technology take away from the experience and purpose of being out in the wild? Or does it simply add to the ride experience, allowing you to focus on the trail and the surroundings, and less on what your bike is doing (or not doing)?

The post Fox Live Valve electronically controlled suspension: the future is now appeared first on CyclingTips.

It has been two years since Chain Reaction Cycles launched its in-house wheel brand, Prime, to sell low-cost wheelsets to the mainstream market. Prime’s first offerings included a suite of carbon wheelsets designed to emulate, rather than directly compete with, more expensive brands. The hope was that enthusiasts would be prepared to forego innovation and brand recognition so long as the price was right.

Needless to say, Prime found a willing market for its wheelsets, and now the brand has taken the next step to keep pace with innovation in this space by updating its carbon clinchers with wider rims. In this review, Australian tech editor Matt Wikstrom takes a look at two wheelsets from Prime’s new BlackEdition collection, and finds the new rims have a lot to offer buyers.

When Prime launched its carbon wheelsets a couple of years ago, it marked a new phase in the life of composite wheels. The technology responsible for cutting-edge high-end exotica had finally trickled down the market tree to give rise to a new category: the entry-level carbon wheelset. But it was not the relatively low price that was unique to Prime; online shoppers had been enjoying cheap Chinese-made rims for some time. It was the appearance of the wheels in the mainstream market that was most notable.

The 28mm, 38mm, and 50mm carbon rims originally picked by Prime were all open-mould products that were tested in-house and on the road before the new wheels were launched. The company wasn’t just dipping its toe, though, because on top of three rim profiles, there was a choice of tubeless-ready or tubular versions to suit both rim- and disc-brakes. Buyers had almost everything they could ask for at a very competitive price, including home delivery and a two-year warranty.

We reviewed two carbon wheelsets from Prime’s catalogue soon after its launch: the RP-38 carbon clincher road disc wheelset and the RP-50 carbon clinchers for rim brakes. As entry-level offerings, the two wheelsets had plenty of appeal, and they even managed to deliver some of the performance of higher-priced wheelsets.

From the outset, Prime’s carbon rims were obviously narrow in terms of both internal and external width, but given their position in the market, this was something that was easy to forgive. These wheels were never designed to compete at the same level as higher-priced and more aerodynamic products, after all, so there was no great need for a wider rim.

Nevertheless, Prime was obviously well aware of changing consumer expectations, which is why its carbon clincher rims have now been updated with a wider version to yield the new BlackEdition wheelsets in its catalogue.

There is a choice of five clincher profiles in the BlackEdition range: 28mm, 38mm (right), 50mm (left), 65mm, and 85mm.

Going wide for 2018 (and beyond)

The current trend towards wider road rims started about 10 years ago, driven largely by the search for aerodynamic gains. The late wheel aerodynamics guru Steve Hed found that a wider rim bed made for a wider and rounder tyre profile that was better suited to semi-toroidal rim shapes. However, that change in tyre shape also had remarkable benefits for the behaviour of the tyre, allowing for lower inflation pressures, greater compliance and grip, and even less rolling resistance, than the same tyre on a narrower rim.

In the time since then, wider tyres have become de rigueur for road cycling, and even wider rim profiles were needed to maintain clean aerodynamics at the leading edge of the wheel. Comfort and grip were further improved with the new rims without detracting from rolling resistance. So, for the rider, it has been a win-win-win. The only practical drawback is a need for more frame and fork clearance, which traditionally, has been limited for road bikes.

Frame and fork manufacturers have managed to catch up to the growing enthusiasm for wider rims and tyres, helped enormously by the introduction of disc brakes (and to a lesser extent, direct-mount rim callipers). That doesn’t mean all current road bikes are able to accommodate tyres and rims that are 27mm-wide or more, but the proportion has been increasing.

Prime’s carbon clincher rims were originally 25mm-wide with a 16.5mm bed. That was a modest increase compared to the 15mm rim beds that dominated the market at the time, but the industry has moved on, and now the leading carbon wheel brands favour rim beds that are at least 19mm-wide.

Prime’s carbon clinchers are now wider with a 19.5mm rim bed. The branding is more subdued, too.

With an external width of 27.5mm and a 19.5mm rim bed, Prime’s BlackEdition rims now fit comfortably within the new norm. The rims still sport the same U-shaped profile, tubeless-compatibility, and finish, as the originals. According to Prime, the increase in width has improved the aerodynamics of the new wheels, however the brand does not supply any data in support of this, nor are there any specific claims to that effect.

As for the brake track — an important consideration for any carbon wheelset that will be used with rim brakes — that, too, remains unchanged with a wide, staggered design that promises to direct heat away from the tyres and into the rim itself. Two pairs of Prime’s proprietary brakes pads are supplied with each wheelset, and the company strongly recommends buyers make use of them for the best results in both dry and wet conditions.

Build, weight, price and options

Ignoring the change in rim width, Prime’s BlackEdition 38 and 50 clinchers are essentially identical to the RP-38 and RP-50 wheelsets that preceded them. The hubs, spoke count, and spoke lacing patterns have all been carried over to the new wheels, and out of the box, they are taped ready for tubeless tyres.

Prime has moved to a new spoke supplier, though. Where once Sapim CX-Ray straight-pull bladed stainless steel spokes were used to build the wheels, every spoke now comes from DT Swiss. The front wheel and non-driveside of the rear wheel make use of DT Swiss’s lightest bladed spoke, the Aerolite, while the thicker and heavier Aero Comp is used for the driveside of the rear wheel.

The Prime-branded hubs continue to be supplied by Novatec. The hub shells are made from 7075 aluminium alloy with cartridge bearings used throughout. The end-caps press onto the front axle and thread onto the rear axle, however there is no pre-load adjustment for the bearings. Pulling down the hubs is quick and easy, and if spares or replacements are ever needed, Prime maintains an online catalogue of spares with convenient links to Chain Reaction Cycles to make a purchase.

The front hub has a small axle and bearings to keep the shell slender.

The axle caps are easy to remove. Just grab one…

… and pull.

The front hub bearings are positioned deep within the shell.

The rear hub has a bigger axle and bearings to contend with more weight and load.

The axle caps thread onto the rear axle. A couple of 5mm hex keys are required to unwind them.

Note the larger hex key fitting that allows the axle to be secured so the cap on the opposite end can be removed.

A weather shield adds an extra layer of protection for the bearing on the left side of the hub.

The right axle cap must be removed before the freehub mechanism can be serviced.

The whole body slides easily off the axle.

The drive ring that sits in the hub body has 26 teeth, which translates to a 13.8° engagement speed.

The freehub body has four pawls with a spring-clip that wraps around them.

The front wheel is laced with 20 spokes in a radial pattern, while the rear wheel has 24 spokes laced in a two-cross pattern. The latter makes no compensation for the offset of the right hub flange, so the spoke tension on the left side of the wheel is significantly lower (~60kgf) than the right (~130kgf). This is quite distinct from those rear wheels that employ triplet lacing (e.g. Fulcrum’s Racing 3 and Racing Zero or Shimano’s new C40-TL) to alleviate (or eliminate) this differential and reduce the rate of spoke fatigue.

In the short term, this is not a feature that pays dividends, and for many users, the quality of the spokes — which in this case, is very high — will be enough to contend with many rounds of loading and unloading without failing. There is still a greater risk that the non-drive spokes will come loose, though, and the wheel may need more attention to keep it true. For the mid-to-long term, heavy loads will take a toll on the spokes, leading to premature breakage.

The BlackEdition wheels live up to their name with a stealthy finish and subtle branding. It’s a pleasing change from Prime’s original branding that will suit a wide range of bikes; better yet, once installed, these wheels will look like an exotic upgrade at a fraction of the cost.

The BlackEdition 38 wheelset sent for review by Wiggle weighed 1,509g (front, 664g; rear, 845g) with rim tape, while the BlackEdition 50 weighed 1,614g (front 716g; rear, 898g), also with tape. For the latter, that’s an extra ~100g compared to the original RP-50 wheelset, demonstrating the impact of the wider rims and the heavier-duty driveside spokes on the total weight.

With that said, both weights are still quite good, especially considering the asking price. In fact, a 1,600g wheelset with a 50mm-tall rim (like Campagnolo’s original Bora) was once considered a technological marvel; now, it’s a relatively affordable mainstream product.

The valve stem hole is moulded so that the lockring for a tubeless valve fits neatly against the rim.

The BlackEdition 38 and 50 clinchers are available in two versions: one to suit rim brakes, and another for disc brakes. There’s also another three rim heights available — 28mm, 65mm and 85mm — making for an impressive suite of clinchers from which to choose. Prime also has another four BlackEdition rim-brake wheelsets for tubular tyres — 38, 50, 65, and 85 — however the external width of those rims remains at 25mm.

In every case, the wheels are supplied with a Shimano/SRAM-compatible freehub body, four spare spokes and nipples, rim tape and tubeless valves, and a two-year warranty. In addition, a pair of quick-release skewers and two pairs of brake pads are included with the rim-brake version of the wheels; the disc-brake version is supplied with a collection of end-caps and axles to suit quick-release skewers, 12mm thru-axles (front and rear), and a 15mm thru-axle (front only).

Wiggle’s (and Chain Reaction Cycles’) current asking price for the BlackEdition 38 is AU$1,305/US$1,035/£945. The BlackEdition 50 wheelset is a little more expensive, selling for AU$1,350/US$1,080/£990. That price does not include delivery, and it may not include local taxes and duties. For Australian buyers at least, there won’t be any extra costs. GST is included in that price, the wheels qualify for free delivery, and Wiggle/Chain Reaction Cycles will pay the local import duty as well.

Finally, it is worth noting that the BlackEdition clinchers have a rider weight limit of 100kg.

Easy to use and a joy to ride

Getting to know a new wheelset is not a complicated process, and when it performs exactly as expected, it’s easy to take it for granted after just a few rides. This is exactly what happened with the BlackEdition 38 and 50 clinchers: they were immediately inviting and easy to use, as well as trouble-free from the moment I opened each box.

I’ve been using tubeless tyres for several years, but I still brace myself when it comes to installing them for the first time on unfamiliar wheels. In this instance, I had two pairs of Hutchinson’s 25c Fusion 5 Performance tubeless tyres to install, which meant a fair bit of sloshing sealant and more than enough opportunity to lose time getting the tyres to seat and seal.

Rather than fire up the compressor, I opted to try inflating each tyre with a standard track pump first, and each time, I only needed a few strokes before the tyres started filling with air. Since this was only my second encounter with Hutchinson’s tubeless tyres, I can’t comment with any authority, but I’m really impressed with how easy they are to install. I shouldn’t be surprised, though, since Hutchinson was the first company to manufacture tubeless road tyres.

Prime’s 38mm rim promises to be a versatile performer since it won’t be overly affected by crosswinds.

At 80psi, the 25c tyres measured 27mm-wide, a direct result of Prime’s wider rim bed. It makes for a generous contact patch for road use, yet, as mentioned above, the tyre does not feel slow. I’ve long been a fan of wide rims for this reason: the extra grip and comfort is immediately apparent, and it makes for a very pleasing ride.

My Baum Corretto served as the test mule for the entirety of the review period. Swapping between each wheelset gave me an insight on the relative performance of each, but in truth, there wasn’t much to separate the two.

Side-by-side, the BlackEdition 38 was a fraction more responsive than the BlackEdition 50. Once up to speed, the 50s seemed a little faster than the 38s, but it was a fleeting sensation. It’s only in retrospect that I was able to identify a strength for each wheelset, because at the time I was on them, it wasn’t so clear.

Prime’s 50mm-deep rim offers a little more speed, but it is more easily affected by crosswinds.

What was clearer was the susceptibility to crosswinds. The BlackEdition 38 was rarely, if ever, troubled by the wind. In contrast, the BlackEdition 50 could catch the wind, though it was no better, or worse, than any other wheelset with 50mm rims that I’ve used.

If I ignored the effects of the wind, then I found I could use the two wheelsets interchangeably. There was no difference in ride quality; lateral stiffness was seemingly equivalent; and as I’ve already mentioned, they were both easy to use and equally enjoyable to ride. Over the course of several weeks, I never developed a preference for one over the other, though in retrospect, the 50s were perhaps a little more impressive.

As for the quality of braking, it started out as satisfactory and after a couple of rides, it seemed to improve, suggesting that the rims and/or pads needed some running in. I soon found myself braking with much of the same confidence that I have with alloy wheels, regardless of whether it was wet or dry. With that said, a little more force was required at the lever to get the same response in back-to-back testing with a set of alloy wheels.

Prime’s carbon clinchers are supplied with tubeless tape and valves, but buyers can fit standard tyres with inner tubes, if desired, with no penalty.

That back-to-back testing also provided some perspective on the performance of the BlackEdition 38 and 50. On paper, low-profile alloy rims (in this instance, Hed Belgium C2 Plus) are far from a canny choice when it comes to cheating the wind, but on the road, the distinction is much less obvious. Once again, it was a matter of nuance, and those nuances tended to cancel out when comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each wheelset.

The alloy wheelset was the most versatile of the three because it was untroubled by the wind and offered surer braking with less effort. The extra speed offered by the BlackEdition 50 was welcome, however more caution was required to control the bike when the wind was blowing. The BlackEdition 38 fell somewhere in between, matching the agility and responsiveness of the alloys, but braking required more effort.

I didn’t have any trouble with loose spokes or bearings in either of Prime’s wheelsets during the review period. The tubeless tyres never leaked or burped air, either. All of these are promising signs. Out in the wild, Prime’s original carbon wheelsets have generally performed well, at least according to Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles customer reviews. However, some have had problems with spoke tension or the hub bearings.

Prime continues to offer low-weight skewers with external cams with its wheels, which only go so far when it comes to offering a tight hold and resisting the weather. A couple of wet rides was all that was required for both to deteriorate during the review period, but a smear of grease quickly addressed this issue. As for the amount of noise from the freehub body, it was reasonably quiet, offering a subdued click rather than a loud buzz.

Summary and final thoughts

At face value, it might seem like a minor thing, but by increasing the width of its rims by just a few millimetres, Prime has provided a worthy update for its carbon clinchers. Yes, there is the promise of improved aerodynamics when a wider tyre (e.g. 25c) is mounted on these wheels, as demonstrated by other brands, but it’s the change in the comfort and grip of the tyre that is more important. Compared to Prime’s original offerings with narrower rims, the BlackEdition is more enjoyable to ride primarily because of this effect on the tyres.

The other major update concerns the presentation of the new wheels; a change to black-on-black branding sits well with the stealthy aesthetic that has come to define high-end carbon wheelsets. As a result, Prime’s BlackEdition wheelsets look like an exotic upgrade even though the wheels aren’t as light or aerodynamically refined as models that are far more expensive. I suspect many buyers will be happy to compromise on these things given the massive difference in price.

That price puts Prime’s BlackEdition wheelsets in direct competition with high-end alloy wheels, such as Fulcrum’s Racing Zero. As a result, prospective buyers are faced with a difficult decision: Do they opt for the best of what an alloy wheelset has to offer, including high-end hubs and perhaps some weight savings; or, do they compromise on weight and hub quality to enjoy a taste of carbon exotica?

In practical terms, there are no clear distinctions, so in many ways, the matter can be decided on the basis of personal priorities and/or excitement for the product. However, for a bike equipped with rim brakes, there is no strong argument for carbon rims. After all, the marginal gains that are on offer from improved aerodynamics are not so great that the threat from the heat generated by braking can be ignored. At the very least, it makes for a compromise that prospective buyers should be prepared to accept before making a purchase.

Prime’s BlackEdition 38 (right) and 50 (left) carbon clinchers are no more expensive than a set of high-end alloy wheels.

The 50mm rim will appeal to buyers that want to enjoy a little more speed.

Novatec is the company behind Prime’s hubs.

Two-cross lacing is used on each side of the rear wheel.

The BlackEdition 38 is over 100g lighter than the 50, so it feels a little more responsive.

The 38mm rim is marginally aerodynamic yet remains untroubled by crosswinds.

Just one small white logo appears on each side of the rims. The rest are black.

The BlackEdition 38 looks much like any other high-end carbon wheelset.

The BlackEdition 50 is a bolder wheelset.

The 50mm rim provides more room for bigger logos.

Prime’s quick-release skewers are quick to succumb to wet weather. The external cam mechanism will become sticky to use, so regular application of a bit of grease will be needed to keep it moving smoothly.

Every model in the BlackEdition collection has the same stealthy presentation.

The brake track is placed further down on the rim to help keep heat away from the tyres and tubes, but buyers will have to remember to set the pads lower.

The front wheel has 20 spokes laced in a radial pattern.

The rear wheel has 24 spokes, laced in a 2-cross pattern.

Novatec’s “anti-bite guard” is a tougher steel spline positioned at a single point on the freehub body. It promises to stop Shimano/SRAM cassettes from biting into rest of the alloy splines.

 

 

 

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I’ve been riding bikes long enough to vividly remember the heyday of suspension stems. Back then, the stage was dominated by Girvin and Allsop/Softride — and both actors were terrible. But that was then, and this is now, and much to my surprise, the Redshift Sports ShockStop suspension is really, really good.

Seriously, you must be joking

Why on earth would anyone be interested in a suspension stem for a road or gravel bike, you might ask? That’s a very fair question.

Modern bikes now have a remarkable degree of compliance engineered into the frames and forks even compared to just a few years ago, and it’s often more than enough to make most rides on decently paved roads feel buttery smooth. Likewise, we’ve also already established that tire pressure is the most important determinant in the ride quality of a road bike by far, and a change of even just a few psi can make a world of difference.

But as previously discussed, there are practical limits to how much a bicycle chassis can flex in a desirable fashion, or how far we can decrease tire pressure, before it negatively influences other performance aspects. And perhaps most importantly, not all of us are blessed with pristine asphalt.

JRA with the Angry Asian: Does frame compliance still matter?

Enter the ShockStop stem.

Originally launched on Kickstarter in 2015, the ShockStop comprises a pivoting stem with two small elastomer inserts tucked away inside the square-shaped extension — and that’s it. That extension rotates on two cartridge bearings, and both the stem base and extension are made of forged-and-machined aluminum.

It’s easy to see from this angle how the squared-off stem extension presses down on the two elastomer blocks when a rider hits a bump. There isn’t a third elastomer to protect against a harsh top-out, but I only found that I wished for one on rare occasions. And even then, it’s more of a dulled thud than a disturbing metal-on-metal sensation.

The laser-etched graphics are pleasantly discreet, and although there’s little hiding the fact that the ShockStop isn’t a standard stem when you look at it up close, the design is sufficiently stealthy that most observers wouldn’t have much of a clue that anything out of the ordinary is going on. But, according to Redshift Sports, there’s up to 20mm of vertical movement available (measured at the hoods).

RedShift Sports offers the ShockShop in 90-120mm lengths with a common +/-6° angle, and a -30° angle in a lone 100mm size. All feature standard 1 1/8″ steerer clamp diameters and 31.8mm handlebar clamp diameters, with a removable four-bolt faceplate for easy installation and servicing. Five different elastomer inserts are included so that riders can fine-tune the stiffness to their liking.

Actual weight for my 100mm x -6° sample is 277g.

Eating my words

I didn’t want to like the ShockStop stem as much as I did. Looking back at the fleet of high-end road racing bikes I’ve ridden with their sleek lines and painfully efficient builds, the ShockStop just seemed a little … silly. Perhaps I was also still a little scarred by those Girvin and Allsop stems of yesteryear. I’ll also admit that I even put off installing the ShockStop on a bike for quite some time after company co-owner Stephen Ahnert handed me a sample at the Interbike trade show in 2016 (sorry, guys).

But I eventually relented, if only for the sake of curiosity. And I’m glad I did, because this little thing genuinely surprised me.

Redshift Sports includes five different elastomer blocks so that riders can tune the stem stiffness as desired. I found that the company’s recommendations for my weight were far too comfort-oriented, though.

Once I had settled on an elastomer combo that suited my preferred feel, I was duly impressed by the ShockStop’s ability to smooth out the road surface without being obtrusive. As promised, the cartridge bearing pivot doesn’t move out-of-plane even a little bit, but yet the low-friction design is still remarkably sensitive, canceling out high-frequency buzz while also dramatically taking the sting out of impacts that would otherwise threaten to hammer your wrists into bone powder.

And unlike the FutureShock coil-spring cartridge that Specialized currently uses on its Roubaix and Diverge — both of which I found to move more than I wanted regardless of which spring I installed — the ShockStop felt appropriately firm. Here, it seemed to me that the movement was more supplementing the ability of the frame and tires to soak up the road imperfections, instead of trying to steal the show all for itself.

The ShockStop only impressed me more when I transferred it to a gravel bike. There, it not only provided the same comfort benefits I enjoyed on the tarmac, but also helped maintain front-wheel traction on bumpy dirt roads and singletrack. Sure, the ShockStop was heavier than the stem I once had on there, but the fact of the matter is that I was also going unmistakably faster than I was before, and with more confidence at that.

None of that movement felt overly “springy,” either, with the elastomer inserts providing just enough inherent damping to keep things under control.

That all said, I also found that my satisfaction with the ShockStop varied dramatically depending on which elastomers were installed.

Adjusting the stem stiffness is a somewhat cumbersome process that requires you to remove the handlebar in order to access the aluminum plate and steel bolt that hold the elastomer inserts in place. The stem also has to be installed on a bike, since the stem has to be preloaded when removing or installing the guts.

I first started with Redshift Sports’ recommendations for my weight, but there was a disconcerting amount of handlebar dive under braking, and way too much movement overall for my liking, especially on steeper downhill switchbacks or more technical non-paved terrain. It’s perhaps worth noting here that, given the nature of the ShockStop stem’s movement, the hoods inherently rotate down away from you when you hit something; longer stems will minimize that somewhat.

Redshift seems to have set its recommended guidelines for riders that are primarily seeking a pillowy-soft ride, and out of 15 total possible elastomer combinations, there are only four that are stiffer than what I chose. In my case, I gradually stepped up the insert densities until I arrived at a combination that Redshift deems more appropriate for a rider 25kg heavier than I am. Given my modest 70kg weight, that doesn’t leave much room for heavier riders that might want a similarly performance-oriented feel, so it’d be good to see Redshift add firmer options moving forward.

Performance-minded riders are likely to balk at the ShockStop aesthetics, too.

Not everyone will like how the Redshift Sports ShockStop suspension stem looks, but I suspect a lot of riders would be surprised by how well it works.

While Redshift Sports did a respectable job of keeping the ShockStop neat and tidy — again, the important bits are mostly hidden away inside — the overall shape is more suitable to mountain bikes than modern road bikes, and the exposed gap between the pivoting extension and fixed base seems a bit unfinished. A bit of molded plastic or rubber, similar to what Trek uses on the Domane’s IsoSpeed widgets, could go a long way toward smoothing out that transition and providing a more refined appearance.

And yes, the ShockStop is a bit heavy, but considering the very substantial benefit it provides, the added weight strikes me as more than reasonable, particularly given the broad compatibility with existing bikes. Redshift supposedly has a carbon fiber ShockStop in development, too, which would likely cut the deficit dramatically (and perhaps look better as well).

Keeping an open mind

I’m not ready to install a ShockStop on every drop-bar bike I own; far from it. In my opinion, good pure road racing bikes still provide enough give in the frameset and tires when riding on decent tarmac, and most riders will find the 35-40mm tires on gravel setups to be sufficient for those applications.

But that doesn’t mean the ShockStop doesn’t have its place. Not everyone has a fancy modern carbon fiber bike with heaps of built-in compliance, after all, and there are plenty of people who do have those bikes and yet still want a more comfortable ride than what’s currently available to them.

If the ShockStop stem can surprise me, then I dare say this thing might very well catch a number of other riders off guard as well. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

www.redshiftsports.com

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In this edition of Bikes of the Bunch, Wayne Abel and Darrell McCulloch tell us the story behind the custom road bike that was a centrepiece for Llewellyn Custom Bicycles at the Handmade Bicycle Show Australia earlier this year. In many ways, it’s a familiar story, but in this instance, we hear from both sides of the innovative project — from the customer and the framebuilder.

Colnago needs to start making proper stems for its bikes

Wayne Abel was not looking for a new bike when he called Darrell McCulloch at Llewellyn Custom Bicycles. It was an ornate stem that he was after to match his Colnago Master Olympic from the early ‘90s. By that point, Wayne was well aware of Darrell’s reputation and work, however with a drive to fill out his collection of classic steel road bikes, it was not something he could justify in the short term.

It wasn’t the first time that Darrell had been asked to build a stem by a Colnago owner. Over the years, he’s had several requests, and his response has always been the same: “I’ll do a stem for you — it costs this amount — and you get a free frame with it.”

The gentle rebuff normally gets a chuckle from the caller, and in this instance, Wayne shared a laugh before the two men got onto talking about trains. “I don’t know how we got on to it,” said Wayne, “but we got onto my job, and how I am a locomotive engineer. He got a bit excited because of his interest in steam trains. His profession is building bikes while his hobby is steam locomotives and railways.”

Darrell’s interest in heritage railways is far from passing. Aside from the time he has volunteered to restoration projects and local heritage groups, he has a small workshop (his “man-cave”) devoted to creating live steam locomotives in miniature form. “Wayne’s father was involved with heritage railways and steam locomotives in New Zealand, so we made a little connection, and that sparked things off.”

At some point, Wayne mentioned he was a big bloke, and that’s what brought the conversation back to bikes. “I don’t know how we got onto it, but I’m quite a big lad and he said to me, ‘I’ve got something to put to you: instead of just getting a stem, what about a whole bike? I’ve had this build in my mind for two or three years, and I want to build one for a bike show in Melbourne [Handmade Bicycle Show Australia] that’s coming up.’

“It was going to be the centrepiece for his display. Bigger tubes, a stiffer bike, and what would probably be the biggest lugged frame ever built… so, I said, ‘Keep talking.’”

An introduction to the Colossus

Darrell refers to the Colossus as his “mega-tubed frame”. The front triangle is constructed from Columbus HSS that has a down tube with a 44mm external diameter, while the top tube is 35mm in diameter. Compared to traditional steel tube sets, these proportions are massive. They offer plenty of stiffness for even the largest rider, but they also create a unique problem for a framebuilder like Darrell that prefers to use lugs.

Any frame that is built with HSS tubes must be either fillet-brazed or TIG-welded because there are no lugs available to suit the mega-sized tubes. Darrell opted for fillet-brazing when he built the first Colossus in 2016, and while he’s sold a few more since then (all with fillet-brazing), he wasn’t truly satisfied because it was missing lugs.

“Lugs have structural merit,” said Darrell. “Technically speaking, they are the gentlest, nicest way to join one thin-walled tube to another. Lugs also allow the builder to impart some style and character to add a bit of flavour and distinction to the frame.”

McCulloch’s devotion to lugs inspired him to start designing and manufacturing his own lugs in 2004. At the time, the diameter of steel tubing had been growing and sloping top tubes were becoming popular, so Darrell developed lugs to accommodate both. It was a demanding process, and while his lugs have become universally popular with framebuilders, Darrell has had to wait years to recoup the costs involved.

Trying to do the same thing on a smaller and more affordable scale has proven impossible. Darrell could not find a foundry — anywhere in the world — that could reliably cast thin-walled steel lugs in small batches, so he was left with one choice when it came to creating mega-sized lugs for the Colossus: he would have to fabricate them by hand in his own workshop.

The person behind the bike

Wayne mulled over Darrell’s proposition for about a week before he accepted it. There was the obligatory conversation with his wife, and while her blessing helped him justify the unplanned purchase, it was the connection that he was able to make with Darrell that sealed the deal.

“If I hadn’t struck up that rapport with Darrell immediately, I doubt I would have gone through with it, to be honest. I just enjoyed his persona without even meeting him and I feel we sort of became friends after one phone call.

“It was strange. I was almost convinced after the first phone call, but he told me to go away and think about it.”

With a career that now spans decades, Darrell has had plenty of time to learn how to sell his wares, but he learned an important lesson at an early stage. “It was 1990-91 when I saw a Richard Sachs advert in VeloNews,” he said. “What struck me at the time was seeing that he was advertising and marketing himself as, ‘I am your builder: I answer the phone, I build the frame, I build your wheels, I pack the bike, I send it to you’. I realised then that it was really important to ensure that the customer understands who is the person behind the bike.

“When a customer comes to a bespoke builder, they are getting as much of the person who creates the item, whether it’s a bicycle, piece of furniture, wedding dress, or even a cake. They end up making a relationship with that person. It’s not like a corporation, where you’re being marketed a design, an idea, or a vision. The customer is making a connection with the builder.

“You’ve also got to appreciate the customer’s hard-earned gold coins. They are not a life-support system for a wallet. You’ve got to be prepared to devote the time to meet their needs.”

It’s a facet of the craft that Darrell has seen some framebuilders struggle with. “This is not a hobby, it’s our chosen path of professional expression. It doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy it. But we have to market ourselves, we have to be personable, and we need a story.

“Some builders can’t do that … they might be very good technical artisans, but the other side of the business, they struggle. Sometimes, customers can take hours and hours, and that’s why it’s hard to make a living out of it, because there’s not enough cream in it these days.”

Darrell’s approach to running his business is not so much shrewd as it is a frank acknowledgement of the importance of customers to his profession. Without Wayne, Darrell could have created a lugged version of the Colossus that he might have been able to sell off at the Melbourne show, but it was always going to be more meaningful if he was able to make that effort in the name of a living, breathing person.

“If I’m genuinely honest, Wayne’s was one of the nicest projects I’ve done for a while. Sometimes you make very special connections with customers, and they can last for a long time,” he said. “I’ve had some come back to me 20 years later, 25 years even, and say, ‘Build me another frame! I’m back on my bike. I know I’ve still got the old one but I want a new one.’ Isn’t that fantastic?”

Breathing life into the lugged Colossus

One of the benefits of the impromptu purchase was that Wayne suddenly found himself at the head of Llewellyn’s build queue. It was December 2017 and the bike had to be ready for the Melbourne show just a few months later (April 2018). Darrell knew that he was going to need a lot of time to build the lugs, so he wanted to get started before the new year.

That Wayne was located on the other side of the country in Western Australia wasn’t a problem for Darrell when it came to deciding the dimensions for the frame. “What he told me to do,” explained Wayne, “was select my favourite bike — a Lynskey Helix — and get on a wind trainer so somebody could photograph me and collect some video of me pedalling. He wanted photos from every direction while I was on the hoods, drops, and tops. I think in the end we took something like 64 photos and about three videos.”

Darrell normally relies on his own eye when it comes to fitting his clients. He seems to have a natural talent for it, though when asked about it, he is quick to ascribe it to the amount of time that he has spent looking at frames as a craftsman and athletes as a coach. He also has a history (as team mechanic) with the Australian Institute of Sport that dates back to the ‘90s that led to him working closely with Dr Brian MacLean, an esteemed biomechanist that has positioned a multitude of elite cyclists.

The photos and videos were all that he needed to refine Wayne’s position on the bike, and from there, he was able to quickly produce a CAD drawing to start building the frame. The only major decision that Wayne had to contend with was the choice of stays, Columbus or Dedacciai. With the promise of a little extra compliance — and more importantly, a unique aesthetic — he opted for the latter.

“I’m not a racer,” said Wayne, “so the thing’s got to look nice. And different, you know. I have to say, since I’ve had the bike, most people notice the seat stays and the chain stays. They’re drawn to them like a bloody magnet. They just want to touch them all the time, like they can’t believe it.”

As for the other decisions, such as the choice of braking system and mechanical versus electronic groupsets, Wayne was very decisive. “I didn’t want disc brakes. I hammer down the hills but rim brakes stop me fine, so I didn’t see the need to go for anything else. I didn’t want a modern electronic groupset on it, either — I wanted it to be mechanical.

“I’m not a traditionalist, but I sort of wanted the bike to look traditional, if you know what I mean. To me, less is more. Less is better.”

As Wayne signed-off on the final drawing, he made one small request: “I said that I would like a head badge, something basic that denoted the bike as a Llewellyn without the paintwork. So, Daz went away to have a think about it for a couple of weeks, and he came up with a simple stainless steel cut-out that he would braze on and polish. I liked it straight away.”

300 hours of toil

From the outset, Darrell understood that the lugged Colossus was going to be one of his “big jobs” that would leave him drained. “They take a lot of emotion,” he said. “I say emotion because it’s what David Pye calls high-risk workmanship. Anywhere along the salt line you can drop the frame and dent it, or, it twists after you braze it, and you’ve got to scrap it. It’s that constant risk of ruining your work that leaves you feeling quite drained emotionally, but you’ve got to keep compensating to get the job done.”

The lugs started life as various lengths of chromoly tubing that were brazed together in the same way that all of the joints of a fillet-brazed frame are formed. The only difference was that each tube had to be machined to suit the frame member that would eventually be inserted into the finished lug. “I think there was only one size I didn’t have to bore with a machine, only one dimension of all the tubes, if I remember right.”

Once machined, the tubes were cut and mitred so that Darrell could start brazing them together. After that, there was the time-consuming chore of filing each fillet to provide a pleasing transition from one socket to the next. “It’s not a unique process. People have done it before, but it’s hard work. The bottom bracket shell was a week’s work. A solid week of absolute pain.”

Brass was used for what would be the first round of brazing. It’s a common choice for fillet-brazing that requires high temperatures. As for the second round, when each frame member was bonded with the lugs, Darrell used silver. “The critical joint of the tube is best done, in my opinion, using silver-brazing methods because it’s so gentle on the frame. Silver brazing doesn’t affect the brass brazing either, because you’re working at much lower temperatures.”

Before he could start the final round of brazing, the shorelines of each lug had to be cut and shaped. This was a relatively quick and painless process compared to the arduous process of finishing the joints. At face value, the array of arcs and points that Darrell crafted may appear to be merely decorative, but they were designed to contend with the stresses that would be placed on each joint of the frame. In this regard, Darrell had to allow for the extra size of the mega-tubes that he was planning to use.

“You don’t just scale up a traditional lug to the bigger tube,” said Darrell, “because if you did that, the lug becomes huge with too much surface area on the inside for brazing. You’ve got to shorten the shoreline from one to the other, but if you just leave it like a constant-changing sine curve from the top point to the bottom area of the lug, it wouldn’t look right, unless the lug is very deep, but that doesn’t look right, either.

“So that’s why I introduced the extra point. It’s not a new idea — French builders were doing similar things with much smaller lugs before the Second World War — it’s just my take on it.”

Throughout it all, Darrell kept Wayne apprised of his progress via regular emails. “I distinctly remember the first photo I got,” said Wayne, “it was three round tubes that had the message: the start of your frame. And I thought, what? Three round tubes? Watching the lugs come together, that was something special to see. How a bloke could do that, it just amazed me. The dedication to his craft must be crazy.”

Getting ready for the show

“The paint was the last thing that we discussed,” said Wayne, “and it was one of the hardest things to think about. It really was. I’m actually a bit of a fan of blue — most of my bikes are blue — but after talking to Daz, he had me thinking about red. Candy apple red, to be specific, because that’s what stands out at shows.”

As Wayne slowly warmed to the idea of a red bike, he started considering some of Darrell’s other finished bikes, eventually deciding to add a white head tube and a band on the seatpost. “I asked Daz what he thought it would look like, and he said that it would look quite smart, especially with the Llewellyn head badge.”

Wayne still found it hard to visualise the final product, and if it wasn’t for the upcoming deadline, he might have ruminated on the possibilities for much longer.

“To be honest, I was not 100% sure what it was going to look like, and whether I was going to like it,” he said. “Even a friend of mine, who is a bit of a bike critic, was worried about the white bits. But once he saw it, he reckoned it was the best thing I could have done. And I have to agree, the colour might not have been my first choice, but I’m extremely happy with the paint job.”

As for the build, Darrell was able to assemble the bike in time for the show with parts that Wayne had selected. They were all practical choices based on brands that he was familiar with. He has only ever used Shimano’s groupsets, so the latest mechanical iteration for Dura-Ace was his first and only choice for the bike. With a body weight of 115kg, he wasn’t tempted by carbon parts to save weight, hence the alloy Fizik seatpost and bars, and stainless steel King cages.

Darrell dressed the bike up with a set of Zipp wheels for the show while Wayne had a custom alloy wheelset (White Industries hubs, DT Swiss 511 rims) with a high spoke count and Schwalbe’s tubeless Pro One tyres waiting for the bike at home.

The bike and the builder, in the flesh

Darrell travelled to Melbourne with the lugged Colossus at the end of April for the Handmade Bicycles Show Australia. As promised, it was the centrepiece of Llewellyn’s stand, supported by another two of Darrell’s recent projects, a bright green gravel machine, and a classic blue “tuxedo” build.

Wayne and a mate had booked their flights from Perth weeks earlier and arrived for the opening night. Not many customers have to share the first moments with their new bike in a roomful of onlookers, yet that’s how it played out. Wayne had already seen a few shots of the completed bike, so he had some idea of what to expect, however he was still overwhelmed by how stunning his new bike was in the flesh.

“When I walked in the door, the room was full — you could hardly see the bikes because there was that many people,” he said. “I didn’t know where Darrell’s stand was, so we just started making our way into the room. There was a bike at the first stand by the door that caught our eye, so my mate and I started chatting to the builder about it.

“After about 10 minutes of that, I happened to look over my shoulder, and bang, there it was. Darrell was about two or three stands down from where we were standing, and it just hit me. It just lit up the room. It was quite amazing.”

It had been a busy night for Darrell and his wife, Mary Ann, addressing the interest of show-goers, but he happened to catch that moment. “Wayne arrived at the show, and I saw him spot the bike … and you could see it … the lust was gone and he’d fallen in love with it.

“I caught his eye and gave a little wink, a nod and a smile, too, and I thought, that’s great … that’s always the point when I know that I’ve done a good job. To see that satisfaction … that’s when I can let go of it and enjoy the bike.”

Needless to say, the two men had a warm welcome for each other as they met face-to-face before the lugged Colossus. Wayne remembers that there were a lot of people gathered around the bike and that Mary Ann was kept busy wiping fingerprints off the frame. He was also aware that Darrell had a job to do, so he saved his conversation for later. He was staying the whole weekend until the show closed.

No need for a raspberry

As an experiment of sorts, Darrell could not count the lugged Colossus as a success until he knew how it performed for Wayne on familiar roads. So once Wayne had returned home with the bike, he was keen to hear what he had to say about it. “The proof is in the pudding; it is in the riding,” said Darrell. “You can make something pretty, but if it handles like crap … if it doesn’t do the job… [blows raspberry].”

Wayne’s biggest hope was that the lugged Colossus could match the comfort of his long-serving Lynskey Helix. “In my own mind, and I might have said it to a couple of people, if that bike turns out to be as enjoyable to ride as the Lynskey, I would be more than happy. Now that I’ve ridden it a fair bit, I actually think it exceeds the Lynskey. It is actually a more comfortable bike to ride.

“I was worried it was going to be noodly because it was so comfortable for my first few rides. I hadn’t really given it a push on the hills, but when I did, when I got up and put in an effort, it didn’t dive at all, it just carried on and picked up. So let’s just say she climbs better than me.”

In the aftermath, Darrell is satisfied with the lugged Colossus, and it is now part of Llewellyn’s catalogue. However, he does hesitate at the extra effort, and emotion, that it demands.

“I feel fine about doing another one, but it’s not a rush job and the price, unfortunately, has to reflect that,” he said. “If you look at the accounting, it really should be double that — I’m not kidding — but my market won’t stand that until I’m dead. I might not sell another one unless I get the casting sorted out, which I’d like to do, but that isn’t possible at the moment.

“If a person shows up and wants to buy it, I’ll say ‘here’s the price, this is the reason why, and they can take it from there.’”

The post Bikes of the Bunch: Llewellyn Custom Bicycles lugged Colossus appeared first on CyclingTips.

One of the most entertaining things about the bikes we ride is how easily they can be customized to our liking. Components can be changed at will, there’s ample opportunity to dress things up with a bit of color, and the fit can be tweaked to better suit your wants and needs. Your cockpit is one area where there’s an especially generous range of flexibility, but there are still some basic guidelines you should follow in order to extract the most performance and comfort possible.

You’re doing it wrong (maybe)

Drop handlebars seem straightforward enough, but the reality is there is a huge range of adjustment possible, and plenty of ways to get it wrong. Before entertaining the idea of replacing your current bar to gain some comfort, you should first make sure that you’re making the most of what you already have.

Many handlebars come poorly set up straight from the manufacturer, usually with the levers mounted too low on the bar. There’s a good chance this rider would simply loosen the stem bolts and clock the entire bar upward to get the desired hood angle, but then that would compromise other aspects of the fit.

Many bike brands aren’t exactly helping in this matter in terms of how new bikes are assembled at the factory. Traditionally, the bottoms of drop handlebars have been set up nominally level with the ground, and the controls installed such that the tip of the brake lever is inline with the bottom of the drop (or with the upper surface of the hoods also roughly level to the ground).

“In the old-school way of thinking, hoods used to be level, but now it’s about five degrees up,” said Retül co-founder Todd Carver, who has analyzed thousands of sets of rider fit data over the past 11 years. “You should either have a neutral wrist [angle] or the slightest ulnar deviation, so slightly uphill. Never — and this is where I see a lot of riders make a mistake — set the hoods level to the ground. You’ll be too ulnar-deviated, and it won’t feel quite right. There is a rare exception where riders just prefer that, though. That’s the main point to check.”

While there are no absolute rules when it comes to how you set up your handlebars and levers, many would say that this setup isn’t quite right.

Brake levers have been steadily trending higher up on the bars in recent years as riders seek more comfortable wrist angles (or, one might argue, in an effort to compensate for too much handlebar drop). This is an extreme example.

This setup represents more of a neutral setup, with the bars rotated so that the bottom edge is close to level, and the top of the hoods sloping slightly upward.

It’s common for riders to clock their handlebar upward in order to get the hood angle where they want it to be. However, that then places the bar at an awkward angle, and also creates a longer “effective reach” when you’re on the hoods. In reality, these bars should probably be rotated back downward, and the levers slid further up on the bar.

Another example of a good neutral starting point.

Shallow-drop bars with pronounced ergonomic bends present an interesting conundrum. If the bars are rotated such that the lower edge is close to level, and then the levers brought up to yield the preferred 5° upward angle, the brake levers end up being very far away from the riders’ fingers when their hands are on the drops. So is this setup “wrong”? That’s debatable.

A digital level is a handy tool to have to help ensure that the levers are positioned the same on both sides. You can also use a flexible tape measure to compare the distance of the lever from the end of the handlebar, or compare a long straight-edge (resting on the back edge of the hood) to the top of the handlebar to make sure both lines are parallel.

Ok, so you want your hoods angled upward a bit. What’s the easiest way to do that, you ask?

If you’re like a lot of riders, you just loosen up the stem, rotate the bars upward, and — voilá! — all done. Simple as pie. But that’s also exactly what you shouldn’t do. That approach yields the desired brake hood angle, but it also affects other aspects of cockpit fit, and usually in a negative way.

Reach vs. effective reach

Every handlebar will have stated dimensions for drop and reach — or, in other words, how low the bottom of the bar comes relative to the clamped section at the center, and how far out the drops extend forward before curving downward. But those dimensions are based on the bar being installed in a neutral position in terms of rotation, and deviating from that can significantly change how the handlebar feels.

Every drop handlebar has a set of measurements that describe its drop, reach, and width. But how the bar fits in reality depends heavily on how it’s set up.

Carver instead prefers to use a term he calls “effective reach,” which refers to the horizontal distance from the center of the handlebar to the rearmost edge of the hood. According to him, this provides a much more useful description of how a rider’s cockpit is set up in reality, as opposed to just going by how the handlebar could fit.

For example, two cockpits with the same brake/shift lever and handlebar models could be adjusted to have identical hood angles, but depending on where the lever is clamped on the bar, and how the bar is rotated, one bike could feel much longer or shorter than the other one.

The “effective reach” of a handlebar refers to where the back edge of the lever hoods sit relative to the center of the handlebar clamp. You can often alter that figure by about 20mm by sliding the levers fore or aft. This also changes the hood angle, but leaves the position of the drops intact.

Complicating matters is the fact that component brands design their bars to be used within a certain window of angular adjustment. Specifically, the drops are meant to interface with the rider’s hands in a particular way, and skewing that orientation outside of the intended window can make them unusable.

“To us, [the fit of the cockpit] depends on both the roll of the bar and the setting of the hood,” said Carver. “The actual dimensions of the bar itself all depend on the end setup that you get, and it depends on the curve. A bar with a [printed] reach of 80mm can have an effective reach anywhere from 40mm to 60mm when you take the hood into account.

“A lot of times, what we’re doing during a fit is untaping the bars, and we’ll actually roll the ends of the bar back toward the rider, so they have that good drop position, and then we bring the hood up and it takes about 20mm out of their reach. It’s a big difference.

“Whenever we get a rider in who says they never use their drops, it’s usually because they’re not set up properly and they don’t have a good place for their hands to be. Their bar is rolled up too high, and their hoods are too low, and that makes for a really long effective reach to the hood.”

Drop bars first, brake levers second

The key takeaway from the above conversation is that you should set your handlebar angle first, and then set your levers up second; one adjustment should never be altered to suit the other. However, moving the levers on their own means retaping the bars, and for whatever reason, that’s intimidating to some.

It shouldn’t be.

Riders often just resort to clocking the entire handlebar upward to alter the hood angle just because they don’t want to mess with the handlebar tape. But it’s often a necessary step in order to get the right fit.

Installing handlebar tape is hardly a complex process; it just takes a little patience and attention to detail. Check out our in-depth guide to handlebar tape for more information. And even if re-taping bars isn’t your thing, consider it an opportunity to freshen up your bike or add some color, rather than a chore.

But if you’re really ruing the idea of wrapping your bars, try this: Once you’ve got a handlebar angle and hood position you think you’re happy with, go out for a quick ride with the bars unwrapped, keeping in mind the limited grip you’re have in the interim (or just do a quick-and-dirty job with the old stuff). That way, you can at least have some confidence that everything is where you want it to be so you only have to wrap the bars once.

There’s no need to wrap the bars to test out different handlebar and lever positions.

There are also a number of non-adhesive, gel-backed handlebar tapes on the market that will allow for limited number of re-applications within a reasonably short period of time. So if you’re the indecisive type, perhaps consider going this route.

Spoilt for choice

Again, all of this discussion has been geared around making the most of the bars you already have. But what if you’ve done all of that, and still aren’t happy with how things feel? At that point, it might be time to look at some new handlebars. Although with so many choices available, where do you start?

Which handlebar bend type will work best for you? Personal preference – or just what feels right – plays a big role for sure, but there’s also some logic behind the different shapes as well. Photo: Zipp.

Carver is a fan of the semi-ergonomic bars that are now practically standard-issue on new road bikes. According to him, the gradual curve affords more options for hand positions, while still relieving pressure for long-term comfort.

“The new ergonomic bars are better than the old ergonomic bars because it’s more of a gradual curve; they just seem to work better,” he said. “You’ve got this position for when your forearms are level to the ground and you’re coasting, and then when you want to pedal, you can bring your hands further down, and open up your hips to pedal. It gives you that continuum to move along, whereas with the old [ergonomic] bars, you kind of just had one spot. This just gives you more freedom.”

Classic-bend bars aren’t very popular, but they have a little more leeway in terms of how they’re rotated since the constant-radius drops will largely feel the same throughout a large range of handlebar rotation. The long reach and deep drop let the rider really reach down and forward, for an ultra-aggressive position.

Adding a bit more food for thought is Zipp product manager Nathan Schickel. Zipp not only offers multiple choices in handlebar drop and reach dimensions, but also dramatic differences in bar shape — and there’s a distinct logic behind each of them.

According to Schickel, much of the reasoning behind a certain drop and reach dimension relates to aspects of your bike fit. The goal is similar to what Carver aims for in terms of hood positioning: a neutral wrist angle. If you tend to ride in the drops with your forearms more vertical (which often corresponds to a lot of handlebar drop), Schickel recommends a drop section with a more horizontal orientation. Conversely, riders who run less drop that tend to have their forearms closer to level with the ground will likely be happiest with drops that are more upright.

“[The shape of the drop] is informed by body position and how you reach into it,” Schickel explained. “Everybody’s a little different. On my road bike, I run a 70mm-reach, but on my track bike, I run an 80mm-reach. That’s because I have more drop on my track bike, and so I’m reaching down into the drops. Whereas on my road bike, I have a little bit of a flatter position. But generally, if you’re sitting up a little more and you’re reaching down [into your drops], you choose the 80mm bar.”

According to Zipp, the type of drop handlebar bend that suits you best will depend heavily on your desired (or necessary) arm and body position. Photo: Zipp.

Alternatively, there are more traditionally shaped bars — so-called “classic” bend bars — that have a more consistent radius throughout the curve, a long reach, and lots of drop. This is what is often favored by pro riders, who more often favor (and can actually manage) the longer body positions that are so good for aerodynamics. But for amateur riders, Schickel says, the take rate is a scant 3%.

As for width, the old adage still holds true for the most part: bar width should roughly match your shoulder width, measured from the bony protrusions at the end of your acromion. But even then, it’s not a hard-and-fast rule. If narrower feels better, go that route; likewise with wider. And if you find that you prefer some flare, then by all means, have at it.

And what about carbon vs. aluminum? According to Schickel, it’s not strictly a matter of one being “better” than the other.

“Generally, if you have the same amount of material, then yes, [a carbon bar would be stiffer than an aluminum one],” he said. “But because carbon has a higher stiffness per gram than aluminum, we can target the same stiffness, and build the bar lighter.”

There’s also a ride quality component to the decision as well.

“Carbon is an insulator, vs. aluminum being a conductor, so generally vibration is more damped slightly [on a carbon bar],” Schickel said. “Recently, we had a pro cyclocross racer mention that he didn’t want to race on carbon bars because he said he couldn’t feel what was underneath his wheels. [A carbon bar is] not as lively as an aluminum bar.”

Take the time, reap the benefits

Getting the cockpit fit that you want doesn’t necessarily have to involve a three-hour professional fitting session and hundreds of dollars in new gear. If your current setup just doesn’t quite feel “right,” it might just be a matter of some trial-and-error, a bit of patience, and far less cost than you might expect.

Ultimately, all of the recommendations and guidelines on the subject (either here or otherwise) should be taken with a grain of salt; all that really matters is what feels good in your hands.

“In reality,” said Carver, “it’s really just personal preference. But there is still a right and wrong setup for every bar.”

The post How to set up road bike drop handlebars — tips and guidelines appeared first on CyclingTips.

Shifting is pretty damn good these days. When everything is properly set up and well maintained, you’re able to shift without having to think or worry about it. And that brilliant shifting isn’t exclusive to the most expensive groupsets, either. Most of us would continue to enjoy cycling if we were forced to ride Tiagra.

Many of us often insist on having the best, often because we believe we need it, but if we’re honest, it’s simply because we can.

Sitting at the second tier, Shimano’s Ultegra may be viewed as a mid-range groupset to those that use Dura-Ace, and yet, it remains easily good enough for professional racing. It’s common to find Ultegra used on the training and backup bikes of Pro Continental teams, or the race bikes of Continental outfits.

In a day and age where most new bikes being released seem to mix hydraulic disc brakes and electronic shifting, it seems odd that tech writer Dave Rome would spend nearly a year testing “old” technology such as a mechanical rim brake groupset. However, it’s going to be many years until disc brakes are the most common sight on the road, and more so, mechanical shifting isn’t going away.

With Dura-Ace being the top dog in Shimano’s range, and 105 holding the title as the “workhorse”, it’s Ultegra that holds the reputation as being the performance groupset of the masses. Has Shimano retained such status in its new R8000 offering? This sample of Shimano’s latest Ultegra mechanical groupset, R8000, has spent the past 11 months covered in grit, dust and mud while gravel riding, and was then trialled on a road bike too.

Spoiler alert: it’s seriously good.

New R8000 in a nutshell

Everything in the Ultegra R8000 groupset is new, and yet, so much of it is familiar and seen before with Dura-Ace.

Running on an approximate three-year product lifecycle, the latest generation of Ultegra was released in time for the 2018 season. Including the new options of hydraulic disc brakes, there’s a total of four different groupsets variants on offer. Ultegra R8000 (as reviewed) and R8020 each feature mechanical shifting: the former is paired with cable-activated rim brakes while the latter is designed for hydraulic disc brakes. As a consequence, the brake/shifters for R8000 and R8020 are unique designs with slightly different hood dimensions, however, both employ the same gear-shifter mechanism and parts.

The other two variants — R8050 and R8070 — are Di2 (electronic) groupsets paired with rim brakes and hydraulic disc brakes, respectively. Once again, the brake/shifters are purpose-built for each braking system. Importantly, every variant adopts many of the innovations and refinements first seen for Dura-Ace R9100.

The finer details have been covered before and so I won’t rehash them, but let me cover the basics of what’s new in Ultegra R8000. Shifter ergonomics are refined, gear range choices are further broadened and expanded well beyond the options of Dura-Ace (with a wide 11-34T cassette now available), brake calipers are improved, and derailleur designs are substantially different to previous generations, too. The cassette (except for new size options), bottom bracket and chain are pretty much unchanged from Ultegra 6800.

Weight wise, a complete groupset of R8000 (with rim brakes) is 39g heavier than its predecessor, with the derailleurs, brake calipers and shifters carrying the extra mass, while the new asymmetric crankset saves a few grams.

The larger gear ranges of Ultegra R8000 is one thing Dura-Ace R9100 doesn’t have.

Worthy of note: the new R8000 components are all cross-compatible with the previous 6800 generation and just about any other Shimano 11-speed mechanical groupset. This means that if you’re on a recent 11-speed Shimano road groupset, you can mix and match many of the components reviewed here.

Why Ultegra is so much cheaper than Dura-Ace

From afar, if it weren’t for the grey aesthetic, Ultegra R8000 would look near identical to Dura-Ace. The price difference between the two is stark: at suggested retail, you’re looking at US$2,219 / AU$2,590 for Dura-Ace R9100, versus US$1,094 / AU$1,499 for Ultegra R8000. Speak to many in the industry and they’ll tell you Ultegra is simply made of cheaper and therefore heavier materials, and that’s where the price difference is. This is certainly true, to a degree, but there’s more to it.

All weights are in grams. *170mm, 50-34T, **11-28T cassettes, ***Excludes bottom bracket and cables

At approximately 300g between Dura-Ace R9100 and Ulegra R8000, the difference in mass isn’t nearly as great as the differential in cost. No doubt, Dura-Ace’s use of titanium, carbon fibre and magnesium — where Ultegra uses aluminium and steel — accounts for some of the difference. However, the biggest difference is in the extra finishing time Dura-Ace receives: Some parts are further machined; some finishes are finer; moving components are made smoother and often with more precise bushings or even bearings; and likely, tolerances are tighter, too.

On the road, the difference is subtle, at best. A sensitive rider may feel a little less shift effort in Dura-Ace. However, for most, the shifting will feel the same. Dura-Ace’s additional friction-beating Sil-Tec chain coatings or smoother derailleur jockey wheels may be felt in the hand, but again, few could tell the difference in a blind test or on the road.

Whether the differences are noticeable or not, what’s clear is that the tighter construction, hidden bearings and more advanced finishing on Dura-Ace will outperform that of Ultegra as time goes by. This has always been the case through many past generations. Where Dura-Ace and Ultegra will often feel near identical when new, it’s Dura-Ace that retains that same feeling many years down the track, whereas Ultegra shifters and other moving components will typically feel a touch less positive.

Now that’s not to say Ultegra isn’t durable; far from it. This groupset is built to handle abuse on a gravel bike, and it’ll laugh off whatever you put it through on the road.

Ride impressions

I tested R8000 in various different gearing formats, but most of my time was spent using it on a gravel bike with a compact crank (50-34T), long cage rear derailleur and 11-34T cassette. The rim brake calipers were tested separately after the groupset was installed on a road bike.

Shimano’s new road rear derailleur design features a more direct rear housing path, something that calls for a more flexible piece of housing.

As expected, the assembly process is well considered, but derailleur setup is a little trickier, or at least different, than generations past. For example, the rear derailleur uses its own (included) piece of highly flexible housing and so the old housing loop from the chainstay is now more direct. Likewise, the new front derailleur design sees the cable tension adjustment integrated and controlled with a hex key at the derailleur itself, but looping the cable through the pinch bolt is a fiddle on first go.

From the get-go, R8000 revealed a familiar feeling to that of Dura-Ace. Smooth, consistent and near-silent gear changes with each click of the lever, and that didn’t change during the testing period.

The updated hood shape is something I got on with well. It’s not too different to 6800, but there’s greater grip from the textured rubber hood cover. In turn, you get a more secure hold with less hand tension.

Lever reach is now shorter out of the box, and with good adjustment range from there. Likewise, the secondary shift button behind the lever blade is now larger.

Shimano claims that the shift lever throw is now shorter, offering a more immediate shift. It’s not majorly noticeable from 6800 but the change in lever shape is obvious. The greater outward flare at the brake levers improves bar clearance with small hands and also feels more natural during one-finger braking. Likewise, the downshift paddle that sits behind the brake lever is larger and easier to shift.

Where Dura-Ace just offers a short cage derailleur and a maximum cassette size of 30T, Ultegra has all the choice. A big part of the new Ultegra is versatility. In addition to the regular choice of compact, semi-compact or regular chainrings, Shimano offer cassettes ranging from 11-25T through to 11-34T, the latter HG-800 cassette being something I’ve reviewed separately. If you choose a cassette between 25-30T, then the regular GS short-cage rear derailleur is the pick. If you’re using the 11-32 or 11-34T, Shimano suggests using the long-cage GS derailleur.

The aesthetics of the new rear derailleur are proving to be polarising. Thankfully this new look brings a host of advantages.

Speaking of the R8000 derailleur, the new low-profile shadow design is something Shimano borrowed from its mountain bike lineup. It’s less likely to get damaged in a crash or from a bike toppling over and is ready for use with the newer direct-mount dropout design if your frame offers such a thing. Functionally, it retains Shimano’s silky smooth shift operation, and at least to me, has more positive (stronger) springs which lead to a marginally snappier-feeling shift. Likewise, chain retention is improved, most notably over rough terrain, and there’s noticeably less noise as well. Despite riding some questionable terrain, I never suffered a dropped chain.

Since my testing began, Shimano added its Ultegra RX rear derailleur options for additional chain security on cyclocross or gravel bikes – furthering the versatility of the Ultegra lineup. The new derailleur options add chain security through the addition of a clutch mechanism. It’s always nice to have the choice, but the new RX version should only be selected if you’re planning on tackling rough off-road terrain. If you’re sticking on tarmac or even light gravel, you’ll be perfectly happy with the regular R8000 derailleur, which happens to be cheaper and 38g lighter, too.

The front derailleur sees the biggest change. Loving the integrated cable tension adjuster in this.

The new front derailleur receives the most obvious overhaul. The new design allows for increased tyre clearance, a more positive shift and, best of all, simple cable tension adjustment without having to resort to an ugly inline barrel adjuster. Once setup, front shifting in conjunction with Shimano’s chainrings is undisputedly the market benchmark – nobody matches Shimano’s front shift quality.

However, Shimano does retain the need to trim the front derailleur in extreme gears. This is controlled via the micro clicks in the left shift lever, and just like my colleague James Huang stated in his review of Dura-Ace R9100, I too prefer SRAM’s Yaw derailleur which all but removes the need for such manual adjustment as you shift through the rear block.

Shimano’s HollowTech forged aluminium cranks are also a gold standard. They’re super stiff, extremely reliable, easy to service and competitive on the scales.

It’s not all roses though, and Shimano is stubborn when it comes to accepting various frame fitments. In their minds, 24mm spindles and either BB86 or threaded bottom brackets are the gold standard – and everything else is inferior. While I commend such a firm stance, the reality is that a huge number of bikes have moved to larger bottom bracket types, and in these cases, you’re forced to find an aftermarket bottom bracket solution to fit Shimano cranks. Thankfully such things are plentiful, and while rarely as good value as Shimano bottom brackets, it has become a non-issue.

Shimano’s own four bolt chainrings are the best shifting out there.

As much as the new Ultegra is about versatility, Shimano still lacks a more adventure-friendly sub-compact or similar chainring setup. Sizes such as 32/48T are becoming increasingly common on modern gravel bikes and, as it stands, bike manufacturers are still forced to look outside of Shimano’s catalogue for such options.

Speaking of sizes, Ultegra is available in a generous range of crank lengths, but Dura-Ace is superior if you need specific crank lengths outside of the normal bell curve.

All of those things can be easily forgiven but Shimano still hides one glaring issue: cable wear. The tight cable bend in the shifter, along with the use of a slightly thicker 1.2mm cable (SRAM uses a more pliable 1.1mm cable), means Shimano still has not fixed its long-standing issue of fraying inner cables with extensive use.

In my 11 interrupted months of testing this groupset, I didn’t get to the point of experiencing this with my sample, but I have witnessed it on other bikes of a similar age. From what I’ve seen, new R9100 or R8000 is better at preserving cables than previous generations, but the issue does remain.

Thankfully the fix is a relatively cheap and easy one: replace your cables every 12 months, as is generally good to do, and you’ll never experience this issue. If such maintenance sounds unacceptable, then there’s always Di2.

On the topic of cables, Shimano does ultra-slick cables well, but not without issue. The slick coating given to the inner cables still has a tendency to fray and gunk up. While they suffer from more friction when new, the cheaper stainless steel cables are sure to last longer.

The new rim brake calipers are stiffer and with room for 28c tyres.

Finally, there are the newly updated rim brake calipers. These continue Shimano’s legacy of offering benchmark rim brake calipers with a stiff, secure and smooth lever feel. While heavier and using a few bushings in place of Dura-Ace’s bearings, the power is otherwise the same as the top-tier offering (largely due to the same brake pads provided with both).

The dual-pivot calipers are slightly modified from the previous generation, offering a sleeker aesthetic and a stiffer, albeit heavier, build. This extra mass results in an ever-so-slightly stiffer feel at the lever, and on the road, it rewards you with even more secure braking. The brake quick-release is now tucked away too, but no longer indexes: it’s now either open or closed.

As another benefit, the new calipers offer a touch more tyre clearance than those from the 6800 group — they’re now designed to work with up to 28c rubber.

Shimano Ultegra may be on the second step in Shimano’s range, but it’s a damn fine groupset.

The R8000 shifters improve on Shimano’s ergonomics, with a more naturally placed lever blade and shift paddle.

Helping to provide the best front shifting in the business, the big ring features shift ramps like no other.

Backside of the new front derailleur design. There’s a small support grub screw designed to give the derailleur a second point of contact with the frame.

Shimano sets the standard for many different components, its rim brakes being such an example.

Shimano has done a stellar job with R8000. There’s no doubt that this groupset is the benchmark of its price point.

The post Shimano Ultegra R8000 mechanical groupset long-term review appeared first on CyclingTips.

Industry Nine is best known for its mountain bike wheelsets that feature brightly anodised hubs and spokes with a loud freehub and rapid engagement. Their wheels also have a robust reputation, something that can be traced back to Industry Nine’s thoughtful hub designs and high-quality manufacturing.

Industry Nine has been feeling out the road market over the last few years, and it was enough to encourage them to take on the highly ambitious goal of developing a range of aero road disc wheels that could rival established brands like Zipp. In this review, Australian tech editor Matt Wikstrom takes a look at the effort that went into the design of the new wheels as he tests Industry Nine’s most aerodynamic road disc wheelset, the i9.65.

When Harvey Spiegel founded Turnamics, Inc. in 1969, I doubt he expected that his contract machine shop would ever house a premier bicycle wheel brand. And yet, that’s exactly what happened, though it would take 35 years.

Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Turnamics has always been in the business of providing manufacturing facilities and solutions for its clients. Harvey shares the business with his son, Clint, who grew up on the shop floor before joining the company in the ‘90s after graduating from college. By that time, Turnamics was losing business to overseas manufacturing, so Clint went to work on creating an enterprise that could capitalise on the workshop’s manufacturing capabilities to provide an additional stream of income.

Industry Nine was Clint’s ninth enterprise, spawned in 2004 by a fresh interest in cycling and an idea for a new hub design that offered rapid engagement. He also wanted to replace traditional spokes and nipples with an alloy spoke that was inserted at the rim and threaded into the hub flange. It was the first step towards a wheel system that could be adapted to any rim on the market, and it wasn’t long before consumers, and the industry, started to take notice.

In the time since then, Industry Nine has grown steadily to take up more room on Turnamic’s workshop floor. The original crew of four employees has grown more than ten-fold, and where once the brand was exclusively devoted to MTB, now it has hubs and wheels for the road market. Indeed, Industry Nine recently made the bold step of moving into the high-performance end of the road market by developing a suite of aero road disc wheels. The i9.65 is the flagship for the new range, and according to wind tunnel testing, it easily matches the performance of Zipp’s 404.

Industry Nine partnered with Reynolds Cycling to design its carbon road disc rims with a choice of three depths: 35mm, 45mm and 65mm (shown).

Industry Nine x Reynolds Cycling

Industry Nine had very clear goals when it started working on the design of its i9 Road Disc wheels. At the top of the list was drag; there was no point in bringing the new wheels to market if they couldn’t rival what the leaders had to offer. However, it was also important that the wheels behaved predictably in crosswinds, so the company wanted to avoid any sudden changes in side forces at different wind angles.

Rather than going shopping for an existing rim, Industry Nine approached Reynolds Cycling to help with the design of the new wheels and to take care of manufacturing the rims. The two companies had already enjoyed a successful collaboration when bringing Industry Nine’s PillarCarbon mountain bike wheels to life for 2015, and with an ongoing commitment to manufacturing the hookless carbon rims for those wheels, Reynolds was the obvious partner for the work.

That the company also has extensive experience with designing and manufacturing aero road rims no doubt sealed the deal.

Industry Nine’s drag data for the i9.65 versus Zipp’s 404 Firecrest tubeless disc fitted with 23mm Continental GP4000 S tyres.

A change to a 25mm Continental GP4000 S tyre had a minor effect on the drag of the i9.65 and Zipp 404. At 80psi, this tyre measured 29mm on the i9.65 compared to 27.5mm for the 404, which has a narrower rim bed.

An overview of how Industry Nine’s i9 Road Disc range compares with Zipp’s 303 and 404 when fitted with a 25mm Continental GP4000 S tyre. The AR25 is a low-profile road disc wheelset from Industry Nine’s catalogue.

Reynolds made extensive use of computational fluid dynamics to model three rim profiles — 35mm, 45mm, and 65mm — that satisfied Industry Nine’s brief before prototypes were created for wind tunnel testing. Industry Nine made use of the A2 Wind Tunnel in nearby Mooresville to test each of the new rim profiles at 30mph with two different tyre sizes, 23mm and 25mm, in direct comparison with Zipp’s tubeless disc 303 and 404.

All of the results from that study are presented in Industry Nine’s white paper on its i9 Road Disc wheels, which shows that the i9.65 wheelset offers a little less drag than Zipp’s 404 at every yaw angle. Continental’s 23mm GP4000 S tyre, which measured 27mm on the i9.65, provided marginally better aerodynamics than the 25mm version at yaw angles less than 15°, while the latter was better for yaw angles 15-20°. With that said, the distinction between the two wheelsets and tyre sizes was never more than a few watts.

Side forces on the i9.65 essentially matched those for the 404, increasing steadily with wind angle before flattening out beyond 15°. Considering that the i9.65 is actually 7mm taller than the 404, Industry Nine was very pleased with this result.

Unsurprisingly, the shallower rim profiles for the i9.45 and i9.35 wheelsets were less susceptible to side forces, and they suffered more drag than the i9.65. Nevertheless, when compared to Zipp’s 303, the i9.45 proved to be a sound rival, while the i9.35 offered a clear reduction in drag compared to Industry Nine’s AR25 low-profile wheelset.

Designing i9 Road Disc wheels as a system

The i9 Road Disc range is built on more than just an effective set of rim profiles. The hub, spokes, nipples, and rims come together as a system to maximise marginal gains in mass and geometry to yield a lightweight yet robust set of wheels. This is the kind of approach that mass manufacturers like Mavic, Shimano, and Fulcrum/Campagnolo have been practising since the turn of century with wheel components designed to complement one another to achieve specific goals.

With the capabilities to literally machine the hub shells from the ground up, Industry Nine was able to carefully choose the size and position of each hub flange to maximise spoke bracing angles and the lateral stiffness of the wheel. The company even went so far as to increase the width of the front axle by 1mm (to 101mm) so that it could separate the flanges just a little more for extra bracing.

At face value, this kind of effort may seem pedantic, but when the design of the hub is compromised by the need to offset a flange to accommodate the front disc brake rotor and rear sprockets, millimetres make a difference. An offset hub flange not only reduces the bracing angle; it also creates a significant imbalance in spoke tension that is the primary cause of spoke fatigue.

That’s why Industry Nine company opted to use triplet lacing — dubbed 2/1 lacing in its marketing material — for the front and rear wheels. It’s a strategy that places twice as many spokes on the side of the wheel where the hub flange has been offset and the spokes are shorter. This is something that Fulcrum/Campagnolo and Shimano has been employing with great effect for its rear wheels, where tension on the non-drive spokes is much closer — 70% or more — to the tension on the drive-side spokes.

Industry Nine laces its i9 Road Disc wheels with 16 spokes in a two-cross pattern on the left side of the front wheel and the right side of the rear wheel; the remaining eight spokes are laced in a radial pattern on the opposite of each wheel. Straight-pull spokes are used throughout, and the rims are drilled not only to suit the lacing pattern, but to match the angle of the spokes from each side of the hub.

This kind of refined integration for each part of the wheel is what adds to the strength and durability of the system. That’s not to say that the wheels will be unbreakable, but it gives Industry Nine the confidence to offer a lifetime warranty on the wheels.

In the case of the i9.65 wheelset sent for review, there was ~15% difference in the amount of tension on each side of the front and rear wheels. Average spoke tension was ~125kgf on the left side of the front wheel versus ~110kgf for the right; for the rear, the drive-side spokes had an average tension of ~150kgf compared to ~125kgf for the non-drive-side spokes. That’s not perfect, but it is a significant improvement over wheels with standard lacing.

The 24 spokes that are used to build the front and rear wheels are divided 2:1 to reduce the difference in spoke tension that is caused by offsetting the hub flanges for the front disc rotor and rear sprockets.

The build, weight, price, and options

As mentioned above, Industry Nine’s i9 Road Disc wheels are available with a choice of three rim profiles: 35mm, 45mm and 65mm. All are disc-specific and tubeless-ready with an internal width of 21mm. The external width starts at 29mm for the 35mm rim and increases to 31.5mm for the 65mm rim.

The same Torch Road Disc hubset, Sapim CX-Ray spokes, and alloy nipples are used for each build. Buyers get a choice of six-bolt or Center Lock rotor mounts; Shimano/SRAM, Campagnolo, or XD freehub bodies; and axle fittings to suit quick-release skewers or 12mm thru-axles. In addition, the hubs and nipples are available in a choice of 11 colours (black, silver, red, blue, orange, gold, turquoise, purple, pink, green, lime green) while the spokes can be silver or black.

Like all of Industry Nine’s hubs, the Torch Road Disc hubset is machined, anodised, laser-etched, and assembled on the floor at Turnamics. The only parts that are outsourced are the bearings. The hub shell is made from 7075 aluminium alloy while 7068 is used for the freehub body.

The i9 Road Disc hubs are designed for straight-pull spokes.

The axle end cap is easy to remove without tools.

This 12mm thru-axle cap can be replaced with one to suit a standard quick-release skewer.

The bearing sits close to the end of the axle, which reduces flex, but the elements do not have to penetrate far to find the bearing. A smear of grease will improve water-resistance.

The disc rotor needs to be removed before the left axle cap can be removed.

A decent grip on the cap is all that is required to lift it off the axle.

The left bearing sits deeper than the right, but a smear of grease is still a good idea.

 

The freehub body makes use of the same drive mechanism that has come to define Industry Nine’s rapid-engaging MTB hubs, however rather than six pawls, there are three. This reduces the amount of drag for the freehub, as well as weight and noise, while the angle of engagement increases from 3° to 6°. For road riders, that still counts as notably quicker than what most of the rest of the market has to offer.

Both hubs are easy to pull down since the end caps simply press on to the alloy axles. Once removed, the freehub body slides out of the hub for servicing, while a set of suitable drifts will be required to remove and replace the cartridge bearings. The pawls sit on small springs that are a little fussy to handle, but overall, Industry Nine’s hubs are relatively simple to service.

The weight of the i9.65 wheelset sent for review was 1,582g (front 727g; rear, 855g) with rim tape and tubeless valves. That’s a decent weight for wheels with 65mm rims, and Industry Nine is proud of the fact that’s significantly lighter than Zipp’s 404 Firecrest tubeless disc wheelset, which has a published weight of 1,715g (without tape or valves).

Industry Nine manufactures every part of its hubs except the bearings.

The left axle cap on the rear hub is essentially the same as the front, including the option to swap it for one to suit a standard quick-release skewer.

Don’t try pulling the cap off until the disc rotor is out of the way.

In the event that one of the non-drive-side spokes needs to be replaced, the bearing will have to be removed first.

The right axle cap can be pulled once the cassette has been removed.

 

Once the cap has been removed, the freehub can be pulled out of the hub…

…where it will slide off the axle. There’s a chance that one or more pawls may fall out at this point. Watch out also for the small spring that sits behind each pawl.

There are three pawls for engaging the drive-ring in the hub shell. These are cut from heat-treated steel, so they add a bit of weight, but Industry Nine prefers the material for its extra strength.

Once the freehub is out of the way, the drive mechanism can be cleaned up before adding some light grease.

Like the pawls, the 60-tooth drive-ring is cut from heat-treated steel, and according to Industry Nine, it can contend with 700 foot-pounds of torque.

 

As for the price, recommended retail for the i9.65 wheelset is US$2,525/AU$3,200. Buyers in the USA can save US$125 by opting for an all-black build, while those that want to personalise their new wheels even further can order custom rim stickers from Stickrd for US$75. Lastly, there is also an option to upgrade to Enduro XD-15 ceramic bearings.

As mentioned above, Industry Nine backs its i9 Road Disc wheels with a lifetime warranty, but it must be noted that the wheels have a maximum rider weight limit of 250lb/118kg.

Winding up the wheels

I’ve long been a fan of anodised hubs, so Industry Nine’s pretty purple hubs (with matching nipples, no less) were quick to ring my bell. Likewise the sleek shape of each hub body and the way the radial spokes sprouted from within. None of these finishing touches really has any bearing upon the performance of the wheels, but I think they add value (and bling!) to the overall package.

That Industry Nine offers buyers a choice of 11 colours for the hubs and spoke nipples, plus two for the spokes, makes for a wheelset that borders on a custom build. Add in the choice of three rim profiles, and buyers have almost everything that they’d want in a wheelset, aside from a higher spoke count for heavier riders.

The data is also there to reassure buyers that the i9.65 wheelset is truly aerodynamic. When added to all of the other features, such as tubeless compatibility, a 21mm rim bed, and a competitive weight, these wheels are very attractive, on paper at least, compared to what the rest of the upper end of the market has to offer.

Putting the wheels to use did nothing to dispel that notion, either. I could not identify any major shortcomings as the i9.65 lived up to my expectations for a high-profile wheelset.

To start with, they were sturdy under load and reasonably responsive. Once up to speed, they were pretty quick, too, but if the wind was blowing, the front wheel would get pushed around. Handling was quite predictable, and with the confidence of disc brakes, I could brake aggressively without worrying about the perils of heat buildup in the rims.

With all of that said, the i9.65 did not ignite my motivation or elevate my performance on the bike. Given the asking price and the position of carbon wheels as a halo product in the marketplace, this might be what some buyers would be hoping for, but that’s pretty unrealistic. I’ve yet to install a set of wheels that could do the same thing for my performance as a fresh set of legs and some great form.

At one end of the i9 Road Disc range is the i9.65 (left) and at the other, there is the i9.35 (right). The i9.45 (not shown) completes the range.

It’s also worth acknowledging that some rim profiles will work better for a rider than others, depending on their demands, strengths, and preferences. I’ve consistently found that tall wheels like the i9.65 are a little cumbersome and demanding to use. I live in a windy part of the world and I don’t have the power to push tall wheels with ease, so I really couldn’t get the best out of these wheels.

Swapping to Industry Nine’s i9.35 — which I had on hand for direct comparison thanks to Industry Nine’s Australian distributor, Dawson Sports Group — I immediately enjoyed the extra agility and responsiveness of a lighter wheelset that was immune to the effects of crosswinds. It was an inviting wheelset that could be used on any course and in any kind of weather, but there was no strong sense of free speed, which agrees well with Industry Nine’s wind tunnel results.

This comparison was enough to convince me that the i9.45 wheelset would be the perfect wheelset for me. I’ve always enjoyed riding 45-50mm rims because they manage to offer much of the speed of a taller rim while retaining a lot of what a shallower rim has to offer. With that said, these kind of distinctions are highly subjective, but they shouldn’t be ignored. After all, there is more to the performance of a wheelset than aerodynamics.

The i9.65 was an easy wheelset to live with. Tyre installation was a simple matter, regardless of whether they were standard clinchers or tubeless tyres. I was able to inflate tubeless tyres with a floor pump, and found that the beads quickly found and maintained a firm seat, even after the tyres were deflated. The 21mm rim bed added to the width of the tyres, as expected, with a set of 28c Vittoria Rubino Pro clinchers measuring 29mm at 60psi, while 25c Schwalbe Pro One tubeless tyres measured 28mm at 70psi.

The wheels remained true throughout the review period while the freehub offered a rich buzz on par with Chris King hubs. Straight-pull spokes may present a problem in the event of a sudden breakage, but at least they are not a proprietary design, and there are a couple of brands that make suitable replacements. J-bend spokes will always be easier to replace at short notice, but honestly, for a modern wheelset like the i9.65, they would look horribly outdated.

I mentioned above that the front axle measures 101mm rather than 100mm, and it did give me some trouble, because the spacing of the fork on the bike I was working with was exactly 100mm. Trying to line up the disc rotor while spreading the fork legs could be a fussy operation, but this won’t apply to all forks. In fact, Industry Nine found that most of the forks they measured were 100.5-101.5mm, which is why they opted to add to the width of the axle. For those that would rather avoid the issue, it’s a simple matter to make this measurement before committing to a purchase.

Summary and final thoughts

Industry Nine may be a newcomer to the aero road wheel market, but its i9 Road Disc wheels tick all the boxes, starting with an effective aerodynamic rim profile. The performance of the i9.65 doesn’t slay Zipp’s 404, so buyers can’t expect to leave Zipp’s customers in the dust, but there are marginal gains up for grabs. As for other offerings from brands like Enve, Hed, Roval, DT Swiss, and Mavic, buyers will have to wait for more data, but Industry Nine promises to be a worthy rival.

The company is no stranger to building robust wheel systems, and there is every indication that the i9 Road Disc range will be just as hard-wearing and dependable. The wide tubeless-ready rim bed keeps pace with the recent evolution in aero rim profiles, and it will also provide buyers with a plusher ride and more grip from the tyres. The absence of proprietary components is another plus, and the hubs are as pretty as they are functional.

But it is the range of options that really elevates the i9 Road Disc range, with three rim profiles, 11 different colours for the hubs and spoke nipples, and even optional custom-coloured rim stickers among the wealth of choices on tap. It’s hard to see how any buyer that is prepared to buy a high-end road disc wheelset could be disappointed by what Industry Nine has to offer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Industry Nine i9.65 road disc wheelset review appeared first on CyclingTips.

Dr. Allen Lim has worn several different hats during his career in the cycling industry: as a consultant for PowerTap, as a physiologist for various top-tier road teams, and his current role as a co-founder of exercise nutrition company Skratch Labs.

Throughout nearly all of that, one thing has remained mostly constant: His personal riding interests have been focused almost exclusively on the road. But as is the case for a growing number of traditional roadies, that began changing about four years ago, when he decided to venture off-pavement more frequently, reaching for his Focus ‘cross bike on occasion instead of the usual go-fast tarmac machine.

“[Riding on dirt and gravel] is more fun, and it’s more interesting,” he said. “You can connect more routes. I first started straying off of the tarmac because I’m not strong enough to do these big epic loops — everyone around here is too damned fit — and so I’m always looking for a way to maybe cut the ride a little shorter, but have as much fun, because I’m, at most, confined to two hours of riding.

“Around here, if you have under two hours to do a ride, it’s hard to do an interesting loop where you don’t have to backtrack unless you go on dirt. And I think that’s the case for a lot of people. All of a sudden, it becomes more interesting when you can cut across something, or close a loop, or create a loop, than having to go out and back.”

“The other part of it is it’s more peaceful. There are less people, there are less cars. The paradigm shift was giving yourself permission to do so, and having a bicycle to do it on. Because if you’re on a standard road bike and you hit the dirt, and you hit some washboard sections, it ends up just sucking.”

Lim was hooked, to the point where he decided to go with a more dedicated machine in hopes that it would make for a faster and more capable experience on the endless array of dirt and gravel routes near his home in Boulder, Colorado. Soon after its introduction, Lim went out and bought a Cannondale Slate.

“It was so alternative, so purpose-built, and relatively inexpensive. I just jumped on that. But it was way too heavy, way too overbuilt, and the tires felt slow and weird.”

However, he loved the stability that the Slate’s lower bottom bracket provided, and after getting back on his old Focus Mares CX, he quickly understood the rationale behind gravel-specific frame geometry. “I could feel that high bottom bracket,” he recalled.

Back to the drawing board.

Lim’s needle swung back over toward the road side of things, since he knew that he still ultimately wanted something that felt like his Canyon Ultimate CF SLX — and so he sold the Slate and bought a Canyon Endurace. But while the Slate was too much of an all-surfaces machine, the Endurace wasn’t enough.

“That bike served me really well for a really long time,” Lim said. “I could put 34s on it, but it got me really vexed because I always felt like I was missing out on something with wheelset choice. But it still felt a little muted compared to my Ultimate. The Endurace was cool because it opened up a lot of territory, and I started playing a lot with gearing. All in all, it’s still a phenomenal go-to bicycle, but it didn’t feel like quite enough.”

Lim missed the versatility that his old Slate provided, but tried to find it in a more sporting package. Maybe the Open U.P.P.E.R. would be just right? Er, not quite.

“It didn’t feel like a rally car,” he said. “It was super cool and lightweight, and I could use whatever wheel and tire combo on it I wanted. The bottom line with that bicycle is that it’s a true gravel bicycle, and it wasn’t road bike-like enough for me. It was too sluggish. I didn’t like the way it cornered; I had to really fight and push it through a descent. I was really bummed about that, because it was otherwise exquisite.”

Three bikes, three strikes. But Lim wasn’t giving up.

Along came the Allied Cycle Works Alfa Allroad. Could there really be a “just right”? Lim may be the son of Asian immigrants but, as it turned out, when it came to his search for the perfect mixed-surfaces machine, he may as well have been a little blond-haired girl named Goldilocks.

“I had heard that this felt like a road bike,” he said. “I was friends with [Allied Cycle Works owner] Tony Karklins, and I called him up and bought one. And it turns out that [reviewers] like you and Patrick Brady [of Red Kite Prayer] were right! It really is like a road bike with more tire clearance.

“It feels fast even when I’m going slow, which is a weird thing to say about a bicycle. But up around here, you’re doing climbs where you’re topping out at five or six miles per hour, and this bike still feels fast and responsive. Where this bike feels the fastest is like that tarmac-to-gravel interface; you hit that gravel, and it almost feels like it sped up a little bit. It gets really lively on that gravel surface. It feels like you’re riding a real race bicycle, but it has enough clearance that you can run 38s on it.”

Lim took a fairly pragmatic approach to the build kit, eschewing the usual bicycle industry insider habit of going ultra-high-end across the board, and staying away from exotica. His choice of groupset? Shimano Ultegra Di2.

“That was largely driven by the Ultegra RX rear derailleur,” he explained. “The clutch makes things really quiet. But it’s a Dura-Ace crank. Because the crank is so dominant, you automatically think everything else is Dura-Ace. By having a Dura-Ace crank, I think I’m riding Dura-Ace! But I saw no reason to spend the extra money on the Dura-Ace controls.

“From a setup perspective, I think SRAM Red eTap would have been a lot easier, and I tend to like the controls better, too. I also think SRAM brakes work better than Shimano right now, and I’ve had less maintenance problems with SRAM than Shimano. But it was the clutch rear derailleur that did it. That clutch rear derailleur with the 11-34T cassette and the 50/34T crank gives me a 1:1 climbing gear, which opens up the range for me for all sorts of terrain.”

The bottom bracket was upgraded to Kogel’s low-friction ceramic unit, however, and Lim tapped the company for its easy-spinning rear derailleur pulleys, too. A quick backspin on the drivetrain reveals a notably silky-smooth motion.

“I love the fact that this bike [has a threaded bottom bracket]. This is, for sure, the smoothest drivetrain I’ve experienced.”

Schwalbe’s ultra-versatile G-One tires were an easy choice, Lim said, and the 35c size puffs up to a healthy actual width of 37mm when mounted to 25mm-wide Enve’s gravel-specific M525 G tubeless carbon wheels.

“[The tires] blow up to about 37mm, but that rim keeps it fairly low and wide, and the combo hauls ass. I think it’s actually a faster tire than some of the slick tires I’ve ridden on this bicycle.”

Smaller frames tend to ride more harshly than bigger ones, though, and given that Lim had to put himself on Allied’s smallest 49cm Plus size, it wasn’t long before he traded the original Enve carbon fiber seatpost for the Ergon CF3 (also known as the Canyon VCLS 2.0) and its unique flexible parallelogram design.

“I had the Enve seatpost, but I hated the head,” Lim said. “I got the flex back in the post, and it was a game changer. I feel like now I’m screwed, because I always need to ride a flexy post, especially on gravel.”

Other bits were easy picks, such as the Specialized carbon fiber Zee side-load bottle cages (which make it easier to mount bigger bottles in the small frame), Powertap power meter pedals (Lim still has an association with the company, and says a regular coating of wax-based furniture polish helps keep the cleats clean), and front and rear flashing LED lights (because he likes the idea of making it home each day).

The handlebar and stem, however? That’s still a work in progress.

Lim thinks he likes the subtle flare on the Easton EC70 AX handlebar, but the shallow drop doesn’t afford him the lower position (and shift in the center of gravity) that he likes in a more traditional road handlebar. And while he loves the Alfa Allroad overall, he finds that the front end rides a little stiffer than he’d prefer — and so a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem is now on his to-do list.

But what’s the story with the boring frame finish? Allied offers a huge range of custom colors and finishes, after all, and so matte black seems like the least imaginative choice. As it turns out, that was precisely the point.

“It’s one less thing to worry about. I like to wear crazy and colorful clothing, and the only way I can get myself to match to any bicycle is if it’s a neutral palette. I try to make as few decisions in my everyday life as possible. Matte black matches everything.”

The post Bikes of the Bunch: Allied Cycle Works Alfa Allroad appeared first on CyclingTips.

Take a look at the sidewall of any bicycle tyre and you’ll find a collection of numbers. One set pertains to the dimensions of the tyre, while the other is concerned with inflation pressure. Both are fashioned after the markings that appear on automobile tyres and both provide crucial information for the safe use of the tyre. Australian tech editor Matt Wikstrom dives into the detail.

It has been well over 100 years since the pneumatic tyre was invented and for most cyclists, it is easy to take the safety and reliability of the system for granted. But for tyre manufacturers, safety remains a primary consideration for every new tyre that is created even as they work to improve weight, rolling resistance, grip, and puncture resistance.

Wrapping a balloon around a rim is not an easy thing to do. The major challenge for early inventors was keeping the tyre on the rim. Adhesive was an early solution embraced by Dunlop for its first tyres, while Edouard Michelin developed a detachable tyre that was clamped to the sides of the wheel rim. The latter employed an inner tube and was easier to repair, but Michelin’s system was very heavy, so racers gravitated towards lighter tubular tyres.

As work on the modern clincher progressed, it soon became apparent that the design of the rim had a critical role to play, which eventually led to the creation of the hooked rim profile that now defines clincher rims. While those hooks look like they are designed to keep the tyre on the rim, they are more important for guiding it into place as it is inflated. What actually keeps the tyre on the rim is a near perfect match between the diameter of the bead of the tyre and the rim where the tyre will sit.

With this in mind, tyre and rim manufacturers were quick to recognise that standardised rim and tyres sizes were needed to ensure the safe fit of tyres, but up until the 1960s, standards were only a national phenomenon. This led to some pretty profound incompatibilities when tyres were traded between nations because the nomenclature that had been developed did little to distinguish between incompatible rim/tyre combinations.

The ETRTO’s tyre nomenclature removes a lot of the confusion surrounding tyre and wheel sizes but most consumers are still unfamiliar with it.

Having wrestled with the same issue for automotive tyres, the newly-formed European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) stepped in to standardise bicycles tyre and rim sizes in the late ‘60s. Where once tyres were defined in terms of outer diameter, the ETRTO concentrated on the diameter of the tyre bead and converted all measures from inches to millimetres.

The new system reconciled all of the various national standards, and by the early ‘80s, it would go on to become international standard ISO 5775. Importantly, the system is only concerned with clincher-type tyres and rims (including tubeless variants) and does not extend to tubular tyres, which continue to be defined by traditional standards.

Tyre and rim sizing according to the ETRTO

Once the ETRTO/ISO adopted bead-seat diameter, it was able to simplify the nomenclature for tyre and rim sizes so that compatible combinations could be easily identified by the user. If a tyre and rim share the same bead-seat diameter, then they promise to be a safe match.

Unfortunately, while bead-seat diameter has been in widespread use for at least a few decades, and is displayed on both tyres and rims, it remains an unfamiliar measure. Most shoppers think of road wheels and tyres in terms of the traditional moniker (700C) rather than the 622mm that describes the bead-seat diameter for each. This is something that the industry recognises, which is why many tyres are labelled with both the ETRTO designation and the traditional size.

Deciphering the ETRTO’s nomenclature on tyres is not difficult, since there are just two numbers: the first refers to the width of the tyre casing (excluding the tread, measured in millimetres) while the second represents the bead-set diameter of the tyre (also measured in millimetres). Some examples of the ETRTO nomenclature for common tyres sizes are shown in the table below:

The ETRTO’s standardised nomenclature comprises just two figures, one for tyre width (left) conjoined with the bead-seat diameter (right). All measurements are in millimetres.

While the ETRTO designation is typically printed on or moulded into the sidewalls of most tyres, it is less common to find it on wheels and rims. As a result, a side-by-side comparison of any given tyre with a wheel/rim may not always be possible, which does a lot to undermine what the ETRTO nomenclature has to offer.

Also missing from the majority of wheels and rims is any mention of the internal width of the rim. This is important, because in an age where rim widths have been growing rapidly, the ETRTO has found that a tyre can now be too narrow for a rim. For example, the organisation cautions against fitting a 23C tyre to a rim with an internal width of 17mm or more because there is an increased risk of the tyre coming off the rim, especially when high inflation pressures are used.

That’s because a wider rim allows the beads of a clincher tyre to sit further apart, and as the tyre loses its bulbous shape to assume a rounded profile, there is a dramatic increase in the amount of tension on the sidewalls. It’s enough to challenge the strength of the tyre bead, and tests by ETRTO members have shown that there is an increased risk of a blowout.

This added risk accounts for the organisation’s conservative recommendations around specific rim/tyre width combinations, which are set out in the table below:

The ETRTO recommends that a tyre must be considerably larger than the width of the rim bed.

Like bead-seat diameters, these recommendations are not widely known, and there is no indication on the sidewalls that any specific tyre width must be matched to a specific range of rim widths. So for the user, it is difficult to knowingly abide by these suggestions, especially when these recommendations are at odds with those of some wheel manufacturers (For example, Zipp states that its latest carbon clincher rims that have an internal width of 19mm have been optimised for a 25mm tyre, while its 21mm rim beds are best suited to 28mm tyres).

It’s not the only instance where non-compliance has occurred within the industry. During the early years of tubeless tyre development, some rim manufacturers actually increased the bead-seat diameter of their rims to provide a tighter fit for the tyre. It was a step that was taken in the name of innovation that arguably improved the safety of the system, yet it occurred in direct contravention of existing standards.

Adding further to confusion in this realm is the growing disconnect between nominal tyre width and measured tyre width, especially for road tyres. The nominal tyre width that is shown on a tyre is always measured for a standardised rim, however the actual rim width used to make that measurement is not openly declared, and tyre manufacturers rarely provide any information on how it might change for other rim widths. As a result, designated tyre width has lost much of its original meaning.

On top of all of this confusion and ambiguity, there is the influence of quality control. Mass manufacturers like Mavic, Campagnolo/Fulcrum, and Shimano are known for very strict quality control, but it’s an expensive undertaking that smaller companies may not be not equipped (or inclined) to match. It makes for another layer of product variation that goes a long way towards accounting for those instances where there is a poor, even unsafe, fit of a tyre on a rim despite matching bead-seat diameters.

While ETRTO nomenclature is a common sight on tyres, it is much harder to find this information on rims, so ensuring a suitable match can be difficult for consumers.

The year ahead for the ETRTO: defining a safer tyre fit

Speaking with industry representatives, there is a feeling that the ETRTO has had trouble keeping up with the rapid pace of change in rim and tyre design in recent years, and at least some of the the organisation’s recommendations have become outdated. Be that as it may, the ETRTO is working on updating its standards and recommendations for 2019, with a key priority being a much clearer definition for the tyre/rim interface for a safer tyre fit.

At this stage, it is too early to say what this will look like, but Mavic’s specifications and tolerances for its new road tubeless system might provide a clue on what to expect. With the goal of providing a tubeless system that is 100% safe, the company has tightened tolerances for the bead seat diameter of its rims and tyres, started measuring how much its tyre beads stretch under load, and is insisting on lower tyre pressures.

While changes to the ETRTO’s standards are likely to be incorporated into the international standard (ISO 5775) at some point, any changes in manufacturing practises are likely to be slow in coming. As mentioned above (see sidebar), only some manufacturers will have any obligation to abide by a change to the ETRTO’s standards, while compliance with the international standard is, at least in part, voluntary.

Tyre pressure recommendations

While the ETRTO and ISO 5775 spell out minimum tyre pressures on the basis of size and intended use, the final recommendations that are printed or moulded onto the sidewalls of a tyre are determined by the manufacturer. Some recommendations take the form of a range, while others simply define a maximum .

The parameters that are used to define these recommendations appear to vary from one manufacturer to the next, however there is an underlying theme of safety. In this regard, the maximum pressure is the most important number to abide by, though some brands, such as Maxxis and Continental, admit that they build their tyres to withstand much higher pressures.

The consequences of exceeding any recommended maximum should be obvious, though the risk of a blowout is not solely associated with the tyre. The rim also has an important role in deciding the fit with any given tyre. A relatively small reduction of just a few millimetres in the bead seat diameter of the rim can have a profound effect when high inflation pressures are used.

Most tyres recommend a range of pressures though it’s only the maximum that needs to be adhered to. The risk associated with over-inflating a tyre should be obvious: BOOM.

Some rims, especially carbon rims, stipulate a maximum allowable tyre pressure that can be be significantly lower than the tyre. Unfortunately, this is not often shown on the rim, so there is a real risk that it will be overlooked by owners that have a preference for high tyre pressures. This becomes especially important when the wheels are used in mountainous terrain, because the heat from extended periods of rim-braking will increase air pressure in the tyre.

Road cyclists have traditionally favoured high tyre pressures with the hope that it will reduce rolling resistance, and it’s a practise that continues today despite the fact we now have a much better understanding of the performance benefits that lower pressures and wider tyres have to offer. Tyre manufacturers have a good appreciation for both and some have reduced their maximum recommendations to stop consumers from over-inflating their tyres.

For those tyres bearing a range of tyre pressures, the lower recommendation can be derived a variety of ways, too. Some brands directly test the risk of a pinch-flat at various pressures to come up with a reliable number, while others concentrate on the weight of the rider (or the total load). The final recommendation will vary with the size and construction of the tyre, where larger and more robust tyres can be used at lower pressures.

Nevertheless, the indicated minimum remains a recommendation rather than a strict limit. Indeed, at least some manufacturers recognise that experienced riders are able to use lower tyre pressures without the same consequences that might afflict a novice. There is also an understanding that no matter how extensive any testing effort is, it is still not possible to reproduce every set of conditions that a rider may experience.

A pinch-flat or a cut tyre remains the biggest risk when using low pressures, but there are other hazards, such as damage to the casing and/or an increase in wear. The former manifests as long cracks in the sidewalls (which are quite distinct from the short cracks caused by perishing), while excessive wear on the tread outside the centreline of the tyre is consistent with the latter. Users of tubeless tyres also face the added risk of burping (where air escapes from the tyre).

Tyre pressure recommendations typically decrease as the width of the tyre increases but users are still free to use pressures that are less than the recommended minimum.

Putting tyre pressure recommendations into perspective

Most cyclists intuitively understand that the amount of air in a tyre can have a profound effect on its performance. Comfort, grip, and speed can all vary with tyre pressure, however the recommendations that appear on the sidewalls do not address any of these aspects. As discussed above, they are concerned with safety, and while adhering to them won’t prevent a blowout or pinch-flat from occurring, they will serve as a good starting point for any rider using a tyre for the first time.

Minimising the rolling resistance of a tyre, maximising aerodynamics, and/or improving comfort or grip is another matter altogether. These are all things that tyre manufacturers understand well for their tyres, including the fact that they are subject to a number of variables — such as the rider’s weight and local riding conditions — that cannot be anticipated. It’s a multifactorial challenge, and ultimately, something the individual must determine for him- or herself by experimenting with different pressures.

Any pressure that is derived in this manner is going to be more meaningful than a manufacturer’s recommendations. For racers, there is the promise of strategic advantages, while enthusiasts and/or commuters can maximise their comfort and grip for a more enjoyable time on the bike. All that is required is a decent track pump with a reliable gauge and the motivation to check and adjust tyre pressure on a regular basis.

The post What you need to know about tyre pressure, rim width and the limits of safety appeared first on CyclingTips.

Let’s face it, bikes are an awkward item to store. They’re prone to toppling over, require space and there’s often more than one to worry about. In this installment of CT Recommends, we’ll be looking at the best indoor (or outdoor, if you’re that way inclined?) bike storage products and solutions.

Some of our staff have dedicated bike storage areas with carefully planned layouts, while others simply rely on floor space. Tech writer Dave Rome, along with input from the CT team, covers this topic.

As someone who has always had too many bikes and too little space, I’ve learned that the best way to store your bike/s is dependant on your available space, living situation and how much you believe in N+1. Hanging bikes vertically from the wall may be one of the most space efficient ways, but it’s hardly an option if you’re renting an apartment. Likewise, racks that store bikes horizontally above the ground require wall or floor space, something that will only work for those with room to spare.

Given this, this article is broken down into ways to store bikes, with favoured products for each method. Certainly, there are more ways to handle storing a bike, so please share what works for you in the comments section.

Lots of bike, little space: Vertically hung

Got some free wall space and a little depth to play with? Hanging bikes vertically from a wheel is arguably the most space-efficient way and it’s what you’ll find the majority of bike stores around the world do within their repair departments. It’s also what our global tech editor, James Huang, does with his hilarious number of test bikes.

Joining James, Neal Rogers, Caley Fretz and Matt Wikstrom all store their bikes with bike hooks sold at hardware stores. These are a cost-effective way to store multiple bikes, and can either be mounted directly into masonry with a wall plug or threaded into wood. If the former, I’ve found it easiest to first mount a piece of 2×4 timber, and then mount your hooks into that.

Bike hooks sold at hardware stores will do the trick for most, but there are other options.

I’ve had a fair amount of experience using the methods above and as long as you have the depth to keep the bikes perpendicular to the wall, my preference is to use Park Tool’s bike storage hooks over those commonly sold at hardware stores. The low-cost hooks sold by hardware stores (or at least those sold in Australia) are typically small, limiting you in the type of tyre or rim depth that can be stored. Likewise, the plastic-dipped coating has a habit of splintering (likely due to the snug fit from being too small), leaving a metal surface to scour your rims.

By contrast, the Park Tool hooks are available in three sizes: skip the smallest and go the middle “471 Oversized” option (pictured above, left), unless you have a fat bike. They’re super strong and really not all that expensive. Being able to store a bike with 50mm deep carbon rims (be careful about deep rims which have a non-structural fairing) or 29er mountain bike with 2.4in rubber in the same spot is why I selected the Park Tool hooks for my Most Loved Products of 2017.

Andy van Bergen has his bikes stored on SteadyRacks and the space saved is obvious.

Do you have the wall space, but not the depth? There are options which let you safely swing the bike to sit at an angle to the wall. This is exactly what our community manager, Andy van Bergen, did with his bike storage. His preference is to use the Australian-designed Steadyracks, the original swinging rack of its type. As Andy explains, “They fold and swing so you can stack your bikes like pages in a book.” No doubt, it certainly looks neat. I too have one of these, and if it weren’t for the high price, all my bikes would be hung on them.

While the SteadyRack is the easiest, most effective to use (once setup) and best choice if you have rims with a carbon fairing (such as HED), there are other options for swinging wall racks.

“I really like the Feedback Sports Velo Hinge,” says James, who has his bikes hanging with a collection of both Velo Hinges and hardware store hooks. “It works for both road and mountain bikes (the latter with an optional oversized hook), and the design lets you fold the bikes up against the wall to save space. If you’re really careful with how the bikes are placed, and the order in which they’re hung, you can space the hooks really close together. I’ve managed 14” (about 36cm) spacing.”

To add another option to James’s suggestion, Topeak’s Swing-Up bike holder is worth a look, too.

And yes, you can swing a bike sideways in a regular hook. Our editor-in-chief Caley Fretz does just this with his bikes squeezed within a small closet. The risk is that the fixed hooks won’t support the wheel as well in a sideways position, and you’re greatly relying on tyre traction to prevent the bike from falling out. Even Caley admits that he’d pick the SteadyRack if he had a more permanent space.

Lots of products in this space work well, but I must warn against getting the really cool looking products that simply grasp the whole bike by pressing the tyre into it (such as a product called Clug). I’ve tried these, and they’re hypersensitive to chosen tyre width, and if they do work, a slow tyre leak will likely see your bike fallout. When it comes to hanging your bike, pick function over form.

Flat to the wall and on display: Horizontally hung

Got plenty of wall space, fewer bikes and not much depth from the wall to play with? Hanging the bikes horizontally and parallel to the wall could be the way. With this method, the bike will only stick out to the width of your handlebars and pedals. And as a side benefit, it’s a good way to turn your prides and joy into showpieces.

Like the vertical hanging solutions above, there are plenty of options in this space. My pick is for a rack with some level of adjustability to fit with a variety of frame shapes – a product like the Feedback Sports Velo Wall Rack 2D is a solid option and simply holds the bike by the toptube. Topeak offer a similar, albeit less stylish, product too.

If you’re after something a little more designer, there are plenty of options if you look around. One such option is the Cycloc, which is a contemporary designed rack available in various colours. It’s not the easiest thing to install and needs adjustment specific to each bike it’s holding. I’ve used them in bike shops before, they do work once setup, but easier and cheaper options exist where form isn’t important.

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Recently had to deal with a fairly challenging bike storage problem, but @dahanger_usa’s Dan pedal hangers came to the rescue. This orientation won’t be the best for everyone, but it was ideal for this particular situation.

A post shared by James Huang (@angryasian) on Jun 17, 2018 at 10:06pm PDT

Those options all hold the bike via the top tube, but James likes an alternative which sees the bike held by the pedal at a 25-degree angle to the wall.

“Another thing I’ve tried is the DaHanger Dan Pedal Hanger. It takes up more space (compared to vertical hanging), but works well and looks neat,” he said. “They also come in multiple colours, and the design is refreshingly whimsical. I’d say this is almost more suitable for indoor use, since the bikes end up basically on display for everyone to see — driveside out and everything.”

The brand claims that you can fit three bikes on a 2.5m high wall, meaning they’re more space efficient than other horizontal hanging solutions.

Ceiling: Only spare space is above

Got a garage with spare space in the rafters? There are a number of companies that make bike hoists (commonly sold at hardware stores), allowing you to tether your bike by the bars and saddle and then hoist it up about head height. Frankly, no one in our team uses such a thing, but I’ve trialed a few and they do work once the painful install is complete. Just watch out for those tangles!

Personally, if you’re going to take this approach, you should take a clue from the crazy French mountain biker Yohan Barelli (EWS racer for Commencal). His electric-winch based rack system is seriously cool:

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This is #tutotuesday N*45 hahaaaaaaaaa!! How to create the dream garage ?? Step 1: have a garage. Step 2: have big height space. Step 3: install a pulley system for your bikes. Step 4: build some tires rack, helmets rack, tools rack… Well almost all the racks you can imagine for a family of bikers. Step 5: share your dream garage project. What do you think, not bad hey ??? Haha. @giantbicycles @ride100percent @srammtb #behappy #bebarelli #monstergarage #dreamgarage #barellosvideos #stoked #myproject

A post shared by BeHappy BeFree BeBarelli (@yoannbarelli) on Jul 25, 2016 at 9:07pm PDT

Freestanding: I rent or simply can’t be bothered installing anything

So those walls have to stay pristine, eh? Thankfully there are a few options to store multiple bikes in the effective space of one.

Mitch Wells stores two bikes, one above the other, on this free-standing product.

Mitch Wells, head of the CyclingTips Emporium, is in this exact position.

“Having the ability to move a tripod style storage system is important to me,” he said. “As a renter I don’t have the freedom to install permanent storage options. I would also rather not spend money installing and then removing a system in a place I don’t own. So the dual bike system from BikeHand works well for me.

“The system is easy to setup, with a number of quick-release-type fixtures that slide up or down, rotate or extend to provide the ideal storage solution for any type of bike. The horizontal fixtures adjust to your top tube angle — for those who have a little OCD like me, having both bikes wheels parallel to the ground is a nice detail. The wide tripod base is stable and I have never had any concern about instability and have avoided any near-disasters.

“The whole thing collapses into a sleek 1m long tube shape, which makes it easy to travel with if needed.”

This BikeHand rack is effectively a generic option, and again, Feedback Sports offers a stylish (albeit more expensive) alternative. Bike-Tree is another company to offer both free-standing or wall-leaning options, while Delta does too. I’ve only briefly played with the Bike-Tree products, but have used the Delta stuff in the past and know friends that have had the products for more than a decade without issue. A solid choice.

This rack squeezes in between the floor and ceiling, and offers space for two bikes.

If you’ve got a reasonably solid ceiling in place (or a beam), then a floor to ceiling extending pole is my pick over a free-standing product that takes up more space. I use the Feedback Sports Velo Column to store two bikes in a horizontal position on an adjacent wall to a few vertically hung bikes, and my previous place had this product inside the home. The Velo Column is the most stylish version I’ve come across and offers a huge amount of adjustment. However, it does rely on spring pressure to stay in place, and so precise setup is required for secure holding.

For more secure holding, I can recommend the Topeak Dual Touch. This features a large foot pad which levers the pole into a locked position. You can buy additional brackets, allowing up to four bikes to be hung from a single pole. It’s not nearly as stylish as the Feedback, but it is an effective and proven pick.

Grounded: Want to store your bikes on the floor? How boring.

If space isn’t an issue, then simply leaning bikes against walls or with saddle hung over rafters is going to work just fine too.

The PRO stand on the right is an example of a common stand that does a reliable job, but it won’t work with all disc-equipped bikes. On the left is a basic maintenance stand, but it requires a hollow crank axle to work – something that’s not all that common with road bike groupsets.

However, if you want your bike on the ground, but away from the wall, you’ll require a stand. Assuming it’s to hold a rim brake bike, I’ve had good success with the simple wheel stands from PRO (sold by other brands too). I use one of these to photograph many test and pro bikes. However, they don’t always play nice with disc-equipped bikes, and so something like the Feedback Sports RAKK or Topeak’s copy version — which support the bike by the outside of the tyre — may be a better option.

If you want to store multiple bikes, I’d suggest simply getting multiple single-bike stands. Cheaper multiple bike stands do exist but they’re often poorly spaced and so you can’t comfortably fit in as many bikes as they claim. Additionally, rim damage may be a concern with those multiple bike racks as they were never designed to be used with modern wheels that are wider than the mounted tyre.

And if you’ve got one, a workstand or similar repair stand is fine to store your bike with too. In the past where it has been an option, I’ll just keep a bike hanging over the workstand’s arm by the saddle nose. As long as it’s not at risk of being bumped, it’ll be fine.

What products do you use to store your bikes? What have you used before and didn’t like? What product would you love to use? Or do you just use the floor like a monster?

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