You are currently browsing the archives for the 'July 2005' category.
I’ve tracked down a bunch of pictures of the 2006 Cannondale bike lineup. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not especially familiar with the Cannondale lineup but the bikes for 2006 really look great.
2006 Cannondale bikes
- The Prophet 1 2
- Gemini 1 2
- Rush 1
- Chase 1 2
Update (8 September 2006): BikeMagic posted up some more details on the 2006 Cannondale bike lineup. The Prophet MX looks particularly worthy, with a DHX 5.0 Air shock in the rear and a Fox 36 up front. Check it out if you’re interested in the ‘06 lineup.
No Comments »
A few weeks after Cannondale purchased clothing producer Sugoi, the company has inked a global distribution deal with shoe manufacturer Diadora.
With the deal, Cannondale secured exclusive distribution rights for Diadora cycling shoes in the North American and Japanese markets and will market co-branded shoes in Europe. The two companies worked with one another closely in the past since they both sponsor the Lampre-Caffita cycling team and Damiano Cunego team.
This is a smart deal for Cannondale since it gives them a line of quality shoes to go together with the soft goods that Sugoi produces. It gives retailers the chance to offer a solid, branded experience to consumers and moves Cannondale in the direction that has been taken recently by Specialized and Giant.
Source: BikeBiz.com
1 Comment »
Singletrack World has started publishing ‘internet-only’ reviews for products that don’t fit the print magazine’s cross country focus. The first entry in the series is a review of the e13 DRS chain guide.
The e13 DRS guide utilizes e13’s distinctive polycarbonite Supercharger bash guard and a proprietary retention device. The guide allows riders who like to pedal up the mountain in a granny gear but enjoy the benefits bestowed on a bike by standard chain retention devices — bikes fitted with the DRS can run dual rings with a front derailleur and their riders don’t need to worry about dropping a chain on the way down. I’ve had a little bit of time on these guides and they work really well. By and large, I agree with the review — the e13 DRS system is the best available dual-ring guide on the market.
While it’s fortunate for the review team that their guide went onto their bike without any major issues, some frames require a little more attention when being fitted with a DRS (Santa Cruz Bullit and VP-Free, Specialized Demo 8/9, Foes Fly). Fortunately, e13 provides detailed installation instructions for these bikes on their website. Additionally, the stock roller on the DRS guides is a little noisy for my liking. The last I heard you could order a softer one that reduced the rumble of the chain going over the stock roller.
No Comments »
22 July »
How tos »
Cory
It frustrates me to no end when I’m driving or riding through town and I see kids or adults with helmets that are hanging from their handlebars or, if they’re actually wearing their lids, having them pushed way back on their heads. Neither of these methods offer any real protection in the event of a crash.
I did a little digging and found an article by the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute on how to fit a bicycle helmet. According to the article, new helmets should be ’snug, level, and stable’.
You want the helmet to be comfortably touching the head all the way around, level and stable enough to resist even violent shakes or hard blows and stay in place. It should be as low on the head as possible to maximize side coverage, and held level on the head with the strap comfortably snug.
When it comes to fitting full face helmets, the same basic principles apply. It’s important to remember that full-face lids should have a snug fit and not be loose. When I originally acquired my Giro Mad Max II, it fit really well. The padding almost squished my face into the rest of the helmet, preventing the helmet from moving around on my head. Over time, the padding has compressed and it’s a little less snug than when I first started using it but, all in all, I feel that it’s still an effective form of protection.
Because fitting a helmet properly isn’t something you can do virtually, I’m not an advocate of purchasing helmets online. This is one of the many instances where a well-informed bike shop employee is invaluable and their input and contributions help give you the product that you want (and the one that fits you properly).
Another thing that’s important to remember is that you should replace your helmet after any hard knocks. In reality, I know that few people actually replace their helmet after a fall but keep it in mind. Even though it’s a drag to replace a pricey helmet, it’s less pricey than dealing with the damage that can result when a helmet fails…
No Comments »
Crank Bros Candy 4Ti was browsing through a mountain bike magazine at the shop yesterday and saw a spot for a new model in Crank Bros’ Candy lineup.
The Crank Bros Candy 4Ti pedals weigh in at a feathery 198 grams, which is a full 110 grams lighter than the Candy Cs and 96 grams lighter than the Candy SLs. They’re only 10 grams heavier than the 3ti Eggbeater model. Additionally, the 4Ti are decked out with titanium springs, kick plates, and spindles and are finished off with gold anodized end caps.
The 4Ti oozes cool, although I’m guessing the MSRP will be in the upper stratosphere.
No Comments »
Vernon Felton over at Bike Magazine has a review of a pair of Race Face Flow II gloves. The gloves look and feel great — I tried on a pair before deciding, as Felton discovered that they were a little thin on the palm. It’s too bad — I prefer riding with lightweight full-fingered gloves (as opposed to heavier, downhill-style mitts).
I’ve had pretty good success with the Airprene gloves from MACE (a Norco house brand), although the stitching at the tips of the fingers is starting to unravel. I’m going to pick up a pair of the Troy Lee Designs XC gloves today and will let you know how they fare.
No Comments »
21 July »
How tos »
Cory
I’ve got a bunch of bikes kicking around the garage; some are mine, some are my girl friend’s, and some are my kid’s (yes, my kid has more than one bike). Anyways, if you’re anything like me, the bikes usually end up scattered across the garage because I have no set place to store them.
The folks over at Utah Mountain Biking have posted detailed instructions on how to build a bike rack. While the directions detail how to put together a three bike rack, methinks that it wouldn’t be too difficult to adapt the design and make it as long as necessary. And be sure to check out the Yeti slotted in for the demo picture. If you do decide to build one of these yourself, please send me an image of it — I’d be curious to see how the PVC tubing holds up when there are three or four bikes slotted into it.
Source: MAKE
No Comments »
Following the purchase of Sugoi by Cannondale and Pearl Izumi by Nautilus comes word that Profile Design is set to purchase Titec.
The purchase of Titec by Profile Design makes sense for Profile — the company gains a solid brand of mountain biking components to complement its road lineup. Plus, it moves the marketing of the Titec brand into Profile’s basket.
Source: Bicycle Retailer
No Comments »
This past week, Trek Bikes and Fisher Bikes held a media camp up in Whistler, BC. As I mentioned in an entry last week, I saw a number of these bikes up close — including the Trek Session 10 and Fisher King Fisher — and they looked pretty sharp.
NSMB has an overview of the press launch for the 2006 Trek and Fisher lineup. It looks like Trek and Fisher remain committed to building solid freeride and downhill bikes for the foreseeable future — according to the entry on NSMB, Trek and Fisher have spent over 2 million dollars into research and development in the past while.
On the Session 10, Trek utilizes CTE — chain torque eliminator — which counters the negative characteristics that single-pivot suspension designs usually exhibit. According to the author (Cam McRae) CTE keeps the Session 10’s chain path in line with the movement of the frame’s pivot and works effectively to eliminate pedal bob and chain growth. Also, Trek worked closely with Manitou to develop a shock that performed especially well with the bike.
The article also discusses Bontrager’s upcoming releases, which seem to include plans for a ‘King Earl’ lineup — obviously a high end sibling to Bontrager’s Big Earl component group.
1 Comment »
You can tell that summer is in full swing when the major bike companies start releasing tidbits of info about their product line for the upcoming season. Specialized made the plunge today and announced some of the details for their 2006 bike lineup.
For 2006, Specialized is going to be utilizing a new carbon fiber process called FACT (Functional Advanced Composite Technology). I won’t get into the production details here but rest assured that a number of 2006 models will utilize FACT carbon construction.
The Specialized Epic will receive a facelift, and the top-of-the-line model will weigh in at a very light 2350 grams (or 5.17lbs) which includes the rear shock. The top three Epic frames will be equipped with a remote-reservoir Brain shock that gives the bike 130mm of rear wheel travel while being more supple than previous incarnations of the race-ready shock.
For 2006, Specialized raised the bottom bracket height of the Stumpjumper by a bit and slackened the head angle, which will make the bike a little more suited to true epic trail riding (as opposed to full out cross country riding). The only negative is that all of this new technology comes at a price — both the high end Epic and Stumpjumper are expected to retail for around $7000(usd), which is almost $2000 more than the current top-of-the-line models. Ouch.
Next up is the 2006 Enduro. The frame is largely unchanged but Specialized is spec’ing the new Enduro with Fox’s DHX Air — a shock that has all of the features of the coil over DHX lineup in a package that weighs half as much as its big hit sibling. Specialized will also equip the Enduro with a dual ring chainguide / roller setup that moves the bike away from the ‘epic’ category and more solidly into the ‘trail’ or ‘light freeride’ one. The top-of-the line Enduro model will feature the Fox 36 up front and lower priced models will use either Marzocchi or Fox forks. No pricing details were made available for the Enduro.
NSMB.com has the inside line on the revamped Big Hit, which looks set to hit the market at price points a little below those set by the pricey Demo series. For 2006, Big Hit fans can run dual 26″ wheels and choose from one of three separate models, each of which is at a different price level. Also, NSMB has a great shot of the new Trail SX, whose frame design is one of my personal favorites at the moment.
Update (26 July 2005) : British websites Singletrack World and BikeMagic both released images and descriptions of the 2006 Specialized lineups this week.
The Singletrack sneak peek at the ‘06 Specialized bikes. The Singletrack writeup includes images of the revamped M5 hardtail and the repositioned Enduro, along with some new road bikes.
The writeup by BikeMagic is the best of the bunch to date, with some great closeups of the carbon Stumpjumper hardtail, the Stumpjumper Epic, and the new Trail SX.
Update (2 August 2005) : Finally, I’ve tracked down a couple of images or the 2006 Specialized P series. The frames on these P-series hardtails look amazing — the head tube / down tube junction looks burly and the finish looks solid. Check them out!
Update (26 September 2005): Bike Magazine spent some time on the 2006 Specialized carbon bikes.
2 Comments »