Cycling | Evolving Consumer

Steal of a Steel

Steel is real, and the for those looking to get into cycling this season the steel framed New Albion Homebrew is a quite a steal. This traditional road bike with lugged high-tensile steel frame retails for $949.99. It features retro looks with small diameter tubing, quill stem and downtube shifters, and has braze-ons for rear racks, fenders, and front mini-racks.

In addition the fork has a lugged crown with double fork-end eyelets and mini-rack braze-ons, while the cockpit has a traditional bend drop bar and an alloy quill stem. The Homebrew will get in gear with a 9-speed Sunrace drivetrain.

New Albion Official Website

Made in America: Wood Grain

Why knock on wood when you can ride it. We’ve seen some wooden bikes that have impressed us, but Mick Pecsok of Grainwoods has taken it up a notch with his bicycles that utilize African mahogany, yellow heart, walnut, maple and birch plywood. He is building truly “customized” bikes at his workshop in Camarillo, CA.

Grainworks Wood Art Official Website

Dual Chambered

The human heart has dual chambers and that works really well – provided the person eats right, exercises, etc. Two chambers just works, so why hasn’t the concept been taken to bicycle tubes before?

Now Schwalbe and wheel maker Syntace have announced plans to create a new dual chamber tire that could provide greater traction and control or mountain bikes. This system is actually “tubeless” in that the tire has no internal inner tube, and instead has chambered that hold air. The inner chamber – that is the one closest to the rim – can be inflated to a high pressure to keep the tire tight on the rim and to provide a buffer from puncture-inducing hits. The outer chamber – the one that could have contact with the ground – only requires a low pressure, which means it can cut down on the rolling resistance over uneven ground and provide greater traction.

However, don’t expect to get rolling with it just yet. The system is still being worked out, and the companies look to present more details at Eurobike in August.

[Via BikeRadar: Schwalbe and Syntace unveil dual chamber tyre system]

Weekend Reading List (03.08.2014): Enough Already, Protesting, Tracking the Field

Enough Already

From Bicycle Retailer: U.S. Transportation Secretary says he won’t tolerate ‘crisis’ in bicyclist deaths
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Tuesday that he won’t tolerate an increase in bicyclist and pedestrian deaths. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (03.08.2014): Enough Already, Protesting, Tracking the Field

Titanium Printing May Revolutionize Bike Production

The above image may look like a piece of modern art, or perhaps the digestive system for a robotic man – but it is in fact parts for a 3D-printed titanium bicycle frame. Renishaw, an additive manufacturing firm based in the U.K., has joined forces with Empire Cycles to build a one-off titanium MX-6 mountain bike.

Empire Cycles already offers a production version of the bike but in aluminum, yet it has been long noted that titanium has a high Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) that is far greater than aluminum. One issue has been that titanium is also denser than aluminum, so the parts had to be altered and material not contributing to the overall strength removed.

Titanium is a perfect metal for 3D printing as it isn’t a traditional ore, and it now appears that the bike industry is looking to get rolling on this technology. The future could be printed bikes that can be faster to produce and likely even more affordable for the rider.

Press Release: First metal 3D printed bicycle frame manufactured by Renishaw for Empire Cycles

Paul Mounts Up

Paul Components has introduced a new bicycle Camera Mount that is designed to securely attach a GoPro camera to the top of a threadless stem. This mount is compatible with all HERO3, HERO2, and HD HERO Original GoPro cameras.

It is designed to replace the top cap of a 1 1/8-inch threadless stem and provides a way for the camera to view across the top of the handlebars and down the trail. The Paul Components’ Camera Mount can be attached directly to the camera’s case for a solid connection, or it can also be fitted with an articulated GoPro Pivot Arm for added adjustability.

Paul Component Official Website

The Grand Tour

Whether you’re looking to take a grand tour on your bike, or just like a bike bag with some style Arkel will have you covered. The company is now taking orders through March 15 for its custom Grand Touring Rear Panniers. Once all the orders are in the production will begin and the company has said bags will be delivered by May 1.

The hard part might be choosing from the six color options they’re offering. Continue reading The Grand Tour

The Bicycle Game

If you can’t get out and ride you can still enjoy bicycles on the table. The Schwinn Biking Game allows two to eight players – ages four an up – to race around the board and be the first cyclist back to their parking spot to win the game. If a player’s bike lands on a Schwinn Bike Shop square, the player immediately moves his or her piece to the bike shop and reads a Fun Fact card aloud, ending his turn.

The game is being produced by Michigan based board game company Education Outdoors.

Education Outdoors Official Website

Golden Ticket for Soretta

Last year high-end bicycle company Serotta closed shop, but in the past month Alchemy Bicycle Company has reportedly been in talks with Ben Serotta to develop a new retailer strategy. Alchemy makes stock and custom frames and bikes in a variety of materials at its shop in Denver, and it is working with Serotta to help avoid the same pitfalls that he encountered.

“I think I bring 40 years of lessons-learned — the good, the bad, the ugly — it’s all experience,” Serotta told Bicycle Retaielr. “Alchemy has a fabulous foundation, a great and committed ownership and staff, but they are also smart enough to know they haven’t grown a bike manufactory before, smart enough to realize there are pitfalls, and I think I can help them navigate some of the growth issues and avoid the pitfalls so they can grow more effectively.”

Does this mean that Serotta could once again roll out bikes? Stay tuned.

[Via Bicycle Retailer: Alchemy Bicycle works with Ben Serotta on retail strategy]

More Chrome for the Bike

Chrome Industries continues to shine. The bag maker has introduced the latest addition to its line of Knurled Welded Waterproof Rolltop bags for bike camping, adventure cycling and all-weather commuting. We saw these at last fall’s Interbike and these are finally ready for the daily ride. These are made with a proprietary technology that combines RF welding with a mechanical interlock. These offer a watertight rolltop closure and a loop system for bag expansion, and the result is a durable, lightweight and 100 percent waterproof bag. Continue reading More Chrome for the Bike

Pioneer Powers Up

We know Pioneer Electronics for producing what was one of the best plasma TVs on the market. Sadly those days are in the past but the company is rolling forward with other exciting products including a new bicycle power meter system that includes an updated SGX-CA500 Cycle Computer that displays power data. It features built-in Wi-Fi as well as ANT+ and as it is black and white instead of color has fallen in price from $900 to a down to earth $300. Continue reading Pioneer Powers Up

RaceWare Goes 3D (Printing)

Customized products are nothing new, but RaceWare Direct is taking it up a notch thanks to 3D printing technologies. The company will soon be offering products that can be very customizable when it comes to color and text, and is offering a number of bicycle mounts in both 3D printed nylon and titanium.

The online customization service will launch later this year.

RaceWare Direct Official Website

Blue Logic Cadence

BioLogic has introduced a new wireless speed and cadence sensor that can transmit directly to a mobile device via Bluetooth 4.0 and is thus capable with Android and iOS. The sensor is powered by a single CR2032 battery that is said to provide up to 700 hours of riding data. The Bluetooth Smart Speed/Cadence sensor (MSRP: $45.95) will be available in the second quarter of 2014.

BioLogic Official Website