Cycling | Evolving Consumer

Trek’s New Bike Brings the Speed – What a Concept!

Trek-Speed-Concept — Trek Speed Concept 9 Series

If you blinked you might have missed it, but Trek Bicycles introduced its highly anticipated line of new Triathlon and Time Trial specific bikes at last week’s Tour of California. The Speed Concept line of bicycles was used in last Saturday’s Stage 7 Time Trial is Los Angeles, and the aerodynamic profile was sure to turn heads. The KVF tube shape makes for a sleek cycle to reduce drag, and get you to the finish line in style. If weren’t in the City of Angeles, or didn’t catch the race on TV, you’ll soon get to see the bikes, which should be riding into stores soon.

You also won’t need to be a sponsored rider either, as Trek will offer the Speed Concept in three unique platforms for 2010, with a total of 12 models – to fit most price ranges, and with five unique sizes and six different stems, this concept will fit the frame of the rider like a glove.

The high-end Speed Concept 9 Series models utilize OCLV2 Carbon and can be fully customizable through Trek’s custom bike program, Project One. For those with a more modest budget, or just looking to get a solid ride off the shelf, the company offers the Speed Concept 7 Series, which is comprised of five models. These bikes, with prices ranging from $2899 to $3799, offer the same revolutionary aerodynamic advantages of the 9 Series but are constructed of Trek’s TCT carbon. These bikes will have you looking good on the road, and looking sharp at the finish line.

Trek Speed Concept website

Light Up Your Ride

Last weekend I went to the bike shop with a friend to get a new road bike. While at the register I told him to go and get a blinkie for his bike, he thought I was kidding. OK, maybe I should have used a less toy-like name. But lights are a crucial accessory for every bike, especially when you plan to remove the reflectors. Enter Knog Frogs from Australian company Knog. They come in 12 colors, and light up in white or red, your choice. A stretch waterproof rubber housing wraps around your seat tube, handlebars, helmet, or other objects to light your afterhours workout. Two straps wrap around, no fitting, no adjustments, and no slipping. The battery supports 80 hours of burn time with the light on steady, and 160 hours if you choose the flashing setting.

With 12 colors it’s easy to match your bike and stay fashionable. I got a bright yellow that goes well with my Felt road bike. When the sun goes down and I’m still on a ride I push once for a solid red light to alert cars on my tail, I push a second time for a blinking light — hence the “blinkie” reference. These lights are available at most bike shops. My friend didn’t buy a blinkie on Saturday, but does plan to pick one up soon.

Knog Frog

Available at many bike shops, including Trophy Bikes in PA for $15.

Bell Built This Citi to Bike and Roll

: Bell Citi Bike Helmet

Riding to work looking like Joe Pro probably won’t endear you to your boss, especially as you might seem more ready to hit the road than saddle up in the cubical for a day of punching the keyboard and hitting the daily grind. Likewise, the gear meant for training probably isn’t always ideal for commuting. A few companies have realized that, and Bell has introduced a helmet for the urban road warrior.

The Bell Citi is designed for commuting, just as the name suggests. It is actually a little bulkier and heavier than a race day helmet. There is even a “glow in the dark” version for those who ride either before dawn or just after dusk. There are also versions in gloss black, matt pewter and safety yellow for those who do their commuting when the sun still shines. But either way, you can stand out in the dark with reflective strips and the ability to affix a light to the back of this lid.

This helmet features the ErgoDial fit system for easy sizing adjustments, and it will protect your head with the Fusion In-Mold construction. It also offers a Blade visor to keep the sun and rain out of the eyes, and air-moving Channeled Ventilation. This brain bucket can even be used with a Flip Mirror as well, so you can see the cars even if they don’t see you. It has good style, without too much racing style, so it is perfect for commuting.

Bell Helmets: Citi

[Via BikeRadar.com]

Anti-Doping Goes High Tech

Discovery News is reporting that a new “biological passport” has been developed to keep pace (or is it pace line) with performance-enhancing drugs and those who use them. This new technology measures blood and body chemistry over time, and thus can help authorities monitor professional cyclists more closely.

Sadly, one rider Franco Pellizotti – who was a favorite for this year’s Giro d’Italia – has already been caught using performance-enhancing drugs from this new technology. The Italian rider was banned for irregular blood levels, which suggested he doped. Let’s hope this new biological passport will end doping and make professional cycling pure again.

[Via Discovery News: Biological Passport Nabs Cheating Cyclists]

Bespoke: The Handbuilt Bicycle Goes MAD

MAD handbuilt bicycle — The Museum of Art and Design's The Handbuilt Bicycle

Want to browse some bikes that you likely won’t be seeing anytime soon at your local shop? The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City has an exhibit running through the middle of August, which shows off the designs of six internationally renowned bicycle builders. The Handbuilt Bicycle showcases bikes that took weeks, and even months of skilled workmanship to build. Each bike of course bears the builder’s unique signature in design while showcasing their personalities through the choice of materials, forms and techniques.

The frames are metal, but these works of art show off the individual craft with graphics and other artifacts. Michael Manaram, owner of a textile company and an avid bike collector, along with Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles of Portland, Oregon, organized the exhibit, which includes 21 bikes that were completely hand-built.

The bikes include fixed-gear, road racing, cyclocross, mountain and even commuter bikes, as well as a stripped-down randonneur, which was designed exclusively for long-distance racing. The exhibition includes bikes from Mike Flanigan of Alternative Needs Transportation (A.N.T.), Jeff Jones of Jeff Jones Custom Bicycles, Dario Pegoretti of Pegoretti Cicli, Richard Sachs of Richard Sachs Cycles, J. Peter Weigle of J. Peter Weigle Cycles and Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles.

Museum of Arts and Design: The Handbuilt Bicycle

Sunday Starts the Tour of California

A month until the Tour de France begins another picturesque race pedals down the state of California. Tour of California, an eight stage race from May 16 to 23, starts in Nevada City and ends on day eight in Thousand Oaks. Top teams include Columbia-HTC, Garmin-Slipstream and Team RadioShack. Lance Armstrong is among those favored to place.

We’ll be watching Versus Sunday to Sunday next week as the race goes on, and following some of the new cycling technologies used by the racers as well as the officials to time and judge the race.

The San Jose Mercury News has a handy fact sheet on the Tour.

Amgen Tour of California

Carry a Reservoir on Your Back

Dehydration on the trail is not an option. One, maybe two bottles tucked into cages on your bike only supply so much fluid. A backpack hydration system such as the Osprey Packs Hydraulics line Raptor Series gives you 2- and 3-liters of H20. The Raptor Series is focused on mountain biking and trail running, giving you a few pockets to stash gear in a streamlined design. Osprey puts a great deal of design into its pack.

Start with the water reservoir. Three of the four Raptor styles come with 3-liter reservoirs; the streamlined Raptor 6 has a 2-liter capacity. The reservoir is built with a plate that aligns with the contours of your back so the water doesn’t barrel. You won’t feel the shape of water as it all buckles at the bottom of the tank while you ride. The framework of the straps are constructed by perforated molded foam to create a lightweight and flexible support. The same foam is ridge molded to create a ventilated back panel. Lightweight webbing adds reinforcement surrounds both the straps and back panel. The A LidLock helmet clip straps through the vent holes on your helmet — when you’re off the bike — so the two stay together and ready to pick up and go. The bite valve rotates to an open and closed (no leak) position, and has a magnet so the sip portion stays in a handy location on your sternum strap instead of flying around with every bump on the trail.

Features are too many to go into. Research, trials, and serious evaluation went into the development of the Raptor Series hydration packs. Every pocket, strap, and tab is built for a specific need while the unnecessary bits of a backpack were left out to keep the pack lightweight and streamlined for a more enjoyable ride.

Osprey Raptor Series ($79 to $119)

Cast a Giant Shadow in Your Next Triathlon

Spring means that triathlon season is just around the corner, and if you’re looking to shave a few seconds on your time the Trinity Advanced SL from Giant could actually make a colossal difference. Of course this bike doesn’t come cheap, and dare we say that the starting price of $5,100 is large and with the addition of Shimano’s Electronic Shifting Di2 could go to a titanic $12,000.

The new shifters are just part of the cutting edge technology that makes the Trinity Advanced SL the triathlon bike of choice for serious competitors. While this system won’t actually do the shifting automatically, the electronic controls are extremely precise, which can make a huge difference when you’re racing against the clock. In fact, considering the sleek profile, and comfortable ride this bike has to offer you might not want to dismount and do the running part of that triathlon!

The Giant Trinity Advanced SL

New Bluetooth Spec Announced

While Wi-Fi and WiMAX get all the big hype, there is another popular wireless protocol that is still going strong. That of course is Bluetooth, the PLAN (or personal local area network) protocol. And now the technology is getting a Dick Tracy worthy makeover ala watches. These have been around for a while, but soon could be replacing other wireless technologies for broadcasting short distances.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced that the forthcoming Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0 will feature powerful low energy mode that could have new applications for health, sports and fitness as well as for security and home entertainment. This could mean that Bluetooth technology could be used for heart rate monitors, cycle computers, running computers and other devices that currently work on RF protocols. The benefit of Bluetooth is that it could send the information up to 200 feet, rather than just a few dozen inches. It could also work to transfer information from a monitor to a computer after a workout.

It could also be more reliable than RF, and for anyone that’s tried to get a heart rate monitor or cycle computer to sync right without interference knows how that can help make a work out all the more enjoyable.

On Your Bike

That’s the name of a bike store chain in the U.K. But now Cannondale has released OnBikemade using the case closed technology used in the ON Concept bike shown at Eurobike 2007. What’s ON? It uses the System Integrated Chain Case Technology where the chain case is a single sided, fully enclosed structural part of the frame. Benefits are many. Fewer moving parts means fewer parts to go wrong. The enclosed chain structure protects the parts that move from collecting dirt and grime, which can cause failure. Fewer parts and enclosed parts means fewer parts to steal if you lock your bike up on the street.

Cannondale OnBike Limited Edition

CannonDale OnBike

Cycle Computing Gets a New Design

In the bright sun, in a competitive road race, it can be difficult to read your cycle computer. And even harder to change the display. The Polar CS500 remedies that with a large diamond-shaped display and rocker switch operation. The computer mounts to any bike with a reinforced composite metal dual lock bike mount. In the mount the computer can be adjusted with the tap of your thumb with the two-way rocker switch. Toggle the display to track speed, distance, cadence, heart rate, calories burned, incline, altitude, ascent and descent and temperature. What the CS500 lacks is a GPS reading, which competitive cycle computers from Garmin and other manufacturers provide.

The CS500 is compatible with Polar’s W.I.N.D. technology, which eliminates the issue of data drop-outs or cross-talk between cycling computers and also includes 2.4 GHz transmission. The computer can be customized and used on up to three different bikes, and has a drink reminder that alerts you to hydrate on those long rides.

A bit pricey, the CS500 is for serious riders, mainly those who race. The base set includes the handlebar unit, WearLink W.I.N.D. fabric chest strap, CS speed sensor W.I.N.D., and Dual Lock Bike Mount for $319.95. The CS500 cadence set is $359.95, the Power Output Sensor W.I.N.D. is available as a separate accessory for $359.95, and DataLink, which connects wirelessly to your computer can be added on for $54.95.

Polar

Fix Gear Bikes Suddenly Uncool? Blame WalMart!

Fix gear bikes are over! It is official – mass retailer WalMart is carrying “fixies” now, so you know that must mean they’re uncool. At least that’s what a lot of bloggers and various hipster types have to say. Here is a sampling of what has been said online:

Blogtown.com:
“Cry your eyes out, fixsters. Fixed gears have gone worse than mainstream. They’ve gone to WalMart. Tipster Amanda G. sent along a Treehugger article about the recent arrival of fixies on WalMart shelves.”

From Gawker.com:
“First Urban Outfitters started peddling them. Now Hipster of the Decade blog Hipster Runoff notices that Walmart is selling fixed gear bicycles. It’s official: The number one cause of fauxhemian crashes on Bedford Avenue is no longer cool.”

OK, so maybe those posts are as sarcastic about this being “over” as we’re taking it. But the truth is that this is actually good news, and we’ll shout it from the rooftops; it is COOL that WalMart is selling the 700C Men’s Mongoose Cachet “Fixed-Speed” Bike. We’re not sure what they mean by “Fixed-Speed,” but at $149, we’re not complaining either.

And for the record, once Specialized and other large bicycle manufacturers got in on the single speed and fixed gear market many said it was over. But this just shows that the market is expanding. And that should be viewed as a good thing. If the hipsters don’t like it, who cares. But WalMart also sells HDTVs and video games, and no one ever said those were uncool.