Felt Picks a Cruiser

Red-WolfeAt the recent Sea Otter Classic Felt Bicycles unveiled its new cruiser model inspired by Mike Wolfe, the host of the History Channel series “American Pickers.” The new Red Wolf will be available this fall, and it will feature a hydroformed tank top tube, 1-1/8-inch threadless double crown fork, three-speed Shimano coaster brake with 50mm super-wide aluminum wheels, 26-inch Quick Brick tires, Felt Drillium 44T aluminum chainring, full-length fenders and a rear rack. The paint scheme mimics a post-war balloon bike, while it also features an oversize springer seat with embossed with the logo of Wolfe’s antique store, Antique Archaeology.

“This is a particularly exciting project for us,” said Alan Foster, Felt’s lifestyle product manager. “Mike is well-known to have deep cycling roots, not just as a collector, but in his life prior to becoming a television celebrity. He raced bikes and owned a shop for 11 years. He was also a rep in the industry, so his love for bicycles is genuine. He was actively involved in every aspect of the Red Wolfe’s look and knew exactly want he wanted going in. We are thrilled with this project and the relationship.”

Felt Bicycles Official Website

X4 Lights the Spot

Commuter-X4There are plenty of ways to be seen while riding or running at night, but Edward Ward of London has created the Commuter X4, a wearable, fiber optic rear bike light that helps drivers judge distance, width and even speed of the cyclist. Ward’s design was even selected as one of the final 20 of the British Inventors’ Project at the Gadget Show Live 2014. His design features four fiber optic light guides and this system can be worn over the back and can also be attached to bags and backpacks. What makes this system also stand out said Ward is that the human eye typically judges distances by focusing on two more focal points and the Commuter X4 provides much more than a single light.

This system is also designed to sit at the optimum height for all road users – again ensuring it can’t be missed. Ward has now launched a Kickstarter campaign to help the X4 get noticed by investors. Video after the jump

Shine Like a Eagle

Eagle-600The Eagle 600 bike light from Magicshine doesn’t necessarily soar higher than most lights, but it does have a little magic of another sort. Unlike most cycling lights this light features an OLED display that shows remaining battery and runtime.

It can be fully charged in about four hours and can run on full power for about 1.5 hours. It also has low modes plus flashing mode to preserve the battery life. On full blast it offers 600 lumens, which is enough to light the road ahead. The best feature is still that lets you know the runtime that is left with the light so you’re not left out in the dark.

Magic Shine Eagle 600 Official Website

Kid of the Road

SwoboWhile kids can’t get behind the wheel until they’re 16 years old they can still feel like they’re a kid-sized king of the road with the new Farrier 24 kid’s road bike from Swobo. Peter Disco, owner of Swobo, has launched Farrier Bikes as a separate brand that makes road bikes especially for junior sized rides.

These include 24-inch wheels – as well as the slightly larger 650c – along with 6061 butted aluminum frames and forks and Shimano Claris 8-speed STI shifters. At $750 these are aimed at those serious young riders, and yet aren’t meant to be the final bike for anyone – and that makes sense as most kids might outgrow it in a season or two.

Farrier Bicycles Official Website
[Via BikeRumor: SWOBO LAUNCHES FARRIER BICYCLES W/ PREMIUM KIDS’ ROAD BIKES]

Rudy Gets Cool With Airstorm

Rudy-AirstromSpring can be a time with wild weather and the Rudy Project is forecasting quite the Airstorm – its new road and mountain bike helmet. It features 16 front vents along with six rear “extractor” vents, which along with the internal crown architecture is meant to help hot air flow outwards to dissipate heat.

The helmet weighs just 260 grams, and features an adjustable “chassis and ring” structure to allow one-handed adjustment on the bike. It also features two sets of interchangeable and washable pads, plus a bug stop mesh protection system.

“Rudy Project has come a long way since we began developing helmets, and the Airstorm is a testament to that evolution and our engineers’ commitment,” said Paul Craig, president of Rudy Project North America. “By listening to our athletes and using that data to improve our design, we’ve come up with an incredible combination of features that’s sure to impress anyone who gives it a spin, plus the Airstorm is competitively priced for the benefits it packs.”

Rudy Project Official Website

State Your State!

State-JerseyWant to show some state pride while you ride? Pactimo’s new line-up of cycling jerseys includes design’s for California, Colorado and New York. Each State jersey features a full length YKK zipper along with hidden elastic sleeve openings, and a silicone gripper at the waist. These new 2014 jerseys are also quipped with the standard three rear pockets, while the jerseys even have a race radio earpiece opening in the rear pocket with a cord loop in the collar.

We’re not sure if more states will follow, but Pactimo could certainly help encourage a race between the states!

Pactimo State Series Official Website

Harrison and Eleanor On the Bike

Linus-BikeLinus Bike has introduced two new bike bags for spring – the Eleanor canvas bag (left) and the Harrison briefcase. Both are designed to easily attach to bike racks with covered hooks.

The Eleanor, which can be carried as an over-the-shoulder bag, is made of coated 16 ounce canvas, with a leather bottom and handle. It features a magnetic closure, an interior iPad pocket, brass key hook and a D-ring for locking. It even includes a padlock.

The Harrison is designed for use on a bike as well as being a functional briefcase for around town. It can hold a 15-inch laptop in a padded pocket, plus it is made of coated 16 ounce canvas with cotton webbing handles with reinforced leather. The Harrison has a large main compartment with two interior pockets, pen holders, a brass key hook and a detachable shoulder strap. A D-ring can add a lockable option and it includes a padlock.

Linus Bike Official Website

Sea Otter Classic: Razik Back on a Roll

VortexAt this year’s Sea Otter Classic Razik Bicycles introduced its new brand and redesigned IsoTruss road frameset. Originally released under the brand name Delta 7, the company lost the licensing rights to the technology, but this year formed a new company and acquired the rights to the develop and entirely new chassis and product lineup.

The company’s new offering is the Vortex, a frame that is 100 percent made in the USA. It has been completely redesigned inside and out, and is arguably the most distinctive-looking bike on the market. It features a frame with an open lattice structure that is made up of three-dimensional pyramid-shaped trusses consisting of carbon fiber and Kevlar strands–all meticulously wrapped by hand, instead of molded sheets of carbon fiber. The design delivers vibration damping and incredible handling in a bike that is sub-13 pounds, depending on component selection.

“The unique capabilities of the IsoTruss design allows us to tailor the properties of each characteristic of the ride,” explains Ryun Noble, president and director of engineering at Razik. “What’s truly astounding is its ability to absorb energy-robbing vibration while maintaining strength and rigidity to transfer power and deliver precise, razor-sharp handling all in an incredibly light frame.”

Razik Bicycles Vortex Official Website

Good PR

PRsixElizabeth Taylor said there is no such thing as bad PR – but the new Quintana Roo PRxis could be called truly awesome PR. This new top-end triathlon bike emphasizes easy assembly, component flexibility, adjustability and aerodynamics.

The $8,500 bike ($4,500 frame) can be assembled and adjusted with just two hex wrench sizes, which make it ideal for traveling racers. The PRsix will work with most available brake systems and comes with interchangeable horizontal or vertical dropouts. The frame features QR’s previously introduced “Shift” frame design, which is intended to shield the drivetrain from the wind and includes a massive left chainstay said to reduce air drag.

“Until this point triathletes have been presented with a selection of superbikes that are relatively heavy, expensive to maintain, and designed for the wind-tunnel alone rather than the variety of course conditions they are most likely to encounter,” said Peter Hurley, CEO of American Bicycle Group, the parent company of Quintana Roo. The complete bike is spec’d with Shimano Di2 Ultegra, Reynolds Strike wheels, an ISM saddle and the Profile Aeria bar. The frameset comes with headset, seatpost, stem and brakes. With all this there isn’t anything but good PR for the PRsix.

Quintana Roo Official Website

Ballista Ready to Launch

FBMA ballista was a medieval weapon that fired massive arrows and now the FBM Bike Co.’s new Ballista is ready to hit like a massive bolt! It is actually designed specifically for hardcourt bike polo players.

This tig-welded chromoly frame is based on the original FBM Sword frame geometry, but features modifications based on input from Evan George and Koyo Maeda of Seattle’s The Assassins bike polo team. The Ballista features a frame that has a taller headtube for a more upright riding position, a lower seattube for more standover clearance and a bulged seattube for more strength at the top tube/seatstay junction. The frame has optional front and rear canti mount brakes and optional front disc brake mounts.

FBM Bike Company Official Website

Ride Where the Pros Were

OS-RideWhile the Tour de France is notable that most of it takes place in France, there have been several stages across the English Channel in the U.K. Now Ordance Survey has has produced an app to enable cyclists to ride every single meter of road that the Tour de France has covered since it first visited the U.K. in 1974.

This iOS app details the historic U.K. Tour stages from 1974, 1994 and 2007 as well as the routes for the three stages to take place in Yorkshire and South East England this July.

OS Ride Ordnance Survey Limited at the Apple App Store
[Via BikeRadar: Ordnance Survey launch free Tour de France app]

Weekend Reading List (04.19.2014): Lance Shows He Can Change (a Tire), Another Brick In the Wall, Going Primitive

Lance Shows He Can Change (a Tire)

httpv://youtu.be/HIm_9Ts7RFk

Via YouTube: How To Fix A Mountain Bike Puncture (With Lance Armstrong) Continue reading Weekend Reading List (04.19.2014): Lance Shows He Can Change (a Tire), Another Brick In the Wall, Going Primitive

Cannondale Looks to go OverMountain Again

CannondaleYou can’t ride through the mountain – unless there is a tunnel – so most of the time that means going over it. The Cannondale Trigger and Jekyll “OverMountain” trail/endro bike is ready for the ride. It features 27.5 inch wheels, superMax Lefty forks and a new Fox Dyad rear shock.

The Trigger (above) is this year’s new trail/all-mount ride, which features 140/85 millimeters of adjustable travel and comes in five models — three of which are equipped with a 140-millimeter SuperMax Lefty. The Trigger will also be available in a 29-inch version. Continue reading Cannondale Looks to go OverMountain Again