Weekend Reading List (02.23.2012): Tour de Mass, Campy Goes 80, Personal Coach, US Vs. Lance

Tour de Mass

From BikeRadar: Dozens of mass rides planned to celebrate Tour de France 2013
Spectators and riders travelling to the 100th Tour de France will be able to take part in dozens of organised rides unveiled by the race organiser today.

Race organiser ASO said gran fondos and organised rides are being planned in each town “holding a stage” to allow spectators to get a closer experience of the Tour and also contribute to the atmosphere of the world’s biggest race. All the action will take place on Monday 15 July – Fete du Tour day – which coincides with the race’s second rest stop. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (02.23.2012): Tour de Mass, Campy Goes 80, Personal Coach, US Vs. Lance

CPSC Recall: Bicycle Brake Cables for Road Bikes

This week The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada announced a voluntary recall of Bicycle Brake Cables for Road Bikes from W.L. Gore & Associates.

This recall involves GORE Ride On Low Friction System brake cables for road bikes and GORE Ride On Professional System brake cables for road bikes. The cables are silver and are available with housings in black, white, blue or red. “GORE Ride-On” is printed on the housing for the Low Friction cable. “GORE Ride-On Professional” is printed on the housing for the Professional System cables. The cables are being recalled only if they were installed on road bikes that use a Campagnolo-style brake lever. The ends, or attachment heads, on the Campagnolo systems have the letters “C” “CC,” or “RO” imprinted on them. Continue reading CPSC Recall: Bicycle Brake Cables for Road Bikes

Is Shimano Di2 Electric Shifting Going Off-Road?

Road cyclists have been able to do the electronic shifting thing for a while now. Shimano, which introduced the first successful (key word is successful) electronic shifters with its Dura Ace line that the pros seem to love, brought Di2 to its step down (but still very high-end) Ultegra line last year, and this season will see rival Campagnolo also going electronic. Meanwhile there have been efforts to develop electronic shifting for off-road, but only in the aftermarket world… until now.

BikeRadar.com reported that a Shimano XTR Di2 drivetrain was spotted. Canadian cross-country racer Geoff Kabush posted an image on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon that indicates that Shimano is indeed bringing Di2 to mountain bikes. Meanwhile Shimano has no official comment. Continue reading Is Shimano Di2 Electric Shifting Going Off-Road?

Detroit Bicycle Company Does Madison

Madison Avenue is a long ways from Detroit, and that might be the first thought that comes to mind as the Detroit Bicycle Company has released the very posh Madison Street Bike. Starting at $3,200 and up for a complete bike, this single-speed/fixie is something you’d pretty much expect to be found on Madison Avenue in NYC.

But the bike, which included frame and fork that are copper plated, and offers Campagnolo Record components including bottom bracket, head set and seat post, isn’t about Madison Avenue. Rather it seems inspired by the now-largely forgotten “Madison” style track bikes used in the endurance races at Madison Square Garden in the 1920s and 1930s. Today Madison races, which involve multiple riders on a team taking part in multi-hour races, are competed in with state-of-the-art carbon fiber track bikes, but this bike is more than an old style race machine. It is truly a work of art. And it proves they can still make them like they used to in the Motor City.

Detroit Bicycle Company
[Via BeSportier: Detroit Bicycle Company’s Madison Street Bike Is A Jewel]

Campagnolo Gets Electric

Bicycle shifting in the 21st century has gone electric. Japan’s Shimano entered the juiced up gear controls a few years ago with its high-end Dura-Ace Di2, which is favored today by many pro riders. This year at Interbike Shimano also officially introduced itsDi2 electronic system in its step down – but still high-end – Ultegra groupo. In fact, it has had many deciding whether to go with the mechanic Dura-Ace or the electric Ultegra Di2. Not an easy choice, and now one that is even harder to make as Campagnolo is getting in on the action.

Our friends at BikeRadar reported yesterday that Campagnolo has finally announced its own electric shifting system, with not one but two groups. This includes the Record EPS (Electronic Power Shift) as well as the Super Record EPS. These will reportedly have identical functionality but differences in weight. Continue reading Campagnolo Gets Electric

Eurobike 2011 Recap

KineticShift wasn’t able to head to Europe this year, and while we’re about to shift into full gear for Interbike in Las Vegas next week a number of product announcements caught our eyes. We have compiled a round-up of the can’t miss products for 2012 and beyond. Continue reading Eurobike 2011 Recap

A New Cassette Standard? Hopefully…

For almost twenty-five years, cycling has been a major part of my life. From building bikes to breaking bones; being that kid hanging out at the bike shop to managing one in college; and racing to the top of a mountain or riding to work, bikes are a part of who I am. As long as I can remember, there has always been issues when assembling bikes from parts… especially when it comes to mixing drive train parts.

Usually, Campy shifters would not be mixed with Shimano derailleurs or vice versa, but it was fairly common to try to use Shimano compatible wheels with Campy shifting as there is just a much wider and usually better selection of wheels. Companies such as Wheels Manufacturing of Colorado do an excellent job reworking Shimano cassettes to work with Campy shifting, but the system of combined parts is still a little finicky. Enter the picture, Kirk Pacenti and his proposal for a universal, ’open source’ cassette body. We are starting to see more standards in the cycling world when it comes to parts, so this is not an unachievable goal. Continue reading A New Cassette Standard? Hopefully…