Tag: Cycling

Shift Into Gear With Hydraulics

Hydraulics have long been used in heavy industry, but in bikes the technology has been limited to braking. Now the technology could put you in high-gear – or really any gear at all. German component-maker Acros recently unveiled it’s AG-E hydradulic shifting system at the Sea Otter Mountain Biking Trade Show in Monterey.

This technology is used for both the front and rear shifters and works with a single push-activated thumb paddle. Sealed hoses carrying mineral oil run from the cylinder to the respective derailleur. According to reports the system will work with 8-, 9- and 10-speed cassettes. The company notes that this should cause less friction and that the oil can’t stretch over time – meaning that adjustments and tweaks shouldn’t be necessary.

The catch is that if air should get in the lines the system won’t be user-serviceable. The other downside is that while the system is said to weigh far less than the Shimano XTR or SRAM XX, it is also far from light on the bank account. The system will cost a reported $2,320!

[Via BikeRadar.com: Sea Otter 2011: Acros bring hydraulic shifting to market]

Old Sport Continues To Make a Comeback

What do you need to play polo? Well, you either need a large field and a lot of horse or a large swimming pool. But there is another game, namely bicycle polo. The Minnesota Daily, the sport is starting to make a comeback, and not just in the land of a thousand lakes. The paper notes that the Minneapolis Bike Polo team placed fifth our of 36 teams in a tournament this past March in Little Rock, Ark.

The first match was reportedly held back in Ireland in 1891 when bicycles were used in place of horses. Cyclist Richard J. Mecredy may not be of the Abner Doubleday notoriety but perhaps one day he’ll be as famous – at least to the players of bicycle polo.

The game had made a comeback throughout the 1990s with a variety of rules, but in 1999 players in Seattle moved to the hard-court version, and since 2007 has seen a spike in players – with the game now being played around the world, including the United States, Ireland, England, Germany, France and even far off places like Indonesia, Argentina and Pakistan. Cycle polo was even recognized by the International Cycling Union in 2001.

The game is currently played on both grass fields and on the hardcourt, but alas no water bicycle polo version… yet.

[Via Minnesota Daily: Bikers gear up for polo season]

American Military Looks at More Padding in Helmets

ast week FoxNews.com noted that the researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Labs have been testing the current issue helmet, the MICH, which is used by the U.S. military. It was noted that just a quarter-inch, or even an eighth of an inch of additional padding would helmet greatly reduce the force to the skull when there is an impact to the helmet. The findings suggest this could be as great as a 24-percent reduction.

The researchers also looked to the helmets used by professional football players, as concussions are a big concern amongst the players. It was noted that a thicker foam system is used by the NFL players’ helmets than the spongier pads used in combat helmets, and that the NFL’s helmet padding worked better. Continue reading American Military Looks at More Padding in Helmets

Trek to Recycle Old Carbon Cycles

All good things come to an end, and that means today’s hot new road bikes will someday be old news, outdated technology and just ready to be replaced (even Lance Armstrong’s road bike at the left). It might be hard to even think about it, especially when we see the sticker price on those new carbon bikes – but carbon isn’t exactly as timeless as a diamond, at least not in the processed form.

The downside is that many space age composites are designed not to degrade so easily. Carbon fiber doesn’t rust like steel, but unlike steel, aluminum or titanium carbon can’t be melted down as scrap metal. In other words carbon fiber isn’t exactly a “green” technology, but now it seems Trek is just one bicycle maker looking to get on the recycling band wagon. Continue reading Trek to Recycle Old Carbon Cycles

Bay Area Residents Say You Can Bike There

The League of American Bicyclists calls May National Bike Month. It makes a lot of sense. For a large part of the country, cyclists are just getting back on the saddle. And many of us are itching to do so. We don’t need an excuse such as Bike Month, but it’s nice motivation.

Additional incentive is Bike to Work Day, Thursday May 12. It’s the 17th Annual of such days for the Bay Area. This year they’re hosting sign-ups on the YouCanBikeThere.com web site. Get a few friends and coworkers together to sign up as a team of 2-5 people. The Team Bike Challenge officially kicks off May 1. Log your rides on the teambikechallenge.org site to compete. You can check your team’s status through the personalized Facebook Friends Leader board.

For the Bike to Work challenge, every member of the top scoring team in each county will receive a bike-related prize valued over $50. The top scoring team in the Bay Area receives a bike-related prize valued at over $1,000.

Even if you’re not in the Bay Area, the weather is starting to lend itself to biking to work and other places you may be headed. The Bike to Work challenge says “It’s a fun and easy way to see just how much biking does for your health, budget, and the environment.”

League of American Bicyclists

Bike to Work Day’s You Can Bike There

Log your miles at Team Bike Challenge

Students Push for Bike-Friendly Streets in Prescott

Students at Prescott College in Prescott, AZ aren’t happy with the state of biking in their city and as part of a class project they’re coming up with a solution to present to the local government. Students enrolled in the course The Bicycle: Vehicle for Social Change, studied possible solutions for bike-friendly roadways and plan to follow-through in changing the community.

The course guides students through the bicycle’s beneficial role in society. Students traveled to Europe to attend the Velo-city conference in Seville, Spain last month where the Charter of Seville was signed. The Charter is a document that proposes the acceptance of cycling. At the Velo-city conference the students observed the gathering of officials from cities including the Netherlands, Spain and other communities around the world. Continue reading Students Push for Bike-Friendly Streets in Prescott

Bike Stability Still Baffles Science

If you’re just learning how to ride a bike, you may be surprised at how stable the bike is once you start rolling. It turns out an academic team of engineers studied the physics behind cycling and still remain puzzled by a bike’s ability to be self-stable.

This group of academics with degrees in engineering wrote a paper published in Science Mag, “A Bicycle Can Be Self-Stable Without Gyroscopic or Caster Effects.” The group of four engineers studied the bike, its history, and built a bike absent of gyroscopic forces found on most bikes, and found the bike still remains upright. While the math works out, the physics remain a bit of a mystery.

via [ars technica]

Ride the Tour of California With Strava and AEG

There are a few ways to ride the Amgen Tour of California. You can train hard, win local races, get picked up by a team and ride with the pros. Or you can ride it virtually with Strava, creator powerful Web and mobile applications for avid athletes, and AEG, one of the leading sports and entertainment providers. The two companies have announced that Strava will power social fitness for next month’s Tour. The three-year partnership will bring Strava’s event maps to the Web and mobile platforms. Strava is further supplying complimentary premium memberships to all race participants and will also offer training and race-day challenges.

“We are excited to partner with AEG to bring the sport of cycling even closer to the fans,” said Michael Horvath, CEO of Strava. “Strava’s GPS maps and online competitions allow avid cyclists to follow their favorite pros, compare and compete, and gain deeper insight into their own training.” Continue reading Ride the Tour of California With Strava and AEG

ROTOR Q-Ring Rode to Victory

Clearly Johan Van Summeren knows how to pick good equipment. We noted earlier this week he was wearing the Castelli SpeedSuit and now ROTOR has noted that the Paris-Roubaix winner pedalled his way on the French cobblestones with 3D+ cranks and Q-Ring oval chainrings!

ROTOR stated:

“Q-Ring has now conquered one of the toughest races in the world, the ‘Hell of the North.’ This is certainly a coming of age for our groundbreaking, proprietary oval chainring technology.

“Cobblestone sectors are always a threat to drivetrain reliability, so perfect shifting and stability are required to traverse them successfully. This huge victory on the pave proves that Q-rings performance advantages come at no cost to reliability, with stability on a par with round chainrings thanks to our subtle ovalization, flawless tooth profiles and highly refined shifting ramp designs.” Continue reading ROTOR Q-Ring Rode to Victory

Wall of Bikes – For Storage

Many of us have a “wall of bikes” in our garage, basement or extra room. As apartment dwellers know, using the wall saves a lot of room. So how about using the outside wall of an apartment building or office structure for a wall of bikes?

This is the idea behind a Ferris-wheel design by Manifesto Architecture, which was submitted to a recent design competition in Seoul, South Korea. The result would be vertical bike storage that could hold 20 to 35 bikes. The bikes would be rotated up and out of the way. So instead of needing to take nearly an entire floor to store the bikes, they could be lifted up and out of the way in a space in an alley or rear of the building.

The issue of course is that many cities – including New York – don’t actually have an abundance of alleyways – despite what Batman comics might otherwise suggest. But there are plenty of nooks and other spaces. And this would certainly make good use of every inch of urban space.

And the designers even thought of worst case scenarios – such as a power failure. The Ferris-wheel system could even be cycle powered, so you have to sit and spin to get to your bike!

[Via Cyclelicious: Bike Hanger vertical bicycle storage]

Seal of Approve To Puncture Resistant Tubes

Nothing can ruin a nice ride in the woods like a puncture. If you’re like too many riders that could mean having to walk back to the car, or worse home as you probably didn’t bring a spare. But Michelin’s new Protek Max inner tubes could actually change this, offering a tube that promises to be more resistant to punctures and could hold air pressure if punctured!

The Protek Max features a “bumpy” service that creates a compressive force in the tube wall, and thus doesn’t want to stretch when there is a puncture. Instead with a small puncture there is compression, and thus the tube will retain its tire pressure and not lose air – at least not so quickly.

The Protek tubes will be available in 700×35-47c and 26×1.4-2.125-inch sizes, and will retail for $8.99. Both Presta and Scharder will be available – but sorry, for now it will be those who venture off road who will get the puncture-free treatment. Hopefully we’ll see a road version down the road.

Michelin Bicycle USA Protek Max Official Website

[Via BikeRadar.com: Michelin’s new Wild Race’R tire and Protek Max inner tube]

SpeedSuit Up From Castelli

This past weekend Johan Van Summeren won the famous Paris-Roubaix road race. No doubt he won it with his legs and his absolute effort, but as our friends at BikeRadar.com noted this week the suit may have made the man in the famous race on French cobblestones.

And obviously this wasn’t a suit and tie, but rather a SpeedsSuit from Castelli, which is the uniform material of choice for the Garmin-Cervelo riders, who first wore it in last month’s Milan-San Remo. As BikeRadar noted, “Castelli claim the suit can save 10-15 watts at 40 km/h, and it seemed to do the trick for Van Summeren. It’ll be used exclusively by the peloton this season, but is set to be made available to the masses in 2012.”

So in other words most of us will have to settle to seeing others wear it this season, but next see it will time to SpeedSuit up!

[Via BikeRadar.com: Did Castelli SpeedSuit help Van Summeren win Paris-Roubaix?]

Cool It Down in Hotter Weather

As warmer temperatures replace cooler ones, you have different reasons to cover up. In between seasons like spring and fall call for transitional layers. Arm warmers and leg warmers are good options since you can peel off the layers when you warm up.

In the summer heat, there’s no option to add or remove layers to beat the heat. That is unless you pull on one of Craft Apparel’s Body Control Coolers. While they have other garments, the arm coolers and leg coolers are a good choice. The Body Control Coolers feature a compression fit, super-cooling fabrics, silver ion technology and sun protection. Continue reading Cool It Down in Hotter Weather