2007 XTR

seaSingleTrackWorld.com has some images up of the 2007 XTR group, click HERE to see them all. All I can say is that I can't wait to see -- and take pics of -- the stuff at Sea Otter next weekend!

The new Dual Control lever for hydro brakes:


The new XTR rear der.:

New Trigger shifters - these adjust laterally for improved ergonomics:


New cassette:
As of this moment, I haven't heard anything on pricing, but expect it to cost a lot. It looks like competition with SRAM will be good for mountain bikers, if not good for their wallets!

-all images curtesy of SingleTrackWorld.


EDIT:
According to this PDF, the introduction schedule is as follows:
April will give us a looks at the shifters, derailleurs, wheels, pedals and cogset. That's where we are now. May will bring us a gander at the redesigned disc brakes and in June the crankset and other components show up. I'm not sure what the Pro's bikes will have at Sea Otter, but I'll be on the lookout with camera in tow.

Gel-Bot update

Scroll on down to the Gel-Bot post, or just click here, and read the second comment. If you are interested in a deal on the Gel-Bot, head over to their website for contact info, and drop them a line. Tell 'em that you saw it on this blog and get a discount.

As for me, I'll be trying to get a sample for review. I'll keep you posted.

Gear News

Looks like Magura has redone it's suspension line -- you may or may not have known that they even have a suspension line -- and have updated the popular Louise FR brake.

Singletrackworld.com has more info on the suspension stuff. Not the newest of news, but there you have it.
What is the newest of news is the Louise FR brake. Hop on over to Bicycling.com for a little -- and I mean little -- bit of info.
Looks like they'll be more carbon fiber goodness going around.

Outboard Bearings

Back in the early 90's Alex Pong's company, Magic Motorcycles, produced what was, at the time, one of the most expensive cranksets ever. The cranks and bottom bracket -- that used an oversized aluminum spindle -- cost $645. (As an aside, this link has more on the sort of thinking that went on at Magic -- just scroll down a bit) One of the things that set the Magic crankset apart was the use of outboard bearings. As you can see below, the bearings fit into cavities in the crankarms.


This allowed the use of the lighter aluminum spindle and larger bearings, this also placed the bearings farther apart. Placing the bearings farther apart made the whole pedalling platform stiffer, and ideally made for longer life of the bearings.

Modern cranksets are remarkeably similar. Ushered back into cycling by Shimano's XTR grouppo, the outboard bearing design is now used by Race Face, Truvativ and FSA as well as Shimano. The reasons are all similar... stiffer, lighter cranksets and, hopefully, better bearing life.

I can tell you, though, that I am not seeing this improved bearing life. I have an XT crankset that has seen an average amount of use. No more than any other bottom bracket that I have ever owned. Guess what... I need to replace the bearings on the BB (bottom bracket). Guess what else... they aren't cheap. At all. Retail on the bearings -- and bear in mind that this is really just the bearings, no spindle here, only the cups and the cartridges that go in them -- is $54. For that same $54 I could have replaced an entire BB in the past, including the spindle. Are they stiffer? Sure. Are they lighter? Arguably. Do the bearings last longer? They should, but I'm not seeing it.

New XTR

If you are in to the latest development in mountain bike drivetrains, point your browser to Cyclingnews.com. They don't have images... yet.

All in all, it looks like Shimano is taking Sram's success to heart and coming up with some truely new improvements to their venerable top of the line group.

Energy Gel

I have a soft spot in my heart for energy gel. On super long rides - meaning anything over about 5 hours - my digestive system doesn't seem to like energy bars. On rides longer than 10 hours, it doesn't like food in any form. But my stomach doesn't seem to mind energy gels, or drink mixes.

The downside to gels is the trash, what do you do with the sticky package. There is the flask alternative, but then where do you put that!.

I saw this Gel-Bot on both the RoadBikeReview forums and SingleTrackWorld.com. It's a flask that is part of a bottle.
Now, I can see that this might not be helpful if you are a hydration pack wearer -- and I am one -- but I also keep at least one bottle of energy drink, usually er.. almost always Cytomax, on hand on longer rides. I might have to look into this some more, it might be good... or it might be silly.

Proprietary Batteries

Last week I had the title of today's post driven home in the dark. When I plan on riding off road as my commute home in the evening, I typically make sure that all of my lights -- DiNotte Ultralight 5W on the helmet and Light and Motion's venerable Arc Li-Ion on the bars -- are charged and ready to go. This particular day didn't require the use of lights in the morning so my lights were fully charged for the ride home. At about one hour and ten minutes into the ride, my Arc cuts out. Fortunatly I had my DiNotte on at the time so it was more of an annoyance than anything. Now, I have narrowed the problem down -- I think -- to the battery. The whole light kit is going back to L&M for diagnostics and they'll let me know the official verdict, and I'm sure that they'll take care of me, because that is what they do. The light does have some time on it, though, so I might be stuck buying a new battery. (Here come the subject matter)

The problem is that the battery is proprietary. This has lots of benefits, to be sure. Easy to charge, compact, long run time and it's nicely shaped with a velcro strap built in to attach it to the bike. But, it also has one VERY big drawback. It retails for $200. That's just the battery. DiNotte's Ultralight series, on the other hand, uses AA batteries (4 of them). The drawbacks are that they aren't nearly as convenient to charge, each battery must be removed and the run time isn't as long. That being said, replacements are around $5. Heck, chargers are less than $20. Need more run time? Carry a spare set of batteries. It's not like they are heavy.
Now, I understand that there are some difficulties in supplying power to a 13W HID that a 5W LED doesn't have, but you get my point. Light manufacturers could use off the shelf RC batteries. They could use off the shelf cordless drill batteries. There are other options out there that aren't as expensive as proprietary stuff. Sure they aren't packaged as nicely, but lets face it, batteries, all batteries, wear out. It'd be nice to be able to replace them at a moderate price.

New Arrivals and VNTV

The mailman was nice yesterday and brought me this:
The RockShox Revelation 426 Air U-Turn with Poplock. I haven't had a chance to perform the fork transplant surgury on my mountain bike yet, so check in on Monday for a first impressions look. The specs are impressive though.

100 - 130 mm of travel, on the fly adjustable.
Motion Control damping, the same found on the highly acclaimed Reba and Pike forks.
3.99 pounds, uncut steerer -- I'll be checking this spec this weekend also.
Positive and Negative air springs.

All in all a nicely spec'd fork, sort of a Pike-Light, really. It lacks 10mm of travel and the through-axle (Maxle) of it's bigger brother, so I'd place it right in the All-Mountain category... you know where you ride most kinds of trails, what we used to call Mountain Biking.

VNTV
Velonews has a new video highlight page for select races this year. The first, I believe, was Paris-Nice that wrapped up earlier in the week with Floyd Landis of Phonak taking the win. The highlight video isn't very long but has great photography and pretty much to the point about the action. I like it. Check it out here.

PowerBar - Press Release

I just received the following from PowerBar.

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PowerBar, creator of the energy bar market, announces the newest tool in their nutrition arsenal, and it isn't something you eat... it's something you experience.

Based on the latest sports science research, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER offers athletes practical tips on optimizing fuel, hydration and comfort during training and competition.

TIPS FROM THE PROS
Shared wisdom from leading sports nutritionists and professional athletes like cycling legend Lance Armstrong, World Cup Soccer Champion Brandi Chastain and Ironman World Champion Peter Reid.

INTERACTIVE TOOLS
Calculators and training meal plans for customizing a winning nutrition and hydration strategy.

RESOURCES
Detailed information on energy bars, drinks and gel and recommended usage pre, during and post workout.

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You can get your own by clicking here. I haven't seen the CD-Rom, but I have one on order myself. I'll post when I get it, in 4-6 weeks.

Something New

As you might have noticed, on Friday I posted a press release from Rudy Project. This isn't something that I've done before, but it is something that I've wanted to start. I get these from time to time because of my affiliation with GearReview.com. However, GearReview.com doesn't have a place for them, yet. It's in with other planned changes, so eventually they'll be there.

There will be some guidelines, though. First off, I'll always let you know that it is a press release and isn't in my own words but, rather, a reprint. Secondly, I'm only going to post gear related releases, nothing about race teams -- who acquired whom, injury lists, etc. That's not the focus of this blog, or GearReview.com for that matter. So from time to time, you'll be treated to the latest from companys' PR folks on my little piece of the inter-web.

Rudy Project - Press Release

I just received this from Rudy Project. As a wearer of prescription glasses -- though when I am riding I use contacts -- I found this to be pretty cool.

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RUDY PROJECT ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF RX DIRECT INTERCHANGEABLE LENSES ON SEMI-RIMLESS TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE MODELS

San Clemente, CA January 2006 - Rudy Project Technically Cool Eyewear announced the expansion of its Authentic Sun Prescription Program to include RX Direct Interchangeable prescription lenses on its best selling semi-rimless performance models. RX lenses are initially available in its best-selling Ketyum, Rydon and Rydon II models, but the program will be expanded to other models in the near future. Power ranges are consistent with Rudy Project’s existing Sola Sunlens program. There is a slight up charge for the RX Direct Interchangeable lenses. The Rudy Project Authentic Sun Prescription Program is offered in alliance with Sola Technologies.

Brad Shapiro, Rudy Project Principal, stated, “this new technology, coupled with Rudy Project’s unique RX inserts, RX Swap and RX Direct options, clearly establishes Rudy Project as the leader in offering RX Solutions for athletes.”

Al Gleek, Sola Technologies, Director of Business Development, explained that a recently installed 5-axis machine “employs previously unavailable technology that utilizes CAD analysis of the frame shape, groove design, wrap angle, pantoscopic tilt, PD and more to perfectly cut lenses to assure, excellent fit, correct profile (flush mount with front) of the frame and tapered edges for cosmetic appeal. Additionally the machine allows us to ledge, groove, and sculpture the lens in such a fashion so that intricate designs, notches, sever points, etc can now be made in Rx.”

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If you are in the market for new glasses, I'd take a good look at these. They won't be cheap, but prescription glasses never are.

Lot's o' Stuff

Man, there is a ton of new stuff floating around the ol' inter-web about Shimano 2007, so I'll just jump right in.

First off, thanks to the good Brits at Singletrackworld.com, we have images of Shimano's new disc brake for road bikes. Yes, Avid's had one for a couple of years now, but with the big S jumping in there I'd expect to see them more often. Also, does this hint at a lifting of the ban on their use in Cyclocross racing? We can only hope.

Next up, electronic shifting. Sure, Mavic did it (twice)... Campy's working on it... but now, now Shimano is in on the game. This is supposedly 2008 stuff, so I'll take a wait and see approach before bashing or praising the componants. Photos curtesy of this thread on Serrota's forums -- there are more images there too. Also check out Cyclingnews.com for more here.

Very interesting stuff, indeed.

On the other end of the spectrum, the North Amerca Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) took place last weekend. Head on over to Cyclingnews, again -- they've got people everywhere! -- for a look at some images like the one below.

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

And finally, a bit of Blog humor.

Keen

I meant to post this last week, but I was out of town for much of the week and when I wasn't I was having difficulty accessing Blogger from my work PC. Long story short, you get to read it today!

We got some new shoes in for review, both from Keen, and I thought I'd give a quick look at the ones I am currently wearing.

They are the Targhee -- see pic below.
Keen has become popular with their line of sandals -- of which I own a pair -- but I wondered how well the design would translate over to a closed shoe. First, two things: They are very comfortable and my feet sweat a LOT in them. I find the closed shoe to be every bit as nice to wear as the sandal, not surprising really since it is built on the same last. The sole is agressive and the trademark toe bumper is a nice addition but it would be nice if they would breath better.

I can't comment on the durability at the moment -- I only have a couple of weeks in them -- but I'll make note of it in the final review in a month or so.