Lame Excuse and an Update

Let me start off with the Lame Excuse part of the title.

I have been burried at work so my posts have been a tad neglected. I will be out of town next week as well, so things aren't looking up until after then. I'll still try and get in a post of two of bicycle related gear goodness, though. There... whew... I feel better. If you really need a blog fix, head over HERE and post a comment saying Jon needs to post more often.

Now for the update.

I've been using the Gel-Bot -- as has Jon, ask him about it -- and I like it! Sure, at first I thought it might be kind of gimicky, but in reality it's made my bottle my one stop for energy. You see, the Gel portion will hold two servings of your favorite energy gel. The Bot portion holds a little less than a large water bottle of liquid -- it's the size of a large water bottle, but the gel holder takes up some of that room.

I use the Gel part for, um... gel and I use the bottle part for Cytomax. I carry a second bottle of water. If I'm on a long enough ride that I'll need the gel, I'll need two bottles. This way, if I need an energy boost of either kind, semi-solid or liquid, I reach for the same place. Another benefit that this bottle has, is that the spout is HUGE. It flows a ton of liquid. I like that. A lot.

I'll have a full write up on GearReview.com soon.

Smarty -- Press Release

In a surprising twist, to me anyway, Crank Brothers has just introduced a new pedal and it's not expensive! They are calling it the Smarty, and here's what the press release has to say...

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Crankbrothers Introduces New Smarty Pedal

Finally, an affordable pedal for riders with a penchant for design


For immediate release—LAGUNA BEACH, California— April 21, 2006— crankbrothers introduces a new pedal for immediate delivery. At just $59.00 retail, the Smarty is an affordable option for riders who appreciate high-quality design. Crankbrothers is known for high-end, lightweight pedals priced as high as $425.00 retail. This is the company’s first offering under $80.00 retail.

The Smarty infuses new energy into this price category. “There has been nothing new and different in this price range for many years”, points out Andrew Herrick, Partner. “As a design company, we aim to bring something new to the table. We knew our offering at this price point must be well made, and be unique. The Smarty is the anti-generic…a high-quality, beautiful pedal that stands out in a commodity category.”

Designed as a small-platform clipless pedal, the Smarty is ideal for all-mountain cross-country riding. Similar to other crankbrothers models, the Smarty is very lightweight and features the four-sided “all:access” mechanism known for it’s excellent mud clearance, smooth engagement and reliable release.
In keeping with crankbrothers’ affinity for color and customization, the pedals come in either blue or black, and have “rails” that can be switched out to change the color accent of the pedals. This allows riders to match their pedals to their bike or their whim. Each pair of pedals comes installed with one set of colored rails, and includes two extra sets of different colors in the box. If three sets of colored rails aren’t enough, additional rail kits in a variety of colors are available for purchase at crankbrothers.com for $5.00 per set.

The Smarty is shipping to distributors now, and will be be appearing at retail as soon as the week of April 24th. See more on the Smarty at www.crankbrothers.com.

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Frankly, I am very impressed by the price. This is a price that is often neglected and filled with outdated designs that don't work well when muddy. I hope that this entices other pedal manufacturers to trickle down their technology to more affordable realms.

Outboard Bearings - Part Deux

Earlier I opined a little on the state of outboard bearings in bottom brackets. I said that I was having issues with the durability of them... basically that they didn't last that long. Well, lo and behold, I am not alone! It seams that I don't get over to MTBR much these days -- true, work's been crazy busy -- and I never really visited the "Everything Drivetrain" forum even when I did visit. Long story short, there has been an ongoing thread about this very thing, and what to do about it.

In my defence, I did the same thing that they are advocating before I saw their instructions. I repacked my Shimano XT bottom bracket (BB) and it's been running smooth ever since, even though I was positive that it was shot. It wasn't, it was just dry as a bone.

Now, Enduro Fork Seals -- we reviewed two of their seal kits a while back -- is making replacement bearing for the outboard bearings. This is GREAT news. Not only are the kits cheaper, but they use a higher quality grease, fixing the weakest link in the stock bearings. Now, they aren't the only ones, Phil Wood also makes replacement bearings, but they are cheaper than any other option out there. Now, hopefully, we will see the longevity benefits that have been touted for these kind of cranksets.

Sunglasses

Long overdue, I know, but my review of photochromic sunglasses is up and running. Point your browser to GearReview.com and check it out. You can do it now, or you can click HERE and HERE and see what else I had to write about these particular sunglasses and the technology involved.

Now you can go read the entire review.

More '07 XTR - Press Release

I just received the following:

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April 13th, 2006

Irvine, CA: Shimano releases product information for more components of the all new 2007 Shimano XTR line.


HB-M976: 20mm Thru Axle XTR hub

Shimano introduces its first 20mm thru axle XTR hub for all riders seeking the increased stiffness of a thru axle suspension fork:

· Lightweight: Target weight is 220g

· 20mm x 110 O.L.D.

· Angular Contact Bearings:

o A serviceable sealed bearing assembly that handles both vertical and lateral forces exerted by the wheel.

· Compatible with the standard sized Center Lock rotors:

o The new rotor lock ring is tightened with the TL-FC32 which is also used to tighten Hollowtech II bottom brackets. By moving the serrations to the outside of the lock ring, the inner diameter can be enlarged to allow the use of a 20mm axle.

FH-M975/M970: Rear Hubs

The new XTR rear hubs offer improved performance any rider will appreciate. A quicker engaging freehub body, improved durability and increased rigidity are included in a disc & non-disc XTR rear hub:

· Titanium Freehub body:

o Quicker engaging: With 36 engagement points, pawl engagement is 125% quicker than current XTR. The new freehub body has a 10° maximum engagement angle for the ultimate combination of low friction and quick acceleration.

· Improved seal design:

o Based on Dura-Ace’s improved seal design & internal grease sleeve, durability is improved while service intervals are extended.

· 14mm axles:

o The 7075-grade alloy axle improves rigidity by 40%. The new axle design also makes serviceability easier through the use of one cone wrench and a 5mm Allen wrench.

· Angular Contact Bearings:

o A serviceable sealed bearing assembly that handles both vertical and lateral forces exerted by the wheel.



HB-M975/M970: Front Hubs

Offered in both disc & non-disc versions, the redesigned XTR hubs offer improved durability & increased rigidity:

· Improved seal design:

o Based on Dura-Ace’s improved seal design & internal grease sleeve, durability is improved while service intervals are extended.

· 14mm axles:

· The 7075-grade alloy axle improves rigidity by 40%. The new axle design also makes serviceability easier through the use of one cone wrench and a 5mm Allen wrench.

· Angular Contact Bearings:

o A serviceable sealed bearing assembly that handles both vertical and lateral forces exerted by the wheel.



CS-M970: 9-Speed Cassette

A three piece aluminum carrier and 4 titanium cogs make the new CS-M970 Shimano’s lightest 9-speed mountain bike cassette ever at 224g.

· 3-Piece Alloy Carrier:

o Doubles the stiffness of the largest cogs while reducing weight.

· 4 Titanium Sprockets:

o The top 4 cogs are titanium which reduce weight and extend durability.

· Cassette Combinations:

o 11-32 / 11-34 / 12-34





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I think that the newest bit of news, at least something that I haven't heard before, is the change in the lockring for the 20mm hub. Using the wrench from the outboard bearings is a good idea. The rest, 20mm hub, 7075 axles, Ti freehub body, have been mentioned elsewhere -- See HERE and HERE.

Sea Otter - Part 3

Intense
Intense was showing off a few new bikes. First up, a new 29" full suspension design based on the Spyder, called, unimaginatively, the Spyder 29.

In addition to the new 29er, Intense had three road bikes...

An aluminum one, that features carbon rear stays:

And two full carbon frames, the Fenix:

And the Carbine:


SRAM
In addition to the new mountain bike stuff, SRAM had their all new road groups on display. The shifting has been covered extensively by the other sites out there -- James Huang recently did a very nice write up for Cyclingnews.com -- but not a whole lot has been said about the new cassettes. I found this to be one of the more interesting aspects of the new groups. Rather than sculpt the teeth to allow for faster shifting, they removed them altogether.

While this does reduce the weight a minute amount, any potential weight savings is offset by the use of all steel cogs. No titanium here, so the cassette does weigh more than a Dura-Ace or Record cassette. The spacing is the same as Dura-Ace, though, so if weight savings is your number one goal, you can always swap out the SRAM for Shimano's lighter cassette.

Magura
Magura has had a strong following for the Louise FR brake. It's somewhat of a workhorse brake, one that is equally at home on light freeriding and downhill as well as agressive trail riding. Now, they've taken a proven performer and added a dash of carbon and one trick looking rotor.

The lever doesn't just get carbon, though, it also picks up pad contact adjustment via that little red knob in the front.

The rotor is now a two piece unit with an aluminum spider.

All of this should yield a slightly light, more adjustable brake. We'll have to get our hands on a pair and see this is true out on the trail.

Dirty Dog
Last but not least, one more stem from Dirty Dog. I think I like the fist better, though.



Part 1
Part 2

Sea Otter - Part 2

All SRAM, all the time...

SRAM launched a new product -- or more than one -- in every brand that they own. That's new cranks from Truvativ, new brakes from Avid, updated X-9 from SRAM and a new fork from Rock Shox. All of that in addition to two complete new road groups. Whew... they've been busy.

Rock Shox
Argyle isn't for nerds any more. Rock Shox' new platform, Argyle, is a fork squarely aimed at the dirt jump set.

This is a higher end fork that comes in three models: 409, 318 and 302 -- keeping with the engine sizes for their monikers. Shown is the 409. All of the models will feature the Maxle through axle. The 409 has an aluminum steerer tube and crown.

The stantions are 32mm in diameter. The lowers are beefed up versions of the Pike. Motion Control is available on the 409 model.

Truvativ
Truvativ introduced a completely new line up cranks for both road and mountain bikes. Called Noir, these carbon cranks represent a departure from the carbon cranks that Truvativ has made in the past. The Noir cranks are one piece crank arm and spider.

On the road side of things, you've got the super high end Noir HCT that features full carbon construction. The only places you see metal is at the pedal insert and where the crank arm mates to the spindle.

The non-HCT Noir has an aluminum backbone that is then wrapped with carbon fiber.

The mountain cranksets are built like the non-HCT Noir.


SRAM
The new X-9 is a textbook example of trickle down technology. SRAM took the same lessons they learned with the expensive and hard to get X-0 group and applied it to the new X-9. The trigger shifters are almost identical to the X-0, minus the carbon fiber.


SRAM added the same easily removeable cover on the trigger shifters for fast cable changes and the same forged, open design in the rear derailleur.


Avid
And this brings us finally to Avid. For years, whenever Avid has slapped the 'Ultimate' designation to a brakeset, you know that it is something special... something a cut above. Well, they've now placed a brake above the Juicy Carbon, the Juicy Ultimate.


There are a number of Avid firsts here. This is their first brake that uses magnesium for the lever body. This is the first time that, while the lever through is still adjustable, it is no longer tool free. It uses a 2mm allen key.

This is also the first Juicy that is made with a one-piece caliper.

All of this, plus a thinner walled carbon lever blade, adds up the lightest Juicy yet!

Check in tomorrow for a wrap up the Sea Otter gear news. I'll be looking at SRAM's new road cassette, Intense's new mountain and road bikes as well as some other odds and ends.

Part 1
Part 3

Sea Otter - Part 1

The 16th Sea Otter Classic wrapped up on Sunday April 9th, 2006. We were on hand to check out the newest gear and soak up some sun. There was a bit of new gear, and I soaked up way too much sun, so I’ll just get right into the good stuff before my sun addled brain decides to shut down.

XTR
Big news is the complete makeover that XTR is undergoing. 2002 saw the last major change and at that time we saw the addition of HollowTech 2, Dual Control shifters and new hydro brakes – among other things. This time around, Shimano shows that it, too, can offer riders a choice of shifting. And the new XTR is nothing if not about options. Trigger shifters? Check. Revamped Dual Control? Check. They’ll be offering both high and low-normal derailleurs. The new XTR wheels are light and the front XTR hub, for the first time, will be offered in a 20mm axle configuration as well as the standard 9mm quick release version.

The Dual Control shifter is much more compact than it’s predecessor.


Shimano’s new trigger shifter is a complete redesign. In addition to the normal Push/Pull action of Shimano’s current triggers, these also allow Push/Push like SRAM’s triggers.

Also a departure from their previous trigger shifters, the new XTR levers will shift more than one gear in either direction. The shifter body can be moved laterally on the clamp to allow placement on either side of the brake lever as well. Note: the shifters that they had on display were prototypes. The final appearance will be a little different and will feature a prominent ‘X’ motif on the Dual Control shifters.

Cannondale
Cannondale had a number of bikes on display. The nicest was this Six/13 TT bike. Very light and very fast… looking.


Dirty Dog
Dirty Dog is a relatively obscure company that has been turning out whimsical rotor designs for a little while. At Sea Otter they also had the stem shown below. I'm sure that it won't impress the Weight Weenies among us, but it's kind of neat any way. No word on whether or not it'll be a production item, or how much it'd cost.

That's it for today. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a look at the new SRAM stuff. New cranks, new brakes and new X-9.

Part 2
Part 3

Gone Until...

Gone Until...

I am out of town at the Sea Otter Classic. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to post images so you'll have to wait until Monday for info and images on the new XTR, SRAM road stuff, new SRAM mountain bike stuff - including new brakes from Avid, new forks from Rock Shox and new cranks from Truvativ.

Free Stuff

Who doesn't like free stuff? I know that free is a magical word to me. Seriously, I'll take the most-worthless-piece-of-junk-imaginable (MWPOJI) if someone gave it to me. I'd delude myself into thinking that the MWPOJI is, somehow, really nice and that I'll find numerous uses for it down the road, but the truth is, it'll probably be pitched in the garbage when my wife, who doesn't accept MWPOJI's with the reckless abandon that I do, sees it for what it is.

GearReview.com, on the other hand, doesn't give out MWPOJI's. Rather we give away some cool gear that any outdoor enthusiast would love to have. And we're doing it right now!

Head on over to our give-away page and sign up for some Spy Targa 2 optics, and bookmark the page to check back. We like to give stuff away from time to time.

More 2007 XTR

This dutch site claims to have some images of the brakes and cranks.

Cranks:

Brakes:

If true, both the new cranks and brakes look great!