This one goes to 11

Campagnolo's new 11-speed Super Record. And to think: I got my first 10-speed shifters just last week.

[Via Roues Artisanales]

World champion Paolo Bettini

I guess when you're a two-time world champion you don't have to pin on your numbers.

Now that is PRO.

[Photo via Cyclingnews.com]

Practical, handmade velo fashion

 

[via BikeHugger]

Messenger bags for dogs

Take Fido for a ride!

[via Hong Kong Fixed Gear]

New bike lust

Everyone knows the optimal number of bikes to own is n+1. That "n", of course, is the number of bikes you currently own.

You're not even looking for a new bike. They find you. They creep up on you. An online classified post. An ad in a magazine. A friend's new ride. A sweet new style you've been dying to try.

You don't know why it draws you in. It's just there, looking like so much fun to ride. The Google searches for reviews begin. Examining the parts spec. Drooling over photos. The rationalization is in full swing. Your mind wanders to the wonderful places you could go together....

Maybe it's a good deal. Maybe it's a lot more than you want to spend. The economy is struggling. But that rebate check is burning a hole in your pocket. Is it stimulating the economy? Does it matter? Is it better to regret things you've done (or purchased) than things you haven't?

The cure? There isn't one. You'll share joy and excitement. You'll find new reasons to ride. New places to go. It was totally worth it. You pulled off. You made it happen.

But somehow.... slowly... the newness will wear off.

You'll get comfortable.

Complacent.

Then you spot another....

I simply must have these gloves

Love/Hate gloves from Knog. Oh yeah, they make tons of other cool stuff too.

Pedal Pub!

I wish this thing would make a stop around here!

Campy vs. SRAM? Why not have both?

Bike Geek extraordinaire Leonard Zinn of Velonews has built his bike with Campy Centaur shifters and a SRAM Red rear dérailleur. Since they pull almost exactly the right amount of cable, they work just fine with some tuning. This also opens up using Shimano-compatible wheels, hubs and cassettes with Campy shifters.

A lot of people talk about how this or that product only works with this or that. A lot of that is just bike shops wanting to sell you something new. When I built up my fixed gear I was amazed that it even traveled down the road, considering it has only about 5 moving parts. People sometimes forget that a bicycle is essentially a very basic machine and a lot of things that "aren't supposed to work", do just fine. Don't believe me? Check out some of Sheldon Brown's rides.

UPDATE: Reader Q&A's from Zinn.

[photo via Velonews]

Think 29ers are big? Think again

Found this monster today. It's Blonde Fabrication's 36"-wheeled bike. It's not the first I've seen, but certainly the coolest. Built with 135mm hubs front and rear, the tires must be hand-cut. Looks like fun!

Here it is parked next to a regular, 26" mountain bike.

[via TwentyNineInches.com]

DIY - Homemade bottle opener

I have one of these I got as a gift. The one I have is welded, but Blue Collar Mountain Biking hooks us up with a step-by-step how-to on making your own without welding. Can't wait to try it myself!

Electronic shifting - is it real this time?

With the Tour of California growing exponentially in exposure and prestige each year, it's no surprise that this week we're seeing some of the biggest names in all of pro cycling hanging out in Cali.

And where there are big-ticket teams, there are sure to be big-ticket toys.

One of the coolest blogs anywhere, Belgian Knee Warmers, has the latest spy shots of Shimano's Dura-Ace electronic shifting system that has been in the works for a few years. Campy has been developing a system of their own and Mavic had an electric system in the '90s.

The electric shifting is not without its successes: Chris Boardman won the prologue of the '94 Tour with a Mavic Zap rear derailleur, and Nico Eeckhout was the first to win a sprint with Campy's 2003 prototype.

So why would anyone need this kind of thing? Think about it: the shifts happen instantly and precisely ever time. The derailleurs would never go out of tune. There would be no cable stretch. The mechanism would be almost entirely maintenance-free. (As long as you remember to change the batteries, that is) Will it ever replace cable-actuated shifting? Of course not, but for big-budget racers, it's a no-brainier.

My prediction: Electric Dura-Ace topping off the Shimano line-up for 2009 with a formal introduction later this year. Electric Campy to follow a year or two later. SRAM? Who knows.

If you want more, CyclingNews.com has some more in-depth looks at both Shimano's system (circa 2006, 2008) and Campy's (circa 2003, 2005)

UPDATE: Bicycling Magazine has a cool video featuring all of the cool features like auto-trim on the front derailleur.

P.S. Adobe has brought the Tour Tracker back to the Tour of California this year. With it you can watch the race live, follow your favorite riders and track the peloton on GPS. Oh, and did I mention it's free? It appears they've worked out all the kinks from last year and it's working great. There is no better way to watching cycling.

[photo courtesy of Belgian Knee Warmers]

Spoke N Word endorses...

'Nuff said.

NAHBS links, photos and goodies

Looks like the North American Hand Made Bicycle Show was a HUGE success. There were so many people trying to get in the door the fire marshal declared capacity and was limiting access. Then, so many people showed up by bike that the 500 indoor spots were full and so many were locked up outside they were getting "towed" by security.

Anyway, on to the goodies:

Bamboo fiber composite frame from BME. Not ridable yet, but very close. [via Cyclelicious. Flickr photo dump here.]

Ed Litton's 1930’s era Campy shift bits. One lever opens the skewer, the other pushed the chain to a given cog as you backpedal. The serrated dropout taken from a bike of the same era keeps the serrated axle aligned as it rolls across during shifts. The original one speed death kiss. [via UrbanVelo. Amazing, drool-inducing photo galleries]

Renovo built this wooden by creating hollow shapes and bonding them together. The complete bike weighs 17-20 pounds. Because wood's fatigue life exceeds that of metal and rivals carbon's, the Renovo bikes are heirloom quality bikes that will last multiple lifetimes. Wood doesn't rust, and the wood is sealed inside and out. [via Cyclelicious]

Naked Bicycles' redonkulous fixed gear features pinstriped wooden rims, some amazing tube shapes and incredible details. It was the early favorite for Best In Show. Follow the link for more on this amazing ride. [via BikePortland.org]

Plus, check out some Flickr galleries here, here, here, here and here.

Ok, excuse me while I clean the drool off my keyboard.

Innovate or Die winners announced

Back in September I mentioned the Innovate or Die contest, sponsored by Google, Specialized and Goodby Silverstein & Partners. The contest asked participants to submit YouTube videos of pedal-powered ways to better the world. According to Google, "the contest encouraged people to evaluate environmental issues and develop ingenious solutions surrounding climate change."

Team Aquaduct of San Bruno, Ca., has been declared the winner for their trike that provides filtering and transportation of drinking water for impoverished areas. You can check out their amazing video below and see the other entries at this special YouTube page.

Spoke N Word's cycling gift guide

It's not hard to find gifts for the cyclists in your life. Bike shops are filled with goodies large and small in any price range. But if you're looking for something extra special this season, I've chosen some of the finest cycling products on the market that any cyclist would be happy to find underneath their tree.

King Cage titanium bottle cage: It doesn't look like much, in fact it looks like any other standard bottle cage, but nothing can compete with the light weight and gripping power of the King Cage. Handmade in Durango, Colo., these cages won't mark your bottles and will probably outlast your frame. $45

The Triplets of Belleville: You've seen American Flyers a thousand times. You've worn out your copy of Breaking Away. How about a new cycling film? Just as in the world of cycling, the French have a special taste in animation. Sylvain Chomet's hand-drawn masterpiece tells the story of a young bicyclist  kidnapped from the Tour de France by mysterious gangsters. His grandmother travels to the city of Belleville where she tracks him down with the help of a musical trio, the Belleville Triplets. $15

Rapha long-sleeve wool jersey: Here in Florida we're blessed with great riding weather year round, but sometimes those early morning rides can be a bit chilly in winter. Modern synthetics have yet to improve on the classic moisture-wicking, quick-drying fabric: fine Merino wool. Rapha's version features three pockets plus a weatherproof zip pocket and a elasticated pull cord waistline gripper. This may be the highest quality jersey on the market. $200

Walz cycling caps: Wearing a cycling cap off the bike no longer means you must be sporting colorful logos of European brands no one has ever heard of. Walz caps come in dozens of styles, colors and patterns and can even be personalized. Available in cotton, wool and fleece, these hats are made by hand in the USA. $12-$30

Park Tools BK-2 tool kit: For the DIY type, piecing together a tool set can be a chore. This kit comes with everything you need to maintain, adjust and repair your bike and keep it on the road. It features hex keys, open end wrenches, a chain tool, a lockring tool, a headset wrench with chain whip, cone wrenches,a  cleaning brush, a multi spoke wrench, a crank puller, a crank bolt wrench, a Shimano compatible bottom bracket cartridge tool, cable cutters, a pin spanner, tire levers, a glueless patch kit, and a headset/pedal wrench. The handy roll-up case keeps things organized and portable for those out-of-town charity rides or races. $150

Garmin Edge 705: For the gadget geek, this is the ultimate bike computer. With a GPS map, heart rate, cadence and power meter compatibility, you'll know exactly what you and your bike are up to. It automatically measures your speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb and descent, and records this data for your review. For extra-precise climb and descent data, it also incorporates a barometric altimeter to pinpoint changes in elevation. It features a high-sensitivity receiver that holds a signal under trees and near tall buildings, and comes with a click stick for easy screen navigation. Oh, and now it's in color. $550

None of these strike your fancy? Go for the easy standby: spare tubes.

Forget bikes, ride this.... thing

The ROM is one serious looking machine. I'm not even sure what all those things sticking out do exactly, but according to its manufacturer it gives you the same workout in four minutes as a regular 45 minute workout. It also claims that because it uses 55% of the body’s muscles during the workout you can burn about 465 calories in that short amount of time.

Right.

At FastExcercise.com I learned some cool things about it, such as:

• It costs $14,615.
• That much money is well spent when it comes to your fitness and well being (ok, true, but not in this extreme).
• Winning over customers is hard: "After receiving our free video and literature, only 3 out of 10 people both view the video and read our literature. Those who fail to watch the video and read the literature are not very likely to purchase a ROM. It takes a small amount of discipline to both watch the video and thoroughly read the literature."
• It was featured in Newsweek in February 1992.
• The "experts" who 'dis the ROM don't know what they're talking about.

Blog mash-up! Energy bar taste test

Today we've joined forces with Snack Pack, our guide to everything snackable, to bring you an energy bar taste test. Believe it or not, there was a time when people would snack on real food when out enjoying the outdoors. Trail mix, granola or the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich have fueled many an adventure. But alas, PB&J is not available individually-wrapped and is far from marketable, so we now have wide selection of energy bars available to keep us moving. Toss one in your bag for that mid-afternoon snack or in your pocket to stay fueled during a long ride. We sampled four:

Clif Bar
Chocolate brownie
2.4 oz
240 calories
4.5g of fat
45g of carbs
10g of protein
$.79 at Publix
Clif Bar is well known to any outdoors lover as a company heavily invested in environmental, health and social issues. It says so, right there on the wrapper. Their bars are also all natural and have 70% organic ingredients. But how do they taste? Well, imagine you took a perfectly good sheet of brownies, put them in some sort of compacter and squished all the fluff out of them. It's the world's most dense brownie. Not great, but certainly tasty. But I wasn't totally won over. When I first discovered Clif Bars I ate them a lot. After a few months I grew totally sick of them and now I can't stand them. B-

Gatorade Energy Bar
Peanut butter crunch
2.3 oz
250 calories
5g of fat
38g of carbs
15g of protein
$.99 at Publix
I was skeptical at first, given the shiny wrapper and Gatorade's fruit-flavor-based liquid offerings, but when I took that first bite, I was sold. The Gatorade bar was by far the best tasting of the bunch. It was light and crispy, but with a gooey peanut butter base (Which immediately melted in my pocket). It almost tasted like a Rice Krispie Treat. And it wasn't too chewy to eat while exercising. Of the bars sampled, it also features the highest amount of protein, which has been proven to aide endurance and recovery. A

Quaker Oatmeal To Go
Banana bread
2.1 oz
220 calories
4g of fat
43g of carbs
4g of protein
$3.19 for a box of six at Publix ($.54 ea)
While not technically an energy bar, I started purchasing these oatmeal bars as a thrifty alternative to the others. They offer similar calorie counts and have as many energy-fueling carbs as the Clif Bars. They also go on sale occasionally, so I stock up when they are buy one get one free. While tasty, they are still oatmeal-based, which can lead to a lot of heavy chewing and washing down with water. They are excellent during longer, easier workouts when you can relax and have a snack. If you're at home, you can also heat them up in the microwave. If you're the type who buys a lot of energy bars, or just wants to save a few pennies, check them out. B-

Snickers Marathon Energy Bar
Multi grain crunch
1.94 oz
220 calories
7g of fat
29g of carbs
10g of protein
$.99 at Publix
The Snickers bar is in many ways similar to the Gatorade bar. It's base is a crunchy, rice-based bar covered in a layer of chocolate. Like the Gatorade bar it, of course, melted, leaving a sticky mess. It features the lowest calorie count and the least amount of energy-fueling carbs. It's a little bit more chewy than the Gatorade bar, so it may be more difficult to eat during exercise. It also left me extremely thirsty afterwards, another downside. B

Photo by Adam Newman/St. Petersburg Times

The Interbike post

Interbike officially got under way in Las Vegas today with the wildly popular outdoor demo. This is a chance for the cycling press, shop owners and other industry types to get their hands on the goodies. (Sadly, this blogger did not secure a ticket. It's also not open to the public.) I'll be updating this post over the weekend, so check back.

CyclingNews day 1, part one, part two.

Highlight: This Felt carbon 29er prototype:

Flickr Interbike photo pool.

Highlight: Kona Ute utility bike:

SRAM Red. It's as good as it looks:

UPDATE

Rouesartisanales.com. Check out the new all-boron wheelset from LEW Racing. These babies weigh in at 737g for the pair. For those of you counting at home, that's about HALF the weight of a typical high-performance wheelset. Want some? Better take out an auto loan. They'll set you back $15,000:

UPDATE

Singletrack magazine rides the new Spot belt-drive mountain bike. That's right. No chain. It uses a synthetic drive belt:

MTBR.com has the Interbike hotties. (Yes, they're safe for work.)

Innovate or Die

That's the word coming from Google.org, the the philanthropic arm of Google. They've partnered with Specialized and Goodby Silverstein & Partners to create the Innovate or Die Pedal-Powered Machine Challenge. Participants submit a YouTube video of how they would harness pedal power in innovative ways. They've created a YouTube group where you can view the competition. When the winners are announced in January you could win a Specialized bike or $5,000. So what's your big idea?

Beers and bikes - they belong together

Everyone knows a couple of cold oat sodas taste better after a long ride, so it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of beverage related cycling products out there. But I'm not talking about those hideous Primal jerseys that are rolling Corona ads. Or the pint glasses that any shop can have their logo printed on. No, a true cyclist knows that when they need to get at their favorite suds, only the finest will do. And so I present:

The Pedros Beverage Wrench. Compatible with both Standard and Italian threaded beer bottles

The classic Park Tools BO-1 bottle opener...

...has since been upgraded to the B0-2 version:

If you're the tree-hugger type you could use a recycled version. I have one made with a Dura-Ace chain.

The Santa Cruz Heckler comes with one built-in on the dropouts. Many custom builders include this feature as well.

Worried about the chain tension on your singlespeed mountain bike? Open a cold one and relax when you're using the Surly Tuggnut.

Or maybe you do need to tighten that bolt before you toss a few back, just in case, so use your Surly Jethro Tule.

And afterwards, take care of things with the Park Tools TP-1, which sadly, seems to be out of production.

UPDATE! I've been alerted to the existence of the most blinged-out, cycling-related beverage opening device ever. The Campagnolo Corkscrew*. From Campy's Website: "The patented system of the telescopic self-aligning cover always places the screw in the central part of the cork. The large screw in hardened steel with a wide and sharp profile provides maximum grip on the cork and the two large levers enable the corks to be pulled out of bottles of the finest vintages without disturbing the sediments that are typical of such wines." Well then. Want one? Remember, "Big" is Italian for "expensive". These bad boys will set you back about $200. But my question is: Where is the carbon version? 

*Not compatible with French wines.

Oh, and I should say, Spoke 'N' Word in no way endorses drinking and riding. Please ride responsibly. ::wink wink::

Cannondale is ON

Cannondale is a company known for pushing bicycle design beyond convention. A few years ago they unveiled the radical Jackknife concept bike and now they've followed it up with the ON concept. The Jackknife featured a not-quite-functional hydraulic drive-train, but the ON bike features a fully functional and completely enclosed SRAM 9-speed internal hub and chain.

Why should you care? It's designed as the ultimate urban ride, folds in half for easy storage and transportation and won't grease up your trousers on the way to work.

First impressions? The R&D that went into this bike is incredible. There appears to be very few off-the-shelf parts used, so everything had to be designed and built. My concern, however, is that this level of engineering comes at a price, and if it ever makes it to the street it will prohibitively expensive for casual or new cyclists who could benefit the most from its features. I'd also like to see more functionality built in, such as incorporated fenders, lights or racks as other manufacturers are testing on their urban bikes.

It's still a concept for now, but word is that Cannondale is gauging dealer response before making a decision on its manufacture.


The Jackknife concept bike:

The enclosed drive-train:

As folded:

The non-drive side:

Eurobike is German for "carbon fiber"

As the largest of the European bike trade shows, and probably second only to Interbike, Eurobike is often the first spot for the public to get a glimpse of the news cycling goodies for the following product year. Held in Friedrichshafen, Germany, this year, the show features 853 exhibitors from 39 countries. Some early sightings:

New carbon fiber Dura-Ace cranks
These are said to weigh in at 709 grams, a competitor to SRAM's new Red cranks and their 750 grams. They are not 100% carbon, but feature a aluminum hollow core that allows them light without sacrificing stiffness. There will be no compact option and pricing is yet to be announced.

Speedplay Zero Nanogram pedals
Weighing in at an impossibly light 62 grams (vs. 82 grams for the Zero Ti model), Speedplay as found ways to include even more carbon. These said to be the first pedals to use carbon ball bearings. Of course, you may have to lose a few pounds yourself to ride them. They have a 185-pound weight limit.

Selle Optima Saddle
Because tri-geeks have already resigned themselves to looking ridiculous, Selle has developed the Optima saddle with an incorporated carbon bottle cage.

Check out this video on the new SRAM Red group

Keep checking back in for the latest from Eurobike.

Photos via Bicycling magazine.

Bike porn

There must be hundreds of bike photos stored on my hard drive. I have my iMac set to scroll through them as a screen saver. There are all kinds of bikes in all kinds of styles. Some are abstract. Some are bizarre. Some just make me wish I were riding right now.

Most of these come from Flickr. The search function is cool, but for the hardcore bike porn addict like myself, the RSS feeds from the photo pools are where it's at.

There are tons of these pools. Bike Nation. Steel Bike Gallery. Stolen Bikes. Fixed Gear / Singlespeed. Even Bicycles Underwater. One of the coolest is Panda Portraits, people who snap photos while riding. My new favorite is the recently added Concept Bicycles, which is where the hand-drawn road bike sketch below came from.

Simply add the URL to your favorite RSS reader and every time someone submits a photo to that gallery it will shoot its way off to your computer for your... enjoyment. Be warned, some of these pools receive dozens of submissions a day.

Spoke 'N' Word endorses...

Another installment in a series of cycling products that just plain work.

Photo: Adam Newman

There are a lot of tire levers out there. Most come in pairs or sets of three. They all work pretty much the same. Except for one. Next time you're at your local shop, take a peek. Chances are you'll see this little yellow gem chillin' in the pen slot of your mechanic's Park Tools apron. It's a Quik Stik, and one is all you need. This one here is mine. Yeah, it's seen better days, but it's held tough through plenty of abuse. Those skinny, clip-together levers might fit a little easier under high-performance road tires, but I can only imagine how many I would have broken by now. If it's possible for a tire lever to have street cred, this one does.

Quik Stik by AC Int'l  |  $5 or so  | Available at most bike shops

Know of a cool cycling product that you couldn't live without? Send a photo, tell us why and we'll feature it here.

The Bike of Doom

Still think it's crazy to invest in a nice bike from the Local Bike Shop? Canadian blogger Steve George paid $99 for the Bike of Doom, a SuperCycle 1800 18 Speed Men's Mountain Bike (A Huffy Blackwater in the U.S.) to see how it would hold up under the daily rigors of commuting. The results so far? Since March, George has racked up $140 in repairs with several more needed soon. On the other hand, he says, he's learning a lot about bicycle repair.

Need something a little nicer but need to burn off that Big Box store gift card? Check out the $477 carbon fiber Huffy Technica C5 mountain bike. Simply terrifying.

The New York Times loves cycling

New York Times

The New York Times' has published two multimedia slideshows online in the past week. First they were talking bike locks in their Style section. Brad Quartuccio, editor of Urban Velo, a blog/'zine that focuses on city cycling, tested locks in his day-to-day travels, tested five models. They range in price from $30 to $85, but remember, it's better to pony up a few bucks now than to have to replace a stolen bike.

Second is this wonderful piece about practical solutions for making cycling a functional part of family life. The Werstein family from Portland, Ore., tested the cool gear, including trailers, a dutch wheelbarrow/bicycle mutant cargobike and the IBert Safe-T-Seat seen above.

The bicycle-powered what?

I'm not even sure what to say about this: The bicycle powered cinema.

The Magnificent Revolutionary Cycling Cinema is the only UK touring bicycle-powered cinema, uniting art, education and sustainability by:

•     Screening D.I.Y films, independents and small productions  
•     Demonstrating how to generate power locally and independently of fossil fuels  
•     Engaging people in idea of sustainability  
•     Cycling the cinema from place to place  

Throw in top hats, 50’s usherettes and a touch of the circus weird… and you’ve arrived at The Magnificent Revolutionary Cycling Cinema!

Spoke 'N' Word endorses...

Today brings you the first in a series of what I'm calling "endorsements." These are products I've come to love after using (and frequently abusing) them on a daily basis. Now before you start to think maybe some big bike manufacturers are sending me awesome products to try, all I can say is "I Wish". These have been paid for with my own $$$. So without further adu...

Someone messaged me on BikeForums.net today asking about my outspoken support for the Shimano MT20 bike shoes. When I decided to put clipless pedals on my commuting / around-town bike, I knew wouldn't want to wear funny-looking bike shoes that make me walk like a duck. These Shimano shoes were the perfect match for my Crank Bros. pedals. At first I was skeptical because the laces could get caught in the chain, but I've never had a problem. They are also extremely well made and of course, look like normal shoes. The cleats attached easily and are only noticeable if someone can see the soles of your feet. I wear them to work, to the store, out with friends and pretty much everywhere I ride my bike around town.

After wearing them for about six months they have also shown almost no signs of wear. I would say the are perfect for commuters or people who use their bike as a means of transportation and want a significant boost in performance and efficiency from their ride, without looking like a racer geek. They are also affordable, selling for $40-55 online or at your favorite bike shop. As with most cycling products, sizes are metric, so know what you need before you buy!