Vuelta Carbon Pro WR clinchers
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Vuelta Carbon Pro WR clincher wheels
At 1095g for the rear wheel and 845g for the front, these Carbon
Pro WR wheels from Italian wheelmaker Vuelta are not feathery light,
but that's not the point. Rather, the aluminium and carbon clincher
rim - made by Zipp - and bladed alloy spokes should make for a very
quick wheel for time trialling that's tough enough for general road
racing use too.
The Carbon Pro WR wheels have 12 spokes up front and 16 in back,
and while the use of an aluminium rim means they give up something
in weight to wheels like Vuelta's tubular carbon Pro WRs, recent
rolling resistance measurements pretty conclusively indicate that
the best clinchers roll better than the best tubulars. When speed
on the flat is what matters, clinchers are therefore the way to
go.
Vuelta Carbon Pro WR clinchers are available in Shimano and Campagnolo
compatible versions and come with Vuelta's 115g/pr XRP quick release
skewers./JS
More info: www.vuelta.it;
In Australia - www.excelpro.com.au
DMT Kyoma
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DMT Kyoma shoes
With bikes as light as the UCI will allow, the lightweight war
has moved to other areas that we have to lug up hills, such as shoes.
DMT's entry into the lightweight footwear fray is the Kyoma; a pair
tips the scales at just 530g in size 43.
Like other lightweight shoes, the Kyoma dispenses with a heavy
ratchet buckle and goes with a simple three-strap closure. The carbon
fiber sole has inserts just for Look-pattern cleats and the impressive
upper is moulded in one piece of synthetic leather.
The DMT Kyoma is available in sizes 37-50, with half sizes 40.5-45.5,
in white, silver, and navy blue./JS
More info: www.diamantdmt.com;
US importer: www.uplandsg.com
Vittoria Premium Carbon shoes
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Vittoria Premium Carbon road shoes
At 620g for a pair of size 43s, Vittoria's Premium carbon road
shoes are among the lighter buckle-closing shoes we've seen. Vittoria
achieves this light weight with a carbon sole and an upper made
from a combination of mesh and synthetic leather.
The buckle can be moved up and down the side of the shoe to tailor
the fit and there's the usual pair of Velcro straps to complete
the closure. The sole is drilled for a three-bolt Look-style cleat
fitting, which also helps keep the weight down.
As well as the pearl finish shown here, the Premium carbon is also
available in black and green. If weight really matters to you, there's
a version without the ratchet buckle, the Premium 3V, with a three-strap,
all-Velcro closure that Vittoria says is just under 40g/pr lighter./JS
More info: www.vittoria-shoes.com;
In Australia - www.excelpro.com.au
Rotor’s new Q-Rings
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Rotor Q-Rings
Rotor now adds a full roster of non-round chainrings to their unique
crankset offerings. The new Q-Rings are said to minimize the detrimental
effects of the dead spot in the pedal stroke while enhancing power
output and decreasing effort. Rotor's flexible Optimum Chainring
Position (OCP) system allows for fine-tuning to suit each rider's
physiology. Road-going versions of the Q-Rings have already earned
elite-level credentials with wins under the legs of Marianne Vos
at last season's cyclocross world championships as well as Sergio
Ribero (Team Barbot-Halcon) who took Stage 1 in the Volta ao Distrito
de Santarém in Portugal earlier this month. Our MTB test set weighs
in at 154g for the set (24-34-44T). /JH
More info: www.rotorbike.com
Rolf Prima TDF 38
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Rolf Prima TDF 38
More go-faster wheels, this time from the folks at Rolf Prima.
The new TDF 38 wheels weigh in at a claimed 1175g/pr thanks to carbon
rims - again from Zipp - and a very low spoke count. With just 14
spokes up front and 16 rear, Rolf claims these are the lowest spoke-count
carbon wheels available (which means Rolf has forgotten its own
12-spoke TDF58 wheels and 10/12-spoke Carbon TT wheels). The spokes
are of course arranged in Rolf's distinctive paired configuration.
To cope with the high spoke tensions and long unsupported spans
inherent in the Rolf design, Zipp reengineered the rims for the
TDF 38 wheels. "No (other) carbon rim that we know about is capable
of carrying the 25,000 LB/square inch point contact pressure that
our design requires and thus our rims are immune to splitting at
the spoke holes where some other carbon rims fail," says Rolf./JS
More info: www.rolfprima.com
Maxxis Courchevel tyre
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Maxxis Courchevel tyres
Maxxis' latest road racing tyre uses three different tread materials
to improve performance. The Courchevel uses a High Dispersion Silica
center tread for long life and low rolling resistance and then has
two softer silica based side bands intended to provide increasing
grip in corners.
To help keep the air in, the Courchevel has a Kevlar belt for puncture
resistance and our 23mm samples weigh a very reasonable 210g each./JS
More info: www.maxxis.com
Want to be like Basso?
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FSA K-Force Compact MegaExo crankset
FSA follows up on last year's SL-K compact road crankset with a
new top-level K-Force model. The new crankset offers a monocoque
crankarm and spider and machined 7075-T6 rings along with their
MegaExo external-bearing bottom bracket design. Our 175mm long test
crankset with 34-50T rings weighs 640g (with hardware) while the
MegaExo bottom bracket adds an additional 142g. /JH
MSRP: US$529.99
More info: www.fullspeedahead.com
Careful machining, titanium
hardware,
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FSA OS-115 stem
FSA's OS-115 stem features a CNC-machined aluminum body coupled
to a carbon fiber four-bolt faceplate. The oversized 31.8mm bar
clamp diameter makes for road or mountain handlebar compatibility
and titanium hardware keeps the weight down to a low 150g for our
120mm long sample. /JH
MSRP: US$119.99
More info: www.fullspeedahead.com
The K-Force XC flat bar
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FSA K-Force XC flat bar
The K-Force XC flat bar is FSA's top-level XC MTB bar offering
with carbon fiber construction and an oversized center section.
This bar features a full 600mm width and a 6° backsweep along with
a textured center section to prevent slipping. Our test sample comes
in at 122g. /JH
MSRP: US$99.99
More info: www.fullspeedahead.com
Sampson’s new Stratics carbon
road handlebar
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Sampson Stratics carbon handlebar
Sampson's new Stratics oversized carbon road handlebar features
a somewhat unconventional look but the unique shape results from
their efforts to mold the bar around your hands rather than the
other way around. Broad tops are designed to distribute load while
other various depressions and curves are meant to enhance comfort
and control. The Stratics bar is compatible with Shimano STI or
Campy Ergopower levers with deep double cable grooves and unique
pseudo-internal routing. Weight for our 42cm wide sample (c-c) is
a respectable 236g. /JH
MSRP: US$249
More info: www.sampsonsports.com
Sampson’s Stratics stem
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Sampson Stratics stem
Sampson offers their Stratics stem to accompany their unique carbon
bar. The Stratics stem mates a unique fluted carbon fiber center
section to CNC-machined stem and steerer clamps. Our 100mm long
test sample weighs 176g. /JH
MSRP: US$129
More info: www.sampsonsports.com
Linear-pull brakes
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Mrazek MOC+ Magnesium linear-pull brakes
Disc brakes are still tops for ultimate power and modulation, but
for situations with less stringent braking demands, linear-pull
rim brakes are still king when it comes to saving weight. Mrazek's
new MOC+ Magnesium brakes are derived from Ben Capron's original
Marinovative design (now nearly 15 years old) and barely tip the
scales at a mere 79g per wheel without pads. In spite of the spindly
weight, the massive CNC-machined cross section promises minimal
flex. /JH
MSRP: US$119 per wheel
More info: www.mrazek.com
Overcoming
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Overcoming on DVD
Cycling documentary Overcoming is now available on DVD.
The 105-minute movie focuses on the CSC team in the 2005 Tour de
France as Ivan Basso emerges as a future yellow jersey contender
and manager Bjarne Riis shows the strain of his team being the centre
of attention and expectation.
The 100 minutes of extras for the DVD release include a look at
the team mechanics, coverage of stage 13, the Alpe d'Huez time trial
and an interview with Jens Voigt.
Overcoming is available to Australian readers through the
Cyclingnews shop and in North America from World
Cycling Productions /JS
More info: www.overcoming.dk
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