New Arrivals – November 29, 2006 Edited by James Huang Got Tech? Send press releases, news, and tech questions to the Cyclingnews tech-heads. Welcome to New Arrivals, a section showcasing the latest equipment that's landed on the Cyclingnews tech desk. Look out for reviews over the next few months when we've clocked up some saddle time with this stuff. Blackburn's new top-end TrakStand Ultra trainer Photo ©: James Huang Blackburn TrakStand Ultra trainer The Blackburn TrakStand Ultra trainer uses its new Centriforce resistance unit. The mechanism is based on a centrifugal clutch to provide quiet, progressive resistance under load but is better able to mimic real-world coast-down conditions than other types, according to Blackburn. Also, the Centriforce system is wholly mechanical so there is no potential for fluid leakage on to your newly installed Pergo flooring. Three internally adjustable settings offer up to 330W, 351W, or 745W at 25mph. Blackburn bolts the new unit on to a beefy folding aluminum frame with adjustable length legs that allow the rear wheel to nearly rest on the ground, thus virtually eliminating the need for a front wheel block or spacer (put the phone book back next to the phone where it belongs). A steel-capped rear wheel skewer is included with the trainer, which also carries a five-year warranty. Price: US$299.99 Castelli serves up winter in black and blue Photo ©: James Huang Castelli winter clothing Our winter clothing roundup soldiers on with items from the stalwart Italian cycling apparel maker Castelli. The Super Ergo YPro Bib Tight is made from Castelli’s brushed fleece Vuelta fabric in a cycling-specific 8-panel construction. The YPro3 ComforTemp two-way stretch chamois features a body heat-moldable foam layer and an antibacterial top sheet. Also included in our test kit is the Tristan Jacket with removable sleeves, double-thickness collar, and waterproof zipper. Castelli’s StratoLite three-layer laminate fabric offers wind protection courtesy of a polyurethane membrane, a DWR coating for water resistance, and a light bi-elastic polyester fleece for warmth. Price: US$160 (Super Ergo YPro Bib Tights); US$180 (Tristan Jacket/Vest) The Hydro jersey from Sugoi incorporates Photo ©: James Huang Sugoi winter clothing Vancouver-based Sugoi has a long and storied history in cold-weather gear, which is hardly surprising given its locale. Our winter-specific Invertor Jacket test garment features Sugoi’s “Fast Fit” next-to-body cut using its Firewall three-layer laminate stretch fabric up front with a DWR coating for wind and water protection plus warmth, and more breathable SubZero DWR material on rear panels. Storage options include a single large rear pocket (with integrated internal wire routing up to the neck for portable MP3 players) and a concealed chest pocket. The Firewall Bib Tight also utilizes Firewall material on the front panels, but also up along the center of the rear to protect against mud and road spray. So-called Smart Seam construction offsets the placement of the flat-lock seams away from chafe-prone areas, and 7” ankle zippers ease ingress and egress. Sugoi’s Hydro jersey utilizes its wind- and water-resistant HydroLite membrane on the front panels and upper sleeves along with its insulative FinoTherm fabric for breathable protection against the elements. Ergo Sleeve construction is said to offer a better cycling-specific fit, and Sugoi finishes things off with three rear pockets, gripper elastic at the bottom hem, and reflective detailing. Rounding off our test kit are Sugoi’s Finostretch L/S base layer and Barrier gloves. Price: US$150 (Invertor Jacket); US150 (Firewall Bib Tight); US$100 (Hydro Jersey); US$40 (Finostretch L/S Base Layer); US$40 (Barrier Gloves) The SLR Teknologika Flow saddle from Selle Italia Photo ©: James Huang Selle Italia SLR Teknologika Flow Selle Italia’s long-standing and popular SLR line crowns a new king with the introduction of the SLR Teknologika Flow. Selle Italia maintains the now-classic SLR shape, but carbon fiber is used for both the shell and rails to keep weight at an absolute minimum. Unlike some other ultralight saddles which are perhaps better suited as an alternative means of population control, the SLR Teknologika Flow at least looks to be reasonably comfortable with its cutout base and minimalist Alcantara-covered EVA foam padding. In spite of the claimed weight of 95g printed right on the carbon base, our test sample hit the scales at a significantly heavier, yet still feather-light, 126g. Price: US$449 The new X.9 rear derailleur now uses a forged aluminum B-knuckle Photo ©: James Huang SRAM X.9 drivetrain SRAM’s X.9 componentry received a major overhaul for 2007, bringing it even closer in performance to its top-end X.0 group. The new trigger shifters feature X.0 styling with adjustable clamp positioning and a removable clamshell. More importantly, shifter internals are nearly identical as well for a substantially more solid feel and faster gear changes courtesy of SRAM’s Zero Loss Travel design. Inevitably, some cost-cutting measures are employed so the X.9 triggers do without the cartridge bearings, carbon fiber, and adjustable pull lever of their big brother. Weight on our test pair is 229g without the included Teflon-coated cables. The X.9 rear derailleur receives a similarly significant revamp as well, with a new forged aluminum B-knuckle for greater impact strength, cartridge bearing pulleys, and X.0 styling. “Super short”, medium, and long cage varieties will all be offered. New for ’07 is an X.9 front derailleur, which is based on last year’s X-Gen model but with a more upscale finish and lighter weight courtesy of a milled-out cage and specific top-pull/bottom-pull varieties. Owners of old-school steel frames are, unfortunately, out of luck as the new derailleur will only readily fit 31.8mm and 34.9mm diameter seat tubes. Weight for our top-pull 34.9mm front derailleur is 167g,while the long cage rear derailleur hits the scales at 223g. Price: US$128 (trigger shifters); US$48 (front derailleur); US$99 The Lyrik 2-Step Air stands at the forefront of today's new crop Photo ©: James Huang Rock Shox Lyrik 2-Step Air Rock Shox crashes the long-travel single-crown party with its new Lyrik platform. The stout chassis incorporates 35mm diameter aluminum stanchions, cast magnesium lowers with bushing reinforcements, and a forged aluminum crown. A pair of burly dropouts house Rock Shox’s outstanding Maxle 360 20mm thru-axle system. Our top-end test model features Rock Shox’s new 2-Step Air system, which drops fork travel from 160mm to 115mm with a single turn on the crown-mounted dial, as well as its new Mission Control damper, which not only features independently- and externally-adjustable high-speed and low-speed compression damping, and low-speed rebound damping, but also platform and threshold settings. Weight for our sample with a 265mm long 1 1/8” aluminum steerer tube is 2.46kg (5.42lbs), including axle. Price: US$1050 Bontrager's Rhythm Elite wheelset uses a wider 28mm rim Photo ©: James Huang Bontrager Rhythm Elite wheelset Bontrager’s new Rhythm line of wheels utilizes a wider 28mm rim to better support for today’s new crop of larger-volume lightweight mountain bike tires. The new extrusion, Bontrager’s first in years, is disc-specific with an offset spoke bed to help equalize spoke tension, and a molded rim strip provides UST tubeless compatibility. In spite of the wider dimensions and eyeleted construction, Bontrager claims the new Rhythm rim weighs just 440g. The rims on our Rhythm Elite test set come laced to a pair of “Swiss-made” Bontrager hubs (based on DT’s Onyx line) with 28 DT 14/15g butted spokes front and rear. Weight on our complete set is 1858g (828g for 20mm thru-axle front, 1030g rear) without the rear skewer. Tubeless rim strips and valve cores add 108g per pair, and standard QR-compatible versions are also available. Price: US$249.99 (20mm TA front); US$229.99 (QR front); US$279.99 (rear) Ritchey's Matrix carbonalloy process fuses a carbon outer layer Photo ©: James Huang Ritchey WCS 4-Axis Matrixalloy stem We know, we know, you’re thinking to yourself, ‘that’s just another carbon-wrapped aluminum stem’… well, yes and no, at least according to Ritchey. In the case of its new Matrix carbonalloy construction, high-modulus carbon fiber is said to play an actual structural, not just cosmetic, role to the underlying 3D-forged aluminum base. Ritchey claims this process produces a stem that is both lighter and stronger than one that uses either material exclusively since the two are fused together. True to its billing, our 110mm long test sample is light, weighing just 121g with titanium hardware (4g lighter than advertised). Ritchey also graces the stem with its signature paired-four-bolt faceplate and bias cut steerer clamp to reduce the risk of damage due to overtightening. Lengths ranging from 90-130mm are available, all with a flip-flop 6° angle. Price: US$199.99 The handy Torqkey and Liquid Torque Photo ©: James Huang Ritchey Torqkey and Liquid Torque Speaking of overtightening, Ritchey has introduced its consumer-friendly Torqkey torque wrench. The handy gizmo is factory-preset to 5Nm and comes equipped with a 4mm Allen bit for use on its stems (or any other parts with a 5Nm torque recommendation, for that matter). Our butterfly-shaped Torqkey test bit feels relatively easy on the fingers so far and seems to work as advertised, but the ‘click’ that occurs when you hit the designated 5Nm setting also sounds unnervingly similar to the tune of cracking carbon… On a related vein, Ritchey has also introduced its own brand of friction-enhancing assembly compound, dubbed Liquid Torque. This stuff looks to be the same material as others already on the market, which is to say that it is surprisingly effective, both at increasing surface friction between clamped parts and/or reducing necessary applied clamping torques. Price: US$19.99 (Torqkey); US$4.50/packet (Liquid Torque) Photography For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com Blackburn's new top-end TrakStand Ultra trainer utilizes its new Centriforce resistance unit mounted in a sturdy aluminum frame with adjustable-length legs. The new Centriforce resistance unit offers as much as 745W of resistance at 25mph via a unique clutch mechanism. Castelli serves up winter in black and blue with its Tristan Jacket/Vest with removable sleeves and the Super Ergo YPro Bib Tight. Sugoi's Invertor Jacket and Firewall Bib Tights both utilize a three-layer laminate Firewall material that also includes an additional DWR coating to protect against water. The Hydro jersey from Sugoi incorporates a Hydrolite membrane for lightweight protection. The SLR Teknologika Flow saddle from Selle Italia looks dangerous, but may prove to be quite comfy with its cutout design and EVA foam padding. SRAM's X.9 shifters have undergone a complete overhaul for 2007, incorporating many of the features of the higher-end X.0 model. The new X.9 rear derailleur now uses a forged aluminum B-knuckle for better impact resistance. All-new for '07 is the X.9 front derailleur, which is based on last year's X-Gen but with a cut-out cage and lighter top-pull/bottom-pull specific design. The Lyrik 2-Step Air stands at the forefront of today's new crop of relatively lightweight and versatile long-travel single-crown forks. Bontrager's Rhythm Elite wheelset uses a wider 28mm rim to provide better support for large volume tires. Ritchey's Matrix carbonalloy process fuses a carbon outer layer to a forged aluminum base for a stem that is said to be lighter and stronger than either material alone. The handy Torqkey and Liquid Torque should help keep consumers from damaging lightweight components due to overtightening.