Tech News – November 6, 2007 Edited by James Huang Got tech? Send press releases, news, and tech questions to the Cyclingnews tech desk. Finally! Powertap does MTB Wow, that's an awfully big MTB hub shell… Photo ©: James Huang Saris' Powertap hub has developed into one of the gold standards of power measurement for cyclists with a well-documented level of accuracy and good track record for durability. The SL model shaved substantial weight from the original, and the most recent SL 2.4 added wireless transmission, but one model that has always been sorely lacking in the Powertap arsenal is a disc brake-compatible version for off-road use. That slot will soon be filled by a new model spotted in prototype form during a recent trip to Fruita, CO. The pending MTB version is based on the existing Powertap SL 2.4, with fully wireless digital transmission and the same computer head that we've grown familiar with in recent years. The road model's carbon-and-aluminum hub shell has been swapped for an all-aluminum one, though, and a proprietary stainless steel-and-aluminum disc brake rotor (developed by Powertap) fits around the hub's bulbous power measuring hardware with an array of eight bolts. Saris is still tight-lipped on a release date for the disc brake version but at least confirmed its existence. According to Saris' David Cathcart, "As you know we're constantly developing technology here at Saris Cycling Group and the disc brake Powertap is another example of that. Currently that project is in the testing phase. We don't have a release date for it, however progress has been positive." Van Dessel Cycles returns to the hands of company founder Van Dessel Cycles is back in the hands of its founder Photo ©: Van Dessel Cycles Van Dessel Sports is admittedly on the smaller end of the bicycle company spectrum yet has still managed some high-profile visibility, most notably under the legs of Team Maxxis rider Geoff Kabush as he transitioned into the cyclocross season. Kabush has since made the transition to Litespeed's new 'cross frame, but Van Dessel has maintained its presence in the professional 'cross field with sponsorships of top North American racers Kerry Barnholt and John Fokkema. After selling the company in 2004, company founder Edwin Bull recently announced that he has now brought the company back into the family fold ('Van Dessel' is his mother's maiden name), and he is wasting little time in working to continue the momentum built over the past few years. Van Dessel is currently developing a new Gin & Trombones cyclocross frame that will integrate Cannondale's newly opened BB30 integrated bottom bracket standard. FSA will supply Van Dessel with BB30-compatible versions of its high-end cranksets for the project, and the oversized bearing and spindle arrangement should not only be stiffer and more responsive than conventional setups, but also has the potential to be significantly lighter as well. The value-packed 2008 Rivet full carbon road frame will also get the BB30 bottom bracket upgrade (with ceramic bearings), as well as the increasingly popular tapered-and-oversized front end with a 1.5" lower headset bearing and a new seat stay assembly. There is no word yet on changes to the frame's claimed weight, but retail price will bump up slightly to US$1899. Frames are projected to be available sometime around February or March 2008. North American Handmade Bicycle Show on track for biggest show ever NAHBS founder, organizer, and director Don Walker Photo ©: James Huang After spending two years in San Jose, CA, the North American Handmade Bicycle Show is scheduled to move up the coast to the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR on February 8-10. February may still be several months away, but early indications point to what will easily be the biggest NAHBS to date. Don Walker, an accomplished framebuilder in his own right, founded NAHBS four years ago as a means by which framebuilders worldwide could not only display the fruits of their labor to the world, but also to provide a central event where builders could exchange ideas and techniques with each other. After a bit of a slow start, word has finally gotten around as pre-registration figures for the 2008 suggest that the upcoming show will likely be the biggest in its short four-year history. According to Walker, who continues to operate as the show's organizer and director, 92 exhibitors have already signed up for the 2008 event with five weeks of registration still remaining. Walker says the current figures already nearly match the 2007 statistics in terms of both the number of exhibitors and total booth space. Confirmed exhibitors include Richard Sachs, Brian Baylis, Tony Pereira, Nick Crumpton, Rock Lobster, Coconino Cycles, Independent Fabrication, and Jeff Jones Custom Bicycles. "On display will be the most beautiful objects in the cycling world, and I mean the whole cycling world," said Walker. "For anybody who's even remotely into bicycles, or design, or engineering, this is a 'do not miss' event." Additional information is available at http://handmadebicycleshow.com/. First Annual Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show set to kick off this weekend The Oregon Bicycle Constructors' Association will hold its own 'mini-NAHBS' of sorts this Sunday, November 11, at Miller Hall in the World Forestry Center in the Washington Park area of Portland. The one-day event will showcase the works of 27 local builders, including Jeff Jones and Tony Pereira, and is sponsored by the Portland Office of Transportation with additional support from the Portland Development Commission. "There is a long tradition of bicycle building in Oregon, and a more recent explosion of new builders," said Andy Newlands, a framebuilder who has worked in Oregon for three decades. "Oregon is a wonderful place to ride a bike, so it is no surprise that there is such an appreciation and regard for handmade bikes." Tickets to the show will be available at the door for US$5, and the show will run from 11am to 7pm. Additional information is available at www.oregonbca.org. Interbike shuffles upper management After ten years as the Interbike show director, Lance Camisasca will launch his own consulting firm, Lifeboat Solutions, and will now serve as a marketing consultant for Interbike effective January 1, 2008. Camisasca will work directly with the show's sales and marketing teams and Vice President of Nielsen's Sport's Group, Joe Flynn, and will now be responsible for "helping [Interbike] develop sales and marketing strategies, identifying new market opportunities and acting as Interbike's key liaison for its advocacy and industry relations efforts." "There have been a lot of changes in the 10 years I've been with Interbike, both as a company and within the tradeshow industry," Camisasca said. "Interbike's parent company is now Nielsen Business Media, a fantastic organization with tons of experience in both the business-to-business arena and in the sports industries. Nielsen is also a company that really understands how to produce outstanding trade events, in part by having experts focus on what they do best, such as operations, sales, marketing, to name a few. "The time for me to step outside of the bubble and work closely with Interbike as a client, Bikes Belong and the entire industry to further the importance of Interbike down the stretch couldn't be better," said Camisasca. "I leave in my wake exceptional sales, marketing and operation teams, who run efficiently, professionally and passionately in their day to day efforts. I am confident that my new role working with these strong individuals bodes well for Interbike and future events." Nielsen Business Media does not plan to fill the position now left vacant by Camisasca's departure but insists the change will have long-term benefits to the health of the show. According to Lloyd, "Lance is an invaluable asset to Interbike. His new role with Interbike will allow him to focus on the big picture, instead of day-to-day operations. Lance will now be able to assist me in formulating short and long term strategies for the cycling industry. In addition he will be working closely with industry groups such as the NBDA and Bikes Belong, making himself available to customers - large and small, collecting feedback and providing effective ideas on improving the show." In keeping with this newfound focus, Interbike Senior Account Executive Robert Roman will shed his current responsibilities for the Health+Fitness Business Expo, Interbike's sister show, and has taken on additional sales territories with Interbike. According to Nielsen Business Media, Roman will now concentrate on "meeting the needs of the cycling industry with the Interbike Expo and OutDoor Demo moving forward." Arundel Bicycle Company introduces OtherSideloader cages Arundel Bicycle Company's Sideloader cage Photo ©: James Huang Fort Worth, TX-based carbon fiber specialist Arundel Bicycle Company has quickly gained a loyal following with its outstanding line of carbon water bottle cages. Huh? Carbon bottle cages? What's the big deal other than a hefty price tag and bragging rights? Scoff if you must, but many of you have realized through one means or another that not all carbon cages are created equal. Unlike lesser knockoffs, Arundel's models actually manage to hold on to a bottle securely, even on rough trails, while still offering easy entry and exit, top-notch looks, and light weight to boot. Still think you can find that on eBay for US$5? The recently debuted Sideloader model was designed to facilitate right-handed bottle access when mounted on the seat tube, but certain compact frames (and especially some full-suspension mountain bike configurations) could also benefit from such a design on down tubes. Unfortunately, though, the non-reversible design meant that down tube mounting required a left-handed grab. After much debate, Arundel has now released a mirror-image version of the Sideloader, aptly named the OtherSideloader. According to Arundel's David Bradfield (the 'Dave' of the 'Dave-O' model cage), "It took us a while to take the hint but we finally came out with one. Almost as soon as we launched the Sideloader we started to get emails asking for a 'lefty' version for just that purpose. People were also asking for a 'lefty' version so that they could mount two Sideloaders on their regular road bike and be able to grab the bottle from the right side." The OtherSideloader will be offered with the same red, silver, or pink accents and will carry the same suggested retail price of US$49.95. OEM Taiwanese carbon manufacturer scores gold at Master's Track World Championships Kotzmann basks in the glory Photo ©: Mike Gladu Taiwanese manufacturer Karbona secured its first major international success recently when Austrian Wolfgang Kotzmann won the 300-meter individual pursuit (Men, 35-39) at the Sydney Master's Track World Championships on one of its frames this past October. Typically, Karbona produces aluminum and carbon components, frames, and related accessories either unlabeled or for OEM use by other bike companies, but like many other Asian firms, the high-capacity manufacturer has been producing its own product line under its own brand for the past four years. Kotzmann's Karbona Track Lite model boasts monocoque carbon fiber construction with aerodynamic tube shapes, burly construction, and a matching monocoque carbon fiber fork. Claimed weight is approximately 1900g. Photography For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com Wow, that's an awfully big MTB hub shell… …but upon closer inspection , it's actually a prototype of Powertap's new MTB disc brake-compatible hub. A proprietary stainless steel-and-aluminum brake rotor fits around the power measuring hardware with an array of eight bolts. A 2.4GHz wireless signal sends information up to the computer head without any external cables. The hopefully soon-to-be-released MTB model will use the same computer head we've grown familiar with on the road edition. Images by Van Dessel Cycles Van Dessel Cycles is back in the hands of its founder , Edwin Bull, who is adding Cannondale's BB30 bottom bracket standard to its popular Gin & Trombones 'cross model. FSA will provide BB30-compatible cranksets. Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com NAHBS founder, organizer, and director Don Walker stands proudly behind one of the many creations displayed at last year's show. Tony Pereira's creation will be at NAHBS again this February but will also display at this weekend's first annual Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show. Arundel Bicycle Company's Sideloader cage is now offered in a mirror-image version for easier right-handed access to down tube-mounted bottles. Even the writing on the header card is reversed! The OtherSideloader will be offered with the same silver, red, or pink highlights as on the standard Sideloader cage. Images by Mike Gladu/www.velodrome.com Austria's Wolfgang Kotzmann captures the World Championship for the Master's 35-39 3000m individual pursuit. Kotzmann basks in the glory of his victory. Images by Karbona Kotzmann achieved his win aboard a monocoque carbon frame produced by Taiwanese manufacturer Karbona.