Quick Spins – May 7, 2007 Edited by James Huang Got Tech? Send press releases, news, and tech questions to the Cyclingnews tech-heads. Welcome to Quick Spins, an all new section within Cyclingnews' tech coverage were we put some of the smaller items that land on the tech desk to the test. Truvativ Noir 3.3 Team + TNT crankset The Truvativ Noir 3.3 Team + TNT Photo ©: James Huang Truvativ's first fully integrated carbon fiber MTB crankset certainly makes a good impression straight out of the box with its luxurious unidirectional carbon finish and subtle graphics. In typical Truvativ form, an AL-66 aluminum spine is embedded within to help ensure proper alignment, and everything rotates on a standard company-issue GXP bottom bracket (which is finally compatible with E-type front derailleurs on 73mm shells). At just 806g for the complete assembly, Truvativ's top-level offering falls just 20g behind Shimano's new world-beater M970 XTR. To put it diplomatically, Truvativ has not always had a reputation for delivering the longest-lasting or smoothest-shifting chainrings, but things have come a long way since then and its latest offerings promise to put those dark days to bed once and for all. A complex set of pins and ramps has been refined over the years to deliver quality shifts, and a new Truvativ Nickel Teflon (TNT) finish is claimed to offer superior durability and reduced friction as compared to standard aluminum surface treatments. At the very least, the new rings feel pretty slick to the touch. Out on the trail, we can't say that we noticed a smoother-running or easier-shifting drivetrain as a result of Truvativ's fancy new coating, but shifts were commendably Shimano-like and our rings have held up surprisingly well after several months of use. The teeth still weren't much of a match for the occasional ill-timed rock crawl, but to be fair, even particularly hard hits were greeted with just a bent or scraped tooth. The big ring never showed even the slightest hint of warping, even on one dinger that managed to curl a tooth into an impromptu fish hook (sadly, though, that one got away…). Truvativ's chainrings have come a long way Photo ©: James Huang The carbon-over-aluminum arms were noticeably more rigid than Truvativ's top aluminum Stylo model, and the surface warded off those same jumping rocks (I could have sworn those weren't there before) with mostly surface scratches and clearcoat gouges. Even the faces of the arms seems to have held up well to shoe rub, leaving our Noir 3.3 test unit looking more like a 'well-seasoned' Sean Connery than a used-up… well, you can pick your own favorite 'I-spent-an-hour-a-day-in-the-tanning-salon-when-I-was-in-my-prime' actor/actress. All in all, we wouldn't hesitate to add the Noir 3.3 Team to our short list of top XC cranksets. We still wish for less drag from the GXP bottom bracket, but SRAM just recently announced a ceramic bearing upgrade for its otherwise excellent system so things are looking up. Weight: 806g (including GXP bottom bracket) Price: US$439.95 Pros: Gorgeous finish, competitive weight, excellent shift quality and durability from new TNT rings Cons: Standard GXP bottom bracket is in desperate need of a bearing upgrade Cyclingnews rating: Photography For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com The Truvativ Noir 3.3 Team + TNT is the company's lightest crankset to date. The Noir represents Truvativ's first carbon crankset with a fully integrated chainring spider. The Noir is covered with a sleek unidirectional carbon finish. Truvativ's chainrings have come a long way , offering outstanding shift quality and exceptional durability courtesy of the TNT coating. Nasty rock slams may have claimed this tooth , but the big ring showed not a smidge of warping during our test period after numerous hits. Velocity Wipes Velocity Wipes offers handy wipes Photo ©: James Huang I can just envision how the folks at Velocity Wipes came up with these things (initiate TV-style nightmare sequence here)… …after the newborn's untimely 'blowout', one of them grabs a handy baby wipe out of its pop-up container and the air is fresh and clean again. Out to the car, another one spots an admirer's facial smudge on the driver's side window of his Knight Rider replica Trans Am… bam, a pop-up glass cleaner restores KITT to his early-80's glory. Another pop-up cleaner saves the microwave later that evening from an untimely death courtesy of yesterday's leftovers. The time eventually comes to clean the bike for the next day's ride and… hey, what am I supposed to do with this spray bottle and rag?! Ahhhh!!! (cue nightmare sequence end) Ok, well maybe that's not quite how it worked out, but you can see how it might have happened that way, right? Either way, Velocity Wipes aims to offer cyclists the same level of convenience with its Frame & Rim Cleaner and Degreaser packs, both of which offer near-paper towel-sized synthetic cloth wipes presoaked with some sort of magical goop in a convenient plastic vessel. As it turns out, the Frame & Rim Cleaner wipes worked exceptionally well. Save for heavy mud when a hose would work better, grease and grime are easily and quickly swished away, leaving a lustrous shine in its wake, and the wipe's thin material fits in tight areas that thicker rags might not. Surprisingly, one wipe also holds up long enough to do an entire bike from tip to tail. Unfortunately, our experience with the Degreaser wasn't quite as favorable. By nature, bicycle drivetrains aren't terribly conducive to being cleaned with rags of any sort, and the relatively wimpy Velocity Wipes material doesn't stand much of a chance. Moreover, the included solvent isn't particularly powerful which is great for maintaining your Palmolive hands, but not so good for stripping that sludge from your 'this used to be silver?' chain. At about US$20-25 per container of thirty, Velocity Wipes represent a fairly expensive luxury. We might be convinced to drop that for the Frame & Rim Cleaner, but would pass on the Degreaser. Weight: come on now, do you really care? Price: US$19.99-24.99, depending on retailer Pros: Frame & Rim Cleaner work as promised, convenient packaging Cons: Degreaser wipes aren't very effective, rather expensive Cyclingnews rating: (Frame & Rim Cleaner): (Degreaser) Photography For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com Velocity Wipes offers handy wipes to clean your frame, rims, and drivetrain. The frame and rim cleaner wipes worked great, but we'd pass on the degreasers. TRP R950 road calipers The R950 road calipers from TRP Photo ©: James Huang For those of you who just can't quite satisfy your carbon fiber habit, TRP's sharp-looking R950 road brake calipers just might prove to be a reasonable fix. To be fair, the R950 isn't a pure carbon component as it consists of a thick carbon wrap over a minimal aluminum spine, but TRP insists the carbon isn't just a cosmetic veneer and provides its top-end dual-pivot caliper with class-leading arm stiffness. Teflon bushings, a full complement of titanium hardware, and Kool-Stop cartridge pads finish off the package which hit our scales at 290g for the pair including mounting hardware. Setup is a cinch courtesy of the angular adjustment on the pads and the centering screw on the caliper body. The R950 delivers a firm feel on the road when paired with Shimano's Dura-Ace levers, providing good support to TRP's claims. The arm rigidity also translates into excellent braking power and modulation. The R950 is directly comparable to its mainstream competition in terms of both weight and cost (although SRAM's Force calipers are substantially less expensive), while simultaneously delivering carbon fiber appeal. Moreover, TRP makes no sacrifices to shed grams as both calipers offer dual-pivot power, barrel adjusters, and cam-style quick releases. If you don't mind the relatively obscure TRP brand name Photo ©: James Huang Unfortunately, TRP's biggest obstacle may be overcoming its relatively obscure brand name. If you can get over the lack of label cachet, though, the R950 offers a legitimate high-performance alternative to the big names. Weight: 290g (146g/144g front/rear, including mounting hardware) Price: US$289.99 per pair Pros: Stiff caliper arms deliver excellent power and modulation, fully featured, carbon fiber bling Cons: No name-brand glitz to go along with carbon glamour Cyclingnews rating: Photography For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com The R950 road calipers from TRP back up their carbon fiber façade with solid performance. Structural carbon fiber surrounds a minimal aluminum skeleton. TRP doesn't sacrifice features to save weight and even includes such luxuries as a caliper centering screw. Angular adjustment is provided by the Kool-Stop pads. If you don't mind the relatively obscure TRP brand name , the R950 calipers provide a sharp look and solid function.