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 Dauphiné Libéré Photo ©: Sirotti |
Tech News – June 13, 2003
Edited by Paul Mirtschin
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Wright Brothers replica racers
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Before Wilbur and Orville Wright started working on a little invention called the Wright Flyer, they designed and built cutting-edge bicycles. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the famous first flight, Gary Boulanger, owner of Cycles Gaansari in Dayton, Ohio, has designed two modern-day replicas of the 1896 Wright Van Cleve; the Gaansari Van Cleve AL and Van Cleve ST.
The Gaansari Van Cleve ST is built with fillet-brazed Reynolds 853 steel and a WoundUp carbon fork. Campagnolo Record, Chorus and Centaur kit options are available. The Gaansari Van Cleve AL is built with Easton 7005 Ultralite aluminium and a Reynolds Ouzo Pro carbon fork. Shimano DuraAce and Ultegra kit options are available.
"Much is known about the Wright Brothers' aviation results, but little has been told about how the men designed and tested their theories, and how big a role bicycle technology played in their research and development," Boulanger said. "Like most self-sufficient and frugal bicyclists, the brothers scrounged discarded bike components to make something useful out of something lying around the shop. In this case, it wasn't a fixed gear or townie bike, but the airplane that was created"
Nearly 300 Wright Van Cleve bikes were sold between 1896 and 1900, all featuring their own custom-built frames, stems, hubs, rims and cranks. The bikes sold were priced at $100, a small fortune back when the average American worker made just $500 a year.
Ride for a cause
Mavic's USA staff, along with several friends and associates, will ride the second annual Ronde van Koe Platteland in a benefit for friend and UCI technical delegate Kelli Turcotte, whose battle with cancer continues. The 45 mile ride, named for the many dairy farms it rolls by, is designed to bring awareness and cash to a cycling friend in need, and will be held on Sunday, June 15.
"Each year we pick a different cause and this year we will ride to help Kelli with her effort that is both physical and financial. It is a small ride, maybe 40 people, and that is the point. The big charity and cause rides are great, but we also want to demonstrate that you can do something on a local level to achieve great things. We visited a lemonade stand last week in Philadelphia where the young entrepreneur who suffers from Neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, has raised more than fifty thousand dollars, fifty cents at a time. The message is: do something." said Mavic's Senior Idea Guy Christopher Zigmont; a Lymphoma survivor and ride organizer.
Don't forget to check out Cyclingnews' coverage of the Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL Tour de France launch at the Wachovia Cycling Series.
Introducing the Mallet C
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For a long time, the only clipless platform pedal was the Shimano 636. Then along came the Time Z-pedal and a pedal war began to brew. Now, just to make things more difficult for everyone, Crank Bros. have announced that their ever-popular Egg Beater pedal will be available as a platform; the Mallet C.
The 540g/pair pedal features the same minimalist core technology found in their XC-based Egg Beater pedals, with a large free-rotating aluminium platform providing a solid home for your feet.
The Mallet C is set for an August 1 release and will set you back around US$100.
2003.5 Orbea bikes
Orbea USA has just released its mid-year "2003.5" model line, featuring new frameset colours and graphics.
The models run from the US$1,299 Campagnolo Veloce equipped Volata through to the US$3,299 Lobular carbon fibre framed Maia team replica, complete with Zeus FCM fork, Shimano Dura-Ace components and Mavic Kysrium Elite wheels.
A sneak peek at the new Cervélo
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The ever-alert photographic team at Cyclingnews are always on the look-out for new bikes and equipment at races, so it was no surprise when Jeff Tse filed a picture of a new Cervélo at the Classique des Alpes.
The new bike, a Vroomen-White-Designed Cervélo R2.5, was supposed to have its first outing simultaneously at the USPRO Championships in Philly and the Dauphiné-Libéré. However, CSC rider Tyler Hamilton decided to give it a quick test a day early.
The frame is a full-carbon, lugged affair, the only non-carbon parts on the frame are the dropouts, bottom bracket threads and headset cups, and is the first sub-1000g frame to receive the coveted EFBe certification. Cervélo are currently equipping the CSC team with the new frames, and the final stages of the Dauphiné-Libéré will see the entire team riding them.
The frame tested at EFBe was actually a prototype R2.5 SL; a special superlight version of the R2.5. This lightweight version of the R2.5 will not be introduced until next season, and the frameset will be priced in the $3500-4000 range.
Pretty in pink... and blue
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A week after Saeco-Cannondale's Gilberto Simoni brought home fi'zi:k saddle's historic first time Grand Tour win, fi'zi:k marketing director Massimo Fregonese Strolling out to the warehouse (to surprise the team with a signed Simoni maglia rosa and poster) to find the entire fi'zi:k production staff donning pink artist's smocks.
Massimo isn't the only person feeling colourful. While Gilberto Simoni was bringing home fi'zi:k's historical first-time Grand Tour Win wearing la maglia rosa at the close of the 21st stage, Siemen's Cannondale's Cedric Gracia was pulling on the World Cup Downhill leader's blue jersey. Gracia's win at Fort Williams, Scotland upon the new fi'zi:k Gobi saddle made two-for-two following Christophe Sauser's cross-country win in St. Wendel, Germany on the same saddle last weekend.
Only four people in the world are currently racing competitively on fi'zi:k's unreleased Arione (road) and Gobi (MTB) saddles: Cedric Gracia, Christophe Sauser, Igor Astarloa and Gilberto Simoni. Both Sauser and Gracia will be sporting the World Cup leader's jerseys going into World Cup #2 and #3, respectively; Astarloa's recent triumph at La Fleche Wallone marked the first time a Spanish rider has won this Belgian classic; and Simoni's Giro d'Italia victory was the company's first Grand Tour win.
Jonas Carney's Pinarello Prince
By Ray Easterling
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For most racers, the weight of the bike is everything. Not so for Jonas Carney of Prime Alliance. For Carney, everything is about speed.
"I ride with the saddle back as far as I can get it. The handlebars are as far down as possible. I like my drops as low as possible for the sprints," Carney said.
It is because of these particulars that Carney rides a custom Pinarello Prince. Carney chose to change the angles slightly on his unique ride, make a 73.5 parallel. He shortened the seat tube to 50-51 cm center-to-center, but has a top tube length of 55.5. His grouppo is entirely Campagnolo Record.
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Besides the modifications to the geometry, Carney also chooses to run a slightly different wheelset, with Bontrager Aero Deep Metal rims, than the rest of his team.
"It's a little heavier than the wheels the other guys ride [Bontrager Carbon]. I basically like a little bit heavier wheel for sprinting. I'm not as concerned about weight as I am about stiffness."
Apparently, the setup works for Carney, who won the sixth annual Clarendon Cup on June 1 in a group sprint.
- Frame: Custom Pinarello Prince
- Group: Campagnalo Record
- Wheels: Bontrager Aero Deep Metal
- Pedals: Speedplay Zeros
- Saddle: Team Prime Alliance Fi:zi'k Pave
- Stem: Bontrager
Centre-locked hubs
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DT Swiss' Australian distributors, Dirt Works, has supplied Cyclingnews with images of the new Centre-Lock compatable Hügi 240s hubs. The Hügi 240s hubs are compatible with Shimano's Centre Lock disc brake mount, as used on the 2003 XTR and next years Saint and XT groups, and come in at 136g (F) and 258g (R).
The hubs should be available in late July/early August.
Australians will also be able to buy the hubs as part of Wheelcraft's XC PURE wheelset with DT Rims, DT AeroLite spokes, 240s hubs and ProLock nipples. The wheels will weigh just 1560g and retail for around AU$1595. The wheels will also be available with the International Std. disc mount Hügi 240 hubs.
Photos
- Gaansari Van Cleve ST
- Gaansari Van Cleve AL
- The rear Hügi 240s hubs
- Hügi 240s front hub
- The seatstays on Jonas Carney's Pinarello Prince
- All the action is centred around a Campagnalo Record 10 group
- Record cranks and Speedplay pedals
- The non-driveside of the Prince
- Jonas Carney and bike
- Crank Brothers Mallet C pedals
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