New Arrivals – December 8, 2004 Edited by John Stevenson 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. Diadora Proracer carbon Diadora Proracer Carbon Shoes seem to have become shinier more downright bling-bling every year lately, and Diadora's new Proracer carbon shoes would probably get the 2004 Cyclingnews Most Bling Footwear award - if we had one (and who knows, maybe we'll start one just for them...) But it's not all show - the Proracer Carbons feature one of the cleverest buckle designs we've seen, with the facility to open the buckle right open for cleaning, and aluminium 'quick adjust' buckles to hold the straps in place even if the Velcro fails. The Proracer Carbon's other major feature is a sole that's compatible with a wide range of cleats via different inserts. While this has the downside of a bit of extra complication and sole thickness it does mean that the Proracer Carbons are among the few shoes still to offer compatibility with Shimano's now-abandoned SPD-R and two-bolt SPD cleats. More info: www.diadora.com Crank Brothers Quattro pedals Crank Brothers Quattro SL pedals Crank Brothers Quattro pedal is so named because it's the fourth pedal model from the Californian design house that has built a formidable rep for its pedals since the Eggbeater back in 2001. The Quattro is the first road pedal from Crank Bros, and arises out of the company's relationships with a number of pro racers including Fred Rodriguez. The pedal mechanism is based on previous Crank Brothers pedals, but the cleat comes with a plastic surround to provide support on the pedal body, a function that's provided by the shape of the shoe sole for Crank Bros' MTB pedals. More info: www.crankbrothers.com fi’zi:k Aliante gamma fi’zi:k Gobi fi’zi:k Rondine fi'zi:k saddles and packs fi’zi:k saddle:pak fi’zi:k Arione Carbon fi'zi:k has introduced a wealth of new saddles for 2005, plus an interesting quirk on the age-old problem of mounting a pack to the back of the seat to carry tools and tubes. The fi'zi:k saddle:pak incorporates a clip that fits into a slot in some new models of fi'zi:k saddle. It slides in and clicks into place, and to remove it, you just press the tongue to release the catch. A slot for a saddle:pak is incorporated into two of the four new fi'zi:k saddles that have recently arrived at Cyclingnews. Three of the four - the Arione Carbon, Gobi and Aliante gamma - are updates of previous, popular fi'zi:k saddles, featuring new materials to shave some weight. (While fi'zi:k's seats have been popular for their comfort it's fair to say they have never been likely to win any gram-scale shoot-outs.) The fourth new seat is a bit of a departure for fi'zi:k, bringing the company's 'wing flex' idea to non-racing saddles. The Rondine is short, broad and deeply padded, and is intended for riders who spend lots of time in the saddle, such as tourists and endurance event competitors. The Rondine, and the US version of the Aliante gamma, have slots for a saddle:pak. More info: www.fi'zi:k.com The Tour Baby! Photo ©: Paul Mirtschin The Tour Baby! To make The Tour Baby! Scott Coady followed the entire Tour de France armed with just a Sony digital video camera and sleeping in an Avis rental van. In the process, Coady went from outsider to part of the race carnival, along the way shooting scenes of Lance Armstrong in his hotel room, Robin Williams, Tour director Jean Marie Leblanc, Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, crazed tour fans, US Postal Riders in the team bus and in their hotel rooms, and getting up close and personal with the podium babes. That was in 2000. Faced with the effort and cost of actually turning his footage into a film, Coady put the project aside. But in December 2001, Coady's best friend's daughter Claire, age 10 was diagnosed with brain cancer. Claire beat the disease and Coady was inspired by her example, and that of Lance Armstrong, to finish the movie and use it as part of an effort to raise $100,000 for the lance Armstrong Foundation. The resulting film is a unique fan's-eye-view of the greatest bike race on earth, and benefits a good cause - how can you say no? More info: shop.cyclingnews.com.au Red Ace Leg Shave Prep Red Ace Leg Shave Prep If your Friday night pre-race ritual involves a fresh leg shave, the folks from Red Ace are here to make it a bit earsier and more pleasant with this Leg Shave Prep cream which helps prevent razor burn and cuts, putting "the fun back into Friday night". And if that's not enough to get your attention, Red Ace, in conjunction with Argon18, is giving away an Argon18 Krypton FC road bike with a full Dura-Ace spec. For details and to enter, click here. More info: www.redace.com.au Caffeinated PowerBar Caffeinated raspberry and cream PowerBar PowerBar seems to be on a 'flavour of the month' kick at the moment and here's its latest is indeed a flavour with a kick: Caffeinated raspberry and cream. Each bar contains 52mg of caffeine, which is about what you'd find in a shot of espresso, along with the usual PowerBar 45g of carbs and assorted vitamins and minerals. The caffeine is contained in a formulation PowerBar calls Acticaf, a blend of guarana (source of the caffeine) and fibre. More info: www.powerbar.com Descente Hybrid glove Descente Hybrid gloves Intended for both mountain biking and cool-weather road riding, Descente's hybrid gloves are light and flexible, with a synthetic leather palm that's tough enough to protect your paws whichever surface you end up sliding along! More info: www.descenteboulder.com Knog Frog Knog Frog As white LED lamps have gone from lab curiosities to commodity items in the last few years they've become more and more popular with bike riders as a way of adding some very lightweight front visibility. But they're often a bit of a hassle to mount on your bike - who wants to have to bolt on something you'll only use occasionally? Melbourne, Australia's Catalyst Design to the rescue with the Knog Frog, which carries an LED, battery and switch in a very simple rubber mount that loops round your handlebar and hooks back onto itself, so it'll fit just about any size bar. More information: www.knog.com.au Louis Garneau Power Bibs Louis Garneau Power Bib shorts Denser versions of good old Lycra seem to be the flavour of the month with clothing manufacturers and Canada's Louis Garneau is joining the fray for 2005 with the Power Bib, high-end bib shorts made from Dupont Lycra Power, which is claimed to optimizes muscle performance and favour blood circulation in the muscles because of its better compression of the muscles. The 10-panel construction features a longer inseam than most shorts, an ergonomic fit, no seams inside the leg, and Trimesh panels which are lighter and more breathable. The Power Bib is lined with Louis Garneau's Ergozone chamois, a molded seamless liner with variable-thickness padding. More information: www.louisgarneau.com Pro - The Movie Pro - the movie Filmmaker Jamie Paolinetti is well-known in the bike world for his previous movie, The Hard Road which followed a fledgling pro team throughits first season of US domestic racing. Pro - the movie is Paolinetti's follow-up to The Hard Road, looking at the lives of a group of top riders against the canvas of the US PRO Championship in Philadelphia. The film follows riders from every one of the major teams through the experience of Philly week and goes behind the scenes to learn what it takes to orchestrate and execute a victory at the most prestigious one day classic in American bike racing. More info: shop.cyclingnews.com.au Kalahari FruitTrekker bars Kalahari FruitTrekker bars From South Africa comes these all-fruit energy bars. Made from 100 percent fruit except for a dash of rice flour to hold everything together, each bar comprises one and a half servings of fruit and provides 120 calories. FruitTrekker bars are available in apricot, banana, mango, and pineapple flavours. More info: www.kalahariusa.com Unconventional Medicinals ÖÂ Leg Salsa Unconventional Medicinals ÖÂ Leg Salsa Sports balm Leg salsa has to be one of the most unusual ways we've ever heard a warm-up balm described. This balm contains salicylic acid, menthol, capsicum and a wide range of essential oils including arnica, hypericum (St. John's Wort), camphor, wintergreen, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil, a distinctly saucy brew if ever we heard of one. ÖÂ Leg Salsa is 100 percent natural, according to the folks at Unconventional Medicinals, not tested on animals and free of petroleum products. More info: www.unconmed.com