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Interbike show -
Las Vegas, Nevada USA, September 25-29, 2006
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Part 17 - October 11: Interbike Expo - Blackburn bottle cage; Niterider MiNewt LED; Ultimate Support Systems repair stand
By James Huang in Las Vegas, NV
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Blackburn finally offers carbon cage plus more lights to get you home
Yes, yes, I know, another carbon fiber bottle cage. While it's certainly true that the market is currently flooded with carbon cages of all shapes and sizes (with some being, ahem, a bit more functional than others), Blackburn's new Camber CF is perhaps the only one out there that also comes with an unconditional lifetime warranty.
That being said, Blackburn doesn't seem to plan on having to use that warranty much given the Camber CF's stout construction. The looped lower bottle stop should prove more durable than simple tabs, and the side arms incorporate reinforcing ribs for better strength and grip. A flared top makes for easier insertion, too.
Not surprisingly, the Camber CF is light at just 28g, but at US$39.99 retail, it's also significantly less expensive than much of the competition.
Blackburn also spits out a pair of new commuter-style lights. The Voyager 3.0 sports a modest single LED powered by 4-AAA batteries for a 20 hour runtime. The brawnier Voyager 4.0 is equipped with a significantly brighter 1W Luxeon LED. Runtime drops to just four hours on 4-AA batteries, but the light output is three times brighter (45 lumens) than its less able-bodied little brother, plus it also includes a separate pair of amber side LEDs for better visibility. The Voyager 3.0 and 4.0 will retail for US$29.99 and US$44.99, respectively, and batteries are included with each.
More info: www.blackburndesign.com
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Niterider miniaturises with itty bitty MiNewt LED
Niterider has introduced some monstrous lighting systems lately, such as the heavyweight MOAB and Flight HID+LED systems, both of which put out gobs of light and run for ages. For 2007, though, Niterider has gone the other direction with the advent of the incredibly tiny MiNewt LED system.
The MiNewt certainly isn't as bright as either of the aforementioned systems, but at just 227g for the complete single beam system, it's also roughly half the weight of the Flight and less than a third the weight of the gargantuan MOAB. A tiny Li-Ion battery powers the 3W Luxeon LED head for up to six hours on the low setting (three hours on high). A flashing mode is also built-in for when visibility is your prime concern.
Need a little more light? Niterider also offers a dual-beam version of the MiNewt. Both versions are designed to be handlebar-mounted only, and the compact battery straps cleanly to the stem. Suggested retail prices for the single-beam and dual-beam models are US$160 and US$200, respectively.
More info: www.niterider.com
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Ultimate Support Systems offers two new repair stands plus a limited-edition
Ultimate's new Pro-Ultralight Repair Stand is just that, weighing in at just 10.5lbs. At just barely over 3' when fully folded, it should also fit in most travel cases for easy transport to your next event. The new Pro-Ultralight is based on Ultimate's workhorse Pro-Classic stand and includes the company's versatile Slide-Lock clamp with 360° rotation and down-sized folding tripod base. Total height drops by over a foot and weight capacity is reduced to 65lbs (from 85lbs), but the Pro-Ultralight should still prove to be mighty useful, and a very good value at US189.99.
The new Sport-Mechanic repair stand is aimed at the more casual home wrench with a suggested retail price of US$159.99. The Sport-Mechanic uses the same down-sized base as the Pro-Ultralight but with a slightly taller main mast and simpler clamp head that uses a weighted spinner knob. The handy QR levers of Ultimate's upper-end stands are also swapped in favour of less-expensive thumbscrews which are a bit more cumbersome and slow to use, but still functional nonetheless.
On a somewhat more whimsical note, Ultimate was also giving away two Rasta Stands on each day of the indoor expo. The Pro-Elite stands sported red, gold, and green legs, plus a black-anodized main mast. The colourful stands were certainly quite the hit, and although Ultimate insisted that they were "show only" items, strong demand may force the unit into limited production.
More info: www.ultimatesupport.com
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com
- Stiffening ribs on Blackburn's new Camber CF carbon cages help to hold bottles tight, while the flared edges ease entry.
- Blackburn is late to the carbon bottle cage game, but it brings a strong contender in the Camber CF, particularly at the US$39.99 price point.
- The new Voyager 3.0 boasts 20 hours of burn time using 4-AAA batteries.
- The brighter Voyager 4.0 houses a bright 1W Luxeon LED.
- Niterider's MiNewt is the company's tiniest system yet and is offered in both single and dual-beam configurations
- The MiNewt's diminutive Li-Ion battery straps directly to the stem for a tidy package.
Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com
Images by Ultimate Support Systems
- If you didn't win one of Ultimate Support's "show-only" Rasta Stands, you may be out of luck.
- The Sport Mechanic clamp foregoes the fancier Slide-Lock mechanism in favor of a simpler weighted spinner knob.
