Tech News – January 17, 2007 Edited by James Huang Got tech? Send press releases, news, and tech questions to the Cyclingnews tech desk. Castelli returns to the professional ranks with seconds to spare The Saunier Duval-Prodir team will wear Castelli clothing for the 2007 season. Photo ©: Castelli After a long hiatus, Italian clothing maker Castelli is returning to the pro peloton with a newly announced sponsorship of the burgeoning Saunier Duval-Prodir team, which includes such notables as Gilberto Simoni, David Millar, and former Euskaltel-Euskadi cornerstone Iban Mayo. Castelli is perhaps best known for supplying the leaders' jerseys at the Tour de France back in the early 90s, but the marque has been no stranger to the uppermost ranks of the sport. Cycling legends such as Fausto Coppi, Eddie Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Andy Hampsten have all displayed the iconic scorpion logo at one time or another, and Castelli is seeking to rekindle some of its past glory with this new arrangement. As in years past, Castelli is relying on its characteristically Italian design and advanced fabrics to make what it says will be the "lightest and most aerodynamic clothing in the ProTour." Along with competitors such as Sugoi and Descente, some of the company's new clothing will feature dimpled fabrics that reduce wind resistance by maintaining a boundary layer of stable air about the rider's body. Castelli claims that the team's new Split Second jerseys will net approximately 12 watts of energy savings at 40km/h, based on its testing at the San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel. Those figures roughly translate into about a 40 second advantage per hour, which could prove to be a significant advantage at this level of the sport. Interestingly, Castelli says that the consumer version of the jersey is even more slippery, shaving nearly a minute hour under similar conditions. Down below, the team clothing will based on Castelli's new Free Bib shorts, which feature a cutaway and reshaped bib front that supposedly allows the rider to stay cooler and more comfortable on the road. Additional features include Castelli's new less-restrictive Giro+ leg gripper and an Active Cushioning pad that the company says is better able to maintain cooler temperatures. According the Castelli Brand Manager Steve Smith, "We're very happy to be working with Mauro Gianetti and the Saunier Duval-Prodir team because they share our passion for innovation and relentless pursuit of performance. They already have the lightest bike, the most innovative group-set, high-end wheels, and now some of the fastest clothing." Interbike steps up its game overseas with new European Agent While Messe Friedrichshafen has been eyeing the US trade show prize as of late, the US-dominating Interbike folks have apparently been working diligently behind the scenes to convince its competitor's European compatriots to join its ranks. After spending two years as Interbike's European sales agent, Uwe Weissflog will now serve as the company's marketing communications liaison in order to facilitate its involvement with European exhibitors and attendees. Interbike's current Account Executive, Brian McKavic, will take over management of all European sales efforts. "For the past two years, Uwe has coordinated sales for Interbike and the OutDoor Demo in the European markets," said Lance Camisasca, Interbike's show director. "Having Uwe on the ground in Europe has helped us identify and address the unique needs of European exhibitors and attendees. The successful European Village, a mixed exhibitor area dedicated to European exhibitors, was a direct result of his efforts. Uwe's intimate understanding of the European bike market and its needs will help him do a great job of communicating the value of exhibiting at and attending the Interbike OutDoor Demo and International Bicycle Expo." In essence, Weissflog will serve as the European arm to Interbike's public relations agency, SOAR Communications, and will follow up on Interbike communications from the U.S. while also developing communications specific to the European community where applicable. According to Weissflog, "The Interbike OutDoor Demo and International Bicycle Expo are great innovative shows and are second to none on the world tradeshow calendar. I'm looking forward to working closely with Euro-based exhibitors and attendees and communicating the many products and services Interbike offers that can help them reach their North American sales and marketing goals." Lemond and Bontrager continue to increase visibility in the US pro ranks LeMond Bicycles is increasing its presence in the professional ranks stateside Photo ©: James Huang The newly formed Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast Pro Cycling Team will hit the US domestic NRC circuit aboard LeMond carbon frames and Bontrager components for the 2007 season. The team will utilize LeMond's newest Carbon Triomphe frame platforms, which the company introduced during last year's Tour de Georgia. The Carbon Triomphe frames are claimed to weigh in at just 950g complete with paint and incorporate LeMond's new Min-Max design philosophy to simultaneously satisfy the team's climbing specialist, Dominique Perras, as well as team sprinter Dave McCook. Sister company Bontrager will also sponsor the new team with its carbon fiber Aeolus 5.0 (also used by the Discovery Team) and aluminum Race X Lite wheelsets, as well as Race X Lite handlebars, stems, and Race XXX Lite seatposts. SRAM will supply the majority of the remaining components. According to Jonas Carney, the team's Performance Director, "The support from our gear sponsors has helped feed the confidence of the team. We feel sure we're going to perform well off the starting line for 2007." Early mountain bike pioneers immortalized in Klunkerz documentary Gary Fisher and the rest of his old Mt. Tamalpais buddies (pictured behind him) Photo ©: James Huang A new documentary by director Billy Savage follows off-road icons Joe Breeze, Gary Fisher, Charlie Cunningham, Tom Ritchey, and others as he reveals the historical events that helped found the sport of mountain biking. Savage spent two years on the project, collecting archival footage and still images from the early '70s and combined those with modern-day interviews with those early pioneers to help paint a more complete picture of how exactly the sport came to be. The film is scheduled to screen on Sunday, January 21, 2007 in Park City, UT at the upcoming 2007 X-Dance Film Festival, a four-day showcase featuring action sports films. On hand for the screening will be Savage as well as movie subject Gary Fisher. The two will be available for a Q&A session with the audience, and Fisher will also be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the X-Dance Festival during the event. North American Handmade Bicycle Show launches Project Tessa to benefit juvenile diabetes This year's upcoming North American Handmade Bicycle Show will showcase some of the continent's greatest talents in bicycle framebuilding, and show organizers have drawn on some of those immense resources to raise money for a worthy cause. Project Tessa is named after NAHBS show organizer Don Walker's daughter, who developed juvenile diabetes at the age of 5 and is now living with the disease at age 16. Attendees will be able to purchase raffles tickets at this year's show for a chance to win what could arguably be among the most priceless bicycles ever created. Legendary builders Brian Baylis, Roland Della Santa, Doug Fattic, Bruce Gordon, Tom Kellogg, Andy Newlands, Mark Nobilette, Richard Sachs and J.P. Weigle will all cooperate to create a single unique frame for the lucky winner. Between them, the nine men share nearly three centuries of experience. The frame will be fully custom-fit, and each lug and joint will be detailed by one of the aforementioned artisans. The frame will be built using Pacenti Original lugs, Columbus tubing, and Richard Sachs dropouts, and will be outfitted with a full Campagnolo Record group and Phil Wood hubs. Until the process is started, one can only imagine what that frame would be like, but you can likely rest assured that it will be special creation indeed. "I am touched that such a great group of artisans are contributing their efforts on behalf of the JDRF," said Walker. "Their partnership in this project to benefit the search for a cure to juvenile diabetes means a lot to Tessa and me. Pacenti Cycle Design develops heavy-duty steel tubing Can't get enough of stuff like this? Photo ©: James Huang Everyone has heard the phrase, 'steel is real', but many framebuilders still actually live and die by the mantra, including the majority of the smaller builders that will be frequently the NAHBS next month. Pacenti Cycle Design is the BASF of the framebuilding world: they don't make the frames; they make them better, offering tubing, lugs, and a variety of other support materials (with a distinct emphasis on ferrous materials) that enable those artisans to do their job. Long known for its close association with Columbus, Pacenti now introduces its in-house-designed and UK-made Heavy Mettle tubing, specifically aimed towards builders seeking a more durable tubeset for such applications as dirt jumping or for larger and/or heavier riders. As you could probably guess from the name, Pacenti's new tubeset isn't meant to be light. However, for its intended applications, most users likely won't care too much. Specifically, the tubing features thicker butts on either end that offer more reinforcement at the joints. Heavy Mettle is offered in a four-piece set that includes a long 750mm downtube with lengthened butts suitable for use on either 26" or 29" frames. In addition, Pacenti designed the tubing with longer butting on one end so that the frame designer can selectively trim the material from one end or both to fine-tune the ride characteristics. "Our Heavy Mettle tubing is perfect for today's extreme riding," says Kirk Pacenti, President of Pacenti Cycle Design. "With the beefier butting riders can perform jumps and drops without worrying whether their frame can take it, and the longer downtube makes the Heavy Mettle tube set perfect for 29er frames." Photography For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by Castelli Castelli returns to the professional peloton with a long history of esteemed riders under its belt, including Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond. The Saunier Duval-Prodir team will wear Castelli clothing for the 2007 season. Castelli joins a growing list of clothing manufacturers that are now offering aerodynamic fabrics, including the dimpled material used on its Split Second jersey. Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com LeMond Bicycles is increasing its presence in the professional ranks stateside with the newly announced sponsorship of the Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast Pro Cycling Team. Gary Fisher and the rest of his old Mt. Tamalpais buddies (pictured behind him) will be featured in the documentary Klunkerz, by director Billy Savage. Can't get enough of stuff like this? The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is returning for another round next month in San Jose, CA, and one lucky raffle winner will have a fully custom one-off frame made just for them, by no fewer than NINE of the world's premier builders, including Ric