Wheelgirl

Phil Wood ISO Extra High-Flange Track Hubs With Bolt On Phil Cogs

The Phil Wood ISO high-flange track hubs have wider 3.5-inch flanges. Phil's current high-flange track hubs have 3-inch flanges. The news is that just like a disc rotor, you can bolt on your rear fixed cog. No lock ring wrenches, my greasy cats. No possibility of stripping threads, cross threading a cog, or gouging a lock ring. The rear hub includes the necessary bolts, which take an allen (hex) wrench. And you can buy the bolt-on cogs in the sizes you prefer. Oh, how nice will it be to change cogs with a wrench that fits on my key chain? Front hubs are 100mm standard spaced.Rear hubs are available in 32H and 36H with 120mm spacing. "The hub is offered in a single-fixed, double-fixed, fixed-freewheel, and fixed-freewheel (White Industries freewheel-specific) configuration. Cogs are available only in 1/8″ and in 16-20 teeth." According to Phil, use their bolts, so the bolt and thread fit is golden.  These are solid and weighty babies. (Two hubs and a Happy Birthday to all Gemini twins!)

 

(Photo by Wheelgirl and silver ISO High-Flange Track Hub pix lifted from Phil website.)

Foot Straps from R.E.Load, A Twist on Power Grips, All-In-One Toe Clips & Staps

For you cats who break toe straps and like to ride wider BMX pedals on your fixies R.E.Load has come up with a toe strap design that is going to please your destructive selves. They're called "Lockdown Foot Straps" and work along the lines of Power Grips straps. But you have more flexibility in your choice of pedal manufacturers, and you don't need any hardware. You don't need pedal toe clip drillings or cages that are perpendicular to the pedal axel. The Lockdown Foot Straps look bombproof and come in a ton of colors, just like Reload messenger bags. Check out  Reload's site for more info. and material specifications. Yes, they are pricey. But add up how many cheap toe straps you've ripped and clips you've snapped to see if they make welcomed sense to your purse or wallet.

The photo shows them on an Odyssey Twisted pedal. I ride these Odyssey pedals on my fixie commuter. They are really very good for the money, and you can get them in safety glow-in-the dark and colors. They're inexpensive and wide enough for your fat sneaker feet. They are loose bearing and not smooth like butter. The axles are made of steel fitting for a thrift store hammer. But for a commuter they are dependable. I have yet to bust, crack, or mash the resin cages. (I've tried.) My feet never slip, due to the platform molded grip nubs. So no perforated shin skin as of yet either.

If you're riding with the Reload toe straps, put up a post to let us know what you think.

(Lifted from the R.E.Load site.)

Paul Racer Brakes Let You Convert 27-inch Bike Frame to Accept 700c Wheels

You have an old vintage Raleigh, Roberts, Dawes, or Peugeot steel frame with 27-inch wheels. It has semi-horizontal dropouts, and you decide to re-purpose the frame into a single-speed or fixed gear. You want to run 700c wheels, since there are way more choices in 700c rims, tires, and pre-built wheelsets. However, when you put the 700c wheel (smaller) in a road frame made for 27-inch wheels (larger), the brake on the 27-inch geometry frame don't reach the 700c rim braking surface.  Suggestion: Spend the money on a center-pull, long-reach Paul Racer brake.  And you can reward your faithful old steel bike with a nice piece of modern bike component jewelry.

Yes, the Racer brakes are pricey. But you can then keep that old and still-good bike, which you used to ride around town in cut-off jeans and tube socks, out of the landfill. (I know lady cats, you didn't wear tube socks, but you did you did sew the legs shut on your old cut-offs and make purses out of them.) The cost of the brake is about the cost of a BART ticket for a month. The Racer brake is available in braze on or center mount models. So you can buy a model that fits on 26" mountain "V" brake-style frame brazeons or 27-inch and 700c center mount road frames. The Racer brake also allows you to put 650B wheels on a frame made for 700c wheels. But according to the tech spec from Paul, it "will not fit on cantilever brake studs."  Click here for the tech spec. (Jump for more details.)

 

 

(Photos taken by Wheelgirl.)

Plemon's Leather Double Toe Straps, the Hand-Made Ones with the Birds

Ok, you cats who feel like you are going to fly off of your fixies into space if you are not double strapped into your pedals, Wheelgirl Bike Shop just got in another great looking choice in double toe straps. Plemon's all-leather double straps are hand made in San Francisco, California, and you can recognize them because they look beautiful, and they have a bird embossed into the leather. (Seagull, dove, pigeon [in the dove family and carnivorous], Canadian goose, you decide.)

The label is not so easy to read, so look for the lovely little holes in the straps and the birds. If you are wanting to rock double straps that cost something between the price of Soma double straps and Toshi double straps, you now have a locally made option. The brown straps are the thickest, so if you know you are a beast when it comes to breaking toe straps, get brown. (I want a  leather bracelet made to match the brown toe straps.) Suggestion: There are not a ton of white straps currently because they are a new color, so don't cry like a baby cat if you wait too long to decide, and the white straps sell out. (Jump for more photos and  info about these new double toe straps.)

Photos by Wheelgirl

Gripping Tales of Cloth Bar Tape

Many fixed gear riders like the positive feel of cloth bar tape. They feel more connected to their handle bars via the thin layer of cloth with an adhesive backing versus a thicker layer of synthetic cork bar tape. Also, the thinner cloth bar tape may be less likely to slip around than the thicker bar tape if you are doing acrobatic fixietrix. However, be warned, if you have sensitive hands or a rough urban commute, the cloth is really thin and not squishy at all. If you smack a pot hole, you may be more likely to feel the road shock and vibration transmitted through the cloth than through fake cork or rubberized riser bar mountain grips. (Some cyclists solve the hand stinging issue by putting a couple of gel pads on their bar tops and wrapping cloth over the gel pads.) We just got a bunch of cloth bar tape in different colors into the Wheelgirl Bike Shop. So far we are stocking cloth bar tape in brown, dark green, dark blue, white, yellow, red, and black. (Remember: We moved to San Pablo between REI and Performance Bicycles.)

Photo by Wheelgirl.

White Industries Urban Platform Pedals with Tapered Spindles Are Foxy on Your Fixie

Take a look at the White Industries tapered stainless steel extra-foxy spindles on their newer Urban Platform pedal. No more meowing about your fat work shoes hanging off of your teeny track pedal platforms. It was kind of hard for me to put these in the case and not straight onto my ride. These pedals are not available in giant quantities, yet. But we do have a black-and-silver set in the glass case if you want to see what the fuss is about, and we will be getting in more pedal sets in silver, hopefully. The CNC'd engineered aluminum platforms, exacting touches, and thoughtful hardware, like sealed-bearing cartridges and brass acorn nuts, make them unique and  pricey. The platforms accept all standard toe clips and single or double toe straps. The tab the you step on to align the pedal with your foot is much wider than most and not easy to miss. The platforms kind of look like an electrical outlet face plates to me when I allow my mind to wander. Check out the photos. (Jump for the gear-head specs.)

(Photos by Wheelgirl.)

Phil Wood "Cheese Shredder" High-Flange Hubs for Fixed Gear

While visiting the Phil Wood booth at Interbike, I came across these hubs, which the people at Phil Wood refer to as the "cheese shredder" hubs. Since, well, the hub flanges look like they could shred cheese. They have giant  high-polish flanges, and they were originally made for a customer who was putting together a hand-made bike show bicycle that was a copy of a 1940s French bike. The hubs are available in limited quantities, and they can be made with fixed/fixed or fixed/free threading. I love the way they look. (And yes, they are weighty babies.)

   

Photos by Wheelgirl at Interbike 2008 in Vegas

Nitto Mandle Handlebars at Euro Asia Import Booth at Interbike

OK, these are shiny candy bars. The Nitto Mandle handle bar in the Euro Asia Imports booth at Interbike were just waiting to be held and admired. They are chromed steel with a clamping diameter of 25.4. You can get them in a riser or a straight bar. I took a quick measurement, since you can't really cut them down, or you will cut off the end caps, which are their entire identity. My thumb-to-pink full spread is pretty  close to 8 inches. So these are a bit less than 8 inches. (Super useful stupid human trick for measuring wood, fabric, paper, handle bars.)

The bar ends are completely capped in steel. The bars, in both styles, are clean looking and made of steel to withstand urban abuse. Of course, if you are not what I call a Beta tester for bike components, you can always look at the lighter alloy Nitto riser in anodized colors. (Heather and Julius this post is for you.) (Jump for more photos.)

Photos by Wheelgirl at Interbike 2008 in Vegas

More New Velocity Deep V Rim Patterns at Interbike

I know that we will all look back on this time and wonder why we felt the need to decorate our fixie rims with insanely busy colors and patterns. But for now, I like that there are some choices. Personally, there are only a few patterns that appeal to me. But at least I have a choice between silver and black. Here are 4 videos showing off the new line up of Deep V patterns from Velocity. They've proven to be an uber strong rim that can take the abuse of fixed gear urban riding and commuting as well as the stresses and strains of creative fixietrixs. Through it all, Deep V rims stay in one piece and keep quietly doing their job. Check out all of the patterns. Here is a link to the Velocity video I posted last week, too.

Chris King at Interbike Outdoor Demo New Products

I called Chris King Components yesterday to order some hubs for a wheel build. They had a booth at the outdoor demo. I didn't attend the outdoor demo, but here are the new products this year from my favorite headset maker and one of my favorite hub makers. Oh, and they've added a new color to their product offerings, brown. Think coffee with not much half and half in it.

Chris King has come out with new Shimano-style outboard bottom bracket cups in anodized colors with King bearings inside. These will be available in a couple of days. And they have a grease injection port, so you can keep them running smoothly.

If you ride a mountain bike, Chris King has a new 135mm x 12mm through axle and a 135mm x 10mm through axle for you. They've also come out with new bike jerseys and new technical fabric t-shirts.

In the headset area, they are going to a new style of logo branding on the actual component. The style, they call sotto voce is Italian for "under voice" or "soft voice". (You see this marking a ton in classical music when the composer wants you to play more softly or decrescendo.) The Chris King logo is rendered tone on tone color wise. So you can't see a high contract logo. Instead you really see the color of the headset.

My suggestion: I would really like some Chris King skewers. They are a small company making excellent products. But I am building up a set of Classic Road hubs for customer Simon's Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel SE, and I would like to be able to finish off the wheel set with Chris King road skewers, not skewers from an unrelated manufacturer. If you like this idea Chris King skewers, send a respectful email to Chris King. And if you write an email, and they do end up making skewers, stay true to your word, and support the design and manufacturing efforts of this small and excellent bike component company by buying the skewers.

Photos lifted from the Chris King site: New bottom brackets in anodized colors and new sotto voce tone-on-tone logo style on the headset.

Phil Wood Has New Carbonite Bearings at Interbike Video 2 of 2

Here is video 2 of 2 showing the new Phil Wood Carbonite bearings in action. Thanks nice guy who held the hub while I filmed it spinning. These bearings are high-quality steel, but the microscopic pits in the steel are filled with a secret ingredient. What do you think the secret ingredient might be my gearhead readers?

Phil Wood Has New Carbonite Bearings at Interbike Video 1 of 2

Phil Wood has new Carbonite bearings in the bearing cartridges, and they spin like nobody's business. I saw a external bb spin like crazy. And then, I took a track hub, held the ends of the axle, dragged the edges of the flanges on the display table about 8 inches (the way you used to rev a Matchbox car when you were little), and that hub didn't stop spinning for 10-t0-15 seconds with no extra help from me.

The steel ball bearings in the cartridges in Phil Wood's hubs and bottom brackets are high quality, as we all know. But Phil has filled the microscopic pits in the steel bearings with a "secret ingredient".  Watch the video 1 from Interbike in Vegas 2008.

Dia Compe at Interbike 1

Here is 1 of 2 vids from the Dia Compe booth. I took about a zillion vids and photos of bike components. But my Vimeo account only has room for a tiny-sized video currently. So, all of it will be posted over the weeks, and maybe even months. There are 1100 bike, component, and accessory vendors here under 1 roof. I could be happily typing for a really long time. So, keep reading. And check back for the new videos from the show.

1 of 2 Dia Compe Videos at Interbike from Wheelgirl on Vimeo.

New Miche Advanced Primato Track Group Sets in Colors

Yesterday, while I was visiting the Euro Asia Import booth for an hour chatting with kind Steve and Anthony about all of their great new frame offerings, Steve informed me that the new Miche Advanced Primato track groups in blue and red anodized colors had just shown up at the booth a few hours ago. The Advanced Primato cranks take a chain ring with a 144 BCD (bolt circle diameter). Remember: The regular Miche Primato track cranks take a ring with a 135 BCD.

For the money, the Miche track group sets are really a good value. The components look good and work well together, in my opinion, when they are spec'd as a group set on a fixed gear bike. The logo and drilled seat post looks a tiny bit distracting when Miche parts are randomly attached here and there on track bikes in fits and starts. The color of the anodizing is really deep and appealing. For those with discerning eyes for color, the components in both the blue and red group sets sound deeper and darker to your eyes and less pop music teen beat.

Photos taken by Wheelgirl at Interbike in Vegas 2008

Shimano Di2 Dura Ace Electric Battery Info. at Interbike 2008

I talked with Ben at the Shimano booth. Yes, I had many questions about the batteries for the new Dura Ace electronic shifting offering. Ben was extremely gracious and put up with me constantly interrupting him and asking yet another question. First, the retail cost of the system is set at about $4000.00. He asked what I thought of it. And I am not really sure. I like that I can fix my bike without electricity in the middle of no where. And I don't like to charge or carry batteries or battery chargers. However, I do think electronic shifting might be the future. For those those making a living on a bike, and racer feedback is what drives the performance aspects of the bike industry, electronic shifting might be a dream. I tried it on the demo bike. You exert really light finger pressure on the textured or the smooth part of the lever paddle to up and down shifts. You don't push the levers at all. Not even as much pressure as pressing an elevator button.

Here is the battery skinny: They are lithium ion batteries take 1.5 hours to charge from 0 percent to 100 percent. They weigh 68 grams and give you about 2000 km of electronic shifting, about as much mileage as a riding a Tour de France on one charge. This means you can buy two batteries, and put one in your saddle bag. They weigh about as much as an energy bar. The hotter and flatter riding conditions make them last longer than hilly and cold riding conditions.

You can check the battery charge at any point in time with a light unit that sits on the cable under the handle bar. Green light steady is 100 percent. Flashing green light means 75 percent charged. Red light is 50 percent charge. Flashing red light is 25 percent charged, and it will flash by itself. If you choose to ignore the red flashing, you will run the battery down. The almost last 10 percent of the 20 percent energy left state goes to the front derailleur, and then that will stay in whatever ring you choose. The very last 10 percent goes to the rear derailleur. When the battery dies you are riding that single speed you always wanted to build. So, you thrill seekers in the Alps who are bad at details and frequently forget to charge your cell phones, Blackberries, and cameras, choose your last shifts wisely.

The battery compartment has O ring seals, and Shimano has been testing the set up with professional Tour de France peleton riders as well as pro cyclocross riders. No moisture or mud short circuit worries.  You get 500-600 charges to 1 battery pack. The Dura Ace 7900 group set components can all be use for the Di2 Dura Ace electronic shifting, with the exception of the derailleurs front and rear, shifters, and battery.

Photos by Wheelgirl at Interbike 2008 in Vegas

Velocity Has Tons of New Deep V Rim Patterns at Interbike

I took about 6 videos at the Velocity booth. There are a ton of new Deep V rim patterns. All of the patterns might not appeal to you. But it is great that there are choices. And Velocity appears to have solved the image durability issue with a new process: Powder coat rim;  wrap rim with patterned "shrink wrap"; bake; clear coat with UV protection over wrap; bake again.

(Unfortunately, I've used up all of my space on Vimeo. So, I'll be adding about 10 new HD videos of Interbike new bikes, components, and bike accessories every week for the next millenium. However, I will be posting photos throughout the show.)

4 of 6 Velocity Videos from Interbike 2008 from Wheelgirl on Vimeo.

El Toro Chromed-Plated Steel Pursuit Handle Bars, The Bull Horns Let You Stretch Out

We got in some of Soma's El Toro handle bars. In general, the chrome-plated Tange steel bars are much beefier than alloy bullhorn handle bars. The bars come in 38, 40, 42, and 48 cm widths. The have a 26.0 clamping diameter. And the inner diameter of the bar ends is 20.9.

You can come into the bike shop and squeeze the 40 cm ones we have. You either like the wrist angle of the bull horn bars by Soma or Nitto, or you don't. You need to try them and see if they make your wrists and arms happy. (According to the Soma website. The El Toro bars were after the Irvine, California, Air Force base burned down by aliens in the movie "Independence Day".)

You can fit the Soma pursuit levers with these bars, but according to the Soma site, you have to buy the  20.6 plugs separately. (The plugs that hold the Soma Pursuit brake levers inside the front part of the handle bar can expand from 19.6 to 20.6. And the El Toro bars are 20.9.) Make sure you check the expanding plug diameter of your levers before you get all happy; then, pout like a baby, and then curse like a sailor if  your intended pursuit or time-trial brake levers don't fit right.

Photos by Wheelgirl

White Industries Splined High-Flange Track Hubs with Splined Cogs are Here

I've been waiting to see the talked-about White Industries high-flange single-fixed splined track hub set, and we got a pair in the shop last week. Very nice piece of kit. The idea is that they take a special high-quality splined cog made by White Industries that fits on the hubs, like a puzzle piece. So you can't spin the cog off, cross-thread it, or through urban fixed gear acrobatics, damage the hub shell threads by rocking back and forth on a loose set up. You line up the splines of the cog with that of the hub; tighten the lock ring, and get spinning. You don't need a chain whip. You need only a lock ring tool to tighten the ring. Oh, and they are really pretty. I look at bike parts morning, noon, and night. It brings me much happiness to look at high-quality pretty hubs.(Jump for more photos, info about materials used, technical info, as well as wheel building hub measurement specs.)

Photos by Wheelgirl

Soma Double Toe Straps in Brown, White, and Black

You like the classic, understated, old school bike style, and you are trying to match your worn chestnut Brooks saddle to your double straps. Unfortunately, the only double toe straps you can find are the energetic and pricey but-oh-so-nice-and-laminated electric blue Toshi double straps? No worries. We just got a bunch of chestnut brown Soma double straps in the bike shop. We also received Soma white double straps, in case you are Italian traditional and are coordinating a white Selle Italia saddle. (The Soma double straps work with the Soma Oppy X 4-Gate toe clips. Two gates for Soma clips mean the toe clip needs a single strap, and 4 gates mean the clip needs a double strap. Yes, ordering clips always confuses me.) If you are a vagabond alley cat who feels all of this coordination of bike parts is psychically troubling, you can always opt for basic black.

Photos by Wheelgirl. (The black and white are still in their plastic wrapper.)

Anodized Dia-Compe Threadless Headset Spacers, Assorted Colors for Your Road, Fixed Gear, Mountain Bikes

Well, Chris King makes very pretty and accurately cut anodized headset spacers. But if you can't come up with the coin for King spacers, you can start changing the look of your bike by grabbing a few of the color anodized Dia-Compe spacers. They come in pink, blue, green, gold, and purple. (Because I watch you carefully construct the visual style of your individual bikes: The pink is like a dark magenta. Purple has a lot of red in it. The green is dark and classic. The gold is an orange gold, not a yellow gold. The blue is electric not navy.)

Spacers are an easy and inexpensive way to spice up your bike. You can mix them of course, or you can add a dash of brightness to the traditional silver or black spacer stack. They come in 5mm and 10mm thicknesses for both 1-inch and 1-1/8th-inch threadless steerer tubes. The spacers will fit most track and fixed gear, road, and mountain forks. We just received a bunch of them. (I can already predict that they are also going to be very nice candidates for those creative mockingbird riders who like all things shiny and make jewelry, messenger bag do-dads, and key rings.)

Photos by Wheelgirl

Dia Compe BRS 100 Dual Pivot Road Brakes in Anodized Blue and Gold

If you are converting an old road bike or building up a single-speed commuter, these Dia Compe BRS 100 anodized dual-pivot brake calipers bring a splash of color to the usual silver scene. The blue is a non-organic shiny, electric blue, and the gold is less orange and more yellow. (You cats matching golds on your fixies know what I am talking about.) The arms are standard road bike length. If you are riding with old and maybe truly frightening brakes right now, add a pop of color and upgrade your ride for a reasonable price. We have a set of the blue and a set of the gold in the case.

Photos by Wheelgirl

Leather Handle Bar Grips by Click For a Mountain, Flat Bar Road and Single-Speed, Fixed Gear Bike

If you are making over your mountain hardtail from the early 1990s or converting an older road bike to a more upright single-speed commuter or fixie with riser or flat bars, stop by the shop and check out the new Clicks spiral leather handle bar grips. They come in four color ways, and they can add a touch of class to your commuter ride. I don't know how they wear on the trails, but for street riding, they look to be of good quality. The ends are protected, so the bars are less likely to break through them. Thus, you are less apt to core sample your own thigh in the event of a stack.

The green goes oh so  nicely with the special edition Brooks green B-17 saddle we have in the case. If you end up riding with a set of these on your city bike, or any other bike for that matter, post a comment. The packaging with the grips states they are "100% PVC-free". (Um...yes, that would make sense.) I did go to the URL on the package (www.clickgear.com), but I got an under construction page, which took me nowhere. If you find the real site, post the URL for the rest of us.

Photos by Wheelgirl

Campagnolo Faux Track Cranks for Fixed Gear Riding

OK, what happens when you have a ton of square-taper alloy Campagnolo Record double road cranks, and everyone has switched to the "modern" outboard bearing style cups and the carbon Campagnolo Ultra Torque Record road racing crank sets? The answer just got delivered to the bike shop.

Campy and a huge bike component distributor took the high-quality alloy Record square tapers and bolted them to some alloy 1/8th inch chain rings with holes drilled to fit cranks requiring 144 BCD (Campy and most true track bolt circle diameter) and 135 BCD (Campy road and Miche track BCD) rings. Yes, there are a ton of holes, but voila! You now have what I am calling "Campy Record faux track crank sets" that you can use to run 1/8th-inch single-speed and fixed gear drive trains. (You can also change out the ring and run a 135 BCD 3/32nds Campy road ring if you run a 3/32nds drive train on your fixie.)  These faux track cranks cost much less than the super pretty and crazy pricey real Campagnolo or Dura Ace track crank sets. (Jump for more and extra photos.)

Photos taken by Wheelgirl

Campagnolo 11-Speed Chorus, Record, Super Record Gruppos or What A Paycheck(s) Looks Like in Bike Parts

Campagnolo 2009 11-speed group sets, Chorus and Record are going to cost almost exactly as much as the 10-speed 2008 gruppos. This will make spending your entire paycheck(s) easier, since you already know how much you are going to have to pony up to decorate your favorite frame in fine Italian jewelry.  Velonews has good technical explanations of the 2009 Campy 11-speed Chorus versus Record differences. And on the Velonews site, you can also read about the new Super Record. If you want to hear and see the new Super Record components, Brian from Campagnolo explains the 2009 Super Record groupset in a video on Roadbikereview.com. If you owned or remember Super Record, first introduced in 1973 by Campy, forget the trip down memory lane. The new 2009 gruppo looks, weighs, and performs nothing like the old one. (Jump for more info. and photos.)

*Start drinking coffee and cutting down on sleep if you plan on entering the Wheelgirl 2008 T-shirt Design Contest. You have 48 hours left to try to win the set of Phil Wood track hubs.

 

Photos of Record 11-Speed rear derailleur lifted from the Velonews site, which in turn, were courtesy of Campagnolo. Super Record cassette photo lifted from Brian's Super Record video.

MKS Sylvan Track Pedals in Anodized Colors for Fixed Gear Makeover, Watching Tour de France is Part-Time Summer Job

I am obsessed with watching every minute of the Versus coverage of this year's Tour de France. It is like a daily five-and-a-half-hour-long HBO mini-series for the bike freak in all of us. When the TdF drama is over, I am sure I'll feel disoriented and lost. Next to my bike, the DVR (digital video recorder), which eliminates the billions of commercials, is my new most favorite machine.  So the extended Tour coverage, coupled with the fact the bike shop is slammed, means that the posts are short and sweet for another week. Anyway, Roland in North Carolina emailed to ask if I had any red track pedals he could buy for a fixie he is building. (I sound like Casey Kasem on American Top 40.) The answer is yes, Roland. MKS is making the Sylvan Track pedal in red, blue, gold, and black anodized colors as well as in the regular silver finish. They cost more, but the color is a nice touch if you are designing a special bike, and the anodized color looks pretty deep on the set of MKS pedals that just arrived at the shop this week.

Photos by Wheelgirl

Big Cheese Star Handle Bar Grips by Dimension

In the shop, we often help customers put a bit of new life into their old road bike by removing the damaged and rusty derailleurs and turning these many-year-old machines into single-speed commuters. When it comes to riding in traffic on a daily basis, many cyclists opt for a more upright commuter-friendly position on the bike, so they can easily see and react to traffic. Customers usually have us replace the road drop bars with some straight bars. When this happens, away goes the bar tape, and grip style and color become discussion topics. I've written about Oury grips. (These are really comfortable, and come in solid colors only.) However, if you are a cyclist who loves a bit of flash, or if you are into astrology, currently working for NASA, or tend to hit your head a lot, Dimension makes the Big Cheese grips with stars on them. If you are visiting the Bay Area this summer, stop by and check out the Wheelgirl bike shop grip selection.

 

Photos by Wheelgirl.

Pake Space Straps, Toe Straps That Remind Us Of Something Else

The Pake Space Straps are a woven nylon toe strap covered in rubbery layer of colored urethane. This past weekend, everyone who touched the strap and bought them at the bike store said the same thing, "What does this toe strap remind me of? Oh, now I know, a flea collar!" The Pake toe straps feel like they have that same kind of coating, flexibility, and strength.

The Space Straps come in three color groups: High-lighter (fluorescent green, yellow, pink, and orange); Opaque (black, duct tape silver, maroon, and white), Translucent (green, yellow, mango, bright blue, navy blue, and red). The texture on all of the various colored straps is definitely unique. A fixed riders who used them over the weekend came in today an reported that they feel pretty good, and other riders have said they feel much better than the inexpensive leather toe strap that wear and tear over time or the nylon ones that stretch out too much and then shred. Time will tell if the coating wears off or becomes gummy and/or grimy. Put up a post if you are riding with these toe straps, and let us know what you think.

If you are on a budget, and you need to do a bit of a makeover to your fixed gear, a new set of clips and straps is usually a good investment, and an upgrade can go a long way in making your fixie pedaling and skidding feel more dialed. You can check out the colors we have in the following photos, and we just ordered some more different colors today. (I think the High-lighter colors might best appeal to those who were not yet born the first time that neon colors were in fashion.)

*Reminder: If you win the Wheelgirl.com 2008 T-Shirt Design Contest, you get a set of Phil  Wood track hubs plus more. Organized creative cats are beginning to send in their entries. You've got 17 days left before the deadline, procrastinating and talented cats. All details are here.

Photos by Wheelgirl. First photo is Opaque black, white, duct tape silver, then Translucent mango, yellow, and green. The close-up photo is of the Translucent green Pake Space Strap. 

Soma Velodrama and IRD Superdrome CrMo Track Bars in Powder-Coated Colors

If you love the curves of Deda's Velocita track bars, we just got in some Soma Velodrama CrMo track bars. These bars have a 31.8 center and come powder coated in white or pink in sizes 38cm, 40cm, 42cm. The Velodrama track bike handlebars have a reach of 94mm and a 176mm drop. They retail on the Soma website for $79.99. We have a set of white Velodrama 40cm bars you can wrap your mitts around in the shop. The Velodrama bars are modeled after the IRD Superdrome and made of Tange steel.

So, if you are partial to stealth black track bars, you might want to opt for the IRD deep-drop, black powder-coated track bar, the Superdrome CrMo made with Tange steel. Available in a 31.8 clamping diameter, these bars are also available in a chrome finish. The reach is 94mm with a 176mm drop. The black Superdrome bars are available in 38cm, 40cm, 42cm, and 44cm. Most of the fixie and track riders who come into the shop prefer a narrower bar, but if you are a broad-shouldered cat, IRD has you covered with the 44cm. These retail on the IRD site for $81.99. We have a set of black 40mm Superdromes in the shop you can grasp and nod toward if they feel just right.

If you want a set of these track bars shipped to you, send an email. Suggestions: Make sure your stem has a clamping diameter made to fit a 31.8 bar center. Ask a bike mechanic friend if you are not sure.

Remember: The countdown begins, and you have 32 days left to enter the Wheelgirl 2008 T-Shirt Design Contest. If you win, you get a set of Phil Wood track hubs.

(Photos by Wheelgirl.)

Campagnolo Moving to 11-Speed Cassette in 2009, Campy Please Include Espresso for Bike Mechanics

Bike Radar reports that Campagnolo is going to announce an 11-speed cassette for three of their 2009 gruppos. The 11 cogs in new 2009 Campy 11-speed group set cassette will fit into the existing space that currently accommodates 10 cogs. So, as pointed out in a Bike Radar article, the 2009 chains and chain rings may require spot-on drive train spacing in order to accommodate the narrower gaps between cogs. You bike mechanics better find some inner peace or a vat of coffee, since the shifting and derailleur adjustments for 11 in the back and two up front, coupled with the new 5.5 mm chain, may teach you something about yourself.  The 11-speed cassette is expected to be backward compatible with 8-, 9-, and 10-speed freehubs. ("He said on my death bed I would achieve total consciousness, so I've got that going for me, which nice.)

(Tullio Campagnolo photo lifted from Bike Radar site.)

2009 Dura Ace 7900 Cycling Group Set 135 Grams Lighter, Chain Has Reusable Quicklink Connection Pin

The 2009 7900 Series Dura Ace road racing group set made by Shimano is 135 grams (4.76 ounces) lighter than Dura Ace 7800 and provides more of a black and silver hi-tech look. Dura Ace 2009 (even though we are still in the year 2008) ups the ante on cycling component choice, performance, and value. The FC-7900 HollowTech crankset is 20 percent stiffer and has re-profiled teeth. The new crankset has hollow chain rings and is available in 53T/39T, 52T/39T, 52T/42T, 54T/42T, 55T/42T, and 56T/44T configurations. So, you are bound to find a chain ring combination that makes your body and need for speed happy. Not doing a ton of racing but want high-performance in a compact crankset? The Dura Ace 7900 Series offers a compact crankset (FC-7950) with 50T/34T chain rings. In addition, you shorter- and longer-legged beasts on two wheels, can order cranks lengths from 165mm to 180mm in 2.5mm increments.

Here are a few Dura Ace 7900 details. (Jump for more details): The ST-7900 Dura Ace Dual Control Levers have titanium fixing bolts. Shimano engineers have decreased the rear shift stroke by 20 percent for faster rear shifts, and they have shaved 40 grams of weight from each pair. The CS-7900 cassette, with an aluminum carrier and the four largest sprockets made of titanium, is offered in 11-21T, 11-23T, 11-25T, 11-27T, 11-28T, 12-23T, 12-25T, 12-27T. Again, you should be able to find the right cassette for your cycling preferences and geography. The RD-7900 rear derailleur has a carbon pulley plate. The FD-7900-B front derailleur has been redesigned to eliminate trim (having to click your shifter between the settings in certain gear ratios, so the chain doesn't rub). The BR-7900 brake calipers have a redesigned brake arch. The PD-7810 Pro-Tour Racing pedals, released a while ago, have an extra-wide platform. The FH-7900 rear hub (8-, 9-, and 10-speed compatible) has a titanium free hub body.

The 7900 series wheel sets are offered in six flavors. You may choose to race on a carbon 50mm high-profile tubular or clincher wheel set: WH-7850-C50-TU at 1467 gms, and WH-7850-C50-CL at 1580 gms. Need something less aero and lighter? Check out the 7900 series carbon tubular and tubeless wheel sets: WH-7850-C24-TU at 1257 gms and WH-7850-C24-TL at 1400 gms. Or you can opt for a even lighter carbon alloy composite clincher wheel set: WH-7850-C24-CL at 1380 gms or a Scandium road tubeless wheel set: WH7850-SL at 1514 gms.  (All weights given are for a pair of wheels.)

For many talented but disorganized cycling cats, your chain repair tool of choice is your cellphone, which you dial to get a ride home when your chain breaks. These cats, and those mileage monsters who have forgotten to re-stock the chain pin supply in their seat bags, may be quite happy about the CN-7900 Dura Ace Hyperglide 10-speed chain. In addition to having hollow pins and perforated chain plates, it can accept the new and reusable Quicklink connector. (Time will tell if it this is a good idea.) According to Shimano, you can use a new SM-CN79 Quicklink reusable connection link for tool-free chain removal and installation on the CN-7900 chain, and you can still use a 10-speed Hyperglide connecting pin to connect the chain.

I really like the smooth feeling of the 7800 Dura Ace road chains, so if you are riding a new Dura Ace CN-7900 chain with or without the Quicklink, please put up a post, and let us know if the redesigned chain feels markedly smoother. If you have first-hand experience fixing a busted Dura Ace 7900 chain without using tools leave a comment. Actually, if you are riding any of these new 7900 Dura Ace Series group set parts, put up a post and let us know how they compare to Dura Ace 7800.

(Jump for more 2009 Dura Ace 7900 Series road racing group set performance stats and specs and check out Shimano's Dura Ace website.)

(Photos lifted from the Shimano Dura Ace website.)

Mavic R-Sys Carbon Spoke Replacement and The Red Retention Ring

Today I talked with Bill of the Mavic Technical Service and Repair department, and I asked him to review the spoke replacement instructions for the Mavic R-Sys carbon-spoked road race wheel set. The reason I called Bill at Mavic was to address some questions by Wheelgirl.com visitor, David, who emailed the shop to order a new Mavic R-Sys spoke kit.

David wrote that he had replaced an R-Sys carbon spoke, replaced the red ring, and then tensioned and trued his wheel. According to David, the force that the spoke collets exerted on the red retention ring during the truing process, however, irreparably damaged the red ring.

Bill of Mavic stressed that you replace the spoke, true the wheel, then replace the red ring. Replacing the red ring is one of the last things that you do in the spoke replacement process. (The instructions on the site reflect Bill's latest comments.) However, Bill didn't know why the red ring on David's wheel set had suffered damage. In Bill's experience, improperly replacing the red ring and then truing the wheel had led to cracked and damaged spokes, not red retention ring damage.

Bill did say when the R-Sys wheels first came out, it was part of his job to try to simulate bike mechanic service and repair errors in order to educate those who would be working on the new product. Bill said he managed to break spokes and strip a spoke wrench through improper procedures, but he was only able to damage a red ring by applying a heavy and direct (think shocking) blow to the rim but not by improperly truing the wheel with the ring in place.

This is the first year for the Mavic R-Sys wheel set and its particularly new TraComp technology. So, if you have any questions, Wheelgirl bike shop is a Mavic bicycle wheel dealer, and we are happy to help answer any questions you may have about purchasing, repairing, or servicing Mavic R-Sys wheels.

(If you have a Mavic R-Sys tip, make sure to post it.)

Photos by Wheelgirl at the 2007 Interbike in Vegas

Phil Woods Too Nice for Beater Fixie? Formula Sealed Bearing Track Hubs Now In Colors

If you lock your fixed gear in a place where some wicked cat might cut through your frame to steal a set of sweet Phil Wood track hubs, the Wheelgirl Online store now has 32-hole Formula sealed-bearing cartridge flip /flop track hubs in powder-coated colors. Formula hubs are not Phils, but they do have sealed bearings, and a set of of the high-flange flip/flop track hubs with 15mm track nuts costs $100 including shipping. They come in red, white, blue, or yellow. The advantages are that you won't be forced to eat ramen noodle soup for a month to pay off your wheelset, and you won't have to keep saying to your friends, "One minute. I'll catch up to you, I just want to make sure nobody has cut my Phil Woods off my bike."  They are not Phils, but sometimes in the city, you need to have a wheel set and a bike that is not thief candy.

In my experience, Formula track hubs get the job done at a very reasonable price. You can use the same wheel set to run a fixed cog or a single-speed freewheel. So, you have some flexibility. The powder-coated finish looks pretty nice, and if they get crunchy, you can change pop in new bearing cartridges. If you are interested in a buttery smooth, strong, hand-built wheel set, email us and let us know your riding wants and needs. Decent fixed gear wheel sets range from about $260 to get you where you need to go all the way up to about $800 for a supremely strong and high-performing long-lasting set of hoops that laugh aloud at the punishment dished out by the urban landscape.

Photos by Wheelgirl. (The red looks great in the sunlight.)

Special Edition Oury Grips in Soft Green, Soft Blue, and Khaki Brown

Oury Grips are crazy soft, not that expensive, and they come in great colors. The only thing that is kind of a drag is that they show the dirt, but that is the price you will happily pay for riding with the newer Limited Edition pastel colors including Soft Green (kind of a pale Celeste green), Soft Blue (like a Baby Blue), and Khaki Brown. We just got the Limited Edition colors in the shop, so if you are trying to match a Velocity Deep V Sea Green rim, the Oury Soft Green grips are a match. The Khaki Brown begs to be mated to a white track frame and a worn honey Brooks leather saddle.

Oury Grips are incredibly comfortable, and they add a welcomed splash of color. The padding on the grips will stop the fillings in your teeth from rattling. You may wear them down like pencil erasers if you are riding your fixie a million miles a week, but they are one of the few handle bar grips that you won't notice. They are squishy and delightful, and they don't leave a dark rubbery residue on your mitts.

Suggestion: If your track bars are transmitting a crazy amount of road vibration to your palms and wrists, you can cut off the closed ends of the Oury grips with a razor to make two Oury "tubes".  Apply some hair spray to the inside of the Oury tubes and gently work them up from the bar drops to the top portion of your bars.  Make sure to center the Oury logo, either toward you or away from you. Remember: Pay attention to the details, so your bike doesn't look as if you were brought up by wolves. (Jump to see a list of colors)

Photos by Wheelgirl. Soft Green and Soft Blue aren't easy to distinguish on the computer monitor. But the colors do look pretty different in natural sun light.

Velocity Deep V ELVS Glow-In-The-Dark Fixed Gear Rims, Make Momma Smile

If you are riding your fixed gear at night, here is something that will make your Momma smile. Velocity ELVS Deep V glow-in-the-dark rims will help drivers to see you crazy cats riding your fixies around in the dark.The Deep V rims look black in the daylight and glow reflective white at night, so there is not a harsh visible style decision that you need to make in the name of safety.

Ehtan Laek of Laek House independently developed these ELVS glow-in-the-dark rims with Velocity. Ethan wrote about these on his site in September of last year. Manni from Portland emailed me about some Nitto bars and directed me to the post. (Thanks, Manni.) We will have some Laek House reflective clothing in the shop this spring. So keep that in mind if you want your threads to match your rims.

According to Velocity, the rims have a reflective vinyl coating on them similar to that used by emergency vehicles. The coating can't tolerate brake shoes rubbing on it, so all of the ELVS rims are Deep V rims with a non-machined braking surface. This makes the rims suitable for building fixed gear wheels. Velocity states that the ELVS rims hold up in nice weather as well as the rains and winter slop, and the rims when wet retain 90 percent of their reflective qualities. The ELVS coating is designed to resist road mild acids, mild alkalies, and salts, as well as "occasional fuel spills".  You want to avoid scratching the surface of the rim or using harsh detergents to clean the rim, since you can damage the coating. So be mindful when you lock up your ride. However, Velocity does say you can sparingly use rubbing alcohol (keyword: "sparingly") to clean grease and grime from the street from the rim surface.

We have some ELVS rims on order, and they will be online in the Wheelgirl Fun & Fixed Gear shop. Email us if you want to reserve of these glow-in-the-dark Deep Vs and make your Momma smile.

First photo lifted from the Velocity site. Next two photos lifted from the Laek House site. Rims are black in the daylight and turn reflective white when it is dark.

Michelin Pro Race 3 Folding Clincher Road Tires Have Arrived

Pro Race 3 Service Course road tires from Michelin have arrived for the rest of us. Michelin Pro Race 3 tires were available to the pro peleton during last summer's Tour de France. But now black and gray Pro 3 Race tires are available in the shop. The other colors will be released during the bike season. The black stripe in the middle is fatter than the Pro Race 2 tires.

Michelin states that the Pro Race 3 replaces Pro Race 2 and offers high-performance and good looks for those who love smooth-rolling road race tires. (Michelin doesn't have the tire specs up on their site yet.) According to Michelin, the new tread delivers 20% more straight line grip than the Pro² Race, while the new shoulder rubber offers a huge 40% improvement. Michelin says the Moto GP compounds are also more readily deformable than before to help maintain grip on coarser pavement and reduce rolling resistance. For added security, the Pro³ Race casing gains a new High Density Puncture Protector (HDPP) nylon belt.

If you have put some miles on these tires since their release, put up a post and let us know how they roll. (Jump to read the specs on the new Pro Race 3 Michelin road race tires.)

(Photos by Wheelgirl)

Gran Compe White SS Tires and Schwalbe Black and White Stelvio Tires, Beauty Isn't Cheap

Spring is officially here. Dia Compe's Gran Compe SS all white road tires let you dress up your bike with vintage touch that borders on minimal cool.  These folding clincher 700x23c, 100 PSI road tires are only available in all white. Dia Compe calls them "Open Tubulars" on the box. They are what we call "clinchers". So they will fit a conventional clincher rim. If you need a bit of contract on your hoops, Schwalbe offers up the Stelvio, a 700x23 folding 120 PSI clincher in classy black and white for your springtime riding enjoyment. (The Stelvio road tires also are offered in with other color accents.)

Beauty isn't cheap. A set of the Gran Compe light-weight tires with Kevlar beads cost around $120 in the Wheelgirl on line store. (See the top-right corner of this page.) Head mechanic, Daniel, ordered in some a few weeks ago. Schwalbe Stelvio road race tires are $80 a set in our on line store. We've put the Stelvio tires in different colors on many bikes. They roll really nicely. But if you need completely white tires, the Gran Compe tires are the answer. (Vittoria makes an all white Zaffiro Pro. So, if you are riding that model please put up a post, and let us know what you think of them.)

The Gran Compe road tires run at 100 PSI, not 120 PSI, like most high-performance road racing tires. And they do not sport a triple casing or some such method of letting wicked and daring cats on fixed wheels repeatedly skid down the steep roads of San Francisco and Berkeley. So put them on a single speed, a well-loved road bike you are giving a makeover, or get a handle on the number of skid spots on your fixie's rear wheel. (Check out the skid spot calculator to figure this out.) If you do opt to put a set on your fixie, make sure that you rotate your rear wheel skid spot(s), so you don't make your own self cry for your mama by unnecessarily shredding it.

(Photos by Wheelgirl. First two are of the Dia Compe Gran Compe SS all white tires. Third photo is close up of a black and white Schwalbe Stelvio. And the last photo is of a Vitus 979 that we gave a make over.)

Campagnolo Record Red Ergopower Shifters Available To Non Pro Cyclists

You might have remembered a post a while back about "Campagnolo Red". Campy released ErgoPower shifters with red logos for professional bike riders who wanted stronger spring action. The pros wanted to feel immediate shifting action during critical race shifts. Campy said they were making these Record red levers for the pros only, since the general cycling population usually opted for smooth shifting and light shifting action. But now, after I am sure some Academy-Award-winning whining and crying for these new toys from amateur cyclists, Campy has changed its mind and plans to release about 600 pairs of the red Record levers. It is unclear as to whether all 600 are going to be released in the USA in April or if they are making a total of 600 pairs for release in Italy, where they are already available, and the USA.

(Photo lifted from the Velonews site.)

Velonews

Shimano SLX Mountain Bike Groupset, Baby of LX and XT with Compact Mountain Double Crankset

Shimano has come out with a new mid-priced groupset, SLX, which combines the durability of LX with some of the more performance-oriented features of XT and a compact double mountain crankset.

SLX offers you the choice of a new compact 36T/22T double crankset with a bash guard, as well as the option of a middle chain ring that goes to 36T. You can also opt to have the steel-composite middle chain ring currently offered in the 2008 XT groupset. If you want the traditional triple chain ring set up, you can choose a big ring of either 44T or 48T. The 48T comes with an outer chain ring guard. In addition, the crank arm pedal inserts are made of steel, so you are less likely to cross-thread or strip your cranks. Make sure you pick the correct derailleurs for your crank set choice. Just like road bikes, you will have to make sure that the front and rear derailleurs have cages that specifically suit the number of teeth and jumps between ring sizes of your chosen crank set's chain rings. The Hollowtech II design is designed to fit both 68mm and 73mm bottom brackets. (Hollowtech II cranks require external bottom bracket cups.)

You have six front derailleur options from which to choose, so just about any bike frame should be able to accommodate this group set. The SLX Rapid Fire Shifting pod option appears to be the same functioning quality level as XT. The rear derailleur uses the Shimano Shadow profile (which was release in XTR September of 2007). "Shadow" basically means the profile of the derailleur is slimmer; thus, it sits closer to the bike frame, so you are less likely to smack and damage your rear derailleur on a rock or a log. SLX brakes consist of the Shimano Servo Wave system, which is cam assisted. You can opt for a 20mm front axle. (But there is not of yet a 15mm axle option offered with XT and XTR.) The Deore LX group set is now being groomed to be more of a dependable commuter or enthusiast group set.

The SLX group set was not on the Shimano site when I searched. But the word is that Shimano has given attention to improving the performance as well as the look and feel of the SLX group set. (If you ride on this group set this season, put up a post and let us know what you think.)

Photos lifted from Bikeradar. Most currently info taken from bikeradar.

Hudz Brake Hoods in 8 Colors Help to Fancy Up Your Ride

Bar tape is one way to dress up a road bike. Now there is another way to feel fancy. Hudz, has come out with colored brake hoods, and throughout 2008, according to their site, they will be shipping hoods in 8 different colors that will fit Shimano Dura Ace (7800) and Ultegra (6600, which also fit Ultegra SL and Shimano 105), Campagnolo, and SRAM levers. The Hudz colors are as follows:

Bastogne blue
Roubaix red
Ghent grey
Wallonne white
Brugge Black
Paris Pink
Vlaanderen Yellow
San Remo Green

(I'm not sure about the color naming conventions? Pink doesn't bring Paris to mind. It brings to mind a city in Italy?)

Hudz is also able to create custom colors for brake hoods, to match team colors for those putting together club, race, or special event team bikes. Also, the company plans to donate money from the sale of their products to charitable organizations. Each colored hood has a charity associated with the color.  Hudz is looking to sponsor bike teams or groups who ride and are socially and environmentally conscious, and they redesigned their product packaging, so it is takes up a smaller landfill footprint.

I haven't tried these brake hoods. But I do know that some designs and rubber compounds feel more comfortable than others on the webbing between my thumbs and index fingers, and different rubber compounds wear better than others. If you put some Hudz on your ride, post a comment.

(Photos lifted from the Hudz website and a vendor's catalog.)

Grandparents Want You to Buy a $120 EAI Gold Medal Track Cog With Your Christmas Money

OK, a few people have been coming into the shop asking about the Gold Medal track cog by Euro Asia Imports (EAI). I just got off the phone with Steve at EAI, and got the skinny on this world-class cog that is made in Southern California and has been out on the market for about a year. Dave at EAI organized the effort to get these cogs to market. (A bit about the history of EAI after the jump.)

The EAI Gold Medal cog goes one step further than the EAI Super Star cog. This is why national track teams from all over the world are buying the Gold Medal cog from EAI, and you may even see the best track racers in the world riding this cog in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China . The cog is polished; the teeth are refined (by machine), and some hand finishing is done to ensure all is perfect. Then, the Gold Medal cog is coated with titanium nitride (TiN). This TiN coating, which gives the cog its lovely gold color, is used in Formula 1 race car transmissions. The TiN coating is so tough, it doubles the life of the cog and markedly reduces chain friction. (Yes, doubles the life of the cog.) The well-engineered tooth-shape of the cog is designed to be run with a high-quality 1/8th-inch track chain.

The Gold Medal cogs come in 1/8th inch only, with teeth from 13T to 18T. The cog comes in a black pouch, and the msrp is approx $120.  EAI offers a quality black steel EAI cog (msrp approx $36) and the excellent silver steel Super Star cog. The Super Star comes in an orange pouch, and it is a cog on which track riders have won international kieran races. It is polished and has a refined tooth shape. The refined shape of the teeth help to make the chain roll with less resistance. (msrp approx. $60 )

I have the Deluxe and Super Star EAI cogs in the shop, in 1/8th-inch and 3/32nd-inch sizes. Christmas week, I will have some Gold Medal cogs.  So if Granny gives you a holiday card with Frosty the Snowman on it and a big-headed Ben Franklin inside, it may be because she really wants you to have this special cog. Make sure to give her a big hug, and be a good grandchild and let her ride your fixed gear whenever she wants.

 

The EAI Gold Medal, and the EAI Super Star photos taken by Wheelgirl. The EAI Deluxe steel cog photo lifted from the EAI site.

Speedplay Pedals & The Museum of Pedal History at Interbike

I visited the Speedplay booth at Interbike, where I talked with Leo, and he gave me the skinny on Speedplay's line up of pedals. One of my favorite visual treats at Interbike was Speedplay's Museum of Pedal History. (Check out the photos.) If you are new to road biking, Speedplay pedals are the ones that look like lollypops. The double-entry pedal part attached to the crank arm is a small, round disk. The pedal platform and cleat attaches to your cycling shoe.

The Speedplay Zero titanium pedals allow you to either set a zero float, so your foot is in a fixed pedaling position, or you can set a 15-degree micro-adjustable float. The Zero titanium pedals are 82 grams each and the cleats are 52.5 grams each. So a set of pedals weights in at 269 grams or 9.48 ounces. These pedals let you adjust your pedaling position fore and aft (back and forth), side to side, and rotationally. Speedplay has a Road Pedal Comparison tool and Mountain Pedal Comparison chart on their site. You can put in your road pedal and compare it to a Speedplay model or you can compare two Speedplay models. (More info and photos after the jump.)

 

 

Photos of Speedplay pedals lifted from the Speedplay site. Photos of the Speedplay Museum of Pedal History taken by Wheelgirl at Interbike in Vegas 2007.

Protect Your Fixed Gear Frame with Black Tape, Kashimax 5 Gold, or Frame Pads by Reload, Bici Concept, Ugly Pads

Road and mountain bikes have derailleur and brake cables. And these various cables shorten the arc of the handle bars, so the bars can't swing around; smack your top tube; leave a dent, and make you really sad. If you are new to fixed gear riding, you may scratch your top tube from locking up you bike, and that might be fine with you. You might be a messy cat. But not even the messiest of cats wants knowingly to destroy most of the resale value of a track frame by wrecking the paint on purpose and denting the top tube.

So, if you ride a fixed gear bike, one suggestion is to perform a variation of one of these actions: (1) Wrap some scraps of bar tape, cloth tape, or black electrical tape around the top tube right where the bars will make a dent if they make contact, and you can lean the bike on this taped part when you lock it to avoid scratching the paint; (2) Sew your own frame pad; (3) Buy a pricey, minimal, Japanese-made Kashimax Five Gold rubber track frame top tube protector; (4) Have a custom frame pad company make you the frame pad of your skidding and style-filled dreams.

At the shop, we sell the Kashimax top tube protectors, Reload frame pads, and Bici Concept frame pads. The other day, rider Casey came in with an Ugly Pad, which I noticed, since I hadn't seen the Tat fabric pattern before. Frame pads are not super expensive, and make great holiday gifts, but I would recommend giving a friend or family member a gift certificate or accompanying them to the bike shop. It is really hard to know what pattern or color someone is going to like. I am constantly amazed by the color or pattern I think someone will like and the color or pattern they actually buy. You may not want to give an urban  rider the equivalent of a Santa decorating the Christmas tree winter sweater. They may not let their bike wear it. Suggestion: Unless you are psychic, ask or give a gift certificate.

In the following photos, Nic demonstrates the perfectly fine and inexpensive black tape option. Next is the minimal but expensive Kashimax option, and lastly are some frame pad photos lifted from the Reload, Bici Concept, and Ugly Pad sites.

 

Jagwire Ripcord New Colors for 2008 and Swatchalator

At Interbike, I talked with Ketty and Jason at the Jagwire booth. I was on a search for the thick woven BMX compressionless brake housing that I had received from a Jagwire at Sea Otter a few years ago. I didn't find that specific housing, but I did get the scoop on the new 2008 Jagwire Mountain bike Ripcord colors.

You can check out how your bike looks with different colored Jagwire housing by using the Jagwire Swatch-a-lator. It has a photo of a BMC mountain bike, and when you rollover the different colored housing, it superimposes the housing color over the cable housing on the bike photo.

If you want to trick out your mountain bike with some color accents in 2008, the new housing colors are as following:

- Dirt Rag brown (a translucent red brown)
- Red (kind of a cherry red)
- White
- Merida Green (like a bright lime green)
- Other colors available include Black, Ripcord, Expressway, Titanium, XTR Gray, Hi-Tech Gray, Sterling Silver, Pearl Silver, Blue, Hot Pink, Yellow, Maxxis Orange, Gold Medal.

Head Mechanic, Daniel, really likes Jagwire products. The company has been around for over 20 years, and the products, in his experience, are high-quality and mechanic friendly. Since we are a shop, we buy Jagwire cables and housing in bulk. But Jagwire makes do-it-yourself brake and derailleur cable and housing kits for different bicycles and cycling needs.  (Actual contents of the Ripcord kit, other cable and housing kits, and more photos after the jump.)

Photo of the Jagwire Swatch-a-lator lifted from their site, photo of the Ripcord pack taken by Wheelgirl at Interbike in Vegas 2007

CST Cheng Shin Tires for Fixed Gear and Urban Riding

Many people think of Chen Shin Tire (CST) as a company that makes low-priced budget tires for cyclists who don't require or want to pay for performance tires for their recreational and commuter bicycles. But CST also manufactures tires for Maxxis. And as you probably know, Maxxis is about performance and ride quality.

CST manufactured tires, and other tire companies brand these CST tires with their own logos. But after talking with Trey in the CST booth at Interbike, it is clear that CST is making an effort to promote their own CST brand of bicycle tires.

Trey showed me the CST Czars when I asked about a decent tire at a decent price for the fixed gear riders who are constantly needing to replace their rear tires. According to Trey, he had decent reviews of the tire features from Faster Mustache, who describe themselves on their site as "a diverse group of Atlanta residents with one thing in common: riding bicycles," gave away CST Czar tires as prize items in their annual 24-hour, 13,050-mile urban bike relay, "FM.24.07". And Trey said that they really liked the price and quality of the CST tires.

At the Wheelgirl shop, we sell a bunch of tires.  And I, as well as many customers, have had good experiences with the various models of urban / training / racing tires that CST has manufactured and branded with their own name, as well as the tires that CST manufactures for Maxxis. I like expensive road tires, but you can't spend $100 or more for a set of tires for your urban ride. So, CST (and Maxxis) offer good alternatives for the urban rider who needs a reasonable price point and a decent set of tires. (Jump for post edit details.)

 

First photo of CST tires taken by Wheelgirl at Interbike Vegas 2007.  Faster Mustache FM.24.07 poster

Sapim Strong Spoke for Bike Trekkers & Wheel Thrashers

At Interbike this year, Erica in the Sapim booth had a new spoke to show off to the wheel builders. The Strong is a a 2.3 / 2.0 stainless steel spoke that is butted around the "J" bend of the spoke. ("Butting" means it is thicker in certain places.) The Strong spoke primarily intended for people who thrash their wheelsets on downhill, trekking, crazy city riding antics, and mountain biking escapades.

Sapim is a Belgian-based company. Many pro teams ride on their spokes. They have a number of different types of spokes, and you basically look at the weight of the spoke and the fatigue rate of the spoke when deciding which spoke to use in a wheelset dedicated to a certain riding application.

We do a ton of wheel builds with the Sapim Race spokes that we cut and roll with a Phil Wood spoke cutting machine. The Phil Wood spoke cutting machine cold rolls the threads. This means it doesn't cut into the spoke. No shaving come out of the machine. Instead the machine compresses and redistributes the metal. Like if you are rolling our a pie crust. But the pie crust is really a spoke thread.

Sapim makes these special blank spokes especially for the Phil Wood spoke machine. I am looking forward to building a set of bomb-proof wheels with the new Sapim Strong spokes. (More about why the Sapim Phil Wood spokes are special after the jump.)

Diagrams lifted from the Sapim site.

Campagnolo Red? Harder Shifting Requested By Pro Cyclists

As Claypole, who posted a comment on the bikeradar.com site, wrote: "Campy Red?".

Evidently, cycling pros requested a different shifting experience from Campagnolo. And Campagnolo answered with the red-labeled QS Ultra 10-speed Record Ergopower levers. Most weekend warriors want lighter shifting. Pro riders wanted stronger springs in the Ergopower levers, so while racing at high speeds, they could immediate feel the chain clunk into the their selected gear.

Um...maybe pick any other color than red next time? I checked out the Record Ergopower levers, and I couldn't find these red-labeled levers on the Campy site (English). Googling around, an post by VeloNews says that the levers will be available to professional cyclists only.

If you are new to the groupset conversation, SRAM came out with its SRAM Red elite racing groupset this year. Red has a big association with another pro cycling groupset supplier. Read the wheelgirl SRAM Red post.)

Photo lifted from the bikeradar site.

Wheels Manufacturing Hates Vegas Loves Colorado

At Interbike, I talked with Dave and Daryl at the Wheels Manufacturing booth. Wheels Manufacturing is pretty clear when it comes to communicating their feelings about the location of the bike show.

I really like Wheels Manufacturing products, as does Daniel, the head mechanic at the shop. We've used lots of their fastener, ferrules, bolts, hub replacement parts, replacement axels. Lots of bearings, spacers, valve extenders. Their stuff is made in the USA and in my experience, always has been well-made and reliable. They make smart, useful bike parts. They are all about the details.

So, the first thing I saw in the booth was a single-speed spacing kit that has a chain guide. Nice. Next, they had a new bearing cartridge measuring guide. So you can pop a bearing cartridge out of a hub or bottom bracket cup, and you can match it to the template to figure out the inner and outer diameters. (Instead of trying to read the teeny tiny numbers on the cartridge. "Does that look like a "5" or a "6" to you?")

Then everyone was looking at the multi-tool with the spare derailleur hanger. Say, you are out in the woods with your WheelsMfg multi-tool and you snap your derailleur hanger. Other mountain bikers might be worried and cry for their mammas. But you would have no worries. Because as you can see in the photos, the side of the multi-tool is actually a cleverly integrated spare derailleur hanger.

I asked if they had a bit, bob, or bracket that we could attach to the brake bolt hole in a steel fork, so we could drop a front brake caliper to allow it to work with 27-inch-wheeled Raleigh, Centurion, and Peugeot fixie conversions. No, was their reply, but they did promise to think about it. (Jump for more on this.)

   

Photos taken by wheelgirl in Vegas at Interbike 2007

Aleutia E1 Solar-Powered Computer for Bike Touring?

Aleutia has an off-the-grid solar computing solution package that is getting a bit of attention. It runs on 200MHz x86 CPU on Puppy Linux. The graphical user interface is a Windows type. And there is spreadsheet and document writing applications on it. So, basically, you can create, modify, and save Excel and Word from the get go. You can listen to MP3s and make PDF files (portable document format). Everything is preloaded. More photos here.

The E1 portable computer needs 8 watts to work (11 watts when the CD writer and the hard drive are working.) And with the display (monitor) it needs 18W of power.  The 10.4" LCD TV (800x600 resolution) uses 10W of power. If you read the fine print on the bottom of your laptop, and you multiple Volts x Amps = Watts, you can get an idea of how much power your laptop needs.

The Aleutia E1 has a 14-hour battery. Size wise, it is 11.5cm (Width) x 11.5cm (Length) x 3.5cm (Height). So that is 4.5 x 4.5 inches. It weighs just over a pound. (That is the PC part. I don't have the weight on the other stuff.)

Basically, you can create a solar-powered solution to many UMPCs (ultra mobile personal computers), since they don't require high wattage. (Check out the Wheelgirl post on Chippy's solar-computing solution for bicycle touring.) But the Aleutia E1 is being marketed with a solar-power solution.

So, in your techno-centered holiday party conversations, you can add some chatter about the solar-powered Aleutia E1 in addition to the low-energy using in-the-news OX lap top from give one, get one OLPC (one lap top per child) and the sold out Asus eeePC  (photo in link of family computing in snow white clothing on the eeePC is a little too The Island).

(Photos lifted from Aleutia: E1;  Laptop.org: XO;  Asus: eeePC)

Aleutia E1 from notcot to dvice
to gizmodo

Problem Solvers Give Everyone a Brake

At Interbike, I talked with Jim and Josh at the Problem Solvers booth. Problem Solver fitting and components allow you to design a custom bike for cyclists who have unique or non-negotiable needs related to using brakes. And Problem Solvers also make adapters and bit and bobs to address irritating mechanical and bike build situations. And if your fixed gear frame is drilled for brakes, you can throw on cable stops and a rear wheel with an internal hub and go cycle touring in the hills with your pals.

• Problem Solver brake levers allow someone who can't squeeze both brake lever the ability to use one lever to control the function of both the front and rear brakes. So, if you have lost an arm or the squeezing function of in one hand, you can still activate both brakes and stop your bike safely. The single lever comes in both left- and right-handed versions.
• There is 1:2 brake cable setups allow you to control the front and rear brake with 1 lever. And they have a 2:1 brake cable setup that allow you to use 2 traditional brake levers to control 1 of the brakes, either the front or rear brake. (For example, if you want to stop your bike with the front brake only, but want to be able to use either hand to squeeze the lever and perform that action.)

(More about helpful metal bits after the jump.)

  

Photos taken by wheelgirl at Interbike in Vegas 2007

American Classic Seat Post Allows You To Tilt Saddle

At Interbike, I visited the American Classic booth, and I got a chance to pick up a seat post I had read about before the show. (I haven't used this post. If you have, write a comment. Make sure to state your yearly mileage, so we have a reference point on amount of use of the component.)

The clamp on the seat post is designed so that it will hold the saddle firmly, but you can tilt the saddle to lower one side. So, if you have one leg that is shorter than the other, you can tilt that side of the saddle a bit lower. And, then, since the saddle is lower, you don't have to place a shim (special piece of plastic) under your cycling shoe to raise your hip higher. (Many athletes who are now avid cyclists, broke or dislocated a leg, ankle, knee playing football, basketball, soccer, etc. On the bike over tons of miles, small differences in leg lengths created by an old injury add up to lots of discomfort. So this seat post let's a cyclist address leg length discrepancy by lowering the hip, instead of raising the level of the foot.

If you read this and think, "Oh, I busted my leg in high school, maybe that is why my hip might be killing me on long rides!" You may be able to solve your issue with a few books on bicycle fitting, a pizza pie, and a riding buddy to give you feedback about your position on the  bike while you are experimenting with new settings. Or you can go to a certified bike fitter. Books and measurements don't work for everyone. And riding long miles in the wrong position can damage your joints. (Think about playing soccer for a season in the wrong-sized cleats.) Shimming things when you don't know what you are doing can cause other problems. Cleat positioning on your cycling shoes, and the height, length, and angle of your body in the best relationship to your handle bars, stem, fork, frame, and bottom bracket are what a fitter determines. The people who know what they are doing when it comes to fitting usually (not always) but usually have spent a large part of their career fitting people with unique physical characteristics and a history of a past injury. They are pricey. But if you are experiencing discomfort on the bike, before you buy this seatpost, make an appointment for a bike fitting. (Specs after the jump.)

Photo taken by Wheelgirl at Interbike Vegas 2007. Other photo lifted from the American Classic site.