- HOT TOPICS:
- An American start for the Giro? •
- 2010 Routes: Giro | California | TdF •
- LA doc guilty on all counts
AToC Tech: Extras from the expo
- Article Extras
- Photos
- Race Index
The Amgen Tour of California wrapped up successfully with another win for Astana’s Levi Leipheimer. Also "winning" were the spectators who were treated to both great racing and an impressive consumer expo at every stage finish. Despite nasty weather for the first three days, traffic at stage finishes was heavy, and downright crowded whenever the sun came out.
The look and feel of each finish-line expo evoked a miniature Sea Otter. A spectrum of exhibitors from the cycling industry displayed team-replica bikes, components, clothing and accessories. Also on hand were the usual assortment of food vendors, a kid’s corral and even multiple JumboTron-style monitors so attendees could follow the racing action as it unfolded on the road.
Here are a few highlights from an afternoon at the expo in Santa Cruz.
Edge Composites
Edge Composites shared a booth with Parlee Cycles. Both companies specialize in boutique, high-end carbon, and for 2009, both are sponsors of the Fly V Australia p/b Successful Living team. On display was a team-replica Parlee Z4, as well as some of the component offerings from Edge.
The road forks from Edge Composites are 100 percent carbon, including the dropouts. The Road 1.0 fork is used by the Fly V Australia team, is said to weigh 280 grams uncut and carries no rider weight limit. Adding a little weight and stiffness, the Road 2.0 is meant to be more of a less expensive, durable, all-conditions fork. Three different rake options are available in both road forks.
Also on display: a lightweight carbon road bar and the Cross fork. The road bar actually has a serial number, perhaps a smart move for tracking usage and warranty issues. Molded-in rubber end caps are designed to prevent damage to the ends of the bar. The cross fork is claimed to weigh 450 grams uncut and features carbon dropouts.
For more info, visit www.edgecomposites.com
Bontrager inForm shoes now available
Spotted in prototype form during the 2008 season, then shown to the cycling media at the fall trade shows, a new line of shoes from Bontrager is now available to consumers. The inForm designation is shared with Bontrager’s saddle program, and refers to a scientific approach toward finding the best fit and comfort.
Across the line, the upper is molded to accommodate custom orthotic insoles if the rider needs them. The stock insole is a proprietary, customizable insole from eSoles. By using a so-called Derby cut, in which the tongue of the shoe extends down to the toe, and by building a widely adjustable toe box, a broad variety of foot sizes can be accommodated.
As with Trek’s three-tiered carbon fiber designation in the bike line, the shoes get a similar gradation of carbon fiber soles. RXL shoes have the lightest and stiffest outsoles, using Gold Series Carbon, a hand-molded, unidirectional 3K weave. RL shoes have bulk molded Silver Series Carbon, which is a little heavier, and slightly less stiff Bronze Series Carbon is used on the Race models.
www.bontrager.com
Oakley’s Rolling O-Lab
One of the most elaborate outdoor expo displays I’ve ever seen is Oakley’s Rolling O-Lab. Oakley actually has a fleet of three huge, customized Freightliner 4x4s, each pulling a trailer with elaborate demonstration equipment inside. The Western region truck and trailer were on hand for the Tour of California, and I got the full presentation of on-board ANSI optical clarity, refractivity, and impact resistance tests from O-Lab driver Bryan Shelton. While there’s no question it’s a marketing effort in support of the Oakley brand, the tests do demonstrate some significant differences among various sunglasses.
The first step of the presentation is a so-called prism test. A pair of laser beams is aimed at a point on the wall 20 feet away, and different sunglasses are placed over the beams. Lenses of different materials and shape distort the beams so that they no longer come to a point. Oakley lenses use high-grade polycarbonate, shaped so that there is no displacement of the laser light.
A clarity test uses an image of horizontal and vertical lines projected through eyewear and displayed on a flat-panel monitor. Again, eyewear of even the same material is shown to distort the image, depending on the manufacturing method. Oakley uses a molding process that preserves optical clarity, and minimal distortion of the projected image provides the evidence.
The final and most dramatic tests demonstrate ANSI Z87.1 impact resistance. In one, a quarter-inch steel shot is pneumatically fired at 102 mph toward the lens of a sunglass, mounted on a dummy head. Lenses of inferior materials shatter, while Oakley polycarbonate lenses barely show a nick. A second test demonstrates an impact of higher mass, using a 500-gram metal spike dropped from a height of more than 4 feet. Again, cheap plastic eyewear shatters, while the Oakley glasses are only minimally damaged.
Photo Gallery
Most Recent Articles
- Scherz, Gavin take 7th round of the MAC Series
- Albert, Compton win round 3 of CX World Cup
- JHK, Dunlap win 20th installment of the Iceman Cometh Challenge in Michigan
- Wicks, Bishop take OBRA 'cross titles
- McConneloug, Powers tops in Northampton
- USA Cycling reviews Continental team applications
- Barry Wicks' Journal: Lessons from the bear
- Kelly adds depth with Jesse Anthony, Ian MacGregor and others added for the 2010 season.
