Gear

On the final day of the Interbike trade show, we let a few of our editors loose with their digital cameras to grab a look at some of their favorite eye candy.

Interbike: A view from the floor (Monday afternoon)

Morati SC 1.3 Ti Pro disc brake road bikeBuilt in the Czech Republic by aerospace manufacturer Mora Aerospace (now owned by Honeywell) Morati produces some of the most innovative titanium bicycles on the market. Most striking on this, the opening day of the 2003 Interbike trade show, was a full equipped Hayes mechanical disc brake road bike. Built using the company's SC 1.3 Ti Pro platform, the frame boasts the addition of a rear disc brake, a 130mm spaced VeloMax wheelset and reinforced Morati disc brake specific titanium road fork. While we're seeing disc brake technology slowly creeping

As photo editor of VeloNews, I spend my days living the lives and race experiences of the pro pelotons around the world vicariously through the eyes and lenses of some of the best photographers in the world. Unfortunately, most of the time this takes place while chained to my desk in VeloNews world headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, and my interaction with both the riders and their machines is limited to two dimensional representations, usually digitized on a computer screen. Interbike provides me with the rare opportunity to see with my own eyes, and more importantly touch with my own

What a place!The new Bootleg Canyon venue near Boulder City for the 2003 Interbike On-Dirt Demo made for great mountain-bike riding, no matter what you’re into – unless it’s trials. Where the Blue Diamond Ranch venue west of Las Vegas of the past few years had limited trail mileage, all of which were cross-country trails, this location southeast of Vegas has a vast number of challenging cross-country loops, many of which are many miles long. In addition, it boasts a half-dozen steep downhill trails (with names like Kevorkian, Poopchute and Elevator Shaft) dropping down from the top of a

Located 23 miles southwest of Las Vegas’(in)famous Strip, Boulder City’sBootleg Canyon park was ground zero for the 2003 Interbike Expo’s OutDoorDemo. Brimming with over 150 exhibitors this year, the event has grownalmost exponentially over its eight years. In fact, Interbike organizers felt the Outdoor Demo had outgrown bothits old location and its single-day format, expanding the event to a muchlarger venue and two-day format. This year offered not only a three loopcross-country mountain bike track and closed two mile road circuit, butalso boasted a 750 foot BMX track and shuttle-served

PreservationistDear Lennard;I have several repair books including your “Art of Road Bike Maintenance,”and I can’t find the answer to this question. I have a nice late '80s Stronglightcrank that has the threads stripped on the drive side where you put thetool in to extract the crank. Is there anything I can do to get the crankoff and save the BB and crank?--Drew Dear Drew;Were you ever a trumpeter or other brass instrument player? I was,and I frequently managed to get my mouthpiece stuck in my trumpet. To removeit, you had to slip two notched steel plates around the tube of the mouthpiece,one

Here in Colorado, the leaves are certainly turning but there sure isn’t a crisp in the air-at least not yet. Take, for example, this past weekend. Sunday was the official ‘cross season kick-off here in Boulder. Held at the local reservoir, it somehow felt a bit odd hoofin’ about while jet skiers slalomed past and Eliminator jet boats shot up mile-high rooster tails under a relentless 80-degree sun. Somehow racing seems so much easier when you’re not forced to watch attractive women sipping lemonade and laying out on the very beach you’re running across. While not in the hunt for the lead

The collision of two mega-events is quickly approaching. No need to uncoverthe ol’ bomb shelter in the backyard, just be on the lookout for the avalancheof cycling news about to come hurtling your way. Yep, early October is approaching and both the 2003 World Road Championships(“world’s” for those of you about to jump all over my inclusion of anapostrophe in the title) in Hamilton, Ontario, and Las Vegas's 2003Interbike trade show are coming up on the same weekend. If you’re not ableto attend either, your best bet to get the latest news is right here atVeloNews.com (as well as the print

Last week, you saw some of the new things from the Milan bike show, whichis primarily a fantastic display of road bikes, surrounded by a massivemotorcycle show. While most of the two-wheeled enthusiasts attending theshow are there to ogle bikes with motors, there is still plentyof passion in Italy for the human-powered bikes side as well. The movement toward making more and more elements of the high-end bicycleout of carbon continues unabated. Now, however, you see an increasing useof highly reflective white carbon (it actually looks more silver than white)and systems for damping the

Last week I expressed my enthusiasm for the upcoming October 10th-14thInterbike trade show. After checking out the list of exhibitors forthis year’s show, I got to thinking about the host of manufacturers whoweren’t going to make it to Vegas this year. In speaking with afew of the manufacturers who couldn’t/wouldn’t make this year’s show itbecame clear to me why so many companies won't be making the trip outto Interbike: Cost. Even on the cheap, when all is said and done, to lease the smallestspace available; design, build and ship even the most a modest booth; paythe mandatory set-up

Dear readers;I am writing this from Italy, a few days after I had the chance to visit Milan for what has to be one of the world’s best bike shows. So if you don’t mind, I would like to start my weekly column with a look at fewof the treasures I spotted at Milan’s EICMA show. Conducted under gorgeous warm, sunny weather, the 61st EICMA bicycleand motorcycle show marks the official launch of a new road season. Italy is a great place for a show, and Milan in particular, because of the heritage of great design. As always, gorgeous Italian bicycles are in abundance, and the theme of ever more

Dear Lennard;I have 1990 Campagnolo 8-speed set-up, which still works fine, but,I have beaten my two sets of wheels to a pulp and they can no longer betrued to round. I would like some lighter, new-fangled (and hopefully round)wheels, however none of the new-fangled wheelsets are compatible with Campy8-speed and you can't buy new Campy 8-speed hubs anymore. Now,  I’mtoo cheap to drop $700+ to upgrade the whole drive-train to Shimano 9 orCampy 9/10, then another $300 to $800 on wheels. Do you have any feedback on how well the "Wheels Manufacturing CassetteConversion Kit" works? Excel Sports

October is just around the corner and, if you’re a cyclist, that can meanonly one thing. No, not road world’s. I’m talking about the Interbike tradeshow. Coincidentally, the powers that be at Interbike were either unable orunwilling to reschedule their event (October 12 -14) around the road world’sin Hamilton, Ontario, (October 6 -12) the first time that event has hitNorth America since 1986. So, die-hard techie/race fans must choose betweenthe elite men’s road race or the opening day of Interbike. I suppose thosetruly devoted could hop on a plane immediately after the eventand scoot on out

I just got back to VeloNews's almost fully re-carpeted headquartersafter a bit of time over in Europe covering the 2003 Eurobike trade show.My first time to the show, I was impressed by the superb organization (those crafty Germans!) of the event. Promoters had the foresight to place similar categories of product ineach of the halls (for example, clothing was mostly in one hall, whileItalian manufacturers were mostly placed in another). This organization made the show easier to digest for us ever-complaining journalists as well as the attending professionaland citizen crowds. Look for

First off, let's correct an oversight:Last week when I mentioned ceramic bearings (see "TechnicalQ&A with Lennard Zinn: Campy's Carbon Clincher"), I forgotto mention Zipp’s ceramic bearings in the Z3. I wrote about it in a "TourTech" report during this year's Tour de France.--LennardKeeping a classic on the trailsDear Lennard;My question concerns my desire to keep my old Bridgestone MB1 runningas a single speed. I'm afraid during the five years of hard use it underwent,it developed quite a bad case of "indexed steering" and an inability tokeep the headset tight. My local shop informed me that

Dear readers;Just as I was about to send this column in today, I received a pressrelease that might interest a few of you, particularly if you are in needof a good carbon fix. Campagnolo announced on Thursday that its carbon Hyperon wheels are nowalso available as clinchers. "The carbon rims for clincher tires turned out to be much more complicatedthan expected," the release noted. "It was not a matter of adapting therim for tubular tires but of designed a completely new rim. The requirementsof a rim for clincher tires are completely different from those of a rimfor tubular tires. Issues of

It’s the second night of the 2003 Eurobike trade and the VeloNews crewand I just had dinner with Jan Ullrich –well, kind of…To be honest, we were seated next to him as he went about his businessentertaining a table full of Bianchi corporate brass. In Friedrichshafenfor an autograph signing session at the Bianchi booth on Saturday, it wasrefreshing to see Ullrich slurping down his pasta only a few feet awayfrom our table. Refreshing not because he ordered the same dish as I did,but because he so very nonchalantly signed autographs from the occasionalpasserby who recognized him.The highlight of

I tore the LAX airport tags off of my duffel early Tuesday morning and once again subjected myself to that little-too-close-for-comfort, very hands-on “magic wand” security screening at Denver International Airport. With the memories of my recent visit to Southern California for Giant’s2004 product introduction still fresh in my mind, I adjusted my seatbelt physically preparing myself for a bumpy ride, while psychologically amping myself for the cultural about-face that’s makes Europe so very Europe.You know, breakfast lunch and dinner featuring every meat product under the sun, showers

I strongly believe in the use of torque wrenches for properly and safelyassembling bicycles. However, I have become somewhat gun-shy about it dueto unexpected negative consequences of using them that have been relayedto me.Two of these unexpected consequences came from misinterpretation andmisprinting of torque information I wrote in my maintenance books. Onecase, which we went over here on this site, concerned a reader who misunderstooda torque number from the torque table in the first edition of my mountainbike maintenance book. He interpreted the torque setting for a single

Tis’ the season for 2004 product intro's. Our own Lennard Zinn just got back from Specialized’s introduction in Morgan Hill, California, while I caught an early flight Wednesday morning to sunny So. Cal. Wednesday to catch a glimpse of Giant’s 2004 offerings. Located one hour north of Los Angeles, the Newbury Park based Giant USA headquarters is the main base of operations for the second most popular brand sold in the United States (behind Trek). Interesting to note is that Giant not only produces its own bikes and components, but also produces many of its direct competitor’s frames. Only

Dear Lennard,Do I have to buy Campy's new tool to properly install the new PermaLinkin a Campy 10-speed chain? I do have a Shimano 9-speed and Park 9-speedchain tools on hand.MortDear Mort,You can do it with a standard chain tool, but you have to be extremelycareful with alignment of the two chain ends with each other, somethingwhich Campy’s new tool ensures. I have done it many times with a Shimanochain tool without problems. By the way, it is just a pin, albeit it avery precisely shaped one, not a PermaLink anymore.LennardThere's gotta be an easier way to do thisDear Lennard,After a bad

So just putting the finishing touches on our power measurement system test and gotta admit that, for the last few days on a bike, I feel like a true dork (yes, even more than usual). This embarrassing fact struck me this past Sunday while huffing up one Boulder’s beautiful local canyons. The eight-mile grind from my house up to the small town of Ward offered plenty of time to contemplate the assortment of flashing signals, heart rate limit alarms and 60-times-per-second-acquired wattage data from the three (yes, three!) power systems strapped to my bike. With more wiring than the

A quick recap for those just joining the program: in my column last week I made mention that the Trek TT bikes used in the Tour de France were showing up in the worldwide media sporting modified Shimano headsets. I went on to discuss how I felt this odd, considering Chris King was the official headset sponsor for the team. Most interesting was the response I received from Chris King representative Jacki Sterner, indicating that the Postal mechanics didn’t “have time” to install headsets on the Tour bikes. A simple technical reason (stack height, cup fit) would have quelled my curiosity, but

With a month's worth of Tour tech coverage tucked away, I feel obligated to adjust the spotlight back to the mountain bike. But before I get knee-deep in dirt donkey tech, I feel compelled to bring-up one remaining Tour question still rolling around in my head. If Chris King [headsets] is such a big supporter of U.S. Postal, why didn't Trek's TT bikes (there will be more photos run of Lance on his TT bike than on any other bike) have King headsets installed? Instead, the TT bikes sported the antiquated threaded 1-inch Shimano mountain-bike headsets. These headset have had their threads

Losing a minute and a half to Jan Ullrich over the 47km between Gaillac and Cap’Decouverte in the Tour’s first long time trial was probably not what Lance Armstrong had in mind when he worked with Nike to develop the Swift Spin skinsuit that he, his teammates and the category leaders wear in the Tour time trials. The suit should "give about 30 seconds to a minute advantage in a 58km Tour de France individual time trial depending upon what version of the suit is worn," according to Dr. Chester Kyle, the cycling aerodynamicist heading up the Swift skinsuit project. Armstrong also did not

Over the past five years, we have gotten used to writing about American victories in the Tour de France on an American bicycle equipped withAmerican wheels. However, until today, we always meant Armstrong. But the same could now be said about stage 16’s stage winner, Tyler Hamilton, who displayed true American grit in toughing out an amazing solo ride to Bayonne after being dropped in the early going and then catching and dropping the breakaway. Tyler was riding on Zipp wheels and a Cervélo frame, both of which are as North American as pumpkin pie. FramesOver the years, we have heard a

Gilberto Simoni, whose nickname is Spider (or Spiderman), finally came away with some glory in the Tour today. The spider is known for its ability to climb vertical surfaces, and Simoni demonstrated that today. But his special autographed Cinelli Ram bar shows off the Spider even more! The paint job on his Ran is unique, but so is the tilt of the drops relative to the stem, which were custom-made by Cinelli for Simoni. In fact, a number of Rams were built custom to riders on Saeco and ONCE for the Tour, all whipped out within a month. To meet the requirements of each racer, Cinelli

You may have noticed Armstrong’s flat carbon handlebar in the team time trial on his new superlight Trek time-trial bike. According to Trek, one of Lance's goals going into this year's Tour was to lighten his entire time-trial setup. His frame has been stiffened and lightened with a composite honeycomb inside the carbon in the areas around the bottom bracket and head tube, technology that was premiered on the Trek OCLV mountain-bike frames a number of years ago. The aero’ bars Armstrong had previously used weighed anywhere from 800 to 1000 grams for the bar/stem combo, according to Trek.

With the Tour raging on less than 100km away, it seems fitting that Shimano chose the sleepy salt-mining town of Bex, Switzerland, to hold its official Dura-Ace unveiling. As the Japanese group gets thoroughly put through its paces by the world's fastest racers just over the Swiss border in France, a few journalists are quietly getting the official lowdown on the high-end group. And while many of its technical details are already known, this is the first opportunity for us to ride the next-generation road group. The sleek new Dura-Ace boasts some pretty bold promises. Shimano claims its

Ya know, it’s important to be noticed. Sure, it’s great for everyone, fans included, for riders at the Tour de France to have good equipment. The riders go faster with a higher margin of safety with properly designed equipment. But it doesn’t do the equipment sponsor any good if no one knows whose equipment they are using. And sometimes, it takes someone unfamiliar with the intricacies of the sport to point out the very obvious. A case in point involves the winningest rider in both the Tour and the Giro this year, Fassa Bortolo’s Alessandro Petacchi. Everyone knows that Petacchi won six

Dear Lennard Zinn,I currently suffer from iliotibial band syndrome, which tends to affecthigher-mileage runners and cyclists. It causes a pain on the outside ofthe knee due to the repetitive motion of bending the knee. There is quitea bit of info on the problem with regard to runners but very little concerningcycling. I have gone to physical therapy and received a cortisone injectionfrom a knee specialist. Not much has helped. Have you heard of this affectingother riders? If so, do you know of any potential treatment options thatI have not tried? I can give up running but not cycling.

With three teams in the Tour de France, Fausto Pinarello is very busy in the months leading up to the race, especially this season. Pinarello's company builds the bicycles for the Telekom, iBanesto.com and Fassa Bortolo teams, and the preparation details are almost too numerous to comprehend. Every single bike requires custom dimensions, and specific needs have to be addressed with each rider, particularly high-profile stars like Erik Zabel, Ivan Basso and Unai Osa. This year, the task has been particularly challenging because Pinarello planned to deliver a fully custom version of his

Ever since Mario Cipollini, adorned in the yellow jersey of the Tour de France leader, leaned into a television camera during a 1997 stage and said, “Cannondale is best bike,” it was clear that the Bedford, Pennsylvania, company could make bikes capable of scoring victories in the Tour. Cannondale paved the way for other American bike makers such as Trek, Specialized, Klein, GT and Litespeed into the European peloton. But then came the bankruptcy. Following an ill-fated decision to enter the motorsports market, Cannondale found itself deeply in debt with an unsalable motorcycle, struggling

They say curiosity killed the cat but, as I write this, I still feel pretty good. It's one of those trivial little technical details that's been plaguing me this entire race season: why on earth is the men's world cross-country mountain bike champion wearing mid-level shoes both racing on the road and off? Earlier this year, we saw Roland Green compete in the Tour de Langkawi not sporting Shimano's top-of-the-line SH-R214 carbon road shoe, but instead, the Canadian was seen donning the single strap SH-TR01 triathlon shoe. Later in the year, we see Green roll up to both NORBA and world cup

Dear Lennard Zinn;Is it true that the Zipp clincher 404/303s will break up when tire pressure exceeds 140? --JV Dear JV;Below is a long answer to your question, but it is worth reading, as it addresses, in addition to the specific Zipp question, the general question many of us have about how much pressure a clincher rim can handle.--Lennard Answer from ZippDear Lennard and JV;In short, no, a ZIPP 303 or 404 clincher will not break up when tire pressure exceeds 140psi. The source of this concern may stem from one or both of two sources: either from the Maximum psi sticker ZIPP now applies to

Wow! That's all I have to say when reflecting on the past seven days. My colleagues have had their hands full covering all the heated racing action going on around the world ... but I've had my plate loaded with late-breaking tech developments. Don't think tech can be as exciting as racing? You've got two choices here: Hit your browser's "Back" button to get your fill of blow-by-blow race coverage, or read on to find out why this has been one of the most exciting weeks of tech coverage since I began working with VeloNews. Dura-Ace again! First off, Dura-Ace is in the house. Well, it was

Dear Lennard;I'm building a front wheel for my new FSR, and I am concerned about the torsional rigidity of the front wheel. The spare parts I have can allow me to do radial lacing or standard three-cross. I'm running a Fox Float RL 80mm fork, a standard non-disc XT front hub, and a Bontrager Valiant 32-hole rim. I have run both wheels (three-cross and radial laced) on my old bike with a 75mm Marzocchi bomber Z3, and the three-cross wheel seemed to steer much better. I would prefer to do the radial because it looks cool and I have nice butted spokes for that wheel. By the way I weigh 180, am

Editor's note: Vincent Gee is mechanic for the U.S. Postal ServiceCycling Team, largely responsible for the domestic circuit. Gee will bereporting back to VeloNews.com throughout the season.June 5 - Tuesday’s race in Lancaster was raining all day long but today (Thursday), it was dry. Nonetheless, it was bike wash, followed by bike wash, followed by yet another bike wash yesterday and this morning. The Lancaster race ended really late Tuesday so we put the dirty bikes away for the night and set off to a late dinner. Wednesday morning Julien (head mechanic) Allen Buttler and I pulled them

Dear Lennard;I remember a while back you mentioned some auto part glue that worked well for glueing on sew-ups. What is it and any tricks to using it? --Ignacio Dear Ignacio;The glue is 3M Fast Tack.Except on Continentals (which have no coating over the base tape), scrape the base tape (instructions in “Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance”). Layer the glue on the rim and tire, letting dry between coats. After the final coat on the rim, stick the tire on. Fast Tack can be problematic with Continentals, as it has a solvent in it that can soak through the base tape and loosen the glue

Suspension is a funny thing. While the majority of mountain bikes soldin the United States these days are full-suspenders, talk to "the averageJoe" on the trail, and you start to get the feeling that knowledge oftenlags far behind technology. Of course, with any broad generalization, there are always exceptions–guysand girls who are 100 percent up-to-speed about rebound, compression andwheel path–but for the most part, the average mountain biker is, at best,lost in a sea of marketing-speak when it comes to understanding and adjustingtheir suspension. I'm not trying to point fingers here,

It struck me as I sat on top of the world. Well, at least the top of the world according to San Bernardino, California. You see, I had positioned myself at the top of the cross-country course at Big Bear a few weeks ago on a technological mission. I wanted to take count of exactly how many riders would actually use their fork lock-out. A nit-picky mission at best, but with all the talk of suspension efficiency, I wanted to see which riders cared enough to take the time to "flip the switch." My very informal results were very surprising, to say the least. As the lead breakaway pack crested

Dear Lennard Zinn;I am looking for a recommendation for a good chain to use with a '95 Campy Chorus 8-speed EXA-Drive system. The cassette and chainrings are previously unridden, but a new SRAM PC-58, which I believe is intended to be an 8-speed chain, runs a little rough. Any better suggestion? --Bill Veihmeyer Dear Bill;I have found that 8-speed Shimano chains always worked great on that system. --Lennard A mystery skipDear Lennard;I have Campy record 10-speed on two of my bikes, the chain started skipping on one of them, so I figured it was the cog set, I put that same wheel on the

Dear Lennard Zinn;I have the original Specialized version of the Hed 3, 3-spoke carbon fiber rear wheel. It is rear 700C tubular rim with a Regina 7-speed freewheel on a chrome-moly frame. The problem lies with the binding of the wheel when the quick release is clamped down. If the quick release is tightened so that the wheel does not move when jarred from the side, the wheel is very reluctant to spin, and you can feel the friction when the wheel is spun. When the quick release is loosened so that the wheel spins freely, the wheel is easily dislodged to the side. In fact, at Ironman Florida,

Seems like the whole staff from Avid (including the company's outspoken tech-savvy president Wayne Lumpkin) stopped by the office just a short time ago to go over the details of its anticipated Juicy 7 hydraulic disc brake. While still not 100 percent production ready (we're expecting the first production set in two weeks) Lumpkin wanted to make darn-sure we were fully up-to-speed on the details of the brake's design and features. Most importantly, Lumpkin went over the motivation behind and the use of the pad contact point adjustment dial. First off, Lumpkin was clear to point out that

I just got back in from Team Big Bear's 15th consecutive National Points Series race. And if you've been following Jason Sumner's online race reports, you know the weekend was full of extremely high-highs (a bevy of fresh faces on the podium) and devastating lows (namely the tragic death of Japanese downhiller Haruko Fujinaka). One event that took place over the weekend that Jason didn't get a chance to write about was the much-vaunted "Super D" downhill held late Saturday afternoon. The event was conceived three years ago by promoters Pat Follet and Tom Spiegel after they saw the need to

Dear Lennard,I've seen recent photos of Tyler's TT bike he used in the prologueat the Tour of Romandie and I noticed he had three shifters mounted tohis bars.He had bar-end shifters on his aero bar, and a Dura-Ace STI shifteron the right side of his bullhorn bar. Is it actually possible to threadtwo shifters into the same rear derailleur, and if so, what would the advantagebe even on what was described as a technical course? Of course he did revert back to a traditional brake on the right sidefor the final TT, so maybe CSC needed a replacement lever and didn't haveone other than the STI?

With the Big Bear cross-country course offering predominantly dry, fast fireroad conditions, it was no surprise that most of pro men chose to run hardtail rigs. In fact, a straw poll of the top-20 call-ups revealed 17 hardtails and only three full-suspension rigs (two Giant NRS's and one Specialized Epic). Coincidence or not, both the Giant and Specialized pro teams mandate that their riders ride full-suspension technology–like it or not. By the end of the race, the winner and top nine finishers rolled across the line on hardtails. Full suspension was nowhere to be found. And while the

For the second time in my life, I felt like an 18-year-old girl standing on a porch waiting for a prom date that would never show up (don't ask me about the first time). No need to read into that statement too much - what I’m talking about is the feeling I got when Sunday's round No. 3 of the Subaru Mountain States Series was "postponed" due to inclement weather. Finally getting a feel for "mountain" weather here in Colorado, I had a good idea Friday night's rainstorm would somehow turn to snow later in the evening. So when I awoke to six inches of wet, sloppy snow on the lawn on Saturday, I

Dear Lennard Zinn,I bought a used Ti mountain bike frame (Litespeed Obed) a few yearsback. Quite a while ago I noticed that I couldn't remove the allen boltsholding one of the water bottle cages. They spin but they don't come out.I'm not sure if the threads are stripped or what. Now the cage is bustedand I'd like to get it off. Any suggestions? --ColbyDear Colby,One possibility is that they are stripped; could be the bolts, couldbe the frame. The other is that those are failed riveted-in, rather thanwelded-in water-bottle mounts. (Is the entire flange spinning, or justthe bolt?) If the bolts

They say the Salad Days of mountain bike racing are dead and gone... whoever "they" are. If you've been following Jason Sumner's recent reports on the current state of the NORBA National Points Series, it's clear that the current model of "prime time" pro racing is currently on life support. Even World Cup events (Telluride) are not immune from decreased sponsorship involvement. Like it or not, big-time (i.e. cash, big rigs, gala events and liberal TV coverage) pro mountain bike racing ain't what it used to be. Even our very own Patrick O'Grady has chimed in on current events, claiming,

Dear Lennard,I am refitting the components on my son’s bike, and was looking for150mm crank arms. Where did you find them? Are they single, double or triples?--Ron Dear Ron,HSC makes 150mm in double or triple. www.hscycle.comTA used to make that length as well, but I have not seen any in years.--Lennard Dropping the chainDear Lennard,My chain continues to jump past my small chain ring when I go fromthe big ring 53 to the small 39 tooth. This always seems to happen at themost inopportune times. I have the front derailleur adjusted to where itis all but touching the chain in the 39X25 combo.

Dear Lennard Zinn;As an on again, off again frame builder and repairer for the past 20+years I have a dilemma. A friend brought me a ‘60s era Atala with a failedbraze at the down tube, head tube lug. The friend wants it fixed withoutdestroying the original finish. Will JB Weld or something similar provideand adequate fix and will the frame be rideable?? --Dave Dear Dave;No and no. The surface area is too small and the forces too great foran epoxy glue like JB Weld to hold it. It would not last through one ride.He’s going to have to grit his teeth, get fixed right and then look forreliable

On a whim, decided to head out West to Fruita, Colorado for a little get-away before the racing season slams into high gear. Didn't realize our little rendezvous coincided snack-dab with the 2003 Fruita Fat Tire Festival. "All the better," I figured. I mean, the more the merrier when it comes to riding bikes–or so I thought until I tried to reserve a hotel room in a sold-out town. Lucking out with a last-minute cancellation at the ol' Super 8, VeloNews's own Jason Sumner, my old riding pal, Vegan Bob, and I were off to be a part of one of the largest off-road festivals in the United States

Dear Lennard Zinn,I just upgraded from Ultegra 8-speed to Ultegra 9-speed. I replacedthe shifters, cassette, chain, and crankset/BB. I checked the derailleurmodel numbers and they didn't need replacing. My problem is that with thechain on the small chainring it rubs on the large chainring when I shiftto the 7th or 8th cog on back. I don't mind losing the 9th cog and maybethe 8th, but not having the 7th really cramps my shifting style. Any suggestions?--Bob Dear Bob,You can eliminate the rub by moving the crank outward by putting aspacer between the BB drive-side cup and the BB shell to

Still reeling from the product overflow that was this year's Sea Otter. Sure, the racing action was great and all, but for the die-hard tech head, it's hard to beat the "Otter" for an opportunity to see the latest and greatest componentry and bikes. While the masses are content perusing the rows of exhibitors tables, really sharp tacks head deep into the pits for sneak-peeks at 2004 prototype equipment gracing racer's steeds. In fact, thinking more about it, those intent on catching a glimpse at future innovation are better served venturing out to Monterey in early April instead of trying

I gotta start hanging out at DIA (Denver International Airport) more often. This past Wednesday, I'm on my way to the Sea Otter with our photo editor, Galen Nathanson, when who other than "Charlie Hustle" Pete Rose rolls up to the first class counter. Picture this: an aging overweight white fella wearing a pair of the goldest pair of Dolce Y Gabana shades (complete with gold grandma "safety" chain), a honest-to-goodness man-blouse, a pair of overly tight-fitting black chinos and topping off the whole kit with a pair of the fruitiest pointed boots you've ever done seen. Galen and I were

Dear Lennard Zinn,I have a Chorus Ti seat post (less than a year old) and Flite Gel saddlewith Ti rails. I cannot get the saddle to stay in the right place; it keepsslipping back and has to be reset every couple of days. I screw the boltas tight as I dare and keep the saddle rails and clamp grease free (withgrease it slips back in about 5 minutes). Previously I had the Daytonapost on the bike and did not have this problem (same saddle), but the clamplooks the same. --Peter Dear Peter,Check to see if there is some sort of obstruction that is preventingthe top of the clamp from moving

I just managed to sneak away from the Tech area at Sea Otter long enough for a quick update. A pre-dawn raid on SRAM's tech headquarters proved fruitful with us coming away with another first-look at 2004 products. Wanted to make sure you read it here first. Here's the short story (look for complete coverage in VeloNews #8 due out in two weeks). SRAM has introduced two all-new trigger shifters: the X-9 and X-7. Both use 1:1 "Impulse Technology" which is said to provide riders the flexibility to activate shifts with multiple parts of their hand. This translates into shifting ability with

Dear Lennard,With the unfortunate event at Paris-Nice, I thought I would ask. Ihave read in various forums, that helmets should be replaced every-so-many-years (Lance Armstrong's book, for example, places this number at five years).However, most citations I see are closely connected to a helmet manufactureror a bike store. Setting aside the obvious ("because it was in a crash"), why would Ineed to replace an otherwise good helmet? Also, does this imply a "shelflife" for helmets (say, I find a deal on a new old stock Air Attack)? Isuppose what I'm after is, do helmets need to be replaced like

With spring rumored to be on its way, this past weekend provided a perfectwindow of opportunity to sneak in a little racing. A couple of my pals and I packed up our cars and headed over to the campusof University of Colorado's arch rival, Colorado State for a little early seasoncrit’ action. Located 56 miles due north in Fort Collins, the race providedthe perfect opportunity to test out a few products you'll see in upcomingissues of VeloNews, including our road-pedal comparison in issue No. 7 and our bib-short comparison in issue No. 9. There's nothing like a healthy dose of high-speed

First off, wanted to drop a big thanks to all those who sent kind wordsof encouragement to all of us here at the magazine as we fought to bravethrough the, "Blizzard of '03." It wasn't easy, but with a snow shovelfull of perseverance and moral encouragement from all our fans (all threeof you) I'm happy to announce that VeloNews is back up to full productionsteam. [Note: everything I just wrote is a gross exaggeration:the whole event was blown way out of proportion, and really, what itall boiled-down to was an unexpected day off of work and a losing snowballfight to my six year old

Dear Lennard Zinn;I have an Ultegra-equipped bike but would like to replace the shifter/ brake piece with Veloce Ergopower shifter. Will this set up work? --AlbertDear Albert,No, it will not work. The cable-pull per shift is different. However,you might find some words of wisdom (and hope) among the responses belowregarding converting old seven-speed systems to ErgoPower. --LennardHow long is the chain?Dear Lennard,Can you please confirm or comment on the relative lengths of Campyand Shimano chains? I have a Park chain length tool that shows expectedchain length on my Shimano chain but a much

With something like 24 inches of snow expected over the next two days, I figure that now is the perfect opportunity to talk about an oft-overlooked product: The lowly fender. I know, not cool, not fast, but I'll let you in on a little secret: They work! On top of that, they are a cheap investment if you ever use a bicycle for anything other than racing. Maybe it was the "skunk tail" on über-commuter Bryan Jew's butt or the chest/neck/face splattering I received on my way into work Tuesday morning, but fenders are mandatory equipment for a splatter-free commute. As luck would have it, SKS

Dear Lennard Zinn;To date I have not had much experience with threadless headsets. Howdoes one adjust (raise) the handlebar height on a threadless headset system?--Craig Dear Craig;If you have spacers on the steering tube above the stem, you canraise it. You pull off the top cap and the stem and move spacers from abovethe stem to below it. If there are no spacers above the stem, you do nothave enough length of steering tube to allow raising it. If you have adown-angled stem, you can flip your stem over so it angles up. Or you getanother stem that has more up angle to it. --Lennard  That

Forget the fact that we just got the run-down on the 2004 Dura-Ace (10-speed as reported). Hold off on the report about the latest road hardware unveiled at this weekend's Pomona Valley Stage Race. Don't worry a bit about Jonathan Vaughters's speed secrets, because I've got much bigger news. I got to hang out with Kelly Osbourne on Monday night. You know, Ozzy's daughter? Bad hair, short, a bit on the chunky side…? Well, "hang-out" might be pushing it, but I did run into her at baggage claim at Denver International (and boy, does she have plenty of baggage to claim). She was on her way

Dear Lennard;I have a 2000 60cm Trek 5200 OCLV carbon fully stock bike. Notlong after I bought the bike, I noticed a periodic creaking coming fromthe bottom bracket area of the bike that usually appears when torquingon the pedals out of the saddle. I had my shop pull the bottom bracket,grease it up, and reinstall it, but it still makes the noise. I'vegotten new pedals and make sure the crank bolts are nice and tight, butthe noise is still there. My mechanic told me that OCLV frames arenotorious for this mysterious creak, and indeed I have noticed the noisedon 2 other OCLV frames (one in a guy

Dear Lennard Zinn;It's a long sob story, but suffice it to say that I had to take apart an Ultegra STI lever to remove some debris. I almost have it completely rebuilt but for the coil spring for the big (upshift) lever. It needs to be preloaded quite a bit, and it's almost impossible to tension it and push everything together. Do you have any experience with this, or do you know someone who can do it? --Andy Dear Andy;Oooooh. I wish I had some good news for you, but I don’t. Shimano STI levers are not designed to be overhauled. Here is the response fromShimano’s Chris DiStefano:No one is

A torque wrench is an incredible tool. It allows you to accurately determinethe tightness of a bolt, which can reduce the likelihood of a part slippingfrom not being tightened enough as well as of breaking from being tightenedtoo much.The downside of a torque wrench is that it has a long lever arm andif you are tightening to the wrong torque spec you can tighten a lot tighterthan you could with a little hex key.When you get a torque wrench, it is necessary to get used to it. Itshould not replace your own feel for a bolt’s tightness; rather, it shouldbe supplementary to it. If you would choke

There's no doubting that beefed-up national security is a necessary evil these days. The need for stricter airport security goes in tow with the WOT (War On Terrorism)--I've got no beef with that. But like most things big, beautiful and American, our culture can have a funny (or most times, not so funny) way of taking things too far. Take, for example, my recent visit to the Midwest for a few factory visits. After setting off the metal detector at the Madison airport, I was pulled aside by security for "secondary screening." No problem, with the assortment of titanium and stainless steel

Funny how you go through life redefining your personal high-water marks. Your longest ride, the toughest climb, your best placing – all of these achievements are subject to improvement. On a purely personal note, I'm proud to announce a double whammy of sorts, having surpassed two new personal highs (or, in this case, I should say lows) in one fell swoop. You see, I just returned from a quick little jaunt over to our Midwestern friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin to visit with a few cycling-related manufacturers. It was on this trip that I achieved my new marks–the first being coldest

Can you direct me to a source for a 10 speed shifter cam so that Ican convert my 9 speed record shifter?--GaryDear Gary;Any bike shop can order the 10-speed right index gear. Many distributorscarry the parts.--LennardA matter of wheel choiceDear Lennard;What is more important and under what circumstances i.e. terrain, ridertype, etc., light wheels regarding weight or heavier wheels for momentum?This has come up for our team regarding light and aero wheels i.e. HedAlps or Zipp 404 vs. Mavic Carbones and the like. Your comments would bevery interesting to us. --ChrisDear Chris;There is never a

I have a new pair of Sidi shoes and am considering going from Lookpedals to either Campy Record Pro-Fit Plus or Shimano DuraAce SPD-SL's.Which, if either, will work better with the Sidi sole and plate? Will I need to get longer cleat bolts for either system?  Will I needto use the Sidi plate with either system?How about Sidi with Ritchey Road pedals?  (I understand the Ritcheycleat is a 2-hole SPD style.) --PhilDear Phil;For the Campy or new Shimano SPD-SL pedals, you will use the sameSidi plate you did with the Looks, and both pedals will work identicallywith that shoe as the Looks did. The

BLACK OUT -vi- 1: to become enveloped in darkness; specif: black out date: A set date at which exclusive press release information can be released to the public;specif: utilized to protect current inventory from abandonment in premature anticipation of the next model year;see also: screwing the manufacturer over and killing bike shop sales. While not one to complain about the goings-on at other cycling publications, I'm about to (briefly). Two weeks ago Manitou presented the media with a sneak-peek at its 2004 product line which we lightly reported on, but I adhered to the requested black

Wow, it's been a whirlwind of activity around here. I won't bore you with the down-and-dirty details of trying to push our 2003 Buyer's Guide out the door (I'm beginning to think of it as one of those drunk party guests that refuses to leave your house at 3:30 a.m. when everyone else has split). Instead let's stick to the part where I tell you how I just got back in from a weekend of riding with the Manitou boys down in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. Perfect timing to sneak away from the near zero cold snap that had Boulder firmly in its grasp. Unlike most manufacturers, Manitou chooses to show

I have a question regarding race radios. We have an elite/pro Canadian team that we are just starting up. I have been doing a bunch of research on which race radios are the best for use for our team. I find it strange how little information I can find on this topic. We have tested a few different options and we seem to be coming up short in our quest for a good solution. We have tried the Motorola FRS type radios - they only work when our riders are very close together. If we have one guy up the road they fail miserably. We then tried more robust, higher power radios, which had a better range

QuestionI recently purchased an NOS Time/Look carbon fork to put on my '87 Paramount. I am running a 2002 Record triple group and am wondering about the mounting of the front brake caliper on the fork. With the steel fork I was not worried about the washer with the "teeth" on both sides biting into the fork, as that is what it is designed to do. However, with my carbon fork there is no aluminum plate to mount the brake against and I am wondering if it is smart to use this washer? Will it possibly case problems biting into the composite material? If not this washer, then what should I use to

Don’t tell anyone, but I managed to sneak away from the tidal wave that is the VeloNews 2003 Buyer's Guide. We've been building this monster since early December, and with any luck, we'll have it out the door in two weeks (in your hands at the beginning of March). So far, so good I'd have to say. Even if you're not in the market for a new bike, components or accessories (do I see any hands out there?) I'm sure you'll find the numerous interviews with pro riders and their personal racing setups interesting. We even threw-in a few interviews with a handful of bicycle racing's biggest names

Dear Lennard Zinn;We've been looking around for a good road bike for my girlfriend andone thing we've noticed is that the Shimano STI shifters do not fit herparticularly well. She has relatively small hands and the levers are justtoo far away from the bar for her to comfortably brake. I believe thatShimano addressed this issue in the mountain bike brake set up, but dothey or anyone else address it in the road arena? --MikeDear Mike;There is no alternative, short brake lever from Campagnolo or Shimanowith an integrated shift lever like ErgoPower or STI in it. You can addressit with the

Dear Lennard Zinn;My question has to do with Campy Record 10-speed rear derailleur and cog compatibility. My current setup has 53x39 chainrings, a 12x25 cogset with a short (standard) cage rear derailleur, and I recently switched to a Wipperman 10-speed chain. For mountain riding, I would like to substitute a cogset with a larger inside cog - say, 26 to 29 teeth - rather than switching to a triple chainring setup. How high can I go before I have to use a medium or long cage derailleur? Also, for cost considerations, is there any problem using a Chorus 10-speed cogset if the rest of the