by Velospeak | Jul 14, 2014 | Events, Uncategorized
This past weekend I was able to get in a lot of good riding. Saturday I took a turn on the Calfee Dragonfly Adventure. I rode up to Mulholland, and then west. I kept on riding on the dirt portion until I reached the Backbone Trail heading down to Will Rogers. I hadn’t been on the Backbone Trail since my old mountain biking days, and I was excited to give the trail a go on the Calfee. The ride was excellent, and it really confirmed what I’ve known since childhood – Los Angeles is an excellent city for cycling. The roads and trails are some of the best I’ve ridden anywhere, and the variety is astonishing. To drive home the point, I headed downtown Saturday evening to check out more cycling at the Wolfpack Hustle Civic Center Crit. This was the second edition of the race, but the first I attended. I was quite impressed with the event, and having City Hall as a backdrop was absolutely beautiful. Los Angeles has turned a corner in terms of cycling. Every day on my commute to work, I see more and more cyclists. People are taking to the streets, and I believe the secret is out of the bag: Los Angeles is a year round cycling destination. The beautiful photo above was shot by Loic Zimmermann.
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by Velospeak | Jul 12, 2014 | Product Reviews, Uncategorized
While visiting Cafe du Cycliste in Nice, I was able to pick up a few pieces I had been eyeing on their website for some time. One of these is the Suzanne jersey pictured above. Despite the odd choice of name, the Suzanne is a lightweight summer jersey designed for men. I was drawn to the jersey by its simple striped fabric, and upon handling the jersey, became even more enamored with it. The fabric is 100% polyester, yet it fooled me into thinking it was a lightweight cotton of some sort. Lightweight it is, as this piece is meant for hot summer days. It has a mesh fabric integrated into the armpits and shoulder blades that allows freedom of movement as well as exceptional airflow. The fit is exactly correct – snug, but not tight. It feels like it has been designed for all day rides. Last weekend I put it to the test with a 70 mile ride, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with its performance. The jersey has the usual three pockets at the back with an additional zipped pocket for your keys and ID. There are reflective strips at the back and at the collar for when the sun drops out on your ride. The silicone gripper at the hem does its job well, and the full zipper at the front is excellent. The Suzanne jersey is perfect for full day adventures on the bike. The design lets you stand out from the crowd, all the while enjoying the comfort of a well thought out piece of kit.
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by Velospeak | Jul 11, 2014 | Events, Uncategorized
Yesterday Mavic took the wraps off the 125 Anniversary Project Bikes. Select builders were chosen to create a commemorative bicycle honoring Mavic’s 125 year history. Bicycles from Argonaut, Lynskey, Mosaic, Ritte and Seven were revealed at “La Maison Jaune” in Newbury Park, just outside Los Angeles. The inspiration for the bikes is the Ksyrium 125 Anniversary wheel, released earlier this year. Aaron Barcheck from Mosaic, Spencer Canon from Ritte, Ben Farver from Argonaut, and Mark Lynskey from Lynskey were all on hand for the unveiling. The bikes feature custom paint schemes as well as custom details like a “Mavic” drop out on the Lynskey. The project was initiated to celebrate innovators in the US cycling industry, all the while celebrating the French company’s rich 125 year history in cycling. Full coverage of the bikes can be seen over at The Radavist.
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by Velospeak | Jul 11, 2014 | Product Reviews, Uncategorized
The Lake CX 237 sits squarely in the middle of the road shoe line-up from the Dutch company. Choosing this model was a bit of an odd decision, as I tend to gravitate towards the top end products in a company’s line-up. Not so with the CX 237. I was attracted to the shoe by the clean design and slightly retro good looks. The BOA closure system was also a key factor in the decision, as it has become my favorite system for any cycling shoe. Upon further reading, I also discovered the shoe is designed to accommodate more room for the forefoot. Sold. I ordered a pair to confirm the shoes meet the expectations promised by the ad copy. Upon initial inspection, the design and materials were exactly as promised. Simple, well built, and very functional. The shoe is made from full grain leather and mesh. Even now, after a lot of use, the shoes still have that wonderful smell of rich leather. The sole is 100 % carbon fiber, and is as stiff as any I’ve tried from the other manufacturers. The Competition last is “designed for comfort and optimal power transfer”, and in my opinion, is perfect for any type of riding. The shoes were comfortable the first time I wore them, but now the leather has conformed perfectly to my foot, and the shoes are getting better and better with each ride. Leather is definitely a great material for cycling shoes because it improves as it ages. The BOA closure system is a bombproof closure that also happens to be one of the easiest to use. Once you put the shoe on, you push down on the round closure button, and then turn to tighten. It adjusts easily on the fly, both to loosen and tighten, and can be done while pedaling. When taking the shoes off, all you need to do is pull up on the two closures, and the shoe loosens for removal. It is a smart system, and I’m happy it’s made its way onto the CX 237. Shoes are quite like helmets as they are a subjective preference. But, I believe the Lake CX 237 can fulfill almost everyone’s requirements for a top notch cycling shoe. The shoes are comfortable, built to last a lifetime, and designed to fit the majority of cyclists out there.
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by Velospeak | Jul 7, 2014 | Uncategorized
It’s not often I post videos, but this one from the folks at Café du Cycliste is a beautiful travelogue to Nice. Having recently visited the city, I think Nice would be an ideal place to ride year round.
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by Velospeak | Jul 5, 2014 | Uncategorized
Today the Tour de France begins. For those wanting to get into the spirit of things, Étape, a new book by Richard Moore, is now available. The book highlights stages from past tours with first hand accounts from different riders, both “legends and scoundrels”. I am looking forward to reading this as the tour plays out. Following is an excerpt from the press release.
What if all the best Tour de France stages happened in one race? In his new book Étape: 20 Great Stages from the Modern Tour de France, critically acclaimed author Richard Moore weaves first-person interviews with cycling’s great riders to assemble a “dream team” of the best Tour de France stages in modern history.
Featuring exclusive interviews with the Tour’s legends and scoundrels about their best-ever day on the bike (and their most heartbreaking defeats), Moore unravels lingering mysteries and recounts strange tales from 20 great stages of the Tour, including: LeMond’s impossible return from near-death, Schleck’s primal scream atop the Galibier, Merckx’s self-described toughest Tour, Cav’s mind-bending victory in Aubenas, Hinault’s hellish battle with Fignon.
Étape assembles the greatest days of modern Tour history into a Tour de France of incredible victory, glorious failure, shocking revelation, and beautiful memories. In the words of those who were there, Étape recreates each day vividly and reveals the beauty and the madness of cycling’s greatest race.
In their own words: Lance Armstrong, Jean-François Bernard, Chris Boardman, Mark Cavendish, Claudio Chiappucci, Laurent Fignon, Andy Hampsten, Luis Herrera, Bernard Hinault, Jörg Jaksche, Bobby Julich, Greg LeMond, Frans Maassen, Freddy Maertens, Iban Mayo, Eddy Merckx, David Millar, Wilfried Nelissen, Joël Pelier, Stephen Roche, Andy Schleck, Marc Sergeant, José Luis Viejo, Urs Zimmermann, and more.
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by Velospeak | Jul 4, 2014 | Uncategorized
This week has been the time for the big manufacturers to release their latest and greatest. First Specialized teased us with the super limited Mclaren Tarmac, and now Trek has pulled out all the stops with the all new Émonda. Unlike the Tarmac, the Émonda is an all new bicycle sitting squarely at the top of the range. Trek set out to build a super lightweight frame that has the perfect balance of stiffness and weight. The top of the line SLR 10 tips the scales at 10.25 lbs for a size 56cm. This is astonishingly light, and easily ranks as the lightest production bike available. The price for the Émonda is $15,749.99, putting it squarely in line with the other players’ top offerings . Some interesting features are the integrated bar/stem, direct mount brakes, Bontrager Blendr stem, and an integrated chain keeper. The components are SRAM Red, and the bike features a Tune wheel set and saddle. The build is gorgeous, and the bike comes in the Carbon Vapor Coat/Viper Red colorway. I really hope to be able to test ride one of these in the future. As a professed weight weenie, the Émonda SLR 10 is right up my alley.
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by Velospeak | Jul 4, 2014 | Uncategorized
This week Specialized announced the all new limited edition S-Works McLaren Tarmac. The estimated price tag is expected to be in the $20,000 range, and the edition will be limited to 250 bikes. Included in the purchase will be color coordinated S-Works shoes and a Prevail helmet. Unfortunately, none of the $20,000 will be applied to a deposit on the McLaren 650S GT3. The money is for the bike, the shoes and the helmet only. I’m expecting the bike will sell out, and most likely be displayed on the included stand in each of the 250 buyers’ homes. The construction of the frame and wheels is unique to this special edition, with weight savings being a primary benefit. The most interesting detail for me is the spy shot of the new eeCycleworks brake. The brakes also appear to have a custom treatment, but apparently they are an all new model we will all be seeing in the fall. It’s hard to imagine improvements on the current eeBrake, and I look forward to getting more details. For now, if the McLaren Tarmac is calling your name, it can be pre-ordered here.
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by Velospeak | Jun 30, 2014 | Product Reviews, Uncategorized
Showers Pass has a collection of weatherproof cases sold under the CloudCover Line moniker. I’ve been using the CloudCover iPhone 5 case as well as the CloudCover Dry Wallet for almost six months now. This may seem like an unusually long period of time to test a product, but after having received so many promotional cases, I find that in as little as 4 months, they tend to disintegrate. The CloudCover line promises to offer weatherproof cases that will last a long time, so I thought it best to give them a serious workout. Both cases have been used on every ride I’ve been on since receiving them. Over this long period of time, the cases have held up perfectly. The Dry Wallet is perfect for a driver’s license, a credit card, business cards, a bit of cash, and a microfiber cloth I carry for cleaning my glasses. There is a window on one side of the case so that your license is visible without taking it out. It is the perfect size for the necessities, and easily fits into a jersey pocket. The iPhone 5 case is designed so that the phone touch screen can be used while in the case. It has window cutouts on both sides to accommodate the screen, and on the backside to accommodate the camera lens and flash. It is quite easy to use the touch screen through the thick plastic, and photos come out quite clearly when taken from within the case. There are double zip locks to prevent moisture from entering the case, as well as a velcro closure for added security. The CloudCover line provides bombproof protection for the essentials while cycling, and after all these months of testing, the two cases I have are in nearly the same pristine condition they were in when I received them. I think that at $24.99 for the iPhone case, and at $19.99 for the Dry Wallet, these cases are a solid investment every cyclist should make.
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by Velospeak | Jun 20, 2014 | Uncategorized
I spent the past two days in Lugano visiting with Assos and getting a sneak peak at some upcoming product lines. This was my second time at Assos, and as with the first, my time there was well spent. I can’t yet divulge what I saw in terms of product, but I can tell you it is well worth waiting for. I can also tell you that Lugano is an amazing place to ride. Assos loaned me the Goomah bike to ride on a 40 mile loop around the hills of Lugano. Assos’s meticulous attention to detail was apparent on the set up of the bicycle, as it was perfectly tuned to my specifications. My experience was excellent, and as you can see from the photo above, I was proudly representing the US in Switzerland. More information will follow, but for now, you may want to sign up for their newsletter to stay abreast of upcoming releases and news.
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