Posts from the ‘Products’ Category
Alchemy’s ORC-UL rear hub has been out on the market for a few weeks now and we, like a few other custom wheel builders, are completing our first builds with them. Our initial impression was based on an early custom prototype made for a customer who’s extremely hard on wheels. We were impressed with how well it worked with the super-clydesdale specs of that wheelset. And then more recently we were delighted to receive our much-anticipated shipment of production hubs, and got going lacing them to some of our favorite rims. They are proving to be beautifully made, spinning very nice and smooth, with excellent non-drive side tension. We pulled one apart and took photos to give you an idea of what the new ORC-UL is about. But first we have new on the Campy release schedule, or lack thereof.
Alchemy’s ORC-UL Campagnolo Freehub Body
Alchemy has postponed the release of the Campagnolo 11 speed ORC-UL hub. At the very earliest the new release date is December 2013. According to Alchemy this is due to a couple of new developments. For one thing, the intense demand for this Shimano 10/11sp version of the ORC-UL has demanded significantly more time than expected. Also Alchemy has found a solution for Campagnolo drive trains that they say works perfectly.
Here’s the email we received from Alchemy on the matter. Read more
For a few years we’ve been publishing what we consider to be the definitive hub reviews. Now we feel it’s time to tackle the rims and spokes that go into making a complete wheel. For now we’ll just be looking at rims: clincher alloy 700c rims, in fact.
One thing that made our hub review so successful was the presentation of different viewpoints by having the article be written by more than one person. We are going to continue on with that theme, this time with wheel builder Eric Gottesman from Ergott wheels. I consider Eric to be one of the best wheel builders working in the U.S. and am honored to have him writing this article with me. Eric has been building custom wheels for more than 12 years, giving the two of us a combined experience of more than 30 years.
Unfortunately, due to the staggering number of rim options, we just can’t cover every rim on the market. So we are limiting this review to 15 of the most popular rims, including selections from DT Swiss, H+Son, Hed, Kinlin, Mavic, Pacenti, Velocity, Stans, and Zipp.
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It’s been over 4 years since I wrote the last skewer shootout and many of them have since changed. I’ve decided to do an updated review featuring the latest and greatest. Writing this review has made me realize that things have changed over the years and the gaps between brands have definitely shrunk. They do still have their differences but those are becoming smaller. Any of the skewers in this review are just fine and there won’t be clear winners and losers but there will be some differences.
We often get sent lots of samples of new, upcoming products in the hopes that we’ll give it our endorsement and add it to our catalog. Many items get rejected before we even test them, others after we test them. Some do get a thumbs up from us and get added to our product list. The latest one to make it through is the AICAN Bungarus. Most of you are asking yourself at this point, “what the heck is that?” I had to ask the same question as well. It’s a super light segmented cable housing that runs without an additional inner liner.
If you’re like me and you hear the words super light you naturally have to wonder, how light is super light. Claimed weight is 18gr per meter, which is definitely light but isn’t beyond some others, or is it? In this case the 18 grams per meter is a bit deceptive and here’s why. The 18 grams per meter is not only the shift housing, but also the brake, and that weight is indeed impressive.
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For the last several months there has been lots of anticipation about the Smart Enve System (SES) clincher rims. Now that we have them in stock we have had a chance to play with them and form an opinion. In short they’ve surpassed my expectations, which honestly were quite high.
Since the tubular versions of 3.4 and 6.7 have been out for almost a year and a lot of people are familiar with what makes the SES rims special, so there’s no need to go into great detail. We will, however, touch on some aspects that I find interesting as well as some which maybe just haven’t been much talked about. All of the Smart Enve System rims are designed to be used in matched pairs to produce the best results. All the rims are wider than standard Enve rims, but the front SES is wider and shallower than the rear (26mm wide front and 24mm wide rear), this is said to reduce drag and improve handling and the results are really noticeable. All SES wheels feel super fast, and wind tunnel data that I’ve seen backs this up. Perhaps even more importantly, handling is insanely predictable/stable. Read more
We’ve had a couple weeks to test out the new Soul Kozak road hubset which retail for $400 with either Campy or Shimano freehub bodies. For the front hub Soul Kozak brought the flanges in for increased aerodynamics while the rear hub gets both magnetic and bearing upgrades. The head of our custom wheel building program, Troy Watson, pulled them apart, rode them (laced to ENVE 45s with Sapim CX-ray Spokes) and gave us his thoughts. Read more
As summer wanes and fall approaches it’s time to talk about our much-anticipated yearly Cycle Passion calendar. This will be your first chance at a sneak peak of the 2012 edition being unveiled at Euro Bike, and that we’ll have with us at Interbike later this month. Remember, last year’s Interbike release featured a chance to meet and greet model/athletes Heather Irmiger and Willow Koerber.
For 2012, the Cycle Passion calendar has improved to a double-sided format, which means twice as many photos as previous years. Team Lotto Ladies Liz Hatch and Veronica Adreasson are back for an encore performance. They’re joined by newcomers Katherine O’Shea, of Australia, and Polish sensation Maja Wloszczowska. Germany’s Hanna Klein is also on board for 2012, along with French riders Marion Rousse and Pauline Ferrand Prevot. Read more
ENVE’s latest rim design, the Smart 6.7, is the result of extensive collaboration with UK-based aerodynamics specialist Simon Smart. Articles such as those from ProCycling and VeloNews have detailed much of the innovations utilized in production of the 6.7 rims. In reading about the 6.7 rims and viewing several photographs, I had made some basic assumptions (mainly that they closely resemble rims from another manufacturer). I was excited to be able to get a close look at the Smart System rims so that I could see for myself the details in this new design. Read more
Back during Interbike 2010 we reported on KMC’s new DLC coated chain that was available in black and red. Now we have the limited edition Kmc X10SL DLC coated chain is available in full black. That’s right, the limited edition black on red has been revamped for the coming year and is now available in black on black. Same great performance as the standard X10SL, but without the color. Due to the extremely high production cost of DLC coating the chains, these will be available only in limited quantities. The DLC black on black chain will be available….. Now.
Welcome back to the 4th installment of the crank shootout.
New cranks that have been added for this round are Ax Lightness Morpheus, Extralite QRC2 and Rotor 3d. The next round will include the new Tune Smartfoot, Thm M3 and hopefully a production version of EE.
