Cyclists are not Rockstars

#1231

2012-02-01T18:34:00.000-05:00

Apparently slapping some stickers ans velcro on an old digital camera makes it worth $50k.....Here

Kidding.... If it's authentic ( which it probably is ) it's pretty cool.

Posted by Greg Wolff

#1230

2012-01-30T15:03:00.000-05:00

More innovative ideas for efficient transportation....

It's so cute... And it's entirely electric!....Here

#1229

2012-01-27T13:17:00.000-05:00

Are you Cutesy gitrls out there looking for a way to dress the Rockstar part?
Wear this dress.

Posted the Shelbatron

#1228

2012-01-27T11:24:00.001-05:00

This will be the new way to capture a cyclcross race. ( or a crit for that matter )

#1227

2012-01-26T10:51:00.001-05:00

It's been a little while since we've been able to point the fingers at a doper..... Here

#1226

2012-01-23T10:39:00.000-05:00

C.A.N.R.S. Cultural Recommendation... Mark your calendars now if you are going to be in the Washinton D.C. area.....Here

#1225

2012-01-20T13:18:00.000-05:00

Are the circled areas on the GreenEdge kit glow-in-the-dark?

Scott Bikes would like us to think so. Smart money says they are.

#1224

2012-01-19T12:49:00.003-05:00

Here's a nickname and frame decals that any Rockstar would approve of:

Belongs to Kaitie Antonneau

#1223

2012-01-17T12:14:00.003-05:00

It's time for the annual Rockstar TeamKit Review. It's late this year due to the fact that a lot of theteams held out releasing the final products till the last possibleminute. We are blaming a couple of things for that:

#1-The need to finalize sponsors right up tothe deadline.

#2-A clearly confused state of what'sin-style for cycling jersey design. (Besides the “LeopardLayercake” look).

So fans are left with fewer new jerseysto analyze then last year, but we still have a couple of doozies...

Here goes!

Starting off with the most anticipatedjersey of 2012 is GreenEdge. A lot of uglier designs wereleaked\conceptualized in the previous 4 months or so. What weactually got was an attractive jersey that may be the best of theLayercakes 2012. Somehow the shorts save this kit from boring-ness

Grade B+

Saxo Bank rolls into 2012 with a boldnew color and a backside re-design. All joking aside, this kit takes“Most Improved” by a long shot and the bold backviewwill make these guys standout among all the others. Bonus pointsbecause Alberto Contador comes into the season an underdog somehowand everyone loves an underdog....

Grade A-

Among the ProTeams the new Lotto kit is the boldestdeparture from 2011's look. Too bad cause lastyear's scored pretty high. Still, the new design looks good and justcluttered enough. Kit designers should print this out, tape it ontheir wall and repeat the following phase over and over:

“If my design is busier then this,take stuff out...If my design is busier then this, take stuff out...”

Grade B+

The Lampre Kit goes thru minor changesthat will continue to assure its place high up on the “Confusing toNon-cycling Fans” list.
Note that this is the only shot where we'vekept in the rider's face....

Thanks Pettacchi.... You just can'tignore cool like that.

Grade C-

Omega Pharma left Lotto at the end of2011 and took the "cool" with them in their merger with QuickStep. Thiskit looks good. It's not quite layercake but it definitely draws fromthat aesthetic without being obvious. It ends up perhaps taking the best-of-show award.

Grade A+

Here's Garmin Barracuda.... Cervelo andtheir hatred of argyle is out, Barracuda's cheesy fish logo is in.
Fansget another layercake to eat up.

Grade B-

The other front runner for 2012's “Most Improved” was Katusha. It looks good but can't be considered best-of-show cause it's another variation of the Layercakethat tricks you into thinking you are looking at something with originality.

Go Menchov!

Grade A-

Maybe Layercake is ultimately the best.....
Confidis is the one team that has movedaway from the horizontal-lines look and instead has come up with thischeerleader's nightmare of an outfit. Ugly... And the worst of 2012.

Grade F


Saving the all-stars at Radioshack\Trek\Leopard Mercedes\Johan\Schleck Bros\Nike\Nissan for last... Last year Team Leopard Trek was praised and bashed for their minimalist approach to kit design. Love it or hate it, it was a theme that was appropriate for the stylish new team from Luxembourg. It was a look that should have lasted 1 year. With the addition of an entire american-flavored team, this new super-team really did deserve a complete re-do. Instead they got this... The blacked-out Trek's they'll be riding are the only thing that helped them get a passing grade. Grade D+

Team that will ride with kits unchanged enough to not care:

BMC

Movistar

Rabobank

Vacansoleil

Sky

Liquigas

Francis de Jeux

Be sure to leave your thoughts below.

#1222

2012-01-17T10:06:00.001-05:00

Not to toot our own horn but guess who pretty much pegged the new RadioShack \ Leopard look way back in early 2011???

2011

Current

Up next: Our annual Team Kit Review & Critique

#1221

2012-01-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

We're not done with cyclocross yet!
Check out a great video of the first lap of the recent WORLD CUP race thanks to Christian Heule:

#1220

2012-01-13T09:28:00.000-05:00

Bicycle makers have such sensitive feelings. 2 days ago this article on velonews featured a sidebar listing the 20 best-selling bike brands in the country. Today that side bar lists only the top 10. Maybe that statistic is the only thing that makes the NBDA annual survey report worth $400.... Here

#1219

2012-01-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

It didnt take long for the cycling fashion bosses at Rapha to crank out Jpows new kits.....

Where's the pastels?!

#1218

2012-01-09T22:53:00.000-05:00

The Pro Peleton needs more jerseys like this:

#1217

2012-01-06T15:28:00.000-05:00

Pretty good article about CX here

#1216

2012-01-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

Continuing on the Cyclocross Nationals theme......
Dear USACYCLING, pick Asheville as the next host city ( or Austin ) and you are guaranteed to have to put up crowd barriers ( and proper course markings ) everywhere.....

#1215

2012-01-03T11:44:00.002-05:00

Cyclocross Nationals all this week look to be challenging and icey in Wisconsin. Want proof?

#1214

2012-01-03T09:39:00.001-05:00

Scott Bikes has taken over Syncros components. First item on the agenda, Scottify the logo!

From this:

To this;

#1213

2011-12-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

Some kids get super fortunate this time of year. Whoever got this bike ( Junior 24 inch wheel road bike with upgraded DI2 electronic shifting on it ) is gonna be the bell of the ball come spring. The gift giver needs a stern talking to about the color choice of bar tape though.

#1212

2011-12-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

This

This

And this

#1211

2011-12-23T12:10:00.000-05:00

Check out this beauty!... Here

#1210

2011-12-21T15:34:00.003-05:00

The look for Team GreenEdge for 2012......
Getting closer to the real thing:

#1209

2011-12-19T11:42:00.001-05:00

We're tossing around the idea of introducing a new product for sale.......

#1208

2011-12-16T13:16:00.000-05:00

Don't worry everyone.... This will NOT be the Green Edge kit for 2012....

#1207

2011-12-14T10:02:00.001-05:00

Black water? Def eager to try out some of this stuff.....
"spring water + fulvic acid"

#1206

2011-12-09T10:26:00.008-05:00

Everywhere you turn, there are gift lists screaming for your broke-butt's attention.
So not to be left behind, let us present the 1st annual :
C.A.N.R.S. "Be nice to a Rockstar and buy them this" list

10 products that any Rockstar ( cyclist or non-cyclist ) would love.

#10 - Let's face it, these has never been a better time to get a tattoo. Social stigmas associated with them align the wearer more with Care-Bear Facial-hair music than biker-club violence. And if you happen to have a cyclist on your gift list, the only way to gift this properly is to have that person get drunk in Boston with no less then 3 cycling buddies and then go to Redemption Tattoo. Gift Certificate link Here

#9 - Skateboarding will never be uncool. And some of you out there are skaters ( or at least were in the past ). What better way to relive the glory days then to hang up a wonderfully eye-gasmic designer skater deck. We are partial to this one by Steve Forde. Available Here ( and it's on sale! )

#8 - Any bike chain chandelier or lamp by Carolina Alzaga Here.

#7 - Because the backlash has got to start one of these days....... Please! let it start......
This poster from Cyclocosm.....

#6 - No Rockstar isn't worth his weight in pennies if he ( or She! ) isn't a regular twitter tweeter. We realize that there are various levels of Twitter skill and philosophy so here's 3 options for you:

Novice

Advanced


Uber-Nerd

#5 - Even though it is not officially out yet, this titanium lock makes the list at number five. Email the inventor, John Loughlin, and he will send you a gift certificate good for one of these very cool bike locks

#4 - Threading the line between indie rap and Hipster hardcore stands the Cool Kids... Their recent album is pretty good, but this hat

bearing the same name is a better gift for your most favoritest cyclist.

#3 - This tape measure. ( If it needs to be explained why, don't bother )

#2 - The only hotter person hotter then Jeremy Powers these days is Zooey Deschanel, and even then it's a close battle. Encourage your loved ones' obsession with JPow, and his inner DJ, with this IPod \ IPhone mixing deck.

#1 - Coming in at the top of the list is a beautiful, overkill chuck of sculpted stone designed to make your $5,000 bike look downright ugly..... Here


$600 well spent. Go out & buy us one please.

#1205

2011-12-08T10:19:00.003-05:00

In case you missed this.... CX getting a shout out on network TV!

#1204

2011-12-07T23:08:00.000-05:00

This

This

And this

#1203

2011-12-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

Downhiller vs Snowboarder in a race... Which Rockstar will take it?

Posted by the Ferraris

#1202

2011-12-05T17:35:00.002-05:00

Half motorcycle, half bicycle, half scooter.... All cool..... Here

Posted by Greg W

#1201

2011-12-02T11:05:00.000-05:00

Gucci purses, Louis Vuitton luggage, Oakley Sunglasses and now Pinarello bikes.

#1200

2011-11-30T10:29:00.002-05:00

The stock market will have to wait to be cool.....Here

......"In Stan Day we trust" - Anon

#1199

2011-11-28T18:39:00.001-05:00

Even the Rockstars out there are laughing at this Gucci Helmet ( $890!!! )

And this Bianci made carbon Gucci Bike ( $14,000!!! )

#1198

2011-11-23T10:55:00.002-05:00

Take the CX Racer Test. The Fred or Pro test has made its way around the great big internet. Here is the Cyclocross version.... How do you stack up???

Click on image and then right click "view image" for best readability

#1197

2011-11-22T13:26:00.002-05:00

Think it will be a while before bikes get significantly lighter?
Think again....Here

Posted by Dillon P.

#1196

2011-11-22T11:18:00.001-05:00

This

This

& this

#1195

2011-11-21T12:25:00.000-05:00

This might be our first canine Rockstar.... Although if it wasn't for the great camera work, this whole video would probably remind one of that annoying dog that chases you out on a bike ride.

Posted by Greg W.

#1194

2011-11-17T13:08:00.000-05:00

Here's funny "are you a Rockstar" test. Everyone likes to be judged right?

#1193

2011-11-15T14:17:00.000-05:00

$1100 for a gold leafed saddle??? Very Rockstar.....Here

#1192

2011-11-13T18:56:00.000-05:00

The car is a super hero again...

#1191

2011-11-11T08:46:00.001-05:00

Today's Rockstar award goes to this chick....

#1190

2011-11-10T16:07:00.000-05:00

Dave Zabriskie is one of the true I-dont-give-a-damn-Rockstars out there.... Now you can let him guide you on your next ride.....Here

Posted by Greg Wolff

#1189

2011-11-10T10:12:00.001-05:00

It's time for another installment of
"Advertising for Rockstars!"
This time we will discuss only one advert from Assos clothing...
Perhaps you have seen it in a recent magazine, here it is:

This is far from the first installment in the "Sponsor Yourself" series. It seems Assos is succeeding with this over the top glamourous portrayal of bicycle wear....

They are no doubt following in the footsteps of a certain British-based company. But at least they show off models in their over-priced garments whilst riding in them.....

But back to the point, Assos is no stranger to the "hot Italian babe" category.....

The problem with the newest advertisement is that it leaves the reader dumbfounded as to the desired point..... The advert is so nebulous that it could be promoting just about anything....
See what we mean:

Anyone who appreciates fine furniture can easily mistake the ad for something all together different:

Perhaps this?:

But even if you are meant to just focus on the cutie, the ad falls short of maximizing its intended sex appeal target:

Assos misses the mark with this one and only succeeds in getting into reader's heads due to the ad's moronic pointlessness.

#1188

2011-11-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

What tha!?

#1187

2011-11-08T21:15:00.002-05:00

Quote of the day:

"If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse."
-Henry Ford

#1186

2011-11-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

Ever see sweat eat thru a handlebar???

Here you go:

#1185

2011-11-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

This

This

And this

#1184

2011-11-04T20:37:00.001-04:00

Never has the stock market been so cool....
Coming soon to your newspaper's finance section soon...... Here

#1183

2011-11-03T15:28:00.003-04:00

Well well, Apparently they are Rockstars. Mr. Schleck here......

Posted by Greg W.

#1182

2011-10-31T20:43:00.000-04:00

This is how the Chinese carbon guys do it......... Wallpaper that box of rims with stamps to get it over here to the USA.....

#1181

2011-10-28T09:32:00.002-04:00

The Kona Ironman that just happened a few days ago was the first in a very long time where there was no Cervelo's in the top 15..... Here

#1180

2011-10-27T09:42:00.000-04:00

These adverts for Vanmoof Bicycles are pretty good:

#1179

2011-10-26T14:13:00.000-04:00

Want to channel your inner hipster with being made fun of at the mountain bike races you attend? Wear the Beardster!.... Here

#1178 - Serfas True 1500 Light review

2011-10-26T10:39:00.002-04:00

So with the shorter days and longer nights of the fall in New England, lights are a must for those looking to get in some post workday mountain biking. Serfas just delivered their new True 1500. (Also known as the TSL-1500). Let's check it out!

1st off let me start by saying it comes packaged well. Everything has a nice spot in a foam case and the box has some sweet magnets holding it closed. Definitely a good start...

How does it work? In one word, very good. This light is bright! Very Bright! Like "dude, How bright is that thing?" BRIGHT... and not in just one spot either. It has an impressive sized splash zone to light up a huge swath of trail \ road

1500 lumens and they're not lying! Serfas owns a lumen tester, so they list an accurate output.

Some further details;
This light has more modes then a BMW sport bike.

Overdrive gives you 1500 L for 2.5hrs

High = 1000 L for 3.5hrs

Med = 700 L for 5hrs

Low = 350 L for 11hrs

Flashing strobes the 1000 L setting until the sun comes up! (even if you live in Alaska)

It comes with a handlebar mount or helmet mount. I chose to put it on my helmet. This might not be where most will put it cuz it's a bit heavy at 158g for the light alone. (battery is 302g.) Any heavier and it would most defiantly be a H-bar only light, But I was ok with a hat under my helmet to cushion up some of the extra vibration that comes from the weight high up.

I rode an entire ride in low and Med modes with no problem. Overdrive is almost overkill. My first ride out I put it in overdrive to see how it was. Super bright! My eyes had to adjust to my vehicle's weaker headlights as I drove home. Also in overdrive when you pass by a tree close by or the if light bounces off the rider in front of you, it can be distractingly bright.

So those are the hits. Now for the misses (cuz everything has misses)

As stated earlier, a bit heavy but it's well built.

The Low Battery indicator is a flashing red circle around the power button on the light itself, so that's impossible to see if it is helmet mounted.

And when the battery goes, it goes dark! No self dimming, no warning flash mode... Just black! So you kinda have to take of your helmet to see if the 20min remaining light is flashing or bar mount it.

All in all a solid light. If you are looking for one light to end the use of smaller ones, this is it.

Retails for $390.00

Posted by Dillon P.

#1177

2011-10-25T22:57:00.000-04:00

This

This

And this

#1176

2011-10-24T10:34:00.000-04:00

If you are in the Philly area this weekend come check out this.

#1175

2011-10-21T11:08:00.000-04:00

Check out this funny candid-camera type interview with the Schleck Brothers.

Posted by Greg W.

#1174

2011-10-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

Project 1t4i has quietly debuted their kit for next year...

The Leopard influence is evident and it looks like teams will be rolling out simpler, less brights kits for the future to come.

#1173

2011-10-18T10:59:00.002-04:00

Carbon Fiber fountain pen.....Here

#1172

2011-10-17T22:01:00.000-04:00

Here's is a catchy way to advertise a custom clothing line. Mt Borah's jersey "postcards".

#1171

2011-10-17T10:16:00.000-04:00

The newest bike safety item??? Puppies... Here

#1170

2011-10-14T17:10:00.000-04:00

If you can't have the wheels, have the coffee instead:

#1169

2011-10-14T11:14:00.002-04:00

Goodmorning to everyone:

#1168

2011-10-13T12:55:00.000-04:00

In the wake of GM's moranic ad campaign, expect to see a lot of shots fired back like this one:

#1167

2011-10-12T15:12:00.000-04:00

Get a kick from these photos of really scared, freaked out people......Here

#1166

2011-10-12T10:44:00.000-04:00

This is more fitting we say:

#1165

2011-10-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

A quick way to Rockstardom is to take a flying gazelle skull to your head while mountain biking.....

#1164

2011-10-07T15:05:00.000-04:00

Time to break out the headlights! Look for a review soon of a new Serfas headlight bright enough to melt your face off.

#1163

2011-10-05T15:32:00.002-04:00

Diggin this all day long:

"Golden Tree" by Martin Brooks from Ninian Doff on Vimeo.

#1162

2011-10-05T14:22:00.000-04:00

Trek is the biggest bike company out there, so its kinda newsworthy when they get taken off the billing for a super successful ProTeam.....

#1161

2011-10-05T09:38:00.001-04:00

It's always encouraging to see bike brands being straighforward with listed weights..... Here the Scott Team Foil fork weighing in at 334. It's listed at 340 grams.

Which companies out there are a little dishonest when it comes to weights? Check back tomorrow.

Posted by Dillon P

#1160

2011-10-04T13:25:00.003-04:00

With cyclocross season in full swing, this should be required reading for any fan.

#1159

2011-10-04T12:43:00.000-04:00

East Coasters! Keep your eyes out for a stolen Focus cyclocross bike.... Here
Fortunately, a bike that is out of place and noticable pretty much anywhere besides an off road track with a skinny guy on top of it.

#1158

2011-09-30T15:00:00.000-04:00

If you happen to be in the Boston area this weekend, check out the Gloucester Grand Prix of cyclocross.... This year they are upping the game with this.

#1157

2011-09-28T18:42:00.004-04:00

Here's a little tidbit about the sought after Scott Foil, a non-removable chain watcher mount that is part of the frame. The actual shield is attached with a small screw.

Posted by Dillon P.

#1156

2011-09-28T10:33:00.002-04:00

Nothing says Rockstar like ignoring the need to race well and instead focus on stuffing dollar bills in your pocket..... Here

#1155

2011-09-26T20:08:00.000-04:00

Interbike Wrap-up: Part 2

The crazy hipsters at Chrome always have an interesting
concept for their booth. This time they made the space look like the street, complete with picnic tables, a parked van, garbage
cans and these newspaper boxes.

Cycleops made it a point to fight the notion that their power
meters are heavy. So they had a contest to try to guess the
weight of this tricked out bike. It was probably in the high 13 pound range.

Oakley had a toned down presence at Interbike this year.
But they still were inviting people at the Outdoor Demo to
come inside the store\lab-in-a-truck to see some
demonstrations of the superior optics and strength of their lenses

This BB30 crank from Rotor has a nifty threaded adjustment sleeve instead of the usual bearing squeezing wave washer. Rotor is coming out with a catalog's worth of adapters to fit nearly every type of new bottom bracket standard out there.

The popularity of Surly's Pugsly line of bikes inspired them to construct this all natural set of training rollers. Very cool to watch someone barrel along on this.

SRAM displayed their new Alpine White Apex group and suddenly it doesn't seem so bad to have a bike with entry level parts.

There were plenty of bikes on display that had this depressing mark underneath the clear coat.

#1154

2011-09-26T15:44:00.004-04:00

London's bike share program has about 15,000 bikes in circulation.
Last year, only 15 were stolen.

#1153

2011-09-22T15:38:00.002-04:00

Interbike Wrap-up (part 1)


Giro's New TT Helmet incorpates a plastic fairing to cover up exposed area on the back of the neck.

The helmet comes with a couple of fairings
of differing depths to get the air cheating action just right.
It just pops into holes on the bottom of the helmet.

One of the niftiest things seen was this fold-up pocket scale.
Small as a bill fold wallet.

Camelbak was debuting a yet-unreleased
water bottle with a U.V. light in the cap.

The light claims to kill 99.9% of bacteria if the process
is done according to instructions. Release date is
for end of the year, spring time at the latest. Battery is rechargeable and will last for months of normal use.

Moots had this awesome stem-topcap-headset cover
all in one on a CX bike at the Outdoor Demo.
Super sweet!

#1152

2011-09-20T14:48:00.001-04:00

Interbike

Throw thousands of bike loving professionals and enthusiasts into a building for 3 days and you can be sure that lots of things will happen. Interbike is a place and time when countless deals are hashed out, thousands of decisions are finalized, and perhaps millions of opinions are made. Not all of these are positive. We got first hand evidence of that when we stopped by the Lezyne booth to check out the beautiful tools that were on display there. Just as we were looking at media-loved replaceable Y wrenches;
A gentlemen came up and asked to speak to the owner. Instead he spoke to the tools designer and promptly produced this tool from his pocket:

A tool he had developed, patented and was selling "quite a few of" from this website. Although the patent was pending, he still believed that it would afford him some protection in this case and it was obvious that he believed that Lezyne had copied it. He was not aggressive in his manner at all. The conversation took place calmly, although with a certain tension. Nothing of course was decided as more people on Lezyne's side would have to get involved. But it was an interesting example of how one man's innovation is another man's possession.

#1151

2011-09-19T17:01:00.004-04:00

Interbike Review:

Garmin vs Polar\Look By Dillon P.

Onof the main objectives going into Interbike was to get the insidescoop on the 2 most talked about power measuring systems. Here atH.Q, power meters are a daily part of our riding lifestyles and weknow plenty of you out there in the interwebs are looking for analternative to PowerTap, SRM and the like.

Or course we aretalking about the Garmin Vector and the other is the Polar\Look KeoPower Pedals. After seeing and touching these 2 systems up close, itis remarkable how similar they are. However, a closer look and a talkwith representatives from both development teams led to a clearpicture who has the lead before anyone has even purchased one atretail.

>Both pedal systems can claim to display left andright leg power as combined balance of total power. Pretty neat ifyou happen to worry about such a thing.

>Bothhave externally mounted sending units that will NOT hit the groundbefore the pedal will. Trust on this one. Damage is still possiblefrom crashing of course, and both pedals with their sending unitsseem to be equally vulnerable as compared to a hub based PowerTap (for example ). No one is going to crash on purpose but if you thinkyou're gonna crash, be prepared to replace these.

The Vector uses an O ring along with a plastic clip for water
protection. We were assured that you could throw water
onto those gold rings and while it may disrupt the signal,
upon drying out, the unit would not be harmed at all.

The Polar | Look pedal's connection is deeper within
the spindle, with two O rings acting as a seal.

>Bothuse Look Keo style cleats. No surprises there and Look comes out awinner, having backing from the “tech” sector of cyclingequipment.
>Both will be rebuildable. So no, you will not have tobuy the expensive guts of the pedal system when your pedal wears out.
>Both require an "old school" 9/16^thpedal wrench to remove or install them.
>Both are claimed weatherproof.

Let's talk differences:
>The Garmin uses ANT+and can thereby "speak" to almost anything. Including yourIphone.
Whereas the Look\Polar talks to only to Polar cpu's (which so far, are nearly twice as expensive as entry level ANT+options ).

>TheGarmin Vector measures torsional deflection in the center of thespindle whereas the Polar measures it from the outside.

>TheLook is built into a Keo pedal body
The Garmin is built into anExustar pedal body that is 100% compatible with Look cleats.

>Polarsystem is out in October whereas you will have to wait to March forthe Garmin.

>Polarwill cost $2500 and the Garmin will run about $1500. ( sothey say now )

So basically those differences mean that:

>Youhave to trust Exustar. ( I love them and have never had a problemwith them )

>Youare locked into a proprietary system with Polar ( I already have aANT+ receiver that I want to use for power )

>Garminis reasonably priced, Polar is undeniably a bit expensive.

>Asfar as which will do a better job measuring power, the Polar may beable to pick up smaller differences in spindle deflection on theoutside of it. It should be noted that the Garmin rep would notapologize for the delay. It simply had to be that way to get itright. Garmin, as a company, is much different in scope than Polar.We're talking the Yankees versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Garmin has$10 research money to every $2 that Polar spends. If a big richcompany says it needs that much time to make a new technologyreliable, I am going to be suspicious of the first product from a smaller company that beats all to the market.

Iwalked into the Garmin booth and got the lowdown on their system thenwent to Polar\Look to see their's. Both had rideable bikes with thererespective systems hooked up and working flawlessly.

I askedGarmin why not buy a Polar\Look system? "I don't know." TheGarmin rep said. "They have it set up over there? I'm gonna gotry it out". He basically wasn't going to say anything negativeor comment on something he didn't know about. After more prying hejust mentioned the different locations of the "brain" andcost difference. It seems to me this was the highroad to take as asalesman.

50 paces to the east and I ask Polar\Look: "Whybuy your unit for more money? What does it have that'sbetter?"...... "Ours exists" was the answer I got. Itis true that Look is claiming 3 weeks to ship time and Garmin isprojecting March 2012. I asked for more convincing: The Look rep said"Their's is in a Exustar pedal! You wanna ride that? A deltacleat?". He was surprised to hear that I do ride em, and heneeded to be corrected on the cleat. Its a Keo, not an older Delta.Needless to say, it doesn't seem that they don't hold those in highesteem. "Our pedals win races" he said. "Does there'sdo left and right balance?" he asked me. I said it did.

Thatwas it. No big game changing feature, no awesome techy reason.Instead it was "Ours exists", when a stones throw away,Garmin's clearly existed just as much. The claim that the Exustarpedal was inferior is Polar's other front. But I ride that pedal. Ilove that pedal. I have sold 12 pairs in the last month! Zero issueswith mine or customers!

Then'sthere's the cost to consider. Even though the Polar pedal "exists"the staff on hand gave me an array of different prices from$2200-$2500 and they were unsure if the Polar head will beincluded. The Garmin staff was more concrete with the details:$1499 in march, no Garmin head included.

Lookingat the facts, features and the cost I have no choice but to choosethe Gamin Vector.
The tension was thick between these twobooths and it didn't help that they were 50ft apart in a room thesize of 5 Walmarts and I was looking to stoke the fires of high-endaccessory competition. Muwhahaha!

#1150

2011-09-15T14:19:00.001-04:00

Interbike

Day 2 of the indoor show. Here's a quick sampling of what has been seen:

SRAM had a Quarq power meter set up
in a fixed position and was testing arm wrestling
strength of any willing contestant.

Trek was debuting a new bottom bracket standard.
This is the BB195....
just kidding

Greg LeMond would approve of these new "vintage" Giro
commuter helmet designs.

#1149

2011-09-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

Here is video from the Cross Vegas UCI elite race. Lap 1, the first time up the run-up.

#1148

2011-09-15T02:56:00.000-04:00

A European wins Cross Vegas ( again ), patent wars breaking out, beer kegs that cost $700, power meter wars, and another crazy bottom bracket standard!? Only in Vegas baby.... We're in overload right now, look for more in depth articles soon.

#1147

2011-09-14T15:25:00.001-04:00

Interbike, day 3

The indoor activities have started and there is much to share. For now, check out the following little gems from the first couple of hours cruising around the Sands convention center.

Fi'Zik's new curve line-up of saddles is making
headlines for good reason. Look for an in depth
write up soon.

Here is the hotness, available in March and ready to
satisfy any numbers geek need for power info.
More pictures to come.

Look closely and you will see a Dura-Ace skewer
on Cadel Evan's Easton wheels.

#1146

2011-09-13T13:12:00.001-04:00

Interbike day 2....Still at the outdoor demo....

Rain is falling hard. Wind is blowing harder. Made it thru the Lake Mead group ride without getting hit by lightning. Biggest news so far is Allen Lim' s new drink mix. He has been quietly handing out slick looking packets of the stuff.

#1145

2011-09-13T00:47:00.001-04:00

Interbike!

Day 1 - Outdoor Demo

Here are just a few highlights from the first day of Interbike 2011. Look for a in depth report on all the bikes that were ridden soon.

Vittoria is making news with all kinds of new color combinations, retro models, and custom sized shoes made easily available at reasonable price points.

Very Rockstar...

The Outdoor Demo is not all sugar and spice. Here we have a downhiller who obviously pushed the limits of this wheel.

These 2 were paragliding all day long to promote GoPro video cameras.

Rain made a quick appearance late in the day. Hence this pretty rainbow.
awwwwwww

#1144

2011-09-08T22:29:00.001-04:00

More Team GreenEdge news.... This time, their TT bike
( looking decidingly better then the jersey )

#1143

2011-09-08T09:33:00.000-04:00

More Interbike news... This time the uber easy-going duo of Tim Johnson and J-Pow line up for some good hearted entertainment:

#1142

2011-09-07T16:57:00.001-04:00

The Donut Derby!..... Here

#1141

2011-09-07T12:31:00.000-04:00

Boot Camp for CX :

#1140

2011-09-06T10:46:00.000-04:00

The Interbike opportunities are rolling in....
Studeo DNA is going to be running a special on full custom molded Bont Shoes...
More info Here

#1139

2011-09-02T09:35:00.002-04:00

Best use of an old Spinergy Rev-X.... Here

#1138

2011-09-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

Epic Man endeavors are sweeping the east coast of the USA and aim to redefine what it takes to be a Rockstar ( All while raising funds for good causes ! ).... Check them out here

#1137

2011-09-01T13:54:00.000-04:00

More cycling related start-ups that need some seed money, in case you have some shekels lying around.... Here

#1136

2011-08-29T17:03:00.001-04:00

The Garmin Vector pedal was rumored months ago to be produced by ( the generally regarded as B-list ) pedal maker Exustar. Those rumors were shot down pretty quickly but a side by side comparison reveals more then a few similarities... Shown here with their $85 entry level resin pedal ( one of the best deals in cycling right now ).

#1135

2011-08-29T13:10:00.000-04:00

This

This

And this

#1134

2011-08-26T14:08:00.000-04:00

Uh-Oh..... More Strava AND Interbike news.... Put them together and you get the "Strava Outdoor Demo Challege".... Which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Forget testing all the bikes now, gimme the fastest one so I get the most fastest laps!.... Here

#1133

2011-08-26T12:47:00.000-04:00

This is what 6 grams savings looks like.

3\4 inch off of Ritchey WCS handlebars.

#1132

2011-08-25T13:24:00.000-04:00

To all the Strava users out there watch out for the "KOM Sniper":

"The KOM Snipe.....It's when a rider finds a KOM near by, proceeds to ride to it at a recovery pace and then snipes it away from the former owner! Then rides home easy."
"One shot, one kill"

-posted by Dillon P