#1230

More innovative ideas for efficient transportation....

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

#1229

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

Posted the Shelbatron

#1228

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

#1227

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

#1226

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

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

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

Belongs to Kaitie Antonneau

#1223

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

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

#2-A clearly confused state of what's in-style for cycling jersey design. (Besides the “Leopard Layercake” look).

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

Here goes!

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

Grade B+

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

Grade A-

Among the ProTeams the new Lotto kit is the boldest departure from 2011's look. Too bad cause last year's scored pretty high. Still, the new design looks good and just cluttered enough. Kit designers should print this out, tape it on their 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 changes that will continue to assure its place high up on the “Confusing to Non-cycling Fans” list.
Note that this is the only shot where we've kept in the rider's face....

Thanks Pettacchi.... You just can't ignore cool like that.

Grade C-

Omega Pharma left Lotto at the end of 2011 and took the "cool" with them in their merger with QuickStep. This kit looks good. It's not quite layercake but it definitely draws from that aesthetic without being obvious. It ends up perhaps taking the best-of-show award.

Grade A+

Here's Garmin Barracuda.... Cervelo and their hatred of argyle is out, Barracuda's cheesy fish logo is in.
Fans get 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 Layercake that 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 moved away from the horizontal-lines look and instead has come up with this cheerleader'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

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

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

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

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

Where's the pastels?!

#1218

The Pro Peleton needs more jerseys like this:

#1217

Pretty good article about CX here

#1216

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

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

#1214

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

From this:

To this;