Couldn't hurt to have a shop take a look at it, should only take a minute or 2.

A "non-cycling" friend of mine from way, way back is looking to buy his first road bike. Anyone know about this company microSHIFT and how their components might compare to Shimano Tiagra? Felt is putting them on their entry level road bike.

http://www.microshift.biz/ppdtlist.asp?area=51&cat=173

Microshift is a taiwanese brand that basically knocked off Shimano without infringing on patents. The big difference in the shifters is that there are effectively three levers on the brake lever. You have the brake lever that doesn't shift, an against-the-spring lever and a with the spring release lever. I rode them for 15 minutes a few years back when Sampson was putting his name on them. Worked fine. They have a number of price-points I believe.

That Microshift is on Felt bikes explains why the Exergy pro team,which rides felts, is racing the stuff.

Performance Bike is selling Microshift as rebranded to their house brand and Nashbar brand as well, there was some discussion around using them for CX because they're so damn cheap to replace, and a replacement for Shimano 9sp without wading into world of eBay and used shifters from shifty characters.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1080516_-1_1534003_20000_400194

Yesssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.rapha.cc/grand-tour-shoes

too bad the price for sperm donations is so damn low in this economy!

amirightjeff?!?

I've been saving up! Ka-pow!!!!!

Hey all,

So I'm trying to decide on a Powertap purchase and I have a few questions:

1. I'm tempted by the ENVE carbon wheels with the G3 hub. With our 45% discount they come in at about $1750 which seems like a pretty damn good deal. My concerns are a) These would need to be both training and racing wheels. Are these wheels that I should expect to hold up for the training miles for a few years? And b) I'm a bit concerned with the carbon braking surface. I've heard both "Hardly any difference" and "Hardly stopped the bike". Experiences?

2. My other option (and substantially cheaper) would be to just get the Powertap hub in 24 holes and have it built up to a reasonably light alloy wheel that could be for both racing and training. Would probably be a couple hundred grams above my current rear wheel which I use for both but I'm not especially concerned about weight (mostly doing park races and crits) and this seems like a fare trade off for the power numbers. On the other hand, the hub would be about $700 and I expect building it into a wheel would be at least $250 so should I just drop the extra $800 bucks and get a full carbon wheelset in the bargain? And do I order the hub and then have it shipped to someone like Wheelbuilder or is there a local builder who people can recommend?

Anything I'm not considering here?

Thanks all.

Pro Alloy Rear wheel only- $999.99 * .55 = $550.

That is essentially what I have (old PT SL+ in a 32-spoke Open Pro), and I've been racing it since I started. I definitely wouldn't consider it a race wheel, though.

If you really want to race with power on real race wheels (and why wouldn't you?), I don't think you can beat the ENVE deal. Put 25s on 'em, drop 10 lbs., and call it good!

Jim,
I've seen very little in the way of reviews of ENVE rims, so I don't know where to start with the braking. From experience, I can report that it varies dramatically. From "I wouldn't want to use these in the wet" to "I'm not that confident on them in the dry" to "just like aluminum." Also have seen very little in the way of aero testing on the ENVE stuff. I know their newer rims got a big redesign; don't know if these have.

A number of people have the pt hub laced to a Kinlin rim. Seems durable.

If the braking is good, I agree with Jeff's sentiments. the 25mm tires will give you extra protection regardless of the rim's durability. Take off the 25s for big races (save b'kill) and it seems like a great deal.

Jim,

I rode a PT laced into a zipp 404 for *years* without issue. I rode the same set of wheels for both racing and training without any worry; actually less worry that some peers because "nothing different" means "less headache" come race day.

Overall, a powertap on any wheel is a great training tool.

If your fancy new carbon wheels get you to train 10% more or 10% easier wakeup in the early morning then they're probably worth it over the course of a couple of seasons.

Last thing; even if (heavens forbid) something bad happens to the rims; you can always lace that hub into a different set of wheels.

Hi All,


I'm in the market for new wheels at the moment. I'm looking for a quality wheelset that is strong enough for a 220 lb sprinter, 50-90 mm deep, 1400-1800 g deep. and about $1,400 max. Clincher or tubular.

Any ideas? (of course I have my own, but I value your opinions.)

Hey Folks,

I just finished up my 3rd fit with my friend Jon Blyer, but the first in his new studio with some new technology that he is using. For the sake of full transparency, he gives me a \"bro-deal\" in exchange for the right to brag about my results if/when I get them.

http://www.acmebicycleco.com/

Went to his new studio which is huge and full of the latest technology. It is right above the cross fit studio on DeGraw between 3rd and 4th ave.

John started out the fit by using the http://www.retul.com/ system to measure my existing position. He stored that information in the computer and did some flexibility testing on me. Then, he set my saddle up on a customizable bike http://www.exit-cycling.com/ and fit it with my existing dimensions.

We spent a good half hour trying out different saddle heights, handle bar reach, etc. At first, it was really hard for me to see any difference, but after lots of trial and observation, John settled me into something that felt pretty damn good. I took a break from pedaling while he adjusted my cannondale to the fit we had determined on the exit cycle.

Then came the cool / super nerdy part. John places little Velcro stickers on various points on my each side of my body. (feet, ankle, knee, hip, elbow, etc.) He used the retul system to record me riding to measure angles. We measured the left and right side and put the numbers up on the LCD monitor. While you are riding you see a little stick figure cyclist riding and measuring all the angles your body makes. We analyzed these and found some issues. The high seat was causing me to have an extreme angle angle. John pointed out 5-6 other things that i didn\'t really understand, but I trust him!

We moved some stuff around (brought the seat down a bit) and retested a few more times. We figured out a sweet spot and I rode off into the sunset.

As I ride around today the position is feeling great. I\'ve attached the documents he gave me after the fit if anyone is interested.

File:

Eh, I guess I can't upload files. If you want to see em, email me.

do you still have a boner stem/spacer situation going on?

that's the only question of any real importance?

do you still have a boner stem/spacer situation going on?

that's the only question of any real importance?

My boner stem just grew from 100 to 120mm. One spacer on top.

It might not look pro, but its about the results, bro.

Poke around on Neuvations website

Neuvation limits rider weight to 210, I believe.

If you exceed Neuvation's weight limit, Hed has something called the "stallion build." You might want to look into that, though the retail pricing is richer than you want to go. another choice could be the Mavic's Cosmic Carbone SL and Cosmic Carbone SLE--these should fit right in your price range.

I should add that at your weight, strongly consider riding 25mm tires. Will definitely be better for your wheels than 23 and might even roll better at your weight.

Gents, thank you for your input.

Yacks and Jeff, I exceed the Neuvation weight limit of 210 by only 10 lbs, but I'd rather not tempt fate. Too bad, considering I can get C50’s for under 500 bucks.

JP, I've been considering 25 mm tires for a long time as I've read they corner better and actually roll with less resistance than their skinnier counterparts. The next tire I buy will be 25 mm. The HED stallion build is indeed a bit high; if I was going to pay that much, I'd rather build my own 24/24 808 tubular wheelset. I'm a big fan of Mavic as I swear by their Open Pro rim, so I'll keep the Cosmic Carbones in mind.

Realistically though, I know wheels don't matter very much if one isn't skilled at racing and/or in shape. Of course I really want some flashy aero wheels, and if I had a lot of cash to throw away, I'd get them. But in the interim, I can obtain a similar increase in performance by staying low, keeping the elbows in, increasing overall fitness/power, and racing smart.
The wheels I'm using are actually appropriate for someone with my power and weight sprinting through Prospect Roubaix/Floyd. My fitness appears comparatively good based on the last two weekends of racing, but my skills could improve. Therefore, I'm going to get a Mavic Open Pro/Ultegra wheel for the front. I reckon using a $250 set of wheels (in races I intend to place top 10) will force me to master my positioning and race smarter. I couldn’t afford to make strategic mistakes, because they'd cost me much more than that Hudson guy with the flashy 808's. This will be on my mind as I race. Over time then, my skills and fitness will improve. Then, when it's merited and the money's been saved up, I'll buy the wheelset I really want, which will likely be some kind of Zipp. I'm confident I can get some good results with the Open Pros for now.

Thoughts? You must have quite a brain to pick JP. I read on our Facebook page you've competed in more than 1,000 races?

Neuvation now carries a variety of wheel brands....

Yes....?

I know a similar article was posted earlier, but consider 25mm tires for all your wheels, not just the Battenkill specials:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/tech-faq-seriously-wider-tires-have-lower-rolling-resistance-than-their-narrower-brethren_209268

Read the comments. The test is done with the same pressure in the tires. The problem is that the bigger tires get lower pressures and that WASN'T measured.

David Danks
This is the major issue with the analysis in my mind. Basically you don't run a wider tyre at the same pressure as a narrower tyre. So comparing rolling resistance of 2 different sized tyres at the same pressure is illogical, or at best simplistic.

You run a narrower tyre at a higher pressure because otherwise you'd get too much vertical deflection on bumps. This extra pressure counteracts the internal deflection of the tyre which is the basis of their rolling resistance argument.

To do this analysis correctly you'd need to set the 2 tyres up with appropriately different pressures.

The fastest tyre pressure is going to be the one that best balances pressure and best minimises the impact of the imperfections in the road.

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: eragot</cite>Basically you don't run a wider tyre at the same pressure as a narrower tyre. So comparing rolling resistance of 2 different sized tyres at the same pressure is illogical, or at best simplistic.</blockquote>

But if I pumped my 25 mm tire to the same 120 psi I pumped my 23 mm to, I could expect to achieve the same speed with less work. The data show this.

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: eragot</cite>Read the comments. The test is done with the same pressure in the tires. The problem is that the bigger tires get lower pressures and that WASN'T measured.</blockquote>

How is it that larger tires get lower pressures?

I've posted it elsewhere and am not going to look right now, but there is a posting somewhere on slowtwitch.com about doing repeated runs at different tire pressures to find the right pressure for a course.

Back to Christian's wheel query...

If cost is your dominant concern at this point, and it's a reasonable one, consider at least a Neuvation low spoke count front wheel. They make some 16 spoke fronts and some 20. 16 spokes is probably half of the Ultegra/Open Pro setup would have. 16 spokes vs. 32, when everything else is equal, is a pretty dramatic reduction in drag. Even if you went with their 20-spoke front, you'd still be reducing aero drag a good bit.

You're probably concerned about flex and durability. With good reason. All I can report is that guys bigger than you ride the same or similar wheels. Ken Harris, who looks huge to me, was racing Neuvations that he had gone to the trouble of tying and soldering the spokes for a little extra stiffness. He claimed this finishing step made all the difference.

Here's the most thorough aero rundown I've seen. http://www.rouesartisanales.com/article-15505311.html Unfortunately it's five years old.

Also, if you're concerned about aerodynamics, wear a skinsuit whenever possible. Flapping clothes can cost you. I've seen data that both supports and discredits the position that spandex booties over cycling shoes is more aero.

Here's Schwalbe on rolling resistance and tire width: http://www.schwalbetires.com/tech_info/rolling_resistance

For a longer discussion, including inflation pressures, here's Sheldon Brown speaking from the grave: http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html

And don't forget, tire casings and inflation pressure make a huge difference in rolling resistance.

I inflate my 25s to the exact same pressure as my 23s for the given road conditions. Speaking of, anything new on our Challenge deal? Those look pretty nice.

How does filling my 700x25s with maple syrup change the rolling resistance to filling 700x23s with peanut butter?