The giant american manufacturer is updating its wheel range with the Superlogic Carbon Road wheelset, featuring exclusive rims, made with uni-directional, 100 % high-modulus carbon
reinforced with boron. Made by Lew Racing using proprietary DEX-LCM molding process, they combine very light weight, exceptional strength, while being compliant rims.
Hubs are alloy cold forged, made by Ritchey: WCS V3 and V4. Spokes are Aerolite from DT Swiss, 20 front radial, 24 two times crossed rear. The wheelset is claimed to be sub
1100g, at $US2800, including the WCS Ritchey quick releases.

Cervélo releases a newer version of the time trial/triathlon frame. The P4 is claimed to be the fastest ever made bicycle including the UCI legal and UCI illegal bikes. The fork is a custom
Cervélo design making easier the air flow transition with frame, the 570 ml water bottle is right above the bottom bracket and smoothly integrates the down tube, seat tube and bottom
bracket in a single aero form. The rear brake is integrated to the chainstays, thus lowering the air drag and being invisible, it is as powerful as a Dura-Ace caliper, yet being 30%
lighter.

Every single details can be read on Cervélo’s website, or on BikeRadar.

Chris King is well known for its legendary life durable components. This year is an important year for the american manufacturer. Chris King finally releases a new bottom bracket which is
specifically designed for Shimano-compatible external type crank/bottom bracket systems. It features a grease injection tool allowing the bearing to be purged of existing grease and debris
and new run through.
It is available in a wide array of colors.

Chris King also was busy with new hubs: Single Speed road versions, thru axle 10mm and 12mm MTB versions, two 15mm thru axle front options.

Convexo Convex

In theory

This wheel pushes the limit of the disc design to a new standard. Where the flat sided disc wheels create a lot of turbulences, a lens shaped disc wheel, by its curved shape on the non
drive side, reduces the drag by making easier the perturbated air flow.
Nevertheless, according to the manufacturer, this construction sees its limits: the wheel behaves as an aircraft wing because its curved shape on a side, and flat shape on the other creates
a pressure difference on each side, meaning extra drag.

« For a minimal drag, the perturbated air flow must converge behind the rider« , Paul Lew told us.

This is here this wheel differs from the others, the Convexo Convex is curved on both sides. This special shape helps the air flow, perturbated by the presence of the rider and its bike, to
stick the wheel and leave the system clearly. Obviously the speed, the bike shape, and the rider position significantly modify these drawings.

On the right, the flat sided ovoïd rim disc wheel, such as a Zipp Sub9, has the airflow perturbated behind it because of the flat flanges.

On the left, the airflow of the Convexo Convex wheel converges and leaves the system as a clear flow, synonym of low drag, so better aerodynamic properties.

In practise

The tests performed at Mooresville, North Carolina, USA, recorded thousands datas. The wheels claimed to be the fastest of the market were tested on the bench.
The drags are recorded for the wheels only, and more interesting, for the wheels installed on the bike, including a rider. The position of the rider is kept thanks to several markers.

The results are summarized in the table below:

Regarding the wheels only, Zipp is indeed the fastest: 12% less drag for the front wheel, and 53% less drag for the rear wheel! The difference is significant and corroborates the datas
claimed by Zipp, constantly improving the aerodynamics on its wheels.
Yet, testing a wheel alone is not really accurate to predict the results of a complete system rider/bike. Lew Racing thus pushed the tests further to know what happens with a world class
rider and its Cervelo P3C.
The results are very different, and sometimes advantage the Lew configuration, sometimes the Zipp:

A few points are important here: with a yaw angle of 10°, the Zipp404/Zipp Sub9 configuration is as fast as the Lew Pro VT-1/Convexo Convex, taking into account the measure errors.
When comparing the configuration 1 and 2, only the rear wheels change. The fastest configuration is the one mixing the 404 front, and the Convexo Convex rear. The fastest rear wheel at 10°
is the Lew.

At yaw 20°, the configurations « full » Zipp or « full » Lew are as fast, when taking into account the errors. Weirdly the fastest configuration at 10° is the slowest at 20°.
At this angle, the configuration 1 is faster than the number 2. So the Zipp Sub 9 is faster than the Convexo Convex. However, the configuration 3, which is the « full » Lew, is as fast as the
« full » Zipp configuration!
It shows how difficult it is to predict the aerodynamics of a system. It also means testing a wheel only is not the best idea for a complete system…

Only Zipp wheels, among the current fastest wheels have face the Lew in this test.
The results can be downloaded here.

What’s on the scale?

Of course, as every products coming from the Lew factories, the components are extremely light. The carbon and boron wheel, lens shape, is 780g. As comparizon, the Lightweight Disc, flat
sided, is 800g, the Zipp Sub9, flat sided with ovoid rim, are 1000g, the Corima flat sided are 1060g, and finally, the Mavic Comete flat sided/lens shape is 1285g.

Convexo Convex

En théorie

Cette roue pleine met donc en avant le concept de la roue lenticulaire poussé à l’extrême. Là où une roue paraculaire est parfaitement plane et crée beaucoup de turbulences, une roue
lenticulaire, de par sa forme bombée d’un côté, réduit la traînée en facilitant l’écoulement du flux d’air, déjà perturbé, derrière le coureur. Cependant, d’après le constructeur, cette
construction voit ses limites apparaître assez rapidement: la roue agit comme une aile d’avion car la forme bombée d’un côté et plane de l’autre crée une diffèrence de pression de chaque
côté, synonyme de traînée supplémentaire.

« Pour une traînée minimale, le flux d’air perturbé par le coureur doit converger en sortie » nous confie Paul Lew.

C’est à ce niveau que cette roue fait la diffèrence avec d’autres, la Convexo Convex est bombée des deux côtés. La forme spécifique de la roue permet au flux d’air perturbé par la présence
du coureur et du vélo, de venir « recoller » à la roue en sortie. Le croquis théorique sur la droite met en évidence le phénomène. Il est évident que la vitesse, le type de vélo et la
position du coureur modifient singulièrement ces croquis.

Sur la droite, la roue paraculaire avec jante ovoïde, type Zipp Sub9, voit le flux d’air perturbé en sortie à cause du flasque plat.

Sur la gauche, le flux d’air de la roue Convexo Convex converge et sort en un flux unique synonyme de faible traînée, donc d’un meilleur aérodynamisme.

En pratique

Sur les tests mis en place à Mooresville, en Caroline du Nord, USA, une multitude de valeurs sont enregistrées. Plusieurs roues, celles censées être les plus rapides à l’heure actuelle,
sont passées sur le banc.
Les traînées sont enregistrées pour les roues seules, et, plus intéressant, pour les roues installées sur le vélo, coureur positionné. La position du coureur est conservée grâce à plusieurs
marqueurs.

Nous vous résumons donc les résultats les plus intéressants concernant les roues seules dans le tableau ci-dessous:

En ce qui concerne les roues seules, Zipp est bien le plus rapide: 12% de traînée en moins sur la roue avant, et 53% sur la roue arrière! La diffèrence est assez significative et corrobore
les données annoncées par Zipp, toujours à la pointe de la dernière astuce lui permettant de rendre ses composants un peu plus économes en énergie.
Cependant, ne tester qu’une roue seule n’est pas suffisamment précis pour pouvoir prédire les résultats sur un système complet coureur/vélo. Lew Racing a donc poussé les tests un peu plus
loin en vérifiant les résultats avec un coureur de niveau mondial sur son Cervélo P3C.
Les résultats sont totalement diffèrents, et avantagent tantôt la configuration Lew, tantôt à la Zipp:

Plusieurs points sont importants sur ce tableau: sur un angle d’attaque du vent de 10°, la configurations basée sur du Zipp404/Zipp Sub9 fait jeu égal avec la configuration Lew Pro
VT-1/Convexo Convex, aux erreurs de mesure près.
Si l’on compare les configuration 1 et 2, seules les roues arrière changent. La configuration la plus rapide étant celle mixant la 404 à l’avant, et la Convexo Convex à l’arrière, la roue
pleine la plus rapide est donc la Lew, à 10°.

A 20°, les configurations « full » Zipp ou « full » Lew font jeu égal, aux erreurs de mesure près. Etrangement la configuration la plus rapide à 10° s’avère être la plus mauvaise à 20°.
Sous cet angle de 20°, la configuration 1 est plus rapide que la 2, donc la Zipp Sub9 est plus rapide que la Convexo Convex. Cependant, la configuration 3, basée sur une Lew Pro VT1 à
l’avant, est aussi rapide que la configuration basée entièrement sur du Zipp!
Preuve qu’en aérodynamisme les règles sont difficilement prédictibles, et preuve aussi que tester une roue seule s’avère être une mauvaise idée par rapport au système complet…

Seules les roues Zipp, parmies les plus aérodynamiques à l’heure actuelle, ont fait face aux Lew dans ce test.
Les résultats complets sont consultables via ce PDF.

Et la balance?

Evidemment, comme tous les produits sortant des usines Lew, les pièces sont extrêmement légères. La roue, de carbone et de bore vêtue, lenticulaire, atteint les 780g. A titre de
comparaison, les Lightweight Disc paraculaire pèsent 800g, les Zipp Sub9 paraculaire à jante ovoïde affichent 1000g sur la balance, les Corima paraculaires 1060g, et pour finir, les Mavic
Comete paraculaires/lenticulaires 1285g.

We briefly presented this piece of art on the 5th of July.The newest ZED crankset will set new stiffness and lightness standards at its release during the fall.
The crank arms, whose stiffness to weight ratio is almost twice as important as the Shimano Dura-Ace, are claimed to be 320g. The traditionnal or compact transmissions will be compatible
thanks to a dual chainring screw position. Beside this, the length of the crank arm will be adjustable according to the preferences, through the TriLobe system.
Absolutely a wonderful component, which is well thought too, both because of the standard/compact transmission compatibility, and because of the arm length adjustment.
Nevertheless, we have a few negative points to mention. First this part will only be compatible with the 596 Triathlon frame, and the newest Look Keo ZED pedals, featuring a carbon body and
a titanium axle.

More informations on:
 Cyclingnews (gamme complète)
 CycleSuperStore (pédalier et pédales)

Lew & Longo – Olympic games

Click to enlarge

Jeannie Longo won the road and time trial French national championship with Lew wheels. For the road race, she was using the complete Pro VT-1, while for the TT, Paul Lew made her a custom wheel Lew B+/Extralite SX with only 10 thin and aero spokes. In term of aerodynamic, the wheels were at the top, with only 320g. For the Olympic games, Paul Lew improved it a little further since he made another wheel with only 8 spokes! We fear the durability won’t be the strongest point of the wheel, but the aim is not really the durability… Beside this ultra-light and aero wheel, Lew Racing designed a new disc wheel named « Disc Cranked Arrow« . This wheel seems to feature a standard rim with a kind of carbon/boron « fairing ». According to the manufacturer, this wheel would be faster than the Sub9 from Zipp… we should know more soon.

Click
to enlarge

Shimano Di2

Finally! The Shimano electronic groupset has been officially unveiled and it will be available for 2009.
Although almost all the features are unofficially known since months, it’s good to know the exact specifications. This first electronic groupset to be released, will be 113g lighter than
the current Dura-Ace 7800 groupset, and about 68g heavier than the Dura-Ace 7900, 2009 version.

The advantages of these kind of groupsets didn’t seem obvious at a first look. However, Shimano reassured us with some interesting arguments:

 – Very fast and accurate shifting:
    * the distance to shift is very short
 – Electric cables instead of mechanical cables
    * no more contaminated cables in the housings after rides under the raid
    * the rear derailleur is equipped with a servo motor
    * the derailleur precision is kept after a first initial setup
 – Battery length of life: 1000km
    * complete recharge in 1 hour and a half
 – Some integration in a bike frame may be possible soon

More information on:
  Velonews

Racing XLRThe carbon wheels receive three significant updates. First of all, these high-end wheels beneficiate of
the CULT ceramic bearing technology allowing very high durability as well as very low bearing resistance since the grease is not required. Second, they are equipped with a new hub whose
drive side flange is bigger to optimize the stiffness. The hubs are quite bling bling with their carbon and red/orange anodized shell. Finally, the braking performances of the carbon rims
have been improved thanks to a new brake pad compound.

These high-end Fulcrum wheels are named Racing Speed XLR and Racing Light XLR. The weights are respectively 1325g, and 1225g.

2 Way fitThe Fulcrum Racing Zero and Racing 1 are receiving the « 2 way fit » technology which
means you can use both a standard tire, or a tubeless tire. The rims height are differentiated: 24mm deep front, and 28mm deep rear. The weights are respectively 1470g, et 1530g.

Racing Torq RRSFinally, a new crankset is released. It is actually an upgrade of the Racing Torq RS. It receives
the same upgrades as the most expensive Campagnolo cranksets: CULT ceramic bearings, new harder materials chainrings offereing a longer life.

Racing Torq RRS Crankset
Cranks: multidirectional carbon fibre with unidirectional carbon fibre structure. Fulcrum Hollow Crank Technology
Sprockets: CNC-machined forged aluminium
Screws: Ergal
Toothing: 53/39 – 52/39 – 50/34
Lengths: 170 – 172,5 – 175 mm
Weight: 695 grams (including cups and bearings).

Ultra-Torque oversize cups for oversize bottom brackets

Fulcrum developed special aluminium Ultra-Torque OS cups which have the same bearing seat functions as the already renowned Ultra-Torque cups for standard bottom brackets. These OS cups
simply replace the standard cups on frames with oversize bottom brackets.Ultra-Torque OS cups for oversize bottom brackets will be available in versions compatible with 86.5 wide shells
and with BB30 bottom brackets. Another positive note: the OS cups weigh 20 grams less than standard cups.

From now on it will therefore by possible to order an Ultra-Torque crankset in versions with standard cups, with OS cups for 86.5 bottom brackets or with OS cups for BB30 bottom brackets.

Le magasin
américain FairWheelBikes a eu l’occasion de tester, avec l’aide de EECycleWorks, la rigidité d’une douzaine de
pédaliers. Campagnolo Record UT, Zipp VumaQuad, Dura-Ace, StrongLight Fission, Sram Red, Tune, et bien d’autres figurent dans ce test plutôt complet et réussi.

Les mesures de déformation des pédaliers sont prises à trois points distincts, importants dans le fonctionnement des manivelles et représentatifs de la rigidité de l’ensemble.
Les manivelles et leurs plateaux sont donc   installés sur un banc de mesure et une charge de 22kg est appliquée sur l’axe de la pédale afin de supprimer tout jeu éventuel du banc de
mesure.

Les tests de déformation sont ensuite effectués en ajoutant une charge de 90kg, pour chaque manivelle. La déformation du plateau est aussi enregistrée, elle n’est pas très importante mais
pourra s’avèrer utile pour ceux qui rencontrent des problèmes de plateaux qui frottent sur les fourchettes de dérailleurs.

Pour faire court, les manivelles des grands constructeurs s’avèrent toutes très rigides et les diffèrences se jouent dans un mouchoir de poche, en tout cas pour les meilleurs pédaliers. Le
pédalier Sram Red l’emporte de peu sur le FSA SL-K Light. Suivent le Shimano Dura-Ace 7800, le Campagnolo Record Ultra-Torque, puis le THM Clavicula, le Vista, le Zipp, etc…  Voyez
plutôt le graphique ci-dessous:
 

Nous vous invitons à jeter un coup d’oeil au forum FairWheelbikes.
LIEN

Nous vous avions présenté les nouveaux Scott il y a quelques semaines. Seul le Plasma est réellement renouvellé: le cadre atypique est taillé pour la vitesse avec notamment un appendice
sous la boîte de pédalier, des bases bi-directionelles, et une fourche véritablement carrénée au cadre.
Les Addict changent uniquement de robe et se parent d’un blanc pur au niveau du triangle arrière. Le cadre de cross, issu des Addict, notamment d’un point de vue coloris et fabrication,
avec les trois tubes du triangle avant fabriqués ensembles, vient élargir la gamme.

Voici donc quelques photos. Merci à Cycles Dubreucq à Le Quesne au Leu pour les photos du Plasma et du cadre de Cross.

American shop
FairWheelBikes had the opportunity tto test, with the help of EECycleWorks, the stiffness of twelve cranksets.
Campagnolo Record UT, Zipp VumaQuad, Dura-Ace, StrongLight Fission, Sram Red, Tune, and several other cranks reveal their strength and weaknesses in this test.

The deformations of the cranksets are measured at three different places, important in the functionning and representative of the overall stiffness.
The crank arms and their chainrings are installed on the testing bench and 50lbs are applied on the pedal axle to avoid play in the bench.

The deformation tests are performed with an extra load of 200lbs, on each crank arms. The chainring deformation is saved too, it is not very important but it may be useful for riders having
problems of chains rubbing the front derailleur.

Briefly, the cranksets of the biggest manufacturers are all very stiff, and the differences between the formers are pretty small. The Sram Red is getting the best of this test, the FSA SL-K
Light is close. Then the Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 is taking the third place, the Campagnolo Record Ultra-Torque, the fourth, then the THM Clavicula, the Vista, the Zipp, etc…  Have a
look at the graph below:
 

We invit you to visit the FairWheelbikes forum.
LINK

We presented the newest Scott frames some weeks ago. Only the Plasma is really renewed. It is a very special frame with an appendix under the bottom bracket, bi-directionnal chainstays, and
a streamlined fork.
About the Addict, they are not technically changing. In term of colour, the rear triangle is turning white instead of black, as the rest of the frame. The cross frame, is coming from the
Addict range. The colors and the manufacturing process are identical: the three tubes of the front triangle are made together

Here are some pictures. Thanks to Cycles Dubreucq at Le Quesne au Leu for the pictures of the Plasma and the cross frame.

The Powertap is one of the required tool for a good quality training and a whole follow-up of the performance. This device is a power sensor integrated into a special rear hub which is
equipped with 8 strain gauges and an oversized carbon/aluminium shell. The precision is excellent: the error margin is only 1,5%, and it is really hard to go back to a standard wheel
because the system motivates and encourages the rider to go over its limits…

For the story, we wanted to test this device before offering it in the roues artisanales boutique. The racers and sportive riders, who wish to improve their performances and have a real
representation of the output power should be particularly interested.
Indeed, on the road, the power provided changes every second and several parameters, whose the wind and slope, modify dramatically the output. Thus, while every sundays a rider rides easily
at 30km/h, with the wind in the back, another days he can’t go over 20km/h with the wind in the face. One feels out of shape, stuck on the road. Nevertheless with a power sensor such as the
Powertap, the real output would be known. The first day, with the wind in the back, the output power is between 180 to 220W… the next day with the wind in the face, it is between 300 and
350W!

How does it work?

From a technical
point of view, we touch the top of the world with this product. Internally, height strain gauges measure the deformation in torsion of a calibrated component, involved in the strength
transmission. The strain gauges resistivity variates and influences an oscillator whose oscillating frequency represents a torque in N.m. In short, that’s not a product to disassemble, even
for the most handyman of us…

The rider creates a torque which is associated to a pedaling frequency. The torque (spinning force so it’s in N.m) multiplied by this speed (rad/s) is a power in Watts.
Thus for a given output power, we can either push the pedals like hell, and spin the legs slowly (high torque, low speed), either spin quickly the legs, and delivering a lower force (high
speed and low torque)

The comptuter

The power meter displays instantaneously the power on a special comptuter. Beside the power, speed, pedaling frequency, hearth rate, odometer, we enjoied the torque display during the high
strength trainings.
The comptuter displays datas on three levels:
1 – Output power, maximal power, average power – Force
2 – Speed, max speed, average speed
3 – Distance, time/hour, pedaling frequency, average pedaling frequency, energy spent, odometer, hearth rate, average hearth rate

The settings are a bit more complicated than with a standard comptuter. Indeed, we had to modify the power refresh display from 1s to 2s because the variations were too quick. Although we
were riding at – what we estimated to be a very constant power, the power variated from 140 to 180W! The longer power display refresh smoothen the power variations.

Power Agent, the software

A special software is provided with the device. It helps to analysis into the details the ride/race. The comptuter can record several trainings, as long as the total is not longer than 15
hours. When plugging it to the comptuter, through USB, every rides are separated and you simply have to import the datas. The transfer may take several minutes if you have many hours of
training to analysis.
The software shows the power curve, speed curve, torque curve, pedaling frequency, and finally hearth rate curve, all as a function of the time. However the software is not limited to
showing these curves, it saves all your trainings since the first time, through a list in the chronological order, and can give you extra information such as the output power or hearth rate
distribution, etc…

Some principles…

Here are some power figures depending on the rider level and the effort. The distances the riders can hold those power levels obviously get bigger with higher level athlets. For example, a
professionnal race is more or less 200km while a regional race (france) is about 90km!

Warning: the powers claimed above are mentionned as example. They are not necessary fixed, a recreationnal rider can have a higher sprint power than a cyclosportive rider!

The range

Three range is composed of three models. Basically, they all offer the same things in term of precision and functionnality: the error margin is 1.5%, the hub shell is in carbon/aluminium,
and they provide the same functions.
Yet, there are some differences from a practical and weight point of view. The cheaper version is the Powertap Pro, which is 899 euros and is equipped with a steel freewheel and
axle, it weights 576g and the transmission is assured by wires. The second model is the Powertap SL, featuring an alloy freewheel and axle: it costs 1199 euros and weights 416g.
Finally, the best power sensor is the Powertap SL 2.4, it has the exact same characteristics as the SL model, but it is wireless! It is 1499 euros.

Conclusion

Finally, the apparel gave us complete satisfaction. It is a training device, which can be very useful for racers or cyclosportives looking for higher performances, to improve their maximal
power, their endurance power, as well as improving their rest.
The powermeter was an excellent ride buddy too since it broke the monotony coming along with long rides.
We finally decided to offer it in our roues artisanales boutique.

Despite rapid breakthroughs in composite materials, we have to realise that not even the major manufacturers have been able to make a light, strong, reliable full carbon clincher rim. A set
of very demanding parameters make clincher rims some of the most difficult components to design and manufacture from carbon: holding air pressure, high impact resistance, resin resistant to
high temperatures from braking, low heat transfer properties of the carbon fibres.
That’s why the carbon clincher wheels have never been a good deal because of their lack of reliability and resistance.

A system that meets some extreme requirements

Because of the clincher rims’ « hook » architecture, composite fibres are far from being the most appropriate material: they lack resistance to the forces created by the bead of clincher
tyres. Behind the visual simplicity of a clincher rim, extreme strains are exerted by the pressure of the tube: the hooks need to resist up 3.5 tons at 10 bars (145psi). An alloy rim has
excellent mechanical properties for this task. However alloy rims are heavier than carbon rims, meaning higher inertia and lower performance.

At this point things are getting complicated: designing a carbon tubular rim is straightforward, but doing the same for a clincher rim is a different story. First the carbon is about 10
times less compression resistant, while taking into account the resin and the off-axis fibres, than a good alloy. Second, the resin heats up a lot with sustained braking and tends to
distort.

Paul Lew tried to overcome these challenges and the solution he has chosen is brand new in the bicycle industry. Instead of reproducing exactly the hook system of the alloy rims,
which was a result of early wire bead clinchers which needed a hook to prevent them from stretching, he went to a complete different solution, which is much easier to manufacture and allows
ultra resistant and light components.

BSC: a subtlety with a big impact…

The hook system disappears with BSC technology (« Bead Seat Clincher« ). This is so obvious that no manufacturer thought about it… As mentioned above, the
hook system was not modified since the first clinchers with wire beads. These beads could stretch with the inner tube air pressure, so they required a hook.
Nowadays, high end clinchers are all equipped with kevlar beads to make them lighter, but this lightness comes too with an amazing resistance to stretching. Moreover their length of life
is, like many composites, exceptional. Thus, the tire can stay perfectly in place in spite of the high pressure.

This important modification, combined with the materials and a special resin, give several advantages. The most important is certainly the position of the bead: it concentrates the forces
generated by the inner tube pressure to the bottom of the rim chamber instead of the hook system that concentrates the strains on the sides. Beside of this, the rim specifications are
attractive:

 
Thus, to make a clincher carbon rim, manufacturers like Zipp have to use an alloy rim with a carbon fairing, which is strong but heavy too. Some others, such as Corima make them entirely
out of carbon but limit the clincher pressure to 8,5 bars, or Reynolds (old Lew process) at 10 bars.
The Lew Pro VC-1 has the advantages of both without the disadvantages.

Table comparing the clincher rims of similar depth:

Kevlar beaded tires

The Lew Pro VC-1 accepts any clincher as long as they have a kevlar bead. Any medium to high range clincher uses this kind of bead, so no worries on this point. The only clinchers still
using mettallic wire beads are very cheap, heavy and are not really on a par with the performances of the rim itself.

The first impression we had when we saw this system was that the clincher would be unseated at high pressure. Paul Lew reassured us: « the pressure pushes the bead against its
seat because it is uniformly distributed. If you look a at wheel from the side, the pressure at the valve pushes the clincher to the exterior, which pushes the bead against the rim on the
opposite side. It happens on the whole rim so the tire can’t leave the rim unless it completely losses its annular structure« 
So although the first inflation was done with some trepidation our fears proved unfounded.

We have a first ride at 9 bars.
On the road, we could corner at high speeds without any impact on steering. The first wheel was equipped with a Continental Grand Prix 4000s offering a very low rolling resistance and
definitely a good cornering grip.

Lew Racing advise not to exceed the manufacturer maximum clincher pressure, for obvious safety reasons. Moreover, if you plan long descents with sustained braking, it is recommended you
keep one to two bars below the tire’s maximum pressure because the rim will heat up and the inner tube will get pressure.

Lew Racing 2009 logos

Finally, the rims have new but still understated decals. They are bigger, nicer and easier to read.
The clincher rim obviously receives a special « Clincher » decal.

The price will be on par with the B+ (sub 250g) tubular rim which is US$1200 or about 800 euros.

More information on this page: Lew Clincher

Zipp is updating its handlebars range for 2009. The american brand unveiled 32 new bars, redesigned and passing successfully the EFBe tests. The three models, whose brand new Contour, are
available in 40, 42, 44, ou 46 cm (ext-ext), with a clamping diameter of 31,8mm.

SL – Super light. Super stiff
The new SL is the lightest and stiffest handlebar which passed the very demanding EFBe test. It has a very high lightness to stiffness ratio, and the resistance is as good.
Weight: 165 grams.
Three shapes are available:
  – EB (Ergo Bend) (depth 90, height 150)
  – TB (Traditional Bend) (depth 87.5, height 130)
  – SS (Short Shallow) (depth 84.5, height 128).
Price: 340 euros.

SLC2 – The versatile bars
This model is the stiffest from Zipp, it can deal with very high torsions, 60% of the bars are 31,8mm.
This is the perfect handlebar for the sprinters or to mount VukaClips.
Weight: 185 grammes.
Three shapes are available:
  – EB (Ergo Bend) (depth 90, height 150)
  – TB (Traditional Bend) (depth 87.5, height 130)
  – SS (Short Shallow) (depth 84.5, height 128).
Price: 340 euros.

Contour SL – The stage racer’s bars
Comfort, ergonomy, stiffness and aerodynamism. The wing shape is both aerodynamic and comfortable.
Weight: 185 grammes.
Two shapes available:
  – TB (Traditional Bend) (depth 87.5, height 130)
  – SS (Short Shallow) (depth 84.5, height 128).
Price: 240 euros.

Sonic is offering a special version of its 50mm tubular wheels for the Tour de France. The yellow stickers are matching the gold nipples. The hubs are black instead of silver, the spokes
are black DT Aerolite instead of silver Sapim Cx-ray. Although there is no real technical new, the game Pro Cycling Manager 2008 is included, collector version please!

Quick releases, wheelbags, brake pads and valve extenders supplied.
Price 1090 euros.
Weight: 1370g
Only 120 sets available from the 27th of June.

Sonic

Cosmic Carbone SLR

Still looking for lightness and stiffness, the French manufacturer pushes the technologies introduced last year a little further. The breakthroughs developed for
the high end wheels are trickling down the range. The Cosmic Carbone SLR is brand new for 2009, featuring full carbon « rim to rim » spoking. Mavic names this technology R2R for
« rim to rim ». Its advantage is to lighten the spoking and the hub since the strains are very low, but it also brings a dramatic gain in lateral stiffness. Indeed, the unidirectionnal carbon
fibres are extremely stiff when under tension, as with the Cosmic Carbone Ultimate, winning every lateral stiffness contest.
Regarding the aerodynamics, the flat spokes and the fluid junction with the hubs, associated with a 52mm deep rim should make for one of the fastest wheels.
To get into the details, the R2R spokes are almost radial since they only pass onto the hub, unlike Lightweights or the Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate where they are laced around it. This
should also give a lighter structure since the spokes are shorter.

Although the Cosmic Carbone SLR visually have the same rims as the normal version, the Cosmic Carbone SL, they are lightened by 20g thanks to extra milling of the aluminium rim, underneath
the carbon fairing, between the spokes drillings (picture on the left). Indeed, this part of the rim is not stressed a lot so deserved an extra attention. An old generation Cosmic Carbone
rim was about 660g.
The strong point of these wheels is the spoking, making it lighter and stiffer. It is perfectly replaceable in case of crash, while removing it from the hub. Indeed, as the Cosmic Carbone
Ultimate, the spokes’ tip are threaded then tight through a standard nipple.

R2R spoking

The Cosmic Carbone SLR wheels are claimed to be 1595g with 20 front and rear full carbon spokes, aluminium hubs, rims 20g lighter than the current version, and equipped with the
fairing that made the SL famous.
 

R-SYS Premium

These famous wheels are getting their first update but it’s only cosmetic. The standard R-SYS are quite a weird color combination and Mavic is making them look
more classy and easier to match the bikes’ colors.
The rim and the hubs receives black paint, the spokes nipples and tips are silver. Definitely a very good thing.
Aside from the differents colors, they do not receive any technical update.
As a reminder, the R-SYS wheels feature the TraComp system, for « Traction Compression ». The very stiff tubular carbon spokes are low tensioned, allowing very light rims and high
lateral stiffness since they contribute to the stiffness both when gaining tension, as a standard spoke, but as well when entering in compression because their two tips are fixed and they
are stiff.

In short, it’s a well thought out system which deserves a significant update for the 2010 range. That’s our hope. Carbon hubs, carbon TraComp ring, beside the front aero spokes would be
perfect before an ultimate update with carbon rims for 2011!
Learn more about TraComp.

The R-SYS Premium have some small different details from the standard version: the rear hub is delivered with titanium screws, and the hubs caps are in carbon.
Like all Mavic’s ‘Premium’ versions, the wheels come with titanium quick releases instead of steel, beside the usual wheelbags, wrenches and magnet.

Cosmic Carbone SL 2009

The Cosmic Carbone SL is now more than 10 years old and Mavic is focusing on more competitive pricing for its oldest wheelset: they are about 30% cheaper than the 2008 version. They receive
a final update with the ISM technology for Inter Spoke Milling, making the rims 20g lighter like the SLR version presented above. Thus they are claimed to be 1740g.

Ksyrium Elite 2009

The Ksyrium Elite receive several updates. The rim is milled between the spokes holes, reducing the rim inertia by 30%, the hubs are redesigned to save weight, the rear rim is
asymetric. About the spoking, the rear wheel keeps the IsoPulse concept introduced on the Ksyrium a few years ago: the rear rim has radial, and thus shorter and stiffer spokes on the
drive side, and crossed spokes on the opposite side to transfer the torque. This system helps to balance the stiffness on both sides of the wheel unlike traditional spoking where the spokes
are crossed on both sides.
In short, the Ksyrium Elite 2009 are claimed to be 1550g, with good technical features, which is pretty good for their position in the range and price.

Comete

Finally, the time trial wheel, the Comete is 13% lighter thanks to new HM carbon flanges. The wheel is 1150g.

There more news to come about Mavic’s 2009 wheel range, however we can’t really tell you more right now. We just can tell you that some wheels are equipped with Powertap… wait and see!

Campagnolo Super Record

The complete groupset only weights 1964g, the weight save and the use of carbon fibre is obvious. Basically, the parts are identical to the normal Record but they receive some
special extra treatment such as more carbon, reworked parts, and more than all, the rear derailleur is a pure beauty.

The derailleurs

The jockey wheels of the rear derailleur are equipped with ceramic bearings to reduce the friction and increase the durability. They are molded in a very special shape and with a new
material allowing a substantial weight save. Their diameter is increased too to reduce the vibrations and making a smoother chain running. The parallelogram geometry is redesigned for
higher stiffness (a gain of 150% is ciamed), meaning swifter and more accurate shifting. Because of the eleventh speed, the chain width is reduced from 5,9mm to 5,5mm, thus the components
tolerances are reduced as much as possible too to improve the shifting.
Weirdly, the rear derailleur internal mech still is made from aluminium, we wonder why Campagnolo didn’t make it out of carbon as the external one. Some grams might be saved here for the
most weight weenies.

Regarding the front derailleur, the internal plate has been redesigned to speed up the chainring shifting, which is already good on the current version. Every 11 speeds can be used on the
large chainring thanks to the new shape and the shifter trim. The new front derailleurs will be compatible with compact and standard transmissions, the local bike shops will certainly be
pleased.
In term of compatibility, there is no real contraindication to use them with 10s groupsets since the shifters are the master pieces of the shifting.
Every screws of the Super Record derailleurs are in titanium: weight save and prestige.

The shifters

Their shape is totally renewed. It allows a more comfortable and more ergonomic position thanks to a new rubber giving a higher contact area.
The density of these new hoods is different for the braking ans shifting position, and a new routing of the cable housings prevents the bulge under the bartape (Technologie « No
Bulge« ).
The geometry of the brake and shifting levers is modified too. According to Campagnolo, the shifters are almost becoming an extension of the cyclist hand.
The top of the brake lever is opened for further weight save. About the braking, the power is increased with « hands on the hoods » thanks to the new lever shape, called « Ultra-Shift« .
The shifting is slightly modified too: we can go up to three cogs maximum, and go down to five cogs.
Finally, both the small and large hands will like the new shape since there is more room under the lever, and there is bartape/lever adjustement through a shim.

Super Record shifters still get full titanium hardware, the internal parts are opened, lightened and reworked.

The crankset

The Ultra-Torque cranks are unchanged. The system is pretty efficient, young and the stiffest of the market, so there is no need to change it.
However, the chainrings are modified: they receive four different sectors making easier the shifting. Campagnolo claims you can shift chainring twice a crank revolution. The teeth shape and
machinning are different from the upshift and downshift sectors. Beside this, a new coating is applied, it is darker and make the chainrings more durable. The new rings are specific to
11s.

The weak point of the current Ultra-Torque chainring concern the bearing durability. The Record cranksets are equipped with USB ceramic bearings, meaning Ultra Smooth
Bearings. They should obviously last much longer than the lower range bearings.
As information, we replaced our original Record UT bearings within 5000km because they were making noise and were very sandy. The replacement bearings came from CeramicSpeed (see here) and we have already used them more than 12000km, they still spin pretty well. The only thing we had to
do, was cleaning them and regreasing them a few weeks ago.

About the Super Record crankset, the bearings coming along will cranksets feature the CULT technology allowing a very high bearing fluidity. The bearing raced are made in so hard and
so resistant steel that there is no need to lubricate and the seals are not required. Actually, the lubrification is needed to make the bearings silent. The resistant torque of these
cranksets will be close to 0.

The chain and the cassette

This is here we were waiting Campagnolo. The chain is the least durable component of the transmission, and a lot of people feared for the use of an 11th speed in term of durability.
Nevertheless, Campagnolo is claiming a durability increased of 20%, thanks to new materials, and a better fluidity thanks to new treatments. The chain width is down from 5,9mm to 5,5mm.
About the compatibility, the 11s cassettes can be mounted on any Campagnolo 10s body.

The cassette stiffness is increased through the spider made out of a new aluminium. The manufacturer claims 70% more bending stiffness and 108% more torsionnal stiffness.

The cogs themselves are made out of steel for the 5 biggest, and the six smallest are in titanium.
The combinations available are 11-23, 11-25, 12-25, 12-27.
The groupsets under the Super Record will have different cassettes. For the Record groupset, only the three smallest cogs will be in titanium, and the Chorus cassette will be entirely made
out of steel.

The brakes

There is no real change here. Just a couple of titanium screws lighten the brakes and increase the resistance.

Campagnolo Record

Basically the Record groupset receives the same features as the Super Record. The Record 2009 will differ from the Record 2008 for the following points:
 – 11 speeds
 – new shifters, ergonomic features similar to the Super Record presented above
 – new chain, identicla to Super Record
 – new chainrings, as Super Record
 – USB ceramic bearings for the crankset
 – ceramic bearings for the pulley wheels

However it will differ from the Super Record for the following points:
 – the crankset bearings are USB instead of CULT
 – steel hardware instead of titainium for the derailleurs and brakes
 – the shifters and its mechanism are not lightened
 – cassette with only three titanium cogs and eight in steel, insteacassette à 3d of 6 and 5.

The complete groupset weight will be 2015g.

Campagnolo Chorus

About the Chorus groupset, which is now becoming the third groupset at Campagnolo, the differences with Chorus 2008 are similar to Record 2009/2008 differences, minus the ceramic
bearings:
 – 11 speeds
 – new shifters, ergonomic features similar to the Super Record presented above
 – new chain
 – new chainrings, as Super Record

The differences with the Record groupset presented above are: :
 – steel crankset bearings
 – steel pulley wheels bearings
 – full steel cassette
 – rear derailleur mech plates and front derailleur plate in steel instead of carbon
 – grey finish for the brakes
 – chain with standard axles instead of hollow axles

The Chorus 2009 weight is 2145g.

The Campagnolo Super record groupset will be at the top of the italian range, just above the standard « Record ». The expected price is 2300 euros, against 2000 euros for the normal Record.
The three top range groupsets, to know Super Record, Record and Chorus, will feature an eleventh speed. The rotor width will be similar to the current 10s versions, which is pretty
good for compatibility, however, the chain will be narrower. The carbon fibre will be present on almost every parts, the ceramic and titanium will be present too on the pulley wheels and
screws.
The levers are dramatically changing shape on the whole range, they are higher and face the interior of the bars.

Beside the brand new RXR Ulteam frame we presented three days ago, Time is renewing its medium/high range offer.
The VXS Translink is replaced by the VRS Vibraser more adapted to sportive riders instead of pure racers: the steering is higher. This frame is coming with a pretty white dress, an
integrated seatpost, a monocoque carbon fork which gets some modifications to pass the european security standard.

The white color definitely is the most wanted color nowadays, even the Speeder, the cheapest Time frame  which is the only frame of the french brand not made in France, is
getting the nicest white available.

About the spinning components, a new wheelset is realeased, it is following the Hi-Tense Guy Frullani‘s patent, but in a more affordable version. The high spokes tensions and
very close bracing angles of the rear wheel are still the hearth of the system but the components are coming from cheaper materials. Thus, the rear hub and front axle are made out of
aluminium instead of carbon.
The spokes are identical to the high end version, but they are coming in silver: they do not get the extra black coat. The weight of the Equal wheels is 1600g instead of 1530g for
the Hi-Tense but the cost is down from 1100 euros to 850 euros.

Thanks to Arueda.com our partner website for the pictures.
Feel free to have a look at the latest Time website: Time-sport.fr

Partially unveiled, the new Scott 2009 range will feature the new IMP4 technology. Basically, the front triangle (seat tube, diagonal tube, top tube, steering tube) is entirely made out in
one mold contrary to the current IMP where « only » three tubes are monocoque (minus the seat tube). So a stiffness and lightness gain has to be expected thanks to this new building process.
Unfortunately, only the Genius, a high end frame mountain bike will beneficiate of this. Regarding the road frames, at this time, there is nothing new to be expected. However, the Plasma
frame has been redesigned and seems faster than ever:

 – bi-directionnal chain stays
 – Very big bottom bracket area and an aileron under it (!)
 – Streamlined fork
 – Seat tube and diagonal tube placed side by side with the tire
 – Housings integrated to the frame

Beside these specifications, the equipment is selected to provide as much speed and fluidity as possible: Zipp 808 and 1080 front and rear rims spinning onto DT240s hubs

Claimed price is a mere 9000 dollars US.

Finally, Scott enjoied developping a cross frame whose basis was an Addict. We have a very little information about this, it simply looks like an Addict with the usual cross
modifications.

Sebastian Roth is back with his amazing tunings. He had the lightest  wheelset during some weeks but Gunter Mai beat him with his 704,4g Lew Pro VT-1 wheelset. The Lightweight Challenge 700 Sebastian had, weighted 721,3g… it’s about a few gramms difference so he went ahead to lighten further his hoops to beat the american
product.

Well, the structure of the Challenge 700 is already pretty light and so he couldn’t save weight here. His front wheel was already lightened as much as possible too, it included the full
ceramic bearings, the carbon axle. Its weight was 298,8g. But the rear wheel still had some weight save potential: it was 422,5g but deserved some more attention.
« I wanted to save a lot of grams here without influencing the stability of the wheel » said Sebastian.

First he looked at the bearing: the Lightweight Obermayer rear wheels use a Tune mechanism, and obviously their bearings. Unfortunately the central XOT bearing designed by Tune is only
available in hybrid ceramic, not in full ceramic. There was thus some weight save over here: he replaced the XOT hybrid ceramic bearing by a combination of a 6902 and 6802 full ceramic
bearing. Although the stiffness probably is down to a lower standard since there are two separated inner races instead of a single wide one, it saves weight.

Second, the Campagnolo rotor was the only part that was not lightened at all: the biggest weight reduction came from here. The pawls were drilled, the body received an extra machinning
where the thickness was high enough. The weight of the body, including the 6802 central bearing was only 31,9g while it is normally about 40g.

Third, the carbon axle received some lighter alloy end caps and ended the weight reduction at 24,2g.

His Challenge wheels now weight 697,1g and they were renamed Challenge 600.

The wheels we presented early in March are still under tests, and they don’t seem to show any weak point. Featured during the Tour du Jura, their native region, on the 11, 12, and
13th of April, a couple of racers tested them intensively during this race. The manufacturer is still unsure about marketting them for several reasons. On our side, we really hope to see
these hoops at our local bike shops!
As information, these complete wheels are claimed to weight about a kilogram and the stiffness should be higher than what we might be waiting for…

As usually, the reports on Arte, a documentary french channel, are very interesting and inspire a lot. They are so well made that you will want to watch until the end.
The film director Axel Engstfeld, presents the daily life of the Gerolsteiner pro riders, and especially Fabian Wegmann. Training, analysis, psychology, tests, material,
equipment, to quote a few things, are presented deep in the last single detail.

La marge ultime

Raoul enjoied analysing his Lew Pro VT-1 wheelset under X-rays. The carbon appear in grey/black while the metal parts reflect the waves and thus appear in white. The valve is clearly
visible, but, and it is more interesting, the rim/spokes junction and the braking surface/rim upper diameter are white too. Is there some metal here as well?

Les roues que nous vous avions présenté début Mars sont en pleine phase de tests et ne semblent pas
révèler de faiblesses, d’après le fabricant. Mises en avant lors du Tour du Jura, leur région natale, les 11, 12 et 13 Avril dernier, les coureurs ont pu les tester sous toutes les
coutures. Les créateurs ne sont pas certain de commercialiser ces roues pour diverses raisons. De notre côté, nous espérons voir ces roues très rapidement chez nos vélocistes!
A titre de rappel, ces roues « monobloc » sont annoncées à un petit kilogramme avec une rigidité au delà de ce que l’on est en mesure d’imaginer…

Toujours plus
intéressants les uns que les autres, les reportages Arte laissent rêveur et inspirent, pour peu que l’on soit passionné par le sujet. Ajoutez à ceci un professionnalisme et une
rigueur extrême pour tourner les séquences et monter la chronique, et vous obtenez une émission devant laquelle vous restez attiré jusqu’à la fin!
Le réalisateur Axel Engstfeld, met en avant les journées des coureurs pros de l’équipe Gerolsteiner, et spécialement Fabian Wegmann. Entraînement, analyses, nutrition,
psychologie, tests, matériel, équipement, font parti de ce reportage d’une heure, fascinant à chaque instant.

La marge ultime

Raoul s’est amusé à passer sa roue Lew Pro VT-1 aux rayons X. Le carbone apparaît en gris/noir tandis que les inclusions métalliques réfléchissent les ondes et se révèlent en blanc.
La valve est ainsi clairement visible, mais, plus intéressant, les jonctions rayons/jante et la surface de freinage le sont aussi. Y aurait-il du métal à ces endroits?