Résultats de la recherche : wheel

Mig45 – Mag150: blue is right

We are working on a special wheel project and thought it was worth to show you the neat and glossy « Lupinus » Tune hubs.
Blue anodized, those Mig45 and Mag150 are super light with only 49g and 157g. They both feature a carbon axle and carbon reinforcements in the flanges to
increase their spoke tension resistance. The shimano rotor is even lightened thanks to drillings. Further upgrades before the build with special rims, will concern the bearings: the steel
6802, 6902 and XOT bearings will be replaced with hybrid ceramic bearings for lower friction and weight save.
Le 28 novembre 2007 | dans Montages high-tech | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

L’acheteur Cycliste, december/january edition



The
December/January double edition of the french magasine l’Acheteur Cycliste has been released. Several interesting threads are covered for passionnated cyclists. First, a cool DVD of the
Eurobike that contents interviews, videos and explanations of the latests components and the event. Then, complete folders about spinning components such as a big test of carbon wheels,
tires, and what we can find on the current market.
A reportage about the sales on internet is covered too, as well as a 3 comparatives of bikes between 1650 and 7000 euros.
Last but not least, the grand test won’t take place in Tignes but in Chamonix with all what it involves in term of reception, country and life quality!

Feel free to get this exceptionnal edition, a DVD about bicycle parts is not so common…



Le 26 novembre 2007 | dans Divers | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lew racing, sortie avec les anges…

 

Pour la petite histoire, nous avons testé plusieurs paires de roues haut de gamme pour l’édition de Décembre du magazine “L’Acheteur Cycliste”. Les résultats étaient plutôt surprenants, en tout cas pour la paire de Lew Racing Pro VT-1 qui s’est avérée
plutôt médiocre en terme de rigidité latérale. Alors que le constructeur annonce une rigidité exemplaire, nous avons trouvé que ces roues étaient les plus souples, sous de fortes charges.
La rigidité était tellement faible que les rayons pliaient sous la charge. Nous pensions donc que ces roues étaient de la pure publicité grossière, surtout que nous n’avions pas pu les
essayer à cause du manque de disponibilité.

Quelques semaines après notre test, le magasine TOUR a publié son propre test, et révéla ces roues comme un sérieux adversaire aux Lightweight et Mavic CCU.
Nous étions donc partagé entre nos résultats et les leurs… où était la vérité?

En face de toutes nos questions et désillusions, Lew Racing a finalement pu nous dénicher une paire pour tester…sur la route. Nils, de Fairwheelbikes, qui
est leur représentant officiel en Europe, est passé il y a quelques jours avec son prototype des Pro VT-1 en version Tune (840g) pour
essai grandeur nature.





Après de courtes explications sur les roues et le démontage des moyeux, nous sommes partis pour une sortie de deux heures. Elle s’est avérée plutôt rapide et sportive, pour cette période
de l’année: le manque d’entraînement est évident. La vitesse moyenne était de 31/32km/h, mais les 10 derniers kilomètres ont été avalés à 40/45 km/h de
moyenne.


 

L’inertie: un niveau jamais atteint auparavant

La propriété la plus impressionnante de cette paire de roues est perceptible dès le premier coup de pédale. L’inertie atteint un niveau incroyablement bas, du jamais vu auparavant. Les accélérations sont très faciles et les premiers kilomètres sont même destabilisants.
Même la paire de Lightweight 922g, testée il y a quelques mois, s’avérait un peu plus résistantes aux changements de rythmes. Ce phénomène inhabituel est causé par le poids exceptionnel
de la jante, qui ne pèse que 220g (270g en pièce détachée). En contre partie, cette faible inertie rend la direction très sensible et il est plutôt difficile de conserver une direction
toujours droite, à moins d’y être habitué. Qui plus est, le vent semble affecter un peu plus la direction, toujours à cause de la jante hyper légère et de sa hauteur (46mm)

Cliquez pour agrandir (955Kb)

La rigidité: adaptée au coureur…

Après quelques centaines de mètres, voyant la première pancarte pointant le bout de son nez en haut d’un petit faux plat, je n’ai pu résister à un premier
sprint sur un « bon braquet » pour juger un peu de leur rigidité en condition réelle. Les roues sont tout sauf souples car la jante n’a pas bougé entre les patins. Quand la forme est bien
meilleure pendant l’été, le résultat aurait été différent. Mais dans tous les cas, elles ont semblé rigides à souhait et le résultat publié par le magazine TOUR est sans doute plus proche
de la réalité que ce que nous avons trouvé. En réalité, notre test est tout aussi intéressant : nous avons réalisé à quel point ces roues s’avéreront souples pour des coureurs lourds et
costauds. C’est pourquoi Lew Racing propose la version Clydesdale, qui pèse 1050g, pour les coureurs de plus de 85kg et jusque 113kg (voyez ici)

Questioné, Paul Lew, directeur et ingénieur chez Lew racing et Lew Aerospace, nous explique les dessous du design des roues. Il semble que ces roues soient
conçues et pensées selon des méthodes jamais explorées par les autres constructeurs. Sur des roues conventionelles, pendant les accélérations, la jante a tendance à s’approcher des patins
à cause du transfert du couple: des rayons tirent la jante et gagnent en tension, quand d’autres la pousse et perdent de la tension. À cause de la différence de parapluie entre les deux
flasques, une  distorsion apparaît et la jante se déplace entre les patins. Sur ces roues très spéciales, le flasque central parfaitement dans l’axe de la jante, transfère tout le
couple et empêche les différences, à ce niveau, entre les deux flasques extérieurs. Ainsi, la roue ne se déforme pas. C’est ce qui se passe lors des accélérations.

En montagne, à cause de la basse vitesse et de l’angle vélo/sol plus élevé, la force latérale qui pousse la jante vers la gauche et la droite est plus
importante, donc les roues pourraient s’avérer moins rigide. Nous espérons pouvoir tester une autre paire de Pro VT-1 plus longtemps, et pendant l’été pour en savoir plus…

 

Le rendement… avec des boyaux Dugast

Les roues étaient équipées de boyaux Dugast, peints en noir pour assortir les roues. Bien que les sensations de rendement soient purement subjectives, avec des
dizaines de paramètres qui influent, j’ai trouvé les roues particulièrement confortables sur les routes dégradées. Les vibrations n’arrivent pas comme d’habitude à la selle et au cintre,
elles semblaient plus absorbées. Est-ce causé par la faible rigidité frontale? La structure carbone/bore apporte t-elle ceci? S’agit-il simplement des boyaux? Difficile d’apporter une
réponse, mais dans tous les cas, ces roues sont très agréables.

 

La résistance des roulements: moyeu en phase de développement?

Les roulements utilisés sur ces roues sont spéciaux. Bien qu’il s’agisse de billes céramique d’excellente qualité, associées à des cages et portées en acier,
ils sont plutôt « secs ». J’entends par là qu’ils sont très faciles à tourner mais des interférences sont perceptibles en tournant l’axe à la main. Ceci est causé par l’infime quantité de
graisse pour réduire la résistance à l’avancement et ainsi gagner quelques précieux watts pour plus de vitesse.

Cliquez pour agrandir (1118Kb)


Les roulements sont insérés dans le corps en carbone/bore et les axes sont glissés entre
les portées intérieures des roulements. L’espacement du moyeu et le réglage du jeu sont réalisés par des cales, des rondelles. Bien que ceci fonctionne, les mécanismes de ces prototypes
semblent encore en phase de dévelopement et devraient recevoir des améliorations importantes. Premièrement, il y a toujours du jeu entre les patins de freins, quand la roue est installée
et les attaches m²racer 38g sont sérrées. Ce n’est pas perceptible sur la route mais une solution mériterait d’être trouvée.
Deuxièmement, Lew racing ne conseille que 3 modèles d’attaches rapides compatibles avec leurs roues. Elles apportent suffisamment de force de compression pour éviter le jeu. De telles
restrictions ne devraient pas exister si les mécanismes des moyeux étaient correctement conçus. Troisièmement, le roulement de la roue arrière des roues que nous avions testé en
laboratoire était anormalement résistant, en charge.
Donc la force de compression doit être forte pour éviter le jeu mais pas trop forte pour éviter de perdre de la puissance dans les roulements… notre champ de sélection des attaches est
fortement réduit.

Récemment, Lew a sorti la version finale des roues équipées du mécanisme Tune. Les problèmes de jeu et de résistance des roulements en charge, sont résolus.
Encore une fois, nous espérons pouvoir tester une nouvelle fois les roues.

Click to enlarge (969Kb)

Finition et apparence

La paire que nous avions disposé pour notre test labo était une des premières fabriquées, la finition était franchement indigne d’une paire de roues de ce
prix, sans doute à cause de la difficulté à travailler la fibre de bore. Les formes spécifiques, en particulier celles du moyeu arrière et des bords de la jante,  contribuent sans
doute à ce manque de finition.
Pour faire simple et clair, les moyeux n’étaient pas ronds, leur surface n’était pas régulière, la jante manquait de matière à différents endroits, la colle verte était visible,
etc.

La dernière version, celle que nous avons testé sur la route, bien qu’encore à l’état de prototype était bien mieux finie. Lew Racing a véritablement fait un
effort à ce niveau et il semble qu’ils travaillent la fibre de bore bien plus facilement. Les moyeux, au même titre que les jantes, s’approchent de ce que l’on est en mesure d’attendre de
la part d’un produit à 4600/5000 euros.

La technologie au service de la performance!
Paul
Lew
http://www.ncet.org/tban/

Les Lew Racing PRO VT-1 repoussent encore un peu plus loin les limites. Très légères avec seulement 820/840g en version Tune, elles sont aussi aérodynamiques et très rigides pour un coureur
léger (65kg). Les matériaux, la structure, le concept sont autant d’avancées technologiques. Nous aimerions dire qu’il s’agit de la révolution mais beaucoup de constructeurs semblent abuser
de ce qualificatif. Nous dirons simplement que ces roues, bien que ce soit un peu fort, écrasent et envoient au tapis n’importe quelle roue actuellement sur le marché. Cependant, bien
qu’elles soint sur la voie de la perfection, les moyeux doivent encore être améliorés, particulièrement en ce qui concerne le jeu et le réglage de l’espacement entre les pattes de cadre et
fourche.

Quand les vendrez vous à 2500 euros au lieu de 5000? J’en acheterai 3 paires!

Qu’est-ce qui est bon, qu’est-ce qui l’est moins?

+ –
Les accélérations les plus faciles Direction très sensible
Les roues les plus légères sur le marche Mécanisme des moyeux (sur notre paire proto)
Look furtif, classe, prototype Finition plutôt approximative
Des roues révolutionnaires Disponibilité
Le service client Prix

Articles Roues Artisanales précédents:
– Lew Racing, version Clydesdale
– Lew Racing VS Lightweight Standard VS Mavic CCU
– Lew Racing, les jantes 2008
– Campagnolo 2008, Lew Racing, Colnago 2008
– Lew Racing wheels, qu’est-ce qui les rend si attrayantes?
– Lew Racing, M5: les jantes sont sorties
– Lew PRO VT-1: les nouvelles roues

Le 20 novembre 2007 | dans Tests | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lew Racing Pro VT-1, a ride with the angels…

 

For the story, we have been tested several high-end wheelsets earl in October for the December edition of the French magazine “L’Acheteur Cycliste”. The results were really surprising, at least for the Lew Racing Pro VT-1 wheelset that performed quite bad in
term of lateral stiffness. While the manufacturer claims a lot of stiffness, we found the wheels to be the flexiest, to high loads, on our lateral rigidity bench. The stiffness was so low
that the left side spokes of the wheel even bent under the load. We then thought those wheels were pure hype, especially considering we couldn’t try them because of the lack of
availability.

A few weeks after our test, TOUR magazine published their own test and revealed these very special wheels as a serious competitor to Lightweight and Mavic CCU.
We were torn between our test and their one… where was the truth?

In front of all our questions and disillusionments, Lew Racing finally managed to get us a set to test… on the road. Nils from Fairwheelbikes, who is their
official representative in Europe, arrived some days ago with his prototype set of the Pro VT-1 Tune version (840g) to test ride.





After short explanations on the wheels and the disassembling of the hubsets, we had a 2 hours ride together. It was quite fast and sportive, at least considering the season period and our lack of training. Average speed was 31/32km/h but the last 10 last kilometers
were about 40/45 km/h of average.


 

Inertia: a level never achieved in the past.

The most amazing thing about these wheels is perceptible from the first pedals stroke: the inertia is incredibly low and it reaches a level never achieved in
the past. The accelerations are very, very easy, and it’s really destabilizing during the first kilometers. Even the set of Lightweight 922g we tested some months ago were slightly more
resistant to accelerations. This weird phenomenon is caused by the outstanding weight of the rim which is only about 220g (270g as spare part). The drawback of this lightweight is that
the steering is very sensitive and it is harder than usually to keep a straight direction, unless you are used to ride them. Furthermore, the wind seems to affect more the steering, once
again because of the very lightweight rim and it’s depth (46mm).

Click to enlarge (955Kb)

Stiffness, adapted to the rider weight…

After a few hundred meters, the first road sign arrived at the top of a false uphill and, I couldn’t resist to sprint a first time with a big gear, to know
more about their stiffness. The wheels were simply everything but flexy and we couldn’t see the rim moving between the brake pads at all. This probably would have happened a little
differently during the summer when the shape is far better. But anyway, they felt plenty stiff and the result TOUR magasine published is closer to the reality than what we found.
Actually, what we found is very interesting too: we realized that under heavier loads, meaning heavier and stronger riders, those wheels won’t feel as stiff. That’s why Lew Racing offers
a Clydesdale version, which is 1050g, for riders over 85kg and up to 113kg (see here)

After a lot of questions to Paul Lew, president and engineer at Lew Racing and Lew Aerospace, it seems like these wheels are designed in a way never explored
by any other manufacturer in the past. On standard wheels, during accelerations, the rim tends to rub the brake pads because of the torque transfer: some spokes pull the rim and get more
tension, while the others push it while losing tension. Because of the difference in bracing angle between the two flanges, it creates a distorsion and the rim tends to move between the
brake pads. On this very special wheelset, the central flange, which is perfectly in the plane of the rim, transfers all the torque and prevents the torque transfer differences between
the exterior flanges. Thus, the wheel does not deform. This is what happen during accelerations.

In mountain, because of the low speed and the higher angle the bike does with the ground, the lateral load pushing the rim to the left and right is bigger so
the wheels might not feel as stiff. We hope to test another set of Pro VT-1 longer, and during the summer to know more…

 

Ride quality… with Dugast tires

The wheels we tested were mounted with Dugast tubulars, painted black to match the wheels color. Although ride quality is merely subjective, and a lot of
factors play a role, I found the wheels to be comfortable on rough roads. The vibrations didn’t arrive as usually to the handlebar and the saddle, they seemed more absorbed. Is this
caused by the very low frontal stiffness of the wheels? Does it come from the boron/carbon structure? Does it simply come from the tubular itself? It’s hard to say but anyway they were a
pleasure to ride.

 

Bearing resistance, hub mechanism in beta status?

The bearings used on these wheels feel special. Although there are standard high quality ceramic balls running into stainless steel races, they feel rough
contrary to most other hubs running with this kind of bearings. Rough doesn’t mean they are hard to turn. They are actually very smooth but you feel some kind of interferences while
rotating the axle. This is caused by the little amount of grease in the bearing to reduce its resistance and thus save some watts for more speed.

Click to enlarge (1118Kb)


The bearings are pressed into the carbon/boron hubs sheels, and the axles fit the bearings.
The hub width and play adjustment is realized thanks to shim washers and spacers. It works but the whole hubs’ mechanisms of these prototype still seemed in beta status and should receive
some important improvements. First, there were still play, between the brake pads, when the wheels are installed and the m² racer 38g quick releases closed. Though it was not perceptible on the road, it should not be present. Second, Lew Racing only advises at this time 3 kind of quick releases, that provide enough compression
strength, to avoid bearing play. It shouldn’t be the case if the wheels hubs were well designed. Third, the rear bearing resistance of the wheels we had in lab tests, was pretty high
under load and somewhat abnormal.
So, the compression strength have to be high to avoid play, but not too high to avoid power loss in the bearing… it really reduces our selection of quick releases.

Lately, Lew released the final version of those TUNE rear hub equipped wheelset. From what we know, the abnormal bearing resistance under load, the play between the rim, are solved.
Once again, we hope to be able to test the wheels soon.

Click to enlarge (969Kb)

Finish and visual appearance

The wheelset we originally had in test was one of the first produced, the finish was really poor, probably because of the difficulty to work with boron fibre.
The special shapes, particularly the one of the rear hub and the rim edges, doesn’t help either to make a clean finish.
In concrete terms, the hubs were not round, they seemed to have thickness differences, the rims missed material at several places, the green bonding glue was visible, etc.

While the version we tested on the road was still a prototype, it looked far better finished, Lew racing really made an effort on this side and seem to be able
to work the boron fibre much better. The hubs, as well as the rims, definitely looked more fair for a 4600/5000+ euros wheelset.

Rocket science for rocket performances! 
Paul
Lew
http://www.ncet.org/tban/

The Lew Racing PRO VT-1 really pushed the envelope. Although they are very light with only 820/840g in TUNE version, they remain both stiff for a quite light rider (65kg) and aerodynamic.
The materials, the structure, the design are all breakthrough. We would like to say it’s the revolutionary wheelset but a lot of manufacturers tend to misuse this verb these days. We will
simply and obviously say, although it might be a bit strong, that those Pro VT-1 crush, or bury any other wheel currently on the market. However, although they are on the way to perfection,
the hubs still need to be improved, particularly in term of play and spacing. 

Any chance to sell them at 2500 euros instead of 5000? I’ll buy 3 sets!

What’s good, what’s not as good?

+ –
Fastest accelerations Very sensitive steering
Lightest « stock » wheels Hub mechanism (on our proto set)
Stealth and class look Rough finish
Breakthrough wheels Availability
Customer service Price

Previous Roues Artisanales articles:
– Lew Racing Clydesdale version
 – Lew Racing VS
Lightweight Standard VS Mavic CCU
– Lew Racing 2008 rims
– Campagnolo 2008, Lew Racing, Colnago 2008
– Lew Racing wheels, why are they so attractive?
– Lew Racing, M5: the rims are unveiled
– Lew PRO VT-1: the new wheels

Le 19 novembre 2007 | dans Tests | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lew Pro VT-1 version Tune et Clydesdale White Industries [fr]

Lew Racing a présenté la version Clydesdale de leur roues PRO VT-1. Cette version convient aux coureurs de 113kg (250lbs) maximum au lieu
de 85kg (185lbs) pour la version standard. Lew annonce une rigidité jamais atteinte pour un tel poids. Ils sont tellement confiants qu’ils les ont envoyé au magasine Tour pour un test sur
route et en labo. La rigidité latérale de la version standard des roues, frôlait les 45 – 50 N/mm sous des charges assez faibles (cf. coureurs légers), mais s’avéraient plutôt décevantes
sous de fortes charges. Cette version Clydesdale a été concue pour convenir aux coureurs les plus lourds et/ou les plus « bourrins ».
Le poids de cette première paire est de 1022g. Toutes les parties vitales des roues sont renforcées, solidifiées afin de conserver une rigidité incroyable même sous de
fortes charges. Les flasques des moyeux sont épaissis et plus résistants, les jantes sont construites avec un procédé de fabrication modifié et l’épaisseur de ses parois est modifiée. Le
travail et les matériaux supplémentaires rendent ces roues 500$US plus inabordables.

En plus de ceci, la version Tune est finalisée et la phase de prototypes est terminée. Cette version caresse la balance avec un micro 827g…

La gamme Lew Racing 2008 est mise à jour:

Modèle Pro VT-1 version White Industries
 		Pro VT-1 version TUNE
 		Pro VT-1 version Clydesdale White Industries
Poids

880g (shimano)
920g (campa)

820 / 840g

1020g (shimano)
1050g (campagnolo)

Poids coureur max.
 		185 lbs (83,8kg)
 		185 lbs
(83,8kg) 		250 lbs (113kg)

Prix (version shimano)

US$5995 US$6995 US$6495

Version standard – côté gauche

Version Clydesdale – côté droit

Poids



Moyeu avant




Moyeu arrière



Source: Fairwheelbikes forum

  

Le 18 novembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lightweight rear derailleur tuned by Sebastian Roth

Sebastian Roth: remember his name. He is German and he is used to tuning his components to make them as light as possible, while retaining full functionality.
His latest project is the Lightweight rear derailleur. The claimed weight of this component – not
available yet – is 120g. He has modified several things and reached 91.1g!

Here are his words:

To complete my tuning-collection, I just dared myself at the Carbon-Sports rear derailleur. The basis for this, was a weight of 120g, which was surely helpful to get a very lightweight
result. After I switched from the KCNC Pulley Wheels to carbon, I saved 10g with standard serie components. But the next steps were really hard. For every half gram saved, I had to work
very hard. In comparison to the aluminium rear derailleurs I tune normally, it is far harder to save weight on a carbon basis. To drop the weight a bit more, I had to work on every
single component of the derailleur to change the materials to aluminium instead of titanium. In my opinion, the result is super with only 91,1g…

« /upload/images/LW-RD-sebastian2-b.jpg »>

« /upload/images/LW-RD-sebastian1-b.jpg »>
Le 18 novembre 2007 | dans Bidouilles :) | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

EICMA show 2007 [2fr]

En plus des produits AX-Lightness et Ingenu, plusieurs autres constructeurs ont dévoilé leurs derniers travaux. Il s’agit principalement de roues, de pédaliers et de cadres.

Produits AX-Lightness SL

Premièremement, concentrons nous sur la série SL de Ax-Lightness: Sebastian Roth (cf. article sur le Scott 3,6kg), roi des modifications sur les vélos, dispose déjà d’une potence SL Zeus et d’un cintre SL Uranos. Ces composants affichent  des poids au ras des
paquerettes: 56,4g la potence et 111,6g le cintre. Axel Schnura et son équipe ont travaillé d’arrache pieds pour concevoir ces produits basés sur des fibres de carbone uni directionelle de
très haute qualité. Les poids sont très bas et le combo rigidité, résistance est conservé grâce au procédé de fabrication proche de celui des cintres TLO chez Schmolke: des préimprégnés
« haut de gamme » couplés à ces fibres onéreuses pour un produit rare et impressionnant…

La gamme 08 Ax-Lightness comprendra donc cette gamme:
 – frains Orion: 75g la paire
 – Tige de selle Europe: 65g – 280mm – 31.6mm
 – Cintre uranos: 111g – 420mm
 – Potence Zeus: 55g – 110mm
 – selle sous les 50g

 

Mythic Carbon

A présent, voyons du côté des autres fabricants, ceux un peu plus « classique » (et encore…). Mythic Carbon est une compagnie française spécialisée dans les composants en fibres de
carbone (encore une fois!). Ils ont dévoilé leur manivelles très légères lors du mondial du deux roues. Pour diverses raisons, il semblerait que nous l’ayons manqué!
Pour faire court, les manivelles plus boitier pèsent 515g, coûtent 730 euros et seront disponibles pour la fin de l’année et sont entièrement fabriquées en France.


Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes
WR Compositi

WR compositi est une marque italienne qui propose des composants plutôt abordables et jolis. Ils ont proposé au salon de Milan
cette année les roues FXX  carbone. 18 -24 rayons, des jantes et des moyeux carbone, le tout pour 1280g. Le moyeu arrière dispose d’un corps plutôt imposant. Nous auraient-ils
caché un moteur là dedans?!


Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes
O.Z Racing

Avec 40 années d’expérience dans la course et le tuning voiture et moto, O.Z Racing étend son champ d’action et semble intéressé par le cyclisme route cette année. Leur roue suivent, en
quelque sorte, le design des jantes voiture avec leurs doubles bâtons profilés et arrondis. Avec 1220g la paire, O.Z les a voulu aussi aérodynamique que possible: hauteur de 50mm,
largeur de 21mm, et 4 doubles rayons carbone.
La finition de la jante est la 3K, les rayons sont réalisés à partir de Kevlar et de fibres UD.

Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes

Le 17 novembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lew Pro VT-1 Tune version and Clydesdale White Industries

Lew Racing just released the Clydesdale version of their PRO VT-1 wheels. This version is approved for riders up to 113kg !(250lbs)
instead of 85kg (185lbs) for the standard version. Lew claims they are the stiffest wheels ever built at this weight. They are so confident that they sent them to Tour magazine in Germany
for testing (lab and road). Lateral stiffness of the standard wheels was 45 – 50 N/mm under quite low loads (i.e light riders),  but disappointing under heavy loads. This Clydesdale
version has been designed to suit heavy and/or very strong riders’ requirements.
The weight of this first set is 1022g. Every single part of these wheels is bulkier and beefier resulting in amazing stiffness under heavy loads. The hub flanges are
thicker and stronger, the rims are built with a different layup and the wall thickness is higher. The extra labour and materials also make them US$500 more expensive.

Beside this, the Tune version is now finalised and the prototype phase is over. This version hits the scale at a mere 827g…

Lew Racing 2008 range is now updated:

Model Pro VT-1 White Industries version Pro VT-1 TUNE version Pro VT-1 Clydesdale White Industries version
Weight

880g (shimano)
920g (campa)

820 / 840g

1020g (shimano)
1050g (campagnolo)

Max. rider weight 185 lbs (83,8kg)
 		185 lbs
(83,8kg) 		250 lbs (113kg)

Price
(shimano version)

US$5995 US$6995 US$6495

Standard version – left side

Clydesdale version – right side

Weights



Front hub




Rear hub



Source: Fairwheelbikes forum

  

Le 17 novembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

EICMA show 2007 [2]

Beside the AX-Lightness and Ingenu products, a couple of manufacturers unveiled  their latest works. It’s all about  wheels, cranksets and frames plus some miscellaneous
parts.

AX-Lightness SL products

First of all, let’s focus on the AX-Lightness SL series: Sebastian Roth (the 3.6
Scott), the kind of the tuning, already has his SL Zeus stem and Uranos handlebar. His stem shows up at a mere 56.4g and the handlebar at 111.6g. Axel Schnura and his team made those
items with very high quality uni-directionnal carbon fibre to reach both a very low weight and a good stiffness and strength: the manufacturing process is similar to the TLO handlebar from
Schmolke. Extremely high-quality prepregs are used in addition of those expensive fibres, it makes the parts rare and awesome…

08 Ax-Lightness range will include this SL range:
 – 75g set of Orion brakes
 – 65g – 280mm – 31.6mm Europe seatpost
 – 111g – 420mm Uranos handlbar
 – 55g – 110mm Zeus stem
 – sub 50g saddle

 

Mythic Carbon

Ok now let’s see what’s new for the other manufacturers, the « more classic » ones. Mythic Carbon is a french company specialized in the making of carbon fibre products. They unveiled
their very lightcrankset at the french show « Mondial du deux roues » but for some reasons we missed it!
In short, it’s 515g (BB included), 730 euros, available from the end of the year and entirely made in France.


Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes

WR Compositi

WR compositi is an italian brand that offers cheap and nice carbon components. They came up this year at Milan’s show with a set
of FXX carbon wheels. 18-24 spokes, carbon rims and hubs, 1280g. The rear hub features a very big shell, is there an engine hidden inside?!


Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes
O.Z Racing

 
With 40 years of experience in car, motorbike racing and tuning, O.Z Racing extends its action field and seems interested in bicycle wheels this year. Their wheels somewhat follow the
car rim design with weirdly shaped spokes. Hitting the scale with 1220g, O.Z made them as aerodynamic as possible: 50mm deep, 21mm of width, and 4 double carbon spokes.
The finish is the 3K fibre, the spokes are made out of kevlar/UD fibre.

Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes

Le 17 novembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

EICMA show 2007


The Italian bike show of the year took place in Milan and ended this week-end. A few new high-end parts were presented and Nils, official representative for Lew Racing was nice enough to let us know every news on Fairwheelbikes forum.
From the famous, super light, super high-end tech manufacturers, AX-Lightness and Ingenu was the most interesting.

AX-Lightness

AX-Lightness, involved in Formula1 racing, has the opportunity to acquire the latest
technology, knowledge and has access to new materials. Their bike parts obviously benefit of those breakthrough and this is particularly the case this year since they will be re-introducing
the SL series for 2008. A new handlebar, the stem, as well as the other components such as the brakes, the saddles and the seatposts will yield lighter weights and will be manufactured
according to the rider weight… An upcharge, not finalized yet, has to be expected of course.

Uranos handlebar

Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes

The Uranos handlebar is AX-Lightness’ latest baby. Entirely made out of carbon, it will come in 3 widths: 400, 420, 440mm and eventually in 460mm, all in two versions. The first is the
stock one, which is going to weight between 125 and 130g. The second is the SL version, it is made out of a different carbon and is optimized to rider weight. A mere 110g has to be expected
for this custom version…!
This new handlebar has been designed to be as anatomic as possible with several shapes, drops variations.
The stock version will be around 550-600 euros, which is very close to Schmolke’s TLO bar, and the availability is hoped before Christmas.


Zeus stem

Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes

We are speaking about the Zeus incredibly light, full carbon stem since ’06 Eurobike. It was, at this time, only a prototype. The production has started lately for the 110mm version and the
sales for the entire range: from 90mm to 120mm should be effective this year, or the incoming year, depending on the date the moulds will show up.

Ingenu Myth

This new sexy, very light, and very special crankset was unveiled at Interbike 07 show (see here).
Rico de Wert who designed it, did a great job and the more pictures of these are published, the more this crankset system seem interesting.
Three versions: carbon, titan, steel, the prototypes are on the way, the Q-Factor is now getting very correct with 138mm. The Ti version is to be welded by
Darren Mark Crisp from CRISP Titanium who is renowned as one of the best Ti artisans in the business. In short, this
new cranks are really pushing the envelope… final weight will be amazing.

Nils published a gallery of the early prototypes:
http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/nils/Components/Ingenu/Myth/



Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes

 
Le 13 novembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

EICMA show 2007 [fr]


Le salon Italien du vélo qui a pris place à Milan vient de fermer ses portes ce week-end. Des composants exotiques et pointus ont été présentés en avant-première et Nils, représentant
officiel de Lew Racing fit preuve de sympathie en partageant toutes les nouveautés sur le forum Fairwheelbikes.
AX-Lightness et Ingenu se sont montrés les constructeurs les plus intéressants.

AX-Lightness

AX-Lightness, impliqué dans la course de Formule 1, a l’opportunité d’acquérir les
toutes dernières technologies, le savoir, et les matériaux nouveaux. Leurs composants de vélo bénéficient évidemment de ces avancées et c’est particulièrement le cas cette année puisqu’ils
réintroduisent les séries SL pour 2008. Un nouveau cintre, la potence, au même titre que les autres composants tels que les freins, les selles et les tiges de selles gagneront encore de
précieux grammes et seront construits en fonction du poids du coureur… Un supplément, pas encore déterminé, sera à envisager.


 Cintre Uranos

Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes

Le cintre Uranos est le dernier bébé d’AX-Lightness. Entièrement réalisé en carbone, la production touchera les trois tailles principales: 400, 420, 440mm, plus éventuellement le 460mm.
Chacune sera déclinée en deux versions: la première, celle de série frôlera les 125/130g. La seconde, est la version spéciale SL qui, quant à elle, est réalisée à partir d’un carbone
différent et sera optimisée pour le poids du coureur.  Un 110g tout mouillé est à envisager pour cette version « sur-mesure »…! Ce nouveau cintre a été conçu pour être aussi anatomique
que possible, il dispose différentes formes et variations de hauteur. La version de série coûtera aux alentours de 550-600 euros pièce, ce qui est très proche des cintres Schmolke TLO. La
disponibilité est espérée avant les fêtes de fin d’année.


Potence Zeus

Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes

Nous parlons de cette potence Zeus incroyablement légère, entièrement en carbone depuis l’Eurobike 2006. Elle était à l’état de prototype l’an dernier. La production a démarée il y a il y a
peu pour la version 110mm et les ventes pour la gamme complète: de 90mm à 120mm, devraient démarrer cette année, ou l’an prochain en fonction de la disponibilité des moules…

Ingenu Myth

Ces nouvelles manivelles hyper sexy, très légères et hors-du-commun, ont attiré toute notre attention (voyez ici).
Rico de Wert, le concepteur, a réalisé un travail ahurissant et les photos publiées révèlent ce système de pédalier toujours plus  intéressant à
chaque fois… Trois versions: carbone, titane, acier, les prototypes sont en plein test et le facteur Q est finalement très correct avec 138mm. La version Ti sera soudée par Darren
Mark Crisp, de CRISP Titanium, reconnu comme le meilleur artisan spécialiste du titane. En clair, ces nouvelles manivelles poussent les limites un peu plus loin…le poids final
devrait être impressionnant.

Nils a publié une gallerie des premiers prototypes:
http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/nils/Components/Ingenu/Myth/



Photo ©: Nils – Lew Racing / Fairwheelbikes

 
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Edge Composites


Spécialisée dans la fabrication de matériaux composites, Edge Composites propose tubes et composants pour des applications diverses telles que l’automobile, l’aviation, les loisirs et même le
médical.
Les cadres Parlee, RueGamer ou encore Crumpton utilisent les tubes fabriqués par cette société américaine: la qualité et performance des
produits est bien au rendez-vous.
Récemment, Jason Schiers et Kevin Nelson derrière cette entreprise en plein essor, ont réalisé des jantes hyper résistantes qui vont à l’encontre des
produits actuellement sur le marché.
Résistance et durabilité, tensions de rayons faibles et mal équilibrées, bris de rayon, esthétique sont les problèmes des jantes carbones actuellement disponibles. Les jantes Edge sont
dessinées et fabriquées pour combler ces lacunes et atteindre des caractéristiques exceptionnelles, rarement rencontrées.
Deux modèles sont aujourd’hui proposés, une jante de 38mm, polyvalente et une de 68mm, pour la vitesse. Toutes deux sont déclinées en 2 versions: la 1ère super légère, et la 2ème plus
robuste et plus rigide. De fibre unidirectionelle pour la première, à fibre tréssée 3K pour la seconde, les jantes supportent une tension de rayon atteignant 1700N soit presque 170kg! En
réalité, il est même possible de dépasser cette valeur, mais le flanc de la jante commence à se déformer, ce qui ne sera pas forcément intéressant d’un point de vue durabilité.
Mais comment de telles tensions sont possibles pour une jante carbone? Les jantes Zipp, par exemple, ne peuvent pas dépasser 100kg!
La réponse se situe au niveau des trous de rayon: alors que 95% des constructeurs percent simplement la jante, Edge moule chaques trous et peut ainsi allier légereté par de faibles
épaisseurs, et résistance grâce à la continuité des fibres. Le moulage est optimisé pour des écrous polyaxes, cachés dans la jante qui faciliteront une ligne droite de rayon apportant
fiabilité et tensions optimisées.
En ce qui concerne le freinage, la surface est usinée pour une meilleure accroche du patin.

Le tableau suivant regroupe les caractéristiques de ces produits:

Modèle Finition Hauteur Largeur Poids Tension max. Perçages Tarifs
1.38 UD 38mm 22mm 270g 1700N 18, 20, 24, 28 800$US
2.38 3K 38mm 22mm 330g 1700N 18, 20, 24, 28 685$US
1.68 UD 68mm 22mm 330g 1700N 18, 20, 24, 28 850$US
2.68 3K 68mm 22mm 410g 1700N 18, 20, 24, 28 735$US

Des versions piste et cyclo-cross sont aussi fabriquées.
Les jantes ne sont disponibles pour l’instant qu’en version boyau. Pour la nouvelle année, les jantes à pneus seront commercialisées. Comptez 410g pour la version 38mm et un petit 12 bar de
pression pour les premiers prototypes…!
De plus, toujours pour 2008, un modèle à jante plate, une roue lenticulaire et des jantes VTT seront proposées.
 

1.68

Finition 1.38 et 2.38

Jante 2.68

Edge Composites c’est aussi des tubes et donc des cadres:

Photos ©: Fairwheelbikes.com

_bug_fck

Le 27 octobre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Edge Composites [en]


Specialized in composite materials, Edge Composites proposes tubes and components for several applications fields such as the automotive, the aviation, cycling, sailing, motorbike racing and
medical.
Parlee, RueGamer or Crumpton frames, to mention the most famous ones, use tubes from this American company: the quality and performance is
obvious.
Lately, Jason Schiers and Kevin Nelson, behind the brand, designed rims with the intention of adressing the common downfalls of carbon rims which are
typically durability, uneven low spoke tension, spoke failure, aesthetics etc… The result is two models, a 38mm versatile rim and a 68mm aero rim, both offered in two versions: the
1st is made of unidirectionnal carbon fibre and is super light, while the 2nd is woven 3K,  and is sturdier and stiffer. They all can
withstand up to 1700N of spoke tension which is almost 170kg! Actually, it is even possible to exceed this limit but the rim sidewalls begin to deform which won’t be good for the
durability.
How such high spoke tensions are possible with carbon rims? Zipp rims, for example can’t withstand more than 100kg!
While 95% of the manufacturers simply drill the rim, Edge rims’ spoke holes are molded, to associate lightness thanks to the low thickness and resistance thanks to the continuous fibres.
The moulding is optimized for polyaxis, hidden nipples bringing a straight spoke line for reliability and even spoke tensions.
About the braking, the surface is machinned for a better brake pad grip.

The following table summarizes the rims specifications:

Model Finish Height Width Weight Max. tension Drillings Prices
1.38 UD 38mm 22mm 270g 1700N 18, 20, 24, 28 US$800
2.38 3K 38mm 22mm 330g 1700N 18, 20, 24, 28 US$685
1.68 UD 68mm 22mm 330g 1700N 18, 20, 24, 28 US$850
2.68 3K 68mm 22mm 410g 1700N 18, 20, 24, 28 US$735

Track and cyclo-cross versions are offered too.
The rims are at this time, only available in tubular version. For the new year, the clincher version will be added to the range. The 38mm rim will be about 410g and the maximal tire
pressure is up to12 bars (170psi)…!
Beside these, a flat rim, a disc wheel and MTB rims will be offered, still for 2008.
 

1.68

1.38 and 2.38 Finish

2.68 rim

Edge Composites is as well about tubes, so frames:


Photos ©: Fairwheelbikes.com

_bug_fck

Le 27 octobre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Sebastian’s Challenge 700

We wrote some lines about Sebastian Roth Scott Addict SL, just after the Eurobike. His machine hit the scale with 3610g. Pretty
light… and this, with no real concession. Today he comes back with his Challenge 700 by Lightweight. He tuned them to reach an amazing weight. From an original 759,6g, they now come after the
modification in at 721,3g. It makes them even lighter than the full boron Lew… the war is raging!

The modifications concern the following points:

Front
   – Carbon fibre axle coming from a Tune Mig 45 hub, special end caps. The original axle was in alloy.
   – Full ceramic bearings
Rear
   – Full ceramic external bearings
   – Hybrid central Tune specific/patented bearing: steel races, ceramic balls
   – Titanium pawls/teeth

We obviously can ask who takes profit of this war. First, the manufacturer itself benefit of a good brand image thanks to these technological cases projects. The sales are probably boosted and
annoy the competitors. Do you think Mavic would have released its CCU if the Lightweight would not be sold this much?
Second, it is beneficial for the final customer in the long term. Indeed, these projects force the engineers to invent and find efficient and light solutions. If satisfying, the breakthrough are
used, in general, for the « mass-produced » wheels later.
 
Front wheel carbone axle and ceramic bearings


Full ceramic bearings

Thanks to Light-bikes.de for the pictures


You can find every informations on Lightweight wheels on the following links:
Génération 2
Génération 3
Album photo

Le 18 octobre 2007 | dans Bidouilles :) | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lew Racing, BTP

Paul Lew, vient d’être nommé Entrepreneur de l’année de l’état du Nevada. Cette récompense met bien sûr en valeur les travaux sur les technologies
apportées par Lew Aerospace: la fabrication de drônes furtifs pour l’armée américaine, mais aussi pour les roues très en vues ces derniers mois.

Paul Lew, deuxième à partir de la droite:


http://www.ncet.org/tban/

Lew Racing se veut constructeur à la pointe de l’innovation.L’entreprise réagit rapidement et met à jour ses produits dès qu’une amélioration est envisageable. Nous
nous approchons des règles du monde informatique, où les produits sont régulièrement mis à jour. Bon point pour le consommateur, ou très mauvais s’il achète juste avant la mise à jour!
Les premières roues Lew Racing Pro VT-1 dernière génération ont été livrés en Allemagne. Nils, de Fairwheelbikes
Europe a l’opportunité de les essayer en exclusivité.

Les améliorations, comme expliqué dans deux articles précédents, concernent les jantes (voir ici), très élastiques pour
une résistance incroyable et les moyeux (voir ici), dorénavant au standard Tune en option. Ceci permet
un gain de poids conséquent en version Campagnolo, par rapport aux White Industries qui équipent normalement ces roues. Aujourd’hui, les versions Shimano et Campagnolo
affichent le même poids, tandis qu’avant, 40g les séparaient. En plus de ces deux aspects, les rayons presque rectangulaires ont disparu pour laisser place à des rayons de section ovale qui
procurent un meilleur aérodynamisme et une meilleure surface de collage avec la jante et le moyeu. Petite différence de marquage: les dernières versions diffèrent de l’original, ils sont au
nombre de 4 et séparés: Lew Racing, Pro VT-1, Boron Carbon, DEX-LCM.

En ce qui concerne la finition, point noir des productions originales, elles est nettemment améliorée et s’approche aujourd’hui de la « normale ». Jugez par vous même sur les photos des
moyeux qui suivent:

Sur les jantes, le trou béant pour passer la valve est toujours présent. Un matériau est ajouté sur certaines des jantes pour boucher cette ouverture et la réduire au diamètre
standard de valve.

Ces roues s’envolent au moindre coup de vent: 839g la paire, 357 et 482g avant/arrière. Elles reviennent à 6995 dollars US en corps Tune, soit 1000 dollars de plus
que la version originale, toujours disponible.
En France, ces roues sont distribuées par VanCourt Sports Imports.

Bernhard Langerbein, derrière les composants BTP, a organisé un meeting en Allemagne pour des
accrocs au matériel léger d’exception. Présentations des vélos, ou plutôt « des machines », sortie à vive allure et échange de matériel ont permis à tous les passionnés de partager
leurs impressions.
En plus de l’équipe Spin au grand complet, Stefan et Matthias Schmolke, était présent à la fête pour présenter une
nouvelle potence, plutôt attrayante. 59g en 110mm, 8° d’inclinaison, un tube de carbone sur-mesure avec des variations d’épaisseurs, de tressages pour adapter la résistance du produit
selon la répartition du stress dû au serrage et au poids du coureur… bref du très très beau mais cher aussi: comptez 500 euros la potence.

En plus de ce prototype, « notre Nils » décidemment présent partout, a pu prendre un cliché de nouvelles manivelles THM Clavicula à une seule vis de serrage. Rien de
grisant il est toujours intéressant de voir ce que les constructeurs ont derrière les fagots. Notez au passage que THM a augmenté sa cadence de production et les délais d’obtention
des pièces sont passés à 10 semaines pour les pédaliers, et 6 pour les fourches. Plus d’informations ici.

De nouveaux porte bidons BTP, encore à l’état de prototype étaient présentés. Disponible pour l’année 2008, ils sont annoncés à 9g.

Pour finir, voici les nouveaux repose-mains réalisés par BTP. Nous les avions déjà brièvement présentés dans l’article sur le Scott Addict SL à 3,6kg. Ces dernières apportent une
meilleure tenue et résistance par rapport au modèle vendu cette année. Comptez environ 13,6g.

Vous pourrez trouver plus d’informations et photos concernant le meeting sur Light-bikes.de

 
Le 17 octobre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lew Racing, BTP [en]

 

Paul Lew has been elected TBAN’s (Technology business Alliance of Nevada) TechNevada Entrepreneur of the year. The award highlights
his inventions and achievements in the high-tech field in recent months.

Paul Lew, second from the right:


http://www.ncet.org/tban/

Lew Racing is an innovative company and wants to offer optional upgrades as soon as the technology allows them to do so. We are close to the IT industry’s approach,
where the products are constantly updated. While it can be good for the customer, it can also be very frustrating if you’re the customer who purchases just before the update!
The first Lew Racing Pro VT-1 of the latest generation have been shipped to Germany. Nils, from Fairwheelbikes Europe has had and exclusive opportunity to test them.

The rims are the area of major improvements, as explained in the two previous articles (see here), very elastic for an incredible resistance and the hubs (see here), with Tune standard available for a useful weight saving in Campa version. The normal Campa
White Industries version are 40g heavier than the Shimano one. Now, in the Tune version, they are just as light. Otherwise, the previous spokes, almost rectangular, are replaced by oval spokes
which are more aerodynamic and increase the bonding contact surface with the rim and the hub.
The built-in decals are renewed: there are 4 separate deacals reading: ‘Lew Racing’, ‘Pro VT-1’, ‘Boron Carbon’ and ‘DEX-LCM’.


The very rough finish of the original versions has been improved a lot and is now close to a « normal » product. Judge for yourself from the following pictures.

The rim valve hole is still huge. However on several rims, some material was added to reduce it to the standard valve hole size.

These hoops are still in the weight record range: 839g the set, 357g front and 482g rear. They retail at US $6,995 in Tune body, which is $1,000 more than the
original version, which is still available.

Bernhard Langerbein, the man behind BTP
components, organized a meeting in  Germany for weightweenies and techno weenies! Bike/machines presentations, high speed ride, and some wheels switches allowed these passionate
guys to share their feelings.
Beside the full Spin team, Stefan and Matthias Schmolke were present. A new pretty stem was presented. 59g in 110mm, 8° angle, a custom carbon tube with thickness, weaves and resistance variations according to the stress caused by the
rider weight and bolt torque… in short a very very nice component. Only the price is not so cool at 500 euros for the stem.

Beside this prototype, Nils who is definitely present everywhere, could take a shot of a special version of the Clavicula crankset. It has only one bolt. Nothing
really special but it’s always nice to see what the manufacturers are able to do. Did you know also that THM has increased production capacity? The wait to receive a crankset  is
now down to 10 weeks and 6 weeks for the forks. More information here.

A new BTP bottle cage, still a prototype, was presented. They will be available in 2008 and will only weight 9g.

Last but not least, BTP presented new hoods. We recently presented them in our article about the Scott Addict SL 3.6kg bike. They are stronger with better grip and about 13.6g the
set.

You can find more information and pictures about the meeting here: Light-bikes.de

 
Le 17 octobre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Mondial du deux roues 2007 [en]

Let’s come back some minutes on the Mondial du deux roues 2007: the french bike and motorbike salon.
Most of the news were presented during the Eurobike. Thus, the french show has not been an extraordinary edition. Taken as a whole, we can realize two french companies took the best of this
show.

First of all: the wheels!

Corima

Corima updates its Winium. They now have full carbon hubs shells and a special 20 spokes pattern.
They have 12 drive side spokes and 8 non drive side spokes. It allows a better spoke tension balance on both sides of the wheel for more stability. The rims are made out of a 3K fiber, it seems
like Corima had a hard time to source this rim in 2007 and had to go to 12K. Now it’s over and the 3K fiber is back. The hubs gets this thin and beautiful weave too.
These flat rim wheels follow the Aero model range: they are called the Winium +.

The Tubeless model was presented too, rather discreet but well present. There are only a few changes from the clincher model: the rim is wider, its walls are reinforced to deal
with the extra stress the very stiff tubeless beads. Of course the tire bed is not drilled, this, to keep the air pressure. However, the spokes nipples are external, like the cyclo cross model.
One can then wonder how to drill only the interior of the rim, knowing the nipple has to be inserted by the external diameter!
The rim is probably normally drilled, built up, then an extra carbon layer is added as tire bed. Clever, but how to pull out the nipple if a spoke breaks…?
We are not yet really excited by the Tubeless for road racing. Although it might be a real advantage in term of puncture resistance against the tubulars or clinchers, the manufacturing
constraint force to make reinforced and heavier rims.
Beside this, the price isn’t fixed yet!

Girs

At Girs, they are innovating a lot this year! Do you have enough to buy several bikes according to the use? If so, you
will love the new G-Max. This frame allows an extra seatback setting beside the bottom bracket front and back adjustement. Whether you wish to be placed at the front of the bike, like for a
time trial for example, you can simply change the insert in the frame.

Here is the system, rather well thought and developped for the G-Max frame. A machinned insert is pressedin the frame. The « hole » can be placed anywhere on this insert. Thus, while inverting
the position of this insert, you already have two « crankset » position. With different sets of inserts, you can cover any configuration. A picture is always better than a long explanation:

Beside this insert system and the Twin Flex chainstays as on some frames of the range, the rear triangle, still in development, will probably receive an elastomer close to the seat tube
junction. This will increase the confort.

The G-Star is available in several versions: the first one including the fork, integrated seatpost and headset cost 1990 euros.

The G-Star Exclusif is somewhat a custom bike. The color can be choosen among a large spectrum, 2 top tube sizes and 3 diagonal tube sizes are available. Thus, the frame stiffness can be
adapted according to the rider size and his preferences.
The top tube is available in two sizes (37 and 48mm of diameter), the diagonal one in 3 sizes (37, 48 and 60mm of diameter). This frame kit costs 2690 euros.

Token
Token still follow the cheap components! They come from Asia and are very affordable for our happiness! One thing is sure, their components are not really new, they do not innovate but the
prices are so low that we would almost like to buy those twice!
Notice on the picture below the famous quick releases. Indeed those are the quick releases from m²racer, that closed its door the last year in June (see here). These titanium quick releases hit the scale with a mere 42g for a record price of 95euros! You will be able to find them in
the boutique soon!

Beside the skewers, another product brought our attention. It is a titanium/alloy cassette with ceramic coating to increase its life. The price is as attractive, moreover, the weight is as well
very low!

Specialites TA
Do you remember the Squale chainrings? (see this new) They are now available in several colors: black/gold/silver!

Le 11 octobre 2007 | dans Salons | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Interbike [2]

Voici une sélection des principales nouveautés qui ont fait fureur à Las Vegas lors de l’Interbike.
Nous tenons à remercier chaleureusement les sites suivants pour leurs photos:

– Fairwheelbikes
– PezCyclingnews

Ingenu propose de nouvelles manivelles de toute beauté. Baptisées « Myth« , ces manivelles sont innovantes dans le sens où les plateaux et
inserts sont séparés de la manivelle. Ceci permet de gagner en poids puisque l’ensemble sera sous les 400g, et  de conserver la rigidité élevée des manivelles, très massives. Deux versions
existent déjà: celle en carbone et celle en aluminium traditionnel. Le tarif est competitif avec le THM Clavicula.
Une version supplémentaire, en titane avec un Q-Factor « sur-mesure » est en cours de développement et approchera les 2500 dollars!
En ce qui concerne le look, nous trouvons l’ensemble plutôt attrayant. A vous de juger! La version carbone était installée sur un vélo RueGamer !

Topolino fabricant de roues, a présenté ses dernières nées. La course au gramme fait véritablement
des émules. Après les Lew et Lightweight, voici une autre paire qui descend sous les 800g!
Ces roues mettent en avant des jantes Reynolds KOM, le rayonnage et le moyeu spécifique à Topolino. Le moyeu est réalisé en deux parties: la moitié du corps associé à chaque flasque et ses rayons.
Gros avantage face à des Lightweight, sérieusement concurrencées ces temps-ci: pour 100 dollars, un flasque plus tous ses rayons peuvent être remplacés…! La paire frôle les 750g.

Nous vous laissons admirer un des plus beau projet 2007, réalisé par KGS:

Nous présenterons cette machine en détails dans les jours qui arrivent. Si vous avez 27000 dollars, vous pourrez vous l’offrir! 

Delta 7 et son cadre en fibre de carbone entrelacées à la main!!! Le concept est baptisé
« IsoTruss« , il apporte extrême résistance et rigidité grâce à sa structure ouverte! Comptez 300 heures de travail et 7000 dollars!

Le 7 octobre 2007 | dans Salons | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Interbike [2] en

Here is a selection of the main news that was all the rage at Las Vegas during the Interbike.
We warmly thank the following websites for their pictures:

– Fairwheelbikes
– PezCyclingnews

Ingenu offers beautiful new crank arms. Called « Myth« , these cranks are innovative because the chainrings and the spider are separated from
the arm itself. This allows a weight save: the component is sub 400g and it keeps the high stiffness of the oversized arms. Two prototype versions already hit the floor: a carbon one and an alloy
one.
The price is competitive with a THM Clavicula.
An extra version, made out of titanium and with a « custom » Q-Factor is on the way, this will be close to 2500 dollars!
About the look, we find it quite attractive. It’s up to you to judge. The carbon version were installed on a RueGamer bike!

Topolino, wheel manufacturer, unveiled its last baby! It seems like several companies want to play
the weight challenge. After Lew and Lightweight, Topolino have a sub 800g wheelset too!
These wheels feature Reynolds KOM rims, the Topolino specific spoking and hub. The hub is made out of two parts, which both are composed of half the hub plus a flange and its spokes. The big
advantage over the seriously threated Lightweight wheels, is the spoke remplacement. For 100 dollars, you can replace all the spokes plus half the hub of one side of the wheel…! The wheelset is
close to 750g.

Have fun, this is probably one of the most beautiful 2007 project. Realized by KGS:

We will present this machine in details in the following days. If you have 27000 dollars, you can afford it! 

Delta 7 has a frame whose carbon fibre are sprung and tied by hand!!! The concept is called
« IsoTruss« , it brings extrem resistance thanks to its opened structure! It’s about 300 hours of work and 7000 dollars!

Le 7 octobre 2007 | dans Salons | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

887g of aerodynamic

Custom handbuilt wheels have several advantages over serial production wheels. We can adapt the components to the wishes of the rider: for customize the stiffness, the resistance, the
inertia, the aesthetics but as well for the « price » and the « weight ». The big manufacturers can’t combine all these parameters, they rather focus on a balance. Custom wheels offer a
multitude of combinations to concentrate on many parameters, sometimes all of them.
Thus, this project nurtured over the technological breakthrough of the spare parts manufacturers.
Today, we are able to assemble a high profile wheelset which is sub 900g. This, with no real concession.

Technical choices

For the speed

To be performant, a wheel must be aero in order to cut the wind and slow us down as least as possible. A high profile rim, a few number of bladed spokes, at least for the front, and
hidden nipples are strongly advised.
During a race, a time trial, a cyclosportive or even while training, the rider sit on the saddle most of the time: the wheel stiffness is rarely caugh napping. That’s why it is highly
recommended to use a low front wheel spoke count. Indeed the front wheel is the most important in term of aero: it enters directly the air flow while the rear one is « protected » by the
frame and the pedaling motion of the rider. So we chose 16 spokes at the front and a tiny hub.
Still looking for the lowest drag and maximum speed, the frotn bracing angle was reduced to the minimum: the spokes head face the exterior of the wheel.

For the inertia

For snapping acceleration, the wheels need to be light, or rather, with a low inertia. The rotating mass has to be as low as possible. Light rims and tires are essential. Beside these two
components, the spokes nipples contribute to the wheel inertia and have to be made out of a light matertial. They are in aluminium.
Hitting two birds with one stone, the titanium spokes are light and bladed to reduce the inertia and the drag as much as possible!

For the stiffness

As mentionned in the paragraph « for the speed », we favoured the aero instead of the stiffness of the front wheel.
However, the rear wheel features several details, invisible for the novice, which contribute to optimize the lateral and torsionnal stiffness.
First, the hub features a special geometry with a high non drive side bracing angle. The distance between the two flanges is close to 65mm! The spoke tensions of both sides of the wheel
are less balanced but the stiffness is improved.
Second, the spokes cross each other but there is no contact. This, for two reasons: titanium spokes hate this and make a strident noise, the spoke angle leaving the hub is far better, it
reduces the stress and increases the bracing angle, synonym of stiffness.
Both sides of the wheel are two times crossed. The spokes are almost tangential to the hub which makes an excellent torque transfer.

For the bearing resistance

The bearing resistance is very important in the overall efficiency of the wheel. Here the hubs have very low friction bearings thanks to their single seal facing the exterior of the
wheel, where the dust usually enters.
Thus, installed on the bike, the wheels stop spinning after several pendulum motion. However their low inertia doesn’t help them for this…
The wheels are equipped with standard steel bearings. 688 for the front and 6803 for the rear.
With ceramic bearings, the efficiency would be even better.

 

The look
The wheels look classic, with their black/grey touches. They will match any bike with no problem. Originnaly, we thought about anodizing the spokes in blue. Finally, the discreet and
stealth looking of natural grey titanium spokes is better and give the best looking of the wheels. It won’t bring your adversories attention… until the first fatal acceleration!

The components
Front wheel
Rim: Lew Racing PRO-VT1 carbon/boron 16 holes 277g
Hub: Flanged M5 33g
Spokes: Pillar TB Aero 1422 bladed
Nipples: Aluminium hex poly-axis
Poids: 369g

Rear wheel
Rim: Lew Racing PRO-VT1 carbon/boron 20 holes 285g
Hub: Extralite UltraHubs SR 158g
Spokes: Pillar TB Aero 1422 bladed
Nipples: Aluminium hex poly-axis
Weight: 518g

Total: 887g

The price
These wheels are, in the presented version, 2156 euros. Compare to what the most prestigious manufacturers offer…
Extra pictures
Without flash
 
With flash

 

Le 30 septembre 2007 | dans Montages high-tech | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Interbike 2007, it’s ready

Interbike has opened its doors in Las Vegas. This show is similar to Eurobike in Germany but with some major differences in the brands showing their latest innovations.

Let’s start with the most important news in terms of advanced composites.

LEW

Although their booth is small, they have the lightest wheelset ever… it is 736.4g for the full boron set. Amazing! These jewels are yours to buy for
$US15,000
These wheels feature the rims we reviewed a couple of days
ago and the replaceable spokes. According to the manufacturer, those are not made just for show and are really rideable! If you don’t know about these wheels yet, have a look at this link.
There are some changes to the Pro VT1: while the standard version still weights 880g and retails for US$5995, you can upgrade to a Tune mechanism for an additional US$1000 and save 30g. This brings
the Shimano or Campagnolo wheelsets in at a mere 850g. This full boron carbon wheelset is equipped with the Tune body.

Here is the famous Storck Fascenario 0.7 frame Cycling Plus Magasine reviewed for October 2007.

We should have started by the booth but we thought the wheels themselves were more interesting!

nti_bug_fck

Le 26 septembre 2007 | dans Salons | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Corima – SRAM/ZIPP – Campagnolo [en]


Corima

First mondiale for Corima, they will unveil their Aero+ in tubeless version at the « Mondial du deux roues »! 
Although the tubeless is still marginal, it could get common in the future. Corima will be the first brand to offer a tubeless carbon rim, somewhat an experience guarantee in this domain for
the future. 

 

SRAM + ZIPP

It’s done, the rumours are confirmed, the giant american group SRAM acquired Zipp, wheels and components manufacturer since ages… After the purchase of Rock Shox, Avid et Truvativ, SRAM were
only missing the wheel domain.
The staff at Zipp will remain unchanged. More informations to come early in December.

 

 +  
Campagnolo

Do you remember the Campagnolo contest which was about designing the nicest 75th Anniversary Bora? The contest ended and the 10 nicest wheels have been chosen.

Vote your favourite Bora art! Boraart.campagnolo

Le 22 septembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lew Racing 2008

Lew racing makes the most advanced rims available. It’s
obvious. When they update them, you always wonder how they can possibly improve on them…
Here’s the good news for next year.

  • First, stiffness and strength of the PRO VT-1 rims is up 85% for 2008. This new product launch will be announced officially at Interbike. The rims, handmade in the
    USA, are able to withstand up to 65 pounds of lateral deflection against 30 pounds for the first version. According to Paul Lew, this improvement is thanks to
    advancements in their DEX-LCM technology. It allows them to achieve material properties that exceed typical laminate performance.
  •  
  • Secondly, rims are now available in 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 hole versions for full custom handmade wheels. Thus, the stiffness and durability of the wheel can match riders
    requirements exactly.
  •  
  • Thirdly, the rims now have a 2 year warranty against manufacturer’s defects or a 4 year ‘no question asked’ warranty for an additionnal $100USD.
  • Fourth, the rim drillings holes are now smaller for better resistance
  •  
  • Last but not least, the rims are now guaranteed sub 280g!

Now we’ve been through the headlines, let’s see if the finish of the rims – a weak point for previous versions – is better. We can confirm a marked aesthetic improvement : the rim and its
large logos are darker and glossier, discreet and very classy. This will please those who favour wheels with the stealth look! The wall flanges and the tubular bed are far nicer, it seems
like the fibres are better placed and the imperfections of the first versions have almost all gone.
Depending on lighting and viewing angle, the material texture logo is clearly visible or stealth. The new version is on the left below with the bigger logo.

Unexpectedly, the camera flash shows a few interesting things: it revealed the carbon/boron fibre. The visible fibre is very special. It doesn’t look like the normal unidirectional fibre.
It seems like the 2008 rims have some folds on the walls while the 2007 rims have homogeneous walls and folded tubular bed.
Actually, according to Paul Lew: « The skin appearance is unrelated to folded reinforcement.  Increased modulus induced through iontophoresis (a
component of the DEX-LCM Process) creates a high-density high, high-strentgh multi-dimensional geometic region in indentified regions of the rim requiring improved
performance.  This is a proprietary Lew Racing process which produces laminate performace similar to MWCNTs (multiwall carbon nanotube) technology. »  Obviously.


Click to enlarge (741kb)

The weight of the rim is definitely amazing. 268g for a 46mm deep rim in 24 holes mean the best weight/height ratio on the market! Normally such light rims
are fragile… this one resists up to 200kg of spoke tension and the resistance is certainly the highest according to the tests performed. We will present a couple of hand built wheels using these rims in a few
days to show you what these rims look like as complete wheels.

Two rims comes with a double wheelbag to hold the complete wheelset. It is very high quality, actually just like the rims. The center part has a high density foam to protect the hub axles
and there are pockets for tools on each side.


In conclusion, it seems like Lew Racing have pushed the limits even further. Now, we are able to build custom aero wheels for less than 880g… could we imagine this some years ago…? Stay
tuned, we have some 900/1000g handbuilt wheelsets to present soon.

Oh, did I forget something? The Lew Racing custom rim buildup program price has come down: $2495 USD against $2995USD. For those who are not aware of it, these are built with Tune
Mig70/Mag190 and Sapim Cx-ray, weighing around 980g a set..


Le 21 septembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lew Racing 2008 [fr]

Lew racing fabrique les jantes les plus abouties du marché, c’est évident. Quand ils les mettent à jour, on se
demande toujours où les améliorations ont pu être apportées…
Voici les bonnes nouvelles pour la nouvelle année.

  • – Premièrement, la résistance de la jante PRO VT-1 est augmentée de 85% pour 2008. Ceci sera effectif à l’Interbike. Les jantes, fabriquées aux Etats-Unis, sont capables de résister à
    une charge en torsion de 30kg contre 13,5kg pour la première version. Selon Paul Lew, cette amélioration a été possible grâce aux avancées réalisées sur leur technologie
    DEX-LCM. Ceci leur a permis d’obtenir des propriétés mécaniques de matériau supérieures à la résistance intrinsèque du laminé. Habituellement quand une pièce carbone casse, c’est la
    résine, plus fragile que la fibre de carbone, qui lâche. Ici, la résistance de « la colle » est supérieure…
  •  
  • – Deuxièmement, les jantes sont maintenant disponibles en 16, 20, 24, 28, 32 trous pour des roues montées à la main sur-mesure. Ainsi, la rigidité et la durabilité
    des roues peut être adaptée selon les souhaits du coureur.
  •  
  • – Troisièmement, les jantes ont une garantie de 2 ans contre les défauts constructeur ou une garantie de 4 ans « contre tout » pour 100$US.
  • – Quatrièmement, les perçages des jantes sont plus étroits pour une meilleure résistance et rigidité de la jante.
  •  
  • – Pour finir avec le plus intéressant, le poids des jantes est garantie sous les 280g!

Le ton est donné, voyons maintenant si la finition des jantes, point faible sur la première version, est améliorée.
En effet, les jantes sont mieux finies: elles sont plus sombres, les imperfections semblent avoir disparues et les fibres sont mieux placées, notamment au niveau du flanc de la jante et du
creux où l’on colle le boyau. Les logos sont plus gros, plus sombres, plus brillants et, au final, toujours aussi classes. Ce type de jante raviera les adeptes de composants discrets.
En fonction de la lumière, les logos sont clairement visibles ou invisibles. La dernière version est celle avec les plus gros logos, sur la gauche.

Les jantes Lew sont très difficiles à prendre en photo, elles réfléchissent la lumière ou semblent « l’absorber ». C’est pourquoi nous avons dû utiliser le flash pour certains clichés.
Alors que ce n’était pas prévu, le flash a permis de rendre visible les fibres sous jacentes, elles n’ont pas l’aspect traditionnel des fibres unidirectionelles et semblent placées
différemment. Des « plis » ou des « rosaces » apparaissent surle flanc de la jante.
En réalité, selon Paul Lew: « L’apparence en surface n’est pas relative aux reforts dans la jante. L’augmentation du module induite par une tâche du procédé DEX-LCM,
crée une région à très forte densité et très forte résistance dans de multiples directions, là où la jante en a besoin. C’est un procédé appartenant à Lew Racing, il produit des
performances de laminés similaires à la technologie MWCNTs (carbone nanotube multi couche).« 


Cliquez pour agrandir (741ko)

Le poids de la jante est incroyable. 268g pour une jante haute de 46mm en 24 trous est le meilleur rapport poids/hauteur du marché! La plupart du temps, de
telles jantes sont fragiles… celles ci résistent jusqu’à 200kg de tension et la résistance est certainement la meilleure du marché au vu des tests pratiqués. Nous
présenterons des montages utilisant ces jantes dans quelques jours. Vous pourrez ainsi voir en différentes versions à quoi ressemblent les roues complètes.

Une housse de roue double, pour la paire de roue, est fournie avec les deux jantes. Elles sont de très bonne qualité, à l’instar des jantes. La partie centrale bénéficie d’une mousse
haute densité pour protéger les axes des moyeux et des étuis des deux côtés permettent de placer des outils.


Il semble que Lew Racing aie poussé les limites encore plus loin. Nous serons capable de monter des roues à la carte, à jantes profilées, sous les 880g… aurions nous pu imaginer ceci il y
a quelques années? Restez sur le qui-vive, nous avons quelques roues artisanales aux alentours de 900g et 1000g à vous présenter bientôt.


Le 21 septembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Grammo Sonic [en]

This is what we call an outstanding wheelset.
Take quite standard 50mm carbon rims, oversized carbon hubs and carbon super bladed multi shaped spokes to get the most special set of wheels of the market.

They are called Sonic, from Grammo, an italian brand from new zealand. The engineers behind the wheels developed these weird spokes to improve the aerodynamic of
the wheels. And it seems like they are not wrong: the rim end of the spoke is more important than the hub tip because it spins faster. That’s why they designed a spoke that is 4.5mm round close to
the hub then reach the amazing size of 25mm width and 3mm thick! The very thin spoke-rim junction allows very small rim drillings to keep the rim stability and stiffness. With such spokes, the
stiffness should be very high too…

Would you dare to ask about servicing and truing the wheels? No problem, the spokes are actually attached to the rim through a standard hidden nipple.

In term of weight, the wheels are 1600g in tubular version. This is quite heavy but definitely fair for a time trial wheelset.
This wheelset is available in clincher or tubular version, Campagnolo or Shimano/Sram, and in 50mm rim depth. In the future, different rim depth versions will be offered too. They will carry the
same hubs.
The wheels presented in this article are prototypes but the definite version will be unveiled at the Interbike show very soon!

More info soon on: Grammo-bici

Le 19 septembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Grammo Sonic [fr]

Voici les roues les plus folles rencontrées depuis des années!
Prenez une jante carbone de 50mm, des moyeux carbone surdimensionnés et des rayons carbone très profilés et multi-formes pour obtenir les roues les plus spéciales du marché!

Elles sont baptisées Sonic, de chez Grammo, marque italienne d’origine néo-zélandaise. Les ingénieurs derrière ces roues ont développé des rayons aussi profilés
pour améliorer l’aérodynamisme de leurs roues. Et il semble qu’ils soient dans le vrai: le bout du rayon situé près de la jante est plus important que celui situé au niveau du moyeu car il tourne
plus vite. C’est pourquoi ils ont dessiné un rayon spécifique: rond d’un diamètre de 4,5mm près du moyeu, il atteint 25mm de large sur 3 d’épaisseur au niveau de la jante! La jonction jante/rayon
très petite permet des perçages de jante très étroits pour conserver la stabilité et la rigidité. Avec de tels rayons la rigidité devrait être excellente…

Les roues sont dévoilables et démontables comme n’importe quelle autre roue grâce aux écrous standard dans la jante.

En ce qui concerne la balance, ces roues font 1600g en version boyau. C’est assez lourd mais toujours correct pour des roues de contre-la-montre.
Ces roues sont disponibles en version pneu ou boyau, en Campagnolo ou Shimano/Sram, et, avec une jante de 50mm de hauteur. A l’avenir, d’autres jantes plus ou moins profilées seront proposées
aussi. Elles tourneront sur les mêmes moyeux.
Les roues présentées dans cet article sont des prototypes mais la version définitive sera présentée au salon américain Interbike très bientôt.

Plus d’info sur: Grammo-bici

Le 19 septembre 2007 | dans Nouveautés | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Lightweight Obermayer Generation 3 [en]

We bring you a special preview showing of the latest Lightweight Obermayer Generation 3 !
Unveiled at Eurobike in Germany earlier this month, we got a chance to see these new wheels before the trade opening!We’ll give you a detailed tour of the latest evolution of the legendary wheels that have helped dozens of pro riders to win.
Between the two first generations, the foam, which forms the skeleton of the rim, is different. The lighter foam in the Generation 2s is similar to the foam used for the wings of the Airbus A380.
See our article on the Generation 2s here .

Now, let’s look at the differences and improvements in the Generation 3s.

The spokes

Immediately visible, the spokes are now pure carbon. This definitely gives higher stiffness with tensile strength of 1,400kg versus 1,200kg for the hybrid spokes. When pulling two spokes together, one from each side of the wheel, they certainly don’t flex as much as the previous Kevlar/Carbon mix spokes.

We’re not sure about this, but Lightweight also claims impact resistance is up 25%.
These full carbon spokes remind us of those of the a certain French manufacturer. It seems life is getting tough in the high end wheels market.
Carbon-Sports claims a 30% increase in stiffness over the Generation 2 and 40% over the Generation 1 wheels. We will check this in testing…


Click to enlarge

The finish

Second important point: the finish!
While the previous versions were matte, these rims reflect the surroundings like a mirror! The finish is close to perfection.

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge

We were a little disappointed by the spokes on the Generation 2. Kevlar is very hard to work and tends to fuzz. Here, the spoke finish is much improved – we couldn’t spot any imperfections.
The internal part of the hub flanges are also a new carbon – woven and slightly exotic.
Lastly on the finish, the glue around the spoke/hub interface is now black where it previously had a more visible reddish tint.

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
The rotor

Third update on the wheels: the freewheel now only has four splines versus eight for the older versions. Tune, who manufacture the complete rear wheel hub mechanism, drew inspiration from competitors rotors and let Carbon-Sports benefit from this.
The bearings are the same as the Generation 2s: the front one is excellent, it takes hours to stop spinning! Without a doubt the best!
However, the rear one is still just as rough: hard to turn, its friction torque seems to be amongst the worse. This problem is caused by misalignment of the bearings which don’t fit the axle perfectly and the bearing bed in the carbon body. If the body was made out of alloy, the bearings would certainly be smoother. Even after a thousand kilometers breaking in, they remain as « tight ».
Actually, the problem is caused by the right end cap which is too pressed onto the axle and « crushes » the rotor bearing. To solve the problem, we disassembled the hub and used thinner washers between the rubber O seal of the end cap and the rotor bearing.
Anyway, some negotiations with DT Swiss are underway for their ratchet system and the ceramic bearings of the 190 hubs…



The weight

On the scales, our Generation 3s are 450g and 538g front and rear. 988g for the set in 16/20 spokes. We are definitely in the very very light weight category! Even though the
previous Generation 2 wheelset was only 922g in 12/20! The slightly higher weight is down to the higher spoke count and the finish.

Lightweight 2008

Taken as a whole, this new version of the Lightweight wheels is a real improvement. Higher stiffness and improved finish are the most important points. For the future, the Obermayer will get some of the prototypes Challenge 700 features as seen at Eurobike, the weight will be even lighter without losing any stiffness or strength.
In terms of the range, the Obermayer, tubular version, are still at the top. They are the lightest version and feature the Tune mechanism at the rear. They are followed by the Standard, tubular version again, with the internals of a DT Swiss 240s rear hub. Then, there are the Ventoux with low profile rim, available in two versions with Tune or DT Swiss rear hub.
As part of the 2008 range, an extra version has been unveiled. It is the deep profile rim Standard version, but for clincher this time. The weight is between 1080g and 1095g in 16/20 spokes, maximum tyre pressure is 8.5 bars and expect to pay €3400 when they’re available in March 2008.

Table summarizing the Lightweight wheels for 2008

Modele Rim depth Tubular/clincher Weight Spokes Price
Challenge 700 – prototype 53mm tubular 750 to 795g 12/20 not sold
Obermayer 53mm tubular 920g to 990g 12/20
16/20
20/20		 about 3700 euros
Standard 53mm tubular 1020g to 1090g 12/20
16/20
20/20		 about 2700 euros
Standard C 53mm clincher 1080g to 1095g 16/20 about 3400 euros
Ventoux Tune 27mm tubular 950g 20/24 about 3900 euros
Ventoux DT 27mm tubular 1020g 20/24 about 2900 euros
Le 18 septembre 2007 | dans Tests | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Shimano 7850 C24 and C50 TU

Here are the latest wheels of Shimano, available from this month. 7850 C24 TU and 7850 C50 TU are the model names. 7850
for the range: the newest generation of Dura-Ace, C24 or C50 for Carbon followed by the rim height in millimeter, and TU for tubular. These wheels follow the 7801 Carbon 50mm which hit the market
mid 2006. We presented these wheels in two articles mid 2005 and by the end of 2005.

So the 7850 are among the batch of wheels we will test with the help of Mavic and the french magasine L’Acheteur Cycliste. Let’s see in details what these wheels
features and what are their pros and cons.

For two years, Shimano has made its own carbon wheels. The first generation, as mentioned above, had a deep rim (then flatter rimmed wheels appeared) and the special nipple system around the hub.
The rear wheel had a special spoke pattern a la Ksyrium: radial spokes on the freewheel side and crossed spokes on the non-drive-side spokes. This gives more balanced spoke tension on both sides of
the wheel.
For 2008, the latest Shimano wheels use a more traditional pattern – two times crossed on both sides – and external nipples on the rim. As a standard wheel, the weight of the C24 TU wheelset is
1246g. The C50 TU set weights 1489g.

Click to enlarge
The rims

It seems Shimano focused on the finish of this part of the wheel. The carbon of the C24 TU rims is almost invisible, ok the rim is black but usually the carbon has some defects… here there
is no imperfection. The rim is almost as well finished as an anodized alluminium rim. Under some light angles, you can see the uni-directional fibre beautifully placed but it’s hard to spot. This
is a big plus point for Shimano and makes for superb looking rims, nicer than most of the competitors.
On the C50, the fibre is more visible because of the bigger side area. Some will like it and others not. We are not particular fans of very visible carbon fibre but prefer the discreet look of
these wheels.

Click to enlarge

The carbon joint is visible however. This is the only negative we can provide to balance the description.

In terms of construction, the C24 and C50 rims are hollow. Both the front and rear C50 rims are identical while the C24 are different. The front rim is symetrical, 28mm deep while the rear one is
asymetrical and 24mm deep. The asymetry is still quite rare on carbon rims and was first introduced with the Campagnolo Hyperon. Only a few manufacturers do this.  We can quote Mavic as the
first to introduce an asymetrical carbon deep rim with the Cosmic Carbone Ultimate.
The asymmetry increases the drive side bracing angle and reduces it on the opposite side to improve balance and allow a better spoke tension balance on the rear wheel. On a rear C24, the asymetry
is 3mm.

Click to enlarge


Click to enlarge

The C24 rim weight is close to 310g, Shimano claims. Thus, the C50 should be close to 430g after a simple calculation taking into account the similar spokes and hubs.
The rims sides are very stiff, unlike Zipp rims for example. This bodes well for the wheel stiffness. Labs tests will give us some proper data to verify this.
The tubular bed reveals a very poor finish, which is certainly due to the manufacturing process. This reminds us of the Lew Racing Pro VT1 rims, probably due to similarities between manufacturing
processes. Once the first layer of glue is applied, those defects will be invisible, so we will not comment on this further.

The spokes

The hubs have also been updated for 2008. A different spoking pattern comes with a new hub, at least for the biggest manufacturers. The new hubs’ shape has been designed to deal with straight
pull spokes (the spoke is not bent).

The flange width is high at 59mm, which is important for stiffness. Coupled with the rim asymetry, this will certainly give a particularly stiff wheel. For comparison, the distance between the
flanges of a Tune Mag190 is 57mm, on the Lightweight: 58mm and on the mavic CCU: 55mm (+ asymetry). The rear hub also receives a new rotor, entirely made out of titanium and compatible with 8s,
9s and 10s cassettes. The splines to position the cassette are lightened, actually each spline is divided in 2 smaller splines. This kind of machinning was originally featured on the DT190
Ceramic hub.

A new faster freewheel engagement has been developed too. Some ocassional irregular and unwanted noise and friction seemed to slow down spinning of the wheels but they may just need breaking
in.
Shimano claims these new rear hubs have 400% better seals than the previous model. It’s hard to tell because the rear hub bearing actually spins better than the front one. Usually it’s the other
way round because the rear wheel has the rotor that causes extra friction. Again we will see after the breaking in period.
These hubs feature the legendary system with cups and balls, they are very easy to set and very fluid after a few hundred kilometers.

Click to enlarge


Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
 
 

The spokes

About the spokes, as mentioned above, they are radial for the front wheel and crossed on both sides of the rear wheel. They are crossed but there is no contact between spokes. This allows the
spoke to take the perfect line and improves the bracing angle.
The dimensions are exactly the same as Sapim Cx-ray or DT Aerolite.

The nipples are aluminium and… are red! This is a nice touch of exotism from Shimano. Even though the red is only used here, it’s a nice touch.

Click to enlarge
The kit

The kit provided with each wheelset included everything we needed to use them:
 – quick releases
 – carbon Shimano brake pads plus pad holder bolts
 – magnet
 – a valve extender
 – seals to prevent the periodic ‘tic-tic » noise when the wheels spin
 – spoke keys

Click to enlarge
In short…

These wheels, 2008 model, seem to be pretty good on all aspects: finish, integration of each component of the wheel, look and weight, at least for the C24. The C50 is a little heavy versus
competitors. Of course, it hasn’t been designed for the mountains to but the 430g rim is a bit heavy compared with the Zipp 404 rims for example (390g). A heavy rim will maintain speed better
on the flat however.

Here are two tables summarizing the competitors of these wheels:

Direct Shimano C24 TU competitors
Model Rim height
 		Weight
Shimano 7850 C24 TU 28/24mm 1246g (real)
Shimano 7801 Carbone (until 2007) 28/24mm 1325g (real)
Campagnolo Hyperon 19/21mm 1220g (claimed)
Corima Winium 21mm 1295g (claimed)
Speedcomposites 25mm de 970g à 1090g
Zipp 202 (model 2007) 25mm 1090g (claimed)
Lightweight Ventoux DT 27mm 1020g (claimed)
Reynolds KOM 23mm 1063g (claimed)

Direct Shimano C50 TU competitors
Modèle Hauteur de jante Poids
Shimano 7850 C50 TU 50mm 1489g (real)
Shimano 7801 Carbone 50 (until 2007) 50mm 1525g (real)
Campagnolo Bora Ultra 50mm 1305g (claimed)
Corima Medium 45mm 1330g (claimed)
Zipp 404 58mm 1252g (claimed)
Lightweight Standard 53mm 1060g à 1090g (claimed)
Reynolds DV46T 46mm 1315g (claimed)
Easton Tempest 2 Carbon 56mm 1265g (claimed)

 

Le 13 septembre 2007 | dans Tests | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Cassettes [en]

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We trust the following brands for our cassettes:

 

 		 

 





Tune Rasselbande 10v



Features:

 * Cassette made out of titanium TiAl6V4 CNC machinned
 * Ceramic spacers
 * 140g in 11-23
 * available in 11-23 and 12-25
 * Shimano or Campagnolo

Comments:
 * The best price/lenght of life/weight ratio of the market!
 * One of the lightest cassette

€295,00

KCNC 10v




Features:

 * Cogs made out of different materials according to the torque they have to deal with:
    – the two smallest in titanium
    – the four intermediaries in scandium
    – the four biggest in hard anodized aluminium
 * 115g in 11-23
 * available in 11-21, 11-23, 12-25 and 12-26 for Campa
    or 11-23, 12-25, 12-27 for Shimano
 * Version Shimano or Campagnolo

Comment:

 

  * available soon
 * the lightest cassette

 

  * KMC chains recommended

price soon

 

SRAM Red 1090




Features

 * Heat treated steel
 * One piece hollow construction: PowerDome Technology
 * OpenGlide technologie for quick and accurate shifting: tooth are removed from the cogs
 * 155g in 11-23
 * available in 11-23 et 11-26

 

Comments:

 


* The PowerDome technology allow a very light cassette while keeping durable and resistant steel cogs
 * Recommanded chain: SRAM PC1090R, PC1090 et PC1070
 * The lightest steel cassette!
 * Allow the compatibility between Campagnolo shifters and a Shimano freewheel
 * Among the world’s lightest cassette

price soon


 

SRAM Force 1070



Particularités:

 * Heat treated steel
 * OpenGlide technologie for quick and accurate shifting: tooth are removed from the cogs
 * 210g in 11-23
 * available in 11-23, 12-25, 12-26

Comments:
 * Recommanded chain: SRAM PC1090R, PC1090 et PC1070
  * Allow the compatibility between Campagnolo shifters and a Shimano freewheel

€95,00

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Le 12 septembre 2007 | Laisser un commentaire
 
 

Hubs

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We trust the following brands for our high-quality wheelbuilds:



   

 
 


                        


Dt190 Ceramic, front hub


Features:

* Shell: Aluminium
* Axe: Aluminium, 17mm of diameter
* Perçages: 20-24-28-32
* Roulements: Cartridge hybrid ceramic bearings 6803
* Poids: 105g
* Coloris: Black with white sticker

Comment:
* for radial lacing

€323,90




Dt190 Ceramic, rear hub


Features:

* Sheel: Aluminium
* Axe: Aluminium, 15mm of diameter
* Rotor: Aluminium with enlightened splines, enlightened and reworked ratchet engagement system
* Drillings: 24-28-32
* Bearings: Cartridge ceramic hybrid bearings 6802, 6902 and 6702
* Weight: 190g
* Color: Black with white sticker

€593,90

Dt240s radial, front hub


Features:

* Shell: Aluminium
* Axle: Aluminium, 17mm of diameter
* Drillings: 20-24-28-32
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6803 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 108g
* Colors: Black with red sticker

Comments:
* For radial lacing

€129,00

Dt240s, front hub


Features:

* Shell: Aluminium
* Axle: Aluminium, 15mm of diameter
* Drillings: 28-32
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6802 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 96g
* Colors: Black with red sticker

€135,45

Dt240s, rear hub


Features:

* Shell: Aluminium
* Axe: Aluminium, 15mm of diameter
* Rotor: Aluminium, patented ratchet engagement system
* Drillings: 24-28-32
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6902 and 6802 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 220g
* Color: Black with red sticker

€279,00

Extralite Ultra Front SX, front hub


Hubs:

* Shell: Aluminium 7075 Tx CNC machinned, self-alignement flanges
* Axle: Aluminium 7075, 12mm of diameter
* Drillings: 16, 20, 24
* Bearings: 6801 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 49g

Comments:
* The micro-tuner allows an easy and quick bearing preload adjustment, no-tools required.
* Flanges receive a special treatment to handle radial lacing stress.
* To minimize torsional static forces flanges self-align under spoke lacing tension.
* Option Extralite Ultra Front SP for straight pull spokes: 49g and 149 euros

€149,00

Extralite Ultra RearSR, rear hub


Features:

* Shell: CNC machinned aluminium 7075 Tx, grade 5 titanium
* Axle: Aluminium 7075, oversized and muti-shaped: from 17 to 20mm of diameter
* Rotor: Aluminium 7075, titanium engagement system, 3 pawls
* Drillings: 20-24-28-28
* Bearings: 6803 RS and 6804 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 158g
* Colors: Black

Comments:
* The micro-tuner allows a bearing preload adjustment.
* Easy and quick for a smooth functionning without play, it doesn’t require any tool.
* The rear Extralite hub is the lightest available!
* Option Extralite Ultra Rear SP for straight pull spokes: 153g and 389 euros

€349,00

Powertap PRO


Features:

* Shell: Aluminium and carbone
* Axle: Steel, 12mm of diameter
* Drillings: 24-28-32
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6901 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 567g
* Colors: Silver/Carbon

Comments:

* The lowest cost powermeter
* Display and records: power, cadence, speed, torque, hearth rate, ride distance… 15 hours of recording with 1 second recording
* Unlimited intervals
* Error margin: +/-1,5%

€899,00

Powertap SL


Features:

* Shell: Aluminium and carbone
* Axle: Aluminium, 12mm of diameter
* Drillings: 24-28-32
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6901 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 416g
* Colors: Silver/Carbon

Comments:

* The light version of the powermeter
* Display and records: power, cadence, speed, torque, hearth rate, ride distance… 15 hours of recording with 1 second recording
* Unlimited intervals
* Error margin: +/-1,5%

€1199,00

Powertap SL 2.4


Features:

* Shell: Aluminium and carbone
* Axle: Aluminium, 12mm of diameter
* Drillings: 24-28-32
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6901 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 416g
* Colors: Silver/Carbon

Comments:

* The light and wireless version of the powermeter
* The wireless transmission from the hub to the comptuter is coded: 2.4 Ghz
* Display and records: power, cadence, speed, torque, hearth rate, ride distance… 15 hours of recording with 1 second recording
* Unlimited intervals
* Error margin: +/-1,5%

€1499,00

Tune Mig70, front hub



Features:

* Shell: CNC machinned aluminium 7075 T6, auto-alignement flanges
* Axle: CNC machinned aluminium 7075 T6, 15mm of diameter
* Drillings: 16-18-20-24-28-32
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6802 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 75g
* Colors: Black-Red-Silver-Gold-Blue-Green,Purple, White, Orange, combinations (flanges-central body) available on order

€129,00, all colors except white which is 142,00 euros


Tune Mig45, front hub


Features:

* Shell: CNC machinned aluminium 7075 T6 center, auto-alignement carbon reinforced flanges
* Axle: High modulus strain oriented carbon fibre, 15mm of diameter
* Drillings: 16-18-20-24-28
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6802 RS (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 45g
* Colors: Black-Gold-Red

Comments:
* Difficult availability

€209,00

Tune Mag180, rear hub

Features:



* Shell: CNC machinned aluminium 7075 T6
* Axle: CNC machinned aluminium 7075 T6, 15mm of diameter
* Rotor: Aluminium 7075 T6, hardened titanium TiAl6V4 engagement system, 36 teeth, 3 pawls
* Drillings: 16-20-24-28-32-36
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6802 RS, 6902 RS and Tune XOT (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 190g
* Colors: Black-Red-Silver-Gold-Blue-Green,Purple, White, Orange

€289,00, all colors except white which is 299,00 euros

Tune Mag160, rear hub



Features:

* Shell: CNC machinned aluminium 7075 T6
* Axle: High modulus strain oriented carbon fibre, 15mm of diameter
* Rotor: Aluminium 7075 T6, hardened titanium TiAl6V4 engagement system, 36 teeth, 3 pawls
* Drillings: 16-20-24-28-32-36
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6802 RS, 6902 RS and Tune XOT (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 168g
* Colors: Black-Red-Silver-Gold-Blue

€429,00


Tune Mag150, rear hub


Features:

* Shell: CNC machinned aluminium 7075 T6 reworked by hand to save weight, flanges reinforced with carbon fibre for higher resistance and weight save
* Axle: High modulus strain oriented carbon fibre, 15mm of diameter
* Rotor: Aluminium 7075 T6, hardened titanium TiAl6V4 engagement system, 36 teeth, 3 pawls
* Drillings: 16-20-24-28
* Bearings: Cartridge bearings 6802 RS, 6902 RS and Tune XOT (RS: rubber seal)
* Weight: 157g
* Colors: Black-Gold, other colors on order

Comments:
* Difficult availability

€599,00
i_bug_fck

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Le 9 septembre 2007 | Laisser un commentaire