El Cyclista

09.20.09

The 2010 Look 595

This is the new 2010 Look 595 Ultra unveiled at Eurobike. The frame looks very similar to the 2009 model, and what the Cofidis team is currently riding. The real shame is that they seem to have changed the frame graphics. One of the things I always liked about Look frames were the bold decals on the seat tube and the downtube (they were also one of the first to start the current trend of white bikes). What I find odd is why they changed the logo!  Unfortunately messing with the graphics like this makes it appear like it is not an original – it looks like a Look, (no pun intended) but feels like a knock-off. I am always mystified when brands do this. They invest a lot of time and money in their identity (and then there is the immeasurable brand equity that consumers are familiar with), and then for what appears to be no real reason they change it, to “freshen things up.” NEVER underestimate the power of a font and a swoosh.

09.19.09

The Companions Of Song

Just who were Les Compagnons de la Chanson? (Translation: The Companions Of Song). A band of hardened pros from Brittany? A grupetto of climbing angels from Briançon? Alas no. They were a bunch of singers who thought it would be fun to dress up in cycling kit to sing the theme song from the Guns of Navarone (actually a really good war film). Ah the French, you have to love their sense of adventure. Their biography quotes: “For forty years (1941-1983) the Compagnons de la Chanson achieved international and popular success with a discreet and classic repertoire, even a bit old fashioned, thanks to rigorous professionalism. Always happy and smiling, they delighted several generations of followers.” I wonder if they played the garden? Now something tells me this “rigorous professionalism” was not on the bike. This particular song was called The March of Angels and leads me to wonder why they had international success. Nice kits though. Almost Raphaesque in their simplicity and no doubt a bunch of borrowed bikes from the local club de velo. A friend of mine bought this for me when we were in Cannes this year at the advertising festival thinking they were some sort of performing cycling team that were singing their way around the Tour. Now that would be funny.

09.18.09

Milani at Eurobike 2010

I have been watching the posts coming out of Eurobike every morning waiting to be blown away. So far, and I don’t know if the economy has taken it’s toll, I haven’t seen that much yet that has made me sit up. Until now. I first came across the new Milani 2010 range on the Bike Radar videos, being introduced by Mr Milani himself. Then I tracked down these shots on an Italian blog called amore-per-la-bicicletta. They look stunning. The top frame is the  hand made carbon Specialissima, with a beautiful paint job. The bottom frame gets back to their roots, and is a TIG welded steel frame called the Aacciaio Puro (Pure Steel). Nice modern decals and understated paint. Would love to see these frames in the US. Anyone know if they are going to be at Interbike?

09.17.09

Coffee Stops

A gorgeous old Garamon at The Victory in Brooklyn, a very fast looking Ridley Noah at The Spoon in Nyack and a Montecci also at The Spoon, which I had never seen before.

The 2010 Cannondale Super Six

I didn’t have much exposure to Cannondale growing up and when I did it tended to be like the bike below – which as my local frame builder Tommy Donaldson said, “looks a bit odd.” Although I did make a serious effort to find one in New York after seeing Simioni’s 2003 Giro win – the days before Carbon was affordable. The chain gangs and races around the New York scene have a very good representation of the Cannondale brand. A sign of a very solid race bike, suited to this type of racing, for a very good price. The next generation that the current Liquigas team are riding are fast becoming objects of desire. We are all talking about them out on our rides. It is a frame that has had some serious rider input. Probably the biggest changes to the frame are in headset design, which by all reports has made the bike incredibly responsive and easy to control. They also focused on increasing the power transfer largely through the asymmetrical chainstays, which are taller on the drive side and wider on the non-drive side by 9mm. Cannondale even got the paint right this time and eased off on the “acid” green of the team kit (who chose that as a kit color – good god!). I am also happy to still see a seat post on the frame. There is something about sawing a piece of frame off (the integrated seat post worry) that just makes me nervous. Packing my bike down and arriving in France to find the seat post snapped off would be a terrible way to start a trip. The days are counting to see who will get the first team replica in the local peleton…..

What is going on with that rear triangle? The 1989 SR800

09.16.09

Bad Day At The Races

Riders today really are spoiled. Air conditioned buses with showers and coffee machines. Radios back to team cars to get everything from a fresh sandwich, to a rain coat and live TV of who is up the road. PLUS a car full of new bikes and wheels. This poor guy, Giusto Cerutti in the 1926 Tour De France fell under the “No help” rule, where basically riders had to get to the finish line under their own steam, and not accept any help from his team or the public. Crazy no? No doubt the rough road surface broke a wheel, lost a tyre, crashed and gashed his leg, only to pick himself up and walk to the finish so he could start the next day. Very Pro.

09.13.09

The Fusion Jacket by Gore

The winter is a coming! As my friend Thomas pointed out on today’s ride, in the Catskills that could be 6″ of snow in mid-October. I heard a quote once from some old-school, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year rider saying, “There is no such thing as inclement weather, just inappropriate attire.” This jacket should see you through. This year’s version (‘09) should be hitting the US around the end of September just in time for the wet and mushy season. This is an expensive jacket (will probably retail for around $350-$400), but it is a feature-laden, bomb-proof shell. It mixes three layers of the tried and tested GORE-TEX fabrics in a very slim-fitting design. Every seam is laser sealed, which for most cyclists would mean “OVERHEATING!” – but the GORE-TEX fabrics are known to be incredibly breathable, and that coupled with ventilation slits under the sleeves and another vent on the back will ensure temperature regulation. The rest of the features have all come with rider input, Zig tags for easy opening, pre-shaped elbows, a fold-away shirt tail and an adjustable hem. The printed stripes on the front are reflective and the jacket also has a stowaway hood that fits under your helmet. Although it would have to be seriously tipping down to actually do that. Put the hood under your helmet. I mean really. Appearances and all…. The nice thing about the jacket is that it looks like something you might also wear off the bike. Which would be nice for a change.

09.12.09

Elcyclista kit designed and ready to go

It has been a while in the oven, but the design is ready to send to production. We just have to finalize the numbers and we will place the order this week. The Pink: A homage to Italy and our favorite rider Fausto Coppi. Black on the bottom of the jersey for the east coast weather conditions we get for pretty much two thirds of the year, which encourages spray, lots of spray. White jersey top: To reflect the sun from the other third of the year (or in the case of 2009, August). If anybody wants a set let us know – we are going to give some sets away for some “free advertising”.

09.10.09

Hufnagel Cycles

I love a nice paint job. I have a love of the muted color palette. Greys, browns, flat blues……love them. Those colors mixed with a hot pink, or a vivid green, or orange – you can’t mess up. So I love the bikes of frame-builder Jordan Hufnagel. He is one of the many great boutique builders based in the Portland area working with steel. Check out some of his builds and marvel at his silky skills with paint. Beautiful. He also has one of the nicest decals I have seen, especially when used on the back of the down tube. Amazing things happen when craft and taste come together.

Free parking in bike lanes

Being a rider in NYC is very interesting. I guess you acclimatize to the disrespect for your riding space really quickly and you only realize it when you go to Europe and you see how much respect is given. The media lately has had a lot of “drivers” bitching about how cyclists flaunt the rules and have everything they get coming to them – including getting knocked off and hospitalized (for breaking a light?). Alas not what prompted me to write the post. Rules are put out there to keep us in check and mostly safe. Ironically they really only work if we ALL abide by them. And that means ALL of the rules ALL of the time. You don’t really get to pick and choose what ones you decide you are going to follow and ignore, and then point the finger when someone breaks a rule that you think THEY should follow. That is called being unreasonable. In fact some countries might call that a dictatorship. So look again at the photo above and consider this: how can you respect any rule that is not followed by the people that put them in place and are supposed to enforce them. Not only is the silver car parked in a bike lane on an intersection – three Police vans pulled by him and parked in front. So what happens when the cyclist rolls through the red light? nothing (by the way the opposite side of the street has a 200 space parking lot – but I guess the bike lane is free right? and who is going to say something anyway?) I would happily stop at EVERY red light if I thought I wasn’t the only one following the rules, and I actually saw car free bike lanes.