I would have braved the cold up here in the Catskills to get out for a ride, but the snow and ice? That would be ice covered roads with 2 inches of pow wow on top. Can’t walk on them, let alone ride. Another day on the trainer, but at least looking out at this made it a bit easier. Happy new year! and all the best for 2010. May you climb like a Contador and roll like a Cancellara.
CATEGORIES: From The Saddle
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Not the lightest bikes, or the most expensive bike of the decade, but ones that made me want to rush out and buy them. Bikes that on first sighting people talked about, but more importantly still do. Ten would have made it easy. So in no particular order, a Canadian, an American, a Swiss, a French and a Belgian (what! no Italians? and I own a Colnago….)
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1. The Cervelo Soloist SLC / Team CSC
There was a lot of buzz around the mechanics’ area on the evening of May 25th at the 2006 Giro. Cervelo had already started to make a name for themselves as a technology-forward company, and had already brought some pretty impressive prototypes to Europe, and delivered some great results on board to back them up. So when the rumors started that a new superbike, the SR71 prototype, was coming, everyone wanted a look. The new frame was a combination of the already successful R2.5 and the Soloist. The frame was introduced into the line to balance the R2.5 climber’s frame with a frame that would be lighter than the Soloist, be suitable for Classics, and roll on the flats for riders like Jens, Fabian and Stuey. It was a frame that was fundamentally different from anything that was already out there, and had more in common with its sister time trial frame than any other road frame. Rider feedback said it all – “I just ride faster on it.” (Note: Those are the legs of Kurt Asle Arvesen on the Champs-Élysées at the end of a 3-week Tour, as he asked me if I wanted him to smile for the camera – “more interested in your legs Kurt.”)
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2. The Cannondale CAAD7 Prototype / Team Saeco Cannondale
When Simoni was on top of his game he got to demand whatever he wanted. Back in the days when the UCI were still playing around with the idea of weight limits, Simoni demanded the lightest frame he could have to tackle the 2003 Giro. Aluminum was still the choix du jour and Cannondale’s Optimo tubing was the best you could get. They built him up a small frame using their new proprietary Alcoa aluminum tubing with oversized diameters for strength, and it was finished off with no paint or clear coat. The bike he rode in the 2003 Giro would eventually become the CAAD 7 Optimo road frame. Also notice the Fizik saddle (which they kept a cover over for most of the tour), the first time that saddle was seen, and the SI Hollowgram cranks (with a 38 X 28 ratio to get over the Zoncolan). There was a lot of goodness on this bike that is still around today.
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3. The BMC Pro Machine SLC01 / Team Phonak and BMC
It has to be said, in pictures this frame never really did it for me, but man when you see this thing in the flesh you really start to appreciate the design and engineering that went into it. The tubing shapes, skeleton rear end and the angles make it feel architectural. It was the first bike I saw with a completely flat top tube and tubes that flipped shape and dimensions as they ran down the length of the bike. The only thing that isn’t carbon on the frame is the bottom bracket casing. Coupled with beautiful and minimal Swiss graphics and a paint design that perfectly picks out the lines of the frame, this is a bike to remember. The other nice touch was the mix between matte and gloss finishes, with the gloss only being added to the paint areas, making the white on the front end and bottom bracket area really shine. One thing that I would rather forget is the wonderful tagline found in the Swiss edition of their 2009 product catalogue: “It is 100% seduction, where the high pulse is yours for free“, indeed.
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4. The Look 595 / Team Crédit Agricole
Not the first white bike we ever saw, but the one that triggered the current trend. Just when everything was getting to the point of, “no paint please, it is carbon and I must show it to the world”, Look covered the whole frame in white paint. Lovely. Not only that, they dispensed with the seat post as well, and decided to make it part of the frame, something they had been doing on their track frames for awhile. Look claims that it was the first frame to use Nano Tube technology, and this coupled with them being experts in lugged construction made this if not one of the lightest frames (just over 1000 grams uncut, but then you don’t need a seatpost), certainly one of the most solid. Also at a time when tubing was getting larger and more shaped, they kept the design refreshingly simple with a slightly elliptical top tube and boxed seat tube, producing a bike that looks pretty timeless and sophisticated. There is a rumor that Thor refused to give his up when he moved to Cervelo, and has a couple in his garage. That I can believe.
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5. The Eddy Merckx Team SC / Team Lotto and Domo Frites
The only frame that Bicycling magazine ever gave a perfect score. A phenomenal all-around race frame with wins in the cobbled classics with Johan Museeuw and Van Petegam on board, to mountaintop finishes in the Alps with Richard Virenque. The design leaves a lot of clearance up front for the different tire and rim options for the classics, and a longer top tube (by 1cm) than the seat tube makes handling on the “rough” surfaces of Northern Europe a lot easier. I have seen a build of this frame with Campy record and Zipp 202 wheels that came in at 6KG/13.2lbs, which is light enough for anyone (although some of the carbon parts would probably not survive a racing season). This frame is now in the realm of being collectible.
1. Denis Menchov falling, getting up, and going on to win the the final time trial and the overall at the Giro. Every Italian watching him was willing him to hit the deck on the wet streets of Milan, and give Di Luca the only chance he had for victory. What was amazing was that while Menchov was sliding along the street he was still trying to grab his bike and get back up. He crossed the line with time to spare, and the Ice Man melted to reveal a fist-pumping crazy horse hero! Emotion rarely seen at the end of a bike race.
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2. The Milan San Remo finish. I was screaming at the TV and I didn’t know for which rider. Cav got himself over the Poggio with the help of George, and into the final mix. Haussler came up the line so fast no one could take his wheel, and he went seven lengths clear. It wasn’t the final throw for the line, which is being called the sprint of the decade and a win that came down to millimeters, that was incredible, but the scenes after the riders crossed the line. We have access in our sport to the athletes in the moment of victory, or in this case crushing defeat, that no other sport can deliver. The shot above is Heinrich Haussler lying on the ground after finding out he has lost MSR by 1cm. Crushed.
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3. Ireland had waited 17 years for another Grand Tour stage win, and it came on a shitty Irish weather day. Philip Deignan refused Roman Kreuziger’s supposed offer of money in the last 2km to give up the win on stage 18 of the Vuelta. His response, “get stuffed”, and a killer sprint to take the win.
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4. Jens Voigt’s crash on the descent of the Petit-Saint-Bernard. I had tears in my eyes. It didn’t look good. I hate to see riders wipe out like that, but you know when Jens Voigt stays down it is going to be serious. We all know how hard a rider he is, so when he doesn’t get up……I will be looking forward to his comeback this year, because this is not how a rider of his caliber should leave the sport.
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5. Bradley Wiggins did what we all hoped he would do. Took that superior speed and engine from the track to the road, and turned himself into a serious GC rider. Watching him on The Ventoux bury himself to hold his position on the overall was what this sport is all about. Absolutely buried himself, one of the rides of the year. Now let’s go one better in 2010.
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6. Johnny Hoogerland of Vacansoleil. The beauty of a wildcard slot is that a team and its riders know that this might be the best and only chance for them to make a name for themselves. Get noticed in the public eye. Impress the sponsors and make them want to keep investing. Every break that went up the road in the Veulta seemed to have the name Johnny Hoogerland on the screen. It was amazing to see him hang on the back of the break on Stage 21 and just gut it out. This guy is value for money and never gives in. A Pro Tour team has to pick him up? A fans’ rider. The sort of guy you want to ride up to Nyack with on Sunday.
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7. Heinrich Haussler on Stage 13 of the Tour. The riders were greeted by a wet and miserable day, one made for Mr. Haussler, who openly admits to loving to race in these conditions. He went away early on the roads he trains on and eventually rode Sylvain Chavanel off his wheel (not an easy thing to do) on a descent to finish by himself with a 4-minute gap and a break that lasted for 197km. On crossing the line, it was obvious what the victory meant to him. The biggest win of his career, and a little bit of make-up for coming so close at MSR. A rider not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve (well, arm warmers then). Love this rider.
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8. A sprinter steals the headlines on the Queen mountain stage of the Tour. Thor Hushovd, spurred on by the big-mouth comments of Mark Cavendish, went off the front on a very tricky descent, to show that it takes more than big thighs and an attitude to win the Green Jersey. It was strange to see the Green Jersey lead the field over two Cat 1 climbs and a Cat 2, holding time, then using his amazing bike handling skills to gain more time going downhill. Green Jersey in the bag, “unstained”, thank you very much. An amazing solo effort, a classy rider and a gent.
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9. Wait, Valverde is on the start list? Banned from the Giro. Banned from the Tour. Well, I guess you get to ride your home Tour, right? Valverde gets to ride the Vuelta and is gifted it by a messed-up wheel change for Cadel Evans. Now that is a tainted win. All but 23 seconds of his winning margin were gained on that wheel change. No gentleman’s rules here, Basso and Valverde go straight to the front and hammer it on the descent to gain as much time as possible on Evans. Well that is one way to kill off your biggest threat. That look that Cadel gave to the camera, “Man! Do you #@*%ing believe this shit”. No Cadel ,we don’t, but the World’s helped us get over it a little bit. Now just what was the nationality of that neutral service mechanic, and is he still employed?
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10. Russell Downing winning the Tour Of Ireland. A rider who I have watched for years and seen never really get the recognition or chances he deserves. Well this year sees the new British Sky Pro Tour team began, and if there was ever going to be a chance for him to move up, this was it. But to do that he had to earn it, he needed a big result against a quality field. Even a Saxo Bank or Columbia B-Team would be considered serious competition in most races, but there was no B-Team in the Tour Of Ireland. Downing didn’t really have a team of his own to protect him, which meant this win was that bit even more impressive. Using his head, legs and bike handling skills he killed them all off on St Patricks hill in Cork, in terrilble conditions. On a day when most of the “names” pulled out due to the weather, or partying too hard with U2 in Glasgow.
Whilst our Sunday ride was canceled due to 14 inches of snow, Stefan in San Miguel, Spain, was out giving his bike a “wash”. I just got these great shots from him taking his kit out for an inaugural ride around a soggy Spanish countryside. We are lucky enough to have Stefan be a regular reader, as he is also a pretty amazing photographer (check out his work, http://www.stefan-rohner.net/blog/). He said the kit held up well and the mud came out on washing. 
Also check out his winter ride below, a beautiful Speedvagon from Vanilla Bikes of Portland, Oregon. (Photos: © Carina Berlingeri)
CATEGORIES: Classic Jerseys, Kit
COMMENTS (6)
Walking around in Vevey, Switzerland, I saw a rider coming down the street in 23-degree temperatures, so I naturally thought, “serious.” He was riding a brand I had never seen before called Rivette. The company is based in Denmark and do all of the frame and paint work in-house. They seem to be better known for their MTB frames, but make this gorgeous aluminum frame, the R6 (which this guy was riding). The frame is coupled with their own R6 monocoque fork and Rivette headset. For an aluminum frame it isn’t cheap at 1598eu (about $2278), but there is a lot of craftsmanship and a really nice paint job for the price. Their name is inspired by one my favorite cycling terms, “on the rivet” (in my case going as fast as I can, without pulling a Pluto face), and I love their comment, “if you only want a bike to park in front of the coffee shop, buy an Italian frame.” Cheeky.
Photos by Rivette Bikes
CATEGORIES: Rides
COMMENTS (1)
I was recently introduced to Mike Spriggs of Gage & Desoto, based here in New York. I have been a fan of their t-shirts for a while, so it was nice to make a connection with the creator, via Mark Purdy at ifixbyx. They are the prefect balance of inspiration taken from design, street culture, bike culture and a little bit of humor. My favorite is the Beatles inspired JJ, Jens, Fabian and Stuart. Also the model Fixie shirt below having grown up with Airfix plane models, is making me feel all nostalgic. Anybody out there stuck for present ideas for design conscious cyclists need look no further. You have today and tomorrow to get your orders in for the holidays. Get your skates on!
CATEGORIES: Design
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Some shots from a recent trip to Switzerland. 1. Trains built to take bikes, at no extra charge. 2. The northern point of Lake Geneva and the entrance to the Italian Alps. The Stelvio and its 24km climb lies beyond the clouds. 3. A beautiful CBT from Italy, with added Xmas decorations. 4. Pascal Richards Aluminum Coppi from the Olympic museum in Lausanne, with some original Cosmics. The bike that won the 1996 Olympic road race. 5. Also from the Olympic museum, Chris Boardman on his way to taking Olympic gold in the individual pursuit aboard the Lotus designed bike, and the first rider to lap his opponent in a Pursuit final. 6. And that now famous Lotus ride.
One of Bradley Wiggins and his new team Sky ride, and one of the The Shack’s new Trek Madone ride. So it was with excitement I opened up both jpegs. First the disappointment: The Team Shack frame. All I could think of when I opened it was of that really bad US Postal kit. You remember the one ? That “grey” kit that looked like it used to be white and got put in the wash with Lance’s black socks? The new Team Shack (sorry, I just can’t get used to saying that) design seems to manage to hide what is actually a really beautiful frame underneath all of that paint. The design has a bit of everything–fades, blocks, logos, textures fonts, lines and yes, grey–but none of which works with the geometry of the frame. I don’t mind the “R” textures, but I think the side profile should be accentuated with bold color that shows off the lines of the frame. Busy textures should be reserved for those inner areas of the frame, like the inside of the fork and rear stays. In fact, if you hold your hand up to the screen and cover the front half of the bike, and then move it to cover the back half, I think we may have found the problem. It feels like there are two bike designs. Looks like a case of no one could agree on which one worked best. “I like the grey and red one” – “well, I like the black and red one!” – solution: “ Why don’t we stick them together?” – “Cool!”
Any designer reading this has been here before. Going into a design review with a couple of solutions, and ending up with the bastard of both. I have always thought that the bike should be the domain of the frame sponsor, and the rest go on the jersey. This is a great lesson in less is more. There is so much on the frame, I don’t think Trek, The Shack, Nissan or Livestrong are served well. This is one team frame I don’t think too many will be rushing out to buy. It certainly doesn’t feel timeless. Not destined to be a classic.
The second tale, the new Team Sky Pinarello. A lesson in minimalism. Two colors, black and sky blue (and I will bet $10 now that the kit will have white in it). It is a single bold statement of intent, one logo on the seat post. Paint accents that show off the unique geometry of the frame, but keep to a well-reasoned minimum. It looks mean and fast. Pinarello, Sky, and Dura-Ace all looking good here. No wonder Brad looked like the cat that just got one of the nicest bikes in the peleton.
So trapped on a plane for 6 hours coming back from Switzerland I had a crack at what I would do. Some initial thoughts. White frame, with a silver decal fading out to white. Black fork and rear triangle socks for the Livestrong brand, with the signature yellow bands. Red Prada like stripes on the top tube and down tube with a 90% Shack “R: logo repeat pattern, a la Louis Vuitton. On the inner surfaces of the fork and rear stays a repeat of the silver paint with the “R” pattern again. A white stem with red face plate. White tubs. Still working on it…..
We recently got contacted by a couple of readers from Melbourne (thanks for the support Philip and Eddie) and it prompted me to revisit these shots and the time I spent at one of their towns nicest shops. Now having shamelessly promoted iFixByx, let me say there are certain bike shops that achieve a “special” status. These are the shops that when you travel around the world you make a pilgrimage to go and see. Condor in London, Above Category in Mill Valley, River City in Portland, you tend to hear about their name long before you go. These are the shops that are more than just about selling. They are part museum, community, service, routes, and conversation about everything bikes. Spoke(n) in Melbourne is one of those shops. Located in the St Kilda neighborhood in a beautiful old corner store, the space has been cleaned up to retain most of its original features. They carry a really interesting range of brands, from top-end road frames like Guerciotti and Pinarello, to beautifully coordinated street builds by Schwinn. They have mixed that up with some great bike culture, with little museum cases playing homage to the cycling greats like Eddy Merckx, to selling retro wool jerseys alongside Solo and Capo. Great shop filled with friendly staff who are more than happy to tell you how great the local riding scene is, and how the Beach Road run on Sundays is one of the best rides in the world. That is actually pretty hard to argue with.
iFixbyx is like having your own personal mechanic. Someone who knows your ride intimately, and how to treat her just right. In my case Mark Purdy the owner of iFixbyx also built my ride and has handled all of the upgrades over the last two years. You know how it is when you get on a new build for the first time, that first few days are hard to replicate. Cables get stretched, things get knocked about and the ride is never that smooth again. Well every time I get my bike back from Mark it feels like a new build. Riders are a fussy lot, we like things just right. When you find a good mechanic you usually have to go out of your way to make it work. The nice thing about this service is, that Mark goes out of his way to look after your ride.
Mark stepped back and looked at what was out there, and built the whole idea of iFixByx around customer needs and their lifestyle. It is simple, he offers everything, from basic tune-ups to full PRO builds. You can bring him the parts, or he can get them for you, he doesn’t really care, it is up to you. This is a service not a shop, he isn’t trying to sell you anything. Take advantage of the World Wide Web and source the parts at the best price and bring them to Mark, it is perfect. Then he looked at what was missing out there. Well, how hard is it to actually get to the shop during the week? Work, training, travel, walk the dog….when can I make that work? So Mark will come and pick the bike up from you, do the work and drop it back. Pretty nice. It gets better, for those of you that live outside of NYC this may not apply, but I can tell you setting a bike stand up in the living room doesn’t fly around here. There are some things I can do, and some things I would rather leave to someone who knows, this is not a project after all. iFixByx will also be offering a workstation for you to come and work on your own bike, use some tools and get some guidance from the Sensei. This service alone makes it worth never going to a bike shop ever again.
He has also added a great gift certificate idea that allows you to pay up front for service (or get friends and family to buy it for you!) – which also helps Mark get what he needs to get the business up and running the way he wants. Check it out. You won’t go back to a bike shop ever again.
iFixbyx, NYC.
