El Cyclista

08.02.10

Carbon Ti Upgrade Parts

Loving these colored bike parts from Italian Company Carbon Ti. They are maybe more famous for their light weight Ti skewers, that weigh in at around about 35 g and have been spotted in the pro peleton this season. They currently don’t have a distributor in the US, but with the wonders of the internet they can be purchased in Germany at Nano Bike Parts. Also check out the colored chain ring bolts, very nice

06.11.10

The Knog Nerd

As product design goes the guys at Knog seem to pretty much get it right every time. This little guy is their 12 function bike computer. It does everything you would expect from a computer, but where the design excels is in its minimal and simple looks. The locking mechanism follows the design on their already popular Gecco light, which I already own and never comes of the bike in winter. The  little wrap around silicone band more or less allows you to attach the little fella anywhere. Coming in six colors and weighting in at a water tight 45 grams, it is a little thing of beauty.

06.02.10

I see this in my future

This is one fine looking ride. There are a few parts on here that I might swap out, but that SL3 frame looks fast standing still. Completely turned my head.

Photos and bike by Mario Hartman

03.28.10

Edge Composite 45 Clinchers

I got these wheels about nine months ago almost to the day, and this is the first time I have had them off my bike (I got a massive blow out last weekend that left a whole the size of a quarter in my new Evo Corsa). They have been over some pretty rough terrain in and around New York. They have also been up and down the Pyrenees last summer. Seven different states from California to Pennsylvania, and in and out of a bike box, a lot. After all of these miles and travel Mark at ifixbyx has only had to true them once, after a bounce in and out of a pothole on River Road. Despite the fact these are carbon clinchers, they are my everyday ride wheel, I find them to be absolutely bomb proof. The guys at wheelbuilder.com built them up, and all it took was a visit to the website and a phone call. The rims are Edge Composite 45 Clinchers, with a 20/24 spoke combo. For the hubs I chose the DT Swiss 190’s with ceramic cartridge bearings. The spokes are DT Aerolites in silver. The front wheel weight using the Wheelbuidler calculator comes out at about 650g, the rear wheel around 750g, without the cassette (total wheel weight around 1400g). So not the lightest, but what you loose in weight, you gain back with the DT Swiss super smooth hubs and bearings. They roll beautifully. Now I just have to get a new tire and look out for nine inch nails lying in the middle of the road.

ADDITION: By complete chance I just saw this post via Above Category and I couldn’t agree more. These wheels are not “too finicky for everyday use” as described in Bicycling Magazine. I have found quite the opposite. My rather large blowout was down to nothing more than my bad eyesight. Like he said sell your first born to get them and be proud to ride something niche.

12.03.09

The Tune “Geiles Teil” Stem

It is always nice to see a manufacturer get adventurous with a swatch of color. The first to get my attention was Chris King, with the beautiful accent colored headsets on the Moots builds I lust after on a monthly basis. Tune have brought out these beautifully simple stems in silver, black, red, blue, green and gold. They aren’t the lightest stem out there, but depending on what you are doing with the rest of your build definitely light enough at 121 grams for a 110mm stem. They have a nice tapered aluminum design to assist in load distribution from the headset to the bars, and can be made a little lighter by swapping in TI bolts. Not badly prices at $208 and can be purchased over at Fair Wheel Bikes.

11.22.09

A Gift From Condor

For Condor’s 6oth anniversary and no doubt the fact they have the British Champion in their team Fizi:k have created this special edition saddle in way of celebration. I had to get one, now all I have to do is find a bike to add it to. Another one for the Component Lust section.

11.15.09

The Thomson Elite Masterpiece Seatpost

There was a time when our first choice of material was carbon, carbon and carbon. It was lighter, and besides it was the “material du jour” for the serious cyclist. But lately the “old materials” are coming back strong, and with new techniques in milling and engineering it is possible to get better strength-to-weight ratios. One such part is the Thomson Elite Masterpiece Seatpost. It weighs in at a superlight 158 grams for a 240-mm post and 193 grams for a 330-mm. That is pretty impressive compared to the more popular carbon posts on the market (The Deda Elementi Superzero: 218 grams and The Ritchey WCS: 184 grams). Sure there are lighter options, like the Schmolke TLO that is a featherlight 85 grams, but does come with a wallet warning at around $700 and an instruction guide of exactly where to place the clamp in case you crush it! The Thompson comes in at $150 and is milled from “high strength 7000 series aluminum.” My favorite feature is the amount of adjustment offered from the two-bolt system that allows the seat to be tilted from -5 to +29°. As the guys at Above Category describe it in the Moots build they are doing right now (which is HOT!) this a ”bomb proof” part – good advice considering it’s the thing you are sitting on.