Even roadies are beginning to fall into line.

The folks at KS Suspension have long been a staple in the dropper post game, coming to the market with a litany of options for riders of every persuasion.

KS builds nearly 15 models of droppers ranging from 65mm to 200mm of travel, along with components including handlebars and stems to get bike fit and feel dialed in.

Most recently, KS has rolled out 27.2mm dropper posts perfect for bikes with narrow seat post tubes that need a bit less travel than bikes with more squish.

Just answer a quick five-question survey for a chance to win a brand-new KS Rage iS 27.2 post for your bike. Responses to all five short-answer questions are required to enter the contest.

Sorry, this contest is now closed.

SURVEY CONTEST RULES: By submitting your response, you agree to these rules, terms & conditions: Only one entry per person. Multiple entries from the same person will disqualify that person. All participants must provide a valid email address, as that is how KS Suspension will contact the winner(s). All entrants’ email addresses may be added to the email newsletter/marketing lists for Bikerumor.com and KS Suspension. Any emails sent from either party will contain “unsubscribe” options. The contest closes just before midnight (11:59pm) PST on Sunday, May 28th, 2023. The winner (s) will be selected at random and the results are final. Winner(s) will have one week from the date of notification of winning to respond, after which KS Suspension and/or Bikerumor.com reserve the right to choose an alternate winner and the original winner forfeits all rights to any prize(s).

The post CONTEST! Win a KS Rage iS 27.2 dropper post! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Rage-iS 27.2

The Rage-iS 27.2 is built to take more of a beating.

The 27.2 diameter model features either 65mm or 100mm travel at lengths of 380mm and 415mm, respectively. The Rage-iS 27.2 shines under race conditions for anything from cyclocross to trail-style riding, but can easily handle recreational or enthusiast-level enduro-style riding too. It’s a solid choice for aggressive racers looking to tear into gravel with speed and poise.

The Rage iS lineup, which also comes in 30.9, 31.6, and 34.9 mm diameter options, includes the same air-sprung suspension, updated cylindrical upper clamp nuts, and more vertical head clamp angle included in the LEV Integra line.

The Rage-iS range also includes a dedicated cartridge architecture to keep action reliable and smooth, a lightweight, rotating actuator, and reduced actuation force.

Other features include:

• Alloy stanchion
• Weight-optimized alloy mast
• Air-sprung hydraulic cartridge
• Press-fit bushing and dust wiper

KG Drop 2.0

No dropper is complete without a remote that is comfortable, sleek, and easy to use. The KG Drop 2.0 is exactly that.

The KG Drop 2.0 is a drop bar-specific remote that focuses on ergonomics that cater to the needs of gravel, CX, and touring riders.

The remote works with the left hand, and can be placed where it is accessible from the drops or the hoods of a drop bar. Its dual-paddle design makes actuation more precise during rough sections, and it fits just about any drop bar multi-control lever system.

The remote attaches with a low-profile 22.2 mm hinged handlebar clamp that can be seamlessly hidden under bar tape and includes anti-corrosive nitride-coated hardware to increase longevity and reliability.

Ether Gravel handlebar

KS Suspension’s Ether Carbon Gravel Bar is among three bars in the brand’s lineup, including the Ether Carbon Riser Bar and the Ether Carbon Flat Bar.

The Gravel Bar, however, is the only drop-bar offering and is dialed for speed and performance whether hammering on smooth streets or chattering over gravel.

The bar features an ergonomic design that improves both aerodynamics and control. It has an 18mm rise for added comfort and stretches 420mm or 440mm in width with a flared handlebar design for added stability.

The 420mm option weighs in at 270 grams, while the 440mm weighs 275 grams. The bar also features internal cable routing, carbon fiber composite of varying thickness to dampen vibration, and a 31.8mm clamp diameter.

Ether Forged XC and Gravel Stem

The Ether Forged XC and Gravel Stem is the perfect companion to the Ether Carbon Gravel bar. Made with aluminum alloys and specific wall-thickness engineered for control, the XC and Gravel Stem is lightweight and an expert at giving riders feedback and reducing fatigue over rockier terrain.

The stem comes in a wide variety of rise options ranging from 6 degrees all the up to 17 degrees for those who prefer a more upright position on the bike.

It also comes in lengths including 70mm, 90mm, and 100mm.

GTC Flat Mount Fork

KS Suspension’s GTC Flat Mount Fork provides a comfortable, yet efficient 40mm of travel to smooth out even the gnarliest of gravel routes.

The fork includes a forged aluminum crown, along with high-modulus carbon fiber and alloy legs with an oil damping system and adjustable rebound and lockout.

The fork can accomodate 700c tires up to 50c in width, so it has plenty of space for a wide variety of gravel tires on the market.

Other features include a tapered steerer tube, flat-mount disc brake compatibility, a 46mm offset, and a 100×12 thru-axle.

While KS has long been known for its droppers, the latest line of equipment and an ever-expanding catalog of gravel and trail components point to a more developed future where KS products can be found on every part of a bike.

This post is sponsored by KS Suspension. Learn more about KS Suspension at kssuspension.com.

The post KS Suspension delves into gravel with bars, forks, stems, and droppers appeared first on Bikerumor.

It was way back in 1981 that Waterford took over the Schwinn Paramount production. Under the leadership of Richard Schwinn, the small bicycle frame manufacturer produced iconic hand-built custom, high-end, steel frames that became synonymous with quality craftsmanship.

After a large number of long-time employees are soon to be retiring, Richard Schwinn has decided to retire and close up shop to spend more time doing something else. I would imagine after “doing the bike thing” for as long as the Schwinn family has, it would be an attractive thought to find something else to do in your later years.

In some of the groups I follow, the word (aka, the bike rumor) is that in the email Richard Schwinn sent out to his existing dealer network, the implication was that somebody may take over the business, in whole or in part. But that it isn’t firmed up enough to disclose any specifics.

Fingers crossed.

So, this may not be the final end for them, just yet. Stay tuned.

WaterfordBikes.com & GunnarBikes.com

The post Waterford Precision Cycles/Gunnar Cycles Shutting Down appeared first on Bikerumor.

Even though it is technically visor-free, the Crossframe Pro still has a pronounced brow. Kind of like a visor that’s integrated into the EPS foam. On the underside of that brow, there are functional vents that are part of the 22 total vents on the helmet.

Inside, you’ll find a MIPS liner with a BOA retention system, as well as dual-density Varizorb EPS foam for improved impact protection. The helmet also features premium features like a removable and washable Ionic+ liner, rubberized sunglass grippers, and a Fidlock SNAP helmet buckle. Claimed weights are listed as 330-390g for S-L, with our medium pre-production sample weighing 346g.

Along with the Crossframe Pro Helmet, Fox is introducing a line of clothing for the same category in the Flexair Ascent line. Somewhere between baggy and tights, the clothing has a more aerodynamic cut than typical Fox clothing. Designed to be ultra light and cool, the shorts feature a fairly short 10″ inseam, and jerseys will be offered in SS & LS.

We got an early sample to check out and so far both the clothing and the helmet have been surprising in a good way. The fit on the clothing is excellent, and it all feels incredibly comfortable. I’m looking forward to getting some more miles on these this summer.

Dropframe Pro

The new downcountry/gravel gear may have been the star of the show, but the new Dropframe Pro is worth a look as well. Previously, Fox updated the Proframe RS with many of the features from the Proframe, and now those updated trickle down to the Dropframe Pro as well.

The 3/4 shell has an updated headform with a BOA fit system and MIPS, and meets the NTA-8776 eBike helmet certification. The visor has three poisitons and is compatible with goggles, and you’ll find an Ionic+ anti-microbial liner and cheek pads plus a Fidlock magnetic buckle. Claimed weight is listed as 620-710g.

All of the products above will be available later this year with pricing to be announced.

foxracing.com

The post Fox Introduces Their First Visor-free Helmet, the Crossframe Pro for Downcountry & Gravel appeared first on Bikerumor.

Assuming you have a SRAM drivetrain and wanted to go single, then that’s one problem solved.

The second is the elimination of marring that some single-speed cogs can do on a Shimano-style HG freehub body. With all of the torque only driving one single gear, some designs can dig into the teeth on the freehub body, making it difficult to remove them.

The design uses a base sleeve that threads onto the XD body, just like you would with a cassette, and then the spacers and cog slide over that with a lock ring holding those in place.

It’s still in development, with a target launch date of August 2023. Pricing is TBD, expect them to have all the same color options as their headset spacers and other accessories.

They’re also playing with limited edition colors for their tools, with this multi-color anodized finish called Mystic.

Last up, they’ve made a cassette lock ring tool specifically for Bafang e-bike hubs, which have a big metal plug sticking out from the axle. Typical cassette removal tools won’t fit over it, so this one has a larger center bore that will. This one’s actually available now for $35.

WheelsMFG.com

The post Wheels Manufacturing adds Single-Speed cog kit for XD freehubs appeared first on Bikerumor.

Cross is always coming, and Challenge Tires is already preparing products for the upcoming season. We caught up with the Challenge Tires team at Sea Otter Classic and were treated to some excellent and wide offerings.

Challenge Team Edition TLR tires

If you’re a cyclocross fan, you know the Challenge Team Edition tires — the red casing that stands out amongst the tan side walls in the field. These tires were only offered in a tubular model — up until this point.

Challenge is now offering the red race (320 TPI sealed core-spun cotton) casing in a TLR version of the tire. For now, the treads offered will be Grifo and Limus, with more to come.

Challenge Team Edition TLR tires Details:

• Casing: 33mm 320 TPI sealed core-spun cotton
• Price: TBD
• Availability: Summer

Challenge 38 mm Handmade TLR

Along with the Team Edition TLR tires, Challenged showed off some very excellent and wide Grifo TLR tires in a 38mm size — perfect for the master’s racer in your life. These will have the same as the TLR tires released last year, with the same handmade casing and bead-locking side walls.

The available treads will be Girfo and Limus at first, but others will follow sure.

Challenge 38 mm Handmade TLR Details

• Casing: 38mm 300 TPI poly-casing
• Price: $89.00
• Availability: Summer

For more information, check out: Challengetires.com.

The post Spotted: Challenge Team Edition Tubeless Tires and 38mm TLR coming soon appeared first on Bikerumor.

What is it?

The all-new Thule Epos is a tray-loading bike rack with telescopic arms. The Epos holds the bike by the frame, wheel, or fork, allowing the rider to choose the best mounting solution.

The bike stays in place via new steel reinforced straps, the telescopic arm, and a pivoting head.

Will the Thule Epos fit my bike?

The shining point of the Epos is its versatility and safety. The Epos can fit wheel sizes from 16-29″, which is excellent for adult and kid bike transportation. As for tire width, the tray can fit road, gravel, cross country, etc — up to 3.2″ tires. If you’re looking to transport your fat bike, you’ll need a 5″ accessory strap, which Thule has.

Thule added extra length to accommodate all manner of bikes; the maximum wheelbase of the new Epos is a solid 1350mm (53.14″). So don’t worry about transporting those super-slacked 29″ downhill bikes.

Did you say ramp?

For those that don’t appreciate the heavy lifting e-bike ownership can entail. The new Epos folds up similarly to the EasyFold XT, and the addition of the wheels makes it much easier to move from the car to its storage slot. The new Epos offers an accessory ramp that makes loading easy. For easy storage, the new Epos follows the T2 and other Thule racks, adding two wheels to the bottom, aiding in transporting and maneuverability.

If you’re concerned about safety and visibility (who isn’t), the new Thule Epos also comes with an additional light and plate option. You can add the attachable Abus cable lock kit for those looking to double up with security.

Thule Epos Rack Specifications

• High load capacity with 66 lbs/bike and 132 lbs for 2-bike and 160 lbs for 3-bike carriers, enabling transport of all types of bikes, including heavy e-bikes
• It fits all frame designs from 20mm to 90mm in diameter
• Enables easy transport of larger bikes with generous bike spacing of 9.8 in and longer wheelbases up to 53 in
• Fits sizes from 16″ to 29″ and tire sizes up to 3.2 in and up to 5 in with accessory strap (sold separately)
• Prices:$1000 for the base two-bike model, $1,249 for two bikes w/lights, and $1,099 for the three-bike model.
• Available in MId-Summer from your Thule dealer.

We have a sample of the new Thule Epos on the way, so be on the looks for a full review and thoughts coming soon. For more information, check out Thule.com

The post All-New Thule Epos Rack Has a 160lb Weight Limit and Will Fit Any Bike appeared first on Bikerumor.

DT Swiss CRC 1400 Spline carbon cyclocross racing wheels

While many pros remain tubular holdouts, the majority of privateer CX racers around the world have made the tubeless transition, where they can change tires depending on race day conditions while still running super low pressure. So DT Swiss has given their workhorse CRC (carbon race cross) wheelset a significant upgrade: the choice of two deeper & much more aero rim profiles, improved stiffness, upgraded hub internals, and still close to the lightweight of DT#s top-tier tubulars.

More aerodynamic rims for cross almost seem like a silly idea – how fast are you really going around a muddy CX track after all? – but serious cross racers have often preferred deep aero rim profiles for the ability to cut through deep mud & sand, plus their generally improved stiffness. Not to mention all the examples we’ve seen of aero gains, even at lower average speeds.

And now that DT was able to make the new rims ~50-90% deeper while only adding 26-77g in total overall, more aero just made more sense!

Tech details

Both new DT Swiss CRC 1400 wheelsets feature new wide carbon rims optimized for cyclocross racing and specifically those classic 33mm tires. That means a hooked tubeless bead and a 22mm internal rim width that offers support and good tire volume, without pushing you over the UCI commissaire’s strict tire width limits… in most cases.

The new tubeless CRC wheels come in blunt-nosed aero profiles of 35mm or 45mm depth – up from just 24mm for the previous model that was wider than it was deep. But surprisingly, DT Swiss was able to keep the CX-ready wheels light even with the much deeper aero cross rims.

The new mid-depth CRC 1400 35 weighs a claimed 1415g for the pair (647/768g front & rear) for only 26g more than the old shallow wheels. The even deeper new CRC 1400 45 is less than fifty grams more at a claimed 1466g for the set (673/793g f/r).

The wheels also get upgraded to DT’s latest 36T Ratchet EXP tech with wider bearing spacing & simplified internals, now built around the latest generation 12mm thru-axle centerlock disc brake 240 hubs with 24 straight-pull Aerolite & Aerocomp bladed spokes laced 2x with ProLock hidden aluminum nipples. Sure, that means you would have to pull the (factory-installed) tubeless tape if you need to replace broken spokes, but at least you don’t have tires glued on!

DT CRC 1400 wheels – Pricing, availability & options

The CRC 1400 wheels are available now in both 35mm & 45mm depths, sitting in between the tubular-only 1100 series carbon wheels and the heavier but more affordable CR 1400 wheels with alloy rims. Both sizes are sold separately front & rear so you can mix and match if you want, retailing for $2400 / 2050€ for a pair ($1008/861€ front + $1392/1189€ rear). The wheels all come pre-taped for tubeless with valves. Rear wheels are sold with either Shimano HG11 or SRAM XDR freehubs, but use new 240 bodies so Campy & Campy N3W are also available separately.

DTSwiss.com

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What’s New: Specialized S-Works Recon SL 

There are many updates to the new S-Works Recon SL, most notably the reduction in weight, updated wider fit, and a more Torch-like appearance. Still, the shoe is laser-focused on off-road performance but leans more into the gravel side than anything. 

Specialized moved the BOA dials slightly, eliminating the constricted feeling of the previous version of the Recons while still having a sturdy fit. Now there are two BOA dials and no extra Velcro strap near the toes. 

Looking at the bottom of the shoe, you can see most of the updates. The matte carbon sole of the shoe is sculpted. On the structural side of things, Specialized updated the sole with an internal I-beam like the Torch to add stiffness and strength. The I-beam eliminates the need for additional bracing while allowing the shoe to stay extremely lightweight. 

If you look at the toebox, you’ll notice zero spots for additional toe spikes. Cyclo-cross racers will be bummed, but this is an opportunity to shave weight and eliminate extra hardware.

If you look closer, you’ll notice the toebox is slimmer than the beefed-up section near the cleat. The front of the shoe is slightly flexible, while the mid-pedaling platform is super stiff. 

Updated Fit 

The new Recon SL and Recon ADV addressed a common thread among many riders: the width of the shoe. The new Recon SL and Recon ADV are 4 mm wider than the standard width and 8 mm wider than the previous S-Works Recon Mountain Bike Shoes. 

Why the change to wider? The design team at Specialized gathered more than 100,000 foot scans from RETÜL fit data. After studying the scans, the team recognized that a standard fit and a wide carbon base plate would best serve the spectrum of human foot shapes. 

The inside of the shoe is what you’d expect from the Specialized S-Works tier and includes a varus wedge, longitudinal arch, and metatarsal button. A new piece that Specialized is offering for the S-Work Recon SL is high-density pontoons (shims) that allow riders to tune their pedal interface.

Though we have yet to experiment with them, the shoes arrive with two options, threading into the tread. Additional 3mm, 6mm, and 9mm pontoon shims for leg length discrepancy and cleat stacker are available through Specialized Rider Care. 

Specialized S-Works Recon SL: Key Features 

• High-density pontoons and new shims allow riders to tune their pedal interface for maximum efficiency and a road-like pedal platform  
• Features Body Geometry technology by way of the varus wedge, a longitudinal arch, and a metatarsal button
• An asymmetrical heel counter supports the medial side while removing material from the lateral side, allowing for a lower collar
• Using an internal I-beam adds stiffness and strength — eliminating the need for additional bracing and allowing the shoe to stay extremely lightweight
• Zoned reinforcement across the quarter and forefoot maximize support while the updated BOA routing improves lockdown — eliminating the need for a toe strap
• Additional 3mm, 6mm, and 9mm pontoon shims for leg length discrepancy and cleat stacker available through Specialized Rider Care 
• For a wider fit — the new base plate is 4 mm wider than the standard width (8 mm wider than S-Works Recon Mountain Bike Shoes)
• Available sizes: 36-49 
• Weight: 288 g (size 43)
• Available now
• Price: $450

First Impressions

We’ve had minimal time on the S-Works Recon SL shoe. From our time in them, it’s safe to note — they fit astronomically better. I have a slightly wider foot and gravitate toward Shimano shoe lines. The updated fit is a significant difference from the Recon SL shoe. Those slightly shoehorned into the previous S-Works Recon version will be excited. 

Weight and fit are the most notable characteristics that stick out. They feel like road shoes when you put them on because of the weight and the locked-in sensation. The updated placement of the BOA dials is another huge update. 

Previously, the wire from the BOA dials would dig into my foot and create an over-tightened sensation that was not great. The new placement, however, eliminates that and adds a nice secure-wrapped feeling. 

The front of the shoe where the toe spike could/would be is slightly flexible. This slimmer toe area could reduce weight and offer off-the-bike comfort. I’m curious to know if this will withstand the demands of running and sloppy hike-a-bike sections of gravel races. 

There’s only one way to find out. We’ll put these shoes through the races and paces this spring and report back with a full review. Currently, the prospects look good; they fit excellent, are lightweight, and look very fast! 

The post S-Works Recon SL Shoe Goes Full Gravel, Gets Wider, and Adds a Tunable Pedal Interface appeared first on Bikerumor.

Inside, though, are details that make it even more adjustable and fully serviceable, giving you a very functional way to upgrade your road, gravel, or mountain bike.

Available in EC (External Cup), ZS (Zero Stack), and IS (Integrated), you can choose from any of the 11 anodization colors Industry Nine offers. Mix and match the lower cup, upper cup, top cover, and stem cap in any combination you want.

Top caps are available in 5mm and 15mm heights, and Industry Nine offers color-matched headset spacers (sold separately) in 2.5/5/10/20mm heights too. It’s worth noting that the 5mm and 15mm top cap measurements are for the IS headset. The EC and ZS will be slightly taller due to the external cups adding height (ZS use bearings that drop into the frame, adding no height to the design).

They’re lightweight too, saving up to 28 g of a typical stock headset. Compared to the 89g IS headset that came on my Niner RKT, the 5mm top cap combo weighed in at just 61 g (28g savings), and the 15mm top cap combo was 68 g (21g savings).

A few other features set its headsets apart. The crown race has a replaceable double-lip silicone seal …

… that creates a barrier against grit and grime getting into the bearing and frame. Bearings are stainless steel, made by Enduro, and come with a lifetime warranty.

Inside the top cover is another replaceable silicone seal, which sits just above a groove that the split compression ring snaps into. The silver spacer shown sitting in there is one of two included 0.2mm spacers, to be used to adjust the top cover clearance on the frame.

To install them, snap the compression ring out, then start sliding the spacers in through the notch until you’re able to snap them fully into the groove.

Then snap the compression ring back into place. A double-lip outer seal helps keep crud from getting inside here too.

While I loved the slammed spacer look, any slight out-of-tolerance issues or overly thick paint or clearcoat can cause the top cap to rub during steering rotation. The IS spacers let you lift it ever-so-slightly to provide enough clearance to prevent it from rubbing your frame.

Installed, the iRiX headset looks stellar, with the indented stem cap keeping things low profile.

It’s not just the bearings that have a lifetime warranty, the entire headset is guaranteed against defects for life.

MSRP from $160-190 for single-color headsets. Add $15 for multicolor combos.

IndustryNine.com

The post Industry Nine iRiX Headsets Debut: Details, Install, and Actual Weights! appeared first on Bikerumor.

8bar Neukln steel singlespeed bike

We reviewed the original Neukln frameset as a skinny tire city fixie when it debuted as 8bar’s first steel bike all the way back in 2016. But only two years later 8bar lumped it in with their other urban track bikes, dropping its individual name, but eventually;;y giving it bigger tire clearances too.

Now though, the Neukln is back as v2.0 in a rebirth that does everything the original did, only better…

What’s new?

The biggest functional update vs. the original Neukln is about 1/3 bigger tire clearance. Now with room for up to 700c x 35mm tires, the new Neukln will fit any real cyclocross tires (with plenty of mud clearance) for your singlespeed tracklocross racing dreams. Or push those limits with small volume gravel tires and explore roads of all surfaces.

But the big update over its previous Fhain Steel generation is just a move to lighter, more modern construction. It now gets an oversized straight 44mm headtube to fit 1.5″ tapered steerer or classic 1 1/8″ steerer forks. With that, you can now pick from a segmented steel fork or a couple of carbon fork options.

And the double-butted chromoly steel lighter tubeset drops a couple of hundred grams to a claimed 1700g now, while retaining the indestructible nature of the original. Steel forks add 920g, while 8bar’s two carbon fork options range from 400-420g for the Neukln.

Tech details

The new frame also now gets mounts for full-coverage fenders, or even a porteur rack on the steel fork, plus it now adds a single set of bottle cage mounts on the seattube for better usability. Plus, it adds internal cable routing ports in the toptube so you can get a cleaner setup with brakes.

The 8bar Neukln sticks with classic standards like the 68mm threaded BSA bottom bracket, 27.2mm seatpost with new integrated clamp, stainless steel horizontal track end dropouts, 9x100mm QR & 12x120mm bolt-on axle spacing, and brake drilling for modern long-reach dual-pivot rim brake calipers.

The Neukln now comes in just 4 sizes (S-XL) with slightly tweaked geometry to give for a racy ride feel to the versatile bike. Frame Stack numbers come down more than 2cm, and Reach increases just a bit, while the frame gets a steeper 73° head angle, a bit less BB drop, and the same short 410mm chainstays as before.

8bar Neukln steel – Pricing, availability & options

The beauty of the 8bar Neukln steel frameset was always low-cost and simplicity. Now it adds more modern versatility, too. Frames start at just 450€ in matte black, 50€ more for shiny red, or an extra 200€ for a custom color. Steel forks add 150€, while two 8bar carbon forks add 250€. (A few of the older, but similar Fhain Steel v3 frames are still available from just 200€, too!)

Like all 8bar bikes, the Neukln steel frame can be customized into many different build configurations via their online configuration tool.

Build up a bare bones drop bar fixie crit of gravel racer for as little as 1201€ with brakes (or more with fancy wheels).

Or maybe opt for a more sensible freewheeling singlespeed flat bar commuter for around 1400€, but you’ll need to add the rack & renders separately as 8bar doesn’t have them available in the bike builder tool at the moment.

8bar-bikes.com

The post 8bar Neukln Fixie is Back Modernized, Lighter & With Big Tracklocross Tire Clearance appeared first on Bikerumor.

As the lights switched from red to green, the best in the country sprinted to hit the slick-rooted course first to get the best lines. Honsinger wasn’t first off the line, but that’s not her style.

The front group was a tight mix of riders, including dark horse Raylyn Nuss (Steve Tilford Foundation), Austin Killips (Nice Bikes), Caitlin Bernstein (Nice Bikes), and Regina Legge (Comp Edge Racing).

After the treacherous off-camber, pro-only section, the lead group solidified as Nuss charged ahead, with Honsinger only a few seconds back and Jenna Lingwood (Point S Nokian) pursuing fast.

Nuss waited for no one as she immediately started turning up the pace trying to put Honsinger on the back foot and force a mistake. Honsinger showed no signs of urgency, pedaling smoothly gaining back time with every feature.

As the first lap concluded, Honsinger was a second behind Nuss, eventually passing as they entered the course for lap two. As the laps ticked away, Honsinger’s lead grew steadily. With two laps to go, Honsinger had nearly a minute gap over Nuss, with third and fourth nearly 30 seconds from her.

Honsinger would eventually finish 1:37″ in front of Nuss in a dominant performance similar to her 2021 National Championship win, gaining her third Elite Cyclocross National Championship.

The Bike — Lil Clara

Clara Honsingers’ bike, dubbed Lil’ Clara, was more than up to the task of muddy conditions in Hartford. Honsinger has been in Europe racing most of the season and has identical bikes at the EF service course.

For the muddy conditions, Honsinger went with Dugast Rhino tires, a trusted tread by the best in the world. The Rhino is praised for its grip without sacrificing speed and is one of the most popular tires on the European circuit for muddy races.

As for gearing, the EF Education–Tibco–SVB team runs full SRAM Red AXS on their bikes, and Honsinger went with a standard 38T front and 10–33T rear. The gear is enough to climb the final hill before the finish and keep the power on for the road and drag strip sections of the course.

The EF Education–Tibco–SVB crew had many custom-painted Cannondale SuperSix EVO CX bikes for Honsinger in the pits and around the team bus, but the stars and stripes was the one for battle.

The custom paint job is stunning, mixing classic fades and color blocking to create a bike that stands out in the mud. As for components, Honsingers Supersix Evo CX supports an FSA K-Force cockpit and Vision Metron 30 SL tubular wheels.

Clara Honsinger’s Cannondale SuperSix Evo CX

• Frame/fork: Cannondale SuperSix Evo CX
• Groupset: SRAM Red AXS (38T chainring, 10-33T 12-speed cassette)
• Stem: FSA K-Force
• Bars: FSA Energy alloy, 42cm
• Wheels: Vision Metron 30SL Tubular
• Saddle: Prologo Dimension
• Tires: Dugast Rhino 33 tubular
• Pedals: Shimano XTR
• Computer: Wahoo

The post Pro Bike Check: Clara Honsingers National Championship winning Cannondale SuperSix EVO CX appeared first on Bikerumor.

As the race began, it was apparent White and Brunner would be locked in a head-to-head battle. L39ION of Los Angeles Lance Hadet lead the Elite Men through the snow and slick mud, driving the pace and creating a selection immediately. The front group consisted of Lance Hadet, Scott Funston (Blue Cycles p/b Build), Eric Brunner, and Curtis White.

As the laps ticked away and the unpredictable conditions claimed riders, Brunner and White found themselves alone at the front. Each had a plan of action to execute for the day. Brunner is a powerful rider, and the wide open sections were perfect for him to turn the screws on White. As for White, technical skills and supreme technique would be his card to play with the ever-changing conditions.

With four laps to go, Brunner attacked, gapping White and going clear, pushing the pace. White pursued, staying patient to avoid making mistakes out of urgency.

With two laps to go, after the pit one, Brunner bobbled, washing his front wheel out over the slick ruts, landing him on the ground. White pounced on the opportunity, closing the gap to Brunner within a minute of the crash.

It was evident Brunner’s confidence was shaken, and White took to the front to push the pace. With one to go, the evenly matched pair crossed the start straight mere seconds in front of each other. Over the next nine minutes, the pair stayed no less than six seconds from each other, waiting for the other to misstep.

In the last quarter lap, White rode assertively, not taking chances but keeping the power on. Brunner only managed to make contact slightly on the pavement before White pulled away again. In the end, White held off Brunner, taking his first Elite Men’s US National Championship to a welcoming hometown crowd.

USA Cycling caught the emotional moment in the video below.

White rides a Trek Boone; the Steve Tilford Foundation Racing (STF) team made the switch for the 2022-2023 season from Specialized. The team rides full SRAM assortment equipment except for Shimano XTR pedals.

White opted for the Challenge Limus tires for the race, paired with Zipp 303 tubular wheels. Most of the STF team opted for a 10-36T wide-range SRAM 12-speed cassette, and Whites was paired to a 44T front chainring.

The unique sea foam green Trek Boone is a custom color you’ll only see under the riders from the STF team. Same with unique PAS Normal Studios custom kits.

If you want to hear what it was like behind the scenes leading up to Curtis White’s victory, check out Ellen Noble and Steven Hyde’s conversion with the newly crowned champ on Ellens’s new Podcast, This One’s For You.

Curtis Whites Steve Tilford Foundation Edition Trek Boone

• Frame: Trek Boone
• Wheels: Zipp 303 Firecrest Tubular
• Cockpit: Zipp
• Saddle: Bontrager Arvada Ti-rails
• Groupset: SRAM Red Etap (44T chainring, 10-36T 12-speed cassette)
• Pedals: Shimano XTR
• Tires: Challenge Limus 33 Tubular
• Bike Wash: Muc-Off

You can rewatch the action on FLO-BIKES here.

The post Pro Bike Check: Curtis Whites National Championship winning Trek Boone appeared first on Bikerumor.

What is it?

It’s no secret that Tom Pidcock is working with the design team at Challenge Tires to craft better cyclocross designs. One of the first updates from Pidcocks’ input is this newly imagined Baby Limus tread. The updated design takes the Baby Limus into faster “mixed terrain” territory without sacrificing grip.

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What’s new?

The updated Baby Limus tread features a tightly spaced center to maximize rolling efficiency, it’s not certain, but the knobs look shorter (from the previous model).

The most notable change to the Baby Limus design is the side knob and shoulder tread. Departing from the Limus and Chicane treads, the updated design has characteristics of the Dugast Rhino, with less of a pronounced corning knob. The side knob is flipped and should offer a solid grip in off-camber sections.

One of the complaints with the previous Baby Limus design is clearing, especially in thick peanut butter mud. The new Baby Limus has ample room for mud clearing, and the updated side knob spacing helps.

When can I get it?

Currently, the Team Edition Baby Limus is only available to sponsored teams/athletes but were hopeful they will be available for the general public next season.

For more information on Challenge Tires, check out:Challengetires.com

Check out our Best Cyclocross Tires for answers to all your CX questions.

The post Spotted: New Challenge Baby Limus Cyclocross Tire appeared first on Bikerumor.

Judging by the photos, this rack can be used for anything like bikepacking, fishing, hunting, or just running errands. Looks like you could even find a way to affix some front and rear panniers and do some touring.

The Geryon has adjustable angles and positions to accommodate your bike and gear “like no other rack on the market”, Trxstle says.

The Geryon, Trxstle says, is designed to not hamper your steering like a handlebar bag might. Instead, it puts that weight on the bike’s frame, where they say it belongs.

Furthermore, Trxstle claims that the adjustable rack won’t block your dropper post’s travel like they say a seat pack could.

In addition, the Geryon looks like it’s designed to use any stuff sack or dry bag you already have and strap it right to the rack, alleviating the need to buy hyper-specific bikepacking bags.

This would essentially allow the user to turn any bike into a bikepacking rig… including full-suspension bikes, and carbon-framed gravel bikes without proper adventure nipples.

What’s more, it’s fully modular allowing you to really pick and choose how to configure it to fit your needs.

As you would expect, you can add the optional Utility Deck to carry bigger items like hunting tools or other bulky items, Kolpin Rhino Grip XL, Cinch and Utility straps, and even a BWC Fly Box. The Geryon will also accommodate all future accessories from Trxstle.

Finally, you can even take some of your favorite trail maintenance tools with you.

See instructions, tech info, and mounting info here.

The Geryon Bike Rack Features and Retail

Features:

• 30lbs of gear capacity (15lbs front + 15lbs rear)
• Easily mounts to our custom headset spacer and your standard seatpost
• Fully adjustable front and rear rack positions
• The front payload is carried by the frame of the bike, not your handlebars
• Your dropper post remains unaffected
• Doesn’t hamper your suspension
• 3lb total system weight with all hardware
• 6061-T6 anodized aluminum construction

Retail: $278

That includes:

• Front and rear racks
• Central control arm
• All mounting hardware
• Seatpost adapters for 27.2, 30.9, and 31.6 sizes
• (4) 12″ cinch straps

Trxstle.com

The post The Trxstle Geryon is a Universal Front & Rear Bike Rack for Any Bike! appeared first on Bikerumor.

In collaboration with UCI World Cycling Center’s coaches, riders, and staff, Wahoo creates an immersive training experience. The new Wahoo X series, “A Week With the UCI World Cycling Center,” is available to watch and train with the Wahoo SYSTM training platform.

The training experiences cover a multitude of cycling disciplines, including; track, road, mountain bike, and BMX. The series examines what these different athletes do for training and the discipline-specific work needed to succeed at their craft.

Wahoo X UCI World Cycling Center Program

• UCI World Cycling Center – Tour: Ride and tour the UCI World Cycling Center with its Director, Jacques Landry, where he and others share its mission, stories, and insights into what the center offers.
• UCI World Cycling Center – Track: Get face-to-face with legendary track coach Craig MacLean at the UCI Velodrome. The workout includes a Scratch race and a series of high-intensity efforts with the track athletes.
• UCI World Cycling Center – Road: Join the UCI Women’s Continental Team as they take you out on a team time trial up the infamous climb of Torgon, a UCI rite of passage, before finishing up with a race simulation and long descent back home.
• UCI World Cycling Center – BMX Racing: UCI World Cycling Center Performance Manager Liam Phillips takes riders through an introduction to the sport and five flat-out laps of the track.
• UCI World Cycling Center – Mountain Bike: riders will join the trails in La Thuile, Italy, with the Mountain Bike Team Coach Charlie Evans and will do two laps of the race course, attempting to master the highly technical features, demanding climbs, and aggressive competitors.

Jacques Landry, UCI World Cycling Center Director, commented: “The A Week with the UCI World Cycling Center series is a great way for the Wahoo X members to get into the daily lives of athletes. These athletes come to us from many parts of the globe to improve their physical and mental development and acquire important technical and tactical knowledge to help them reach their goals in cycling. Participants in this series will be put through the paces of our athletes’ training and racing routines. Get ready to have fun, work hard and learn a lot with our talented riders and staff!”

Wahoo X UCI World Cycling Center Program — How does it work?

Anyone who completes the new Wahoo X UCI World Cycling Center series by Dec 23rd, 2022, will earn the UCI World Cycling Center badge in Wahoo SYSTM. The UCI World Cycling Center will offer exclusive prizes for these dedicated holiday cyclists.

How to sign up

For those looking to train/compete/win in the all-new Wahoo X UCI Cycling Center experience. You’ll need a subscription to the Wahoo X platform (only for those looking to ride). The membership is $14.99 per month, delivering two apps; Wahoo RGT and Wahoo SYSTM.

Wahoo X is available for US$14.99. For more information, visit: Wahoofitness.com

The post Wahoo X UCI World Cycling Center Program Lets You Train Virtually & Win Real Life Prizes appeared first on Bikerumor.

Ritchey Swiss Cross 50th steel CX frame

It wasn’t long ago that the steel cyclocross Swiss Cross got its own 25th-anniversary model, having been first built in the mid-90s. I even wrote a quick review of it years before that in its original disc brake guise. Over the years, the Swiss Cross has really only slightly evolved, keeping much of what’s made it a sought-after bike.

What the 50th anniversary gets is a limited edition paintjob in classy Ritchey Red with white graphics harkening back to the frame builder’s Palo Alto, CA origins.

“As a mere teenager, Tom Ritchey welded up his first bicycle frame in his parents’ garage in Palo Alto, California more than 50 years ago. And he designed and built the first Swiss Cross cyclocross bike in the mid-1990s so that the bike’s namesake, Swiss cycling legend Thomas Frischknecht, had the best bike possible for his victorious cyclocross pursuits around the world.

The new 50th Anniversary Swiss Cross draws a direct line from that first bicycle frame Tom welded, to the bike Frischi piloted to so many championships, to a modern ‘cross and gravel racer.”

Tech details

The bike is still TIG-welded from traditional small-diameter triple-butted Ritchey Logic heat-treated steel tubing. It manages to tuck in a modern-ish straight 1 1/8″ headset by building the headset into the narrow headtube. It gets a classic 27.2mm seatpost inside a bi-lam seat cluster with an integrated seatpost clamp,  a classic 68mm BSA threaded bottom bracket, a replaceable stainless derailleur hanger, and fully external cable routing. It does succumb to a bit of modernity with a full carbon WCS Carbon Cross Disc fork, 12mm thru-axles, and flat mount disc brakes.

Tire clearance is 40mm, enough for the biggest cyclocross tires, fat all-road slicks, or some fast-rolling gravel treads.

Frame weight is claimed at 1950g (large), 430g fork (uncut), and it comes in six stock sizes (XS-XXL).

Ritchey Swiss Cross 50th – Pricing & Availability

The 50th Swiss Cross joins the 50th Anniversary Road Logic that debuted last spring (and quickly sold out). And two more anniversary edition frames will debut in the coming months – my money’s on an Ultra/P-29 mountain bike and an Outback gravel bike. But we could always cross our fingers for a Break-Away tandem, right?

The Ritchey 50th Anniversary Swiss Cross is only offered as a frameset for $1700 / 1713€ and is available now from global Ritchey dealers and direct from Ritchey online, while supplies last. No official word on how many framesets are out there.

But if you keep your eyes peeled next month, you can spot Ben Frederick racing his at the UCI CX World Cup & Superprestige series cross races in Belgium this coming month.

RitcheyLogic.com

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It’s not over once you’ve chosen a tread — now you need to debate the merits of tubular, tubeless, or clincher tires. Luckily, our crew is more than a little cyclocross-obsessed, and here, we’re sharing our favorite tires that have stood up to years of use and abuse.

We’ve divided this guide into five sections:

• Tubulars
• Tubeless Clinchers
• Gravel ‘Cross-overs
• Buyer’s Guide
• Frequently Asked Questions

Most of us are running a mix of tubulars and tubeless tires, depending on the conditions and budget. Almost every modern clincher cyclocross tire is now tubeless-ready — so you can find a tire and performance combo that matches your demands. If you’re unsure which way to go, how to set your tire pressure, or have other questions, scroll down to check out our Buyer’s Guide and FAQ sections!

We’ve personally tested and raced every single tire in this guide, and as new tires roll out, we’ll update it if we find a new favorite!

Best Tubular Tires for Cyclocross

 Best All-Around Tubular: Dugast Typhoon 

A. Dugast is the first and last name (literally) in cyclocross tires. It’s impossible to talk about CX tires without acknowledging Dugast, founded by—you guessed it—André Dugast in the seventies. Dugast tires were some of the only options for serious cyclocross racers for many years. The tradition has continued, and we love the Typhoon’s cotton casing for a supple ride capable of winning on World Cup courses and your local track.

The classic Tyhoon tread sits high on the tire and offers predictable cornering and suspension-like suppleness. Recently purchased by Vittoria, Dugast Tires will be widely available and not just on the European market. As a nod to the changing times, unlike many cyclocross tires that are only manufactured in 33mm sizes, Dugast added wider options for riders looking for more comfort on their bikes or might want a gravel tubular option. (Find out more about tire width in the buyer’s guide below.)

• Type: Tubular
• Style: All-around
• Sizes: 700 x 32, 33, 34, and 38mm
• TPI: Not listed
• Weight: 380 grams for 700x32mm
• MSRP: $110

PROS: Unparalleled casing quality and a tread that can race in many conditions successfully.
CONS: Pricey, and the squirm of the Flying Doctor casing might be too much for some riders.

 Best Mud Tubular: FMB SSC Super Mud 

Another historic French company, FMB, has been around for a long time in the cyclocross space. We love the handbuilt SSC Super Mud for the muckiest of races. Casual racers likely won’t mount a mud tire as their primary tubular tire, but if you live in an area with a lot of mud, using these as your main racing tires or mounting them on a spare wheelset is a smart move.

Mud tires like this have stronger, deeper treads with plenty of space between the lugs, and we’ve found that the SSC Super Mud sheds it better than any other, thanks to the lightning-shaped lugs that help the mud fly off. The tires use a natural cotton casing to make them more malleable to provide ample traction in corners. The SuperMud tire is also available in an “open tubular,” though we have yet to test it. From the initial public reception, though, most signs point to a great clincher counterpart with less low-pressure ability.

• Type: Tubular
• Style: Mud
• Sizes: 700 x 30 and 33mm
• TPI: 330 TPI
• Weight: 431 grams for 700x33mm
• MSRP: $77

PROS: You’ll get the best traction in the worst conditions, be relatively affordable, and sheds mud no matter what the consistency
CONS: Very specific tread, so it’s a commitment to use a mud tubular

 Best Sand & Snow Tubular: Challenge Dune Team Edition 

The Dune is aptly named since it was designed with the classic World Cup venue in Koksijde, Belgium, in mind. The infamous Koksijde course is covered with sand dunes and huge swathes of loose, soft sand that requires fitness and handling to make it through successfully… and exactly the right tires.

File treads, like mud tires, are pretty darn specific, but if you race in an area with a lot of hardpack or sand, like Southern California, they’ll be the fastest option. We love the Dune for its ability to blaze through straight sandy sections, then hit a corner and get enough traction from the side lugs to make it through without sliding out. The side lugs are just part of the equation, though. The 320 TPI casing, natural rubber tread, and latex tube inside help the tire fold and mold to the shape of the ground as you hit those turns.

Here’s what’s crazy: It also works great on hard-packed snow and ice. Why? because it puts more rubber on the ground, and the pyramid-shaped nubs grab better than bigger (but fewer) lugs on regular tires. It seems counterintuitive, but it’s common practice among pros and amateurs alike, and we’ve found them to be the absolute best type of tread for frozen ground.

• Type: Tubular
• Style: Sand / Hardpack / Snow / Ice
• Sizes: 700x33mm
• TPI: 300 TPI
• Weight: 420 grams for 700x33mm
• MSRP: $90

PROS: Super fast and predictable on sandy and dry courses.
CONS: Pricey, only available as a tubular tread

Runner Up Best Sand/Dry Conditions: Dugast Pipistrello/Pipisquallo

If you’re looking for a mix of super supple and fast, the Pipisquallo/Pipistrello should be in your tire arsenal. Be warned — this tire combo is for high-speed tracks. The tread perfectly complements sandy subsoil and pedal-heavy grass sectors. The open diamonds in the middle provide just enough ground contact for grip and super low rolling resistance. 

The extra side grip on the Pipisquallo gifts control and assurance in slightly damp or loamy conditions and is a great front tire with a Pipistrello rear. Those running Typhoons on fast courses would be confident with a Pipisquallo rear and Typhoon front combo. The Pipisquallo tread is available up to 38mm widths, so those looking to add some comfort and extra speed on their gravel rig. 

• Type: Tubular
• Style: Sand / Hardpack / Snow / Ice
• Sizes: 30, 32, 33, 34, 36, 38mm, 26” & 700″
• Weight: 340 grams for 700x33mm
• MSRP: $120

PROS: Extremely fast on dry and sandy terrain, unmatched suppleness
CONS: Pricey and could be hard for some riders to control with minimal side knobs on the Pipistrello

What about glue?

Tires can only be fast if they stay on your wheels, so you need glue. Not just any tubular glue will do for cyclocross; ask your local retro grouch. For cyclocross, you need a strong bond between the base tape and the rim that allows you to run super low pressures and take a dry-off camber plunge as it attempts to rip your tire off. For most, this means a combination of glue and tape.

We found that a combination of Vittoria Mastik and CX-Tape works magic. Now this magic can’t be rushed; gluing takes some zen-like moments in a well-ventilated area and lots of patience. If you achieve tubular zen, your tires will stay nicely attached after thin layers of glue, tape, and tire meet.

What if my shop is out of Mastik? If you can’t find Vittoria Mastik, the Specialized (red) glue is strikingly similar and works well. If you can find Mastik tubes, those are nice to have as well but remember they are very temperature sensitive, so keep them out of a hot car or in your ‘cross-box. If you’re looking for other options, the Continental carbon glue works well, but you need to make sure you have light layers of glue when applying — more doesn’t always equal better when applying layers of tubular glue.

Best Tubeless Tires for Cyclocross

 Best All-Around Tubeless Challenge Grifo TLR

The tubeless tire revolution has gained popularity in nearly every facet of cycling, the last holdout being cyclocross. But recent tubeless tech and experience have given birth to a new breed of tires. Challenge is one of the companies leading the charge with its new line of H-TLR tires, handmade tubeless tires with a cotton casing (similar to their base tubular line) that ride similar to a tubular and comes in all your favorite Challenge treads.

We spoke with US Cyclocross legend Adam Myerson about his long-time admiration of the Challenge Grifo tread:

“I’ve ridden a lot of different tires, treads, casings, and widths over the 30+ years I’ve been racing ‘cross, and I have to say that the thing I’ve enjoyed most about being back on Challenge this year is getting to ride the classic Grifo. There’s a reason it’s universal and that no one’s been able to improve on it. It’s not just an all-conditions tire; it’s also an “any-conditions” tire. There isn’t a setting where it doesn’t work, and if I could only ride one tire, it would be the Grifo. It has enough traction for pedaling and braking, and the knobs are an ideal and consistent height, so it’s predictable when you lead it over for a turn, but they’re low enough that it’s still fast in hard-packed conditions.”

The Grifo tread is a staple in any cyclocross racer tread quiver; it’s fast, offers solid pedaling traction when it’s slightly moist, and overall, it’s predictable. The Challenge H-TLR version of this iconic tread delivers on all levels and can take the low pressures needed to let the cotton casing sing.

For those without a truck full of tubulars and treads to choose from each race, the Challenge H-TRL Grifo is a great do-it-all option, especially for those racing in the early morning, where dew is always a factor. The H-TLRs can be a challenge (see what I did there?)  to get on, but we assure you, the struggle is worth it, as these tubeless tires have yet to burp on us and are hookless compatible.  The 33mm width measures spot on when mounted on most conventional road wheels, so for those looking for a viable UCI tubeless option — this is it. If paired with a slightly wider “gravel” focused wheel, the tread plumps up to 34-35mm with little to no tread distortion.

• Type: Handmade- Tubeless
• Style: All-around
• Sizes: 700x33mm
• TPI: 300 TPI
• Weight: 360 grams for 700x33mm
• MSRP: $80

PROS: The closest ride to a tubular that we’ve found in a tubeless tire and hookless compatible.
CONS: It can be hard to install initially.

 Runner up: Best All-Around Tubeless: Donnelly PDX World Cup (Tan Sidewall) 

Donnelly tires might be made in Europe, but they’re named after American airports of cities that share the same qualities as their tires. We love the PDX—named for the Portland airport—for an all-around tire, though the mud is where it shines. Still, this is a great option if you only want to mount one pair of tubeless tires.

Unlike many tubeless tires, this one uses a softer-than-normal rubber on the sides of the tires, so they mold to the terrain around tight corners…they feel like they’re grabbing onto the ground. They’re relatively easy to mount as tubeless and can also be used as clinchers if you just don’t have time or energy to set up tubeless (though we recommend doing so to ride with lower PSI!). The lugs are tall, so you won’t love this tire on the road or gravel, but on any off-road terrain, this tire flies.

• Type: Tubeless
• Style: All-around
• Sizes: 700x33mm
• TPI: 240 TPI
• Weight: 360 grams for 700x33mm
• MSRP: $80

PROS: Great price point for such a supple tire, minimal rolling resistance compared with grip.
CONS: Not ideal for gravel riding when not racing

 Best Mud Tubeless: Challenge Limus H-TLR 

As Challenge is quick to note, Limus means mud in Latin. And it is truly one of the best mud tires on the market, regardless of which style Limus you get. We love that it’s available as a tubular and a tubeless option, but it shines as a tubeless tire. It’s aggressive, it sheds mud and muck like it’s coated in PAM spray, and it’s just a ton of fun on mucky courses.

The Limus isn’t a great “sorta wet” conditions tire; it’s a grip-and-rip design for the worst conditions. The nice thing about tubeless is if you know the rain is coming, you can swap your mixed out for the mega-muds the night before. The tread is great at finding grip in the most unlikely places, and the tall knobs are more than enough to paddle through the slop when it’s actively downpouring.

Look for Limus at the start line for most racers when the real cross weather hits and when the risk of falling is greater than the rolling resistance penalty of a heavy tread.  For those looking to round out their tire quiver, the Limus is a tire that might not see a lot of use, but when it does, it’s worth its weight in gold.

• Type: Tubeless
• Style: Deep mud
• Sizes: 700x33mm
• TPI: 300
• Weight: 350 grams for 700x33mm
• MSRP: $80

PROS: Great for the worst muddy conditions, the new H-TLR casing creates a tubular-like ride and grip experience.
CONS: Higher rolling resistance than most in semi-wet conditions

 Best Dry Conditions Tubeless: IRC Serac Edge CX 

If this looks like a typical file tread tire, look again. The triangle lugs are slightly taller, with a bit more spacing between them, which sets this tire apart for dry, grassy, and sandy courses. They’re low enough to roll fast but with a bit extra bite to prevent the tire from spinning out on standing climbs and sprints. The small side lugs aren’t aggressive, but they manage right the ship if you lean too much upright on fast off-camber traverses.

The IRC Serac Edge CX is one of the officially approved tires of The Belgian Waffle Ride. What does that mean? If you’ve ever ridden a BWR, you know flats are common, and so are long gravel sectors. The IRC Serac Edge CX has low rolling resistance to chug on the sand/gravel and enough integrity to fend off sidewall cuts and punctures — both will ruin a cyclocross quickly.

For those looking to keep a tire for fair weather cyclocross and gravel, the IRC Serac Edge CX is a great option and comes in a lightweight race version and an X-Guard option with added cut/flat protection.

• Type: Tubeless
• Style: Grass / Sand / Hardpack
• Sizes: 700 x 32
• TPI: 182 TPI
• Weight: 380 grams for 700x32mm
• MSRP: $80

PROS: Fast, grippy, supple, and great for gravel-cross double duty
CONS: Narrow 32mm single option may have riders looking toward its wider 36mm IRC Boken brother.

 Best Mixed Conditions: Vittoria Terreno Mix Tubeless TNT 

We’ve found that the Vittoria Terreno Mix TNT is perfect for exactly what the name implies… Mixed conditions. Maybe it’s a little wet in spots, dry in others, damp or rocky, or rooty elsewhere: This tire can handle it. The tightly spaced center knobs help it roll fast, and the micro knobs on the outer edge boost off-camber traction at the extremes.

We also appreciate that a 38mm option is available, making it comfier for the masters’ racers who prefer more cushion. At $60, it’s a great price for a long-lasting tubeless tire that’s easy to set up. And even cheaper options are available, so if you’re truly on a budget, they offer a standard Terreno Mix as a non-tubeless clincher for just $46.

• Type: Tubeless
• Style: All-around / Mixed conditions
• Sizes: 700 x 31, 33, 38mm
• TPI: 120 TPI
• Weight: 420 grams for 700x33mm
• MSRP: $60

PROS: Great price point, good all-around performance, leaning towards the mud side of a mixed tread
CONS: A little heavy and feels more like a mountain bike casing, but that’s not always a bad thing.

 Best Snow Tire: Vittoria Terreno Dry 

Don’t let the model’s “Dry” moniker fool you; there are a lot of top-level riders racing the Vittoria Terreno Dry cyclocross tire on the snow and ice. The hexagonal “fish scale” center tread blocks make this tire unique on the market. Each one is slightly ramped, giving it better braking traction while still rolling fast. And, combined with transitional side knobs, those micro edges help improve cornering grip.

No tire will work miracles on ice and snow, but this one puts more rubber on the ground than a file tread, and when run at low pressures, it somehow grabs what little traction is to be had and makes the most of it. They offer regular clinchers, too, so make sure you get the “TNT” versions to set them up tubeless and gain extra puncture and sidewall cut protection layers in the casing.

• Type: Tubeless
• Style: Hardpacked snow and ice
• Sizes: 700×31, 33, 35, 38mm
• TPI: 120 TPI
• Weight: 410 grams for 700x33mm
• MSRP: $60

PROS: Great traction on ice and snow, relatively affordable and widely available
CONS: The square-ish shape of the tire profile could be a turn-off to some purists.

What about sealant?

For those new to tubeless tires, the sealant is a must. The sealant creates an airtight bond between the tire and the rim, and it will seal punctures when/if they happen. What sealant is best for cyclocross? We find that most mountain bike sealants will do the job and do it well. Products like Stans, Orange Seal, MilkIt, and the newer WTB Sealant are our favorites.

What if I want to swap tires at the race?

One of the advantages of running tubeless tires is the ability to change tires without peeling a tubular from the rim. Sometimes, getting the tire to sit on the rim can be challenging with a standard floor pump, especially at the race venue. One of our favorite little helpers is the new tire seating tool from MilkIt. You charge the canister by pumping into it with a traditional floor pump. When you reach the desired pressure, you can pull the pump off and prep the tire for a burst of air to seat the bead. Pro Tip: Removing the valve core before using the MilkIt charger will help with airflow from the charger and seat the tire.

 Best Budget Cyclocross Tire: Challenge Grifo Clincher 

Fair warning, this one is NOT tubeless ready, but if you’re tight on cash, grab the Challenge Grifo Clincher, made with vulcanized rubber. The Grifo tread has been around for a decade and remains one of the best all-around tires on the market. While you can get more supple tubular options with a cotton casing, we’ve been super-impressed by the clincher version, which still provides plenty of traction and comfort on grassy and muddy courses.

Want something more supple but not ready to commit to tubular or tubeless tires? You can upgrade to Challenge’s handmade clincher options, though you’ll pay $25 more per tire. We think the upgrade is worth it for the better cornering and the classic yellow sidewalls, but this version is great for beginners to get a taste of what a good tire can do!

• Type: Clincher
• Style: All-around
• Sizes: 700 x 33
• TPI: 120
• Weight (700x33mm): 395 grams
• MSRP: $50

PROS: Great all-around tire at a low price with a world-class tread and excellent training option.
CONS: Requires tubes, not as supple as tubular or handmade clincher options

Best Gravel ‘Cross-over Tires

 Best Gravel/CX Combo: Pirelli Cinturato Gravel Mixed 

We like a tire that can do it all, and the Pirelli Cinturato Gravel Mixed tire is a fantastic option for someone who wants to jump into a couple of cyclocross races but still prefers to spend most of the time riding on gravel and exploring country roads. Made with a triple-layer fabric casing topped with a bead-to-bead Aramid puncture protection belt and Pirelli’s Speedgrip Compound, it’s not the most supple tire on the market. But it can hold its own in pretty much any condition and hold up to the worst road surfaces and debris without flatting.

Even with tubes, it can run at relatively low PSIs and hooks up well in grassy corners and sandy berms. And we appreciate that it comes in plenty of sizes, from 700 x 35, 40, and 45mm to 650b options in 45 and 50mm. The only downside is that it won’t pass muster for a UCI elite cyclocross race, which requires tires to be under 33mm.

• Type: Tubeless
• Style: Gravel
• Sizes: 700 x 35, 40 and 45mm; 45 and 50mm x 650b
• TPI: 127 TPI
• Weight: 445 grams (for 700x35mm)
• MSRP: $70

PROS: Ideal for gravel riders who want to jump into cyclocross occasionally
CONS: It doesn’t come in 33mm sizing, so technically not legal for UCI races

Best Dry Conditions Crossover: Specialized Tracer Pro 2Bliss Ready 

This one’s a tricky recommendation because it’s both a great cyclocross tire and a great gravel tire… except you’d want a different size for each, and the ‘cross-approved 700×33 and 38 sizes are hard to find.

But, if you’re racing hardpack in a place like Southern California, or you’re a gravel rider who may jump into a cyclocross race or two, the Specialized Tracer Pro 2Bliss Ready tubeless tire is a good place to start. This tubeless-ready tire has a wide range of sizes and is designed for ‘cross-curious gravel riders. It comes widths from 33mm to 47mm wide, so if you’re a gravel grinder who wants more cushion, this is a great choice. (But be warned: if you’re jumping into a muddy race, you may slip and slide.)

• Type: Tubeless
• Style: Hardpack
• Sizes: 700 x 33, 38, 42, 47mm
• TPI: 60 TPI
• Weight: 365 grams for 700x33mm
• MSRP: $50-$55

PROS: Fantastic for hardpack conditions
CONS: Low TPI makes it less supple

Buyers Guide for Cyclocross Tires

Know what wheelset you’re using. Not all tires are the same, and in recent years, there’ve been so many additions and new trends in wheels and tires that it’s easy to misunderstand which tire will fit your rim. You also want to ensure that if you want tubeless tires, your rims are also tubeless-ready. And tubulars require tubular-specific wheelsets.

It’s worth pointing out that modern gravel wheels are almost all tubeless ready but have fairly wide inside bead-to-bead measurements that could cause your 33mm tire to measure as much as 35mm…which could technically disqualify you (if they check).

Tubeless versus tubular versus clincher. We go into more detail below, but most top PRO riders generally run tubular tires (tires that have a tube sewn inside and are glued to your wheels). Some are making the switch to tubeless (which uses a sealant to seal air inside the tire rather than a tube). And, of course, clinchers are always an option (with tubes inside), though they require you to run a much higher tire pressure to avoid flatting.

Tread is based on the type of racing you do. If you live in sunny southern California, then your races are likely all on hardpack dirt, and a set of file treads is optimal. But if you live in a wet, muddy area like Oregon, a mud tire might be the best choice. If you have differing race course conditions but can only afford a single set of wheels and tires, opt for an all-arounder. And if you do have the ability to have two sets of cyclocross wheels, we’re fans of having one that generally works for your racing style, like a mud tire, plus an all-arounder so you’re ready for anything.

Double-check size and style. Since tire size and width are both important factors, make sure that you’re getting the right style—tubular, tubeless, or clinchers—since many treads come in multiple styles. This gets especially important if you’re shopping a sale, as less popular (i.e. non-tubeless) tires and sizes tend to get discounted more often.

Determine your budget. You may notice that on this list, tires range from $120 per tire down to $50 and can get as low as $30 if you look for ultra-budget versions (like Vittoria’s Terreno in a non-tubeless clincher). However, the cheaper you go, the less supple the tire tends to be. This isn’t a big deal if you’re riding in a straight line on the road, but because cyclocross is full of tight, fast turns, you want a tire to be supple and malleable in order to mold and deform as you lean into a corner, in order to have better traction.

The pricier tires use different materials to make the sidewall less rigid. And of course, tubulars are pricier because they come with a tube installed inside of them, typically are handmade, and are much less popular than generic clinchers or tubeless tires, so you’re paying a premium.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cyclocross Tires

What are the different types of cyclocross tires?

• File tread: File treads have a very low tread in the middle with knobs on the sides, and are typically used for hardpack, sand, and snow conditions.
• Mud: Beefier treads with plenty of space between the lugs define mud tires—they’re designed to allow the mud to ‘shed’ off of the tire as you make your way through, with taller lugs to dig into the muck and create traction.
• All-around: Typically, these will look similar to a mud tire at a glance, but the treads will be a bit lower and closer together, in order to get better traction offroad and in grass, but not feel squirmy on harder surfaces.
• Gravel: Low treads, usually tightly packed in the center to roll smoother, with maybe some side lugs for cornering. These will be more like a cyclocross/road tire hybrid.

What’s the difference between tubeless and tubular?
Simply put, tubular tires are tires that have a tube sewn inside and are glued to your wheels. Tubeless tires—what most mountain bikers use—require a sealant inside to seal the tire on and keep the air in, rather than using a tube. And of course, clinchers—tires that require a tube inside to hold air—are a budget alternative.

What tire width should I run for cyclocross?
It depends…are you racing for real? Or just for fun? And does your race promoter care? We’ve seen one guy race a fat bike on a snowy course and win, but it kinda defeated the point of ‘cross, which is suffering.

Seriously thought, it depends. If your race promoter isn’t checking it and hasn’t stated rules, then tires from 35mm to 40mm will give you more traction and comfort, but the bigger you go, the heavier they get.

If you’re racing a UCI-sanctioned event, then you’re limited to 33mm wide when mounted to the tire. Remember, some rims will make your tire effectively wider, so mount them early and measure.

USA Cycling’s rules are different. The chart above is out of their 2021/22 rule book, so your maximum tire width depends on the class you’re racing in or your age. Pretty much no races allow tires with any sort of hard spike or stud on them…it’s a safety issue. No one wants to get run over with those!

What tire pressure should I run for cyclocross?
We could write a treatise on this, but the short answer is: As low as you can without flatting. Typically, that is around 18 to 33 PSI, depending on your tires (tubular can run the lowest, followed by tubeless), your body weight (the lighter you are, the lower you can safely go), and the course (a lot of small roots or rocks will require higher PSI than a course that’s all grass).

The goal? To maximize traction by letting the tire deform to the ground quickly and easily. As weird as it sounds, if you feel like you’re just on the edge of peeling the tire off your rim on the hardest corner you make, that’s probably the perfect PSI.

For muddy conditions, experiment with slightly higher pressure so your tire bites through the muck to hit harder ground underneath. But for snow and sand, go lower so it floats better without sinking down into the ground so much.

Can I run mismatched tires?
As with mountain biking, you can run mismatched tires, and some pros certainly will in very specific course conditions. We don’t recommend mixing and matching something like a file tread with minimal knobs with a mud tire, but a mud tire in the front and an all-arounder in the rear is certainly a reasonable combination. Ultimately, it’s experience that will help you narrow down specific tire selections per course and weather, so just start with a good all ’rounder and go from there.

Do I need tubulars?
Absolutely not. At the highest level, tubular tires will help you ride smoother and speedier, but you can definitely start racing with clinchers. Heck, cyclocross is such a welcoming sport that you can race it on a mountain bike to get started! Some of us would even argue that with the modern crop of tubeless-ready tires being so good, the marginal gains to be had from tubulars aren’t worth the extra hassle for most riders.

Can I put tubular tires on any cyclocross wheels?
Sadly, no. You need tires that are specifically designed for tubular tires, so often, the wheels that come stock with a cyclocross bike won’t work with tubular tires.

How do I install tubular tires?
If you haven’t installed a tubular tire before and you want to try it on your own rather than taking it to a local bike shop, you’re going to want to watch some how-to videos before taking the plunge, since these pricey tires require a lot of TLC to get them in place. We like this how-to video from ENVE wheels to get you started:

WTF are “open” tubulars?
Basically, an open tubular is a kind of fancy way of saying “clincher, but with a nicer, more supple sidewall.” Meaning, it’s got a higher end construction that’s similar to how tubulars are made, except they’re for normal clincher rims. Consider Challenge’s Grifo: The handmade clincher option has a super-poly casing and 300 TPI, while the less expensive vulcanized rubber option only has 120 TPI. It may sound like hype, and they’re expensive, but they actually can make a huge difference in a cyclocross race!

What’s the deal with cotton sidewalls?
Cotton sidewalls are, in a word, supple. While they’re a bit pricier than all-rubber options, they will make your tires feel smoother as you navigate the course.

Seriously, why do I want “supple” anything on cyclocross tires?
Supple tire casings and sidewalls allow your tires to conform to the ground as you pedal, particularly in corners. If a tire can slightly fold on itself in a corner, you’ll have better traction between the ground and the side treads on your tires. For that reason, we’re excited about the recently released tubeless-ready FMB Slalom/Super Mud Open Tubulars: The potential for such a high-quality supple handmade CX tubeless option sounds great since most tubeless CX tires still rely on stiff vulcanized construction that can’t match the grip at ultra-low pressures of a premium tubular.

How do I set up tubeless tires?
Again, if you’re doing this yourself for the first time, congrats! We’re obviously fans of learning how to do more with your gear. However, don’t try to figure it out without watching a video or two, like this one from Stan’s NoTubes in order to learn a few tips. And make sure that your wheels are actually going to work with tubeless tires—ask your local bike shop for help if you’re struggling!

Should I go tubular or tubeless for cyclocross?
It depends on what you currently have, and what your level of ‘cross commitment is. Some of us still prefer tubular for serious racing, thanks to their supple construction and rideability at lower PSIs for better traction in corners. But most of us have come to appreciate newer tubeless options since it’s easier to swap them out in different conditions or at the end of the season to make your bike more gravel-friendly. We also like tubeless tires for a set of spare wheels that can be swapped out the night before a race to suit conditions, and for trail riding to work on skills.

What tubeless sealant should I use if it’s freezing?
When temperatures start to drop, you’ll want to use cold-weather sealants rather than your standard Stan’s NoTubes. We like Joe’s NoFlats Super Sealant and Orange Seal’s Subzero options for protection from flats that won’t freeze.

Why do some people bring spare wheels to the races?
Most courses will loop riders past a pit area at least twice per lap. Given the sometimes harsh conditions, you’re allowed to have a spare bike or extra sets of wheels in a neutral zone in case something breaks or you flat. The pros have entire teams pitted there to keep them running on virtually clean bikes for every lap, and sometimes every half lap! It’s absolutely amazing to witness, check the video above.

For most of us, having to pit or change a wheel mid-race likely means our “race” is over, but it’s a way to finish out the day without DNF’ing. And you never know what might happen to the folks in front of you, so just finish it out no matter what. Regardless which tires you choose, remember cyclocross is about all-out suffering for 30-60 minutes and then wanting to do it again 10 minutes after you finish. Just go have (type 2) fun!

The post The Best Cyclocross Tires – Tubulars, Tubeless & Clinchers for Every Condition appeared first on Bikerumor.

There was already excitement in the air, with RRFCX being the final stop in the USCX series.
The last-minute move of the Pan American Championships from Costa Rica to Falmouth, MA, had many ‘cross fans making the journey to cheer on their favorite riders.

Brunner had his share of great rides this season. Still, the podium’s top step evaded him, with Vincent Baestaens (Spits CX) coming over to the USA for the early season. The course and conditions for RRFCX suited Brunners power heavy riding style and dry conditions only amplified the matter.

Falmouths’ Really Rad Cyclocross Festive was the inaugural race weekend for Brunners’ newly minted USA National Champion Blue Norcross. The eye-catching color was easy to spot on the field, even easier when he was on the front of the race.

The Blue Norcross has a long cyclocross history. Originally designed in collaboration with US cyclocross legend Jonathan Page, the bike has seen its fair share of podiums worldwide. The newly redesigned (2021) frameset features a more gravel “do-it-all” design, a trend we see as brands pivot toward from purebred cyclocross race geometery. The redesign included updated geometry, increased tire capacity, fully internal cabling, and a lower bottom bracket. We’ve seen Brunner pilot this frame to victories in gravel and cyclocross. The updated gravel geo hasn’t held him back.

Brunners’ Norcross features a full Dura-Ace 9200 setup with pro-only 46/36 front chainrings and an 11-34T cassette. The Shimano Dura-Ace package carries over to the wheels with ‘cross-popular Dura-Ace C40 tubular wheels and 33mm Dugast Typhoon Tires.

Unlike most in the cyclocross scene, Brunner carries over his road fit and the inward-pointed shifters. As for the cockpit setup, Brunner likes a long and narrow fit, and like Wout van Aert’s Bianchi Zolder he opts for the Vision Metron 5D ACR Handlebar 40×120 one-piece carbon bar. The Vision 5D ACR Handlebar works well with the Norcross internal routing and straight 1.5” steerer.

The paint for the Eric Brunners’ National Champ Blue Norcross comes from his main mechanic, buddy, and co-owner of Squid Bike, Chris Namba. Chris is a master with a can of spray paint, and Squid Bikes showcases his fantastic can control. Brunners’ ride is a classic colorway, with a lot of white to match his stars and stripes kit — along with the new Pan American champs jersey.

Brunner explained, “I went with this fade design as I love the simplicity and a lot of white makes the shiny black dura ace components and tan walls really stand out.”

Check out all the USCX replay action on GCN+ and Flo Sports for the US Cyclocross National Championships on Dec 9-11th.

Pro Bike Specs: Eric Brunner National Champ Blue Norcross

• Frame Blue Norcross Frameset size 56cm
• Groupset: Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 (46/36, 11-34)
• Pedals: Shimano XTR Pedals
• Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C40 Tubular Wheels
• Tires: Dugast Tires
• Cockpit: Vision Metron 5D ACR Handlebar 40×120
• Seatpost: FSA Seatpost
• Saddle: Velo Senso Saddle

For more information on the Blue Norcross and other bikes in the Blue Bikes family, check out RideBlue.com

The post Pro Bike Check: Eric Brunner’s Pan American Winning Blue Norcross Cyclocross Bike appeared first on Bikerumor.

For most, the Blackheart Bike Co. brings back a love of alloy not seen since the Cannondale CAAD 9 days. The Blackheart bikes, however, are much more capable, with BSA bottom brackets, ample tire clearance, and effortless compatibility.

What is it — Blackheart Allroad Alt

The all-new gravel creation from Blackheart Bike Co. is old and new. The old is the Allroad AL frame; the new is the ENVE gravel fork and the specs. The Allroad AL frame is a do-it-all design with a classic look and endless build options.

Blackheart Allroad ALt Frame

The Allroad ALt frame is double-butted 7005 aluminum with a max tire clearance of 50mm for 650b and 40mm for 700c. The new Allroad ALt comes in a frameset or fully built options in either a classic matte black colorway or a standout off-white.

The frameset ($1575) arrives with an aluminum seat post clamp, Cane Creek 40 IS42/IS52 headset, and a Wolf Tooth 12mm (1.5 x 164mm) thru-axle set.

The carbon ENVE Gravel fork arrives in stock matte black but can be upgraded to a custom color and paint job for an extra $250. Blackheart’s Allroad ALt frame comes in sizes: 46, 49, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, and 62cm.

Build options — Blackheart Allroad Alt

For those looking to purchase a Blackheart Allroad Alt and hit the road immediately, the best option is the prebuilt bunch. Currently, the only build options are SRAM starting at mechanical GX, moving to GX AXS, and finishing with a flagship version with SRAM XO1 AXS.

Riders can choose between HUNT Adventure Alloy 650b and HUNT Adventure Carbon 650b wheels. The HUNT Adventure carbon wheels will add an extra $350 to the overall order, which seems like a low cost for a carbon wheel upgrade in the long run.

Blackheart Allroad Alt SRAM XO1 AXS

• SRAM Level Ultimate brake levers
• SRAM Eagle AXS shifter
• SRAM Force flat-mount calipers
• SRAM X01 Eagle AXS rear derailleur
• SRAM Force 1 Wide crankset – 40T
• SRAM XG-1295 Eagle cassette – 10-50T
• SRAM X01 Eagle chain
• SRAM DUB BSA bottom bracket
• SRAM Paceline rotors – 160mm
• Price: $5000

Blackheart Allroad Alt SRAM GX AXS

• SRAM Level TL brake levers
• SRAM GX Eagle shifter
• SRAM Rival flat-mount calipers
• SRAM GX Eagle rear derailleur
• SRAM Rival 1 Wide crankset – 40T
• SRAM XG-1275 Eagle cassette – 10-50T
• SRAM GX Eagle chain
• SRAM DUB BSA bottom bracket
• SRAM Paceline rotors – 160mm
• Price: $3900

Blackheart Allroad Alt SRAM GX Mechanical

• SRAM Level TL brake levers
• SRAM GX Eagle shifter
• SRAM Rival flat-mount calipers
• SRAM GX Eagle rear derailleur
• SRAM Rival 1 Wide crankset – 40T
• SRAM XG-1275 Eagle cassette – 10-50T
• SRAM GX Eagle chain
• SRAM DUB BSA bottom bracket
• SRAM Paceline rotors – 160mm
• Price: $3300

Blackheart Allroad Alt Availability

Look no further for those looking to get started on their Blackheart Bike Co. winter build or new flat bar gravel. The Allroad Alt is available for custom builds and complete bikes right now. Check out more at Blackheartbikeco.com, and stay tuned for our long-term review of Allroad AL.

The post Blackheart Bike Co. Hits the ALt Road with New Aluminum Flat Bar Gravel Bike appeared first on Bikerumor.

When most hear the words “gravel focused,” some think of a novel creation, a 65cm wide super drop bar like driving a semi-truck over crushed limestone. The new CADEX GX bar has a slightly more elegant focus, more traditional, with some exaggerated features to enhance your gravel riding experience.

The CADEX GX bar features the same innovative one-piece mold manufacturing that CADEX bars are well known for and keeps it lightweight at just 184g for a size 420mm bar. The shape of the CADEX GX is slightly similar to the CADEX AR (all-road) handlebar we reviewed last year, with some gravel riding tweaks.

The drop on the CADEX GX (115mm) is the same as CADEX AR, the same with the super short 70mm reach and extended 40mm tails. Where the CADEX GX differs is in the backsweep (5° vs. 3° for the AR) and the flare (16° vs. 8° on the AR). To add extra compliance and natural hand positioning, the CADEX GX arrives with a new D-Shaped top portion, a departure from the hyper classic design of the CADEX Race and AR bar designs.

What stays the same throughout the CADEX handlebar line is the precision carbon fiber layup process and one-piece, no-bond mold manufacturing process. This process eliminates excess weight and the inherent flex in the bonded joints of traditional three-piece bars. This same molding process helped create the uber-light CADEX Race bar that gently tips the scales at 160g.

CADEX GX Technical Specifications:

• Clamp Diameter: 31.8mm
• Width (hood to hood): 400 / 420 / 440 / 460mm
• Width (bar end to bar end): 466 / 486 / 506 / 526mm
• Flare: 16 degrees
• Outsweep: 5 degrees
• Backsweep: 5 degrees
• Drop: 115mm
• Reach: 70mm
• Weight: 185g (400mm) 184g (420mm) Tested 195g (440mm) 200g (460mm)
• Price: $450
• CADEX AR tape $50
• Compatible with Shimano Di2 bar-end type junction (EW-RS 910)

CADEX GX Ride Impressions

Since my review CADEX AR handlebar, I’ve been a fan of the CADEX bar line. The shape is classic, and the ride is vibration free with a stiff response when digging deep on an effort. I was very excited to check out the new design, we’ve had lots of CADEX gear coming through lately, and it’s all lived up to the performance claims.

The CADEX GX is interesting because the design takes many cues from the AR bar but doubles the degrees of the defining characteristics of the bar to create a supremely-riding bar without treading into novelty territory.

CADEX GX bar setup

Unpacking the CADEX GX, the bar looks like others in the CADEX line, keeping the matte carbon aesthetic with a slight pop of off-white color on the new D-Shaped tops. The extended tails have an excellent clean gloss highlight with the CADEX logo, adding to the elegant and subtle cool of the design.

Without mounting the bars, they look very close to the AR design, except for the flare, which is noticeable when looking at the bars head-on. The weight is surprising, but I’ve come to expect that surprise from most, if not all, carbon components these days.

I installed the CADEX GX bars on my gravel (cyclocross) bike with Shimano Di2 and had zero problems routing the Di2 wires through the bar openings. My previous bar (Specialized S-Works Short/Shallow) had wire ports at the end of the drop instead of the tops like the CADEX GX. I was lucky my Di2 wires were a tick long, as the routing from the top vs. the bar end adds a few millimeters for the wire to connect appropriately to the barend junction.

I set up my shifters exactly where I have them on my bike with the CADEX AR bars, slightly higher than on my road bike. Though the shifters were in identical spots from AR to GX, the GXs’ laid-back personality was easily felt with just a leg over the bike.

CADEX GX ride impressions

When I hit the road on the CADEX GX bars, the ride sensations were familiar but with some extra feeling of steering confidence. I’m attributing this to the extra backsweep, the shifters are slightly closer, and you can sink into the levers. The drops have a similar feeling, a similar ride to the AR but exaggerated. I can imagine drops like the ones on the CADEX GX bars being an asset on long gravel slogs, trying to keep the train rolling and the back happy.

My first rides were from my house to the local gravel, then trails, finishing off at our community cyclocross course. The CADEX GX bars have a nice feel on the road, classic, but the 16° flare is notable and pushes the shifters in slightly, but not in a bad way. When you venture off the beaten path and onto a course that requires more active steering, the GX bars shine.

On fine gravel (not full-on rocks), the D-Shaped sculpting tops give a slight reprieve, enough to be a notable difference from the CADEX AR bars. The stiffness, however, feels the same when in the drops or giving it your all on a steep climb.

When I arrived at the single track, I could tell I would like the GX bar shape for driving the bike in tight twisty sections of the trail. The 5° backsweep adds another level of confidence in steering, and the wide drops offer the same.

In the drops, the shifting/braking controls are easily found, unlike some that put the hands so far out that you have to move in an unnatural way to pilot. The extra bit of length on the tails of the GX (40mm, same as the AR) is more noticeable, possibly because of the 16° of flare. This added tail allows the rider to angle the bars slightly up if they wish while maintaining a relatively neutral position on the bike.

CADEX AR Bar Tape

Our CADEX GX bar arrived with CADEX AR handlebar tape, something we didn’t experience with our CADEX AR review — a very sweet bonus. Much like the other offerings from CADEX, the tape arrived in a matte black box and didn’t pull any punches in terms of aesthetics.

The CADEX AR tape is 4mm thick (vs. the Race Tape 3mm padding) and has a tacky, nonslip PU compound surface. The padding is a high-density shock-absorbing foam for lightweight comfort over long road-ish miles and is the right mix of padding and feel. The tape comes with alloy bolt-in end plugs with stainless steel bolts. The AR tape (tested) comes in a 2350mm for wider gravel handlebars or those who prefer a super tight wrap.

The AR tape was straightforward to wrap and reminiscent of Lizard Skin bar tape. This style of tape requires an extra bit of attention to get a super clean look but when you finish is incredible. As of our review rides, the AR tape has performed fantastic, but we were waiting till a long mud-filled November/December cyclocross season to give our final verdict.

Worth the Price?

The $450 price tag is a lot — it’s bonkers, to be truthful. It departs from the already premium $370 price of the CADEX Race and AR handlebars. Is this the price of modern gravel glory, or just a premium outlier? Only time will tell; at least the CADEX GX (like all CADEX carbon gear) comes with the CADEX composite confidence. If you value hand comfort and want the market’s newest and greatest — the price could be worth it. Look for a long-term review after some months of abuse, but we’re fairly certain our initial impressions will remain.

Final Impressions

I’ve been very impressed with the CADEX line of wheels, tires, handlebars, and saddles — the CADEX GX bar is no different. The ride is fantastic, and the bar’s identity is easily distinguished from others in the line. The CADEX GX is for those looking to make the most from their gravel rides or races without venturing too far from their road fit.

The CADEX GX handlebar will be available at retailers and online in select markets worldwide.

Learn more at www.cadex-cycling.com

The post $450 CADEX GX Gravel Handlebar is 184g of Premium Carbon Performance But the Price is Hard to Swallow appeared first on Bikerumor.

PAUL Components has been a long-time proponent of single-speed mountain bikes as they were one of the first, if not the first company to make a designated single-speed hub for modern mountain bikes. You can still get the WORD (Wacky One-speed Rear Device) rear hub from PAUL now.

So for the last two years, on November 2nd, a bunch of people take to their single speeds and share their experiences, one-speed steeds, and birthday wishes on Instagram with the hashtag #InternationalSingleSpeedDay

Well, Paul wants to do it again this year… but this time, they’ve got prizes! Yes, this year, PAUL Components is going to pick their three favorite #InternationalSingleSpeedDay posts and the winners will receive…

A Handlebar from BTCHN Bikes…

Or, PAUL Barbarian Hoodie…

Or, A Radavist Feldspar Jacket…

THERE ARE NO RULES! Pick a single speed, any single speed, set your derailleur stops, duct tape stuff, and don’t charge your Etap this or Di2 whatever, or heck,  take your kid’s bike… in the words of PAUL’s own California Travis “you don’t need a bunch of fancy new-fangled shiftamabobbers to have fun on a bike.”

Go for it, ride bikes and be merry… don’t forget your hashtags!

PaulComponents.com

The post Paul Component Engineering Declares Nov. 2nd is International Single Speed Day! appeared first on Bikerumor.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the Philly Bike Expo for the first time,” says Co-Founder Ira Ryan. “We’re excited for the opportunity to meet people in person and talk about our unique custom fit and build process. We’re also excited to connect with our growing East Coast community of riders.”

Breadwinner Cycles has been had-making high-quality steel frames since 2013.

In 2019, they acquired the custom wheel-building house, Sugar Wheels Works, which operates out of the same shop.

This year Breadwinner worked closely with Chris Igleheart to learn his methods for building his traditional segmented steel forks. Igleheart has now retired but his designs live on through forks built by Breadwinner for their trusty G-Road and Komorebi models.

Also, at the Expo on Sunday at 7:15am, Breadwinner Cycles is organizing a Meet-up and Ride with Ira. This ride is in conjunction with the Philly Bike Expo Mixed Terrain Ride and wanted to extend an invitation to all riders that want to participate. You can find more info about the ride on the Philly Bike Expo website.

Breadwinner now has 7 employees who ride daily and share a common passion for all things bicycles. If you are looking for your possible dream bike that dons your dream wheelset, click the links below to make it happen.

BreadwinnerCycles.com

SugarWheelWorks.com

PhillyBikeExpo.com

The post Road To Philly Bike Expo 2022: Breadwinner Cycles Teasers Plus Meet-up & Ride with Ira! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Specialized S-Works Crux cyclocross bike of Zdenek Stybar

At the weekend’s CX World Cup, 3x Cyclocross World Champion and 7x Czech National Champ Zdeněk Štybar returned to Tábor eleven years after he had won his 2nd set of rainbow stripes there. And it wasn’t really an attempt at a comeback, but rather a move to support the home venue ahead of its return to hosting the World Championships next winter.

Štybar was racing on Specialized’s new top S-Works Crux carbon cyclocross bike. With the stock matte carbon finish available on the $5000 S-Works frameset, his bike was built up with a mix of new & old kit from his road team sponsors.

Plus, it was also a good opportunity to support & encourage the young up-and-coming riders of the Czech national team.

Even though Štyby races for Quick-Step, one of the biggest professional road racing teams in the world, he wasn’t off hiding in some fancy team bus. Instead, fellow Czech racers and throngs of fans could find him warming up in the pits with the national federation next to Junior & U23 racers.

Custom CX bike builds details

As is often the case in a cross race, tires make all the difference. And the Tábor World Cup course had a mix of deep muddy ruts, a few greasy slick climbs, but a lot of drier grassy sections.

One of the more custom elements of Štybar’s cross race bike build was his wheel & tire combo. You have to be a pretty big name rider for Dugast to make a custom stencil to put your name on your tubular tires. The trouble is, it seems Štyby only had custom Dugasts in their all-rounder Typhoon (above) and wet conditions Rhino (spare wheels below) treads.

After a few laps of pre-race recon, Štybar decided he’d be quicker on file treads…

While most of the other Elite riders were on all-rounder tires, Zdenek Stybar’s S-Works Crux was racing on 33m Dugast Pipisquallo tires that mix a fast-rolling narrow file tread with the aggressive arrow–shaped shoulder knobs of Dugast’s mud tire for cornering grip.

It seemed to work out well for the notoriously technically-skilled rider. And even though his sidewalls, wheels, and downtube ended up pretty muddy through practice laps and again in the race, he did seem to lose any time in the wetter sections of the course. Plus, fewer knobs meant less mud & grass plastered to the bike, and fewer trips into the pit to swap for a lighter, cleaner bike.

Štybar’s bike was already pretty light to start with. Most cross bikes don’t usually push the UCI’s 6.8kg weight limit. But starting with a claimed 725g carbon frame for the new S-Works Crux and a build kit not so different than what he’d race on the roads besides the wider tires, I can’t imagine this bike is much heavier than that minimum allowable threshold.

One component that does stand out a bit amongst newer cross or even road tech, Stybar is of course still racing on tubular tires, but Roval’s latest Rapide CLX wheels are tubeless or clincher only. So Štyby races the previous generation Roval Rapide CLX50, where the same max 27.4mm external aero carbon tubular rim is shared between both rim brake and disc brake wheels.

And with tons of the road-oriented tubular wheels available from Stybar’s Quick-Step team – especially as the team has been racing more on tubeless tires and even with inner tubes – there were plenty of wheelsets available for assorted tire selections.

He had plenty of Zdenek Stybar-labeled Dugast tires of all sorts on hand, with his team mechanics carrying Rhino & Typhoon tires to the race pits, in case changing weather or track conditions made a mid-race tire swap make sense.

But, looks like the Pipisquallos did well enough for the Czech rider.

Finishing Tech Details

Rounding out Štybar’s build are more road-light components with what looks like some veteran preferences. Because who wants to change what already works. Zdenek Stybar has been racing cross for almost 20 years, and as a full-time road pro since 2011.

So he sits atop an out-of-production Specialized Toupé carbon-railed saddle mounted to a newer ultralight carbon Roval Alpinist seatpost. I guess he isn’t a fan of their short-fit Power saddles or the newest 3D-printed Mirror saddles – although the fewer holes in a cyclocross saddle the better when the mud starts flying!

His Specialized S-Works Crux cross bikes also were all set up with the previous R9100 11-speed generation of Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain with a CX-specific 46/39T crankset, instead of the newer 12-speed kit.

This would have been the top Shimano drivetrain when Stybar got his new S-Works Cruxes last season. And since he only races an abbreviated cyclocross schedule to train through the winter, it likely wouldn’t make sense to have to upgrade all of his cross bikes and wheels to switch to 12-speed.

A PRO Vibe ally stem and carbon bar round out the crosser’s cockpit – still with external cables where they are easy to service, but at least some heat-shrink tubing to keep the Di2 wiring tidy with the righthand rear brake hydraulic line. No traditional Moto cyclocross brake setup here.

Without any UCI cross racing points, Štybar got a back-row start for the CX World Cup in Tábor. But he still managed to move up quite a bit – almost cracking the top-10, and ultimately finishing a respectable 17th an hour later -1 minute 46 seconds behind Belgian race winner Eli Iserbyt.

Štyby said that he had hoped for a bit better finish. But seemed OK with the result and was happy to come out for the fans, especially considering the last race he’d seriously been gunning for was the 5-hour-long inaugural Gravel World Championships where he finished 8th of 138, weirdly again 1 min 46 sec off the race winner’s time.

Specialized.com

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Sanne Cant custom Stevens SuperPrestige CX bike

The Stevens SuperPrestige is one of our most-covered cyclocross bikes. It certainly didn’t hurt that we kept seeing new rainbow-striped versions for a few years in a row. Now the time has come to revamp the popular cross bike – with a new carbon SL frameset. And Sanne Cant gets a nice custom white and frost gray version for her 2022-2023 cross campaign.

More integration! What’s new?

The most obvious change is the lack of any external cables, with everything moving internally through a 1.5″ headset. Stock bikes apparently use various FSA ICR/ACR systems. But pretty much every race bike we saw this weekend featured a Deda system with their new SuperBox stem that gets the cables inside neatly, but retains full cockpit adjustability and easier servicing.

To make everything fit and get your cables around the headtube, the new SuperPrestige gets a wider, more angular headtube shape that has the extra bonus of adding more steering stiffness.

Stevens says the result is also a more aerodynamic setup with the cables less exposed to dirt, water & mud (not really an issue with hydraulic brakes & electronic shifting, though). A CX-specific added benefit is that the cables are also protected out-of-the-way in a crash or even just impossible to get tangled up when running shoulder-to-should with other racers.

Carrying on the deeper integration – and why we lead with so many non-driveside photos of the new bike (gasp!) – the new Stevens SuperPrestige also moves to a hidden, integrated seatpost clamp that is only visible from the lefts side of the bike. The new expander clamp sits inside a pocked in the frame’s carbon seat cluster with a wedge-style clamp inside.

This allows for a small rubber seal around the seatpost at the top of the seattube to keep water and mud out of the frame. We did spot one or two bikes with a piece of electrical tape to further protect against water ingress. But maybe more interestingly, we did NOT see any extra seatpost clamps, suggesting no issue with the saddle dropping even during repeated race-addled-brain flying cyclocross remounts.

Tech Details

Out back, the seatstays of the new bike do meet a bit earlier at the seattube than before and the chainstays have a slightly revised taper. But all in all, it looks like you still get a rear triangle prioritizing stiffness, snappy handling, and offering plenty of CX World Cup-ready mud clearance.

The new bike is also still 1x & 2x compatible, and while very few summer cyclocross races allow it, the SuperPrestige does get two sets of water bottle cages for hot weather or longer-distance training rides. The 2022 Stevens SuperPrestige features a BB86 bottom bracket, flat mount disc brakes, 12mm thru-axles, and a 27.2mm seatpost.

No updated word on frame weights, but the complete bikes all run between 8.1-8.3kg with mid-spec alloy wheels suggesting the frame isn’t ultralight.

The completely revamped carbon cross bike carries over the same proven, World Champion-winning cyclocross race geometry – the Stevens SuperPrestige platform has won 17 rainbow jerseys. It comes in six stock sizes (50-60cm) to fit a wide range of racers. Sanne Cant, who won 3 of those rainbow titles, races a stock 52cm bike.

Up front we can see a bit of updated fork shaping too, with smaller legs that taper more directly to the front axles vs. the kinked offset of old that seemed more reminiscent of curved steel fork blades.

Cant wasn’t the only one racing the new bike, several other riders and other teams gave us more views of the revamped cross classic.

Cant’s fellow Belgian U23 teammate Kiona Crabbé raced this more basic white & exposed carbon of the 2×11 mechanical SuperPrestige with the elites, also giving us a good look at the wide, boxy fork crown that looks otherwise unchanged from the previous generation, of course minus any brake cable routing port just under the headset.

Annemarie Worst had the best elite finish at the Tábor World Cup, placing 3rd in the women’s elite for her 777 team – racing on the stock Dark Lava Red paint scheme of the Di2 model, which almost looks dark purple or black in the shadows.

Two more of Worst’s fellow Dutch 777 teammates rounded out in the women’s top-ten on the new bike with its integrated seatpost clamp & routing.

2022 Stevens SuperPrestige – Pricing & availability

Back over to Cant’s Crelan-Fristads team, a couple of their Belgian U23 men also had unique design schemes. Fellow national champ Emil Versrrynge placed 3rd in U23 on a standard Dark Lava Red bike with some Belgian flag tweaks to his bike. You can see that the paint really pops in the sun, revealing a bit of UD carbon fiber texture beneath the slightly transparent finish.

And current u23 Men’s World Champion Jordan Wyseure got a tasteful white and black bike with rainbow stripes to match his jersey – or rather to match his skinsuit, shoes, socks, helmet, and custom tubulars.

The updated Super Prestige can be ordered now from select Stevens dealers, with varying availability – 1800€ for a frameset, 3500€ with mechanical Ultegra 2×11 or GRX 1×11, 4000€ with Force AXS, or 4500€ with Ultegra Di2 2×12.

StevensBikes.de

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2021/22 Cyclocross Album, Balint Hamvas

Since 2008 Balint Hamvas has been deep inside cyclocross, photographing pretty much every important race on the calendar. In that time he says he’s shot Koksijde 15 times, and most key venues at least 12x. “I’ve ran out of ideas. It feels like I’m just repeating myself and I’m not bringing anything new and fresh to the table. I still love shooting cross but I just can’t keep on doing this with the same intensity.”

So the professional photographer has stepped back from CX this year and is focusing more on road racing where there is more unfamiliar ground for him to cover, and a more infinite opportunity to discover new perspectives on the action.

If you want to read more about Hamvas’ change of direction, you can read about his ‘end of the road‘ in his own words on his CyclePhotos blog. Or you can listen to him & Maghalie Rochette chat about it on her Fever Talk podcast.

Pre-order the last 2021/2022 CX book

The final Balint Hamvas cyclocross book focuses on the 2021/2022 cyclocross season. But it’s also a bit of a retrospective on the 12 race seasons prior, too. In the end, it is 290 pages of photos and stories taking you inside cyclocross deeper than if you were standing ankle-deep in the muddy pits.

The final tome is once again a hardcover, in a medium 27 x 23cm format that you can cozy up with somewhere warm this winter while the riders are out wet & cold at the races, or keep on your coffee table to remind your friends to ride through the winter. The 2021/2022 Cyclocross Album is available now to pre-order for £40 and will ship out in a few weeks in early November. I’ve ordered mine and am anxiously awaiting its arrival!

CyclePhotos.co.uk

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Review: Ass Savers Win Wing fender

The new Win Wing is meant to be a superlight, low-cost, easy-to-attach rear fender.

Right off the bat, the new Ass Savers Win Wing is not a full-coverage fender, so doesn’t offer the same protection that would entail. And of course, this is only protection at the rear wheel too, so at best you could look to their Mudder or Mullet to knock down some of the spray off the front wheel.

Let’s also acknowledge from the start that this is a 1600+ word review with ~30 photos for a simple 4-component plastic product that only costs 25€. That might sound silly, but there’s good reason to read on if you ride in less-than-perfect weather, and on a variety of bikes…

With all of that said, it’s already hard to fault the original Ass Savers fender if you accept its limitations – literally just a simple (and pretty well-designed) piece of folded plastic clipped to your saddle rails… and often copied. A regular Ass Saver doesn’t offer a ton of coverage either, but was/is a ‘better-than-nothing’ approach to at least keeping your butt from getting muddy and soaked on wet or sloppy rides.

Now, the Win Wing improves on that, a lot.

How does it work?

The concept of the Win Wing is tangential protection. Putting the fender just a few millimeters above the rear wheel catches all of those tangential lines of road spray, right at the tire where they originate.

Some of the water, mud, and general road spray off the tire will of course still stay attached and make its way onto your bike and legs… but all of the tangential lines connecting from your wet rear tire to your butt get stopped by the Win Wing.

Ass saved.

One trick to getting the most out of the strap-on fender is keeping it as close to the tire as possible. Ass Savers recommends 5-10mm between the U-shaped top of the mounting bracket (not necessarily the plastic fender itself) and your tire.

That seems super tight clearance-wise, but we’ve had no issues on multiple bikes with mud, rocks, or anything else getting jammed in between tire & fender. And in reality, the soft strap attachment method means that anything that did get caught would likely just bend the fender forward & upward instead of jamming the rear wheel at all.

Tech details & Actual weights

Attaching the bracket to your bike is simple, but getting the best out of the setup requires pulling the straps super tight.

One end of the rubber strap serves as the grippy attachment point where the bracket sits on your seatstays, the other end gets belt buckle-like holes to hook into. And you really should pull hard to ensure that the fender won’t move over rough terrain.

The straps seem amply strong though, so it’s probably safe to pull it one hole (or even two) tighter than you initially thought was enough. I go until the hole is visibly elongated when hooked.

Two key selling points for the Win Wing fenders are that they fit a wide range of tires (and bikes), and they are lightweight.

To hit the wide tire compatibility range, two versions are available: Road optimized for 23-35mm tires and Gravel for 35-60mm tires. Real weight for the Win Wing Road including fender, bracket & straps is just 63g. And the wider Win Wing Gravel is just a few grams more at 72g.

Compare those as 3x as heavy as the two sizes of regular Ass Savers 19/26g, which offer less protection.

But a more apt comparison would be to something like the lightweight, almost full-coverage 40€ SKS RaceBlade Pro/RaceBlade Pro XL fenders. Those of course include front & rear wheel coverage for a pretty good value, but even if we split their claimed weights in half to 177/182g (355/365g for F&R pairs), they would still be around 3x heavier again, while being much more limited in tire size – conservatively max 25mm for the RaceBlade & 32mm for the XL. SKS’s Speedrocker gets a little bit wider, but is less easy to manage.

What protection do you get? And where is it lacking?

How much protection can you really get from this small thing?

Effectively, the Win Wing stops all mud & water from about the seat clamp and higher on most bikes.

Have a look at this BMC URS gravel bike and you can see the seatpost stayed totally clean (or at least as clean as it was before I mounted the fender). But everything below that still gets wet & muddy.

This is the real limitation, and probably what will make you decide to buy a Win Wing or not.

The fender offers zero spray protection for anything below the top of your seattube. If you have it on a full-suspension bike (like this Canyon Lux Trail), the pivots are still exposed to spray and the swingarm will still fill up with mud… or in my case pine needles.

The other thing you can see is the dirty bottle cage. There is NO protection for your water bottles, meaning they will still get covered in mud and road spray. And if you use bottles without protective caps, you’ll still be drinking whatever comes flying off the rear wheel. So… hope you don’t ride your gravel or XC bike anywhere near livestock or freshly fertilized fields.

Another Win Wing limitation is that this fender does also require symmetrical seatstays.

While bikes of old all had a lot more symmetry, a number of modern bikes tweak their stays side-to-side a bit to either maximize tire clearance around the drivetrain or to fit a disc brake caliper into the rear end somewhere tidy.

There is not really any adjustment mechanism in the Win Wing’s mounting bracket. So, if the mid-point of the seatstays are not exactly the same height, the fender will either point off to the side or need to be raised exceptionally high to not rub the tire – either of which will negate its tangential protection benefits.

We talked with Ass Savers about it, and they said it isn’t super common, but suggested that a spacer could easily solve the issue. I put a ~8mm thick rubber spacer under the driveside strap mount of this new Canyon Ultimate, and it solved the alignment issue perfectly, staying secure over many wet kilometers so far.

Why not just get some full-coverage fenders?

The most obvious question when deciding whether to add a minimalist fender to your bike is probably just, why don’t you get a proper set of full-coverage fenders and be done with it?

In reality, the Win Wing fits a lot of bikes that simply won’t fit conventional fenders – no fender mounts required. But the biggest compatibility feature might just be that wide 19-60mm tire width clearance range. That covers almost every road, fixie, all-road, cyclocross, gravel, trekking, and cross-country bike out there.

That’s a lot of bikes.

Plus, while many conventional fenders rattle over rough surfaces or any off-road, the Win Wing stays quiet and doesn’t shake loose no matter where you ride it. Even though it seems to sit perilously close to the rear tire, we haven’t had any issue with it jamming even on especially muddy rides.

And, there simply are few fender options with big enough coverage for mountain bikes. Modern knobby 2.4″ trail tires (61mm) push this fender a bit beyond its limits, but essentially anything smaller than that fits fine, offering plenty of room for most XC bike tires.

Extra benefits, too…

An added benefit of the simple strap-on seatstay mount is also full-suspension & softail compatibility. Whether talking about gravel bikes like this URS with a tiny bit of rear wheel travel or the proper travel of the Lux Trail XC/light trail mountain bike – it’s easy to set the fender up so that it maintains tight clearance over the tire throughout the bike’s rear-wheel travel.

And who would have suspected that this road & gravel fender is perfect for protecting your dropper seatpost? This might be my favorite surprise in mounting the Win Wing. The more dropper posts expand beyond mountain bikes, the more riders will have to deal with maintaining droppers.

Stopping mud and spray before it hits your dropper post’s slider and main seal is sure to keep the post running smoother, longer.

Oh, and speaking of dropping…. putting the fender all the way down at the rear tire also means it doesn’t get in the way when you have to get back behind the saddle on a steep descent or technical step-down. Anyone with a conventional-style Ass Saver knows about getting hung up on the fender when you sit back over the wheel. And some will even be familiar with the sound of your Ass Saver unexpectedly rubbing your tire when the dropper is down and the suspension bottoms out. No more.

Final Ass Savers Win Wing thoughts

Is the Ass Savers Win Wing the best fender ever? Well… obviously no.

But it is really good at what it does.

This is not really a fender for everyone. Some don’t like the look of this gray recycled plastic loop hanging over your rear wheel. Some really need the total protection of proper full-coverage fenders. And some – like our own Editor-in-Chief – would rather have a wet butt than nasty muddy water bottles. And those are all valid concerns.

But…

If you are just looking for a lightweight, simple solution to keep your butt clean & dry (or a bit drier if you ride in constant rain) on road, gravel, or cross-country rides… then, the Win Wing is a good option to consider. And if you want to keep mud off your dropper post, that might just be a very welcome added bonus, too.

The Ass Savers Win Wing comes in two sizes and plenty of color options that all sell for between 25-27€. The fenders are all made in Sweden from recycled content. Pick them up straight from Ass Savers, or from numerous retailers and local bike shops.

Ass-Savers.com

The post All-new Ass Savers Win Wing rear fender offers better, more versatile protection – Review appeared first on Bikerumor.

That includes a number of new exhibitors that will be attending this year for the first time – according to PBE, the exhibitor list numbers are up 23% over 2021. And from that list, let’s start with the frame builders. Frame building has always been featured at the PBE – after all, the show was founded by legendary frame builder Stephen Bilenky, of Bilenky Cycle Works.

And with the cancellation of NAHBS 2022, the exhibitor list of frame builders looks to have grown even more for PBE 2022 – further cementing the Philly Bike Expo’s place as one of the premier bicycle shows in the United States.

Frame Builders Showing for the first time at PBE 2022

Acoustic Cycles

Hailing from Colorado, Zach, the founder of Acoustic Cycles, designs, crafts, and builds each bicycle by hand from steel and (coming soon) titanium.

According to their website, “Zach says his passion for bicycles began at an early age. He flourished as a downhill racer, pivoting to working as a mechanic in several bicycle shops. After ten years in commercial construction project management, Zach decided to apply his engineering background to this passion”.

I will be putting my eyes and my camera on these beauts at the Expo!

Breadwinner Cycles

Chandi Bicycles

Corvid Cycles

More Small Frame Builders

Check out these Instagram accounts of some of the other frame builders showcasing their beautiful creations at the Philly Bike Expo… after you check out the eye candy on their websites, and social media accounts, you’ll understand why they’ll be topping my list of booths to visit upon my arrival at the expo!

Alex Meade

Booomers Bamboo

Handz

Hot Salad

Liberation Fabrication

Liebo

Maiorosse

Sal’s Bikes

 

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Below is a full list of the brands that are exhibiting for the first time at the Philly Bike Expo 2022:

Frame Builders

Acoustic Cycles
Alex Meade
Booomers Bamboo
Breadwinner
Chandi
Handz
Hot Salad
Liberation Fabrication
Liebo
Mairosse
Sal’s Bikes
Wzrd Bikes

Accessories & Apparel

Bullmoose Softgoods
Lightning
Insta360
KountryScents
Pactimo
Reroot Outdoors
Route Werx
Take a Trip Bags
Velo.ai
Via Velo

Advocacy

Black Girls do Bike
Early Childhood Mobility Coalition
Inspyrd Movement
Pennsylvania Downtown Center

Bike Manufacturers

Beiqi
Buddy Bike
Bunch Bikes
Cardinal Cycling Group (Detroit Bikes)
Stein & Fenton

Bike Shops

Golden Velo
Keswick Cycle

Components

AARN
Lun Wheels

Distributors

Janus

The post Road to Philly Bike Expo 2022: New Exhibitors add up to one of the biggest shows yet! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Check out the details below.

The EP-1 End Cap Crimping Pliers

This is a purpose-built cable end cap crimping tool that looks like it would work well on all cable end caps, be it brake, derailleur, or dropper post levers, or whatever other end cap crimping you want to do. There are two crimping positions on the short jaws helping to make it easy to crimp in tight, hard-to-reach spaces. Park Tool says that it is built from forged machined steel. Finishing it off is the classic signature “Park Tool blue”-colored vinyl-dipped handles.

Retail: $29.95

BBT-49.3 Bottom Bracket tool

This bottom bracket tool is CNC-machined out of aluminum and is used for 16-notch bottom brackets like Shimano XTR BB93, Dura Ace BB9000, and Token bottom brackets. The tool is made in-house by Park Tool. It also has a 3/8″ ratchet/torque wrench-compatible drive.

The BBT-49.3 tool also has integrated threads for full compatibility with the Park Tool BBT-RS Bottom Bracket Tool Retaining System which is sold separately. This tool will work with chainring lockrings on Shimano STEPS square spindle ebike systems including E6000, E6002, and E6050.

The BBT-49.3 replaces the Shimano TL-FC38 tool.

Retail: $26.95

TS-2TA.3 Thru Axle Adapters

Quite simply, the TS-2TA.3 Thru Axle Adapters will work in the Park Tool Professional Truing Stands, TS-2.2 and TS-2. to quickly and easily make them fully compatible with thru axle hubs.

Retail: $20.95

See all of the bicycle-specific tools that are offered by Park tool by hitting the link below.

ParkTool.com

The post Park Tool Releases Three new Must-Have tools for your Shop! appeared first on Bikerumor.

The watt-saving Titanium Bolt Hardware Upgrade Kit is compatible with both of their seatpost clamps – the bolt-closure version and the quick-release version.

These lightweight beauties come in three different finishes: Black, Gold, and Oil Slick. The kits include a bolt, threaded barrel, and Ti-Prep grease (they do not include the actual aluminum seat post collar or QR lever), and weights are claimed at 4.3g for the bolt closure, or 4.9g for the QR. WTC claims that this is 50% less than their steel counterparts, so roughly a 4-5g savings.

Ti hardware upgrade kits will sell for $12.95, and can be added on to any seatpost clamp order from WTC. Order the kit or a new seat post clamp at the link below.

WolfToothComponents.com

The post Wolf Tooth: Shaving Weight and Building Strength one Seat Post Clamp at a Time! appeared first on Bikerumor.