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New Product Spotlight and Review: ProMax Cantilever Brakes
January 8th, 2010 Filed Under new products, reviews
The Promax's are black finished with machined faces © Clifford Lee
Promax is a Taiwanese manufacturer of bicycle components, many of which are Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) on mid-priced bikes. The cantilever brake is their new product in the low profile category. Though at first glance it appears similar to the new Avid Shorty with its double arm design, it has some unique cosmetic features. …continue reading: New Product Spotlight and Review: ProMax Cantilever Brakes
New Product Spotlight and Review: Slime Pro Tubless Sealant
January 7th, 2010 Filed Under new products, reviews
Slime Pro Tubless Tire Sealant. MSRP $18 for 16oz (473 ml).
Slime has been around for a long time and has products for every category of tire or tube whether it’s on an auto, lawnmower or bike. Tire sealants work analogously to our blood clotting system, though in a much more rudimentary fashion. When a puncture occurs, particles suspended in a solution aggregate at the hemorrhage to form a clot, stemming the further flow of solution and air.
Slime Pro is a new product formulated especially for tubeless systems. …continue reading: New Product Spotlight and Review: Slime Pro Tubless Sealant
Retro Product Spotlight and Review: SRP Mr. Grumpy Cantilevers
January 7th, 2010 Filed Under reviews
SRP Mr. Grumpy cantilevers. $90 per wheel at EU Cycle Imports.
The SRP Mr. Grumpy has been around for a long time. It was maligned for its relative lack of stopping power but has recently made a comeback for its light weight, unique look and copious amount of rim clearance. …continue reading: Retro Product Spotlight and Review: SRP Mr. Grumpy Cantilevers
Product Spotlight and Review: Kurt Kinetic Road Machine and Power Computer
January 4th, 2010 Filed Under reviews
Comes in any color you like, as long as it's grasshoper green. Matches my frame quite nicely! © Josh Liberles
It’s hard for me to get excited about an indoor trainer. If I’m riding a trainer, it usually means I’ve either done a poor job of time management and have no other alternative, or I’m being too much of a wuss to put up with the weather du jour. Fact of the matter is, trainers fill a necessary role in most cyclists’ lives, and in the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, I’ve found one that makes me feel like I’m actually pedaling a bike. For cyclocross racers, a good pre-race warm-up on a trainer is often the best, most focused way to prepare for an event, stay warm and keep your race rig mud-free a little longer. …continue reading: Product Spotlight and Review: Kurt Kinetic Road Machine and Power Computer
Product Spotlight – Kool N’ Fit Sport Conditioning Spray
December 31st, 2009 Filed Under reviews
Kool 'N Fit Sport Conditioning Spray. Photo: Courtesy
Kool ‘N Fit Sport is a liquid spray designed to help with muscle warm-up and recovery. Add “does laundry” and “cooks your recovery dinner” to its list of attributes and it would be every racer’s perfect mate. Seriously, product manufacturer Kool Fit recommends using their Sport product to improve warm-up, invigorate, avoid fatigue, prevent cramps, reduce next-day soreness, improve recovery, allow for better stretching, speed up healing from injuries, relieve general stress and generate a feeling of well-being. …continue reading: Product Spotlight – Kool N’ Fit Sport Conditioning Spray
New Product Spotlight: FastForward F4C Wheelset
December 23rd, 2009 Filed Under reviews
Wheelbag, skewers, valve extenders and carbon brake pads are all included © Josh Liberles
For the past several months, Cyclocross Magazine’s remote test lab in Oregon has been slinging through the mud, putting Fast Forward’s new F4C carbon cyclocross tubulars to the ultimate test.
Founded in 2006, Fast Forward is a relative newcomer to the high end world of carbon wheels. The Dutch company’s wheels are not yet distributed in the U.S., although you can order them directly online. Unless you watched Swiss rider Christian Heule tear it up at early season American ‘cross races, you’ve likely never heard of the brand. Now that Fast Forward has dramatically upped the ante and committed to sponsoring Tom Boonen, Stijn Devloder and the rest of the Quick Step UCI Pro Tour road team for 2010, the company’s worldwide notoriety will likely skyrocket.
Fast Forward offers wheel setups from narrow, lightweight climbers to full-on discs. Somewhere in between, there are several models ideal for cyclocross. …continue reading: New Product Spotlight: FastForward F4C Wheelset
Gut-Wrenching Mechanical Mondays: The Conical Brush
December 7th, 2009 Filed Under how-to, reviews, rider diary
My favorite implement: conical brush with natural bristles © Dave Drumm
by Dave Drumm
Nothing makes the life of a mechanic easier than having the right tool for the job. When it comes to cyclocross and bike washing, having the right brushes on hand can facilitate the seemingly impossible task of making the dirtiest bike shine like new, in less time than you could possibly imagine.
The most used brush in my quiver is the conical brush. It can magically cut down on time required to get your bike sparkling again. My favorite conical brush was one that I bought in Europe several years ago. It was designed for cleaning wire-spoke wheels on cars – think classic MG’s. It was the ultimate brush with soft natural bristles that did not scratch paint or hold grease. …continue reading: Gut-Wrenching Mechanical Mondays: The Conical Brush
Shoe Week Day 6: 2010 Specialized S-Works MTB Shoe Review
December 7th, 2009 Filed Under reviews
Specialized 2010 S-Works MTB Shoes, only slightly used at time of photo © Lane Miller
Cyclocross Magazine’s year-long search for the perfect cyclocross shoe continues with Day 6 of Shoe Week. We look at Specialized’s top offering, the not-yet-released 2010 S-Works MTB. Missed our previous features? Catch up on Day 5’s Winter Shoe Roundup.
by Lane Miller
Specialized’s “S-Works” moniker is reserved for those products reflecting the leading edge technology, be it bicycles, helmets or, in this case, shoes. For the past few years, Specialized has offered an S-Works model of their offroad shoe, designed to hit that magical balance of fit, stiffness and weight for those riders seeking every advantage, even in their footwear. While early refinements to the original S-Works MTB shoes involved the BOA system securing the shoe, 2010 brings more drastic improvements. …continue reading: Shoe Week Day 6: 2010 Specialized S-Works MTB Shoe Review
Shoe Week Supplement: Keep Your Kicks Dry with Dry Guy
December 3rd, 2009 Filed Under new products, reviews
A typical post-race hotel scene: 'Cross shoes, lingering mud, Dry Guy, coffee pot © Josh Liberles
Today’s Shoe Week bonus: although not a cyclocross shoe review per se, we bring to you a quick write-up of a product that could both increase your shoes’ lifespan and make for happier, drier feet. Read up on the Dry Guy Widebody below. Missed our previous reviews? See our features from Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4.
Maybe you got caught in the rain on a training ride without shoe covers, just slogged through a wet and muddy cyclocross race and/or are generating enough sweat to get your riding slippers more-than-moist from within. Sure, the old tried-and-true method of shoving balled up newspaper into your shoes will suck out a surprising amount of water in a pinch, but the Dry Guy Widebody boot and glove dryer is a cyclocrosser’s dream.
…continue reading: Shoe Week Supplement: Keep Your Kicks Dry with Dry Guy
Cyclocross is Spoken Here: Cyclepath, Portland
December 3rd, 2009 Filed Under cyclocross news, cyclocross photos, reviews
Cyclepath speaks 'cross © Josh Liberles
Here’s another in our series of articles that dig a little deeper to find the unique and great cyclocross shops out there. With the USGP coming to Portland this weekend, we decided to highlight one of the local shops. Look for more of these coming up on a regular basis. For a quick list of excellent resources, visit our Top Shops page. Missed our earlier feature on another unique and fabulous Portland shop, Sellwood Cycle Repair? Check it out here.
Step inside of Cyclepath, located in northeast Portland, and it’s hard to avoid drooling over bike eye-candy. The focus is on “Custom Bike Love,” which translates to super-sweet frames built up with choice bits.
Bill Larson and Joshua Hutchens founded Cyclepath in 2000. They stick to the stuff that they really like – that they want to ride themselves. Predominantly, that means nice road bikes, lightweight mountain bikes and, of course, purpose-built cyclocross rigs.
…continue reading: Cyclocross is Spoken Here: Cyclepath, Portland
Shoe Week Day 4: Lake MX170 Review
December 3rd, 2009 Filed Under new products, reviews
The Lake MX170 mountain biking / cyclocross shoes © Cyclocross Magazine
Cyclocross Magazine’s year-long search for the perfect cyclocross shoe continues with Day 3 of Shoe Week. Today we take a look at Northwave’s Aerlite SBS shoe. Missed our previous features? See our reviews from Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.
by Andrew Yee
I’ve been a longtime Lake shoe fan, since their shoes sported Shimano-made soles and came with aqua-colored accents. One particular reason that I’ve liked Lake shoes is that the company offers models like the mid-range MX160 and MX165 with laces, allowing a custom, secure fit on my two different-shaped feet.
Huh? Laces on cycling shoes? Don’t worry, I don’t long for Detto Pietros, but I’m not a triathlete and have no need to get in and out of my shoes in a hurry. If laces work for every other shoe I have, why not for cycling? Yet one area I don’t like laces is for snowboarding. Trying to tighten laces on a big, burly stiff boot with bulky winter gloves isn’t easy. And so for my snowboard boots, the wire-based ratchet Boa system has been a godsend for me.
So when Lake combined a Boa system with their mountain bike shoe technology to create the mid-price MX170 mountain bike shoe, I couldn’t wait to try it. Described by Lake as a “lightweight race shoe,” with a lot of leather and not much mesh, a heel-mounted Boa lacing system, optional toe studs, two different widths and an aggressive, natural rubber sole all at $149, could the MX170 be the perfect cyclocross shoe?
…continue reading: Shoe Week Day 4: Lake MX170 Review
Shoe Week Day 3: Northwave Aerlite S.B.S. Review
December 2nd, 2009 Filed Under reviews
The Northwave Aerlite SBS: Is this the perfect cyclcoross shoe? © Cyclocross Magazine
Cyclocross Magazine’s year-long search for the perfect cyclocross shoe continues with Day 3 of Shoe Week. Today we take a look at Northwave’s Aerlite SBS shoe. Missed our previous reviews? See our reviews from Day 1 and Day 2.
by Andrew Yee
Northwave released their Aerlite SBS mountain bike shoe just before the Beijing Olympics for the 2009 model year. Thanks to its PRO white look with silver and red accents, it’s a hard shoe to miss. While at the time of its release it was the company’s top-shelf model, it now sits just below the carbon-soled $250 Razer and, for a brief period, sat below the 2009 Aerlite SBS Carbon mountain shoe that the Razer replaced. For 2010, the Aerlite SBS shoe gets a minor update in a reconstructed toe box with smoother stitching and more synthetic leather to reinforce and improve the comfort of the transition area between the Velcro straps and the toe box. Being worn in the Olympics is one thing, but how would such a shoe do in the harsher hard-man and hard-woman world of cyclocross? …continue reading: Shoe Week Day 3: Northwave Aerlite S.B.S. Review
