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FEATURES: SEA OTTER REPORT, PART ONE
Road Bike Action
April 17, 2011
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As usual, there was lots and lots and lots of new products to behold in the massive bike expo that makes up just one part of the massive Sea Otter Classic. Once again, spectators were able to enjoy fabulous warm weather and celebrate the joy of outdoor living and recreation.
Between traveling back from the Sea Otter and prepping ourselves for a magazine deadline this week, your favorite RBA Power Rangers are all over the place getting new product info lined up. In that pursuit, we'll be showing off new product highlights from the Sea Otter for the next few days, starting with this...
As some of you may have seen in our recent "Euro Special" issue, Sarto is a small frame builder with 50 years of experience making frames for other brands. Not only his company namesake Antonio Sarto now making his own frames, but he is also bringing them to America. If a truly custom built frame from Italy is what you crave most, Sarto Cycles is happy to oblige with a variety of road/cross/track options.
Meanwhile, over at the Felt booth...
If you're in the market for a TT/Tri bike, how about the fully loaded Felt DA for a cool $12,499? From the Zipp 808 wheels to the Shimano electronic Di2 drivetrain, this is a bike with a proven track record. A frameset is also available for $5000.
Although not UCI legal, the Felt DA is built with a removable fairing that houses the Shimano Di2 battery.
In a conversation with company namesake Jim Felt, not only did he say that disc brakes are definitely on the way, but that before they clear the variety of hurdles that exist, hydraulic caliper brakes, intended largely for TT bikes that are losing braking power due to tight confines and complicated cable routing, will probably happen first. Wow!
Here's the new 2012 Felt F2X cyclocross bike that uses a Shimano Di2 drivetrain and somehow still only costs $6400 for the whole bike. The battery is mounted on the backside of the seatpost. Lower line versions that use the same frame will also be available.
Hey kids, how about this retro gem from the Felt fixie catalog - the TK4130 (as in 4130 chromoly) sells for $849 and runs with faux-wood rims, Vittoria Zaffiro Pro tires and it will have chrome fork and chainstay tips. Available in five sizes.
And as we continued through the expo...
Talk about cool retro parts, how about these sweet drilled-out and polished brake RR SR levers from TRP Brakes. The sultry 140 gram levers feature gum hoods and a snazzy push button brake release. All yours for $110 a pair.
Here's the first official sighting of the new Giro Aeon helmet made with single density foam. The $250 lid is a melding of both the Giro Ionas and Pro-Lite to deliver maximum head protection at just 220 grams. Available in eight colors, we're especially looking forward to seeing the "world champ" edition as used by Thor Hushovd.
Despite their history as a dirt-centric company, Lezyne is jumping into the road world in a big way. Take their sponsorship of the HTC-Highroad team for instance. When we pressed Patrick from Lezyne about any products to come from that relationship, he threw down this sweet, limited edition, portable tool bag that would serve any traveling cyclist quite well.
The inside of the bag is chock full of tools needed for building bikes in hotel rooms as well as for keeping you going on the road with flat kits and mini-pumps. Everything is branded with the team logo and best of all, proceeds from each kit go to the Carla's Circle Fund which was begun this year in memory of team rider Carla Swart who was tragically killed in a training accident.
How stoked were we when Team Tibco rider & 2009 U.S. National Road Champ Meredith Miller rode by the Road Bike Action booth and took away one of our new water bottles just delivered from Specialized. What a sight!
Praxis Works is a new name to the chainring game and they have quite the story to tell. Unlike the majority of chainrings on the market that are CNC machined, Praxis rings are forged and will be available for a fraction of the normal high-priced offerings out there and with a bundle of cool, performance enhancing features.
From custom, Italian made carbon road bikes to American made custom steel fixed gear bikes, there was something of everything to be found at the Sea Otter. Big Shot bikes will build and ship you your own fixed gear statement within "about four business days". Thousands of colors to choose from as well as your own handlebar choice. Each Big Shot bike also has a flip-flip hub to either run as a single speed of fixie.
BTW...
Here's what all the contents of the Lezyne Port-a-Shop bag look like. |
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