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FEATURES: BEING THERE: EUROBIKE TECH REPORT, DAY TWO
Tim Maloney
September 1, 2011
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Besides their usual collection of wheels of every variety, plus their ever growing line of shoes, Mavic broke new ground by introducing a new line of helmets. The three models: Plasma SLR, Plasma and the entry level Syncro have some pretty swoopy lines as well as a variety of proprietary design features. Three sizes for each will be available at $220, $180 and $125 prices respectively.
This is the top of the range Plasma SLR with dual-density padding which uses a lower density against the
rider's head and a higher density foam density against the liner. The Ergohold retention system looks like it should do the trick eh? Claimed weight for the SLR is at 300 grams.
Colnago takes flight with their Flite TT bike. Nearing his 80th birthday
next February, Ernesto Colnago enthused to Road Bike Action over his
great satisfaction in the performance of Europcar's Thomas Voeckler in
the Tour de France. Look for an exclusive interview with Colnago in an
upcoming issue of RBA.
Ciao Bello! The handsome young man on the left is Tour de France stage
winner Edvald Boasson Hagen while the other guy (handsome too) is Fausto Pinarello, who makes the bikes for Boasson Hagen's Team Sky squad. Fausto was happy at the show knowing that over in Spain his bikes are currently leading the Vuelta a Espana under Bradley Wiggins.
Fulcrum's Ty Daugherty showed RBA the Italian wheel brand's new Red Wind
XLR aluminum / carbon 2 Way Fit clincher wheels, available in 50, 80
and 105mm depth. The Fulcrum 2 Way Fit wheels work with either tubes or tubeless tires. Ty added, "The
80mm tubeless version of the new Red Wind XLR are really fast!"
Ergon pioneered ergonomic innovation in cycling products and their new
SM3 saddle, shown here in carbon Monolink version offers a special
low-friction top coating, a proprietary ergonomic shape with specific
density foam padding and an integrated elastomer micro-shock absorbing
technology.
Road Bike Action first got a sneak-peak at Canyon's new time trial
project
bike in a fifth floor hotel room at the Tour de France. At Eurobike the
TT machine was further along and now known as the Speedmax Project.
Developed in a cooperation between Canyon
engineers and British aerodynamics guru Simon Smart in the Mercedes wind
tunnel in the UK, Canyon's Speedmax Project will likely hit the roads of
the ProTour in 2012 if the brand can find a new team to sponsor
Meanwhile, over at the Zeppelin hangar next door...
Despite the Euro slant to the Eurobike show, every major American player in the bike industry is present with massive booths to show off all their wares. At times, even the small island sized booths aren't big enough to handle all the PR duties so off-site locales are used. That's what Bontrager resorted to when they directed the media to a nearby Zeppelin hangar to roll-out their new line of carbon hoops. Here's what the release said....
"Today Bontrager debuted an entirely redesigned range of Aeolus aero wheels featuring the new D3 rim shape, allowing for lighter, better handling wheels with less aerodynamic drag than wheels with deeper rim profiles; refuting the notion that a deeper rim profile is inherently more aerodynamic. While most aero wheels reduce drag at the front of the wheel, the exclusive D3 (Dual Directional Design) rim profile reduces drag at both the front, tire-leading side and the rear, rim-leading side. The D3 shape not only allows for increased speed but also increases rider control in a crosswind.
The new Aeolus D3 wheels feature OCLV carbon rims handcrafted in the US and are available in four tubular depths (35mm, 50mm, 70mm, and 90mm) and one clincher model (50mm). The Aeolus D3 clincher will be made available in more depths in the near future. The entire Aeolus D3 line has been in the employ of the world class riders of Leopard/Trek, Team RadioShack, and Trek/K•Swiss since the beginning of the 2011 season.
All Bontrager Aeolus D3, Aura, and Race XXX Lite wheels are available in nine decal colors to match any rider’s paint scheme and look especially great when paired with frames painted through Trek’s Project One custom bike program. The 2012 Aeolus D3 tubular and clincher wheels will be available in early 2012."
For more info: Bontrager Aeolus. |
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