|
|
FEATURES: INTERBIKE REPORT, PART 1
Kansas Bob
September 21, 2010
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Storck is showing off their Aero 2 Tri-bike at Outdoor Demo this year and we were excited to get a closer look. We saw their Ironman winner Faris Al Sultan training on this bike in Santa Barbara last year, but he wouldn't let us get close enough for a photo.
The Aero 2 is all business, from it's "Zeitjager" (Time Hunter) handlebars to it's hidden carbon leaf spring brakes, this bike is designed to shave time in any way possible from the bike portion of your event. The Aero 2 weighs in at the UCI TT weight limit of 6.8 kilos (which has no bearing in the Tri world), and Storck claims that it is the lightest and stiffest tri-bike available on the market. Storck designed the Aero 2 to only be available with Shimano's Di2 component group to take advantage of the multiple shifting options.
When it comes to light, Storck's FO.6 is one of the lightest bikes around. The FO.6 comes as a fuselage including the frame, fork, cranks, brakes and a ceramic headset, and the weight is only 1,750 grams.
Speaking of light brakes, the integrated carbon leaf spring brakes used on the Stork Aero 2 only weigh 30 grams!
For more info, Stork Bicycles.
A
Di2 Ultegra group?A new 12 speed DuraAce group? Wayne Stetina giving
away his race secrets? Nope, but what the Shimano booth did have was air
conditioning which provided some welcome relief to 100+ temperature outside.
Ric Hjertberg the founder of Mad Fiber wheels showed up at the 2010 edition of Interbike's Outdoor Demo ready to allow the mortals in attendance a chance to ride on his revolutionary carbon fiber wheels. More than a few of the lucky riders were blown away by the wheel's light weight (a mere 1080 grams), responsiveness and comfortable ride. As light as they are, Ric said that there was no rider weight limit on the wheels. One gentleman waiting his turn for a ride admitted to a weight of 280 pounds. Ric just smiled and said try them out.
We listened intently as Ric explained the engineering theory that went into the design of his Mad Fiber wheels. "As different companies replace aluminum with carbon they tend to design the carbon as an a replacement for the aluminum component", he said. This results in a wheel that isn't fully using carbon's inherent strengths to the greatest advantage. Focusing on the attributes of carbon, Ric builds his wheels out of several different carbon parts. First there are the long aero sidewall sections that are glued to the small tire holding trough, then that completed assembly has the spokes glued within the sidewall sections. The loose hub end of the spokes are then glued to the two separate flanges of the hub, which is made up of three pieces; the two flanges and the central tube. Tensioning the spokes requires an elaborate jig and tensioning device which pulls the hub flanges outward along the hub's central tube, until proper tension is achieved, at which point, the flanges are glued in place.
This glued design spreads the tension of the spokes into the rim sidewall membranes and the hub flanges, creating a very strong wheel assembly. These incredible wheels are priced at $2,600, which is pretty reasonable for a pro-team level wheelset. Mad Fiber wheels come with a one year warranty, and also come with a $400 crash replacement policy.
Just in time for 'cross season - the Ellsworth Roots uses an aluminum front triangle mated to a carbon rear end. Four sizes available with the frame selling for $995.
The Ellsworth Coefficient is the brands tri-bike effort, Available in five sizes, the frame sells for $3295.
The rear wheel on the Coefficient enjoys the wind protection of a massive carbon fiber fairing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|