Arts Cyclery Blog

We’ve all seen them on the bikes of a select few pros, and we finally got our hands on a set. They’re gone now, but we snuck them in for a few high resolution images before they were taken away from us. The “they” were a prototype set of Shimano Carbon Dura Ace pedals. We didn’t have too much time with them but what we can say is they are pretty sweet. Only a tad lighter than the current 7800 pedals, these new carbon variants are huge in comparison. They are at least 5 mm wider per pedal than the current 7800 pedals which means there should be no shortage of power transfer. I did get a chance to put a pedal on our trusty gram counter here and found one new DA carbon pedal to weigh a competitive 124 grams, putting the pair at just over a half pound. This makes them about the same weight as the Mavic SL Ti pedals. The bearings and spindle look to be the same as the current pedal, however the stack height looks like it may have been lowered. Otherwise the pedals seem similar in function to the current 7800 pedals. Here’s the images; check your twitter account for an update on when Artscyclery.com will be getting some to sell. Enjoy.

The new Dura Ace pedals have a huge body

yet remain ultra thin and sleek.

Hammer On.

Bradstone Uncategorized

What: WTB Weirwolf 26×2.3 AM TCS Tires
Price: $48
The Skinny: Just keep leaning

Since the first Weirwolf came out some seven or eight years ago,

The Corner knobs are now a row of 3 instead of 4

it was an instant success. I personally loved the tire as did most of my cycling buddies. However it wasn’t without fault - it wasn’t the most confidence inspiring tire, as it lacked enough transition knobs allowing you to lean into a corner with confidence. It was like this: approach corner, lean bike over, wait for cornering knobs and grab. That last bit is the catch; there was a brief period of time where you were basically riding without traction while you waited for the cornering knobs to hook up.

The new Weirwolf however, is something special. Having thrashed around on it for a few weeks now, I can confidently say… it’s better than the first. The evolution starts with the tread pattern. Though it remains the same down the middle, the off-camber side knobs are now a row of 3 instead of 4. Small (but mighty) transition spines connect the cornering knobs to the center tread. The cornering knobs are also stepped, meaning they get thicker towards the bottom like a Mayan temple. The TCS version features WTB’s Tubeless Compatible System, which means the tire has a UST bead but adding Stan’s or any other sealant to the tire won’t void the warranty, unlike many other UST tires. WTB’s TCS tires also tend to be lighter than their UST counterparts, except the Weirwolf which comes with WTB’s AM (All Mountain) sidewall protection - a layer of nylon in the side wall of the tire, and Dual DNA compound (60a center, 50a cornering rubber). These two protection and grip inducing technologies add enough weight to push the Weirwolf AM TCS over it’s UST brother, but not by much. For exact weights, check out our website. So how does it ride?

The transition spines and stepped knobs inspire cornering confidence

Just keep leaning! The easiest way to describe how well this tire grips the terra firma is to say, seemingly infinitely. Except for my ride in the rain, the tire had endless amounts of grip. In every type of terrain other than rocky mudiness (which you shouldn’t be riding in anyway because it ruins trails), the tire corners as if it’s on rails. I found myself corning faster than I have before and just leaning the bike over to try and find the ends of it’s grip. I never did and went away from my first ride very much impressed. Subsequent rides proved the same, and I can confidently say this tire will remain on my bike. It must be the new stepped cornering knobs and transition knobs that allow you to just throw yourself confidently into corners. There’s never a moment of vagueness, never a moment of “Oh crud, are these tires going to catch?” The tire provides substantial grip at every angle. It inspires confidence to go faster.

A few things to be aware of; I found myself running much lower pressures than I was used to (about 4 psi lower) because of the AM sidewalls. They’re so stiff I found myself most comfortable around 25-26 psi, though I usually run 28-30psi because it’s so rocky here. For smoother single track, this isn’t necessary, but for the rocky stuff, the tire grips much better at the lower pressure. Also, don’t expect too much in the rain. East Coast riders may not like the tire because close spaced knobs  don’t shed mud as well as other tires designed for those conditions such as the WTB Prowler or MotoRaptor. That said, the Weirwolf loves loose over hard and loamy soil. It can hang on the smooth single track since it’s fairly fast rolling, but more than any thing, it loves descending and being tossed into corners. WTB lists the tires terrain strengths as Gravel/Rocks, Sandy, Loamy, and Wet. I would add Hardpack to that and clarify Wet; if it’s muddy wet, the tire is OK, if it’s rocky wet, this tire isn’t suited.

Summary

So far I’ve stacked up twice with this tire, mashed through rock gardens, descended and climbed epic singletrack, and power slid through my fair share of fire-road gravely corners. In every instance, the WTB Weirwolf tire is well mannered, confident, and taking the abuse in stride. In short, for sludgy mud there’s the Prowler, for everything else, there’s the WTB Weirwolf AM TCS.

Hammer On

Our Trusty Demo bike; takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'

Bradstone Uncategorized

We’re huge fans of WTB products and are super stoked on the new TCS tires. For those who want to know what all the hubbub is about, Decline Magazine has done an excellent review. Though they state the TCS tires are the same weight as the race versions, our own independent testing has shown that the TCS tires are in fact heavier (considerably in some cases) than their Race counterparts. However, they are every bit worth the cost - and weight. Actual weights can be found on our website. Look for our own review soon. We’ve been thrashing around a set of Weirwolf 2.3 AM TCS’s and are so far in love with them. In the mean time, check out this article, as it does a great job of explaining the technology behind the tire.

Hammer On

Bradstone Uncategorized

It’s no secret that here in California we’re spoiled in regards to weather. The ability to even be able to ride this time of year is a privilege. I think however, that our inexperience with the weather has some what scared us out of riding when it turns foul. Not I however! This fearless blogger has now braved 4 days of rain soaked riding and many more where the roads were significantly wet; it would’ve been more, but again, it’s California. I’ve learned a few things while hammering in the rain that may come in handy should you ever choose to ride regardless of the weather.

Check your tires after every wet ride

Water is an interesting substance. When forced between bicycle rubber and pavement, it tends to grab every piece of debris (small rocks, glass, splinters, etc.) in the road, pick it up and swing it around the tire so that you run over it every revolution of the wheel. This has an especially degrading effect on your tire, as you can imagine. When it’s not raining, tires tend to not pick up the debris, but watch out when it is. I learned that it’s a great idea to check your tires after every wet ride. Go over them with a pair of tweezers to pull out anything that may cause a flat next time you go out. You may be surprised at what you find. I personally have discovered that not all tires are suited to the wet weather. My first ride out in the rain on my stock Specialized Mondo Pro IIs rewarded me with a flat rear tire. My second rain ride resulted in the same and a significant hole in the tire.

Some road debris lodged in my tire after my first rain ride

To the left are some examples of the debris I found in my tire after my first ride out. You’ll notice that each is a different substance - a rock, a piece of glass, and a metal shard. I actually found much more but these were the biggest examples. I put them on a sticky note for reference. As you can see, it’s a very good idea to check your tires after every wet whether ride.

Get a Set of Rain Worthy Tires

After my second flat I decided to upgrade to a good set of rain worthy tires. I called around and Vittoria was happy to let me try out a set of Open Pavé CG’s. If that sounds unfamiliar to you, think Paris Roubaix. Since 1978, 16 Paris Roubaixs have been won on Pavé Evo CGs - the most recent victory coming in 2007 by Stuart O’ Grady with CSC, shown below. The tire is designed specifically for the slippery cobbles and wet weather that characterizes the Hell of the North. It’s easily identified from all other tires by it’s trade mark green stripe which also separates it from any other tire in Vittoria’s line.

O' Grady on his way to Roubaix victory

It’s easy to mistake the Open Pavé Evo CG for a Corsa Evo CX, but beyond it’s skin, the Pavé Evo CG is an entirely different animal. Starting with the casing, it has a true 320 tpi casing where 80% is polycotton and the other 20% is Kevlar, making it one of the strongest casings on the market. It also only comes in one size, 700×24c. The larger volume helps the tire absorb more of the pavés ( for those who aren’t fluent in French, Pavé means “paving stone” hence the name) or any other road condition you may encounter. For 2010, the tread design is slightly different also, with the chevron blocks being slightly taller than on a Corsa Evo. The tire also employs Vittoria’s PRB 2.0 which is a strip of material under the tread that increases puncture resistance by 40% over the older versions. The question now is did it live up to the hype? I answer that with a resounding yes! Having just gotten off the Specialized tires, I had a great standard to compare the Pavé Evos to.

Unlike my Mondo Pro IIs, the Pavé Evos don’t pick up water nearly as much. I don’t know how but my guess is it has something to do with the tread pattern. Because of this, the tires haven’t seemed to pick any road debris and thus after 5 or 6 wet rides, I still haven’t had a flat. In fact, my tires still look almost new, with virtually no slits or tears in the tread. This is the biggest difference; other than the fact that I still haven’t gotten a flat, the tires grip well and the 24c size combined with such a high tpi count is heavenly to ride on. Pavé Evo CGs are fast and smooth. Lastly, as with all Vittoria Open tubulars, you really get the sense that you’re installing a nice tire. Many tires give the impression that they shouldn’t cost as much as they do, but Vittoria’s handmade tires look the part. You instantly recognize the 320 tpi handmade difference just looking at the inside of the tire. Open Pavé Evo CGs will soon be available from us here at Arts. We wanted to make sure they worked before we sold them to you, and they most definitely do.  In the mean time Continental Ultra Gatorskins are the standard for wet weather performance, and Vittoria’s Rubino Tech is also a wet weather champion.

My last little bit of wet weather advice is get a good set of fenders. I’ve learned this one the hard way. I’ve got some SKS Raceblades which are light, easy to mount and keep the water off my back and bike. What more could you want? Now get off the trainer and get out there!

Hammer On

Bradstone Gear, Road

In case you didn’t think Marin’s were cool, or their suspension design was anything but hokey, here’s a sweet video we found of Matt Butterworth shredding on his Marin. We’re stoked on the bikes and it seems he is too. One thing’s for certain, it doesn’t seem to be slowing him down. Enjoy!

Postill Vid 2009 from Eric Marciniak on Vimeo.

Click here to see Artscyclery.com’s selection of Marin bicycles.
Hammer On

Bradstone General, Pleasures of Riding Marin, Mountain Biking

Sometimes I wish the cycling clothing companies would just stop making matching apparel sets. That may sound like an odd request but let me explain, because there’s a story that prompted this conviction. This morning I was flipped off on the freeway driving to work. One of those deals where you really didn’t realize you were slowing someone else down for so long. After tailgating me, the man pulled around me on the right, passed me just enough so that I couldn’t tell who he was and stuck his middle finger out the window. What impressed me the most was that it was raining outside, and I had gotten him so worked up that he saw fit to hold it there for almost a minute! Now as far as insults go, I would have to agree with Jerry Seinfeld and say that getting the toe would be much more of an insult than getting the finger. But this person did go through the trouble of getting his hand wet and leaving it outside for quite some time.Yesterday, I was reading another cycling blog and all these people were commenting on how if you wear white cycling shoes (or anything flashy), you automatically look like a d%#k.

What both events reminded me was that people care too much and are too uptight about stuff. I think roadies are generally too image conscious. The proof is that after ten comments, no one had yet said color shouldn’t matter. Apparently the wisdom of don’t judge a book by its cover is forgotten in cycling circles. I just don’t understand why people get so bent out of shape over nothing! White shoes, 10 seconds in the fast lane, it doesn’t matter what it is.

My point is this, if you want to wear white shoes, wear them proud. If you want to ride a fixie and wear tight pants, do it. We place too much importance on our image in this society, and even worse, we make character judgements based on it. If you want to wear the  red polka dot KOM full kit, go for it! Just promise me this, that you’ll enjoy it and not think twice about wearing it. Secondly, if you feel like commenting negatively on someone else’s apparel, get dressed up in your spandex and go ask a retail clerk of a high fashion store what they think of your outfit. We all look like goofballs out on the road so don’t think that just because you wear a black spandex kit that matches itself you somehow look good all of sudden. It doesn’t matter what you look like (as long as you’re descent of course), it only matters that you enjoy riding your bike. Lose sight of this and you’ve lost sight of what cycling’s all about.

Speaking of clothing, we have some incredible deals on last year’s summer apparel, now’s the time to get it so don’t miss out!

Hammer On

Bradstone Uncategorized

What: Prologo Nago Evo TR Saddle
Price: $170
The Skinny: Gives new meaning to the phrase “saddle comfort”

The white Nago compliments my Tarmac nicely

Unfortunately, our demo saddle program is taking longer than expected. When I found out that we in fact weren’t getting a Prologo Try & Buy Demo saddle kit until mid-January (maybe!), I decided to pull the trigger and just buy a Prologo Nago Evo Saddle. I’ve been buying these TR saddles (for Art’s) for a while and have been very impressed with the finish and what
seemed to be a high comfort level, but I just had to try one to know for sure. I thought about trying a Scratch saddle which is much more popular, but I know that I’m not a round-profile saddle person as my last saddle was an Selle Italia SLR, which was moderately comfortable. So I went with the Nago Evo. It’s lightweight, 212 grams, looks nice and matches my bicycle. Once I got the seat height dialed and the angle to my liking, I fell in love. No joke, this is the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever ridden. I think the AD456 padding really makes the difference. I would say 80% of the pressure is at my sit-bones, and the rest dispersed elsewhere. I really noticed the different padding densities, especially on the climbs when I sometimes move forward on the saddle to be able to drop my heels a little more. The padding gets increasingly softer from back-to-front, so when you’re on the nose, it doesn’t feel harsh. The microtex cover is also more supple than I anticipated. Microtex is such a loaded word, even Lorica is microtex. There’s almost an infinite number of different types and thicknesses. The one on the Nago Evo TR saddle is very supple. The other nice thing about fake leather covers as opposed to real leather is they seem to not get as dirty. Though I bought a white saddle and every one told me it’s going to get dirty really fast, I’ve put over 400 miles on it now and only washed it once. It really doesn’t get dirty any faster than anything else. I suppose if you didn’t clean your shorts, but that’s another topic. It seems to me that there are a lot of saddles that are totally flat like a Specialized Toupe or many that are totally round like an Fizik Aliante or Selle Italia Flight. The Prologo Nago Evo strikes a perfect balance in between for me. I tried an

The Nago Evo base is designed to keep you comfortable

Fizik Antares, which was pretty nice, but what sold me on the Prologo was the nose padding. It’s really the only saddle I’ve ever ridden that is comfortable no matter where you’re positioned on it. If you like the moderately flat saddle shape, give a hard look towards the Prologo Nago Evo saddle. Your sensitives will thank you.

Hammer On

Bradstone Uncategorized

What: 2010 Specialized Tarmac Expert SL
MSRP: $3300
The Skinny: A Pro-level performer at an enthusiast level price.

If you’re anything like me (and I hope your not for your own sakes) then you spend copious amounts of time on the internet trying to decide how you want to upgrade your bike. I’m the type who researches everything from what the manufacturer says to what other websites and message boards say because I want to make a good purchase. I don’t want my enthusiasm for a product to turn to sadness because it tends to break. That said, I recently bought a 2010 Specialized Tarmac Expert SL and know there’s some of you out there who are considering the same. This also gave me a chance to try out the new Shimano Ultegra 6700 which has been getting a lot of attention. I switched the saddle, bars and stem to my liking (look for a future review) and then gave the bike a thorough workout over the course of the next two weeks. So far, it has surprised me in several ways, including the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheelset, which although is quite heavy at almost 1800 grams, has silky smooth bearings when adjusted properly. The wheels pendulum until gravity finally centers the valve stem at the bottom. They make a great training wheelset. Enough about that though, on to the good stuff.

The Tarmac Expert SL is 17.5 lbs as you see it here

The Frameset

The 2010 Specialized Tarmac Expert SL is one of the best bicycles per dollar available. The frame is the same FACT 10r carbon layup as the Pro frame. The differences are the colors and component spec. Personally I was very happy to have the expert because I was eager to try the new 6700 Ultegra and I liked the white paint scheme. The frame is exceptional. It’s incredibly stiff, yet even without any Zertz fittings like previous iterations of the Tarmac frame, it’s also compliant enough for a double century. Not once has it ever felt harsh to me. As an example of how comfortable the bike is compared to my old Lemond, I’m running 120 psi right now and would never run more than 100 on my old bike. The best part is, at 120, the Tarmac is still 10 times more comfortable. So far I’ve put around 300 miles on it and I still feel like I’m nowhere near discovering the limits of its stiffness. Its stability is also incredible. Lean it over hard on a descent and it’ll reward you with crisp turn in and seemingly endless amounts of grip thanks to the huge down tube and stiff fork. The whole lower half of the frame is massive from the 1-1/4 lower bearing down to the gigantic BB area. The rear stays also continue this trend and add to the rigidity of the frame. I couldn’t be happier with the performance characteristics of this frameset.

Notice the Fact 10r Carbon Frame

The Gruppo

There was a lot of hype about the new 6700 Ultegra and I was eager to see if it lived up to it. So far so good. The new system shifts crisply albeit with more necessary force than the old system. Blame it on the new routing of the shift cables along the bar. Thus it requires more force than before and a slight amount of vagueness is introduced into the system thanks to all the new cable bends. However, shift force is still much less than Sram. Compared to my Dad’s 6600 though, it’s not quite as silky. I went with Nokon shift cables to maximize the crisp shift feel and haven’t regretted it. The Nokon cables do a great job of eliminating the vagueness that some people have complained of. Every shift is crisp and smooth and very fast. Slightly faster than previous Ultegras. For the most direct lever and shift feel, you can’t beat a Nokon cable system. I thought I wouldn’t like the hood shape, but in fact I love it. Yes it’s a little big, but I have large hands and the flat top section makes for a very comfortable perch. The brakes are classic Shimano, and the lever shape fits comfortably under my fingers. The brakes are powerful and benefit from Dura Ace’s new pad compound. These stoppers slow you down in a hurry, though not so much that it feels like they’ll lock up. Modulation is superb. The new cranks are as stiff as anything I’ve ridden, though I was expecting something amazing in the up-shift to the big ring. I think the new chain ring design is great, and upshifts are quick, but in my opinion they’re not amazingly so over the 7800 Dura Ace chainrings. That’s not to say it doesn’t shift good! It shifts amazingly well, but I think half of that is because of the compression-less Nokon housing. The other half we’ll credit to the new chainring design. Overall, no one will be disappointed with the new Ultegra. It may not be perfect, but it’s a leap better than the last generation.

The Verdict

The 2010 Tarmac is a world class frame for an affordable price. When combined with Shimano’s 6700 Ultegra groupset, an almost race-ready bike becomes available to those without deep pockets. It’s more bike than anyone non-pro can handle. It’s super comfortable, yet incredibly stiff. The more aggressive geometry and absence of Zertz fittings keep the frame from feeling dead, which are the two reasons I didn’t get a Roubaix. Currently ridden by three Art’s employees including myself, the Tarmac is everything a race bike should be. At 17.5 lbs with cages, computer, and pedals, I couldn’t be happier with my purchase.

Hammer On

Bradstone Uncategorized

Can someone please tell me what the big deal with shaved legs is? I used to shave my legs, being an avid cyclist, and I would defend it to the non-cyclist in some made-up manner that didn’t fully make sense. It’s winter now and I haven’t shaved my legs in quite a while, but why should I? My wife doesn’t want me to, I think it’s a pain (I don’t even shave my face more than twice a week) and I’m just having trouble justifying it. This is my dilemma because for whatever reason, I feel like I need to now that I’m riding a nice bike. Here’s the upsides I can see. Though it’s probably entirely mental, I feel faster when my legs are shaven. I also think I look better in spandex. Before you laugh, this may have some speed benefit. If I feel pro, I may just ride more like it. Though this probably isn’t true, it is true that no one looks “good” in full spandex get up so why this makes a difference to me, I don’t know. I know I don’t look good, baggy clothes hide the fact that I’m a bean-pole. And we wonder why people try to run us off the road. If you are in fact pro and getting lots of massages, I can see how not having hair on your legs would make sense. Until I start paying my wife, that’s not going to happen for me and I can guess it doesn’t happen for most of you either. So I propose the question again, why do we roadies and mountain bikers (I know there’s a few of you out there) shave our legs? Maybe together we can work up a legitimate reason to do so.

Shameless plug: For those of you who like to pamper yourself, check out the Triswim product. It’s delightful.

Hammer On

Bradstone Uncategorized

I got a new bike last week and decided I was going to ride it every other day to work. My commute is about 22 miles, so I was tired of driving. If you’ve been reading the blogs lately, you’ll remember that on my previous trip to work on Monday I practically froze my extremities off. Good news! I purchased some booties and gloves that kept me warm! Here’s what I got and how it worked.

I’ve been riding long enough to know that if you can control how much wind hits your body, you can control your warmth. I knew that while cycling, my body creates enough heat to keep itself warm if I can

The Pioggia Shoecover

keep the wind chill from penetrating. So for the booties, I went with the Castelli Pioggia booty. It’s not flashy and doesn’t have seams everywhere, which I like, and the top is covered with a polyurethane layer that is supposed to keep the wind out. They aren’t bulky, but do have a fleece underside. These turned out to be the perfect booties for me. I love that they’re svelte and wrap tightly around the shoe, and the polyurethane covered top does everything it’s designed to. It completely isolated my foot from the wind. Thus my toes were happy and my feet stayed warm. I had previously been using toe warmers but for low 30˚ weather, those just

Close-up of the polyurethane treatment

don’t cut it. The Castelli Pioggio did however. I’m super happy with my purchase. If I had to complain it would be that I can’t adjust my shoe tension for when my foot swells after I’ve been on the bike for awhile, but I knew that when I bought them, so no surprise there. They do what I want them to.

Castelli makes quality products and I like their styles so I stuck with them for the gloves also. I went with the Castelli Diluvio glove. This glove is made entirely of 2mm thick neoprene. It doesn’t sound like much, but this glove made lofty claims about water and wind proofing. I tried it on and it was the least bulky of the extreme cold weather gloves, and once again the graphics are on the understated side so I bought them and hoped for the best. I was pleasantly surprised by how well these kept my hands warm. However, if it’s really cold out there, I’m not sure anything will ever replace a set of mittens. There’s something about isolating your fingers that just doesn’t work as well as keeping them together. That being said, my hands did stay warm and my fingers stayed comfortable enough - I wouldn’t say they were hot, but they were much warmer than on my previous ride when I had to stop for 10 minutes just to let my fingers thaw. I never had to stop this ride, though I found it necessary to flex my fingers at times to keep the blood flowing. I realize this sounds much worse than it really is. If you asked me would I recommend these gloves to anyone riding in cold weather, I would in an instant. These are the warmest gloves I’ve ever worn. I just happen to be riding at 30˚ with a wind chill that brings it down to 15˚. I’m asking a lot from a glove that separates the fingers and is still thin enough to be able to shift. Another great feature of these gloves is that they’re black and they’re neoprene so when the sun comes

Palm of Diluvio glove

out, they soak it up and transfer all that heat right to your finggies. My ride with these gloves was dominated by fog, until the last 20 minute stretch at which point the gloves got so warm when I took them off I had sweat in the center of my palms. I may not have had a single complaint if my ride were sunny the whole way. This is a great very cold weather glove.

Next time I’ll have something to say about my bike, but I think I’ll go ride it again first!

Hammer On

Bradstone Uncategorized