Beyond Dork

Specialized builds a bike I would ride....

2014-09-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yes you read that correctly. Specialized has put together a 40th anniversary Allez that could hang in my garage anytime.

From Cyclingnews.com

Proceeds to go to World Bicycle Relief

In celebration of Specialized's 40th anniversary, the Californian based bicycle company will be auctioning off 74 lugged steel Allez framsets for charity.

In collaboration with Mark DiNucci, one of their original frame builders, Specialized has produced a one time run of 74 frames, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to World Bicycle Relief (WBR).

WBR is a non profit organisation founded in 2005 that distributes bicycles in the developing world to aid poverty relief, and disaster recovery initiatives. Since 2005, WBR has provided more than 195,000 specially designed, and locally assembled Buffalo bicycles to disaster survivors, students, health care workers, and entrepreneurs. Specialized is not the first major brand to partner with WBR, with SRAM, Pedro’s and Cane Creek among others having supported the non-profit organization.

“Keeping with the 40th theme, we will build the 40th Anniversary Allez in the very factory that created the first Stumpjumper, a factory that continues to produce some of the finest handmade bikes in the world,” said Bryant Bainbridge, who was R&D manager for Specialized in the 80s.

To sell the frames, Specialized has partnered with eBay’s Giving Works. The 74 limited edition Allez frames are not a commercial product, and once sold, will never be made again.

Included with the Allez will be a limited edition Merino wool sweater, winter and summer cycling caps, exclusive leather S-Works Toupe saddle with matching leather saddle bag, and matching leather bar tape. It sounds like all 74 framesets will share the same size, but we've received no word on what that size is.

The frameset will then be shipped in its presentation box to the Specialized dealer of the buyers choosing, and will not be opened until it reaches the owners hands.

Giro Aspect Review

2014-08-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

I have always liked the way the Giro size large has fit. Yes I need the large, I have a big head. I have worn the Giro Atmos and Pro Lite. Both helmets fit well and were nice and light. But remember I am not a racer and I traded in my carbon race bike for a custom steel frame. And in my opinion the race helmets didn't really match the classic look of bike riding I was going for. So for 2 years I wore the Giro Reverb. Not a tech or light helmet at all, but I like the clean classic style. So when pictures of the Giro Aspect started to service I was interested. A month ago I finally pulled the trigger and got a new helmet, the Giro Aspect. I have now used it for commuting and long saturday rides exclusively. It is is a nice clean looking (non-race) helmet on the outside, but has all the fit and adjustability as the high end race helmet. Good ventilation and the built in brim make the package complete. So far the helmet is exactly what I have wanted. Now Giro needs to make it in a clean white color combination for the hot summer and I will be set.

Back on the Road!

2014-08-05T20:34:00.001-07:00

Being an adult comes with responsibility. Last summer I made the decision to finish a college degree that I start over 10 years ago. What does that have to do with my bicycle? In the spring of 2013 I striped my custom steel frame road bike. With the idea that I was going to upgrade to Campagnolo Record group. Then with job change, purchasing a new house and going back to school. The upgrade never happened. So this meant no bike for me for over a year. This spring I called in every favor I could and came up with everything I needed to hit the road again.

My cockpit remained the same: Enve handlebar, stem, seat post and fork. Shimano has always treated me well, so a new 11 speed Shimano Ultegra group made for a great drive train choice. I would of liked to keep my Enve 3.4 wheel set, but when on a budget I had the guys at Biker's Edge build me a killer pair of HED Ardennes Plus wheel on a DT swiss 350 hubs.

Share the Road!

2013-06-18T18:26:00.003-07:00

A video that is worth sharing with everyone....
Beyond the Metal from Sidewayz Films on Vimeo.

UCI DH World Cup From Fort Williams

2013-06-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Red Bull is going to have the event live this year.....

UCI DH World Cup From Fort Williams

FOR THE LOVE OF BIKES: THE SPOKESMAN

2013-05-31T12:33:00.002-07:00

Great little clip... Cause bikes are cool!

64G DURA ACE DERAILLEUR

2013-05-29T14:13:00.003-07:00

I can only wish I had the skill and time to make something as cool as this....

That is just under 2.3 ounces!

There are self professed weight weenies out there who bolt on the lightest weight parts they can find, and then there are theses guys – dare we say light weight artists? Found over on the Light-Bikes forum, this stunning 64g (!) derailleur is the product of a duo who go by the handles of FastDad and Cola Wheat. What started life as a spare Shimano Dura Ace 7800 rear derailleur weighing a rather portly (comparitively) 180-190g, was morphed into the show stopper seen above complete with a carbon b-spring. Yes, a one-off carbon spring.

Check out the details, next.

Based on the looks of things, Stefan who goes by FastDad is quite handy with a Dremel – this is part of where the art comes in. Not only was he able to get the weight down to a very impressive 69g before handing it off to Cola Wheat, but the lines of the cutouts are beautiful. By just looking at it you’d have a hard time figuring out it was done by hand. At the top is an exploded diagram with every stock piece weighed, with the modified versions and the addition of the first cage below.

After the hand off was made to Cola Wheat, Thomas started his magic by building a carbon fiber b-spring! Thomas actually goes into pretty great depth on the creation of the spring which weighs just over 1g.

In addition to the beautiful anodizing, Thomas also provided the new Tron-esque derailleur cage and pulleys. Total weight for the entire cage is 10 grams.

Borrowed from BikeRumor.com

Carbon Fiber Road Wheel Test

2013-05-22T14:27:00.002-07:00

I wouldn't mind seeing Brands Z, E and H on this test....

Stuff For Sale

2013-05-14T18:38:00.001-07:00

The American Way: part 1

2012-06-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

The American Way: Part1 from MovePress, LLC on Vimeo.

Video First Impression of 2013 Shimano Saint

2012-05-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

I think this guy knows what he is talking about...

2012-05-17T11:50:00.003-07:00

Skratch Labs is the brain child of Allen Lim, PhD. (yep a doctor). Here is a video of said Dr. Lim talking about hydration. I bought and have used some of his drink mix when it he called it Secret Drink Mix X. Tastes good didn't have any issues with it. But after seeing this video, I am making this my permanent drink mix.

Full Post and Here

My New Bike

2012-05-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

I should of put this together a lot sooner. But once I got my hands on my new custom Kelson steel frame road bike I couldn't stop riding it long enough to put this together.

Last spring I was riding this.

2010 Fuji SST 1.0 Fast, Stiff and Aero.... As well as amazing hard to sit on for more than 75 miles.

Last spring I also decided to follow the masses and sign up for LOTOJA. A 206 mile one day epic race/ride from Logan UT to Jackon WY.

Putting together the fact that I had a bike that was built to sprint 75 miles or less and a 206 mile ride to make, something had to change.

First was the fit. Yes I liked the feel of a low front end and being stretch out to make the bike feel faster. I knew that was the first thing that was going to have to go. Not to mention I am an terrible fit for most stock bikes. I am 5'11" with a 30" inseam (yep all torso). With no trust fund available I knew a custom carbon frame was not going to happen. Next idea was a custom ti bike. Yes the fit would be far better than my carbon sprint machine. But I was not sure I wanted to feel ever 206 miles of a stiff ti frame. Then came along this.

http://www.mensjournal.com/the-rebel-king-of-custom-bikes

STEEL! CUSTOM STEEL!

Yep Steel....

Next question. Who was going to build my new steel steed?

I live in Utah and there are several builders in the area that build beautiful custom bikes. But an old coworker of mine had a close friend in Aston Idaho who had build him a bike in the past. So I decide to start the project with a few questions. First, How much for a custom steel road bike frame? Second, How light do you think you can build it? And third, How fast can you make it happen?

Brian Williams owner and builder of Kelson Bikes gave all the right answers. Price was as good as it get for a custom steel bike frame, $1250 fitted, painted and ready to build. Weight, he was confident that with the right tubing he could do it around 1500 grams (which he did). Time Frame, once the fitting was done it would take about 30 days to get my new whip rolling.

After the down payment was made and a small detour on a family trip to get fit. My new bike was on its way...

Here is the basic measurements that Brian sent me after my fitting (way different from what I thought I needed).

Brian was also nice enough to send me these photos of my bike while it was being built.

The day it was delivered and built I took it up Little Mountain. I could of not asked for more.

Shimano Dura Ace Shifters, Derailleurs, Chain and Cassette.

Fulcrum RSS Crankset

Enve Handlebar, Stem, Seatpost, Fork and Rims

Chris King Headset and Hubs

Yokozuna Brake and Shifter Cables

After completing my first LOTOJA last September I have updated a few things!

Enve SES 3.4 Clincher (built again w/ Chris King R45 Hubs)

SRAM Red XG 1090 Cassette

KMC X10SL Black

So to say the least, yes I am very happy with my decision to switch from uber pro carbon frame road bike to a very small independent custom steel frame road bike. You can also bet that I am very excited to see the new 11 speed Di2 come out. Because the best part of having a bike like this is, I can send it right back to a very skilled frame builder to have it repainted, cable stops removed and internal electronic cables routed.

Binary Transition TR250 stop motion build

2012-04-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Binary Transition TR250 stop motion build from Binary Bike on Vimeo.

En Route Alaska Nimbus Independent

2011-10-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

Since I expect to see some snow on the tops of the mountains this weekend, I thought this would be nice to watch.....

En Route Alaska from NIMBUS INDEPENDENT on Vimeo.

A2J new light weight bike from Sweden

2011-08-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

A2J is a new brand out of Sweden “born from a shared passion for cycling” whose stated mission is to build top-end, no-compromise bicycles.
Their first creation, the A2Z shown above, looks like it’s well on its way to accomplishing just that. Designed by a team of folks with backgrounds in F1, aerodynamics and, well, here’s how they put it in on their website:

With our team’s experience and backgrounds, we had ready access to the most sophisticated and advanced computer aided engineering (CAE) and a thorough understanding of the most advanced composite materials and resin systems. Our first decision was to make a monocoque frame rather than tube to tube because of the freedom and customization options it would afford us. Among other things, this choice allows us to tailor a frame’s lay-up and ride characteristics to your personal specifications. The carbon layup system is a mix of UK company ACG prepreg resin-weave system and Swedish company Oxeon’s Textreme weave. The frames are made by hand, laid over a firm core into a carbon clamshell and baked in an autoclave by Richard Nordlöf at CarboComp in Linköping. Thomas Mertin from THM is overseeing the tube layup testing at their facilities in Alt Duvenstedt, Germany. Finished frames are being tested at Zedler Institute für Fahrradtechnik und -Sicherheit in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

But that’s really just the beginning…

A2J has wind tunnel testing planned for the frame and a complete bike with rider in the Toyota Wind Tunnel down the road. Regardless of the outcome, aesthetically, this bike is on the right track (our opinion). Technologically, it’s trying to get ahead of the curve. With the frame design nailed down, they moved on to cable routing and functionality. Since their goal is to build dream bikes, why not try to hit it out of the park?

Thanks to Shimano’s intentionally easy-to-hack Di2 system, they’ve built custom programmed shifting controls, electronics and battery inside the frame. Rather than traditional shifters, it’ll have simple up-and-down shift buttons that’ll automatically select the next best gear, combining whatever chainring and cassette cog makes the most sense. From there, they integrated cadence and speed sensors into the frame, too. All this creates a slick, clean frame with nothing strapped to it to mar the lines…or air flow. (do you think the boys at Fairwheel have added this form of data to there autoshifting MTB?)

The frame is made to accept either traditional mechanical shift cables or Di2, and you can upgrade to the electronics after the fact if you want to get started, uh, on a budget. I write that half chuckling because the base frame starts at €6,000 to 6,500, which includes an Acros integrated headset and MCFK seatpost clamp .
A frameset is available for €8,000 to 8,500 and includes a THM Scapula F fork, THM Clavicula M3 crank and spider, THM Fibula rear brake and MCFK non setback seatpost. Other parts are available and yes, you read that correctly, only a back brake is included because the Scapula fork has an integrated front brake. Complete bikes are also available with whatever you want on it.

Each frame is hand built in Sweden to order with the statement that nothing they make comes from a “low cost environment.”
The frame shown here is the first one out of the mold and comes in under 850g, and it’s only a proof of concept. Production models will have full carbon rear dropouts and carbon front derailleur mount from MCFK. Word is they get one under 700g with bespoke carbon layup, and their “normal” frames have a 150kg rider weight limit (330lbs).

Borrowed from BikeRumor (who looks like they borrowed it from Jason at FreshBikes)

Pillars of French Cycling: Chapter 2

2011-07-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

Chapter 2? Yes Please

The Pillars of French Cycling: Chapter II from MovePress, LLC on Vimeo.

Pillars of French Cycling: Chapter 1

2011-07-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

Peloton Magazine very well done video...

Pillars of French Cycling: Chapter 1 from MovePress, LLC on Vimeo.

Welcome To Hoogerland

2011-07-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Stomach of Anger has some cool T's.

I may need to pre order this one.

Spy Photo......

2011-07-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

Spy Photo of a new AT (alpine touring) Binding from our friends at Atomic/Salomon.....

Looks like Seth Morrison is testing it out in South America.

Tour de France TT Tech

2011-07-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

Yep the Tour de France started last weekend. Here are a few pics of the Time Trial Bikes from Sunday....

The New BMC Time Machine TT01

Flip-flop stem heads in different sizes and interchangeable shims and wedges provide the bar position adjustment on the BMC Timemachine TT01

The new BMC Timemachine TT01 uses a telescoping seatpost.

Moving the rear brake down below the chain stays allowed BMC to equip the new Timemachine TT01 with a much cleaner rear end.

BMC tucks a set of mini-V brakes underneath the chain stays on its new Timemachine TT01.

The front brake is hidden inside the fork on the new BMC Timemachine TT01. (trekspeed anyone?)

The BMC Timemachine TT01 includes a dedicated compartment in the back of the seat tube for a Shimano Di2 battery.

Team Sky Pinarello Graal

Internal routing and clean lines on Sky's new Pinarello Graal integrated carbon aerobars present minimal profile to the wind.

The internally routed cables on Sky's new carbon fiber base bars exit on the underside.

Sky's new Pinarello Graal integrated carbon fiber aerobars are adjustable in length.

Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 shift buttons are perfectly integrated into the base bars on Sky's Pinarello Graals. For the record, Shimano denies any involvement.

Sky has changed its team color from blue to green to help draw awareness to its rainforest rescue operation in Brazil.

Honda CB750

2011-07-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

Anthony, Can we turn your bike into this?

It looks like brown is a trending color in the custom motorcycle world. First the Wrenchmonkees CX500, and now this latest bike, “Cíclope”, from Spain’s Café Racer Dreams. CRD #5 is a 1980 Honda CB750—a KZ model—and the glossy brown-and-black color scheme works brilliantly. The bike was built over three months and the overhaul includes a slight power boost, thanks to new Keihin carburetion, free-flowing air filters and a Megatron muffler. More importantly, weight will be lower too, thanks to the stripped down bodywork, mininiaturized instrumentation and headlight, and compact battery (which is now concealed in an aluminum box near the swingarm). The original CB750 fuel tank has been cut and repositioned for a sleeker look, with the ignition lock positioned on the righthand side and a manual ‘choke’ on the left. Up front are Renthal Ultra Low bars married to enduro-style switchgear, and the bike rides on vintage-style Coker Diamond Tread tires. It’s sleek and classy and a welcome new spin on the evergreen CB750 platform. And before you ask—yes, Cíclope has already been sold.

(Borrowed from BikeExif.com)

Wrenchmonkees Guzzi 850 T

2011-06-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

I would love to hear this bike coming up the road....

Details (borrowed from Bike Exif)

The Wrenchmonkees have just released a new machine into the wild. It’s a rebuilt 1974 Moto Guzzi 850 T and the lucky owner is a Norwegian called Pål, from Oslo. When he dropped off his Guzzi at the Wrenchmonkees’ workshop in Copenhagen it was yellow, so the bike was quickly stripped back to bare aluminum for a more classic look. The ‘Monkees then rebuilt the engine, and fitted Dell’Orto carbs, K&N filters and a Dyna electronic ignition to boost power. The wiring is all new, and now hooked up to an Odyssey battery. The bodywork is mostly custom-made, with a new seat unit and fenders, and looks just sublime. To create a more aggressive stance, the rear frame and the front fork were both shortened, while Bitubo shocks were fitted to keep the rear wheel planted. (The Guzzi already had a Brembo braking system upgrade, so that was left alone.) The 18” Borrani-style wheels are shod with Avon tires, and the 6” headlight is from a Honda CB400. It’s matched to Daytona blinkers and a proprietary Wrenchmonkees taillight, with instrumentation and control switches from Motogadget. Simple, classy and effective, and a return to the Wrenchmonkees’ traditional monochrome styling. Fancy this one in your garage?

Treks Paint Schemes for the Tour

2011-06-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have never been a huge fan of Trek. But there have stepped it up in that last few years w/ the some really good custom paint schemes for the Tour de France.

2011 Leopard Trek Tour Madone

2011 Spartacus Trek Fabien Cancellara

2011 Team Radio Shack Tour Madone

One For The Road... TGR

2011-06-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

Teaser Time!