Camelbak showed off a few new bags at Press Camp, but their real story was the new reservoirs. Apparently, I’m not the only one that bitched and moaned everytime I tried to wrench open the screw cap because they’ve completely redesigned the entire fill hole. Now, it only needs about a quarter turn to open, and from my own testing over the past week, it opens and closes quite easily whether it’s full or empty or anywhere in between.

But wait, there’s more! They’ve improved on virtually every aspect and introduced a few new features that are pure genius. Click on thru to see all the improvements and an explanation for that stealth bomber shaped bladder, too…

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Picture of his training ride wounds uploaded to Twitter by @andy_schleck

Andy and Fränk Schleck will be Saxo Bank’s big hopes for GC success this year, at the head of perhaps the strongest all-round team in the 2010 Tour.

The pair present an intriguing proposition: Fränk won the Tour de Suisse a few weeks back; and Andy’s now approaching his stage-race prime, and has improved his major weakness, time-trialling, winning the Luxembourg National TT Champs last weekend (OK, OK, I hear you – the competition probably wasn’t that fierce). However, there remain doubts about their killer instinct and Andy has arguably not shown top form yet this year. He also crashed on 26 June during a training ride – although, presumably, if his injuries had been more than very superficial he wouldn’t have alerted the Tweet-o-sphere to them (see pic).

And then there’s the machine (ahem) Fabian Cancellara, hot favorite for the opening and closing time trials, Matti Breschel, who’s more than capable of a stage win or two, as well as capable support from the Sørensons, Fuglsang and cycling’s answer to Chuck Norris, Jens Voigt. Stuart O’Grady has been preferred to Gustav Larsson thanks to his helping Fränk at the Tour de Suisse, though Larsson is on standby.

Many would argue they don’t have quite the cutting edge, but DS Bjarne Riis is scouting for a new sponsor, so they’ll be sure to put on a show.

The line-up in full:

Matti Breschel (DEN)

Fabian Cancellara (SWI)

Jakob Fuglsang (DEN)

Stuart O’Grady (AUS)

Andy Schleck (LUX)

Fränk Schleck (LUX)

Chris Anker Sørenson (DEN)

Nicki Sørenson (DEN)

Jens Voigt (GER)

Tested over the past few months in the pro peloton, Shimano’s new Dura-Ace PD-7900 SPD-SL pedal replaces the aluminum body with a proprietary long-fiber injection molded carbon fiber to drop about 30g per pair.

The axles and bearings are contained within a billet aluminum cylinder bonded to the interior of the pedal body. This keeps the bearings from sitting directly on the carbon and provides a stronger, more durable design. Each pedal uses three sets of bearings to keep things rolling smooth and steady under load.

The top uses a redesigned stainless steel plate to create a durable but smooth contact patch for the base of the cleat, allowing it to move naturally without wearing into the carbon body.

Full specs, weights, etc., after the break…

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“P5240470” by sputelkopf.

To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.

Shimano’s gone carbon on several new Dura-Ace spec, perhaps teasing at the prospect of carbon cranks in the future (don’t hold your breath). Just unveiled are their new C35 full carbon tubular and carbon/alloy clincher wheelsets.

First seen as prototypes under Pro Tour riders over the past year, the new C35′s have finally passed Shimano’s quality control testing and are now available to the every man. Shimano claims they have most of the aero advantages of their deeper section C50 (50mm deep) rims, but weigh 75g less per rim, and 155g total weight savings per wheelset. Given that the weight savings are at the rim, the pros have said they feel a lot snappier and faster.

The rims are crafted with high modulus carbon through a proprietary manufacturing process and then assembled by hand in Shimano’s own wheel factory. In fact, each wheel has its own control number that can be traced back to the specific builder, so like most higher end wheels these days, they’re not just mass produced.

Hit more to see the clincher, get full tech specs, pricing and weights…

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If you’re not familiar, the Jeantex Tour Transalp is known as the most professional stage race you can have outside of the professional circuit, and follows roads used in the Giro d’Italia and the Tour of Germany. The race distance covers over 450 miles of roads with over 65,000 feet of total elevation gain! With the difficulty of the 7 stages and the professional organization of the race, it is no wonder the 550 team spots get filled in a hurry. The race will soon start June 27 in Mittenwald, Germany nestled between the Wetterstein and Karwendel mountain ranges.

What better opportunity would Sigma have to demonstrate such a capable cycling computer as the ROX 9.0, than in a race with as much distance and elevation as the Tour Transalp? This is why, as a title sponsor of the Jeantex Tour Transalp, Sigma Sport has unveiled a flashy green limited edition of their highest end, wireless computer to pay homage to the event. The Race Edition ROX 9.0 computer will be tested by 20 select competitors in the 8th running of the famed stage race. Also, the winning team in the “fairest team” category will be awarded a Race Edition computer as well.

The computer itself is based on Sigmas award winning ROX platform, and is a triple wireless computer with wireless speed, cadence, and heart rate. The ROX 9.0 features all the usual suspect features for computers with the addition of altitude (uphill and downhill), temperature, 7 trip memory and a 78 hour log function. The large screen and included docking station with DATA CENTER 2.0 software, all allow for ease of use and to easily keep track of cycling data for training purposes.

The ROX 9.0 RACE Edition will retail for $249.99 and be available through your local Sigma dealer for a limited time only! Check out Sigma’s website for more information on the ROX line of computers.

Click through to see the HUGE list of features and functions of the ROX 9.0

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Specialized unveiled their 2011 road bikes and showed the production version of the Roubaix SL3 ridden by Fabian Cancellara in his Paris-Roubaix win…which happened to be his first ride aboard the new model (and the third consecutive win at the “Hell of the North” on a Roubaix road bike.

There’s also a new Tarmac SL3, Transition triathlon bike, Secteur performance endurance bike and a redesigned Allez enthusiast road bike that sports the same racy geometry and stiffness as the Tarmac SL3. Oh, and UCI-banned Shiv and Transition bikes that make for very fast triathlon sleds.

Shown above, the 2011 Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL3 will be available both as complete bikes and as framesets, including a new OSBB frameset option. Specialized had three goals with the new Roubaix: Increase vertical compliance, reduce weight and increase torsional stiffness. See how they did it and the rest of the lineup after the break…

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The team on Tour de France recon. Photo: Team Sky site.

No surprises there, then, but the Team Sky line-up looks competitive on a number of fronts. Young Norwegian Edvald Boasson-Hagen has proved his worth in stage races, and could be a contender for a few sprints, and Geraint Thomas, the newly appointed UK National Champion, at only 24 already has one full Tour de France under his belt.

Super-doméstique Michael Barry joins Simon Cummings on his Tour début, and Thomas Löfkvist, winner of this year’s Monte Paschi Eroica, will bring a bit of grit and climbing support for Wiggins. Juan Antonio Flecha also provides some experience and toughness to the newly formed British squad.

In a sense, for Dave Brailsford’s boys, the whole of this season has been leading up to the Tour de France, and this year’s race, being their first, could well turn out to be a rehearsal for next year’s Tour, when the team, with more experience, will hope to get closer to its mastermind’s stated aim: a British Tour winner.

Until then, expect them to be super well drilled, and claim one or two carefully rehearsed stage victories. Wiggins, an unknown quantity on the road last year, surprised many with his climbing ability; this year, he will be much better marked, but a podium finish is still the goal and (this Brit hopes) a possibility.

The team in full:

Michael Barry (CAN)

Stephen Cummings (GBR)

Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP)

Simon Gerrans (AUS)

Thomas Löfkvist (SWE)

Serge Pauwels (BEL)

Geraint Thomas (GBR)

Bradley Wiggins (GBR)

All photos credit: Derek Dazzle

Pics just come in to BikeRumor Towers of a new fixed-gear frame aimed for the fixed-gear freestyle crowd from Nemesis Project.

Shown here in shiny black with a stainless steel seatpost binder, the 4130 chromoly frame (hand-made in California) features large clearances for fat tires, and neat 3/16″ rear dropouts designed for use with pegs. It also has internally reinforced chainstays for grinding on, so seems to tick all the boxes for those to like to ride their bikes hard.

Also available in white, translucent red, translucent black and raw, the suggested retail price is $600-650 and production models will be at dealers Cultur, Tokyo Fixed Gear and iMiNUSD around the middle of July.

For more info best check the Nemesis Project blog, or click ‘more’ for some detail pics including those nice track ends.

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If you have a flip-flop hub on a fixed gear or single speed bike, and don’t use a cog or freewheel on the other side, Halo has a product for you. The Fix-T Cover fits over fixed or freewheel threads, to protect them from dirt and grime buildup. It’s a tiny little product you never knew you needed. The covers are simple CNC alloy parts and come in  blue, gold, green, black, red, silver, purple, and white, and weight in at 13 grams. They can be ordered from the distributor here for £4.99 each.

To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.

UPDATE: Yep, that’s Bikerumor’s fearless leader, Tyler, hard at “work” trying out the new 2011 Cannondale Scalpel in Deer Valley, UT. Check out the bike details here, and the new Jekyll here.

Displayed as a prototype at Interbike last year, Speedplay has been working hard on getting their new Syzr mountain bike pedals to market.

Previously light on details, now we’ve got the scoop on how the Syzrs work and what makes them special, and now that we know, we’re pretty excited to try them out when they finally go into production this fall.

Speedplay’s theory of pedal design is create a true cycling specific cleat engagement design rather than the more common pedal design that resembles its ski binding roots. The Syzr borrows a lot of what makes their road pedals great, namely the individual float limits for each direction (inward and outward) and the large, flat contact patch. Unlike most pedals that have cleats that rotate slightly within the pedal bindings, the Syzr’s cleat position within the pedal remains fixed, and it rotates with the pedal until it hits the limit screw.

Hit more for close up photos and better illustration of how it works…

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