Even the Knog cycle computer looks a little too much like a computer for any chic fixed gear bike that eschews all extraneous bits like, you know, functionally wide handlebars. But for those that simply have to know how fast they’re skinny jean painted legs can turn that 42/16 gear combo, this concept from Redfish Creative may appeal.

The leather and brushed metal finery holds a retro style dial speedometer, with an extended handle that holds an odometer and doubles as a lever to ring the (digitally recorded) bell. There’s also an analog clock inset in the speedometer’s face, and the odometer can switch between showing trip and total distance. Info comes from a wheel sensor mounted to the fork.

Via Switched.

Bontrager has unveiled a new line of road saddles called Affinity. Following their release of their new mountain bike Evoke InForm saddles at Sea Otter earlier this year, the Affinity line is geared toward the pavement crowd and runs the full range from Race, RL and RXL models. Compared to their original inForm road saddles, the Affinity line is for riders that sit slightly more upright than a super aggressive racing position, which Bontrager says is the largest segment of road riders.

We just received a black RL and white RXL in the post to test out, and they do look very nice, particularly the RXL. Each model is available in different widths with both men and women specific models. The deal with inForm technology is that it not only measures width of the sit bones to help you get the right saddle, but it takes into consideration the tilt of your pelvic bone based on the type of riding the saddle is intended for, too. That, combined with pressure relief zones, claims to make their seats extremely comfortable for long hours in the saddle. Bontrager (ie. Trek) dealers should have fitting mechanisms in their stores to help you get the right size.

Full press release, actual weights for RL and RXL and more photos of every model after the break…

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Preceded by the Old Salem Criterium on Saturday, the 38th Annual Carolina Cup will again take to the 1.6 mile swooping, curving paved path through Country Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. Featuring $5,500 in cash and prizes, plus an all new Single Speed/Fixed category sponsored by Chrome, this year’s race should be quite the spectacle. As always, there are free kid’s races in the middle of the day. Check the site for the mail in entry form to get the lowest price, or register through Active.com. We’ll see you there.

World Cup racer Joe Barnes and his friends seek some divine inspiration before heading out to do some trail building. Includes “The Longest Skid” competition and lots more hilarious sequences. A superb video!

“test” by noreem. Check out noreem’s Japanese blog New Directions, full of painful videos of track bike riding in the streets of Japan.

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

The Ballistic short and Direct Dial Jersey from Oakley

Oakley has long been known for their over the top engineering and boundary pushing designs in sunglasses. However, they take that same attitude into their mountain bike apparel with the Ballistic Short and Direct Dial jersey. With fabrics and construction specifically meant for aggressive mountain biking, Oakley once again proves why their products are in demand. Read more and see photos after the break. (more…)

Pua Sawicki dominated the Women’s Solo class at the Breck Epic, perhaps taking out some her frustration at not being given a slot in the Leadville Trail 100 on the field here she would have finished 12th in the Men’s Solo Open class and had about an hour and a half on her nearest competitor.

Her ride? The Ellsworth Truth decked out with parts from longtime sponsors DT Swiss, Control Tech and Shimano.

Hit ‘more’ to check it out…

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The Giro Xar, their new all-mountain helmet that should start shipping this fall, was being rocked by Ross Schnell at the Breck Epic, so we grabbed a few closeup photos…if only I’d had the Park scale!

Check this post for tech specs and official photos and jump past the break for more closeups…

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Several pro mountain bikers showed up to contest the Breck Epic, so we shot some photos and talked to them about their rides. First up is Ross Schnell and his Trek Top Fuel.

With the bent seat tube design, he and Jordan Carr (who also rode a Top Fuel) both remarked that they wish they could have ran a dropper seat post, but that didn’t stop em from going really fast.

Schnell’s bike was a 2010 frame with a custom paint job that at first glance looked very similar to the new black and white scheme of the 2011 Top Fuel.

Check after the break to see how he had it spec’d out…

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With very few exceptions, it seems as though the best cycling gear is the stuff that basically disappears when riding.  No one wants to have their attention drawn to floppy jersey pockets, poorly padded shorts, slipping glasses, or unstable lids.  At the end of the day, no one wants their gear to get between them and the experience of the ride.  While it is unlikely that Lazer set out to build an invisible helmet, they have come remarkably close with their Genesis model.  Hit ‘more’ to find out if this 5 year-old model is still worth seeking out.

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This is a photo of a near perfect replica of the bike Cru Jones rode in the movie RAD. Painstakingly reproduced by Jeremy Moser, curator of the website that honors the movie of our youth. Click ‘more’ to see more pics of the bike, and please check out Jeremy’s website for your RAD fix. PS, click here to see a clip of the movie (ala the Send Me An Angel video) where Lori Laughlin’s dude stunt double makes me crack up every time, and because I’ve never seen such a beautiful profession of love.

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Stage five of the 2010 Breck Epic started with a warning that it would be the hardest climbing stage thanks to it’s maximum altitude of over 12,500 feet. In actuality, while tough, it went by quicker than the two previous stages (for me, anyway), and had some really big descents to make up for the more than 1,000 vertical feet of hike a bike trudging.

On the first climb of the last day, just before entering the singletrack, we passed by this old mining structure. Dickie caught and passed me before I could get the camera turned on, and this photo turned out better than one with some random riders in the foreground anyway.

More pics after the break…

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