We’re out here in Santa Cruz for a first look at new Avid Brakes (which we can reveal to you on March 15…lousy embargo dates!). Per usual, there’s the random new bit laying around on some of their personal bikes.

Above is a prototype white paint finish for the Monarch. Nothing new on the insides (for now, or at least that’s what they’re telling us…they’re sneaky), but Rockshox/Avid media relations guy Tyler Morland says it’s surprisingly hard to get a durable white coating on a shock canister thanks to the oil and other parts and things used and that they’ve been testing different versions for a while.

At the other end of his bike is a Long Travel SID XX with 15mm thru axle that’s not exactly new, but something that’s been sorta under-reported and may hint at a few new things to come. Check it after the break…

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Renthal’s Duo Stem uses a unique, horizontally split two-piece design to achieve high strength with low weight.

At 143.5g (claimed, with bolts), it’s not earth shatteringly light, but given that it’s made for gravity riding and jumping, that’s pretty good. The design allows them full access to the insides, letting them machine away more unnecessary material without compromising strength. it’s CNC’d from 6082 billet aluminum. Renthal says the bottom, U-shaped section cradles the bar for excellent support. MSRP is $99.95. Specs: 50mm length, 10º rise, 1-1/8″ steerer clamp, OS31.8 handlebar clamp.

Ok, so go ahead and file this one under common sense, but perhaps you have run into this issue and just weren’t sure about taking a grinder to your tools. The Park PP1 is a very handy tool, whose wedge shaped spatula type blade allows you to get between closed disc brake pads in order to set them back to their fully open position. There’s only one problem: while working on my Elixer brakes, I noticed it didn’t fit into the caliper.

You’re probably thinking, “my PP1 works just fine on my Elixirs to reset the pads?” Well, you are right, it works just fine when the brake pads are installed in the brake. While the PP1 was designed with disc brake pads in mind, it also works incredibly well at resetting pistons when the pad is not installed in the brake. Maybe you were changing your pads and your clueless buddy squeezed the brake lever to “see” what disc brakes felt like, or perhaps you are hoping to exercise the pistons to get the most out of your brakes. Whatever the reason, if you try to use your PP1 on Elixirs without the pads in place, you will realize that the PP1 is just slightly too wide to fit into the caliper.

Obviously, grinding the blade of the PP1 seems to be the answer, but just how much? Find out after the break!

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Road Holland is a fairly new company, but their initial efforts look solid. Using understated grays, blacks and whites with a bit of orange for accent, they’ve got a small line of wool blend short- and long sleeve jerseys that look really, really nice.

The Arnhem, named for one of their favorite towns in The Netherlands and shown above, is a long sleeve, full zip jersey made of 39% Merino Wool and 61% Polyester. It has a locking zipper, waist gripper and plenty of back pockets, including a few secure ones. Check it and the rest out after the break…

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While Independent Fabrication might be packing up and leaving for New Hampshire, three members of the company are staying behind, hanging tough in Boston. They’ve started a new bicycle frame building company:  Firefly Bicycles (check out their press release). These new kids on the block (I’m sorry if you even get these references) won’t actually be showing at this year’s North American Handmade Bicycle Show, but we thought they warranted an interview anyway.

11 NAHBS-Related Questions:

BR: Are your plans for NAHBS a secret, or can you tell us a little bit about what you’re showing?
FF: Our plans are not really a secret. We are going to show up, meet with up with a bunch of our friends, talk bikes, look at bikes and revel in what has become the greatest annual event showcasing the field that we are in.

BR: What about the booth, anything extra-special-crazy in the booth department?
FF: We will not have a booth, so people are going to have to wait until NAHBS 2012 to see our stuff showcased there. Since we only incorporated on January 10th, we have really only had time to get the business off the ground, buying machines, getting insurance, working on the branding and our website, dialing in the ordering process, designing dropouts and the headbadge, making prototypes, making jigs and tooling, etc…. So as you can imagine, we haven’t had much time to build a booth. But when we do build a booth it is going to be spectacular. Guaranteed.

BR: What do you see as the hot trend at NAHBS this year?
FF: Orange.

BR: What is the lamest frame building trend ever? (more…)

If you haven’t heard by now, Mark Weir, the Novato, California downhill and endurance legend, has now ended Team WTB‘s relationship with Santa Cruz Bicycles in favor of their new sponsorship with Cannondale.While unexpected by most, Mark described the amicable move stating, “It was a long process and involved more than just changing frame sponsors. It is a move to be a better ambassador to the sport, which we as a team find most important.”

Mark and the rest of the WTB team (with the exception of Bobby McMullen, who will stay with Santa Cruz by his own accord) will all be aboard Cannondale’s line of 2011 mountain bikes, including the sweet new OverMountain category which contains the completely reworked Cannondale Jekyll.

Check out the entire story, from Weir and WTB’s perspective after the break!

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Photo submitted by Edward Smith, “1st commute of the season and it was a little wet. Couldn’t of
been happier.”

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

Answer showed this at Interbike, and it’s finally shipping.

The -One (Negative One) direct mount stem drops the handlebar mount 20mm below parallel, letting you get a lower position on the bike. The mounts provide holes for 50mm and 55mm reach. It’s machined out of 7075 aluminum alloy and comes with eight A2 Stainless Steel bolts with thread lock preapplied.

Check the weight, the box and more pics after the break…

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It was only a matter of time, we suppose. Rapha has just introduced their denim with a first pair of jeans built for cycling.

For now, they’re available in limited supply with a full shipment coming available in May. If you want to be first, be quick. They’re made with a little stretch and designed to dry quickly with a blend of nylon, cotton and elastane, they’re cut for cycling. Note the smart logo placement inside the driveside leg…and it’s reflective! More specs and pricing behind the jump.

Joining the good times lovin’ Country Jersey they debuted a few weeks ago, the Pro Jersey is all business. Check it out, and find one of the upcoming Gentlemen’s Rides and Rapha related NAHBS goings on after the break…

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If you were to hack your way eastward through the Mordor-like city of Lynn, Massachusetts, you would find yourself in Nahant — a small, idyllic town that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean like the fleshy growth on an angler fish’s head. In Nahant you would find a small house with a large “Bullitt Edition” Ford Mustang parked outside. Inside that house you would find a man (who looks an awful lot like French actor Vincent Cassel) hunched at a computer, banging out bicycle frame designs. That man would be Craig Gaulzetti of Gaulzetti Cicli. This is his pre-NAHBS interview…consider yourself warned.

11 NAHBS-Related Questions:

BR: Are your plans for NAHBS a secret, or can you tell us a little bit about what you’re showing?

CG: I don’t do well with secrets. I’ll have one bike there- a di2 specific Corsa with internal wiring and a custom battery mount on the ISP. It’ll be equipped with the normal go fast shit- 3t stem and a bar, a Concor saddle in case Lance wants to buy it as a retirement present for himself, and some super secret high-five wheels built by the incomparable Justin Spinelli of Luxe Wheelworks.

BR: What about the booth, anything extra-special-crazy in the booth department?

CG: Of course- I’m going for a whole under-employed, overly pickled working class Euro theme. Not only will i be wearing dress shoes with jeans and some horrible windbreaker that says “official club supporters schaerbeek mattress fabrique”, but i’ve also invested all my 2010 profits in a $35 fridge from 1948. It’ll be full of contra-band half liter cans of Jupiler beer- Jupiler is Flemish for “wife beater” I think. In accordance with NAHBS rules, this beer is for display purposes only. Plus, the sketchy guy named Dirk who shipped that shit to me charged me like, 4 Euros a can, so you’re not getting one unless you buy a bike. I’ll also have a woman in a sweater dress, an amazing piece of art created by Jeff Huckleberry that plays with conepts important to Gaulzetti Cicli- so, mostly skulls and shit, and Spinelli. Hopefully he’ll have brought his TV tray and his knucklebuster.

BR: What do you see as the hot trend at NAHBS this year? (more…)

Cinelli’s 2011 lineup sees a few model upgrades like the Best Of, above, some spec updates and the entirely new mid-range Saetta lineup.

The Pro Best Of frame up top isn’t their lightest bike, but it’s their premier example of carbon and bike building technology. It’s a sloping geometry frame built with co-curing, hand-wrapped Columbus XLR8R Plus 3K twill carbon fibers and tubes. The rear triangle has been redesigned to drop weight, and the Best Of now sports a tapered head tube. Altogether, the frame dropped 200g from the prior year and now comes in at 1050g (Medium w/ uncut seatmast).

It gets a Columbus Genius tapered carbon fork (390g), Pressfit BB30 and integrated seatmast with a new carbon wedge system to mount the seat clamp. It’s available in two colorways, including the black up above as a frameset for $3,700. Or, you can break the bank and special order the full Shimano Di2 bike above with carbon Dura-Ace wheels, color-matched carbon stem and bar for a mere $14,000.

Check the rest after the break…

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Ellis Cycles from Chris Harris on Vimeo.

“Dave Wages builds a frame from Reynolds 953, True Temper S3 and Dedacciai tubing to be displayed unpainted at the 2011 North American Hand Made Bicycle Show in Austin, Texas, February 25-27.”

It seems like every other day some cool, artistically done frame building video comes out, and honestly, I am…really, really stoked on them. This detail-oriented piece has it all: fire, files, and, uh…felines. Doesn’t the presence of cute cats guarantee thirty million views on Youtube?

 ”I can haz lugz.”

Someone may have already made a “Lugs Not Drugs” T-shirt, but no one has made a  ”I can haz lugz” T-shirt. And I’m not saying anyone should.