GT Bicycles unveiled several new bikes at PressCamp, ranging from the race-ready carbon fiber Zaskar 29er above to an alloy version of their Fury DH bike to a pair of throwback urban BMX bikes with 26″ wheels.

Starting with the new Zaskar Carbon 29er, this one’s the second generation even though the first never saw the light of day. The 2011 model that we saw last year never made it to actual production, but this one’s ready to go. The design philosophy was carried over from the 26″ model, but it foregoes the pressed carbon dropouts in favor of new alloy bolt-on vertical dropouts for gears on complete bikes. The frameset will be available with sliding dropouts for singlespeed setups. Frame is monocoque hi-mod Ultra Blend carbon fiber that keeps their trademark Triple Triangle design. GT says the design offers better tire clearance and lateral rigidity, which is why a lot of brands are starting to bring their seatstays to the outside of the seattube.

More on this and the rest behind the break…

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Photo submitted by Stefan Tueger, “Picture taken at the Tour of Friendship 2011 in Thailand. The
cyclist survived…”

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

Wahoo Fitness turns your iPhone into a full featured bicycle computer that incorporates GPS, telemetry, power and more with an app that puts many bike computers to shame.

Using their Bike Pack, which includes a water and shock resistant bar mount case with a built-in ANT+ transceiver and separate speed/cadence sensor, their free app records everything about your ride. And, because it’s built around ANT+, it can pick up signals from compatible speed/cadence sensors, power measurement cranks and hubs and more, then display the info on one of several screens. The package retails for $149.99 and includes rubber liners for both the iPhone 3 and 4. There’s also an add-on battery pack for $59.99 that slides onto the back of the case and adds six hours extra ride time. On a full charge running the screen, GPS and telemetry, you should be able to get about 3 – 3.5 hours on just your phone’s battery.

If you’re not keen on mounting your precious iPhone on your handlebar or stem, you can use the Run/Gym Pack that includes a small ANT+ dongle and heart rate strap.

There’s much more going on behind the scenes…

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We posted the videos earlier, but the real deal just arrived and all the Journos jumped from the lunch table to photograph it. I’ve got tons more photos and details coming online later, but here are the basics: $5,395 frame/fork only, coming around the U.S. in April-ish 2012 and there are only 500 being made in this year’s production run, with about 25 allotted for the states.

 

What makes it special? Jump past the break and see, it’s pretty cool…

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Lazer’s new Vision sunglass line came about from their desire to “protect everything from the neck up.”

It consists of four performance models, (top to bottom) the Solid-State, Electron, Argon and a budget offering called Xenon, and one lifestyle/fashion model called the Quantum.

All use polycarbonate lenses and Grilamid frames. The sport models have rubber nose and temple pads to grip your face during activity. The three upper end performance models come with three interchangeable lenses (yellow, clear and a dark lens with various plain and mirrored gray lenses depending on model) and are priced from $70 and $80. There are photochromic lens options for all three that run $90 to $95 and drop down to just 12% light transmission at their darkest. All lenses are 100% UVA/UVB, and the photochromic lenses have a synthetic Melanin injected into the lens that blocks the blue UV400 wavelength which is what causes optical blurring and haziness. It also equates to SPF 400, so your peepers get extra protection. All three come with a hard case and cleaning bag.

The Xenon and Quantum come with a single fixed lens for $40 and $50 respectively and come with a cleaning bag.

There are no polarized options planned for the Performance shades because, as Vision product designer Brian Kee says, the polarization removes all the glare, which is easy on the eyes, but makes it harder to pick up on small undulations in the road.

Debuted at Sea Otter, Fox Racing Shox’s new Low Friction Seals are now available aftermarket for $25 to $35 depending on size, and they’re available for 32, 34, 36 and 40 series forks.

To install them, Fox recommends using their new installation tools, which are priced at $35 each or $140 for the kit containing one for each size. We’ve got a set on order for a tech post, look for an update later this summer. Fox says demand is far outpacing supply, so get your order in now.

For those that wondered why the air can on their Kashima RP23 shocks was coated, we’ve got a photo explanation after the break…

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Hutchinson’s ProTour Tubulars are made in Italy for the ProTour teams and have won 9 of the last 10 Tours de France. Usually, all of them are used by the teams, but they made a few too many for the 2011 season and now have 340 pairs available worldwide with 34 pairs in the U.S and only 17 pair are left as of this post.

They’re hand made in Italy with the tread hand glued to a poly-cotton casing that’s aged after construction to improve puncture resistance. How? The cotton breaker under the tread hardens over time, so they store them in a cool dry room for at least six months (Lance rode tires that were aged at least five years, but he never got a puncture during his Tour victories). The tread pattern is the same they’ve used for their sponsored teams since the ’70s.

Want some? They’re $500 a pair and come in a special box that keeps them in the proper shape (Hutchinson says you don’t want to fold them) and includes two tubes of glue. Call Hutchinson NA to order: 609-393-1780.

Jump past the break for new Mountain Bike stuff…

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Ridley’s launching their completely new Noah FB aero road bike today claiming to be the first bicycle with brakes completely integrated into the frame and fork.

We’ve seen bikes like the Storck with brakes built into the frame and fork as bolt-on components, but Ridley’s is the first to completely mold the stoppers directly into the frame and fork. We’ve got pics and more specs coming, but wanted to get these videos up as we got them. Teaser above, and three more detailed movies after the break…

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Hot on the heels of Tyler’s introductory post comes a package from the good folks at Mavic containing a set of 2012 Crossmax ST wheels  A raceably-light trail wheelset, the redesigned STs use Mavic’s new ITS-4 freewheel, which manages 7.5º engagement and a nice high-end sound.  15g of dried Stans over their claimed 1590g weight, our set is now mounted up and ready to roll.  Hit the jump for more macro mode non-studio photos…

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Photo submitted by Alan Stevens, “Pike’s Peak looming behind the XC race in Caste Rock, CO.”

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

Cannondale surprised everyone at PressCamp with the introduction of their helmet line, but the best surprise is the long feature list and reasonably low weights for a small price.

Four helmets are offered, all with the following safety and comfort features:

• Internal nylon chassis to keep the EPS foam together during impact. This allows them to have larger vents for better cooling.
• SI Alloy Reinforcement Bridges are aluminum plates that span several vents under the shell in several locations to provide further exoskeleton reinforcement.
• Dual Density EPS foam, with firmer sections on the outer parts of primary impact areas of the front and occipital lobes (rear sides) that use a cone-shaped texture facing into the softer main EPS. Cannondale says this design disperses impacts throughout the shell better.
• Ponytail friendly rear micro adjust occipital lobe retention mechanism with a soft, water- and odor-proof padding that’s made from the same material as Crocs.
• Polycarbonate outer shell that’s fused with the EPS body to create a one-piece design.

More pics of each model, including a cutaway showing the internal webbing, and weights and pricing after the break…

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When Jason Grantz and QBP announced recently that they would be introducing a new carbon fiber component group in the form of Whiskey Parts Co, many people quickly questioned whether the company would also offer carbon frames. The answer is no, but instead Grantz is managing a separate brand for the bikes, called Foundry Cycles.

So far, Foundry is set to release 3 bikes, a road bike, the Ratchet; a cyclocross model, the Auger; and a Mountain 29er, the Router. Much like the Whiskey Parts Co model, the bikes from Foundry sound like they will be understated performance machines with a working class, no nonsense slant. If the amount of people I hear complaining about how many times manufacturers put their names on bike frames is any clue, the subdued Foundry graphics will most likely be a hit. While the Auger is pictured above, the Ratchet and the Router most likely won’t be seen until the Saddle Drive Industry Demo in July. In the words of Foundry Cycles, “It’s a tool, not a trophy.”

Check out the full press release after the break!

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