“The only thing that separate us from the animals is our ability to accessorize.”

We can thank Steel Magnolias for that quote, and then we can thank Stem CAPtain for giving us the very things that separate us from the animals:

…a clock so you can time your laps, a thermometer to tell you how much that temperature drop really was as you ascended the mountain, a compass to help you find your way back to the car, or a picture frame to give you a place to put that picture of whatever it is that keeps you pedaling.

Stem CAPtain is a small start-up that’s catching on, based out of Grand Junction, Colorado. Owners Graeson and Mike thought it would be a great idea to utilize that wasted bit we call the “stem cap” and make it more useful than just topping your steerer tube. They use as much locally sourced material and labor as possible in their production and offer their products at a reasonable price – all under $25. Let’s support these guys …and accessorize!

Photo submitted by Al Thresher, “The Orange “Niner” Bomber & crew that crushed the single speed
division at the Leadville 100 mountain bike race!”

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

Catlike was showing off their line of helmets and sunglasses at DealerCamp in Park City, UT, this summer. The picture above shows their Whisper Plus helmet – the only helmet that’s being sold in the US at the moment, the rest will be available in the next two months. It’s the top of the line helmet with their trademark Dual Flow swiss-cheese hole pattern for maximum cooling effect. Click ‘more’ to see the rest of their line, prices, and the other unique features they offer – including sunglasses actually designed to fit perfectly in conjunction with the helmet!

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Photo submitted by Piter Asquini, “An awesome tour above Kobarid (Slovenia) in the places where the first World War took place. This tous was something like a meeting between two small mtb local italian forums: mtbnordest.com and mtbforumfriuli.forumup.it.

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

Surly, purveyors of fine steel frames and fat tires, have dropped their new products pre euro/interbike via their blog. They have everything from refined versions of the old, new complete bike builds, new frames, and updated parts.

Now that NASA is no more, Surly has decided to sell this to the general public instead. Behold the fat tired Moonlander. It runs 26″ x 4.7″ tires on 135mm spaced hubs on Surly’s new 100mm Clownshoe rims. The Mr. Whirly Offset Double (MWOD) cranks with longer spindle is required for this frame. You can expect the frameset in late September for $700, and the complete build to follow in mid-December for $2350.

Click through for the rest of the Surly 2012 lineup.

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Cube is saying their new 2012 Litening Super HPC frame is “without a doubt the fastest road bike CUBE has ever put on wheels.”

It is lighter without losing stiffness, more comfortable and looks fast as lightning – which it is. A true racing machine, the LITENING SUPER HPC transforms every pedal stroke into sheer acceleration. Looking at the design and the lines of the carbon fiber frame we have to call it a piece of art.

Compared to last season CUBE shaved off 150g, bringing the frame to 860g on the scales (claimed). This was achieved by removing all aluminum parts – the dropouts and BB area are full carbon now. Their “Advanced Twin Mould” technology let them use minimum amount of material without compromising stability or safety. In fact they says it’s just as stiff, yet more compliant (comfortable), thanks to a flattened top tube and thinner seat stays along with a smaller diameter Syntace Flexpost. The design also claims to reduce road buzz, helping keep the rider fresher, longer.

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GT introduced the full suspension Zaskar 100 26″ and 29er hardtail Zaskar this summer at PressCamp, and now they’ve got the full squish 29er, too.

The full moniker is the GT Zaskar 100 9R Carbon, and the Pro model is shown above. It’ll carry a retail of $5,500 and come in around 27 lbs without pedals. Rather than simply adjust the geometry for the larger wheels, GT designed this bike from the ground up to be a stiff racer but with improved small bump sensitivity and less ramp than the outgoing Marathon models. Like on the 26″ 100, they moved all bearings and linkage mounts to the outside of the frame to improve lateral rigidity and durability. The 29er also shares the commonly available 1-1/8″ bearings for all main pivots. They’re installed using a simple pinch bolt, which means parts are easy to find and just about anyone can make adjustments or repairs.

Out back, they’ve gone with a 142 rear axle on the 29er 100. The Pro model gets Shimano XT 2×10 with Formula brakes and DT Swiss’ all-mountain wheels for a pretty bombproof build that won’t damage the scales.

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Castelli has said they wouldn’t enter the triathlon market until they could bring something special to the table, and you’re looking at it above. Other than claiming functional benefits for swim, bike and run, what it is, exactly, remains to be seen at Eurobike.

Almost lost in the expensive news of their new Vector power-measurement pedal system last week, Garmin also released the new Edge 200 for cyclists on the other end of the pay scale.

Incorporating basic features like speed, distance, time and calories burned, the $150 Edge 200 also surprises with a few training features borrowed from the 500 and 800. With Courses, you can trace a previously ridden route of your own or download a route from Garmin Connect. A ghost cyclist shows whether you’re beating your last time, goading you into riding faster.

While it won’t provide navigation or power measurement, it does store your route using GPS (which is also how it detects your speedn – there are no sensors added to your bike, just strap it on, power it up and go), storing up to 130 hours of ride data in its memory. Then, simply upload it via USB to Garmin Connect (or, presumably, Strava, etc.) to see your route with elevation, speed, max speed and more.

It should be available this fall. Video after the break…

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Photo submitted by Grant Walsh, “Apparently you can use 28cent stamps to mail a bike across the country. Thanks eBay seller.”

That’s $83.44 in stamps! To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.

Nevermind the Slice, Cannondale just leaked this image of a prototype TT/Triathlon bike they’re working on. With razor sharp edges, it eschews the flowing lines of recent aero bikes but goes with the integrated brake arms that seem to be trendy.

“It’s no secret we’re always trying to make better products.  This is a prototype of our new TT bike and it’s still very much in the testing phase.  If there was a way to fully prove it out it in private, believe us, we would…but despite all of our sophisticated testing protocols, there is just no substitute for having the best athletes in the world put the product through its paces in real racing situations. Unfortunately, that means that sometimes our testing takes place in the public eye. It’s not ideal from a pure marketing standpoint, but it is integral to the process of building the best bikes possible. We’re not prepared to comment further on the details right now but the initial results are looking really good! Stay tuned.” -Bob Burbank, General Manager Cannondale

Close up of the brakes when you hit ‘more’…

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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: (NOTE: Their website has been updated with a better description, which is copied here, replacing the original text)

Light.  Stiff.  Aerodynamic.  Comfortable.  Durable.  We did not design a bike to excel at one of these metrics.  We wanted to build a frame that would be outstanding at all five, simultaneously.  Our R frame features full internal wiring (complete with fully hidden bespoke lightweight battery option) for both mechanical and electronic shifting, modern geometry and aerodynamic architecture, one of the highest stiffness to weight ratios available, and a guaranteed maximum frame weight under 850 grams for a size 56 including headset, seatpost clamp, front derailleur bracket and rear derailleur hanger.  The frame is designed for a rider weight limit is 150 kg. (cont’ at bottom of post)

But that’s really just the beginning…

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