Posts in the category Triathlon

Interbike Coverage Compilation - See It All Here!

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OK, actually, you won’t see it ALL here, yet.  We’ve still got a number of posts to do, but we think we have the biggest collection of bicycle, component, clothing and gear coverage anywhere.  See that big Interbike button up on the top right of our site?  Click on it (or just click here) and you’ll get the full list.  We’re adding more and will update the list again when we’re done, but there’s plenty to see!

Interbike 2009 - Time Road, Mountain and Commuter Bicycle Shoes and Pedals

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INTERBIKE 2009 - Time Sports had their new i-Clic road pedals on display in several models, plus their new Allroad Gripper clipless pedals that feature their ATAC system on one side and a replaceable platform on the other, letting you ride your bike with both cycling and normal shoes.

Speaking of shoes, Time also has some new road, mountain and triathlon shoes.  The Road and Tri are Ulteam models with carbon soles and the mountain bike shoe has a carbon sole with some aggressive TPU treads.

Above is the bottom of the i-Clic pedal and the cleat.  Hit ‘more’ to see the various models with specs, weights and pricing…

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Julie Dibens Three-Peats Xterra World Championship

bontrager-julie-dibensBontrager athlete Julie Dibens became the first athlete in history to win three consecutive Xterra World Championships, racing to victory in Sunday’s 28.5 mile event around the Makena Beach & Golf Resort in Maui, Hawaii. With her win, Julie Dibens also became the fourth member of an exclusive group of three-time Xterra World Championship winners. Riding a Trek Top Fuel outfitted with a variety of Bontrager components, Julie Dibens finished with a record time of 2:56:42.

The Xterra World Championship is an off-road triathlon consisting of a 1.5 km swim, a 30 km bike course and an 11 km run. Julie came out of the water in second place, trailing the leader by 38 seconds. Within 5 minutes of beginning the bike portion of the race, she had moved into the lead and never looked back. Her blistering pace set the fastest women’s bike split of the day at 1:42:48, a pace faster than an Olympic silver medalist and other World Cup-level mountain bikers also competing. She entered the run with a sizable cushion and finished the race seven and a half minutes before the next female athlete.

This press release is from Trek, who included the Bontrager spec list on her bike.  Hit ‘more’ to see what she’s riding…

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New Zipp Speed Weaponry Vuka-R2C Aero Shifter

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Zipp Speed Weaponry has updated the name of their new R2C aero-bar shifter based on SRAM’s technology (they’re owned by SRAM) and provided a sharper, more ergonomic alternative that integrates directly into their Vuka line of aero bars.  Here’s the release:

FROM ZIPP: The first shifting component from Zipp Speed Weaponry®, the neVukaR2C (Return to Center) aero shifter is a milestone in Zipp’s efforts to develop cockpit components that combine high performance aerodynamics with superior ergonomics.
After setting the VukaR2C at the natural angle for the rider’s hand position, the shifter’s return-to-center actuation resets the lever to its original angle after every shift, keeping the rider as low and as comfortable as possible.

Weighing just 180 grams per pair, the VukaR2C is also the first plug-in shifter designed with an aerodynamic profile that saves up to 6 seconds over 40km compared to a traditional TT lever.

The VukaR2C shifter was tested in Kona in 2008 and is Grand Tour proven. It is compatible with all aero bars, but optimized for Zipp’s VukaShift extensions that eliminate the shifter’s expansion bolt by allowing users to attach the shifting mechanism directly to the aero bar extension. It’s compatible with Shimano/SRAM 10 speed and Campagnolo 10 speed only and will be available in mid-January 2010.

Note that the VukaR2C was previously announced as the RZR; the name has been changed to reflect its position in Zipp’s Vuka family of aerobars as well as SRAM shift lever technology.

2010 ITU Dextro Energy Triathlon World Championship Series Schedule Released

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The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has released the 2010 Dextr0 Energy World Championship Series schedule, carrying athletes around the globe and through three Olympic cities, but sadly with no U.S. stops currently planned (an eighth location is under consideration).  The current schedule is:

  • April 11 - Sydney, Australia
  • May 08-09 - Seoul, South Korea
  • June 05-06 - Madrid, Spain
  • July 17-18 - Hamburg, Germany
  • July 24-25 - London, United Kingdom
  • August 14-15 - Kitzbuehel, Austria
  • September 11-12 - Budapest, Hungary (Grand Final)

PRESS RELEASE: The iconic capitals of Sydney, Seoul and Budapest have been added to the Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship Series calendar for 2010, joining existing world class events in Madrid, London, Kitzbühel and Hamburg.

The series will be staged in three Olympic cities as well as some of the most important centres of the world. This is a major step forward for our sport.

“Together with our strategic partners SPORTFIVE and UPSOLUT, we are incredibly excited by the success of the new series after its launch in 2009 and are thrilled to be able to present a top quality calendar of showcase events for 2010”, says Paul Coleman, Managing Director of the Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championships Series.

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Ceepo Viper Tri Bike: Attack of the Ninja Bicycle!

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Maybe I’m just excited about the upcoming Ninja Assassin movie, but Ceepo’s aptly named triathlon bikes are pretty deadly looking.

Ceepo is the official bike partner of Ironman, which is why every bike we photographed has aero bars.  Above is the Viper, a model that was released for 2009.  For 2010, they’ll be introducing a version made for internal wiring of Shimano’s Di2 electronic Dura-Ace.

There are two new models we covered, the Katana and the women’s Grace, both full of sharp lines and bold shapes. Check ‘em out after the break…

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New Garmin Edge 500 GPS Cycling Trainer Computer and Forerunner 310XT

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INTERBIKE 2009 - Garmin’s hot new Edge 500 and Forerunner 310XT had quite the buzz surrounding them at the show.  The new Edge 500 is a slimmed down but fully featured GPS cycling computer that tracks distance, speed, location, elevation and grade.  Plus, add a heart rate monitor and it’ll keep track of your physical performance, too, with BPM, zones and calories burned.

Rounding out the feature set, it’ll work with any ANT+ power meter to track watts, and you can get a bicycle speed/cadence sensor to track bike-specific performance.  When it’s all over, you simply hook it up to your computer with the included USB cable and download your data to analyze your ride.

Hit ‘more’ for additional photos and info on the all-purpose Swim/Bike/Run Forerunner 310 XT…

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Video Interview with Ironman Record Breaker Chrissie Wellington

(UPDATED: Fixed initial video to the right one…)

Bob Babbit interviews three-time consecutive Ironman winner Chrissie Wellington about her record breaking performance at this year’s Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI.  Part One above, Parts Two, Three, Four and Five (make some popcorn) after the break…

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Interbike 2009 - Bell Helmets Featuring Paul Frank, Jimbo Phillips Artwork

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INTERBIKE 2009 - Bell Helmets had a wide range of helmets, from downhill to XC to road to womens and kids, many featuring artwork from reknowned graphic artists Jimbo Philips (above) and Paul Frank.

Above, the Bell Drop DH helmet and Faction BMX/Skate helmet feature crossover graphics.  The blue zombie’s grabbing the skeleton’s neck and vice versa.  And the graphics continue the friendly rivalry under the visor (shown after the break).

Bell and Giro collaborated on a new kid’s helmet (with PF art) that features integrated blinky lights and fixed straps to make fitting the helmet super easy on antsy toddlers.  For performance riders, there are a few new models for road and mountain biking with sweet graphics and sharp looks.

Check the full line of new 2010 helmets after the jump…

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Found: Bullet Keychain Pump Valve Adapter

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Found this bouncing around the blogosphere, it’s The Bullet pump adapter and keychain attachment, a brilliant little accessory for commuters and hipsters (and anyone else that rides with their keychain).  Until they make a keychain mini-pump, here’s the next best thing.

About five minutes of searching and trying to call the retailer that’s listing it have lead to nothing in terms of a manufacturer, we’re posting with out that info.  You can get them for $9.95 (or 5 for $40) at Chari & Co in NYC.  Click images below to enlarge, and if you’re the budding entrepreneur making these things, drop us an email with a link.

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Interbike 2009 - Storck Aero2 TT-Triathlon and Fenomalist Di2 Bikes

INTERBIKE 2009 - Storck Bicycles had their new Aero2 time trial / triathlon bike on hand, designed, developed and built in just four months for pro triathlete Faris al Sultan to race this weekend at the Ironman Championships in Kona.

Up close, the Aero2 is amazing.  It’s extremely slim and every bit seems integrated into itself to make for an exceptionally slippery design.  We’ve got tons of photos of the bike, including the weight on a Park Tools scale, and details.  Marcus Storck, founder and designer, runs it down in the video above along with the new Di2 version of their Fenomalist high end road bike.

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As shown here, it’s a $17,000 missile. Hit ‘more’ for all the goods…

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Interbike 2009 - Argon’s New Stem and Fork for E114 TT/Triathlon Bike

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INTERBIKE 2009 - Argon 18 only had minor updates to their E114 time trial / triathlon bike to show us this year, but they are some very solid updates that will make the bike much more adaptable to a wider range of riders.

For background, you can check out our video coverage of this bike from Interbike 2008, this post only covers the changes to the bike.

All of the changes come at the front end, with a new fork with redesigned dropouts and a new stem with optional sizes and a new machined design that drops weight.  Hit ‘more’ for close up photos and details…

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Interbike 2009 - New Kenda Tubulars, Road Training Tires and MTB Treads

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INTERBIKE 2009 - Kenda’s launching their first Tubular road tires, the 200 TPI Domestique and the 300 TPI Super Domestique and Volare.  They also showed off a Road Tubeless prototype built around their Kaliente tread pattern.  I’ve ridden Kaliente’s for years and they handle very well, so look for a solid performer when the tubeless version is released.

Also new for Kenda is their new Kadence training tire, a $25 tread that comes in five colors, and lots of new mountain bike tires including models from Brian Lopes and Hans Rey and a new casing width for the Small Block Eight.  Oh, and a few more new goodies…Hit ‘more’ to see them all…

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Interbike 2009 - New 3T Time Trial-Triathlon and Mountain Bike Handlebars

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INTERBIKE 2009 - 3T introduced several new Time Trial/Triathlon road bars and an all-new line of mountain bike flat and riser handlebars.  Across the range, the components are broken into three levels, Pro, Team and LTD (with LTD being the best).

The Mistral Pro, above, has a new 3:1 UCI-compliant design.  Available only as a Pro level bar, it weighs 727g and costs $350.

Hit ‘more’ to see the other aero road bars and the new MTB handlebars…

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Interbike 2009 - Easton’s New 2010 TT, Road and MTB Wheels

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INTERBIKE 2009 - Easton’s new EC 90 TT deep dish carbon wheelset, EC 90 carbon clincher, and Haven Disk mountain bike wheels.

EC 90 TT (above). Easton increased the side walls from 56mm to 90mm for the new EC 90 TT. The Easton narrow-flange R4TT front hub, which reduces frontal spoke area by 50%, is the same. The new EC90TT displays lower drag than the Zipp 808 at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 degree yaw angles (comparison provided by Easton).

The set weights 1424g, 30 grams lighter than the Zipp 808, and is still 9mm deeper in rim profile. Thanks to Easton’s Variable Nipple Bed (VNBTM) Technology. This process of internally tapering the rim bed eliminates excess carbon between spoke holes and allows for a sharper inner edge. Less weight, improved aerodynamics with no loss in strength.

  • MSRP:$1900 and come with SwissStop pads

EC 90 carbon clincher, and Haven Disk below…

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