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Rotor’s pumping out the goods this fall with some hot new 3D Cranks and Q-Rings, plus several bottom brackets that let you run standard cranks in your BB30 frame or vice versa!

Shown above is the new 3D+ crank, based on the venerable 3D, updated with a 30mm axle. These cranks are fully compatible with BB30, BBright and any conventional  BSA threaded frame. For an ultra rigid crank their weight is impressive: just  470 grams for the compact version and  493 grams for the XC2 version (without BB/chainrings). These cranks are certified to the EN14781 standard, one of the most demanding tests in the market.

Modeled on the crankset above are the new Q-Rings with updated, bolder laser graphics, upgraded pins and revised teeth profiles to improved shifting precision and prevent chain sucks.

Check the rest after the break…

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So far this week, you’ve seen the details on all of Felt’s Road and Mountain lines, and we’re rounding out this series with their Cyclocross, TRI/TT and Track lines. Of course, don’t forget that Felt also offers a great line of beach cruisers, cafe bikes and BMX bikes, so head over to their website to check those out as well. See the details on the race-ready F15X, pictured above, and the rest of today’s lines after the jump.

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2011 Kuota KOM Evo Clearcoat

Kuota is a brand that has been around for longer than most people think, but put one in front of someone and there is a good chance they’ll have a lot of questions. For some reason or another, Kuota still lacks the name recognition that some of the newer mostly carbon bike manufacturer’s, such as Blue, have been able to achieve in a relatively short time.

This may be due to the fact that Blue does an excellent job helping out grass roots teams with sponsorships and bikes, but it certainly isn’t due to Kuota having unattractive bikes. Kuota’s line of bikes are individually designed to perform best in a certain style of riding, with everything from TT bikes to Mountain climbers. As such, each frame boasts dramatically different construction to the point that almost every one of their bikes has a different seat post standard. Integrated post or mast systems are nothing new, and if a standard post still floats your boat the extremely light King Of the Mountain still rocks a standard seat post a la Specialized SL3.

Kuota incorporates an impressive amount of acronyms into nearly all of their frames starting with KSD the Kuota Super Drive tapered headset which was all 1 1/8th to 1 and 1/4, but is now being changed on the KOM to a 1 1/8th to a 1 1/2 taper. They also have their own acronyms for  nearly all facets of frame construction including optimized tube shaping dependent on frame size, BB30, laminate construction, and construction methods to advance rider comfort, which is all detailed on their site.

The lineup sees a few changes this year with a few bikes getting overhauled, but most bikes get small changes like headsets or bottom bracket standards. Basically more build options, more colors.

Full line up with pictures and details after the break.

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Pro-Lite Bicycles is running another photo contest, this time with a triathlon bent.  Submit three photos of their gear being used in any manner and a fourth photo with a triathlon theme and you’ll be entered to win one of their Espresso Aerobuster frames, a wheelset, components and more.  All photos must be submitted by midnight September 30. Details here.

For 2011, the Orbea Ordu gets only minor updates, mainly paint and spec, but there’s also a new Di2 version with internally routed wiring/cables that make it slippier than ever.

Watch the vid for the run down from Orbea USA owner Tony, then jump past the break for a few photos…

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Yesterday, Felt Bicycles released their 2011 bicycle lines to the media at their headquarters in semi-sunny Southern California. Self-described as “a small company that casts a large shadow,” they introduced bikes from the “four legs of their table.” Owners Jim Felt and Bill Duehring, along with product managers and engineers were on hand to discuss new models in their Mountain, Road/Tri, Lifestyle and BMX lines, although BMX was handled separately.

Their racing heritage was clear as they introduced all new top-end bikes, using unprecedented technologies. Although the flagship models come at a premium price tag, their advances were evident in all the models throughout the lines, trickling down even to the entry levels. Check out details on the new models after the break.

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We got a little sneak peak at Gaerne’s new 2011 triathlon shoe, the Carbon G.Kona. Compared to their current G.THN shoe, it looks to be a lot more airy and gains a forefoot Velcro strap for better fit-o-misation.  The rest of their 2011 line will debut at Eurobike, but if any little birdies drop any more hints on us, we’ll pass them along post haste.

Lazer has introduced perhaps the most trick helmet buckle we’ve ever seen on their new Oasiz mountain bike helmet. Called the Magic Bucklet, it uses strong magnets to pull the clasp together and lock it into place, making one-handed, on-the-bike closure easy, and it also makes removal a super quick affair:

Check out the full specs and photos for the Oasiz and updated versions of their Tardiz triathlon/aero helmet and the all-new Cityzen commuter/urban helmet, along with some very cool, er, warm winter riding helmet accessories. All that and close up photos of the Magic Buckle right after the break…

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Just like we did with the mountain bikes, we put our Park Tools scale through the paces weighing all the 2011 Specialized road bikes, too. Like the MTB post, this one’s all about weights, and we’ve covered the entire line of men’s and women’s road, cyclocross and triathlon bikes.

Above is the totally redesigned Roubaix SL3. This is their top of the line S-Works Di2 model, which I rode for about 31 miles up Ute Pass near Keystone. Most of the bikes weighed are size medium unless otherwise noted, and for this one we had to grab a Large, which weighed in at 15lbs 7oz.

Hit more to see the rest of the line…

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Introduced last year as a team only time trial bike, Scott has announced the consumer versions of their Plasma 3.

Shown above in team spec is time trial model, and there will be two triathlon versions as well. The main difference between them will be the stem: The TT version gets the fully integrated and inline stem shown on the HTC-Columbia team bike above, and the triathlon models will have more adjustable stems that rise slightly above the top tube.

Despite the dramatic aerodynamic shaping, Scott says the bike meets all UCI 3:1 rules, so whether you’re racing UCI or ITU events, you should be fine on either model.

More pics and specs, including the tri bikes, after the break…

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The Shiv looks fast standing still. Photo: C.Johnson/PorterFoto

Along with Tyler, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Specialized 2011 product launch in Keystone, CO. I was able to pick and choose which bikes to ride, but top on my list was the Shiv. This time trial/triathlon machine has been ridden to Time Trial World Championships, Tour Prologue wins and victories in many triathlons. I was able to ride the bike for a short time and speak with Specialized product manager Mark Cote.

The Shiv has had a short but interesting history. First ridden by sponsored teams and triathletes, the Shiv was declared illegal by the U.C.I. While this doesn’t matter for the triathletes, Specialized had to tweak this bike multiple times in order to conform to the U.C.I. rules. Only the original version is available to the public.

Check out more pics and a full fit and ride report after the break…

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Specialized unveiled their 2011 road bikes and showed the production version of the Roubaix SL3 ridden by Fabian Cancellara in his Paris-Roubaix win…which happened to be his first ride aboard the new model (and the third consecutive win at the “Hell of the North” on a Roubaix road bike.

There’s also a new Tarmac SL3, Transition triathlon bike, Secteur performance endurance bike and a redesigned Allez enthusiast road bike that sports the same racy geometry and stiffness as the Tarmac SL3. Oh, and UCI-banned Shiv and Transition bikes that make for very fast triathlon sleds.

Shown above, the 2011 Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL3 will be available both as complete bikes and as framesets, including a new OSBB frameset option. Specialized had three goals with the new Roubaix: Increase vertical compliance, reduce weight and increase torsional stiffness. See how they did it and the rest of the lineup after the break…

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Let’s say you just got a new frame that’s BB30 or BB92 with the intention of building it up with some cranks to take advantage of it, but your budget gets cut short.

Or, suppose you just got one of the new 2×10 or 3×10 cranksets from Race Face, FSA or Shimano to fit your standard bottom bracket frame, but then you’re able to spring for a new frame and want the option of upgrading to BB30 in the future.

Go ahead and get that BB30 frame, my friend, because Race Face has your solution. They’ve just released three new bottom brackets to fit road and mountain BB30 bottom brackets but with interior bearing diameters to fit their X-Type cranks, which means they’ll also fit Shimano and most FSA cranks (sorry Truvativ/SRAM GXP crank owners, they won’t work for you due to the tapered spindle). They’ve also got one that converts press-fit BB92 (41mm) frames to use standard cranksets.

Best of all, they’re either the same weight or lighter than standard outboard bearing bottom brackets and they work just the same.

More pics and specs after the break…

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The forthcoming book from Lauren McVey-Harsch, How to Date a Triathlete, takes a humorous look at the side effects of living with someone training for and racing in long-distance events, Ironmans in particular.  From ‘racations’ to lathering up your partner’s body with sunscreen to scheduling sex around their workout schedule, the book gives you what you need to cohabitate with the athlete.

It includes a forward by Virginia Tinley, wife of two-time Ironman World Champion Scott Tinley and Executive Director of the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and a triathlon glossary that will help make any triathlon novice sound like a pro.

How to Date a Triathlete is available now at www.howtodateatriathlete.com, and check out the How to Date an Endurance Athlete Facebook Page for a few bits and tips from the book. It’s available for pre-order now for $19.99 plus shipping.

via TriJuice.

Trek used Saturday’s Stage 7 Time Trial at the Amgen Tour of California to announce their all-new consumer-ready line of Speed Concept triathlon / time trial bikes.  Formerly only available to sponsored athletes like Lance Armstrong and Chris Lieto, Trek’s offerings for the Tri and TT crowd were comparatively weak.  No longer.

Trek will now offer three models, two in carbon, with a wide range of sizes and spec levels to suit just about any rider on any budget.  Starting with the top-end 9-series OCLV carbon models, there is also the 7-series with TCT carbon and 2-series with hydroformed Alpha Aluminum.  Here’s the official word:

PRESS RELEASE: Trek Bicycle, the world leader in bicycle technology and innovation, officially launched its highly anticipated Speed Concept line of Triathlon and Time Trial specific bicycles on Saturday against the backdrop of the Amgen Tour of California’s Stage 7 Time Trial in Los Angeles. With its unprecedented aerodynamic profile, a host of new integrated technologies, and the most adjustability of any triathlon bike available, the all new Trek Speed Concept establishes a new benchmark of performance for triathlon and time trial specific bicycles.

“This launch represents the culmination of more than three years of design, engineering, and development,” remarked John Burke, President of Trek Bicycle, to a crowd of more than 300 Trek retailers, international media, and industry VIPs. “The Speed Concept project is the most technologically advanced endeavor Trek has ever undertaken, and I’m proud to say it’s resulted in the most advanced bicycle we have ever made.”

Pivotal to the success of the Speed Concept line were three primary design parameters. “We set out to create the most aerodynamic bike ever designed, hide as much of the bike from the wind as possible, and make sure it fit the broadest range of athletes,” said Trek Road and Tri Product Manager Tyler Pilger.

“Trek thought of everything with this bike,” said two-time Ironman champion Chris Lieto. “Just looking at the bike you can tell it’s fast. Everything is hidden; cables, fuel, flat repair…everything I need to put up the best bike split on the course.”

“When I ride this bike, I feel like I’m cheating,” added World 70.3 Champion Julie Dibens. “It just doesn’t seem fair to the rest of the field that I have this bike.”

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