As we enter the standard January drought conditions here in the Southwest, it is finally time to get out on the trails again. We have to enjoy the brisk temperatures and warm sun as we prepare our legs for next month’s 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo.  This has allowed us to spend a little time on the trail/road/snow in our fancy new US-made socks and arm warmers from Swiftwick. Jump past the break to see how things are shaping up.

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See all of our Project 24.2 posts here!

Specialized‘s EVO designation is attached to products that are targeted at riders who don’t readily fit into one category or another. Intended to be pro-quality gear for those whose focus isn’t necessarily racing, EVO bikes and accessories are designed to be both burly and efficient. For riders who expect a high level of performance- but aren’t willing to accept the compromises that race gear often makes.

At least that’s my interpretation. In any case, Specialized designed the S-Works EVO MTB shoe “was developed to meet the needs of aggressive trail riders who demand more from their gear.” Seeing as I consider myself to be an aggressive trail rider and know that I ask a lot of my gear (flattery is an extremely effective selling tool), the S-Works EVOs seemed like they would be a great fit. Hit ‘more’ for photos, pricing, and initial impressions…

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In an effort to have a bit of fun, and showcase how durable a light weight carbon bike / build can really be, Fairwheel Bikes put together this fun video. It showcases two Neil Pryde frames. The first is built of with Shimano Di2 and Dura-Ace carbon wheels, while the second showcases a full Enve cockpit along with their new Smart 6.7 wheelset.

Watch riders Rick Roth and Tony Roth take these high end road bikes on a nice trials ride, as well as hit a few dirt jumps.

That’s not all we have though. Greg Minnaar, downhill rider, was set up with a cyclocross bike decked out in all the nice bits Enve Composites makes. The video after jump showcases a bit of that bike, and him riding it on some very nice single track. Plus, it’s a nice interview with Greg.

Click through to kill another 5 minutes and 10 seconds.

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Every year, Tim O’Donnell’s Shamrock Cycles collection spans the gamut of bicycle types, from road to ‘cross to touring to mountain. And every year, he’s got a plethora of fanciful features adorning each one. This year looks to be no different, and apparently his show bikes are no different than the everyday builds he’s been doing for customers between shows…

BIKERUMOR: What have you been working in since NAHBS last year?

TIM: I have been concentrating pretty heavily in supporting a cross team for the past two seasons and that has really paid dividends. It is way more work than I initially planned but is worth it. I also support a smaller mtb team but that is largely for my own fun reasons.

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See all of our Project 24.2 posts here!

After a number of years essentially ‘winging it’ when it came to training for 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, it hadn’t really occurred to me to engage a coach.  Much like bike fit, if -like me- you’ve been riding and even racing for over 20 years, you just kind of know how to train, right?

A trick question, obviously.  When my race partner Alex suggested talking to Tom Jones at JBV Coaching, I was intrigued- and a bit worried.  After all, I ride because cycling is fun.  And training -actually training- didn’t sound like much fun at all.  Our first meeting with Tom put most of my fears to rest- in addition to an impressive resume as a coach, racer, physicist, and mechanic, Tom is also a nice guy. While we won’t give away any of his trade secrets, go beyond the fold to find out what we’ve learned so far…

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Genesis has been an early adopter of disc brakes on cyclocross and touring bikes, showing us some beautiful steel examples across the price spectrum.

Now, they’ve added a singlespeed model called Day 01. Posted on their blog on a lark, it generated enough interest to make it onto the production roster for 2012. Essentially, it’s their Day 01 spec’d without the Alfine internal gear hub. Not a stretch to see this coming, really. It’ll be available this spring for £799. Frame is Reynolds 520 Steel and it’s spec’d with Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes, Alex rims and hubs, Shimano pedals and a mostly house-brand cockpit.

See all of our Project 24.2 posts here!

For the most part, it’s hard to get too excited about stems.  If they do their job well (and most do), they’re essentially unnoticeable.  Of course, if they don’t they’re ugly, flexy, or (if they do their job especially poorly) fail catastrophically.  That said, when we posted early word of Ritchey’s new C260 line of stems this fall, people got pretty excited.

Owing to its 260 degree clamp and gently curved 3-bolt steerer clamp, Ritchey’s WCS C260 stem tests 3-4x stronger in its aluminum form than any previous Ritchey stem- while being 30% stiffer than the preceding 4Axis design.  Throw a unidirectional carbon wrap over the same basic design and weight goes up by ~15g (to an actual 110g in our 90mm size) and stiffness by an additional 16%.  Oh, and it’s prettier, too.  After a couple of months on my Project 1.1 single speed and Project 24.2 race bike, has the C260 lived up to its light/strong/sexy billing?  Hit the jump to find out…

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With the 2011-12 cross season coming to a close, it’s now time to get prepared for next year. You know, that time of year when you look back and decide which bits and pieces are ready for an upgrade.

Should your bits and pieces be up to snuff, Litespeed is ready with a new frame.  Not only are they ready for your future, but the new Ti Cross frame is ready for the future, too, with the option to equip either cantilever or disc brakes. While ‘cross braking tech seems to be moving forward, it’s nice to see the Tennessee-based brand move backward a bit and return to its titanium roots with a U.S.-made frame.

Interestingly, Litespeed has ditched the tapered head tube on this frame.  This may be good, may be bad, but does promise for different handling.

The 2013 titanium (3AL/2.5V) frame should be released just in time for next season. More pictures and details after the break…

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Specialized is recalling an additional 460 Tricross bikes, following the massive 14,200 bike recall in September, because the carbon fiber forks may break at the brake posts. The bikes were sold between June and November 2011. Picture of the fork’s vulnerable spot and full CPSC release with links and contact info after the break…

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Now we know why Zdenek Stybar likes his bikes as lightweight as possible. Photo: TDWsport

Earlier this week, Specialized sent out some pics of Stybar’s custom painted pink Crux cyclocross bike and many media took the bait. This is one of four matching custom painted bikes he was provided with, actually. Being that we don’t really cover racing so much as what’s being raced on, our inquiries led to some good discussions about why he wasn’t racing the Crux Disc model.

Introduced last fall, the Crux Disc uses essentially the same frame save for the obvious sections needed to modify it for disc brakes. Both are alloy, Specialized ceased offering a carbon version for the 2012 model year, so presumably one would want the benefits of disc brakes, right?

While we weren’t able to get quotes directly from Stybar, we did get some paraphrased bits from his, uh, handlers:

“As for the disc/no disc thing, there are a few factors – one being that the team’s wheel sponsor, Zipp, does not yet make a disc wheel for ’cross.”

True enough…

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While some builders focus on a particular type of bike, others, like Jeremy Sycip, build the gamut from road to cyclocross to full suspension mountain bikes. On occasion, they even build something wild. For Sycip, the latest big crazy project was the three-wheeled cargo bike  (and here, too) with integrated front lock he submitted and rode in last year’s Oregon Manifest Builder’s Challenge.

His creations for last year’s NAHBS included a mixte and a single speed disc brake cyclocross bike, among others. Here’s what he’s been up to since…

BIKERUMOR: What have you been working in since NAHBS last year?

JEREMY: I have started offering Inset 44mm headtubes as well as Pressfit BB options for all my bikes. I also did a collaboration with Fuse Project for the Oregon manifest. It’s a 3-wheel cargo bike. Might try to bring one for this years NAHBS. Also, I am trying out some new KVA stainless tubesets.

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Photo submitted by Alex Ryan, “This pic was taken by CATUP.com at the Final North Carolina Cyclocross Race # 13 in Greensboro, NC. This pic is of me in the Pro 1/2 field. Placed 2nd.”

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