• Subscribe to Nona Varnado’s newsletter for information on how to purchase limited edition (and special pricing!) pieces from her women’s urban “spin apparel” collection like the cycling cape pictured above. Limited Edition pieces will be offered starting next week. Nona Varnado’s clothes are the Nonetheless and Outlier for women. Bonus: Made in USA using ecologically responsible production methods.
• We believe in Karma, and apparently, so does Surly Bikes who is hooking up @cbabcock125 with a replacement for his stolen Surly.
• Our country needs your continued involvement in the transportation bills before the Senate and the House. Click here for more information from the League of American Bicyclists. All it takes is a few minutes of your time to email your representatives and let them know that this issue is important to you – no writing, no stamps involved, the link on their website does it for you. Do it now or don’t complain later.
• Interested in doing more about this transportation bill issue? Attend the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit March 20-22nd. in Washington, DC. Early-bird registration has been extended to February 20th. Attend the summit and be your own lobbyist!
• The 2012 Viva Bike Vegas Gran Fondo will again start on the Las Vegas Strip with the century  and 72-mile rides making its way over the Hoover Dam. This years’ race is being held September 22nd and will coincide with Interbike.
• BicycleBarter.com is a new, free cycling-specific classified advertising website.
• Bike Nashbar is having a video contest on their FB page for a chance to win a trip for the winner and a guest to attend the 2012 Giro d’Italia’s stages 19th and 20th.
• We wrote about Skin Strong’s anti-chafing product Slather here, and now they are offering it in 6oz tube and 20 singles applications, both $12.99.
• We know this isn’t exactly bicycle related, but totally awesome nonetheless. If you missed Andy Lewis killin’ it on the slackline during Madonna’s Superbowl halftime post. His shoes were a signature model from FiveTen using the same Stealth Rubber that we love so much on our DH and Freeride mountain bike shoes. Photo of the shoes and Andy’s performance after the break.

Initially revealed last year at Interbike, A’ME’s heated road underwrap is finally ready for prime time. Due to the fact that Bob and the A’ME crew were still putting the finishing touches on the heated road tape, the inner workings couldn’t be shown. Until now. Tired of cold hands for your winter training rides? Get the details of A’ME’s heated road tape after the break.

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Surly Bikes showed off the all terrain capabilities of their Pugsley fat tire bike with some log rollers. They drew quite a crowd, but I never did see anyone really get going on them for more than a couple seconds. See ‘em spinnin’ after the break, along with some other sightings from Interbike. Some good and useful. Some that are debatable…

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Yup.  650B.  KHS is moving forward with the inbetweener standard with two new bikes, and they were keen to tell us all about them.

First up is the 656.  This is a 30lbs 5″ travel full suspension bike coming in at $2399.  The rear shock is the X-Fusion E1RL shock with hydraulic dampening, rebound adjustment, and lockout. Up front you get the X-Fusion Velvet RL 120mm tapered fork. The drive train has parts from SRAM X5, X7, and X9.  Stopping comes from Avid Elixir 1 brakes with 160mm rotors attached to WTB Laser Disc Trail wheels.  Those wheels are wrapped in Schwalbe Racing Ralph 650B rubber.

Past the jump you get a 650B carbon hardtail, full Microshift, and a 65cm frame.

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KVA Stainless were on hand at Interbike last month showing off some of the possibilities presented by their stainless steel frame tubing.  One of the cooler applications was a carbon/stainless Isogrid frame welded by Dean. Beyond looking sexy, the “multi-material tube structure allow for a tube lighter than the original stainless steel tube with stiffer bending/torsion performance.”  KVA feel that this combination should be able to yield sub-1,100g, easily customized frames.  Click through to find out how it’s done and to see a surprising potential application…

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New for 2012, Zoic are introducing “Premium” versions of a number of their established and widely-loved shorts.  Replacing their standard liner with their Best Asset liner, equipped with an Italian-made Cytech pad, the Premium Ether, Soverign, and Antidote (L-R) shorts also take inspiration from local surf culture and begin to make a break with the brand’s traditional earth tones.  The Premium versions add about $15 to the shorts’ usual prices, with the shorts running $99, $120, and $109-129 respectively (Antidote prices will vary with the fabrics used).

www.zoic.com

Timbuk2!  It’s great to work in an industry that not only sweats the details, but has fun with them too…  This Oury grip inspired pull can be found in quite a few of Timbuk2′s 2012 messenger and bike bags.

www.timbuk2.com

As one of the growing number of sports equipment companies employing the use of the super polymer Poron XRD, G-Form is rapidly expanding their product line as word of their performance spreads. The secret to G-form’s success is the temporary hardening effect of the Poron XRD upon ipact, which absorbs most of the energy. Immediately after impact, the pad returns to its soft and flexible state, offering the best of both worlds: flexible and protective.

At Interbike, we caught up with the G-form crew, and had Thom run us through an entertaining demo of the Poron XRD padding shown in the video above. We’ve had a set of their elbow pads on review for a short period of time, and recently added the knee pads to the mix as well (look for a review in the near future). But sports equipment isn’t the only application for G-form, as they also make laptop and iPad cases as well. While out at Interbike I picked up an Extreme Sleeve for my laptop and accidentally put it to the test on the way home.

Find out how an Extreme Sleeve handles airport baggage handling after the jump…

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Hermes Sport has introduced their first dirt offering, the new ODB mountain bike wheels with carbon rims.

The first set will have normal hubs and come in at a claimed 1450g for the 29er and 1370g for the 26″. Retail is $1500 for either size. Rear is quick release only, but front is convertible to 9mm QR, 15mm or 20mm thru axle.

A higher end version with Tune King & Kong hubs will follow that’ll drop about 70g off the wheelset weight. Those will have the same front axle options plus a 142×12 rear option. And there will be color options on that one. Retail will be $2,000.

HS founder Alex Webster says there’s also an All-Mountain version available with a thicker carbon layup that’s about 50g heavier per wheel. He’s also testing a DH version through the winter. More pics after the break…

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Pashley, a brand more known for proper British city bikes and gravel path racers, introduced a completely new model called Sprinter.

They also brought forth a fine collection of upscale cycling clothing, bags and accessories and are reintroducing the GB bicycle components line. Last but not least, the new Parabike is a reissue of the original paratrooper bicycles that were dropped from planes during the 1940′s. Don your best English accent and tweed jacket and click your merry way past the break for more…

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Lying seductively in a bed of coffee beans at this year’s Interbike show, Norco’s house brand Axiom were displaying a couple of the more interesting mini pumps I’ve seen.  Not fundamentally different from anything else on the market, the contrast between anodized/knurled and machined surfaces caught my eye.  Satisfying to hold, the Blastair HPL (high pressure long?) and HVL (high volume long?) mini pumps felt nicer than their $40-ish retail price would suggest.  Click though for a head details…

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Looking remarkably similar to the those shown last year, Formula’s Volo (“flight” in Italian) wheelsets (26in and 29er in XC and All Mountain variations) are finally nearing delivery- and still looking good.  (But what is it about Italians and red?)  With freehubs specifically designed to support the engagement mechanism and reduce the pops and damage that can come from partial engagement, the hub shells are intricately machined inside and out- and build up to some surprisingly light wheels that could give carbon hoops a run for their money.  Find out more- and see some revamped brakes- after the break.

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