BikeRumor.com

For 2011, Cannondale seriously revamped their Lefty forks. Travel has changed for both the Speed and 29er models, and they’ve partnered with Rockshox to develop new compression and suspension settings to accommodate users that felt older models were too soft.

With Lefty, you’re getting a 1.5″ headtube, a 25mm-to-15mm axle and dual-crown design, all of which Cannondale says makes for a far stiffer fork than traditional forks with two legs. They also say it’s smoother: Its square stanchion with needle bearings creates a mechanical movement rather than bushings that can wear and develop play and have far more friction. The roller bearings also maintain smoother movement under rotational and off-angle forces…which could better control and traction under hard braking and corning. In our test ride on the new Scalpel, despite having reduced travel, the Lefty fork did handle XC-type trail bumps, rocks and chatter with aplomb. The older, “softer” models made the forks feel incredibly smooth in parking lot tests, but enough riders complained that they would blow through their travel too quickly on the trail. To remedy this, the compression damping is firmer all around, which makes them feel slightly less smooth when just pushing on them standing still, but the results seemed to justify the means.

There are two versions of Lefty available, PBR and XLR. Check them out with specs and weights after the break…

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The 2011 Specialized Tarmac Expert

Specialized has begun to roll out it’s 2011 line up, and the Tarmac Expert sits near the top of the road line. Featuring Specialized’s SL3 contruction, the same as the S-Works just with a different carbon layup, the Expert comes with Shimano Ultegra components and Fulcrum’s new Racing 4 wheelset.

In the first miles it’s proven to be a nice mix of stiffness, comfort, handling and efficiency. The Shimano Ultegra components work well and the Fulcrum Racing 4’s seem up to the task. We’ll check back shortly with a full review after we get the chance to put some long miles on it and test it’s racing prowess. See more pics after the break. (more…)

Just got this in from League of American Bicyclists, who have a letter generator on their website here that helps you craft a quick email letter to your state officials.  Here’s the issue:

PRESS RELEASE: Last week, Congress passed a jobs bill that contains a $2.2 billion rescission of transportation funds from state DOTs. In many states, the DOT will likely target bike funding programs to send those dollars back to Washington — unless local advocates speak up and make sure that doesn’t happen.

States must report which program funds are affected by August 25 and the law gives officials maximum flexibility to choose which unobligated balance of funds are rescinded. So we need you to rally the members of Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance and take action this week!

Funds may be rescinded from the following programs:
• Transportation Enhancements
• Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ)
• Recreational Trails
• State Planning and Research
• Surface Transportation Program
• Metropolitan Planning

The US DOT is urging state DOTs to reach out to stakeholders, which makes this a perfect opportunity to request a meeting to discuss the value of bicycle and pedestrian projects. One request we have of state DOTs is that they follow the “proportionality clause” of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 – this ensures that cuts be made equitably across programs. Be prepared to argue the cost effectiveness and value of these projects. If possible, bring a list of projects that need funding.

As important, make sure your governor gets a flood of calls and e-mails. Alert your members to tell your governor: Don’t let the state DOT disproportionately cut funding for Transportation Enhancements, recreational trails, and bicycle and pedestrian projects.

Let them know we’re paying attention!

Please take a moment to review the attached table, which shows rescissions by state, and mobilize the members of Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance to keep important funding from slipping away!

If you choose, please feel free to cut and paste or modify this draft alert below.

Thank you for your prompt action,

Jeffrey Miller, President/CEO, Alliance for Biking & Walking

Hawaiian inventor Marty Schlesinger has invented a cruiser style electric bicycle called the Electrickbas. Modeled after “something he’d want to throw a leg over,” he launched Voltage Cycles to create an e-bike with style.

Found via a feature story on KITV4 in Hawaii, they’ve got a non-embeddable video on their site, and Voltage has their own (non-embeddable) video on the bike on their site, too.

Based around a 600W brushless motor in the rear hub (a la Bion-X), the Electrickbas is a power assist bicycle capable of 30mph thanks to the 48volt battery pack hidden in the frame’s retro style “gas tank”. The bikes were inspired by original Indian and other early motorcycles that looked very much like this…which makes sense as they were based on bicycles.  Aaahh, how things have come full circle.

All Voltage Cycles’s bikes are custom made to order and start around $2,000.

MountainSmith is better known for cool lumbar packs and camera bags, but the Bike Cube Deluxe is a cycling specific bag that is well designed with loads of features. It’s big enough to haul your helmet, shoes, sunglasses, some tools, clothing and nutrition, yet it seems to take up little room. Nice touches like two padded sunglasses pouches, a fold out mat for you feet and a small roll-up tool bag along with plenty of internal storage make it a go to piece. Find out more after the break. (more…)

Recently Sierra Club member Oliver Bock decided he was going to ride his E-Bike across the US with a few friends in an effort to promote clean and alternative sources of energy. The ride started out in woodside, California and culminated in Washington D.C. where Bock and company met with his Congressional Representative. Brian F., with the Sierra club recently had a chance to sit down and interview Bock about his journey.  It is a pretty fascinating story and definitely worth a read.

Catch the interview after the break.

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Introduced last year at Interbike, Moots’ Vamoots RSL was built as the Colorado company’s flagship road bike, meant for battling the peloton.

The RSL is an extremely lightweight titanium frame that’s stiff enough to make most racers happy while still offering the lively ride that titanium is known for. With the RSL, Moots has created a lustworthy bicycle that’s now firmly rooted at the top of my personal wish list. We managed to extend our test period quite a bit, and if it were up to me, we’d still have it.

With a frameset price of $4,425 (with fork) the RSL doesn’t come cheaply, but it should last for many, many years. For that coin, you get a 3/2.5 Reynolds titanium tubing with custom 6/4 sections and features, plus some extra machining internally and externally to save weight. You also get a custom Alpha-Q full carbon fork, but no headset is included. For $5,200, you get all that with a Moots ti stem and seatpost that’ll match your frame perfectly. Yes, they’re expensive, but they ride super nice and really complete the package visually.

We put a lot of hilly and mountainous miles on the RSL and all of us were very impressed not just with it’s performance (it’ll haul!), but also with it’s road manners. The RSL is that rare combination of race bike that’s all day comfortable.

Read on past the break for the full review, photos, specs and weight…

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This has been on the rumor block for a while now, but we just received this press release and figured we’d pass it along:

PRESS RELEASE: Cannondale, leading brand of Cycling Sports Group (CSG) and part of Dorel Industries (TSX: DII.B, DII.A), will present its brand-new E-series for the first time at the Eurobike 2010. Cannondale has taken an entirely new approach to E-cycling, by setting standards with a number of technical innovations, including a new high-performance drive train that was developed in partnership with Bosch over the past two years to optimize Cannondale’s unique frame technology. The range starts with two Urban models focused on performance, ergonomics and aesthetics.

“Cannondale is relentlessly dedicated to creating the perfect riding experience. By focusing on intuitiveness, ergonomics, performance and aesthetics, the E-series provides consumers with increased mobility and a real car alternative“, said Bob Burbank, General Manager, Cannondale. “By partnering with Bosch to develop a truly visionary drive-train technology and opening up that technology to the industry, we’re paving a new mobility path for consumers and leading the way with a performance focused e-bike.”

Photo taken by John Harbaugh in the Dutch town of Sittard. John writes, “The image of a nun appears to be looking favorably upon the bike before her…  The cat, of course, has other things on its mind”. Check out his blog, Eurobiking Through American Eyes.

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

What makes a trail epic? In the case of the Edge Trail pictured above in Fruita Colorado, the tenacious climbs, technical descents, and the fact that you have to rappel down a waterfall guarantee it’s qualification.

Think your local trail qualifies? Looking for some recognition for your local trail builders? Well, now is your chance to nominate your favorite trail online to be selected by IMBA staff. The winning trails will be classified the 2010 Epic Mountain bike rides, and will be announced in the fall issue of IMBA’s quarterly print newsletter, IMBA Trail News.

Epic rides evolve over time — IMBA needs your help in maintaining and improving our online Epic resources. If you’ve ridden one of the Epics recently and feel that the ride information needs to be improved or expanded, please send an e-mail to info@imba.com with “epics” in the subject line. Many of the ride descriptions currently lack GPS mapping or trailhead latitude/longitude coordinates. Photos and updated logistical information for the rides would also be greatly appreciated.

SOBI, short for “SOcial BIcycle” is a new take on bike sharing programs that lets a city implement a far reaching program without the usual infrastructure, special bicycles, etc.

The brainchild of Ryan Rzepecki, SOBI works by attaching a mobile/GPS unit and special locking system to any bike, then letting users borrow and return the bike from anywhere they find it and anywhere they need to drop it off.  Because the bikes are equipped with GPS, they can communicate their position and let users find and unlock them using a mobile phone.

SOBI is set to go live with a test in New York City this fall. They’re in the running for a Pepsi Refresh grant (click that link to vote for them) and you can Like them on Facebook if you dig the idea and want to keep up.

Hoping to highlight Davis, California as the cycling center of the US and set a Guinness World record at the same time, the Davis Odd Fellows are putting together a little parade. By a little parade, they really mean at least 1,902 bicycles back to back for over 2 miles. The current record of 1,901 bikes was set in Taiwan on July 21, 2007. The parade is set to ride through the heart of downtown Davis at 10:03 a.m. on October 3, 2010.

However, there is more to the event than just trying to gain some recognition. While attempting to break the record for most bicycles in a single parade, participants will be simultaneously raising funds for the hurting Davis Schools.  All proceeds from the event will go to the Davis Schools Foundation thanks to the efforts of the Davis Odd Fellows, ride sponsors, and hundreds of volunteers.

Check out the route map, and parade rules after the break. (more…)

We just posted the 2011 Specialized gear, including road and mountain bike shoes, but wanted to show all the models, custom jobs and some casual kicks separately.

Above are the team edition S-Works road shoes for their sponsored Pro Tour teams. Below, the colorways in that same shoe that you’ll be able to find at your local dealer soon.

Hit ‘more’ to see the color options for the full lines of road and mountain shoes and more…

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Along with their sweet new bikes, Specialized has a full line of updated bits and pieces for you and your bike.

Starting with the shoes, they’ve made them lighter and have a really nice new commuter/city shoe that can be worn with or without cleats, and we snapped a few pics of their custom team shoes and some other not-new-but-probably-not-seen shoes they do for just kickin’ around off the bike.

Above is the new S-Works mountain bike shoe. It gets dual Boa straps for the upper and mid-foot and keeps velcro at the forefoot, giving you more versatile adjustment. The Boa dials are the new ones that turn in either direction to quickly tighten or loosen the straps. Weighing in at just 305g per shoe (size 42), it uses Specialized’s FACT Torsion Box carbon sole, has a vented tongue and mesh panels at front and sides and Micromatrix upper. The bottom has a “stomp pad” in the middle for traction and to protect the carbon sole and replaceable tread blocks.

Hit ‘more’ to see the rest of the shoes, plus tires and saddles and check this post for a few treats from their recent press/dealer camp…

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In a last minute switch-a-roo among Bikerumor Media Cup competitors, Mountain Flyer Magazine’s Jordan Carr will be replacing their editor, Brian Riepe. The BMC is the race within a race for us blogger/journo folk at the 2010 Breck Epic. So far, you’ve met Rich “Team Dicky” Dillen and Doper Suck’s Brandon Dwight, Jasen Thorpe, and yours truly, Tyler Benedict and Misfit Psycles’ Peter Keiller.  Now, bringing up the rear, is a true ladies man, Jordan Carr:

Name: Jordan Carr
Hometown: Gunnison, CO
Breck Epic Race Bike: Not sure yet… Hopefully it will have two wheels though and gears…

Ad Libs:
My name’s Jordan Carr and I’ve been riding bikes since I was four years old and racing for a few years. I currently/used to (choose one, delete the other) race electric wheelchairs and my favorite racing accomplishment is trying, which is the key to anything in life.

I’m ‘racing’ in the Bikerumor Media Cup because I like to ride bikes for Mountain Flyer. Unfortunately, Peter from Misfit is racing in the Cup too, which sucks because he is probably a good beer drinker (he looks hardcore in his photo and he’s from Canada) and will likely drink us all under the table.

However, everyone else is racing in it too, which is good because they will provide a bigger pace line to draft from (drafting is legal, right?).

Thus far, my training has consisted of working out with my shake weight In the month leading up to the Breck Epic this August, I’ll be preparing by doing lots of sit-ups and pull ups, as I hear it is important to have big guns and a six pack.

If I win the Cup, I’ll celebrate by going for another bike ride the next day.

A true action shot of Jordan is after the break…

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