Given that SRAM already officially acknowledged forthcoming hydraulic brakes when they unveiled the new 2012 Red group, we thought we might see some leaked images. We just didn’t think we’d see them quite this early!

Did you miss them? Yep, we had some nice glossies up. They’re probably floating around a forum somewhere now, but at SRAM’s request, they’ve been pulled. Call us lackeys or whatever, but occasionally we have to make concessions to avoid biting the hands that feed us all the goodies we post here. Sometimes the leaks are forgiven, other times they need to be plugged. Rest assured, we don’t take these decisions lightly and try to balance the relationships with getting the news out first.

In the images were both the hydraulic rim and disc brakes. The rim brake appearance is much closer to traditional road calipers than Magura’s new RT8TT center pull design. The key visual difference is the flip flop of the push/pull parts to the opposite side of a cable-actuated brake. Looks like a large quick release lever will make wheel changes easy, and a simple push piston to actuate the brake arms. Overall, it’s a pretty slick looking package.

The disc brakes are full hydro. We didn’t see any mention of a mechanical counterpart, but wouldn’t rule it out as a future Force level option. Hoods are slightly taller than the new mechs, but with the same new ErgoGrip surface texture. As they’ve told us already, 160mm and 140mm rotors will be on tap. If everything stays on track, look for a full launch in a couple months and availability in summer.

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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First things first, it’s being called the new 2012 SRAM Red, not 2013. Second, it’s simply the new Red, there are no new group names. We hear there was some internal debate on renaming it to ease confusion for OEM customers and distributors given that there is Red Black, Red LTD Tour Yellow, etc., but turns out, no. And the rumored hydraulic disc brakes? Yes, they’re coming. Officially. Just not until Fall. Now that we’ve got that cleared up, let’s dive into details.

The overriding goal with the group’s redesign was to make it more aerodynamic, lighter weight and resolve some of the niggling issues that kept forum trolls busy. Issues like excessive noise from the cassette, weak front shifting on TT bikes, particularly with the first generation original Red front derailleur, and the lack of proper front derailleur trim.

All three could merit design changes on their own, but the new group tackled all major complaints head on. Then they looked where seemingly no one else was looking: aerodynamics. While Shimano and Campy were busy rolling out new electronic groups and apparently working on adding cogs, SRAM was quietly toiling away to make the lightest component group even lighter. Their stated goal was to refine the parts down to the bare minimum, removing any “glitz, smoke and mirrors” to make the best performing, most comfortable system on the market.

Here’s how they did it…

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We have discovered that VeloPress is in the process of converting an array of their new and bestselling titles to eBook format for such popular devices as Kindle, Nook, Apple iBook, Kobo, and others. VeloPress offers a wide selection of cycling books pertaining to training, exercise, nutrition, biography, and history. They also offer books on triathlon, running, and winter sports.

For example, VeloPress is now offering their recently-published (and quite interesting) “Team 7-Eleven” Kindle version on Amazon for $13.49. Watch Bikerumor for a review of this book in coming days.

To see highlights of what they’re offering and to get the link to the full list of titles currently and soon-to-be available, click more…

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See all of our Project 24.2 posts here!

There are certain things that we do as we get older that aren’t necessarily cool or exciting.  Grownup stuff, like telling people who aren’t your mom where you’re going riding and when you expect to be back.  Like packing enough water and food for a ride.  Like keeping your insurance current.  Road ID fall squarely into that category.  As important as carrying a some form of ID, if things go horribly wrong most identification doesn’t really doesn’t contain all of the information that emergency responders want- or need.

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Best known for their bombproof and sought-after BMX hubs, Profile Racing have just been in touch to tell us about their new Road/Cyclocross (R/C) hubs.  Made in the USA, the R/C rear hubs features the same 6 pawl, 68 step ratchet ring as the company’s BMX and mountain hubs- which should make them popular among big and powerful riders.  Though the 302g rear hub weight is on the high side, the 88g front hub will help to keep wheelset weights down.  I, for one, am a sucker for slotted high-flange polished aluminum hubs and am loving the traditional look.  Click more for more photos, pricing, and Profile Racing’s full release…

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Along with the recently introduced Cervelo P5 came the all-new 3T Aduro aerobar system, and 3T just sent over their official announcement on the piece.

Claiming to have the lowest drag coefficient of any aerobar on the market, it’s also fully UCI compliant. The initial design was done in conjunction with Cervelo and is currently made to work specifically with the new P5, but they’re saying it’s their design and will work with other bikes with minor mods. Presumably, they’re working on a universal adapter kit or something.

The pics here are admittedly poor quality, they’re working on getting us something better, but the specs are sharp: The shaping was done with a rider’s posture in mind to maximize aerodynamics. They developed two mounts for the elbow rests with incremental spacers to help it fit a wide range of frames and riders. Jump past the break for a more technical description and the full press release…

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Here’s our first actual hands-on look at the new 2012 Cervelo P5 up close.  After months of anticipation and speculation (here, here and here), the bike has made its official debut.  The Canary Island of Fuerteventura is providing us with an incredible backdrop to see this bike first hand for its public release.  As you can see from all of the pictures that leaked out earlier this week, this new TT/Tri offering from Cervelo has an incredibly fast, clean, simple look as well as incredible sex appeal.  More detailed pictures and information after the break…

UPDATED: Sizing, Full Geometry, and More Info after the break!

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With the cat out of the bag on Magura’s year-long developmental partnership with Cervelo, we’ve got a look at the future of road brakes with their new RT8TT hydraulic brakes and levers.

UPDATED: English language press release added with feature list, plus more tech info and images throughout the post.

Yes, hydraulic disc brakes for the road are on the horizon. But there is a massive number of riders out there now that might want to upgrade to a hydraulic groupset without giving up their beloved frames. For those people, hydraulic rim brakes coupled with a same-brand system or Di2 / EPS hack are the answer. For the latter, Magura is first to market. Well, first for the TT crowd anyway…

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What with all of the official (and some not so official) images already leaked, it appears the official Cervelo P5 Triathlon Bike has launched two days early. Sort of.

Dubbed the “most advanced and most aerodynamic triathlon bike,” the P5′s mini-website now has this video and pics, but the link to full specs is forcing us to wait until Wednesday for all the specs. But we can tell quite a bit from the images…

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The pieces are starting to come together fast and furious. The girl on the right seems awfully familiar, and this image comes courtesy of Magura’s Facebook page.

It’s said to be a photo shoot of the Magura RT8TT brakes. Break that down and you’ve got RT8, which is likely just a Road moniker for top of the line like their recently introduced MT8 mountain bike brakes with the Carbotecture composite body. TT is obviously Time Trial, and the rider’s position in the pic confirms that. Given the proximity of this tip with the spy shot of the Cervelo P5, well, we’re sure you can put the pieces together.

UPDATED: Another completely unrevealing photo after the break…

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We’re not sure if she’s running from Cervelo’s guards or just playing around, but this photo slid under our virtual door just a bit ago with an obviously fake email address as the sender. So, thanks anon!

This here claims to be the new Cervelo P5 triathlon bike, and it’s looking an awful lot like a drawn out version of the already very aerodynamic S5. The head tube is way longer, and the bit above the bottom bracket is much taller, effectively reducing the frontal area of the seat tube. Because the rear brakes are moved below the chainstays and behind the BB, the back of the seat tube is able to be drawn into a much longer fairing. The downtube has a similar Kamm Tail shape with a flatter surface at the water bottle mount.

Speaking of water bottle mounts, one obvious change from the P4 appears to be the loss of an integrated water bottle above the BB junction.

Both sets of stays look about the same thickness as the S5, as does the fork. The bulge coming off the non-drive side of the bottom bracket shell indicates it’s likely using their BBRight standard. The brakes, while a bit hard to see in this image, do appear to be mechanical, but we’re not ready to make a definitive call on this until the official unveiling on Wednesday. Perhaps this is just the “budget” mechanical version since those are obvious mechanical shift levers on the end of the aero bars and the derailleur cable forms a big loop in the rear. In the meantime, check our other posts here and here for more rumors.