With big tire companies entering the bike market I’ve been curious to see if they could really add anything to what has been available. The question to me, has not been whether they might ...
Posts by Category: Machine
Jim Merz and the All-Star Team
Of the many framebuilders who have made a name for themselves in the U.S., few have had as unusual a path as Jim Merz. Initially, he was producing frames in Portland, for a time employing Mark ...
Friday Group Ride #441
The last time I crashed I bruised my left knee and tweaked my back, a pretty good outcome considering the speed and violence of it, and the involvement of more than one car. My bike came through ...
Hang On: The Michelin Power All Season
A couple of years ago I was invited to visit Michelin’s proving grounds in South Carolina. They’ve got multiple test tracks, labs, presentation area and its all surrounded by enough ...
No Celo Tape: Lizard Skins 3.2mm DSP Bar Tape
When I was 12 I had the wisdom of a squirrel, in that I was as completely without wisdom as a human being in good health could be. Even so, I knew that a thin ribbon of celo tape wrapped around ...
Cat Claws: The Goodyear Connector Ultimate
The trails that line the flume above Auburn feature hard-packed dirt, with some occasional rock and covering of leaves. On dry days, it’s a quick surface with just enough banking in its ...
Happy Feet: Northwave Extreme RR 2 GTX
The intersection points between being a cyclist, your feet and cold weather are not unlike when you try to line up a theater, yelling and the word, “fire.” No good can come of either ...
A Study in Geometry
To the degree that this site might struggle to find a broad readership within cycling, I take full responsibility. I can geek out on aspects of equipment that some cyclists couldn’t care less ...
Friday Group Ride #433
Let’s take it down a notch, after a few successive weeks of heavy topics and tortured navel-gazing by yours truly. This week I want to talk about components. I was chatting with a bike shop ...
Be-All, End-All? Dura-Ace Di2 Disc
When I first tried the latest iteration of Dura-Ace in its mechanical form, my first comment was, “You have got to be kidding.” the shift action was so light, the brake power so good ...