Friday, September 25, 2009

Interbike 2009

Updates from Interbike 2009. Arrived Wednesday night for CrossVegas which as usual was a great time. I love night time cyclo-cross.

Walked the show on Thursday and Friday.

Some of the items I saw and thought need mentioning here are:

MetriGear Vector pedal spindle based power meters - This was probably the best new product at the show and is talked about all over the internet. I hope after they release the Speedplay version they quickly come up with a new version for Look Keo and Shimano XTR SPD pedals. Their website has most of the details.

Shimano WH-6700 Ultegra Tubeless Clincher Wheels - These wheels make it much easier to get into a tubeless setup right out of the box. We like the NoTubes tape conversions, but this wheel looks like a sure winner at only $649.00 per set retail. They use the same rim extrusion as the Dura-Ace wheelset but it is a ll aluminum rim versus the Dura-Ace which is a Scandium rim. The total weight is a respectable 1652g.

A-Class Alex Rims New R350 700c Clincher Rim - This rim is a new 700C scandium clincher rim that reportedly weighs only 320g. I hope this will be available for testing soon...

Serotta & Nuvinci both had high end sizing cycles/fitting tools on display. The NuVinci model was computer controlled and also offer PowerCranks on it. The best part about both systems was you could measure power while the rider is on the bike, from each pedal, and use that data as part of the fit analysis to help determine the optimum comfort and performance fit. The NuVinci reach and saddle height was adjustable electronically by a lap top, so a fitter could be sitting and watching the rider and the power output and slowly change the fit without the rider stopping. They plan on making this also apply to the saddle fore/aft as well. The Serotta fitting system had easily changeable manual adjustments that were also recorded on a laptop but they also had their technology paired with the Dartfish video analysis software.

Cateye Strada Wireless Adventure Computer - This was a new additon the Catey Strada Wireless lineup and this new cycling computer offers in addition to the normal speed, distance and other standard funtions it has an altimeter, %grade funtion, and a thermometer. This makes it useful for getting even more data about your rides in a small space. Now they just need to add in ANT+ so you can display power when you don't need to record it....

IRC Tubeless Road Tires - IRC was displaying their lineup of Tubeless Road Tires compatible with Hutchinson - However I still haven't seen any make it over to the USA yet, and the weight was around the same as the Hutchinson Fusion2 and Atom tires.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Cateye Strada Wireless RD300W Review

After using the Cateye Strada Wireless RD300W computer I feel it may be the best basic cycling computer currently made. This computer always shows the current speed in very large numbers at the top of the LCD in either MPH or KPH. There are selectable functions on the lower part of the LCD including average speed, max speed, 2 trip distances, a programmable overall odometer, a ride timer with auto start/stop, a clock, a battery saving sleep mode, plus it has a average speed/pace arrow and it also allows for 2 settings for different wheel sizes. The clamp allows tool free and simple attachment to either the stem or to 26.0 or 31.8 handle bars. 

 I prefer a computer to be attached to the stem and won't purchase one if it doesn't attach that way. This computer offers so many features that make it stand out from the rest of the competition including:
• Very Small Size
• Light Weight - Only 48g
• Of Course it is Wireless
• Mount it to your Stem Or Handle Bar
• Super Large Easy To Read LCD
• Sleep Mode & Auto Start
• Single Button Use - Just Push The Entire Unit

The only cons I see with this computer is the mount - it has a fairly large adjustable button that some people claim sticks out too much - I don't really mind it at all, but feel like it could be the only visual drawback of this computer. I would rate this computer as 5 stars out of 5, which is very high praise.