New helmet design to give a pro cycling edge. SCOTT Sports collaborated with Sports Engineers from the University of Adelaide to design a new bike helmet for the Australian professional road racing team Orica-GreenEDGE. The primary objective of the collaboration was to significantly reduced drag. The helmet recently made its first public appearance during the 2013 Milan-San Remo road race in Italy.

The new aero helmet from Scott

The story began one year ago when the ORICA-GreenEDGE riders approached SCOTT Sports to propose an evolution of the Vanish EVO helmet for flat and sprint stages. The team requested a helmet with the lowest drag coefficient possible, an advanced aero solution, a dynamic ventilation system, and of course the same great adjustable and comfortable fit.

The project involved…investigating the aerodynamics of cycling helmets in action, and the design of a smooth outer helmet surface to minimize drag in all racing conditions, from cruising, through to flat-out sprinting.

“We had to understand the air flow around the helmet… at all the various positions and head angles a rider takes while racing,” says Associate Professor Kelso. “Cyclists will be cruising with their heads up in the peloton, then the head will go down when they are out in front pushing hard, and the position will change again when they are sprinting for the finish.”

In each of these positions…there are different head angles and different flow patterns. The development team needed to find a helmet shape which offered the best balance of performance for all positions, additionally; they needed to maintain the helmet’s protective properties.

Extensive wind tunnel testing… was carried out with the pro team to optimize the helmet’s shape with regards to both aerodynamics and rider integration. Around 40 prototype designs were tested in the University’s wind tunnels, analyzing drag forces, side forces, ventilation and surface flow patterns. Wind tunnel testing provided more holistic, real world data for each design iteration and ensured that the final Vanish Aero shape achieved its class leading performance.

‘’The challenge was…to perfectly match the ideal aerodynamic shape given by the wind tunnel study with the manufacturing and the cooling requirements, while also keeping an attractive and aggressive design’’ states Alexandre Dimitriou, helmet engineer at SCOTT Sports.

To keep riders cool… the helmet features 3 ventilation holes on the front surface. The shape and location of these vents were established through evaluating a number of different hole configurations. Scott Engineers were enthusiastic to eventually find a shape which offered the required cooling and also proved to have no impact on the overall drag. The combination of the front vents and the extensive inner cooling channels ensures the team could wear the helmet in quite high temperatures without overheating.

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TomTom’s new Runner and Multi-Sport GPS watches

This article was orginally published on bikeradar.com

The watch has a large, high-resolution screen and a one-touch button system to navigate through data. TomTom claim the latter feature is an industry first that allows users to flick through key data via an intuitive up-down and left-right navigation system.

Given the level of functionality – it doesn’t have a mapping mode – it looks likely to compete against entry-level GPS devices such as the Garmin 200, Bryton Rider 20 and Mio Cyclo 100.

The hardware looks robust. TomTom claim the glass screen is scratch- and impact-resistant. The high-contrast display unit is slim, at just 1cm, and is encased in a sturdy rubberised strap. A handlebar mount is available separately.

Users can choose from three graphical race training functions: Race pits you against a previous time, Goal allows a target distance, time or calorie count to be set and monitors time to completion, and Zone means you can track a set heart rate.

The watch will be available over the summer. Prices have not been released. For more information see www.tomtom.com.

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SRAM Red 22 has three brake options: one mechnical plus hydraulic rim and hydraulic disc

This article was orginally published on bikeradar.com

SRAM will go 11-speed with new SRAM Red 22 and Force 22 road groupsets, with hydraulic rim and hydraulic disc brakes as options for the top-end group. For those wanting to add hydraulic brakes to an existing 10-speed system, SRAM announced new S-700 hydraulic levers that can be paired to S-700 hydraulic rim or disc calipers and any 10-speed SRAM group.

SRAM claim all the new 11-speed groups to be ‘trim-free’, meaning you can use the full width of the cassette on either chain ring without adjusting the front derailleur or getting chain rub on the derailleur cage. In all cassette options from 11-25 to 11-28, what’s new is the 16-tooth cog, which makes for single-tooth differences from the 11 up to the 17.

SRAM Red 22: first top end group to include hydraulic braking

With Red 22, SRAM has planted its flag as the first major component company with an integrated hydraulic brake road group. While Shimano and Campagnolo have continued to expand their electronic shifting offerings, SRAM has stayed the course with mechanical shifting across the board.

With Red 22 mechanical, SRAM has also notched the claim to the lightest and (in most markets) least expensive top-end 11-speed group of the Big Three. A complete Red 22 mechanical group weighs a claimed 1,747g, compared to 1,885g for Campagnolo’s Super Record and 2,016g for Shimano’s Dura Ace 9000.

Red 22 shares a Yaw front derailleur, rear derailleur, crank options — including an integrated Quarq power meter — cassette options and chain across the mechanical and hydraulic configurations.

The Red 22 mechanical shifters are quite similar to current Red 2012 in ergonomics and function, with the exception of course being the 11^th indent. The rest of the mechanical group follows suit: it’s Red 2012 technology tuned for 11-speed.

The Red 22 hydraulic shifter is largely identical to the mechanical shifter with the exception of the extended upper hood body that houses the hydraulic cylinder.

Designed to work with any wheel and any caliper-brake road frame, the Red 22 Hydro R caliper harnesses the power and modulation of a hydraulic system in a relatively svelte package. At a quick glance, the Hydro R calipers might not leap out visually for someone not looking for them. The Red 22 Hydro R disc brakes, however, are a substantial departure for road bicycles, requiring purpose-built frames and disc wheels. Both are sealed systems, which SRAM claims will prevent contamination and deterioration over time.

The Hydro R disc calipers use 19mm front and 18mm rear pistons, with 160mm rotors that SRAM says are required for road use, or 140mm rotors for cyclocross.

The Hydro R rim calipers have a quick release and a barrel adjuster, lending familiarity in feel and function with mechanical calipers. The disc calipers, however, have no tool-free adjustment option.

For their proclaimed benefits, the hydraulic systems also add weight, about 104g for the Hydro R rim system and 463g for the Hydro R disc, when you take into account the rotors and the additional weight of the wheel for the latter. Arguably, the frames could also increase in weight to account for the additional stability required at the fork leg and rear triangle.

SRAM Force 22 does not have any hydraulic options. The mechanical 11-speed group receives all the functionality of the Red 22 mechanical group, with slightly heavier materials and a lower cost.

The Red 22 and Force 22 components are not compatible with SRAM’s 10-speed groups.

10-speed hydraulic options

For those wanting to add hydraulic braking to an existing 10-speed group, however, SRAM will have the S-700 hydraulic levers, road calipers and disc calipers. This is not a complete group.

While SRAM says it will work with any SRAM 10-speed group, it will work best with a 2012 Red group that has a Yaw front derailleur because of the two-position left shifter. (Many front derailleurs have trim options to adjust the front derailleur in addition to shifting between the small and large chain rings.)

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Award winners in our last running shoes test, On shoes offer a unique take on the running shoe, utilising lugs on the outsole that compress to reduce impact while providing a firm and stable push off to maximise forward momentum.

The Cloudrunner is the Swiss company’s high-mileage shoe, engineered for high impact training and provides the most cushioning of the shoes in the range. The Cloudrunner’s active sole, with its cloud lugs is designed to give the sensation of a barefoot running shoe while preventing the stress injuries that may occur as a result of barefoot running.

The 2013 model has some key upgrades to make it even more comfy and supportive – as well as looking better than ever too. Olivier Bernhard, 6-time Ironman champion and co-founder of On – who also holds the third-fastest Hawaii Ironman split ever (2:41) – said: “The re-engineered Cloudrunner brings the signature On feeling of running on clouds to a new level.

“It offers a minimalist solution for high-impact runs, long training runs and off-road training where additional underfoot protection and stability is needed.“

Highlights of the improvements include:

New bigger clouds on the heel to provide more suspension and comfort, while the forefoot has smaller clouds for a stable and more direct push-off, making it a great shoe for newer runners.
A redesigned upper with more reinforcement structures that provide the runner with maximum support.
On’s new Speedboard system: four distinct layers that interact to support a natural gait, including:

1. Flex Power: The lengthwise grid translates the impact of the landing into forward energy.
2. Spiral Dynamics: The diagonal grid supports the natural gait of the foot in a spiral motion.
3. Torsion Guidance: The high-density diagonal grid guides the foot muscles through the essential torsion phase of the foot movement.
4. Reinforcement: The transverse grid ensures even energy distribution, interacting with the CloudTec outsole.

US men’s size 8.5 Cloudrunners weigh in at 11.1oz/314g.

We’re big fans of On shoes here at TriRadar and will be reviewing the revised Cloudrunner as soon as we can get some serious training miles into them.



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This article was originally published on Bikeradar.

The new Zipp Vuka Stealth integrated, adjustable aerobar

The Zipp Vuka Stealth is a brand new fully integrated and highly adjustable aerobar from the aero specialists.

Soon after carbon fiber handlebars hit the market, a few integrated bar-and-stem modules began popping up with some striking designs — and prices to match. While the road and aerobar integrated options often came in a few configurations of width and stem length, none of them caught on for a singular reason: you could not adjust them. Unless you just happened to love the particular dimensions and angles that were set in carbon, you had to fit yourself to the bar, not the other way around.

Enter the Vuka Stealth, the culmination of Zipp’s five-year project to build an aerobar that does everything.

Is the Vuka Stealth perfect? Perhaps not. The price alone is sobering at $1,070/€958/£799, not including extensions. But the integrated bar does seem to hit a sweet spot of a streamlined design for aero, aesthetic and stiffness benefits while still offering substantial flexibility in fit.

The carbon fiber bar comes in small, medium and large.

At a glance, the adjustment options include:

• Armrest and extension height relative to bar: 0-50mm (via riser kits)
• Extension fore/aft: 90mm
• Extension rotation angle: 360 degrees
• Extension clamp width: 104mm or 144mm
• Armrest/extension pitch angle:  -6 to 6 degrees
• Armrest fore/aft: 80mm
• Armrest width: 140-276mm (c-to-c)
• Cable routing: 2 brake cable exit options

The Zipp Vuka Stealth will come in small, medium and large sizes. Zipp intentionally doesn’t specify the stem measurement as the relative steerer-to-pad distance is different than many other bars, including Zipp’s own Vuka Alumina.

The Vuka Stealth will be available in March in three stem lengths. Four extension options are available but not included

Instead, Zipp is pushing for fit and corresponding product selection to be done via stack and reach measurements. (Stack means the vertical distance from the center of the bottom bracket. Reach means the horizontal distance. Stack and reach are X and Y measurements that can be taken for anything on a bike in the two dimensions you see when looking at a bike sideways.) Many bike companies now list the stack and reach measurements for their frames, and the fit position of aerobar armrests or extensions can certainly be measured this way, too.

“We want people to be disciplined about their fit,” said Ben Waite, Zipp’s design engineer.

To assist with just that, Zipp is in the final stages of a Vuka Fit app that spits out detailed set-up instructions after you enter your desired stack and reach plus width measurements. Of course, Zipp is counting on bike shops and bike fitters to provide much of the service.

“Fit is the new aero,” said Zipp technical PR manager David Ripley. “If your shop does not have a fit station, it will soon, or it will not be legitimate.”

Slogans aside, a rider’s body position has always been the primary factor in aerodynamic drag. So regardless of how svelte a bar or bike looks, it is how said bar or bike allows you to position your body that matters most for aerodynamics, not to mention comfort and efficiency.

Five years ago, Zipp was starting to get traction among riders with the Vuka base bar and clip system.   “We recognized then that there wasn’t really a good option for an integrated aero bar,” Ripley said. “Integrated aerobars basically didn’t work – you had to fit yourself to the aerobar. We started work, then, on an integrated bar that was adjustable.”

Now, Zipp expects the medium Vuka Stealth to fit 80 percent of riders. While the base bar for all three sizes is fixed at a 42cm width and a flat angle, the armrests and extensions have a huge amount of adjustability in all three planes. That said, the Vuka Stealth isn’t quite as adjustable as the modular and much more affordable Vuka Alumina system due to the latter’s separate stem options.

Zipp claims the Vuka Stealth to have a total of 1,920 fit configuration options, 940 per bar, in 1mm increments, compared to 2,912 possible configurations for the Vuka Alumina including all available stem options. Those numbers don’t include pitch angle.

Regarding aerodynamics of the bar itself, Zipp claims the Stealth to have the same drag coefficient as the Vuka Aero using a 145mm stem. Unlike that set-up, though, the Stealth is UCI-legal with a 3:1 width-to-length ratio.

With titanium and aluminum hardware, the carbon Stealth weigh 695g without extensions. The bar should be available in March.

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The young sports company, On, wins the prestigious Gold Award from the international sports goods convention, ispo for the best performance shoe. The uniqueness of the On Cloudracer made it the obvious choice for the jury of the ISPO award 2013: soft landing, powerful takeoff – the Cloudracers CloudTec system is streamlined for competition.

LOW DOWN ON THE CLOUDRACER:

Question: What is special about the On Cloudracer?

Olivier Bernhard: As all other On models, the Cloudracer combines an outstanding performance with an extraordinary smooth running gait. As a competition shoe, the Cloudracer offers even more direct road contact. Thanks to our patented technology, even long races are possible without early fatigue.

Question: What triggered the idea to create the On Cloudracer?

OB: The athletes themselves. They were hooked by the On running sensation and didn’t want to do without it during competition. That’s why they asked for an actual racing shoe. At On we follow the credo: from athletes for athletes.

Question: Who wears the On Cloudracer?

OB: Top athletes wear the On Cloudracer during competition. Ironman triathlete, Caroline Steffen, became European and Vice World Champion wearing the Cloudracer. David Hauss finished fourth at the Olympic Games in London. And Ben Allen wears the Cloudracer on rough terrain and is today one of the best off-road triathletes. Many of the 100 pro athletes wearing the On run faster – that’s proof.

The young Swiss-based sports company aim is to reinvent the running shoe. In 2010 the company won the ispo’s Newcomer Award and won Gold in Men’s Running’s Shoe Innovation category in 2012. In the last three years, On has found its way into 700 sports goods stores in 18 countries.

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The Mercury comes on the heels of the 36g Ultralite pedal launched late last year in Boulder, Colorado. At just a hair over over 35g — a pair weighs 71g — the Mercury could become the world’s light road pedal. Please note that this is the prototype weight; final product is expected in March.

The Mercury pedal consists of just three parts. A nylon sleeve is secured onto a titanium spindle with a 4mm hex bolt. The one-piece, C-shaped, plastic cleat clamps down onto the sleeve, which rotates on the spindle. To engage, the rider steps straight down onto the pedal. To disengage, the rider rolls their foot out to the side – not the traditional, heel-twist motion used with systems like Shimano, Look or Time.

Unlike the old Aerolite pedals, however, the Mercury pedals can adjust for Q factor, or stance width, via spacers on the spindle. Each set will come with 3mm and 6mm spacers. The total Q factor range is 47-56mm.

There are no bearings in the system. The nylon sleeve just rotates on the titanium spindle.

The pedals are fixed, meaning there is no float in the system. They work on the standard three-hole cleat pattern, but there is slightly less fore-aft adjustment (about 4mm) than a standard pedal.

Step down to engage; roll the foot in supination, as if twisting your ankle, to disengage

The pedals are still in prototype stage, but the price has been set at $249 (£156).

Each pedal weighs a claimed 35g (although they must be at least a fraction of a gram heavier, as TriRig pictures show a pair on a scale with a 71g readout), the cleats weigh a claimed 19g apiece and the three cleat bolts are probably about 6g per shoe. All told you’re looking at roughly 120g for the entire system.

“The inspiration/motivation for making these began with Aerolite,” TriRig’s Nick Salazar told BikeRadar. “I used those pedals for a season, and while I greatly admired the simplicity and low weight of the system, it was simply impractical to use based on the unique bolt pattern. You basically have to drill your shoes to use those, and then you have no room for adjustment after that. There were some other fit and function issues I had with those as well. Mercury is my take on that type of mechanism, but updated for use with modern bike shoes, and with some unique improvements (Q adjustment, etc).”

There are no bearings in the system. The nylon sleeve just rotates on the titanium spindle. 3mm or 6mm spacers can be added to extend Q factor (stance width)

The pedals also have a very low stack height (the distance from the bottom of the shoe to the centre of the spindle) of a claimed 10.5mm.

When the pedals go on sale, likely in March, TriRig will offer a six-month return policy. “We want everyone to be able to try these out without fear that they won’t suit the rider,” Salazar said. “So you can use and abuse them for an entire season, and send them back if they don’t work.”

The cleats are 15mm tall and 55mm wide. While that healthy width could provide a stable pedaling platform, the shape of the cleat will likely make walking more difficult than a more common cleat system, which is something Salazar acknowledges. “Any cleat of this type is going to be harder to walk in than something like, say, Keywin,” he said. “Mercury is optimized for its merits as a cycling instrument, not as a walking implement.”

“The Mercury isn’t meant to be all things to all people, but we think that most riders who really give them a shot will absolutely love them,” Salazar said. “That’s why we offered the extra-long returns for these. Pedals are something people can get very personal about, and we want everyone to feel very free to try these out.”

This article was originally published on BikeRadar.com

The big SRAM news at Eurobike was the evolution of the Force groupset. The company’s original group has now gained some technology from last year’s Red components, and will also benefit from a WiFLi option.

Most obvious is the new chainset, which is obviously derived from last year’s Red and offers Force far greater chainring stiffness, power transfer and durability. Keeping the same shape, the new Force levers benefit from SRAM’s Zero Loss technology, as featured on the 2012 Red. It gives much snappier shifts with no surplus cable travel.

The rear derailleur now has smoother running and quieter AeroGlide jockey wheels. Alongside the conventional mech is a WiFLi mid-length cage option. When combined with the 11-32 cassette now available, and compact chainrings, this gives a 28.7in lowest gear that should cope with anything.

The upgraded Force groupset will be available very soon and, best of all, pricing will be unchanged at £949.99.

Catering for the masses

With only about 10 percent of approximately 150 million bikes produced globally each year being road and mountain bikes, there are a lot of bikes out there used largely in urban environments. With that in mind, SRAM showed off a new range of components for commuting, trekking, utility and urban cycling.

The SRAM Via GT groupset has evolved from X0 and Red, using 2×10 ratios of 48/32 and an 11-36 cassette. The aim is to cover the needs of touring riders while reducing weight and increasing simplicity. Primarily aimed at flat barred bikes with MTB-style levers operating disc brakes, there’s no reason why the drivetrain components couldn’t be utilised on a drop bar setup.

G8 is SRAM’s new 8-speed internal gear hub. It’s aimed at everyday riders who prefer the convenience of a virtually maintenance-free system that isn’t affected by the weather. With the HammerSchmidt bottom bracket design, the G8 is smooth shifting and of a similar weight (2,188g) to Shimano’s coaster brake 8-speed Nexus hub (2,040g). Production will begin in October 2012.

Finally, entering the growing e-bike market, SRAM have debuted a rear hub based automatic transmission that’s smart enough to make gearing speed sensitive. Speed and torque sensors in the hub control torque output to improve overall efficiency and increase battery life. Maximum torque is 55Nm, and the transmission offers more power at low settings, making it good on hills. Hardware consists of just the auto hub and battery pack, with a single wire between them, simplifying builds and complexity. As with the smart automatic shifting hub, there’s no need for any gear shifters.

This was originally published at bikeradar.com. You can follow BikeRadar on Twitter at twitter.com/bikeradar and on Facebook at facebook.com/BikeRadar.

Polar debuted a new RC3 GPS watch at this year’s Interbike show. The device is designed to serve the diverse needs of multisport athletes looking for a single solution for cycling, running and even swimming.

As with other GPS-enabled devices, the RC3 conveniently tracks your location, speed, distance and related data by triangulating signals from orbiting satellites – or via Polar’s optional wireless speed, cadence and foot pod sensors for even greater accuracy.

According to Polar, the RC3′s SiRFstar IV GPS chip locates satellites faster than competing products from Garmin, and also remembers locations for even quicker locks.

Once it’s worked out where you are, the RC3 will run for a claimed 12 hours via the USB-rechargeable Li-ion battery, despite the fact that the higher sampling rate supposedly provides more accurate data than other GPS computers.

Multiple configurable screens provide a host of metrics that seemed easy to access and navigate during our brief visit to Polar’s booth. The small, monochrome LCD screen is sharp and easy to read, too.

Polar is putting a heavy emphasis on training with the RC3 GPS, as opposed to mapping or navigation applications, with prompted alerts for interval sessions and even encouraging messages when you’ve met a target. Data can be downloaded to Polar’s own software or the popular TrainingPeaks suite for post-workout analysis, pre-workout planning or longer-term evaluation of progress.

More serious cyclists will be disappointed to hear that the RC3 won’t work with the KeO Power pedals the company developed with Look, or any other power meter, as it doesn’t incorporate Bluetooth Smart or ANT+ wireless capability. The RC3′s data also can’t be downloaded to Strava or GarminConnect.

Polar says the new RC3 GPS should be available in stores now. The updated retail price is US$279 without a heart rate strap, or US$329 with one included.

This was originally published at bikeradar.com. You can follow BikeRadar on Twitter at twitter.com/bikeradar and on Facebook at facebook.com/BikeRadar.

German outfit Storck didn’t have a booth at this year’s Interbike OutDoor Demo but, conveniently, we ran into principal Markus Storck, who gave us a preview of some of his company’s upcoming new components.

Heading up the 2013 range is an updated set of Powerarm carbon fiber road cranks, which are still made to the company’s specifications by THM-Carbones. Changes to the shape and construction yield a 30g weight savings plus additional stiffness on what was already an extremely light and apparently super stiff crankset.

Claimed weight is now down to a paltry 410g for the arms, integrated spindle, and bottom bracket and despite the improvements, the price has actually come down €200 to a somewhat less stratospheric €899 ($1,200/£725).

Storck also showed off a new set of carbon road bars called the RBC180, which boast a flattened and supposedly aero profile up top, ergonomic-bend drops and a claimed weight of just 180g. Matching up to them is the new ST115 stem, made of forged 2014-T6 aluminum and said to weigh just 115g.

Storck has a lengthy history of having custom tweaked wheelset built just for his bikes, too. Previous iterations we’ve seen were made by Zipp but this time around Storck has moved further up the price scale with a custom front Lightweight Meilenstein Obermayer. The carbon rim and spokes are the same as the standard consumer version but Storck’s edition is built with special aero-profile hub flanges that look to be borrowed from the striking VR8 model.

Last but not least is a product that Storck doesn’t even offer – unless you ask really nicely and come to the table with a lot of cash. Markus Storck recently gave his wife Helena a new custom carbon road bike (the pair regularly rides together both locally in Germany and elsewhere) topped off with a jaw-dropping platinum headset cap festooned with 300 white and black diamonds.

Needless to say, it’s a stunning piece of bike bling. And, needless to say, we didn’t ask how much it costs.

This was originally published at bikeradar.com. You can follow BikeRadar on Twitter at twitter.com/bikeradar and on Facebook at facebook.com/BikeRadar.