Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2018 i Bicycling

JUSTIN WILLIAMS BIKE RACER, CNCPT P. 30 “Every day won't feel like winning. Remember to understand that the days you lack motivation and still get it done—those are the days that set you apart from second place.” ALVIN ESCAJEDA BIKE RACER, CNCPT P. 30 “When you’re out riding, sprint to every speed limit sign you see. It’s a good way to throw in a couple of hard efforts with a visible ‘finish line’ and can help you dial in how far out you can start your sprint. It’s usually more fun with friends.” BOBBY LEA TEST EDITOR, WHAT WE’RE RIDING P. 12 “For hot days, freeze your bottles the night before so you can enjoy cold drinks during your ride. That does wonders for controlling core body temperature.” CESAR ALVAREZ…

E-BIKES ARE HERE TO STAY. Not everyone is happy about that. I used to be one of them. Why? Because of a nagging, if irrational, concern that e-bikes somehow diminish the currency of my fitness and hard work as a trainer, coach, and athlete. I mean, do you know how long it takes to improve your power just 20 or 30 watts? A full year. Sure, I’ve seen a few total newbies gain 100 watts over 12 months of serious training. But that’s rare. According to Hunter Allen of TrainingPeaks, who tracks this stuff for a living, if you’re already pretty fit, you have to work super hard for at least 8 weeks to gain another 15 to 30 watts—about the amount needed to power an oven light. And even…

1. Roll up at a comfortable speed and crouch out of the saddle with your pedals level. Keep your elbows and knees loose and bend at the hips so you’re positioned over the saddle but not behind it. 2. Pull the front wheel off the ground with your arms while pushing your feet into the pedals. 3. With the front wheel up, hop the rear wheel by flicking your ankles and straightening your legs. Then pop your butt out to get the wheel over. It's been described to me as if you're twerking.…

3 Trek road bikes Jimmie is a Trek ambassador. “I keep one on the team bus, one in Colorado, and one at home in Charlotte.” The bike he travels with is a Project 1 Trek Émonda SLR 9 Disc, with a custom paint scheme, SRAM Red E-tap drivetrain, and Bontrager XXX2 wheels. 2 full-suspension mountain bikes “I keep a mountain bike in Colorado.” 1 hardtail mountain bike “Last year I thought I was going to race the Leadville 100, so I got [a Trek Procaliber 9 SL Race Shop Limited] for that.” 1 dirt jumper “It lives in Charlotte. I saw the underground cavern park in Kentucky [the Louisville Mega Cavern], and I said, ‘We have a race in Kentucky; I need a bike to go ride there.’ We never…

PRICE: $2,890 / WEIGHT: 57 LB (AS TESTED) WHEN MY SUBARU bit the dust, I became a full-time bike commuter. A week later, I had a long grocery list and a craving for watermelon—the perfect situation to test the Cero One’s cargo capacity and electric-assist motor. I loaded up the bike’s racks—the front is low and easy to use, thanks to the smaller front wheel—with a week’s worth of groceries and sped home. Even loaded, the handling felt smooth and responsive. The Shimano STEPS electric-assist system has a maximum claimed 93-mile range and gently boosts your pedaling up to 20mph. The motor felt smooth and not too torque-y, which made it great for cruising. The Cero comes with a 10-speed Shimano drivetrain with an 11-42t cassette, which provides low gears…

PRICE: $720 / WEIGHT: 20.3 LB (53CM) THIS BIKE COSTS $720. This is not a typo. The online retailer Nashbar has married a solid frame with quality, previous-year parts for an incredible deal on a road bike that rips. Consider what you get for your money: a butted aluminum frame with a tapered head tube, an oversize bottom bracket, and a carbon fork. There’s Shimano 105 shifters and derailleurs (it’s the older version, but it still has 11 speeds and a racy 11-28t cassette). The Cavalo’s 52/36 mid-compact chainrings will give you a good gear range and smooth, reliable shifting—though some riders might wish for some lower, easier gears when climbing. The Tektro R340 dual-pivot caliper brakes provide reliable, linear stopping power and are better than what you find on…

PRICE: $1,299 / WEIGHT: 21.6 LB (S) WHEN REI LAUNCHED Co-op Cycles two years ago, the retailer intended to give its 16 million members what its surveys showed they wanted: bikes that inspired “freedom, fun, and adventure.” The ARD does just that. It’s a bike you can pick up at your local REI that can capably take you wherever the heck you want to ride. It’s not designed specifically for gravel riding, but REI correctly sensed that its outdoor-loving, active members wanted a bike they could ride on pavement, cinder paths, gravel roads, and any other surface that leads to a good time outside. The new ARD 1.2 fully delivers on that mission. With rack and fender mounts, slightly upright position, clearance for 35mm tires, disc brakes, a 12mm thru-axle…

1 / Machines For Freedom Fruits kit $178 jersey, $296 for jersey + vest I’m a sucker for subtly feminine prints and uncommon colors, and this kit has both. 2 / Oakley EVZero Stride Prizm Trail $173 The only tinted sunglasses I’ve ever really liked on the trail. 3 / Trigger Point Grid foam roller $35 Leaning over my handlebar for hours at a time is great for my fitness—but not for my already-tight hamstrings and lower back. Lolling around on my living room floor with a firm foam roller helps it feel better. 4 / Honey Stinger Cracker-n-Nut-Butter Snack Bars $20 for 10-pack These. In almond butter + dark chocolate. SO GOOD. 5 / Lifeproof Fre case $90 I’m rough on my phone. I drop it down stairs, ride with…

THE EASIEST WAY TO IMPROVE: CHECK YOUR PRESSURE REGULARLY Tires leak air over time. A properly set up tubeless tire, and tires that use butyl tubes (the most common type), leak far less than lightweight latex tubes. But air seeps out of all tires, from as little as a few psi a week to drastic drops overnight. And the rate of loss increases with pressure and in reaction to such outside factors as lower temperatures (about 2 percent vanishes for each 10-degree dip in Fahrenheit). Some of us at BICYCLING check pressure before every ride, some once a week. The important thing is to develop and stick to a habit of regular checkups and top-offs that works for you—if you don’t, your pressure is probably wrong most of the time…

WEIGHT The absolute best compromise. Not because weight doesn’t matter but because, overall, modern equipment is very light even if you don’t have the lightest stuff, and because other factors generally make more difference. Things that are heavier but better choices: Disc brakes = much better performance than rim brakes. Aerodynamic parts = almost always faster than weight-optimized parts. Wider tires = potentially less aero, but yield a better ride and more traction. More suspension travel = more comfort and control. STIFFNESS As with weight, modern cycling equipment is so stiff overall that differences—I believe—are largely beyond our ability to sense them. Also, I’ve never gotten any evidence—and I’ve asked—that a bike with a stiffer bottom bracket area is any faster.…

1 Cannondale marketing director James Lalonde selected the brand’s aluminum race frame for the team because they specialize in criteriums. “Its just one of those bikes where if you do happen to put it down in a corner, which you’re more likely to do in a crit because you’re racing closer together, its more likely that you can pick it up and ride it again the next day,” he says. 2 The paint scheme was a collaboration between Bobby Endo and Cannondale designer Ryan Chung. The pebble graphic is a nod to the Nike Air Safari sneaker. The muted black and gray paint is inspired by the “murdered-out” Mercedes and Land Rovers on Bobby’s mood boards, says Chung. The subtle green accents are a Cannondale touch. 3 There’s an Easter…

I WANTED A bike shop that invested in a neighborhood, one that was more about people than bikes. We opened on a corner of Denver’s Five Points in 2010. The area had addiction and substance abuse problems, and drug deals were quite prevalent on this corner. Inside, our space had no plumbing, and no real roof. It needed paint, the bricks needed sealing. There was so much work to do, I’d end some days in tears. But one of the first things I did was pull the bars off the windows. I wanted to say to the community, “We’re here and you can participate.” I invited in everyone that walked by, and I left my bike outside, unlocked, as signage. We’ve expanded on our corner now, but I’m still surprised…

WHEN JENNIFER KRISKE couldn't find a comfortable pair of bib shorts, she decided to create her own. With no experience in clothing design or the bike industry, she faced long odds. But since 2014, her Los Angeles–based brand, Machines For Freedom, has made cycling clothing that fits and flatters women of all builds. “I was working in restaurant design and it was really stressful. Riding was an hour or two a day that I had peace and quiet. As I started training for a big ride in the Pyrenees, I had this persistent problem with shorts. I went to Competitive Cyclist and I bought every single pair of bibs they sold. And then whatever they didn’t sell, I went directly to the manufacturers. I ended up with two pairs I…

JEREMY MCGHEE IS a runner. He likes to imagine running barefoot through the jungle. But since a 2001 motorcycle crash left him paralyzed, McGhee has ridden a three-wheeled, hand-cranked mountain bike. “This bike is how I run now,” he says. When McGhee started riding in 2007, he found that gates, cattle guards, or surprise rock gardens could make it impossible for him to finish a ride. “I don’t have the luxury of being able to walk myself out if something happens.” Together with the database Trailforks, McGhee set out to make mountain biking more accessible for adaptive riders, by developing a rating system for trails. He hopes that the combination of the ratings and a collection of YouTube videos he’s compiling will help more adaptive riders get rolling, on more…

Trevor Bayne #6, Monster Energy Series DRIVES: Ford Fusion RIDES: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL6 with SRAM Red eTap Chase Elliott #9, Monster Energy Series DRIVES: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 RIDES: Cannondale SuperSix Evo with SRAM Red eTap and carbon Hollowgram wheels Scott Lagasse Jr. #20, Camping World Truck Series DRIVES: Chevrolet Silverado RIDES: Cannondale SuperSix Evo with Mavic Ksyrium wheels Justin Allgaier #7, Xfinity Series DRIVES: Chevrolet Camaro RIDES: Scott Addict with SRAM Red mechanical…

PRICE: $14,000 (AS TESTED) / WEIGHT: 17.5 LB (CUSTOM FRAME SIZE) SACHA WHITE IS one of the most sought-after custom builders in the world. He crafts his Vanilla Bicycles by himself, turning out one every other year. To get more of his bikes to riders, White started Speedvagen. This Portland, Oregon, brand pumps out ready-made bikes and custom models that are made by builders working under the Speedvagen Collective roof, and not necessarily by White himself. But the bikes are still pricey—the Speedvagen disc road bike here (road frames are custom-only) would sell for around $14,000. But you wouldn’t buy this Speedvagen because it’s a good value, or for the performance—even though it rides exceptionally well. You’d buy it to have something special that’s made just for you. And while…

PRICE: $8,300 / WEIGHT: 27 LB (M) GIANT’S DO-IT-ALL TRANCE was born as a 26-inch model, briefly existed as a 29er, and for the past five years has been available only with 27.5-inch wheels. But for 2019 it comes in this badass, gravity-friendly 29er version that has just 115mm of rear-wheel travel. That’s down from 140mm in the 27.5 version, and the big wheels and changes to geometry make the bike feel livelier, faster-handling, and more capable. The new Trance gets a 66.5-degree head-tube angle, longer (compared to the older version) reach, and 44mm fork offset for some stability at speed. The 17.1-inch chainstays are pretty short and make it easier to control at slower speeds. This version gets a carbon rear end—it’s just the second all-carbon, full-suspension bike Giant…

WORLDWIDE VACATION BICYCLING—Treat yourself to a fun, beautiful and unforgettable 7-day bicycle tour! The Florida Keys & Key West; Downhill Colorado Rockies; Alaska; Jackson Hole; Arizona Sonoran Desert; Charleston & Savannah; 5 Flat Paved Bike Paths in Florida; Bryce & Snow Canyons with Zion; Maine; Maui, Hawaii. Come join us! Most trips $1599 and are fully supported including hotels, food & SAG. Celebrating our 11th year Anniversary. 706-363-0341 or 800-490-2173, www.VacationBicycling.com CROSS-COUNTRY CROSSROADS CYCLING ADVENTURES—Los Angeles to Boston or anyplace in between. Small groups, personal attention, business-class hotels, meals and GPS files! Luggage delivered to hotel rooms and A/C turned on before you arrive! Extensive pre-trip support including training plan, weekly newsletters, rider/staff introductions and telephone consultations. 800-971-2453, www.crossroadscycling.com AMERICA BY BICYCLE, INC.—Come join us for our 24th season! We…

1 I WAS GONE FOR just about a year this time, overseeing big brands like Men’s Health and Women’s Health. It was fun. I missed bikes. I wasn’t exactly going to die or anything without so much bikeness in my life, but I wasn’t really living, either. There’s a lot more to the story, and I’ll get it all out there as we go on. For now what matters is that I returned to BICYCLING—for the third time in my career—when Rodale got bought by Hearst and, after I bonded over bikes with Mosaic-owning Troy Young, who’s now the president of Hearst Magazines, he asked if I wanted to get back to where I was supposed to be. I did. I knew I was where I belonged, but after a…

In our experience, many cyclists overinflate—especially those who have just switched to using wider tires (25mm wide or greater on the road). Several studies have shown that—contrary to what was accepted as common knowledge for years—wider tires at lower pressures can be as fast or, in certain conditions, faster. Because it lets the tire deform more around the road surface, lower pressure can also increase cornering traction and comfort. A tire inflated high tends to feel chattery because it’s literally bouncing off every imperfection you ride over. Manufacturers print recommended pressure ranges on the sides of tires. If you’re not sure where to start, assume the middle of the range is for a 165-pound rider and adjust for your weight. As an example, if a 165-pound rider uses 90 psi,…

IF YOU SPEND ENOUGH time in my tiny, bike-crazy town in eastern Pennsylvania, sooner or later you’ll meet Army Jay. He’s six-foot-four with long hair and a scraggly beard, and a missing pair of front teeth. He dresses in camouflage. He smokes cigarettes. He sometimes carries a Viking blowing horn on rides. He is usually actively drinking a beer. When you first meet him, you probably wouldn’t understand that Jay is as central to our hardcore cycling community as the shiny-legged roadies who ride six days a week, or the mountain bikers in their pads and baggies. But if someone is having a good time on bicycles, Army Jay will be there. He builds the bonfire every week at our Thursday night cyclocross series. He hands out PBRs at our…

LIKE MANY WOMEN, Lindsey Richter spent years riding mountain bikes with men. She grew frustrated by how often she was dropped and how rarely they would stop to help her learn new skills. Richter felt that women needed a space of their own, so she created it with her Ladies AllRide clinics. The 10 two-day camps across the U.S. (plus one in Italy) invite women to learn mountain biking techniques and improve together. “I loved mountain biking but couldn’t find women like me who didn’t really want to compete, and weren’t really gnarly and brave. I just wanted the experience of mountain biking in a fun and safe way. I wanted people who would stop and go over something with me and help me ride and turn around once in…

PRICE: $7,399 / WEIGHT: 28.3 LB (M) THREE YEARS AFTER it launched, Evil’s Following remains a captivatingly unique bike. The 120mm 29er has XC-like travel, enduro geometry, and burly parts. It’s a ripping trail bike for riders who like to get a little loose. This new version (Evil calls it MB for More Better’er) gets Boost rear spacing to improve stiffness and provide clearance to run 27.5-plus tires. The suspension is more progressive now and accepts coil shocks, and there’s 20mm more reach. Riding it is like being on the dance floor with exactly the right amount of buzz: You feel pretty invincible and eager to pull off any move. The relatively short travel keeps the bike snappy and lively, while the short chainstays keep it from feeling unwieldy when…

PRICE: $2,900 / WEIGHT: 18.3 LB (S/52CM) THE SCOTT CONTESSA Addict 15 is a modern women’s endurance road bike that has disc brakes, 32mm-wide tires, and a sportier riding position. The rider Scott’s product designers envisioned for this bike enjoys long, tough rides on mixed terrain. It’s a smooth, quiet ride. You feel it in the nearly silent Ultegra shifting and the bike’s ability to make cracked roads seem as if they were recently paved. Thirty-two millimeters of tire is pretty wide for an endurance road bike (and approaching what you’d find on a gravel setup), and it allowed me to run pressures in the low 70s. That made every section of familiar road feel just a little smoother. The bike can feel glued to the ground. And because it…

PRICE: $1,200 FRAME ONLY / WEIGHT: 15.5 LB (54CM, AS TESTED) THE SPECIALIZED ALLEZ Sprint is not for everyone—this is an untamed, capital R, race bike that’s made of aluminum and feels like the stiffest road bike I’ve ever ridden. But if that sounds appealing and you like race-proven cred, consider this: Jonathan Brown recently soloed to the U.S. National Road Championship aboard an Allez Sprint. What sets the Allez Sprint apart from other aluminum bikes is the welding. In a process Specialized calls DSW, the company moves the weld zones away from high-stress areas around the head tube and bottom bracket so engineers can use less material in those junctions (less weight = better ride) without sacrificing strength. Riding the Allez Sprint is like stepping back in time to…

PRICE: $8,415 / WEIGHT: 30 LB (S) LIV’S HAIL ISN’T new to Liv’s line of women’s mountain bikes—the rip-ready, 160mm enduro bike first came out last year. But this brawny model now comes with a buttery coil shock. This pro-level addition gives the bike an ultra-smooth feel throughout its suspension travel, and there’s less chance of the shock overheating on long descents. Testers praised the way the bike Velcro-ed itself to rowdy, greasy descents and delivered incredible traction everywhere. “I finally get what my super shreddy friends feel when they rip down a descent,” said one tester. The suspension is supple but supportive, and has a very linear shock rate so it feels the same no matter how hard of an impact it takes. The bike’s frame and suspension layout…