Innehållsförteckning för October 2017 från Bicycling

WITH OUR EDITOR, LEAH FLICKINGER CHECKOUT THE PHOTOSIN OUR 2018 NEW GEAR PREVIEW (P 63). Senior art director, Colin McSherry, designed the sets using MIRRORS to showcase each piece of gear from multiple angles. THE VISUAL EFFECT IS PRETTY COOL. But it also got me thinking about ref lection. // Indulge me in this exercise. Think about why you ride. Does the reason (or reasons) make you a particular “kind” of cyclist? MY BELIEF IS THAT WE DON’T NEED LABELS (in cycling and in life). We should celebr a te why w e r ide bikes—and embr ace those who might r ide for di f ferent r easons . The more happy people on bikes, the better. // I’m blown away by the stories in this issue from all kinds of riders who find…

LOOKING FOR THE BEST WHEEL FOR YOU? CHECK OUT THESE PICKS FROM OUR GEAR TEAM. 20mm–30mm BONTRAGER AEOLUS XXX TUBULAR 20mm, $2,400 AMERICAN CLASSIC HURRICANE TUBELESS 24mm, $700 ZIPP 202 FIRECREST CARBON CLINCHER 32mm, $2,100 50mm–60mm CAMPAGNOLO BORA ULTRA 50 DISC 50mm, $3,255 ROLF PRIMA 58RSC 58mm, $1,300 HED STINGER 6 60mm, $2,100 REYNOLDS STRIKE 62mm, $1,800 80mm–90mm DT-SWISS ARC 110 DICUT 80 80mm, $3,146 ZIPP 808 FIRECREST CARBON CLINCHER 82mm, $2,400 BONTRAGER AEOLUS 9 90mm, $2,600 REYNOLDS RZR 92 92mm, $4,500…

1/ ATTACK! To get into attack position, level your pedals, bend your knees and elbows, and hinge at the hips so your shoulders are at the same height as your hips. Move your butt back and forth until your weight is centered—you’re neither pulling forward on the bar, nor pushing back. Your weight should be in your pedals. This is your position for entering a jump takeoff. 2/ ROW (AND ANTI-ROW) In a pump track, as the front wheel rises up the next crest, pull the bar up into your chest and push the bike forward with your legs—veteran mountain bike skills instructor Lee McCormack calls this the “row.” Over the top of the crest, as the front wheel starts to drop away, push the handlebar away, down into the…

FOR EVERYONE The Brooks Ghost 10 ($120) has a smooth transition from heel to toe through your stride. FOR HEAVIER RUNNERS Looking for extra cushioning? Check out the Hoka One One Clifton 4 ($130). FOR SPEED DEMONS The blazing-fast Reebok FloatRide ($150) uses crazy-light foam. FOR TRAIL RUNS Saucony’s Koa TR ($110) has a plush feel and delivers a secure fit on any surface.…

THE BRAND-NEW PROTEANS are an excellent pair of casual shades with some solid performance perks. When I’m riding my townie to the post office, they look classy with my khakis, but they feel like high-tech eyewear. The slightly curved lens keeps more dirt and light out than typical casual glasses. On a long road ride, my vision stayed sharp even as I descended between patches of shadow and light, and I didn’t notice any weird reflections or gaps in coverage. Snappy hinges pop the arms into place and contribute to a stable feel on my face. Subtly textured temple grips and adjustable nose pads help keep the frames secure, although they did slide around a little on sweatier endeavors. With seven color options and prescription-lens compatibility, these are great sunnies…

THE PISTA has been a reliable go-to floor pump since its introduction in 1962. Produced by the then family-owned Italian company, Silca, the Pista had a durable steel barrel and a gauge that was ahead of its time with its +/- 5 percent (claimed) accuracy. It was sturdily built with a cast aluminum base, brass chuck, and an easy-to-service brass check valve and leather washer. To celebrate 100 years of Silca, the company, now based in Indianapolis, has remade this favorite. The new Pista has a track-friendly rating of 220 psi, and its gauge is claimed to be +/- 3 percent accurate. The plunger shaft slides inside the barrel on self-lubricating bushings rather than the original friction fit, giving it a much smoother action. There’s a longer hose, and a…

IT’S NOTHING NEW that there’s a swathe of the general cycling public that wants to ride bikes from the pro peloton. But satisfying both professional cyclists and enthusiasts with one bike isn’t easy. With the F10 Disk, Pinarello performs the crossover neatly, crafting a bike that is capable of winning the Tour (as Chris Froome did this summer on the almost identical rim-brake F10) and yet is still enjoyable to regular folks who want a precise, exciting, speedy daily driver. The F10 Disk marries the excellent ride feel and handling abilities of its predecessor, the F8, with an additional dose of wind-cheating ability. It borrows design cues and tube shapes from Pinarello’s Bolide TT bike to smooth air over the frame, and shapes the down tube to shield the water…

MADE BY ITALIAN manufacturer, Elite, the new Direto direct-drive trainer includes an integrated, interactive power meter. At $900, it’s one of the least expensive direct-drive trainers available— compare it to the Wahoo Kickr and the CyclOps Hammer, for example, which both cost $1,200. Both these models can simulate up to a 20 percent grade, with 2,000 watts of power output, while the Direto maxes out at a 14 percent slope and 1,400 watts. Still, I found this plenty to mimic the challenges of sprinting and climbing outdoors. Like its competitors, the Direto is controlled via Bluetooth through your smart phone or computer, and is compatible with apps like Zwift, TrainerRoad, and The Sufferfest. Elite’s app also offers predesigned interval workouts. Changes in resistance are smooth, and the trainer is quiet—I…

TOO MANY PARKING F INES INSIGHTS, IDEAS, AND INSPIR ATION FROM ALL KINDS OF RIDERS I moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 2007. I brought my car with me, but I got so many parking tickets that it got impounded. So I bought a Fuji Track fixed-gear bike. A bunch of my friends were bike messengers, and I started doing alleycat races with them. In my first one I got two flats before the first checkpoint but got hooked on the chaos of ripping through the city. Eventually a friend of mine was like, “Why don’t you come do a real race?” So I did a race at the Kissena Velodrome in Queens. I got completely destroyed, but I knew I wanted to stick with track. Everyone would hang out…

Superwicking fabric Porous material pulls moisture off your body and helps it evaporate quickly, keeping you cooler on sweaty days. No long-ride funk B.O. happens when bacteria break down sweat, so high-end jerseys often feature an antimicrobial treatment to prevent stink. Topnotch fit Stylish, aero, and flattering as possible. The fabric is cut and sewn in 3D to mimic the human body, so anyone involved in the process must be highly skilled. Some sewers at Italian factories have been in the jersey business for generations. Locking zipper You’ll always find it right where you left it! Hems and sleeves without grippers Ergonomically designed to fit and move with the body on a bike, so they don’t rely on sticky bands to hold them in place. Pockets that don’t sag Go…

I’m an unabashed tool hound. I’ve been a working mechanic since I was 14, and my workshop is full of bits and bobs that perform similar functions. Some I keep around because they’re the best tools for the job; others I just like the looks of. This limitededition version of Park Tool’s original PW-4, a staple of my arsenal, satisfies on both levels. Its nickel-plated finish plays nicely off the elegant Brooks leather bar tape, and I appreciate the extra grip the wrap provides when my hands are greasy. The leather is already starting to absorb sweat and oils, deepening the hue and propelling the tool toward heirloom status. WE MADE ONLY 50! PICK UP THIS L IMI T ED-EDI T ION WRENCH ($75)—AND OTHER CYCL ING GE AR OUR…

Drop in on a rest stop at a cycling event and you’ll see riders gobbling everything from jelly donuts to dill pickles. But good luck keeping that down while pounding the pavement. “With running you need 45 minutes to an hour to digest,” says Lottie Bildirici, 23, a New York City–based cyclist and runner, who became Instagramfamous for the clean eats she shares @runningonveggies. Her recipes caught the attention of big-name runners like Olympic marathoner Kara Goucher, who hired her as a live-in kitchen wizard. Bildirici’s favorite prerace breakfast is overnight oats with chia: Mix ½ cup oats, 1 tsp chia seeds, and 1 cup of nut milk. Then soak overnight in the fridge, so the grain breaks down and it’s easier to digest. “I love this recipe because your…

WHEN I TESTED the 2018 Specialized Women’s Diverge Comp, I spent hours searching for new dirt on GravelMap .com. I gamely ignored “no trespassing” signs, gleefully sought out an unmaintained trail called Prison Camp, and—perhaps unwisely—dismissed a “Watch for Ticks!” warning before barreling down an overgrown path to a lakeside cove. The Diverge is ostensibly a road bike, but why stick to pavement when it makes any surface eminently rideable? Key to the bike’s versatility: fat 38mm tires (with clearance for up to 42mm) and other bump-damping features like the Future Shock suspension spring in the steerer tube with 20mm of travel. The women’s Diverge has female-friendly touchpoints (saddle, narrower handlebar, shorter crankarms) but its geometry is the same as the unisex model . The frame has a lower bottom…

STAGES IS BEST known for its affordable power meters, and its first computer, Dash, is a userfriendly gateway to power-based training. Display options like current lap and next lap show what interval you’re supposed to do. You also get customizable fields, long battery life, cell phone pairing for text and call notifications, and basic routing features. Dash is tethered to Link, the company’s own training software, run by Today’s Plan. The free version of Link is pretty bare bones, mostly a portal to export files to other platforms like Strava and TrainingPeaks. If you don’t have an account with a third-party app that will sync a workout to your Dash, you’ll need a premium Link account—$20 a month—to manually enter workouts. Premium also gives you graphs tracking your fitness, as…

THE O2 DISC is essentially the bike that team AG2R La Mondiale piloted through the Tour de France—but equipped with disc brakes. Decked out with Dura-Ace Di2, the bike is noticeably light and features subtle aerodynamic touches: slightly dropped chainstays, a longer trailing edge on the fork, and a flattened handlebar. The tubeless-compatible carbon rims come with 28mm-wide tires, and the generous width contributes to an addictively smooth ride. I found myself taking more careless lines over broken pavement and gravel. While such stable bikes often feel sedate, the O2 willingly snapped into sprints. On climbs I was able to power away from my riding buddies without even standing to pedal. One minor inconvenience: Both wheels have bolt-on thru-axles, which require tools to detach. That said, the added stiffness makes…

WATER-RESISTANT KNIT fabrics are one of the best apparel tech advances of the past decade: They allow a stretchy item like an arm warmer to shed water. This fall, Pearl Izumi is integrating its PI Dry treatment into clothing including warmers, bib shorts, knickers, and tights (shown). Pearl Izumi says that unlike a durable water repellent (DWR) surface finish, PI Dry coats individual fibers, which makes the treatment last longer. Stretching doesn’t expose uncoated areas, and PI Dry doesn’t need “recharging” like DWR does. I wore the Elite Thermal arm and knee warmers on rainy summer days, and did supplemental testing with a garden hose. The warmers met the company’s claims: Moisture mostly rolls off without soaking to the skin. With time and pressure, water does permeate, but the warmers…

FINALLY! AFTER much anticipation, Canyons are available in the US. And the German company unveiled its first models with women’s geometries. Compared with the original, the Ultimate WMN has slightly reduced reach and taller stack, which Canyon says puts women in the same race-oriented position as male riders would be on the unisex frame. It’s also lighter, more aerodynamic (saving 2 watts at 45kph, says Canyon), and the two smallest sizes sport 650b wheels. Canyon says this allows the smaller bikes to have similar geometries— and thus handling—as larger sizes. As a ride, the Ultimate WMN pulses with energy. It’s light, smooth, and jumps at every acceleration. Once moving, it has a subtle, slippery aero feel. Handling is responsive but predictable, inspiring you to move with assurance through a churning…

HOW WAS CYCLOCROSS INVENTED? WHY DO INTERVALS WORK? HOW CAN I CLIMB FASTER? HOW DOES A HELMET PROTECT MY HEAD? HOW DOES A BIKE STAY UPRIGHT? WHAT’S THE LIGHTEST FRAME MATERIAL? WHY DO CYCLISTS LOVE HIGH SOCKS SO MUCH? CAN I RIDE HARD ON A LOW-CARB DIET? SERIOUSLY: WHAT DO GELS HAVE THAT CANDY DOESN’T? WHY DO INTERVALS WORK? The lung-busting periods of work in an interval session are short, and rest periods allow you to recover between efforts, so you can spend more time riding hard than if you just tried to gun it for 60 minutes. And those hard efforts have benefits for almost every type of riding. If you’re looking to get faster over short distances like a town-line sprint, intervals work by targeting the muscle fibers…

How did you become an athlete? Throughout my 20s I was constantly battling my weight; I’d do lots of on-andoff exercise, in extremes. One day, in 2002, in an attempt to lose weight again, I joined a running clinic in Vancouver. I was terrified because I felt like I was going to be the biggest and the slowest and they were going to ditch me. But my run leader happened to be a plussize woman. She was super athletic and could run crazy distances. She changed my perception of what it means to be an athlete. She never talked about how many calories we were burning or that bikini season was coming. It was about digging deep into your greatest athletic power. What does it mean to you to be…

NOURI SHING YOUR BASIC NEEDS AND IRRATIONAL FIXATIONS GIRO VANQUISH PRICE $250 WEIGHT 400G WITH SHIELD, 347G WITHOUT (M) THE NEW GIRO Vanquish aero road race helmet sports one helluva hater blocker. Aside from shielding you from judgmental stares, the lens enhances contrast, so you can better see hazards and distinguish between a pothole and just a shadow. But the real innovations on the Vanquish are aerodynamic. A subtle “ledge” over the crown tricks air into behaving as if the helmet comes to a point. According to Giro, this brings the Vanquish within 13 percent of the aerodynamic savings of Giro’s Aerohead TT helmet, and beats Giro’s Synthe road race helmet by 13 percent and its Air Attack track helmet by 7 percent. Deploying the shield bumps these last two…

GIANT GAVE ITS Anthem 29 XC race bike a much-needed redesign for 2018. On the top-tier Pro model I tested, the 1x-specific carbon frame includes a carbon swingarm and upper rocker link (both pieces were aluminum before), saving weight and increasing stiffness. The Maestro suspension design now has a lower leverage ratio and less travel, yielding a firm-feeling suspension that tends to move only on bumps that are too big for the tires to handle or ones that actually disrupt your pedaling. Because it “saves” the suspension for impacts that really matter, the 90mm of travel feel more like 100mm. This model also comes with a handlebar-mounted lockout for both the fork and shock. The chainstays are a full inch shorter, and the head angle is a whopping two degrees…

WHY HAVEN’T TUBELESS tire and wheel systems caught on more for road bikes? Two reasons: The tires often ride harshly, and setup is a pain. Mavic’s new wheel/tire systems impressively solve the latter problem, and make modest strides on the former. Because Mavic controls both the wheel and tire production, it was able to set tighter tolerances for rim and tire dimensions and create a rim bed that has a true “bead lock” lip. It also used Kevlar in the bead instead of carbon, which is normally used in tubeless tire beads. The result: Tire and rim dimensions match better, making it way easier to use. The Mavic system is the first for road use on which I could install and remove tires without using levers, and the lip holds…

IF YOU BELIEVE it’s better to be over-prepared and underwhelmed and that good things come in small packages, the NX-G is your secret weapon. You’ll carry it with you not because you have to but because you can. You don’t have to let the percent chance of rain dictate whether or not it’s worth shoving it into your jersey pocket. Just do it. An integrated stuff sack lets you ball it up to the size of a bagel. You also don’t have to waver between, “It’s too warm for a jacket” and “but I’d rather be hot than wet.” The NX-G is at once breathable and water resistant. In a steady rain on a humid day my skin never got clammy, and the jacket stayed dry. It’s treated at the…