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Trek’s director of road bikes explains the tech behind the new Madone

From BikeRadar.com

It’s been said many times that performance aero race bikes now all look the same – deep tube sections, dropped seatstays and one-piece integrated cockpits typify the modern aero road bike.

That changed with the launch of the new seventh-generation Trek Madone though; its radical seat tube design, with the saddle cantilevered over the rear of the bike and its cut-out at the top of the seat tube, helps to set it apart from other options on the market.

“It needs to be a bike you can just look at and say ‘wow’ and that’s differentiated from everybody else. Our industrial design language helps the bike’s performance as well,” says Jordan Roessingh, director of road bikes at Trek.

Trek says the new Madone is also very efficient, losing 300 grams of weight from the previous model and gaining 20 watts of aerodynamic advantage. This adds up to a saving of around a minute for every hour of riding over a range of speeds, according to the brand.

We talked to Roessingh about the development of the new Madone and its benefits.

Reduced weight

Development of the latest seventh-generation Madone started almost three years ago, as soon as the previous generation was launched.

“We already knew a lot of areas of improvement that we could apply to the next version,” says Roessingh.

Trek’s main focus was on reducing the weight of the new Madone.

“Any time we’re talking about a race bike, speed, aerodynamics and weight become the primary factors that we focus on. The previous version of the Madone was a really fast bike, it was a great-riding bike, it was not a light bike,” Roessingh continues.

 

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3rd Street Bike Lane Gap Closure

The City of Los Angeles has an opportunity to make improvements to 3rd Street from Main St to Alameda St. In coordination with scheduled street repaving, LADOT proposes to implement street safety improvements, including fresh paint, upgraded high-visibility crosswalks, and repurposing one travel lane to calm traffic and create space for upgraded and protected bike lanes in one direction.

3rd Street is designated as a Tier 1 Bicycle Enhanced Network (BEN) in the Mobility Plan 2035. This means that it’s on LADOT’s list of streets to prioritize for bicycle and mobility enhancement. In addition, as it intersects with Main St, a Vision Zero High Injury Network street, it is an LADOT priority to address safety and accessibility issues. Once implemented, this segment will close the bicycle network gap on 3rd Street from San Pedro Street to Main Street.

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7 Things You Didn’t Know Your Wahoo Bike Computer Could Do

A bike computer can be a cyclist’s best friend. It allows you to keep track of your power numbers, speed, cadence and almost every other kind of data you can think of while on your rides. However, lots of people don’t make the most out of their bike computers, so if you use a Wahoo head unit on your rides, this is a video for you!

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All new Roval Rapide CL II is only 70g more and $1050 less than Rapide CLX with the same rim

From BikeRumor.com

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We’re sure many of you know the Roval Rapide CLX II wheels — super light, stable in the wind, and already have Tour stage wins and Grand Tour victory on their palmares. The premium performance comes at a premium price though, and for most, the slight weight savings isn’t enough to justify the $2800 price tag. That’s where the new Rapide CL II comes in. The new wheels bring along the same rim as the Rapide CLX and DT-Swiss hubs, for a lot less.

Rapide CL II — What’s new

The all-new Rapide CL II wheelset brings the same Rapide CLX II speed and handling but at nearly half the price. Built on the same rims as the Rapide CLX II, the performance is similar, and the build is robust.

We’ve seen this before from the team at Roval; take the top-end wheelset (in this case, the Rapide CLX II), use the same rim, and swap out the DT-Swiss 240 hubs to a DT-Swiss 350. Mating the lightweight, performance-driven rim with a more economical hub creates a fast wheel that can take a beating and is much more cost-efficient.

Image courtesy of Specialized.

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Hands-on with the new Shimano 105 Di2 R7100 groupset – unboxing and real weights

From BikeRadar.com

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We’ve finally got our hands on Shimano’s latest 105 Di2 R7100 groupset and weighed all the shiny bits and pieces

Shimano’s new 105 Di2 groupset adds a long-anticipated third tier to the brand’s electronic shifting. Sitting below Dura-Ace R9200 and Ultegra R8100, it shares a lot of tech with those two groupsets, just with slightly fewer flashy materials and increased weight.

It’s that weight we’re going to focus on here – Shimano supplied claimed weights for all the components when Shimano 105 Di2 12-speed was launched back in June 2022. Now we’ve got a complete groupset in for review and we’ve started off by putting everything on the scales to find out how much each component actually weighs

Shimano 105 Di2 R7100: a primer

Here’s a run-down of key features that Shimano 105 Di2 has to offer.

First up, it’s semi-wireless with a non-wired connection between the shifters and the rear derailleur driving shifting.

The shifters lose some functionality seen on Ultegra and Dura-Ace, such as a third button and the option to add satellite shifters.

In compensation, 105 Di2 levers have space for two coin cells rather than one, doubling battery life.

There are 50/34t or 52/36t chainset options with a wide range of crank lengths, but there’s no power meter.

That’s paired with cassettes offering 11-34t or 11-36t range, although without the faster-shifting and smoother Hyperglide+ technology of Ultegra and Dura-Ace.

Like those groupsets, 105 Di2 uses brake rotors and chain borrowed from Shimano’s mountain bike groupsets – in this case SLX.

The new 105 Di2 groupset doesn’t offer rim brakes and its disc brakes don’t have the Servowave tech of its more expensive siblings, but as with them, the brake pads retract 10 per cent further, so you should get less brake rub.

Image courtesy of Shimano

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Retro TT Vs Modern Superbike 2: Is Greg Lemond’s Old Bike Faster?!

Recently we tested a retro time trial bike against a modern superbike, and rather unsurprisingly the superbike easily won. But what about a bike just a few years newer, a TT bike with the latest innovation, the tri bar? We borrowed one of Greg Lemond’s retro TT bike to find out whether that bike can finally beat a modern superbike!

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All Bodies on Bikes

All Bodies are Good Bodies. All Bikes are Good Bikes.

We are working to change the bike industry. We believe that anyone who wants to ride a bike should be able to, regardless of their size or weight.

We are creating inclusive bike communities from the inside. As this community grows, we’re focused on keeping the members at the center of our efforts. We want to hear from you and be sure you feel heard. Send Marley or Kailey an email – let’s chat friend.

To make that vision a reality, All Bodies on Bikes:

1)Fosters an online community: ABOB established and maintains a strong presence on Facebook and Instagram with the goal of providing inspiration to people of all sizes, a place for online discussion, and to increase the representation of larger bodies in cycling. ,

2)Fosters an in-person community: ABOB hosts social bike rides where everyone is welcome to move their bodies joyfully at a pace that is comfortable and safe for them.

3)Educates the cycling community: ABOB provides educational resources, consulting, and leadership to the bike industry and cycling community at large on best practices in size inclusive bike communities through workshops, consulting, and educational seminars.

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Sunset 4 All

Let’s make Sunset Boulevard a safer place to shop, dine, and travel. A protected bike lane could safely, efficiently connect ~100,000 Angelenos with billions of dollars in new rail investment.

Protected bike lanes reduce the number of bikes & scooters on the sidewalk by up to 90%

Project Borders:

Sunset Boulevard between Fountain Ave & Dodger Stadium.

Santa Monica Blvd. from Sunset Junction to the Vermont/Santa Monica Red Line Station.

Image courtesy of sunset4all.com

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How To Train For A 100 Mile Bike Ride

For cyclists, there is something mythical about riding 100 miles. Completing a century, a ton, or 160.9km if you prefer the metric system, is a huge achievement for a cyclist and takes hard work to get there. Manon outlines her tips for training for your longest ever ride, to help you break new ground on the bike!

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Takin’ it to the streets – without a car

From Tallahassee.com

By Mari-Jo Lewis-Wilkinson

September 22 is World Car-Free Day.  It is an opportunity to give up your car for a day by walking, bicycling, or taking public transportation and observe Tallahassee from a different perspective other than through a car windshield. Here are a few ideas.

Whether walking or bicycling, the old adage, “Safety in Numbers,” rings true. So how about a group walk early that evening to remind drivers there are pedestrians out there on the sidewalks?  Florida is second in the nation in pedestrian fatalities. But studies have shown pedestrian crashes and fatalities decrease where there is a heavy pedestrian presence.  Gather several neighbors for a short walk to a local park, shop, or restaurant, or just around the neighborhood. Fresh air, friendly conversation, and a fun way to welcome the fall season.

Or maybe you want to form or join a neighborhood “bike bus” that day — a group of kids biking en masse to school.  Check out this video about Portland, Oregon’s “Bike Bus for Earth Day.” You’ll wish you hadn’t spent so many hours of your life sitting in the student drop-off lane. https://youtu.be/XNRnKXd9sHE

If you like that idea, consider emulating bigger cities like Chicago that have a monthly “Critical Mass” bicycle ride — hundreds of bicyclists non-confrontationally and cheerfully sharing the road with drivers in a leisurely evening ride through downtown streets.

Photo by Gotrax on Unsplash

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