Puppy paws & turned-in levers are out, but ultra-narrow super-aero bars are in – and TRed’s TOOT Racing has a UCI-compliant Ashaa RR solution. A bar first developed on the track, the Ashaa RR is a customizable super-narrow, flared & ultra-aero road handlebar designed to get you in the most aerodynamic position, without sacrificing safety or control. To quickly get bars into racers’ hands, Toot 3D-print the handlebars to fit the rider from stainless steel for maximum strength or titanium for additional weight savings.

Or if you have a little patience, weight weenies will be able to get an even lighter carbon Ashaa RR aero handlebar option soon. And it’ll be a lot cheaper too!

TRed’s TOOT Ashaa RR 3D-printed aero road handlebars

Aero gains are everything these days. And refining your position on the bike has always been one of the simplest and most effective ways to save watts. As much as brands like to sweat over the incremental improvements of hidden nipples or tweaked rim profiles, the rider still accounts for most of the drag on a bike at speed.

First developed on the track, then refined on the road

TT & Triathlon racers have long accepted that refining their hand position has been the best way to go faster. But road riders have been stuck with conventional drop bars, as the UCI continues to ban any alternate hand positions.

The latest UCI rules eliminated the “puppy paws” or “invisible aerobars” position for real safety concerns as riders weren’t actually holding onto their bikes in the bunch. So riders opted for turned in levers to keep their hands “on the bars”. But again, lightweight carbon bars were not designed for metal clamps at the unusual inward angles, so that got banned too.

Side note: I’ve both broken a bar off under the clamp in a small crash racing. And removed a ‘factory set’ lever to find the carbon bar crushed under the imperfectly installed metal lever clamp. So, I get the concern.

But pro racers want to go fast. And amateur riders like to emulate their pro cycling heroes. So, there needs to be a solution.

Italian bikebuilder TRed’s component division TOOT has been working on alternate ergonomic and aero handlebars for some time. We last caught up with their Ashaa bar on the track a couple years ago – when the patented it. Updated more last summer. But now, with more UCI restrictions on road racing, the customizable aerodynamic nature of that original bar seems like it could pay off even more. Both for pro and amateur racers alike.

This version then was developed and tested on the road & track with Argentinian former pro cyclist Facundo Lezica working with TRed/Toot’s Romolo Stanco. Then, proven with current Madison World Champ Jan-Willem van Schip.

What’s unique about the TOOT ASHAA RR bar?

TRed calls the TOOT ASHAA RR, the “first handlebar to guarantee an extremely aerodynamic position without compromising control and safety.” That gets to addressing all of the UCI’s concerns, it seems.

It is built around a unique narrow geometry that puts your hands further forward, higher, and closer together, than even a narrow conventional 38-42cm bar (all dimension discussed are measured center-to-center) at the hoods.

Note: UCI regulation dictates allowable outside dimensions for racing eligibility, which is why Toot lists those.

Ultra-narrow and complexly curved

That means a long bar Reach of 118mm and deep Drop of 105mm. That’s designed to fit with your same stem – your arms reach more forward as hands come closer together.

Width is wildly narrow at around 24cm wide at the hoods, which are slightly raised above the stem. Then, they lean the bars themselves in around 5° towards a clamping area, further rotated in another 5-10° to safely interface with turned-in levers – resulting in the end of your hoods being 19-21cm wide.

Wow, right?

Super narrow.

But the Ashaa RR road racing bars also feature dramatic (for the road) ~20° flare for a stable sense of control. Officially it is not “flare” as Toot explains that it is a non-linear curve (a key part of their patent). There are very few real straight angles on the bar. But the result is that it puts the ends of the drops 33-35cm wide. And the roomy drops feature angles to offer a natural-feeling position and plenty of stability.

It’s certainly a dramatically different position – something in between regular drops and aero bars. Yet even though you are narrow and leaning forward, the rider can keep their hands firmly held in the familiar stable position of a dropbar for maximum control.

How Much Faster?

“Both with low and high grip the position is stable and comfortable with perfect handling. From the data collected with the Velocomp Aeropod V5 pitot system – which detects the CdA in real time – my overall aerodynamic efficiency improves by more than 4%. This means that if with a normal 40cm handlebar at 320W I am at 45km/h, with the position that this handlebar allows me to assume (both on the controls and on the handlebar) I ride at 47km/h keeping the levers perfectly aligned with the handle. And remember that the more the speed increases, the wider the gap between the two values is.”

– Facundo Lezica, professional track & road cyclist, and ASHAA RR 3D designer

3D-Printing Tech

Of course, 3D-printing allowed TRed / Toot to quickly turn an idea into reality. But it also means they can customize the actual shape to best fit riders individually – much like we see in custom aero bars. But it is a bit simpler here, Toot refines a proposed shape with a custom bar buyer, then mocks-up a plastic dummy for final testing before printing a metal bar.

Their standard 3D-printed Ashaa RR is made from 316L stainless steel, which allows Toot to tailor strength & stiffness to individual rider needs as well. They say that can vary total bar weight from 360-480g.

They print each steel or ti bar in two interlocking halves, welded together in the middle (see inside, between where the stem clamps), and then ground perfectly smooth for a 31.8mm clamping area.

How strong is that?

This is a 3D-printed Toot Asheeta steel track bar I saw after a massive crash into the barriers last summer at something like 50km/hr, so hard that if folded-in the downtube (but didn’t crack any tubes or welds). And the bar is just scratched. And the ride walked away, although bleeding and missing some skin.

All bars are also compatible with full internal cable routing. In fact, Toot can also make you a custom carbon, aluminum, or titanium stem in any desired length to work with the most common internal routing systems.

Fully customizable in 3D-printed steel

They 3D-print the Ashaa RR in stainless steel in Italy at the University of Pavia. And offer either in this stock geometry. Or you can get a fully customizable size and shape to make it fit perfectly in your own hands and against your own forearms. Importantly, all custom bars are also stress and fatigue test certified by a industry 3rd party.

Toot even says that it can “also be customized for gravel“. We’re quite curious what we’d change to ride off-road. But at this price, they’ll make it whatever shape you need.

Lighter weight in Yottalight 3D-printed titanium

The bar is also available in the standard dimensions as the Toot Ashaa RR Yottalight. 3D-printed in titanium in Germany by ApWorks (a division of the Airbus group) to save weight without sacrificing strength. Weight savings over the optimized steel version is said to be about 15%.

More affordable AND lighter in carbon

If you want to save weight AND some cash – contrary to everything else in the bike industry – you can even pick carbon, instead. But you will have to wait a little longer. Toot manufactures the carbon bar with more conventional molding techniques. Although for now in 3D-printed steel molds in Italy for the early production. So only the stock size and shape is available. The carbon bar is also 2cm wider with wider wings up top, offering a bit more universal appeal.

Toot Ashaa RR – Pricing, options & availability

Essentially 4 versions of the new Toot Ashaa RR aero road racing handlebar are available. Standard geometry in 3D-printed steel for 1390€. Standard geometry in 3D-printed titanium or custom geometry in 3D-printed steel for 1990€. Or ‘just’ 429€ for the carbon bar if you pre-order now.

The 3D-printed bars are all made-to-order with a max 21 working day lead-time for standard geometry. Toot offers the carbon Ashaa RR bars as a pre-order until mid-February, with the first deliveries slated to begin at the end of Mach 2024.

What’s next?

One piece 3D-printed steel or titanium handlebar+stem cockpit combos?

Yeah, Toot is already working on that too. This is a custom Ashaa RR 1-piece cockpit in 3D-printed titanium!

Performance.TootEngineering.com

The post TOOT Ashaa RR Ultra-Aero Road Bars Beat UCI Turned-In Lever Rule in Steel, Ti, or Carbon appeared first on Bikerumor.

Long-time bicycle chain brand KMC has just introduced their new React cassettes in 10-speed and 11-speed versions. First spotted at Eurobike 2023, they’re designed for wide-range 1x and 2x applications, with tooth counts good for road, gravel, and mountain bikes.

At just $65, they’re affordable replacement, option for your trainer, or way to try a different tooth count on the cheap. Perfect for upgrading your kids’ bikes, too. And from the looks of it, you won’t be giving up shift quality to save some coin.

The cogs have dual shifting ramps called Flow Control, smoothing upshift and downshifts. These ramped tooth profiles & thicknesses use varied shapes to guide the chain from cog to cog.

Both KMC REACT versions have two gear range options:

• 10-speed: 11-36T, 11-42T
• 11-speed: 11-42T, 11-50T

They’re optimized for KMC chains, but are compatible with other 10- and 11-speed chains. They fit Shimano HG freehub bodies. Fitting it to a bike built around a smaller cassette? They recommend adding the Wolf Tooth Components Goatlink to increase your derailleur’s capacity for larger cogs.

KMCchain.us

The post KMC REACT Cassettes join their 10/11-Speed Chains appeared first on Bikerumor.

If you’re adding a mechanical dropper seatpost on your gravel bike and need a lever to actuate it, WTC has a new option. The new Wolf Tooth ReMote Drop Bar Lever lets you pull cable from any hand position. And it’s compatible with any standard drop bar and most mechanical dropper seatposts.

It mounts inside the bar, out of the way of your brake lever and front shifter (if you’re riding a 2x drivetrain). The design clamps around the drops, and the closure sits away from the lever to keep the thumb and finger paddles closer to the bar.

The lever rotates on two 11mm Enduro cartridge bearings, not bushings. This makes it super smooth, and super solid, with no flex when pushing or pulling.

The cable attaches with a bolt on the bottom of the pivot, and the end tucks in behind the front wing. All parts are available separately, too, sticking with their Right to Repair philosophy.

Weight is 37g, excluding cable and housing. They recommend adding an inline barrel adjuster, it doesn’t have on built in like their mountain bike ReMote dropper levers. MSRP $64.95, black only.

WolfToothComponents.com

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Over the weekend at CX Worlds in Tábor, we spotted a small CeramicSpeed crew meeting with several different teams to talk ceramic bearings and low-friction lubrication AND showing off a next-gen prototype OSPW system. Designed for both road & cyclocross, this new version of their Shimano oversized pulley wheel system upgrade gets solid pulleys and ADR tech inherited from MTB for smoother, longer running…

Prototype updated CeramicSpeed OSPW for Shimano Di2

We’re always psyched to find prototypes in the pro pits. Whether hidden in plain view like the new Campy power meter. Or slightly more incognito like this classic black tape covered derailleur cage. Here, fitted to a Cube Cross Race bike from Team Charles Liégeois, the cyclocross racing offshoot of Intermarché–Wanty. And CeramicSpeed was roaming the pits checking in with mechanics from several top riders. We later caught up with the CeramicSpeed crew. And they said they were checking-in with existing sponsored riders, meeting with potential new partners, and even quietly handing over some product to unsponsored teams who use CeramicSpeed gear without sharing that publicly.

So, what’s new in the OSPW department?

The CeramicSpeed prototype that we spotted is an updated version of their long-running Over-Sized Pulley Wheel (OSPW) upgrade for Shimano rear derailleurs. In fact looking back, it’s been almost a decade since we first spotting the CeramicSpeed OSPW solution for Shimano. And outside of a few changes in pulley teeth numbers, that core curvy carbon cage upgrade hasn’t changed much since.

Now, that appears set to change with a new angular design.

CeramicSpeed suggests that their next-gen OSPW gets more angular aesthetics. That better fits with the shaping of modern road bike groupsets. Even under a strip of black electrical tape, this prototype certainly looks like a better fit with the latest Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 rear derailleur, compared to the existing curvy CeramicSpeed cage.

A closer look reveals that both upper and lower pulleys are solid on this prototype. Just like those Alpha pulleys of the recently introduced OSPW X for SRAM MTB Transmissions. We’re not sure. But it looks like the same composite teeth combined to a smooth alloy disc, like on the new MTB system.

This lower pulley is also marked ADR. It features that mountain bike cage’s same Active Debris Remover shaping at the central cover over the bearing. As it’s been described to us, this tangential groove shaping is a patent-pending design that pulls dust, dirt & grit away from the bearing cover as the pulley spins. A self-cleaning solution that promises even longer bearing life

Unlike the mountain bike’s X system with narrow wide teeth, this road OSPW prototype stick with a 19T lower pulley. And appears to keep 13T for the upper pulley.

How else does it differ from the current road OSPW?

Besides the more angular recent mountain bike OSPW cage with solid pulleys & ADR tech, CeramicSpeed’s latest OSPW innovation had been their fully-enclosed Aero cage. Interestingly, that one also broke cover on an Intermarché-Wanty pro’s Cube race bike.

The new road prototypes are also more angular and feature solid pulleys. We’d have to expect that the new design will be heavier – it surely has more material in the pulleys. But time will tell if that is balanced by decreased aero drag, reduced drivetrain friction, or longer bearing life.

We’ll have to wait and see what CeramicSpeed has to say once they make the new design official.

Were there actually CeramicSpeed OSPW-equipped bikes racing in the mud?

To be honest, not many.

No one actually raced this prototype here in the mud, as far as we saw. The team mounted this one to the bike of a rider who wasn’t even at Worlds, I believe. Perhaps as a backup if one of his teammates had any major bike problems.

It may have been just here to tease all the other pro riders about the new tech coming soon. But to be fair, it was so muddy out there, it’s possible that I simply missed it.

With very muddy conditions on the Tábor World Championship course, I can’t imagine there were too many friction-reducing gains to be had in a set of oversized pulleys. At least, those not offset by more real estate to collect mud on. But you know that incremental gains are always there, relative to the baseline standard. And theoretically ceramic bearings should operate more smoothly relatively – the worse conditions get and the more team mechanics clean the bikes with pressure washers.

Anyway, the U23 development team riders of Intermarché–Wanty’s CX team Charles Liégeois were sporting existing OSPW setups.

We also noticed one or two other riders on CeramicSpeed OSPW X. Like this nice SRAM AXS mullet setup. With an X01 MTB derailleur paired to an otherwise Force 1x for the easier gearing to tackle deep mud.

What else do they have up their CeramicSpeed sleeves?

Everywhere they went – ducking in and out of pro team buses – CeramicSpeed was also carrying a small black case full of pulley cages, ceramic bearings, and who knows what else.

Probably some of their UFO Drip wax lube that is quite prevalent in top-tier racing.

We only officially see CeramicSpeed logo stickers on a few pro road and a couple pro XC mountain bike teams. But, we’ve definitely seen OSPW cages on a number of other ‘non-sponsored’ bikes. And against the high cost and focus on aero gains of most pro bikes these days, it seems like a relatively small leap for more pro riders to see if CeramicSpeed can deliver on their promises of incremental gains. Rumor in the peloton – both on- and off-road – suggests that CeramicSpeed supplies a LOT of additional teams. And all the times we saw CeramicSpeed crew pop up all over the CX Worlds pits backs that up.

CeramicSpeed.com

The post Spotted: Prototype CeramicSpeed OSPW Update for Road & Cross Teased at CX Worlds appeared first on Bikerumor.

We thought we might have seen it already four years ago, but for sure a Campagnolo Super Record power meter crankset is now really on the horizon. We’ve just spotted independent Dutch cyclocross racer Ryan Kamp’s shiny gold Colnago G3-X race bikes fitted with an alloy power meter spider on carbon crank arms, clearly branded with the winged hub logo of Campagnolo.

Take a closer look and speculate with us below!

Campagnolo Super Record spider-based power meter prototype

Today at the 2024 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Tábor, Czechia, we spotted Ryan Kamp’s lovely Colnago cyclocross bikes sporting some prototype power meter cranks from his Italian drivetrain sponsor.

While we spotted the bike through the trees this morning, we got some closer looks inside Kamp’s camp. And then out on the race course several times.

He’s the only rider we’ve noticed at CX Worlds riding Campagnolo. And the word in the pits is that he’s been working closely with Campy to refine their ultra-top-tier Super Record Wireless groupset to survive the rigors of cross racing.

Stay tuned, and we’ll have more on that story soon, too.

In the meantime, this is the Campagnolo Super Record power meter we’ve been waiting for since we saw Campy’s patents all the way back in 2019.

But – at least for now – power measurement is NOT integrated into a carbon spider. Instead, it uses an alloy power meter spider much like the SRM that Campy athletes have been racing for years.

Yet, it’s not quite the same as the SRM, and now clearly gets Campagnolo branding.

Customized for Cyclocross

Apparently, it features the same low-Q and standard road chainring spacing. But the pro CX mechanics have spaced the chainrings out about 3mm closer back to the centerline of the bike to better align the chainrings with the bigger/easier cogs of the cassette to deal with the slower speeds of cyclocross racing.

From the driveside, you can see one curious hollow opening of the crank arm just offset from the spindle (like the old SRM option).

But from the backside we also spotted another opening. It’s not entirely clear why either opening exists.

3 of the 4 Kamp’s bikes that we spotted in the open around the public team pits had power meters. And 2 of those 3 appeared to have a stick-on cover on the backside of the carbon driveside crankarm, at least to keep the CX mud out. In any case, it’s pretty surely a hollow carbon crankarm on this prototype power meter.

Campagnolo Super Record spider-based power meter prototype for your winter training bike

A bit of an angled look, shows the thickness of the alloy spider body on this prototype Campagnolo Super Record power meter.

This specific crank was fitted to Kamp’s training bike, and shows plenty more wear from heel rub. But interestingly, it seems Ryan Kamp has only been working with Colnago and Campagnolo since the start of January after his previous team sponsorship ended. So, this bike hasn’t seen too much long-term use & abuse, just yet.

The Shimano XTR pedals are always a nice reminder that Campy doesn’t make pedals. But those XTRs are so trusted and reliable, that we often also find them on the bikes of riders with SRAM groupsets, too.

That’s all we know officially for now. Campagnolo says no comment. But Kamp’s mechanic team seems to be pleased with a genuine back-and-forth R&D relationship, and hints that the overall Super Record Wireless groupset is constantly being refined to withstand the harshest conditions cyclocross can throw at it!

More on Ryan Kamp’s unique Colnago G3-X bike and Campy Super Record groupset for cross racing soon…

Campagnolo.com

The post Spotted: Campagnolo Super Record Power Meter Put to the Test in CX Worlds Mud! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Ritchey, long-time maker of quality bicycle parts, just brought back their iconic steel road framesets. The Road Logic, Road Logic Disc, and the Road Logic Break-Away frames are back after not being offered in the current line for a few years.

Combining over 50 years of Tom Ritchey’s design expertise, all of the new Road Logic frames combine classic aesthetics with modern performance. I thought I’d touch on the reasons why these frames are back, plus look at the actual logic behind the decision. In layman’s terms…

A. Steel is metal.
B. Metal rules!
C. The Ritchey Road Logic, Disc, and Break-Away are made of steel.
D. Therefore, the Ritchey Road Logic, Disc, and Break-Away rule!

It’s simple math really. Let’s check out what’s new on these new frames.

Ritchey Road Logic

Retail: $1599

Color: Sally’s Macarons (deep red with mauve branding)

The rim-brake version of the Ritchey Road Logic leaves all of the features that made it legendary untouched. Like all of the re-introduced Road Logic framesets, this version is made with a triple-butted, heat-treated Ritchey Logic tubeset. It features “aggressively short-butted” sections that have been optimized for tig welding to save weight and improve ride quality.

Both the frame and Ritchey Carbon fork have clearance to fit up to a 30mm tire. It weighs in at 1.77kg (3.9lbs) for a 55cm frame. The Ritchey proprietary forged-and-machined, integrated headtube uses standard drop-in bearings and shaves 80 grames off of a standard headtube design.

Geometry

Road Logic Tech Specs

Frame

• Heat-treated, triple-butted Ritchey Logic steel tubing – TIG welded
• ED coat treated for corrosion resistance
• 27.2 seat tube with integrated seat collar
• Crankset min/max: 46/30t to 53/39t
• Standard quick-release front and rear
• WCS headset included (upper IS42/28.6 – 16mm stack height | lower IS42/30)
• Ultra-light forged and machined straight 1-1/8″ headtube
• Seat tube clamp size: 28.6
• Bottom bracket: 68mm – English thread
• Bottle cage mounts: 2
• External cable routing

Fork

• Ritchey WCS Carbon
• 1-1/8″ straight steerer with integrated 45-degree crown race 
• Steerer length: 300mm
• Max stack: 30mm spacers below the stem
• Axle-crown: 371mm
• Rake/offset: 46mm (sizes 49/51/53cm) – 43mm (sizes 55/57/59cm)

Tire Compatibility

• Wheel and tire compatibility: 700x30c tire clearance (depending on tire manufacturer)
• Frame spacing: 38mm
• Fork max spacing: 40mm

Details

• Sizes: 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59cm
• Fork weight: 350g (uncut steerer)
• Frame weight: 1750g (55cm)
• Color: Sally’s Macarons

Ritchey Road Logic Disc

Retail: $1799

Color: Nigiri (green with white logos)

This new frameset is now sporting some notable new features since the last time we saw it. To start, it’s now compatible with Shimano’s newest Di2 semi-wireless groupsets.

It has a new drive-side dropout design that conceals the wire routing from the battery in the seat tube, through the bottom bracket, and into the chain stay. It then makes a sneaky exit to meet up with the rear derailleur.

The Road Logic Disc still retains its cable stops making it compatible with mechanical groupsets as well. Finally, the rear non-drive-side drop-out carries a new one-piece truss design for flat-mount disc brakes.

Ritchey says this design reduces chainstay weight while still providing as much stiffness and strength as the previous design.

Geometry

Road Logic Disc Tech Specs

Frame

• Heat-treated, triple-butted Ritchey Logic steel tubing – TIG welded
• ED coat treated for corrosion resistance
• 27.2 seat tube with integrated seat collar
• Crankset min/max: 46/30t to 53/39t
• 142mm spacing (12mm alloy thru-axle included)
• WCS headset included (upper IS42/28.6 – 16mm stack height | lower IS42/30)
• Ultra-light forged and machined straight 1-1/8″ headtube
• Seat tube clamp size: 28.6
• Bottom bracket: 68mm – English thread
• Bottle cage mounts: 2
• External cable routing
• Replaceable stainless-steel derailleur hanger

Fork

• Ritchey WCS Carbon
• 1-1/8″ straight steerer with integrated 45-degree crown race 
• Steerer length: 300mm
• Max stack: 30mm spacers below the stem
• Axle-crown: 371mm
• Rake/offset: 46mm
• 100mm spacing (12mm alloy thru-axle included)

Tire Compatibility

• Wheel and tire compatibility: 700x30c tire clearance (depending on tire manufacturer)
• Frame spacing: 39mm
• Fork max spacing: 40mm

Details

• Sizes: 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59cm
• Fork weight: 420g (uncut steerer)
• Frame weight: 1940g (55cm)
• Color: Nigiri

Ritchey Road Logic Break-Away

Retail; $2299

Color: Tule Fog (Silver-ish)

For those cyclists out there who travel frequently with their bicycles, the Road Logic Break-Away makes navigating airports and taxis a breeze.

Although the Road Logic Break-Away’s main feature is its innovative travel-friendly design, make no mistake, this version of the Road Logic frameset has the same spirit, spec, and ride quality as the standard Road Logic framesets.

This frameset quickly and easily disassembles to fit into its own sturdy travel case. this case is specifically designed to help the traveler avoid airline extra baggage fees. Once you arrive at your destination, the Road Logic Break-Away assembles just as quickly, to allow you to get out and ride sooner.

Geometry

Road Logic Break-Away Tech Specs

Frame

• Heat-treated, triple-butted Ritchey Logic steel tubing – TIG welded
• ED coat treated for corrosion resistance
• 27.2 seat tube with integrated seat collar
• Crankset min/max: 46/30t to 53/39t
• Standard quick-release front and rear
• WCS headset included (upper IS42/28.6 – 16mm stack height | lower IS42/30)
• Ultra-light forged and machined straight 1-1/8″ headtube
• Seat tube clamp size: 28.6
• Bottom bracket: 68mm – English thread
• Bottle cage mounts: 2
• External cable routing
• Patented Ritchey Break-Away design

Fork

• Ritchey WCS Carbon
• 1-1/8″ straight steerer with integrated 45-degree crown race 
• Steerer length: 300mm
• Max stack: 30mm spacers below the stem
• Axle-crown: 371mm
• Rake/offset: 46mm (sizes 49/51/53cm) – 43mm (sizes 55/57/59cm)

Tire Compatibility

• Wheel and tire compatibility: 700x30c tire clearance (depending on tire manufacturer)
• Frame spacing: 38mm
• Fork max spacing: 40mm

Details

• Sizes: 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59cm
• Fork weight: 350g (uncut steerer)
• Frame weight: 1950g (55cm)
• Downtube Break-Away coupler torque: 5Nm (Do not lubricate clamp or clamping area)
• Packs into included travel case (8.5” / 21.6cm W x 26.5” / 67.3cm H x 31” / 78.8cmL w/ wheels)
• The Downtube hinge clamp, rear brake cable connector, and derailleur cable connectors included
• Color: Tule Fog

Get over to the Ritchey website and ride metal!

RitcheyLogic.com

The post All the Metal: Ritchey Brings Road Logic, Road Logic Disc & Break-Away Back to the Front! appeared first on Bikerumor.

A new set of Hunt Sub50 Limitless UD aero road wheels pair ultra-wide front & rear specific rims to carbon spokes & ratchet hubs to lose lots of weight while going faster into the wind. Now with aerodynamics re-optimized for 28mm & 30mm tires, these 49.5mm deep Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc weigh as little as 1380g per set. And Hunt’s open-access wind tunnel data shows them outperforming the industry’s best wheels up to 50mm deep, on par with deeper wheels, and also weighing quite a bit less than other aero wheels that come close.

Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc road wheels get faster AND lighter

I’m just going to offer a quick PR email quote because I appreciate its brevity & efficiency:

“TL;DR: Front & rear specific hookless rim profiles (34mm wide external front/30mm wide external rear), UD carbon spokes, and all-new ratchet hub design create an unmatched system weighing just 1380 grams per pair.”

Hunt’s first foray into Limitless aerodynamic optimization resulted in the “world’s fastest” Hunt 48 Limitless Aero Disc wheels that set a Paris-Roubaix pavé KOM, before being raced on the World Tour and even being ridden to a Giro stage win in 2012 by Victor Campenaerts. They were the first-ever road wheels to be wider than 30mm external to benefit from modern wide tire aerodynamics. They teed up deeper 60 Limitless road and 42 Limitless Gravel wheels. And they featured a unique patented-filler construction method that keep weight in check.

But apparently the pros & fastest riders wanted even lighter weight to go with their industry-fastest wide tire aerodynamics.

And that’s what they got…

What’s new?

Thanks to all-new front & rear rim shapes, both with 23mm internal hookless tubeless beads. The blunt-nosed 34.2mm wide external rim up front leads to smoother airflow through the cleaner air the rider enters. And the more v-shaped 30mm external rim out back saves weight while slicing through the turbulent air coming off the bike and rider’s legs.

Hunt Sub50 Limitless aero wheels – Pricing, options, spec & availability

Three versions of Hunt’s new Sub50 Limitless aero wheels are being offered. Pick UD carbon spokes or conventional stainless steel spokes. And pick steel or CeramicSpeed bearings on the UD wheels.

Hunt Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc UD Carbon Spoke wheels with CeramicSpeed bearing upgrade:

• Weight: 1380g per pair
• Spokes: TaperLock UD Carbon
• Spoke Count: 18 Front | 20 Rear
• Bearings: CeramicSpeed, double-sealed
• Pricing: £2289 / $2789 / 2749€

Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc UD Carbon Spoke wheels with standard stainless steel sealed bearings:

• Weight: 1380g per pair
• Spokes: TaperLock UD Carbon
• Spoke Count: 18 Front | 20 Rear
• Bearings: Double-sealed stainless steel cartridge
• Pricing: £1849 / $2249 / 2279€

HUNT SUB50 Limitless Aero Disc Steel Spoke wheels with standard stainless steel sealed bearings:

• Weight: 1428g per pair
• Spokes: Pillar Wing 20 Elliptical Aero
• Spoke Count: 20 Front | 24 Rear
• Bearings: Double-sealed stainless steel cartridge
• Pricing: £1,479 / $1799 / 1849€

All three are available to pre-order direct from Hunt starting today. And the first batch of new Hunt Sub50 Limitless wheels will arrive at early buyers’ doorsteps by the end of this month. Those who order a CeramicSpeed upgrade will have to wait until late April 2024 though, as those wheels’ hubs have to head to Denmark first, where they get the premium bearings pressed-in at CeramicSpeed’s own facility.

HuntBikeWheels.com

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The all-new (to us) Vittoria Corsa PRO Speed completes the revamped Vittoria Corsa range. This time trial and Triathlon–specific tire will raise speed expectations and comfort on the bike.

Vittoria Corsa PRO Speed – What is it? 

The Corsa PRO Speed is the newest addition to the Vittoria Corsa tire family. It is designed specifically for maximizing performance in time trials and triathlons. It’s the exact tire Jonas Vingegaard rode to victory in the Stage 16 Time Trial at the 2023 Tour de France. The same applies to Wout van Aert’s Belgian National Time Trial victory or Jos van Emden’s Dutch National Time Trial win. They were all using the unreleased Vittoria Corsa PRO Speed. 

What makes it different from the Corsa Control? 

As far as the compound goes, the new Corsa PRO Speed uses graphene + silica technology, the same as the Corsa PRO Control. Where it differs is the formulation; the new Corsa PRO Speed is specifically designed for the intended TT use.

What does that mean? Mostly, it means maximizing speed, providing a very high grip on wet services, and confident cornering in the TT position. 

What’s the Tread Like? 

The tread (or lack thereof) differs from the Corsa PRO Control, but the PRO Speed employs some of the same features. The more expansive center slick area cuts down rolling resistance compared to the slight tread on the PRO Control.

The tread has slight grooves on the shoulders to help with cornering grip. Like the PRO Control model, the tread fades into the casing. This faded tread allows for a seamless bonding between the edge of the tire tread and the cotton casing. 

Speaking on bonding, Vittoria states they use the same electrical curing process on the Corsa PRO Speed they do on the other Corsa PRO tires. The tread is applied on the uncured casing; then the whole tire is cured to achieve the same seamless construction as in Corsa PRO and Corsa PRO Control.

Is There Any Flat Protection? 

No… not really; the overall tread thickness is lower than Corsa PRO and comparable to the previous Corsa Speed in the center.

How Much Faster is it? 

Vittoria reports the Corsa PRO Speed to be 5% faster and 2% lighter than the previous Corsa Speed. How did they achieve this? We guessed the minimal tread, new electrical curing process, and tread application help. The new Corsa PRO Speed compound is specially formulated for speed, grip, and nothing else. 

Vanessa ten Hoff, Vittoria’s Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, explained, “The Corsa PRO Speed tire is a game-changer in time trial racing. We understand the demands and challenges athletes face in this field and have created a tire to enhance their performance. We are proud to launch this product and believe it will exceed our customers’ expectations.”

No More Tubulars? 

The Corsa PRO Speed will ONLY come in tubeless models, so if you’d like to keep the Vittoria Corsa PRO cotton on your TT bike, the best option is the Vittoria Corsa PRO. 

Vittoria Corsa PRO Speed Models and Pricing 

The new Vittoria Corsa PRO Speed will be available in 700×24, 700×26, and 700x28c models. All times are TLR (tubeless ready), and only the 28c version is cleared for use with hookless rims. All tires use Vittorias Corespun 320 TPI construction. 

• Weight: 700×24 – 225g, 700×26 – 230g, 700×28 – 250g
• Pricing: USD 99, EUR 95 

Vittoria.com

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The French accessory powerhouse Ekoi is developing a new aero-top-of-the-line road pedal. If you follow the French continental team Nice Métropole (you should), you’ll notice some pretty large clipless pedals on their rides.

Ekoi PW8 — What is it?

The piece catching everyone off guard is the size of the platform of this new design. If you look at some of the photos posted on their Instagram account, it’s obvious. The pedal length compared to the crank arm is telling; this is a long, lean pedal.

The French cycling outlet LeCycle.fr first broke the news, reporting that the new Ekoi PW8 pedal will offer a modern twist to the road clipless pedal. The pedal may cover more surface area while also offering a thinner stack height.

From the picture above, it looks as if the ‘cleat’ may extend all the way to the edge of the shoe around the toe, with the pedal then recessed inside it when clipped in. That could result in a more aerodynamic connection between the pedal and shoe. It also could create a more walkable platform on the bottom of your shoes.

A New Standard?

If that is the case, it seems likely this system could require a new mounting system, though it’s possible it could be added to a shoe around the traditional 3-bolt interface currently used by most pedals. We’re guessing that’s where the new Ekoi road shoes come into play.

We contacted Ekoi for comment but all they would divulge at this time is that the pedal is currently being tested with various teams. If you want to learn more, I recommend watching the Nice Métropole Team, Burgos-BH Team, or the Ekoi website.

Update:

As reported by Canadian Cycling Magazine and many others, it seems the UCI has already banned the Ekoi pedals from use in competition – at least for now. Apparently, even though the proper paperwork for prototype use in competition had been filed, it hasn’t been approved yet by the UCI. So even though they had already used the pedals in one stage, the UCI made the team scramble to find replacement shoes just before the race started thanks to their last-minute decision.

The post Spotted: Ekoi Developing All-New Road Pedal Design with Huge Platform! appeared first on Bikerumor.

Campagnolo’s Bora family of aero carbon road wheels gets a key upgrade with wider internal rim widths to support modern wide road tires. But at the same time, the wider wheels are both significantly more aerodynamic AND save a lot of weight. Across the board each new wheelset is more than a hundred grams lighter than its predecessor. With aero wheels as light as 1285g!

2024 Campagnolo Bora Ultra WTO & Bora WTO wheels

Campagnolo is calling this the addition of 2 new Bora models to its road wheel line-up. But Bora WTO & Bora Ultra WTO have been in the family for years. Only recently, they saw their ultralight Hyperon climbing wheel siblings return.

But now Boras just get better in just about every aspect.

And anyway, it’s really 6 new wheelsets – at 2 price levels. Each one getting a slightly deeper 35mm wheel, plus a revamping of the all-rounder 45mm & deeper 60mm wheels.

What is Bora Ultra WTO tech?

Bora has been Campagnolo’s aerodynamic road race wheel line for more than three decades. And the WTO moniker marked their upgrade into the modern #aeroiseverything age six years ago with newly Wind Tunnel Optimized rims, hub & spoke shaping as a complete system. Then of course, Ultra simply took it to the next level of performance with a Handmade Ultra-Light Carbon (HULC) layup, hidden but adjustable Aero Mo-Mag nipples, carbon front hub shells, and top-tier Ceramic Ultimate Level Technology (CULT) ceramic bearings.

So what’s actually new?

Simply put, the new Bora WTO lineup is now all 23mm wide internally (up from 19mm!) with revised aero rim shapes.

And even the lower-priced wheels now get the top-tier hidden nipples. More specifically, Campy says the wheels include a new “teardrop-shaped” rim that better smooths airflow from wheel to tire to reduce drag.

They feature a claimed 13% reduction in drag into a head wind, and up to 20% improvement in cross winds, too.

Plus, they all are a lot lighter – saving up to 135g per wheelset!

Tech details

They are still 2-Way Fit, meaning a hooked tubeless-ready rim that can be run tubeless or with clincher tires & tube. But tubeless is really the way to go, since the Bora rims feature a bead-lock shoulder for secure tire fit, deep smooth finish rim channel for easy tire install, and a continuous carbon rim bed so you don’t need tubeless tape (and they can’t leak sealant around ill-fitting tape).

The new Bora WTO wheels are now disc brake only, with 12mm thru-axles and a centerlock-compatible (AFS) rotor interface.

The wheels are all built with Campy’s G3 2:1 spoke lacing pattern that groups spokes in threes to better balance spoke tension.

Standard Campagnolo Bora WTO wheels feature semi-hidden Aero Mo-Mag nipples that are still externally adjustable in their lighter, wider carbon rims. They get 24 G3 aero spokes per wheel and USB composite ceramic bearings.

Ultra wheels add-on a carbon front hubshell, higher-spec & lighter HULC layup, red freehub, smoother C-LUX finish straight out of the mold, 21 spokes per wheel, plus lighter & smoother CULT ceramic bearings.

Campagnolo Bora WTO family – Pricing, options & availability

Three rim depths are available in both lines – 35, 45 & 60mm – all with the same 23mm internal. And all are built by hand in-house by Campagnolo wheelbuilders in Europe.

The more expensive Bora Ultra WTO wheels sell for $4090 / 3690€. They have claimed weights of 1285g for the 35mm deep Ultras. Then, 1325g for the 45s, and just 1395g for the 60mm wheels.

The slightly more affordable Bora WTO wheels sell for $2790 / 2590€. The standard wheels weight a claimed 1370g for the 35mm wheel. Then, 1405g for the 45s, and 1460g for the new 60mm deep Campagnolo Bora WTO wheels. Even those are 15-70g lighter than the previous generation Bora Ultra WTO wheels, and still a lot cheaper.

All of the new Campagnolo Bora WTO family aero road wheel are now available from your local Campy dealer.

Campagnolo.com

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