One of the most often-asked questions we hear is "Should I build my next bike with Record or Dura-Ace?" A dream bike certainly deserves one or the other, and choosing between them has gotten tougher over the years as each gruppo has become lighter and more mechanically precise. In the debate of... read more

Few things we've ever seen are more jewel-like in appearance than a clean Campagnolo rear derailleur. The carbon bits shimmer in the sunlight, and its overall beauty is made more striking by its flawless mechanical function. To be honest we sometimes feel blasphemous in suggesting that a Campy... read more

The sexiest component introduction of 2007 was also the component that impressed us most with its performance: The Campagnolo Ultra Torque crankset/bottom bracket system. It offers lightness, stiffness, and beauty unlike any other external bearing crankset on the market. It's as close as we've... read more

The older we get, the surer we are that few big-dollar purchases can match the joy and the benefits (physical & mental) of owning a no-holds barred, pro-quality road bike. And as much pleasure as owning a gorgeous, finely-tuned bike gives us, an unavoidable truth is that intense riding begets... read more

Unlike aerodynamic improvements, ceramic bearings offer their most distinct advantage when you're pedaling at lower speeds. This is a crucial difference between aerodynamic resistance, which increases exponentially with speed, and mechanical friction, which increases in direct proportion to... read more

As much pleasure as owning a gorgeous, finely-tuned bike gives us, an unavoidable truth is that intense riding begets intense maintenance. Over time, what were once crisp shifts become soft; what was once feathery, one-finger braking becomes a full-hand affair; and in the place of silence come... read more

Training with power isn't good enough: If you train with power, you probably want to race with power too. And if there's one truth about race wheels, it's that no detail is worth overlooking. Up 'til recently the twin obsessions were lightness and aerodynamics. But now we have a third... read more

Ceramic bearings are measurably-and-devilishly round, and it's this roundness plus their hardness that gives them their rolling slickness. The reduction in mechanical drag you get by upgrading to ceramic bearings is no different than magically shedding ounces off your bike on a climb. For a given... read more

Most every team on the ProTour races a bike that hovers around the UCI limit of 14ish pounds. And a handful of teams (the CSC Cervélo Soloist Carbon comes to mind here) are fortunate enough to have a bike sponsor that cares about aerodynamics. So once you tackle these concerns -- weight and... read more

If you own a set of Mavic Ksyrium SL or Ksyrium ES wheels, it's almost worth dislocating your shoulder to pat yourself on the back: You made a superb choice in wheels, kudos. Nothing else we know of can match a set of high-end Ksyriums for lightness, aerodynamics, toughness, beauty, and... read more