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Comments - 2009 Year End Awards, part 2
January 02, 2010
Thanks for the props BQ. Email me and lets talk paint.
- Clint, Somerville MA
January 02, 2010
swiftwick make the best socks I've ever ridden. Same height as the Pettachi Capo socks, but great elastic and feel to them.
- adam, hamilton
January 01, 2010
I always forget to read your site, then eventually binge on it for a few hours about every season or so. I love it. It really was the driving inspiration to start my own site: http://wvcycling.net
- Andrew, Buckhannon
January 01, 2010
I have a pair of Adidas Jaltonas, most beautiful ever, perfect, but the buckle broke days after getting them. Buckles are engineered obsolescence/self-destruction.
- David, Winnipeg
December 31, 2009
while i appreciate some of the reporting on the site /twitter of the sites you mentioned, it sometimes becomes too much and annoying. Also, don't like it when people hint that they need to get paid. Make it happen on your own time and don't whine about it to your readers. If you can't make it happen then scale back and no one will hold you accountable. Also, seems that some need to find a hobby like actually riding their bikes instead of tweeting about it. Just a thought!
- truth teller, boulder, ca
December 30, 2009
Northwave shoes ftw! http://www.northwave.com/usa/shoes_det.php?itemid=458&catid=1&area=1
- Marc, Seattle
December 29, 2009
Mark, You're both wrong, the Cosmics in the photo under Millar are clincher Cosmic SLRs.
- adam, hamilton
December 29, 2009
Just wanted to say that, in addition to knowing the shit out of cycling, you also know the shit out of English. That is, you can actually write, and not in a middle finger raised kinda way a la Bike Snob NYC. So thank you. It's a rare thing, and enjoyable too.
- Ben, Los Angeles
December 29, 2009
bah ha ha. Well done.
Point of order: Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimates are tubulars so unless said Pro rider has a needle/thread stowed away either under his Carbonio or in suppository form (for purposes of keeping his Cervelo right at the UCI limit), a 60mm tube still won't do him much good.
- Mark, Washington DC
December 29, 2009
Re: environmental impact of ski resorts. There is a constant battle against nature to keep a ski resort open. Just go up to NH sometime and ask for directions to Mittersill. Or Temple Mountain. Once you get there, you'll think you're in the middle of the woods, and those places have only been closed for about 20 years. As for keeping a place running while it's open, consider that Breckenridge runs almost completely on renewable power (biodiesel for the snowcats and renewable electric for the lifts). Though a ski resort LOOKS very invasive, the planners and builders go to great lengths to fit in with the terrain and environment becuse Mother Nature is such a vindicitve bitch. Push her too far and she'll bite your head off.
- Chris, Little Rock
December 29, 2009
About the bike as tools. America is the 'Land of one upping the Jones', we would never ride a utilitarian bike for training. I used to work in a shop where we built custom bikes, high end wheels were common place, yet the customers never understood why we tried to sell them 32 spoked wheels (reduced cost) as back up/rain wheels. Of course once the Zipp or Hed or Corima or whatever wheel had an issue........ignorance is bliss.
- Hung Low, Philly
December 28, 2009
So when can we expect CC to start offering some of these award-winning "...bikes of an aesthetic that would get laughed at on the typical local US training ride"? That market segment should be just as ripe as the one for all-velcro shoes.
- PawleeWalnutz, NYC
December 28, 2009
Wigg-les does nothing for me. What I want to learn more about is the dirt left behind in Lim's wake.
- mjw, right here
December 28, 2009
i think all velcro is a mistake. the specialized boa provides a superior fit with less hot spots... i'll never go back to velcro. i also think Lake will begin to take some serious market share.
- sam, little rock
December 28, 2009
All Velcro...I can only hope this means Northwave. Please?
- Mason, Chicago
December 28, 2009
'Competitive Cyclist will offer high-end all-velcro shoes that will fit beautifully, that will be light, that will look PRO. . ."
I have to admit that I love the PRO look of a quality shoe and bike partnership, but I will trade looks for anything to get a show that fits. I run 43EEE, and let me tell you that there are not a lot of options out there. I started way back in the day crushing my feet into Maressi's, Brancale's and an assortment of other crap. Carnac finally did me a favor with the LeMond's , which became the Legend's-then these shoes went to crap. I jumped into some Rocket 7's a few years ago, but after this season, and 35,000 total miles, they fit like old slippers. So this fall i bought some Sidi's- 2 velcro & 1 ratchet- because they come in a mega width. So far and so good with them, but I would be happy to switch over if you make available something that will fit beautifully.
- Jason, MI
December 28, 2009
All black cycling clothes. Um, yeah, talk to me next time a car hits you because your PRO colors just weren't very visible.
- Kevin, New York
December 28, 2009
Hey I used to race at nearby Clemson University, and Sassafras was my favorite climb.I've also climbed Brasstown, and I will have to agree that Sassafras is the more epic of the two. Plus with zero traffic you can really crush the descent as opposed to riding the brakes all the way back down Brasstown. I've posted a detailed map annotated with notes about the area in case anybody is interested in riding it. http://toonecycling.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/sassafras-mountain-epic-ride/
- Brian, Birmingham, Alabama
December 28, 2009
come on man, we need some pics of those "bike of the year". Like you, have a sweet spot for training bikes, and still check the old post from Girona occasionally where Barry is rolling on old Shimano hubs. it's awesome. Bikes are like significant others, sure in your head you want the hottest lightweight model out, but in reality what you need is someone who'll be there when shit gets ugly and is nominally easy to maintain.
- J$, ATX
December 28, 2009
One of your customer service folks recently explained to me that the three different types of fastening/tightening/adjusting on the Sidi Ergo 2 make a lot sense. I guess he hasn't looked into your crystal ball.
- tom, Branson
December 28, 2009
Long time reader, first time commenter. Love your straight-up, detailed product evaluations, love Shimano components, and I agree the 7900 crank is a pretty piece of industrial sculpture.
But I have to question your math and objectivity regarding your DA 7900 crankset comments. First, "It weighs as much as a Red Crankset." And then some. Your own actual weights say the DA 7900 crank weighs 674 grams and the comparable Red crank 591 grams, or 14% more than Red. Any self-respecting Weight Weenie (and who else reads blogs like this?) would time trial over his grandmother to drop that much rotating mass!
The 83 gram DA 7900 weight penalty is more than three times the 26 gram/one ounce weight penalty DA 7900 suffers versus Super Record 11. But you dismiss DA 7900's weight penalty versus Super Record 11 because Super Record 11 is so much more costly than than DA 7900 (DA 7900 costs "25% less" than Super Record 11). Yet you never mention that DA 7900 is more costly than Red by an even greater percentage (27%, $700 vs $550).
I'm sure your opinion that DA 7900 shifts "incomparably better" than Red is both correct and sincere, though the gentleman who maintains my bike, a dyed-in-the-lycra Shimano advocate and former US Postal Team mechanic, ascribes to the countervailing view that Red's front shifting represents "the absolute state of the art." Reasonable minds often differ about subjective feel. Math, not so much. A cynic might suggest that you rename your "Component of the Year Award" the "Vendor Bailout Award, presented annually to a good component that is substantially heavier and more expensive than its principal competitor."
The foregoing notwithstanding, I enjoy and appreciate your site and your comments.
- Robert, Woodstock, GA
December 28, 2009
giro shoes???
- T, Close to Arkansas
December 28, 2009
i own two pairs of Rocket 7 with 15,000 miles plus on one set and 7500 plus miles on the other. They still work very well, though one set went back for some light refurbishment before Rocket 7's disappeared from the face of the planet. I'm with you. What is with mechanical anything on a shoe? Velcro is the greatest invention ever and it works under ALL conditions. I have a pair of SIDI's for X cross and.....they suck! I love trying to get the mud of the freaking buckle. Bu there's not much out there unless I want to spend a fortune on custom. So get going on those CC shoes.....!!
- Bruno Bertocci, Chicago
December 28, 2009
Imagine you go for a training ride with the owner of one of the most prominent and successful websites for cycling products, all along thinking that someone of his position - with access to the best tools and repair methods on the market - would certainly carry with him whatever is needed to fix any sort of flat they could expect to encounter, only to discover that you are no better off than a newbie coming to terms with the disturbing frequency of flats at the worst times.
- Josh, NY
December 28, 2009
I've got a steel Club Racer for exactly that purpose. It's a fantastic bike.
- Brian, Cambridge
December 28, 2009
so you guys are gonna offer full velcro bonts with a comp cyclist logo stitched on, whatever.
- am, van
December 28, 2009
Velcro is so 90's! Go Lace up! I have a pair of sweeeeet Santini 'track' shoes that I use all the time for road riding. Seriously, how many times do you need to adjust your shoes when riding anyway?
- Mat, Sydney, Australia
December 28, 2009
Good to read that you're getting an IF Club Racer.. I have two IF-made Hampsten's, both of which also use 57mm reach brakes, like the Club Racer. The first one is perfect for winter riding, accomodating up to 35mm tires.
The second accepts up to 28mm. With 23mm or 25mm tires & a reasonable weight of 17.5lbs, it handles so nicely on fast summer club rides that I got rid of all my pure racing bikes. And if you haven't already committed to Titanium for your Club Racer, consider 953 Stainless. It's the tubing I have on the second bike mentioned above & its ride quality is fantastic.
- Marco, Toronto
December 28, 2009
Pearl Izumi Octane?
- Phil, San Francisco
December 27, 2009
I'm still wearing an old pair of blue Nike Altea shoes, that are all velcro. Good fit for my narrow feet, very flexible and built like a slipper, so that the velcro fasteners snug up just right. Don't know what I'll do if they eventually fall apart.
- Jay, Post Falls
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