Archive for category: Latest Cycling News

Selle Italia launched the original Novus in 1994, the result of a collaboration between the saddle maker and Ferrari. Selle provided the saddle knowhow and Ferrari engineering applied some composites knowledge and ‘active’ suspension within the rail attachment design.

It was also one of the first saddles to provide a central channel. It wasn’t as extreme as the Flow design seen on the modern version, but you can see where the idea came from.

The shape follows similar lines to the classic Flite, with a pitched up tail and a nose that rises out of the central hollow. What makes it different is how the nose sharply dips down in its final few inches, looking like the nose of a Formula One car – perhaps that’s Ferrari’s influence.

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Related: Selle Italia Flite Team Edition

The latest Flow S here is designed to meet Selle Italia’s ID Match S2 dimensions, so it’s 275mm long with the crucial width being 137mm. You can choose the L, which matches L2 sizing at 278x146mm. The expanding channel through the centre has a 100mm hole starting 100mm from the nose to relieve pressure.

Titanium rails hold the carbon-reinforced nylon hull, and it’s topped with deep padding and a quality finished cover. Plastic scuff guards on the nose and flanks should keep it safe from tears or rips, and the 222g weight is less than the claimed 225g.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

Source: Bike Radar

Rolf Timmerman, the director of FFWD, is buzzing with pride over what his firm has achieved in its short eight-year history. Based in the unassuming small-town of Zwolle, about an hour from Amsterdam, this tightly run wheelmaking company has seen significant success in a short time.

While other companies may bombard you with technical stories, wind tunnel data and performance-gain boasts, Timmerman claims that FFWD is simply about bringing the best-built wheels it can to market and backing that up with service and support levels no one else can offer.

“Every part of our wheel-building process is completely done by hand; [during] the rim manufacture in our facility in Asia the carbon is hand-laid. When the rims arrive here they’re are assembled by our team of wheel builders, finished and tensioned and stressed all by our highly trained staff.”

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This is, of course, exactly the kind of bluster and marketing hype you expect manufacturers to spout. But as we spend a day within the building we see every piece of the process come together – and it’s hard not to walk away impressed.

When rims arrive at Zwolle, they’re checked and visually inspected before heading out to a test lab to be X-rayed and approved

Telepathic wheel knowledge

Fast reflexes

Crash landings

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

Source: Bike Radar

Why would you buy a bike designed, at least in theory, for the off-road world of cyclocross for more urban duties? Well, in spite of the sport’s growing popularity we reckon more cyclocross bikes see action solely on city streets and country roads than competitive mud-plugging duties.

Verenti’s distributor Wiggle alludes to the wider ambitions of its Substance by saying that it’s also designed to be “a bit of fun around town, a sturdy commuter and a weekend rambler”. Ah, it all makes sense now.

The gearing is certainly more all-rounder than ‘crosser. Competitive ’cross bikes need their gears closer together, hence the common 46/36 setup. That might be handy for racing, but it leaves you short at both ends of the range when it comes to more general cycling.

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Cable-actuated disc brakes offer ample power

The Substance’s 50/34 compact is a much better call for most uses, and gives a very impressive range when combined with the 11-32 cassette. The nine-speed Sora setup does mean biggish gaps between gears, especially at the lower gear range (bigger sprockets), but we think that’s a price worth paying. The 34×32 will get you up even the steepest hills (or help you carry loads comfortably), and only the likes of Mark Cavendish will find the 50×11 too small at the top.

Comfort and versatility

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

Source: Bike Radar

A decent fork is essential for getting the most out of mountain biking and is the most important upgrade a rider can make.

When suspension forks began appearing on mountain bikes 25 years ago, they revolutionised riding. Suddenly you could ride faster and …Continue reading »
Source: MBR

Motorbike superstar to ride Tour Divide

Motorbike racer and TV personality Guy Martin has claimed he will miss next year’s Isle of Man TT race to …Continue reading »
Source: MBR