Tag Archives: Racing

Bike Of The Week: Vigo Cycles CXoo2

Vigo CX002 Build

Paul cross levers

Paul MiniMoto brakes

Crank Bros Eggbeater 1 pedals

White Industries VBC road crank, 175, 46/36

Wipperman 10 SO chain

Campagnolo Chorus 10 Ergolevers

Campagnolo seatpost collar

Campagnolo Chorus 10 front derailleur

Campagnolo Chorus 10 rear derailleur

Campagnolo Centaur 12-25 10sp cassette

Campagnolo skewers

Schwalbe CX Pro tires

White Industries T11 hubs

Sapim CX Ray spokes

H Plus Son Archetype rims 28/32

Phil Wood steel bottom bracket & cups

Chris King headset

3T Rotundo Pro bars

SRAM cork bar tape

Thomson X2 Stem

Thomson Elite seatpost

Selle Italia Flight 1990 saddle

Campagnolo cables/housing

Enve cross fork

Winter Speciale: BH G5 & Ultralight 40% OFF

The latest NYC Velo Winter Speciale includes 2 fantastic bikes from Spanish company BH.
The first BH model included in the Winter Speciale is the 2012 Ultralight (in black). There are 2 Ultralight bikes available (size Medium and size Large), both with the following (identical) component kit:

• SRAM (black) Red Grouppo
• Reynolds Assault carbon clincher wheels
• FSA BB386 carbon crank & BB
• FSA K-Force Light carbon handlebar, stem, & seatpost
• Selle San Marco Aspide saddle
• Vittoria Diamante Pro Radiale tires
• Weight approx 13lb 14oz
• Original price $8700, Winter Speciale price $5220

The second BH model included in this Winter Speciale is the 2012 G5 (in white). There are 3 G5 bikes available (size 56, size 57, size 58.5), all with the following (identical) component kit:

• SRAM Red Grouppo
• DT Mon Chasseral clincher wheelset
• FSA K-Force Light crank and Pressfit 30 BB
• FSA OS-99 aluminum stem and SL-K carbon handlebar
• Integrated seatmast with height-adjustable carbon seatpost
• Selle San Marco Aspide saddle
• Vittoria Diamante Pro Light tires
• Weight approx 14lb 8oz
• Original price $6700, Winter Special price $4020

As always, the Winter Speciale is limited to stock on hand and once they’re gone, they’re gone!
 

Spring Ride: New Jersey’s Hell Of Hunterdon

Registration for the Hell Of Hunterdon (l’enfer d’hunterdon) is now open!

A crew from NYC Velo will be heading down to Lambertville, NJ for this event (a 79 mile course filled consisting of 15% unpaved surfaces and lotso early-season hills).  For those out there who are looking for a pre-Battenkill warm-up (or for a stellar break from winter NYC riding) should put this on the calendar!

Contact us here at NYC Velo for transportation details.

UCI CYCLOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Streaming Live at NYC Velo

Bike Of The Week: Independent Fabrication XS EPS

Stan’s carbon-and-titanium XS from Independent Fabrication is the latest Bike of the Week (BOTW).  Stan chose the XS because its use of carbon tubes joined together by Indy Fab’s signature titanium lugs.  Billed (well, by us) as the “Best of Both Worlds”, the XS uses carbon tubes made specifically for the rider by ENVE Composites in Utah and ti lugs manufactured in-house (by Indy Fab) to the precise angle needed by the rider: the ride of carbon fiber and the customization of titanium.

Stan outfitted his XS with Campagnolo’s latest Super Record EPS electronic groupset.  Indy Fab designed the frame with fittings specifically for Campy EPS, resulting in a comprehensive, well-performing package. We don’t speak Italian very well, but Super Record sounds like the top of the heap to us, molto grande! Zipp’s “new for ’12″ 303 Firecrest carbon tubular wheels, stem, handlebar, and seatpost finish off the component specification of the bike.

While we can’t confirm that Stan’s new XS has made him a better rider, or that it’s won him some previously un-winnable town-line-sprints, we can say that it’s earned him the respect of his Morgan Hill cycling pals.

Product Highlight: Fizik Antares Saddle

The Fizik Antares (as reviewed by Harold):

One of our “go-to” parts and accessories companies, Fizik has been making high-quality bicycle saddles by hand in the Veneto region of Italy for more than 15 years. The Antares model is Fizik’s “Chameleon” shape in their performance road line. While it unfortunately doesn’t change colors at will, it is intended for riders who adopt multiple positions on the saddle while riding and whose flexibility falls between “very” and “not-so-much” (referred to as the Snake and Bull, respectively).

The Chameleon designation refers to the amount of spinal flex the rider has, according to Fizik’s “Spine Concept”. The Spine Concept is Fizik’s approach to guiding riders to choosing (and using) the the most appropriate saddle for them based on their flexibility. In Fizik parlance, the Snake saddles are for the most flexible riders who can place their palms the floor when bending over, the Chameleon saddles are for riders able to touch their toes, and the Bull saddles are for the rest of us with little flexibility.

On the bike, the Antares’s flat profile allows for plenty of movement on the saddle, which I really appreciate on longer rides. The nose of the saddle is also a little bit wider, allowing me to drop down a little bit, which came in super handy in the tristate-area headwinds. Along with the agreeable ride qualities, the saddle’s weight (or lack thereof) puts the Antares squarely in the top group of performance saddles. The heaviest of the saddles in the line, the K:ium, tips the scales at 189 grams, while the 00 comes in at a svelte 135 grams. Fizik also offers a convenient saddle demo program, available at NYC Velo, that allows cyclists to test ride saddles (both men’s and women’s models) prior to purchase. Stop by the shop or give us a ring to learn more about Fizik’s saddle line, tell ‘em Harold sent ya!

Bike Of The Week: Independent Fabrication SSR

NYC Velo proudly welcomes Franklin’s Indy Fab SSR (Stainless Steel Road) as the Bike of the Week!

This particular SSR was handmade by Independent Fabrication in Newmarket, NH using Columbus XCr stainless steel tubes.  Franklin chose a relatively conservative black/white/raw paint scheme that showcases the material’s natural aesthetic. The bike wears a new Campagnolo Record 11 groupset, pink Chris King R45 hubs laced to Velocity A23 tubeless ready rims, and a cockpit consisting of parts from Fizik and 3T.

Now complete, this SSR is ready to take on New York City’s winter riding conditions (snow/salt/freezing temps) in style!

Bike Of The Week: Crazy-Trained Indy Fab Planet X

NYC Velo’s latest Bike of the Week (BOTW) catapulted itself into the limelight after a strong showing at last week’s Crazy Train *Race* in Philly.

The BOTW is a Planet X cyclocross bike from Independent Fabrication, in steel.  This Indy Fab was built for its owner in 2002, along with the steel fork, of (mostly) Reynolds 853 air-hardened tubes.  Underneath its current cloak of sand/salt/mud/train sweat, this Made-in-Somerville, Mass cross frame wears an eclectic mix of SRAM Force shifters & derailleurs, Shimano Ultegra 6600 Single-ring cranks, Mavic R-SYS wheels (the replacement version) with Maxxis 700 x 33mm mud knobbies, Paul cantilever brakes, and Chris King headset and bottom bracket.

As has been written, the Crazy Train course was a mix of riding surfaces (sounds like cross, no?), including muddy singletrack, snowy singletrack, icy bike paths (that seemed like riding on cornmeal), railroad ties, piles of cinderblocks, and both improved and unimproved roads.  This Planet X (Tim Johnson rode a similar bike to win the USA’s first podium spot ever at a CX World Championship event in 1999) has seen a lot in it’s 10 years on the Mid-Atlantic-New England CX racing circuit, but the adventure along the tracks in Philly last week was the one to beat.

Evan Murphy (Team NYC Velo) CX Race Report

Imagine rescheduling a 2-day UCI C2 race weekend by 3 weeks. Then imagine the property owners requiring a course change to an entirely different location at the last minute. Even though both of these things happened to the Super Cross Cup organizers, it was still one of the best race weekends that I had all year. Race promoter Myles Romanow, who’s been promoting top-quality events along Long Island for well over a decade, had to make do with what he had. Granted, the course didn’t have many features, but the it proved to be fast, fun, and more importantly, represented the resilient spirit of cyclocross. 

I was excited to finally have a race sponsored by the shop I ride for (the SICX race was cancelled by #Sandy), and a UCI C2 event at that. I was hoping for a good performance, to say the least. It’s kind of nice to have a smaller race where I literally lined up with 25 dudes knowing that if I finished I would, at the very least, receive the minimum $18 UCI payout (the top 25 always finish in the money), my reward for a season of getting slammed by the pros. I had a decent start but started to fade early on in the race. This course certainly favored riders with lotso power as the long grassy sections wreaked havoc on my legs. The next few laps went as follows: get in a group of four, slip in a corner, lose contact, repeat. With three to go, I crashed on my front brake lever, smashing it to pieces.  I spent the remainder going into every turn with only my rear brakes, fishtailing everywhere, and bleeding minutes to the competition. I finished in 21st place on the day, just happy to survive.

photography by Athoney Benavides (aka ToneB)

That night, we drew the raffle tickets (to Benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief) for some of Seth Rosko’s custom cyclocross frames at Cannibal (restaurant) with some of the guys from NYC Velo and some of the raffle ticket holders. I was reminded again about the spirit of cyclocross; going out and cheering or supporting each other as we participate in this ridiculous sport is the same thing as having some beers over discussions about how to use bikes in a positive way to change our city. After finishing the last few gulps of Belgian Sessions (beer), I headed home to try and get some sleep for the next days race.

When I showed up for day two at the Super Cross I watched the Category 2/3/4 race commence on what looked like perfect course conditions: the corners were tacky (thanks to the rainfall) but not sloppy yet, so you could still ride pretty fast on some of the longer sections. By the time the Elite race started, however, the temperature had dropped and the course was trashed by all of the rainy races leading up to it. I slogged it out with 21 other starters, watching as they, one by one, pulled out of the race due to the dramatically worsening conditions. Every off camber section was like trying to ride slick tires up a wall of pudding. The course suddenly went from a grassy back-and-forth to a total mudfest requiring every ounce of concentration and technical skill that I had. At some point I got dropped from the group I was with and was eventually caught by NYC local Zoltan Tisza. Zoltan agreed to help me out so we wouldn’t get let lapped, though I botched a corner, and lost his wheel. I still rolled in at 16th place, my best finish in a UCI event all year.

photography by Marco Quezada

After my event was done I watched the remaining races go off and consumed more than my share of waffles standing on the sidelines, meeting new people, and cheering on the Category 4 race (which turned out to be incredibly exciting). I felt like I was really soaking up the good vibes of the New York City cyclocross scene. To me, this race represented not only the can-do spirit of the region’s populace as it rebuilds and adjusts to post-hurricane life, but what cyclocross has always been about: taping off some fun obstacles and going out to get rad with some friends. I’m so proud to be a part of this community and I have gotten so much out of representing New York City all over New England. Although it’s time to hunker down and get ready for the coming road season, I already can’t wait for next fall. Thank you again to NYC Velo (I can’t stress it enough that I would not be able do these races without their support), to Myles for figuring out how to throw one heck of a race (weekend), and to everybody I’ve met out there this season, thanks for making it a rad one!

Brett Champlain

Bikes Of The Week: Pegoretti Cicli Luigino Track X2

As NYC Velo’s “Month of Dario” continues, the bar is raised yet again for the Bike of the Week feature as this week brings 2(!) Pegoretti Luigino lugged steel track framesets. These framesets are noteworthy for a number of reasons, beyond the obvious pedigree.

The Luigino is one of only 2 lugged steel models that Pegoretti Cicli produces, and is available only as a custom order (and a 12-18 month wait list), with few exceptions.  In this case, Dario fabricated both framesets specifically for tradeshows, making them some of the only “stock” lugged steel Pegoretti’s in existence.

In the Luigino, Dario brazes the Columbus Nivacrom EL-OS tubes to investment cast lugs and dropouts.  The fork, crown lug and all, is also steel and of the throw-back one-inch steerer tube variety.  While both of these frames have 55cm top tubes, the seat tube is slightly longer on the yellow version and both are finished with horizontal track dropouts and Campagnolo Record headsets, $4650 apiece.