Cross

Garmin Brings Power To MTB Pedals

by editors on March 28, 2021

For those of us who ride mountain bike pedals ALL THE TIME, the new Garmin Rally XC200 power meters solve a power problem we’ve had for a while: double-sided SPD power with left and right metrics. Here, look at all the specs that Garmin is so proud about:

Rally power meters have undergone rigorous testing to increase reliability. Featuring a superior design with sensors housed inside, these sleek pedals install like any pedal. And they’re quick to transfer between bikes. . . In addition to total power and cadence, Rally XC200 measures much more. These metrics help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, so you can work to improve. . . Measure power from your left leg versus power from your right leg to get a better look at how symmetrically you’re producing power. . . Track the amount of time you spend in each position, and gauge position effectiveness. . . From road to gravel to cyclocross and much more, keep riding year-round with a transferable spindle that can be installed in the Rally™ RS/Rally RK road pedal body kits (each sold separately).

The pedals are for sale (in limited quantity) on the Garmin site right now and will only set you back $1,199 at the most (or $699 for one side). The pedals come in Shimano SPD, Look KEO, and Shimano SPD SL flavors and the pedals (can be swapped on the spindles). They really have thought of everything. (Pedal tops sold separately.)

[Link: Garmin]

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BOA’s New Li2 Dials In Style & Function

by editors on August 24, 2020

Our favorite cycling shoe closure company BOA is announcing and even better, smaller, more durable dial for perfect fit on cycling shoes. It’s called the Li2. Here’s what they’re saying:

Li2 is the ultimate in fast, effortless, precision fit. The lightweight and low-profile dial platform offers unprecedented durability against impact, abrasion, and contaminants such as dirt and debris. Compact in size but packed with power, Li2 offers benefits designed to meet the needs of cyclists at every touchpoint during a ride. Multidirectional tightening and loosening allows for incremental adjustment to accommodate foot swelling on long rides, or a tighter fit for steep climbs and sprints.

Better is better, right? This dial is showing up on shoes from Fizik, Scott, Rapha, Gaerne, Lake and DMT this fall, with Bontrager, Giro, Louis Garneau, and Specialized jumping in for 2021. For all the official details from BOA, please follow the jump.
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Every Cycling Event Is Cancelled

by editors on July 1, 2020

Editors’ Update: United States of America Cycling announced today (July 1, 2020) that all the following National Championship events have been cancelled for 2020: Pro and Am road, mountain, Grand Fondo, and elite, junior, and masters track. If you have a title from last year, lucky you. You get another year to hold on to it!

May 13, 2020

Rather than post a growing list of events that have been cancelled thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic take this as an reminder that EVERY SINGLE CYCLING EVENT that you were looking forward to riding, racing, watching live, or streaming online has been cancelled.

And while many event promoters have optimistically moved their events forward a few months, we’re going to guess that there will no mass start events going down for at least a year. Time to figure something else out. . . TTcross? TTmtb? TTcrit? TTgravel? Maybe? If anyone is hosting any solo racing events, please let us know. In the mean time we’ll be here tickling our keyboards.

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Cyclocross Will Not Be In The Olympics: The 2019 USA Cyclocross National Championships Get Muddy In Lakewood

by Miki Vuckovich on January 9, 2020

Click here for a gallery of Miki Vuckovich’s stunning images from Lakewood.

On the Thursday evening before the Elite racers took to the battered course in Lakewood, Washington, I stood in the Trek Store in Tacoma with about 50 cross fans, also in town for the 2019 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships. And, like them, I was listening intently as Katie Compton, the fifteen-time (consecutive) National Champion and the most decorated American cyclocrosser ever, addressed my spontaneous question (“Should cyclocross be in the Winter Olympics?”) with all the sincerity and thoroughness of a PhD candidate defending her thesis.

I honestly didn’t mean to provoke such a detailed response—her live interview with Cyclocross Radio podcaster Bill Schieken had concluded (you can hear the whole thing right here) and the rest of the crowd awkwardly hesitated when he invited questions from the audience. So, I opened my big fat mouth.

Part of their discussion covered the lack of sponsorship for cyclocross racers and races. So, a little Olympic coverage, it seemed to me, could change that. And, gee, wouldn’t it be cool to have just one bike race in the Winter Games?

Cyclocross doesn’t need the Olympics, she said. It thrives on a participant fan base, and that distinguishes American cyclocross from the European sort. And we Yanks deserve to make cyclocross our own. That seemed to be the theme of the evening.

The Olympics would bring in a less committed fan base, she continued, and that would change the nature of cross events and culture. We can grow it, organically, and continue to build it from a solid base. We’ve been doing great, so far. And she should know, she’s been National F’n Champ fifteen times! On Sunday she’d be defending her title and going for number sixteen. Unbelievable.


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Gravel Stoke’s Most Influential Grinders

by editors on January 7, 2020

The crew at Gravelstoke.com have compiled an amazing list of the 12 most influential gravel races of 2020. From the looks of the schedule it’s enough to keep even the hungriest gravel racer well fed all year around.

Sure, Dirty Kanza is on there, so is the Rock Cobbler and the Belgian Waffle Ride, but there are nine more that you might not have heard of. Click the link for the entire list. Read the whole thing, because they’ve also listed 29 other rides that look just as good. 

[Link: Gravelstoke.com]

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2019 Quick n Dirty Summer Series

by editors on May 7, 2019

San Diego County, California’s summer grass-roots mountain bike race season kicks into gear on Thursday May 9, 2019 with the the opening round of the seven-event QnD Summer Series. 

There are a couple fun changes for this year that will add even more excitement to the mix. . . The expert men category will have to contend wit the “dude, where’s my car” loop, which is certain impact the dynamic of the race, and we’ve also added a drop bar category to the schedule for all those that want to tackle our course on some skinny tires.

Races go down every Thursday night at the Lake Hodges Boat Ramp parking lot. Registration opens at 4 PM, kids race is at 5:15, and racers roll at 6 PM. Register ahead and you can show up at the last minute. We were just out on the “Dude, where’s my car” loop and it will offer some serious, single track climbing action. For all the official details, please click the link. 

[Link: Quick ‘n Dirty MTB]

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Tasco’s New Recon Ultralite Gloves

by editors on April 11, 2019

The news from Sea Otter 2019 has been storming in for hours, but here’s something we’ve been waiting for. Tasco today announced the release of their new Recon Ultralite gloves. Here’s what they’re saying about it.

Welcome to your new favorite Ultra minimalist performance love with all the features you need for your day in the saddle. When you want to wear a glove, yet fell like you aren’t — the Recon Ultralite glove is what you’ll reach for. These gloves are engineered to be the lightest glove on the market today without sacrificing the quality and fit that you have come to expect from Tasco.

The Recons feature durable nylon top of hand, conductive threads on index finger and thumb for working your phone without shedding your gloves, silicone grip on palm and fingers, a microfiber thumb patch, a seamless single layer “Tacti-cool” palm, and fitted “o-prene” cuff enclosure. All this for $38 a pair. Sounds just like our next pair of gloves. For all the official details on the Recon, please click the link.

[Link: TASCO]

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5 Reasons To Love the Wahoo Tickr HRM

by editors on February 2, 2019

When the Garmin HRM Run strap that came with our fenix 5 watch finally failed, we went back to the first heart rate strap that we’d ever worn and it reminded us how nice it is to have something that feels good, and works. Here are a few of the reasons we’re happy to have returned to Wahoo.

  1. Soft, velvety elastic strap that is snug without being too tight.
  2. Front snap closure. Know how cool front closure bras are? How easy they are to open and close? That’s how nice it is using Wahoo’s front snap closure. It connects the circuit and straps it up all at once. No fiddling with a side clip and then sliding into place. No label that’s constantly folded over and scratching up your ribs.
  3. Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity. This HRM will connect to nearly everything — watches, phones, bike computers…and really what else is there. Use it on the bike with a Garmin 520 for a ride and then pair it up with a smartphone for jogs and hikes. It really is that easy.
  4. Flashing lights to let you know it’s on. This may not seem that important but once something goes wrong it can be difficult to figure out who is to blame in the Bluetooth or ANT+ circle jerk. When the battery is dead the lights won’t flash. Duh. Simple but effective.
  5. Price. Who can complain about $50 bucks. Sure, it doesn’t have built in stride metrics, but who runs anyway and if you do, well, maybe you need a different strap.

If you’d like to join us in HRM heart rate strap comfort, click the link and grab one for yourself.

[Link: Wahoo Tickr HRM]

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Emerald Cancels 2019 Interbike Show

by editors on December 7, 2018

As if bicycle retailing in general can get any worse Emerald Expositions, owners of among other things the Interbike and Outdoor Retailer trade shows announced on December 6, 2018 that they were canning the 2019 Interbike show in Reno.

Instead, the company will research alternative plans for 2020 and beyond, including the opportunity to launch events featuring bicycling and bike-related components within or alongside its various successful, multi-sport trade show franchises.

In other words, until Emerald Expositions figures out how to save their flagging business all bets are off. Likely, Interbike will be thrown in with one of the Outdoor Retailer/SIA Snow Shows in Denver, Colorado. This on the heels of their President and CEO David Loechner announcing a rather immediate departure from the company on November 1, 2018  doesn’t seem suggest that bright a future for the company nor trade shows in general. Follow the jump for the official word from Emerald.

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Wend Wax Goes Day-Glo

by editors on July 12, 2018

Second to the silky smoothness we get from a well waxed chain, we love the smell of Wend Wax. Rubbing it on our chains is like getting the fresh blasting breeze of speed. But now, our olfactory isn’t the only sense getting tickled. Nope. Wend Wax is serving up their rub-on chain lube in six new day-glo shades of visual bling: blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and pink.

“Our mission at WEND is to follow suit with the legacy of Wax Research—which means we’re all about creating unconventional formulas that work along with bringing products to market that no one has ever created before,” says company co-founder Ryan Dahl. “This collection isn’t just big for us at WEND, it’s exciting for the entire cycling community and we’re happy to introduce something unique and fun that works even better than it looks.”

Isn’t it about time you got waxed in matchy-matchy colors? We think so. Click here to buy some or follow the jump for all the official details.

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