Word on the Street...

If you make your rounds on the ol' interweb you might have noticed a few things last week: one at BikeReviews.com and then over at Handspun, our friends there had posted some pretty interesting stuff on their blog about us. Both on our new rim, the Major Tom, we've been pretty tight lipped about this rim but nevertheless we are super excited about it... more details to come, but for now enjoy David's write up on it:

Major Tom has landed!

08.04.2010 • Posted by: David

Never ones to be satisfied with their own success, Velocity has just released the Major Tom tubular rim- to the rejoicing of ‘cross racers everywhere. Like the Velocity A23 and the HED series of 23mm rims, the Major Tom rim brings the advantages of a 23mm rim to the tubular market. Having a 23mm wide rim allows for better tire performance, gives a larger contact surface for gluing tires, and adds strength without adding weight (432g advertised weight). Gluing wide cyclocross tubulars onto narrow rims can often be a challenge, and questioning the bond between the tire and rim is often something that enters your mind as you’re railing a corner at top speed during a race. The Major Tom not only gives a wider contact surface, but it also features a seam relief channel down the center, to help with consistent tire placement.

Additionally, Velocity listened to feedback from ‘cross racers and increased the height of the brake track to 11mm, making it easier for you to switch from your everyday wheels to your race wheels without so much messing around with your brake pad placement. Like the A23, the Major Tom shares a similar semi-aero profile that gives additional strength without adding weight.

Just in time for the season:

But don’t think that this rim is only confined to cyclocross- like the Velocity/HED 23mm predecessors, the Major Tom would help achieve better performance for road tires as well. We mounted a Vittoria Pave 24mm tire and it looked like the two were meant to be together.

Optimized:

We have a few of these rims that we’re building up for our own use right now, and we should have production wheels with Ultegra hubs and DT Swiss Competition spokes ready in the next few weeks- just in time for ‘cross season.

'Cross

It's getting to that point in the year, where both roadies and mountain bikers start looking towards the next season. Not necessarily 2011 but that rogue season that somehow brings both segments of cycling together in a joyous union; that is Cyclo-cross.

In what can only be seen as a huge year for us in the cyclo-cross arena with:

- the A23 rim and wheelset making the cross over from the crit circuit to the mud and barriers

- a brand new cross specific rim set to release in the coming weeks

- [with the UCI's latest rule change] our road disc hubs are coming into play in a big way.

What's so special about our Road Disc hubs? Well, for one they are instock, serviceable, durable and did I mention light? How light?

The front road disc hub comes in at 154 grams.
The rear road disc hub comes in at 348 grams.

We offer the road disc with both Campy and Shimano compatible freehubs. 6 bolt, 130mm spacing in the rear and 100mm in the front, both with sealed cartridge bearings. At this point we only offer this in a 32 hole drilling. Oh, did we mention that the A23 is comes in black 32 hole Non-machined sidewall and Sapim CX Ray spokes, colored alloy nipples are all available? Dare we say, hot wheelset? Yes!

For the weekend I'll leave you with the trailer for one of my favorite films on the sport, a must to check out on a rainy day...

Hell of the MIDwest.

In what might rival JBolt's write up last week, Matt has our next installment, with links and videos and all, for our '...because we ride' series. Enjoy.

Sometimes you have to ride fast. Really fast…really really really fast. That’s what this bike is for.

My fast bike is a Schwinn Circuit - built in Greenville, Mississippi in December of 1989. This is the one that got me hooked. This is the one that got me going 40+ mph. It was on this bike, that I first cried while cycling. Not because I was sad, not because I was elated, but because I was going so damn fast that the wind pierced my eyeballs until they welled up with tears. I’ll never forget that feeling. I’ve had more saddle time on this bike than any other in my stable, by far. By FAR. We’ve been through a lot together.

Epic 150 mile beer runs.

Bleeding lung mash fests with the Founders guys.

Leisurely strolls around Reeds Lake.

Alleycats, with gears, for the win.

Here’s how it’s put together:

Headset: Shimano 105 1” Threaded

Brakes: Shimano R600 with Kool Stop pads

Stem: Profile H20

Bars: Deda 215 wrapped with Cinelli Volee tape

Shifters: Ultegra ST-6510, nine speed

Derailleurs: Shimano Ultegra 6500 front, 6600 rear

Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 11-23

Crank: SRAM Red 53/39

BB: SRAM Red Ceramic

Chain: Shimano Dura Ace 7701

Pedals: Crank Brothers Quattro SL

Seatpost: Thompson Elite

Saddle: Selle Italia Turbo re-release

Electronics: Shimano Flight Deck (awesome)

Hydration: Velocity OG Velocage, bright silver

Wheels: Velocity A23 Prototype 24/32. Radial front, radial non drive rear, two cross drive rear.

These are the finest road wheels I’ve ever had the pleasure of “rocking”. They replaced a set of 60mm carbon tubulars and I don’t miss them. They roll just as smooth and they’re almost as good at cutting wind. I’m using Hutchinson Fusion 2, 23c tires filled to 90 psi front, 85 psi rear. I’m in love with this setup. I can’t properly express in words how amazing they feel. They make me want to ride more. They’ve made me a better rider. I’ve never been more emotional about a set of wheels and I’m not ashamed to tell you about it. Get yourself a pair and your life will get better.


All totaled this rig is a hair over 22 lbs. Twenty two pounds of cycling bliss. Twenty two pounds of freedom.

... machined ...

MSW or Machine Side Wall or cut sides or even simply silver sides. There are many different ways to call the braking surface on a bicycle rim. However you want to call it, machining allows for a consistent braking surface. If you do a search on the ol' intro-web, you'll find a number of differing opinions on whether a machined surface is necessary or not.

One of the many things that sets Velocity apart from other rim/wheel manufacturers is our ability and desire to provide you with a number of different color options. We offer both anodized, powder coated, and image rims to maximize the color choices for your personal style. Outside of our disc specific rims, most of rim are offered in both Machined [MSW] and NON Machined sidewalls. A machined surface is needed if you go with a wheel with powder coated or image rim but not absolutely necessary with the anodized [See Urban Velo].

All this to serve as a lead into a few rims of the many rims that we got in from Australia on Wednesday. We now have a limited number of 32 hole A23 NON MACHINED black anodized rims along with a full run of all the drillings [20, 24, 28, 32, & 36] of machined INSTOCK! As most are aware, the 23mm width partnered with a 700 x 23 tire provides increased control in cornering while not sacrificing rolling resistance; gaining all the benefits of a tubular tire without the hassle of glue, a 'clinch-ular' if you will. Coming in at around 440 grams as compared to the 564 grams in the Deep V, in rims alone it is possible to take around a half pound off of your bike.

So whether you are crit racer or one who rocks a fixie. Its hard to argue against the benefits you gain when switching over to the A23. This is a rim that is truly pushing the envelope in all aspects of cycling, as riders are discovering more and more possible applications for it.

As always, contact your local bicycle shop for pricing and to get yourself a pair!

_

After a short week, it's the weekend again and looks to be a good one. Get out and ride a bit. It's the right thing to do.

Weight Weenies Anonymous

Confessions of a Weight Weenie:

Hi everyone, my name is Jeff and I have a problem.

Hi Jeff.

Well, my problem all started when I met a father and son both named Neil. Yeah, that's right both Neil. Well, Neil and his son are both highly respected racers and some of the nicest folks you'll ever meet. They both have my problem. We all have anorexia of the mind. We think our bikes need to be lighter.

So I have taken this to some extreme cases. You see my 29er needed to be lighter so I started with getting rid of things like valve caps, then front gears because I love riding SS and only need 9 speed in the rear. Then went everything stock on the bike! [Alo note: The 2008 Fisher Superfly stock weight came in a shade over 23 lbs.]

I mean everything that I could afford to make this thing lighter. Trust me, it can be lighter but my budget only allows so much. So guess what? I got a drill press for a present one year ago and just started drilling. That's right, just like what you see on old road bikes: Drillium.

Now, trust me things have bitten me in the ass before and I now realize you can not win without finishing the race. So I do take that into consideration. But when I get a couple of hundred bucks to spend on my bike, guess what? I have to upgrade some thing or buy some thing to make my bike lighter. I have a real problem. I hope this support group will help me find a light at the end of the tunnel.

Parts List:

Stock:
- Fisher Superfly frame
- Bontrager Race Lite Handlebar
- Avid Juicy Ultimate Brake levers/calipers - Ti Hardware
- SRAM X0 Trigger shifter
- Race Light Saddle and clamp [drilled]

Not Stock:
- Woodman Carbon Seatpost [cut down]
- X0 Rear Deraileur [back plate drilled]
- XTR 960 Crank [cut to be made SS]
- White Brothers Carbon Fork [shortened all the way]
- Rohloff SS Guild [drilled with nylon bushings]
- Crank Brothers 3 Ti Eggbeater pedals [shortened spindles]
- Shimano Durace Cassette [12/27, because it's titanium]
- Shimano Durace Chain [as short as it goes]
- Rotors: Front: Scrub 160mm, Rear: Avid G3 14omm with 4 Ti bolts in each [because 4 is more than 3 and all the adapters are drilled]
- Foam grips
- Bottle Trap [drilled]
- Plastic Bell [not drilled.... YET]

Now for the best parts... the wheels.
Front: Velocity A23 28H custom painted black, Sapim spokes, Alloy nips, Radial non-disc side, 2 cross disc side, Bontrager X Lite hub with tubeless Specialized Fast Trak tire
Rear: Velocity Aerohead 32H custom painted, Double butted spokes, Alloy nips, 2 cross both drive and non-drive sides, Velocity ATB Lightweight Disc hub with tubless Schwalbe Furious Fred tire.

Total Weight:

17.15 lbs

You Jerk!

Yesterday over on the Bike Jerks blog, Jeff threw out a little love our way on one of the prototype A23 Wheelsets that we sent his way to rage on. We definitely feel his words are golden, especially when he speaks on the equipment he rides. His thoughts are being echoed by everyone who has gotten ride time on these gems.

Enjoy Jeff's thoughts:

To be upfront about this, the wheels were freebies given to me to test by Dave over at Handspun, and as you may know I have a tight relationship with the dudes over at Velocity. Let's not beat around the bush, I'm a huge Velocity advocate. They support the hell out of the alleycat racing scene, make great products, and have amazing customer service. To say I'm a fan of the company is an understatement. They are a shining example of awesomeness in the sometimes dark world of the bike industry. As a fan of the company, I'm always eager to beat the hell out their new stuff, so here's how my experience has been with this A23 wheelset.

These are by far the lightest wheels I own, or have ever owned. They are low spoke count, bladed with alloy nips, the rear hub has an alloy cassette body and aggressive cutouts, and the rim is pretty light.

I have been riding this set since the end of February on my cross bike. I have ridden trails, pulled the trailer, commuted, ran them into potholes and generally kicked the crap out of them for three months. I have trued the front exactly zero times and have only trued the rear once. The rear had some pretty good side to side action, but you have to remember that I would never ever build myself a set of wheels two cross/radial rear, unless they were strictly for racing. So given that, I feel like the rear has stood up to the beatings pretty well given that these wheels were definitely not intended for what I'm doing with them. I was riding a fat tire (38c) which I'm sure helped protect the rim, but still, for a lightweight road racing wheelset they've taken the abuse very well.

They're rock solid, super fast, and I think pretty darn sexy. So sexy in fact that I plan on buying (with my own money) another pair (likely 24 hole front two cross, 28 rear three cross drive, two non drive) for my forthcoming Peacock Groove. Or I may just swap these over to that bike.

These things are amazing, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a lightweight road rim, that can be used as an all-arounder as well as for racing. As for the hubs I've had no issues with them either.

_

And I know you're wondering... yes, the wheelsets will be available soon! Be sure to check out all of the other posts on the Bike Jerks site. Stellar photos and a solid read.

na...na... 'Na-ga.... Colnago!

This past winter, as we were dreaming of morning spring rides and warm summers, the head of our wheel department began to piece together a bit of a masterpiece. Slowly but surely, gathering the frame and parts of what became a beautiful complete bike.

That bike now graces us for today's '...because we ride.' Ryan's 'Nago, [some call the Lamborghini a Lambo' and being a work of Italian craftsmanship that it is, why not shorten it?]. Ok, fine... Colnago. Here's Ryan's write up:

I have needed a new road bike for some time now and this past winter it happened. The stars aligned and the deal of a lifetime fell into my lap. It came in the form of a Colnago Dream B Stay with a Flash carbon fork and Campy headset. A SRAM Force group makes the thing go and stop with the prototype A-23 wheelset makes it feel like a Colnago should. I owe a great deal of gratitude to all that helped make this bike a reality. You know who you are.

On a side note… How many people do you know with an Italian BB chaser in their tool box? Well, Paul Van Wesep has one and I’m glad he does.

News and Notes

Today a few of the Velocity crew are heading over to Quality Bicycle Products annual winter gathering Frostbike in Minneapolis. We'll have a set of the prototype A23 wheelsets on hand to check out, along with a number of our rims, hubs and wheelsets, in addition a few of the Handspun Velocity wheels. Be sure stop by and chat with Ryan, Matt and John.

Speaking of Handspun, there is a little write up on their blog about the A23 wheelsets with 105 hubs and how they have been handling over the course of a winter on a Surly Crosscheck:

A23 vs. MN winter

We’ve been having a typically harsh winter here in Minnesota, and aside from the snow, the ice cover on the roads and trails has been particularly difficult this year. The result of constant freezing & thawing is that every riding surface is covered in ice- slippery, very bumpy, and ultimately unyielding ice. Commuting in these conditions is an open invitation to calamity- be it slipping on the ice, or destroying your components through the constant hammering of the riding conditions.

We’ve spent the past two months commuting on a set of wheels built up with Shimano 105 hubs & the new Velocity A23 rims, and the new offerings from Velocity do not disappoint. These wheels have stood up to ice, potholes, and curbs and have remained 100% round and true. We’ll continue to put these through the wringer for the duration of the year, but after what they’ve been through thus far, they are looking like they can handle whatever comes at them.

And finally, we're part of another film project. The newest is called Souplesse, meaning:

1. To conceal all art and make what ever one does or says appear to be with out effort and almost with out any thought about it.
2. The ability of the coureier to display an easy facility in accomplishing a difficult action which hides the conscious efforts the went into them.

Souplesse Trailer 1 from Derred Andy on Vimeo.

Just a short word from the crew at Souplesse, Derred & Andy:

This video has been in the works for a long time, and we're almost done with out any serious injuries to the riders or the equipment. We are releasing a new web edit teaser with in a few days and we'll have a video submitted in to the bicycle film festival. That video will also be released on our website shortly after. We'd like to thank MD at Velocity and all of our other sponsors which you can view on our newly updated website (www.souplessefilm.com)

Hello, Proto.

Yesterday was an exciting day here at Velocity, some of you might have seen a little of this on our Twitter. Some of you have already gotten your hands on the A23 rim and know what all the buzz is about with having a wider rim on the road.

For those of you who haven't heard: The A23 is the continuation of our belief in developing and producing wheels and rims that are the best to ride with. Using aspects of our Aerohead rim, the A23 was developed to improve ride quality, cornering and aerodynamics without sacrificing weight, stiffness or durability. Coming in at 428 grams and 3 mm wider than the Aerohead, the A23 exceeded those expectations.

Although the 20mm rim has often been the bench mark for road rim width, the 23mm wide rim partnered with a 23mm tire provides a profile similar to a tubular set-up without the hassle of glue or the risk of punctures. This partnership between tire and rim allows for the plain between the two to be virtually the same, greatly reducing drag compared to a tire on a 20mm rim. With the wider rim providing the ride quality of a tubular with a clincher tire, there is less rolling resistance. The 23mm width allows for more flexibility in tire pressure depending on conditions and course, cornering is also vastly improved, especially at high speeds, because of the tires ability to maintain shape instead of slightly rolling with a narrower rim.

Part of the excitement from yesterday, was that we have been working for months to develop and produce a hub that when partnered together with the A23 rim would make this a combination the provides the ride quality you have come to expect from Velocity, and also pushes the envelope in price/weight ratio without sacrificing stiffness.

Enter, the A23 hub. We received the first proto-types and have begun to lace them up to get some real ride time and send them out to our trusted specialists for testing. You might have noticed that we are not offering the A23 rim in an offset. The reason for this, is that in partnering the A23 rim and hub together, the offset flanges of the hub allow for a better build with even tension on both drive and non-drive side. This even tension allows for a symmetric wheel that is stronger and stiffer than a rim laced to a 'traditional' flanged hub. Along with even tension, having a larger drive-side flange means shorter drive spokes which then correlates to more rotational stiffness. In layman terms, when you want to get up and go, the wheel will go.

After all of the prototype testing is finished, the A23 wheel set will be available Spring of 2010. Coming in at around 1400 grams a set and at a price point that is definitely going to blow your socks off, we are confident that it will be the best in it's class.

Tuesday Musings

So far today has been an enlightening day here around Velocity. Apparently some of the Velocity crew has had a bit more free time than others and have been branching out a bit. From cameo's on TV shows to rocking an Iron man or two, Matt and Ryan have been on top of their games:

First we have Matt making his cameo as the infamous underwear gnome:


And from the looks of it, Ryan's aspiring triathlon career is really taking off with his first magazine cover:

[We agree, this picture is extremely disturbing]

Looks like the guys over at Handspun wrote a little thing up on the A23 back in November. Must say that rim looks pretty sexy... they are in stock and available. Wheel sets with Velocity's very own A23 specific hub are looking to roll out come this spring. Contact your dealer for pricing!