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.

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.

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.