Here's a set of my Typhoons. Have a close look. Clearly on their last leg. Glued and sealed in 2008, they are still solidly on, yet starting to peel themselves from the base tape. This is an example of how water...when it seeps in and under the sidewall sealant (AquaSeal in this case) damages the cotton and wreaks havoc on the cotton.

Note that these sidewalls were sealed after the tires were glued on. I will be applying sealant before I glue this year, trying a new product alongside AquaSeal as well to determine which works best. Much like FMB or Challenge treat their products. Dugasts are sealed, yet I'm not sure with what! It simply can not stand up to the elements.

The Ridley's have treated me unbelievably this seson.  A way better arrow than the Indian shooting it. The X-Night is a pretty sophisticated bike and is one of the new-generation frames featuring a carbon seat mast in favor over a seat post. This adds rigidity (especially in large frames like my 58cm) while reducing overall weight.

Out of the box, the X-Night's seat mast must be cut to the rider's appropriate height. The frame comes with a number of shims of various thicknesses as well to get very precise on the positioning. After cutting and getting my seat height dialed, my first couple of mounts and re-mounts demonstrated a noticeable "pop" emanating form the seat mast. A little concerning to say the least yet I couldn't diagnose the problem.

At Interbike, I had the privilege of meeting the Ridely bike crew from Belgium and their US counterparts from QBP and talked through my issue. Very quickly they walked me through the process and I wanted to share that with you as well, family of Ridley X-Night owners.

If you have a 'just-out-of-the-box' X-Night, ensure your shop has this set of instructions for ensuring proper cutting:

In my case, these were followed but even a super slight deviance from the required tolerance can result in the audible popping noise. Essentially, the issue results from the top of the mast not properly sitting in the 'bay' of the aluminum mast clamp. A remount will occasionally cause an ever so slight 'pull' from the top of the mast and yet another occasional mount will 'pop' it back into place...thus the audible noise.

The solution to eliminating the pop is a simple one however and comes direct from the Ridley engineering team and is practiced by both the Fidea and Sunweb Projob team mechanics on their rider's X-Nights in the Motherland.

First remove your seat mast clamp. Ensure you thoroughly clean the inside of the aluminum clamp and the contact area on the seat mast.

Next, use the recommended carbon/aluminum assembly paste which is Tacx (red compound). FSA and Ritchey also make what appear to be the same paste (and is probably all made in the same factory regardless...).Use an acid brush and coat the sides and top of the carbon.

Re-attach the seat mast clamp and tighten to the prescribed tolerances (inscribed on the seat mast clamp itself).

Voila you are done! I have not experienced the popping since I added the compound.

This is a pretty cool video to see how cycling clothing is produced. Vermarc is a great sponsor of ours and I have a deeper appreciation for the kits when I take them out of the bag!

Check it..

Vermarc Sport - english version (with subtitles) from Vermarc Sport on Vimeo.

For the 2009 racing season, the Boulder Cycle Sport crew has been decked out from a set of GREAT sponsors who supply us with bleeding edge equipment. I thought it would be cool for fellow racers and team managers to see what we’re rocking in terms of some of our clothing goods from some great companies.

Glacier Gloves:

My main man Jonny ‘The King’ Coln, former super soigneur for Slipstream knows that I have girl hands. I mean my boney chicken fingers become numb when the temps drop and I complain incessantly…and yet I still refuse to wear gloves as I’ve never found a set that are thinner profile and don’t sog-up with the slightest bit of precip. So he approached me and our BCS team one day with this in mind and gave us the low-down on the new equipment he is rep’ing.

Glacier Gloves are making an impact on the cycling scene. I had Jonny give me his background spiel on the gloves which I have been running as of late with the temperatures dropping these days.

“So Glacier Glove has a covert cycling history that goes like this:  they have been making paddling/fishing/cold weather gloves for a while and then a few years back one of the riders or soigneurs from Discovery got a hold of them and everyone on the team loved them for cold /wet Belgium spring races.
Last year when I was Head Soigneur (uh Bitch that is :)) for Garmin I was looking for gloves as the guys were complaining that they didn't have a good cold AND wet weather glove so I got a hold of the glacier glove guys and experimented with their products with some riders. They are really interested in creating a great cycling product and are looking for feedback to ensure they are creating a great product.   Your 002tbk is a beefier (on the palm) glove, double blind stitched seam sealed.  The Armstrong guy uses them all the time to (look at tour of Cali pics when it was wet).”

So after some early AM Wednesday Worlds rides and some truly cold and wet races this Fall, I cam vouch that the product is really spectacular I have been testing the “002TBK PREMIUM WATERPROOF CYCLING GLOVE” and would say that optimum temp ranges are from 35-45 degrees F. Any lower and you should likely run liners and any higher they will likely be too hot! They insulate well in that range. The other cool factor is that they are a fairly low profile glove. In other words they use thinner material to ensure you are nimble while shifting, etc, yet still keep your fingers warm. Obviously they are water tight!

MSRP for the 002TBK is $49.99 (their most expensive option) and Boulder Cycle Sport carries them (local folk) else go here to see who carries them in your area.

Vermarc

Next up is our clothing supplier for 2010, Vermarc! The way we looked at it, with the sponsorship by Ridley Bikes for the team this year, we clearly had to go fully Belgie and ride in Vermarc given their heritage in Belgian cycling having chamois’ed the heineys of some of the most spectacular cyclists of our generation. Nys, Albert, Boonen and more.  We are outfitted from head to toe with Vermarc but two of their products are indispensible for cyclocrossers: the skinsuit and their Roubaix warm up tight. 

First up: The skinsuit. I wanted to make a comment here on this critical piece of equipment, mainly to make team managers aware for their next season equipment orders. Cyclists are an odd lot physically speaking. We are sort of like T-Rex’s with huge legs and these tiny torsos and arms. In the past, my skinsuits would either be too big on top or too small in the bottom and squish up my junk. Vermarc allows teams to order custom sizes such as a Large top married to an XL bottom to dial in the fit perfectly. Genius! Someone finally got it! My main man Brian Worthy, who runs Vermarc USA dialed our team into all these attributes about their custom ordering process and it was obvious to the team that this was a great feature.

The other indispensible piece of equipment is the Vermarc Super Roubaix Warm Up Tight. Here’s the deal: For ‘crossers, we know the warm up is critical. We have a lot going on and our rituals before and at the start line are well known. On cold days, I want to keep my legs warm as close to the whistle as possible. In the past, this was impossible as I’d need to get off the bike, take my shoes off, awkwardly take my warm up pants off, put my shoes back on, etc. Pain in the butt! Vermarc has it dialed by giving cyclists NBA-style ‘tear off’ pants…like you see when dudes get off the bench, rip off their warm up pants and hit the court. The Vermarc Super Roubaix’s allow the racer to literally unzip from their hip to their ankles on both sides and the pants come right off in seconds. Super easy!

Better yet. they are SUPER warm as they are lined with fleece to keep those stems of ours nice and warm.

MSRP on these is $129.99 and Boulder Cycle Sport carries these as well (local folks). Contact Vermarc USA to purchase direct or see where your local dealer is.

Bike one moments after she was all done up and built. I cruised 'er around Elks and thus the lovely sweat stain smack dab in the middle of my chest. Sweet. Check out more bike p(o)rn videos on Boulder Cycle Sport's YouTube channel. 

OK, ‘cross fans! Bike 1 is done! The BCS crew helped with this first 2010 Ridley X-Night like a true team. Mike D on the tire gluing, Dwayne on the main build and Jeremiah on the finish, carbon cutting, etc. All said and done: 17.01 lbs! Boing! Awesome and an absolutely perfect fit. The team did a phenomenal job. Bike 2 is waiting in the wings for its build. Double boing!

The goods….

Like buttah, baby. DT Hugi 240’s, DT 14/15g spokes on Mavic Reflex tubular rims with Challenge Fango 34’s glued up all nice-like.

A close up of the FSA headset hardware.

SRAM Red and Force mixuture. Stay tuned for 2010 SRAM Force bits!

A close up of the seat mast hardware. I cut roughly 40mm of carbon. The hardware you see here comes with a set of shims of varying thickness to dial in the height exactly right. And if the need to sell the bike is required, you can essentially use these shims to build back ‘up’ all the carbon you may have cut off.

SRAM Red levers and TRP EuroX Magnesium brakes.

This is the K-Edge chain watcher. Pretty ingenious device. More reports later after I have time with it under fire. Note that it is mounted to a Shimano braze on clamp adapter.

And the X-Night with FSA-800 Carbon wheels an Challenge Grifo XS file treads. 17lbs of Carbon bling.

Boulder. It’s not just a rock. Nor is it just the town where Mork and Mindy hung out and bought suspenders and relished in their rad 80’s styles.  It’s a town of hyper-motivated folks who always have a gaggle of irons in the fire. Never resting; always moving. Probably the highest concentration of Type-A’s anywhere on earth. Amazing place, this Boulder.

Speaking of style, Boulder and its outlying area is and has been known to some of the leading sports-clothing companies on earth: Pearl Izumi and Decente? Yup, both here among a slew of others. There’s a TON of design, fabric and materials intelligencia here due to this outdoor sports and lifestyle concentration. So when an upstart like Panache Cyclewear opens its doors amongst this level of competition, they’ve got to be serious.

I am SO finicky when it comes to my cycling clothing…I’m always fidgeting: un-sticking chamois from my crack, pulling bib straps back into position as they slide off my shoulder and my least favorite: trying to organize my ‘junk’ to ensure comfort. I’ve been on a quest to find the right solution…and after trying Panache’s ‘Eleven’ jersey and bib, I may have found clothing Mecca.

Intrigued, I had to reach out to Panache’s owner and proprietor, Don Powell, and get the G-2 on Panache…and yup, a perfect segue for yet another chapter of ‘5 Questions With’!

1) GK: Whatup, Don! OK, let’s get down to some history first. Tell me about the genesis of Panache. What inspired you to build out the company?

DP: To make cool shit!  To up the style quotient in cycling apparel – and to create cool technical clothing that  I…and likely any other racer…could wear while training other than our team kits.  Cycling is the only sport in the world that trains and races in the same exact kit. Look at any soccer field and they’re decked out in training kits. We need other options like that – and we weren’t happy with the cartoon / bumper sticker options available in the stores.  At the same time, I felt that the level of quality was slipping in the cycling clothing and we wanted to create fast, comfortable clothing without compromise.  Thus was born Panache.

2) Got it. I am a TOTALLY finicky freak about the fit of my clothes as after 4, 5 or 6 hours, the littlest things drive me insane and totally distract me from having a good time on the ride. Tell me a little about advantages you have in your products as well as for teams looking for good quality kits.

DP: Time to delivery, quality and price are all variables as is fit and materials in this game.  For teams we make customizable clothing (e.g. we can put individual rider names/nicknames on their kits) on a chassis that is made for performance cyclists.  We use the latest in digital printing technology which allows us to hit any pantone (color) in vibrant color.  It also allows us to cross seams with design (so that the design matches up).  Our fabrics are top notch and most noticeably the jersey fabric is extremely pliable and wicking.  Our all-way stretch Pro-Stock chamois is what separates Panache from everyone else.  We don’t compromise and give racers a cheap ride, we give them the best.  Best means comfort AND it means performance.  The high density foam provides a bridge for blood flow and allows the rider to concentrate on going fast AND on going fast because blood doesn’t get hung up down there.

 
3) Bless you. My ‘nads are smiling already in anticipation of the next long ride in my Panache kit! So, let’s get down to the ‘real’ sport: What are you working on that can help outfitting cyclo-crossers for our needs? 

DP: Again the chamois is part of the equation.  Riding hard, bouncing, jumping on and off the bike… Panache smooths out the ride.  Another way we help out CX riders is in our vests and jackets.  We use a membrane technology that blocks the wind completely keeping the rider warm and dry.  We will be working closely with some of the local (Boulder) racers to improve and address some of the challenges specific to cyclo cross – and I plan on riding cross this Fall after my first immersion last season. I like the mud; I like “taking” corners; and you can’t beat the vibe at the races.  Although I haven’t raced much cross, I was actually teammates with two CX World Champions back in 1994: Radomir Simunek and Paul Herijgers, two hard working riders that taught me a bunch about training hard and paying attention to detail.

4) Classic! Herijgers is a legend! Speaking of legends, we have a boat load of them here in town as Boulder and Colorado in general seems to be the epi-center for cycling training, media and general ecosystem. Why Boulder for you and Panache? 

DP: I’m in Boulder because I love the riding, love the people, and love the weather.  Boulder is a great place for cyclists and has a heritage in cycling: the Coors Classic, the home of Davis Phinney, Andy Hampsten, and one of the epi-centers for cross.  Boulder is also a place that is evolving and growing.  There is a strong design scene here – folks like Joy Engine and Cypher13.  At the same time, the tech industry (techstars / me.dium / lijit) is growing, bringing in a more urbanite crowd.  For Panache, this is important because we are a cycling clothing company rooted in style and design that makes cool stuff - not just fast, technical clothing.  We like the convergence of sport and lifestyle.

5) My thoughts exactly about Boulder. That and my family THRIVES here. OK, the single most important question. Ready Don? Wellens or Nijs?

DP: The duels they have are insane, but if I had to pick, I’d go with Nijs – fluid style with a LOT of power.

Extra Points Tell us a little interesting tid-bit about your cycling past and if you can, weave in something about BEER:

DP: Good one! OK, heregoes: I rode professionally for Saxon in Belgium and we were sponsored by Brigand, a beer with a slight cidery taste; a big golden ale beer; a beer perfect for cold weather, mud, SCREAMING fans, and Cross.  How’s that for extra credit?

The lightest palette likely ever delivered to Boulder Cycle Sport rolled off the delivery truck last week! That, of course, was the highly anticipated palette of Belgian carbon goodness I spoke about in earlier posts. X-Nights, X-Fries, Crossbows and other goodies were unpacked and assembled for the show room floor including my highly anticipated X-Night frames. When they were 'presented', I got super weepy. Absolutely gorgeous.

I brought 'em home and proceeded to whip out the tape measure. The sizing (58cm) in my case was a 1/2 cm difference from my Rock Lobster frames but my ‘actual’ positioning on the bike will  be nearly identical. The geometry is more slack than the R.L.’s with a slightly higher BB so I’ll more or less end up in the same position…which for me is very ‘forward’ to enable me to be on top of the pedal stroke (think how you power on the flats on top of the stroke) and not necessarily behind it (think how you position yourself when you climb...e.g 'pulling' the stroke).

I wanted to take the time to show off the details of the frame before I get them built. There are SO many details here in the X-Night it’s worth a closer look. So without further adieu, and with the help of my Nikon, check out the X-Night with me!

The 2010 Ridley X-Night in her full glory. All carbon with aluminum sleeves for the bottom bracket, headset and rear drop outs. Claimed weight is 1.25kgs/2lbs 12oz. My 58cm is closer to 3lbs. Compare that to my 3.01 lb Scandium Rock Lobster (~58cm). Oh, and don't forget that includes the 'seat post!'

The paint scheme is unbelievable. They are not just decals applied but carefully sprayed graphics with a good helping of clear coat.

The BB30 bottom bracket on the X-Night assists with q-factor fairly dramatically. I will be running my 2009 SRAM Red cranks utilizing an aftermarket SRAM adapter to insert into the BB30 so I can use my standard BB's from last season (my wallet thanks me).

Freudian? Indeed the seat mast if STIFF! It will be cut to my dimensions and likely the last thing we’ll do when the bike is built.

The X-Night features INTERNAL cable routing! YES! Finally someone listened. You can see the front derailleur cable’s exit hole just above the bb shell. Instead of a roller (used when cables are mounted on the top tube and run down the seat tube, around the roller and up into a traditional road derailleur), the X-Night features this ingenious cable stop seen above.

One burly a_ _ fork! The X-Night’s Oryx fork is maddeningly stout and stiff. It features a 1.25 (upper) to 1.5 (lower) carbon steerer tube making the steering precise and brake chatter virtually non-existent. This is a common problem when using carbon forks and exacerbated with carbon wheels. Even with toe-in capabilities on some of the more progressive brakes like the TRP EuroX Magnesium's, chatter on carbon forks is notorious. The Oryx erases this. 

Another shot of the beautiful paint scheme.

The entrance for the front derailleur internal cable routing. There is an entirely sealed kevlar ‘pipe’ that your cable runs through completely sheltering it from mud.

Quick: What’s missing? See bottom of the post for the answer or try and guess!

Rear tire clearance by the bottom bracket is enormous. Seen above are size 34 Dugasts which leaves ample room for mud clearance. 

And even more clearance by the seat stay yoke where mud often collects due to the brake arms. 

The Oryx fork is no different. Again, mad clearance even with big tires.

If you watch any of the race coverage in Belgium, you know how peanut buttery the mud can get. Hamme Zogge’s course as an example is notorious derailleur shredder and has killed the chances of many a ‘sure winner’. The X-Night has thoughtfully included an ingenious replacement mechanism for BOTH drop outs (not just the derailleur side!). The are made of a plate of 7000 series aluminum bolted on ensuring the stiffness of a non-replaceable hanger with the practicality of a replaceable one.

ANSWER: No bottle cage bosses! This bike is a pure race breed. Super PRO.

(UPDATED) I loved seeing Sven when he'd tackle the Spring Classics. He'd attack the pave' and get himself on the front of the race to ensure cameras would see him attack the Kemmel and all the other cobbled climbs. The results never really materialized for Sven on the road in the spring which is why I love seeing him focus so decidedly on MTB since the Olympics last year...proving his dedication to using Dugasts from 32 to, now, 45.

Today he crowned himself King Of Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg in the 'Lowlands MTB Championships'. What was rad was seeing Dutch National MTB Champ and all around 'cross hard-man Thijs Al take 2nd and other crossers (Stybar, Berden, etc) lay down the gauntlet on the field including  some heavies...like Julien Absalon (3rd). All hail the 'crossers!

Click the photo below to view the pictures on the day or click here to read the story on www.sport.be (in Dutch....). Use Babelfish or Google to translate.

Oh, and what was Sven rolling on today? My 'cross loving sister and camera-carrying soldier in Belgium, Mieke De Cnodder, caught Sven on...ahem...these incredible wheels. Look familiar???

OK, now: you tell me. What brakes shaved speed for MORE folks who made the podium this weekend in Hoogerheide? TRP. That's who. My main man Lance from TRP compiled their team riders who ended up on the podium at this weekend's WK's and it is impressive...

Elite Men

1. Niels Albert, Belgium, TRP Brakes (EuroX Magnesium)
2. Zdenek Stybar, Czech Republic
3. Sven Nys, Belgium, TRP Brakes (EuroX Carbon)
   

1. Marianne Vos, Holland, TRP Brakes (EuroX Carbon)
2. Hanka Kupfernagel, Germany, TRP Brakes (EuroX Magnesium)
3. Katie Compton, USA, TRP Brakes (EuroX Magnesium)
   

Under 23 Men

1. Philip Walsleben, Germany, TRP Brakes (EuroX Carbon)
2. Christph Pfingsten Germany, TRP Brakes (CR950)
3. Pawel Szczepaniak, Poland

1. Tijmen Eising, Holland, TRP Brakes (EuroX Alloy)
2. Corne Van Kessel, Holland, TRP Brakes (EuroX Alloy)
3. Alexandre Billion, France

At the expense of an ad: What's stopping YOU?? That is pretty incredible.