This week’s “Tech edition” has to do with bikes. What’s hot right now? My question was proposed to Mike Davis from the Radical Edge in Fredericton, a guru in the sports industry who definitely knows his stuff.
LMS: Mike, what bike is catching your eye for the spring of 2009? I know this is a broad question but maybe give us some insight into what’s new for us, the consumer.
Mike: Fit becomes extremely important in the search for the best bike. Most bikes can be properly fit to most people, but there are exceptions.
Best value tri bike for 2009? Probably the Cervelo P1.
Best road value? possibly a Trek 2.1 or 2.3.
Again, being professionally fit for whatever bike you purchase will enhance your cycling/tri experience and increase your performance.
LMS: Great tips Mike. Getting yourself professionally fit can save a lot of hassle down the road with neck, back and even leg issues. Here in Ottawa it costs a fraction of what the bike’s worth ($250). This usually consists of 4 hours of talking with a fitter and then getting the right fit for you. If you’ve never considered it, do so. It’s an investment that will pay off.
You want to see some more 2009 bling? Check these babies out! Reviews are from Bicycling.com.
INVISIBLE BRAKING: You can’t see the rear brake, and that makes the P4 faster. It’s tucked into what Cervélo calls an “alcove” behind the bottom bracket and is enhanced with a carbon brake booster, which gives it Shimano Dura-Ace power with a 30 percent weight reduction.
IT’S NOT THERE: Cervélo eschews a front-wheel cutout because the company has found that it’s advantageous only when the front wheel is directly in line with the down tube—steering corrections prevent such alignment. Matt Phillips
While some tri/TT bikes feel as if they sacrifice drivetrain and front-end stiffness as well as ride quality in favor of aerodynamics, the 596 has a surefooted feel, a crisp drivetrain, a nearly plush ride and a stiff front end. Exploding out of the start, hunkered into an aero position, we were impressed with how the 596 soaked up bumps, even with deep race wheels. And it tracks well: We were struck by how secure we felt in our tuck despite potholes and cross winds. The whole package—the efficiency of the drivetrain, the smooth ride and the confident handling—all worked together to allow us to keep a disciplined position. And that’s one key to speed that’s no secret.
Buy it: If you want to be on tech’s leading edge Forget it: If you want something stealth-looking —Matt Phillips
The Helium, a mix of 50-, 40- and 30-ton carbon fiber, does what all the light, stiff superbikes with massive bottom bracket junctions, seatmasts and oversize head tubes do—it jumps under power strokes, runs like a thoroughbred under LT spinning and cavorts up hills, without sacrificing all-day comfort. That’s probably why Cadel Evans rode one in last year’s Tour de France. But there’s some nearly indefinable quality about it that makes you grasp why a pro would choose the same frame for the brutal Classics: You feel not as if you’re rocketing above the road, but as if you’re mowing everything down—pavement, cobbles, gravel, hills, even the riders in front of you as you move through a pack at speed. Our testers—Cat 2 and 3 racers and nonracers, who rode the Helium in Pennsylvania’s rolling Lehigh Valley and at Atlanta’s famous Airport Ride—all expressed the same kind of visceral, emotional reaction. Call it what you will.
BUY IT: If you keep waiting for the kennel to mate the boxer with the greyhound before you buy a puppy
FORGET IT: If you’re not a hardnosed racer–with a hidden heart of gold —Bill Strickland
The seatmast (more of an exoskeleton seatpost that fits over a long extension of the seat tube) offers 100mm of adjustment with no cutting. And this same bike—though in red—is available in a performance version that, for our 54cm test size, had identical trail, chainstay length and head and seat angles, but with an effective top tube one-tenth of a centimeter shorter and head tube 3 centimeters taller for a slightly more upright, compact reach to the bar. The bike is made to fit you—rather than forcing you to fit the bike.
BUY IT: If Lance’s comeback has you putting in big miles
FORGET IT: If you’re hoping this is Andy Schleck’s year —Bill Strickland
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