New Vacansoleil Bianchi Oltre, and Lotto-Belisol 2012 kits look spiffy

It's about that time of the year for teams and bike manufacturers to show off what's new for 2012. Vacansoleil, coming off a pretty successful Tour in 2011, will ride historic Italian bike manufacturer Bianchi in 2012. Bianchi not really Italian anymore (unfortunately) and is currently owned by a Swedish company that also owns other cycling companies. Bianchi is one of most historic names in cycling. Fausto Coppi raced to most of his historic wins with Team Bianchi.

Mario Ferretti, a famous Italian cycling announcer, in 1949 started a Giro D'Italia broadcast with arguably the most famous words in cycling history, "Un uomo solo è al comando; la sua maglia è biancoceleste; il suo nome è Fausto Coppi." ("There is one man alone in the lead, his jersey is celeste, and his name is Fausto Coppi.)

Celeste, the most recognizable and historic color in cycling.  I am so glad that Bianchi, who once went away from this color on its top end bikes, has finally embraced it. It is and always will be their signature. Anything from Bianchi that is not celeste is a disappointment in my opinion. The new Oltre has received good review, and i have to admit that the Vacansoleil 2012 edition looks really stunning.

 

I really love the FFWD wheels and the color matching, and it should be interesting to see how the kits will look to match the bikes. 

Talking about kits, Lotto-Belisol recently debuted their redesigned 2012 kits, and I think the look pretty good.

I really wasn't a fan of the 2011 Omega-Pharma Lotto kits, but this is really tastefully made. The team has signed a deal with Ridley, said to be a 8 year commitment from the Belgian company. The bikes that the team will ride in 2012 have not been manufactured yet, but Ridley's website is showcasing the design for the bike. (LINK)
Once again it seems like team and sponsors are really pushing some awesome new designs and as fans we should really be thankful because that's how the sport is going to continue to grow.  

Menchov signs with Katusha

Finally Denis Menchov has inked a deal with Russian team Katusha. This signing was a given since the death of Team GEOX-TMC.
He is a very underrated cyclist, and despite being up there in age I think that he might still have something left to say at a Grand Tour like the Vuelta or the Giro.
He is definitely past his prime, but he was always a quiet contender and if it wasn't for a slip while he was attacking the field, in the 2008 Tour he could have challenged Sastre for the win.
He also finished third at the Tour in 2010 so that's definitely telling that he still has a little left in the tank.
I like that he's quiet and he is never mentioned as an elite rider but his results are outstanding. He might not be flashy or outspoken, but the guy can surely ride a bike!

Jose Cobo might finally have found a team

It seems to me that for a Grand Tour winner finding a team for Jose Cobo has been way too hard. But today it seems that he has found a team. According to cyclingforall.net (LINK [link is in Italian]), Team Movistar is close to signing Cobo, and it appears that another undisclosed team is also interested in signing him.
Now, I understand that Cobo's win at the Vuelta seemed suspicious, he was never a great cyclist, and Team GEOX was formed on the defunct Saunier-Duval platform which never had the best doping track record,
but let's be fair Cobo won the Vuelta when he was 30, but it's not like he came out of the blue. He was the U23 Spanish Time Trial champion in 2003, won the Pau-Hutacam stage at the 2008 Tour, finished 9th at the 2009 Giro di Lombardia and 10th overall at the Vuelta before winning last year's edition. 
So I think that he deserves to be on a team, a World Tour team, and I wish him the best because, let's be honest, he was fun to watch at the Vuelta.

Cervelo S5 wins cyclingnews poll on best team bike: Are people blind??

So the Cervelo S5 just won the cyclingnews.com poll on the best team bike. (LINK) Now, I understand that team Garmin Cervelo is very popular because of its riders but are people blind?? Really? The S5 is the winner with 34% of the votes? What is going on?

Let me say that I don't have anything against Cervelo, I love their bikes, I love their company, I own a P3 as my time trial bike and I love it. But I seriously don't like the S5. If you get a chance to see it in real life it's really underwhelming. I think that Cervelo's paint schemes have been bland in the last couple of years.
Remember this is my opinion, but how can you say that the S5 is more striking than the C59, S-Works Venge, Dogma 2, or even the SuperSix Evo that Team Liquigas rides.
But looks aside, if you ride the S5 it's good, but nothing spectacular. The Dogma 2 is stiffer, and feels faster, the C59 is more comfortable and handles better, and the SupeSix Evo is lighter. 
Maybe I'm not considering some subtleties, but a bike should be judges on its performance, and on its beauty and in no way is the S5 the best team bike out there.

Colnago EPS (Round 1)

Here is one of my bikes, well my main bike, my life partner so to speak. 2010 Colnago EPS AKRD, the photos here don't do it justice. To me she is much more beautiful in real life, because of the intricacies of the paint job, and the way she is so tastefully done. The red is really vibrant and exciting, the lines are clean, but most importantly she rides like a dream.

It is equipped with Campagnolo Record 10, Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR, Colnago bottlecages (white), FSA K-Force seat post, Fizik Airone CX saddle. The integrated handlebars pictured above are getting replaced soon. I am leaning towards the Deda 35 in red. So i will update when these are mounted. Maybe one day in 2012 I will make the jump to 11 speed or electronic shifting or even both, but we will see.

SRAM Red 2013 details

And just like that, a week from details being leaked about Shimano's Dura Ace future 11 speed group, here is the leaked report of SRAM's newly redesigned Red 2013.
Seems like SRAM is going to stick with 10 speed for now, but Red does shed a lot of weight (reported 250-280g), making it the most lightweight group available.
Seems like a lot of the parts are getting a makeover. Starting with the brake lever body. According to Bikeradar.com, the newly shaped lever body is going to be more comfortable and offer a more secure handle.
Bikeradar also points out that there will be some interesting changes to the front derailleur, and the crankset. Everything is geared towards faster, more efficient shifting, while keeping as light as possible.  

Well this to me is exciting, as it's one more great competitor in the race to make the lightest, most efficient, and most usable groupset. Whether you are a Campy guy like me, or a Shimano guy, there is no denying that SRAM has really stepped up to the plate and has put some remarkable products on the market for both mountain and road bikes.

Here is the LINK to the bikeradar.com article

Shimano Dura Ace mechanical going 11 speed?

I read today on velonews.com that there are rumors (supposedly leaked documents) of Shimano Dura Ace going 11-speed sometime in 2012 for their mechanical group. (here is the LINK)
I think this is a big step, in my opinion this is Shimano's way to concede to Campagnolo that they were right and 11 speed is going to become the new standard for the next few years. This is also significant because of the fact that more cogs is synonymous with more efficient leg speed, as well as more options as far as gearing is concerned, but I wonder why it took so long for Shimano to come out with 11 speed after the success of Chorus, Record, and SR 11. 
I also find it interesting that there is a race between who copies who and on what between Campagnolo and Shimano.
Shimano won the race to have a successful electronic group, while Campagnolo won the race to go 11 speed, I wonder what SRAM is working on?
I also wonder what does the future hold as far as groupsets are concerned? It seems that disc brakes are definitely going to pop up in the future, but I have a hard time believing that everyone will embrace such a drastic aesthetic change from caliper brakes.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!

Salice 006ITA Review

The Salice 006ITA (equipped with PolarFLEX lenses) is a high end model from the ITA series from Italian manufacturer Salice. These cycling sunglasses retail for 110 Euros, and are available in white and black, as well as various lens choices.

Visually these glasses are stunning, the white is very vibrant and the Italian flag pattern is delightfully done (the reason i personally purchased this pair).

The glasses are lightweight, not at light as some glasses i have owned before, but we all know it's the fit that matters. I personally was very impressed with the way they fit me, it's like they are not there. The PolarFLEX lens is a plus, definitely THE best lens I've ever had on a pair of sport sunglasses. When riding at higher speeds they feel sturdy, the rubber inserts on the handles are very comfortable and don't dig into your skin even after several hours on the saddle.

I purchased this pair from M2Bike in Gessate, Italy. There is one retailer in the US that is listed on the Salice website.
Even the case is beautiful, it's a little bulky for my taste, but it provides storage for the extra pair of lenses that come with it. I chose a fog specific pair of lenses because Milan is known for its thick fog, therefore i need to be ready for when I ride in the motherland.

Final Verdict: Overall I am very satisfied with this product. Good to see that you don't have to break the bank for a real high end pair of sunglasses.The finish is beautiful, the lenses are great and easy to replace. The two drawbacks I found are that the case is bulky and there is no carrying pouch/sack for them.

My Score: 9.5/10

Colnago C59 Italia Review (From Bike Radar)

I thought a nice first entry would be something to showcase my heritage, since I grew up in the suburbs of Milan, Italy. I grew up in Sant'Agata Martesana, which is 20Km outside of Milan, but most importantly it's only 12Km (about 7 miles) from Cambiago (see map). So I am and always have been a Colnago guy, through and through.

View Larger Map

I stumbled upon this today on Bike Radar (bikeradar.com), and it's a nice review of the Colnago C59 Italia, and i have to agree with them, this bike is unbelievable. I personally ride a Colnago EPS and have tried the C59 and was very impressed. I will post a personal review as well as photos of my bike soon, so everyone will get a chance to see it. My father is actually considering the C59 150th Limited Edition. Lucky him!

C59 Review (Bike Radar)

And so it begins....

This is a blog about bikes, not only my bikes, must importantly my favorite bikes around.

I hope to showcase new, beautiful, and exciting bikes.

I don't care how many people read it or care about it,

because this is a place for me and my bikes, le biciclette di Gabry.