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