New Wheels...

After hearing so much about how good my 30mm deep Kinlin with aero spokes are, my brother is thinking of going one "deeper" with a set of these 41mm S 4.0 Soul Wheels. Total weight about 70 or 80 grams or so heavier than my Kinlins, but, the weight is all in the rims.

The Soul hubs weigh in at 72g (Front) and 202g (Rear), 274g pair (weight without skewers). My two DA hubs weighed about 430 grams or so. That means the rims will probably weigh about 105 grams more per rim - say about 565 grams per rim with the wheel set weighing 1,680 grams. This is for the black set, cause the white rims weigh 30 grams more each - probably for the paint.

Soul also makes a set pretty close to my Kinlins, their S 3.0 with a 30mm deep rim and total weight of only 1,480 due to the lighter hubs. Hummmm....what do you choose.....increased weight or better aerodynamics???

In any event, the S 4.0 is pretty reasonable at only $420 shipped!

http://bikesoul.com/2009/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=36

2009 Metric Century Bike Ride

100km reward...this year's shirt is nice...

A perfect day. I usually NEVER ride this early...but this was how dark it was out my window at 5:45 this morning.

Today's clear, calm and flat conditions were a prefect for bike riding and a good test for my new Kinlin wheels. The Verdict - same as before, these things are awesome! They definitely make it easier to just cruise along without having to work as hard through the bottom of the stroke. Also, I've gone back to my Shallow Deda 215 bar and 11cm stem. The Deep bar just didn't feel as good in the tops and while standing...

This was the first time I can remember where on the way out, the wind in Kahuku was not bad at all. I was a little worried that we would face a head wind coming back, but, it was OK on the way back too. And, although I don't have a picture, the calm conditions made the ocean at Kahana Bay super clear and glassy.

This year's course was also a little shorter and a lot easier since on the way back to Haleiwa, we didn't have to ride up and loop around on the windy Highway. Instead, we took a shortcut turning right and riding right through the town...

Here we are, back safe and sound...it was a really good ride...

7800 > 7900??? Pt. 2

From Cyclingnews.com, the following:

"Columbia-Highroad is also running a mix of Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 and 7900 componentry at the moment. Most of the setup is from the newer package but many of the riders were using the older 7800 rear derailleurs. Cassettes and chains were also a mix of old and new but that is perhaps more due to stock on hand since the team needs so many of them.

Team officials wouldn't confirm as much but the rear derailleur swaps are presumably due to the older model's more durable - and stiffer - pulley cage. Given the abuse these bikes have been subjected to over the past few days, a little extra durability and resilience is likely more than worth the handful of extra grams in this case."

More reasons to save some bucks and NOT switch at this time...

Some Interesting Stuff...

Dura Ace 7800 > 7900??? - Looks like Cervelo Test Team, the team who actually BUYS their own grouppos (so that they can use what they LIKE), thinks 7800 Dura Ace is BETTER than the 7900. Apparently, the 7900 just doesn't shift that well in their new S Cervelo frames since it has some funky cable routing. In fact, I even remember reading, a while back, that a cyclocross woman pro also was also sticking to 7800 since it handles the mud better.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=/photos/2009/tech/features/ronde_van_vlaanderen109/RVV_Cervelo_S2_RD

http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech.php?id=/photos/2009/tech/features/ronde_van_vlaanderen109/RVV_Cervelo_Hammond_bar