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Tech News– April 4, 2003
Edited by Paul Mirtschin
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Mavic brakes
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A number of people have asked about the Mavic SSC road brakes that John Lieswyn mentioned on one of his latest diaries. John said "I was thanking the designers of our Mavic brakes, which use a special oversize leaf spring to multiply braking force against the rims, as I flew past guys who were either more cautious than I or riding on lesser equipment"
Well the brakes are not that new, but they are certainly different. Weighing in at only 314 grams, a shade lighter than Dura-Ace and 26 - 66 grams lighter than Chorus, the double pivot brakes do use a leaf spring to provide what some claim to be "exceptional braking power".
The engineers at Mavic have also coated everything they could with Permaglide, an anti-friction material said to increase the effective power.
These could be an option when looking for some lightweight braking power.
Six-pot Hopes
And speaking of brakes, Hope Technologies has started showing off its new Mono6 brake, a hydraulic disc brake that features six titanium-nitride pistons to clamp the twin pads.
The brakes also feature a floating eight-inch rotor, a design that is making a comeback since Shimano started using it in the XTR and Saint groups. The two-piece rotor allows the hot outer section to expand without the usual warping associated with one-piece designs.
No news on cost or availability, but expect the British downhillers to be lining up when the stock hits the shelves.
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LeMond Tete de Course takes first win
On March 21, the first of the LeMond's new titanium and carbon composite Tete de Course frames had its final clear coat applied at the factory. Less than a week later Saturn's Chris Horner scored the frame's first pro win with the mountain top victory in Stage One of the Solano Bicycle Classic.
The Tete de Course uses a 3Al/2.5V titanium spine on the lower half of the frame with 6Al/4V titanium dropouts. This foundation is claimed to yield the same compliance and light weight of the other handcrafted LeMond titanium bikes. The Tete de Course builds on this design by incorporating OCLV 110 carbon fibre tubing on the upper potion of the frame. It is claimed that the OCLV reduces the weight of the Tete de Course by 250 grams over LeMond's full titanium frames, as well as providing increased lateral stiffness for improved acceleration and climbing.
Rolf Prima sells out
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Rolf Prima has announced that it has sold out of its entire stock of 2003 Vigor wheels, and as such will be rolling out its 2004 Black Vigor wheel ahead of schedule. The new wheels include a black rim and hub with laser-etched Rolf logo.
Blair Winter, Rolf Prima's sales manager said "We had initially considered making this change at the end of the 2003 model year, but heavy sales volume has forced us to introduce our 2004 Vigor earlier than we anticipated".
Rolf Dietrich is the inventor of the paired-spoke bicycle wheel design that is licensed to several wheel builders, including Trek and Shimano.
New Control Tech components
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Wei Hau of Taiwan, the company who bought out Control Tech 12 months ago, has been busy showing off its new 2004 range of stems and bars to OEM buyers at the Taipei trade show.
Although most of Control Tech parts are manufactured in the US, the Taipei show allowed Control Tech to unveil the first of their Taiwanese-made components, including the Newton 3 road and MTB stems, which are made from either Scandium or 7075-T6 alloy, depending on the model.
Also on show was the new carbon-fibre range , including cranks, wheels, bottle cages and seatposts as well as the the new Comp-RH racing bar, which features internal cable routing. The carbon range all claim to have a higher strength due to Control Tech's "advanced moulding techniques."
Who is on Ambrosio?
Ambrosio has announced the full list of professional teams who have chosen to ride the 2003 season with Ambrosio rims and wheels. The teams are:
- Gerolsteiner
- Colnago - Landbouwkrediet
- Lampre
- Panaria - Fiordo
- Colombia - Selle Italia
- Tenax
- Vlaanderen - T Interim
- Labarca2 - Café Baque
- Maestro
A real lightweight pump
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Minneapolis based cycling product importer Euromedia Group has announced it will be importing the new CarbOne frame pump
The pump, made by Italian company Barbieri PNK, is claimed to be the lightest in the world, and with a claimed weight of just 69 grams, they might just be right. Moreover, its super-light weight design is claimed to pump tires up to 142 PSI.
The pump carries an RRP of US$34.95
Euromedia are also the importers of Thorius, Boeris and Alan
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