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Quick Spins – May 7, 2007

Edited by James Huang

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Welcome to Quick Spins, an all new section within Cyclingnews' tech coverage were we put some of the smaller items that land on the tech desk to the test.

Truvativ Noir 3.3 Team + TNT crankset

The Truvativ Noir 3.3 Team + TNT
Photo ©: James Huang
(Click for larger image)

Truvativ's first fully integrated carbon fiber MTB crankset certainly makes a good impression straight out of the box with its luxurious unidirectional carbon finish and subtle graphics. In typical Truvativ form, an AL-66 aluminum spine is embedded within to help ensure proper alignment, and everything rotates on a standard company-issue GXP bottom bracket (which is finally compatible with E-type front derailleurs on 73mm shells). At just 806g for the complete assembly, Truvativ's top-level offering falls just 20g behind Shimano's new world-beater M970 XTR.

To put it diplomatically, Truvativ has not always had a reputation for delivering the longest-lasting or smoothest-shifting chainrings, but things have come a long way since then and its latest offerings promise to put those dark days to bed once and for all. A complex set of pins and ramps has been refined over the years to deliver quality shifts, and a new Truvativ Nickel Teflon (TNT) finish is claimed to offer superior durability and reduced friction as compared to standard aluminum surface treatments. At the very least, the new rings feel pretty slick to the touch.

Out on the trail, we can't say that we noticed a smoother-running or easier-shifting drivetrain as a result of Truvativ's fancy new coating, but shifts were commendably Shimano-like and our rings have held up surprisingly well after several months of use. The teeth still weren't much of a match for the occasional ill-timed rock crawl, but to be fair, even particularly hard hits were greeted with just a bent or scraped tooth. The big ring never showed even the slightest hint of warping, even on one dinger that managed to curl a tooth into an impromptu fish hook (sadly, though, that one got away…).

Truvativ's chainrings have come a long way
Photo ©: James Huang
(Click for larger image)

The carbon-over-aluminum arms were noticeably more rigid than Truvativ's top aluminum Stylo model, and the surface warded off those same jumping rocks (I could have sworn those weren't there before) with mostly surface scratches and clearcoat gouges. Even the faces of the arms seems to have held up well to shoe rub, leaving our Noir 3.3 test unit looking more like a 'well-seasoned' Sean Connery than a used-up… well, you can pick your own favorite 'I-spent-an-hour-a-day-in-the-tanning-salon-when-I-was-in-my-prime' actor/actress.

All in all, we wouldn't hesitate to add the Noir 3.3 Team to our short list of top XC cranksets. We still wish for less drag from the GXP bottom bracket, but SRAM just recently announced a ceramic bearing upgrade for its otherwise excellent system so things are looking up.

Weight: 806g (including GXP bottom bracket)
Price: US$439.95
Pros: Gorgeous finish, competitive weight, excellent shift quality and durability from new TNT rings
Cons: Standard GXP bottom bracket is in desperate need of a bearing upgrade
Cyclingnews rating: Click for key to ratings

Photography

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Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com

Velocity Wipes

Velocity Wipes offers handy wipes
Photo ©: James Huang
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I can just envision how the folks at Velocity Wipes came up with these things (initiate TV-style nightmare sequence here)…

…after the newborn's untimely 'blowout', one of them grabs a handy baby wipe out of its pop-up container and the air is fresh and clean again. Out to the car, another one spots an admirer's facial smudge on the driver's side window of his Knight Rider replica Trans Am… bam, a pop-up glass cleaner restores KITT to his early-80's glory. Another pop-up cleaner saves the microwave later that evening from an untimely death courtesy of yesterday's leftovers. The time eventually comes to clean the bike for the next day's ride and… hey, what am I supposed to do with this spray bottle and rag?! Ahhhh!!! (cue nightmare sequence end)

Ok, well maybe that's not quite how it worked out, but you can see how it might have happened that way, right? Either way, Velocity Wipes aims to offer cyclists the same level of convenience with its Frame & Rim Cleaner and Degreaser packs, both of which offer near-paper towel-sized synthetic cloth wipes presoaked with some sort of magical goop in a convenient plastic vessel.

As it turns out, the Frame & Rim Cleaner wipes worked exceptionally well. Save for heavy mud when a hose would work better, grease and grime are easily and quickly swished away, leaving a lustrous shine in its wake, and the wipe's thin material fits in tight areas that thicker rags might not. Surprisingly, one wipe also holds up long enough to do an entire bike from tip to tail.

Unfortunately, our experience with the Degreaser wasn't quite as favorable. By nature, bicycle drivetrains aren't terribly conducive to being cleaned with rags of any sort, and the relatively wimpy Velocity Wipes material doesn't stand much of a chance. Moreover, the included solvent isn't particularly powerful which is great for maintaining your Palmolive hands, but not so good for stripping that sludge from your 'this used to be silver?' chain.

At about US$20-25 per container of thirty, Velocity Wipes represent a fairly expensive luxury. We might be convinced to drop that for the Frame & Rim Cleaner, but would pass on the Degreaser.

Weight: come on now, do you really care?
Price: US$19.99-24.99, depending on retailer
Pros: Frame & Rim Cleaner work as promised, convenient packaging
Cons: Degreaser wipes aren't very effective, rather expensive
Cyclingnews rating: Click for key to ratings (Frame & Rim Cleaner): Click for key to ratings (Degreaser)

Photography

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Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com

TRP R950 road calipers

The R950 road calipers from TRP
Photo ©: James Huang
(Click for larger image)

For those of you who just can't quite satisfy your carbon fiber habit, TRP's sharp-looking R950 road brake calipers just might prove to be a reasonable fix. To be fair, the R950 isn't a pure carbon component as it consists of a thick carbon wrap over a minimal aluminum spine, but TRP insists the carbon isn't just a cosmetic veneer and provides its top-end dual-pivot caliper with class-leading arm stiffness. Teflon bushings, a full complement of titanium hardware, and Kool-Stop cartridge pads finish off the package which hit our scales at 290g for the pair including mounting hardware.

Setup is a cinch courtesy of the angular adjustment on the pads and the centering screw on the caliper body. The R950 delivers a firm feel on the road when paired with Shimano's Dura-Ace levers, providing good support to TRP's claims. The arm rigidity also translates into excellent braking power and modulation.

The R950 is directly comparable to its mainstream competition in terms of both weight and cost (although SRAM's Force calipers are substantially less expensive), while simultaneously delivering carbon fiber appeal. Moreover, TRP makes no sacrifices to shed grams as both calipers offer dual-pivot power, barrel adjusters, and cam-style quick releases.

If you don't mind the relatively obscure TRP brand name
Photo ©: James Huang
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Unfortunately, TRP's biggest obstacle may be overcoming its relatively obscure brand name. If you can get over the lack of label cachet, though, the R950 offers a legitimate high-performance alternative to the big names.

Weight: 290g (146g/144g front/rear, including mounting hardware)
Price: US$289.99 per pair
Pros: Stiff caliper arms deliver excellent power and modulation, fully featured, carbon fiber bling
Cons: No name-brand glitz to go along with carbon glamour
Cyclingnews rating: Click for key to ratings

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by James Huang/Cyclingnews.com