Praxis Works Conversion Bottom Bracket – PART 1...
— PART 1 — Just like with Consumer Reports, a lot can be said about actually buying a product to test. In this case, the tester is not beholding to the manufacturer. I bought this bottom bracket through my own funds and will share an honest review of my thoughts and experiences. On a second note, this seemingly simple review turned more complicated than originally thought due to ‘bearing issues’ which you will read about in Part 1. This article was originally going to be a short 2,000 word maximum review on the Praxis’ Bottom Bracket solution to the creaking and squeaking seen in most press-fit bottom brackets. Part 2 will review the Praxis technology. INITIAL OBSERVATIONS Since there are several versions of this bottom bracket available (pictured above), you will need to make sure that you pick the right one for your application. Praxis currently supports SHIMANO, SRAM and CAMPAGNOLO in BB30 and PF30 in 68mm ROAD and 73mm MTB as well as Specialized OSBB. To make this selection even more complicated, frame...
Read More
Having the Best of Both Worlds (Gearing)
OPTIMAL ROAD GEARING (for the rest of us) BACKGROUND Shimano’s latest Ultegra FC-6800 and Dura-Ace FC-9000 cranksets offer combinations not available by any other manufacturer. Shimano’s 4-arm pattern is designed so that there is no need for separate 110BCD and 130BCD cranksets. WHAT IS BCD? – BCD, or Bolt Circle Diameter is the diameter of the circle formed by the stack bolts. Stack bolts are the small bolts that hold the chainrings to the spider of a crank. In the past, most bikes came with full-size/standard gearing, mostly 53/39 chainrings. In order to support these larger rings, a 130mm BCD bolt pattern was used. The problem was that if 53/39 gearing was too big for you, the only option was to go out and buy another crankset, a 110BCD with 50/34 chainrings. This was called a ‘compact’ crankset. Shimano did away with all of this nonsense by redesigning their latest 6800 and 9000 cranksets to take ANY of their gearing, meaning, buy 1 crank set and you can easily interchange virtually any chain rings to achieve your needs. I say virtually since Shimano recommends a 16Tooth maximum difference between the large...
Read More
Dura-Ace Shift lever buttons now turn Shimano CM-1000 camera on/off!...
Here is main page – http://shimano-sportcamera.com/us/application.php But, in order to make this work, you will need to pair the camera to your Di2. It took a little finesse, but here are the steps to make it work. Just tried it, finally got it to work. Here’s the secret to pairing. 1) Update phone app software (latest 1.3) 2) update camera firmware (latest 1.2) 3) update e-tube project software (latest 2.10) 4) update Di2 components on bike to their latest versions 5) turn on camera and its Wi-fi 6) connect phone to camera Wi-fi 7) bring up camera app on phone and go to settings | pairing sensor setting 8) disconnect di2 battery (on bike) and leave unplugged for 30 seconds 8a) or disconnect/unplug EWW01 9) reconnect battery or eww01 10) shift FD a couple times to make sure di2 is awake 11) slide PAIR Di2 on phone app That should do it!!! Here are the official changes…. Version 1.3.0(2015/7/10) For even greater ease of use, the following SHIMANO SPORT CAMERA functions have been added or changed: ◦It is now...
Read More
InfoCrank by Verve Cycling
WHAT IS A BICYCLE POWER METER? A bicycling power meter is a device that measures the power output of a cyclist. Most bicycle power meters use strain gauges to measure the applied torque from the cyclist, and when combined with angular velocity, power is calculated. These are called Direct Force Power Meters and are sub-divided into single-sided and dual-sided power meters. Single-sided power meters will attach a strain gauge to either the left/non-drive side crank arm, the rear hub, or the crank. Dual-sided power meters will usually attach one strain gauge to the left crank arm and one to the right crank arm. Some newer devices, called Non-Direct Force Power Meters (Non-DFPMs), do not use a strain gauge. Instead, they measure power through handlebar-mounted units that utilize the principles of Newton’s Third Law by measuring a cyclist’s opposing forces (gravity, wind resistance, inertia, rolling resistance) and combining these with velocity to determine the rider’s power output. Non-DFPMs are claimed by their manufacturers to be fairly accurate. By definition, these will display a single value in total watts. CHOICES,...
Read More
FINISH LINE FIBER GRIP™
As founder of Bike Test Reviews, I spend a fair amount of time researching products. What works, what doesn’t? What’s good, what’s bad. Is it easy to use? How is it perceived by the cycling community? Is the literature easy to understand? Are the directions clear? Marketing hype or is this the real deal? Here’s an example of a simple product that works. Period. FINISH LINE makes a variety of products, all excellent and proven by the fact that their products have been around for a long time AND are still in demand. FINISH LINE makes chain lubricants, bicycle degreasers, brake fluids, cleaning products, tools, and specialty products – which includes Fiber Grip™. Most cyclists have either heard of FINISH LINE or have used at least one of their fine products. Recently, while reading through on-line forums, I noticed that there’s one BIG misconception … most think that ‘friction paste’ and anti-seize are the same thing. It’s clear that A LOT of people don’t understand what Fiber Grip™ is, nor what it’s really for nor why. Forums are full of cyclists putting...
Read More
Introducing Advanced Multisport Optics, better known as AMO...
AMO HIGH QUALITY SUNGLASSES Tim Hallworth is a perfectionist. He’s also an accomplished triathlete and, his latest addition to his resume now includes AMO co-founder. Tim is a “gear geek” who uses the latest cutting edge triathlon equipment. Tim also appreciates good equipment that works as advertised. But, one piece of critical gear was functionally lacking … Sunglasses. Tim mentioned that his go-to sunglasses slipped down his nose, the lenses fogged easily and the clarity was just not there. Not being satisfied with what his options were, he decided to developed his own! … Introducing Advanced Multisport Optics, better known as AMO. Tim’s goal was to create “a better brand of sports sunglasses.” For three years, Tim spent all of his free time and money visiting factories and testing every type of sunglasses to better understand the technical aspects. As Tim states “AMO sunglasses contain all of the many features needed by multi-sport athletes, not just some of the features as is the case with others [brands]. I believe AMO sports sunglasses are the best sports sunglasses on...
Read More