Shimano Dura Ace 7900

I wasn't going to do a post about the new Shimano Dura Ace group. The press embargo was lifted, so everybody and their brother has been talking about the group today. It's worthy of the hype- believe me- but I just didn't feel "up to it" with all the battles I've been having with our lovely healthcare system (it's the "system" I have the problem with). Today being a particularly annoying day, I just wasn't "in the mood"...

... but in the end, I am still a total bike nerd and new widgets excite me and I have numerous good friends at Shimano on top of it all. So here I am.


This is the same picture everybody has been using of the group- the plastic parts molded just for the picture and for the sample cases to show manufacturers (like me). For wax and plastic, they are pretty.

I'm not going to go into too much detail because both VeloNews and CyclingNews do a much better job than I could hope to.

That said, I do have to lend my comments, especially since there is a little confusion among folks;

Shifters- this new shifter does have much better ergonomics to me and my big hands. The new body shape is better. I still think the SRAM hoods might feel slightly better, but that is because of the flatter section that transitions from the bar to the hood. BUT... these new hoods are much better than the older ones- in my opinion. The new levers also add carbon lever blades and reach adjustment- two great features. Reach adjustment just makes so much sense and is long overdue. SRAM already has it, so it's not a first... but it's a welcome addition. Much has also been made about the new cable routing all being under the tape. THIS is the best feature to me. Sincerely, I always hated the exposed cables, so this is the best thing about the entire group to me. Almost.

Front Derailleur- Yep it works and it's lighter. What else? Not much... except that the shift plates were redesigned so that there is no longer a "trim" position in the front shifter. The pre-production samples I played with shifted flawlessly... as well-maintained show samples almost always do. The jury is out on this one. SRAM was getting slammed for not having trim adjustment until Red came out. With Shimano going backwards... it makes you wonder.

Rear Derailleur- Carbon fiber pulley cage and a wider gear range are the big bits. The carbon cage is now ubiquitous with other brands... so why not Shimano. Like the front, the rear gets new cable pull ratios for even quicker feeling shifts. SRAM's 1:1 ratio is hard to beat- even for Shimano- but if anybody can, it's the folks in Japan.

Chain- My biggest gripe with Shimano has always been the frailty of the chains- for me. Some folks never have problems with the Shimano chains, but I have been plagued. Whether it's been a chain I installed (which raises concerns) or one installed by somebody else, I have never gotten good wear from the chains and have had numerous chains break. The new chain should help with that problem. Best feature of the chain (and possibly even the best feature of the group) is the reusable master link! Gone are the days of wondering if you got the Hyperglide pin installed correctly. Like the master link used by SRAM, this one works great and is tool free... but this one can be used multiple times... unlike the SRAM link (though, I admit that I have used mine numerous times without a single problem or degraded shifting performance... but you're not supposed to and you didn't hear it from me...). More importantly though, the new chain is directional- meaning it must be installed a certain direction. This is supposed to enhance the shifting and improve chain wear. If all of it works as marketed (and Shimano almost always does) then this chain should make me a happy man.

Crankset- This is a tough one for me... I hated the 7800 series (for looks) when it debuted, but I ended up really digging it as time went on. You simply can not argue with the stiffness of the cranks. They are stiff... S-T-I-F-F. The new crankset is lighter and supposedly like 20% stiffer. WHOA! I don't think that all comes from the new hollow big ring, but that must help. I'm not sold yet on the looks- yet. I have to confess that I really love the looks of both the Red and Record cranks. Both are just very sexy to me. Sorry. But neither has proven to be as stiff as current Dura Ace and new Dura Ace is supposed to be stiffer. As a heavy sprinter, crankset stiffness has been a big deal to me. I'm happy to trade a few grams and the carbon "oooh" factor for a bit more stiffness. A new compact crank is now officially available with the Dura Ace badge now too. For some folks that won't mean a thing, but for the ever-growing population of compact devotees, this is huge news. So, I'm still trying to like the new looks, but I know I'll like the new stiffness and Shimano's best of breed shifting (sorry, nobody has ever beaten Shimano's chainring shifting performance).

Brakes- Shimano brake calipers have always served as the industry benchmark and Dura Ace has been the mantel carrier for the brand. The new brakes are lighter and stiffer and stop even better. The new pad compound is much better in the wet and is soil-your-skinsuit good in the dry. The new arch shape increases power and the new pads add more stopping power than you're likely ever going to be able to control. SRAM has some great brakes, truly gorgeous, but the braking power is still just a step behind Shimano. The new Red brakes are way close to the current Dura Ace, but the gap might just be opening a little with these new brakes. No denying, again, that I prefer the look of the SRAM calipers... but I have to tip my hat to Shimano for overall braking performance... they haven't been beaten yet, in my mind.

Cassette- The new cassette is kinda like the old cassette. The cogs have a newly designed tooth profile and better aluminum cog carrier that is supposed to improve shifting while being lighter. Ok... I trust them. The best news is that more size options are available than ever before; 11-21, 11-23, 11-25, 11-27, 11-28, 12-23-12-25 and 12-27. That's a lot of options and combined with a compact, that 11-28 is gonna be WAY popular. SRAM is giving Shimano real competition on this item, with the Powerdome cassette, but it is a real splitting of hairs to pick a winner between the two. The SRAM Red cassette is lighter and really cool with it's hollow design (though noisy). Shimano and SRAM are close here, but the "old" Dura Ace might've lost a little to the Red cassette. The new Dura Ace cassette is gonna either close the gap or make things simply too close to call now.

Hubs- Yeah right. Outside of Paris-Roubaix custom team wheels and a few folks who still prefer custom wheels (like me), nobody buys hubs anymore. It's a complete wheel world now. Gone are the days of buying a group and having new wheels built to your spec- consumers have almost entirely forgotten that joy (if they ever knew it). I personally miss those days and would love these hubs laced to some nice rims with a nice spoke and nipple combo... but even I ride prebuilt wheels now. That said, these new hubs are sweet. The bearings are beyond smooth and are now adjustable with a simple allen wrench. The rear freehub mechanism is still titanium and still engages really quickly. What else do you wanna know? That's what I thought...

Here's the deal- I've only played with sample parts in a controlled environment and they worked with 100% perfection. I haven't actually ridden anything yet. Once I can get my hands on a group (which might never happen) and I am fit enough to ride again, I promise I'll give a more in-depth review. That said, like all things Shimano does, they do their homework. The company can be beaten up for being slow to respond at times and maybe being too conservative, but they don't make too many mistakes... ever (I still say their pedals are the best on the market and I have become addicted to their shoes as well). Some people are complaining that the group is still too heavy- 2052gm vs the 2181gm of the current group. Well, a little extra weight might be the difference between riding and walking for many of us. Seriously- how many of us are riding le Tour or the Giro? Yeah, that's what I thought. These parts are still light enough that Pro Tour teams have trouble keeping bikes heavy enough to pass the UCI weight limits. I don't know about you, but a 15lb bike under my heavy ass is guaranteed to break- I promise you. These parts are light enough for riders who are much more picky about weight because they make a living on a bike... so they're light enough for me.

The thing that most folks will complain about is the lack of backwards compatibility with older groups or other groups. Most of the new parts, due to the enhancements/ changes/ upgrades, will only work with the new group. But these changes are long overdue and I am happy to see them. For the most part, Dura Ace has been unchanged since 2004... which is too long.

Shimano's PR Manager is a guy named Devin Walton. I've known Devin for many years now and I can honestly say that he's a truly top-notch guy. Devin is paid to be the mouth of the company and to tow the company line... but knowing him gives me that little extra bit of security because I trust him. I've had beers with the guy and have talked to him for years... he's good people. He's pretty excited about the stuff- no doubt because he's more aware of the PR war with SRAM than most people. Frankly... that buys a little of my attention.

Like I said, IF I ever get some parts to bolt to a frame, I'll report my findings. But on the surface of things and based on the prototypes I've touched... Shimano is back in the fight after a couple years of fighting for attention. This is what I talked about a few years ago when SRAM entered the group market; competition breeds innovation. Something both Shimano and Campagnolo needed.

I'm excited. The future looks bright for high-end enthusiasts.

Tim
(PS- For the record... Campagnolo is barely mentioned because I haven't ridden anything from Campy newer than 2004 product. I happen to know changes are cooking there as well and I am anxious to see what they bring to the table.)

More Taipei '08- Cool Products

Now we move on to the product section of our Taipei 2008 coverage. Our intrepid reporter picks up where he finished and continues with the highlights of the products that made Taipei Cycle Show 2008 so exciting...

Thanks for your patience- let's get to the good stuff now!


As a race nerd, I still seriously geek-out on cool stuff like these wheels. I never did find out who the actual manufacturer is, but several brands had their labels on them. They were pretty cool and light though.


There are many very talented frame makers in Taiwan. This particular one struck me for its very fluid lines and nice structural features- check out the beefy dropout area and the ridge by the seat collar area. The frame had a lot of great and complex shapes.


Biomega continues to make some of the coolest bikes I've seen. I just love their simple designs and creative touches. This bike just made me smile when I saw it.


One of my favorite trends developing right now is painted/ colored bars, stems and seatposts. Sure the finishes may scratch over time, but when you are creating a really beautiful bike and can add some awesome colored accents... parts like this are a great thing to have available. Keep your eyes open for a few well-known companies to be doing this... trust me on this one.


It's no secret that I'm a big SRAM fan. I still love my Shimano and Campagnolo parts too- in fact I just finished building a new steel sample frame with my Dura Ace parts (pictures later) and rode it tonight. But I've been one of the folks who claimed that SRAM's entry into the road market would be a good thing for all of us. Well, the venerable Rival group is getting nice updates like a black finish to match the Force and Red groups and is also getting a new carbon fiber brake lever. What was already a good looking group for the money is now a drop-dead-sexy group for the money. (Don't worry though... the folks from Japan are not going quietly into the night... not at all... but I can't say anything yet.)

One of the biggest product highlights of the show was these guys; Grammo.


I'm a true racing geek and love cool looking race gear, but these wheels were simply off the charts!


Thing is, they spun incredibly smoothly and felt very nice in the hands. The large carbon bladded spokes were very cool with two steel threaded spokes that went in to the rim and used regular spoke nipples.


These babies were just simply stunning- they really did a great job on the cosmetics.


I pretty much fell in love with them and fondled them each time I walked by the booth. They were starting to get a little concerned.


I'd love to say I talked my way in to a set of the wheels to test and report on for you, my faithful and wonderful readers... but I failed to even get any words out of my mouth because I could hardly breath from the hyperventilating.

So those are the product highlights that I'm allowed to tell you about... (nudge, nudge, wink, wink...). Next up will be some of the people who make going to the Taipei show such a good time.

So until the next time- good night!

Tim

HUH? SRAM chains and the pro peloton.

I caught this interesting tidbit today in an online Tech Report on VeloNews, written by Matt Pacocha;

In addition to Lennard and me, VeloNews editor, Ben Delaney (or "Ben Boonen" as we affectionately refer to him), is also putting time on Red. I've told him to "try and break a chain." You see we, here at the magazine, aren't quite convinced that there's merit in the professional peloton's current aversion to the manufacturer's chains. We'll let you know how things turn out in a couple of months.

Now, I'm no Pro Tour rider or anything, but I'm probably a chain makers worst nightmare if you think about it; I weigh over 200 pounds, I ride my equipment very hard and do not always maintain it very well (I'm spoiled, so sue me) and as a track/ criterium sprinter I tend to put a lot of stress on chains. Over the years, I have broken more than my share of chains. You name a Shimano chain from 8spd all the way up to 10spd since about 1991 and I've busted it. I've blown a couple Campy chains in the past. Taya? Yes. KMC? Yes. Sachs/ Sedisport? A couple in the distant past. SRAM purchased Sachs/ Sedisport several years ago, for the record. That said, the new SRAM 10spd chains with their Power Lock link have been flawless. The chains have almost zero stretch with many, many miles on them and I have used and reused the "single use" connecting link several times. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the Shimano or Campagnolo chains are bad chains, but I am saying that the SRAM chains are the best I've used so far. Why a Pro Tour rider would want to use a different chain is beyond me because their equipment is perfectly maintained and looked after. If anything, it is the common shmuck like me who should have a problem with the chains. I've been riding very hard on the PC1090R hollow pin, hollow link plate chain for numerous months and have not had one single issue with it. Sadly, with the Shimano chains, I would have normally replaced the chain twice (or more) by now. I love the products and the people at Shimano, but I do have to confess to liking the SRAM chains better. Sorry. On another product note; I recently got a very sexy set of the new SRAM Double Tap flat bar road shifters to test and have begun building a franken-bike to ride.

As soon as the bike is done, I will post pictures as well as a report on how the shifters work. I saw them first in Germany at Eurobike and was very, very impressed with them.

Another project bike is in the midst of testing/ riding and I will post more on that in the next day or two as well. It's one of my favorite projects in a while too, so the testing has been fun and will continue to be. So stay tuned for more.

Tim
(PS- Sorry for the weird formatting. Blogger does weird stuff when you cut-n-paste things some times.)

I'm a ramblin, ramblin, ramblin, ramblin, ramblin man...

It's been a while since I've cut loose with a full-on ramblin' post. So go grab a beer, or other bevvy of choice, and hang on...

Ivan Basso- You have got to be kidding me! No... really! "I know it's hard to believe, but trust me- all my previous wins were done clean... I was going to cheat with all that blood... but I got caught before I actually cheated. I know it was wrong, but..." (Not an actual quote, so please don't come suing my broke bike nerd ass.) Seriously? Really? On top of it, Bruyneel says that he's really disappointed that Basso lied to him. Umm... really? No sh@t Sherlock! I am trying to believe that he/ Discovery didn't know what the outcome would be if the investigation in the Puerto case continued... but I'm having a really hard time. No... really, I am.

Floyd Landis- Floyd's arbitration hearing has gone from pretty good, to ok, to not so good, to downright freakin bizarre. Now-former manager Will Geoghegan makes incredibly stupid phone call to Greg LeMond to try and intimidate him the night before he is to take the stand as a witness for the other side. Ok... that alone is one of the stupidest things I think I have ever heard. Really, this puts him in a league of nearly his own on the jackass/ idiot lists. What a dumbass! But... poor Floyd... I love you brother and want to believe the very best about you... but how do you not fire the asshole the second you know he did something so stupid? You find out what he did, just minutes/ few hours after the fact and then you don't do anything about it and try to hope it just goes away? Really? Man, that was a bad, bad move. Prior to this bombshell, I was totally in the "I am waiting for the evidence" camp. Now, I am terribly frightened for Floyd. Even if he is innocent of the doping charges, it is safe to say that his days of racing are likely over. With this ugly circus, which many believed would highlight a shitty anti- doping system, what team would want to sign him? This really does screw Floyd's chances pretty badly. Unless the anti-doping folks do something even dumber (dumberest), there's pretty much nothing to do but wish Floyd a great post-cycling career. Like I said, I love ya' buddy... but, man, that was a pretty stupid thing. That said, I'll still happily buy you a beer if I ever get the chance.

Thursday was the bike industry bike to work Industry Cup Challenge- sponsored by Specialized. Haro had it's best turn out yet, with 17-18 of 26 employees riding in to the office. Me, I rode in and back myself. First time since I've been with the company too... since I live 40 miles from work. So my commute was a whopping 80 miles. Heck, I used to ride 80 miles a day nearly every day when I was seriously racing, but those days are long since gone. I was riding super strong, for me, on the way in to work- making it in less than 2 hours (and that's with all the lights and stops). However, the ride home was a totally different story... taking me more like 2 hours and just shy of 45 minutes. I bonked, blew up, cramped, fell apart at the seams and generally stunk to high hell. It was almost laughable, except that I could find the energy to make any noise. There is one good climb on the way home (Torrey Pines, for you locals) and I was nearly swerving up the hill in the bike lane. I love the climb too- it's one of my favorites- but my legs were simply ca-flooey. I saw the Care Bears, Smokey the Bear and that duck from the Aflac commercials. One of them, I'm not sure which because I was totally hallucinating at the time, encouraged me to keep pushing on the pedals so I wouldn't fall over and have the little old lady on the old touring bike run over me. Thanks for the words of inspiration, who ever you were/ are. All that whining aside, I'd love to find a way to do that more often than every 2+ years. It's actually a really great ride and I have always had a soft spot for early morning rides. All those years of hard training early in the morning made a mark on me.

As much as it freaks me out to admit, it is time to create the next Masi catalog. I've already begun putting some ideas down. I'm sketching out what and how I want to say all the things that will hopefully entice all of you who have not already purchased a Masi to realize that you simply must have one. (You know you want one... or a new one.) If you've got great ideas, suggestions, requests, or whatnot... lemme know. Let me just say that you are going to like what you see... I promise. Really.

A&F Pro Development team- I love my team! These guys just keep rocking! Not only did Mark Hekman win Athens Twilight, but he held on to win the overall for the Southeast Crits race series. Sweet! I mean... super sweet! These guys then went on to roll strong at the Joe Martin stage race. Mark finished a very respectable 18th overall- not bad for a guy who is a crit specialist. The team rode strong in support of Mark, since he is clearly on a roll. It isn't a win, but it is another strong performance from a team that keeps on fighting it out with the biggest domestic teams in the US. Way to go guys!

Saturday afternoon I got out for a little ride. Just an hour to spin the legs loose after a hard Thursday. I didn't ride on Friday because I had a very super top secret meeting with Shimano. I could tell you, but... you know the drill. Special warm and fuzzy thanks to our man Daniel and his Shimano credit card... sushi is so yummy. I guess this makes me something of a whore, since our very good friend from SRAM, Brian Billington, visited just the week before and went for a ride with us and then went to lunch with us. Jeesh... I guess I am a slut. Anyway, to my point... on my ride, I stopped by Adams Avenue Bicycles to visit with my good friend Andrew Lee. Andrew and all the guys at Adams are just amazing guys. I love'em... in a totally normal, bike nerd way.


Andrew and his crew are some of the finest mechanics around this town, which is part of why I stopped by to see them. I had a technical issue to ask them about my drivetrain- for some reason, no matter what I do, the chain skips on the 11t cog. It never skips anywhere else. The shifting is totally perfect on every other gear. No skips, no nothing. The lockring for the cassette is the proper one for an 11t cassette, so the chain isn't hitting that. If you shift up the cogset slightly, you can see grease marks on the integrated spacer for the cog, indicating that the chain side plates are hitting the spacer. It is a general theory that this is why the chain is skipping- if I apply hard pedaling force, the chain slips over the 11t cog, as if the chain isn't grabbing the teeth. It's weird... excluding Daniel and Brian, anybody got any ideas? The cogset, though a few years old, has only seen a few rides and the 11t is nearly virgin since I haven't been able to ride in it. You guys at Campy got any ideas?

Ok... I think I'm done for now. Maybe...

Blog robbery... blobbery?

I'm stealing this from Smithers because it is funny.

Tim