New Xpress Reflective

We got some of our venerable New Xpress 700c tires in with a new reflective sidewall stripe. These will help keep you safe at night and of course features our HyperTex casing to ward off punctures. Shown is the 32c size. I was running 28 New Xpress tires previously, and while the 32s are a big tire, I haven't noticed a lot of additional rolling resistance, and all that tire goes a long way towards taming even the crappiest of roadways. I am looking forward to some longer, brevet-style rides this spring and some cycle-camping/touring. The 32c size is great when you load up your bike, the bigger footprint and volume really helps stabilize the bike.
































































Clearance on a Double-Cross, tons of room for fenders (or bigger tires):






















Tread pattern on a 32c (similar to the 28c and 35c patterns, the 26c and 23c are a bit smoother):

New Handlebar Projects - Part One

We are always on the lookout for interesting handlebars from the past. The Lauterwasser caught our eye a little over a year ago. We weren't sure if it was a very practical bar for today's bikes, for its super long reach design requires a very short stem or at least looks best with a very short stem. But it was hard to ignore the enthusiasts asking us to make one -- some citing it was the most comfortable bar they ever tried.

These first two pictures are our prototype. The second two are from Velospace and Bikecology. The picture from Bikecology is an actual bar made by Jack Lauterwasser himself. The Velospace one on the Raleigh -- don't know if it is a restored original or just a replica.
Ours doesn't have quite graceful curves of the original, but it cuts a nice profile. We are also adapting it to fit today's components. We chose a 22.2mm OD grip to fit flat bar levers mainly because we felt aero levers wouldn't be very ergonomic on this design. Width is about 47cm. We expect to get the first production in June or July.

Read more about Jack Lauterwasser from this BikeBiz article.

Tell Your Friends 'Why We Ride'

The goal of peopleforbikes.org is to gather a million names of support, to speak with one powerful voice—to let policy makers, the media and the public know that bicycling is important and should be promoted. Sign the pledge here. (discovered via Full Hands)

Many Updates On 2010 Frames

We will be receiving our first batch of 2010 frames next month. We don't go by model year, but we happened to group a lot of exciting changes to hit this spring, so calling it '2010' seems appropriate.

A quick run-down by model:

Rush:
(UPDATED 5/27) There will be a special edition Rush with Tange track ends, sans bottle bosses khaki green paint and alternative graphics/headbadge.

The current design with laser cut track ends will still be available in Slick Black and Pearl White. We'll see later in the year which version is preferred by dealers and customers.

Double Cross:
Our do-all frame gets a creamy Ivory paint job. New "rising sun" headbadge.

Double Cross DC:
Same ritzy but understated Midnight Silver paint. New "rising sun" headbadge.

ES:
Our road sport frame gets its name shortened to reduce confusion with our "Smoothie" road race frame. One color: Deep Metallic Red. Geometry gets tweaked on the smaller sizes, but you still have your choice of 11 sizes. New "rising sun" headbadge.

Smoothie:
Keeping the Pearl White from last year, but with refreshed decals. New "rising sun" headbadge.
Matching steel fork available.

Saga:
The touring frame keeps its Navy with cream panels paint job, but gets the new "rising sun" headbadge.

Stanyan:
Our lugged road sport frame will stay Slick Black, but will get new decals and the "rising sun" headbadge.


New metallic head badges: You'll see the 'rising sun' badge on most models.
The "Sutro Fog" badge is planned for the Rush and a couple of other models.

Buena Vista:
Our Bacardi White mixte frame will be offered along with a new Metallic Graphite paint. Decals will be not be removable this year. People seemed to prefer permanent decals on this model, though we've spied one awesome whited-out BV on the web. The White will get the "rising sun" badge and the Graphite will receive the "Sutro fog" headbadge

Groove:
Our classic hardtail will be offered in one color for 2010 -- Capucchino. New "rising sun" head badge. But we intend to offer the older colors - Slick Black and Baja Blue - through the summer.

Juice:
Our 29er frame will come in a kickin' Candy Apple Green. Other colors discontinued. New "rising sun" head badge.

B-Side:
Same color scheme as last year...Carmelized Orange with cream panels. Still one of the most handsome 650b hardtails around. New "rising sun" head badge.

That's it for now. Any models not mentioned here will be discussed on a future post. We have no photos of new colors yet. Sorry.

Custom Rush Build From Copenhagen

Track Bike Shop APS in Copenhagen built this sweet Rush up.
The artwork on the bars (that's not tape), Flite saddle and Zipp wheels by Bender. Click on the pictures for larger views.
We have some stock of Slick Black Rush's left, but the two colors for 2010 will be Pearl White and Khaki Green. These will be available mid-April or so. This will be the first year we don't do a black track frame.

Futura Bold Italia

Our friends at American Cyclery sent us some shots a Colnago Futura built up with a host of Soma white parts (stem, bar, clips, hubs). There were only 33 Futuras built in 2008.

The new owner proclaimed "It’s just like Mardi Gras!" of the polka dot paint job.