New bikes from Cannondale, Colnago and Wilier

The Cannondale cyclocross team is testing a new SuperX for next season:

Internal wiring like the Slate is the new thing I’ve seen.

Then Wout van Aert seems to ride a new Colnago CX:

Doesn’t look very Colnago so we’ll see what happens til the next season for Colnago.

Last is Wilier, no rumors, but a new frame. Zero6 that should be really light, 0,6kg as the name says. Here built up with beautiful but heavy Shamal wheels. Odd build for such a light frame I think:

Le Peloton #68

My last peloton before Christmas was better than today. Awesome people today with Christer, Magnus, Niklas and Rasmus but the conditions was idiotic. Slushy snow that had frozen and some new snow on top of that, not made for a cyclocross with narrow tires. Today my Diverge wasn’t optimal, nor was me. The others disappeared and fought my way to the road to Älta. When I got there after some walking and some trying to ride I took the cycle path back to Stockholm. Rasmus was the only one who didn’t ride the cycle path on the way back, and he was on a mtb.

Map and stats: Strava

Magnus filmed the start (I’m far behind)

the beauty of winterriding

After discussing yesterday it ended with cafériding today, uncommon roads with fun people. Me and Emile rode to Brommaplan with some obstacles:

Met up with Jimmie, Isabella, Emil and Karim.

Started in the wrong direction but then we got right on things and headed towards islands, castles, singletrack and white beauty.

But already at Nockeybridge Emil and Karim got problems riding in the snow and turned around. Meanwhile Dan caught us. Isabella and Jimmie got a bit after and Isabella dropped. We took a longer way at one place and Jimmie rode with Isabella after we caught her.

So we ended up with 4 riders, 3 strong ones and me. In a funny winter landscape. Strange weather as our glasses froze so had to take the ice off them at some times and our clothes got icy too. Rode on small roads, found a great singletrack and had a good time laughing at my bike that was collecting all snow, should ride with fenders?

A collection of pictures today:

Back home after a little over 4h of riding and pretty tired. Sara went hard on the back to the mainland so had to suffer a bit. These rides are what builds the hardness towards spring and summer. A ride to remember.

Map and stats: Strava

Le Peloton #67

It all started like this:

Powder! Came a lot of snow, but a lot of air in it so easy to ride in. Was super fun. Not so many at Urban Deli today as on Wednesday but there were riders:

Magnus and Jesper came after the picture was taken. Magnus and I took the lead, me on tubulars and him on studded tires. Took it a bit easy sometimes to wait for him but rode mostly together until Erstaviksvägen where we turned around. Hard to go so fast when it’s so much snow.

Back to bikecafé Le Mond for a nice breakfast

Got company by 5 more guys a bit later which was nice, and good for the café 😉

A nice little picture of the 22-speed bikes:

A nice start of the day and let’s hope the snow stays fluffy and not get to slushy and bad now. So we can keep on riding and enjoying the beautiful winter landscape.

Map and stats: Strava

1st CX race of 2016

and the first one with my Diverge. There is a little Christmas cup here in Stockholm which I missed yesterday but rode today. In Sköndal today so on the standard course but with snow. 11 riders getting ready for the start:

1 Specialized Diverge, 2 mtb, 2 Cannondale and 6 Specialized Crux 😉

As you see there wasn’t so much snow but it was a couple of centimeters loose snow on the top so we had to have some skills to ride good, not that I had but it was fun and good training.

Erik Greijus won men adult and Marika Wagner won the women’s category. I came 7th out of 8 in men adult after 46min of racing.

(pictures of me by Paul Greijus)

Great to be able to ride with white socks and shoes in the winter too 🙂 Style is the thing when I’m not fast 😉

Worked to cross with a Diverge too, with tubulars everything works. The bike felt really nice without heavy wheels, studded tires and fenders.

But now it’s time to change the wheels for tomorrows ride and mount long fenders, lights and a bottle cage again…

Ending with a video from the first lap by Magnus who came 6th:

the geometrical advantage (on a roadbike)

There is many parts you can do better on a bike. Improve aerodynamics like a Venge Vias. Improve the weight like my SuperSIX Evo I had:

You can improve the fit of your bike with a BGfit for example:

But a thing you can’t improve on a bike is the geometry. The last thing you can change and then you change bike.

Like the Trek Madone 6.2 I had last year:

It was superstiff and it felt really fast, really fast. The biggest downside with that bike was that I didn’t use it enough 😉 but also the toptube, it shouldn’t make any difference but I felt it was too low.

And yesterday after riding my Specialized Crux cyclocross on road and a bit fast it didn’t feel as good as a roadbike. Because of geometry.

My Crux feels faster than my old Cannondale SuperX but they are pretty similar in geometry except bb height, chainstay length and the fork. Small small changes that makes a difference.

Cannondale have their Synapse, Specialized got their Roubaix as the best example. They are a bit longer, not as racy as a SuperSIX Evo or a Tarmac. People may talk about weight but it doesn’t differ so much if anything. The big thing is geometry and the small changes that makes the complete feel of the bike differ.

I believe that brands that have been on the market for a while with great success makes bikes that handles better than brands that just put their sticker on a cheap frame from China. There isn’t from nothing people talk about the riding feel of riding a nice Colnago for example.

Have you ever thought about geometrical differences between frames before changing roadbike?

Groopencross,

Today me and Birjer left the big city life to go to a sandpit outside Västerås to join their traingrace. Sometimes it’s great to just discover new places and racing with friends is always a win.

Groopencross is about sand and goes on gravel in the forest and on beaches around a small lake.

And for the comparsion it’s all about the bike, about gearing and the biggest issue tires.

• My Specialized Crux is the fastest CX I’ve ridden. Thought about it today, my Cannondale SuperX was a bit more comfortable but could never go as fast. Even trying my boss Crux last spring it was super fast so doesn’t have with all the cycling I’ve done this summer. It’s faster going straight and in corners. It’s just up to me how fast.
• Then the gearing. Riding a single chainring demands a bit more knowledge than riding with two. Groopencross was an easy course and never used lowest or highest gear. The Nationals where harder but suits me really well doing CX with 40t in front and 11-32 cassette. Just changing to 46t when I ride gravel or road as 40-11 feels a bit too easy then.
• Tires, hardest part in CX. As I’m working at Specialized Concepts Store Stockholm I’m getting good prices on Specialized tires. But I’m allowed to buy what ever I want. Specialized tires aren’t as supple as FMB or A. Dugast but they are the step under and lasts longer. Last year I used there middle tire Tracer but honestly I think a Grifo pattern would work better as allround. But what I’ve learned working with Specialized is to have different tires front and rear and not be locked to the same on both wheels. Today I like usual had a Terra (mud) in front and Tracer rear and for the first time I learnt about Tracer. It’s an awesome tire. Many small knobs giving you grip no matter how you lean the bike but still rolls good. A perfect tire for Groopencross with a lot of gravel and sand. Terra digged down in the sand so dreamt about a Tracer in front too today 😉 Funny to find the good things with parts you haven’t understood properly before.

So the summary of today it was really fun doing the trainingrace at Groopencross. (ending 6th of 20) and I really like my Crux. Like it so much that it will get upgraded with a new and better chain this week 🙂

A picture from after the race:

CX Peloton and the big Plouay

A bike can’t talk but it can give signals. My cx started to collect dust and begged to go out today so announced a gravelride after work but without answers.

Tried the Peloton CXloop for the first time with my own Crux. Last time I did it on a cx it was my boss Crux Pro the 25th March. Today the plan was just to have fun, no higher goals and I succeeded. My Crux feels stiff, fast but also so quiet. Took some pictures for you:

A little after this on the gravel out to Erstavik I found my gears limit, 40-11 was a bit too easy with tailwind. 😀 Around the small lap and then back. Went pretty good with not to big effort. And then I met a guy with orange bartape, could only be one so we stopped and met. Magnus was out training too.

Had a chat that ruined my Le Peloton Stravasegment but was nice in the sun 😀 A reason to ride it again in the sun and try to beat some personal records. Maybe next saturday.

Got a personal record of the little lap out in Erstavik today but a lot segments behind the ride I did in March 😉 Then it wasn’t as dusty as today so better grip then.

Map and stats: Strava

and the important thing today which I’ve missed. Womens last world cup of 2015 in Plouay!

Grand Prix de Plouay-Bretagne was today with a great podium. If you like me was out riding when it was UCI got a replay. Watch and enjoy Emma Johansson beat a World Champion:

Alp de Skarpabacken

At my dad this weekend celebrating Swedish Midsummer and cycling with my strong friend Henrik. Today we met up at Piren in Jönköping, me, Henrik and Christer who joined us for the first part. Me and Henrik went on the small roads up to Gränna and the soon famous Skarpabacken, a 2,3km climb with 6,6% average ending with a bit of gravel. Hard time for me but managed to come up 🙂

Henrik was fast and strong as usual on his SuperX. Great guy to ride with who always finds new nice roads 🙂

On the way back we got a nice view down to Kaxholmen and found a cow that didn’t want to hang out with me

Then back to Jönköping again. 3h20min on the cyclingaccount later. Great ride and happy to have missed the rain 🙂

The bike for the weekend. A Cannondale Caad10 with Sram Red and Zipp 202 from Öster Cykel:

Le Peloton #14, and the big thing

First things first. Wednesday and Peloton, was 14 riders on my 14th Peloton and I got dropped first. Sitting a bit low and 38×12 is too easy when the spring is here and people take of their studded tires and getting roadbikes and fast cxbikes. Passed one and had another one sucking my wheel more than half of the way. Great with a guy on your wheel, want to push more. Super breakfast at Le Mond as usual 🙂

The start:

And a last picture on my Cannondale SuperX before I started to strip, clean and sell the parts. Anything you want to buy from it?

Then it was like Christmas at work. Schenker came and delivered a package from Racing Shox Sweden. With big Marzocchi letters on 😀

32mm innerlegs with Espresso coating and 116mm travel. 15mm axle that seems good like Rock Shox. At the moment for remote but will be changed, Less is more and all of that. 😀

Seems really good and great to buy from a company in the same country where you also can get help if needed with parts, service and advices. Great service too. Looking forward to mount it and use it 🙂

But as I’m a weightweenie with a budget weight is always important, here it is with full length steerer tube and 15mm axle:

1644g. The axle is 66g.

My hope is that the quality feels better than DT, works at least as good as a Magura TS8, more plush with Espresso coating than Fox’s Kashima, and better to service than a Rock Shox. Will it handle the pressure?

I can tell you it’s a love at first sight, so much sexier than a Rock Shox SID.