Panaracer’s CrossBlaster tires came stock on the Salsa La Cruz that I’m testing, and I had been running them in all conditions for two months before the Michelin City tires came in.

After nearly two months of being used primarily on the road, the CrossBlasters show remarkably little wear. A friend of mine has been using them the same way for over six months, and they’ve still got a lot of life left in em’. Apparently, Panaracer’s ZSG Natural rubber compound lives up to its claim of being extra wear-resistant.

While the CrossBlasters don’t feature any specific puncture resistance, knobby tires are inherently more resistant to punctures since the tread is several times thicker where it contacts the ground. Panaracer does utilize a special slow-rebound rubber technology in the tire’s sidewalls to make them less susceptible to pinch flats.
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Michelin sent us a set of 700×32 City tires. Perfectly sized for a cyclocross or touring bike, the City tires are Michelin’s mid-priced urban tire. With wire beads and a puncture protection layer, these aren’t any svelte little racing slicks—they’re big, fat, bombproof commuter tires. In addition to puncture protection, the tires help keep you safe with a reflective sidewall.

These tires soak up road vibrations even at their recommended max pressure of 70psi. They’ve got enough volume to go off road, as long as you’re not riding in loose conditions. If your commute takes you through a lot of dirt, you may want to consider some cross tires with some tread above the sidewall. Otherwise, it’s kind of hard to beat these tires for commuting. While even bigger tires might add some comfort and versatility, the 32’s are still smooth and fast enough to keep up with traffic.

Michelin’s City tires feature a 1mm thick protective layer that seems to be working perfectly after more than a month of commuting. Only time will tell how they hold up in the long run, but it’s good to see no visible signs of wear at this point. Even after riding a lot of rough concrete.

On smooth roads the tires still hold their own as a reasonably fast-rolling tire. The lack of side knobs make them corner nicely, and while plenty fast, the rubber is grippy enough to inspire confidence, rain or shine. (more…)

Whether you’re a cyclist or not, one thing is for sure—we all love our mothers, our sisters, our wives, girlfriends, grandmothers and daughters. Another undeniable fact is that breast cancer takes far too many lives. While there’s little most of us can do with regard to advancing medical science, we can at least contribute towards the Breast Cancer Research Fund. Quite a few companies in the cycling industry have stepped up with products that benefit the BCRF, and the latest offering comes from Zoic.

Zoic’s women’s BCRF socks come in black or white, both with pink accents. The low-cut socks feature the www.bcrfcure.org website along the cuff, along with a pink ribbon graphic. For every sock purchased ZOIC will donate 50% of the net profit (about $1 a sock) to the BCRF.

The Korean-made socks are 83% “micro nylon” and 17% spandex. The material feels noticeably softer and thinner than a lot of cycling socks made from synthetic material. Prior experience with Zoic’s clothing tells us that the socks should hold up well to regular use and frequent washings.

Visit www.zoic.com for more information.

For the past six months I’ve been riding a funky old Firenze GL-5000 from the late ’70s or early ’80s. It’s heavy, cheap, and came with fabulous chromed steel rims that make stopping more of an act of faith than a guarantee. So when Brad here at Urban Velo offered to let me continue testing the Schwinn Madison first reviewed here and and then a little bit later here , I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

I did a couple of things to set the bike up for my daily commute and usual riding around Marin County, CA for work. I put an average of 150 miles a week on my bike. I started with a good set of lights - a Planet Bike Blinky 7 for the rear, and Cannondale Foresite Plus for the front. In order to keep the clean, cable-free lines of the bike, and be able to log the miles that I put on to it, I installed a Cateye Strada Wireless Cyclometer . Pedals are Shimano combo SPD/Platform for both serious hauls across the County or a trip down the street in my work shoes.
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I’m a fan of singlespeeds and geared bikes. I enjoy simplicity and I appreciate technology. Thus, I’ve got mixed feelings about cycling computers. While they provide lots of potentially valuable information, computers are also one more thing to fuss with. As a commuter, I’ve always enjoyed having a simple computer. It’s fun to know how fast I can go, but mostly I’m looking to see what time it is and how much farther I’ve got to go.

The Rebel 1.0 is NiteRider’s entry-level computer. I prefer wired computers because wireless units require a second battery and setup is more critical (the transmitter has to be in line with the main unit). At roughly $30 retail, the Rebel 1.0 isn’t as economically priced as most entry-level computers, but most of them offer a back lit display. Of course frequent use of the backlight will prematurely drain your battery, but since you have to hold down a button for three seconds to momentarily activate the light, the feature will probably get limited use. (more…)

Salsa Cycles may be best known for their chromoly stems and various frames, but they also make a fairly deep line of components and accessories. As far as I’m concerned, they make some of the finest no-frills replacement chainrings around. For a number of years now I’ve used Salsa rings on most of my singlespeed bikes, and a quick count shows a half-dozen of them currently in service on one bicycle or another.

Due to their lack of ramps, pins or cut down teeth, these rings are best left for singlespeed drivetrains though one can certainly shift across them just not as quickly or smoothly as ramped and pinned varieties. The rings are cnc machined from 7075-T6 aluminum to apparently very tight tolerances, as I’ve always found Salsa rings to be round with a proper fit on chainring spiders yielding consistent chain tension. After countless miles I’ve not had a ring warp and can’t say I’ve otherwise found a flaw in a Salsa chainring.

Available in most common road and mountain bolt patterns and tooth counts for less then $30 at just about every bike shop in the land, these rings make a solid choice for revamping a drivetrain.

nuun took a cue from Alka-Seltzer and created a sugar-free, fizzy-dissolving, electrolyte sports drink tablet with just a hint of flavor and easy portability. As compared to bottled sports drink or even the more economical powdered mixes, the nuun tablets are far easier to carry on a long ride and are much more friendly to reusable bottles and hydration packs being that they are sugar-free. Sugar-free means that your bottle will rinse clean and not grow anything funky, which tends to happen pretty fast with traditional powders.

nuun tablets are available in two sizes, one which is made for a 16oz serving, and bigger nuun for a 32oz portion. Each tube has a dozen tablets, do the math and that means the $6.50 tube of smaller tablets makes 192oz of sports drink and the $12.95 tube of larger tablets makes 384oz. Personally, I’d prefer if the tablets were in foil packets for single serve use and overall less waste than that of the recyclable waterproof tube.

Down to the nitty gritty, what’s in the tablets? The usual electrolyte replacement suspects, per 8oz of fluid; 180mg sodium, 50mg potassium, 18.75mg vitamin C, 6.25mg calcium, and 12.5mg magnesium. Pretty well the expected mix for cramp prevention and proper hydration on long, hot rides. The flavor of the tablets is subtle, sweetened with sorbitol and doesn’t leave a syrupy aftertaste even if it does have a bit of that fake-sugar thing going. It can’t be said enough - the flavor is subtle, and is definitely what I prefer on the bike.

Overall, for those who find electrolyte replacement drinks a part of their riding, nuun presents a nice choice with a price competitive with powders and far more economical than individual bottles of sports drink.

Bicycle tech geeks of the 90’s may remember Bebop pedals, now back on the market under new ownership after a few year hiatus sorting out some legalese. Clipless pedal design has followed two basic paths - one with the binding mechanism in the pedal, another with the binding mechanism in the cleat. Bebop follows the latter school of thought, with a simple two sided pedal and a cleat that has an opposing pair of teeth that engage with the underside of the forged chromoly pedal body rings. For the roughly $125 BBP-01 model which we have for review, the pair of pedals come in at 199g and the cleats at 75g putting this system squarely in the ultra-light category of pedals.

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Planet Bike’s Blaze 1-watt LED headlight is what I consider a high-end budget headlight. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but allow me to explain. In the world of commuter bike lights, you can spend as little as $10 to get an acceptable level of visibility on the front of your bike, and as you eclipse the $20 mark the safety factor goes up dramatically. At $45, the Blaze offers the level of quality and features a serious cyclist demands. In some respects, it even offers some advantages over lights in the $90 to $175 price range.

For example, Planet Bike’s simple Quick-Cam adjustable bracket works impressively well. A rubber strap combined with a cam mechanism allows the unit to fit a variety of bars and doesn’t let the light dip or slip. Like most quick-release mounts, there is a tiny bit of play between the light head and the mount, but it wasn’t enough for me to complain about.

The Blaze also accepts plain old AA batteries, which is pretty economical if you use a set of rechargeable lithium ion batteries. What’s more, if you get caught riding home at night and your batteries run out, you can simply get some from the store—a couple bucks is a small price to pay for safe passage home. With 7 to 14 hours of runtime per charge, a set of batteries should last most commuters a week if not more. (more…)

Jack Fraser introduced the mainstream cycling world to messenger-style knickers when he unveiled the Hypnotic brand about six years ago. The original Hankster Messenger Knickers created a significant buzz and in the following years a number of companies jumped on the bandwagon. Some produced more technical versions, others focused on the fashion element with little regard to the subtle touches that made the original Hanksters so popular. At $140, relatively few cyclists were ready to take the plunge, but those who did rarely had a complaint. Word of mouth spread and Jack sold enough knickers to introduce a women’s model.

Hypnotic updated the original design in 2006, resulting in a lighter, more functional and arguably more stylish product. Unfortunately for the cycling community, family life takes precedence over business for the Frasers, and with the recent arrival of twin girls, Jack officially closed up shop. He admits there is a chance he’ll jump back into the apparel game down the line, but for now the chance of finding a pair of genuine Hypnotics are slim.