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Today Shimano kicked out a bunch of new dirt-related goodies, ranging from stems, handlebars, MTB dropper and yes, a gravel/XC dropper post. The Tharsis 3Five is a 100mm dropper post weighing in at 415 grams, with three post diameters (27.2, 30.9, 31.6mm), internal routing, and a 2-bolt clamp design with an MSRP of $330. Head to PRO to see more!
The Vault is Pivot’s flagship drop bar bike and for the forthcoming model year, the brand took a step back from flashy graphics and released two new colors, Firebrick Red and Deep Metallic Blue, while offering up a new bottom tier pricepoint GRX build.
Pivot still offers the Vault in 1x SRAM kits but the GRX 2x kit is $1,400 less in price than the next build (Force). Check out more on the Vault at Pivot.
Today is full of inspirational gravel videos! The latest from Shimano sheds light on Colombia, a country known for its coffee and amazing road riding but as this video showcases, the dirt ain’t bad either! Check out the video above and read the full feature at Shimano.
I know it’s gauche to bring up radiation in New Mexico but I couldn’t resist. Just look at the color of Michael’s Rex Cycles hardtail 29er that Sincere Cycles here in Santa Fe just finished up the build on…
The Santa Rita Pricklypear, Opuntia santa-rita, is a brilliant magenta-colored cactus, specific to the Sky Islands of Southern Arizona. The Ruta Del Jefe gravel race traverses this magical mountain range and this unique opuntia are the inspiration for Shimano’s new RX800 gravel shoes in a “purple and green” colorway. Pulling inspiration from the natural world brings awareness to these delicate ecosystems and the Santa Rita Mountains are still under attack from mineral extraction companies. Find out more about the fight to save these mountains at Save the Scenic Santa Ritas and see more details of these beautiful shoes at Shimano.
Remember these? Well after watching NOS pairs fetch up to $900 on eBay, Shimano realized it might be time to re-issue the SD50 SPD sandals. So today, on the 25th anniversary of the SD50, Shimano has released a special edition model, SD-501A, in a unique colorway. Inspired by Shimano’s second-generation SPD sandals, the new SD-501A delivers a sleek, minimalistic design with a dark navy upper and special logo accents. These sandals are available now in sizes 38-48 for $130.
Head to Shimano to see more information and to your local dealer to see a pair in person.
Back in 2016, at the end of the #dflthedivide trip, there was a great little 40th-anniversary party at FreeCycles in Missoula to celebrate Adventure Cycling turning 40. At this party, there was a real nifty bikepacking rig from a small company that was right at home in a nonprofit shop. The Advocate Cycles Hayduke. Now, Advocate has transformed into Esker Cycles, and though the road and touring frames are no more, Hayduke Lives! (on). These are my impressions of this nifty hardtail.
Shimano‘s Deore lineup has been a staple for mountain bikers since the sport’s inception and this year, the new and improved Deore line has something for everyone. This release is broken down into three main tiers, M6100 12-speed, M5100 11-speed, and M4100 10-speed. There’s a lot to go through here, so continue reading for more details.
The clean lines of a modern touring bike are hard to resist and for this week’s Readers’ Rides, we look at Jouko‘s Brick Lane Bikes Hitchhiker build. These frames are capable beauties, with a solid Columbus Cromor tubeset spec. Check out more details of this classy and timeless build below.
Unknown Country explores the motivation behind Jake Wells’ life and cycling career. Unknown Country was directed by Justin Balog and produced by Mixed Media Machine for Shimano.
Shimano takes a look at trail builders in this new video, the true heroes of the sport.
Perhaps you remember Stefan’s coverage of last year’s Paris – Brest – Paris? That moody 35mm photo gallery that captured the event in a way so uniquely really struck me as beautiful documentation of one of the most intense endurance races. Well, this is the bike that Stefan pedaled during the event and as many of you expressed an interest in seeing better photos, we figured we’d feature it here at the site. So read on below for all the interesting tidbits, with words by Stefan…
When I say Cervelo, chances are your mind doesn’t jump right to off-road bikes. It’s probably something aero like a time trial bike or an aero road bike. Big graphics, thiccccc downtube, lots of spandex, and other images pop into my mind. I’m sure I’m not alone. While it wasn’t exactly a surprise when the brand launched the Áspero – heck, everyone is putting out gravel bikes – I was taken back by how good the bike looked. The Áspero has a lot going on visually but delivers one hell of a ride. I’ve been putting in miles on one for a few weeks now and am finally ready to discuss what I like and what I don’t like about it so if you’re curious about the dirtiest bike in Cervelo’s catalog, read on…
Kona’s popular Libre DL all-road model has some changes in build spec for 2020. Most notably is the wheel package. The Libre DL now comes with 650b/27.5 wheels and a 2x Shimano GRX 800 drivetrain, giving this capable bike even more range. The Libre DL’s frame is made using Kona Race Light technology and is mated with an Easton carbon bar, Race Face carbon seatpost, Easton EA70 AX wheels and a Kona Verso Carbon touring fork. Retail for the complete build is set at $3999 with the frameset coming in at $1999.
-Frame Material: Kona Race Light Carbon
-Fork: Kona Verso Full Carbon Flat Mount Disc
-Wheels: Easton EA 70AX 650b
-Crankset: Shimano GRX 810
-Drivetrain: Shimano GRX 810 11spd
-Brakes: Shimano GRX 810 160mm front / 160mm rear rotor
-Seat Post: RaceFace Next Carbon
-Cockpit: Easton EC70AX bar/Easton EA90 Stem
-Front Tire: WTB Venture TCS DUAL 650bx47c
-Rear tire: WTB Venture TCS DUAL 650bx47c
-Saddle: WTB SL8 Pro
With five classes of Romax, Brodie’s do-it-all gravel bike model, ranging from the Comp for $2099, to the Carbon (pictured) for $3999, and many tiers of build kit and wheel options, Brodie’s offerings for these all-road bikes has something for everyone. The Romax has a steel, aluminum, and carbon frameset offerings, each with cargo bosses on the fork, clearance for plush and supple tires, and build kits ranging from 105 to GRX. There are just too many options to list, so head to Brodie to see the 2020 Romax for yourself.
Jamis’ Renegade received an update after being announced in 2016. With two new models, the C1 ($3,699) and C2 ($2,599), both competitively priced, the brand offers up two different carbon layup designs and the versatility of Shimano’s GRX component groups. This follows the trend we’re seeing this year with a lot of brands building their carbon gravel bikes with GRX.
While the C1 (in tan) has the better kit and layup (Omniad M30), the C2 (in grey) is over $1,000 cheaper and cuts cost with the more affordable layup (T700/FRP). Both frames have mounts for cargo and clearance for 40mm tires. See the full lineup at Jamis.
After Shimano licensed Chris King the design for Micro Spline earlier this year, the brand has ramped up production for these new drivers, with pre-orders beginning on January 15th for release on January 31st.
The King Micro Spline driveshell uses a new bearing and axle design making them their lightest ever ISO hubs. Micro Spline conversion kits will fit all ISO B Boost and ISO DH Superboost rear hubs. Available with either made-in-house stainless steel or ceramic bearings.
CONFIGURATIONS:
ISO B
148x12mm
24h, 28h, 32h
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bearings
ISO DH Superboost
157x12mm
28h, 32h
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bearings
Conversion Kits
Stainless Steel or Ceramic Bearings
148x12mm or 157x12mm
With clearance for a 26″ x 3″ tire and a bright, rambunctious color combination, this Beardman Bicycles was a real attention grabber at the Philly Bike Expo. The bright colors normally could distract from the details of a bike but it’s impossible to glance over some of the unique features. For example, it has a front and rear rack, with removable rails, in case you’ve gotta bring a big ol’ pizza pie back home.
The theme of this year’s Beardman was spooky, with a skeleton losing its hand to the King Cage Many Things cargo cage and a RIP grave marker on the front rack, precisely cut by Derek at Kannaly Metal Works. Beardman makes custom racks, which pair nicely with their segmented forks and precision welded frames.
Did we mention this beaut’s for sale? Holler at Beardman for the scoop! It’d look so good covered in your home dirt.
