Gear Break: Wahoo KICKR STEER, Colnago C68 Allroad – Enjoy beauty everywhere, the new Ritchey Skyline handlebar, Bianchi introduces Specialissima ‘Pro Racing Team’ frameset special edition, Classified’s revolutionary drivetrain breaks through into World Tour with Victor Campenaerts riding Spring Classics and BikeExchange offers ideal solution for North American inventory normalization.
Wahoo KICKR STEER – $99.99
Enhance your Wahoo RGT ride experience and racing tactics with KICKR STEER. This device puts in-game steering at your fingertips for a realistic, immersive ride. Simply attach KICKR STEER to your handlebars using the included Aluminum ELEMNT bike computer mount and place your phone into the cradle. KICKR STEER utilizes the accelerometer or gyroscope in your phone and responds to subtle movements of the thumb paddles to guide your avatar through the course. KICKR STEER easily attaches and detaches with a quick release design so you can ride indoors and easily remove to mount an ELEMNT bike computer for an outdoor ride.
- Uses the Wahoo RGT App or Remote App to communicate steering
- Left and right side paddles make it easy to steer your avatar
- Aluminum ELEMNT mount will holds KICKR STEER for indoor rides and ELEMNT bike computers for outdoor rides.
What you get in the box
Chuck Peña PEZ sez: This is one for the Wahooligans who are all-in with the Wahoo ecosystem, including the Wahoo X training platform that consists of SYSTM and the RGT virtual cycling app, because the KICKR STEER only works with RGT. Zwifters need not apply.
The KICKR STEER is a “some assembly required” unit. One nice touch is that Wahoo includes the required hex wrenches that store on the underside. Assembly itself is fairly straightforward and simple:
- Install the mount to your handlebars. It’s basically an out-front type mount the KICKR STEER slides onto but also doubles as an ELEMNT bike computer mount.
- Attach the steering paddles (marked L and R) to the arms on the unit.
- Attach the KICKR STEER to the mount.
- Adjust the steering paddles to a position that’s comfortable to reach/use them while riding (this might require some trial-and-error to figure out).
You won’t have to dig around your toolbox to find hex wrenches
Attaching the paddles is easy-peasy
The KICKR STEER slides onto the computer mount, which doubles as a twist-to-lock mount for an ELEMNT bike computer
Riding the KICKR STEER is also pretty easy:
- Sign into the RGT virtual riding app (in my case, on my Apple TV)
- Sign into the RGT Remote App on your phone (iPhone for me)
- In the RGT Remote App, select the screen rotation icon in the top middle for landscape mode and place the phone in the STEER’s tray.
- Select the Steering tab and toggle Tilt Control on.
- When the STEER is level, tap the Calibrate button to set the balance point for the phone’s accelerometers and/or gyroscope.
- Start riding and set the Sensitivity to what feels comfortable for you. Higher numbers will require greater input. (NOTE: This was definitely a trial-and-error process to find the sensitivity that worked best for me.)
- Tap or press down on the STEER’s paddles to initiate a turn in that direction.
- Voila! Just ride!
The steering screen on the RGT Remote App
I found the steering worked pretty much as advertised. Press down on the left paddle to steer left. Press down on the right paddle to steer right. Release the paddle when you reach your desired position on the road.
There’s definitely a “fun” aspect of being able to steer your bicycle riding in the pixels, but I have to admit that I’m not so much into the “gaming” aspect of virtual riding. Being able to change my line in a corner, shake off a rider in my draft, or slot in behind a rider to draft isn’t as important to me as just riding the watts. I’m happy just riding.
But for those RGT riders who are totally into riding in a video game, steering adds another dimension. Instead of RGT dictating your position on the road, you have control. That said, I don’t know that it makes any substantial difference which part of the road you ride on, i.e., if there’s any benefit. For example, if steering allows you to ride a faster line through turns, it wasn’t apparent to me. The one benefit I found was steering to position yourself to take advantage of riding in someone’s draft (either a real rider or one of RGT’s many bots).
Colnago C68 Allroad – Enjoy Beauty Everywhere
This is Colnago’s first model designed to go from smooth asphalt to light offroad.
The C68 Allroad is a dedicated version of the C68, a range of bicycles that best expresses the concept of ‘handmade in Italy’ and stays true to Colnago’s DNA, with the concept of multiple parts.
Colnago is pleased to present its first bicycle designed to go on any surface, from smooth asphalt to light offroad. With cyclists’ needs becoming more and more refined, Colnago is dedicating a frame to those who are looking for adventures and who are happy to keep going further when the smooth surface ends.
Colnago has always been, since its beginning, committed to beauty.
The pursuit of beauty is what drives us to ride our bikes, to lose ourselves in the streets outside the city, to seek out new routes and new landscapes.
Beauty is also the emotion we seek in every single product we make. A bicycle, for us, is a work of art. We take care of its proportions, details, materials and construction processes, and the C68 is the epitome of this concept.
The C68 Allroad is a hymn to this constant search for beauty. A quest that never stops, not even when the asphalt ends.
Riding enjoyment
The C68’s soul is based on performance but also oriented towards riding enjoyment.
Clean design, integration and modernity are at the core of the project. Unlike the road model, specific geometries have been studied for the C68 Allroad, making the bike more compact and comfortable, and with optimized tire clearance up to 35mm.
Wider seatstays and fork can accommodate tires up to 35m
Ride longer, ride further – even when the tarmac ends
Compared to the C68 Road, the C68 Allroad has a shorter reach and a higher stack. The rider’s upper body stays in a more upright position and their arms are less stretched out. This takes some weight off the hands and puts more on the saddle. This results in an increase in comfort, especially on rough surfaces or during long rides.
The C68 Allroad has greater tire clearance than the Road model. It can accommodate wider tires, up to 35mm.
Furthermore, to improve the performance on bumpy surfaces, the shape of the down tube is slightly different from the road version, and the chainstays and the seatstays are reinforced.
The result is the same superior ride feeling as the C68 Road, but enhanced for bigger adventures: you can ride on many different surfaces, i.e. dirt roads and uneven paths.
A detail of the raised headtube
Detail of the down tube, with an octagonal section, squarer and less pointed than its sister C68 Road
Quality manufacturing – Proudly Made in Italy
Colnago bikes are not meant to be ordinary.
Following the tradition of the Colnago C Series, the C68 Allroad is not a monocoque, but is composed of several modular parts assembled together by the hands of our artisans.
Some of the joints are left visible, while others have been masked with a complex process of bandaging.
The result is an essentially seamless frame, with a delicate stand out of the head tube and seat cluster.
The C68 Allroad, like every C Series Colnago, is an exclusive model, dedicated to all those who are able to appreciate the fine art of crafting bicycles. A mastery that Colnago is proud to have cultivated since the early 1950s, when our bespoke bikes started to win every possible race with the most legendary champions.
The C68 Allroad is entirely handmade in Italy, and continues the tradition of modular frames handmade in Cambiago
Commercial Info
Suggested price in Europe (Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, Shimano C50 wheels, Colnago CC.01 integrated handlebar, Prologo Scratch M5 CPC saddle, Pirelli P Zero Race TLR 700×30 tires): €15,335
Colors and set-ups available
The bike will be available in two color scheme:
HABG
HADK
The C68 Allroad will be available equipped with the following groupset options:
- Campagnolo EPS
- Shimano Dura Ace Di2
- Shimano Ultegra Di2
- Sram Red AXS
- Sram Force AXS
The C68 Allroad will be available equipped with the following wheelset options:
- Enve WS SES 3.4C
- Campagnolo Bora Ultra WTO 45
- Shimano Dura Ace C50
- Shimano Dura Ace C35
- Fulcrum Wind 400
- Fulcrum Racing 600db
Color personalization options
Unlike the C68 Road, for the C68 Allroad the “Studio” color customization won’t be available by the launch date.
‘Studio’ is a section of the Colnago website where users can choose to personalize the colors of their C68 by creating unique and special color combinations.
Colnago C Series
C means Carbon, Colnago, Cambiago, Class. 68 represents how far Colnago has come since the year in which we were founded, 1954.
C Series models are dedicated to the handmade multi-part Italian tradition processes and to those who love road bikes with a unique and exclusive design.
Colnago has another top-of-the-range model, the V, which is dedicated to races: the Colnago racing bike, the V4Rs, which has been built to win, and is used by the UAE Team Emirates and UAE Team ADQ riders.
About Colnago
Colnago Ernesto & C. S.r.l., known as Colnago, is a manufacturer of high-end road-racing bicycles founded near Milano in Cambiago, Italy, in 1954. The company first became known for high quality steel framed bicycles suitable for the demanding environment of professional racing, and later as one of the more creative cycling manufacturers responsible for innovations in design and experimentation with new and diverse materials including carbon fibre, now a mainstay of modern bicycle construction. Among the many Colnago victories – 18 Olympic Gold Medals, 63 World Championships, 23 Grand Tours, 41 Classic Monuments – Tadej Pogačar won both the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Tour de France riding Colnago bikes.
- More info on Colnago at: www.colnago.com/
The New Ritchey Skyline Handlebar
The brand-new Skyline handlebar from Ritchey offers progressive drop and reach along with an anatomical bend to make it the most ergonomic Ritchey road bar on offer.
Offering sublime ergonomics and unmatched performance, the Skyline is the newest handlebar in Ritchey’s deep line of road bars.
Born from the legendary mind of Tom Ritchey, the Skyline is the result of Tom’s thousands of hours of riding “research” and his desire to design a handlebar with fine-tuned ergonomics and that amazing Ritchey ride experience.
The astounding comfort and confidence of the Skyline starts with the ergonomic tops, which allow plenty of surface area to wrap your hands around and to disperse road vibrations. The anatomical drops double down on the bar’s ergonomics by offering multiple hand positions when riding in the drops.
However, the recipe for the special sauce of these bars is the progressive mix of reach and drop with the bar’s width. This combination offers true ergonomic consistency across all sizes, making the Skyline the most ergonomic road bar in the Ritchey line-up.
While the bar was designed with road riders in mind, the Skyline is sure to find many fans in the cyclocross world, where it’s sure to perform along the world’s most difficult courses.
The Skyline is offered at the WCS and Comp levels and is made with triple-butted 7050-T6 alloy (WCS) or double-butted 6061 alloy (Comp).
Having banked several decades of riding at least 10,000 miles per year, and still doing so, Tom has logged lots of hands-on (excuse the pun) time pondering handlebar design. And the new Skyline bar is the latest result of Tom’s never-ending quest to bring the best product designs to demanding riders everywhere so that they may enjoy every pedal stroke as much as he does.
Featuring ergonomic tops and an anatomical bend shape, the new Skyline is designed for amazing road riding experiences but also shines along cyclocross courses and anywhere else you would want a comfortable and confident drop bar.
Bolstering the multiple hand positions offered by the tops and anatomical bend is the shorter reach and more shallow drop of the Skyline. But the key to the sublime ergonomics of the Skyline is that its reach and drop vary depending on the width of the bar – offering true ergonomic consistency across all sizes. This combination makes the Skyline the most ergonomic Ritchey road bar on offer.
Specifications
- Material: WCS: triple-butted 7050-T6 alloy
- Comp: double-butted 6061 alloy
- Bend shape: anatomical
- Top section: ergonomic
- Width: 38, 40, 42, 44cm
- Drop/Reach: 38cm: 115/70mm; 40cm: 115/70mm;
- 42cm: 120/75mm; 44cm – 125/80mm
- Drop flare: 5°
- Flare out: 0°
- Backsweep: 4.5°
- Clamp diameter: 31.8mm
- Accessory mount diameter: 31.8mm
- Compatible with Shimano EW-RS910 junction box
- Clip-on compatibility: yes
- Weight: WCS: 275g (42cm)
- Comp: 295g (42cm)
- Color: WCS: Blatte
- Comp: BB black
Pricing:
- WCS Skyline – €109.90 / $109.95 / £92.90
- Comp Skyline – €54.90 / $54.95 / £46.90
- The new Ritchey Skyline handlebar is available now through local retailers, online partners, and the Ritchey web site.
Bianchi Introduces Specialissima ‘Pro Racing Team’ Frameset Special Edition
To mark its return to the premier WorldTour circuit, Bianchi has created an exclusive edition of the signature Reparto Corse Specialissima frame, available online at bianchi.com
Specialissima.
The exclusive Specialissima frame in the new and limited “Pro racing Team” edition is designed to provide true fans with a work of art
The exclusive Specialissima frame in the new and limited “Pro racing Team” edition is designed to provide true fans with a work of art expertly prepared by the Bianchi Reparto Corse. This frame is not only for collectors but also intended for road use, combining aesthetic refinement, low weight, and sport performance.
The Specialissima frame’s all-rounder identity and its specific geometry have been built into a lightweight frame (only 750g for size 55) with the stiffness required by WorldTour athletes. These singular qualities allow it to attack climbs and dominate on descents, all while ensuring maximum power transfer and unparalleled responsiveness.
Bianchi designers have conceived an exciting graphic design for the Specialissima Pro Racing Team that enhances its shape and taps into the racing soul of this ultralight frame by highlighting its performance features. Together with an elegant yet engineered anthracite-grey specially made in the laboratory, the frame’s geometric accents hint at Bianchi’s iconic Celeste. The frame, which is hand-painted in Italy by Bianchi’s expert artists, is embellished by the Reparto Corse signature positioned on the fork and the “Pro Racing Team” logo on the seat tube.
The Specialissima Pro Racing Team is available in a unique limited edition starting today, exclusively at bianchi.com for €4,499.
In addition to the frame and fork, the exclusive packaging includes a brochure about the Specialissima Pro racing Team project described through images, text, and the brand new coffee table book “Casa Bianchi.”
- Bianchi has created an exclusive edition of the signature Reparto Corse Specialissima frame, available online at bianchi.com
Classified’s Revolutionary Drivetrain Breaks Through into World Tour with Victor Campenaerts Riding the Spring Classics
Classified enters the pro peloton with announcement of a new partnership with Victor Campenaerts, DT-Swiss & Ridley.
The Belgian professional cyclist, Victor Campenaerts chooses game changing drivetrain technology Classified in pursuit of the highest possible efficiency and performance gains, in partnership with DT-Swiss and Ridley.
A true believer in innovation, Campenaerts has been thoroughly testing the Powershift hub for more than a year in training and is convinced of the performance gains and reliability of the Classified system and that riding with a single chainring up front combined with the Powershift hub yields a more efficient drivetrain.
Racing at GP Le Samyn on Tuesday (28/2/23), Campenaerts made it into the decisive break away, driving the pace with some big attacks and setting up his Lotto DSTNY teammate Milan Menten for the race win.
Campenaerts, already known for trying larger chainring sizes, could up his big-ring-endeavor due to the single chainring-setup the Classified system exploits. Not limited by a front derailleur, the Belgian raced at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with the use of a 62 tooth single chainring, not seen before at the Classics. Combined with the larger sprockets of the Classified cassette on the Powershift hub, the most efficient and therefore fastest drivetrain setup is created.
Campenaerts said: “I am riding Classified because it is by far the most efficient and fastest set up for the bike. It allows me to ditch the front derailleur, shift gears under full load and run a bigger chainring.”
Born in Hoboken, Belgium, on October 28, 1991, the Flemish fan favorite has stage wins at the Giro d’Italia & Tirreno Adriatico in his palmarés, as well as double European and national time trial wins (2017/18 and 2016/17 respectively). Not to mention setting the hour record in Mexico in 2019; Victor Campenaerts is a rider defined by the strive for efficiency.
Campenaerts brings a huge wealth of World Tour level experience to testing the Classified Powershift technology, helping the young Belgian brand to further develop its product and confirm its deserved place in the pro peloton.
Classified CEO Mathias Plouvier is thrilled with the new partnership: “Working with an efficiency and performance driven athlete like Victor is a dream for a technology company like Classified. Having Victor’s unparalleled insight and straightforward feedback going into our technology is a great opportunity for us. Victor is the driving force behind this project, and we are thrilled to be able to work closely with him as well as DT-Swiss & Ridley.”
Classified CTO and inventor of the Powershift hub Roëll van Druten goes further: “We at Classified have long believed that the traditional 2x drivetrain system, i.e. 2 chainrings and a front derailleur, is not efficient enough. Victor Campenaerts use of the Classified system at a major UCI race proves our claims, that a larger single chainring used with larger sprockets in the rear, with the ultimate gear range of the Powershift hub, is the most efficient drivetrain system in the world. And now in the pro peloton! Classified is now known as “the front derailleur killer”, van Druten adds that “removing the front derailleur really is the first step. Without a front derailleur it is possible to use bigger chainrings, gain aero efficiency and reduce forces through the chain and bearings.”
Read more about the efficiency gains of the Classified system and why Campenaerts has chosen to race with it on the Classified website.
About Classified Cycling
Classified is a deep tech company with the mission to create drivetrain products that transform the riding experience and performance of all cyclists. Classified was founded in 2019 and employs 50 people, located in their Antwerp (Belgium) and Eindhoven (the Netherlands) offices. Classified’s award-winning products (Powershift drivetrain systems and Classified wheels) are equipped on more than 40 bicycle brands, and available from a global network of certified distributors and dealers. The company’s investors include well-respected Olympic and World Champion riders Tom Boonen, Anna Van der Breggen, Andre Greipel, Marcel Kittel, and Philippe Gilbert.
BikeExchange Offers Ideal Solution for North American Inventory Normalization
As pandemic-related supply chain issues ease and inventories rise, companies look to BEX for additional channels to market.
As the cycling industry struggles with a post-pandemic twist – excess inventory following normalization of supply chain shortages – online marketplace BikeExchange (BEX) is proving an ideal option for retailers and manufacturers alike. Through BikeExchange’s unique platform, bike sellers can exponentially increase their potential consumer base, driving online sales and bringing more customers in store.
In business in North America since 2015, BikeExchange’s combination of offerings is proving especially successful in the current climate, as brands and retailers wrestle with overflowing inventories and slowing sales. Globally, BEX has recently signed partnerships with key brands like Shimano and Factor Bikes, and major retailers Decathlon and Bicycles Online among many others.
“The supply chain has caught up, and bike brands and retailers previously impacted by long delivery delays are now grappling with the opposite challenge, being oversupplied,” says BikeExchange’s Head of North America, Cameron Simpson. “This has led to increased price competition and increased demand from sellers looking for additional channels to market. Our platform has proven itself fully capable to support consumers and sellers alike – we make it easier for consumers to find the bike they are looking for, regardless of where that bike may be located, while providing sellers access to a market of millions of active shoppers.”
Victory Bicycle Studio, owner Clark Butcher, agrees and recently made the jump. “Knowing I wanted to explore some additional online marketplaces to showcase our products, I recently started doing some research,” says Butcher. “I decided to give BikeExchange a shot, and the success of this product is already incredibly tangible (as in bikes leaving my front door!). After just 45 days into sales on BEX, we are stoked with the sales numbers and increased traffic on all our web platforms. Super pumped to see how this marketplace increases in traffic and sales as the ‘cycling season’ is now coming upon us.”
BEX also recently bolstered their offerings in North America, via the wholly owned subsidiary Kitzuma Cycling Logistics. Kitzuma recently announced it’s now offering 3PL services, and they’ve already signed 3PL agreements with UNNO, Blaupunkt, Econic One, and Envo Brand Systems.
The latest retailers, brands, and distributors to sign up or extend their cooperation on the BikeExchange platform include:
- North America Brands: LeMond, Lekker, Civilized Cycles, Blaupunkt, Priority Bikes, Cinelli
- North America Retailers: Decathlon, Playtri, Gotta Ride Bikes, Victory Bicycle Studio, Marblehead Cycle, eBikes USA, and The Bike Path
For more information on BikeExchange, please contact Garret Becker: garret@bikeexchange.com
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