BikeRadar.com Blog

$1,000 mountain bike test – 2012 redux

Matt Pacocha, US editor, in Boulder, CO — Sat, 12 May 2012 09:00:00 +0100

We’re in year two of our US$1,000 mountain bike test and getting close to the conclusion. Our original best mountain bikes under $1,000 was a hit and is still pulling in interest from riders searching for the best bikes at this price. It’s a tough category, because there's a definite split between bikes that are ready to hit the trail and those aimed at people who are just dabbling with the thought of mountain biking.

This is where a shop comes in – if you’re not sure what direction you should go, they’re likely going to be your best resource. But then again, shops don’t generally have time to demo bikes at this price and nor is there really a call for it, beyond the obligatory parking lot test. Manufacturers tend to reserve their demo budgets for the ‘serious enthusiast’ category, where the rigs cost upwards of two or three times more than the bikes we’re testing.

That's where we come in. We've gathered a selection of this year's top $1,000 bikes and have been using them to throw laps down on a trail west of Boulder, Colorado. One that’s a likely candidate for a rider’s first 'real' mountain bike ride, yet one we see local pros training on too. In fact, during testing we ran into Subaru-Trek's Heather Irmiger.

We test here, world caliber pros train here

This year we’ve got a good team throwing their legs over the saddles of these budget rigs: our new US editor-in-chief, Ben Delaney; our tech editor, James Huang; our mountain gear writer, Zach White; Bicycle Village manager and former pro cyclist Dwight DeBroux; and myself, BikeRadar's US editor.

So, after last year's experience, and putting in lots of laps leading up to this year’s yet-to-be-published 10-bike test, we’ve learned a few things that can help potential buyers, and manufacturers alike. Please note, though, this blog is based solely on my experiences of testing these bikes. For the group consensus and to hear us name names, you’ll have to wait for the full story.

Five things to think about when buying – or designing – a first timer's mountain bike

1 Who’s going to ride this thing?

Yeah, who’s going to ride this thing? Seems like a simple question, yet the 10 bikes we have on test will suit a mix of different riders. It should be the first question anyone asks when they approach the subject of a new bike, whether buying, designing or selling the thing. But we've found that while some manufacturers have clearly asked the question, others seem to have ignored it.

Some of the bikes are almost commuter style, some are pretty darn racy, and others are neutral and well sorted. And that’s just the geometry – component picks add a whole secondary layer. While, we’ll answer the hard questions and pick a winner, the fact that they’re not all seemingly designed with the same rider in mind definitely lends to ‘qualified’ recommendations.

Yes, there’s one bike that stands out as the best package, but there’s another that will be slightly more appealing to beginner racers. It's a decent suspension fork away from the total package but a fork upgrade sometime down the road may make this bike the best choice for that rider.

2 It’s about the package

The best bikes in this test showcase the effort that product managers have put into designing and outfitting them. They also demonstrate their manufacturer's ability to source the best, most well thought out parts to put the total package together. The results are mixed, and how they’re mixed is very interesting.

That racier bike we mentioned previously, the one with the inferior fork, comes from a medium-sized company, yet they’ve done the best job, hands down, of providing well designed, contemporary (wide bar, short stem), seemingly high-end supporting components: bar, stem, seatpost (two-bolt micro-adjust), comfy saddle.

3 Geometry is a key decision – or is it?

Geometry is paramount: it can make, or ruin, a bike, no matter what it’s made from (carbon, steel, aluminum) or what parts are hung from the frame. Bike companies are free to choose whatever angles they want for their frames, right? Wrong. The reality is that in this day and age, and at this pricepoint, the 'manufacturer' doesn't actually make the frame themself.

Generally, we expect them to source the frame from China where, with one exception in this test, a third party will most likely take care of manufacturing. So, the product manager is presented with a choice: pick from a catalog and be left at the mercy of the Chinese factory’s knowledge of mountain bike geometry, or pay more and submit their own design. Looking at the bikes in this test, they've gone both ways.

4 Components in order of importance: Gearing, brakes, suspension and tires. Or is it, tires, suspension, brakes and gearing? Or is it…

What’s most important in terms of components? This is a tough one. Those that have the most potential to make or ruin a ride? That kind of describes everything, right? At this pricepoint, not really.

Here’s an example: does it matter what crankset or cassette you have? Yes and no. Who’s stamping the steel or forging the aluminum has little bearing, but what they’re forging or stamping it into has lots of bearing. A beginning rider isn't going to want a 48-tooth big chainring and a 28t low gear on the cassette. We don’t even want that.

Similar can be said for stem length, bar width and bend, and saddle cushiness. It’s a complex question that requires a balance to be struck between how a component affects the bike's ride and how easy it is to change. A bum suspension fork is a bigger bummer than a sub-par set of tires.

Here’s how we see the scale of importance when selecting a mountain bike:

Geometry: Should be balanced, neutral and skewed toward true mountain bike riding. Slow is likely better than fast, stable better than agile, but moderation is key – we’re looking for friendly, capable bikes here. We’ll also lump cockpit geometry in this category – we’re looking for comfort and contemporary designs that produce real trail benefits.

Gearing: Appropriately low is key. I’m only aware of one bike in our test with a 36t cassette cog, which seems rather silly, doesn’t it?

Suspension: Adjustable rebound damping is a godsend, and some form of rebound damping is a necessity – some of our test bikes lack the former, and some both!

Tires: Tires are one of the most important components on any bike and a top-end set can approach 15 percent of the total cost of these bikes. We've only put them so low on the list because they’re one of the least daunting components to swap or replace. When you’re buying a bike, you might ask the sales person what the included tires are intended for – you’ll want something with an intermediate tread that works in your region’s soil conditions.

Brakes: While brakes are pivotally important for any bike, we’re really quite happy with the performance of almost all of the brakes in the test. One thing to keep in mind: mechanical disc brakes may seem less daunting than hydraulic ones, but the reality is that there are more moving parts, they’re harder to adjust properly, they require more maintenance and generally offer less modulation. In our test, we’ve found the pecking order of hydraulic discs to look like this: Shimano and Tektro lead in features, bleed quality and performance, while Avid and Hayes' offerings are solid but lack in one of those key areas.

We've one bit of advice for product managers when it comes to the component package: don’t make a bike worse worse trying to make it better. For example, fitting a non-stock ‘custom colored’ headset preload cap that’s razor sharp is probably not the best idea. Any value the blue anodized finish adds on the showroom floor probably reverses tenfold when the newbie rider crashes and slashes their leg open on the trail.

5 What’s it called?

Sorry GT, but you’re the butt of the joke on this one. Your bike is called the Karakoram 2.0 but the first K is written backwards – I can’t figure out if it's even possible to make Ks do that on my keyboard – which immediately leads to confusion. Are the company Russian? Dyslexic? And what does this crazy spelling do for the person trying to sell the bike on the shop floor, or the person trying to buy it? Don’t make it worse, when trying to make it better.

That's supposed to say 'Karakoram'

We can also put "what's it look like?" in this category, though all the bikes achieve a passing grade this year. The Redline is loud and proud, with a finish that's almost too close to neon green, and we might pick on GT again, for the Karakoram's electric blue paint with blue anodized accents, but we won’t because they offer black too.

Anyway, there you have it: our thoughts, dreams and opinions midway through the 2012 Best Mountain Bikes Under $1,000 test. What do you think? As always, we’re happy to hear your wants and needs.

First Nation Home – Our competition winner's story

Betsy Bebbington — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:54:00 +0000

I wouldn’t normally be walking the streets of London at 5.30 but this morning is different.

I’d entered one of those competitions that you have to enter, because the prize is so unique: BikeRadar, Halfords and Boardman Bikes had offered the opportunity to ride with Chris Boardman, on a Boardman Bike. The prize winner was to start the bike leg of DHL First Nation Home, which looked a fairly unique event, perfect to generate funds and awareness for Sport Relief. Being a keen cyclist and runner, an admirer of Chris Boardman’s work, both as a pro cyclist and his bike range, what could be better than a chance to briefly share the road?

I had entered with the up to 100 words of ‘why I would like…’ I cannot remember what I wrote, but It was something about the enjoyment of cycling and exercise being a good antidote to the rest of life, it was sent in and forgotten about, a couple of months later, an email was sent via BikeRadar, I’d won!

No alarm needed for 4.30. Awake, organised and early, I was not going to worry any of the organisers by being late. An assortment of run kit, bike kit stuffed into my bag, I’m ready. I’m the only one in sports kit navigating the capital’s dark streets, scattered with street cleaners and clubbers.

Entering Trafalgar Square it is still dark, I walk up the steps of the National Portrait Gallery. The previous week John Bishop had completed his Sports Relief Challenge ‘Bishop's Week of Hell’ by running up the great flight of steps after running, rowing, and cycling to exhaustion. What a finish! Turning to see Big Ben illuminating the sky, I was early - 20 minutes early, but it was getting lighter and there would not be long to wait.

Chris Boardman and Betsy Bebbington ready to go

As dawn evolves we start to meet up, representatives from Halfords, DHL and their photographers. We sit on a bench in the chill, then a message arrives, Team England are on the bus! As the light improves the activity increases, team cars with Boardman bikes on the roof, and army personnel who bustle around with quiet efficiency, logistics being provided by them and DHL. The participants arrive, introductions made and discussions as to which direction The Mall is in.

My bike for the morning is lifted down from a team car roof, a Boardman Team. It looks great and lots smaller than all the guys’ bikes; the seat is adjusted, pictures taken and Tweets sent. It’s nearly 7.00 we have to be ready to start. Wales, Scotland and Ireland will have their teams ready to start in their capitals too. One of the support crew is circulating with a clipboard, logistics for coffee is important as well.

We collect under the start banner, and counting down begins with support crew attempting to coordinate the pelican crossing lights. It’s GO! We’re off, a mass sprint start, directly over many lanes of inner London traffic, within 100 metres the athletic reality settles, Richard Stannard, Rob Edmond and Josh Lewsey disappearing fast, Chris Boardman and Phil Spencer following at a good pace, and me, trundling along at the back with my minder Joe, I manage not to let the gap increase. We run to the team cars which are parked one mile from the start and now it is the bike leg relay. With a quick modification of kit, and helmets applied we’re off.

With two pedal strokes, the bike feels different, responsive and neat. Very quickly I settle, with my seat a tiny bit high, Chris Boardman and I on two Boardman bikes head into the London traffic.

With a team car to follow, navigating is easy - like a Sunday ride really - except I’m chatting to Olympic gold medallist and World Champion cyclist Chris Boardman, he is very sociable and goes at my pace. I aim to keep safe and vow to practise how to ‘stand still’ (not track standing) for traffic lights, we make good progress.

The time on the road goes very quickly, we manage to squeeze a few more miles over the planned five, but sooner than I wish, and with a dual carriageway ahead the point for the return is reached. The bike relay is continued by other Team England riders. Our bikes are secured to the car roof carriers, it is time for me to return to the start, I am returning so the team can continue their progress, a rendezvous at Reading roundabout, then on to Cardiff by afternoon.

What a morning, having the chance to ride with a sportsman I admire, on a bike I think is great with the unique opportunity of contributing to Sports Relief event, what a memorable experience.

The one thing that made me speechless was when I was given the opportunity to keep the wonderful Boardman bike. Unexpected and unanticipated, I was delighted and stunned. I plan to do many, many miles, and after our memorable start, I know it will be great!

Project travel bike: a whole new view

James Huang, tech ed, in Boulder, Colorado — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Luckily enough, my Ritchey Breakaway Ti/Carbon road frameset tester arrived just in time for my trip last weekend to see family in Las Vegas, Nevada. I know it's only been one trip so far, but I'm already declaring this a game changer.

I was only on the ground for two full days and two half days, yet I was still able to log 4 ½ hours of blissful — not to mention high quality — saddle time in the picturesque areas west of town. Day one took me out to Red Rock Canyon, a loop inside the park, then back. And two days later, I managed to squeeze in an early two-hour ride before flying back to Colorado in the afternoon.

If all you've ever seen of Vegas was flashing neon lights, you're certainly missing out. There are few things prettier than the desert at dawn, and let's just say that Calico Basin is especially stunning in early morning light.

Overall, the whole trip went remarkably smoothly. Despite the hectic nature surrounding the frameset's arrival, which was followed by a frantic late night session of transferring parts from another machine, and crash course in learning how to pack the Breakaway in the included case — I was able to pack the completed bike in just thirty minutes. Better yet once at my destination it, also, arrived intact and unscathed. The wheeled case is as easy to move around as any other similar piece of luggage and the airline counter agent barely gave the case a second glance when I checked in. Thanks to a Garmin GTU 10 tracker tucked inside, I always knew exactly where my precious cargo was after that point, too.

Reassembly was even faster, taking just fifteen minutes. All assembled and I was ready to hit the road on a bike that I knew fit me and was properly built with components of my choosing. It turns out that I wasn't sacrificing much weight-wise in bringing along a travel bike instead of some fancy carbon machine, either.

Built with a complete SRAM Red group, all aluminum cockpit components, and SRAM S30 AL Gold clincher wheels — I originally planned on Bontragers but the SRAMs already had tires and a cassette installed and I was seriously pressed for time — the whole thing weighs just 7.1kg (15.65lb, without pedals for sake of comparison). Sub in some good carbon tubulars into the mix and the bike would barely even be UCI-legal.

Yep, it all fits in here — quite easily, in fact. We did, however, find the S&S Machine method to be much more efficient than what Ritchey prescribes

All in with heavy pedals, a stuffed saddle bag, a bulky computer, bottle cages, a mini-pump, and front and rear flashers, it's still only 7.99kg (17.61lb). Even more impressive is the fully packed weight of 15.54kg (34.26lb) including the bike, case, some tools, spare small parts, and a full-length frame pump – roughly the same as an emptyfull-sized hard case.

I'm only one trip in with more planned in the near future but this thing has already turned my perspective on travel on its ear. Instead of ruing the prospect of days off the bike, I'm now wondering what far-off location I'm going to ride this thing in next and eagerly mapping out routes — quite the reversal.

I also have a bunch of tips on traveling with a bike to share with you after this first go-around, some are Ritchey Breakaway-specific but mostly not. With this inaugural trip under my belt I imagine plenty more insight, and stress-relief, to come as I pack on the miles (both pedaled and flown) this spring — stay tuned.

Calico Basin, shortly after dawn — certainly a more pleasant view than the Las Vegas Strip

The shock of your life

Jake Ireland in the Forest of Dean, UK — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:50:00 +0000

So, you’ve bought a new mountain bike and it’s got the latest rear shock on it, with all kinds of letters and numbers after its name, and an RRP that would make you wince if you had to buy it aftermarket. That means your bike is going to work perfectly, right?

Wrong. What most people don’t realise is that the shock probably has a broad tune inside it that's designed to suit a wide range of riders, of different sizes, weights and riding styles. Almost a jack of all trades in shock absorber form. And like a jack of all trades, it may be master of none.

Companies like RockShox and Fox Racing Shox now offer a range of base shock tunes, which are designed to extract maximum performance from particular suspension designs and models of bike. Custom valving for a more specific feel is sometimes available too, depending on the shock.

But a bike company's idea of how a bike should feel may not match up to your own preferences. On the shop floor, a linear suspension curve feels plush, and plenty of low-speed compression damping gives a bob-free test ride. But out on the trail, more aggressive riders are likely to regularly bottom-out, and excess compression damping can choke the suspension and give a rough ride over smaller bumps.

If your new bike isn't giving you the ride you'd like, don't go straight out and spend a massive amount on component upgrades or a new shock – you could achieve a lot more by getting your existing damper tuned up. Custom tuning generally costs around £150 and it's one of the best ways of increasing your bike’s performance without spending a serious amount on something new and shiny. I've had some of my best rides on bikes with cheap shocks that have been tuned to the application (ie. the type of riding) and to myself as a rider.

Shimmy Shimmy Ya

I'm part of Mountain Biking UK's product testing Wrecking Crew and we've spent a lot of time with SRAM over the past year, working with our trail bikes and the new RockShox Monarch Plus shock to get the exact performance we were after. I first had a Monarch Plus bolted into my Devinci Dixon long-term test bike back in June while out in Les Gets, France. Since then I've worked with Torben and Danny, RockShox's elite suspension fettlers for Europe, to achieve the perfect tune for my downhill-orientated riding style.

Jake has swapped the Fox RP23 shock that came with his Devinci Dixon for a RockShox Monarch Plus RT3 that's now been tuned to suit his aggressive riding style

What I wanted was a shock that gives loads of support throughout its stroke, so the bike doesn't wallow or blow through its travel, but one that'll still deliver full travel when needed. Essentially, I wanted a coil shock feeling, but with a more progressive leverage curve.

Basic tuning of the Monarch Plus is done by altering the internal shim stacks. These piles of thin shims – basically, washers – sit either side of the main piston and determine the rebound and compression characteristics of the shock. By altering the size of the shims, oil is made to flow through the shock in a different way and this either slows down or speeds up its movement as it's compressed (when the wheels hit a bump) and then re-extends.

We decided to stick with the stock rebound damping and concentrate on adjusting the compression stack to extract maximum performance from my Monarch Plus. We also made the air chamber of the shock smaller, to create more ramp-up towards the end of the travel. It's possible to tune the Monarch Plus's internal floating piston arrangement too, using different air pressures, but this wasn’t something we needed to change for the Dixon.

The Monarch Plus shim stacks laid out, with the rebound and compression shims on either side of the piston head

So, could we notice the changes we'd made? Undoubtedly. Although the tune that we had done for our super-hard riding wouldn’t be perfect for everyone, it's massively improved the bike’s handling over some serious terrain.

When sending your shock off to be tuned, be sure to let the tuners know your weight, riding style and what kind of trails you ride, as well as the bike the shock is going on. Chances are, it’ll be some of the best money you’ll spend in terms of bang-for-your-buck ride improvement.

Check out our image gallery to see the SRAM shock tuning team in action.

Have bike, will travel

James Huang, tech editor, from Boulder, CO — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Travel can be a major hassle these days, and it's even more frustrating if you're a cyclist. All of those days spent on the road usually mean days off the bike. But what if the situation changed from being stuck without your bike, to that of a new place to ride? Yes, I’m suggesting you travel with your bike, and it’s something I’ve vowed to do more this year.

I won't deny that as technical editor for BikeRadar and Cyclingnews I've got a great job, but between work and personal travel, I was gone from home 111 days in 2011. Most of those days fell right in the heart of the best riding season in Colorado and ironically, there was usually no bike in sight – at least not one that I could ride.

I've long entertained the notion of traveling with a bike but with airline fees being what they are (with notable exceptions such as Frontier), and the hassles of lugging a case around, it's usually not practical. Full-sized travel bikes such as Ritchey's clever Breakaway design, various S&S incarnations, and even the Ibis Tranny, neatly get around the oversized baggage rules but even with a budget build, they're still an expensive luxury item for most people.

That got me thinking: what if your favorite everyday bike was your travel bike? What if the bike you traveled with wasn't some niche machine but the same one you happily rode at home? In that case, a travel bike wouldn't be a pricey extra bike, it would just be your bike.

I told myself just before the winter holidays that I was going to spend more time on my bike than I do in airports and on planes in 2012. Looking back at last year's calendar, I could potentially have added upwards of 30 days in the saddle if I had a bike with me (and that's not including days covering races when it's not realistic).

So in light of that, I'm about to take delivery of a Ritchey Breakaway Ti/Carbon road frameset, and dammit, I plan on using it – both at and away from home. It's light, the paint-free finish won't chip and the geometry looks well suited to "any place, any time" road rides, with plenty of tire clearance. I'm hopeful the titanium front triangle and carbon fiber stays and fork will deliver overall performance and ride quality that I won't want to reserve only for days away from home.

The build will be high-end but not over-the-top: a SRAM Red group, all-alloy Ritchey cockpit components (this bike will be disassembled and reassembled a lot) and for now, a set of Bontrager Race X Lite aluminum clinchers shod with 25mm-wide tires (or maybe even 28s). Ultimately I plan on switching to something more conventional with easier-to-find replacement parts since a busted spoke or slipping proprietary freehub body is no way to start a trip.

Since I'll invariably be riding somewhere unfamiliar, I'll also rely on a Garmin Edge 800 computer or my iPhone housed in a Wahoo Fitness case so I'll have GPS tracking, full mapping capabilities and downloaded routes at the ready.

I'll keep you updated here and on Twitter @angryasian with where this bike and I are headed, recent rides and periodic performance updates on not only the bike but also whatever travel-friendly accessories I toss in along the way. It'll also be interesting to see how quickly I can learn to pack and unpack the thing.

I'll keep track of airline fees, too. Travel cases like the Ritchey Breakaway may not be classified as oversize but in the eyes of many airlines, a bike is a bike no matter the size or weight so – pardon the pun – we'll see how regularly I can fly under the radar.

Though the Breakaway packs small, we'll see how successful I am at avoiding airline 'bike' charges this season

If all goes well, the frameset will arrive and I'll have enough time to build it up before heading off to Las Vegas to visit some family this weekend. All-you-can-eat buffets, cheesy shows and slot machines may be the standard fare in those parts but I hear Red Rocks is awfully pretty this time of year...

Testing the Power2Max and Look KeO Power pedals

Jeff Jones in Bath, UK — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:50:00 +0000

I'm currently suffering from a surfeit of bike related gadgets, the latest being a Power2Max crank-based power meter and a set of Look KeO Power pedals. Both devices measure your power output and, being a bit of a power meter geek, I've been asked to test them.

It's going to take some time to complete the full reviews so I thought I'd blog about how I'm going about it and any technical problems that I encounter. If anyone has any tips or experience with these power meters, I'd welcome your comments. I'll update the blog as I go.

The kit

We were sent a Power2Max with a set of BB30-compatible Rotor 3D Plus cranks – no chainrings unfortunately, but I was able to scrounge some from another bike. And no head unit – you'll need an ANT+ compatible one, such as a Garmin Edge 500, 705 or 800, Bontrager Node 1 or 2, or an O-synce Macro X. I wouldn't recommend using a CycleOps Joule, which is ANT+ enabled but doesn't have a function to check the calibration of the Power2Max. The Power2Max kit weighs 776g (power meter, chainring spider and bolts, crank arms and bottom bracket) and costs €1,165 (£1,000) direct from Germany. Cheaper options are available.

Power2Max

The Look KeO Power pedals came with pedals, cleats, sensors and a Polar CS600X computer with Protrainer 5 software – £1,699.99 for all that or £1,499.99 without the computer. But don't think you can get away with using a Garmin with these pedals – they're not ANT+ compatible, so you'll need a Polar CS500 or CS600X to read the data via Polar's proprietary WIND protocol. The whole Look-Polar setup is seriously light, with the pedals weighing 344g, the sensors 36g and the computer just 40g.

Look KeO Power pedals

Test rig and installation

My regular road bike didn't have a BB30 bottom bracket so I commandeered a Cannondale SuperSix 105 that we tested recently. I swapped the back wheel out for one of the PowerTap SL+ wheels that I use in training to act as the control. I own three PowerTaps and have found them to be reliable and stable under changing temperature conditions. As far as I can tell, they agree with other to within a couple of watts. The one I'm using in this test was about 5-8W lower than a Quarq power meter that I tested earlier in the year, which is entirely consistent with losses you'd expect through the drivetrain.

I'm not the world's best mechanic so I sent the two power meters over to our workshop, where our hard working wrench George Ramelkamp installed them. He's experienced in dealing with new-fangled bits and bobs so it didn't take him too long to work everything out. The Power2Max was the easiest to install, as it's just a crank and it comes with the right tool.

The KeO Power pedals were a bit more fiddly, as they require you to be quite precise with the alignment of the sensors (you get a tool to do this too). Once installed, you need to tell the Look sensors what length cranks you use. This is quite quick and is done via a button on the left-hand sensor, although you're limited to just four lengths: 170, 172.5, 175 and 177.5mm.

First ride

Initially I opted to pair my PowerTap with my Garmin 705, the Power2Max with the Joule (oops) and obviously the Looks had to go with the Polar CS600X. This doesn't take long, although when you've got two ANT+ power meters running at once you need to be careful with which one you 'wake up' to pair.

I performed initial zero offset checks indoors, where it was about 20°C, then set off for my first ride, where it was about 2°. The first problem became apparent immediately: the Joule would display the power of the Power2Max but I couldn't record with it because it needed a heart rate or a speed signal. I was using a non-ANT+-compatible Polar heart rate strap so that was out. And my Garmin, which does record speed, was talking to the PowerTap, so that was out.

No matter, this was only a first ride – I'd wake up the Joule from time to time to eyeball the power compared to what I was seeing on the PowerTap/Garmin. It looked okay right near the start but then drifted downwards to about 30W below my PowerTap.

Second problem: the Polar was set to record every five seconds, so I wasn't seeing much in the way of meaningful power figures. I also couldn't see average power on any one of the screens so I just amused myself by checking my left/right balance (58:42% unless I was going hard) and my heart rate. From what I could tell, the Look KeOs were reading lower than my PowerTap too.

Three hours of solid riding done and I downloaded the data I had. The PowerTap numbers were perfectly consistent with my effort level and my recent training. The Power2Max didn't record so I couldn't compare, while the Look KeOs gave me an average power about 25W lower than my PowerTap. Given that I didn't do any mid-ride manual zero offsets, that was okay. At least they worked.

Second ride

Lesson learned from the first outing, I swapped the head unit pairings around so I had PowerTap/Joule and Power2Max/Garmin 705. This meant I could record off both head units as well as being able to stop and zero the torque on the PowerTap and manually zero the Power2Max during my next ride (the Looks are zeroed just by turning the transmitter off and on and the Power2Max should zero whenever you stop pedalling).

I made a mental note to do this a couple of times to try to iron out drift caused by temperature variation. I also set the Polar CS600X to record every second rather than every five. This gives a total recording time of six hours – not great considering you can get double that on a Garmin, but still well within my needs. Four-and-a-half hours of battling a typical December day later and I had some data. And was quite hungry.

Data

	PowerTap/Joule	Power2Max/Garmin 705	Look KeO-Polar CX600S
Overall avg (W)	243	216	216
Distance (km)	137.3	137.3	137.2
Total time, inc stops	4:32:04	4:32:05	4:29:00 (not inc all stops)
Avg moving speed (km/h)	30.9	30.9	30.9
Total climbing (m)	1372	1423	1275
Avg cadence (rpm)	87	87	88
Work done	3876kJ	3465kJ	3958kcal (burned)

Selected segments
Pre-ride zero	525	-335	OK
Hill 1	287	264	266
Hill 2	295	272	285
Hill 3	289	257	273
Hill 4	288	260	268
Stop to zero	524	-277	OK
Tempo 1	298	270	271
Brief stop off the bike
Tempo 2	282	258	259
2min section of last climb	294	272	268
Post ride zero	524	-298	OK

Conclusions so far

I'm getting data and it's fairly consistent from all three power meters. This is a good thing but there are some anomalies. At first glance it might appear that either the Power2Max and Look KeOs are reading low or my PowerTap is reading high. Anything is possible but I'm disinclined to believe the latter as, based on my race data, it would imply that I'm more aero than just about anyone in the world.

The Power2Max appears to read lower on climbs than the other two. I'm also curious about the 58:42 L/R balance measured by the Looks, which evens out to 53:47 or even closer to parity when I'm going hard. Is this because I favour my left leg that much on a long ride, or is the right pedal under-reading because it's slightly out of alignment? Something to check in the next set of testing.

Here's something a bit clever. The following graphic shows how the three power meters stack up against each other using virtual elevation modelling, a method invented by Robert Chung (who kindly did this graph for me) for estimating CdA (coefficient of drag x frontal area) and Crr (coefficient of rolling resistance) using a power meter. You can do it the other way round, holding CdA and Crr fixed and plotting the elevation you'd expect from the power and speed data. Or as Robert did in this case in order to show the variance between power meters, hold Crr fixed, choose a CdA for each power meter and match up the shape of the curves.

Virtual elevation profiles of Look KeO Power pedals (Blue), Power2Max (Green), PowerTap (Red) and measured elevation (Black dotted line). CdA different for each power meter. Courtesy: Robert Chung

The virtual elevation won't, in general, match up with the actual measured elevation because wind, braking, changing position and road surfaces are all factored in as elevation. Also, measured power was different across all three power meters. What we can do is get an idea of how the power meters track against each other over time. The fourth section in the graph above shows this quite well: the blue Look and red PowerTap lines are nearly superimposed, whereas the green Power2Max line drifts around.

Fixing CdA at 0.404 (PowerTap value, which we think is realistic for all the gear I was wearing and the bike I was riding), the Look and Power2Max appear to be under reporting as they quickly drop off the virtual elevation profile. The alternative is to fix CdA at 0.35 (which we think is unrealistic) and the PowerTap will appear to over report. Courtesy: Robert Chung

After seeing this I'm more satisfied that the Look and PowerTap are giving consistent results, with the Looks possibly under reporting. But I'm not happy with the Power2Max at the moment. In ride number 3 today, I performed a zero offset at the start and got -329 (similar to Sunday) then again at the finish after two hours and it was -262. During this time, the Power2Max started off reading ~40W higher than the PowerTap but finished ~25W lower. Upon further inspection of the file it took about 20 minutes to stabilise to the lower value.

That's a big swing, but Power2Max say this can happen in the first part of the ride until the unit adapts to the temperature (2-4W/degree). A similar problem can arise if you're climbing a long hill where the temperature changes from bottom to top. Alpine climb anyone?

What next? Julius Jennings from Koolstof Coaching has offered to bring his calibrated Computrainer up to Bath so we can independently test each power meter against a standard. I will also do a torque calibration based on known weights. Polar have checked my pedal setup and have confirmed it's OK but they are sending me a new computer as the battery in the CS600X looked rather lacklustre. They also tell me that they're going to be some major updates to their head units and web software next year which should make data collection and transfer even easier.

To be continued...

BikeRadar heart cyclo-cross

Matt Pacocha, US editor, from Boulder, CO — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Actually we’re more a bunch of hacks than a team, and we have plenty of excuses as to why we’re slow, but regardless, we’re out there every weekend racing on Colorado’s Front Range. Maybe you’ve seen us?

We know a few have noticed, as we’ve heard your heckles and cheers; and if you haven’t, go ahead hit us with your best (preferably heckle) the next time you see us. Super fan, and super racer, Georgia Gould nailed us during our race last weekend, too, “You’re getting beat by kids,” as the Eckmann brothers (Robin and Yannick), both under 20yrs, worked us over at the Boulder Cup. That drew a smile, even while hypoxic.

We also appreciate your digital heckles about too much cyclo-cross on the site last week, but what can we say, we're borderline fanatical about the sport.

Anyway, there are four of us sporting BikeRadar skinsuits this season; two of us are employees and two are simply fellow ’cross evangelists, but we’re all out there for the same reason: the love of ’cross. While the team looks nice and corporate, due to our BikeRadar.com garb, in our minds we envision ourselves more as MWI, but unfortunately without Jessica Heenan’s cupcakes; a bunch of guys racing ’cross for the same reason.

BikeRadar’s cyclo-cross cheerleaders: Huang and I

BikeRadar tech editor, James Huang, is currently the only member not pulling their racing weight due to a bum wing. Huang broke his collarbone earlier in the season unsuccessfully attempting to ‘crush’ a fellow competitor. It's a double whammy to Huang's cyclo-cross career considering he ended last season after breaking a bone in his wrist during a ’cross race, but hey, he loves it and keeps coming back for more.

James Huang produced season ending injuries in the last two cyclo-cross races he's entered, doh

Kidding aside we do have Huang to thank for the photos he’s taken of our racing during the season, and the work he’s done to bring huge volumes of original ’cross content to BikeRadar.com.

What’s on tap for Huang? He’ll be back on the bike next week in time to report from Campagnolo’s electric component group launch in Italy. It’s a trip we hope will kick off his training with hopes of race testing some tubeless products (and ideas) he’s been stewing while on the mend.

Yours truly; I’m the US editor for BikeRadar and admitted cyclo-cross geek. I spend more money on handmade tires than I’m willing to admit to my wife, and I still catch myself daydreaming of the Belgian cyclo-cross courses I raced on a Christmas vacation to the motherland.

On the racecourse, I’m still starting ‘the big show races’, which last weekend included the Boulder Cup C1 UCI race, however, my goal is always to not get lapped, rather than win. With two kids of my own, I’ve embraced masters racing and plan to hit masters’ world’s in Louisville, KY this January.

This season I’ve spent ample time on disc brakes, whether the weather has warranted or not, with the goal of really testing out the option before the big manufacturers jump in. I’m only just ahead of the curve, however, after seeing the bikes Cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com rider Tim Johnson brought to Boulder, CO last weekend, but did not race.

Disc brakes work pretty darn well, wet or dry

The Outsiders: Carcella and Stevens

Anthony Carcella takes his cyclo-cross pit crew duties and spectating as seriously as his racing. He’s competed at Mol, Belgium for masters’ cyclo-cross world’s (2009) and a few true Belgian field races. Carcella is an expert motor-pace driver, during which he serves as the team’s defacto coach, more in the style of Paulie from the Rocky movies than one of cycling’s famed sport directors or trainers.

He can talk tubs for hours, and holds a similar passion for Belgian beer, and brewing his own too. He’s also one of our guest test riders, and one that’s proven adept at providing unique, relevant, everyman feedback on bikes we’ve had in for testing, from sub-$1,000 entry-level to $5,000-plus halo models. For his own ride, however, he’s spent his money on a custom alloy frame, where he spec’d a straight 1.5in head tube (for use with a tapered fork), and BB30 bottom bracket. He has plans to add disc tabs, after helping with our testing of TRP’s Parabox disc brake system.

Carcella racing the 2011 Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross in Fort Collins, CO

Last but not least or resident Welshman, Nic Stevens, always speaks his mind; there are no punches pulled with this expat. We know; he’s one of the first to call us out if his experience doesn’t match what our stories convey. His chosen equipment is decidedly utilitarian too, he has two identical custom steel cyclo-cross bikes built by a local craftsman and equipped with Shimano’s Dura-Ace 7800 component group—parts he staunchly defends as the best road and ’cross group out there today.

He’s a dad already, but has twins on the horizon, so we’re not sure where his racing ‘career’ will go. Like the rest of us, however, he has a strong love of cyclo-cross and a keen willingness to share it. For a number of years, Stevens worked on as a coach and on the board of the Boulder Junior Cycling team, a local junior team that works to preach, teach, and generally facilitate junior cycling and racing.

Anyway, next time you see us out there, remember to heckle, and while we can’t steal the cupcake thing from MWI, maybe we’ll do meat loaf next year, or better yet some of Carcella’s beer—that’ll make people like us, for sure.

Disc brakes have a bright future in cyclo-cross

Matt Pacocha, US editor, in Boulder, CO — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:00:00 +0100

It's odd when so-called 'racers’ pooh-pooh a technology that has the potential to make them faster, but they’ve done it before and they’re doing it again. The current subject? Disc brakes for cyclo-cross. Make no mistake, the technology is coming. So if your intended goal is to have the fastest bike, get ready to accept it.

The main charge laid against disc brakes is their weight. Mountain bikes went through this very same shift early last decade and now you won’t find a weight weenie willing to ride without discs. Give ’cross a couple years – or one, after a major manufacturer makes a road hydraulic system – and it’ll be the same punchline: why were we ever even debating the change?

'Cross/road disc systems are heavier than cantilevers or linear-pull brakes but that's mainly because they’ve seen little development since Avid (pre-acquisition by SRAM) developed the BB7 in 1999.

When the Cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com team show up in Boulder, Colorado today for the Colorado ’Cross Cup and Boulder Cup UCI races they'll be equipped with prototypes that the press – including us at BikeRadar – will clamor to photograph and write about. It's amusing to think that all this fuss is about a product that’s essentially been around for a dozen years.

Avid's BB7 has been around for more than a decade, for good reason it gets the job done pretty darn well

I'm a little bit embarrassed to divulge that only now am I taking a serious crack at racing 'cross on disc brakes. Of course, while I could have had them back in ’99, they weren’t UCI-legal then. If the sport’s international governing body hadn’t lifted their ban last year, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation, let alone be on the cusp of some exciting changes. By changing the rules, the UCI have spurred, or at least accelerated, disc brake development for uses other than mountain biking.

Cost/benefit: Weight is still the main concern

If Cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com's racers line up with disc brakes at tomorrow's UCI event in Boulder, Colorado, I estimate they’ll be paying a weight penalty of about 800g/1.76lb. The team's Avid BB7s weigh 799g a set (434g for calipers plus 165g for cable outer, discs and hardware), compared to 230g for Avid's Shorty Ultimate rim brakes.

These weights are for production stock, however, and I expect to see a full complement of titanium bolts and alloy backed brake pads used to further shave weight. The extra weight of disc-specific wheels also has to be factored in: 1,531g (actual) for the outfit's Zipp 303 Firecrest disc wheels with White Industry MI6 hubs, compared to 1,200g (claimed) for the standard 303 Firecrest.

Something special: Zipp have set me up with the same wheels they're providing to their sponsored teams: 303 Firecrest tubular rims laced to White Industries MI6 disc hubs

So the weight penalty is significant –1.8lb at the tippy-top of the professional peloton likely feels, mentally, like 180lb – but if it’s wet and muddy, I believe the team would still have an advantage. What do they gain? Control, plain and simple. They'll have more braking power and modulation, which on a dry day may not make much of a difference; on a wet day, however, it could mean having brakes versus no brakes. I’ll take the bike with brakes, thanks.

Riding disc brakes on those special – meaning muddy – days also gives greater mud clearance, which means less packing out on course and easier and more complete cleaning in the pits. I’d pay 1.8lb for that, for sure.

Do it now: Advantage to the early adopters

There’s huge potential here, and the biggest payoffs will go to those who strike first, before the technology proliferates. Can you imagine riding a good tubeless system while others are on tubes? Huge advantage. Suspension versus hardtail? No brainer. Who uses linear-pull brakes on their mountain bike any more?

TRP struck first with their Parabox hydraulic conversion system. Our test sample has worked very well so far

Now is the time. Any cyclo-crosser knows that on bad days having brakes can give the ability to go 5-10 percent faster, even on the sharp end of the peloton. Who wouldn’t want that advantage, especially when the alternative can feel like a struggle against all odds? While better technology is on the horizon, the advantage discs have only lasts as long as your competitors choose not to adopt them.

You better believe Tim Johnson would take a five percent advantage over his #CXCLASH rival Jeremy Powers; then again, wouldn’t Powers want five percent over Ryan Trebon, or better yet the Euros? I'm excited to see it all play out… Anyone want to buy some lightly used carbon tubular wheels – for use with rim brakes?

Etape Cymru falls way short of the mark

John Whitney in Bath, UK — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:50:00 +0100

Closing roads to traffic for cycling events is a tricky thing for organisers to get right. If they do, it’s a riding experience like no other. If they don't, it creates a situation arguably worse than if the roads had been left open. So it was a shame the inaugural Etape Cymru, held earlier this month in North Wales, ended up squarely in the latter category.

The day didn’t get off to the best start, after I came across an email from organisers saying they were no longer able to supply the £20 gilet promised with entry. Instead, I’d be getting a £5 note back at registration. While I’m loath to turn my nose up at hard cash, it was unlikely to keep me warm atop the Horseshoe Pass.

After a lengthy drive from Lancashire down to the start on a Wrexham industrial estate, I signed on, took my place with around 1,500 others and readied myself for the mass start. Staggered starts are the norm in sportives, so for many this wait – similar to that prior to a running event – was a novel experience. The heatwave of early October was long gone, in its place a mixed bag of gusts, gales and showers. The last thing anyone needed was a delay, but that’s exactly what we got as we departed 15 minutes behind schedule.

The starting gun sounded and, being pretty far back in the waiting pack, it was some time before I crossed the line. When I finally clipped into my pedals, it was frenetic stuff. For many, entering an event like this is all about getting to the finish as fast as possible. I count myself in that competitive number, so being penned in like cattle for the first 20 minutes was frustrating. What didn’t help was that the route immediately gave way to singletrack farm roads that just didn’t seem suitable for 1,500 adrenaline-fuelled amateur cyclists.

Early warnings that the roads wouldn't be totally closed came not from a car, but one of the event’s own race support motorcycles, which weaved its way fast through the field and threatened another Jonny Hoogerland incident. It wasn’t long before I encountered my first vehicle and it became clear this was a ride I should treat like any other.

The promise of no traffic may have caused some to be complacent and take unnecessary risks round tight corners in the belief there was no chance of a collision. At the finish line, a spectator who'd watched the race at the bottom of Horseshoe Pass told me he'd seen motorists simply swerve round road blockades, while a marshal looked on passively. Worried that somebody could be seriously injured, a local resident had taken matters into his own hands and started to direct traffic. Not exactly ideal.

Signage also proved a major problem. Ideally, you’d have a marshal at every junction to direct riders but failing that, you’d at least have a sign sprayed onto the road. Instead, the Etape Cymru used tacked-on signs, which could be tampered with easily. It was no surprise that I ended up getting lost. It took a fair amount of luck to get back on track but with 60 miles to go, and my momentum shot, the goal was to just make it back to Wrexham.

I got lost another two times, on both occasions running out of marshals, signs or both. According to organisers, problems with signs being removed or switched caused them to ditch the entire hill pass of ‘The Shelf’, meaning century hunters would be left disappointed by the 90-odd miles they’d clocked at the finish (distance was dependent on how many wrong turns you made).

Other gripes included a missold parcours and empty food stations. The route, advertised as 100 miles with just over 6,000ft of climbing, shouldn't have been an issue for me, even with the 36-25T bottom gear I was running. But by the time I'd limped back into Wrexham with just shy of 10,000ft on the clock, my thighs were screaming for mercy.

It wasn't just a faulty GPS either; it felt like 10,000ft and other Etape Cymru participants venting their grievances on the BikeRadar forum backed this up. Many of the roads were also totally unsuitable for the volume of riders that would pass through as a large bunch. I recall seeing one guy on the deck during a section of the route that can only be decribed as a stream.

The other big issue was the feed stations. While it didn't directly affect me, judging by the forum, I was one of the lucky ones. Running out not only of food but water is pretty unforgivable and bearing in mind organisers were looking to attract almost 2,000 riders more than they eventually did, showed just how badly they'd misjudged things.

That's not to say the ride didn't have its good points. The North Wales countryside was spectacular, as was the support from many spectators on the day (a man dressed in full jester get-up, madly ringing a cow bell, pulled my day back from the brink). However, both came in spite of the organisation, not because of it.

Organisers are already accepting registrations for next year's race, but I'm not sure many who took part this year will be in a hurry to part with £65 again (this has been reduced to £55 for 2012, presumably because they've ditched the gilet). The event needs a lot of work, both in terms of an appropriate route and its ambition. £65? Really?! And does it really need to be held on closed roads? They could learn a lot from challenges such as the Fred Whitton, held on similarly filthy B-roads but open to motorists. Better to know there's a car around the corner than to mistakenly believe there won't be.

Did you take part in the Etape Cymru? How did you find it? Let us know your thoughts below...

Testing a new kind of hardware

James Huang, tech ed, in Boulder, CO, USA — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:55:00 +0100

So it turns out the attending physician at Boulder Medical Center was right about my collarbone X-ray. It wasn't just broken, it was shattered. There were three or four separate pieces creating all sorts of havoc in there, and after my consultation with my orthopedic surgeon, Dr Robert Koch (who treated my busted hand last year), there was no doubt that I'd be getting the plate-and-screw treatment.

Fast-forward two days and I'm now the proud owner of a funky-looking plate and a bunch of bone screws. I'd heard from other collarbone breakers that I'd likely feel better after the surgery but I was surprised at how dramatic the change was.

Not only was I in much less pain than I'd expected (I only took Percocet to guarantee I'd sleep that first night, then immediately switched to pretty modest doses of ibuprofen) but suddenly my shoulder felt almost right. Go figure – apparently your body prefers that all of its pieces be situated where they're supposed to be and not just freely floating around.

Further helping things along was a loaner Game Ready contraption courtesy of Allen Lim. Replacing the old-school ice pack or frozen bag o' peas, this little gem circulates ice water and applies moderate pressure around injured body parts through a variety of custom wraps. No joke: this thing quickly became one of my favorite activities in the days immediately after the surgery and after just three days, the swelling was gone – awesome.

It's now been over a week since the surgery and I seem to be progressing pretty well. I'm down to just occasional doses of ibuprofen when needed and mobility is decent, all things considered. According to nurse practitioner Sue Rudy at my first follow-up, one of the breaks was very close to the distal end of my collarbone so recovery might take a bit longer than usual but I'm still hopeful I'll be able to get back on the road before long.

In the meantime, it's lots of couch time in front of the TV and as many milk, cheese and calcium supplements as my liver can process. Pro triathlete Jordan Rapp is sending me his bone stimulator doohickey soon, so we'll see if that speeds things along. Crossing my fingers…