FEATURES: PRESSCAMP TECH REPORT, PART 3

FEATURES: PRESSCAMP TECH REPORT, PART 3
Michael White
June 26, 2012

REYNOLDS UNVEILS "AERO SERIES" ROAD CLINCHERS

If you missed Road Bike Action's first few reports from Bike PressCamp, click HERE and HERE. Our coverage continues with Reynolds' launch of its brand-new line of aero road wheels. There are three wheelsets in the line, and all three will be available as clinchers only (no tubulars for now). Designed by Reynolds' famed aerodynamicist, Paul Lew (who designs unmanned spy drones for the military when he's not working on bicycle wheels), the new wheels were designed entirely by computer simulations.

"Most wheel manufacturers talk about spending hundreds of hours in the wind tunnel to develop new rim shapes," says Lew. "We have an incredibly advanced computer program to run simulations, and once we finalized a design, we took it to the A2 wind tunnel. And it was there that our work was validated." The new rim shapes have been dubbed, "Dispersive Effect Termination (DET)," a reference to one of the project goals of reducing air turbulence around the rotating rims, thus improve handling. The Aero Series comes in 58mm, 72mm and 90mm depths. They weigh a claimed 1570 grams, 1680 grams and 1900 grams, respectively, and will retail for $2775, $2875 and $2975.

The dramatic spoke holes appear to more of a cutout than a traditional round hole. Lew says that this design allows the straight-pull spokes to fit into a more optimal position for both aerodynamics and tension. As you can see, Reynolds' new Aero Series doesn't follow the en vogue design of blunt edge, wide rims (a la Zipp's Firecrest and Bontrager's Aeolus D3 5). When asked about those types of wide rims, Lew said, "Based on everything I've learned during my career in aerodynamics, those designs don't make the most sense to me." Reynolds' Aero Series rims are 26.2mm wide at the brake track.

"The valve stem area is the weakest part of a rim, because it's the biggest hole," says Lew. To reinforce the valve stem area, Reynolds added extra carbon fiber material and ensured that the shape remained aerodynamically optimal. Real world riding experience led Lew's team to add a rubber piece that prevents valve stems from rattling against the rim wall while riding. Each rim in the Aero series utilizes six different types of carbon fiber in various areas, and Lew stresses that each rim was created independently: "We didn't build one deep rim and then shrink it to two smaller sizes. Each rim has its own unique characteristics." The most dramatic of these unique characteristics is a tiny lip called a "Step Hook" on the outer edge of the rim surface on the 58mm and 72mm models. This is the area where the rims come in contact with the tires and the Step Hook feature is intended to smooth airflow at this critical juncture.

All of the wheels in Reynolds' line have made the move to straght-pull hubs, and the Aero series is no exception. The hub shell is a custom design by Reynolds and is built by DT Swiss with DT Swiss internals.

LAZER UPDATES THE HELMET LINE

Belgian helmet manufacturer, Lazer, showed off the latest renditions of their most popular helmets at this year's PressCamp. The popular Helium model receives some functional additions for 2013, namely the ability to better interact with Lazer's Magneto sunglass model. When in use, the arm-less Magneto locks into place with two magnets located on the Helium's straps (those magnets are also sold separately, making the Magneto usable with most every other road helmet). Now, Lazer has released plastic clips with integrated magnets to hold the Magneto in place when you wish to ride sans sunglasses midway through your loop.

Here's a close-up shot of the "Mag Doc" clips installed on a Helium. They're held in place with sticky tape and feature small magnets to securely hold the Magneto glasses. Be sure to look for a full review of the Lazer Magneto glasses in an upcoming issue of Road Bike Action magazine.

Another new feature of the next Helium helmet is called the "Aqua Pad," which is a gel strip that nestles on your forehead instead of a more traditional fabric pad. The non-absorbant Aqua Pad prevents sweat from dripping into your eyes during a ride. There are also two channels on the outer edges of the Aqua Pad to allow sweat to flow off your forehead without impairing your vision.

Still more new features of the Lazer Helium is a small LED light integrated into the signature Rollsys closure dial. The red light has a steady and a blinking mode and is easily activated by simply pressing on it. An extra bit of visibility is a great feature for safely riding in low-light situations. The LED lights will also be compatible with other Lazer helmets that utilize the Rollsys closure system.

No, this isn't a road helmet, but it does feature a cool, new feature for 2013. This is the Oasiz mountain bike trail helmet and it will come with an integrated GoPro camera mount. Lazer says that the mount may be available for the aftermarket and would work with road helmets too. This means no more sticking a standard GoPro mount on your helmet and risk leaving an unsightly trail of gooey residue.