News, Views and Insights

By Jon Hornbeck

PHOTO OF THE WEEK 

During the finale of stage 17 during the Giro d’Italia the rain came down hard but it didn’t change much as Viviani still crossed the line first for his fourth time during this Giro. His teammate Fabio Sabatini takes his own salute in the downpour as Quick Step secures another victory.

Photo: Bettini

 

SWARMING BEND RIDE IN OREGON

Looking for a fun event to his this weekend? Take a look at what Chris King Precision Components and Argonaut Cycles are doing as they will be hosting a “Swarm” Bend, OR ride on May 25th and 26th.  It will be 2 days of riding, bicycles, beer, food trucks, and more.

Starting Friday evening the entire Chris King crew will be hanging out at Crux Fermentation Project for some light revelry and watching the sun go down.

Saturday is packed full of day-long events.  There will be a MTB ride led by Crow’s Feet Commons and simultaneously a road ride lead by Ben Farver from Argonaut Cycles, that will drop by Argonaut for a shop tour to see how custom carbon bikes are made.

What: Poker Rides, Bike Show, Beer, Food Trucks, and more

When: May 25th and 26th

Where: Bend, Oregon

How: Follow @ChrisKingBuzz (Instagram) to see where to get cards throughout the weekend.

 

THE SAVAGE FROM DB EQUIPMENT 

Inspired by the lifesaving roll cages used in racing cars, the construction of The Savage centers around the unique and patented Db Roll Cage which will protect your bike in an exceptional way. Combining high durability, steadiness and compressibility. The Savage will redefine traveling with bikes.

Db Roll Cage: The patented Db Roll Cage offers superior protection against impact and pressure loads compared to a conventional soft bag. Because of the aluminum frame, The Savage performs like a hybrid between a soft bag and a hard case bag with a very good protection-to-weight ratio.

Packability: The Savage entails the same advantages as a soft bag, meaning that it weighs much less than a hard case bag and can also be collapsed and rolled up for easy storage, where it can be compressed to 35% of its full size. The assembling and disassembling of the frame is quick and easy and requires no tools.

Size: One bag fits all. The Savage is designed to fit any type of mountain bike from Freestyle bikes to Downhill- and plus size bikes. With the included Road Bike Handlebar Adaptor the bag will also handle any type of road bike with a curved, detachable handlebar. The generous length of the bag allow bikes with long wheel bases, up to 130cm to fit inside the bag. One bag to rule them all.

 

VIDEO: SPRINTER JOHN MURPHY 

Prior to the start of the 2018 Tour of California we caught up with ace sprinter John Murphy from the Tab – Citadel p/b Hincapie squad to chat tactics and plans for the sprint stages ahead.

Listen to John’s views personally on where the ideal position would be for him to be in during the lead up to the sprint.

 

SHOE REVIEW: SHIMANO GRAVEL XC5

In addition to their proven legacy as a manufacturer of race-winning drivetrains, pedals and wheels, Shimano has also been in the footwear business for decades. From high-performance road shoes to clipless-ready Birkenstock-like sandals, Shimano has always delivered an innovative and performance-driven product for all categories of cycling to complement their hard-parts catalog.

With that history in mind, it was a bit of a shock to hear that their newest shoe to hit the market was a gravel-inspired shoe given that as popular as the segment has become, Shimano has yet to formally address it with any specific drivetrain components.

Yes, the XC5 resembles a mountain bike shoe in name, but realizing that gravel riding was a growing market with unique needs that weren’t reflected in their current footwear lineup, Shimano says they began prototyping a gravel-friendly shoe over three years ago.

Read the full review of the new shoe here. 

 

TACX NEW STRUCTURED TRAINING PLANS 

The Tacx Training app now features structured training plans. No less than 99 plans are available to help you reach any kind of goal. Whether it’s better racing, time trialling or climbing, there’s a matching plan for you made by world class coaches.

Choose your plan
The training plans are available for different levels and goals. After selecting the matching consecutive phase (groundwork, brickwork or roofing), you can choose a plan based on your FTP and your training frequency. If you’ve entered your FTP value, the software will recommend a program for your fitness. After selecting your plan you can perform the training with the Tacx Training app.

Download and subscribe
The Tacx Training app is available for free in the App Store and on Google Play. To get access to the training plans, you’ll need to subscribe to Premium (€9,99 per month) or Premium HD (€13,99 per month). More information can be found on the Tacx website.

 

TWO BIKES TO WIN!

Each year we have a reader’s survey that helps us see what you, the reader is interested in. CLICK HERE to fill out the survey and be entered to win a sweet Bianchi Impulo All Road. It was the winner of the 2017 Interbike Innovation award and we have a full review in the June 2018 issue of the magazine.

We are also giving away one of our favorite bikes, a 3T Strada. CLICK HERE to see how you enter to win this sweet ride. And last, if you haven’t already, CLICK HERE to subscribe to the magazine and stay up to date will our latest reviews and content.

 

Well, that’s all for this weeks Mid-Week Report. Be sure to check back every Wednesday to see the latest news, views and products that have come our way. If you have any questions, comments or requests, let us know: [email protected]