Component and event reviews - archives

Wondering what’s the deal with the new gear on the market? Maybe you’re thinking about checking out a gran fondo in your area? I get my hands on a lot of gear and gizmos, and I share my impressions with my readers. These component and event reviews are designed to give you an honest look at what’s on the market and if these parts and rides are worth your money.

VeloInk Decals – Review

On this blog, I've made it a habit to discuss those companies that have gone the extra mile in producing a quality product and/or support that product above and beyond with exceptional customer service.

VeloInk is definitely one of these companies.

My experience with VeloInk started way back in December with a quick question on designing a custom label using my coaching company logo as well as my name because 1) it's "pro" to have your name on the top tube (yeah, right…) and 2) there's no better free advertising than plaster your logo onto the bike and then thrash people with it. My initial inquiry was quickly dealt with by Chris, who became my contact throughout the process. Unfortunately, the holidays and various work commitments kept putting the decals on the back burner, but every time I emailed Chris to kickstart the process, he was eager to work with me.

Those of you who are regular readers know that I'm pretty particular about details, and Chris compliments this perfectly: his attention to every detail of my (extremely small, in hindsight) order gave me the "warm and fuzzy" feeling we so often search for when dealing with vendors. I honestly felt that Chris really cared about each and every facet of my order, and I've heard the same from everyone else that I've dealt with.

The quality of the decals I ordered was top notch, the price was fantastic and the service was second to none.

I'd highly recommend Chris and VeloInk to anyone looking to personalize their machine with their name or company logo.

Tags: internet, reviews|

Michelin Pro 4 Race Service Course Final Thoughts

[dc]T[/dc]ires are a very personal thing, and changing them can represent a significant investment in the unknown. That being said, last year I published my first impressions on the Michelin Pro Race 4 SC tires that I picked up at Velofest. I was hesitant at the time: I was replacing an extremely durable, nice riding set of Vittoria Rubino Pro IIIs and had poor luck with Michelins in the past. Specifically, the Pro Race 3s that I used had an extremely short lifespan and were somewhat puncture prone. I was hoping that the Pro4s had rectified this problem. Much to my surprise, the Pro 4s gave a very favorable first impression, and were extremely solid during the first 250 miles that comprised my first impression.

Having spent the rest of the season on them it's time for my final thoughts on their performance, their value and make my recommendation.

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Tags: components, reviews, wrenching|

Coaching Tool: Ubersense

Ubersense is a tool which I have recently become acquainted with that has to potential to change the way coaching and fitting consults are performed. To put it simply, Ubersense is a magnificent app which utilizes your iPhone's (or Android's) video capture function to record a sports activity. Yourself (or your coach) can then view the video, analyze it in slow motion, mark up the video with angular measurements, record commentary over it, etc etc. This makes it extremely easy to perform consultations from a distance or work out mechanical issues in fitting environments or coaching environments.

Not only an app, Ubersense has a web presence and social media presence; users can share their video files with coaches and their friends, making it simple to see what others are doing and how training or activities may increase their skills. You can visit Ubersense on the web and download the app. We'll take a look at the functionality of Ubersense below, and you can follow along on the app.

More after the jump:

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Tags: Coaching, reviews, training|

Quarq Customer Service/Warranty Process

UPDATE:

According to Quarq, the electronics pod failure that I experienced was not necessarily weather related; it was more of a "destined to fail" issue. (After searching the web) It appears that there were a bad batch of electronics pods installed on some units. Quarq says "There was a flaw in the molding of the electronics pod that caused a stress crack allowing moisture to get in."

Disheartening that something like this slipped through QC initially, but I'm pleased it was a fast turnaround.

Original Article:

Many of you know that I'm a fan of Quarq and their Cinqo power meter. I was thrilled to hear they had become a division of SRAM and I was excited to see that the new Red group had been built to include an updated Cinqo power meter. I own a Cinqo power meter and I've been very pleased with it (except for the weird 2450 battery that it takes) for the past year or so. But one thing I was always hesitant about was the inevitable change in customer service principles that generally accompanies a large scale purchase such as the SRAM/Quarq purchase. Unfortunately, I recently had to make use of the Quarq warranty process, and fortunately, it is still everything that it has been reported to be.

The Back Story

Here in the northeast, we've been lucky this year: cold and wet weather managed to hold off until late December, making it extremely easy to ride outside and enjoy real, live on-road training as opposed to "illin' with the trainer." In this case, approximately two weeks ago (on a Sunday) we ventured out for a "classics" ride, taking in the rural dirt and gravel roads of southern Hunterdon county. And what "classics" ride would be complete without some damp and drizzle? The rain mostly held off, but we did find our fair share of puddles and grime, and our bikes were well washed off by rain as we drove home.

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Tags: components, drivetrain, reviews|

KMC X10SL DLC Chain Review
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KMC X10SL DLC Chain Review

Component and event reviews, components and wrenching, Wrenching and bike maintenance

KMC X10SL DLC Chain Review

Being somewhat anal retentive about my maintenance schedules, I tend to rotate several chains every 2500 miles or so in order to extend the life of my cogs and chainrings as much as possible. So when it came time to rotate my chain this spring, I realized that I didn't have another fresh chain to replace the current one. I typically run a Dura Ace 7900 chain on an Ultegra or Dura Ace cassette, which I have found to be among the best shifting combinations available on the market today. After hearing so many good things about KMC chains (including their phenomenal wear resistance) I pondered the idea of going with a KMC this time. What I ended up with at the end of the day was the KMC equivalent of Dura Ace: the KMC X10SL DLC.

After putting about 2500 miles on it, here are my impressions (after the jump):

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Tags: components, reviews, road bike, wrenching|

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