Michelin Pro3 Race Service Course Tires. Michelin Laytex Tubes.

Engineered by Michelin to combine the very low rolling resistance of the "Pro 2 Race" and the incredible tack and rain capabilities of the "Pro Grip", the "Pro 3 Race Service Course" does not disappoint. I have been racing on the Pro 3's all year and though I was at first reluctant on their claimed ability to roll faster (used the Pro2's in TT's) and grip better (used the Grips in techy crits and rain days) than anything produced before them, eventually I came to realize these tires aren't just a bunch of hype... they actually increase performance and ride quality. Pair the Pro 3's with a nice set of Laytex Tubes and you get a springy, grippy almost (ALMOST) tubular quality "pingy" ride. Though I never flatted the Zipp Tangente Tubular's while training on them daily this summer, I must admit this morning it was relieving to set out on a little spin without having to lug around a spare tire taped to my seatpost and a lingering fear of being one shard of glass away from shelling out $80.

The only other clincher tire I have ridden extensively that even comes close in terms of all around ride quality have been the Vittoria EVO CX's... these are bad ass as well, but in extreme situations like say a 40K TT or a 10 corner crit in the pouring rain, you want to go with the Michelin's... they are simply a better performing tire.

I got many miles out of my Vittoria's and wore the tread on the rear tire flat, but I would give the nod to the Michelin's in terms of overall performance... the Vittoria's do look very nice though!
Laytex tubes give you a more supple and vivrant ride. In my opinion the rumors that they puncture more easily than butyl tubes are rubbish. The only downfall moderately worth mentioning is that laytex tubes will lose more air overnight than a butyl tube. Big deal!
Here is a shot of the Michelin Laytex tube that I was running with the Vittoria's. The black marks are from the inner casing on the Vittoria tire as the tube adhered itself to the tire's casing for lack of talc powder. It is VERY important you talk your tubes before installation. Why? A talc'd tube will flat less (can wiggle inside the tire) and will sit in the casing of the tire better(think ear deafening explosion of tube after pumping up to max pressure for the first time becuase the tube was pinched out of the bead against the rim).
Don't forget to remove the little straw that sits over the valve. i.e. "Why won't this dang valve through the rim?!"
Pretty cool stripes if you ask me. Seafoam Green not your thing? No big deal... the Pro3's come in other colours to best suit your vanity needs.

Contrary to clincher tire mounting tradition, you mount the tire towards the valve core, not away from it. This is especially important if you are mounting the Pro3's on a carbon rim.
A thin coat of wax-like substance will be on your new Pro3's. If you plan on pushing them hard from the blocks, take a razor and scrape the substance off with a razor blade. *note: i am not scraping in the above picture, just showing you the residue that comes off the tire. scrape with the blade away from the direction it is moving... think "sweeping the floor".
Happy bike ready to go! Hey! Who stole my watter bottles?!

Click to purchase the Michelin Pro3 Race's and Michelin Laytex Tubes.

Zero Gravity NegG Ti. Installation and Ride Report.

Installation:
Here they are pre-installation. Included are some nice, easy to follow instructions which I never read but will share with you now the details just for kicks.
You need: 5,4,3mm allens, a 13mm crescent and a nice set of cable cutters. That and a clue. (step 1a) If you are unsure of what you are doing, support your LBS and just pay the tech $20-$40 bucks for the install. You will be happy you did.

1. Install the caliper.
2. Adjust the pad so it sits flush and straight with the rim. 3. Back out the barrel adjusters a tad so you can dial in on the fly if need be.
4. Cut the housing to proper length and afix the cable behind the bolt and washer appropriately.
5. Tighten cable to 60-70 in/lbs. Cut to length. Install cable end.
6. Center the caliper with a 13mm cone wrench. Careful not to scratch the caliper!
7. Adjust the throw of the caliper as need be with the barrel adjuster. 8. Make final pad adjustment and torque to 25in/lbs.Using your hand to hold the pad in place, torque the pad to 70-80in/lbs. Done!This just might be the nicest training bike I've had in all my years as a Pro.
Unconventional looking but not obnoxious like the M5's (not that there is anything wrong with that).Brake Housing flows down nicely. A quick glance at the side profile would make you think these are the OG Ti's. Here is the rear caliper as it sits on my Lemond frame. Rear Housing flows nicely into the barrel adjuster as well. Meaty and complex looking on this side...
...yet so clean and simple on this side.

All in all the installation was a snap. I've installed many pair of the OG's mind you but these were really no different and rumors of the set-up being difficult are rubish. If you find the installation difficult revert to step 1a. as described above.

Ride Report:
Not much to say actually... These are rock solid! They felt exactly like the SRAM Rival's I was running. Nice modulation but could lock up the wheel when under 10mph (or any speed for that matter) in a snap. Smooth action (partly due to new cables and housing). Strong, positive feeling retraction (oxymoron?). Very clean looks especially when paired with the paint scheme on this frame. Excellent brake pads... these actually felt a little stickier than the Bontrager Cork's I was running prior... the rim did less "sliding" and more "slowing" when braking at speed. Not to say the Bontrager's are anything but awesome, the SwissStops simply have a different feel. Perhaps this will dissipate over time? The calipers did not come out of center as the housing was cut to the proper length. Many ZG users complained of the OG's coming out of center all to often but this was a cable housing length issue not a caliper issue.

One ride was all it took for me to be convinced these are more powerful than the OG's. I have yet to ride in the rain with them but this is really a non-issue now folks. Unless you weight 300lbs and spray Tri-Flow all over your rims, any high quality carbon fiber rim paired with any high quality carbon specific pad is going to perform in ALL conditions, ALL the time! Forget about it!!!

Click to purchase the Zero Gravity NegG Ti's.

Zero Gravity Negative G Ti. Initial Impressions.

Brakes. They slow you down. So why in a sport which focuses on speed and acceleration is there such a large emphasis on the very things that negate it's emphasis? In a word, control. Without being properly able to control your bicycle your riding will suffer, be less enjoyable and above all be unsafe. Concerning control there are many variables to take into account i.e. position on the bicycle, the accuracy and composition of the bike and all it's working parts not to mention the strength and integrity of the bicycle itself. So many cyclists place such an emphasis on lightweight this and tricked out that, but it is all in vain when the advantages of lightweight are outweighed (pun) by unreliability and at worst case, failure. What good is a $15,000 12 pound bike if it handles poorly and is constantly walking the thin line of performing or breaking?

Before I get too far into the Negative G Ti's, I first want to say a few words on the original OG-Ti's. When set up properly the OG-Ti's performed to my satisfaction in every instance I demanded them to. I never felt unsafe or nervous and if I had I would not have ridden them for over a year on various bikes that were being tested. However, I weigh 150lbs dripping wet.

Enter the Negative G Ti's. Zero Gravity set out at the request of it's riders and mechanics on Team Jittery Joes, to design and manufacture a more powerful and robust caliper than the OG's. Were they successful? My peers tell me so, but I just had to find out for myself. I called up my pal Christian Forster over at Zero Gravity and he obliged to send me a pair for testing. Please note, as cool as it is to get free product (if only for a few weeks) and as much as I appreciate the generosity of companies like Zero Gravity, you my customers will get an un-biased, no-nonsense review. If there is something I don't like or approve of, it will be noted here. At the end of the day this is just one cyclist/technician's (albeit a very experienced one) opinion.

Initial Impressions:
Same packaging type as the OG-S. Basic, sealed cardboard box. Brakes came individually, neatly and deliberately packaged in bubble wrap bags ensuring they wouldn't scratch each other in shipment and/or transport. I also appreciate the sealed box. If you have ever worked at a bike shop you know how many times small part can be "borrowed" from components only to never be replaced. Also included are some very detailed, easy to follow and visually accurate installation instructions... these will surely come in handy later.

These are not nearly as sexy as a set of Campagnolo Record Skeleton's nor are the lines as smooth as a set of Dura Ace's but having said that, I don't think the Neg G's were intended to compete in those area's. Much like the esteemed M5's the ZG' are a form follows function component.


Note the robustness and girth of the caliper arms, note the precision of the machining, note the simplicity yet ingenuity of the cams, leaf springs and quick release features. Spec'd with SwissStop pads... doesn't get much better than that!
In my next blog post I will document the installation of the Neg G's. I am hoping these will go on a Time VXR Proteam coming for review but if not, I'm sure I can find another worthy sled. Stay tuned...

Part 4: The End of Silence.

Part 4: The End of Silence

Where on earth have I been? France and Spain racing around rainy, windswept roads in Brittany, France then a week later up and down 5,000ft Cols in the Pyrenees. When it was all said and done I realized I was never meant to be a pure climber but I sure am well rounded for a skinny guy.

Moving on...

Before leaving I never finished the final phase of my totally awesome Richard Sachs build. Shipping an $8,000 dollar bike across the Continental US is nerve wracking enough so why take chances. Svelte Cycles has no problem spending the extra bucks when necessary so I didn't hesitate to call my pal and KBS/Medifast Pro Cycling Team Sponsor Steve at Crateworks
a call and order some nice boxes rather than re-use use some rag tag thing from the LBS's dumpster. Don't get me wrong, I am all for recycling and the way I see it the resilient Crateworks boxes can be used again by my Customer's to ship the bike back to me for repair in the future.

Here is the general packing process. FYI it took my 8 minutes to pack my bike three days ago in the hallway of my hotel room in Madrid.

1. Assemble both sides of the Box.
2. Easy to follow Directions for you visual learners.
3. Fit all the foam pieces and wheel wells.
4. Strap the wheels in.
5. Strap the bike in upside down to protect the drivetrain.
6. Put it all together and loop straps over then secure them taunt.
7. Print out your FedEx Label and "Bon Voyage!".

Richard Sachs Team Issue. Round 3.

We are down to the wire now (pun).
Time to do the transmision and controls. Double Taps go on now.
I line them up proper and torque.
The seat tube is wiped clean with Simple Green before mounting. It's never a good idea to mount a clamp onto something dirty/greasy.
Mount that clamp on the front mech.

Looking sharp. This rig means business.
So many little fixtures on a Cross Bike. Here is the frame mounted rear brake cable adjuster lubed up and threaded in.

These pads come too long for the Sachs frame. We cut them for clearance.
Before.

After.Mount the pads loose on the Canti's ready for final adjustment.
Make sure the wheels are true before the brake adjust. Very important.
Hhhmmm. The rear wheel is sitting crooked yet the wheel itself is in dish and true. No way the frame is out of alignment... must be too much paint in the dropout. Where's that file?!
Bold move but that's why I make the Big Buck$. Problem Solved.
Cut.
Trim.
Open.
A few drops of lube down each opening for good measure.
Run it all together and adjust.


Cut to size.
Cap that cable with these.
Protect this frame! These guys case the cables that run along the top tube. No need to scratch that gorgeous Joe Bell paint job.
Here are some routing shots. When it comes to bikes I don't play games. That is premium brand electrical tape folks. Why get the cheap crap?
Note the front brake cable and housing goes over the stem for a smoother line to the front brake cable hanger.
Nothing says loving like a new cassette.
After the wheels are mounted and brakes are adjusted we bring the bike to life by adding it's chain. Sram chains use link connectors.
Shift is adjusted and all cable ends are capped with Spicy Road Tips.

Last step is to wrap the bars. I peel the foam backing off the "Off The Front" tape to give the rider a more positive feel when riding. This is a nice feature with this brand of tape and I give the "Off The Front" a big thumbs up.
P.S. Wrapping the bars... it should be done right as it represents the quality of the build in my opinion.

Up bright and early the following morning to get those first rays of sun.
Next up... The shipping process. We do it right. We don't use Trek Boxes and newspaper.