Bike Press Camp 2011 Wrapup

The tents are down, all of the bike gear has been packed up and shipped out and everyone has likely winged their way home from Deer Valley.

There is much much more to come from the past week’s vendor visits, but I wanted to kick off the upcoming coverage with a wrapup of some the standouts of the 2011 edition of Bike Press Camp.

Tech:

Wahoo Fitness:

There have been many attempts at using the iPhone as a bike computer, but Wahoo Fitness is the first company to take an integrated approach to it. Wahoo’s Bike Pack  features a waterproof, shockproof case with an integrated ANT+ sensor. The case (and I can’t stress this enough compared to other systems I’ve seen) CLEANLY and SECURELY mounts to either your stem or your handlebars. The Bike Pack comes with a speed and cadence sensor, and since the system uses the ANT+ communications protocol, easily mates with heart rate monitors, powermeters, speed and distance monitors, temperature sensors and more.

The Bike Case has been out since February, but Wahoo has been working since Spring on their new app. The app will work with more than sixty online training systems such as Map My Ride, Strava and Training Peaks. In addition, it can pair with multiple power meters and use multiple sources for speed and distance. The app presents your ride data in a number of page views while you are riding and the developers are worker on a configurator that will allow users to create their own screens.

CycleOps:

CycleOps comes in a close second with their all new G3 Powermeter. The G3 has a smaller hub diameter than the SL Plus model that it replaces, has bigger flanges for spoke mounting and most importantly, is 80 grams lighter than its predecessor. It is now possible to build wheels with a powermeter that are as light as a standard wheel. The ANT+ transmitter has been moved to the outside flange of the hub, making it easier to service.

Accessories:

Tifosi Optics:

Sure, Oakley gets all of the celebs, but Tifosi Optics has been quietly winning over the pocketbooks of cyclists everywhere, capturing a huge slice of the market share in independent bike shops countrywide. They introduced seven new styles at Bike Press Camp with features on par with the more famous brands (photochromic lenses, grilamid temples, hyrophilic rubber), but with prices that are far less ($30 to $90).

Cannondale:

It’s easy to forget that in their early days, Cannondale was as big into accessories as they were into bikes. The big news for the Bethel, CT company for Bike Press Camp was an all-new extensive line of helmets. The line includes helmets in road, urban and mountain styles with features and weights that compete very well in price with helmets from Bell and Giro.

The new Teramo road helmet, as an example, features dual-density EPS foam, an embedded chassis that holds the helmet together on impact, exoskeleton reinforcement, wide vents and a ponytail compatible occipital pad system with micro-dial adjustment all for $109 and 245 grams.

Apparel:

Assos:

Assos has a ton of new gear coming out between now and Spring/Summer 2012, but probably the most impressive item in the pipeline is their all new storm.Prinz line of wet weather gear. Comprising a jacket, knickers, raincap and booties, storm.Prinz is a systemized approach to keeping you warm and dry on the bike. Look more details on this system in the coming weeks.

Gore Bike Wear:

Since the introduction of a waterproof breathable cycling jacket 25 years ago, Gore Bike Wear has been best known for their inclement weather gear, but the last several years have seen them work to develop what they call a “head to toe, skin to shell” line for cycling. Some of their standouts for Bike Press Camp include an all new Gore-Tex Active Shell jacket for high level aerobic activities as well as the expansion of the top of the line, pro-oriented Oxygen family with everything from base layers to long sleeve jerseys and bib tights with Gore Windstopper panels. Perhaps more important is that Gore now has lines to meet the needs of everyone from the most casual rider to the seasoned and fit pro.

Road Bikes:

This is a tough one. Parlee, Ridley and Blue were all on hand with new bikes.

Blue‘s AC1 held its own pretty well in a test of aero road bikes down by Velo News back in the spring. The AC1 came in second behind Cervelo, and as it turns out, many of the suggested improvements were already in the pipeline. Changes in tubing shape, layup and more result in a stiffer, more aerodynamic bike while still coming out lighter than the model it replaces. The AC1 dropped from 1300 to 1080 grams and the AC1SL went from 1150 to 1040 grams.

Ridley continues to push the aero road market forward and their all new Noah FB represents (for the moment) the cutting edge in aero road bike design. I didn’t get to see the new bike in person (it was still making it’s way from their Ogden warehouse), but talking to some of the other editors that did get to see it, it sounds impressive. Brakes are integrated into the frame design, tucking them behind the fork blades to be out of the wind.

Parlee‘s Z5 line of bikes brings their custom approach of building bikes to a productionized model. The Z5 line encompasses 3 models that are available in 12 standard sizes. The sizing is based on their years of experience of building custom bikes and all of the fit data that they have received. The Z5SL, with a light matte clearcoat over the raw carbon is the one that caught my eye.

Mountain Bikes:

GT:

GT‘s Zaskar 100 Expert, at $4200, seems to meet the company’s goal of being the best bike out there for the money. With a full carbon frame, 100mm of travel, a completely redesigned pivot system and an impressive build kit, it made my short list as I start shopping for a new mountain bike.

Niner:

Another bike for my shortlist is Niner‘s Jet 9 RDO (Race Day Optimized). Full carbon frame. Check. 100mm travel. Check. All new approach to 29er suspension. Check.