Thanks for all the emails and well-wishes lately. We are happy to report that...
Blacksmith Cycle, our new bike shop in downtown Toronto, will be open within 3 weeks time!
Check out blacksmithcycle.wordpress.com for info or check us out in person soon!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Monday, September 6, 2010
Big Announcement!!
Thanks for checking out the blog.
Stayed tuned in the coming months for news on the launch of the newest, greatest bike shop on the planet:
Mellow Mike's Bikes
If you have any interest in your brand being carried by my shop, I am now in the process of finalizing inventory options for 2011 so please email me at:
mikesbikeparts@gmail.com
Monday, August 16, 2010
Madfiber Wheels - 1st in Canada?
Fellow Roadies,
Picked up an early set of Madfiber wheels while I was in Oregon this weekend.
Serial number 000149 - fresh off the press!!
I've taken a very quick spin on an unglued front wheel, and I can say they seem very stiff and pretty smooth.
Considering they weigh less, and are more aero than a set of Mavic CCU's, these could be the real deal!
Details to follow, but here is the visual evidence:
Still unglued - 1 Vittoria, and 1 Challenge Seta...now which one to choose?
Very clean surface, with cutting-edge spoke to rim bonding technique.
Finish quality of the rims seems right up there with Mavic and Lightweight...
Front wheel hub/spoke interface looks like something from the future.
Spokes have a bit of flex to them when given the hand-clamp test.
Rear wheel is a bit rougher in terms of finish.
Madfiber Prez Rik Hjertberg claims things will be cleaned up as production moves along:
Stickers are simple, and easily removeable.
Downside is they seem prone to peeling:
Awesome new wheels on a pile of FMB tubulars...am I in heaven?
- Even though these were slightly above claimed weight, the wind-up is non-existent...extremely light wheels tend to have this effect.
- Stiffness is pretty awesome. I was cranking the watts to my max, and felt no flex whatsoever...on par with Lightweights, and perhaps even a step above my old Mavic CCUs. At my height and weight (6'2" / 175 lbs) I can usually detect even minimal flex.
- Ride quality is actually pretty good...I'd say slightly smoother than most deep aero wheelsets, though the FMB's may account for some of that. In any event, these are not what I would characterize as super-harsh...they seem capable of deflecting a bit of vibration without losing stiffness.
- A major compliment to the White Industries rear hub as well...very smooth and TOTALLY SILENT. No freewheeling noise whatsoever, which is just damn cool.
- Braking was very solid, and pretty silent. I'd say about an 8/10 on both fronts. Impressive.
- At this point, I have only two small complaints:
1. Front hub does not seem to spin all that smoothly. I've had other wheelsets that lose friction as they break in, so I'm hoping the same happens in this case, though any tips are appreciated.
2. The stickers are of somewhat dubious quality - already a bit of peeling going on, though I will almost certainly remove them anyways, so maybe this point should in fact be a positive!
Here are some crappy pics...I'll get some better photos up eventually...
Passoni Ray Carb with Madfiber wheels...coming off was a set of Edge 1.68s, so no slouch, but these felt stiffer and lighter.
FMB tires seem very supple to the touch...ride quality was superb, and they surely helped on that front.
Sticker quality leaves a lot to be desired...they'll probably be removed soon.
Thanks for checking in, and look for more details, pictures and a further ride report soon.
Best,
Mike
Picked up an early set of Madfiber wheels while I was in Oregon this weekend.
Serial number 000149 - fresh off the press!!
I've taken a very quick spin on an unglued front wheel, and I can say they seem very stiff and pretty smooth.
Considering they weigh less, and are more aero than a set of Mavic CCU's, these could be the real deal!
Details to follow, but here is the visual evidence:
Still unglued - 1 Vittoria, and 1 Challenge Seta...now which one to choose?
 |
Finish quality of the rims seems right up there with Mavic and Lightweight...
Spokes have a bit of flex to them when given the hand-clamp test.
Rear wheel is a bit rougher in terms of finish.
Madfiber Prez Rik Hjertberg claims things will be cleaned up as production moves along:
Stickers are simple, and easily removeable.
Downside is they seem prone to peeling:
Update - 08/17/10: MORE PICS ADDED BELOW
Just a quick pic to show how they look on a bike.
With my Ridley Damocles Pi Pozzato edition...
I've had many questions about the rim design, so here is a pic and some thoughts.
The shape is a pretty sharp "V" with a slight bulge raising from just above the bottom edge.
Can't really say if they've gone the extra wide route, like Zipp and Hed, but the rim/tire interface seems pretty smooth.
I do know they have done a fair amount of aerodynamic testing.
Brake track has a slightly raised profile, in the same matte finish as the rest of the rim, only with a UD finish...
Ok, now the important stuff...weight!
Front: 440 grams
Rear: 640 grams
Total: 1080 grams
This comes in slightly above Madfiber claims, and a bit higher than other reported weights.
Perhaps it is the Campy configuration that adds a few grams.
Wheelset weighs 1160 grams WITH SKEWERS.
As far as other impressions...
Threw some FMB's on them last night and went for a quick spin.
So far I am very impressed by their stiffness, solidity and wind-up.
These feel a lot like my old Mavic CCUs, only a bit lighter, and a bit more aero.
Much more substantial feeling that the light weight would suggest.
Perhaps a minimal step down in stiffness compared to LW Gen III's, but I can't say for sure just yet.
Braking seems very solid, yet silent, a slight improvement over the Edge 1.68s I was riding previously.
No brake judder, as has been reported with LW's...very impressive.
If you go up the mountain, you need to come back down, and these seem to be up to the job!
Thursday night should allow time for a longer ride, so check back on Friday for more details!!
Also, to make room for these babies, I'm selling some other wheelsets.
See the link below for a list of available wheels:
Feel free to inquire at mikesbikeparts@gmail.com
UPDATE 8/18/10 - WITH RIDE REPORT
I threw on some sexy FMB 22's last night (which went on very easily, btw).
Went for a night-time spin through the empty streets of Toronto.
Here are my initial impressions:- Even though these were slightly above claimed weight, the wind-up is non-existent...extremely light wheels tend to have this effect.
- Stiffness is pretty awesome. I was cranking the watts to my max, and felt no flex whatsoever...on par with Lightweights, and perhaps even a step above my old Mavic CCUs. At my height and weight (6'2" / 175 lbs) I can usually detect even minimal flex.
- Ride quality is actually pretty good...I'd say slightly smoother than most deep aero wheelsets, though the FMB's may account for some of that. In any event, these are not what I would characterize as super-harsh...they seem capable of deflecting a bit of vibration without losing stiffness.
- A major compliment to the White Industries rear hub as well...very smooth and TOTALLY SILENT. No freewheeling noise whatsoever, which is just damn cool.
- Braking was very solid, and pretty silent. I'd say about an 8/10 on both fronts. Impressive.
- At this point, I have only two small complaints:
1. Front hub does not seem to spin all that smoothly. I've had other wheelsets that lose friction as they break in, so I'm hoping the same happens in this case, though any tips are appreciated.
2. The stickers are of somewhat dubious quality - already a bit of peeling going on, though I will almost certainly remove them anyways, so maybe this point should in fact be a positive!
Here are some crappy pics...I'll get some better photos up eventually...
Thanks for checking in, and look for more details, pictures and a further ride report soon.
Best,
Mike
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Tubular Rankings!!!
Ok, I've ridden tons of tubulars over the years, and posted my ranking recently on weightweenies.
Thought I should share here as well, and I will update this posting over time...
Based on performance and value I'd rank them:
- Veloflex Extreme - light, smooth and not too pricey (as seen on my ITM's in the intro posting)
- Dugast Silk - best ride quality hands down, price is fair, but durability might be an issue - see my Trek Madone posting for those
- Vittoria Corsa 320 - slightly more supple than the old version and can be found everywhere
- 2010 Schwalbe Ultremo - light, and smooth, but appear a bit fragile
- Challenge Criterium / Forte cotton - great value in a good all-around package
- Veloflex Carbon / Criterium - older, heavier version of the Extreme, still a great tubular
- Dugast Cotton - Nice tire, but harsher than the silk for almost the same price
- Vittoria Corsa 290 - The former benchmark
- Conti Competition / GP 4000 - solid tires, and pretty durable, but average ride quality
- Zipp Tangente - not cheap, so-so ride quality, and I just don't believe the dimples do anything
- Tufo (anything) - harsh ride, but light and cheap
- Conti Sprinter - boat anchors, but hold up well to major miles
Next up:
- Getting some cotton FMB CX's in from Fairwheel, and
- Challenge Seta's in from Ribble
We will see how those run and I can then add to this list.
Best,
Mike
Thought I should share here as well, and I will update this posting over time...
Based on performance and value I'd rank them:
- Veloflex Extreme - light, smooth and not too pricey (as seen on my ITM's in the intro posting)
- Dugast Silk - best ride quality hands down, price is fair, but durability might be an issue - see my Trek Madone posting for those
- Vittoria Corsa 320 - slightly more supple than the old version and can be found everywhere
- 2010 Schwalbe Ultremo - light, and smooth, but appear a bit fragile
- Challenge Criterium / Forte cotton - great value in a good all-around package
- Veloflex Carbon / Criterium - older, heavier version of the Extreme, still a great tubular
- Dugast Cotton - Nice tire, but harsher than the silk for almost the same price
- Vittoria Corsa 290 - The former benchmark
- Conti Competition / GP 4000 - solid tires, and pretty durable, but average ride quality
- Zipp Tangente - not cheap, so-so ride quality, and I just don't believe the dimples do anything
- Tufo (anything) - harsh ride, but light and cheap
- Conti Sprinter - boat anchors, but hold up well to major miles
Next up:
- Getting some cotton FMB CX's in from Fairwheel, and
- Challenge Seta's in from Ribble
We will see how those run and I can then add to this list.
Best,
Mike
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
2010 Trek Madone 6 Build
After a brief romance with a Cannondale SuperSix, I've gotten something that fits a bit better...
2010 Trek Madone 6
(click on images for full-sized pic)
(click on images for full-sized pic)
58cm Performance Fit (which means a taller headtube)
Weight is around 14.6 lbs
Build specs:
- Ultegra 6700 Group
- Rotor 3D crankset and Q rings
- Bonty XXX carbon brakes
- Bonty XXX stem and bar
- Prologo Scratch Cancellara edition
- Fulcrum Racing Lights with Challenge tubulars
Feel free to comment, and here's a link to my posting on weightweenies:
Update:
Here she is with Lew Pro VT-1 wheels with Dugast Silk tubbies.
Here she is with Lew Pro VT-1 wheels with Dugast Silk tubbies.
Weight as shown is 14.3 lbs:
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
LW Gen III Special Edition
This was a good package to get. ..thanks Koen!LW GEN III Special Editions
Campy compatible
Veloflex Carbon Tubulars already glued
These are ballin' - white spokes and hubs
Incredibly stiff ride, but the frameset is smooth, so the combo is perfect...
To enlarge, click: http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/qq348/cippoforlife/IMG_0765.jpg
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Mikes Bike Parts - Version 2
Welcome to Mikes Bike Parts!!
I've decided to move things over from weebly to blogspot.
This new blog will be used for recent gear arrivals, reviews, and commentary:
mikesbikeparts.blogspot.com
The older stuff, including bikes, wheels and parts for sale, will remain at:
mikesbikeparts.weebly.com
And older does not mean crappy...
Best,
Mike
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