These are two bikes I'm drooling over. And Cannondale's still making it in the US. Quite a bit on innovation in the new Trek(well almost).
New Madone
Super Six
New Madone
Super Six
Funny, I was going to say almost exactly the opposite. The Madone is the first Trek I've liked in quite some time (judging on looks and specs anyway) whereas the c-dale doesn't really wind me up much.The New Madone doesn't do anything for me, that cannondale on the other hand looks very sharp.
W/ a compact? irate2:here is my new "offering"
http://www.fujibikes.com/2007/bikes.asp?id=263&subcat=
full review coming soon....
It has a new color, slightly lighter across the group and there is an Ultegra specific compact crank option.On a side note...looking at the specs, anyone else notice the Ultegra SL gruppo? Never heard of it.
Well, in that link OG posted there's mention of a new Fuel. Perhaps some of these innovations(BB, seat mast) will be used in it.I really like the Madone BB idea. Threading in external bearings is stupid. This seems like the best solution as existing cranks can be used, I'd like to see it on moutain bikes.
I heard about campy too, but I'm not sure about '08. I'm not sure about electronic shifting, I mean, the stuff now works great. Plus I don't want to forget to change or recharge my batteries and realize it mid-race.campy is doin the eletronic shifting to eh? or did i dream that
edit: either way im stickin with my sram force
I hear ya but the same idea can be easily transfered to a cheaper aluminum frame where the head and BB could be easily reamed to the proper size.Fwiw, I love to see what Trek is doing with the frame. Unfortunately I can already tell you that the frame is too rich for my blood, but that doesn't mean I can't edrool over it.
My only worry about the Trek headtube and bb is that manufacturing tolerances will have to spot-on. I'm not saying it can't be done, certainly. It's just that facing a tube will no longer be an option if the discrepancy is too big.
Maybe. Help me out if I'm on the wrong track.I hear ya but the same idea can be easily transfered to a cheaper aluminum frame where the head and BB could be easily reamed to the proper size.
I heard about campy too, but I'm not sure about '08. I'm not sure about electronic shifting, I mean, the stuff now works great. Plus I don't want to forget to change or recharge my batteries and realize it mid-race.
I dunno, manufacturing has come a long way across the board. Also, given the newer designs and availability of higher-quality bearings, it seems that the tolerances for cranks and headsets just don't need to be super tight. I guess I'm just saying that the target of acceptability is perhaps bigger than some people think, and easier to hit. And with bearings this easy to replace, it's not such a big deal anyway.Maybe. Help me out if I'm on the wrong track.
The bearing cartridge sits inside the frame. Directly on the carbon, no foreign material inserts, right? The manufacturing tolerances have to be very good throughout the entire headtube, from where the bearings sit to the faced(?) headtube. There's minimal doubt in my mind that Trek can do this right, it's when the tech flows through to the smaller and lower-end manufacturers that this could become a problem.
Zero friction, instant response, precise shifting movement (no slop), and no cables all sound pretty good to me.I haven't done any research on the electronic shifting but i don't see the advantage of it. Am i missing something obvious? Maybe its just change for the sake of change .
My Klein had pressed in BB bearings. It was a pita to replace the bearings because very few shops had the press. Luckily, they were really good bearings, and I only had to do it twice.I really like the Madone BB idea. Threading in external bearings is stupid. This seems like the best solution as existing cranks can be used, I'd like to see it on moutain bikes.
If a manufacture pays attention to tolerances they wouldn't need to make a tight press fit.My Klein had pressed in BB bearings. It was a pita to replace the bearings because very few shops had the press. Luckily, they were really good bearings, and I only had to do it twice.
Friction in cables is not a huge problem in all but the rarest cases (unless you let the cables rust or have really terrible routing). I think the effort expended by using a lever to pull a shift cable is insignificant in comparison to the effort of holding onto handlebars and supporting part of one's weight.* Instead of cables you have to have a generator and/or batteries. Electronic shifting will continue to be a novelty for the foreseeable future.Zero friction, instant response, precise shifting movement (no slop), and no cables all sound pretty good to me.
And the Treks should supposedly be even easier.my Viscounce had press-in bb bearings. pretty big pain. the C-Dales i've worked with that have had the SI bbs have been fairly straight forward and easy, though.
I agree with most of what you are saying, but similar things were said about some of the advances we now love and take for granted, starting with the quick releases on through index shifting, clipless pedals, disc brakes, etc. Plus, electronics will make more sense as drivetrains evolve. I don't know what "foreseeable" means but I take the long view with this sort of thing, and all I'm saying is it's coming, eventually.Friction in cables is not a huge problem in all but the rarest cases (unless you let the cables rust or have really terrible routing). I think the effort expended by using a lever to pull a shift cable is insignificant in comparison to the effort of holding onto handlebars and supporting part of one's weight.* Instead of cables you have to have a generator and/or batteries. Electronic shifting will continue to be a novelty for the foreseeable future.
*except perhaps for people with really small hands, like small women, who often have some trouble shifting with levers designed for people with much larger hands, though this is mostly a problem of mechanical advantage, or lack thereof, because of the lever design.