N-1wsletter #4: The week in bicycle tech
At least some bikes suddenly just got a lot more affordable.
Congratulations, you made it to yet another weekend! Or close to it, at least. This week’s n-1wsletter includes the following:
You might actually finally be able to afford a Stinner.
Zwift expands its virtual riding world just in time for winter by bringing back a golden oldie.
Maybe it’s time to revel in a new Revel?
Scott Cadence Plus aero helmet review.
How to take better care of your Boa dials.
A sneak preview of my upcoming No.22 Bicycle Company factory tour.
As always, this weekly tech round-up is free for everyone, but the rest of the content on n-1 – such as more detailed product reviews, DIY tutorials, factory tours, and in-depth tech features – requires a paid subscription.
Last week’s grey and gloomy weather here in Colorado gave way to warm air and blue skies, quickly burning off the previous days’ snow and slush like a giant hair dryer. It’s one of the things I love most about winters here. I was feeling lazy despite the perfect conditions, but a friend of mine coaxed me out for an easy spin toward the south end of town and up a local climb.
We couldn’t have asked for better conditions: brilliant sun, just enough heat to not need a jacket or vest, and only the occasional bit of runoff to punctuate the otherwise-dry paths we mostly stuck to. But a cloud rolled in as we started up the climb, and unfortunately not the sort that drops rain on your head.
This one was much darker.
My buddy got a call from his brother that an old friend of ours had passed away the day before in a car crash while driving home. He wasn’t someone we were especially close to on a day-to-day basis, but he was an integral part of the cycling lives we had back in the midwest and a key figure in my formative years of mountain biking in the 1990s and 2000s.
Back then, a bunch of us would religiously gather to ride the Potowatami trail in Pinckney Recreation Area for the weekly Thursday night throwdown. Jason was always one of the fast guys: a regular on the local race circuit, sponsored by the local hotshot team, and one of my regular customers at the shop. Every week was the same: I’d shoot out from the gun up that first hill like so many younger riders with more fast-twitch muscles than slow-twitch brains. And like clockwork, I’d fade somewhere in the middle and watch the older, smarter, and savvier guys – Jason included – steadily pull away and leave me in their literal dust. By the time I rejoined them in the parking lot, they were often already finishing their first round of refreshments, but no matter where you finished in the order, everyone was greeted with the same welcoming cheer.
Southeastern Michigan wasn’t exactly known as a mountain biking hotspot back then, and despite the truly impressive pace of trailbuilding that’s occurred there since I left almost twenty years ago, it’s still nowhere near the predominant sport. But as is often the case in those sorts of situations, our community’s small size drew us closer together. Everybody knew everybody – at least to some degree – and I’ve no doubt I could fly in tomorrow and jump into another Thursday night ride as if I’d never left. That’s just how it was, how I’m told it still is, and how it always should be.
My buddy and I kind of slow-rolled the rest of the ride that afternoon. The warmth suddenly felt a little less inviting, and the sun a little less radiant. I thought of the family Jason left behind and the countless times I’d had his bike in my workstand. I called a few other old friends that I hadn’t talked to in a while, and remembered that I shouldn’t need word of someone’s passing to get me to pick up the phone every now and then.
Sorry to kick this week’s newsletter off on such a sad note, but that’s what's on my mind right now.
Life is short. Go ride your bike, spend time with family and friends, take the time to appreciate the moment, and maybe even literally stop and smell those roses you pass by all the time. Rest in peace, Jason.
In the news
Stinner unveils a surprisingly attainable stunner
Santa Barbara, California-based outfit Stinner Frameworks sits atop many a cycling enthusiast’s shortlist for custom TIG-welded steel and titanium bikes, but as is often the case, there’s a good chance the high cost also puts them out of financial reach. Earlier this week, though, the company launched a new range called Stinner Select that not only hopes to bring a lot more customers into the fold with its far more approachable price point, but also in terms of availability. Stinner aims to keep its new Select models in stock at all times so delivery times can be measured in days instead of weeks.
One key thing to note here: Stinner isn’t farming out the manufacturing of these new Select models to a third party. Just like the custom models, Stinner says these will be built in Santa Barbara by the same crew and in the same facility; the cost reductions supposedly come about through the stock geometries, fixed configurations, and limited colors.
Stinner is kicking off its new line with the Carrizo Select all-road bike, built with butted Columbus Zona steel tubing (instead of Stinner’s usual Columbus/Deda/Tange/Velospec blend), Stinner’s own CNC-machined UDH-compatible rear dropouts, clearance for 700x40 mm knobbies, your choice of two powder-coated colors (“Mint” and “Desert”), and six sizes from 50-60 cm. While custom Carrizo models are offered with fully hidden routing, Stinner is focusing more on user-serviceability here with fully external routing (compatible with both electronic and mechanical drivetrains, no less), along with an English-threaded bottom bracket shell and a 27.2 mm-diameter round seatpost.
Pricing on the Carrizo Select is indeed pretty enticing. Framesets will go for US$1,700, including the same carbon fork as custom Stinners (but with external routing), a seatpost collar, and front and rear thru-axles. The complete bike is built with a SRAM Apex AXS 1x12 wireless electronic groupset, DT Swiss aluminum wheels, and Easton aluminum cockpit components, and will fetch US$3,900. For comparison, a standard custom Carrizo “Basic” is normally US$3,600 for a steel frameset painted in a single color.
Depending on how the Carrizo Select does, I’d imagine Stinner might expand the Select program to other models sooner than later, too.
Carrizo Select framesets and bikes should be available by the time you read this, and I’ve just received one for a proper review. Stay tuned.
Zwift treats itself to a glow-up just in time for winter
Just in time for many of us to kick off indoor riding season, Zwift has announced a new virtual riding area called Jarvis Island. Well, sort of new, anyway.
Jarvis Island was actually part of the original Zwift environment when the platform launched in 2014, though it was quite small and only had about 5 km (3 miles) of road with a single reversible route. It was eventually replaced with the much-larger island we all know as Watopia to allow the growing number of users to spread out more.
Jarvis Island 2.0 returns with the same single 5 km loop as before, but with richer-looking animated surroundings that are accessed by riding through the volcano section at the northwest corner of the map. And while Zwift unfortunately hasn’t added any more roads for the Jarvis Island redux, that loop has at least been added to three longer routes – Deca Dash (52.4 km / 32.5 mi), Waisted 8 (30.7 km / 19 mi), and Loopin’ Lava (18.3 km / 11.3 mi) – for a little more variety.
Is this huge news? No, not really. But as anyone that rides the same handful of real-life lunch loops over and over again can attest, adding even just a little change of scenery can make all the difference.
Revel announces a super sale
Been shopping for a new mountain bike? You may have noticed that most of the post-Covid blowouts have already blown out, and truly spectacular deals are harder to come by than even just a few months ago. Colorado-based mountain bike (mostly) brand Revel apparently didn’t get the memo as it just recently launched a bonkers sale with the entire inventory marked down a whopping 40%.
Normally I’d assume that drastic of a sale is indicative of dire times with worse ones to come. However, Revel CEO Ben Coates insists otherwise.
“The industry is in a tough place and our competitors are playing hard to gain ridership,” he told me. “Overstock – especially by the big four at retail – and softening demand have put a lot of pressure on the industry. That is the field we are playing on. At Revel we are in a healthy inventory position and we are always working toward the future. In order to do that we have to make sure we are dealing with reality. That means we have to play the game as it is in the market right now and discounting is part of that. We expect this to pass in the coming month so our advice is, take advantage of it while you can. This might be the best time to buy a bike in history.”
So is Revel in desperate need of cash, or just blowing out inventory to make room for something new? I guess we’ll find out soon enough, but if you’ve even been considering a Revel in the meantime, now sure seems like a prime time to take the plunge.
TL;DR review: Scott Cadence Plus helmet
I have a lot of respect for products that are narrowly focused on a particular performance goal, but I’m an even big fan of products that offer an unusual level of versatility. In the case of the Scott Cadence Plus aero road helmet, you seem to get both.
Scott makes the usual claims with the Cadence Plus, saying it saves about 1 W of rider effort as compared to the previous model when moving at 43 km/h (27 mph). That’s all well and good, but Scott hasn’t offered any data comparing helmets from other brands so it’s hard to get a grasp on where this one sits in the pecking order. Regardless, I suspect some of the other changes might be more impactful for riders seeking a new helmet with some aero upsides.
The noticeably trimmed-down shape produces less of a mushroom effect on your head as compared to the previous Cadence Plus, the old-school plastic MIPS rotational protection liner has been replaced with the far-sleeker MIPS Air Node design with a shear layer integrated directly into the padding, and whereas the previous version only managed a four-star rating from the Virginia Tech test lab, the new one now lands the coveted five-star score.
Claimed weight is unchanged at 280 g for a medium, although my CPSC-approved sample tipped the scales at a notably heftier 320 g. But in a refreshing change, the US$230 / AU$300 / £230 / €230 retail price is almost 20% lower than the old one.
On the road, the Cadence Plus performs quite well. Airflow is excellent at moderate-to-high speeds with huge forward-facing intake ports and big, unobstructed internal channels. The flow-through ventilation might be even better if the corresponding exhaust vents were a little bigger, but there’s still an impressive amount of cooling air moving through the interior when you’re cruising along.
As is often the case for aero helmets, low-speed ventilation is only so-so given the relative lack of open vent area for heat to passively escape, and sweat management is average at best, too. Scott makes a valiant effort by building in a little bit of a gap between the EPS foam liner and the back of the perforated browpad and also including a pair of small vents down low. Both of those help to dry things out, but that combo can only do so much before sweat starts dripping into your eyes. At least the outermost vents are very well placed for stashing sunglasses, and they hold tight even without the benefit of dedicated rubber pads.
The Cadence Plus also scores well in the comfort department. The newer MIPS Air Node padding is a boon for ventilation since there’s no longer a separate layer of plastic between your head and the helmet liner, but ditching that liner yields a secondary benefit that isn’t often spoken about. Old-school MIPS plastic liners are held in place by little barbell-shaped bits of silicone rubber that can often snag a rider’s hair, but that’s not an issue here. Comparatively speaking, there’s also just more padding material in this latest iteration of the Cadence Plus for a more coddling feel.
The moderately ovoid shape is neither too oval nor too round, and while not everyone gets along with fixed strap splitters, these are at least somewhat adjustable with a little extra fiddling while still creating more room around your ears. Bonus points for the cradle design, with pleasantly flexible plastic, a four-position height adjustment that’s both easy to use and holds tight, and an easy-to-use dial-type circumference adjustment that features a grippy textured rubber knob.
What I might like most about the Cadence Plus, however, is its versatility. Scott says the optional 3D-printed plugs that neatly seal off the three central vents offer another 2 W of aero savings for those interested in chasing every last bit of efficiency. Plugging those vents also seals off much of the incoming air, but they don’t block it entirely as the outermost pair are left unobstructed. And since the plugs are individual pieces, you can always opt to close off just one or two instead.
What’s nice about these from a versatility standpoint is that they also make the Cadence Plus an all-season helmet as you can tune the ventilation depending on the weather conditions. For example, I’ve started a bunch of rides with all three plugs in place to help keep my head warm, and then gradually pulled them out as things warmed up (they stash easily in a jersey pocket or bar bag). They don’t even look silly when installed, either.
Scott includes with the Cadence Plus helmet a clip-on rechargeable rear LED, which features two flashing patterns and a steady-on mode. It’s not incredibly bright – and it also obscures one of the exhaust ports when installed – but the daytime mode is reasonably visible in bright sunlight. I’ve gotten into the habit of leaving it in place all the time, if only just in case I’m out later than expected.
All in all, the Scott Cadence Plus has become one of my favorites in the stable. I haven’t historically been super impressed by Scott’s road helmets, but this one is a big step in the right direction.
Tech tip of the week
Boa dial-type closures are practically standard-issue for medium-to-high-end cycling shoes these days, and while there are several types in play, they all have one thing in common: they all benefit from some kind of maintenance, and you’re probably not doing it.
Inside any Boa dial is a ratchet system that’s not entirely unlike what you find in many rear hubs. The parts may be plastic in this case, but they can still get fouled up with dirt and contamination all the same, and they’re also prone to wear. Over time, mud and debris can get pulled in as the lace is wound up into the mechanism. Eventually, either the dials just don’t hold their adjustment under tension anymore or the dial just begins to feel difficult to operate. In the former case, you might be looking at a wear issue and left with no choice but to file a warranty claim, and Boa is thankfully super generous about covering those. But in the latter case, you might be surprised how far just a tiny bit of TLC can go.
“If you have Li2 or L6 platforms, you can release the dial and pull out the lace all the way by hand,” explained Boa customer support manager John Crow. “Essentially that just pulls out all the dirt/sand/etc. as you pull the lace and you can clean the cartridge pretty well that way.”
Those dials can also be pretty easily removed from the shoe and opened up, and Crow says you can then use some compressed air to more thoroughly blow out any gunk. If things are really ugly in there (I’m thinking of you, ‘cross racers), you can also use mild alcohol- or citrus-based cleaning agents, laundry soap, or even simple aqueous solutions of soap, baking soda, or vinegar. According to Crow, harsher stuff like acetone, paint thinners, ammonia-based glass cleaners, and other particularly aggressive degreasers should be avoided as they can adversely react with the plastics.
Unfortunately, problematic S-type Boa dials that don’t have the instant-release function are a little trickier to clean out since you can’t access the guts of the reel as easily with compressed air or liquid cleaners. Crow says you can still fully eject the lace and hope for the best, but otherwise, you’re probably looking at a replacement.
If you’re a little more diligent about taking care of the things, though, hopefully you won’t ever get to that point.
In the works
I never, ever get tired of seeing how the sausage gets made – and feedback I’ve received consistently tells me that most of you never get tired of it, either. I’ve just returned from a visit to the No.22 Bicycle Company factory in upstate New York, and seeing how that remarkably small team creates some of the finest titanium bikes around was eye-opening. Fingers crossed, I’ll have that ready to post early next week, but in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek:
As interesting as that feature should be, the reality is No.22 operates at the very tippy-top of the pricing spectrum and only a very small percentage of folks will ever enjoy the privilege of riding (let alone owning) one. What about how stuff is made that riders of more average incomes can afford? Rest assured, I’m working on details for a factory tour of one of the better-known consumer-direct Chinese carbon frame and wheel brands that I’m really hoping will pan out – partially because it’s a name that many savvier shoppers will have heard of but whose inner workings they almost certainly haven’t seen, but also because I just have so many questions about how brands like that operate in general.
Ok, that wraps up another n-1wsletter! Stay safe out there, and enjoy the weekend.
Thanks for the story on Jason and I’m thankful for all the Jasons in this world. Being able to still ride is a gift at any age.
Highland Bob
That new batch Stinner sounds mighty interesting. I look forward to your review 🫡