Rapha Pro Team apparel

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Blake Bedoya

What’s in a name?

2011 marked a big step for the folks at Rapha. If you are not familiar with them, Rapha is a UK based clothing brand that has gained an incredible following thanks greatly to it’s traditionally styled, high performance clothing pieces. Since their inception their goal was simple: to create apparel that not only meets the demands of the sport, but also looks great on and off the bike. Unlike many of today’s brands, which cover their clothing in logos and graphic, the Rapha aesthetic took it’s roots from the cycling classics era of the 30’s and 40’s. Continue reading →

Electronic Shifting and The Custom Bicycle

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Signature

In many ways, we cyclists are trying to get back to the simplicity of when we first fell in love with cycling. The simplicity of that first single speed bike on which we learned to ride. All you had to think about was turning the cranks over and pointing the wheel wherever you wanted to go. The desire to get that feeling back is evident in the resurgence of the single speed bike in urban areas around the world. However, as our cycling aspirations increased, so did the need for a broader range of gearing. We had to learn a host of new skills, how to shift, when to shift, the most efficient cadence. We traded the simplicity for speed, comfort, and distance.

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Lightweight Wheels

Posted on July 18, 2011 by signature

ITT: Instant Torque Transfer. That is the best way to explain how riding Lightweight Standard wheels feel. I have around 4000 miles on a set that I took to France last summer to ride in the Alps. I first noticed the ITT, a.k.a. acceleration, on climbs when I got out of the saddle. Then I noticed that when riding with the same group that I normally ride with, other riders were shifting to an easier gear at the base of a climb sooner than I was with the Lightweights. Once I got to know the wheels better, I realized how easy it was to change speed on a climb without changing gears. Speed adjustments were simple and easy by just pushing a little harder on the pedals. I know that sounds simplistic, but it typically takes a lot of effort, mental and physical, to accelerate a wheel when you are setting pace on a climb at your anaerobic threshold. Not so with the Lightweights.

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