The new Zwift Hub One and Zwift Cog upgrade kit now offer virtual shifting for Zwift users. This is an absolutely brilliant move by Zwift that will help streamline the setup and experience for most riders! I can't wait to check it out!

Great explainer video by DesFit below! And you can check out these new products at Zwift.com

I finally got my copy of the new Jobst Brandt book from Isola Press: JOBST BRANDT RIDE BIKE! I was lucky enough to have talked to Jobst quite frequently when I was a high school kid working at Palo Alto Bicycles in the 80s. It was Jobst who talked me into taking my bike to Italy when I was studying abroad in college--I'll always be grateful for that. Stoked to see the memories contributed by my buddy Dave Mac. And I still have the poster of Bill Robertson on my wall!

Buy the book at isolapress.com

Last month we reported that Surly discontinued the Steamroller. And now we are sad to report that the Cross Check is going away, too.

The Cross Check was first introduced in 1999. I bought a Cross Check frame in 2006, built it up and commuted on it for about eight years. Surly wasn’t the first to offer an affordable, practical cross bike (Bianchi had done this with the Volpe, and Redline had done it with the Conquest). But it had a lower price, more adaptability and best of all you could order it from any LBS.

Jeff Frane of WIlde says, “it is my contention that the humble Cross Check is the single most influential bicycle of the last 30 years. I’m not claiming it invented anything, but it certainly popularized and democratized several key concepts such as big tire clearances, versatility, utility, parts compatibility, etc. and ushered in the steel bike as a cult “bicycle person” trait. Owning a Cross Check was a major waypoint in countless riders journeys through cycling. It was THE bike that made people realize that perhaps the dominant paradigm that the industry was pushing wasn’t all there was out there.”

Here’s a pic of my old flat bar Cross Check on my drizzly Seattle commute in 2008. I built it with Paul Thumbis, Shimano XT cantis, an 8-speed Ultegra drivetrain, heavy 700 x 32 Continentals and Planet Bike fenders. It was bombproof and I loved it.

In 2014 I took it apart and transferred most of the parts to an Indy Fab Planet Cross I’d bought on eBay. I then donated the frame to BikeWorks in Seattle. I definitely got my $300 worth out of it. And I’m sure it’s still going strong somewhere. The Cross Check will never die.

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Good news out of Massachusetts: legendary carbon fiber bike brand Parlee Cycles is out of bankruptcy and has big plans under the stewardship of new owner and CEO John Harrison. Bob Parlee remains in place as Chief Designer, and the company has been able to retain most of their employees as well. You can read the press release here and listen to an interview with John Harrison on the Bike Rumor podcast.

When I was sized to my first high quality road bike in 1984 it was simple: stand over the bike, lift it up to make sure you had an inch or two clearance, and you were good. Then choose between a 10 or 11 cm stem. Done!

Things got a bit more complicated with sloping top tubes in the 90s.

But things have gotten downright weird in the last ten years or so, especially with mountain bikes.

About five years ago Lee McCormack published his theory of RAD on PinkBike. What is RAD? “The Rider Area Distance (RAD) is the imaginary line between your bottom bracket and the centers of your grips.”



I’d ignored this whole RAD thing up to now, but after two years of riding a Large Ibis Ripley that feels too cramped for me, I measured my RAD yesterday and it helped confirm that I need more reach (for many people, though, RAD will indicate your are riding a bike that is too BIG).

Check out the videos below and let me know your thoughts!

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I thought it would be fun to compare my 20 year old IndyFab cross bike to my new DeSalvo gravel bike.

Steel fork vs carbon fork
Canti studs w/v-brakes vs disc brakes
1 1/8th head tube vs tapered head tube
2 c-rings vs 1 c-ring
13-26 8 speed vs 11-42 11 speed
QR vs thru-axles
Clearance for 35mm tires vs clearance for 50 mm tires
35mm tires with tubes vs tubeless 48mm tires
42cm road bars vs 44cm flared gravel bars
Standard seat post vs dropper post

What did I miss?

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For as long as I can remember, Mavic has been synonymous with rims and wheels. My first serious wheelset back in 1984 was Campy Record with Mavic G40 rims, and for years the combo I rode was either Record or Dura Ace hubs with Mavic MA40s. And of course I had my Mavic GP4 tubular wheelset for race day. In the world of professional bicycle racing, the neutral Mavic support vehicle was ever-present. Here's a famous pic of the Mavic guys rushing to Laurent Fignon at the 1982 Blois-Chaville after his Campy Ti BB spindle snapped (video of the epic crash here).



Mavic continued to innovate in the 1990s. They launched the first electronic group in 1992. Their SUP rims with machined sidewalls made wheelbuilding much easier (which I appreciated greatly as a shop rat wheelbuilder). And they changed the wheel industry forever when they launched the Helium pre-built wheels in 1996.



But Mavic fell on hard times in recent years. Three years ago they filed for bankruptcy and exited the US market altogether. And for a little while there, the future of the brand was in doubt. But now they are back with a new owner and a new facility in Waterbury, Vermont. In addition to re-establishing sales and support services in North America, Mavic will unveil new products in the next few months. Read the full story at Bicycle Retailer.

I wish them nothing but success!

After receiving 4,500 incident reports, Shimano has recalled 760,000 Hollowtech road cranksets.

From the CPSC:

This recall involves Shimano Ultegra FC-6800, Dura-Ace FC-9000, Ultegra FC-R8000, Dura-Ace FC-R9100 and FC-R9100P 11-Speed Bonded Hollowtech Road Cranksets manufactured prior to July 2019 sold individually and on bicycles sold by other manufacturers such as Trek and Specialized. A crankset is the component of the bicycle that the chain and pedals attach to for pedaling. The recalled models have printed ‘Ultegra’ or Dura Ace’ logos on the arm. The affected models are pre-July 2019 production and have the following two letter production code on backside of the crank arm where the pedals are attached: KF, KG, KH, KI, KJ, KK, KL, LA, LB, LC, LD, LE, LF, LG, LH, LI, LJ, LK, LL, MA, MB, MC, MD, ME, MF, MG, MH, MI, MJ, MK, ML, NA, NB, NC, ND, NE, NF, NG, NH, NI, NJ, NK, NL, OA, OB, OC, OD, OE, OF, OG, OH, OI, OJ, OK, OL, PA, PB, PC, PD, PE, PF, PG, PH, PI, PJ, PK, PL, QA, QB, QC, QD, QE, QF, QG, QH, QI, QJ, QK, QL, RA, RB, RC, RD, RE, and RF.

Consumers should immediately stop using the cranksets manufactured before July 1, 2019, and contact an authorized Shimano dealer to schedule a free crankset inspection. Only consumers whose cranksets show signs of bonding separation or delamination during the inspection will be provided a free replacement crankset and installation.

More info at the CPSC website and Bike.Shimano.com Photo via BikeRadar

I hadn’t even had my first sip of coffee when I saw the new carbon fiber Moots e-bike this morning. Wait, what? Is it April 1? Apparently not!

Look, I get it. Moots has a demographic that can afford something like this ($9,999!) and probably even wants something like this. And the small brands can’t just let Trek and Specialized take over the high end, high tech e-bike world. This feels a bit like when Porsche started making SUVs, which helped keep them in business so they could keep making 911s.

Still, I appreciated the fact that when Carl Strong went to carbon fiber after decades of focusing on steel and titanium, he created a whole new brand–Pursuit.

That said, Moots is a great brand, and they are totally fine with shaking people up a bit--witness their collab with WTB at the MADE Show.

And I still want a YBB.

This week Santa Cruz introduced the Heckler SL, a new lightweight e-mtb. At around 41 pounds, the Heckler SL sits in between their 30-pound pedal bikes and their standard 50-pound e-bikes like the Heckler and Bronson. The Heckler SL is a mullet with 150mm of travel and utilizes the lightweight Fanzua Ride 60 system.

What are your thoughts on this new and growing category of lightweight e-mtbs? I haven’t ridden any of them, but so far my favorite bike in this category is the Transition Relay, which utilizes the same Fanzua Ride 60 system. Unlike the Heckler SL, you can remove the battery in the Relay and ride without, dropping the bike down to 37.5 pounds. The Heckler SL's battery is permanently integrated, which is a deal killer for me.

Watch Santa Cruz’s video below for more on the development of this bike.

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