Schwinn, whose name is synonymous with cycling passion that lasts a lifetime. For more than a hundred years, they have been makers of quality bicycles that range from sidewalk bikes and BMX bikes to bomb-proof mountain bikes and classic cruisers.

Now, a new addition to their line is the 2010 Le Tour Super. Promoting exercise and fitness, the new model is a lightweight buddy that gives both comfort and optimum performance.

The 2010 Schwinn Le Tour Super is made with a Schwinn N’Litened Black Label carbon fiber frame with bio tuned ergonomic geometry. The fork is also made from the same carbon fiber plus alloy steerer and forged dropouts. For the drivetrain, it is made up of Shimano 105 components and a FSA Omega compact triple for the crankset. Climbing steep hills should not be a problem without sacrificing comfort and style. The Le Tour’s handlebar, stem, carbon seatpost and saddle are all Schwinn Road-Tuned.

Selling at a retail price of $1999, the 2010 Le Tour Super promises to be the ideal fitness companion for cyclists everywhere.

Linus Gerdermann of Team Milram sped first to finish at the Tirreno-Adriatico’s opener on Wednesday. It was a 148-kilometer stage travelling from Livorno to Rosignano Solvay in Italy. Gerdermann bested Pablo Lastras of Caisss d’Epargne who came in second and Matti Breschel of Saxo Bank who got the third place.

Team Milram’s director Christian Henn proudly shares the outstanding moment for the team’s effort, “We continued to attack at the decisive moment, which made our chance for the victory possible. Linus was very attentive and won the stage for us very cleverly. All in all, it was a very hard and strenuous day for everyone in the field. The temperatures were only between three and six degrees, it rained at the start and the streets were wet the whole way.”

Dimitri Grabovsky of ISD-Neri did a one-man breakaway with 15km to go. Milram also did some attacks and counter-attacks near the finish. The team also caught up Terpstra and Urtasun when they were just over 1km to go.

Luca Paolini of Acqua & Sapone came in fourth and Tyler Farrar of Garmin-Transitions came in seventh.

Jens Voigt will not be defending his title at the Critérium International this month. Some major changes of dates in the bicycling calendar have made this unexpected situation.

Other races are already set which made the two-day window for the Critérium, an impossibility. Ghent-Wevelgem and Volta a Catalunya were already booked making Saxo Bank give up the Critérium since they will need to send six riders to the French race.

“We have the races in Belgium, we have Catalunya, which is a ProTour race and we’re obliged to go. And we also have two of our guys going to the track worlds. We can’t be everywhere, eh?”, remarked Kim Andersen, sport director of Saxo Bank.

Voigt, on the other hand, is not that concerned about not being able to defend his title. This was due to the changes the organizers made for the Critérium’s route. He felt that some factors on the route will work against him, making it difficult for him to win the event. “They’ve changed the race quite a bit. Normally, it was the flat stage Saturday, with a hilly stage on Sunday. Now they have the mountain stage on Saturday, and Sunday morning is just a 70km flat crit, so it doesn’t fit so perfectly into my abilities like it did before.”

Voigt have won the Critérium five times, tying the record held by Emile Idée and Raymond Poulidor.

To keep abreast of the competition at the current OEM market, Campagnolo unveils a new demo program at a global level. The goal is to reach customers who use only Shimano or SRAM gears and to give them the option to choose through the company’s own products.

Several test bikes will be carrying different kinds of Campagnolo 11 speed drivetrains and 2-Way Fit clincher wheels. The products are flexible for use with your conventional tube-type or tubeless road tyres.

Public Relations manager Lerj Piazza observed Campagnolo’s market standing in the US. “We’re very strong in the aftermarket but it isn’t easy to test a Campagnolo-equipped bike in the US because OEM is almost all Shimano or SRAM due to pricing,” he said.

Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg are already testing the Campagnolo Test 11 program from February until May. UK and US/Canada are also included with the cyclists using the test bikes until June and July, respectively.

Piazza adds that they will be adding more locations for the program. You may check the updates on this at Campagnolo’s website at Campagnolo.com.

As of late, a trend of collaborations have emerged around fixed gear bikes, and the latest collaboration is between Dolan Bkes, Death Spray and Tokyo Fixed. Each brings its own flavor to the fixie, with Dolan supplying the bikes, Death Spray doing what they do best, the artwork. The frame is a Dolan Seta, and the forks are black wave. Other components are Alphina headset, Royce Racing Gold bottom bracket, Tune Geiles stem, Use1 Atom riser handlebars, Strong V grips, and Sugino 75 crank. Tokyo Fixed contributed all of the parts on this collaboration, which are available in its store. No info yet on the availability.

A concept design from The Emotion Lab based out of Barcelona brings a new safe bike rack. Fusing style and keeping your bike safe, this alternative is said to be safer than locking your bike up to poles. As we can see, the actual “safe bike rack” is designed to look like the famous Kryptonite lock, and is made of materials that will not scratch up your bike. Although we can not tell why The Emotion Lab claims to be safer, their strive to encourage people to ride more rather than drive is good by us.

Source: The Emotion Lab

The new Easton Haven Disc Wheels are designed specifically for mountain bike trail riding and bikes with 5 to 6 inches of travel. Easton’s Haven wheelset uses an internal rim width of 21mm, giving the overall wheel a wider finish that will fit 2.5″ tires, and does not require a rim strip. Using a unique threaded eyelet system, the nipple is threaded externally and internally with straight pull spokes.

Easton Haven Wheels front hub is made for 15mm thru axles, but can be used with 9mm quick release mounting with the adapter that comes with the wheelset. Available for 26 inch and 29er mountain bikes, the Easton Haven wheels weigh 1,650 grams together. Retail price is still to be determined.

If you are just beginning to be involved in cycling, there is this initial reaction where you simply think of jumping into your bike and turn the pedals to start the bike moving. In a way, this is considerably true, but there is more to it than that. There are some techniques to follow and constant practice for greater development in cycling.


First thing to take note of is your pedalling. How you turn the pedals determine your speed and strength. The pedal turning is measured by the revolutions per minute (RPM). The current accepted cadence is 90 to 100 RPM. To some amateurs, this ratio is extremely fast. This leads to the idea that the higher the gear, the faster the bikers go.


How your muscles work depends on how good you pedal. It is the primary thing to consider in this endurance sport. Your goal should be to master not to tire your legs quickly. Skillfully pedaling will surely take you further.


Another important detail is knowing the right technique. New cyclists have the wrong tendency to push down on the pedals without using the legs to lift it back again. You should know the techniques in which your feet are spinning continually while your upper body is not tensed and in the correct position.


Cycling is about expertise and performance. The way you pedal determine if the ride will be an enjoyable and winning one, or full of injuries and a losing one.


A good recoding bike computer will help you check your cadence. Lots of practice and experience will make your cadence high and smooth. There is also a cleat system where it clips yourself into the pedals of your bike.


A software designed for cycling will also provide you the records of your statistics as your skills improve. It is an advantage to know the difference of each performance you make.


Though not as popular as basketball or tennis, cycling has a charm of its own. There is an adrenalin rush by simply watching the competitive riders focus on their pedaling. It can be as intense as any athletic sports out there. Cycling is a sport truly worth trying for.

Image courtesy of MaxMultiSport

Cinelli Ram 2 Carbon Handlebars have made a serious splash with cyclists, and while a good portion of local bike shops will have the handlebars, we can guarantee you will not find the collaboration with Cinelli and Death Spray just anywhere. The Cinelli x Death Spray Ram 2 Carbon Handlebars feature various mouths all over, giving the nickname to the collaboration “Hand to Mouth”, fitting the bars appropriately. One Cinelli logo is present right smack in the middle of someones mouth. You will not see any stickers or vinyl wraps, which would take away from the artwork. Instead, this is a clean job.

Last month, Massimo Giunti of Androni Giocattoli, was found positive for EPO during a targeted out-of-competition test. He was consequently suspended by the International Cycling Union and was quickly pulled out of the Tirreno-Adriatico race.

Androni Giocattoli principal Gianni Savio received the news with shock. This is due to the unexpected result from the blood work done on the 35 year old cyclist. He lamented on the unfortunate turn of events because the team underwent a half-day course on anti-doping last November on their training camp.

Giunti showed an unusual blood profile in his biological passport which led to the testing by the World Anti-Doping Agency in Lausanne, Switzerland. The urine test on February 23 showed positive EPO findings. Giunti can still request for analysis of a B sample.

Savio pushes to point out that this was not a team violation and expects the invite for Giro d’Italia in May to be still on. He also shares a preemptive measure for situations like this. “As an extra deterrent , we added a clause to riders’ contracts. They have to pay the full value of their contract if they test positive.”