Specialized Shiv: For Triathlon Elite or Enthusiasts Alike

Competitive and the aspiring triathlete alike agree that there is no compromise for a tri specific bike. Sure a road bike can get you from the swim to the run in a triathlon, but they simply cannot compare in aerodynamics, hydration systems, or efficiency to a tri bike. The Specialized Shiv is force to be reckoned with, a serious weapon in the arsenal of a competitive triathlete.

The Specialized Shiv Pro Race, pictured above, comes equipped with Roval Rapide CL 60 carbon clincher wheels, Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace 11-speed drivetrain, and Magura RT6TT hydraulic caliper brakes; all of the elements for speed and stopping power.

A unique feature of the Shiv, the Fuelselage Integrated Hydration System proves significantly less drag than traditional downtube mounted water bottle systems. The Fuelselage is a completely integrated system that carries hydration, nutrition, and even flat repair equipement; all of which is conveniently inside the downtube and  the ‘V’ of the frame, without disrupting the aerodynamics of the bicycle. The Fuelselage is a removable hydration reservoir, carrying approximately 20 oz of hydration, that fits inside the downtube through a convenient top tube port. The reservoir can be easily refilled through this port as well, even on the fly. The Fuelcell clearly seen in the ‘V’ of the frame has the capacity to carry 8 gels or two bars and 4 gels in top, basic tools in bottom section. On top of all of this hydration and nutrition, the Shiv also has the capacity for additional hydration behind the saddle, also known as the Integrated Tri-pod.

Of course we can’t go without talking about this magnificent frame in and of itself. This Shiv FACT Carbon Aero Frame has been specifically designed for tri. Meaning, it is not even UCI-legal. UCI regulations do not pertain to tri anyhow. Ergo, Specialized has ignored them in the engineering of this frameset to dramatically improve airflow through the use of extra-deep airfoil tubing and fork; up to 6:1 ratios as opposed to the standard 3:1 ratio tubing. Moreover, every inch of the frame has been optimized for crosswinds which are quite common in Tri. As previously mentioned, the Specialized Shiv is very clearly for tri when compared to standard road bikes.

Simply a triathlon machine, not to mention it looks intimidating as all hell. Your opponents will be nervous simply at the site of it. The Specialized Shiv has everything a tri athlete could ever need and so much more.

Trek CrossRip LTD: Commuter? Road bike? Café racer? Yes.

A bike that is getting a lot of attention this year, one that is not only practical and cool, is the Trek CrossRip. This bike is highly affordable, making it the perfect get around town bike, a weekday substitute for your Sunday best, or even something sure footed to use on dodgy roads or less than ideal conditions. Pictured above is the top of the line Trek CrossRip LTD, and it still comes in under $2,000 at a very practical $1,759.99. The LTD comes standard with a 10-speed drivetrain (Shimano 105 and Tiagra), Tektro cable/hydro hybrid disc brakes, and sealed bearing hubs. With disc brakes and sealed bearing hubs, as you can imagine, this bike is equipped to handle dicey conditions, not to mention the 700x32c Bontrager H5 Hard-Case Ultimate tires, this bike remains sure-footed. The specs of this bike may make it seem like a sports hybrid, yet with with drop bars and 10-speed road bike components the CrossRip is ready to smash through traffic as well as hit the open road, highly versatile and functional where other road bikes may fail.

As distance riders know, vibration can cause uncomfortable and even painful sensation over distances. The Trek CrossRip LTD utilizes Integrated IsoZone pads in the Race Lite alloy bar which have been specifically designed to absorb road vibration without altering the profile of the bar. The bars in conjunction with the carbon forks, and 32c tires equates to a ridiculously smooth ride, a road bike experience unlike any other.

Bontrager tubeless ready systems are notoriously well designed. The Bontrager TLR (Tubeless Ready) Road rims come standard on the CrossRip LTD. Tubeless systems mean you can run lower pressure because no risk of pinch flats. When running a lower pressure, the rider benefits from increased traction and control. Moreover, the rider has increased comfort on the bicycle ergo minimizing fatigue. These characteristics are ideal for either/both dicey conditions or over distance.

There you have it, a new road bike from Trek unlike anything else on the market. It is no wonder the CrossRip is gaining popularity. This bike is unique and perhaps the perfect solution for a city bike, touring, or simply a second bike when conditions are not ideal.

Women’s Road Bike Line: Specialized Amira

We are stoked here at Fulton Bikes to see the surge in Women’s cycling. Gone are the days where high end road bikes, cycle clubs, and competitive cycling were fairly exclusively “Boy’s Club”. Personally, riding bikes makes me more happy than anything in this world. Yet what also gets me stoked is when other people are also hyped on bikes, that is why I choose to work in the industry. Ergo, it is kind of a bummer sometimes that the industry is geared towards men’s cycling. I love it when gentlemen and ladies alike share the same passion for riding their bikes that I do. Specialized is on board, offering more and better women’s road bike options every year. In this post, we shall discuss the Specialized Amira line.

This bike makes me drool, plain and simple. Pictured above, Specialized boasts “The S-Works Amira SL4 is the lightest, stiffest, and fastest women’s bike around.” This bike features the highly praised FACT 11r carbon frame with women’s-tuned geometry, good enough for team Specialized-lululemon, currently the most successful Women’s cycling team in the world. Also equipped with Roval Rapide CLX 40 wheels, S-Works FACT carbon 52/36 crankset, and Shimano Dura-Ace 11-speed drivetrain, this bike is a performance race beast. The best in precision handling as well with the 1-1/8″ to 1-3/8″ tapered head tube.

At a more practical price point is the Specialized Amira SL4 Expert (pictured above). At $3,800, the SL4 Expert 10r carbon frame comes equipped with Shimano Ultregra 11 speed drivetrain, Fulcrum S4 wheelset, Ultegra Brakes, and an FSA carbon crankset. The rider still gets the benefits of precision handling as a result of the tapered head tube as well. Even without the S-Works crankset or Roval wheels, this bike performs at standards demanded by elite women cyclists.

And lastly, the most modest and approachable priced Amira, the Specialized Amira Sport (pictured above). Even at the entry level point of Performance race Amiras, and at only $2100, the rider gets the FACT 9r carbon frame, Shimano 105 11-speed drivetrain, AXIS 2.0 wheels, and AXIS 1.0 brakes. At a mere $2100 for a full carbon performance race bike with Shimano 105 drivetrain, the rider looking for performance on a budget can’t go wrong with the Amira Sport, especially because after a season or so, Roval wheel upgrades can significantly increase the performance of your bicycle.

There you have it, Women’s performance race at a variety of price points. Yes of course women can ride any performance race bike, at the appropriate size of course, yet the Amira is specifically designed for women using the unmatched Specialized Body Geoometry system. This includes a BG saddle on all models, yet more importantly the dimensions of the bike are tailored specifically for Women’s body geometry.

Trek Domane 4.5 Disc! Disc Brakes are in!

With the evolution of disc brakes, decrease in weight, increased popularity of carbon rims, and the demand for greater and greater stopping power comes a new wave of road bikes with disc brakes. A highly anticipated bike in this wave is the 2015 Trek Domane line with Disc Brakes.

At a very reachable price point for a high end road bike is the Trek Domane 4.5 Disc. With Shimano R685 hydraulic brakes, this bike has more than sufficient stopping power demanded by road cyclists for even the most intense descents. The Domane is Trek’s quintessential Endurance Race road bike; built for comfort and performance over long distance road cycles.

Built for performance over distance is the IsoSpeed decoupler; Trek research and development has developed this decoupler from an 18-month study of how a racing bike performs over rough roads, and how that performance affects the rider.

The IsoSpeed decoupler allows the seat tube to rotate independently from the top-tube-to-seatstay junction. This allows for increased vertical compliance that is double that of Trek’s nearest competitor, without compromising pedaling efficiency. What this means in practical terms is simply that you can ride harder, for longer.

In conjunction with the IsoSpeed decoupler is the IsoSpeed fork. This one of a kind fork has ride-tuned sweep and unique shape that increases compliance for a smoother ride; in addition, the dropout placement is designed to optimize the wheelbase. This design is best explained by Trek, as stated on Trekbikes.com:

“An extra curve above the dropout in our swept-leg design creates a smaller angle to the direction of road vibrations. This angle increases fore/aft compliance, better positioning the fork leg to absorb road force rather than transmitting it straight to the rider. We’ve also increased fork lateral stiffness, maximizing both smoothness and control.”

All of this technology combined with a Shimano Ultegra 11-speed drivetrain, Bontrager Affinity Comp Tubeless Ready wheelset, and Bontrager R2 Hard-Case Lite tires this bike is ready for any distance cycle for a rider who  demands performance, either in a race situation or recreational.

Please feel free to direct any additional questions my way if you have any more at all. Trek racing, doing big things!

 

Women’s Road: Specialized Ruby Expert!

Both Specialized and Trek continue to demonstrate their commitment to women’s cycling, just one of the many reasons we insistently back these two brands. Though of course there are more options and models in Men’s bikes for both brands, Specialized and Trek are much less than misogynistic to say the least. I shall follow this blog post with more on Trek’s women’s line at a later date, but today a review of the Specialized Ruby Expert is in order. As in keeping with the structure of this blog, blogs are generally written about bikes that are high end yet at a reachable price point, ergo more worth reading about for the cyclist looking to make informed decisions about their next purchase. The reason for this being that if a cyclist has a budget of 8-10k for their next bike, essentially any bike with any components is on the table, and at that price point it is very difficult to make a bad purchase decision. For those looking at a high end bike at a more practical price point, the options are much more varied and are going to be quite different from brand to brand, model to model.

Today, let’s talk a bit about the Specialized Ruby Expert. Backed by popular demand as well as brand mores, Specialized more than ever shows their support to Women’s cycling in 2015 with even more models dedicated specifically to the female cyclist. The Ruby Expert retails at $3,200 and is carbon frame and fork road bike. Moreover, this bike comes equipped with Shimano Ultegra, 11-speed rear drivetrain and an FSA BB30 carbon crankset w/ mid-compact gearing; high end road components ready for the recreational or even competitive road cyclist. The ruby is built for comfort over distance, equipped with Zertz vibration dampers in the frame and fork, designed to cover long distances with ultimate comfort and control. The Specialized CG-R, FACT carbon seatpost also increases rider comfort as well as aerodynamic efficiency.

The Ruby frame is designed specifically for women, and also built as an endurance frame. Moreover, the Body Geometry Women’s Ruby Expert saddle is designed for female anatomy, as well as meant to be comfortable for long distance or even full days of cycling. With Ultegra brakes and the Fulcrum S4 wheelset, this bike is essentially race ready.

High end Women’s road bikes are becoming increasingly important. Specialized and Trek are on board, offering high performing road bikes for females. Whether other companies will follow suit is another question. Everyday I am encountering more and more female cyclists, and I am so stoked to be able to provide awesome options to them as opposed to one or two models, or even worse the unsavory option of putting them on a bicycle that is specific to men.

Please feel free to direct any questions, happy to help. And thank you for reading.

2015 Specialized Allez Comp!

The verdict is in, Specialized E5 aluminum frame w/ D’Aluisio Smartweld Technology offers a comparable ride to carbon at a more reachable price point. For those who want high end performance but are road bike shopping on a bit of a budget, look no further than the 2015 Specialized Allez Comp. The tapered headtube combined with the Specialized FACT carbon, full monocoque, 1-3/8″ lower bearing fork offers superior handling than lower models of the Specialized Allez.

The 2015 Allez Comp also comes equipped with Shimano 105 11-speed drivetrain coupled with a FSA Gossamer crankset. This offers a great combination of speed and precise shifting. The new Shimano 105 is arguably as high quality as the previous year’s Ultegra, not to mention that an 11-speed drivetrain is the new standard in performance road bikes. But it is more specifically the Smartweld technology that makes this bike ride so nice and offers value for money to the consumer. Riders need not fret any longer that the full carbon that they are after is out of their price range.

With the D’Aluisio Smartweld technology comes an aluminum ride unmatched by any other. As you notice from the image below, Specialized has developed a breakthrough in the location of the weld, offering a much more stiff head tube junction. In addition, they have been able reduce materials in areas of low stress decreasing weight without compromising stiffness. Moreover, the headtube is not universal between different sizes. Specialized has made size specific headtubes allowing frames to be completely compliant.

I don’t want to demean this bikes quality and capabilities by reiterating that it offers value, but this is the undeniable truth. Yet, this is not to minimize this bikes capabilities, performance unlike any other at this price point.

Trek Émonda SLR 8 Quick Hit Video ‹ Peloton

Trek Émonda SLR 8 Quick Hit Video ‹ Peloton

I’m not sure if I can explain it much better than Peleton Magazine has done in this video. Yes, the Emonda SLR 10 weighs in at 10.25lbs/4.65kg for a 56cm. But at a price of $15,749.99, this dream may be that only of pipes.

Émonda SLR 10

 The Emonda SLR 8 delivers both a race ready and everyday ride package available at a reachable price point. Most value for money, grams to dollars in the Trek Emonda line. Not to mention it is $800 less and a 1.5 pounds lighter than the S-Works Tarmac, as reiterated by Peleton Magazine.

Émonda SLR 8

Don’t forget to watch the video link at the top of this post. The facts are clearly laid out.

All that being said, the S-Works Tarmac does come with the ridiculously nice Roval Rapide CLX 40 carbon wheels with CeramicSpeed bearings, super fast and stiff wheels. Something to take into consideration.

S-Works Tarmac Dura-Ace