Think Vegas and the first thing that springs to mind might not necessarily be bikes, but for some reason it’s been home to the biggest bicycle trade show in America. This years event opened on Tuesday/Wednesday with an expected crowd of over 22,000 visitors. There can be few complaints from the exhibitors either, what better way to relax after a hard day at the office than by taking in the sights and sounds of the most famous bit of real estate in the world! With Las Vegas hosting the show there’s certainly plenty to do when not looking at the shiny new products from the 1000+ exhibitors and I’m sure that there won’t be many left wondering how to fill their evenings.

Wednesday night was Cross Vegas – the first C1 event of the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Calendar (CXNC) and a massive party!

Elite Men Result:

French champion Francis Mourey brought home another victory in the USA in a thrilling sprint denying the defending champion Jamey Driscoll the win on the line.

It was the Francaise des Jeux rider’s third win of the season after a pair of triumphs in much more adverse conditions last weekend.

Mourey was complimentary about the quality of the racing, even if the night time race in the desert was a bit different from his normal venues.

“We were all behind the leader but he only had a few seconds so I knew that there was a good chance of coming back, but it was a tough race, especially at night under all the lights. French guys like me aren’t used to this. It’s a very different atmosphere to the cold I’m used to.”


Giro Shoes:

The new range of shoes from Giro continues to impress. The top two in the range use Easton carbon for the sole. The top level Prolight SLX uses the EC90 SLX plate which helps the shoe weigh just 205g (claimed for the 42).

Beneath this is the Factor which is seen here –

The EC90 sole will be just as stiff but slightly heavier and uses a buckle at the top rather than 3 massive velcro straps.

A worthy feature of these is that they will feature Giro’s ‘SuperNatural Fit Kit’ modular insoles with interchangeable arch sizes (all of which are included), while the rest of the range will come with medium-height non-adjustable footbeds. This should make getting that perfect-fit a little bit easier.


Dura-Ace Carbon Pedals:

We’ve been eagerly waiting for these pedals for what seems like years.

It will sell for £199.99 RRP in the UK and while not revolutionary, it is sure to tempt a lot of people who’ve stuck with the Shimano SPD-SL system while other manufacturers release newer lighter pedals year on year.

“Super lightweight carbon SPD-SL road pedal for high performance road racing. A lightweight carbon body provides large shoe contact area to maximise power transfer and support whilst reducing weight”

251g for the pair sounds good and the tried and tested SPD-SL system will be familiar.


Campagnolo CX Cyclocross chainsets:

We’ve had a look at these already and ours should be arriving soon. Available in 10 and 11 speed, carbon or alloy with the new Power-Torque system they should perform very well.

The extra sealed bearings will keep the sand from the sand-pit out and the Power-Torque system is light and stiff.

The Campy Tech Lab engineering staff conducted in-depth studies on the behaviour of the chain on the chainrings during shifting in the most critical situations, leading to some very important results. The inner machining of the chainrings was created to facilitate the up shift and downshift of the chain, so that the movements are fast and precise in all conditions.


New Shimano Wheels:

“The workhorse race wheel”

Designed to cater for all terrain and usage the C35 has a 35mm rim yet claims to weigh just 1240g (clincher version).

Available in clincher and tubular version they look great, the graphics similar to the current RS80 and the 7850 CL’s. Claimed to have most of the aero advantage of a 50mm rim yet weighing less we can see these becoming a popular wheel.

Shimano are sticking to their tried and true angular contact bearing system, but they’ve upgraded the preload adjustment. Called “digital bearing preload adjustment”, it allows you to dial in the bearing preload much the same way you always have by tightening or loosening end caps.

Shimano’s new system puts the skewer clamp force directly on the axle, which has no effect on the bearings, keeping the wheels spinning free and smooth even if you like to clamp hard.


New Shimano Shoes:

For late 2010 we get the new R315 shoe: Shimano’s new top model SPD-SL shoe with a lightweight hollow channel sole of a weaved carbon fibre. It features multi-layered moisture control mesh and anti-slip heel lining, knitted with metal fibre. It has been designed with a low-profile micro-adjust buckle and dual off-set straps. Weight is 523 g per pair. Yauheni Hutarovich (Francaise des Jeux) won the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana using this new model.

They feature Rovenica synthetic leather that is fine, light and supple, yet so strong and shape-retentive that you gain the rigid upper stability you need for power. The pure comfort you need to go the distance, it stretches like fine natural leathers for an amazing fit, but it’s got a remarkable memory and strength that always brings the shoe back to its original shape. Combine this with Shimano’s heat moldable Custom-Fit technology that was designed for pro competition level racers who demand maximum stability and power transfer, plus the comfort to endure many hours on the bike and you have a top specification shoe.


Finally and to remind us that summer will be back soon, we have the

Castelli Bodypaint Skinsuit:

A very ‘fitting’ skinsuit for those at their best. Probably not an ideal piece of kit if you’ve been enjoying a few beers recently, as this leaves nothing to the imagination.

The shorts have been widely praised and we haven’t seen many complaints or returns of them at all.

This is what we’ve seen so far, there’s bound to be some more nice things along soon. Have you seen anything else? What have we missed, how was Vegas? Your stories and experiences are welcome as always.



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