Best Men's Race Bike
For the second year in a row, the S-Works Tarmac SL4 is “simply the best in a field of transcendent bikes.” According to the experts who tested a field of 30 finalists, the Tarmac once again blew away the competition. Beyond the handling, stiffness, and ride quality that a top-tier bike should offer, some riders get even more from their bikes because, as one tester remarked, “The Tarmac made me feel like a better rider.”
Best Women's Race Bike
No stranger to winning, the Amira SL4 Pro is this year's Editors' Choice for Best Women's Race Bike. The Amira has the same racing pedigree as the Tarmac, but with geometry, weight, and touch-points all designed specifically for a female rider. Though still light and stiff enough to “climb like a mountain goat,” according to the Bicycling Testers, the Amira “felt the most female friendly,” of all the bikes tested.
Best Full Suspension XC Race Bike
Back-to-back wins for the S-Works Epic 29. What makes the Epic unique is the proprietary BRAIN-equipped suspension which reads the terrain for the perfect ride–whether sprinting uphill or descending at speed on rocky trails. The world’s only full suspension 29er world champion and Gold Medal winner is the bike of choice for “screaming across rutted single track, while still climbing and accelerating as fast as a hardtail.”
Best Endurance Bike
The S-Works Roubaix SL4 is the leader in endurance racing technology and won the 2013 VeloNews Endurance Bike Test Award. The Roubaix has mastered the unforgiving roads of Europe and is stiff enough to fly into sprints and out of turns as well as any bike on the course. “For the rider looking to maximize performance while taking the edge off of everything from chip-sealed pavement to dirt roads, the Roubaix is the clear choice."
Best Aluminum Bike
The Specialized Allez Race Rival just threw down against the top aluminum race bikes. According to Road Bike Action, the Allez was the break-away favorite. The ride of the Allez offers, "The best blend of comfort and stiffness." And about the Specialized Smartweld technology, "It's really something new in the bike industry, yielding a stiff front end that handles impeccably and offers clean aesthetics to boot."
Still warm from production, these were printed & stitched in-house just down the street at VOMax in Northampton, designed in the service area of our shop by me (Stephen). The idea was to keep it simple & give a tip of the cap to the golden years of cycling. Think Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Hugo Koblet:
We wanted the kit to be as much a tip of the cap to cycling's beautiful, storied history and the legends that comprise our sport's past as it is an acknowledgement of the current state of cycling. It is a jersey that is as at home on a Columbus SL De Rosa or loaded-up Rivendell touring machine as it is your carbon fiber Tarmac with Di2, and is available in a variety of fits, from tiger-tight to MTB baggy.
Also, for those interested in keeping everything cohesive from head to toe, we also produced a very limited run of matching bib shorts. I can tell you this anecdotally from years of experience in various brand bibs: the VOMax bibs are second to none - they make a long day in the saddle incrementally more pleasurable.
So come on in & try them on for size. They're going fast, but not nearly as fast as you'll be (or at least look!) when you're riding in it around the valley!
(That last line was super cheesy, I know. <3SP)
Sean McCarthy
Jeremy Powers
Or, more preciesly, new FRAME day.
Joining Charlie's stable is this fresh new S-Works Crux, just arrived from Specialized yesterday. We built it up using parts from his old Crux, with a few brand new flourishes.
The bike's guts are Shimano 6700 (shifters) and 6600 (front & rear derailleurs). These bits have weathered abuse for the past several years on Charlie's two previous cross builds, which speaks well for Ultegra's status as the real workhorse of the Shimano componentry line: These parts don't show any sign of giving up anytime soon.
Which brings me to the wheelset. Being a giant in an industry that caters mostly to the smaller of stature, a significant amount of attention is paid to finding that sweet spot where performance and durability intersect. I've had nothing but incredible experience with the Mavic wheelsets that I've owned, particularly the various wheels in the Ksyrium line. Now, I'm only 145-150lbs, so that's not saying as much as it is that Charlie also has gone the Ksyrium route. The Ksyrium SL - now, as of the 2013 line, known as the Ksyrium SLS - is one of those do-everything wheelsets: While perfectly comfortable in a crit, they're also feathery enough to use on long, steep climbs & robust enough to use as your everyday training wheels. Bar none, they are the best pre-built aluminum-rimmed wheel systems available.
