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| Image courtesy of fizik |
fizik Announces Limited Edition Gravel Shoes:
Two limited edition shoes were announced on Tuesday of this week by fizik. One high-end shoe and one much more moderately priced shoe. First up we have the Atlas in "Black Mamba", a bright highlighter orange and green/yellow hue with black trim.
The Atlas features a BOA closure and a rubber coated sole for best traction off the bike. There is a TPU toe cap to help protect those toes also. The sole has a Nylon insert for stiffness but it is rated at a "5" stiffness, so it would be a shoe you could walk in some if need be. Weight is claimed at 355 grams.
Available in the usual sizes for around $169.00USD.
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| Image courtesy of fizik |
Next up we have the Ferox in Team Amani colors. This is a carbon-soled shoe with dual retention and lighter weight.
The Ferox has a woven upper mesh over a PU laminate. The X-1 carbon sole has a rubber covering for better grip. The stiffness rating here is "10" and again, it is available in all of fizik's usual sizes.
Price on the Team Amani Ferox is set at $309.00USD.
You can see more at fizik.com
Comments: fizik has some pretty cool looking options for the gravel ridier. These newest ones may not appeal to more shy or conservative personalities, but I like the bold colors and the Ferox looks like it could avoid that dreaded "too hot in black" situation I was warned about by Jeff Kerkove, my co-conspirator in Trans Iowa.
I'd love to try fizik shoes, but the thing is that I do not need new gravel shoes now. Shimano saw to that by sending me a few pairs over the years here. But someday......
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| Image courtesy of Ritchey Design |
Ritchey Design Announces Montebello All-Road Bike:
Ritchey Design sent out a press release on Tuesday of this week detailing the new Montebello model. This is a bicycle meant for riding roads and miles and miles of them.
Featuring clearances for up to a 40mm tire without fenders and 36mm with them, the Montebello promises a comfortable ride. It features longer chain stays (329mm 429mm) and a low bottom bracket (80mm or 78mm, depending on size) which should lend the rider a planted feel in corners and on rougher roads.
It's steel, of course, being a Ritchey, and features Ritchey's penchant for straight 1 1/8th steer tube forks. The new fork, dubbed the WCS Carbon Brevet Fork, has porteur or lowrider mounts and a threaded hole in the fork crown for a light mount or front rack mounting. The fork also has internal routing for a dynamo light.
A Montebello frameset will set you back $1,699,00 USD. You can see more at RitcheyLogic.com
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| Image courtesy of Ritchey Design. |
Plus it could do gravel, with the ability to use a 40mm tire. The geometry is great, the details make it versatile, and it isn't a touring sled that would feel wooden unladen. THIS would have been my choice for a bike that wasn't labeled "gravel" in 2011 when I was looking for a bike to do gravel roads.
And with racks and fenders it becomes the perfect commuting rig for many. Yeah, I think Ritchey knocked this one out of the park.
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| Gravel Worlds recent series of videos celebrates what makes gravel special. |
A Word About The Gravel Family:
The concept of riders meeting at various gravel events and having a "family reunion' of sorts was something that started back in the late 2000's. It was part of what made the early gravel scene not only special, but why it unmistakably grew the fan base for gravel into the fastest growing form of cycling in the USA.
Gravel Worlds grabbed that idea and dubbed it the "Gravel Family". While Gravel Worlds has evolved and changed dramatically from where it came from, the organizers try to keep one foot on the ground and relate to their entire field from the fastest Pros to the back-of-the-pack riders. In an effort to show that they are putting some real equity into this they have started releasing some great videos which show some of the stories that are integral to the concept of the "Gravel Family". You can watch the one I grabbed the screen shot from HERE which features Isabel Berry.
Check that out and I think you will agree that this is what it is all about in terms of why gravel is where it is at today.
That's a wrap on this week! Have a great weekend and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!
6 comments:
The Ritchey Montebello is certainly a handsome machine. Has Ritchey ever made an ugly bike? I think it would make an excellent fenderless all-rounder. Ritchey seem to be marketing this as a rando bike. People can and do ride Brevets on all sorts of bikes but the hard core Bicycle Quarterly crowd will probably reject the Montebello out of hand because it lacks the preferred low trail front loading geometry. The carbon fork probably won't get much enthusiasm either.I'm pretty retro-grouchy so I only own one bike with a carbon fork. It's the only one that gives me numb hands. I think it has a Redshift stem in it's future,haha. The fact that Ritchey has stuck with the 1 1/8th standard might take some of the sting out of todays typical lawyer proof carbon fork.If I were looking for a bike like this (and the last thing I need is another bike) I would be looking at the Brother Cycles Mr Wooden or the Crust Canti Lightning.
@Phillip Cowan - I can certainly sympathize with the carbon vs steel fork and adding in disc vs canti has an effect there as well. My ideal bike still would be what I had envisioned 15 years ago: A steel frame, 700c wheel based, canti for up to 43mm tires w/fenders, using Paul Components Racer brakes, the rear mounted under the chain stays so the seat stays could be ultra-skinny/flexible, and a slacker than Rando head angle because I wouldn't be carrying anything on the front.
I'd want a LOT deeper BB drop than either bike you suggest also. I guess this is why they make all types of bicycles!
Maybe someday I'll get that custom geared bike done up. I've got my single speed bike in the Honeman Flyer by King Fab. I wouldn't change much of anything on that bike. The geared one would be a similar design.
Thanks for including the link to Isabel’s video… She’s one of the sweetest, most loving people and we’re lucky to have her in the Gravel Family.
Have a great weekend y’all!! Get out and ride your bike!!
@MG - You got it Brother!
Isabel was sooooo excited to meet me back when she was first at Gravel Worlds and I thought her genuine enthusiasm and joy for Life was really refreshing. I'll never forget that and her being such a champion for gravel riding.
You wrote that the Ritchey has a long chainstay at 329 mm. That would be quite short! It would put my butt behind the rear axle, creating a real wheelie machine! The actual chainstay length is in fact 429 mm.
I love that Ritchey keeps putting out good bikes that fit underserved market segments.
@Nooge - Good catch! I'll correct that mistake. Thanks!
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