Stuart's completed S-Works Roubaix 7900

Photos: Chris Ware - Click for large version

Sorry it took me a while to get these posted. It's been a crazy couple of weeks.

The bike was finished before I took off to SBCU - and this is how it looked moments after completion. Here's the details of the build kit:

-Frameset: 2010 Specialized S-Works Roubaix SL2 & S-Works Pave' seatpost
-Wheelset: Shimano Dura Ace 7850-c24-cl
-Tires: Continental Gran Prix 4000s
-Group: Shimano Dura Ace 7900 (w/ Ultegra 6700 STI & f. derailleur)
-Handlebar: Ritchey SuperLogic Carbon
-Bar Tape: Specialized Roubaix EVA
-Stem: S-Works Pro-Set
-Saddle: Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow

Now, as promised: I mentioned in my first post about the bike - and I've clearly outlined above - that we chose to mix Shimano's new Ultegra 6700 STI brake/shift levers and front derailleur into the Dura Ace 7900 groupset and that I had a good reason for it. Well, here's the deal: while I'm a huge Shimano fan, I've been a fairly vocal critic of their decision to reduce the number of rear shift detents on the 7900 shifters from three to two in favor of a shorter shifter "throw" (or range of travel required to complete a shift). Shimano maintains that the shorter throw enables a rider to shift four cogs with two cycles of the lever as fast if not faster than a rider could shift three with the single shifter cycle on previous generations. That's difficult to test for sure - but the lever throw difference is noticeable to discerning riders. While discussing the build options with Stuart; we determined that it would be nice to have three shift detents for the rear mechanism. And, since Stuart values function over the cohesive appearance of everything in the group being badged "Dura Ace", we subbed in the 6700 shifters.

The front derailleur is a direct result of that substitution. The 7900 front shift mechanism is designed to work with the unique cable pull of the 7900 shifter which allows it the shorter lever throw. This then dictates that the 7900 f. der. is not compatible with the 6700 shifters. Therefore we sub in the 6700 front derailleur for perfect functionality. Stuart is quite pleased with the results and I would say that in my short test ride - I don't think that I would be able to immediately pick out the STI's as 6700 if it weren't for the three shift detents on the right shifter. I think this speaks well of new Ultegra's performance.

Details and promises out of the way - enjoy the rest of the photos. Thanks to Chris for sharing them!

Thanks for reading!
Matt.

Specialized Bike and Gear Reviews - direct from Morgan Hill

I've just returned from 5 days at Specialized headquarters in Morgan Hill, California; where I had the opportunity to use a heap of Specialized branded gear. (I also spent three days riding Dura Ace Di2 - and I plan to post a separate review of that soon.) So, here's a few mini-reviews of the gear I used. I hope you enjoy and find them helpful.

Photos courtesy Specialized - click for larger version

S-Works Tarmac SL3: Wow! Best stock bicycle I've ever ridden - and that's an illustrious list! (Trek Madone 6.9, Colnago C50, Time VXR are just the most recognizable among them...). Now, I've done short little test rides on previous generation Tarmacs around the store and been pretty impressed, but this was three days, 50+ miles and all types of terrain and I didn't have one negative thought about the bike. Long climbs, steep climbs, twisty descents, high-speed flats, into the wind, solo, in groups - anything. The bike was comfy (though not as much as the Roubaix - see below), quick, predictable, efficient, and most importantly - fun! Definitely a better bike than I am a rider. Great for racing or fast enthusiasts with more emphasis on stiffness and efficiency than comfort.

Tarmac @ Specialized.com


S-Works Roubaix: Super Cruiser. Light enough, stiff enough, but super comfy, super stable - the bike for the rest of us. I wasn't in my best shape on the day that I rode the Roubaix - but it took my weak legs; got me up the hills with it's compact crankset and isolated my weak body from the road. It's lucky that I didn't ride the Tarmac on the first day there - because I needed a few days to get my act together and start to ride like a man! The Roubaix more than made up for my inadequacies and kept me in the group. I think that is it's best asset: when you're weak; the Roubaix is enough bike to carry you home. Doesn't matter what the road does, it is forgiving enough to cover your weak legs, sore body, and tired mind. Reminded me a lot of my Waterford. The bike I'd want to ride a century on.

Roubaix @ Specialized.com


S-Works Epic: A Tarmac with knobbies! This bike hits the spot for me - but I've been riding short-travel hardtails for almost 20 years; so I don't really know what to do with more than about 4 inches of travel. As a race bike, it's quick and predictable with enough travel to cover all but the gnarliest of trails with confidence. Not the bike that I'd want to take to Whistler, B.C., or up to Ski Bowl to ride off the lift - an all-day session like that would wear on your brain because the bike is an exceptionally nimble bike and not overly forgiving. But, for fast, race-like conditions; even in the bumpy stuff - it's a kick. Proper shock set-up is key, of course.

The Epic was also running a SRAM XX double crankset - which I loved! I've long thought that a double was the perfect choice for an XC race-rig; as I don't recall the last time I was forced to shift out of my middle; 36t chainring offroad except on the nastiest of climbs. Unfortunately, Specialized did not receive XX rear set-ups in time to build their demo fleet; so I was riding X-O in the back. I really like the positive "click" of the SRAM shifting - I just hate the forward thumb lever. Although, it bothered me the least on this day than it ever has. Is it possible I could be adapting? Am I actually capable of learning? Time will tell...

Epic @ Specialized.com


S-Works Stumpjumper: The MTB I spent the most time on. Not as adept of a climber as the Epic, but that's to be expected. Enough travel to be forgiving of a poor line choice and still goes uphill well enough that you'll at least finish the climb - maybe not at the front of the group, but you'll finish. You'll probably make up the difference on the descent though. This bike loves to go downhill and will air-out off any bump in the trail you ask it to (or stay on the ground if you prefer). Great do-it-all bike.

Stumpjumper FSR @ Specialized.com


S-Works Enduro: I would have loved to have more time and bigger stuff to hit on this bike. The trails we were on were pure XC-type stuff and were just a little too quick, and up/down for this bike.

2010 S-Works Roubaix Custom - in process

Stuart has been away from the sport a while, but is used to riding the best. When he finally came to visit me at Sunset (check out our newly re-modeled website, by the way... sunsetcyclesnw.com), he'd ridden just about every bike that would be on anyone's short-list. After a quick test-ride on our demo Roubaix Pro; expertly fitted before he rolled out of the store of course, I think he was pretty well sold.

After talking more about what he had in mind and how he intended to use the bike - we discovered that a box-stock bike was not quite what we needed. Not foreign territory for me - I couldn't wait to custom-spec one for him. We ended up with a 2010 Roubaix S-Works frameset, spec'd with Dura Ace 7900 compact components and Dura Ace 7850 c24 cl wheels (reviewed almost 2 years ago here). All the parts finally arrived in the store today - so off to work I went. Better to not make someone wait, right?

Dura Ace & S-Works components - only the best will do.
(Click for larger photos...)

Care to guess the dollar value of this box of goodies? Dura Ace group and pedals, S-Works shoes and stem, Selle Italia saddle, Conti GP4000s tires, and assorted other sundries...
ready for assembly.

Some of the best clincher wheels I've ever ridden.

Oooooh, there it is - fresh out of the box. Hadn't been in the store 1 hour...and seatpost, headset, fork and stem are already installed.It's a bad picture - mostly because I took it. The matte black 7900 parts w/ the matte black frame finish and the carbon stem faceplate and handlebar are just too tough! Meanest looking Roubaix I've seen!

Black on black on black.

How she looked when I headed home for the night. Too long of a day to be in a good frame of mind for running cables and installing that directional 7900 chain. Best left for tomorrow if we want it done right the first time! Still pretty tough looking - and no, the child seat in the back-ground is not for this bike...the unique joys of a full-service bike shop that sells pro-level gear.

So, we'll be done tomorrow and probably end up with a nice feature on the Sunset Cycles blog, which I'll probably echo here. Our scale in the store is broken - so if anyone with a working digital scale wants to help - stop by the store late tomorrow afternoon and weigh this sucker for us! The sharper eyed among you may have noticed that we're using Ultegra 6700 shifters and front derailleur on this one. I have a great reason for this - which I'll reveal on the final article. Yup, you'll have to tune in later for the rest of the story.

Prototype Dura Ace Carbon Pedal

To all of the Shimano reps and employees who; for the past 2 years, have been denying the existence of a carbon pedal prototype when I asked them about it:

WHAT'S THIS?!?!?!

http://velonews.com/photo/99261

Peter, you're the only one who's been honest with me. :)

Interbike 2010 Guide - new stuff from Dirty Vegas

Photo courtesy Interbike.com

I described Interbike on my facebook status as one of my favorite events in my least favorite city. I love Interbike and reconnecting with old friends; but from the second the plane touches down in Vegas, I can't wait to leave! I just feel like I need to take a shower after being there. It's an interesting dichotomy.

So, that said - Interbike was a pretty good show this year; in spite of noticeably lower attendance and fewer vendors. (I think I actually walked the whole show floor this year - a first in 8 years of attending the show.) The "down" economy only seemed to dampen the turnout; because there was still plenty of innovation present. New wheels (including the one I've been waiting 2 years for; the WH-7850-C50-CL) and Ultegra 6700 from Shimano; Reynolds new carbon clincher rim and lower price points; Sram XX; Zipp's 101 aluminum aero clincher (a new personal favorite); all sorts of new clothing and shoe ideas; and of course - plenty of super light carbon frames.

Those of you who've been following my blog for a while (thanks for being so loyal, mom...) know that I've never done a great job of reviewing Interbike. So this year, I'm leaving it to the professionals. They're much better at it than I am (and they tend to take their cameras...). So consider this your short-cut to the reporting on Interbike. The links below include just a few of the things I saw at the show that I thought were interesting. Thanks for reading.

Velonews:
-Reynolds, Cannondale, Orbea, Kestrel, Scott, Rue/Shimano, Fuji
-Dt Swiss, Camelbak, Titus, 2XU
-Storck, Reynolds, Hed, SwissStop, San Marco, MetriGear, Ford
-Diadorra, Time, Pearl Izumi
-Brooks, Pedro's, Luna, Crank Bros, Miche, Topeak, Cateye, Kenda
-Reynolds, Easton Bell Sports, Light and Motion
-Outdoor Demo 1 and Outdoor Demo 2

CyclingNews:
-Yeti, Avid
-Moots, The Hive
-Cannondale Simon Lefty Fork
-Adam Craig's Giant TCX Carbon Cross bike
-Shimano shoes, pedals, wheels, tools, MTB components

BikeRumor.com:
-Redline BMX, 29er, and Cyclocross bikes
-Quarq power meters
-SwissStop Brake Pads
-Giant TCX Carbon Cyclocross
-3T Road, Tri, and MTB components
-SRAM brake levers
-DT Swiss Tricon Tubless Wheelsets
-Avid Shorty Ultimate Canti Brakes

mattmagee.blogspot.com is not responsible for the content on the external websites that these links point to or any software associated with them.

The 2009 Vuelta a Espania is on Universal

Much like the Giro d'Italia this year, the third Grand Tour of the season can be found at Universal Sports, a subsidiary of NBC. I'll probably be catching it online, as they don't seem to be giving it a lot of TV time. Versus does a great job with the Tour and I love how thourough they are. But, it's also great to see some others getting interested. And with a company as seemingly well capitalized as NBC and their parent company GE vying for cycling broadcasting rights, you have to wonder how much Versus is paying for their contract and how long they'll be able to maintain their exclusivity.

Universal's hom page for the Vuelta can be found at: http://www.universalsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=23000&ATCLID=204770092

Of course, there is always VeloNews' live text coverage which I also enjoy. This is a great option for those who sit at a computer all day at work and can't look like they're just watching videos... Go here: http://velonews.com/live

Enjoy the race!
Matt.

First Impressions - New Ultegra 6700

Head's up!Photo courtesy bikeradar.com

Here's a quick first-ride review on the new generation of Ultegra from bikeradar.com

Link: First Ride: Shimano Ultegra 6700 Review

With Dura Ace 7900 moving decidedly up-market to compete with Sram Red and Campagnolo Super Record, it looks as though Shimano is positioning Ultegra 6700 as the new high-end group for the "rest of us" with nearly Dura Ace weight and performance (shades of which we saw with the Ultegra SL remake a couple years ago), I think you'll be seeing a lot more 6700 groups on the local race circuit because of it's affordability with very little performance penalty.

I look to get my hands on 6700 at Interbike this September - 2 months away!

More to come after Interbike!

Climbing tips, tricks, and advice.

Again, bikeradar.com comes up with a gem of an article. If you're not making this website a part of your regular cycling-related web-surfing you are missing out on some seriously cool stuff.

Link to the article:

Technique: Hill climbing made easy

The title makes a big promise - one which is difficult if not impossible to deliver on. Especially when you consider that the conventional wisdom among experienced cyclists is that climbing never gets easier; it's just that some are able to suffer at a higher rate of speed. None-the-less, there is some value in the information within.

I also remember an article that appeared on one of the major cycling websites a couple of years ago, featuring Davis Phinney if I recall correctly (I tried to find it on google, but with no success) with some great climbing advice as well. I know it is hard to believe that you'd get good climbing advice from America's most successful sprinter (although Tyler Farrar is doing his best to try to unseat Davis), but after watching Thor Hushovd's solo breakaway and earlier; his lead-out man, Heinrich Haussler it becomes evident that; for those of us who are not natural-born climbers, the best ones to take advice from are the big "engines" who have to haul themselves over the huge climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees in order to have a shot at glory on the last day in Paris.

Anyway, to stop rambling and get back on topic: Phinney's advice was to approach a long sustained climb in a harder gear than you normally would, and start the climb in a standing position; climbing that way as long as you could sustain it without popping. Then shift to an easier gear and spin out the rest of the climb. The theory here being that the muscles you use in standing pedaling are somewhat different than those you use while sitting. Assuming that you've approached the climb seated, by standing for the opening segments of a long climb, you give your seated pedaling muscles a bit of a break while using the mechanical advantage of being able to use your body weight and upper body muscles to pedal. Then, when those muscles have recovered, you shift gears and sit to spin higher-cadence, lower strain gears up the remainder of the ascent.

To become proficient with this technique you certainly have to develop those standing muscles - they'll burn out pretty fast with your first few applications of this technique. But with some practice and development you'll find this is quite effective. Additionally, on the longest of climbs you'll find yourself being able to stand for longer periods and being able to go back to standing one or more times in order to rest the sitting muscles again. I began developing this in the rolling terrain of Tennessee and found it quite effective. Coming to the longer climbs of the Pacific Northwest, I found this method to be a great survival technique, especially on the ascents with punctuated changes in grade; like McNamee road from Highway 30 to Skyline here in Portland, where it fluctuates from 4-6% to near 20% and back to false flats several times in it's 4 mile length. Standing through the steeper sections can be an effective self-preservation move and a great way to put a gap on those in your group ride while battling for king-of-the-mountain points!

Thanks for reading and be sure to enjoy the last to days of the Tour!

Online fraud in the bike industry. Again...

I don't recall the last time I heard of this happening to customers of a locally owned independent bike shop:

*********************
Story: bikeportland.org

Fraud hits local customers of online retailer Nashbar

Northeast Portland resident Gabriel Tiller is sort of a bicycle renaissance man. He has won a national tall-bike jousting competition, taken top prize at the Zoobomb Century, earned a spot on the gravity-biking podium at the Maryhill Festival of Speed, he likes to do bike touring, and he has recently taken to mountain biking.

Most of the time, Tiller builds bikes from used parts lying around his garage or from the various sources around town. But often, he buys hard-to-find parts from an online retailer to feed his cycling habit.

Last week, he noticed several strange charges on his credit card that went to unfamiliar websites like “networkagenda.com,” “fedgrantusa.com,” and “gglprofit.com.” He immediately Googled them and found that there were many other people complaining online about similar fraudulent charges. A little more digging and he confirmed the culprit: Nashbar (also known as Bike Nashbar).

Nashbar (which is owned by North Carolina-based Performance Bicycle, Inc.) is a large, national online discount retailer of bike parts and accessories.

According to pages and pages of complaints from angry customers on BikeForums.net, Nashbar has acknowledged that one of their websites was hacked back in December 2008. However, according to this local newspaper story, the company didn’t tell customers about the security breach until July 1 of this year.

Also according to that story, Nashbar has sent out a letter to customers about the incident. Tiller says he has yet to receive a letter. He called Nashbar and they took down his details, but so far, they haven’t offered him any compensation.

I’ve tried several times to speak with someone at Nashbar about the issue. The two people I’ve gotten through to both refused to give me any information about the incident. The Nashbar “Customer Care” representative said she doesn’t handle information for the media, but she would not give me any other number to call. As I was trying to get more information from her, she just hung up the phone.

Nashbar has admitted that their customer’s credit card information was stolen in a security breach, yet they waited seven months to notify anyone about it and when asked to provide more information about the incident, they refused. (Update: I’m now trying to speak with someone at Performance).

As for Tiller, he’s keeping a close watch on his bank account.
*********************

Online fraud and identity theft is probably the fastest growing area of crime currently - and even the careful consumer is susceptible. I don't want to try to paint a picture that Nashbar and it's parent company; Performance Inc., are solely at fault; but, the way in which they've handled the issue is the sort of thing that would put a local bike shop out of business.

Online discount retailers do not care about you, your cycling experience, and your future well-being. They are generally so large that the business you represent is a drop in their proverbial buckets and they will never know when you've decided to take your business elsewhere.

The independent, locally-owned bike shop near you on the other hand should be glad to see you each time you walk through their doors. Not only because you represent an opportunity to make money, keep the lights on, and stay in business; but if you've been a loyal, respectable, and reasonable client (clients are different from customers, by the way...a client typically has a relationship with their service provider); they'd be happy to see you drop in even if you don't spend a penny. I have many clients I feel this way about.

This relationship means that the bike shop respects you, your business, and your identity. Fraud is the kiss of death in today's hyper-competitive, economic-downturn-effected independent-retail environment. Your local bike shop cannot afford to disrespect you.

Now, respect is a two way street. And, if you disrespect your local, independently owned bike shop (if you haven't caught on yet - this means the guys who live in your area, aren't a part of some national or regional chain - more often than not a discount chain at that - and work their tails off week after week coming in before opening, staying after closing, and then getting up early on Saturday to come and do ride support for the local century or set up for a race in which you're participating; all because they love the same sport you do.) be prepared for them to vanish. What does it mean to respect your bike shop? Give them a chance to earn your business. When you need a part; don't assume they don't have it or can't get it. We usually have access to all the same stuff as the online places - and can get it to our door almost as fast as they can get it to your door - often for a competitive price or the same price after you account for shipping costs.

What else? Don't beat them up on their prices. They're not trying to gouge you. Most of the time they're keeping their prices as reasonable as they can. The extra few dollars you spend with them pays for that great store location; all the cool inventory you like to browse; the couch you sit on while you watch the cycling videos on the flat-screen television; the tools hanging in the service area; the flat-tire changing clinic you attended; and lets the mechanic put the wrench down and step away from the tune-up he was doing (which was promised to another customer to be done less than an hour from now, by the way...) to answer your question.

If you're not being respected at your local bike shop - first ask yourself whether you're being respectful to them; a little bit of loyalty and respect on your behalf can go a long way in softening the heart of the grouchy guy behind the counter - be prepared to search for a local shop that will respect you. But don't take us for granted, for one day we may not be there anymore.

The day that Nashbar shows up to do ride support for your local charity ride; you can clear your conscience.

Sorry, I'm feeling a little harsh today on this particular topic. But you're lucky I don't write about it as often as I think about it.

Thanks for reading anyway.

The Truth About Tire Pressure

When it comes to the pavement; more pressure is better.

Right?

Nope. And for several reasons. First, a higher pressure tire is harder to control, is actually a little slower, and rides less comfortably, meaning your feel worse and weaker at the end of a ride. Second, its not as safe. I'll touch on each of these respectively.

Mountain bikers and the cyclo-cross world figured this out a long time ago. Why is it that the road world has taken so long to grasp this concept? Well, I would bet that consumer demand plays a part in this. Somewhere along the line we got it in our heads that more tire pressure capacity makes a better, faster tire and so the tire manufacturers keep pushing the envelope.

So, why is this wrong? Like I said, the off-roaders figured this out early. A tire at the top of it's pressure range (or above that pressure - "over-inflaters": I'm talking to you...) does not compress and conform to the profile of the terrain it is rolling across. This is easy to understand off road where the dynamics of the terrain are bigger and easier to observe. The rocks, roots, pebbles, and tiny undulations in the trail come fast enough that the tire can't just roll over them all -it has to be able to conform to them in order to roll smoothly, quickly, and without loss of traction. If it doesn't - you bounce over them and the tire loses contact with the trail. What happens when your tire loses contact? You lose traction. What happens when you lose traction? You lose control.

"Well, pavement is a lot smoother than my local trail, Matt." You're correct there, but there are still tiny imperfections in the surface that your tires are forced to deal with. Here in the Northwestern U.S. where we ride on a lot of chip-seal pavement, this is easy to understand. But, wherever you ride - you encounter rough roads from time to time. Pay attention to all that jostling the next time you hit a rough patch. That is your tires (and wheels, honestly) struggling to deal with the rapid onslaught of impacts that comes with such an environment. They're literally bouncing across the bumps. This is why cyclo-crossers run lower pressure. They know that as they navigate the course; if they try to accelerate, brake, or change direction while bouncing around they'll lose control. Again, much more dramatic than on relatively smooth roads; but applicable none-the-less. Slightly softer tires=more control.

Let's deal with speed now. So if my tires are at higher pressure, the contact patch (where the rubber meets the road as it were...) is smaller and therefore has less friction with the surface I'm riding across. True. Especially if you're riding on glass. But, in the countless tens of thousands of miles I've ridden, I don't recall riding across any glass that didn't come from a broken bottle. The road is never perfectly smooth. As we discussed above; what happens to a firmer tire on an imperfect surface? It bounces. How is bouncing different from straight-ahead movement? It involves vertical movement as well. Why is vertical movement bad? It is wasted energy that could have been used to propel you forward instead of up.

Slightly lower pressure allows your tires to better absorb the tiny imperfections in the road that would result in more bouncing at higher pressure. This results in less vertical movement (bouncing) and therefore more efficient forward motion. Couple this greater efficiency with the better traction discussed above and you're now also talking about more confident high-speed cornering. Cool, huh?

Comfort? Not a tough thing to understand. More pressure = less tire deflection with impact. Less deflection means more jostling which means a rougher ride which hurts more - especially on a long stretch of chip-seal. Not fun.

So, let's talk about safety. This, to me is the least understood side effect of high pressure tires. Most of the rims that most of us run around on are actually not designed for higher pressures. Didn't know that? Not your fault - it's not well publicized. But, start digging around on manufacturer's websites and you'll find in the small print that most of them have a recommended maximum inflation pressure - especially when referring to the newly-popular carbon fiber clincher rims. This is because the rim's brake track/side wall is not designed to withstand infinite outward pressure, especially when heated up from aggressive braking. If that were the case, we'd all be riding around on significantly heavier wheels. However, again, consumer demand requires otherwise. Want some examples: Zipp 404 clincher (aluminum brake track): 125 psi max tire pressure; Mavic Open Pro - about the same depending upon tire pressure: wider tire = lower max pressure; Bontrager Race XXX Lite Carbon Clincher: also about 120 lbs depending on tire width.

So, let me ask this: How many of you are running around on Vredestein Fortezza Tri Comps at 150+ psi on the above mentioned rims? How old are those rims and how much wear is there on the brake track? As a brake track wears, it gets thinner and less capable of withstanding all that outward pressure - especially under aggressive braking (i.e. fast, curvy, technical descent). Gonna go let some air out of your tires now? I'll wait here until you return...

O.k., finally to qualify my comments. I'm not an engineer and I don't have a way of testing all of these tires scientifically. All I can go by is my experience riding this equipment. And, I've ridden most of the high-performance/high pressure tires on the market (The afore-mentioned Vredestein: max pressure 175; Vittoria Open Corsa: max 145; Specialized pro-series: max 125; Continental GP 4000s, Attack/Force, GP 3000, GP 4-Season: max 120; Bontrager Race X Lite, Race Lite, Race Lite Hardcase: max 120; Michelin Axial Pro, Pro Race, Pro 2, Krylion Carbon: max 116). I've run these at max pressure, below max pressure, and - admittedly - many of them above max pressure. What is my evaluation? I run my Vredesteins at 135, Vittorias at 125, Continentals at 115 and Michelins at 110. Yup, all below max pressure. Some significantly below.

So what about all that talk about contact patch? Well, the higher-pressure tires (135+ psi) will generally have a softer, more supple casing (the woven fabric body of the tire) which conforms and deflects more at a given pressure. So, sure; you run a Vredestein at 120 it will feel slow because it's contact patch is larger than a Michelin at 110 due to it's more supple casing. You must put more pressure into the more supple tire to bring it's contact patch into line with the less supple tire due to it's softer casing. So, what I'm saying here is this:

Don't exceed your rim's max pressure, but inflate your tires to the point where they feel smooth, corner confidently, and still run fast without risk of pinch-flats from being too soft. And, never exceed the max pressure embossed on the sidewall of your tire.

This will require some trial and error over a few rides, but eventually you'll get it dialed. If you're not able to find max recommended pressure for your rims, error on the safe side. 125 is a pretty common max for aluminum clincher rims.

What about tubulars (sew-ups)? The tire's outward pressure is only exerted on the casing of the tire and is basically only exerting compressive force on the rim in the direction that it is already the most strong. Don't exceed the tire's max pressure - but otherwise, inflate away!

Oh, and buy a floor pump with a good pressure gauge ($40+). It's worth the money.

Thanks for reading! Sorry it's been so long since my last post. We're pleasantly busy at the new store.

Matt.