Shimano WH-6700 Road Tubeless Wheel Review

THE TUBELESS REVOLUTION CONTINUES

The single most-viewed page on this blog at this moment is my review of Shimano's WH-7850-C24-CL wheels. And, it's no surprise to me - they're amazing; revolutionary wheels (no pun intended).

Why do I mention this? You see, these wheelsets are related. The WH-7850-SL is the predecessor to the WH-7850-C24-CL and is Shimano's first tubeless road ready wheelset. It features a Scandium alloy rim with a sealed inner wall; making it air tight, stainless steel spokes and Dura Ace hubs. The WH-6700 is the latest in the family of Shimano's Road Tubeless compatible wheels (also including the WH-7850-C24-TL) and the most affordable truly tubeless-ready wheel available - without much of a penalty (at 1652 g published weight - it's a difference of 138 g from their lighter "big brother").

Cycling Nutrition - a basic guide

Comments from my recent post on Fitting, Fitness, and Fuel prompted me to post this article (with a few edits...) I recently wrote for a newsletter. It is geared heavily toward the Hammer Nutrition products - as that's what I use and what we were emphasizing in the article; but it's still a good guide whatever your brand of choice may be. Enjoy!

GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT
You've heard that expression applied to many different topics; but it is no less true when it comes to how your fuel your body on a ride (or any exercise for that matter). Proper nutrition during exercise and endurance activities is one of the most important keys to success - and to enjoying those activities too. However, there are a few really common mistakes which most of us have made in the past or make regularly which hurt our performance - often without even knowing! With some help from Steve Born of Hammer nutrition (who's excellent article on this very topic can be found online here) I want to offer a guide to success in your pursuits in the coming season. So, read the guide; and then Steve's article, to decide which products to add to your regimen.

PROPER RECOVERY

We'll start with my favorite product - and probably the most beneficial one: Recoverite. How many of us go out and ride hard or put in a killer workout only to spend the rest of the day sore, run down, and wishing we hadn't gone so hard? Wake up the next morning - and: POW - it's even worse! Makes it hard to feel like doing it again, but then - how do you get any stronger? The secret is in recovery - and recovering properly.

Improve your cycling: Fitting; Fitness; Fuel

Photo: Chris WareThis conversation came up on a Saturday ride with some of the members of our race team. In addition to the usual conversation about new, cool bike gear that usually crops up on a ride; one of the members was commenting on the results of the fitting I'd performed for him a couple of weeks prior. We had eliminated his knee pain and increased his efficiency and balance on the bike. He was thrilled because he was able to get in more training miles (after resolving himself to a break from riding) and his bike was feeling faster, more nimble, and yet more predictable.

This prompted a response from me that some of my customers have been hearing from me for several years now: Most of us can get greater returns from getting our bike fit, fitness, and fuel (nutrition) dialed than from spending a bunch of money on the newest coolest gear.

["What? I thought this was a product-focused blog. I read this to get real-world reviews on some of the best equipment out there instead of the watered-down drab stuff that comes from the major publications because they're afraid of hurting the suppliers' feelings. Why is Matt telling me not to buy stuff...?]

Well, the above comment is true - I am a "gear geek" through-and-through and I get tempted by all the new cool chi-chi stuff out there just like the rest of you. But, I have seen in the lives and riding habits of my clients (and myself) the difference that the three principles above have and I'm a firm believer. Your riding experience is a multi-faceted product of a variety of factors including these three principles and your gear. When all of them include high-quality, well-selected, properly maintained elements - you can't help but succeed!

Flat...

This rolled into the store last week to our amazement. We have summited this record setter to Guinness and are waiting to hear back...

Tested: Chamois Butt'r Eurostyle

Hmmm, well, I guess this is no more awkward than we make it out to be, now is it?

That opening statement probably didn't help either...

I've been a pretty devoted user of chamois cream for quite some time now (Chamois Butt'r original formula, if you must know). Any time I'm going out on the bike for longer than 1 hour - I'm using chamois cream.

WHAT'S THE PURPOSE?Chamois cream reduces friction around all those sensitive areas which contact your saddle - reducing chafing and irritation. This is a good thing. For me; thighs that are larger than average, this is particularly nice where the thighs rub the saddle (sometimes at 180+ times a minute: 90+ times one way, 90+ times the other). Some will argue that after some time; the cream is absorbed by the skin and fabric; or it's viscosity breaks down to a point where it's not working. And, I can't say that I disagree with them. However; would you rather endure 3 hours of friction - or less than that? Any reduction is good, right?

PRO Vibe 7S - Tested

First, let me apologize for not posting in a while. I've been a little busy with the December birth of my second son and all... I'm sure you'll forgive me!

So, I've been looking for some time to replace the Ritchey WCS stem and WCS Carbon handlebar that I've been riding on my Waterford with something aluminum and significantly stiffer. The bar is not bad, but the stem is a little twisty. When I went to Interbike this past September, Shimano's Benelux component division; PRO, were offering a killer industry deal on their Vibe 7S series which happened to be the bar/stem combo at the top of my list. I just had to bite!

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

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!

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 the store, 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...)

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?!?!?!

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