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 #############  Original From: BIKENEWS@AOL.COM
 # FORWARDED #             To: COLIN ARNELD
 #  MESSAGE  #           Date: 10/31/95
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                        Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 14:14:04 -0500
Subject: Issue #2
 
10-31-95
 
Issue #2
 
Dresden Cycles New Products & Bicycles Electronic Newsletter
 
If you would like to receive our first issue drop us a note.
 
Our testing period is over, and now we want all the subscribers we can get!
 Our goal is to have 10,000 subscribers by March and 25,000 subscribers by
July of '96.  This is the only issue that we are going to allow to be
re-broadcast.  We want you to send it to all your friends, associates, news
groups, etc ... anyone that would be interested in subscribing.  The more
subscribers that we get the better our "magazine" will be for you ... special
pricing, new products available to our subscribers before anyone else, gift
certificates, etc ...  We guarantee that you will always get honest reviews,
and more for your money than any other bicycling publication (especially now,
since it is free).
 
It will stay free, and no advertising for a while.  We have been contacted by
manufacturers, distributors, sales reps, and mail order companies that want
to advertise in our E-magazine.
We will probably have advertising, and may eventually charge for a
subscription, but not for a while and not until after we switch over to the
Adobe Acrobat format and get the bugs worked out.   
 
We will begin showing special pricing on reviewed products by manufacturers
and retailers.  Retailers that would like to take part in this program
contact us at bikenews@aol.com.
  
Send this issue with these questions to everyone that is interested in
bicycles.  If you are interested in a subscription return the following
questions -- not the complete newsletter.
        First Name:
        Last Name:
        E-Mail Address:
        1.   Do you ride a road bike, mountain bike, or both?
        2.   How many miles do you ride a week?
        3.   Do you race?
        4.   How often?
        5.   Are you licensed, and what is your category?
        6.   What is your occupation?
        7.   What is your age?
        8.   What is you sex?
        9.   How much do you spend a year on bicycle related products?
        10.  What products would you like to see reviewed? 
        11.   In which Country do you live?
 
Thanks for your subscription, support and participation
Jim Cuckovich, Editor
 
P.S. We plan on publishing this for a long time.  Those of you worried about
a brief service can relax.
 
Now for the news...
 
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Carbonframes Cranks & Frames--News
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retail carbon crank ?
retail Tetra Pro and Tetra Tri  $1985
retail for a custom frame $2530.
(we will be reviewing the Carbonframes and carbon cranks in an upcoming
issue)
 
Carbonframes has come out with a 350 gram carbon crank that will be available
this Christmas and will come in black only.  The crank is designed for road
use, and is supposed to be as strong and durable as a forged aluminum crank.
 The bolt pattern is 130 mm and will initially be available in 175 mm with
170 mm, 172.5 mm, and 180 mm to follow in the Spring.
 
They are made with a unique combination of two processes: wet tensioned fiber
placement and Resin Transfer Molding (RTM).  The tensioned fiber gives the
crank unusual stiffness for its weight.
 
For those of you not familiar with Carbonframes they were the company that
made the first carbon LeMond Frames for Team Z.  
 
"Carbonframes builds a racing frame which is light, durable, and exhibits the
ride qualities of a heavier steel bike.  Our patented technology eliminates
bottom bracket flex.  According to James Mason, Director of Sales and
Marketing for Carbonframes, the ride is smooth and compliant due to the shock
absorbing characteristics of carbon fiber.  "We feel that our frames' selling
points are performance, light weight, and durability.  Our designs maximize
the potential of the carbon fiber material, something that the competition
has failed to do.  We offer a bike which does everything that a solid steel
bike does, but which weighs 4 pounds less and lasts longer."
 
Carbonframes said that a 56 cm frame with either Dura Ace or Record weighs
around 18.5 pounds.  They said it is possible to build up a bike to race at
under 16 pounds.  They have two different frames a standard road frame and a
Triathlon frame.  Either can be order as a custom frame.  
 
Carbonframes was founded 1988 by Craig Calfee, who had built Olympic medal
winning carbon fiber kayaks.  He had an old Schwinn that broke and decided to
build a frame out of carbon fiber.  The first buyers of Carbonframes were the
San Francisco bicycle messengers.  The messengers liked the frames light
weight and durability.  Some of these original frames are still being used
today after seven years of service.  Normally a steel mountain bike frame
will last a messenger no more than two years.
 
Carbonframes bicycles have been praised by Greg LeMond, Team Z, Robert Millar
and Dave Scott.  Robert Millar described the bike as "the best he ever rode".
 Carbonframes has built approximately 1,000 frames.  
 
Although we have not tested the bike ourselves we have heard only one
complaint about the frames and that is how the water bottle's mount.
 Carbonframes said that drilling holes in carbon fiber degrades the laminate
by interrupting and cutting the fibers, provides a spot where delamination
can start, creates dramatic increases in stress risers in the area, and
decreases fatigue life.  This can occur in areas as large as tube and lug
joints, or as small as bottom bracket shell, head tube sleeves, and bonded on
shifter- and water-bottle bosses.  That is why titanium metal bands are used
that circle the tubing.  
 
Carbonframes has an excellent paper on the benefits of their manufacturing
process.  It explains the pitfalls of all the different manufacturing
methods.  It is worth reading, and if you are considering a carbon frame,
then it will really make you consider a Carbonframe.  
 
You can reach Carbonframes via e-mail at:  carbonbike@aol.com
 
We will be reviewing 
*****************************************************************************
Cinelli's Spinaci Handlebar Extensions--Review
*****************************************************************************
Retail $99.00
dresdenco@aol.com  $60.00
 
We have been using these extensions since last Spring, and we think that they
are fantastic.  Who says that roadies can't learn or gain anything from the
Mountain Bikers!  These extensions are basically bar-ends for road bikes, but
they offer a lot of benefits:  extra places to rest hands, better position
for in the saddle climbing, and more aerodynamic when time trialling.  
 
If you have not seen the Spinaci Extensions, they are "J" shaped and mount on
the top of the handlebars right next to where the bars get fat.  There are
small neoprene pads that are designed to fit under the handlebar tape to rest
your forearms on when in the aerodynamic position.  They are as far as we
have been able to determine legal for USCF mass start races (we have used
them in about 25 races with no protests or warnings from officials). 
 
Riding on the flats (flat roads) we found that by riding on the extensions
increased our speed about 1.5 mph, and when in the aerodynamic position about
2.5 mph without any increased effort.
 
For those of you that do not regularly time trial, they do not change your
bike position when you are on them in an aerodynamic position; you don't have
to get used to them, after a 25 mile time trial your hamstrings are not tight
the next day.  Weight is less than 300 grams (we still haven't received our
scales).  They are also nice for tourists and for cyclists that have problems
with ulnar and median nerve numbness in their hands when riding.  By placing
your hands over both the handlebars and the Spinaci bars, there is no
pressure on these nerves.
 
Cinelli has just come out with a new version of the Spinaci that is designed
more for time trialing.  As soon as we have more information we will make it
available. 
 
*****************************************************************************
Elite Bottle Cages--Review
*****************************************************************************
Retail ~$14.
 
This is not a cage for a gram counter, but if you destroy cages, lose
bottles, and want a cage that will last then this is definitely one to
consider.  Supposedly this is the cage that is used by most of the European
teams (readers in Europe, we would like to know if this is true).
 Regardless, it is a great cage.  We have tested them on three different road
bikes and two mountain bikes, used them in races and training, and no one has
dropped a bottle.  The amazing thing is that the cages do not hold the
bottles real tight.  
 
There are two yellow plastic guides that provide enough friction to keep the
bottles in place.  The yellow guides are mounted inside brass buttons.  The
cages when mounted on titanium frames turned the brass buttons green.  They
didn't do this on either steel or aluminum bikes.  We are guessing that there
was some kind of reaction between the metals. (metallurgists help us out).
 The discoloration is worth it, if you have ever been in a race, gone over
some tracks or bump, lost a bottle, had thirty miles or an hour to go, it was
95 degrees (Fahrenheit), and had nothing left to drink. 
 
*****************************************************************************
Griffen's Titanium Composite Components--News
*****************************************************************************
Griffen is the maker of the Metamic Bicycle frame that we will be featuring
in an upcoming issue.  According to Griffen, they have spent hundreds of
thousands of dollars in the development of their frame.  They are now
building titanium aluminum inter-metalic metal matrix components.  The metal
matrix is called OpTimAl, since the long name will not fit on the stems,
seatposts or cranks that will be made from the material.  
 
OpTimAl was developed by SlikTek, and has previously been used as the leading
edge of jet airplanes and in F-16 engine cores.  OpTimAl is supposed to
maintain the strength of titanium, but with the elasticity and the lower
weight of aluminum.
 
We want to try these components out before we even mention performance,
weight, etc...  We will keep you informed.
*****************************************************************************
Sigma Bicycle Computer--Review
*****************************************************************************
Retail  ~$35.00
Colorado Cyclist--800-688-8600
DresdenCo@aol.com
 
We recently tried the BC1100 top-of-the-line Sigma Bicycle Computer (if you
haven't heard of Sigma then you haven't read any bike magazines).  They are
advertising everywhere!  If you are multilingual or English isn't your
favorite language, then the directions will offer you many choices.  Although
the directions weren't the easiest to follow, this was an extremely easy
computer to hook up and get running.  You can have a Sigma computer on your
bike and be off pedaling in 15 minutes.  
 
The computer and leads use heavy duty rubber bands to attach the computer and
leads to the bars and stem.  It is an excellent system, making it easy to
attach or remove the computer, without the need of zip ties.  We have had no
problems with the computer coming off the bike and we did not use the stick
tape for the bar mount.   
 
Sigma also offers dealers a repair and test kit for the computers.  Buttons
and other parts can be replaced; making this the first computer that you
don't have to throw away when it quits working.  It is about time. 
 
The BC 1100 is extremely easy to read and use.  It has one feature that we
really like, in the upper left-hand side of the screen there will be either a
"+", "-", or a period; depending on whether your current speed is above,
below or the same as your average speed.  This is a great feature for time
trials.  The BC 1100 has a dual display screen, current, max., and average
speeds, trip and total distance, stopwatch that starts and stops when you
start and stop, accumulated riding time, and selective reset.  Cadence is an
option.  
 
All the advertising of Sigma computers stresses the German engineering, but
as far as we could tell the computers are made in China.  These are well-made
computers, and seem like they are made in Germany, nothing cheap about them.
 All of the Sigma computers also feature an optional wireless upgrade for
about $20.  The Sigma computers are definitely worth considering. 
 
Upcoming Issues
        Smart Wool Socks--Review
        Mainstream Cycle Clothing--Review
        Carnac '95 Diaganol--Review
        Carbonframes Bicycle & Crank--Review
        Cinelli Contact Handlebars
 
 
News or information from Dresden Cycles E-Magazine may not be published,
broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authorization of Dresden
Cycles E-Magazine. Copyright 1995 Dresden Cycles E-Magazine. All Rights
Reserved.