Cannondale's New "Super" Slice

Over Ironman Arizona, I had an opportunity to check out some of the pro's bikes. Being part of the industry it's always exciting to see what bike manufacturers are coming up with to "keep up with the Jones's". I was excited to see Michi Weiss show up to transition on his new Cannondale "Super" Slice so naturally, once he was finished biking, I snapped a couple of pictures.

The first think I noticed is the similarities it shares with most other "Superbikes"... Integrated stem, a clean front end with hidden cables, and integrated brake calipers. It seems as if whether the aero benefits warrant hidden cables/brakes is only secondary to the perception that a "Superbike" needs to have those features, or else it can't be on the same level as all the others.

Once I moved down to the downtube/bottom bracket area, I noticed, and expected, none other than the BB30 shell Cannondale pioneered and has been using for years. However if you look closely, the downtube doesn't seem to be molded around the BB shell. Given that there hasn't been much info released on the aerodynamics of the bike, it's tough to say whether or not there's a purpose for it. Also, given that this bike isn't a production bike yet, it could be an early prototype.

Looking at the integrated brake calipers, I noticed that the brakes themselves (or brake shoes at least) seem to be the same one would find on traditional calipers. While it's not unheard of to come up with a unique non-standard design (see the Cervelo P4 rear brake), it's probably the easiest way to keep brakes adjustable for good wheel compatibility.

The seatpost is another feature that stands out as it's noticeably skinnier than most TT/Triathlon bike, especially those considered "Superbikes". While I don't know for sure, it appears that the seatpost can be used as Michi had it, or as a setback post by just flipping it around.

The seatpost also looks to be well within the 3:1 UCI regulations. Cannondale has consistenly been a big sponsor of pro peloton teams, currently Liquigas/Doimo, so it would make sense that their bikes are designed to meet UCI regulations.

Finally, Michi just like a lot of other pro's, is using an SRM power meter with the PCVII head-unit. He was also running an FSA cockpit, what looked to the Speedfil A2 with a custom Fuel Belt bottle, and a Zipp Firecrest 808/Disc combo (originally I had posted it was a non-Firecrest but have since been corrected).

Superhuman

It isn’t often that I judge a book by its cover, however it does happen from time to time and in the latest instance – as in most cases, I’m reminded as to why it’s important not to.

Being around professional athletes is always fun, whether you’re into sports or not. They tend to be in the top .001 percent of their “sport” and as much as you’d like to think they’re normal people just like you and I, they’re not. Normal people can’t jump 40 inches and dunk a basketball while rotating 360 degrees. Normal people don’t hit a 95 mph fastball, and they certainly don’t run a marathon in just over two hours or finish an Ironman distance triathlon under 8 hours.

So how does judging a book by its cover have anything to do with this? Over the last few weeks I had a chance to meet and talk with a few professional athletes as I made the trip to Ironman Arizona. Sure they look different, most of them talk different as they’re from all over the world. However, take 2 minutes to start a conversation with them and you’ll quickly learn they’re humble. I don’t mean humble relative to perhaps other pro athletes from major sports in the US… I mean humble! Perhaps even more so than a lot of age-group triathlete out there. While I don’t have an explanation for it, it’s certainly refreshing, - maybe we’re constantly fed information via the media that most aren’t this way. Who knows, I don’t.

Specialized Fires Back

If you keep up on bike industry news, you know that recently Easton-Bell sports (Easton, Bell, Giro, Blackburn) sued Specialized for allegedly preventing their accounts for selling Easton-Bell products (Helmets and Shoes probably the biggest items).

In what was a surprising move, instead of tiptoeing around the allegations and responding in typical lawyer speak, Specialized issued a response that makes a lot of sense. Here's the letter sent to retailers addressed October 19th, 2011.

In particular, Specialized makes a good case as to why they've taken the stance they've taken. In their letter, The big red "S" mention Easton-Bell's association with big-box retailers such as Walmart asking whether it makes "sense to support brands that do not wholly support you? Does it make sense to sell products that are available elsewhere for less?"

Kudo's to Specialized for standing up for their retailers, and while they may need to re-phrase their request to their dealers in the near future, they're thinking along the right path.

Marketing 101: How to Avoid Being GM

While this isn't exactly comparing apples to apples, Ben Hoffman's picture (while it doesn't tell the whole story) is an example of how automakers can advertise, and make nice with cyclists, triathletes, and outdoors people in general. Yes, this is in reference to avoiding the disaster that was the General Motors "Stop pedaling" campaign... which they rolled out (and canceled) all in just the last few days. Remember it isn't WHAT you say, it's HOW you say it.

Vokswagen (VW), a company with a pretty long connection to the cycling and triathlon community recently announced a partnership with Ben Hoffman (details here). While indirectly Ben Hoffman is endorsing driving, or at least the need to drive for most people's every day life, it is done in tactful and positive way. Take notes GM, you could learn a thing or two.

The old Jetta MK3 Trek Edition

Clearly, VW and Hoffman have chosen to highlight the fact that not unlike an elite athlete, a car is a performance machine, something some triathletes can most certainly understand.

“I am looking forward to the competition in Kona and am honored to be racing against the greatest athletes in the world,” said Hoffman. “I am also grateful to have a performance-driven supporter like Volkswagen, which not only has deep roots in the athletic world, but understands what it takes to be the best at its craft.”

Furthermore, VW makes a point to make a connection between them and Hoffman, endorsing and/or embracing his multisport endeavors.

Finally, and probably just as important, VW's approach is not pushy in any way... while GM's intent was clearly a poor attempt to drive sales amongst students, Volkswagen is purely supporting Hoffman, someone who they consider a good role model, or as they put it "...embodies the Volkswagen ethos."

More on the Kona Bike Count: Is it Misleading?

Given the power of the Kona bike/gear count, you'd assume that some companies are going to try everything to increase their visibility and boost their image. So how low (or far) do they go?

Here's a few things to consider... A lot of items' counts are high by default based on the fact that they come stock. A good example is all of the vision aerobars that were spec'd on Cervelo's, Quintana Roo's, etc. over the years. Something else to consider is the fact that some companies sponsor major triathlon teams. Orbea and Ridley sponsor the Timex and Zoot teams respectively. Given the talent level needed to be a part of those teams, at the end of the year, a lot of their members end up qualifying for Kona, and therefore boost their equipment count.

Finally, there's companies that give away product in the form of "sponsorships", Quintana Roo being a goo example. Though they don't give away all of their product, they have some pro's, as well as elite amateurs representing the brand (an estimated 20%-25%). And according to an industry source, Rudy Project's campaign (see above) has been by far the most aggressive. Out of the 211 Rudy Project helmets that put them atop the Kona count, as many as 200 of them were part of their Kona plan to give away free product to qualifiers. Which poses two questions: is the Kona bike count that meaningful, that it is necessary to perform well on it? Or, is the only way to get athletes to wear/ride certain types of equipment to boost up the count to give it away for free? My guess is the latter.

GM's New Ad "Stop pedaling... start driving"

Recently over twitter there was lots of negative feedback regarding this recent ad by General Motors on student newspapers across the United States. Bike Portland had a reaction as did The League of American Bicyclists. GM issued an apology, but as any outraged group of people, it is never enough.

Seriously, is this what we've come to? Are cyclists going to turn into "THAT" group? One who overreacts to anything that doesn't promote what they're into? As a cyclist myself, I take offense to people and groups who oppose promoting safety for cyclists on the road... but an ad? I would think we'd have better things to do. Memo to all outraged: GM is in the business of selling cars! this is what they do! If you don't like it, don't buy a GM... or a car.

Furthermore, their ad, while not well done or thought out, is dead on... The first thing I wanted when I got to college was a car. Wait what? Yes, I played hockey and no bicycle was going to get me and all of my gear from point A to point B. It also came in handy when I wanted to take my dog everywhere... he went everywhere with me and typically you have to drive to get to the hiking trail. Not everyone lives in Southern California where the weather is perfect all year-round... my car came in handy when the weather was bad too. While I could find a lot more examples, I'm pretty sure that we can all come to the conclusion that a car is just a necessary evil.

Oh, and about getting into debt, If your main concern is to not have any debt, you'd skip college altogether (student loans anyone?). And just like we often don't want us, the good cyclists, to be associated with the bad cyclists, let's not do the same by assuming that just because someone has a car (in college or out of college) he or she is fat and unhealthy.

The Kona Bike Count

The Ironman World Championship in Kona over the weekend marks the unofficial end to the 2011 triathlon season. Kona, however, also provides manufacturers a chance to see how their products stacked up against the competition... or at least in the eyes of some of the most elite triathletes in the world.

The Kona Bike Count accurately registers all bikes, wheels, components, etc. (basically anything bike related the athlete takes into transition) compiled by members of the industry. Though it has evolved into recording more products in greater detail, such as drinking systems, the spirit of it hasn't changed much since it was started by Dan Empfield of Slowtwitch in 1992 (then owner of Quintana Roo).

For all intensive purposes, the Kona Bike Count is the ultimate barometer by which all triathlon equipment is judged.

Photo courtesy of slowtwitch.com

Just like we've come to expect Chrissie Wellington atop the podium in any race she enters, the Kona bike count has become somewhat anticlimactic. But it's a much more interesting story than that. It is not 4 out of the last 5 years, it's not 5 out of 6, or 6 out of 7 years. I'm referring to Cervelo's sheer dominance of the bike count over the last 7 years - winning it every single year.

Why is this impressive? for starters, competition is tough. Especially with companies such as Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Scott, and others. Companies with bigger budgets tend to have an advantage as they have a lot more resources. Cervelo's achievement is highlighted by the fact that these amateurs are mostly paying for their bikes themselves. Unlike the pro's, who tend to ride what they get paid to ride, amateurs get to pick their equipment on what they feel is the best for them.

Cervelo has also proven that if it ain't broke, it doesn't need to be fixed. Though often criticized for having the same triathlon models from year to year, Cervelo has stuck to its guns. Why change for marketing reasons? If a frame can't be improved significantly enough for the rider to notice, it doesn't need to be redesigned.


Finally, this ongoing 7 year streak is most impressive given that as with anything or anyone at the top, everyone below is aiming to knock them down. Combined with consumers, especially triathletes, who tend to change buying habits often, Cervelo's streak speaks to the quality of the product and the vision of the company. Think it's a fluke? or a complicated formula for success? It isn't, Profile Design and Zipp are two good examples of companies who've shared that success.