CMWC

Over the summer we have had the privilege of being part of the 2010 VeloCity Tour, which made stops in LA, NYC, Chicago and the final stop this past weekend in San Francisco at the Hellyer Velodrome. I won't lie, it's great to see videos, photos and the like from the events we send things to. The VeloCity Tour was comprised mainly of messengers and 'city bikers' from across North America. The top female and male messengers are competing for their chance to head to Guatemala for the Cycle Messenger World Championships in September. Here are a few videos from the VeloCity Tour and a preview of the CMWC:

VELOcity SF @ Hellyer Park Velodrome 2010 from Matthew Rice on Vimeo.

CMWC Guatemala from Lucas on Vimeo.

A23!

The wait is over! Today, we made it official. The A23 Wheelsets and Race Hubs are now available! Here is the copy of the press release we sent out earlier today.

Velocity releases A23 wheelset and Race Hubs

(Grand Rapids, MI) Velocity is proud to release their A23 wheelset and Race Hubs. Both products are a continuation of their belief in developing and producing wheels and rims that are the best to ride with. The A23 wheelset partners the popular A23 rim with Velocity’s new proprietary Race Hubs. The rear hub is designed with a 51% larger drive side flange height providing precise tension, allowing for a symmetric wheel that is stronger and stiffer than a rim laced to a ‘traditional’ flanged hub, optimizing power transfer. Using a 23mm wide tire with the A23, riders maximize tubular ride qualities while retaining the convenience of a clincher; increased cornering abilities especially at high speeds without sacrificing rolling resistance makes the A23 wheelset THE set for crits, ‘cross and road races!

Specifications on the A23 Wheelset:

Rim – 426 grams
Pro Build* – 1400 grams

*Built 20/24 with Sapim CX-Ray spokes and alloy nipples

Specifications on the Race Hub:

Front Hub – 78 grams – available in 20, 24 and 28 hole drillings
Rear Hub – 256 grams – available in 24, 28 and 32 hole drillings

More information can be found at www.velocityusa.com.

Those of you looking for a new background. Here is a A23 action shot, it's set up at 1920x1080. I'll do my best to get some other sizes available soon of this stellar shot.

Far East Gold...

The man, the myth, the legend, Benny Gold emailed us this add yesterday. It's from the Japanese, Loop Magazine. Sure we don't know what it says, but we know it's good... and it's gold.

Being drawn to pictures, given that I don't know what it's saying it was nice to see some of our riders, Torey and Wonka with the rest of the Grime crew on a cover a couple of issues back.

We still have these limited edition Benny Gold Deep V's available so get yours! One side black, one side gold. Hot!

Events of Note.

There are a few events that we are excited about this week and weekend. One that started yesterday, just to our north here in Michigan in Traverse City, the Third Coast Bicycle Festival. A week spent celebrating just about everything you can imagine involving a bicycle. From crits to 'cross, skids to polo, group rides to races, and movie. There is some thing going on every day this week, with plenty of free events also. A crew of GR folk, including Matt and Alex representing, are heading up at the end of the week for the Fixed Gear Symposium and to play some polo. If you have a chance, it's hard to beat Traverse City this time of year... plus there is the Microbrew and Music Festival going on that the cyclocross race is riding through, 2,000 people are expected there alone to cheer and jeer you on! For a list of all the weekly events, check it out here.

Then there is the final stop of the VeloCity 2010 tour out west in San Fran. Track racing at it's best. For more information check out their website at velocitysf.wordpress.com.

Finally, there is another race going on this weekend. This Saturday, it's much more informal and in the spirit of the Barry Roubaix it's called Misery Love Company gravel race. The normal banter has begun between two of our 'giants' and it looks like the third installment is soon to go down. More hype on this as perimeters of the challenge between the two are set.

Stay tuned for the new battle royale details and poster!

New Release: Velocity 700c Psycho

We make no qualms about keeping our ear to the ground, listening to the cries of cyclists then pushing forward to produce a product that meets those desires. Throughout our 18 year history we've developed rims to suit the needs of riders and in our most recent past with the B43 to the Chukker, the Blunt to the P35, the A23 to most recently the Major Tom, each of these rims have been sought after by riders in each discipline they were designed for. The beautiful thing about all of our rims, there is an amazing amount of cross over to other segments that has occurred with each of these.

For today's Friday Highlight, we bring you a release of sorts. A rim that is one of the originals, beefy, tough as nails: the Psycho. First used for downhill mountain bike applications, then as a bombproof rim for BMX or as an upgrade to keep highly abused pedicabs rolling through the city streets, anyone searching for an eyeleted box sectioned rim that lasts, stopped here. Up until recently it was only offered in 20" [406], 24" [507] and 26". After discussions with some of the Leader and SE crew we had Australia start rolling these in 700c in 36, 40, and 48 hole drillings.

We are proud to offer you another option for your fixed gear freestyle needs. The 700c Psycho joins the Deep V, B43, and Chukker as a rim of choice for fgfs. The fact of the matter is wider rims hold wide tires better than skinny rims. Some of our smoother riders like Torey, Wonka, and Tom La Marche have been using our P35 wheels as a lightweight solution to their tire-rolling woes. The Psycho, a 31.5mm wide beefcake, is a much sturdier option for those seeking a rim that can take a serious beating.

We recently sent out a few rims to Soap from SE, Michael Chacon of Leader, and Erik V from Epic Ride Shop. We're looking forward to posting their thoughts once they get some ride time. For now, a few videos showing a little of what they'll be putting them through.

Michael Chacon, Jamil Gray TEASER from Michael Chacon on Vimeo.

Some new stuff from Erik Vehmeyer. from Erik V on Vimeo.

I took a quick minute to go back through all the posts from 2010 and tag most if not all of the fixed gear free style [fgfs] related posts, so if you're looking to find out all things with Velocity is involved with within the scene now and into the future, check out that tag.

Enjoy the weekend!

Twin City - All City

In the Cities? The Twin Cities? The Midwest? Then there is everything right with you hitting up this little gathering today through Sunday. The All City Championship put on by Bike Jerks.

We've posted on this before but it never hurts to repeat. Jeff [from Bike Jerks] has gathered some pretty great looking prizes from all the sponsors. You'll have your chance at getting your hands on some Deep V, Chukker and B43 wheelsets.

For a schedule on how this little bike party is going to go down, check out this link.

And for all of you who like videos... here are all the All City Championship videos I could find [without putting forth much effort]:

Bike Jerks Weekend from BikeJerks on Vimeo.

All City Trick Comp 2009 from BikeJerks on Vimeo.

Glam.

With a name like Major Tom, it's hard not to have a little glamour from it's roots.

On Friday, Matt and I went and had some new photos shot for Interbike coming up in September. Sorry folks, right now, all you get is a shot from my camera phone but I promise you some sweet photos are on their way for your consumption!

're-discovered' -drome

As many of you have seen, on the other end of our great state the Dorais Velodrome was 're-discovered' in the Detroit area. Hard not to get excited about that and great to see the Mower Gang is doing. There is also a great article here.

First a video of what was:

What it's become:

It's a good reminder that if we don't get out and ride, support local events and riding destinations they can easily be forgotten and fall to the wayside. So, ride this weekend!

3 video day.

Today just felt like a 3 video day. Nothing new, just some favorites.

The first comes from our friend over at Bike Jerks, Jeff. Maybe it's just me but every time I hear 'Oh Yeah' fond memories of Ferris Bueller's Day Off come to mind and I can't stop listing or watching until it's over...

Bike Jerks Weekend from BikeJerks on Vimeo.

and we all know '... wasn't using a crosswalk... cancels out... keep walking.'

I think I could watch/listen to the first 15 seconds of this video on repeat for an uncomfortable amount of time...

Circulus from machine project on Vimeo.

P to the 35

Now, there is plenty of finality in the word final, but this might be more of a sign off. Guitar Ted has been putting a set of our P35's through the ringer since the beginning of the year and has given us and the world his thoughts throughout the process [see the On Test, Out of the Box, & Midterm reports]. G-Ted stamp of approval? In this final review, we think so!

Velocity Wheelset: P-35 Rims: Final Review

August 9th, 2010 by Guitar Ted

The P-35 rim, introduced last year, was the second widely available rim in the 30 plus millimeter range. How would it hold up to regular mountain biking. How would it play with your tires? Is it a worthy choice for average trail riding 29″er freaks? These are the questions I had going into this review. Now, after several months of riding everything from packed snow machine trails to swampy, muddy track, to dry, rooty single track, here are my final observations on these rims/wheels. Also, as a bonus, I’ll cover the new Velocity rim tape that turns any set of P-35’s to tubeless compatible wheels. If you have missed the last Mid-Term Report, you can click this link to read that.

P-35 rim on the front here of this Big Mama full suspension bike.

Wide Track: The P-35’s claim to fame is its reasonable weight plus its width. The width spreads out a 29″er tire, and is also said to give the tire better support. One thing needs to be considered though when looking at a 35mm wide rim. Your tires may actually end up being worse performers on a P-35 than they are on narrower rims. Why? It is because the tread area on some tires actually flattens out when the beads are spaced further apart. This flattening of the tread area may “close up” the tread, making your tires skittish, or loose. Generally, I would suggest using wider tires, over 2.3″, on this class rim due to this phenomenon, but experimentation is always good.

The wider rims also may cause issues with tire clearance in some frames. If you set these up with 2.4″ers, it will certainly cause you to use up most, if not all, your chain stay clearance. Many older 29″er frames were not made with these rims and 2.4″ tires in mind. For instance, the Ardents on the P-35’s I had were nearly 62mm wide at the casing. That sort of casing width isn’t going to leave a lot of “breathing room” in a lot of frames out there!

The Wheel Set: Now for a word on the wheels specifically, which are built on Velocity branded hubs. These wheels were trouble free during the entire testing period. They stayed true, and to my surprise, the wheels did not develop fouled bearings despite my best efforts to get them contaminated. The bearings are very smooth to this day, and I wouldn’t hesitate to have Velocity build me a set again. The tensions were great, and I have no complaints on the build. The only thing I would suggest is for Velocity U.S.A. to consider developing a front hub that is convertible from 9mm QR to 15QR, to 20mm through axle. This would make buying a hub from Velocity much more appealing, and make the hub a versatile one that could go from bike to bike with a quick end cap change.

All you need to set up a pair of P-35’s to be tubeless compatible.

Velocity Velotape: The Velotape came out after we received the wheel set, so Velocity sent the Velotape out after our Mid-Term Update. I set up the rims after removing the tire and make shift rim strip I used previously. Let me tell you, the Velotape is a far more elegant solution! I cleaned the inner rim cavity thoroughly, and then I was all set.

It is important to slightly stretch the tape as you apply it to make sure you minimize any air pockets after application. (It is kind of like applying a decal, if that makes sense.) The inner cavity of the P-35 is “U” shaped, so following up with some pressure from your index finger where the tape meets the rim is advisable. (See image above)

After overlapping the tape at the rim seam, according to the instructions, you pierce a hole at the valve drilling to allow installation of the supplied valve stem. (Make sure you pierce the valve stem drilling and not a spoke hole!)

When inserting the stem, make sure it is seated all the way in, as shown here.

The valve stem nut comes with a supplied washer that goes against the rim as shown. Then you are ready to install a tire, add sealant, and air it up! I used the Ardent 2.4″er again, and the process was seamless. So far, the system has proven very trail worthy. (By the way, the valve stem does have a removable core.)

Conclusions: The Velocity P-35 rim succeeds in that it is a trail worthy rim at a reasonable weight and price. It comes in many colors, and is easily found from many on-line and local bike shops. The new Velotape adds extra value to these rims, but it is an extra purchase on top of the rims, so be aware of that. The rims seem to be of average stiffness and would be best suited to XC to light AM uses. Front single speed applications, and anywhere a rider sees that a wider footprint on a 29″er would be advantageous would be places to look at using a P-35 rim. The weight is very reasonable for the width, but even so, this isn’t an XC racers rim. This rim is for the everyday 29″er rider that wants to maximize the performance of the wider tires on the market for 29′ers.

The wheel build gets an A+. I had zero issues with it, and the tensions were good and remained so during the entire test. The hubs were also a highlight, and for the money, they were a great value. I didn’t necessarily care for the thread on free wheel compatibility or the fact that the 20mm through axle is not convertible to other standards now available. If you don’t want to fuss with building up a set of P-35’s, have your bike shop do it through Velocity U.S.A. and they will be a great wheel set, if this one we tested is anything to go by. They do have standard geared cassette hubs for geared use which can be set up with spacers for single speed use.

The Velotape is an easy to apply solution to get the P-35’s going as a tubeless wheel set. I had no issues with setting up the tires I was using as tubeless on this system and the valve stems and tape seem to be top notch quality stuff. I’ve seen much worse!

Finally, the Velocity P-35 is a welcomed addition to the choices for a 29″er rider in terms of rims and wheels. The colors available are unmatched by other companies, the quality is consistent, and the rims themselves are workhorse pieces that should serve most riders well, save chunk riders and anyone pushing the limits of 29″er wheels. These folks should look elsewhere for rims, but for a wide swath of the 29″er riding public that is wanting a wide footprint for their rubber, the P-35 rim from Velocity U.S.A. should be a serious consideration.

Note: Twenty Nine Inches received this wheel set at no charge for test and review. We are not being bribed or paid for the review here and we will strive to give our honest opinions throughout.

_

The P35 is available in these sizes and drillings:

26" [559], 650b, 700c/29er in 32 and 36 hole drillings in these colors:

Black, Silver, White, Electric Red, and Antifreeze Green

* Lumberjack Plaid and Teak P35's are available in 26" and 700c sizes with 32 and 36 hole drillings

Word on the Street...

If you make your rounds on the ol' interweb you might have noticed a few things last week: one at BikeReviews.com and then over at Handspun, our friends there had posted some pretty interesting stuff on their blog about us. Both on our new rim, the Major Tom, we've been pretty tight lipped about this rim but nevertheless we are super excited about it... more details to come, but for now enjoy David's write up on it:

Major Tom has landed!

08.04.2010 • Posted by: David

Never ones to be satisfied with their own success, Velocity has just released the Major Tom tubular rim- to the rejoicing of ‘cross racers everywhere. Like the Velocity A23 and the HED series of 23mm rims, the Major Tom rim brings the advantages of a 23mm rim to the tubular market. Having a 23mm wide rim allows for better tire performance, gives a larger contact surface for gluing tires, and adds strength without adding weight (432g advertised weight). Gluing wide cyclocross tubulars onto narrow rims can often be a challenge, and questioning the bond between the tire and rim is often something that enters your mind as you’re railing a corner at top speed during a race. The Major Tom not only gives a wider contact surface, but it also features a seam relief channel down the center, to help with consistent tire placement.

Additionally, Velocity listened to feedback from ‘cross racers and increased the height of the brake track to 11mm, making it easier for you to switch from your everyday wheels to your race wheels without so much messing around with your brake pad placement. Like the A23, the Major Tom shares a similar semi-aero profile that gives additional strength without adding weight.

Just in time for the season:

But don’t think that this rim is only confined to cyclocross- like the Velocity/HED 23mm predecessors, the Major Tom would help achieve better performance for road tires as well. We mounted a Vittoria Pave 24mm tire and it looked like the two were meant to be together.

Optimized:

We have a few of these rims that we’re building up for our own use right now, and we should have production wheels with Ultegra hubs and DT Swiss Competition spokes ready in the next few weeks- just in time for ‘cross season.

Well... that just happened...

What kind of social commentary is this saying?

Rach's Sweet Seven

It's been a busy week here at Velocity. Lots of orders to fill topped with Interbike on the horizon, blog posts have been put to side. I was able to get one of our professional wheel builders Rachel to do a quick write up on her custom Seven.

Get out and ride this weekend! Enjoy:

This here is my speed machine. It can go from 0 to 25 in a matter of seconds. It's a smooth ride, which is everything I'd expect when riding my Seven.

Making the ride smoother yet, a set of eggplant (a nice deep purple) Velocity Aeroheads with Sapim spokes (to cut through the wind... and save a little more weight). Nothing but love with these wheels. Super light weight and strong as a bull. Yet another human powered machine I love. It takes me distances I never knew I could do.

Rock on!

A company outing.

If you tried to reach us in on Friday, we were out of the office for the 2010 Velocity Company Golf Outing. A day spent trying to be golfers and simply having a great time. I'll let the pictures tell the story:

1st tee, the Velocity crew.
Back row: Alo, Jacobi, MD, Ryan, Matt, Rach, Boltman, John
Front Row: Paul and Alex

As seen in the club house, a legit sign with some interesting social commentary

Alex

Ryan... classy

Ryan... not so classy

Alex and Matt

Alex and Rach