Wednesday Videos.

Just a few videos for distraction today. Remember, at least look like you're working. Enjoy:

Filming Myself #3 from Paper Fortress on Vimeo.

Coast No Coast - Quote edit from Brock Mitchell on Vimeo.

A little Polo talk.

As the world knows, or at least a few of us, Blogger had some issues yesterday and instead of fighting with it more, I decided to walk away from the Interweb-box so for today, let's talk a little polo. Mentioned two weeks ago, the Midwest Bike Polo Championships went down over in Minneapolis and our GM, Matt, headed over to compete with a few other of the Grand Rapids crew. It didn't take long for pictures to start to surface from this event, you can check some of those out here and here.


The GR team seems to have successfully stayed off of all photo blogs and sites on event; having only one photo of two of the 3 members caught in action, sort of.


The North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships are going on coming up here in July across the lake in Madison, Wisconsin. The Midwest Championships had 44 teams make it out and from the message boards it looks like crews from Seattle and some from the east and south will be venturing up to make this another great event.

Bicycle Friends Falling from Mr.Do on Vimeo.

Sure the video isn't from either MWBPC, NAHBPC or any of the previous years but that never hurt anyone.

Finally, this past month we were contacted by a new magazine down in Austin, The Dropout. Their latest issue was released yesterday and will eventually make it's way to view/read online. There's rumors of a Halo write up there, check it out and their previous issues.

... machined ...

MSW or Machine Side Wall or cut sides or even simply silver sides. There are many different ways to call the braking surface on a bicycle rim. However you want to call it, machining allows for a consistent braking surface. If you do a search on the ol' intro-web, you'll find a number of differing opinions on whether a machined surface is necessary or not.

One of the many things that sets Velocity apart from other rim/wheel manufacturers is our ability and desire to provide you with a number of different color options. We offer both anodized, powder coated, and image rims to maximize the color choices for your personal style. Outside of our disc specific rims, most of rim are offered in both Machined [MSW] and NON Machined sidewalls. A machined surface is needed if you go with a wheel with powder coated or image rim but not absolutely necessary with the anodized [See Urban Velo].

All this to serve as a lead into a few rims of the many rims that we got in from Australia on Wednesday. We now have a limited number of 32 hole A23 NON MACHINED black anodized rims along with a full run of all the drillings [20, 24, 28, 32, & 36] of machined INSTOCK! As most are aware, the 23mm width partnered with a 700 x 23 tire provides increased control in cornering while not sacrificing rolling resistance; gaining all the benefits of a tubular tire without the hassle of glue, a 'clinch-ular' if you will. Coming in at around 440 grams as compared to the 564 grams in the Deep V, in rims alone it is possible to take around a half pound off of your bike.

So whether you are crit racer or one who rocks a fixie. Its hard to argue against the benefits you gain when switching over to the A23. This is a rim that is truly pushing the envelope in all aspects of cycling, as riders are discovering more and more possible applications for it.

As always, contact your local bicycle shop for pricing and to get yourself a pair!

_

After a short week, it's the weekend again and looks to be a good one. Get out and ride a bit. It's the right thing to do.

Velocity Wheelset: P-35 Rims: Mid-Term Update! [from Guitar Ted]

It's looking like a P35 kind of week. Yesterday we shared with you the release of our new Velotape for the P35, along with a review done by Brain at Gram Light Bikes. Today, Guitar Ted posted over on TwentyNineInches.com his Mid-Term review on the P35 wheelset, below I've posted most of it here but be sure to check it all out in it's entirety over at his site. If you're looking for another honest review of the P35's check out this months newest Dirt Rag Magazine.

Velocity Wheelset: P-35 Rims: Mid-Term Update!

Well, this has been a long time coming, but here is the Mid-Term update on Velocity’s P-35 rims and wheel set that I have been riding for about six months now. If you want a refresher on the wheel set, you can check out the Out Of The Box post which will give you all the data on the rims and hubs. Let’s take a look at what I have found so far with the P-35 rims and also with these wheels as a whole……..

The P-35 rims really stretch out the foot print of your tires!

I’ve been riding these with the Soul Cycles Dillinger Gen III frame during the test.

The P-35 Rims: First, let’s focus on what the rims do and don’t do for you. As stated in the Out Of The Box post, the P-35 in 29″er size is listed at a sub 600 gram weight. I didn’t get to weigh these specific rims, since the wheels were built at Velocity’s U.S.A. facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but suffice it to say, they do not feel heavy, or all that hard to spin up. These are definitely a lighter weight rim than the other wide rims out there. Does it sacrifice lateral stiffness? Well, so much of that is how a wheel is built, the tensions used, and what have you, but to my feel, these are definitely not quite “Gordo” stiff. That isn’t to say they are not acceptable, or even good. Actually, they are quite nice in this area, but the Gordo’s I have, (first production run), are definitely a stiffer rim. All but the heavier riders will think P-35’s are stiff though. I would rate them at above average for sure. Keep in mind- A stiffer rim will most likely weigh more too, unless it is carbon fiber, but that’s another story. You want the ultimate in wide and stiff? I would point you to the MTX-33, but it weighs 750 grams too. See what I mean?

For most folks, the P-35 is going to be just peachy. The combination of the width, weight, and stiffness is a pretty nice one for average trail riding and probably up to light All Mountain pursuits. Could you XC race this rim? Well…..yes, of course you could, but there are lighter weight choices that make more sense for that sort of thing.

What else does the P-35 rim do? Well, it really puts more tire down on the trail, just like any wide rim does in this class. I was really surprised when I was able to mount the Ardent 2.4″ tires tubeless and run them at about 15psi on packed snow machine trails. The rims put so much tire on the packed snow that I could ride for miles as long as the surface had been traveled heavily by the snow going vehicles before me. This isn’t to say that I had a “fat bike”, but in a pinch, you could really do fairly well on these rims with the right tires on packed snow. The fun continued on dirt as well. I was really noticing the way the Ardent’s were gripping the trail, and I was still running fairly low pressures in the low 20’s. Yes, you have more rolling resistance, but the traction you get in certain situations with certain tires will be amazing. Keep in mind, not all tires will get better on a P-35. Some will actually perform worse, so remember that in your experimenting. I would recommend sticking to 2.35 tires and wider, but don’t let that stop you from checking something else out.

The Wheel Set: The wheels as a whole are actually pretty dang impressive as well. The wheels bearings were impressively smooth and free running when I received them. They have remained that way despite my attempts at snow riding, mud riding, and commuting in less than ideal situations with them. No play has developed during the test period, and I have had no issues at all with them. The spokes and nipples have also been doing their job, keeping everything running straight and true throughout the first half of the year. Some may lament the fact that the front hub is not convertible to 15QR or 9mm QR, but I know that I would rather have a beefy front rim on a more aggressive rig, so the 20mm through axle is the way to go for me. (Front hubs are available in standard quick release if so desired) Also, it is worth noting that Velocity used the “old school” threaded free wheel style hub interface for the rear hub. Of course, we have White Industries free wheels to fall back on, thankfully! But that may put you off if you have a stash of several cassette based single speed cogs.

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 stive to give our honest opinions throughout.

Introducing Velocity Velotape

When we released the P35 last year, it was designed around the growing demand by XC and All-Mountain riders for a wider, laterally stiff rim that did not sacrifice weight. The P35 has met that challenge and then some, providing riders with all the added float, footprint and 'virtual' suspension they have desired. It was no accident that the webbing of the P35 was designed to be tubeless-ready without the need for a molded strip; as many riders have already discovered, tubeless conversion consisted of the use high pressure tape and a valve.

Since the beginning of the year, we have been developing our own tubeless tape kits to sell with the P35 rim. After months of testing, we are proud to finally announce the newest addition to our line: Velotape. Velotape is a kit that includes: 1 - 10 meter long x 24mm wide transparent tape and 2 - high quality tubeless valves with removable cores [enough to wrap 2 29"/700c rims]. Designed specifically to provide a simple and reliable way to convert the P35 tubeless.

This past month we sent out a wheelset out to Brian at Grams Light Bikes, who has recently reviewed the wheelset with the new P35 specific: Velotape installed says this about them:

'They were easy to set up tubeless, with either UST or normal tires, and popped up without any issue. Their blue tape (not yellow!) tubeless system worked well, and I had no issues getting my usual assortment of tires to bead up on the rims. The rear wheel required sealant to hold air, but I use sealant with all my tubeless systems, so it was a moot point. I stuck on a set of Conti Rubber Queen 2.4 UST's the other day, and they popped on like butter...'

Below is our official press release for our Velotape:


VELOCITY RELEASES TUBELESS TAPE KIT

(Grand Rapids, MI) Velocity is proud to announce Velotape, the newest accessory in the Velocity line. Velotape is specifically designed to convert P35 rims and wheelsets tubeless. The kit includes 10 meters of transparent Velotape and 2 high quality tubeless valves with removable cores; enough to setup two 29” P35s. Installation is easy, requiring only a small punch and sharp scissors. Velotape is available through any local bicycle shop or online dealer for around $24.99. Detailed information and installation instructions can be found at www.velocityusa.com.

For use in: Velocity P35 rims/wheelsets
Length/Width: 10 meters X 24mm wide
Included in package: 2 tubeless valves with removable cores and 1 roll of Velotape
Tools needed: scissors and punch