We Noticed: Catalyst, Shimano…
This week we noticed the Arsenal wheel system from Catalyst, special edition Shimano SH-R321B road shoes, fast and wide S-Works Turbo tires, a magic eraser, US Road and TT Nationals move to Winston-Salem, NC, and delicious peaches by Haribo.
Arsenal wheel system by Catalyst
Triathletes and cyclists often struggle with wheel decisions and the associated budgets, plus space in the home is of course another topic to consider. Catalyst is a new brand that will launch the Arsenal system on Kickstarter on June 1st. The Arsenal system is an aluminum box rim wheel set that comes with several aero interchangeable shells. A pair of 60mm shells, a pair of 90mm shells plus a rear disc shell. And you can swap them out and interchange them as you please. The wheels itself are built around DT Swiss 240s hubs and Sapim CX-Ray spokes and weigh 1370 grams without skewers. The 60mm shells add about 300 grams, the 90mm ones 400 grams and the rear disc 950 grams according to Justin Clark of Catalyst. Rim width is 23.5 mm and the widest area of the 60mm is 24mm, on the 90mm it is 23.5mm. MSRP will be $1,999, but 100 lucky folks on Kickstarter will get the system for $1,599. And that is the limit of the Kickstarter campaign as they do not want to overextend themselves or have support pledging customers wait too long.
With only one of the shells in place you can see how the shells connect to each other.
Special Edition Shimano SH-R321B shoes
Shimano has done an impressive job with cycling shoes and if you act fast you could be sporting these distinctive electric blue shoes with a lot of technology on a ride coming this summer. Based on the standard SH-R321 road shoes they are featuring a surround upper crafted with Teijin AVAIL 100 material, Custom Fit instep and arch support and more. The SH-R321B (with the B standing for blue) shoes will be available this summer in limited numbers and are offered in whole sizes 38-48, in half sizes 40-46, plus E widths are available in whole sizes 42-48. But Shimano shoes are in general reasonably wide in the toe box anyway, and with Shimano shoes you are always guaranteed a lot of bang for your buck.
Available: Summer 2015
MSRP: $380
Specialized S-Works Turbo 26mm
19mm and 21mm clincher tires are following the path of dinosaurs and slowly are disappearing on race bikes. 23mm is now pretty much the narrowest accepted and bike brands are offering wider and wider tires. The Specialized S-Works Turbo is available both in 24mm and 26mm and features a gripton compound, blackbelt puncture protection and they are fast. They are labeled For Racing Only but they seem to hold up to training sessions quite well too. I love the way they feel, but clearly that is a personal thing.
MSRP: $55 each
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
We all like to swim, bike and run but our daily life does not always evolve around sport or other things we are passionate about. Last weekend my boys were baptized and after all the guests had left my first born 3.5 year old son thanked me with some very creative crayon art on a wall. I tried a wash cloth with soap to get rid of the art but all efforts were in vain. Then a friend suggested Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and wow did that stuff work – like magic. It even got some permanent paint from my elm wood dining table, another art memento from that first born child. But that had been in place for several months now, and it is now pretty much gone. Go out and get a few Magic Eraser sponges, they are well worth the money.
MSRP: $3.79
USA Road and TT Nationals move to NC
USA Cycling announced today that in 2016 and 2017 the USA Cycling Road and TT National Championships will be held in Winston-Salem, NC where yours truly lives. I had nothing to do with it but will benefit from it greatly – and subsequently so will you. Next year in May you can count on endless bike galleries from this annual week of endurance, strength and prowess. Plus when you come here to see it in person or partake yourself, we might be able to meet in person.
MSRP: priceless
Haribo Pfirsiche
Pfirsiche is the German word for peaches and I can promise you though that you want to get the original ones and not the US ones, and that is actually true for all Haribo products. Pfirsiche are a great snack on a long ride and the perfect little thing to look forward to in your Special Needs bag at the halfway point of the marathon during an Ironman, and they are also a perfect reward after a hard and long training session. When traveling on a longer flight, they will surely find you much better than an endless supply of peanuts and pretzels from the airline.
MSRP: Euro 0.95
