Split nose saddles: I separate these into two categories, those that appear like standard saddles, creating a fjord out of what in other saddles is a lake; versus wide split-nosed saddles like the ISM.

Are there differences between how you sit, and what you do, aboard a saddle on a road bike versus a tri bike? Yes. Two differences, and they’re big. What makes this possible? Handlebar design.

We’re going to be writing about saddles a lot during the first part of 2012. Let’s start with why road saddles are made the way they are, and why you can throw it all out the window when mounting a tri bike.

Slowman is Keo Man by nature. But I mounted the Speedplay Zero cleats on a set of Sidi T3 tri-specific cycling shoes. There was a reason for this. Speedplays have one virtue that is almost singular in the world of pedal.

Specialized unveiled the highly anticipated Shiv Tri bike in Kona, Hawaii yesterday. This new bike sits alongside the Shiv TT and will make a lot of sense for most triathletes.

Garmin announced today the fruition of a project ardently anticipated by Slowtwitchers: the pedal-based power measuring system it bought when it acquired MetriGear last year.

Any circa-1984 cyclist who saw the original Look pedal, and who was a snow skier, recognized the genius, and the simplicity, of the design. Twenty-five years later, Look has not squandered its first-to-market advantage.

In timed racing, SRAM’s Force has been the forgotten gruppo. Sandwiched between Shimano’s Ultegra and SRAM’s own well received Red group, Force is the homecoming queen that nobody thought to ask to the prom.

During the summer the Carolina Cycling Time Trial Association offers Time Trials at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and we were there to check it out.

Is Di2, Shimano’s electronic shift system, ready for prime time, ready for tri, ready for you and your bike? Answers: yes, yes, maybe and maybe. Here’s what you need to know about Di2.

If you’re thinking about electronic shifting, there are few bikes designed with forethought, and executed with precision, with Shimano Di2 in mind. The Speed Concept 9.9 is one such bike.

Jordan Rapp built up his Specialized Shiv just before the 2011 Avia Wildlower Triathlon and we had a closer look at his setup. As a bonus, Jordan also did a video walk-through.