They can be driven by pedals, battery power, or both. Schwinn claims a 40 mile range on a 4 hour charge. Top speed is about 14 MPH. The battery is located in the rack over the back wheel, and its removable so you can still pedal the bike while it charges. The electric drive adds 10 pounds.
The Dynamic Tempo is a fairly conventional Taiwanese aluminum bike with good components. The shaft drive is the only thing that makes this bike unusual. When riding I hardly notice that there is no chain, except that the bike is CLEAN. This is the main advantage. I can ride in office clothes without getting sprocket tooth marks on my pants and without the annoyance of pants clips or -even worse - having to change clothes to ride.
Another feature adds to the attraction: the 8-speed Shimano hub. I have used 3-speed SA hubs for years. They are fine, but the Shimano is way ahead in terms of smoothness, ease of use, and range. The gear range on the Dynamic is about 30 to 90, not far from the old 10-speeds. This range is perfect for riding around town and for day rides. Continue reading
There are so many bikes on the market these days, and so many styles,, how do you find the one that’s right for you? First things first., There are a few questions you need to answer before you even walk through the shop doors.
Boiling it down
What type of a bike rider do you want to be? Are you a newly converted commuter, ready to tear up your carbon footprint and clear your lungs and heart with daily riding? Are you a recreational rider who wants to take advantage of the health benefits of weekend riding? Defining your needs will help you choose the right features and determine how much you’ll need to spend.
Dollars and sense
How much are you willing to spend? Bikes these days are not cheap. If this is your first bike, it’s not a bad idea to buy a new one. Once you have a little more experience and know what constitutes a good bike, a used bike can be a good deal, but the used-bicycle world can be a frustrating experience. In either case, be ready to spend more than you had planned, especially if you’re buying a bike that you’re going to be on every day. Most bikes, if taken care of, can be a great investment and will last you ten to fifteen years or more.
Fit, form, and function
The bike needs to fit your body. Even the most expensive bike, outfitted with every gadget and gizmo under the cycling rainbow, will provide nothing but frustration and fatigue if it isn’t fitted properly. Here are two easy steps that will give you a general idea of how to properly fit a bicycle.
Stand over, or straddle, the bike. What you’re standing over is the top tube. Grab the top tube in front of and behind you and pull the bike snuggly up into your groin. This should give the tires at least two inches of clearance off the floor. If it does, this bike is the right HEIGHT for you.
Stand next to the bike and place your elbow on the front of the seat, what cyclists call the saddle. Reach forward with your hand and point your fingers at the stem that comes out of the frame and holds the handlebars. Do your fingers go at least halfway up the stem? If they do, this bike is the right LENGTH for you.
Once you’ve found a bike that is the right height and length for you, ride it! Ask the salesperson to adjust the seat height, and don’t forget your helmet.
Troubleshooting
How does it feel? Ride it for at least ten minutes and pay close attention to any pressure or uncomfortable sensations. These could lead to problems later. If you are not an avid rider, be aware that it will take awhile to get used to a brand new bike. Pay attention to your stance in the saddle. Racing ergonomics suggest that the height of the saddle be even with, or higher than, the handlebars, to streamline the rider and reduce air friction. Switch to a more upright stance if a lower one feels uncomfortable for you.
Make sure that you feel natural in the saddle. Can you reach the handlebars without stretching? Can you lift your hands off the bars without having to shift your weight? Keep in mind that all brands are different. Women should look for a bike designed specifically for women. If you’ll be riding your bike daily as a commuter, look for one that can be fitted with fenders, and perhaps try a style with a less aggressive, or “leaned over,” riding stance.
Summing it all up
Most important, ride as many bikes as you can. If you have friends who ride, ask for their help and try their bikes. Cycling is one of the most beneficial exercises for your body and for the planet. Have fun, ride hard, and don’t forget your helmet.
In our quest for a bicycle with the most technologically advanced frame and modern components, it’s imperative to look at safety with the same vigor. Isn’t it great to see the seasoned professionals setting the example that cycling helmets are mandatory? Whether you want to take the kids out for a weekend ride, tackle your first 100 miler, or win the local time trial, safety is of paramount importance. Good cycling helmets are an investment in your family’s future.
For the rider looking to spend many hours in the saddle, the Trek Sonic Elite helmet is an ideal choice. At a retail price of $90, you’re receiving the best in cycling helmet technology at a reasonable price. The Sonic Elite is light and built for speed. Its multi-shell, hard cote in-mold with internal reinforcement provides the best protection available. The new Ziptite and Quickfit strap systems give the impression the helmet has been custom designed for your head.
Efficient aeration is essential in cycling helmets and the Sonic Elite’s 24 free flowing vents are crafted for maximum air flow. You’ll feel the difference, even at low speed up an arduous climb. Wicking fleece pads will guarantee a stable fit and are easily removed for washing. The Sonic Elite comes in a variety of colors and sizes and besides being a great looking helmet, it may save you from serious injury.
Trek is an industry leader and is in a large part responsible for the surge in cycling’s popularity, particularly in the United States. Trek is giving back to the community as a whole by initiating a “One World Two Wheels” pledge. Trek has a vested interest in people riding bicycles and promotes a philosophy that the more people cycle, the less problems the world will have. Who can argue with that? As part of this commitment, the Bicycle Friendly Communities program addresses the aspect of safety and Trek will donate $1 from every helmet sold to this venture, ensuring safer conditions for future generations of eager cyclists.
A consumer review of the watch that every cycling enthusiast should add to his collection.
In today’s technologically advanced cycling market, there are thousands of choices when it comes to digital watches. Every watch company has a “patented omnifunctional design” and “uniquely contured Uber-Grip strap,” but doesn’t this jiberish really just make your head spin? Until now, cyclists were hard-pressed to find a simple, lightweight watch with all the features you need and none of the features you don’t.
For decades, Oakley has been known as a premier producer of high quality cycling equipment. You can be sure that when the engineers at Oakley developed the D2 digital watch, they did it to help you achieve that next level of excellence. The Oakley D2 allows you to customize your cycling workouts for smarter, more efficient training periods. The large buttons on this watch ensure that you’ll never fail to capture a split time. Its memory can store 100 laps and record up to 50 runs. The software in this watch is also designed to remember split times and your fastest lap time. It is programmed with three countdown timers that can be set to stop, repeat, or automatically flip to the digital chronograph mode when the timer reaches zero. The user may view the time in 12 or 24 hour mode with an automatic calendar to the year 2050. The D2 features the ability to display two separate time zones simultaneously as well as three programable alarms. The digital display may be modified with customizable 10-level contrast controls for use in any light conditions. If you plan to do any cycling in low-light conditions, Oakley has also included an electroluminescent backlight.
The O MATTER™ material on the face of your watch provides superior impact protection, which means this watch should last a lifetime. This material also protects your investment against water damage for depths up to 100 meters. This means whether you are cycling in the rain, working on your cardio in the pool, or scuba diving in the Virgin Islands you know that this watch will not let you down. The case of the watch is composed of Aramid fiber in a resin matrix. This material provides maximum strength while keeping the weight ultra-light. Both the case back and the other metal components are stainless steel, so you may be sure this watch will not corrode. For your cycling comfort, the strap is UNOBTAINIUM®. Oakley designed this material not to slip even when the skin becomes wet from perspiration or weather conditions.
You may expect a watch like this to cost a fortune, but the Oakley D2 is surpisingly cost-efficient. It retails for around $120 at your local sporting goods retailer, but if you shop around you can find special offers that will allow you to affordably add this watch to your collection of cycling equipment.
Light is good, especially when you’re marketing to the cross-country crowd, but of all the components on a bike the last place for compromise is its brakes. Magura clearly recognizes that fact.
For the sake of performance, all Marta models now share brake pads with Magura’s all-mountain brake Louise. The new pads increase surface area by 20-percent. Likewise, Magura shuns the pursuit of lightweight-at-all-costs and bucks the current trend of offering a 140mm rear rotor.
“140 [mm] is just too dangerous,” said Stefan Pahl, Magura’s suspension product manager. “We have a test at Magura that all of our brakes have to pass.”
In the lab, Magura uses an 800-watt system that simulates a rider descending a 15-percent grade. The brakes have to hold up for two tests of 15 minutes, with only a couple minutes of rest between.
Besides better braking performance changing Marta’s pad puts it in line with all of Magura’s other brakes, with the exception of its most powerful, the Gustav M. That marks an improvement for Magura because it cuts down on the number of pads it manufactures, and it’s an advantage to the consumer because of the better brake performance and greater compatibility.
Aside from the larger pad, the caliper is made from forged magnesium (Marta SL Magnesium) or forged aluminum (Marta SL, Marta); only post mount calipers will be available in 2009, to fit International Standard fork and frame mounts Magura offers adaptors to fit most frames, forks and its three rotor sizes: 160mm, 180mm, 203mm.
The master cylinder is also new. It is also forged out of either magnesium or aluminum, depending on model, and features a new pivot mechanism. In the past, the Marta lever used a dual sliding pivot that relied on a single bolt, which secured the lever and provided for reach adjustment. If that one bolt backed out or failed the lever would fall out which is disastrous. This has been rectified with the new brake so that even if the reach-adjust bolt is lost the lever remains operable.
Both Marta SL Magnesium and Marta SL are produced using the company’s new carbon molding technology. In the past Magura used a common “pre-preg” carbon manufacturing method in which layers of pre-preg carbon were hand laid into lever molds. The new method incorporates a machine that stitches the shape of the lever into the carbon before resin is introduced, this allows Magura to lighten and stiffen the carbon brake lever for the 2009 models.
Magura’s Marta three-model brake line-up is new for 2009. This is the first time the brake has been redesigned since its introduction at Interbike in 2001.
While Hayes may have been the first to popularize disc brakes for mountain bikes, Magura’s Marta is responsible for making a high performance hydraulic disc brake light enough for even gram-counting cross-country racers to accept. The fact that it has had a seven-year run, without change, in such a competitive market is a testament to the strength of the original design.
The Marta series has a new flagship for 2009, the Marta SL Magnesium, which continues to showcase Magura’s impressive brake performance to weight ratio; it weighs less than 300 grams. That 300-gram figure includes the master cylinder, caliper, 700mm line, fluid, rotor and all of the hardware ─ much of it titanium ─ required to install the system using a post-mount.