With the upcoming summer race season approaching in Australia, we thought we’d give the Shimano’s new RS80 Wheels a test run. These could be a great weekend and race wheel set at an affordable upgrade price for the average punter (retailing at approx $999AUD).

The Shimano RS80’s are new in the Shimano range and are the next down from the Dura Ace Carbon laminates. They only weigh in at 1521 grams a pair. The RS80s use the same Rim as the Dura Ace Caron Laminates the only difference being the Hubs, which means these wheels would spin up just as fast, yet cost considerably less.

Here’s what the sales blurb says : ” Carbon and alloy laminate clincher rim is both light weight and ridged whilst maintaining high braking performance with standard brake pads. Low rim weight is achieved by reducing the alloy wall thickness to 0.7 mm, then a patent pending phosphoric acid anodizing process is used to bond the carbon fibre to the alloy giving an excellent combination of low weight, strength and rigidity. Added carbon reinforcement is applied around the spoke eyelets for increased durability under high load.”

On the road:

The first thing we found with these wheels is that that we had to adjust the Brakes to accommodate the extra rim width which seems to be a trait of Shimano wheels. Having said that, mounting tyres to these wheels was a breeze which in the past whith Shimano wheels was not the case. After a few races on these wheels we have found that they are really stiff!, and considering their low weight it’s quite amazing. Combine this with light rims these wheels spin up super fast. We found that the wheels were perfect for windy days with the low rim height and to date have performed flawlessly. The freehub is extremely quiet, and smooth. The wheels roll very nicely, accelerate incredibly well and the ride offered is very smooth.

What the bunch thought:

Everyone in the bunch who saw these wheels thought they look pretty cool, they had to look twice to realise that the rims were carbon laminate, yet when seen in the sun light you can see the construction. The general opinion was that these wheels would have looked heaps better with black spokes and a black hub, which we agree with. If you want to pay almost half the price of these again, you can get the Dura Ace ones, they have black spokes.

Conclusion:

If you are in the market for a great set of wheels that could be used for your ‘Saturday’s best’ and Race days, these should get a look in – value for money wise that are quite simply a  bargain. If your budget is not an issue go for the Dura Ace versions and you’ll be getting even better hubs and a nicer overall black look and a slight weight reduction. They are a great set of wheels, probably not as bling as some but defenately perform way above their price point.

Here’s some more specs on the Shimano RS80’s

Rear Wheel

• 16 front stainless steel butted and bladed straight pull spokes
• High lateral rigidity is improved with a wide flange spacing
• Labyrinth double contact sealing – low-friction seals effectively shut out water, mud and dirt without affecting rotational smoothness
• Polished bearing races reduce friction and provide for smooth rotation
• Cold forged and machined aluminium hub shell keep the wheel weight to a minimum
• 700C clincher compatible
• Supplied with Q/R skewer

Front Wheel

• 16 front stainless steel butted and bladed straight pull spokes
• High lateral rigidity is improved with a wide flange spacing
• Labyrinth double contact sealing – low-friction seals effectively shut out water, mud and dirt without affecting rotational smoothness
• Polished bearing races reduce friction and provide for smooth rotation
• Cold forged and machined aluminium hub shell keep the wheel weight to a minimum
• 700C clincher compatible
• Supplied with Q/R skewer
• Average weight: 1521 grams a pair

Talk on the street was about which Tyres are good for racing, bunch rides and the every day commute? After a few discussions in various bunches, the Vittoria Rubino Pro’s came up quite often so we thought we’d give them a go.

The Rubinos come in heaps of colours (Yellow/Black, Red/Black, White/Black, Blue/Black, White/Black, and Black).  I opted for the white ones to bling up the Colnago, but quickly came to regret it after the first ride.

The Rubino Pro product family is in the same league of Continental GP4000, Michelin’s Pro Race and Hutchinson’s Fusion concerning TPI count (Threads Per Inch) having 120 nylon threads for each single casing layer (no the sum of all layers), this is market standard for high performance and low weight – these weighed about 225gms.

The other thing they state about the tyres are: “High performance and long lasting compound thanks to Kevlar Endura 3D granting the rider high mileage, low rolling resistance and fabulous grip. Dot C.O.M. Vector tread, deriving from Diamante, higher quality product, increases cornering grip and gives for a fast rolling straights.”

The sides of the Tyres do add heaps of grip in the wet would have to be one of the great things about these ‘do it all’ tyres.  I don’t head out in the rain, but it’s comforting to know that they’ll perform should I get caught out.

After one 40km ride this is what the tyres ended up looking like (pic above). Thanks to the recent Sydney dust storms, the beautiful white tyres turned into a poo brown type colour. The Rubino’s did wash up well, although they’ll never be white again. But what did i expect?

Performance.
These tyres are fast, but not super fast, they are grippy in the wet thanks to the ‘Dot C.O.M. Vector tread’ and give great confidence cornering.

So far no punchers at all, something that the boys in the bunch did say. Apparently they are renown for being really puncher resistant which has been true so far (1500kms).

The other thing to note is that after 1500kms, they have virtually no cuts – something that the old Michelin Pro Races used to do quite easily.
Overall I am very impressed with these tyres, great for everyday use and the occasional race. For racing I’d rather have faster, lighter tyres, but for a do it all tyre the Rubino Pros fits the bill.

Word on the street is that the Conti GP4000 with the Chilli compounds are even better… might just have to check them out for the next review!

Bont sent Bunch Ride Finder the companies top two A1’s and A2 cycling shoes. Bont have been in the performance sports shoe game for over 30years now and the A1’s are the top of the line cycling shoe from Bont as worn by Michael Rogers. The white ones are the A1’s and the A2’s the black.

When you get these shoes in your hand the first thing you notice is their weight, or lack of. They are light! they come in at around 250grams. The next thing is the carbon sole, the one piece hand laid carbon fiber construction doesn’t just stop at the base, it actually wraps up the sides of the shoe and heel. Not only does this give extra stiffness, it’s where the advantage of heat moulding really comes to play with Bont shoes.

Time to get baking:

Following the advice from Bont, I placed the shoe with the oven pre-heated to 60-70degrees celcius and then heated the shoes for 15-20minutes. Checking every now and then its around the 17minute mark you could feel the Carbon start to soften. Wearing my hot shoes, you strap them up, place your body weight forward over the ball of your foot (this shapes the main area of the foot bed), squeeze the heel box together to get a snug fit, wait a bit – done! The shoes are ready. Simple.

Once moulded, the carbon that wraps up and around your feet now kind of ‘locks’ your foot into place, awesome when putting the power down. It also stops the toe box area from stretching over time, which gives these shoes longer life.

Getting the cleats on:

When placing cleats on BONT shoes you’ll need the short screws that come with your pedals. My new Speedplay cleats came with them so I guess nearly all cleats would. Why the short screws? BONT shoes have a super skinny stack height – that’s the amount of space between your pedal and the ball of your foot. If you use long screws, you’ll find them poking through to the inside of your shoe.

If you look at the picture below, you’ll see the same Speedplay cleats on a Shimano shoe and the BONT A1 shoe – look at the gap difference – that’s stack height, less the better.

BONT A1 Shoes have a stack height of just 3.6mm. It’s the way that Bont lay their carbon fiber and the technique they use to expel the bonding resin which gives the low stack height – unique to Bont, its a company secret. I found that with these shoes on, I had to adjust my seat height slightly to accommodate the difference that’s how little stack height there is! .More on the stack height later…

The little things:

A little detail I like a lot about these shoes is that the heel and toe pads on the Bont shoes are replaceable. I’ve found in the past that these areas often wear really fast.  Not only are these replaceable but the buckle and the buckle strap is too. Great for when you have a crash as often the first thing to get road rash and stuffed is the buckle. Good to know you can replace it with the Bonts.

Furthermore buckles have a ‘half’ release click – while riding you can adjust the tension by clicking one side of the buckle, and to full release – press both sides, simple and effective.

What about the A2’s?

The A2’s are the have nearly all the same features as the A1’s yet at quite a cheaper price point. The A2’s only come in Black and Silver as shown, or Black and White, colours that will stay in fashion for years to come. The A2’s are super stiff, use the same buckle system yet have a slightly higher stack height (4.4mm). These offer excellent value. The price difference between the A1’s and A2’s is in the Sole, the A2’s are a Carbon Composite sole, where the A1’s are 100% Carbon Fiber. They feel just as stiff, just slightly more stack height.

On the Street:

The A1’s compared to my old Shimano’s? these are crazy stiff!! If you want high performance shoes the BONT A1s are for you. I found that adding another padded sole give you super comfort which make these shoes the best of both worlds, Stiff and Comfortable. I was really amazed at the difference – it felt like I had an extra leg!

With less stack height than my old Shimano’s, my feet felt more ‘connected’ to the pedal, a kind of more direct feel. Combine this with a 100% Carbon Sole and torsion bar, it feels like you have more power.

The shoes have around 40 air holes and there was enough air flow to keep my feet cool without getting cold.

The Local Bunch:

Nearly 70% of the local bunch thought that Bonts were only custom made shoes – wrong, you can get these off the shelf from most bike shops.  Yep, Bont also do and can make custom shoes, but these A1’s and A2’s are off the shelf Cycling shoes.

Everyone loved the look of the white A1’s and also thought the A2s’ were also very cool and understated – most could not see the difference between the two. Everyone loved how light they were and when i told them that they were hand made, at first people did’nt believe it! thought it was a marketing hype – but no it’s true.

Verdict:
The A1’s are for riders who want the best and demand a shoe that performs. I liked them because not only are they a shoe that actually makes you ride better through the power transfer – but they also are made to last. Having all the replaceable bits, you’ve got a shoe that’s going to last you a long time, this is where I really see the added value.

The A2’s offer exceptional value being a bit cheaper and having a lot of the features of the A1 including all the replaceable bits.

Oh, if you are after something a bit cheaper again, Bont have just launched  a new shoe “The JET or A3’s” that will retail for about $199AUD!, it wont have the buckle but but is super light, has a heat mouldable composite sole and looks fantastic! Not a bad from the Aussie company.

A1 BONT Shoes
Leather Colours: White & Black , Black & Silver
MicroFiber Colours: White, Black, Pink, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange and Blue
Price: $549.00 AUD RRP

A2 BONT Shoes
MicroFiber Colours: White & Black, Black & Silver
Price: $399.00 AUD RRP

NEW A3 BONT JET Shoes
Colours: White, Black
Price: $199.00 AUD RRP

• For a online size chart click here and all the details on the shoes, check out: www.bont.com.au

Keirin Culture Clothing -

The fellas at Keirin Culture sent over their latest cycling clothing for review.

So what’s so good about Keirin Culture?
The thing that impressed us the most about these designs are that they are created by artists with a passion for cycling, and it shows. The designs are not your usual run of the mill cycling ‘clichés’. What i like is that they have a unique style, and are not ‘over the top’ cycling related. The thing I hate most about cycling casual clothing is that the majority of the time it screams ‘I’m a bike geek’, why would you want to walk around with a picture of a pump on you.

Check out the Keirin Culture Lion Rabbit Design (below) The design has subtle Cycling references integrated into the Lion Design – cool, its cycling related without screaming it out loud.

Lion Rabbit Design - Keirin Culture

Now for the best part.
The other thing I hate about Cycling Casual gear is the inflated price, it seems all cycling related clothing has some sort of ‘bike tax’ applied to it.

Keirin Culture shirts are just $35AUD! Bargin! and that’s for a shirt that is screen printed on 150 GSM 100% cotton (light and slim fitted), pre-shrunk with double needle bottom hem & sleeves.

So what did the local bunch think?
We took a couple of the shirts to the local bunch to get the low down. What most people thought was the same as us – cool designs, not ‘bike geeky’ and the price point was a hit. Only concern was the sizing, yet the shirts are now being stocked in local bike stores as well as a sizing details on the site – so that should not be a problem.

We found the sizing to be a slim fitted fit, so keep that in mind when ordering. Plus the shirts are light weight, excellent for Summer.

Check out all the designs here: www.keirinculture.com.au

We’ve got some great Cycling products on test right now.
Not only will we be putting the products through it’s paces, we’ll also be taking them to the ’streets’ to find out what the local bunch thinks.

Sign up to our mailing list, and we’ll let you know when we post them up on the site!

Join our Mailing List
We send a eNewsletter out once a month – it’s free – join today!