Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers - First Ride Review

If I said I wasn’t a victim of good marketing I would be lying, then again it’s only good marketing that I fall victim to in the first place. As consumers we learn about our products through the disclosure of manufactures and what they decide to share with us. With the hot release of the Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers. I thought to myself “were these the effects of good marketing”. At least That was what I thought. Then I rode them!

These are the 2012 Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers in the Beyond Black setup (with the exception of the decals which will be black) with black hubs, black spokes, and black nipples. The aero rims sits at 45mm tall with a brake-track width of 26.2mm while boasting a massive aero width of 28.5mm. These are equipped with the revised 2012 188 rear hub as well, adding more lateral stiffness to what is already designed to be a high performance wheel. As you read on, please keep in mind that I will be using references from previous rides with Mavic Ksyrium SL's, Shimano Dura Ace C24 clinchers, and Reynolds MV/C (same aero profile as the current Reynolds Thirty-Two carbon clincher wheels) carbon clinchers all equipped with the same Continental GP4000S 23mm tires on the same 2012 Pinarello Dogma 2 frame.  

TroyLee Designs Now Available at Wrench Science!

We've received our very first shipment of TroyLee Designs Mountain Jerseys, shorts, and gloves. Call us or come in and check out our selections.

Of course from these pictures, you can see that we also have Wrench Science Hoodies, WS T-Shirts, WS Team Jerseys, WS Team Bibs, WS Wind Vests and even WS Socks. Contact us now to get your apparel today in time for Christmas!

2012 Magura MT8 Disc Brakes!

Big thanks to Magura for dropping off a set of the 2012 MT8 disc brakes for us to try out. We're super excited to experience first-hand all the great reviews we've been seeing on these brakes.

INTENSE Demo Tomorrow! Last day to sign up!

We are having a demo day with Intense on Saturday November 19th. LAST CHANCE TO GET SIGNED UP TO TRY ONE OF THE INTENSE BIKES!  

Where: meet at the shop at 9:30, we'll set up bikes and car train over to Joaquin Miller park for a leisurely 1.5 hour trail ride with a ride leader and sweep. All riding abilities are welcome. Then we'll head back to the shop to drop the bikes off and answer any questions folks may have. Weather looks to be nice and clear for tomorrow, so come out and have a good time!

What bikes will be available? (Bike availability updated!)

INTENSE SUPER DEAL FOR 29ER FRAMES!

Intense Spider 29 and Tracer 29 are already great buys for those of you looking to get a 29er bike. However, here at Wrench Science, we like to sweeten up the deal some more by offering you more than what you'd be paying for.

We're now offering these two frames in the Raw finish with FREE upgrade to Chris King headset AND your choice of either the Thomson Elite seatpost OR Thomson X4 Stem! Hurry though, because offer ends November 30th! Contact our Intense specialist Brian Waugh at brianw@wrenchscience.com or call him at 510-529-3043!

Videos of Campagnolo's new EPS in action!

As much as we hate (and we say this with much love of course) Campagnolo for making us wait to get these beautiful new EPS grouppos, we can't contain our excitement to get these in our hands.

Check out the recordings provided by Bikeradar.com of the Campagnolo EPS 11 speed in action!

IBIS US Demo Tour UPDATE!

Alright everyone, for those of you that have not signed up yet, better do it NOW! Our list is filling up and as of now, we are out of the Ibis Mojo SL-R in size Medium. We do still have the Larges left, but do not wait till last minute.

REMEMBER, this is FREE!!! Your chance to ride your dream Ibis will not stick around forever!

Check out the original blog post for details on the Ibis US Demo Tour at Wrench Science!

Campagnolo finally releasing news on their electronic shifting grouppo!

So after all the buzz, Campagnolo decided a while ago for the official press release on their EPS (Electrnic Power Shift) system to be today.

Of course those of you who are into the newest and greatest have heard about this already, and may have been given the impression that they are going to be available next month. After speaking with Campagnolo USA directly, we have found out that that is INCORRECT. They are going to have these units in for Distributors, 4 US Campagnolo Service Centers, and Press ONLY! Reason for this is that they want everyone selling these to have the proper knowledge and the correct information when installing, servicing, or even selling these beautiful Italian units. The EPS is scheduled for public availability Mid/Late Spring season if not Early Summer of 2012. However, pricing WILL be released for these soon, so pre-orders will be possible to ensure you get one of the first units that will land on US shores. Check out more pics of the final product below!

FINALLY! The long awaited arrivals of 2012 Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers.

We've been seeing and posting news on these new 2012 Zipp 303 Firecrest Carbon Clinchers since earlier this year. We were teased at Interbike, given the chance to see the production model only to hear that we'd have to wait still before they arrive. Now, they're finally HERE and IN STOCK!

Beautiful, made in USA, and did we mention they're in stock?

2012 Zipp 101 updates!

We all know and love Zipp for their Firecrest technology on their Carbon Clinchers and Carbon Tubular wheels. What about wheels for the winter? Or for those of us that prefer aluminum wheels for all purpose use? Zipp has a solution for that as well! Zipp 101 Aluminum Clinchers were introduced for those that wanted a wheel to use for any occasion, and for 2012, they were able to make these even more appealing.

Read more to find out the new changes made for the 2012 Zipp 101 Aluminum Clinchers.

IBIS DEMO TOUR COMING TO WRENCH SCIENCE!

We are having a demo day with Ibis on Saturday December 10th. PLEASE RSVP BY WEDNESDAY December 7TH FOR THIS EVENT. 

Where: meet at the shop at 9:30, we'll set up bikes and car train over to Joaquin Miller park for a leisurely 1.5 hour trail ride with a ride leader and sweep. All riding abilities are welcome. Then we'll head back to the shop to drop the bikes off and answer any questions folks may have.

What bikes will be available?

Knolly Chilcotin: a downhiller's dream all-mountain bike

A couple weeks ago I finally received my dream all-mountain frame: Knolly Chilcotin. So what's the big deal? Why is the frame special?

First of all, the frame geometry really stands out to me. With a 160mm fork, the head angle is at 66 degrees, the bottom bracket is at 13.5" and the chainstay length is 16.75". For those of you that may not be too familiar with mountain bike geometry, this transfers to a bike that will rip down hill with confidence, take turns like it's on rails and have a very playful feel to it! My ideal bike indeed! Furthermore Noel Buckley (president of Knolly) spent a lot of time refining this frame to exactly what he wanted and it shows in the details of this frame. Oh yea, did I mention that the suspension feels amazing! It sucks up the roughest terrain and gets you back up the hill with ease. Take a look at Knolly's patented Four by 4 linkage design: http://knollybikes.com/company/four-by-4

A large frame built to take whatever you can throw at it: 31.5 lbs.!