GUNNAR BICYCLES – MY IMPRESSIONS by Jim Weaver, Service Manager Fit Werx, VT I have now worked at Fit Werx full-time for getting close to 3 1/2 years and I have had the privilege of building many, many bicycles, some of them truly dream machines. These "dream machines" were custom-built, lust-inducing bikes from the…
Some bikes are great looking and some are just stunning… Cyfac Absolu from France.
CERVELO P5 – INITIAL IMPRESSIONS by Jim Weaver, Service Manager Fit Werx, VT Earlier this summer, we built one of the very first Cervelo P5’s in New England. I had intended to immediately post a short article summarizing my impressions, but one thing led to another and I was delayed. Bruce and I both…
By Jim Weaver, Service Manager Fit Werx, Waitsfield, VT Last March, I attended a seminar in New York City providing training in the installation and operation of Campagnolo’s new electronic shifting system, dubbed EPS. I wrote an article about this training, and the system, which can be found at https://fitwerx.com/category/new-bike-technology/page/3. If you have not had…
The ICEdot looks like an interesting product for most any adventurous activity where a head injury could occur – https://icedot.org/site/. They are hoping it will be available in January and the dot will be $200 plus a $10 annual subscription. There will be a large number of user defined/adjustable sensitivity and contact variables.
by Jim Weaver, Service Manager, Fit Werx VT THE FINISHED BICYCLE So, we have completed the build of our ultra-light Guru Photon. As you can see, it looks BAD, and not in the negative sense of the phrase. The all-black look reminds me of a stealth aircraft, such as the SR71B Blackbird, or the…
by Jim Weaver, Service Manager, Fit Werx VT STEM, BARS, PEDALS, SADDLE, ETC. When selecting a bike, particularly a fully-built bike, most people only look at the frame, drivetrain and wheels. However, the other parts of the bike all relate to the direct interface between the rider and the frame. Pedals, handlebars, stem, saddle,…
by Jim Weaver, Service Manager, Fit Werx VT CRANKSET, BOTTOM BRACKET & CABLES The crankset is a big and heavy component on a bike and a source of considerable weight savings. However, light, strong and stiff may be contrary goals. There are many, many choices of light-weight cranks on the market and some are…
by Jim Weaver, Service Manager, Fit Werx VT DRIVETRAIN As I stated previously, we wanted to build a bike that was reliable, and that could be used every day. We debated a bit about the choice of drivetrain. There are some fairly esoteric components on the market that come in lighter, but going that…
by Jim Weaver, Service Manager, Fit Werx VT After the frameset, the most important element to a bike’s ride characteristics is the wheels. Good wheels can transform a mediocre bike into a very good bike. Wheels are, unfortunately, an element largely ignored by major manufacturers, who tend to spec wheels on their bikes that simply…
BIONX SL350 HT ELECTRIC BIKE CONVERSION by Jim Weaver, Service Manager, Fit Werx VT While not our normal product postings, this conversion was fun and I thought worth sharing. We recently did an interesting conversion on a pair of mountain bikes. Our clients had been in Switzerland, and had rented electrically assisted bicycles. These were…
Ultra-light Guru Photon – Installment 1 by Jim Weaver, Service Manager, Fit Werx VT Over the past few years, a competition has developed to see who can build the lightest frame. Weights have been dropping precipitously, with new offerings pushing claimed weights into the 750 gram range. While chasing the lowest possible weight on a…