For Sale: 2011 Basso Astra with full Shimano Ultegra

For sale: 2011 Basso Astra (Black/Blue)

After moving to the UK over a decade ago and getting back into the world of cycling I said to myself that I should get a Basso again. Why? Well, in my last three years of racing as a junior all I rode on was a Basso Astra with Columbus EL OS (oversize) tubing. I have many fond memories of racing and training on that bike. So I wanted to rekindle those memories with a new Basso.

So in October 2010, off I went to Todays Cyclist and bought myself a new (well, actually a demo) Basso Astra (as you see it above). However, in November that year after entering a competition on Cyclingnews.com, I won for myself a brand new NeilPryde Diablo.

Over the coming months the poor Basso just stood in my study and gathered dust as I was now riding the NeilPryde.  This was the main reason that last month I made the decision to sell the Basso. It was a hard decision for me to make, but it is something I had to do.

Now you have the chance to own this beautiful Italian racing machine! The total distance ridden on the bike comes to 300km’s. It did 200km while used as a demo bike for the 2011 range, and then I added 100km when the Diablo was in for a service at the bike shop. So it is mint condition and has been looked after.

The full specs for the bike (as it stands) are:

Make	Basso
Model	Astra
Size	53cm (seat tube, centre to top)
Colour	Black / Blue
Frame	Full carbon monocoque
Fork	Full carbon fibre
Groupset	Shimano Ultegra
Chainset	Shimano Ultegra 6750 10-speed 172.5 compact
Chain	KMC X10 Gold
Stem	MicroTech Race Black Carbon Bonded 110mm
Handlebar	MicroTech – Quantum Black – Carbon Monocoque 420mm
Headset	MicroTech
Rims	Mavic Ksyrium Elite
Hubs	Mavic Ksyrium Elite
Seatpost	Microtech Race Black Carbon Bonded
Saddle	Fizik Arione white
Additional	Comes with kevlar reinforced JagWire cabling

PRICE

£2000 ono

If this interests you and you would like more information or have any questions, please give me a shout at:  sweatngears [at] gmail.com (remember to replace the [at] with @). Now for the crème de la crème, the pictures:

Launch of the 2011 Boardman Bikes Performance Series

Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the launch of the 2011 Boardman Performance Bikes series at an exclusive venue in the heart of London. World and Olympic Champion, Chris Boardman was there talking about the new 2011 range and the new developments put into the line.

Here’s Chris welcoming us all and talking about the 2011 range:

The 2011 Performance Series line up comprises of five Road, three Hybrid, CX, five MTB Hard-tail and two MTB full suspension bikes.

Highlights of the range include:

• the all-new Pro Carbon Road featuring BB30, tapered steerer, internal cable routing and Shimano Ultegra at £1,799
• the Pro Carbon MTB featuring internal cable routing, tapered steerer, Rock Shox SID fork and SRAM X9 at £1,599,
• the Road Team featuring tapered steerer, BB30 and Shimano 105 at £999
• the MTB Pro with tapered steerer, BB30 and SRAM X9 2×10 at £999

According to the press release, the aerodynamic road and race ready MTB frames utilise high modulus carbon fibre combined with computer developed tube profiles. The new alloy Road, MTB, Hybrid and CX models have all been re-engineered with the emphasis on attention-to-detail resulting in pure performance and range from £500 to £1,000.

I’ll upload some pictures of the frames as soon as I receive them from the Boardman’s PR company.

NeilPryde Bikes – It all starts here!

Diablo from NeilPryde Bikes

A few posts ago you saw me in a video as part of an entry process to become a NeilPryde Epic Rider. A few days later I was lucky to be informed that I was selected to become a NeilPryde Epic Rider. I even have my own page on the company’s website.  For this, the company let’s me try out their bikes – the Diablo and the Alize – and provide my feedback on it, while at the same time telling you about it.

So the company goes out to to find a select few people who are passionate about cycling, give them each a bike, and let them spread the news about the company and its products. For a company breaking their way into the cycling market, I still feel this is a clever marketing tactic. No matter which way you look at it. Clever!

So, who or what is NeilPryde? Well, let me introduce NeilPryde to you – the condensed version:

• The company was created in 1970, and by 1973 becomes the world’s largest sail provider;
• By ’82 NeilPryde branded windsurf sails enter the market;
• In ’83 a guy by the name of Fred Haywood, using NeilPryde sails, breaks the 30 knot speed barrier (55.5km/hr);
• Then in ’89, the company launches the industry’s (wind surfing, of course) first fully integrated carbon Matrix Rig System;
• Official supplier of sails at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona;
• 2007-2009 company carefully studies their consumer base to consider brand extension opportunity;
• Extensive market research shows 60% of NeilPryde customers are also cyclists;
• In 2009 bike division established – NeilPryde Bikes – headed up by Michael Pryde
• Strategy for entering the cycling market starts to develop and division begins working with BMW Group Designworks USA

So, wanting to break out into a new area, the company decided to speak to its customer base. After carefully listening to what their windsurfing customers had to say, they found that cycling was a very popular sport amongst their fans. And so NeilPryde Bikes was born.

I’ve included a video the company created that talks about how the two bikes the company currently produces – the Diablo and the Alize – came about through the partnership they have with BMW Group Designworks USA.

Since becoming an Epic Rider, I received the Diablo in matt carbon complete with Shimano Ultegra and Mavic Kyserium wheels. I’ll include some pictures of the bike in a different post but for now I’ll let you see how the bike was introduced to the world:

A pretty awesome way to launch a bike aptly named the Diablo. Not sure I would ever do that myself, but I think it does the trick. Last week the company went on to release a behind the scenes video of the ‘Pyromaniac on Wheels’. This is it:

The question is, how good are these bikes? Well, only time will really tell. Not to mention a lot of road testing from myself and the other Epic Riders. However, this morning the company announced it received an iF Product Design Award 2011 in the Leisure + Lifestyle section for both the Alize and the Diablo. For over 50 years the iF Design Award has served as a recognised trademark for outstanding design all over the world. So the company is onto something good here.

And if Procycling UK is anything to go by, then the Diablo looks set to make a remarkable impact upon the market.  I, for one, am looking forward to it!

Team Garmin Transitions Felt F1SL Team Issue

Team Garmin Transitions F1 SL Team issue Felt

So back in September I was lucky enough to spend some time out in Boulder Colorado. A beautiful place to say the least. In preparation for going out there, I was planning on tackling Mount Evans. The highest paved road in North America. See my previous post about this trip.

Thanks to the excellent team at Team Garmin Transitions, I was loaned a Team issue F1 SL Felt for my trip up the mountain. Here are some pictures of this awesome machine that I had the privilege to ride:

Mavic Cosmic Carbone's on the Team Garmin Transitions F1 SL Team issue Felt

Team Garmin Transitions F1 SL Team issue Felt

3t stem and bars

Team Garmin Transitions F1 SL Team issue Felt

Team Garmin Transitions F1 SL Team issue Felt

Team Garmin Transitions F1 SL Team issue Felt

The bicycle belonged to Andrei Krasilnikau

The rear forks that provide a very comfy but responsive ride

Team Garmin Transitions F1 SL Team issue Felt

Team Garmin Transitions F1 SL Team issue Felt

Nice ride on the fi'zi:k saddle

That's me on the bike enjoying the quiet roads of Boulder

Now for those of you who aren’t aware, you and I have the chance to purchase the bikes directly from the Team. The bikes can be purchased from SlipStream Sports website. Click here – to see what they have available. My suggestion is to get in there quick as the team will be moving over to Cervelo. So why not become one of the very few that can own a team bike?

Christian Meier's team issue Felt

Dan Martin's Felt

David Millar

Team issue Felts at Team Garmin's service course

And some more...

Team vehicles outside