BikeBiz

Pumped on my new wheels

ZEFAL

Zefal has launched a fresh range of mini pumps dubbed the X Light series. The series fall into two models: the X light & the X’tra light.

The X’tra light range is stemmed and bodied in full carbon. These models are aimed specifically for road riders with Presta valves, but it can be converted to Schrader if needed via a reversible washer.

With an alloy thumblock and a lockable handle, the X’tra light mini pump ensures a leak free inflation. A shorter version is also available in 165 mm with an aluminum stem.

Recommended retail price is £28 for the X light and £35 for the X’tra light.

Also from Zefal comes the Husky pump, designed for workshop use due to its stability.

The base is made with iron, the body in steel and a natural wood handle finishes the attractive product.

In order to make the storage easier, there is a sliding clip on the edge of the body to hold the pump hose and the pedals are foldable. The pump will retail for approximately £30.

MOORE LARGE

The range of tyres, tubes and repair tools exclusively distributed via Moore Large contains everything you need to stock racks with quality products from Kenda, Telonix and Beto.

The Kenda Nevegal tyre is available as tubeless or XC, while the Telonix model comes in both XC and DH suitability. The Telonix tyre, which retails at £25.99, features taller centre knobs for a longer lifespan, while ‘H’ shaped side knobs make for grippy cornering.

To get customers pumped up and ready to go, Moore Large also exclusively distribute Beto pumps. The range begins at a pocket money £5.99 and tops off at £29.99 for a high end track pump.

Also available from Moore Large are puncture repair outfits from both Weldtite and Slime as well as products from a range of brands including Schwinn, Premium Products, FSA, Haro, SKS and many more.

SILVERFISHIntense caters for all things rubber and its range also includes top-end tyre levers. Downhill and XC purpose tyre levers retail for £8.95 and are formed from cold forged steel so there’s little chance of snapping them. The DH levels are eight inch long and the XC, five inch.

A range of inner tubes are available via Silverfish, priced from £5.95 RRP up to £8.95 for heavier duty DH specific tubesIf your customers are looking for something to put round their tubes, a Dual Compound tyre can be bought via Silverfish. The System four, 26-inch specific tyre is 2.25-inch wide and has taller knobs for tougher riding conditions as well as tougher centre knobs for extended lifespan. The tyres are folding bead and will retail for £31.95.AVOCET SPORTS

Avocet has a strong portfolio of wheels in 24-inch, 26-inch and 700c. There are a variety of wheels compatible with disc brakes as well as a range of spoke layouts.

Avocet also has an extensive range of BMX wheels in stock at competitive prices. The wheels come in both ten and 14mm axles with 48 spokes built onto large flange hubs. Both cassette hubs and freewheel hubs are available.

Additionally, Avocet distributes brands such as Weldtite, DSI Tyres, Konnekt and Zefal.

UPGRADE

Upgrade’s portfolio of brands all have something new to shout about, including Reynolds and DM.

From Reynolds comes a range of high-end wheels including a new Element Disc Wheel, for TT/triathlon/track. It has a uni-directional full monocoque carbon lay-up and a high-tech compressed aerospace foam to combine maximum stiffness with low weight. Reynolds has designed a proprietary carbon valve shroud which improves wheel stiffness, aerodynamics, aesthetics and ease of use, as a right angle valve adaptor is not required for inflation.

New from DMR comes the Redshift Tyre and the Comp Wheelset. The Redshift tyre has a large volume and aggressive tread ideal for looser conditions. The wide pattern spacing clears easily to keep the staggered shoulder tread biting predictably in the corners. The Redshift tyre is available in 26x2.25 and has a fast rolling lightweight single ply construction.

Lezyne products include a punture repair kit with a tyre level and nine self adhesive patches for £5.99 and a new mini pump from £18.99.

SKS

The SAM Suspension pump from SKS has a pivoting tube connection, which is armed with steel flex webbing. The Schrader valve connection works with a new two-step thread, allowing screwing and unscrewing without any loss of pressure. Recommended retail price will be around the £30 mark and a five-year guarantee is included.

Additionally in the SKS range, the Revo MTB mini pump works by turning a pump barrel around the valve until the rubber is compressed. The pump components are protected against dust and wet conditions by a ‘manometer’.

The REVO is available in three versions: Carbon, Aluminium and plastic. The latter is refined with a robust, rubber-like coating. All prices are approximate conversions from the price in Euros, but the products will likely retail as follows: Carbon £35 / Aluminium £22 / Plastic £16. All come with a five-year quality guarantee.

The world’s first sub-40 gram pump is also available via SKS.

2PURE

The Crank Brothers range, available via 2Pure, consists of four power pumps and a range of multi tools. The pumps are priced from £14.99 up to £26.99 for the model which is capable of pumping tyres to 130psi.

There are two new models in the multi tool range. There is a 17 and a 19-tool model, which consists of screwdrivers, Allen keys, wrenches, spoke keys, chain tool and a t-25 Torx. The 19 tool version retails for £22.99 and the 17 tool for £17.99.

PALIGAPPaligap offer a wide range of high end wheelsets. The Ritchey wheelsets are manufactured tough with a whole host of features such as hi-lo hubs on the WCS disk wheels, which eliminate dish tension problems. Ritchey also do both a presta and a standard butyl tube available in all standard sizes.

Also from Paligap, the range of Z-max tyres, the majority of which begin at £11 for the comp series and range up to £32 for the WCS series. Margin mark up is 40-45% on many of the Z-max tyres.

A Kona branded S.O.S kit completes the round-up. The kit contains a spare deraillieur hanger, assorted Kona specific nuts and bolts as well as chain repair parts and valve adaptors. The kit costs at £20 retail.

RALEIGH

The Raleigh range of wheels is split into two brand categoriesTRU Build is a comprehensive range of service replacement and upgrade wheels across all sizes from 16-inch up to 700C, using quality Joytech hubs and for 2008 using exclusively Mac 1 rims. The best selling wheels are 26-inch all alloy nutted MTB wheel RGH810 and RGR810. For disc brake upgrades there is the all black RGH845 and RGR845, using six bolt disc hub and strong double wall rim.

Disc wheels are the most popular sellers, the top spec wheel being the Hope pro two disc with thru axle front build onto a Mavic EX729 (pictured).

Raleigh’s tyre offering includes top brands like Michelin, WTB to puncture proof Dutch Perfect, to CST and Raleigh own brand tyres and tubes.

HALO

Front Halo Spin Doctor hubs are convertible from QR to 20mm through axle straight out of the box. Add 10mm or 14mm axle stubs and it becomes a nutted front hub.

The Rear is QR compatible but a solid 10mm axle kit is available and when you add the 14mm axemen converters it becomes a solid 14mm axle.

These hubs truly are universal and allow the rider to upgrade or change frames and forks without having to buy a new wheelset. This also allows the rider to use his wheels on various bikes.

These best-selling hubs come in a variety of hole patterns and Black, White or Gold colourways.

Other Halo products for 2008 include; Superlight Carbon Matrix XC Rims, six drive hubs (FR & XC versions), the popular Combat two rims and wheels, the DJD Cassette hub, Twin Rail tyres in White as well as Tourist and Commuter Tyres All Halo products can be ordered via Ison distribution.

HYKEHAM WHOLESALEHykeham Wholesale has a range of wheels from Sunrace, Sturmey Archer and a disk brake option from Magma. In the wheel sets that Hykeham Wholesale produces there is the option of having the Sunrace Ju Ju 32 hole hubs included. They are aluminium shells with sealed alloy bearings,100g for the front and 130g for the rear.

As for tyres, Hykeham Wholesale stocks a range of Schwalbe tyres including Racing Ralph 29-inch, Ultremo tyre and the Table Top tyre available in both 24-inch and 26-inch.

Schwalbe tubes and all new Zefal Pumps are also available via Hykeham Wholesale.

HOPE

The new Hope disk wheels have Hope hubs laced to DT Swiss rims using DT triple butted spokes. The wheels are all hand built in the UK and utilize low weight and strength to be ideal for sustained XC use. The Pro3 wheels are available as singles or as a wheelset and come with rim tapes, spare spokes, nipples and rim stickers. Both wheels are QR only and cannot be converted to 20mm.

The front retails at £130 and the rear for £220. Both have been awarded MBUK value and performance awards.

Also new for 2008 is the Pro3 RS (road series) wheelset. These wheels are ideal for racing, training or touring. They use DT swiss componentry for both rims and spokes. The rim is a race ready DT rr1.1 built with 32 double butted DT spokes and laced to a Hope Mono Pro 3 hub, full of stainless steel bearings. The wheels can be bought as a wheelset or separately at a cost of £130 for the front and £220 for the rear.

ZIPP

Zipp says it developed the first climbing wheel to ever be developed in a wind tunnel. The new 202 packs a 32mm aero tuned rim that rolls along the flats with four to six watts more aerodynamic efficiency than the previous model.

Zipp also sells what it believes is the world’s fastest non-disc wheel, the 808. This wheel has been through extensive tests and reworking until it now claims to be a full 29 seconds faster than a trispoke over 40kms. It’s 80 grams lighter too.

The new Sub-nine from Zipp uses the most difficult wind tunnel testing protocol – a 30º down to 0º test run that starts with the airflow already separated from the rim. the all new Sub-nine shatters every drag record in cycling with a -80 gram drag reading at 15º. Instead of creating drag, the wheel is actually generating lift relative to the wind direction. The new Sub-nine tubular also shares the structural benefits of our new Carbon Bridge technology to improve impact resistance by 25 per cent.

As for cranksets, the new 570g VumaQuad utilises a whole host of new technologies. It features a four-arm spider, on a 110mm bolt circle diameter with an integrated fourth chainring bolt into the crank arm to improve stiffness. Then Zipp designed new 50/34 and 53/39 tooth chainrings to give riders a full range of gearing options for any and every racing situation.To further improve system stiffness, a massive 30mm spindle is used, a first for external-bearing cranksets, says the company.

The result is a crankset, according to Zipp, that sets a whole new standard in performance – a claimed 33 per cent stiffer than the next-lightest crankset on the market, while exceeding the new 20 per cent tougher 2007 CEN crankset fatigue test standard.

KENSSON

SweetskinZ tyres from the US come in a range of in-tyre full-colour graphics and patterns and are the only tyres on the market with integral reflective designs for night-time retroreflectivity.

The ‘Rattleback’ and the ‘Scorch’ tyres in adult tyre sizes are now available via Kensson. 24-inch tyres for children and small wheel adult bikes will be available later in 2008.

CAGE ROCKET

The Cage Rocket is a plastic trail tool container. It is tough and waterproof. The lidded Cage Rocket is filled with an inner tube, puncture repair kit and two tyre levers.

Despite this selection of trailside tools and repair materials there’s still room for customers to stash keys and other essential ride odds and ends.

CASA MASAFERRER

Spanish distributor Casa Masaferrer is stocking the Fulcrum range of aluminium wheels. The wheels are competition spec and extremely lightweight. The rims of Fulcrum wheels have no holes in the rim bed, meaning no need for rim tape and the wheels are more torsionally rigid, says the company.

Casa Masaferrer is also a supplier of pumps and other accessories.

SANTA CRUZ BIKES

From Santa Cruz bikes comes the AM Wheelset. The wheels are intended for lightweight freeride and offroad. The wheelset runs with Syncros white DS 28 sleeved and eyeleted rims with Bead Lock System, Syncros FL hubs, which revolve on Syncros signature QRs.

32 DT Swiss Comp 1.8mm black spokes and nipples finish this wheelset. Prices are £2.99 for the rim strips and £359.98 for the AM wheelset (rrp).

CANNONDALEThe Nitro pump from Cannondale is a track pump that utilises a combination of steel components to ensure strength. The pump has an ergonomic rubber coated handle and the headclip is compatible with both presta and schrader valves. A gauge enables the user to pump the tyre up precisely to the desired PSI, via a 42-inch long hose.

ZYROThe ‘Second Wind’ range of pumps have been designed with the road cyclist in mind. Unique hybrid technology offers fast CO2 inflation with all the benefits of a manual hand pump.

Supplied with a 16g C02 cartridge that will quickly inflate a 700c tyre up to 130 PSI. When used as a manual pump, the cartridge can be screwed into the handle to provide a wider, more comfortable grip. The manual pump will inflate up to 120 PSI, says Zyro. For weight weenie customers looking to carry the bare minimum, the Second Wind Road is available in a mini version with a 7-inch barrel in either aluminium or carbon. RRPs £19.99 to £39.99.

Also available from Zyro is an air cartridge (£14.99), complete with safety catch to prevent accidental discharge, as well as a manual pump (£19.99) capable of pumping tyres to 120psi.

MICHELINMichelin’s new range of tyres conceals innovations such as the triple layer of protection within the Pilot City tyre.

Another one in the Michelin range is the Michelin Pilot Tracker with its multiple shoulder studs. For city riders, Michelin has developed a tyre specifically suited to wear and tear on asphalt.

Off roaders are not neglected either. The Michelin Tracker features thick sub-tread that makes the tyre particularly puncture-resistant.

Michelin will also be introducing a brand-new family of high-performance road tyres for bikes in 2008, the Pro³ range, comprising the Pro³ Race, the Pro³ Grip and the Pro³ Light. Michelin Pro³ Race, integrating a dual-compound technology that improves grip by 27 per cent when cornering, offers one of the lowest rolling resistances available anywhere, says the company.

GREYVILLEThe Lite Strike C is Greyville’s top road race wheel from a range of road/MTB/hybrid wheel sets which the firm has specced up and is now distributing. Trade cost is £64.50 and recommended retail £109.95. The 28 spoke, quick release wheel, is made from aluminium and currently comes in silver only.

The Lite Strike also comes in a Shimano freebody version.