Straight Up Cycles
Jan 18th 2012
Handbuilts
Our parking lot is shin-deep in snow, and wind gusts keep sloughing the snow banks over the carefully shovelled walkway.
The great thing about snow days in Victoria is that they are short-lived. A week from now and we’ll be riding tacky trails, and road bikes without fenders: don’t give up hope.
We’ve just received our first order of Pearl Izumi clothing & accessories.
An offshoot of Shimano’s rock-solid cycling empire, Pearl Izumi has earned the respect of riders the world over for it’s innovative, tech-driven designs, and well executed garments. While most cycling clothing manufacturers have the ‘recolour, rebrand, repeat‘ cycle on lock, Pearl makes a point of implementing technical features into their lineup, featuring a whole cohort of composite materials, synthetic fabrics, weaving and bonding techniques. What this means, is that a jersey for hot days keeps you cooler, and arm warmers for cool days keeps you warmer, all while integrating seamlessly with your riding experience.
Straight Up has got ultra- packable rain jackets from Pearl. The Pro Barrier Lite provides wind and water protection, and scrunches down to fit comfortably in a jersey pocket. Secure it with an elastic band, or be a badass and use a toe-clip strap. Perfect for a climb like Hurricane Ridge or spring riding on the peninsula. $104.99.
Check out our updated Deals & Consignment page. Good deals to be had on great wheels and frames.
Handbuilts. Steve put his ninja-mechanic skills to work on a pair of White Industries/ Alpha 340 wheels. No mediocre feat, he laced DT Revolutions to a pair of gleaming White Industries H2 and H3 hubs. Rotating with the hubs is a pair of 350g, tubeless-ready Stan’s Alpha 340 rims. 18h front, 24 h rear, with brass nipples for salty BC air.
White Industries hubs are light, and very well priced for a made-in-North America product. Titanium freehub, Campy and Shimano compatible, as well as a gorgeous polished finish make them a good match for any classic build.
These wheels are pure class, and at 1280g, lighter than most carbon wheels that cost twice as much.
We’ll leave you with some pictures of a build we put out last week centered around a Colnago CX-1 frameset.
If you were to put the computer in your jersey pocket, the Campy 10speed carbon record, Mavic wheels and Speedplay pedals would nudge this Colnago just shy of 16lbs. Note the attention to detail in the matching tube valve caps (red & green), as well as the Italian Tricolore handlebar tape. Details details.
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