New shoes:

Updates abound across Shimano’s shoe line, from the second-tier R241 down to the RT82, designed for touring cyclists. Availability for all three new models is set for this fall, likely sometime in September.

R241 — The new design is sleeker, largely thanks to thinner straps and new low-profile micro-adjustable buckle. Uppers are microfiber, and the insoles are still heat moldable. The outsole has been updated as well, with a hollow channel to reduce weight. Nonetheless, the 241’s still aren’t very light: 541g for the pair, or about 140g heavier per shoe than lightweight options like the Mavic Huez or Bontrager XXXLite. Fit is larger than average in the toe box; I rode a pair of 43’s and could have even worn 42.5’s, though my usual size is 43.5 or 44. The thicker uppers and wide toe box make even the correct size look rather large when on the foot.

R191 — Shimano calls the 191 its “super light weight racing shoe,” a bit of a misnomer in that it at 528g a pair still comes in over 100g more than the true lightweights mentioned above. The design is sturdier than those options, though, with supportive stretch-resistant synthetic leather uppers and the same low-profile straps and buckle as the 241.

Read Article

Leipheimer and Overend ride full suspension rigs with carbon rims and forks with two legs, while Bishop rides a hardtail with aluminum rims and a single fork leg, but even though he has the biggest bike of the three, his is the lightest. Leipheimer’s bike is custom painted with tasteful paint details based on a design by his wife and is brand new from the bottom up. Overend’s is also brand new and painted specially for him, but taste could be up for argument. While every one of them is equipped with SRAM XX groups with 2X10 drivetrains and a RockShox XLoc hydraulic fork lockout, the contrasts are striking between the bikes that Levi Leipheimer, Ned Overend, and Jeremiah Bishop are riding in the... Overend and Bishop are on 29ers, Leipheimer is on a 26er, and none of them use inner tubes....

Read Article

It's made from high compression moulded (HCM) carbon with a four-bolt handlebar clamp. It's not cheap, though. You're looking at 170 quid if you want one yourself. Youch! The bar is an alloy Race Lite rather than one of Bontrager's carbon options;