Quick Look: Rudy Project Sterling Helmet

Unboxing the white/silver Sterling

Cycling is a sport for the obsessed.  Some obsess about data--gathering and analyzing the minutia looking to unlock the secret to becoming a faster, more efficient, more powerful rider--while others obsess about weight.

My particular obsession within the greater obsession known as cycling happens to be helmets.  One could draw some reasonably accurate conclusions about the seriousness with which I take my riding from that admission, but I'll argue that approaching riding as I do affords me the opportunity to objectively assess product well.  When you're not so wrapped up in the details of the effort, you can concentrate on   itself.

While I still have a ways to go before I reach Imelda Marcos levels with my helmet fetish, I own almost as many helmets as I do pairs of socks, and I have quite a few pairs of socks.

The Sterling is nothing if not well ventilated

I've had my eye on the Sterling, Italian firm Rudy Project's flagship road helmet for quite some time, the only thing stopping me from making the acquisition; an ill conceived purchase of a helmet from a French manufacturer.  Financially recovered, I put down for a Large White/Silver/Red Matte Sterling.     

The Sterling comes neatly packaged in a handsome light gray cardboard box with a soft helmet bag, removable visor, and a two sets of padding.

The well-padded bug net.

At 374 grams in a size large helmet, the Sterling isn't setting any records when it comes to weight.  With 18 very large vents, it might, however, just set a few airflow records.

As generously proportioned as the vents are on this helmet, Rudy had to look at all the options in order to engineer a helmet that would retain the structural integrity required to pass the various certification tests and they did so through the development and use of an external composite skeleton.  Leaving no detail unattended, Rudy's engineers designed the skeleton to also function as the perfect eyewear holder.  The fact it is also a contrasting color is an added bonus and takes me to my next point; fit and finish.

While the heft of the helmet is immediately noticeable upon unboxing, it's quickly forgotten, overshadowed by the finish and features of the helmet.  This has to go down as one of the best made helmets I've donned.  Perfectly applied in molding to the shell, high-quality strap, buckle and retention system, not to mention the densely padded, well stitched bug net equipped padding.

There are 3 vertical retention system settings

Out of the box my Sterling had the bug net padding in place, which I've left through its first month of use.  The density and positioning of the bug net equipped padding has proven to be optimal for my head shape, no uncomfortable pressure points anywhere.  The helmet is sufficiently deep to accommodate 'taller' heads, that was immediately clear when I first placed the helmet on my head.

Once buckled up I had a brief moment where I thought that in spite of the helmet's apparent comfort, the fit on my head wasn't going to be secure in the way I prefer in the end.  The RSR7 Rotating Disc retention system was landing too high up in the back.  I quickly remembered that the retention system itself is vertically adjustable and all it took to find the fit I needed was to move the retention system down from the middle of three settings to the lowest setting, and twist the rubber coasted RSR7's disc a bit.  

RSR7 Rotating Disc Retention System.  Simple to use 

Objectively speaking, there are lighter helmets out there, but rather than feel heavy, this feels solid--well made. What the helmet might sacrifice on the scales it certainly makes up for in quality and the ability to tailor the fit.  Helmet fit, much like shoes, saddles and the like is highly personal.  That being said, the  the Sterling has a shell shape that will work for a relatively broad range of heads shapes, accommodating both tall and narrower oval shaped heads and shallower, more round shapes.

While I am still on the hunt for the helmet holy grail, the Sterling has moved into the #1 slot in my helmet rotation, just bumping out another Italian brand that previously held #1 slot.  

The Rudy Project Sterling comes in two sizes, small/medium 54-58, and large 58-62 and is available from R & A in white/silver/red matte, white/silver/blue matte, and titanium/red matte for $225.

Yes It's 4 Bike - Selle SMP Forma

The radical design of Selle SMP saddles tends to elicit a strong response from clients.

There is no question the design approach is a radical departure from the norm and anything but conventional.  After some miles on Selle SMP’s Forma, I feel it is my duty to let the skeptics know that Selle SMP’s saddles are nothing to scoff at. 

Yes, those are zippered crotch bibs.

I have to admit that I was among the skeptics at first, but that maybe had something to do with my introduction to the company, an introduction that came by way of an illustrated catalog that featured bibs with a zippered crotch and illustrations of men and women evacuating their bladders en plein air.  

While Selle SMP is a relative new comer to the US market, it is a company steeped in tradition with over 60 years of saddle making experience to its credit.  To this day Selle SMP saddles are 100% made in Italy. 

Designed On Your Body

There is no shortage of medical research covering cycling and genitourinary disorders and research findings have clearly influenced the approach the design team at SMP took in developing the saddle line-up.

Guided by their slogan, Designed On Your Body, Selle SMP set out to accomplish one fundamental goal in designing their saddles:
 to reduce pressure on the perineum and neuro-vascular structures in order to decrease the incidence of genitourinary problems and disorders in cyclists.


The Forma on Look's E-Post.  A book balanced on top is level. 

As you might guess by the name, the Designed On Your Body concept studied the ergonomics of the rider/saddle interface closely.  As Selle SMP rightly points out, ergonomics is a preventive discipline, with the purpose of studying how to avoid damaging effects and the company by all appearances has designed a series of saddles that will do just that.  

The SMP line-up is characterized by four distinct features: 

1. The nose of the saddle: the characteristic "beak" shape has been designed to provide a flat base when sitting, for example when facing long uphill climbs and as help on descents, offering greater bike control using the thighs.  The design keeps the testicles from being pressed upward.

2. The central channel: its unusually large dimensions keep pressure off the rectum, prostrate, pudendal vein, the dorsal vein and artery of the penis, scrotum and testicles, the vulva and clitoris.

3. Cyclist's sitting position: body weight is divided between the rear and the lower part of the ischial tuberosities. The position is helped by the rear profile of the saddle, shaped in such a way to avoid pressure on the coccyx when riding on rough roads.

4. The length of the bars/frame: it permits any cyclist to find the correct position on the saddle and fore/aft along the rails, making installation and use particularly easy.

On Test: Selle SMP Forma

The Forma is composed of a nylon/carbon blended shell covered by leather and uses tubular steel rails.  The Forma weights 230 grams and is 273mm long and 137mm wide.

Beyond the radical shape, one of the first things you noticed about the Forma when you get it in your hands in that fact it is not padded in the least.  I've never had particularly strong emotions about any one saddle, though I have always been befuddled by those 100% carbon, rock hard saddles.  It seemed to me that it would take a real masochist to use one.  Needless to say I was a little skeptical about the Forma for not only the aforementioned catalog reason, but also because it seemed to me to be one of those saddles the devil himself had helped to create.

While the saddle installed easily, if you're at all like I am and tend to jump in head first without stopping to glance at directions, you might be left scratching your head for a hot minute trying to figure out how to position the saddle.  You should position the saddle so that if you placed a book on top, it would be level.  Leveling requires the nose of the saddle to be higher up than might seem normal, but it is all by design.  In other words, properly positioned there will be a 'valley' in the middle with a 'peak' on either side.   

Now, saddles, clothing, shoes, and helmets are difficult items to objectively review because comfort and fit are entirely subjective, so bear that in mind while reading the following.

Before installing the Forma I had used only 2 other saddles over the course of the last 5 years and I had grown quite accustomed to them. That being said, remarkably enough, from the moment I first sat a top the Forma we saw eye to eye.  I have tried the saddle with my Look Ultra bibs on, which have a very plush chamois, and in jeans just for the hell of it.  I do ride back and forth to work chamoisless a lot.  In both instances, I couldn't have been more comfortable.  The chamois only enhances the saddles inherent comfort.  

The depression in the back end keeps pressure of the coccyx

You can individually identify each of the 4 key design elements when you're on the saddle.  The rear of the saddle with it's slight upswing gives you a great platform to push off with and its 137mm width, while not the widest out there, was more than adequate to properly support my ischial tuberosities. 

Looking at the saddle and its profoundly wide center channel you find yourself wondering what part of the body the saddle is actually going to come in contact with.  You are left wondering if because the usual areas that bear the brunt aren't loaded up, new sore spots would develop in places you never before knew existed.  Turns out it's the superior ramus of the ischium, which isn't particularly wide, but lines up well with the structure of the saddle providing excellent support in the right, non-pressure sensitive places.  The profound nature of the center channel leaves no chance for unwanted pressure, and there is no discernible performance or comfort sacrifice from having such a minimal structure to the saddle.  Selle SMP definitely did their homework. 

Very long rails provide great fore/aft adjustability.

When you're riding you feel very secure, craddled by the saddle in fact.  The lack of padding was never an issue and the nylon/carbon blended shell had just enough forgiveness built in that you stayed firmly planted on the saddle in comfort even over rough terrain.  The length of the saddle itself and its rails combined to offer a  number of different, comfortable,  in the saddle position options as well as a ton of fore aft adjustability.

If you've been struggling with finding the right saddle, I'd definitely give one of SMP's offerings a shot.  The Forma more than exceeded my expectations in terms of comfort and performance coming as close to a glove like feel as I have ever found in a saddle.  The exceptional build quality is just the icing on the cake and exactly what you would expect from a storied Italian saddle maker like SMP.

Brian

brian@racycles.com 

Trust Your Instincts - Time NXR Instinct

The NXR, East River, Midtown and the Empire State Building.

Conventional wisdom suggests that New York City is as inhospitable an environment for a cyclist as it comes.

With our distracted, wreckless drivers, oblivious pedestrians, and block after block of broken pavement, it's no wonder we've earned a reputation as a less than friendly berg when it comes to cycling.

Most days when you head out for a ride here you find yourself wrapped up in a real life version of the iconic video game from the 80s, Frogger. 

It's precisely because of these challenges that New York City is a fantastic test bed for cycling product.

Thousands of traffic lights and stop signs regulate traffic flow around the city and dozens are on my typical ride routes alone.  Those are dozens of opportunities for hard accelerations and dozens of occasions to evaluate a frame's responsiveness and rigidity--dozens of intervals in effect.

Obstacles of all imaginable forms, including a disconcerting number of adults on Razor scooters, result in a rider contorting his/her bike in ways never thought possible that test the stability and handling of a machine like nowhere else. 

Short of crossing the pond to ride the pavé of Northern France and Belgium, I can think of no environment more demanding, and therefore no place better to test the comfort of bicycle's ride than the roads in the five boroughs.

If a bike can 'make it' here, it can make it anywhere.  

They have grass in Queens. 

On Test:  Time NXR Instinct

For nigh on a year I've been crushing on Time's NXR Instinct.  Ever since my eyes first lighted upon it's shimmering clear coated tubes I've found it hard to think about any other frame.  I was blindsided.  I looked everywhere for the information about the frame to no avail.  There is a dearth of information of any substance about the frame and it's ride qualities.  Months passed and the frame remained shrouded in mystery.  My colleagues grew tired of my swooning, but my instincts told me that there was something special about the mysterious glossy black and green frame on display in the shop's front window and my interest in it never waned. 

The junction of the Monobloc front and lugged rear.

Before I knew it was mid-July and I found myself in France, as I try to do as often as possible at that time of year.  I was hopeful that while there, in the frame's country of origin,  I'd find what I was after.  I was close, very close, staying literally 2 blocks away from Time's Parisian boutique Time Square.  As luck would have it, with the schedule I was keeping, there was no time to stop in.

I returned to Brooklyn's heat and humidity with my quest to find out who the NXR Instinct was seemingly stalled when Gilles, our new Time rep, stopped by to introduce us to the 2011 Time lineup.

In one last desperate attempt to get to know this frame that had cast a spell over me, I asked if he might happen to have a NXR I could demo.  Gilles excused himself for a minute, disappearing out the shop's front door.  Never did I expect him to return with a brand new, Campagnolo Super Record bedecked, NXR Instinct in Black/Green equipped with Time Hi-Tense wheels shod with Michelin Pro Race 3s in tow.  I was floored when he offered it up to me for the better part of a month to put through the paces.  The quest was over much to the relief of my colleagues.  

Tech Time

The sculpted top tube.

Time's approach is a unique one in today's cycling marketplace in that they, unlike every other company out there save for Giant, weave their own their own carbon fiber in-house.  This is the ultimate level of control when it comes to manufacturing and affords Time the unique ability to weave sheets of carbon in special patterns and thicknesses suited to the specifics needs of their frames.  For example, they use a special type of thread, Vectran, in the carbon they weave.  Vectran is know for its vibration dampening qualities.  

When a company goes to the length of weaving its own carbon fiber, you know it isn't going to approach the molding process in the traditional fashion.  Most companies employ bladders to compress the carbon fiber and resin together against an outer mold.  As bladders inflate and pressure is applied, shifting that will cause imperfections in the frames can occur.  Rather than use bladders, Time wraps a solid wax mold with carbon fiber and then places a mold over it.  Once the mold is in place, they inject resin through holes in the mold.  Time refers to the process at Resin Transfer Molding.  Once molding is complete, the wax mold is melted out of the frame. 

Ready for the Close-up

Seat mast top is easy to adjust.

Traditionally Time has employed the lug and tube approach to its frame building.  With the NXR Instict Time introduced its first 'Monobloc', or monocoque, frame.  Mind you it isn't a fully monocoque frameset, just the front triangle.  The stays are lugged in the traditional fashion and the chain stays are subtly asymetrical.  Interestingly, the stays are of the exact same construction as the stays found on the flagship RXR Ulteam. 

The two frames share more than just rear stays.  The NXR is also equipped with the very same fork as used on the RXR, the Safe + 2.  Ok, they're not 100% the same, the NXR'sNXR runs 5mm shorter than the top tube on the RXR and the chain stays are 1mm longer.

The two bikes also use the same Quickset, headset.  Being less than mechanically inclined, even small things like swapping stems are a chore for me.  The included Monolink stem was too short for my tastes, so I had to swap it out with something longer.  With Time's Quickset, everything steering related stays solidly in place while you swap.  No loosening, tightening, loosening, tightening to get things right up front.  I definitely appreciated the simplicity of the set up.

Speaking of easy set-up, the Translink integrated seat post top was incredibly easy to adjust with no signs of slippage.

By all appearances this is a very highly engineered frameset with each tube section clearly receiving significant thought and attention.  The top tube tapers from a taller diamond shape at the rather generously proportioned head tube, to a narrower triangular shape at the junction with the seat tube and Translink seat mast.  Emphasis with this design is clearly on front end stability.  The seat tube is also a  triangular shape.   The forward facing side of the triangle is slightly curved and if you're a baseball fan, it would remind you of the infield of a baseball field.  The lower portion of the seat tube has a slight indentation for the rear wheel clearance.

The down tube is wholly different shape.  The upper portion of the down tube, like the lower portion, is triangular in shape.  Interestingly, the orientation of the 'peak' of the triangle changes from the upper to lower part of the down tube.  At the junction with the head tube, the down tube is quite tall and the peak it on top.  Halfway down, right around the water bottle bosses, the tube changes orientation with the triangular shape being retained, but now the peak is on the underside of the down tube's lower portion as it runs to the bottom bracket area.  While the down tube remains the same width through its length, it becomes flatter and looses a bit of height as you move down from the head tube to the bottom bracket.

Triangles everywhere.

Down tube construction/orientation was carefully considered that's clear.  The NXR Instinct is the first bike in Time's line-up to employ the BB30 bottom bracket standard.  It was an interesting choice for sure, given that the frames bottom bracket construction is more on the minimal side compared to most modern day carbon frames. The incorporation of the BB30 standard undoubtedly is a significant contributing factor when is comes to NXR offering riders great power transfer and a spirited ride quality.  

The NXR Instinct, like all Time frames, comes with a lifetime warranty.

The Ride

Hi-Tense's carbon front hub. 

Needless to say, once in my hands I was eager to get on the bike and ride.  This test bike was equipped with Time's Hi-Tense wheelset shod with Michelin Pro Race 3 tires, Time's Ergoforce bar, a Fizik Aliante saddle, and a full Campy Super Record gruppo.

The Super Record shifting was as crisp and reliable as one would expect and it was interesting having that extra gear around.  I always felt like I was finding the right gear for the circumstances.  The stiff, elegantly crafted crankset spun smoothly on its CULT bearings throughout the test period.   This was my first time riding the modern era Ergo Power shifters/levers after years on an older generation and I'll tell you, the hoods felt great. A nice tacky rubber compound and good options in terms of positioning were the highlights.  My big, but thin hands felt right at home on Time's Ergoforce bar.   I never much cared for the Fizik Arione--in fact I never cared for it at all--so I was a little surprised to find the Aliante on the NXR so comfortable.  So comfortable in fact that I might just put it on my personal rig. 

Quiet confidence.  That's how I will sum up the NXR.  Make no mistake about it, this is not some plush category road bike, this is a performance machine.  To date it's the best all-around road bike I've ridden that wouldn't fall into the 'super bike' category.  Astride the NXR you immediately sense the bike is solid and stable.  It inspires confidence.  Railing corners on the bike is far from my forte and I'll be the first to admit it.  I've had a hard time recognizing myself while out on this bike because of what it has inspired me to do that I normally wouldn't.  No doubt the grippy Michelin Pro Race 3 tires and Hi-Tense wheels contributed to a degree to that wire-guided steering and handling feel, but I felt the frame itself possessed an extraordinary level of stability and control, while remaining lively and eager. No lag time at all between you providing input and the bike's reaction.  

While it mutes road chatter and dampens vibration respectably, you have plenty of feedback from the road surface, which provides one with a very positive feel for the road surface, which certainly contributes to the confident handling performance of the bike.  

I would consider myself to be more of a spinner than a masher, but interestingly I always found myself able to shift to a higher gear.  The frame is not necessarily the quickest feeling off the line--you're not going to feel a surge with the first pedal stroke or two like you might with some other bikes.  You do however very quickly find yourself moving along at pace.  It's surprising in fact.  It's that quiet confidence I spoke about before.  Once you're at cruising speed it's easy to maintain that speed and accelerate from there.  Everywhere I went I felt noticeably faster.

A post-ride shot with the UN in the background.

Channeling Richard Virenque, I like to spend lot of time out of the saddle when I climb.  While there aren't many climbs of substance around these parts, we do have a couple of bumps of a mile-and-a-half or so in length to stretch the legs on.   I was nothing short of impressed with how the bike accelerates uphill and how lively it felt climbing.  The bike so well harnessed what little I have in the way of power output I was consistently able to push beyond my normal breaking point on my training route climbs, riding the full length out of the saddle at pace without fatiguing.  The bike takes on a life of it's own when wound up.  Again, I found myself a couple of gears higher than normal and considering the possibility of going up one more still at times.   

I'm a 6' 1" 180 pound rider and I found no discernible flex in the bottom bracket, nor in the front end when really winding the bike up.

Time's NXR is a real sleeper.  It's a great all-arounder, equally at home going 'a bloc' on flat to rolling terrain as it is when the road turns up.  I'd be thrilled to race long road races, do an Étape du Tour, or attend competitive group rides on this bike.  

Time has revised their pricing structure for making the NXR frameset more affordable for 2011.  As a result the frame will surely be more visible and for good reason.