| Crouching Tiger | ||||
Terry Dolan’s bikes have long been admired for their fluid lines and aggressive performance on the track – but road riders can enjoy that performance too. Frankie Andreu puts the bike building maestro’s Hercules Ultegra SL Max on trial. | ||||
 Terry has been designing and building bikes for three decades ,having learnt his craft from Liverpool frame builder Harry Quinn. In addition to his branded models, Terry has supplied frames to other makers, some of which have been ridden to victory in the Classics and in a grand tour. Dolan bikes have been ridden to Olympic, national and world titles on the track.Terry has worked with Great Britain’s national track squad since 1988, supplying frames from the 960g carbon monocoque Tuono road frame to the integrated seatpost Aurora and popular Pista track bike, as well as custom builds. Dolan’s bikes are still built at the company’s premises on Merseyside. | ||||
(NOTE: Click on any image to view an enlargement.) | ||||
On rare occasions, however, it’s possible to spot a bike that’s covered with decals that actually don’t match the manufacturer – and the man behind many of the bikes that lie beneath that disguise is Terry Dolan. He’s been supplying bikes to top pros because they’ve demanded them. Dolan bikes have been ridden to national and world titles by Mark Cavendish, Rob Hayles, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Hoy. These titles came from the track, but these days, the quality and performance of Dolan bikes has carried over on to the road scene. The Hercules, made from Japanese Toray uni-directional carbon fibre, has a very different appearance from most road bikes, because of its curved tubes. Every tube has an individually curved shape which gives the appearance of an aggressive crouching animal ready to lunge and strike its prey.
The seatstays and toptubes are concave, while the chainstays and downtube are convex, giving the bike a unique appearance. The curvature, most obvious in the toptube, increases the torsional rigidity of the frame while maintaining the dampening effect that carbon fibre offers. It’s a compact frame and, because of the curved top tube, Dolan measure the size of their bikes by the length of the top tube needed. The bike I tested had a virtual 59.6cm toptube that actually measured 57.5cm in length. This compact design keeps the tubes shorter, decreases weight, and increases the frame’s stiffness without sacrificing reach or comfort. The Hercules has a nice-looking 5cm seat post extension about the toptube. This eliminates that odd look of having a huge amount of seatpost protruding, which can make a bike look smaller than it actually is. The Hercules comes in white with black highlights and Dolan can fit your bike with almost any choice of components. They send their bikes unassembled, with the parts and frame in two different boxes. If you prefer, you can gather the equipment yourself and, once finished, you have a racing machine on your hands. The Dolan’s curved tubes stand out but that’s about it – it’s an inconspicuous bike without a lot of flash or pageantry. Until, that is, you take it outside – and discover the performance that has given Dolan their good name. | ||||
Although my route didn’t take in the radio towers at the top of the mountain, it still provided me with a good opportunity to get a feel for what this bike could do. The short wheelbase of 100cm kept the rear wheel very close to the seat-tube. The Ksyrium Equipe wheels had 700x23 Michelin Pro 3 Race tyres. I imagine it’s impossible to keep any larger-sized tyre, as there’s less than two centimeters of clearance. At the opposite end, the Hercules had a beefy carbon semi-bladed fork, with an aluminum steerer, which tapers rearwards with a 43-degree rake. With the rear wheel tucked in close and 60.8cm between the centre of the bottom bracket and the front skewer, the bike rallied around corners. T way I could whip the bike over into a hard hairpin and just as quickly whip it back over to the other side was a test of nerves. The 19cm headtube kept me in a low-flying position, so it felt like I was anchored to the road. It was easy to push on the bars, to carve, tear up, and rip up anything thrown in front of me. “Faster!” was the Hercules’s motto, and I was the limiting factor in this high-speed game. Much of this sensation also came from the fact that the Hercules was a sturdy and strong-feeling bike. It almost felt bombproof, with the Ksyrium Equipe wheels helping to roll out destruction on theroad. The wheels rolled very well and were tough enough to go hopping over railroad tracks, pounding through pot-holes and dodging city traffic. I’m sure the wheels helped, but the Hercules’s curved carbon fibre tubes certainly dissipated the harsh vibrations while maintaining a very stiff feel. The bottom bracket is slightly oversized – the downtube flairs vertically at the headtube and gradually changes to flair out horizontally at the bottom bracket. This shape change makes for great stability and handling in the front triangle, while also giving the bottom bracket a ton of strength to prevent any lateral movement. Sprinting in 53x12, the frame was immovable. The headtube was didn’t sway when I pulled on the bars, and the bike accelerated very responsively. Perhaps some of the design characteristics of Dolan’s track bikes carries over to the road bikes, because hitting top speed quickly was never a problem with the Hercules. Dolan produces some very high-end, expensive bikes – but they can also provide a great riding bike at lower cost. This bike came with an Ultegra SL gruppo, which worked flawlessly. Shifting was precise, braking fantastic, and if I closed my eyes I’d never have known the difference from the 7800 Dura-Ace groupset. A comfortable bend in the FSA Wing Pro shallow-drop bars makes it easy to reach the brakes. On top of the fat 31.6 Alpina carbon post was a saddle that some riders consider their favorite. I didn’t’ particularly care for the 200g San Marco Concor Light saddle. It’s very short, which doesn’t leave a lot of room to move around for comfort or handling. | ||||
KITTED OUT WITH my 300g Shimano PD-R600 pedals, the Hercules SE weighed just 18lb. It would be easy to swap a few parts to bring the weight down still further, but at $3,249.99 for the complete bike as is, it’s outstanding value. No remodeling is needed – right from the off you get a sold, responsive, great handling bike. In 2008, Andy Fenn won the junior Paris-Roubaix title on this very frame, giving testament to its durability and raceworthiness. Again, it was one of those times where the rider picked the bike that he wanted. Maybe some day soon we’ll see Dolan bikes scoring national and world titles on the road too. | ||||
CONCLUSION: The Hercules Ultegra SL Max is a great performer, inspiring confidence with its handling and ability to sweep through corners. Its strength comes through with the way it can accelerate and the 1,140g, full carbon carbon frame delivers comfort to make the long rides seem short. The Hercules’s curved tubes give it a very different appearance from most bikes, which may be an acquired taste. If you can adapt, though, you won’t be disappointed. And your wallet will thank you too, because the Hercules delivers a ride worth much more than its asking price. |
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
DOLAN BIKES
2012 PINARELLO ROKH ROAD BIKE COMING
We just got some lo-res sales sheets leaked our way courtesy of Queen City Bicycles in Charlotte (Thanks, Bart!) on the 2012 Pinarello ROKH carbon fiber road bikes. Priced at $3,600 to $4,100 complete, it’s a “balance between performance and value” that claims to be a full on race-ready machine. Word is the frame is a blend of the Quattro’s race worthiness and the KOBH’s relaxed geometry and slightly longer chainstays, likely making it a great bike for long days in the saddle that’ll handle a crit or two when necessary.
The frames get Pinarello’s 12K carbon and shapely ONDA forks and use the asymmetric frame designs from their higher end race machines. The Movistar Team Replica paint scheme above will be one paint option, two more with component specs after the break…
Two kits will be offered: SRAM Force ($3,599) with Rival cranks and Fulcrum 5 wheels, and Shimano Ultegra ($4,099) with Fulcrum 5 wheels. They should be hitting shops very soon.
Italian purists will scoff at the lack of a Campagnolo equipped option for the U.S., but, well, seems lower-mid-level Campy groups just don’t sell all that well.
Which is best ( NOKIA N900 vs NOKIA LUMIA 800 )
INTRODUCTION:
THIS ARTICLES COMPLETELY DEALS WITH ALL THE FEATURES AND NATURE OF THE COMPETITIVE AND EFFECTIVE HANDSETS. ( NOKIA N900 VS LUMIA 800 )
SPECIFICATIONS AND COMPARISONS:
NOKIA N900 | NOKIA LUMIA 800 |
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BULLET POINTS BY THE USERS:
Ø The Lumia boasts of all standard camera jargons, such as an f/2.2 aperture, high performance optics courtesy Carl Zeiss and zero shutter lag, but let's get real - the 8 megapixel camera is no N8.
Ø 1080p video is not supported by the single core chipset powering the device but since Windows Phone cannot support dual core chips.
Ø What really differentiates the Lumia 800 from the orphaned N9 is the software running under the hood. No MeeGo out here, Nokia welcomes you to the world of Metro!
Ø The live tile based Metro UI came to life on this panel with deep blacks and superlative viewing angles.
Ø As mentioned above due to Windows Phone hardware cap, Nokia could only implement a WVGA 800x480 panel, but nonetheless it is a stunning panel.
Ø Nokia adopts their Clear Black AMOLED technology for the Lumia 800's 3.7-inch display. It is of the same type as on the N9, with the only variance being in the screen size and resolution.
Ø Its curved glass clear black AMOLED display is a work of art and looks like the famous crystal crafted in Prague. The display floats on top of the body giving us an illusion of water on top of a surface.
NOKIA N900
Ø Our goal here is to test the N900, of course, but fundamentally, that's the question we tried to keep in the backs of our minds for this review: could Maemo ultimately become the platform of Nokia's future? Let's dig in.
Ø Linux-based Maemo project has quietly been incubating in the company's labs for over four years. What began as a geeky science experiment (a "hobby" in Steve Jobs parlance) on the Nokia 770 tablet back in 2005 matured through several iterations -- even producing the first broadly-available WiMAX MID -- until it finally made the inevitable leap into smartphone territory late last year with the announcement of the N900.
Ø Nokia's been absolutely emphatic with us -- Maemo's intended for handheld computers (read: MIDs) with voice capability, while S60 continues to be the choice for purebred smartphones.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Cummins sidelined until mid-January
However, he is not expected to bowl again until early to mid January due to his injury, which initially ruled him out of the New Zealand series. The lack of Sheffield Shield cricket in January, when the Big Bash League takes centre stage, means Australia would be gambling if they reintroduced Cummins into the Test side for the end of the series against India, which finishes in Adelaide in late January.
"Patrick injured his heel early into the second Test against South Africa," Australia's physio Alex Kountouris said. "By the end of the match he was quite sore and we had scans done after the game that confirmed heel 'fat pad' injury. On return to Australia, he was given some time to recover and was reviewed throughout last week by NSW medical staff and then by myself in Brisbane during the first Test versus New Zealand.
"By the end of last week it was apparent to all of us managing him that he was progressing slower than expected for a soft tissue injury of the heel. As such we arranged for him to see a foot specialist and had further scans that have identified a bone component to his injury, that was not evident on the original scans.
"We now believe that Patrick has a bone stress injury as well as the 'fat pad' injury. This means that his recovery will take longer than first expected. He is not likely to resume bowling until early to mid-January 2012."
Pat Howard, the Cricket Australia general manager of team performance, said alarm bells had rung when Cummins appeared to be recovering slower than expected on his return home.
"The medical staff took a decision that Patrick's recovery versus previous scans did not seem consistent and proactively made the decision that further scans were required," Howard said. "These scans have revealed a bone stress injury which pushes out his recovery by a few weeks.
"This wasn't picked up in the initial scans done in South Africa. Unfortunately this, when combined with Patrick's young age to reprepare for Test cricket, means that he will miss much of the Indian series."
Australia are already without Mitchell Johnson for the whole Test summer due to a foot injury, while Ryan Harris is confident that he is on track for the Boxing Day Test as he recovers from a hip problem. Australia may need to rely heavily on the young fast men James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc, who made their debuts in Brisbane, during the Indian series.
Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
Symonds echoes Gilly's view, says India can beat Australia
"Indians can put pressure on the young Australian players. They have a good opportunity to beat Australia in their home country. I think there are good chances of India beating them," the 36-year-old all-rounder said.
"However, the young Australian players too have an opportunity to beat the Indians. There are positive chances for both the sides. One needs preparation and also needs to respond properly in big games," he added.
Gilchrist had on Monday said that India had a great opportunity to beat the former world number one side as it is undergoing a transitional phase.
India are slated to play four Tests, beginning December 26 in Melbourne, followed by two T20s and a tri-series tournament also involving Sri Lanka.
Symonds felt his Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar, who is on the threshold of scoring a record 100th international century, can achieve the feat in Australia.
"Sachin is an enormous person. There is lot of pressure on him for the 100th ton. I hope he gets the century at the earliest so that the burden that he faces is reduced and he can carry on with the game.
"He has the ability to do it soon. There are chances that he might score the century during the India-Australia series. It would be a great thing for him to score it in Australia," he added.
Symonds said talks about the retirement of his former skipper Ricky Ponting were unnecessary and the Australian batting great should be left alone.
"It is disappointing that reports of that sort are coming out. They are unnecessary. He is a good batsman. It is up to him to decide whether to be in the game. He should be left alone," he said.
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