Giro Shoe Restock and SALE!

With cyclocross season around the corner we want to show you how great a new set of Giro shoes can be for your season.  Come in and buy any pair of shoes and get a $25 gift certificate for your next purchase!

We have the Carbide, Privateer, Privateer HV, and Gauge in stock currently in just about every size.

The Giro Gauge, my personal favorite CX shoe, reviewed here.  EC70 carbon sole for $200.

The Giro Privateer, the workhorse of the line, reviewed here.  Zytel sole for $150.

And the bargain of the line, the Carbide.  With a great fit and a killer price tag, $100, hard to fault.

A Recent Visit to the ENVE Factory!

I wish I could say I were the one touring ENVE's factory, but the guys at Singletrack Magazine recently found their way over for a nice tour.  ENVE not only make killer forks and cockpit parts, but also makes many of the carbon tubes and lugs you'll find on US custom, hand-made bikes.  ENVE works directly with a number of builders to ensure that the perfect tube is chosen for each and every bike that builder makes.

Here are a couple of photos that stuck out to me, primarily because this is how my Independent Fabrication Cross Jester (cyclocross bike based on the Corvid road bike) was designed and constructed.  ENJOY!!

2012 Niner Jet9 RDO Medium Available!

These come in SO rarely for open stock, and for good reason: they are back-logged about 5 months!  With that said, this one was ordered for a customer though we were able to snag him one a few months ago, which puts this one available for purchase.  MSRP is $2599 with the custom-valved Fox RP23, but if you want to do a complete build we'll knock it out of the park for you.

Don't miss this one, Tang won't be around long!  If this were a large, it'd be mine.

2012 Felt F65x Gravel Grinder

Here's my new pride and joy set up as a road/gravel bike.  There's a ton of clearance front and rear for the "27c" Challenge Parigi-Roubaix tires, though mounted onto ENVE 29 XC rims the tire measures just a hair over 30mm.  One of my favorites about running disc brakes vs. cantilever when your bike is set up like this?  You don't have to be "that" guy showing up to a road ride with cantilever brakes!

What can I say about the new SRAM Red that I haven't said in previous posts?  It's really that good...

American Classic hubs have held up great so far, but with only a few hundred miles I would expect nothing else from them.  Engagement is a little slow compared to King or I9, but they sure are light!

ENVE rims have been spot on, but again only have a few hundred miles.  The internal nipples aren't my favorite since they require removal of the tire and rim tape to true, but I'm hoping a careful build with quality spokes will ensure they stay true for quite some time.

Clearance at the fork is huge even with a tire that measures over 30mm.  Of course, it should be since it's still had clearance with a Clement PDX mounted on a wide rim that was measuring 37mm.

Glamour shot from the rear.  The wheelset really sets this bike apart in my opinion, of course they retail for more than the stock complete bike so they should make a statement!

Hayes CX-5 still don't have a ton of miles on them, but have been a solid choice so far.  Performance is there, though the weight it a little high.  The weight can't be that big of a deal though since they weigh about the same as some Avid BB-7'.

Clearance in the rear is also massive.  Again, we'd expect nothing less since this is designed as a cyclocross bike with a fat smooth tire.

There she sits, I'm a fan.  More to come when the carbon version dubbed the F1x D finally arrives, which will hopefully be later this week.

On Test: Hayes CX-5 Mechanical Disc Brake Calipers

With the approach of cyclocross and disc brakes making their way to market, I started looking for options.  I'm not sure I'm ready to go to one of the converters on the market like the Hope V-Twin or TRP Parabox, maybe sometime soon, but not yet.

The Avid BB7 road and BB5 road are both fine, they really do their job well.  But they've been around for quite some time and have gone (mostly) without a challenger.  At the North American Handmade Bicycle Show this year, Independent Fabrication came in with a Ti Factory Lightweight disc cyclocross bike to show sporting the Hayes CX-5 mated to Shimano levers.

Mounting up the CX-5 was only slightly more difficult than the BB7, which is to say pretty darn easy.  Since you can adjust cable tension with the barrel adjuster as well as pad contact on the back side of the caliper all you really need to do is get them set up close initially and use the brake's own adjustments to dial them in.

Herein lies the major difference in setup between the BB7 and CX-5, the BB7 has a dial that's adjusted by hand where the CX-5 needs a 5mm allen.  Certainly not the end of the world, but I think it's noteworthy.

The first item of note when riding the CX-5 is how smooth they are.  The BB7 almost feels as though it has something dragging on the brake cable versus a Gore Sealed system for the CX-5.  The power isn't better on one than the other once the pads are broken in, so that's a wash.  I also wouldn't say modulation is any better with one than the other since they are both really quite nice.

My personal opinion is that the CX-5 looks a little nicer.  The silver polished finish with etched logos looks great and will match any gruppo well.  I think this brake on a Ti or stainless bike would be exceptional.

The stock BB7 I have in the store weighed in at 165g without hardware, the CX-5 came in at 190g without hardware.  The BB7 uses CPS washers from Avid that the CX-5 doesn't use, but I'd guess the BB7 would still weigh in a hair less.

The Future of Cyclocross is Disc?

After spending an entire summer longing for cyclocross season to come, I'm finally getting close.  This has been an interesting year too, with all of the new technology coming and the UCI now allowing disc wheels.

But this got me thinking, what's really the benefit of discs?  They aren't light, in fact they weigh quite a bit more.  I'd guess a disc wheel could resist sand buildup that a shallow rim could accumulate, but does that make up for the weight?

Let's get past the weight issue and move on to durability.  If a disc wheel can get a hole punched into it in a wheel bag, how is it supposed to stand up to a mass-start race where crashes are inevitable?  This one already has a hole in it, and the season hasn't even started!

And what's this about improved braking?  I don't claim to be a plastics expert, but this braking seems like it'll be the same as any other carbon wheel.  I've heard claims of better braking in adverse conditions, but I'm just not buying.

This particular disc does have dimples, but aerodynamics don't really matter in cyclocross.  The braking isn't going to be better on a disc wheel than any other carbon wheel.  Disc wheels are heavy.

After much thought I think I'm going to skip disc wheels for cyclocross.  I don't get all of the hype....

In Stock: Niner Carbon Jet9 RDO Tang Medium!

What happens when you want to race your Niner, but need full suspension? The Jet9 has been a solid choice, but was a little heavier than it's competition. That used to leave you with a choice to be made: do I suffer the extra weight or do I switch brands?

Well, if you've ever ridden any Niner products you'll know they have their geometry dialed. Why would you want to sacrifice the amazing CVA suspension design and geometry just for a little weight?

So let's say you've decided that the geometry and suspension is enough to keep you with Niner, but you're still struggling with the added heft of the Jet9 when compared to some of it's carbon-competition. Have no fear, because Niner has answered with the Jet9 RDO.

RDO stands for Race Day Optimized, a moniker that's being added to a number of items in the Niner line. It means you're getting equipment truly ready to be raced to your best times and right onto the podium!

Iron Cycles is one of the few spots in the country to find one of these frames. We have ONE brand new Jet9 RDO in medium coming in stock for sale. 


The Jet9 RDO is sporting a tapered head tube with inset headset. We've had a love affair with Chris King headsets for quite some time, and this machine screams for one! Tapered from 1-1/8" to 1.5" adds stiffness and steering precision.


Internal routing done very similar to the Air9 Carbon is a welcome addition, as long as you have a little patience. We've gotten pretty good at routing them, but if you're planning to build your own for the first time I recommend visiting www.ninerbikes.com and following their tutorial.


Fox RP23 with Kashima Coat. Does a rear shock get any better? Make it part of the patented CVA rear suspension design and know you've got the best rear suspension available.


A PressFit30 bottom bracket means tons of added stiffness for your pedaling pleasure! BB30 cranksets can be employed for lighter weight and a more narrow q-factor. Or, use a PF30 to BSA adapter and run a standard crankset.

Current wait time is roughly 4-5 months, unless you're ready for the one we have in stock. But don't wait, once this one is gone, you have a long wait for another....