21st Avenue Bicycles – Family Fun Bike Build! from James Wilson on Vimeo.

“For the fifth straight year, Rutgers has won the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference Cyclocross Championship. With the support of co-sponsor Raleigh Bicycles and presenting sponsor Kim’s Bike Shop, Rutgers fielded an impressive team of ten riders at the NBX Grand Prix in Warwick, RI (part of the Verge NECCS series) to cap off a season that saw Rutgers riders on the podium every weekend.

In addition to winning the team title, Rutgers also swept the individual categories. Patrick Bradley took the Men’s A overall, Molly Hurford took the Women’s B overall (and the Division 1 Women’s A title), Charlie Thompson took the Men’s B overall, and freshman Adam Nawrot had an amazing first season with Rutgers to win the Men’s C overall.”

Congrats again…we’re already looking forward to next season.

It all started a couple years ago when we surprised everyone at Interbike our SSCX Rainier race bike.  Super limited edition and sexy, it quickly developed a cult following in the niche SSCX scene. 

The following year we released the HiLife.  Still a limited edition bike, but one with much broader appeal to the CX market. 

Hot on the heals of the HiLife we partnered with the crew putting on SSCXWC and did something no one saw coming.  A “golden ticket” styled frame give away in which all the proceeds from the sale of the frames went directly to the event and one lucky winner went riding off the muddy course with a one of a kind ride that no one else will ever have. 

Having, seemingly, tapped what we could do with that frame design we did only what was natural…we turned to carbon.  This year another very limited offering of SSCX frames are being made available to help promote and host SSCXWC that went on in Seattle.  If you want one…snag on from that crew.  Cause once those are gone…they’re gone.

Here’s the spec and detail.

* CNC’d drop outs that are keyed for a Gates Carbon Belt Drive
* Flat Top Tube for shouldering
* Head Tube is 1 1/8 to 1 1/8
* Fork is the New Enve CX fork
* Hub Spacing is 130mm
* Seatpost is 31.6mm
* Standard threaded BB

Laurent Fignon {August 12, 1960 – August 31, 2010} (picture via the internet)

It is truly an honor that Laurent Fignon rode a Raleigh during the most exciting tour ever in 1989. 

A couple of side notes…I’ve been able to find the Record Ace dating back to 1936…anyone have proof of one before then?  Second…for 2011 the Record Ace has received an upgrade to Shimano 105 brakes.

Plus…Le Bike Club got a hold of one and decided to personalize their Record Ace…check out their words and beautiful pics…

The latest edition of Bicycling Magazine is on newstands now…

Raleigh America Diamondback 2011 Launch at Suncadia from Diamondback Bicycles on Vimeo.

The answer isn’t as simple as saying…Heritage…there is something more there.  And seeing this clip from an upcoming Rapha film looks like it will expose some of the emotion that is behind this material…

(caution…there’s some Italian swearing)

Of Steel – trailer from RAPHA on Vimeo.