Team Radsport cleans up nationals with lot’s of medals on Paketa Tandems
Congratulations to team Radsport of Pinnaclife Racing Team. They scored again with 4 National Championship Gold medals, 2 Silver Medals, 6 Bronze medals and 4 4th place medals at Masters Nationals this year. All of these medals were won on Paketa V2 and V2r Magnesium Tandems.
Our newest tandem to grace the performance tandem community is a very remarkeable bike. At 22.5lbs with two custom S&S couplings, no other travel bike can compare. Our two-coupling tandems fit into a single bike case for easy travel. The two-coupling version also helps for those who need to carry their tandem on a rear mounted vehicle rack. Read below for features of the D2r and photos.
· Right-side timing has up to 70% lower boom-tube flex than other tandem designs
o Higher performance, lower weight
o Sleek design with conventional parts
· World’s lightest travel tandem at under 22.5 lbs. as shown
· Custom low-profile titanium S&S couplings
o Designed by S&S and Paketa engineers
o Unique features for frame assembly and stress-relief; designed for longevity
· Durable Ceramikoat (TM) ceramic coating
o Mohs hardness of 9 (diamond=10)
o More flexible than Mg: won’t chip
o Superior corrosion protection
o Perfect for a travel bike
· Compact crank adapter with belt drive
o Retains right-hand-side-timing advantages
o Touring gearing–as low as 25” (0.97:1) gear ratio
o Compatible with Gates’ CDC and CDX/CenterTrack sprocket designs
Packs into Biknd case; 44 lbs. total weight
o Allows packing accessories in the same case while still staying under 50 lb. airline limit
I can’t say enough about the tremendous show that was hosted in Denver last weekend. The 2013 North American Handmade Bicycle was a huge success. The people of Denver came out in full force to show their love of cycling. We are proud to be a part of the Denver cycling community. We were also impressed with how many people traveled from all over the US and all over the world to come to the show.
Thank you to every person that stopped to chat with us about our bikes. We love showing off our amazing rides, and we hope you keep in touch with us. We also want to thank the event organizers for doing such a great job and driving a big crowd.
The Bikes we showcased at the North American Handmade Bicycle show this year in Denver:
1. D2r Magnesium tandem bike with two couplings for easy travel. The D2r was shown with a right-side Gates timing belt and a compact crankset. We also showcased our new finish option, which is a nano particulate ceramic coating. Ceramikoat is extremely hard and scratch resistant, and also very thin. We had the insides of the frame and BB shell coated for extra protection. We chose a matte finish for the show bike, and I have to say that the matte finish from Ceramikoat is extremely smooth and continuous. It looks much better than a matte finish powder coat. This incredibly versatile tandem weighed in at 22.5 lbs for the show.
2. WAC Corporal 29er: A mountain bike with a double/double belt drive. This bike simply rocks. It’s a single speed, but with more versatility so you aren’t always stuck with one gear. And you still get to use the Gates belt drive. The rear wheel simply drops out and you can switch the belt manually to a different combination of sprockets. Switching the belt takes less than a minute, and you don’t get your hands greasy. This 29er weighed in at 22lbs for the show.
3. 18th Street Scorcher: This super fast singlespeed tandem was displayed with no chains. Adhering to the Gates philosophy, we used a belt for the drive and also for the timing. It rides so quiet and clean. The most unique thing is that we built the bike to allow the drive and timing belts to both be mounted to the right side, allowing the use of any crankset.
4. Scud All-road bike: The Scud road bike we presented at NAHBS is a slick looking bike. It’s matte black finish mates perfectly with the finish of the ENVE carbon fork, rims, handlebar, stem, and seatpost. JP built this bike with Campy Record EPS, and did a fabulous job of concealing the wires. The bike also featured Hayes road disc brakes, and the entire brake line was routed inside the frame, leaving no cable clutter on the bike.
5. V2 Time Trial Tandem: The V2 time trial tandem is a speed machine. I can’t keep track of the number of people who have won races on this setup. Everyone at the show loved the Sweet Wings titanium tandem cranks that are on this bike too. What a great touch.
6. D2r Tandem with four couplings: This bike is a sight to behold. It’s flashy paint job really brought a lot of attention at the show. The frame is powder coated with a super chrome base coat, then Lollipop Berry faded to Ink black with a clear vision top coat. It has matching pink American Classic 420 Aero wheels, metallic pink bottle cages, and some other pink flare parts that really bring it all together.
We just received a great email from a V2r customer. The interesting thing about this customer, is that he has ridden many of the competing tandems, including the Calfee carbon fiber tandem and our own V2. Read on to see his comparison.
“Hello and just a quick note to say we have been on the Paketa V2r for a few months now, and we are riding the perfect tandem! This is by far the best tandem bicycle we have ridden. Previous tandems owned were a Paketa V2, Calfee, Burley, and we still have a Co-Motion Supremo that is currently idle. The V2r is very close to the V2, but it rides closer to a single bike, plus a little lighter with the single bike parts. Visually it is much cleaner with the right side drive. It is very responsive and efficient while pedaling. You don’t feel the internal torque in the bars and across the tires contact patch. The bike is completely stable at any speed and tracks on rails. The smoothness vs stiffness does not make sense, as if they are incompatible with each other, but yet they are both present in the ride. Great job!” – Trey
We just completed and delivered our first two-coupling version of the new D2 custom magnesium travel tandem. With two S&S couplings, this super light weight tandem fits in a standard single bike case and weighs in at less than 50 pounds with the case. The bike itself, weighed in at 24.7 pounds with a wide-range triple gearing (30/42/55 & 11-30 Recon Ti cassette), Campy 10s shifters/derailleurs, FSA carbon bars and seat posts, San Marco SLR Flow saddles, Ritchey WCS captain & Zona carbon adjustable stoker stems, Lightning tandem cranks with left side Gates Carbon Drive timing belt, Campy Super Record dual-pivot f/r brake calipers, American Classic 420 Aero 3 wheels with Conti 25 mm Gatorskins.
The two-coupler option is a great option for airline travel as you will only be charged as if it were a single bike. The four coupler tandem fits in two separate S&S travel cases, and travels on airlines at no additional charge. The two coupling option is also great for carrying the tandem on a rear-mounted car rack or for carrying on a roof rack. The convenience of breaking the bike in half can also help with storing the bike at home. The possibilities are endless…..
Click here to read more information about Paketa Travel tandems:
In June 2011, Chris DeLaTorre and Colleen Montoya from Huntington Beach, CA, became proud owners of a Paketa V2r racing tandem. Experienced single bike roadies, this husband-and-wife team decided to give tandem riding a whirl. Less than a year later, Chris and Colleen entered and won their very first time trial race: the Southern California Nevada Cycling Association’s State Championship, mixed tandem, 90+ category.
Last week, Chris and Colleen rode their little red rocket (a mere 23 ½ pounds) to gold in the USA Cycling National Championships’ mixed tandem elite category in Bend, OR.
Chris is a member of the Radsport/Pinnaclife Cycling Team, which racked up gold, silver, and bronze medals at this year’s Nationals, all on their Paketa V2 magnesium tandems. Way to go, Chris, Colleen, and Radsport/Pinnaclife!
Congratulations to the three Paketa tandem teams that raced at the Haystack TT last weekend. We are proud to announce that Paketa Tandems took 1st, 2nd, and 4th in the race. That’s just fantastic. Way to go to the racers.
There’s some professional photos from the event here: http://www.sportifimages.com/RoadRacing2012-1/Haystack-Mountain-TT/Individual-TT-AM/22576715_N3hb7s#!i=1808349707&k=9cwKF6p
Dave and Fritz hold a Tandem National Championship and 8 Tandem CA State Championships. Dave and Fritz have been racing together for over 6 years and not only hold a National Tandem Championship, be they each hold an individual California Road Race Championship in thier respective age groups, 50+ and 65+. Look closely and you’ll see Dave and Fritz have set up thier V2 with a same side drive/timiming system. The V2 performs better than other Tandems this team has raced. It corners like a single bike and sprints stright under the stress of these two guys.
California State Championship Road Race
The team went out with a plan to bring the race down to sprint finish. Gary, Bruce, Kenny and Dave were out to make this one count. The race was very difficult, with lots of pot-holes, cows in the road, and riders going into the dirt and pavement…….It was very exciting to say the least. Gary and Bruce made the first group over the climb and Dave and Kenny soon joined, getting the team back together before the long loop back into town. The team did a great job of covering breaks, with Gary jumping on anything that moved. Kenny and Bruce also worked the front making sure nothing went up the road. Several very hard attacks all came back together, and the team moved to the front for the last two miles. Gary set the pace at the front, keeping anybodies thought of attacking neutralized. Kenny paced Dave up into position for the finishing straight. Gary then ramped it up the final climb, causing the field to stretch out. Kenny brought Dave up the right side into the front 4 riders, and Bruce took over placing him in the top 2 with 1K to go. Dave made the right move to get onto the fastest wheel, and sprinted around him with 150 meters to go. Dave gets clear wheels across the finish with no one even close! Pinnaclife takes the win!! I love it when a plan comes together.
This was teamwork at it’s best. This ones for everyone!
Sacramento Criterium
Gary and Steve race up north this weekend with Gary getting in a 4 man break and getting away to solo in for the win! Steve then takes the field sprint for 5th overall. The two man wrecking crew does it again!
Sacramento Road Race
Steve and Gary work hard to make a break stick, but it comes down to a field sprint and Steve guns it through the last corner and takes 2nd place by just inches. It was a photo finish. Nice work guys.
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