What are those pedals?
It seems that lastweek’s column sparked a bit of interest in the pedals we hadmounted on the Zero G crankset. Well, those are M2 Racer’s ORB pedals andthe pair weighs in at just 99 grams. Fabricated from 6/4 titanium, theORBs feature 15 degrees of self-centering float. Their $228 price is wellwithin the ballpark for high-end titanium spindled pedals.

The ORB is among a host of ultra-light M2 Racer products. Thecompany’s range includes a 43-gram saddle, a 69-gram seat post and a 6-grambottle cage. To highlight what a complete package of M2 Racer componentscan do, the company teamed with Jason Woznick of Arizona’s Fairwheel bikesto build that sub-eight-pound Litespeed Ghisallo we featured in VeloNewsVol. 34, Issue 16. To see the whole host of M2 Racer components, includingthat Ghisallo, take a look at thecompany’s website.

For simplicity’s sake
I am not sure who’s designing bikes over at VanDessel, but the County Road Bob struck a personal chord with thissingle-speeding tech' weenie. It combines a whole host of my favorites:cyclo-cross, a single speed and versatility. It’s a ‘cross bike, it’s asingle-speed, it’s a fixie, but it has a derailleur hanger, so if you needor want you can simply add gears.

Tech Shorts: That mystery pedal; surprising the GQ crowd

The 7000 series aluminum frame has good mud clearance and is pairedwith Van Dessel’s own XXXX carbon fork. Imagine what you can do with thisbike: geared cyclo-cross by fall, fixed-gear trainer by winter and single-speedcommuter by summer. The component selection is almost as cool as the restof the bike; the Ritchey BioMax bars offer a back sweep much like a MTBbar and the Van Dessel GoGo wheel set features a flip-flop rear hub. Andthe whole package comes in at $900.

Gentlemen’s Quarterly labeled the County Road Bob as the “mostperfect bike we’ve seen” in their June issue, which created a bit of abacklash, said Didier Blanc, co-owner of Van Dessel.

“I’m sure that must have made a lot of people upset, because they boughtit then realized that it’s a single speed. It’s not quite the right bikefor the GQ crowd.”

What the pros ride
''Tis the season for ‘cross, and we only have a couple of months to packas much related tech stuff as we can in, so here is another one of the heavyhitters' race bikes: Mark McCormack’s custom Felt F1X.

McCormack has been a force on the domestic 'cross scene for more than a decade.The highlight of his 'cross career has to be his national title from1997. His fans probably remember him best as a member of the old Saturn squad, back when he and his brotherFrank would dose out a healthy share of savvy team tactics, systematicallycrushing the competition. Frank, also a Saturn rider, earned thestars-and-stripes `cross jersey the year before and the year after Markearned his. This season Mark McCormack has shown he still has what it takes,by winning the second USGP series race in Tacoma, Washington.

As for the steed, Felt starts with a custom super-light scandium tubeset, adds a seasoned pro’s custom measurements and finishes with drool-worthybits from Reynolds, Shimano and Mavic. Much like his regular season roadracer, McCormack’s F1X features full Dura-Ace 10-speed dress from Shimano,except for the brakes. In the past we have seen McCormack on SRP and Empellawide profile brakes, but this year the veteran has chosen Shimano’s BR-R550low-profile cantilever brake. A welcome change, says McCormack:“The brakes are awesome.”

For wheels and rubber, McCormack chose Mavic’s extra-reliable Ksyrium SL tubular wheelset fitted with Clement (now Challenge)Grifo tires. Depending on the course and conditions McCormack chooses betweena 28c or 32c tire. Reynolds finishes the package with bars, stem, forkand seat post. The coolest item on the bike is the custom 46-tooth Dura-Ace10 front chain ring. It provides McCormack a lower top gear without interruptingthe aesthetics of the Dura-Ace group.