KHABAR BIKE (Cycling News) - MTB

VeloNews photos

From VeloNews: 'When the Dura-Ace 7800 group was introduced for the 2004 season, it didn't feature a hint of carbon fiber despite the fact that Campagnolo was offering ample amounts of the material throughout its flagship Record group. At the time Shimano relied on its ability to forge high quality aluminum at its Osaka factories. Four years later, carbon fiber is quite evident in Shimano's 2008 line. Four of Dura-Ace's five wheel models feature carbon fiber rims, while a fifth uses scandium. The just released XTR Shadow rear derailleur sports a true carbon fiber pulley cage. And to put the icing on the cake, Dura-Ace will get the option of a carbon crank next year. Is Shimano abandoning its efforts to defend forged aluminum and possibly coming to the plate too late to be a player in the carbon game?' More

Cyclingnews.com photos

The eagle-eyed folks at Cyclingnews.com got the scoop on Shimano's prototype carbon cranks via Gerolsteiner rider Stefan Schumacher's "spare bike" — a new Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL2 — at the Tour de Suisse. More