Shimano Yumeya: Discover Kabuki Beauty. Be Enlightened. 夢のワークショップ

夢のワークショップ

Journey to a sacred land where Kabuki Beauty rules. It is a place of forgotten relics and the home of Shimano Yumeya. Yumeya is Japanese for “dream workshop.” It is the thoughts and dreams of cyclists; the desire for lighter, more exclusive products. For the elite who are not satisfied with XTR, Yumeya is the final touch, the ultimate in performance. It is comprised of several aftermarket upgrade parts, finished in gold and white for flash factor. It also offers slight weight savings and a couple other benefits.

Rumors have existed for a while now, yet there has still been much mystery surrounding Yumeya. Yumeya was first introduced into Shimano’s fishing world, to add performance and extra flash to their high-end reels. Recently it has surfaced at Eurobike and Interbike and despite mixed thoughts, it looks freakin’ cool.

Yumeya will grant you wings of the dragon with a total weight savings of 71.2 grams. Some of the parts offer no weight savings, just extra wow factor; but Yumeya has a few other advantages over the standard XTR. The Titanium bolt upgrade features molybdenum coating to prevent seizing which is never a bad thing. The new Yumeya chain boasts more durability and resistance to chain stretch, as well as better oil retention. Lastly Kabuki Beauty brings purity to hydraulic brake hoses giving the world a 35% increase in rigidity. Altogether it is nothing very substantial as far as performance goes, but it is a cool upgrade to brag to your buddies about. Granted Yumeya is certain to have a steep price tag. It is not for the general masses, but the elite who seek to spread Kabuki Beauty to the world.

The total Yumeya parts line-up is as follows:

• Carbon Rear Derailleur Plate
• Disk Brake Lever Lid
• Shift Lever Bracket Band
• Greased Outer Casing (Cable Housing)
• Titanium Bolts
• HG Chain
• Outer Adjust Plate for Shifters (Barrel Adjusters)
• Rear Derailleur Jockey Pulleys (They’re White!!)
• Fixing Bolt for Left Crank Arm
• Cassette Sprockets
• Brake Hose

Take a journey into the land of Kabuki Beauty and discover Yumeya for yourself: Be enlightened. Just remember patience is a virtue in the quest for Yumeya.

平和

HammerSchmidt Who? We’ll All Know Real Soon

Trends and styles of riding have burgeoned in recent years; almost always as a result of the constantly evolving technology that is present in the sport. The early 90’s yielded suspension to the mountain biking community which many feel has been the greatest advance in the sport of mountain biking to date. In spite of this, some traditionalists have dismissed this development and fully embraced the simplicity of the fully rigid frame. While the significance of suspension may be debatable to some, especially with the evolution in frame geometry, production of disc brakes, and improvements in wheel and tire design, SRAM has boldly added another contender to the debate, the Truvativ HammerSchmidt front shifting line, that should make any rider of any style momentarily recede from the debate and eagerly await their chance to try out this new advancement. Leaving the front derailleur obsolete, the HammerSchmidt is a breakthrough in front transmission technology that provides the same benefits of a duel ring system neatly packed into one single ring.

The Truvativ HammerSchmidt will overcome many of the problems encountered with a two or three ring system. Riding with traditional two or three ring systems require constant attention and planning in response to the approaching terrain. In fact, shifting is an art that requires careful timing to successfully shift your front derailleur, especially in situations with abrupt terrain changes. A surprise incline can leave you in a precarious situation as you desperately try to keep the pedals moving in order to guide the chain to the lower ring. Similarly, many chainring teeth are ravaged as they unsuccessfully clear trail obstructions, or an unsuspecting rider is granted the surprise of zero chain tension as they begin to crank upwards after a bumpy downhill jolted the chain completely off of the rings. The HammerSchmidt should successfully evade all of these problems, all the while packaged into a cool, sleek design.  Read more