Every once in a while we get really excited about a product. It is very rare that we find something additional to what we routinely stock which provides exceptional benefit, quality, and innovation. Sometimes, however, we're still blown away. Such was the case with the new Stronglight Pulsion crankset.
It was April, 2005, when we visited Cyfac in La Fuye, France, that we first tested the Stronglight Pulsion crankset. For years Cyfac and Stronglight have had a wonderful relationship. Stronglight has CNC'd numerous small parts for Cyfac, and they have always provided Cyfac's headsets. But when we saw a stunning new Tigre (which had just returned from being on display at a show in Paris) mounted with a pair of the full carbon Stronglight CT cranks, we knew we were on to something revolutionary. After riding this combination for two hours in the Loire Valley we liked it so much that we bought it and headed south into the foothills of the Pyrenees.
From our rented chateau in Montreal, just south of Carcassonne, France, we spent 10 days riding into the Black Mountains and other foothills of the Languedoc region, the so-called "Land of the Cathars." Immediately we noticed just how stiff, efficient, and light the Pulsion crankset was. The Pulsion crankset with standard CNC'd aluminum chainrings weighs in at 460 grams, but the Pulsion CT with ceramic/teflon chainrings drops that figure another 20 grams. Couple this with Stronglight's 50 gram (!!) BB spindle, and you've got the lightest crankset/BB combination available. Further couple this to Stronglight's unbelievably stiff carbon crankarms and you'll instantly notice two things: the drastically reduced rotational weight and the easily perceived loss of crankarm flex.
Why is all of this significant? A lightweight crankset which still maintains stiffness contributes to a reduction in bodily fatigue, meaning that decreases in your power and efficiency occur less drastically over time. If you love to ride long hours you will remain fresher and more powerful for longer periods of time; if you're a competitor, preserving your energy resources until that crucial last sprint is what will separate first from second place.
Look for the Pulsion CT crankset on Bouygues Telecom's UCI Pro Team's bikes again in the 2006 season. The partnership between Stronglight and Bouygues is what makes the technology in the Pulsion crankset possible. And, if you look closely, you'll notice a distinct similarity between the Stronglight carbon cranks and the fascinating new aero-crankset used on Time's phenomenal new TT rig!