Rich's Tongfamily

Well in looking at all the bike components, it’s amazing how little I will read the mainstream publications, it seems like the really good technical reviews are being done by talented enthusiasts. So if you are looking to really understand some aspect of buying a bicycle, here are the nerd sites to watch.
Bicycle Rolling Resistance. This fellow is doing an amazing job analyzing bicycle tubes and tires and seeing what has the lowest resistance. This actually makes a huge, huge difference, with the fastest and lowest resistance being some 5-10 watts lower than average. That’s huge when you consider an average biker is lucky to put out 200 watts. The record leader by the way the Continental GP4000 II with latex tubes. The short story is that with 28mm wide tires, the lowest resistance is at 120 psi needing 11.6 watts, while at 100 psi it needs 12.0 watts and 80 is the lowest you want to run at 12.7 watts.
DC Rainmaker. He lives in Holland now, but he’s the god of power meter testing. It is incredibly how detailed he is riding with three or even four meters at a time. The short story here by the way is that if you can afford it, the Stages LR with Dura-Ace cranks is expensive at $1,200 but is super accurate and has a 30 gram penalty on the entire bike. Otherwise, if you want to transport and shift bikes, the Garmin Vectors are amazing and have about a 150 gram penalty over ordinary pedals.
In the Know Cycling. Another great enthusiasts with really accurate reviews of the wattage and requirements for wheel sets. The short answer by the way is the Zipp 303 NSW if you can afford it are the most amazing all around wheel set.
Fairwheel Cycles. These are the only folks I know who have taken handlebars and stems and actually measure their deflection (how much they bend) vs their weight and price. A great resource if you are adding one of these to figure out what the best value is. The short answer is that for handle bars, the Easton E100 is super light and quite strong, if expensive.