By: Embrocation Nov 20

Cyclocross may be the perfect application for electronic shifting, and Shimano's new Ultegra level components are going to adorn many, many cross bikes we think, owing to its massively appealing functionality and relatively affordable price tag. We built this bike up with Ultegra Di2 parts and modified the frame for internal shift cable routing. The rest of the build was purely custom: Zipp's new 303 Firecrest tubular wheels use wide rims which are aerodynamic and light, but most importantly very strong. Avid's Shorty Ultimate brakes are light and strong, and Zipp's Service Course SL bar, stem and seatpost round things out for a remarkably light and race-worthy bicycle.

Stevens Team Carbon bicycle in the 2012 nude carbon paint scheme with German flag accents.

A 52cm frame bears Ultegra Di2 with internal cable routing, Zipp 303 tubulars and a top-flight finishing kit.

Carbon cross-top levers add the ability to break from the tops of the Zipp Service Course SL handlebars.

Ultegra Di2 shift levers have a small profile owing to the absence of moving shifter parts within.

A single wire goes from the Di2 junction box to the front and rear derailleurs and the Di2 battery.

An Ultegra Di2 drivetrain with 11x28 cassette. Zipp's new 303 Firecrest tubular wheelset is an ideal choice for serious cyclocross racers.

Compact chainrings from Wickwerks are highly machined, feel very stiff, and shift extremely well with the Di2 front derailleur. A SRAM Force crank is used for its low weight and ease of compatibility with the Wickwerks rings.

A small electronic wire emerges from the frame and goes immediately to the the rear derailleur with no excess cable flopping about.

Embrocation label FMB SSC tubular tires are among the best all-rounders available.

Zipp's new 303 Firecrest tubular wheels now have black hubs and spokes in their 2012 iteration.

A Chris King bottom bracket is a fitting upgrade for this bike and will keep rolling smoothly for years to come.

Lizard Skins tape in black is extremely grippy and thus the perfect choice for cyclocross. It also matches the texture of the Shimano Di2 hoods quite well.

By: Embrocation Nov 3

Embro Team stalwart, Cary Fridrich, is one of the most animated cross racers on the team, and after months spent recovering from a bike-versus-car accident last winter, Cary came into this cross season motivated well beyond his normal, high level of devotion to training and racing. Below we take a look at Cary's new bike and get his take, in his own words:

Few things in this world are as exciting as getting and dialing in a new bike. Each season as August rolls around I look forward to hearing what frames our Embrocation cyclocross team will be racing on that year. This year’s bike will bring me to the next level, right?

When I heard we would be riding Stevens framesets this season I felt a sense of deep intrigue. Amongst the half dozen different cyclocross bikes (aluminum, steel, carbon) I’d raced, I’d developed a biased love of local New England steel. That said, it was hard not to notice the Stevens logo floating beneath the legs of stars like Niels Albert and Katie F’n Compton on the World Cup circuit. I was also fairly familiar with the Stevens bikes as they were ridden by several great competitors in the Elite and Master’s fields here on the East Coast. As always, I just hoped for a bike with great handling and ride quality. Weight factors into both of those characteristics so I rarely look at it simply as a metric on its own. Below are my impressions of the Stevens carbon team after a nice month long block of hard racing throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic.

First and foremost, before even riding it, the details on the bike are great. Downtube cable routing really is the way to go, as with today’s completely sealed cable systems contamination is a virtual non-issue. The downtube cable routing results in about 5inches (really) less cable length to the derailleurs as well as less housing and ferrules, all of which decreases friction, thus shifting quality has been incredible. The anti-fork-chatter front brake hanger is simply awesome. I will not be able to ride a bike without one now; leave the chatter behind. The paint,too, is top notch and still looks nearly perfect despite the fact I’ve already crashed a dozen times and taken out even more course stakes (just ask Ted King).

The most important factor in a ‘cross bike, I find, is that it should offer confidence-inspiring handling. When you are confident in your bike, you take more speed into technical sections and you never slow down. Once you lose confidence in your bike and start tiptoeing, you’ll never make up the lost time no matter how strong you are. To this point, the Stevens has inspired my handling recently in a big way. Give yourself a week to play around with your position and you will be really surprised at what this machine can do. Everyone who had ridden one before I got mine kept telling me, “it’s a road bike, it’s a road bike.” Well, wrong, it’s a ‘cross bike that gets it done. The bike is super nimble in tight uphill turns and has proved to be just as strong in fast, sweeping downhill turns. If you want stable tracking and high agility, this bike does both. In the rough stuff the frame swallows the roots like they don’t exist, and the smoother the ride through rougher sections, the faster you go. This bike rides even smoother than my favorite steel frame, and you can be for certain it feels far stiffer and snappier under harsh accelerations at the start of a race or coming onto the finishing stretch of pavement. I’ve had to rethink my bias. Lastly, the frames are super light which has made shouldering and running steep run-ups much easier. My inclination to push the bike out of laziness is no longer an issue.

Nothing speaks louder about this bike than the truth. When I got it, I didn’t even really want to like it. Now I’m ordering a 2nd!

By: Embrocation Nov 1

Linnea is one of our Embro regulars on the mountain and cyclocross scenes. This year, she's been riding and racing on a Stevens Prestige.

The Prestige is Stevens' race bike made from 7000 series alloy. It uses the same full carbon fork as the Stevens Team Carbon, but has a different, somewhat more relaxed geometry relative to the Carbon's extremely aggressive, road-bike-like front end. The angles are the same; the clearance is the same but the head tube on the Prestige is a bit taller and thus a more realistic bike for many riders. Linnea's new bike is a 54cm Prestige built up with our first Ultegra Di2 group. We modified the frame to accept the internal cable system that is an option with both of Shimano's electronic groupsets. This is also the first of the 2012 Prestige frames, which retains the same light, remarkably stiff ride of the previous edition bike but has a new top tube that is lighter than the previous version and also features a flat design with internal cable routing, thus making it perfect for lifting and shouldering.

Linnea's bike with a full Ultegra Di2 parts kit, Avid Shorty Ultimate Brakes, Fulcrum Racing Speed wheels, 3T Team components, FMB tubular tires and Shimano XT SPD pedals weighs in at 17.4 pounds. We finished building this bike and got some photos of it just as the first drops of the recent northeastern snow storm began to fall. More reactions to the Ultegra Di2 once we've had a chance to sample it in action. Enjoy.

Linnea's new 2012 Stevens Prestige race bike. This is a 54cm frameset with the new Ultegra Di2 parts kit.

This bike uses the Team level finishing kit from 3T, which includes carbon bar and stem with Fulcrum Racing Speed tubular wheels.

The Ultegra battery installed in a standard fashion beneath the downtube bottle bosses keeps it more or less clear of mud.

Linnea uses the Ergosum carbon bars from 3T and Lizard Skins DSP bar wrap in white, which is super grippy and cleans up well.

The Di2 junction box clips neatly onto the front brake housing. Because the Di2 shifters have no moving parts in them they can be made small and light.

For the moment, Linnea's bike uses a 34x50 compact crank, although she will likely switch to a more cross-specific chainring setup before long.

The 2012 version of the Prestige uses a completely new style top tube that's lighter and has a flat profile for easy shouldering. It also has internal cable routing, which is a nice feature on any cross bike as it makes the bike easier to grab and lift.

Linnea's Fulcrum tubular wheels are essentially Shimano-compatible versions of Campagnolo Bora wheels. These have Linnea's favorite FMB SSC tubular 32 tires glued on them.

The business end of the bike: Electronic front and rear derailleurs with internal cable routing.

The Ultegra Di2 rear derailleur quickly and accurately moves the chain up and down the cassette and does so reliably in even the worst conditions.

Please visit our web store for more information on the Stevens Prestige, including specs and pricing on a bicycle built with Ultegra Di2.