Cyclepath bicycles

The random randomness.

2012-01-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

Glad to have some rain. Clean the air a bit and put down some snow. Selfishly, it also makes it a lot easier for me to be off the bike. I'm currently (not) enjoying the longest forced hiatus from cycling I have experienced since the mid-80's. The perfect storm of illness, family vacation and various complications has hit and taken me out of my "normal" life. I have been freed from trying to figure out how to coordinate rides without feeling as though I'm shorting my family time.

And oh do I miss cycling! I know that I love to ride my bikes but being forced off really brings that forward. I'm even missing the usual store-n-back run that I can sneak in pretty easily and have done countless times. So go ride your bike for me and enjoy it. Watch that last link.

Cheers

Lotto opens it up!

2012-01-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

Photo lifted from Cyclingnews.com

Greipel turned on a massive sprint to take the unofficial start of the Tour Down Under. That new Lotto kit is a bit loud but I like it. And their Ridley Noah bikes are fearsome!

And so it begins...

Yeah, we got that cool stuff.

2012-01-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

I pinched this list of who is riding what off VeloNews.com.

If you have not seen the beautiful bikes from Ridley and Wilier Triestina in person, you are missing out. We have a good selection of both in the shop right now. Before you consider another "cookie cutter" bike (you know, the same stuff you see all the time on the road... yawn) you should see what the smaller companies have to offer. Our products page has links to most of our suppliers if you are curious.

Most of the truly innovative and exciting companies are too small to afford Pro Tour team sponsorships. BH bicycles is a brand that has pushed carbon frame and compact geometry (a giant company that starts with a G copied their early compact offerings) development since the beginning. Another example of an exciting bike that is perfect for most "normal" riders but is not a Pro Tour race machine is Volagi.

Cheers.

Shut up legs!

2012-01-13T09:00:00.001-08:00

I know it's an old one, but I still like it.

Can you believe this weather? Go ride!

Junkyard CX

2012-01-01T16:51:00.001-08:00

Bilenky Junkyard Cross 2011 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

Now that looks like fun!

Make it happen.

2011-12-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

The difference starts with each one of us. And please, don't use that stupid new Amazon ap to undercut local businesses. You might save a few dollars now but what happens when more local businesses close? Think local, think about your community and act accordingly.

OK, my rant is over. Sorry to get personal there for a moment. Now please go outside and enjoy a ride!

Happy New Year

The 1910 challenge

2011-12-25T21:27:00.000-08:00

I don't normally post stuff from Rapha (mixed feelings and they get enough press on their own) but this is worth a watch.

http://vimeo.com/13386163

The challenge of a ride like that is very appealing. And being able to do it with a group of like-minded friends would make for a great memory. I am not ready to admit that I'm interested in randonneur riding but I won't deny it sounds interesting.

Interview with Chris Cocalis (Pivot & BH USA)

2011-12-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

Bike Radar ran this interesting interview with Chris Cocalis, the founder of Titus and Pivot as well as the USA distributor of BH bicycles. The interview focuses on his experience and how he got into the bicycle industry. I already knew how great the Pivot and BH bikes rode and now I know how much passion and experience is behind that. The interview is copied below the link.

Original article link from Bike Radar.

(T)he story of Chris Cocalis, founder of Pivot Cycles and the U.S. importer for BH Bikes. Before that he started Titus. How do you start multiple bike companies from scratch, build them into highly regarded brands and capture distribution rights for one of Europe’s most historic badges? Let’s find out…

BIKERUMOR: Who are you and what are you doing here?

COCALIS: I am the President and founder of Pivot Cycles and also BH Bikes USA. Pivot Cycles is a high end mountain bike company focusing on the very top end of high performance mountain bikes (primarily full suspension). BH Bikes is a 102 year old Spanish bicycle company with a strong history in European cycling and racing. I founded Pivot Cycles 5 years ago to introduce a new line of cutting edge mountain bikes and at the same time formed a partnership with BH bikes to help design and bring their cutting edge road bikes to North America.

We are a relatively small company (although growing fast) so I wear a lot of hats. As President, of course I handle all the general planning and overseeing the business but am really driven by the design and product development side of the business. I am a rider and love the technical side of the sport. I wake up in the morning wanting to always build a better bike.

BIKERUMOR: What was your first job or experience in the cycling industry? How did you “break” in?

My first job was at a bike shop. Actually, it wasn’t even a job at first. I was 9 years old and wanted to sign up for a bicycle maintenance and repair class through our local park district. I was too young so my mom had to get permission from the bike shop that ran the class to let me in (Mike’s Bikes in Palatine, Illinois). I must have re-enrolled in that class 3 or 4 times to the point where Wayne Mikes would start the class teaching families how to fix flat tires while I was overhauling coaster brake hubs in back. I became the shop rat, began racing BMX shortly thereafter and got my first “real” bike shop job at 15.

As far as “breaking” in, I kind of made my own path. I worked at and managed bike shops all through college, attended the USCF academy in Colorado Springs and got my USCF mechanics certification, learned how to braze from the original founder of NORBA and welded my first mountain bike frame in 1987. Even before that, I designed my own BMX frame and had someone build it for me. I was just always pushing to gain more knowledge and was never happy with my equipment. I always wanted something better. In 1988 I met a titanium welder from Allied Signal Aerospace and we built our first titanium bikes together. The two of us and another aerospace engineer founded Titus Cycles in 1991. I was the president of Titus Cycles for 17 years before selling it about 7 years ago.

BIKERUMOR: What’s your educational background?

I attended Arizona State University for the first several years in engineering and then graduated with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. (yes, accounting….that wasn’t a typo)

BIKERUMOR: After that first experience/job, what was the path to your current position?

I was a senior at ASU, managing a bike store, and building frames. At the very beginning of Titus we built some suspension proto-types for John Radar (the guy who invented the Aheadset) after meeting him at a bike race (Cactus Cup, I believe). The design worked well and he sold the concept to Univega. Univega asked that we build them 175 Titanium frames for production. At that time we were very much hand building the bikes out of the garage and were not equipped to handle that kind of production.

Plus, I was interviewing with several accounting firms to head into the real world. One of my accounting professors was an avid cyclist and was urging me to do this, not go into accounting. His name was Hal Reneau (Godspeed Hal) and he was my thesis director. My thesis was a business plan for a custom bicycle manufacturing business that could build fully custom bikes in a production like manner. Hal backed my idea and became my first investor. I graduated, rented a building, hired our first employees, and got married all in the same year, while assembling bikes at night and weekends for two different bike shops to pay the bills.

We went on to build mountain and road frames, components, and suspension systems for Diamond Back, DEAN, SyCip, Kestral, Conejo, High-Zoot, Terry, Speedgoat, Edge, LeMond and many others before really focusing on our own Titus designs. During the early years, I cut and fit all the tubes, worked on the drawings and basically did everything but the welding. I had my hands in everything from the earliest suspension innovations, to developing custom road frames for the LeMond Mercury team, and then developing metal matrix materials with a couple different manufacturers. In the last few years before leaving Titus, we developed Exogrid and Isogrid carbon technologies as well as the MaxM brand of components. Most of the high end composite work was done in house so I had a large amount of hands on experience with that as well. It all adds up to where I am today.

BIKERUMOR: What’s a normal day for you?

I travel about 5 months out of the year between spending a lot of time at the factories, trade shows, events, visiting with our customers, etc. This keeps my job pretty action packed. When I am in the office, I have meetings several days a week with all the key people, but I try and spend the most of my time on product development and production. We have a full CNC machining and production capabilities in house so we always have projects in development. We also have 3 engineer/designers and I spend a greater percentage of my time with them working on new projects.

BIKERUMOR: What are the highlights of your job?

Creating new bikes. It is what drives me. I can’t sleep when we are getting something new close to the stage where I can ride it. Whether that be an aluminum prototype, or the first new carbon frames out of the mold. I love to assemble the prototypes myself in order to check every detail. For me, the only thing more therapeutic than building a bike is riding one.

Also, I get to work with an awesome group of people. Everyone works so hard for the same goal and it’s always awesome to see how dedicated everyone is and see our team pulling together. We are only a five year old company and I would not be in the position I am in today without the other like minded cycling nuts that I work with.

BIKERUMOR: What could you do without?

Jetlag! I just got back from a trip and have been up all night (although I did sleep until 3 in the afternoon today) Incidentally, this interview is taking place in the middle of the night (although it is morning in Spain and afternoon in Asia).

BIKERUMOR: What advice would you give to someone looking to follow your path today?

You need to live it and you need to start out in a bike shop and learn from the ground up. I get a lot of resume’s from people who are going to school for design, engineering, or business and somewhere along the line they became cycling enthusiasts so they think working for a bike company would be a cool job. Well, it is a really cool job, but it is a job that requires a lot of knowledge and there are a lot of people that want to do it. If you love cycling and want to do this as a living then live it like it’s the only thing you want to do. People appreciate passion and drive, but it’s hard to resist when it comes with a healthy dose of knowledge and experience.

Well said, sir.

2011-12-12T19:40:00.000-08:00

I just read a very good post on PRK and I suggest you take a few minutes to hit it as well.

http://redkiteprayer.com/?p=6873

Well said indeed.

Cruelty!

2011-12-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

It happens to most of us at some point in the year. You take time off the bike. Sometimes it is on purpose so you can get some rest (smart). And sometimes it is forced through travel, family and job commitments, injury or illness. I don't know about you, but when I'm off the bike for a while I start to harbor a strange mixture of feelings: anticipation and dread. The excitement of getting back to riding grows while at the same time I fear the change in my fitness and the suffering that will ensue. No matter how much I justify the loss of speed and endurance, it is always surprising how fast it goes away and how much it can hurt to get it back.

And if it is the cold that is keeping you off the bike, come in and check out the new clothing from Endura. So nice.

Cool!

2011-11-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

Xperia Studios built this 360 degree, interactive video of a ride on Slick Rock Trail. Watch the YouTube video then check out the full version: www.xperiastudio.com/360-video

Adventure

2011-11-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

I lifted this from The Bicycle Story: Last summer pro mountain biker Matt Hunter took a small backpack with camping and fishing gear, an HD video camera, his mountain bike and little else, loaded it into a float plane and set of by himself for a two day, point-to-point trail ride through the Canadian wilderness. The short video he produced shows and adventure most of us only dream about.

It's time to plan an adventure...

Lost art of the group ride.

2011-10-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

I just read an interesting post by Rob Wilborn about the lost art of the group road ride. I am going to copy and paste most of it below. While I don't agree with all of it, most of it is worth reading.

Every so often, I’ll ride a recreationaI group ride. I love the comraderie of cyclists, the talk, the last minute pumps of air, the clicking in, and the easy drifting out as a peloton. “I miss riding in a group,” I’ll think to myself.

The magic ends by mile 10. The group will surge, gap, and separate, only to regroup at every stop sign. I’ll hear fifteen repeated screams of “HOLE!” for every minor road imperfection. And then no mention of the actual hole. Some guy in front will set a PR for his 30 second pull. Wheels overlap, brakes are tapped, and some guy in the back will go across the yellow line and speed past the peloton for no apparent reason. A breakaway?!

I curse under my breath, remembering why I always ride with only a few friends. Doesn’t anyone else realize how dangerous this ride is? How bad it is for our reputation on the road? There are clear rules of ride etiquette, safety, and common sense. Does anyone here know the rules? Who is in charge?

But no one is in charge, and the chaotic group has no idea of how to ride together. As a bike lawyer, I get the complaints from irritated drivers, concerned police, controversy-seeking journalists, and injured cyclists. It needs to get better, but the obstacles are real:

First, everyone is an expert these days. The internet and a power meter do not replace 50,000 miles of experience.

Second, the more experienced riders just want to drop the others and not be bothered. It is all about the workout, the ego boost, or riding with a subset of friends. But a group ride is neither a race nor cycling Darwinism. As riders get better, they seek to distinguish themselves by riding faster; but as riders get better they need to realize two things: 1) there is always someone faster, and 2) they have obligations as leaders. Cycling is not a never ending ladder, each step aspiring upwards, casting aspersions down. It is a club, and we should want to expand and improve our membership.

Third, different rides are advertised by average speed, but speed is only one part of the equation. This approach makes speed the sole metric for judging a cyclist, and creates the false impression that a fit rider is a good one. Almost anyone can be somewhat fast on a bike, but few learn to be elegant, graceful cyclists.

Fourth, riding a bike well requires technique training. Good swimmers, for example, constantly work on form and drills; so should cyclists. Anyone remember the C.O.N.I. Manual or Eddie Borysewich’s book? They are out-of-print, but their traditional approach to bike technique should not be lost. More emphasis was given on fluid pedaling and bike handling.

Before the internet, before custom bikes, and before Lance, it was done better. Learning to ride was an apprenticeship. The goal was to become a member of the peloton, not merely a guy who is sort of fast on a bike. Membership was the point, not to be the local Cat. 5 champ. You were invited to go on group ride if you showed a interest and a willingness to learn. You were uninvited if you did not. You learned the skills from directly from the leader, who took an interest in riding next to you on your first rides (and not next to his friends, like better riders do today). Here is some of what you learned:

To take your cycling shorts off immediately after a ride.
To pull without surging.
To run rotating pace line drills and elbow flick others through.
To form an echelon.
To ride through the top of a climb.
To hold your line in a corner.
To stand up smoothly and not throw your bike back.
To give the person ahead of you on a climb a little more room to stand up.
To respect the yellow line rule.
To point out significant road problems.
To brake less, especially in a pace line.
To follow the wheel in front and not overlap.

The ride leader and his lieutentants were serious about their roles, because the safety of the group depended on you, the weakest link. If you did not follow the rules, you were chastised. Harshly. If you did, you became a member of something spectacular. The Peloton.

It looks so easy... whoa!

2011-10-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

How hard could it be?

That was awesome.

What the Buck?

2011-10-10T14:10:00.001-07:00

What the...?...

Only in Africa. That looks like it hurt.

The changes.

2011-10-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Today it finally felt like fall is coming. The days are getting noticeably shorter and a cool breeze is blowing. That means mid-day road rides will be possible without feeling like you are riding across a pancake griddle under a broiler. The lights will come out at night instead of 5am to beat the heat.

I always feel blasé about road racing this time of year. The world championships were not terribly inspiring which didn't help. Cavendish definitely pulled off an amazing sprint to take the stripes. The Giro di Lombardia is coming up on October 15 and that is usually a great race.

Get out there and enjoy this weather!

Packs a punch!

2011-09-11T10:10:00.001-07:00

I don't care that he wears an earing, Gilbert is a card carrying bad-a$$.

More mountain biking, please.

2011-08-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from 3 days of camping and riding in Downieville. It was my first trip up there and it has redefined some of the ways I think about mountain biking. Have you ever gone downhill so long you started to wonder when it would be over because you were getting exhausted? If not, go do Big Boulder to Third Divide.

Now I want to take a trip to Spain...

Dust & Summer from Harry Nesbitt on Vimeo.

Homegrown Cyclocross

2011-08-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

The race flyer is posted.

http://ccorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/HG-20111.pdf

Time to get dirty!

Jonesing.

2011-08-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

Make some coffee. Watch this. Plan a trip to Europe.

http://vimeo.com/23423134

Sorry I have not been posting much lately. Life gets busy and I've been making more time to ride. You should do the same!

Worth a read.

2011-07-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.cyclinginquisition.com/2011/07/riding-bike-at-dawn.html

We have some amazing riding available to us here. And there is a lot of day-to-day riding in less than scenic places. It's all good.

Roots

2011-07-22T21:15:00.001-07:00

We can debate about where mountain biking "started" but this is a fun video to watch.

Cheers.

This TdF is fantastic!

2011-07-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

There are 3 days left in this year's Tour de France and I'm ready to call it as one of the very best editions I can remember. Tomorrow is the L'Alpe d'Huez stage and then the time trial. The general classification is tight as of this evening so I'm hoping for a few more days of exciting racing.

How about Hoogerland? Pitched into a barbed wire fence at 30 mph and he not only gets up to finish but continues to race. Hard. As. Nails. Flecha got taken out by a car in the same accident and also continued. The next time a TV sportscaster wants to make fun of cycling they should have a conversation with one of those men.

Here's to a great end to this year's race!

Bonk.

2011-07-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, that feeling. I have not had it in a long time but I bit off more than I could chew this morning and paid the price. I received a huge bonk about 7 miles from home. We are talking about the 1,000 yard stare, mouth open, going 14mph on the flats kind of crushing bonk. All of the lights went out. It was the kind of bonk where you have to sit down in the garage before going inside because you don't want your wife and kids to see that look on your face. As soon as I walked in the door I said hello, got out a big pan and the pancake mix and proceeded to make a mountain of delicious flapjacks before I even emptied out my jersey pockets.

The big one is starting...

2011-07-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Photo Steephill.tv/Reuters

The Tour de France is starting this weekend. You can see live European coverage in the mornings on Steephill.tv and Cyclingfans.com. Both sites will usually have highlights available later in the day as well.

New idea!

2011-06-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

http://vimeo.com/25303423

Integrated brakes on a 2012 Ridley Noah frame. Interesting! If this proves out, could it be the next big thing? Once again it is one of the smaller manufacturers pushing the envelope. I wonder how one of the big bike companies will try to make this idea seem like it came from them (I'm looking at you, big S) ?

I think I'll quite complaining about wind...

2011-06-11T21:11:00.001-07:00

Yikes.

That part at 47 seconds is amazing. Can't even get back on his bike!

Great?

2011-06-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

Yeah? I guess...

I get tired of the drugs in cycling hub-bub (most especially when so many other sports are so flagrant about it with no media attention) but the 2011 Giro has left me a bit "bleh". There was some incredible racing. And, as always with the Giro, the scenery was fantastic. After the early tragedy of Wouter Weylandt's death the race bounced back and was fun to watch. But watching Contador easily crush the other contenders whenever he felt like it was not as exciting as it sounds. With the CAS hearing looming over this summer's racing, Contador's dominance has the taste of cheating. He was head and shoulders above the competition and if he did that without doping then he might be the greatest stage racer of all time. I hope that is the case.

On the news

2011-05-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Link to KMPH news story

The news crew came by on Friday afternoon. Now I'm famous!

Autographs are $5 each. No exceptions.

:-)

The cool stuff you see when riding...

2011-05-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

I love road riding, but mountain biking is awesome. On Monday I snuck out with a friend for an afternoon ride at Hensley Lake. In addition to having a great time zooming around on our squishy bikes, we were treated to quite a wildlife show. The frogs (or are they toads?) at all of the run-off crossings numbered in the hundreds. We also saw two large snakes but thankfully they did not have rattles. As usual, the ground squirrels were too plentiful to count (and I didn't run any suicidal ones over this time). But the best moment was seeing a crow and vulture harassing each other over a carcass only to have a large raptor swoop down and steal it away. Certainly a life lesson included there!

I hope you are watching the road racing right now. The Giro has been a real rollercoaster and the Tour of CA is finally getting around to some racing.

:-)

Giro starts May 7

2011-05-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

The Giro d'Italia kicks off on Saturday, May 7. This year is going to be a crushing climbers challenge. Stages 9, 13, 14 and 15 are going to cause huge fireworks. Stages 19 and 20 look gnarly as well. Bonking is going to play as big of a role as attacking with all of that climbing.

As usual, check Steephill and Cyclingfans for live feeds.

Photo from Stelviopark.it

Worth reading

2011-04-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

I just read this post on Red Kite Prayer. Very well thought out and written.

Enjoy.

Gilbert pulls the hat-trick!

2011-04-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

Photo from Cyclingnews

The Schlecks looked like club racers going up against a pro this morning when Gilbert easily out classed the two in the finale of Leige-Bastogne-Liege. Keep checking Steephill.tv and Cyclingfans.com for highlights of the final 30 kms. After watching Gilbert win Lombardy last year and now going for the elusive hat-trick in the Ardennes this week I would have to put him up there with Cancellara as one of the superheros of the peleton.

- edited - I forgot Gilbert also won Brabantse Pijl... so it was 4 big wins in a row!

Speaking of bicycles... have you been in to see the new 2011 Eddy Merckx bikes? I am in love with the EMX-1 and EMX-3. If you are looking for a race-worthy bike that is also supremely comfortable and confident handling then do yourself a favor and test ride one. And if the budget allows, have a peak at the EMX-5 we have built up. Stunning.

Up next is the Giro d'Italia. Here's hoping for more exciting racing and a lot less doping drama coverage!

Perspective

2011-04-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

In cruising around the net this evening I found two interesting tidbits to pass along:

Paris-Roubaix action from Mavic support

And a good piece on souplesse. Similar to perspective.

Cheers.

Gilbert makes it 2 in a row!

2011-04-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

image from Cyclingnews

Philippe Gilbert is a stud! His uphill finishing kick at La Fleche Wallone today and Amstel this past weekend crushed the other contenders. How frustrating is it for Rodriguez to pull 2nd place for the 2nd week in a row? Could he be the first rider to win all 3 Ardennes week classics since Rebellin (doper) in 2004? His form certainly looks impressive. Gilbert has a long history of classy wins. Check out last year's Giro de Lombardia.

Marianne Vos also took her second World Cup race in a week and became the only woman to have won Fleche Wallone 4 times in a row. Impressive!

Slo-mo

2011-04-12T19:13:00.001-07:00

Cool.

http://youtu.be/3QSpuhIQg1A

.

Spring time stuff

2011-04-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

I thought Flanders and Roubaix were both great to watch this year. Unexpected winners at both and even though there was some negative racing, it was exciting. Now if we could just get a rainy, muddy Roubaix...?...

We have put together a new shop jersey and the order is in process. We are trying a new (to us) manufacturer for the jerseys this year. If it goes smoothly we should have some in about 5 weeks. I hope.

Go watch this!

2011-04-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

If you have not seen the classic cycling movie about Paris-Roubaix, Sunday in Hell, go watch it. Steephill.tv has posted the entire movie online.

Paris - Roubaix on April 10th

2011-04-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

image from Bicycling.com

We had a surprise winner at the Tour of Flanders last weekend and some exciting racing to watch. I was hoping for Chavanel to take the win but Nuyens got on the wheel and came through. So not the classic "strong man" win we hope for in the Spring Classics but smart tactics and a good finishing kick. Cancellara looked crazy-strong again but in my opinion, put a bad foot forward with his less than classy recent comments about the race. I still think he has to be considered the odds-on favorite for Paris-Roubaix this weekend... but now I will be hoping a little bit more for a different winner.

As usual, check out Steephill and Cyclingfans for live feeds and highlights and Cyclingnews for race coverage.

Tour of Flanders - April 3rd

2011-03-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

image from Cyclingnews.com

The Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are coming up. We have seen some exciting racing so far this spring with the classics and semi-classics and I'm hoping for more of the same. Cancellara has shown a glimpse of his form from last year by storming away and crushing the field at E3. Boonen put on a display of smart tactical riding, team strength and sprinting power at Wevelgem. The showdowns between those two last year were thrilling to watch. A year ago Cancellar crushed everyone like rice under a mill stone as he completely dominated both races and simply rode everyone off his wheel. We saw that again this year at E3 so he has to be the favorite to repeat. Luckily for us there are several riders capable of turning in great races this year and I hope we get a great show.

You can check out live feeds and highlights at Steephill and Cyclingfans. And Cyclingnews always has a good live ticker and race reports.

Now go enjoy this weather and pedal!

Eating on the go...

2011-03-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

I have cut-n-pasted the following from the Cyclingnews Fitness Q&A section. Our better weather is coming along and with it I hope you will be able to pile on some miles. Feeling good on the bike is all about combining fitness and fuel. If you don't eat right (or the more common problem - enough) it won't matter how fit you are after about 90 minutes or riding.
Carry enough food that you can begin eating about 45 minutes in and have a big bite every 15-20 minutes throughout the event or session. A total of 250-350 calories per hour works for most athletes but you'll have to find your own level. More is better so long as you don't end up feeling full or bloated.

Recommended Training and Racing Foods (Test any possible race food in training several times before using it in a race. Race foods need to be easy to open, not too messy, easy to digest and tasty enough that you will eat them with enthusiasm. )

Fig bars
Bananas
Boiled potatoes (in plastic bag with salt)
Yams (Microwaved until very soft)
Dry fruit
Pretzels
Crackers
Sandwiches (PB & J, Jam and cheese, meats only on cold days)
Energy bars (but not protein, zone or balance bars)
Energy gels (but plan to use one every 20-30 minutes once you start)
Fresh fruit (tends to be low-calorie so combine with other foods)
Cookies Banana/Zucchini or other bread-cakes

Recommended Training and Racing Drinks (Test any possible race drink in training several times before using it in a race. Race drinks need to contain carbohydrate and electrolytes and taste good enough that you will drink them with enthusiasm):

Any athletic energy drink (not recovery or protein drink), Diluted fruit juice with a small pinch of salt.

Good news & bike racing!

2011-03-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

I usually keep this blog to bikes and racing but my second son was born yesterday. 8lbs, 8.5oz and 21 inches long. My wife is from Texas and they go big down there (first son was 9lbs, 5.3 oz)!

OK, so the spring classics are getting into swing. The two best sites I have found for watching the feeds from Europe are Steephill and Cyclingfans. And Cyclingnews typically has the best live ticker. There has already been some phenomenal racing this year so I have high hopes from some exciting classics.

Happy weekend to ya'll. I hope the sun comes out to get a ride in on Sunday. I'm going to stare at my new boy some more.

Mountain Bike trails

2011-03-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

Looking for local mountain bike rides? Listed below are some of the more popular trailhead or parking areas. Fair warning: there are almost no trail markings and it is easy to get turned around on branch trails. I strongly recommend you go with a local for your first ride. Also, most of these trails are relatively advanced. Many of the climbs are steep and/or long and the singletrack trails require respect (rocks and manzanita hurt). The possible exception is Hensley Lake. Since the trails there are interconnecting loops it is hard to get hopelessly lost.

- The San Joaquin River trail - SJRT - is accessed from 3 locations. Closest to town you can hit the trailhead from the end of Sky Harbour Rd (N37 02.259 W119 38.982). The trail heads immediately uphill from the lower parking area through a green gate. Mostly this is ridden as an out-and-back with the turn around being when you are 1/2 out of time or energy.
- The SJRT runs all the way up to Squaw's near the town of Auberry. You can access the trail mid-way up by starting from the end of Wellbarn Rd (N37 03.063 W119 33.938). From the end of Wellbarn you descend go around the gate and descend down to the SJRT.
- The top point of the SJRT is at Squaw's. Squaw's parking area is toward the bottom of Smalley Rd up near Auberry - approximately here (N37 04.989 W119 33.236). There is a trailhead campground and a blockhouse toilet building at the parking lot. Across the road you will see the SJRT and in the bottom corner of the parking lot you will see the "Squaw's Leap" trailhead.
- "Squaw's Leap" descends to a bridge across the river and then makes a loop after you climb up from the bridge on the other side. I prefer to do the loop clockwise.
- Out closer to Madera there are some fun trails at Hensley Lake. The trails make a couple of connecting loops heading out from the Buck Ridge parking lot (N37 07.228 W119 52.040).
- Up at Bass Lake there is a trail system called "The Sevens". Parking is along the road across the the bottom of Central Camp Rd (N37 17.273 W119 31.188). There are several sections of singletrack that connect the dirt road (Central Camp) as it climbs up the mountain. There are more trails up around the campgrounds. You can even make this into about a 40 mile round trip by going to lookout tower at the top of Shut Eye Peak, elevation 8,470'.

So there you have it. Have fun out there, be careful and remember to respect other trail users. It is hard to make new trails and it is easy to get them closed by being an idiot.

And because some people love to blame others... please remember that you are venturing out and riding at your own risk.

:-)

Power and courage

2011-03-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

Two demonstrations of power and courage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqGV3kd0MZg
The Strade Bianche race in Italy today did not disapoint. Multiple sections of white gravel roads, 18% grades, crazy narrow Italian roads... a good one. The video link above is for the last 50 minutes of racing (in Italian). If you just want to see the last 2 kms and the crushing attack to win, skip ahead to about 44 minutes. Race report from Cyclingnews.

http://vimeo.com/20601448
Insane skills. Whether you do or don't mountain bike, that video is worth watching.

Some of us went out for the Blossom Ride this morning. I've never done that one before and apparently the route was reversed this year. The weather and scenery were spectacular.

Omloop - So close!

2011-02-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

203 km in cold rain and the 2 man sprint came down to millimeters! Omlooop Het Nieuwsblad was a promising kick-off to the spring classics. The defending champ bridged up to the lone leader, Langeveld, and the two worked together to keep a gap on the chasers for the finale. The final K was a cagey 2-up sprint. At one point Flecha even swerved up onto the sidewalk in an effort to get Langeveld to come through! Video link to the last KM on Sporza. Write up on Cyclingnews.

Photo: © ispaphoto.com - borrowed from Cyclingnews.com

Blossom Ride is coming up.

2011-02-22T21:41:00.000-08:00

http://blossombikeride.com/

Saturday, March 5th. I'm afraid to say that I have never done this ride. Maybe I will correct that this year? Word is they do a nice job and it is a beautiful ride.

Road racing season is heating up.

2011-02-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

Quatar, tour of the Med... the road racing calendar is opening up. The Spring Classics will start soon. Time to start scouring the web for live feeds and recaps since I don't have a TV. Steephill is a good resource and there are some good Eurosport recaps on this YouTube chanel. Universal Sports has signed some broadcast agreements as well so keep an eye out there.

Isn't this weather glorious? If it was like this all year none of us could afford to live here! Get out there and enjoy it. The roads and singletracks are calling...

Are you too pumped up?

2011-02-01T16:33:00.000-08:00

There is so much techno-spew out there surrounding bicycle frame designs and ride quality. Every now and then you hear a bit about the ride quality provided by wheel choice and even more rare is information about tire choice and inflation. My personal bike is a perfect example. Other riders often ask me if the integrated post makes the bike ride harshly. It doesn't. Choosing the wrong wheel and/or over inflating my tires definitely would.

Setting aside wheel choices, tire inflation is rarely addressed and can dramatically improve comfort and cornering grip. This is an informative short article about tire drop and tire pressure. There is also an online calculator to estimate tire pressure based on that same information. Scroll down that calculator page to double check your psi with the Michelin calculator (taken from this page). In my opinion, some of the front tire pressure calculations are too low to be safe. But the calculations for rear tire pressure are more interesting. Over the past year I have experimented with tire pressure. I used to pump both tires to 120psi all of the time (with 23c tires). I weigh about 150lbs and my bike is about 16lbs. for a combined total of 166lbs. For many months now I have been riding at 105psi for the rear and 95 for the front and it has made a real improvement in ride quality on both of my road bikes. Rolling resistance does not seem compromised and I have not, as much as I hate to say this and jinx myself, had more punctures.

You might want to take a gander at this recent article from Cyclingnews as well. Interesting stuff.

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any bad decisions someone else makes. If you read this post and then mess about with your tire pressure I hope it brings you much joy and happiness. If you end up breaking something or crashing, don't come crying and try to blame me. Our sport is full of risk (and reward) and whatever you do, it is your choice. I hate to have to say that but the times are the times. Now go out for a bike ride and get awesome!

Mmmm... yummy, and not a "cookie cutter"

2011-01-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

Tom Boonen's new Merckx EMX-7 has a nice write up on Cyclingnews. Looks like Quick-Step is using the EMX-7 and the EMX-5 this year depending on rider preference. These high end machines are amazing. And best of all, if you are looking for something of this caliber you can get a killer bike with a pedigree without riding a cookie cutter.

We have the EMX-1 and EMX-3 in stock right now. Beautiful bikes with top notch kits and impeccable handling.

Why ride the same-old, same-old when there are so many cool bikes available?

Sure is sexy

2011-01-24T20:20:00.000-08:00

One of our customers, who has several very cool and very modern bikes, had us put this old beauty back together for him. The frame is in fantastic condition and most of the parts are new-old stock. It looks brand new... just in the wrong decade. All of the details are sorted, from the wheels Nate laced up to the Eddy bar end plugs. Sure is sexy.

As much as I love riding the modern bikes, the classic steel road bikes do tug at the heart strings.

Beauty among the boxes

2011-01-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

Yummy. Sold another bike today and we are not even officially open yet! New Blur LT carbon in wicked green. Blinged out with brand new XTR 10 speed, Thomson post & stem and Easton carbon bar. Not to mention the awesome DT 240s rear / Chub front wheelset. It came out great. And very light.

I think the door will be unlocked and the open sign turned on tomorrow (Thursday, 1/20). Things are not perfect yet but almost everything is put away, the tools are unpacked and the systems are working.

Come by to see the new location and say Hi!

New shop info!

2011-01-14T15:38:00.000-08:00

We are finishing up with the painting and moving stuff into our new location. Should be open soon!

1165 E Champlain Dr
Fresno, CA 93720
(559) 434-VELO (8356) - yes, we are bike nerds

Cheers

You think that is cold?

2011-01-13T20:17:00.000-08:00

Somehow the shop moving locations ended up partially happening during my vacation. Poor me... The good news is things are going fast and we should be open at the new location soon.

After a few days of schleping bikes and building fixtures in the new shop I headed for locations south with the family. I hooked up with a local shop in Newport Beach for the Saturday morning ride. It was hilarious to see a bunch of cyclist decked out in cold weather tights, shoe covers, gloves and hats when the ride started at 50 degrees and got a bit warmer through the day. That ain't cold! I think they would die in our 37 degree fog. The theme continued there and in San Diego with the locals shivering in their down vests and beanies at 55 degrees. It is a good thing they live where the weather is pretty much perfect all the time.

The Saturday ride turned out to be a good group and I ended up doing 97 miles, which I was in no way physically prepared for. I haven't bonked that hard in a long time. The last 15 miles was autopilot and I'm sure it wasn't pretty. But after a few weeks of valley freeze & fog, how could I stop riding? Another 60 miles two days later in beautiful 60 degree sunshine was the icing on the cake. If you don't mind (a lot) of cars, there is some great winter riding down south.

I hope they got a lot of moving work done while I was gone!

Hard to get with...

2011-01-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

We are currently moving bikes, computers, phones and assorted gigantic piles of bike related stuff to the new store. Let me apologize right now because we will be hard to get in touch with for the next week or so (hopefully less). Sorry.

The move is on!

2011-01-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

We have started moving inventory from our old location to our new location.

1165 E Champlain Dr.
Fresno, CA 93720
- Located in Washington Square center
(Save Mart) at Champlain & Perrin
- new phone numbers to follow shortly
but the old number will forward

The new shop is going to be fantastic. We hope to be open and running at the new location in the next few weeks. If you are planning on coming in for anything, please call first and make sure we will be open. Things are crazy right now!

Thank you.

New toys!

2010-12-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

We just built up our first two 2011 Merckx bikes. The ride quality is outstanding and the build kit on the bikes is top notch.

The EMX-3 is a full Ultegra bike (and I mean full, not just some drive train parts... don't get me started).

The EMX-1 is a full 105 bike with some great components.

Very happy.

Awesome.

2010-12-21T20:11:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year.

2010-12-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

Rain. Mud. Cold. Christmas cookies.

The motivation can run low this time of year.

We are lucky to have some local mountain bike trails that drain pretty well. And cleaning your bike (and your shoes and everything else) after a ride isn't too bad if you make it part of the ritual. Riding a single speed helps... easier to clean and you don't have to worry about chain suck... just making it up the hills. Curses on those cookies.

Road riding in the rain is a different experience. Getting caught in the rain can be fun but starting a ride in the rain is horrible. If you dress for the conditions it isn't too bad. Motorists are my only big worry. I don't usually have too much trouble with cars but it seems like most people suddenly can't drive for s#*t if water falls from the sky.

Good luck.

Cycling movies

2010-12-04T22:17:00.000-08:00

We are spoiled with good weather for most of the year. But sometimes the cold mornings and the rain kill my motivation and I'm reduced to riding indoors. The monotony! For shorter workouts I can get by with some music but it is easier to endure a longer "ride" with a movie.

So how about a few suggestions? A Sunday in Hell might be the queen mother of all cycling films (check this out while it lasts). La Couse en Tete and The Greatest Show on Earth are definitely worth seeing. Overcoming was pretty good as well. Breaking Away and American Flyers are both classics even though I do have a mild Costner phobia. I just watched The Flying Scotsman and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It isn't really about cycling but it is worth a mention.

Do you have a favorite cycling movie? Does anyone have a copy of Stars & Water Carriers or the Impossible Hour? I'd love to borrow them!

We are moving the shop!

2010-11-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

Big changes are coming. We have signed a lease for our new location. We will be moving after the Christmas holidays... some time in January looks likely. Our new location is awesome. We will be in the Save Mart shopping center at Champlain & Perrin, over by Campagnia's restaurant.

What does this mean to you and I right now? It means we are blowing out some bikes and stuff at super deals. And I mean super deals.

Gaze upon this!

2010-10-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Almost too pretty to ride. Almost. This is the new Ridley Damocles ISP in flat black. The ISP version is not on the USA website yet but we have already had few come in and go out to happy customers. The build is Campy Super Record 11 with Reynolds carbon wheels. The scale says 15 lbs and 2 oz with cages and computer mount.

I took this one out for about 2 hours this morning and I learned several important things:

1. You can tell yourself all day long that there is not a big difference between different high end carbon bikes. And you will be wrong all day long. I have ridden a LOT of bikes and this bike is carbon done right.
2. I ride SRAM and I like it. Campy is more refined.
3. Don't try a set of Reynolds carbon wheels unless you want to buy some. These wheels are incredibly smooth and fast.
4. I love this bike. This might be the best bike I have ridden in my entire life. I love this bike.

The adjectives used to describe bikes are abused. According to the press hype, all carbon bikes are light, efficient, nimble and comfortable. Some are a few of those things (and some are none) but very few genuinely hit all four. The new Damocles hits all four on the head and adds a truckload of sexy looks. We sell a lot of nice bikes at Cycle Path and this one has really impressed me.

You can click on the small pictures for larger bike-porn goodness.

Some product videos from the Eurobike show:

2010-09-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

Check out these short videos from the Eurobike trade show that just wrapped up in Germany.

Ridley - Willier - Santa Cruz - Pivot - Reynolds

I'm really looking forward to seeing this stuff (and a lot more) in person at the American trade show in late September!

Some ride routes

2010-08-30T15:11:00.001-07:00

I often have people ask me about local ride routes and locations so I am going to start posting some of those here. These are just a few that came immediately to mind. I might post a few more again later.

This 54 mile loop has become one of my favorites. You can do the loop in either direction. The ride starts at Shaw & Academy. It is best to park along Shaw east of Academy and not in the commercial center parking lots.
26 mile out+back ride from Cycle Path to the Millerton Store
Hilly 41 mile out+back ride from Cycle Path to the end of Sky Harbor Rd. There is some good climbing on this one.
Very popular 63 mile loop from Copper and Willow intersection.

Fine Print: Riding your bike is dangerous. Period. You can fall down, get run over by a truck, get run off the road by a distracted driver (or on purpose), get lost, accidentally swallow a bug or any other multitude of wicked and terrible things can happen to you. You are taking your life into your own hands and you are responsible for it. Don't go looking to blame or sue someone because you went outside to have fun and ended up getting hurt. The world is a dangerous place so if you feel litigatious please go away from this blog, do not attempt any ride I have suggested, roll yourself in bubble wrap and stay at home.

A little eye candy...

2010-08-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

We have had a few of the new Santa Cruz Tallboys come and go recently. This is a size medium built out at 24.5 lbs with a 120mm fork. SICK!

And here is another beautiful bike that recently went out to a very happy customer. The Ridley Noah is an incredible bike and if this one is built up wrong... oh, I don't want to be right.

Make sure to click for a larger view.

It's got nothing to do with anything

2010-06-28T19:33:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to post that photo.

The heat cranked up around here a few days ago. I guess I can't complain, it is the end of June. Road riding in the valley has become a pre-dawn to 8am kind of thing for me. I can't get motivated above 90 degrees. The good news is that the mountain bike trails are still in great shape and the snow is gone from most of the higher elevation stuff.

Now if someone could just stop me from wanting a Tallboy so bad?!?!

We have some smashing deals on road bikes right now so if you are in the market, swing by.

Spring cleaning

2010-03-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here. I know I am way behind on any sort of base fitness training (none)... how about you? But when the weather is this nice I just can't seem to care. It feels great to be out riding through green hills, fast moving creeks and endless wildflowers with the snowy peaks in the background. Too bad it isn't like this all the time. Then again, if it was, most of us wouldn't be able to afford living here!

Along with spring cleaning, doing your taxes (procrastinating) and yard maintenance, early spring is a great time to get after your neglected bike(s) and body. A drive train tune up and cleaning as well as a basic bike safety check and maintenance will have you rolling into the warmer weather worry free. If you have been injured or off the bike for quite a while you should consider having your fit position checked as well. A little reminder here: please remember that all the fancy equipment and tools in the world don't help if the person using them is not experienced or properly trained. 'Nuff said.

So many cool new bikes are rolling through the shop! Just a few examples... Pivot Mach 5, Santa Cruz Tallboy, Ridley Noah, Wilier Cento Uno, Argon18 Gallium, Kuota KOM, and many others. There are also a few killer deals on 2009 bikes left floating around (I'm looking at you, BH G4 awesomeness) so come in for a peek.

Winter...

2010-01-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am tired of our foggy winter. It feels like I broke up with my road bike before the holidays because it is too dangerous to ride in that early morning pea soup fog. I'm not worried though. We will make up and get back together again soon.

The best part about winter is mountain biking at the lower elevations. The trails that are way too hot to ride in the summer are beautiful, green and sunny above the fog. We might loose Squaw's (San Joaquin river gorge) to the proposed Temperance Flat dam so go ride it and see why we should try and save it.

Basic stuff.

2009-11-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

A few tips for becoming a genuine cyclist, not merely a pedaler. You can remain a pedaler for years, no doubt, or you can acquire a few basic skills and, hey, you're a bike rider.

Relax on your bike. Everything else about the dynamic physical aspects of cycling begins here. If you are stiff on your bike, tense, you will over-control it. Your bike doesn't like to be micromanaged. Subtle control inputs work best. Practice relaxing on your bike. Your bike will glide down the road in a straight line if you relax. It will continue to go straight as you change gears, look back over your shoulder or grab a bottle from a cage - if you relax. Imagine how that will reassure your riding friends, especially those close behind you. If you've been riding a while and can't get a bottle out and drink from it without looking down or changing direction or speed, start practicing today before you hurt someone.

If you relax on your bike, your arms and legs will absorb road irregularities and bumps so they do not disturb your smooth progress. Your bicycle will stick to the road in bumpy corners - if you relax. A bumpy road won't beat you up as much - if you relax. If you ride tense, you slow the blood flow to your muscles; you'll tire sooner and feel that burn sooner.

Learn to be self-sufficient on your bike. Learn to get your wheels off and back on. Learn to fix a flat. Learn how (safely) to brush your tires to shed thorns and bits of glass before the road grinds them into your tires (and tubes). Learn to pack your under-seat bag so it stays tucked up close under your saddle rails - and doesn't rattle. Please. You may look like Joe Euro-Pro on your bike but if your spare bag sways, bounces or rattles, you're a newbie.

Learn to look back over your shoulder without losing control. Learn how to alert riders behind you to road hazards or threatening traffic without screaming every time you see a pothole. Learn to be predictable and considerate - to drivers, pedestrians and other cyclists. Ride relaxed, smooth, predictable, watchful. If you ride on narrow bike paths, ride to the right. Don't scare anyone. Pick your places to pass. If you encounter daddies towing kiddie trailers passing one another, make your move when they're done (be cool).

Learn that you're another road user, not the road user. Look around. Save the inner focus (and earphones) for meditation sessions. You're out in the world; notice what's happening. Note that there are other folks around. Acknowledge their presence and worth (and give other cyclists a nod or a wave). They may be fighting battles of which you have no clue. Don't automatically think of them as threats - until they prove they are. If they are, get away from them.

Keep your bike clean. You're proud of it, right? You like to look it over every so often, make sure everything's okay. Bike washing day is a good opportunity. If you take your bike to the shop for service and it is filthy, at least rinse it off before you do. It is considerate and will help expedite the repairs so you can have it back sooner.

The above is a shortened version of an article I stole from here.

Now go outside and play!

Bike Radar talks about Ridley

2009-11-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting look at Ridley bicycles. There are some good videos and I particularly liked the one about the aero technology in the Noah and Dean models.

Wilier Cento Uno

2009-10-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Wow. We built this Wilier Cento Uno up for one of our regular customers. Full Super Record 11 and all the bells and whistles. Complete with cages, computer mount and pedals it weighs in at 16.2 lbs. in the extra large frame size. The bike is amazing to ride and he loves it. Click on the photos to see a larger image.

Interbike 2009

2009-10-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

So some thoughts on Interbike 2009...

We hit all the biggies and checked out a few of the smallies. Willier has a beautiful new bike called the Imperiale. The Cento Uno is also available in a Superleggera version now which takes one of my favorite bikes right over the top! Ridley was killing it, as usual, Argon 18 is keeping it simple (a smaller model line up with outstanding engineering) and Kuota was turning a lot of heads. The new Kuota Kult and the Kharma are really sharp.

We have also started carrying BH bikes from Spain. They offer some real Pro Tour pedigree mixed with European flair. I rode around on one of the G4 models and was very impressed. The Speedrom is also a great bike with a ton of value for the money.

Along with BH, we picked up Pivot cycles as well. We have gotten a lot of good feedback on the Mach 5 we have in stock (and on sale) but that seems to go along with the great reviews these full suspension wonder bikes are getting.

Niner showed a great product line up. In particular, the new full carbon hardtail was getting a lot of attention. The bike can be run as BB30, regular BB or with Niner's killer EBB as a single speed. Drool. The whole Niner line up is great but I'm slightly biased since I own a few of them...

We saw a lot of other cool stuff but that covers several of the stand out bikes. Masi and Santa Cruz looked great, the new Fox stuff is dialed, Torelli has a sick new cross bike and we picked up plenty of new parts and accessories.

With the new bikes ordered and coming in there are some great sale prices at the shop right now. Come by and have a look.

Another sweet Noah!

2009-07-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

This is another one of the new Ridley Noah bikes we have sold recently. He is very excited about this bike and we built it up using his existing Red kit and Dura-Ace wheels. This is a big bike and it came in at 16.5 lbs. complete - ready to ride with pedals and bottle cages (yes, most bikes are weighed without that stuff but can you ride without that stuff?).

The Noah has been getting great reviews from Bicycling magazine (they called it "one of the best super bikes out there") and many other sources. We have sold several in the past few months and everyone has been really happy.

Ridley uses "R-flow" technology in the fork and seatstays. That means they are slotted along the middle which causes air be pulled around the fork (or seatstay) and away from the spokes causing a much smoother flow with less drag. The Noah also uses "R surface flow" technology on the leading surface edges of the bike (fork, seat tube, down tube, etc.). The rough or "dimpled" surfaces also contributes to smooth airflow. These combined technologies along with an aero frame design make this a FAST bike. At speeds over 18mph you really rocket along on the Ridley Noah.

Make sure to click on the small photos to see a larger version. In addition to being fast and light, these bikes have great paint finishes.

Road ride with a dirty twist...

2009-05-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Some time ago while driving up Rd. 211 to go mountain biking, a friend mentioned that he had run the loop of Rd. 210 before and that it was a nice, quiet road. What he failed to mention was that the road is only partially paved. The paved sections are almost worse than the dirt sections with patches on top of patches on top of holes. The dirt sections were quite fun but sandy sectors are starting to build up. There were two rocky stream / low water crossings and one was too rocky to ride on the road tires. Adding the loop of 210 really mixed up the typical rides around here and was a lot of fun. The 210 loop is very bumpy. Fancy-pants wheels are not recommended.

Map: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/ca/fresno-high/908124371272817445
- I did the 210 loop starting from the north and that seemed the best direction.

If you go do this ride and hurt yourself or your bicycle, don't blame me. I do not suggest that anyone ever do anything. Ever. You might end up outside where it is dangerous. :-)

The Giro!

2009-05-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, the Giro is not being shown on cable TV. Lame. But the good news is that Universal Sports is showing the stages live each morning. Their connection gets overwhelmed sometimes so I have also been watching the live coverage on EuroSport (scroll down for coverage listings). Steephill.TV is a great website for viewing European bike racing on your computer and I hope they don't mind that I borrowed the photo above from them.

The Giro has been fantastic this year. It is the 100th anniversary and it is one of the best stage races of recent memory. In addition to the racing, watching the coverage means lots of great footage of beautiful Italy. Bellissima!

Hand built DT wheelset

2009-03-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

After spending a few years on a pair of Ksyrium SSC SL wheels, I decided to replace them with my first set of hand built wheels since the early 1990's. My goal was to get a better ride quality (we have some lousy roads in CA), lower weight and good reliability. I also wanted to go back to easily serviceable and replaceable parts. I decided on the always reliable DT Swiss 240s hubs and DT Swiss RR1.1 rim laced together with DT Revolution 2.0/1.5 spokes and brass nipples (40 grams heavier than aluminum but a lot more durable).

The new wheelset is exactly what I was after. Total weight with rim strips is 1,486 grams. The DT hubs roll as smooth as silk and this wheelset mutes road chatter even better than expected. I have about 200 miles on these wheels now and could not be happier.

Whe all know that a wheelset is the best upgrade you can make. Before you look at a set of "factory built" wheels, you should definitely investigate some custom hand built wheels.

Roger's awesome 29'er!

2009-03-20T09:30:00.001-07:00

Roger built up a wicked 29'er using Niner's scandium Air 9 frame. Click on one of the thumbnails for a larger view of this beauty!

Yep, those are the new Reynolds carbon 29'er wheels. The bike is rounded out with a top-o-the-line FSA carbon crank, XO drivetrain, FOX 120mm travel fork, crazy Hope brakes, seat collar and headset.... and more. The complete bike is 24 lbs. ready to roll with pedals and all. This bike has an incredible ride quality. The bike snaps like a big BMX'er and rolls over and eats up terrain the way a good 29'er should. Awesome.

A customer's Kuota KOM

2009-02-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

This outrageous KOM belongs to one of our customers. So Italian and so fantastic.

New Campy 11 and Shamal Ultra wheels. In size XL this sweet ride only weighs 15 pounds, 7 ounces... with pedals & cages.

Click the thumbnail photos to admire this beautiful bike.

Wilier Cento Uno review

2009-02-23T19:34:00.001-08:00

Bicycling Magazine has a new review up for the awesome Wilier Cento Uno.

Video review link

We have this frame set in stock. It is so, so, so Italian and sexy. The World Championships, Tour of Lombardy and several other races were won on this bike this past season.

Ridley Helium video review

2009-02-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

Bicycling Magazine video review of the Ridley Helium.

Video Link

Their review has the new Campy 11 group and some wicked wheels!

Jamis Xenith

2009-02-22T08:30:00.001-08:00

Jamis is an American powerhouse bicycle company. The name often flies under the radar on the west coast (they are based out of New Jersey). Jamis is best known for their value packed bikes but their high end bikes are really gaining momentum. The XENITH series road bikes easily go head-to-head with the best carbon bikes in the world and often come out ahead in all areas... ride quality, weight, life time warranty and value. I own a Xenith Pro (middle of the Xenith range) and absolutely love it.

Check out some of the stellar reviews:
Frankie Andreu video review - plus Cyclingnews & Bicycling Editor's Choice
Bike Radar review
Link to the Xenith Comp model

Also a great video review of one of Jamis' entry level road bikes

The Kuota Kredo

2009-02-16T18:46:00.000-08:00

Cyclingnews.com has a write up of Landis' Tour of California Kuota Kredo on their website.

Cycle Path has the Kuota bikes in stock!

These really are fantastic, high end, European bikes. Kuota has several models which span many price ranges.

Kuota Bikes website.

Bike Porn

2009-02-14T16:37:00.001-08:00

Yes, it is awesome. Yes, it is light. Yes, it is the new 2009 Ridley Noah with Reynolds carbon hoops and the new Campy Super Record 11.
Yes, yes, yes... and so yes.

Click for big, drooly pictures.

Link: Ridley website

2009 Ridley Noah - in stock!

2009-02-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

Awesome-ness. We have a new 2009 Ridley Noah in stock. Black & Red. Built with the new Campy 11.

Written & video review link.

This might be the best road bike I have ever ridden. Seriously. Bicycling magazine calls it "one of the best super bikes you will find" and I would have to agree.

Plus it is dang' sexy!

Building a new website

2009-02-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

Building a new website. It will be stronger and more powerful than before.

This might take a while. We spend most of our time working on bikes and the web guy spends most of his time riding bikes.

Sorry if it takes too long. We are hoping for the best.

Go outside and play.