rider's cycles blog, bike shops victoria, bicycle victoria, mountain bike, cyclocross

2011 SL3's rolling in around the world!

2010-08-01T10:20:00.002-07:00

Group Ride!

2010-07-27T13:05:00.001-07:00

Rider's Group Ride

2010-07-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Some of my Garmin Data!

2010-07-11T16:33:00.001-07:00

Heres my sunday solo ride (today)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40092683

Here is wed. Newton Heights A group ride

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/39910030

and finally here is a quick ride home after work with Joel (one of our customers)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/40092689

2011 Roubaix, Tarmac and Overhauled Allez Officially Announced!

2010-06-28T09:53:00.001-07:00

Taken from bikeradar.com

Specialized 2011 road: new Roubaix SL3, Allez and CruX

By Jeff Jones

The all-new Specialized Roubaix SL3 (Jeff Jones/BikeRadar.com)

The all-new Roubaix SL3, a completely redesigned Allez platform and the new CruX cyclo-cross line were the main points of interest on day one of Specialized's 2011 road press launch in Keystone, Colorado.

Specialized also announced updates to the race oriented Tarmac and endurance focused Secteur, as well as keeping us in the loop with respect to which version of the time trial specific Shiv is going to be mass produced.

Roubaix SL3 is unveiled

We first spotted what we thought might be the Roubaix SL3 at this year's Paris-Roubaix, where Fabian Cancellara rode it to victory with an untouchable 50 km solo breakaway. So impressive was his performance that he was accused of having a hidden motor in his bike, something that he of course vigorously denied. But the story wouldn't go away, prompting the UCI to announce that it would be scanning bikes for illegal devices at races in future.

Specialized, who sponsor Cancellara and his Saxo Bank team, took it a little further. The Roubaix SL3 was unveiled to reveal a giant (hopefully fake!) Duracell battery attached to the downtube.

"We want to come clean. The 2011 Roubaix SL3 will not have batteries," said Specialized's Road Product Director Brent Graves.

Batteries not included on the Roubaix SL3

Joking aside, the full carbon Roubaix SL3 is Specialized's best attempt yet at making a comfortable road bike that can still win the toughest one day race in the world. It's the flagship of their endurance road area, which also includes the Secteur, Ruby and Dolce.

"We've made sure the Roubaix delivers the highest performance for the greatest number of riders," said Graves.

How? Specialized say the smoothness is a combination of vibration damping and vertical flex engineered into the frame (we're not going to use the term "vertical compliance" if we can possibly avoid it).

Zertz elastomer inserts

The damping is done via the Zertz elastomer inserts in the seat stays and in the forks. These aren't anything new, but Specialized has changed the way they're inserted into the stays. They're now mechanically fastened to a cavity in the seat stay. The seat stays themselves have been redesigned to accommodate this.

The flex is introduced through shaping the tubes and using a different modulus of carbon fibre. The shape is flattened so it will flex up and down at the seat tube junction, but not flex sideways. Specialized claims the SL3 has a vertical deflection of 5.7mm/kN, 0.6mm more than the SL2 and (naturally) more than any of their rivals.

A beefy front end

This vertical comfort is all very well, but the bike has to handle confidently and respond quickly when a rider puts the power down. To this end, Specialized have kept their curved "cobra" top tube, which widens and feeds into a beefy tapered head tube to ensure plenty of stiffness at the front end. The forks feature a raised bearing to allow for a "more efficient carbon structure" between the crown and the steerer. The fork has been redesigned slightly too, using a two bladder moulding technique to make it stiffer.

The bottom bracket to chain stay is once piece, again with the aim of increasing the efficiency of power transfer. There's also internal cable routing throughout to allow for Shimano DI2

Specialized say a painted 56cm Roubaix SL3 frame weighs 965g, nearly 100g lighter than the current model S-Works Roubaix SL2.

The SL3 frame design will be used in the 2011 Roubaix Pro and Expert models, while last year's SL2 design will trickle down to the 2011 Roubaix Comp and Elite frames.

On the road

We were able to take the Roubaix SL3 for a 50 mile spin from Keystone to Silverthorne, up the Ute Pass road and back. The smoothness of the ride was immediately apparent, and we enjoyed the confident handling on the descents and in the wind. The power transfer was excellent too. It didn't lose its nerve in the gusty cross/headwind on the way out, and it rewarded us with a top speed of 35mph on the flat on the way back.

The geometry of the Roubaix with its massive head tube made it tough for us to get an aggressive position. If we were going to race on this bike we'd opt for a smaller frame size and a longer stem. However, if you're willing to sacrifice a bit of aeroness for comfort, this bike will suit you.

Secteur: the aluminium Roubaix

Secteur Elite

The Secteur series of road bikes is a more affordable, mostly aluminium version of the Roubaix. The Secteur features the same geometry and design as the Roubaix, right down to the Zertz inserts in the carbon seat stays, fork and seat post.

New for next year is the use of the SRAM Apex group (double compact chainset) on the Elite model. Specialized say they will be one of the largest supporters of SRAM Apex in the future.

Tarmac given a new fork

Tarmac SL3

The race specific Tarmac has undergone a few tweaks for 2011. It keeps its aggressive geometry and makes very few admissions to vertical flex - there's no Zertz inserts in the seat stays or the fork, and the seat stays are triangulated for more stiffness.

More stiffness seems to be the mantra for most ProTour riders. For them it equates to more confident and positive handling and better power transfer.

The Tarmac is already very stiff, but Specialized have come up with a new fork with a bigger cross section so the blades are much wider and stiffer than the pervious version.

Is it a case of stiffness that goes up to 11? Possibly, but again you can't argue with the results. Riders on board Tarmacs have won more than 25 ProTour races this year, and given that Alberto Contador, Fabian Cancellara, Frank and Andy Schleck will all race them at the Tour de France, there's no doubt the frame will enjoy more success.

Allez gets extreme makeover

The Allez Comp

One of the most exciting bikes shown at Keystone was the well-known Allez. which has been completely redesigned for 2011.

Like the Secteur aligns to the Roubaix, the aluminium Allez now aligns to the Tarmac. The geometry is identical to the Tarmac, which makes it an ideal entry level race bike.

Stiffness has been emphasised on the Allez so it should tackle road races and criteriums with equal aplomb. Its stiffness to weight ratio has been increased by 20% compared to the current model Allez, and while it's not at the level of the Tarmac SL3, it's not far off.

There are two versions of the frame: the top level E5 and the A1, which is 75g heavier than the E5.

The E5 features a 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" tapered head tube, while the A1 has a straight 1 1/8". Both frames have the Tarmac-like triangular seat stays, raised bearing placement in the fork, oversized chain stays and a braze-on rather than clamp-on front derailleur to help increase bottom bracket stiffness.

Most importantly, it's been ridden to victory in Specialized's famous Friday afternoon lunch ride, a world championship for those who take part.

Cyclo-cross: Enter the CruX

The carbon CruX

The final machine to be launched on day one at Keystone is the CruX, a new cyclo-cross platform for Specialized. This doesn't take the place of the popular Tricross series, but it's aimed at a higher level of performance.

The CruX comes in carbon S-Works and aluminium E5 frames. A key feature on both is the internal cabling in order to keep things clean in a mud-fest as well as making it less painful to shoulder your bike. On the front, a 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" head tube is aimed at increasing stiffness, while a one piece forged front brake cable hanger should help reduce brake chatter and squeal.

The CruX will be available as both a complete bike and a frameset.

Transition and Shiv: Ignore the UCI

Specialized's two time trial frames, the Transition and the Shiv, are essentially unchanged for 2011.

They have both come under scrutiny by the UCI, the world governing body for cycling, and this has dictated which markets they're aimed at.

The Transition because the fins behind the fork are deemed to be a non-structural fairing, which is illegal under UCI rules. But it only seems to be at the ProTour level. So ProTour riders have been racing fin-less Transitions this season, however these bikes aren't available for general sale. If you are doing a UCI race on a Transition, then it's best to check with the commissaire beforehand about the legality of your bike. It may well be allowed.

The Transition will be offered in six sizes, but the S-Works module will be discontinued as it's been superceded by the Shiv.

The race-proven Transition

The Shiv module

The Shiv in its first and fastest incarnation has been banned by the UCI, mainly because of its "nose cone", again deemed a non-structural fairing. Thus, ProTour riders have been racing on modified Shivs that aren't intended to be sold to the public yet, and Specialized won't say when they will be.

Specialized have instead turned to the lucrative triathlon market, where the Shiv has been fully approved by the World Triathlon Corporation, who govern Ironman races and USA Triathlon (the International Triathlon Union hasn't approved it, but they don't typically allow full time trial bikes in competition). While the Shiv is still available in relatively limited quantities as a frameset module, it does mean you can buy a faster bike than the one Fabian Cancellara is allowed to race.

Prices for all 2011 Specialized bikes are to be confirmed, but the word is that they'll be "aggressively priced", which is good news for the consumer.

And that's all from day one at Keystone. Stay tuned for more road (and mountain bike) offerings in the coming days.

Junior Group Ride

2010-06-26T12:46:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

We are having a junior group ride tomorrow at 9:30 we are not sure of the meeting place so call the shop for that.

40km distance 20km/h average.

Anyone is welcome, but juniors are prefered for this ride.

Colin and Jairus are ride leaders for this.

See you then!

...I should have consolidated these 2011 posts!

2010-06-25T23:15:00.002-07:00

HERES ANOTHER 2011 BIKE!!!!

the specialized P24

its basically a 24" bmx

I want one, retails suppose to be $500usd

more 2011 Tarmac colourways

2010-06-25T23:09:00.002-07:00

I'm loving that there is so much info on the new years bikes coming in!

Body Geometry Romin carbon-reinforced saddle with contoured profile for optimal power position
The FACT carbon fork is light, stiff and compliant with a tapered steerer and 12K weave construction
New FACT IS 8r carbon SL2 frame with tapered head tube and elliptical seatstays is race-ready stiff and fast without sacrificing compliance
Smooth, precise Shimano 105 STI shifters are renowned for their race-ready performance and exceptional value
FACT carbon Pave seatpost uses a Zertz insert to minimize road vibrations for greater comfort but remains stiff and efficient
Adjustable 4-position oversized alloy stem with 31.8mm bar clamp for strength and versatile positioning

2011 Specialized Safire Pro

2010-06-25T22:56:00.002-07:00

All this talk of new 2011 bikes is getting me excited. Although there has been little to no talk about Trek's mountain and road line up for this year. Hurry up and get some rumours going internet!

The Safire ladies bike is looking like its going to get a nice overhauled suspension this year. This is great news to any women who want a better feeling air shock bike.

Heres the latest verion (2010 and before)

And here is the new re-designed version*

*note that it will most likely not be spec'd with Sram XX

Beat the HST sale

2010-06-14T12:38:00.002-07:00

more 2011 specialized bikes!

2010-06-13T00:41:00.002-07:00

Cool story from Chris Horner

2010-06-08T15:25:00.001-07:00

Chris Horner's recount from the tour of Dauphine stage.

Today’s stage in the Dauphine started on narrow, wet roads, and the action began immediately. No more than 3 miles into the stage, a crash hit, taking down 5 or 6 riders. I was still upright, but just barely as I had one rider riding piggy back on me as his front wheel tried to ride up my leg, and his spokes ate my shoe! I fought the bike hard to keep it upright with the extra weight and force of the rider almost pulling me down. As the riders in front me pulled away and a gap opened up again, I was able to let off the brakes and push hard on the pedals to free myself from my unwanted friend. I'm not even sure what happened happen to him as I had to start sprinting immediately to close the gaps that had formed in front of me and stay with the peloton, which was now a long single file line that ran the length of a few football fields.

Right away, I noticed that I hadn't come out of the crash unscathed. My left shoe buckle had been torn off by the spokes, while my rear derailleur had been through a fight of its own. As a result, I had lost the 11 and 12 tooth cogs. At that moment, there was no time to fix any of the problems as the first climb of the day at 6 miles into the race was coming up fast. With no break off yet I knew the climb was going to be interesting, as I was at the back of the group riding a handicap bike with only a shoe and half to work with. Guys around me were on the limit as the field began stretching out with gaps opening up all around me. It was a good thing the climb was only a mile and half long, or I might have been in some serious trouble! As it was the top of the climb came just soon enough that the gaps that had opened up weren't too difficult to close, all things considered.

Shortly after the climb a group of 5 escaped off the front, the pace in the field mellowed out, and it was time to do some damage control. My team director, Gallo, who was driving the car that held my replacement shoe and bike, had everything ready to go when I stopped on the side of the road. The car stopped just behind me as I was off my bike bent over and removing my broken shoe. I yelled to the mechanic Juan as he stepped out of the car to toss my shoe to me before grabbing my spare bike. While he was getting the bike, I was changing my custom insoles from one shoe to the next. I had the shoe on just as my bike appeared and in no time at all Gallo was pushing me down the road once again, where I had two teammates waiting to take me back to the front.

We started flying down the twisty wet descent, diving in and out of the corners, passing the caravan of cars with inches to spare. As we passed each director’s car they would honk the car horn to warn the car in front that we were coming by.

After a few turns I realized that all was not right with the new bike. The rush job to get all of the new bikes ready in time for the Dauphine had left something forgotten. While I dove through one of the tight corners, the bars had started to turn in a direction of their own! Now, some problems you can live with and get through the day, but a loose stem isn't one of them! I slowed the bike, carefully maneuvering it to the side of the road, and waited for the second team car, driven by Jose Azevedo, to appear, since Gallo was still way behind repairing my first bike.

Ace looked at the problem for a second before he realized that between himself (our second director) and the team doctor, who was his only companion in the car, and with no tools between them, that we were going to have to improvise. Ace grab Tomas' bike - which is at least two sizes too big for me - off the roof and off I went again. I think it was almost a toss up to decide which was less dangerous to ride down a technical descent, with the too large bike coming out just ahead over the loose stem.

I made it down the hill and back to the group on Tomas’ bike just as Gallo radioed to me that he had my first bike up and going again. I stopped again on the right side of the road as Gallo's car came flying to a stop just behind me. Juan came jetting out of the car once again, and before I knew it I was back on my original bike in the group and pedaling along as if nothing had happened, with only my single red shoe cover showing evidence of the day’s drama.

The rest of the day was much calmer with only great scenery viewing to pass the time until it was once again time for final fight between the sprinters to the line. But one HTC-Columbia rider had his own story to tell as we were all fighting for space on the road with less than 5 miles to go. I watched him drop off the road into a two foot deep ditch, flying end over end with his bike launching up and into the air. It was unbelievable!

The original break was reeled in with less than two miles to go to finish. They came through the field at us like parked cars in the middle of the road. Riders were going in every direction but straight in order to avoid them. After they all passed through I was next to Alberto Contador. We looked at each with the same thought reflected in our eyes, “Let's get out of here!” But, having survived another stage, tomorrow’s individually time trial should hopefully be a little less dramatic!

WOW

2010-06-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

From the bastion square crit

Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series

2010-05-31T12:48:00.003-07:00

Yesterday marked the end of the 3 day Robert Cameron Law Cycling Series here in Victoria. Overall the event went very well. Rider's Cycles had Katie Cross, one of our sponsored athletes, racing in all 3 events. As well Amy Dearden, Colin Hynes and Shayne Alexander raced some of the events too.

Katie did great! Here are her Stats:

* Bear Mountain Hill Climb
o 8th Overall Women
o 1st Catagory 4
o Time: 11:18

* 95km Sooke Classic Road Race
o 23rd Overall Women
o 1st Catagory 4
o Time 3:19:35

* Bastion Square Grand Prix
o 4th Overall
o 1st Cat 4
o Time 25:47

Colin did quite good as well, this is his first season road racing after a 5 year hiatus from any sports after having a brain hemorrhage playing baseball.

* Bear Mountain Hill Climb
o 17th Overall men
o 5th Catagory 4
o Time: 8:57

* 95km Sooke Classic Road Race
o 11th Overall
o 8th Catagory 4
o Time 2:36:08

* Bastion Square Grand Prix
o 19th Overall
o 15th Cat 4
o Time 28:17

Amy was amazing in Elite women!

* 95km Sooke Classic Road Race
o 5th Overall Women
o 4th Catagory 1
o Time 2:57:13

* Bastion Square Grand Prix
o 3rd Overall
o 3rd Cat 1
o Time 53:08

Shayne ran a great Bastion Square crit, this is Shayne's second race this year and did awesome. Although some troubles were had and he had to pull out after 9 laps.

Here are some pictures!

Bear Mountain
Sooke Classic Road Race

Bastion Square Grand Prix

New Specialized Cross bikes ment for 2011?

2010-05-30T07:06:00.004-07:00

Rumour Mill!!

Specialized Crux, their new cyclocross race bike is apperently headed to the showroom floors for the 2011 season (august 2010). Internall cable routing, no zertz, race bred geometry, sram apex through sram red, alloy and carbon. Sounds sweet!

New Kits!

2010-05-28T12:19:00.001-07:00

New Speed Concept!

2010-05-27T17:42:00.004-07:00

Trek annouced their newest TT/Tri bike this week called the "Speed Concept." The bike differs from the TTX in that the Speed Concept has a Kamtail design that is said to be more aerodynamic, as well as being able to put a rear bag for triathalons behind it.

The Speed Concept comes in two trims: the 9 Series and the 7 Series. Within each series their are many different models ranging from ones built with the new Sram Apex to ones that have intergrated nose/brake/steering cones and Sram Red.

Click images for bigger size!

Trek Speed Concept 9.9

Trek Speed Concept 7.0

Who wants to get Shiv'd

2010-04-14T13:34:00.002-07:00

New sram Red?

2010-04-06T17:32:00.003-07:00

Apperenty rumour has it that Sram Red is going to get updated at the Sea Otter classic on April 14th. Anyone hear anything more on this? I havn't personally rode a red or force equiped bike for an extended period (aka longer than a parking lot length) so I'm not sure if I really like the sram stuff yet. I know that a lot of people swear by it though and I personally really really want sram on my cross bike.

Do you think we will see an update? Maybe if won't be till the Tour De France?

I'm done my first road race and I can't wait to do more!

2010-03-30T23:44:00.010-07:00

So I had my first road race ever this sunday. Actually it was my first "proper" bicycle race ever. I have competed in fixed gear sprints, but this race was much different.

I woke up sunday morning unsure if I was even going to race, it looked nice from what I could see out my window, but I wasn't sure if I was "ready." Lo and behold once I got up it was raining out. In my mind that was a deffinit no that I wouldn't be racing. So I would take pictures and it would be fun. I packed my bike and everything into the van on the slight chance that it was nicer up in Sidney. Went and got Andrew and off we went.

We arrived and the course was wet, but it was sunny out. I decided (with slight nudging from Andrew) to give it a shot anyways. I signed up and took a quick pre-lap. I had no warm-up, which I see now was probably my fatal mistake going into this race. Either way we lined up and got ready to go. In this next picture I look confused, it's because I am. More on that after.

I was confused because he was explaining to follow the rules. Fatal flaw number 2 for me. I had not read or heard of any rules other than "hold your wheel," and to stay in the lane (not cross traffic lanes). I decided to just follow suit of everyone. It seemed to work.

Off we went. I kept with the main pack for 2-3 laps I think, the race was rather a blur when I think back now, but after those first couple the pace was so high that I could not keep up. I think this was mostly due to having not warmed up. I was now sitting in a pack of about 4 people in last place. I thought to myself "this is okay, I'll just go at my own pace and get my Cat 5 upgrade points (see the new CycleBC licensing system for more info on the "new rider" license) and I will hang with these 4." All was well until about lap 5. I felt warmed up and ready to go and the group of 4 that I was with where going too slow for my tastes now. When we crested the top of the hill, which also happened to be the start/finish line, I attacked. I also attacked at the same moment some Group A's were passing. Which was fine, I sorta snuck in with them, for pretty much the rest of the race. Here I am with said A group.

Hanging with the big boys!

Now what I didn't know was that B's were not suppose to be in with A groups. I know now, but in my defense there were a few other B's doing the exact same thing, so during the race I didn't think I was doing anything wrong.

Either way, I felt super good about being able to keep up with the main A group. As I said before I kept pace with these guys up until the last lap. On the last lap I felt they too were going too slow so I dropped them. I attacked on the downhill and got quite a distance away from them. I wasn't just doing this for fun though. Every lap up until this point I had seen a russ hays racer entering the climbing portion of the crit while I came onto the the flat portion (which is just before the climb). Each time I cam down I couldn't catch him because the A group were going at a leisurely pace and I couldn't catch him by myself. As I was saying I attacked down the hill hoping to see the Russ Hays rider after I turned the downhill corner, or maybe to catch him on the climb.

Unfortunately I did not catch him, by the time I got to the bottom he was nowhere to be seen and most likely up the hill already. I then just climbed the hill to finish the race. I didn't think I did that great, I stopped paying attention to who was passing/who I was passing around lap 9/12.

I finished and went over to the side of the road to have a drink, super happy I had finished!

Then Andrew so kindly took me home and I took a nap.

The next day I checked the results and I cam 10th! out of 19 competitors and I got points! I was elated!

Overall I think that this was a great experience and I can't wait to do it again (I am going to find out all the rule though for next time)!

All photos courtesy of Duane Martindale and Andrew Lafrance

Duane's Photos:

http://duanebc.smugmug.com/Sports/Victoria-Cycling-League-2010/Newton-Heights-March28-2010/11655051_DKQ9H#821875710_LqrdR

Andrews Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewl250/sets/72157623723746376/

Cool race in Brazil

2010-03-10T00:10:00.002-08:00

watch in youtube!!

More blubber and jax's photos

2010-03-04T08:56:00.008-08:00

Blubber Burn Classic 2010The Blubber Burn went well. We had a pretty lame show of people, but I suppose that's to be expected if you only give people a one week notice. Some people may also have used the hockey game later that day as an excuse, even though they could well have done both. A real surprise was the lameness of my own people (Andrew, Shayne). But this lameness has reared its ugly head too often in recent months, a situation that I hope will remedy itself with the rising sun.

At least Justin and Cam showed up and kicked ass in the race, and jax, Colin and Mitch came out for support and to photograph (Colin could not get his own frankenbike together in time, Mitch is battling an annoying wrist injury, and Jax does not have a cross bike (yet)).
I don't know. If you're doing an event for a bike shop that you work at, is it unfair to expect everyone from that bike shop to show up? Anyway, I'll try and put that one behind me (on to the next one).
Because of the small field I decided to race in the race myself, and therefore got a taste of my own medicine, and by the second lap that drug wast tasting mighty sour. I had an advantage over the rest of the field of course, since I'd ridden the track numerous times when I was scouting for it and marking it out. This helped me work myself up to the second place behind Cam, where I was quite comfortable. After seeing Cam disappear over the hill ahead of me in a cloud of dust with a thundering roar and the mad laugh of a man consumed by racing, I thought to myself: "I'm not going to try and catch him, cause I wont. I'm going to keep it smooth, try not to crash and try not to get a flat." I was perfectly ok with the second place, but figured that if I was lucky, Cam would have a flat or a mechanical or something and I would be able to steal the win. Sadly for Cam, this is what happened. He got a flat on the third lap I believe and I stole the race. Dave Shiskoff came in second on his Vegan power Salsa, followed by Justin who had to sprint to the finish to hold back Cam who was battling back after his puncture.
Some prizes were dealt out, and overall I think everybody had fun.
here are some photo's:

http://pbckt.com/s4.u9V

So, over all I think the race was a success. I might hold this race as an annual thing, so be prepared to shed your housecoat of winter next year around the same time.

This will be my last post for Rider's Cycles. I have enjoyed working here but I'm moving on. A lot of the posts I've posted on this blog, I've posted simultaneously at www.onbiking.blogspot.com and I'll continue posting there. So if you like reading the swill that comes from the bike infested oatmeal in my skull, that's where it can be found.
thanks for reading, and see you out there.
-Halldór Örn Gunnarsson

Blubber Burn Classic Pictures

2010-02-25T22:37:00.004-08:00

Hi everyone. I realized that not everyone could see the pictures on facebook, or don't even have a facebook account so I made my album Public and I will share the link. If any one else has any other pictures (Mitch! etc) post'em up in the comments!

FaceBook Links

fIXED "epics"

2010-02-22T18:51:00.002-08:00

from Fyxomatosis:

JUNKUN Part 1 of 2 from GOOD.is on Vimeo.

AND:

"Flat Out" Teaser from FLAT OUT PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.

On tinker and prep for the Blubbah

2010-02-19T10:36:00.003-08:00

Quote of the month:
Shayne: "I feel like like Tinker Juarez today!" Halldor: "what do you mean?" Shayne: "Old and Hairy!"
Bwahahaha...
Tinker still kicks ass though. Check out his race schedule for 2010:
http://tinkerjuarez-2008schedule.blogspot.com/2008/04/2008-schedule-subject-to-change-date.html

The blubber burn is getting organized and I've got a few of the prices in today...Some sweet stuff from Sombrio, TRP, Michelin and more...We're going out after work to plan the course so we will be night riding on cross bikes tonight. Should be entertaining! Everyone who wants to come out is welcome to join us.

Hope to see you all out there on the course on Sunday. Also, if you don't feel like racing but want to be a part of the race, get in touch with me. I could definately use some help with the timing and marshalling etc.

Rock on Garth!

What a Great Day

2010-02-18T14:42:00.004-08:00

What an amazing day it has been today!

I took a ride out through prospect lake road and then up to the observatory! I love that route so much, it's a lot of fun. I need to work on my descending skills though, I feel a little scared going around corners at high speeds.

Got Blubber???

2010-02-16T10:31:00.005-08:00

The Blubber Burn Classic, is on this weekend (Sunday February 21st). The blubber what? You might ask. Well, the blubber burn is meant to be an excuse to take those pesky fenders off your CX bike, put the knobbies back on there and kickstart the long cycling season ahead with a cross race at the Dump. In the process you should be able to burn off some of that winter blubber, and who's against that?

This is a Cross race but if you're ready to be scolded and don't have a CX bike you can ride your mountain bike, but only if it's rigged up to be singlespeed.

The race will start at 2pm on this Sunday (Feb 21st.) We'll be in the parking lot quite a bit earlier and will have the course market out, so if you want to take a practice loop, you should be able to do that. Like the poster says: Show up in your finest getup. Registration starts 1pm, race at 2. race fee ($10) goes to trail maintenance at the dump. No categories but prices for men and women. Everybody races at the same time. Le Mans Start. Technical terrain, good people, lots of fun. Hope to see you there.
What else is there to know? you tell me.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me at the shop.
250 381 1125
Dah Blubbahhhh!!!!

M.E.C. and it's response to "being a bike shop"

2010-02-15T21:00:00.003-08:00

This is a very interesting read, It is just the comments section to one of the official blog posts on the subject of MEC having cycling gear and bicycles. There is a commenter (official mec person) that is trying to back up MEC's claim to the bicycle category. The conversation goes from why they did it in the first place to how MEC's board is predominately "white" people and that "people of colour" do not like the outdoors. Also the MEC commenter seems to start getting frustrated with people around the second page and starts saying things like:

I'm obviously bias towards MEC selling bikes as I need MEC to do well in order for me to pay my mortgage and my daughter's Montessori fees. Aside from this bias, I'm really bugged by my local bike store in Kitsalano. The guy is polite and the mechanic super helpful but the prices are horrendous. I bought a tube there for just over $5. I can get an equivalent tube at MEC for $3.50. Recently, I had to replace my entire back wheel at $155. MEC quoted me $100 - 120. I like to support the local store but when their prices are consistently 30 - 50% higher than MEC it makes me wonder if they're grossly inefficient or just plain gouging me. All these bike parts are coming from the same group of factories in Asia and a little bit from NA.

To be frank, as my finances become tighter, I look for bigger bargains and paying 5-10% for made in Canada is within my range but 30-50% is downright fool hardy.
HC.

Honestly, for me I find that 5 vs 3.50 is peanuts and yes they may come from the same factories but local shops do not have the room or resources to purchase huge amounts of stock so that they can get discounts on product via bulk buying. For someone who can write on MEC's official blog I would hope they had more sense to them. Support your locally economy instead of a enormous box store. This is one of the many reasons why we are in said "recession."

LINKY

New SRAM Apex

2010-02-12T15:11:00.003-08:00

Sram is introducing a new groupset for october next year called "Apex." It is said to be similar in spec, materials and weight as Shimano 105. The best part of this whole thing, its price tag: It is rumoured to cost $700us for the entire groupo.

I think this would be a great addition to entry level cyclocross bikes.

NEW Shimano 105 groupo!

2010-02-09T09:42:00.004-08:00

Shimano announced a new revised 105 groupo yesterday, to match what the current ultegra and dura-ace groups look like and feel. Although the 105 does away with carbon levers and is quite a bit heavier than ultegra or dura-ace (2400-2500 grams). When will tiagra get a facelift?

Now onto pictures! (click photos to see full size and not cut off)

Photos: © James Costley

Speed Record on Rollers.

2010-02-08T10:33:00.001-08:00

Speedway on bicycles

2010-01-29T21:52:00.002-08:00

This looks like a blast, European white trash racing...love it!

Some new 2010 specialized products in the flesh

2010-01-29T18:50:00.004-08:00

There in stores now!

Look at that saddle!

2010-01-29T12:51:00.001-08:00

Calling all Cyclocross Fanatics

2010-01-24T10:56:00.002-08:00

READ THIS BLOG:

+1Lap

It's a great blog about handmade bikes, The lightest bikes (sub 18 pounds, most are 13.5-16) and franken bikes (Hal!), the only requirement is that all the bikes have to be for cyclocross. There is alos a bit of race coverage and some great youtube clips.

It is defiently worth a read through as you will see a lot of bike Pr0n that will make you drool with envy.


Frame	Santa Cruz Stigmata	1208
Rear derailleur hanger	Santa Cruz	14
BB Guide	Nylon bolt cut	0
Rear brake adjuster	Shimano	4
Rear brake studs	Alloy	8
Fork	Alpha Q CX20 (475 uncut w/ race)	446
Headset	Crank Bros Cobalt 1 1/8	67
Expander/Noodle	CXW hanger	28
Headset Cap+ Bolt	Carbon Ti	4
Water Cage Bolts	Nylon	1
Spacer	Carbon 10mm	4
Seatpost	3T Doric LTD 31.6 (154 uncut)	134
Saddle	Arione	241
Seatclamp	Woodman	11
Brakes	TRP Euro Carbon w/SS yellow	219
Shifters	Force (remove guts 30gr)	272
Shift Clamps	Force	30
Cables Shift and Brake	SRAM Flak Jacket	140
Rear Derailleur	Force	178
Cranks	Zipp 300	330
Chainring bolts	FSA triple Torx	16
Guards	FSA carbon 42	44
Chainrings	SRAM 39	31
BB	Crank Bros Cyan Ti	173
Pedals	Shimano XTR M970 (325gr) Ti spindle	291
Chain	KMC	254
Handlebars	Easton SLX3	199
Bar Tape	Deda Cork	50
Stem	Rotor S1 10cm	103
Wheels	Shimano DA 7801c (F-567gr) Enduro ceramic	1325
Tires	Challenge Grifo XS	835
Glue	Mastik One	15
QR	KCNC	45
Cassette+ Lock Ring	SRAM 11 - 26	164

TOTAL GRAMS		6884
TOTAL LBS		15.17922

It can still lose another 90 grams by removing the front shifter guts (30 grams), going to an Arione CX Kium saddle (40 grams) and Front cable hanger (22 grams).

No Explanation Needed.....

2010-01-21T18:59:00.001-08:00

I spy with my little eye: Team Astana Specialized Tarmac SL3

2010-01-21T15:40:00.003-08:00

I was watching some online videos today about the upcoming pro tour season and there was a bit about Team Astana and their new bikes. Im not very interested in Alberto Contador, but I am very interested in the Specialized Tarmac SL3.

So lets take a look at some blurry screen shots and see what they are running on the bikes.

As you can see here the bike is in a distinct Astana colour way, you can also see they are running Zipp wheels and Red Components.

Here you can see that there's a fizik saddle sitting atop a FSA K force light seatpost

looks like the cranks are some sort of SRM power meter cranks with red chain rings and a specialized crank.

I'm sorry sir, but your bike is garbage

2010-01-21T15:14:00.004-08:00

Everyone who works in a bike store has come across the character that is convinced that his $200 Supercycle from Canadian Tire is just as good as a $3000 full suspension bike from a reputable bike manufacturer. "What does that bike have that mine does not?" They ask. "Mine has disc brakes, suspension front and rear and lots of gears. How is it any worse than what you have here on the showroom floor?" Sometimes you can actually reason with these people but this is not always the case. The advent of full suspension has not made these bikes better and in fact I believe we're at an all time low as far as the department store bikes go.
Anyway, my brother sent me this brilliant challenge from the UK that involves these boooootttom end bikes. Check it:

http://road.cc/content/feature/12692-scrapheap-challenge?sms_ss=email

Get Ready to Rumble!

2010-01-21T12:09:00.002-08:00

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh

Its going to be fun this year

and the 2010 website is up! here

bike nerd

2010-01-14T23:04:00.002-08:00

pretty nerdy but I like it.
http://www.sturmey-archerheritage.com/history.php
Managed to estimate the age of my Raleighs to be between 1963 and 1978. Not super accurate but I'm getting closer.

Hit and Run in Kelowna

2010-01-14T12:07:00.003-08:00

There was a guy bicycling to work at 3am and got struck by a truck. The truck didn't stop. No other cars stopped, he had to walk a few blocks to a gas station for help. All of this is terrible, but what got my the most was the man's sister was advocating that he had to get a car after this. Which is silly. He should ride his bike if he wants. I see no reason to go spend money to buy a car/ drivers license just because.

either way watch the video:

VIDEO

First Roller Ride, Old Cycling Gear.

2010-01-11T00:21:00.006-08:00

So last night Susan (girlfriend) was cruising some of the local online used classifieds when she stumbled upon a what looked to be a mint set (dunno if they would actually be called a set) of tacx rollers with Mag adaptor at a really good deal. Once in a lifetime opportunity, so I immediately called up the phone number listed and within a little while I was on my way over to check it out. When I arrive I was pleased to see that it was indeed in brand new condition. All the rollers were smooth and the bands had just recently been replaced! I bought it right then and there.

When I got it home I set it up in my hallway, donned an old bucket helmet, t-shirt and a sweet pair of early 90's Riders Cycles cycling shorts. Here are some pictures!

I started off to a very shaky start and had to hold the wall and use a chair next to me to hold on to, but as of an hour ago I can ride it with both hands on the bars without having to grab the wall! It still takes a lot of concentration to not fly off them, but I hope that will improve in time. Maybe I'll be able to read a book or watch tv and ride it at the same time eventually!!!

If you are interested in getting into touch with your inner equilibrium and burn off some training time, feel free to come into Riders and see us. We can get in brand news rollers in under a week. Plus rollers last longer than a trainer as well as making you a better rider through balancing. Shayne and myself can attest to how much fun rollers are!

On sci fi and cartoon strips

2010-01-05T13:18:00.005-08:00

Avatar is a movie that takes place on the planet Pandora. Humans are mining for the mineral Unobtanium on Pandora, which is said to be the solution to the energy crisis the humans are facing. The main character then has to battle with following his orders or his conscience. The movie is well worth watching but what has that got to do with a bike blog such as this? It does not even have a single bicycle in it!
Well, as clever as the moniker Unobtanium may sound, it has already been in use by Rick Smith, the creator of Yehuda Moon, for quite some time now. Weather or not he came up with it before the Avatar guys is another matter all together, but he most certainly published it first. You see, Unobtainium is the Rival Cycles (The Kickstand's main competitor) name for the ultra light but unstable alloy used for the Kickstand's prototype racing bike. This bike was built from a material that the Shakers (The Kickstand's frame builders) named Arborium and is so light that the bike will float away if you don't tie it down, or sit on it.
This may cause some problems, and is the reason why the Rival Cycles guys got a hold of the prototype, copied the meterial through reverse engineering, and renamed it "Unobtainium." This will mean disaster for Rival cycles if karma has her say. But we have yet to find out...
Albeit Mr. Smith makes no mention of the energy component of the Arborium, he does let us in on the fact that what makes this Alloy so special is that the Shakers use a Meteorite to crate the alloy blend. So who's really to say that we're not talking about exactly the same material here? Who knows? But in any case Yehuda is a must read for every bike nerd.

Arborium prototype ridden by Joe

Unobtainium announced

Contador on Specialized!

2010-01-04T20:12:00.005-08:00

Alberto Contador has joined specialized, with Astana as their bike sponser for the 2010 year. He seems to be riding the new SL3. It looks like a pretty amazing bike.

Hopefully We will be getting to see some of these in 2010 down at the shop, you can come down once we get some of the other 2010 specialized bikes and try them out.

Here's Contador speaking about the new SL3

For roadies looking for something to do during the winter.

2010-01-04T19:48:00.002-08:00

If anybody is interested, the Pacific Cycling Center is holding a free seminar - Training with Power - on Saturday, January 9th from 9 - 11am at PacificSport, Commonwealth Place.

Conact Louise Hodgson Jones (ljones@pacificcyclingcentre.ca) for more information.

Monday video

2010-01-04T08:21:00.004-08:00

The Radio Shack Team bike getting decaled, painted and assembled.
Nerdy video for bike geeks...I love it.

run bike skillz

2009-12-29T17:59:00.000-08:00

RUN bike skillz!!!

on drill presses stuck cleats, gags and "cats"

2009-12-28T17:34:00.008-08:00

A drill press is a great tool to have in every shop. Not only is it great for making polo mallets and drilling into all sorts of things for fun in a safe and controlled manner...ever wondered what a sealed fluid trainer looks like on the inside? Carbon bottom bracket shell?
All in all, wonderful tool for goofing around. It's also useful for more serious stuff like making custom brackets for fenders, racks or baskets and for drilling out stuck screws and bolts on components that you can clamp in the press. Cleat screws tend to get stuck in spd shoes, even if you grease them before you mount the cleat. I had this happen on my beat up mountain bike shoes:

Class all the way! Ahh... the glorious life of a bike shop employee

not only that, the cleats were so worn that I could not even get an Allen key into the socket on the cleat screws. Our shop guru, Steve, told me that I could dig out the edges of the socket with a hard metal tool such as a file. So I dug out the sockets and then got every screw loose, except the last one, of course. To the drill press Batman!Off come the cleats lickety-split! The drill press rocks, it's almost as cool as Stevie's magnets.
Speaking of the shop. The bathroom is located at the shop right next to Mitch's bench. This location is a bit perilous as we can see in the following picture of Andrew S.K.
-Andrew likes to fix his tires in the bathroom (for whatever reason, we don't hassle him at all!).
On a totally unrelated note, I came across this down in North Caroline the other day. It was mounted next to a fancy restaurant menu on one of the main drags in Raleigh. Some people down there have a really good sense of humour...I hope

dis aint no cat Bubba!

Anyone want a district? Maybe in Carbon?

2009-12-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

You all know about the District single speed bike from the fabulous Trek? Oh you don't? Well they are pretty sweet. There is the basic district with just a chain, but then there is the belt driven version. It is pretty amazing. Well for 2010 they have come out with a carbon framed version, and let me say it is something spectacular. So what does this have to do with anything great? Trek has made a one off version for Lance Armstrong and it looks pretty frickin' cool.

Here are pretty much all the pretty pictures I could present to you:

He should use it for bike polo.

Seriously though, will he even ride it? Once even? Or will he just auction it off Livestrong style?

Can't wait

2009-12-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

I can't wait to personally see some of the new tri bike that Trek and Specialized have up there sleeves. I think 2011 will be a good year for tri bikes as that is the projected year that the Trek Speed concept and the Specialized Shiv (yes like the prison weapon) are set to be available to the public, that is of course if the UCI says they are legal for use in races.

Picture Break!

One word: Bad Ass

So illegal, so attractive.

From my understanding so far they both have been deemed legal, but also deemed illegal. It seems that both bikes are almost "bending the rules" to get what the engineers want and in turn are being legalized and then that legalization is being taken away. Both bikes were used during the 2009 Tour de France, but at that point the UCI had not checked over the bikes with a fine toothed comb and had just "seen" them, letting them go and race. Shortly thereafter though they were deemed "too good" and illegalized, or something of that sort (maybe Trek and Specialized got a slap on the wrist by the firm ruler of the UCI nuns). This all seems very silly and confusing, especially when other companies have just gone and cut a big hole in their head tube and mounted the stem inside it then re-carboned above it. They didn't get any flak that I knew of from the mighty UCI. Again, balmy at best, right? Either way, Trek got their guy, Chris Leito, to ride a Trek concept speed 2011 in the 2009 Hawaii Ironman.

So, as a treat here is some new UCI hibbly-blimy legal-or-not-come-see-me-tomorrow bike porn

CHECK IT OUT, you will be in a "can't wait" mood in the same way as I am.

Hal's classy new tie

2009-12-19T16:48:00.003-08:00

Hal makes a tube tie!

WOOHOO

On Straw Hats and Wheel Slams

2009-12-18T19:12:00.014-08:00

Wrestler Hilbilly Jim wears a straw hat.

I am a little bit late posting this, and meant to do it quite a while ago; with that being said here we go. I have noticed two very interesting emerging trends with the hipsters of North America and Victoria. First: STRAW HATS

What are these "straw hats" you may ask? Well, wikipedia defines it as:

“A straw hat can refer to any brimmed hat that is woven out of straw. This hat is designed to protect the head from the sun, as well as protect against heatstroke."

So it is worn on your head, as a hat; like this guy (notice his guitar/stache/general hipster traits). WELL, people of the internets, it seems that lately there have been people who feel that using this hat as a device to ward off the sun, instead have felt that their rear wheel is in dire need. I have witnessed multiple bicycle riders gallivanting around on there pre 80's era cruisers with a straw hat not on there head, but stuck in their rat traps, covering their rear wheels and tires. Maybe they are trying to save their expensive rear tires from the problem "plaguing" riders: rubber dry out or maybe they are using them as a fashionable fender Either way I don't understand. I did happen to catch this elusive "beast" one day and documented this event with my special Camera-Phone.

Here is the ensuing photograph (may be enhanced for dramatic effect).

As you can clearly see the straw hat on rear
Also note that this hipster is wearing a helmet from the 80's which Shayne may crush if he ever sees it (ask Shayne for why this would happen). He seems to be also stuck in 2004 "The Twee" stage of hipsterdom, he has yet to get into the Mountain Man stage where his straw hat could be of use. He may be behind the times. *sigh*

for a break down and larger pictures see here

Moving on, to better or bigger "slammage" as they might say.

I know of the epic-ness of slammage on cars, or the souped up wheel slams.

for example:

Normal

SLAMMED!!!!!

It changes the visual appearance quite a bit. Look how close that wheel is to the lip of the body, quite impressive I think. Now you might ask how this applies to the bicycle community, well, there is another new trend that is coming out and about among the fixed gear community and it is basically the same deal:
Get your wheels as close to the frame as possible without touching (and ruining your expensive colourway).
You might ask if this makes a difference to the handling of the bike. It doesn’t really - as you’re only making the wheelbase a few mm, maybe a centimeter, closer. Here’s a picture:

See how close the rear wheel is to the seat tube? Thats not even the slamingnest of them. Look at these Prime examples

To compliment this developing visual trend, bike manufacture Volume (makers of populer "cutter" frame) has come out with the "thrasher" fixed gear freestyle frame. What makes this frame ever so special are the geometries for "trick tracking" and riding. It also includes a cut out in the seat tube so you can get astronomical amounts of wheel slammage.

Maybe wheel slams will be the new mine is bigger than yours? I really hope that kids out there wanting slammage don't start filing out their drop outs or worse yet their seat tubes to feel bigger.

Actual filing of drop out for slammage, and then it rusted

iiirrroooonnnnmmmmaaaannnn

2009-12-15T14:52:00.001-08:00

Ironman hawaii on this saturday! Watch on NBC! Starts 430 eastern. It should be a very good race

DON'T miss OUT!

Bike mag in Iceland

2009-12-10T16:54:00.002-08:00

Check out the latest issue of Bike magazine. It has a decent article on Iceland in it, and awesome photography by Sterling Lorance.
It's worth a look.

Straight out of Yehuda Moon!

2009-12-10T09:59:00.003-08:00

Pretty risky, but also very cool they are doing this.

From ZlogBlog: Hasidic Jews complained about scantly clad hipsters riding in bike lanes in Williamsburg so the DOT took them out. Hipsters retaliate by re-painting the bike lanes

Cool rides and burning blubbah!

2009-12-09T11:30:00.003-08:00

OOOhhhh it's cold out there! But whenever I'm complaining about the cold I try and stop myself and check out Alaska Tim's Bicycles and Icicles blog from Anchorage, Alaska. Those guys are tough as nails and make me feel like a sissy complaining about the cold "down here" in Victoria. But in saying that, they also know how to dress warm.
It was a strange feeling nevertheless, when me and Justin went for a ride at the dump last night and I wore pants. Yeah that's right, pants not shorts... I have not done that since the new years day ride. It was worth it though, because it really was freezing. Justin was tougher than I, and wore his custom Louis Garneau cross knickers from the mid nineties. The trails are in great condition since it's been pretty cold lately: No mud and lots of grip, frozen puddle here and there. We got a decent ride in although the water was freezing in or Camelbaks and my navigational skills failed us a bit (we hiked up Big Ugly). Also, we were both feeling slow and out of energy, Justin because of his Snowboarding trip on the weekend and me because of excessive beers and junk food. But there's nothing to do but to keep going out, it'll get better if you do and I certainly don't want to loose the little fitness I managed to accumulate during the Cross season. That season is over now (at least on the island) and therefore it's time to get back on the Mountain bike. So we are going to try to be consistent in going out to the dump on Tuesday nights at 6:15. Everyone is welcome to join us. Don't bury your cross bike too deep under the empty beer cases though. We're working on a midwinter Cross race to be held in January. Location and specifics are still unknown but we have a tentative name: The Post Holiday Blubber Burn Classic. This will be a technical cross race with lots of tricky sections (and probably flats). Think the dump or a similar terrain for this one.

Lets all channel some inner Lance

2009-12-05T15:55:00.002-08:00

As seen on Lance Armstrongs twitter

(hes the blue guy!)

Motivation...

2009-12-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

Must... ride... DH...

What's happening at Riders.

2009-11-28T23:19:00.004-08:00

Over the last few days at Riders an event so rare that it occurs less frequently than a full moon on February 29th has been unfolding...

...The guru of the shop, Steve, has been cleaning his bench.

If you had a part of your bike replaced in the last fifteen years at Riders Cycles, chances are that the broken component has spent the years in between then and now in what must be considered "Broken bike part purgatory." aka Steve's bench.

-Photograph of Steve's bench, circa 2001

You see, the problem is that Steve doesn't throw things away... He merely takes things apart, thereby turning one relatively large piece in to several smaller ones. Once he has turned his ten big items into 78 small items, he then "organizes" then into storage on his bench.

After 18 1/2 man hours of cleaning, Steve's bench was looking....umm, well, you could see the top of the bench.

Today Steve tackled his 'box o' hubs'.

-I managed to snap this pic of some of the derelict hubs as Steve was disassembling them for "re-organization"

At any rate, I look forward to the completion of the great clean-up... sometime in 2010.

Cyclocross mania!

2009-11-21T15:22:00.003-08:00

Crosselent! Crosstastic! Holy cantilever brakes Batman!

The last Race of the Cross on the Rock series is on Tomorrow at Shawnigan School. We'll be heading up there en masse. Frankencross will have the great company of four Treks. Justin, Mitch and Andrew ride XO-1's and Shayne rides a bitchin XO-2. I put an old 8-speed bar end shifter that I found in the Dungeon on Frankencross, so hopefully I'll have a bit more speed on the straightaways and a little lower gear for the climbs. We'll be bringing the Van up there and will set up a tent and some chairs so feel free to come visit and have a beer or two!
In the meantime check out some vids to get all hyped up for tomorrow!

friday Video

2009-11-20T13:47:00.001-08:00

Nice!

Raceface All Mtn Edit from Aaron Larocque on Vimeo.

"...For example, asking the roadies if they have put on a few pounds because they are looking a bit tubby." -Bwahahaha

2009-11-19T16:09:00.004-08:00

I saw this interview on Cyclocross Magazine's website and I'm publishing it here in it's entirety. Bad breach of publishing rights but hey, at least I'm advertising their magazine right? Geoff Kabush rocks!

"This is what you’ve all been waiting for from Pro Cyclocross Rumors and Rumblings: this season’s transfer whale. Last year it was Sven Nys and Erwin Vervecken, this year, an Italian makes the first major splash in the transfer market. Also, take a chance to get to know Canadian Cyclocross Champion Geoff Kabush of Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain. All that and much more!

Geoff Kabush has won some of the biggest bicycle races the world has to offer. Just this past season he reached a pinnacle in his career by winning the Bromont Mountain Bike World Cup in Bromont, Canada. Kabush’s World Cup victory stands alongside numerous cyclocross victories, including multiple Canadian National Cyclocross titles. Kabush, who rides for Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain, has been a consistent podium threat this year in the sport’s major events, and has been for some time now. Kabush will look to the podium once more this season at the Stanley Portland Cup, the final stop on the USGP tour, on December fifth and sixth, where he will draw his season to a close, hopefully with a win.

I had a chance to chat with Kabush this week, and we’ve got that interview for you today. What’s your favorite race of this season been so far? What about of all time?

Favorite cyclocross race…probably Granogue for the course, Portland for the atmosphere. I love the technical speed on the hills in Granogue; kind of getting tired of fairly flat and soft courses. I can’t wait to hear the drums beating in Portland. That really gets me fired up to pound it out in the mud. Favorite race so far this year is probably the Planet Bike Cup in Wisconsin. It was a really well laid out course, I just wish we got a few more thundershowers during our race and not on the ride home.

2) You’ve just won a big race, what’s your ultimate post-race meal?

Ultimate post race meal after a win…It would probably start off with a nice Belgian beer right after the race; maybe some pumpkin pie or something salty. Then I would go get cleaned up and meet up with everyone at a relaxed restaurant for some good grub….probably something saucy, maybe a gourmet burger, with more drinks, and a simple, maybe, chocolate desert. I say a relaxed restaurant because after a race the engine is usually still burning and I start sweating bullets when the food goes in. Once I get really soaked, I like to slick my hair sideways like Freddy Mercury. I have actually had some good sweat-offs with TJ.

3) What’s your biggest career achievement to date?

In my cycling career it would have to be winning the MTB World Cup this year up in Bromont. On the cyclocross bicycle I guess it would have to be winning the Gloucester GP back in 2004. It has been a bit too long since I have won one, so I hope to change that in Portland.

4) If you could be anything besides a bike racer, what would it be?

I am a big sports fan so if I couldn’t be a bike racer I probably would have chased another sport….maybe soccer, or ping-pong. Maybe poker: the pay-outs seem to be higher.

5) How did you get your start in cyclocross? What’s been your biggest influence?

I think I did some of my first cyclocross races down in Seattle with a couple friends, Pinner [Andrew Pinfold] and Carter Hovey. That was in ‘97 when the SuperCups were going off. There was a lot of excitement around the races so it left a little bit of an impression. I started getting into it again about five year later with my teammate Peter Wedge; he was one of the original godfathers of Canadian cyclocross who stuck it out in Europe so I learned a lot off him.

6) What was your first bike?

First real cyclocross bike was a Yellow “Jake the Snake”

7) If you could win one race, which would it be?

I would really like to win a USGP in Portland. I really love hanging out there, drinking coffee at Albina, breakfast at Gravy, and I love the atmosphere at the races. I will have a lot of family and friends coming down from Canada as well so it would be nice to win in front of them.

8) Who do you consider your biggest rival?

Based on this year it seems like every race I do I seem to be battling it out with Chris Jones. I wouldn’t really say we are rivals though as we are both just fighting together trying to get to the front. I don’t really know Chris well enough yet to truly heckle him like a rival. My biggest rival, or the guy I like to trash talk the most, would probably be Treboohoo. I like to give a fist to the neck before the race or ask him if I can borrow his brain…because I am building an idiot. It is mostly in good fun but I have one strategy I am not going to reveal until I beat him again; probably in Portland. Hopefully he doesn’t cry.

9) Who is your biggest idol?

Idol is a pretty strong word. I don’t know if I have a bike racing idol. There are guys I really looked up to as role models when I was younger….Dave Wiens, Jonny T, Shandro, and I would like to emulate T-Brown or Ned Overend after bike racing is finished. I am impressed by guys that can reach the top of the sport and still enjoy themselves. I am impressed by Sven Nys’s cyclocross riding but then he kept sitting on my wheel at MTB Worlds so I had to abuse him verbally. Also he was wearing tight jeans and a cowboy hat around after so I can’t call him an idol. I was really into basketball when I was younger, so I was pretty inspired by Steve Nash who, like me, was a relatively short white guy from Vancouver Island. He went on to achieve great things against the odds by working incredibly hard.

10) Got any crazy pre-race rituals?

Before a cyclocross race I like to have some good coffee while trying to come up with a few heckles to use on the start line to break up those awkward competitive silences. For example, asking the roadies if they have put on a few pounds because they are looking a bit tubby."

Rainy day in Vancouver

2009-11-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

I went over to Vancouver on Monday to have my passport expiry date extended. Since I'm heading down to the states next week it's imperative to have the paperwork in order. The Yanks are a bit uptight on the borders. Anyway, even though it was pouring down I decided to take the Soma with me since I could ride around if I was to early for my meeting with the passport person. I also wanted to check out Super Champion, and yes, I don't much care for walking.

Getting on the ferry

There were two bikes on the boat

Only one bike on the Canadaline rapid transit. Each coach has their own "bicycle area" which I was reminded to use. The design is stupid though, in stead of having a system to hang your bike vertically in the space, you're supposed to park it horizontally in those little slots seen just behind my messenger bag. No system to help the bike stay in place either. So not only does the bike take up a space that could easily accommodate 4 bikes, but it can also easily slide out and fall over one some little old lady and brake her toe. Nevertheless, I'm pretty impressed with Canadaline.

Tamara Leigh's photos were on display in the Waterfront station. Really nice stuff!

The Soma found a friend at Super Champion

My travel companion for the day. I'm having a hard time with this one.

The ride back from the ferry was dark and wet.

Cross!!!

2009-11-13T12:55:00.007-08:00

Cyclocross has sucked us all in to it's massive (muddy beerstained) gravitational pull. Everybody is pretty much riding a cross bike these days in the store and making it out to cross practice and/or races. The great thing about cross racing is that it is short, and therefore good for us slobs. Also, the cross races here on the Island tend to be pretty technical, which is nice for us mountain bikers. What we lack in speed and endurance we can sort of make up for by not falling off our bikes. This is not a foolproof strategy however as some of us sometimes have a bit of a hard time not flying over the bars and into the bush, or in some other way separate ourselves from our bikes in a spectacular manner. But that's another story all together.
What I was going to write about today was our excellent Remembrance day cross ride. Since we all had the day off we decided to go for a cross ride at the Dump. We decided to ride blue bubble wrap and off we went. In about the first km we had two flats, and we were beginning to think that our supply of tubes would not be enough for our ride. But higher tire pressures and careful riding only made for one more flat for the rest of the ride. We soon found out that trail riding on cross bikes is quite a bit trickier then on the full-suspension rigs we usually ride. Cantilever brakes and narrow tires make for an odd fit in the mountain bike park. But man was it ever fun! Every little obstacle is challenging and we had a few epic bails. Most of us crashed a few times and at the end I had a sore knee, Justin had a sore hand, Andrew was bloodied up and Shayne was really feeling his injuries that he is still recovering from. The only one to escape relatively unscathed was Mitch. Even so, we all made it out and back to the parking lot after a two and a half hour ride, and we all had a blast. We'll definitely be heading out again soon. Cross you bastards!

The long road north

2009-11-10T12:36:00.002-08:00

this movie is screening at St. Ann's in Victoria on nov 13 and 14 get your tickets at the door for $12 or $10 advance. Tickets available at Capital City Cycles.

Movember

2009-11-05T13:49:00.009-08:00

Andrew is shooting for the Ted Nugent

Crazy grandpa Justin

Shane CAN actually grow a Mustache

Mitch is a natural

Halldor dreams of the Stalin

Yes it's on! Movember is upon us and we have a Team: Crosstachers So if you're wallet is bursting or you're just a really nice guy/gal, please donate to our team. It's for a good cause*, probably tax exempt and more!

Just ask Dr. Mustache here

"Well yes people, I'm a medical doctor and I recommend Movember for everybody that frowns too much."
See!!!???
But wait! that's not all you get. Stop by the shop and ridicule us for our upper lip lizard. Shame us for our poor below-nose gardening or praise us on the Tom Selleckness of our Stache. We're already having a hard time just carrying on a normal conversation with each other and it will only get worse. It's worth a visit...

*The money raised in Canada goes directly to Prostate Cancer Canada. Prostate Cancer Canada will use the money raised by Movember for the development of programs related to awareness, public education, advocacy, support of those affected, and research into the prevention, detection, treatment and cure of prostate cancer.

Sprints

2009-10-30T15:46:00.001-07:00

Sprints tonight!
This will be me in the first race:

Race Face's explains itself, Halldor excuses himself

2009-10-28T22:55:00.002-07:00

Looks like I jumped the gun a bit in my last post. I somehow got the idea that Race face was being sold to MEC as a company, not just RF selling it's products to MEC. That was an impression I got from somebody and could not shake it until I got the e-mail from Race Face, explaining their actions.
I apologize for the poor reporting and have corrected the aforementioned post.
Fair is fair, so I'll post RF's letter here for comparison to the Lambert one:

As many of you are now aware, Race Face has recently made the decision to sell to MEC in Canada. We want to take this opportunity to explain our reasoning for doing this and to separate fact from fiction concerning this decision.

Firstly, by selling to MEC this does not mean we are decreasing our commitment to you, the Canadian IBD. In fact, the truth is quite the opposite. We are a Canadian based company that has been in partnership with Canadian IBDs for seventeen years. This will not change. In very frank terms, we decided to add MEC as a customer because the distribution landscape in Canada is changing concerning the selling of bicycles and bicycling related products. MEC has recently made an increased commitment to their cycling business and we believe that they represent one additional sales channel for us to ultimately sell our products to the Canadian cycling consumer. It is really that simple. For us to continue to evolve, and even exist, as a business, like you, we have to change with the times. That is all we are trying to do by selling to MEC - nothing more, nothing less.

It should be noted that many top brands already support and sell their products through MEC and as MEC’s bike program grows this will continue to evolve as they build new partnerships with manufacturers and suppliers.

Additionally, we are aware that some of you believe that MEC has an advantage versus other Canadian businesses because of their Co-Operative status. To further show our commitment to you, the IBD's, we will offer a specific discount to address this issue. Place a reasonably sized order with us and we will provide a further discount over and above any booking discounts. Call it the “level tax” discount. Details will be released shortly.

Also, we want you to know that MEC is only buying select skus from our line. We have many skus that MEC will not carry. Please contact us if you would like to know the exact skus MEC will stock; we are happy to share that information with you.

Lastly, when considering your future business with Race Face, please remember that we are proud to be a B.C. based company for the last seventeen years. Our foot print in Canada is still very large as we directly employ 50+ people in our New Westminster office. We still manufacture market leading products in B.C. such as Atlas and Next cranks. In fact, despite the recent tough economic times, the demand for our product is strong and we have just added an additional five people in our manufacturing department. We are a Canadian based company that is committed to our operations in Canada and to supporting the Canadian IBD.

We understand for some Canadian IBDs that our selling to MEC is an emotionally charged issue. Our hope, and goal, is that by providing a commitment to the IBD in the Canadian market place, we have addressed the majority of your concerns.

As noted previously, we will release details shortly on our “level tax” discount and our 2010 booking program. Please contact us directly to place an order

Random Thought

2009-10-26T14:51:00.005-07:00

I'm sitting in class dreaming of cyclocross and a thought came to my mind:

Has anyone ran a cyclocross race at the Juan De Fuca BMX track?

I think it would be amazing, especially if it still looks like below.

Race face down the drain?

2009-10-24T12:03:00.005-07:00

The legendary component/apparel company Race Face just announced that they will be selling their products to Mountain Equipment Co-op (the Canadian equivalent to REI in USA). This has pissed off their current dealer Cycles Lambert and rightly so, so they will stop distributing Race Face products immediately. Recently MEC announced that they will be adding bicycles to their product lineup along with the current outdoor gear and bicycle parts. This has served as a bit of a blow to independent bicycle retailers in Canada as they believe that MEC possesses an unfair advantage as a Co-operative, since that format is considerably less taxed than other businesses. So MEC is not exactly a favorite among the bike shop owners or anyone in the bicycle business in Canada in general. See open letter from Canadian Cyclist here. In any case this move by Race Face has a lot of their fans loosing faith in the integrity of Race Face and their commitment to their product and their core consumers. In all likelihood they will make more money by making this move but will that be at the cost of quality? Many people believe so and point to MEC's shaky quality on certain things in the past. In any case people are a bit perplexed by all of this if not downright pissed off!

See letter from Lambert below:

LAMBERT ENDS DISTRIBUTION OF RACE FACE PRODUCTS

Levis, Quebec, October 23, 2009 - Lambert announced today that it has terminated its Canadian distribution agreement with Race Face, effective immediately.

Race Face recently informed Lambert of its plans to sell its apparel, armour and components to Mountain Equipment CO-OP (MEC). Lambert is very disappointed with the decision Race Face has made in this matter. Due to Race Face’s realignment with MEC, Lambert ceased its business relationship with the company.

The importance of specialty retailers for Canadian cyclists is undeniable. Lambert remains firm in its commitment to channels avoiding an every day low pricestrategy which brings down reasonable market pricing. Lambert will continue to privilege brands that support this same business direction.

Cross you bastard! Cross!

2009-10-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Cross season is undoubtedly upon us, and all over the net you see reports of races in cities in North America and Europe. Generally it seems that Cyclocross is making a big comeback in North America and this is certainly very exciting. We here in the southwestern corner of Canada have our share of cross nuts and currently there are two series on the go on Vancouver Island. One is the official and sanctioned Cross on the rock series and the other is dubbed as the Victoria Cross Club and is an impromptu cross "practice"(read race) in a somewhat surprise location every week in Victoria.

wed nighters pics:

justin killing it on the XO-1

Shayne cornering and ducking under some branches

Frankencross and owner playing in the sand

Mitch airing out the XO

Geoff Kabush showed up for one of the rases

Mitch, Andrew and Halldor pose for the camera

The cross on the rock series is very official, at least on the surface, but the attitude and overall feel of the races is definitely very characteristic of Vancouver Island. You can race what you want, be it mountain bike or whatever and everybody is friendly and laid back. This makes for a great race experience for everybody, especially new racers. I have yet to hear a negative word from anyone at these races, even though and justly so, sandbagging is frowned upon. The race courses are always tough but fun at the same time. I think we have it good here in the west as we get to race a lot on singletrack in the woods. This gives guys like me, with a mountain bike background and poor conditioning a chance to give the fitter roadies a run for the money. It also makes for beautiful scenery, that can be enjoyed both as a racer and spectator.

The Vic X club races are a bit of a different beast.
They're held in a different location every week and the location is only issued to the racers on race day. This makes for interesting races, but since it's only half sanctioned (racers have to sign a waiver if they don't have a race licence from Cycling BC) sometimes "races" get shut down before they're over, or in last weeks case, before they start. This can be frustrating and you have to wonder how hard it would be to just get a permit to hold those races. However, knowing that in Canada, bureaucracy is a national sport in the same way that rioting is in France, perhaps it would not be that simple. Nevertheless, the races that I've attended have all been great for racers and spectators alike, and the fact that the organizers can show up a half an hour before the race starts and set up the course has to say something about how awesome cross racing is. It's so deliciously simple! Cross is the cycling world's soccer. Like soccer, it can be played/raced anywhere and with minimal equipment, although the great majority of racers are ridiculously decked out in full kits and very expensive bikes. But what you really need is some course marking tape, racers on bikes and a place to race. The last item is probably the most difficult to come by in this day and age.
I've raced two races in the Cross on the rock series, and three in the Vic X club series. It's been great so far and there is almost a month and a half to go. Frankencross has held up so far which is somewhat surpricing but very exciting at the same time.
Fall is great, and Cross is tasty like blood!

Commuting to work is wonderful

2009-10-15T11:38:00.006-07:00

Fall has finally hit us here in the Northwest. After last weeks cold snap and the rains for the past few days it's no escaping it: it is here. The leafs are starting to fall and the roads are getting wet and slick. To my surprise, this has not thinned out the throngs of commuters that I pass every day on my own commute. I commute mostly on marked bike routes so I always have a healthy amount of commuters joining me every morning and despite the weather they were out in force today. Perhaps they're just being stubborn or they're simply getting ready to fight old man winter, but there was a lot of them this morning. Certainly there is no reason for Victorians not to commute year round, and a I was happy to see the masses out, even though it was drizzling rain. The prevailing type you see on those wet days is the "Super commuter."
this character can be recognized by the trademark brightly coloured rain jacked, the abundance of reflective material on clothing and bike, pant clips or reflective Velcro straps, and a bike with fenders, a rack and panniers (mirror optional). This is the stereotype, but individualism does exist among those types. One of those individualistic types crossed my path this morning. He had all the hallmarks of the Super commuter proudly displayed. However there was one anomaly to his getup. This particular commuter did not have any use for pants, or even shorts for that matter. No, when he woke up this morning and looked out the window he somehow figured that this weather would call for his shortest of short shorts. Akin to these:
This choice in clothing struck me as a bit strange, and I contemplated what the reason for this could be, as wished I had an Iphone to capture this fantastic moment.
These are the possible options I came up with:
1 The cyclist is always super warm and if he wears pants he will overheat, pass out, crash and drown in a pool of sweat.
2 The cyclist is proud of his sculpted cycling legs (they were pretty muscular, and shaved) and wants the world to know.
3 The cyclist lost a bet.
4 The cyclist has a good sense of humor.

In any case, this odd commuter, a drooling Boxer in a car at a red light, and the homeless man that was screaming obscenities at cars but said "good morning sir" to me as a I rolled by made for a fun commute this morning.
And top of the morning to you sir!

Victoria 'Cross Fun.

2009-10-09T20:21:00.008-07:00

Cyclo-Cross has to be fun... It couldn't possibly not be fun.
Lets review why:

1. You get to ride your bike. (this is always fun)
2. You ride a bike that is rigid, has drop bars and has skinny tires over rocks and roots,
through sand, grass and mud. This is sometimes sketchy. Sketchy is usually fun.
3. Those hilarious outfits.
4. On occasion you will be called upon to jump off your bike and jump over some
silly obstacles, or run up a set of stairs in your cleated shoes, carrying your bike.
This is quite ridiculous, and thus quite enjoyable.
5. Your legs and lungs will hurt. And that makes beer taste even better.

Shayne through the woods.

Justin Through the Field.

Justin lays the power down up a hill and puts

some distance between himself and his pursuers.

S.A. into the light...

Post race chill.

VXC rides/races every Wedensday night for the next while. Drop by the shop to get some info and come out and ride.

Night ride and Cross

2009-09-24T10:26:00.007-07:00

How awesome is this, Tomac style bars and everything? Apparently the penguin led the climb on the first lap!
photo stolen shamelessly from Bones Get Broke.

The riding conditions are still just about perfect out there. I went for a ride at the Dump on Tuesday and it was pure joy, with a sprinkle of pain, like always. I rode with Kevin Koetke, who's a real estate agent, and a stellar mountain biker. We just happened to show up at the same time at the parking lot, so we thought we might as well ride together. He led me on some punishing climbs and showed me a few new lines that I've never tried before. For example Kevin rides UP the rolldown on crazy horse. That's the cool thing about riding with new people. Everybody has their own favorite trails and stunts and seeing lines that other people take opens your eyes to new possibilities within the bike park. It's amazing after all these years of riding in the relatively small park, how there are still new lines to tackle and stunts to brave, and even whole new trails, hidden from view. We had a good ride even though riding with lights again takes some getting used to.

Yesterday, Me and Mitch made it out to Cyclocross as well. This time it was held in a park in Cordova bay, just off the Lochside trail. This track suited us much better. It was short (3 min laps) technical and did not have any obstacles that required you to jump off your bike and run (we're not very good at running). My bike held up a little better this time as well. But I changed the gearing slightly to tension the chain properly which eliminated the ever so annoying chain skip that was going on in the last race. This made for a fun race, and the technical part through the woods was awesome, at least for those of us who are mountain bikers at heart. I held my own trough the woods but had a hard time keeping up on the flats, so I tried to focus on having a smooth ride, that is, not to crash. I would pass people in the woods where the technical sections would take out riders en masse, tha carnage was fantastic! But then the same people I passed on the singletrack would pass me on the flats. As per usual Mitch did quite a bit better and finished several spots up ahead of me. Cyclocross is painful, but oh so much fun!

The Single Speed World Championships took place this weekend as well, this time in Durango, Colarado. It is always fun to check out the pictures from those races as the attire is usually somewhat creative. Check it here:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=556988
and an article in Dirt rag here.

photos here.

The Captain Ned Overend came in fourth, at the tender age of 54.

©Eddie Clark

"Underground" Cyclo Cross

2009-09-17T15:04:00.004-07:00

Me and Mitch made it out to the Semi unofficial but at the same time very official cx race last Wednesday. These race series are hosted by Trek Victoria and even though they are pretty casually organized, you are required to have a racing licence or pay for a licence and club fee to enter. This time the race was held in the proximity of The Commonwealth centre. Close to 50 people showed up and then made their way down to the course which had been put up behind a school nearby. Then everybody rode a practice lap and then got ready for the start. Well, everybody except for me. I had done some minor changes to my bike before the race and one of these was to go to a smaller cog in the back for a slightly heavier ratio than the one I use on the mountain. I did not shorten the chain, thinking the chain tensioner would handle the extra chain slack. As I found out, this was not the case. And so I resorted to shifting the tensioner from pulling down to pulling up. The chain was so long that this only made things worse, so half the way through my first lap (other racer's 2nd lap) I switched it back again. Surprisingly it seemed fine after that. Mitch did better than I did and he finished somewhere in the upper region of the group. The racecourse was not overly technical, but it was long and hard. So even though I raced one lap fewer than everybody else I got a good workout out of it and had a blast. We'll be sure to turn out for the rest of the races in the next few weeks. Again CX has proven itself to be an excellent form of racing even if slightly excruciating!
See pictures at Jamies Flickr account

First Canadian to win a stage in The Vuelta...ever!

2009-09-12T12:35:00.007-07:00

Ryder Hesjedal

Steve Bauer

Ryder Hesjedal took a stage win last weekend in the Vuelta a Espana. That is the first time a Canadian rider to take a stage victory in a grand tour since Steve Bauer's 1988 stage win in Tour D'France. That puts Hesjedal in a very exclusive club of Canadian grand tour stage winners and is sure to have an impact on cycling in Canada in general. Hopefully, Ryder's voice will be heard more clearly, as the Victoria local is one of many that has spoken out about the closure of the Juan De Fuca Velodrome, and one of many riders that has been prominent this year that has trained a lot on the track. If Ryder's achievement changes anything in the matter of the Velodrome in our town, remains to be seen but certainly this will be a positive thing for the city and the training that is available here.
Congratulations Ryder!

Tonight is one of the last Road rides this year from the shop. As always, show up at the shop at around 6pm. It should be a quick ride this night.

Tomorrow is the weekly night ride which has mostly consisted of me and myself in the last few weeks but if anyone wants to come out you're welcome to join. I'll be at the parking lot at 7 pm and unfortunately darkness is upon us, so bring good lights if you're coming out.

Cyclocross!!!

2009-09-11T11:07:00.001-07:00

Geoff Kabush is a demigod. He showed up for last years Juan De Fuca race.

Cross season is upon us and I still don't have a Cross bike. This is hardly an excuse for not showing up for races, at least not here on the Island. The Cross on the Rock series is a very laid back affair, and you can race your chopper bike with coaster brake if you want to, although you'd be unlikely to have any sort of succes on such a contraption. However, mountain bikes don't make unusable cross machines and I have the Cannondale SS to race on. I have done one CX race in my life and that was on that particular bike, so I might as well continue riding that untill I get the cross bike. So I'll be switching back to 1:2 gear ratio and throw on some new bars, and presto!> cross bike. Nevertheless, I'm hopeful that I can get a race or two in on an actual cross bike. Hint hint.

Dave Shiskoff the Vegan powered racer is doing cross clinics on Saturday mornings over the next couple of months and he's urging everyone to come out and practice their cross skills. Dave is putting this on for free (how wicked is that?) so if you're not doing anything on Saturday mornings I'd check it out. Unfortunately, us bike store employees have to show up for work on Saturdays.

Hope to see you out there on the cross circuit.

Peaty wins and riding in Iceland

2009-09-07T12:10:00.002-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Halldor Gunnarsson <halldorphoto@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Subject: Peaty wins and riding in Iceland
To: post@posteros.com

Not much to say this morning so I'll post a couple of videos instead.
Steve Peat took the gold after a few years wait, proving to the young pups that he's still The Man.

And then some mountain biking in Iceland!!!

.
<p><a href=" ">Icelandic Mountain Biking</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1891126">Joe Schwartz</a> on <a

Posted via email from Halldor's posterous

Alleycats, birthday partys and Pro riders take on Iceland

2009-09-01T13:11:00.004-07:00

Shayne rocking the Jordan

Mitch hates riding his bike

Justin's tri-suit comes in handy once again. Andrew in background

Group Shot at King George Terrace

We watched Macaframa at the shop after the race.

A group of us went out for an alleycat/birthday party on Friday. The Alleycat started from Capital City Cycles where the birthday boy works as well as owning the shop. Me, Justin, Mitch, Shayne(still recovering from injuries) and Andrew (still recovering from injuries) showed up for the race. We decided to race as a team and enjoy each others company while riding between points and so off we went. The race was a lot of fun as always, and just about the right length. It took us about 48min to ride the course if memory serves me right, and we came in 8th place as a group. Which is alright I suppose, especially given the broken wings on the team, not that they had much trouble keeping up, but it's an excuse anyway. Here's a rough map of the course, although we took a slightly different course.

View Larger Map

Also Check out Matt Hunter's Blog, he's been riding in Iceland lately with, Andrew Shandro, Joe Schwartz, photographer Sterling Lorence, and writer Mitchell Scott. Their Guide in Iceland is an acquaintance of mine Magne Kvam. I've been seeing Facebook updates from him and he seems super stoked on the riding they've been getting in.
http://www.i-am-specialized.com/gravity/rider/matt-hunter/398/#/blog

Performance...

2009-08-31T10:49:00.004-07:00

Fantastic.

Cool Street Jam in New York

2009-08-27T21:32:00.004-07:00

Found this pretty cool blog tonight called "Thrash Bikes" its all about freeriding/dirtjumping/street in and around New York city. It seems that they host a street jam in June at the Brooklyn Banks ("See Banks"). From what I have seen out of New York the riding is getting super technical and long flows on the streets, edging closer and closer towards how a bmx preforms.

Heres a video of the event with some pretty awesome riding on bmx's, dj hardtails and even a fixed gear or two. Make sure to press the view in HD button! Check out part two of the video (link) for some not-so-great music, but really good riding.

Thrashbike Jam 2009 from y.arava on Vimeo.

Also make sure to check out the blog itself here: ThrashBikes; to see some cool bike checks and videos

-Colin

2009-08-27T11:42:00.007-07:00

Mitch on Switchbacks

Rigid singlespeeds make things interesting

Not much of a challenge for Nic

We had a good group ride on Tuesday. I've been riding solo for much of the summer on the supposed group rides since people are busy and have other engagements. This is to be expected in the summertime and not an issue at all. However, I will be out there every Tuesday as long as I'm healthy, and in town. So if you ever feel like going for a ride or get introduced to the Dump, I'll be there at 7pm. Last Tuesday, Mitch, Justin, Colin and myself showed up for the ride, along with Nic and Mitch's better half, Claire. That's the biggest ride we've had in a long time and it was good to have more people out. We Picked up Al from Cycle BC, on the trails and did a pretty standard loop. We rode to the top of Twister via Switchbacks and then came down Old payoff and Snakes and ladders. No spectacular crashes although Justin had another battle with his rockgarden nemesis on Little Face, and Colin took a bit of a spill on old payoff. Neiter one was fantastic enough to take the crash trophy but in all honesty I can't remember who is the current trophy holder. Andrews crash on his road bike was pretty fantastic though so I have to say that he must still clench the trophy with his one good arm.

In other news... there is an alleycat tomorrow in Victoria. Meet at the Chain 7:30pm, mash the pedals and empty the cans.

Singlespeed mtb, and housing

2009-08-19T21:08:00.001-07:00

I sent my shock off for servicing last week. But since I can hardly go a week without mountain biking (or I'll risk my mental health, which is unstable to begin with) I had to ponder my options. Sure I could borrow some of the demo bikes we have at the shop, but I've been riding those for quite a bit and I wanted to try something different. So, out from hibernation came the Cannondale that I've had since 1998. This bike (a rigid M400 mountain bike) has gone through many transformations over the years and has served me well. The last incarnation was a singlespeed version that I used for a cyclocross race last year and for commuting in the snow last winter. I was running a 34x16 gear on it for that purpose but decided to lower that a bit, so I threw on a 32t chainring and headed for the dump. I've ridden this bike as a singlespeed, ever since the original drive train finally gave up the ghost a few years ago, but I've never ridden it on mountain bike trails as a singlespeed. Although in it's early years it saw a lot of action on the mountain.
The trails at the dump are not friendly for heavy gearing as I soon found out. I managed to ride up most of the trails that were not to steep, but once I got into technical and steep climbs, things got a little rough. This resulted in much sweat and many stops. I immediately decided I should lower the gearing a bit but I must say that I was blown away by how much fun this was. Every little thing is a challenge on that rig, even just riding on the fire roads. I enjoyed being forced to ride smoothly, or I would pay for it. I rode up to the top of Twister and that's where I discovered a bit of a problem. My fancy pink "brake" housing was splitting on me..."Now why was this happening," I thought and then realized my rookie mistake. I had been so mesmerized by the colour that I didn't check if the housing was a brake or a shifter cable when I installed it after salvaging it from the garbage can at work. Using a shifter housing for a brake cable is not a smart idea, since shifter housing is designed to have as little friction as possible and for that it sacrifices strength. there was a good story on this in Urban Velo a while back: Brake VS Shifter Housing
But I digress. I temporarily fixed the brake issue by switching the housing around, back to front, which provided me with enough stopping power to get down the hill. The day after I rummaged around in the parts bin and found an old 18t cog and some yellow (!) brake housing and went out again, after work. That gearing is much better, but since the cog was out of a cassette, it was not quite as wide as the singlespeed cog that was in there before. I did not realie this until I was on the trails and kept throwing my chain off. I solved that problem, by sacrificing an inner tube and having my chain tensioner pulling up instead of down, thus engaging more teeth on the cog and getting rid of the annoying chain throwing issues. That configuration worked well, and the hills were a little easier, so I'll keep that setup for now.

Posted using ShareThis

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Halldor's posterous

A Rider's Wedding

2009-08-19T10:47:00.002-07:00

So...over the weekend Curtis(bike mechanic) and I (sales staff) got hitched! After eight years together rowing and cycling the world, we tied the knot on Mayne Island. There was an awesome shot of us in wedding attire on our decorated bikes, complete with biking shoes and 'newly wed' signs, when I download it I will put it on the blog. That's all for now, see you on the Monday night ride!

Smart cookies

2009-08-18T12:45:00.002-07:00

A bicycle is great for moving stuff around, but there are some size and weight limitations that apply. Also, it helps to be somewhat sober when operating this contraption, as is duly illustrated by these two geniuses:

Performance and wood

2009-08-13T09:49:00.004-07:00

Check out this video. Tastefully done.

I came across this brand the other day as well. Apparently, wood isn't such a bad material for bike frames. The craftsmanship is unbelievable. http://www.renovobikes.com/

Fixed on the group ride

2009-08-07T10:58:00.003-07:00

In a moment of madness I decided to go on the road ride on my fixed gear bike last Monday. I spoke to Curtis who leads the rides, and he said he'd choose a route that wouldn't be too hilly. "Ok good," I said, and threw a brake on the front so I wouldn't crash into the rider ahead of me and take out the peloton. The ride was pretty casual and only had one really hard hill on it. This hill was Lagoon Rd. coming up from the Esquimalt lagoon. I was pretty tired at that point but I really wanted to climb the hill. So I went for it. In retrospect, I came into itway too hard, that is, I started really pushing it at the bottom of the hill so when I finally hit the steep part I totally bonked. Embarrassingly enough I had to walk for a bit as other riders passed me. So I'll have to ride back out there one of these days and try it again. Curtis matched my gear ratio and rode up the hill without a problem, just to show me that I need to train a bit harder. Other than that embarrassing episode, the ride was a success. With the 3 to 1 ratio I did not have too hard of a time keeping up with the other guys, at least not on the flats. The hills are tricky and that goes both for those going downhill and up. Cornering at high speed without being able to coast can get a little hairy but I just took my time and tried to be as careful as I could. However, I found that the fixed gear was good for riding in the group. If the rider ahead of me started coasting I could control my speed more precisely just by using my legs (as opposed to coasting and using the brakes), and did not have to use the brake. Of course I could not coast anyway so that is sort of a mute point I guess. It was definitely fun to go out on the group ride on the fixed gear, but I don't think I'll do it again any time soon. I didn't really hold up the ride this time but on a more challenging route I'm sure I would and that is not something I want to do.
Streetsprints tonight!!! Perhaps at the Velodrome which should be fantastic. Be there!

Ride report, forest fire.

2009-08-05T10:03:00.005-07:00

photos pilfered of the NSMB forums, and from Dave B

I had a good ride at Hartland last night. It was a solo ride and that was great. It's soothing to ride alone from time to time, you can kind of enjoy the woods a little more and savour the silence. Also you can go at your own pace. If you feel like pushing yourself you can and if you get tired, just sit down and try and spot some wildlife. I tried to push myself to ride hard for a full hour, but needless to say I did not succeed. This hour thing is supposed to be training for the cross season. Since the races are usually only about 45min I've been told that this is the way to train for that sort of thing. Run for an hour, hard, or ride for an hour, hard. I tried but after about a half hour of pretty much steady climb I blew up, and had to walk for awhile. This is becoming an annoying habit, that is, me blowing up on climbs. The downhill was great though and I did some new stuff I've never done before which is my goal every time I go riding at Hartland.

I wanted to see the fire damage from the fire on July 20th. so I rode towards Snakes and Ladders on Old Payoff and just where Torpedo run starts, I took a right to the viewpoint. There used to be a really cool Arbutus tree smack in the middle of that plateau. It was one of my favorite places at the park and I always wanted to take a black and white picture there. Sadly I never did and now that tree has been burned to the ground except for one sad branch. I was pretty bummed out about that and considered taking a part of the chopped down arbutus home with me for a reminder to carry the camera at all times. This place is a popular spot for guys smoking dubies and cigarettes, and that's definitely what started the fire. I can't believe that people still do that. If you're a smoker you put out your cigarette butt properly and CARRY IT OUT WITH YOU. This is not the 50's people! You don't still throw garbage out of the window of your car do you? Maybe you do, I don't know...Seems totally ignorant to me.
Just keep in mind that if Hartland burns down because you could not be bothered to put it out properly, there will be a contract out on your head.

A huge thanks to the Saanich FD, CRD Parks, and BCFS for putting out the fire as soon as they did. You guys rock.