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Friday, January 27, 2012

The big day is upon us!

FINALLY!  Fat day is tomorrow.  Yes, we know, Chicago has more than it's fair share of roadies.  But, let's pretend for a second you're not in love with skinny tires, counting grams, and shaving your legs.  What do you do in the winter instead of ride the trainer and count your watts?


RIDE A FAT BIKE!

And what better way to ride a fat bike than to come to a demo day and ride a fat bike that belongs to someone else.


I recently heard a saying, "it's a rental, don't be gentle."


Come by tomorrow between 11 am and 3 pm.  Bring your pedals or use ours.  Take our bike for a spin.  Go to the park, get it dirty.  Find a curb and drop off it or slam up it.  HAVE FUN AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR BIKES!

We have a small, two mediums, and a large Pugsley, as well as a large Black Ops and a large custom build!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

2012 Focus Mares CX 3.0

If you've followed the US cyclocross scene this year, you've seen the Rapha/Focus team.  If you watched the National Championship, you saw the Focus Mares pull ahead of all competitors under Jeremy Powers to win the US National Championship.

I raced this identical frame last year, and walked away always impressed with it's unreal handling and stiffness.  This is a German race bike designed by a world-class racer, made in Germany.

BB30, tapered steerer tube, full-carbon fork, it's got everything any racer could need.

This is the "value" version with a Shimano 105 gruppo and Fulcrum CX wheels.  The 3.0 allows the masses to get into the frame that won the 2012 US National Championship.

2011 Felt Z85

The 2011 Felt Z85 was our single best-selling road bike, by far, last year.  This wasn't by accident, though, as it's mix of quality Shimano 105 drivetrain, very flexible geometry, clearance for larger tires, and beautifully understated looks makes for an incredible value.

This bike is at home on a road race course as it is touring on less-than-perfect roads.  It's aluminum frame has an enormous amount of clearance that will fit some 27c tires, the carbon fork soaks up hits better than just about any road fork we've ridden.

For 2011 the Z85 is another bike sporting the excellent Shimano 105 drive train that has been receiving rave reviews since it's introduction.

2011 Felt Z6

For 2011, the Felt Z6 went through relatively minor changes, but for good reason.  The carbon Z-series bikes were designed to be an all-around performer, in contrast to the F-series race bikes.  But, don't take this as a bad thing, as pedaling efficiency is still very high.

The rider of this bike is the person who has one road bike for all occasions.  This bike makes for an excellent road race bike, especially when the roads aren't perfect.  The frame allows for slightly larger tires for training days that include less-than-ideal roads.

When you factor the flexibility this bike offers with it's low weight and carbon frame, it's a tough option to beat when you need or want to keep your road bike quiver to one ride.

2012 Felt Breed

For 2012 Felt has really stepped up to the front row with their Breed.  For 2010 and 2011, the Breed was a handsome single speed cyclocross bike and was popular for it's style.  For 2012 Felt wanted to take a dose of the style they've had, but truly build a race-worthy single speed cyclocross bike.

The 2012 Breed now has a tapered 1-1/8" to 1-1/2" headtube and tapered carbon fork as well as a BB30 bottom bracket.  Add to that true horizontal dropouts with a brilliant thru-axle design that only requires you to tighten one nut rather than two.  This leads to easy chain tension adjustment and a very still rear end.

SRAM levers and BB30 cranks add style and stiffness while reducing weight, all essentials when racing single speed cyclocross!

2012 Felt F75x

The 2012 Felt F75x has been upgraded from the 2011 version with a new frame that integrates a BB30 oversized bottom bracket, tapered 1-1/8" to 1-1/2" steerer tube with carbon fork, and updated geometry.

The stock Felt wheels have been lightened along with a slight increase in durability, which is the perfect combination for cyclocross.

On the fork you'll find fender mounts if you should decide to train and/or commute on this bike.

Shimano 105 components have recently gone through a complete redesign with trickle down technology from Shimano Dura Ace 7900.  The shift cables are now routed under the handlebar tape and the updated ergonomics have been universally praised.