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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Cyclocross is Around the Corner...

Time to get geared up, or maybe cut down to one gear.  Whatever your taste may be, come see us.  We've stocked up on Felt F75x bikes with Shimano 105, F65x bikes with SRAM Apex and DISC BRAKES (!!), and we have a few Breed single speed bikes as well....


Check back over the weekend for something special for those who follow the blog.  There will be a message coming sometime in the next 48 hours that will only be posted for a few hours.  If you get a chance to see it, print it and bring it in!

Friday, June 29, 2012

NEW BIKE DAY! 2012 Felt DA4 with HED Jet9

Sometimes a bike direct from the manufacturer will do the job, sometimes it won't.  This bike was oh-so-close for it's new owner, but the wheels just weren't up to the spec he wanted.  The Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 derailleurs are tried and proven.  The Vision Metron shifters are new but really great, but when rolling on a $4000 bike one needs some nicer shoes sometimes. 

Since we knew he'd be racing on some HED Jet9's, the obvious choice for training wheels was the HED Ardennes.  With the exact same rim width and brake track, it's a simple swap from Adrennes GP to race wheels with nary a brake adjustment needed.

The final change this thing saw out of the box was the addition of a Quarq powermeter, which was transplanted from his previous rig.  Not bad, eh?


Here's the obligatory front glamour shot as I don't think too many people will see the front of this bike all that often.  The Bayonet 3 system on the new DA isn't the most user-friendly to set up, but it's solid and once the fit is dialed really does it's job.  The system allows a ton of bar adjustment as well, which is a huge plus for us from the fitting side.


Sexy profile view sporting her race shoes, this bike cannot be ridden slow.  If you aren't ready to push yourself in your next triathlon or TT, do yourself a favor and ride something else.  Going slow won't reflect well on you or your bike.


Here's a view more similar to what I expect competitors to have of this bike.  It's loud, it's screaming fast, yet it's still a great looking bike.

The HED Jet9 wheels were a compromise between my recommendation and the customers idea of fast.  I said "JET DISC JET9 COMBO!", he said "I don't want a disc", we ended with Jet9 pair.  Fine.  But at least he let me put super-fast Vittoria EVO SC tires and Latex Vittoria tubes on those Jets!


Profile shot with the training wheels.  A simple swap from race wheels, the brakes don't need adjustment, which is one less thing to stress about the night before the race when you pull the Adrennes off and put the Jet9's on.


Continental Gatorskin Hardshell tires make for a great training buddy as they are extremely durable, have excellent puncture protection, but don't ride like stones.  They won't be as plush as the Vittoria EVO SC on the race wheels of course, but they should last for thousands and thousands of miles.


Super-wild seat stay/seat tube junction.  When no brake is needed designers are allowed to run free with what will be the fastest design.  Felt came up with this awesome shape that even if it doesn't work, it looks great!


Dura-Ace rear shifting from Shimano is nice, but I wasn't impressed with Felt's choice of housing length.  This bike will be re-cabled with white housing shortly cut to the appropriate length.


UCI says this one passes snuff.  For most of us this doesn't matter, but it is nice to know if you find yourself in a UCI-sanctioned TT you'll be free to ride.

There it is, go-fast wheels on a go-fast frame.  All it needs is a crazy cardiovascular system to push it down the road!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

NEW BIKE DAY! Lynskey R210 with Shimano 5700 105

Let's say you're looking for an excellent bike to train with on the road.  You already have a triathlon bike for racing, you already have a cyclocross bike, but you want that one single go-to road bike that will do anything.

You need your road bike to cover century rides, it needs to keep pace in a pack, it may see some gnarly road conditions, probably see it's fair share of winter, it has to do everything.

When you come to us with something like that, we recommend titanium.  It's durable, beautiful, timeless, easy to maintain, but most importantly, it rides oh-so perfectly.

This bike was built just for that person.  Someone who will log long miles, group rides with friends, commute, it'll do it all.  And after a quick wipe-down 10 years from now, it'll look brand new.

Here's another breakdown from Lynskey on what they say about the R210:

Ride in any condition, anytime, anywhere with comfort and style while enjoying a geometry that puts you in a slightly less aggressive riding position yet maintains neutral, stable and predictable handling.

The tubeset consists of double-butted round 3AL/2.5V aerospace grade titanium that will give you the look and lines of a true classic U.S.A. handmade ti bike frame, providing you an all-day supple smooth ride.

Worried about tire clearance? Don't be. There is plenty of clearance for a set of durable and comfortable 28c tires.

The hooded wright style dropouts provide the classic look and strength while allowing you to easily replace the derailleur hanger if need be.


A small from Lynskey has great dimensions and their geometry lends itself well to 700c wheels.  Some bikes this small ride and/or look funny with 700c wheels instead of 650c, but we've had great response from the shorter riders.


Have to love the classic hooded Wright-style dropouts.  The welds are top-notch as always, even on an "affordable" hand made frame from Lynskey.  Don't let their pricing fool you, their products are incredible.  Finish is always the best and the ride is dialed.


I may be wrong, but the matte satin appears a little different than it did when we started with Lynskey.  From our early days with them, we strongly recommended the upgraded finishes, but the matte satin that's rolling out these days has been getting rave reviews.  I've had a number of customers who've recently seen this finish comment that it's their favorite.  It's very similar to another titanium builder out of Steamboat Springs, CO.


Easton EC70 fork really helps the ride of this bike and helps to keep the price under control with it's alloy steerer rather than the carbon one that's becoming more and more popular.

Mavic Aksium wheels and matching Mavic tires complete the rolling stock on this bike.  Incredible durability and great performance for the price many brands try to get for just a rear hub.



Shimano shifting, especially the front, is the best in the business.  105 doesn't disappoint with light-action and accuracy day after day.  For someone who is using their bike for training miles, 105 is the go-to gruppo.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

NEW BIKE DAY! Lynskey R230 with Shimano 6700 Ultegra

Lynksey has hit another home run with the R230.  Lynskey describes the R230 rider:

I want my bike to be instantly responsive, but also ride comfortably and smooth. Even though I race on the weekends, I still enjoy the occasional century ride with my local club. I’m aware that tube shapes mean increased performance, but I still like something conservative. The R230 is the perfect choice for me.

This bike is stiff without being harsh.  It can be raced or ridden 150 miles at a time.  It's not as stiff as a carbon race bike, it's not as light as a carbon race bike, but it's stiff enough to be sprinted on and will be the smoothest bike in your stable most likely.

With as many as we have built, our customers are trying to find ways to make theirs a little different without moving away from the classic design of a bare titanium frame.  This particular build went for an extremely subdued look, maintaining all of the class of a handmade frame.


Shots from above aren't easy to capture with an XL frame!  Shimano Ultegra shifts as well or better than just about anything out there but costs a fraction of the highest-end gruppos.


The fantastic hand-brushed finish on this titanium frame is set apart with etched logos that are incredibly subtle.


The brake bridge on Lysnkey's frames has a beautiful touch with this clover taken from the Lysnkey family crest, which happens to double as the head tube badge.


Beautiful brass badge with the Lynskey script is classic and perfectly suited to their frames.


The etched logos do add a $250 premium over basic decals, but they are done beautifully, and really finish off a handmade with another touch of class.


Shimano Ultegra cassette is nearly as light as the Dura-Ace version while being a fraction of the price.  We rarely spec the Dura-Ace version because Ultegra is just so good!


No one rivals Shimano's front shifting, and Ultegra is no exception.  Mechanical Dura-Ace and Ultegra both shift as well or better than even their Di2 counterparts in the front.


The Ultegra rear derailleur is an exercise in function.  While I do love the new gray finish, this derailleur was designed to shift first and be sexy second.


Another spot where Shimano shines: their braking.  For 2013 they've changed their design, which is why I predict we'll be selling a lot of these 6700 and 7900 Dura-Ace brakesets for a long time to come.


Ultegra shifters have the same ergonomics as Dura-Ace, and the same shift quality, but only give in to Dura-Ace on weight.  At close to half the price of Dura-Ace, Ultegra is a very enticing offering.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

NEW BIKE DAY! Niner Air9 with Shimano XT

This is starting to become a recurring theme around the shop, and I couldn't be happier.  Niner bikes have been rolling out of the shop with regularity and each one keeps getting better.

For this build we went to our go-to component gruppo, Shimano XT.  Performance, looks, and weight, XT has it going on.  It's not quite as light as some of the other gruppos on the market, but with brakes that cannot be matched and smooth shifting as good or better than anything else available, a price that's perfectly competitive, and good looks to match, it's the gruppo we've used as our standard to which other gruppos are measured.



Beautiful build, eh?  The white/raw color combo on the new Air9 PF30 is incredible and really draws a lot of attention.  No denying this thing looks good.


NoTubes Arch EX stock wheelset is a great value and adds a great amount of stiffness over the Crest wheelset while being only slightly heavier.  The big bonus: NoTubes has the best bead hook out there allowing just about any tire to be easily set up tubeless.


The Rock Shox SID fork used on this bike isn't the high-zoot XX World Cup version we've been using so much lately.  This SID RL still has very smooth travel, uncompromising light weight, and looks great with this frame.


Sag measurements printed on the stanchions make setup easier than any fork out there.



XT cranks have legendary Shimano front shifting.  Also legendary from Shimano is not being the lightest, but not sacrificing stiffness to anyone.


Shimano XT brakes have more power and better lever feel than any brake on the market today.  They aren't the lightest, but they do perform the best.




Shimano ICE Technology rotors keep things cool and performance fade-free no matter how you ride.




Looks are personal, but damn these levers sure are sexy.  The single-lever braking can't be beat.


No mistaking the model of this frame!  Niner never wants to leave anyone guessing, but most of their graphics tend to be subtle, or at least in small numbers.



Wednesday, June 20, 2012

NEW BIKE DAY! Niner Jet9 RDO with SRAM X.0

We're at it again, this is another one of those dream bikes you see highlighted on the cover of a magazine or people drooling over in bike forums.

To build the best, you have to start with the best, so the Niner Jet9 RDO was a clear choice.  Being a long-time rider of hard tails, I'm pretty picky when it comes to rear suspension designs.  I like a bike that's light and efficient and trade off the little bit of cushion and comfort for efficiency and speed.  But, after riding a few of these Jet9 RDO's, I'm realizing that an efficient rear suspension will make you faster in the bumps and on the descents, possibly keep your tire hooked up on the climbs, and have the potential to lead you to faster laps.

Enough with the theory, let's just cover this incredible ride:

The frame is an XL Niner Jet9 RDO in licorice.  Licorice has proven to be the most popular color at the shop and probably the best seller from Niner, and for good reason.  When you get up close you'll see there is actually black paint on the bare carbon making for a very stealth look.


The profile shot shows the dimensions of the frame nicely.  I normally ride a large frame from Niner, but with the seat lowered a little and a slightly shorter stem the XL didn't feel too bad!  Hmmm...


Wheels are Crank brothers Cobalt 29 3 wheels.  While I can't say these would be my first choice personally, they set up tubeless flawlessly, the weight is pretty respectable, and they match this build perfectly.  Maybe with more time on them we'll have a better sense of them.


Formula R1 brakes and SRAM X.0 shifters make for a nicely assembled cockpit.  You'll notice the Formula MixMaster clamps are missing, they hadn't arrived in time for the shoot but will be instaled shortly.


A special Formula R1 caliper laser etched for Niner is hard to beat.  At the shop we tend to stick mostly to Avid or Shimano brakes, but the lever feel and power from these R1's was really incredible.  Good enough actually that I very well may have them on my next build...


Another shot of the caliper, this is the rear one.  Post mount rear leaves you with a very stiff perch for the brake and great power with no flex.


The Fox RP23 with Kashima coat is the standard by which all other rear shocks should be measured.  This frame was produced before the CTD version, which may actually be a good thing for some.  This version of RP23 has more adjustment for the rider who likes to fiddle with his bike versus the CTD which has fewer settings.


Yup, Kashima found here.  I'll be honest, I thought it was a gimmick at first, but after some riding it's pretty clear Fox did their homework on this one.


The Jet9 RDO has the ability to easily adapt from trail bike to XC racer depending on how you set it up, this one is spec'd with a TALAS 29 fork which allows for travel adjustment on the fly.  Want 120mm to go downhill?  No problem.  Want 80mm to go uphill?  It can handle that too.


Simple CTD (Climb, Trail, Descend) adjustments on the fork crown to handle how the fork behaves.



The TALAS adjustment knob that allows for travel adjustment on the fly is easily reached.  Personally I'd run this thing in the 120mm mode most of the time as the fork is just so smooth.


Kashima makes an appearance at the front of the bike as well.  You just can't go wrong here.


Glamour shots are needed from every angle, but I had to get one from the front as most of the time you'll only see the rear of this one.


X.0 rear derailleur is consistent and light.  We've been running a lot of SRAM bits for years, and SRAM's 10-speed groups are awesome off-road.


X.0 cranks set up with a 38t big ring for all-mountain use.  A racer may favor a 39t big ring, but this 38t is more than enough if not racing.


With the advent of 10-speed also came super-wide-range cassettes, this one is an 11-36 X.0 model.


A Cane Creek 110 headset handles the steering duty on this bike.  A US-made headset is always a nice touch, and Cane Creek makes some amazing products.


There you have it.  A killer Niner Jet9 RDO that was a pleasure to build.  While these frames are next to impossible to get, you know where to go when you need someone to hunt one down.  Every time I build one and get to ride it I realize why people are willing to pay so much for these frames!