SRAM steps up for the Tour of the Gila

hey kids:

check out the latest report coming out of the land of enchantment:

SRAM becomes title sponsor of New Mexico's Tour of the Gila

Posted Mar. 10, 2009

SRAM has taken over title sponsorship of New Mexico's Tour of the Gila stage race, which begins this April 29 in Silver City.

“SRAM has given this race security for the next several years and, with their increasing popularity in the peloton, we can only anticipate growth for our event. And SRAM’s professional neutral race support, along with their great team relationships, make them a perfect long-term partner,” stated Jack Brennan, Tour of the Gila Race Director.

“Despite the tremendous grass-roots support for the “Gila,” the event was facing some financial challenges, and we wanted to come onboard and give the race a secure place in the calendar for the next several years,” said David Zimberoff, SRAM’s Global Marketing Director.

The Gila leader's jersey will now be colored in SRAM’s trademark red color.

This is great news for the race, and I think we should face east and say a big thank you to the boys and girls at SRAM HQ in Chicago.

I've been doing the Gila for quite a few years, and SRAM has been there in the past at the crit with neutral wheel support (i actually got a flat in the crit last year, and their help allowed me to stay in the game and finish 4th on the day). However, it's awesome to hear that they are not only stepping up to support all the stages, but supporting the race financially too.

Thanks SRAM!

Rob

Your Bike's Stimulus Package

Cleanliness Aidan can believe in!

Now that spring is upon us and Daylight Saving has begun, the opportunity and call to ride is upon us. So as we dust off the old bike shoes and head out into the hills, what in God's name is that creak in my bottom bracket? How come my wheels are out of true? Why won't my bike shift into that 11T cog?

The number one thing you can do for the quality of your riding this spring is to bring your bike into Blue Sky Cycles for a high-performance tune-up. Many of us would prefer to whip out some rags, crank some Bon Jovi, and spend a weekend wrenching it up. But with the good weather bearing down, work piling up, the weekend hours are in short supply. More often than not I just let bicycle maintenance go unanswered because I don't have the time.

Well, with the Tucson trip around the corner, my errands list growing, and my sleep hours dwindling, I decided to bring my bike and Jenna's bike into Blue Sky Cycles. After 12+ years of avid riding, it was the first time I let a shop do any amount of appreciable work on my bike.

It was worth every penny! During a high-performance tune the shop basically takes your bike apart, soaks the drivetrain in solvent, and puts it back together again. I've been racing hard on my Ultegra groupset for 2+ years, and as you can see, it looks like new again!





I also had a potpourri of requests of things I have not had the time to address, and the shop dutifully noted them and took care of it. This included lubing Jenna's Speedplay pedals, checking my hoods for even height, and replacing worn chains.


The performance tune includes all new cables and cable routing. And yes, if your cockpit doesn't look like this, then you're doing something wrong.


By the way, year 2 of the PowerDome experiment is going swimmingly. The cassette is still looking new after more than 5,000 miles. No Shimano or Campy cassette will last that long and weigh this little.

The tune-up also included some things that I had not expected. The tension on my wheels was checked (and corrected). Both bikes had new handlebar tape installed (never underestimate the psychological boost of new bar tape). And, because I wanted to keep training this week, the shop let me schedule the work ahead of time so that the bikes were AWOL from my garage for the minimum amount of time.



In short, do yourself and every compatriot on your group rides a favor, and bring your bike into the shop for a little spring cleaning.

Fulfilling a Dream

Bob and I headed North on Friday, leaving Boulder at 51 degrees F. By the time we reached Cheyenne, it was 17 degrees, dumping snow, poor visibility, cars sliding off the road, etc. We discussed turning back, but decided we'd turn back if I80 was closed (guess we really wouldn't have much choice then now would we?)

At Rawlins, things cleared up and we made it to Jackson, WY by midnight (that was our goal). Skiing- well JH mountain has vertical like no other US mountain. We enjoyed that, but I was disappointed because the previous weekend we skied so much white fluffy stuff at Wolf Creek that anything but pure powder would be a disappointment.

Well, we weren't done with wolves yet. We headed back to Boulder Monday morning. Of course it started to snow, and was expected to continue snowing all week. There's a belief at Jackson that when Bob Prieto goes there, skiing is ok, but when he leaves, it snows...needless to say, everyone on the mountain was glad to see us depart...no really, Bob lived there and people still remember him.

Driving through Hoback Canyon, just South of Jackson Hole, I yelled at Bob to stop the car! There in the middle of the frozen Hoback River stood the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. With no cars around, I jumped out and attempted to look more closely. The wolf looked back then casually trotted up the hillside a bit. He stopped looked at me, then trotted a bit more. Thankfully he wasn't in a great hurry, yet he definitely didn't want to stop and have tea with me either.

I returned to the car, shaking with adrenalin from the excitement of fulfilling a lifetime dream!

Being Spotted on Picture Rock Trail - Bike Review

After much debate about what I was going to do to help keep the country from delving further into recession, I decided that it was my civic duty to prop up the businesses of Longmont and Golden by picking up a new Spot Longboard. My thoughts were that if each and every American went out and bought one from Blue Sky, not only would our economic engine be jump started instantly, but probably Blue Sky would be able to greatly increase their role as sponsor of the club and team (free beer at every ride?).

When I was in the shop, people working there said that there had been a lot of interest in the Spot belt-driven bikes, but that through a combination of trepidation and freak storms that had washed away all suitors, they had not had a banner year of sales. So, I thought that it might be a good idea to give a short review for anyone out there who ever thought of going for a bike with really big wheels, none of those gear shifty thingys or even a chain.

Style/Coolness/Attraction to Members of Opposite Sex: 3.5

While I must say that there is much to consider about a bike, lets face it, what really matters it that the rider of said vehicle look cooler than all others around. The two-toned (mint green and tan) paint choice would seem a bit peculiar in a superbad hardcore racing bike, it actually seems to work well. The 29er wheels and the overall large size of the bike will intimidate many around you. I personally, scared off two angry momma bears and cubs on my first ride simply by riding past and flashing a smile. For this, I give the bike high marks. The belt drive has a certain geek bling that makes even other SS riders around think that something must either be very wrong or very very right with your bike. On the other hand, impressing the neophyte with a silly multicolored bike with really big wheels while you are standing up grunting your way up a hill making noises something between pre-vomit and asthma don't do much for coolness. Hence, I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Stuff is Not Going to Fall Off the Bike/Break in Half Cleaving My Skull in Two Factor: 4

Singlespeed bikes just don't have much crap to break on them. That's part of the coolness. Not having a chain at all is even cooler (well, assuming your bike wasn't supposed to have one - if your bike had a chain and is now curiously sans that item, you are probably really not doing well). The bike is pretty darn solid. Steel was invented not long after the Bible, and most would argue that it's far more reliable as a means to get to an end. For a frame that big to be both supple (love that word) and not flexy is pretty sweet. I weighed the bike with pedals and it's just a skosh under 26lbs, so you are paying a bit for that suppleness, but really, my butt is far too hard and knobbly to be on a super stiff hard tail. The Manitou Minute fork was surprisingly good. I'm used to Fox shox from my other bike (Ibis Mojo) and other previous bikes, so I was a bit dubious about another brand. But, the shock is actually really nice. I'm still dialing it in (after calling Manitou because it came with no manual) to get the best ride, but overall it's a pretty plush 100mm fork.

The belt drive itself is a bit eerie. It's really really quiet and super responsive. I gotta say that I think this might be the wave of the future when it comes to mountain bikes. It's pretty flawless. The bottom bracket system - that's another matter. I used to ride on a Kona Unit 26 SS a long time ago. That had a great bottom bracket system that slid back and forth. When it was in the right place you simply tightened a couple of hex bolts and you were golden. This thing has a funky system with a quick release (that actually won't quick release anything by design), 4 hex bolts that are supposed to keep the bottom bracket from sliding until you lock the quick release and some nuts on those same bolts that like to spin around for no apparent reason (man this is hard to describe in writing). I think that understanding this system (after talking to the folks at Spot) is still a bit challenging. But, when in place properly, the thing is solid and not to worry about. Woah to he/she who doesn't "get it" and then has a flat on a trail though. The brakes are bomber and the wheels seem pretty bullet proof. The only real complaint I have is that when they build up the bikes to sell, they come with really long stems (mine is a 120!). I thought that this idea went out with BioPace! Especially on a bike this big and with this much weight up front, you'd think that they'd put on a 100 or something like that to give you the leverage and balance to help float the front wheel. Oh well, cheap enough fix.

Overall Swoopiness/Rideability on Downhills: 4

It's a BIG BIG BIKE! I've been on a 140mm bike for the last year and this bike seems way big compared to that. 100mm up front made the front end go over stuff pretty easy, but just because the wheels are big, it doesn't mean they absorb the hits from drops. It's a strange sensation. You'll roll over the rocks that Boulder County throws at you like there was nothing there (rocks that I really notice on the Mojo), but then going off of stuff you remember that you are on a hardtail. Riding down the upper section of Picture Rock was a bit bombastic. It took a while to get the groove of the new bike on the rocks and tight tight turns. After I started to groove on it though, it was a great ride. The staccato of rapidly pounding rocks that normally challenge me downhill was really sort of "point and shoot" game of dozing right over them on the Longboard. The lower sections of the trail (with all of the pumpable turns) was amazing! Wow! I forgot how much a hardtail allows you to accelerate if you pump it!

Grunt Factor for Climbing: 5

Well, this is what I bought the bike for. I was not let down. If you have never ridden a SS mountain bike, think of it like going to the gym and doing one-legged presses for about 45 min straight! As I said before, I used to have a 26 inch SS a long time ago. Riding it in Boulder was a beating on me. 29er wheels made all of the difference! It was amazing to keep my momentum over much of what used to really cause me to struggle. The nice thing is that you can really just get into an uphill groove, stand up out of the saddle and chug up the hill.

Hope this review spurs on many more purchases of Spots so we can have a sub-group of the club for us!

Happy Trails,

KBK

The Weather Called For Blue Sky!

Sunday’s forecast called for another warm winter day so it seems there was nothing to do but head out for a Blue Sky group ride! The sunny skies that were evident in early a.m. gave way to clouds by the time a small contingent of BSV members gathered at Ziggis to head out towards Lyons.

Kevin A., Brad E., Dave K, David T., David W. ,Steve C., Angie O and fellow BSV members all seemed in good spirits as I caught this photo of them preparing for the prescribed 10 a.m. departure.

Asked afterwards for an account of the ride, Steve reported that "It (the A ride) was a brisk ride: a good warm-up, some hills, some wind, some fairly fast pace-lines...all good “racer” styled miles. The pace-lines are always clumsy at this time of year. A pro once told me that his team always works on pace-lines...and they always seem clumsy...and there’s always someone pulling over too late and leaving gaps, etc etc. Our pace-line was clumsy as hell, but it was pretty fast...so, in a way it was good training because we were constantly accelerating to close gaps...WHICH is just like a race...so fine. We’ll all get smoother. The ride was fun. It wasn’t competitive, and about half way through the stronger guys were doing more and helping the “less-strong” folks to stay intact which keeps the whole train rolling...in other words...we rode like a TEAM.”

More on Cycling Meccas, and Food

Here is another quick post about cycling Meccas.  I haven't been to Italy, but really want to go.  How can you go wrong?  I don't think you can.  Even the olive oil comes in fancy tins with a bike on them.  

Not only that, this particular olive oil was imported and delivered by none other than Andy Hampsten. With heritage like that, it better be good. Thankfully, it is. My wife and I are on our second tin of this particular oil. I know that three hours into a long ride I start thinking about what I want to eat when I get home. While recovery drinks have their time and place, I am drawn more to wholesome "real" food. My latest food of choice is bread and oil. Simple yet effective.

My next cycling and food installation will be a local surprise. However, I know there are many of you out there with some stories of your own, post them up.

CLIF SHOT BLOKS FASTPAK

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With six chews in each FASTPAK, athletes get 33 calories per chew — making it simple to customize and track caloric and electrolyte intake during long races or outings. Happy Fueling!

For more yummy details and news check out http://www.clifbar.com/