8/14/07 - New Shoes - Shimano R-300!

It's been said many times over that the best piece of equipment is one you don't notice. Well, after taking my new Shimano R-300 heat-moldable shoes out for a ride this morning, I never realized how much I was "noticing" my old shoes!

That is not to say that I didn't notice the new shoes, it's just that the things I was noticing were so good, so positive, and so much better than anything I had experienced before, I was shocked at what I had been missing. It is easy to say that the stiffness, stability, and comfort (and you know how much I love comfort) are best-in-class from this shoe. I don't know why we aren't hearing more about these from the big cycling websites like cyclingnews.com or pezcyclingnews.com - who are famous for their product reviews. So, I'll review them for you here instead.

8/1/07 - A Message from Matt

Nashville has meant a great deal to me. It is the only place that my wife and I; both originally from the Northwest, have lived together. My firstborn son, Jacob, was born here. And it has been the place where I have met and made some of my best friends and achieved my greatest professional accomplishments. And so it is with some difficulty that I must announce that, nearly seven years to the day after moving here; the time has come for my family and I to return home to the Pacific Northwest and Portland, Oregon.

6/1/07 - Suspicions Confirmed

A few months ago, you'll remember me writing about the rumors I'd heard about a new bike from Trek. Well, it's true - and according to Trek, "everything else is history". The new Madone series was unveiled today, and you can read all about it at: http://www2.trekbikes.com/madone/. Reading through the Madone Tech Book that I received from Trek today, I must admit; I've never had a worse case of bike lust in my life! And I haven't even ridden the bike yet!

My store will be getting one or two of them soon (one if them is supposed to be my size - it's nice to be the Sales Manager), and I'll hope to get out on it soon to let you know what I think. Until then, this photo will have to do:

These bikes have serious promise - with many different models, from about $2800 to $7500; and three different geometries: Pro fit, Sport fit, and Women's Specific. There's a bike for anyone.
The other big news is the redesign of the Bontrager wheel line. I love wheels and I'm a big fan of Bontrager's wheels (I personally own four sets - and may own a fifth set soon). The new wheels are very well thought out and I can't wait to see and ride them.
While I haven't posted in a while (things are crazy-busy at the store), I promise I'll post as soon as I've tested the bike.
Thanks for reading...

5/6/07 - What makes that bike cost so much?

Its not the question we get asked most frequently, but it is probably the one that people wonder the most about.

I saw an article in the 2003 Buyer's Guide from Bicycling magazine which attempted to answer the question by comparing a $2,000 bike to a $10,000 bike - and it did a horrible job, if I do say so my self; comparing only the ride characteristics of the bikes and saying nothing about the quality of the materials used or the resulting durability and ease or lack of maintenance. In my continuing pursuit of being your resource for all things cycling - I'll attempt to improve on their comparison.

I'm going to tear apart three bikes (figuratively, not literally) of three distinctly different price levels and tell you just what makes them cost what they do. Hopefully, from there you can choose whether that makes a difference to you - or whether it will require more personal investigation on your part. Which, we will be happy to help you with, of course.

A Guide:

First, to lay the ground work - here's how I'll conduct this comparison.

4/26/07 - The simple cure for our complex woes

This morning I spent 24 minutes watching the President of Trek Bicycle Corporation, John Burke's presentation at the recently completed Taipei Bicycle Trade Show in Taiwan. ( To see it yourself, go to youtube.com and search for John Burke - then select the video that is titled John Burke - the Al Gore of the Bicycle Industry). Now, those of you who have heard John speak before know that it wasn't easy - but as usual, while John isn't the greatest public speaker, he had a lot of good things to say. Most of which inspired what I have to say here.

Think what you will about Global Warming; I won't go into all of my thoughts here. But if Al Gore were correct, the bicycle is a great solution to our problems. I don't think it stops there though. Obesity is possibly the greatest sociological and physiological problem of our time. There are many great epidemics - but obesity is by far the most transcendent and is the root cause of many other health problems facing many of our friends and neighbors. While thyroid disorders can account for a small percentage of obesity in our time, a far greater number of the cases are due simply to the lifestyle of "westernized" society in which we live in a manner that is fully dependent upon the automobile and almost necessitates a poor diet based on processed, "fast" foods

4/25/07 - What I learned at Ladies' Night

Sorry, this entry doesn't involve me dressed in drag and infiltrating Ladies Night at a local watering hole to find out what women really think about...it might be more interesting if it did.

Last night, we hosted Trek's Women's Specific Design group's Ross Rushin for an event at our Brentwood store all about cycling and women (More info: http://www.fitforwomentour.com/). It was truly a success, with 35 women in attendance learning all sorts of great things about what makes women's bikes special, how to fix a flat tire, and how to prepare for their next big ride. I think everyone walked away with something they learned, yes, including me.

1. I learned how to fix a flat tire without touching the chain! After fixing literally tens of thousands of flat tires, I'd always done the road-side repair while grabbing the chain to get the wheel out of the frame and while putting it back in. Ross showed me that it didn't have to be so - something I'll add to every flat-changing clinic from now forward.

Buying online is treason!

When was the last time your favorite online bike parts bargain discounter:

Stayed late on a Friday night or came in early on Saturday morning (skipping the group ride) to fix your bike? Stood in the pouring rain or searing heat at the local charity ride to pump up tires and work last-minute miracles so that the ride can go on (and did it for FREE)? Volunteered their time to the local Boy Scout troop to help them earn their merit badges?

Gave free clinics to teach you what you need to know to enjoy your favorite sport? Answered all your questions, about any cycling-related topic, and didn't hand you a bill afterward? Knew what size inner-tube your bike uses when you forgot? Do you need extended or standard valves? (Wait, they don't ask...)

Caught that worn out part on your bike just before catastrophic failure, overnighted the part from the supplier, split the shipping charge with you, and then installed it the next day so you wouldn't miss your ride - forsaking all the people who had brought their bikes in before you did - whom he then had to call and tell them that their bikes wouldn't be ready on time?

Spent endless hours up to their elbows in degreaser, chain lube, fork oil and who-knows-what which was on that Tri-bike to keep you rolling smoothly down the road? Happily stood and endlessly explained over-and-over the differences between those two bike shorts? (No, you weren't the first one to ask that day.) Didn't hesitate to help a child pick out their first bicycle, just to see them smile?

This is all in an average day's work at the average American bike shop.

Nobody working at your local bike shop is making a lot of money. Most of us drive beat-up old cars which are just a couple pay-checks away from getting the service done on them which they badly need. And that's when business is good like it is now. You thought we rode our bikes to work because we love cycling? That's only the first reason. The other reasons are that we'd rather not spend our hard earned cash on gas, and that if we don't drive today that's one more day some of us can keep our car out of the hands of the mechanic.

Our prices are set as low as we can set them and still be in business while paying our staff to serve you when you have a problem or question and pay rent and utilities on that store you like to hang out in. We do this because we love it. Some of us have been lucky enough to do it and make some money. But most of us do it to see children smile and our best clients lose weight, spend more time with their families, achieve a personal best on a century or win a race. And, most of us work way more hours than we should - simply because there's just too much work to do and we don't want to disappoint you.

The next time an online bicycle parts discounter shows up to do ride support for your favorite event, then you can feel good about your "bargain". Until then, support your local bike shop; they'll save your butt one day.

Oh, and you know who you are and we do too.

3/19/07 - GET OUTTA THE *&@#$^% ROAD!!!

Most of us live two lives - that of a cyclist and that of a motorist.

While driving home this evening, I spotted a cyclist riding down Highway 70 - riding down the middle of the road in the turn lane - DURING RUSH HOUR. From my vantage point behind the wheel of my car, the only thought that entered my mind was, "Idiot!" while I kept one eye on him and one eye on the cars around me trying not to hit either of them while merging into the cyclist-occupied turn lane to make a left hand turn. And this guy was a "cyclist" too: Nice helmet, team jersey, and Italian road bike - not some random "biker" on a Wal-Mart bike.

These are not the type of words you would hope to read on the website of an avid cyclist and cycling advocate - but here they are and they are mine.

3/6/07 - Waterford at NAHBS

I'm sitting at home, sick, watching UEFA soccer and reading cyclingnews.com's report on the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS). Not too bad except for the sick part...

This show has been held the last 4 springs; most recently in San Jose, CA, and attracts the best artisan bicycle builders in the world. With the addition of Dario Pegoretti, the show is truely intercontinental. If you love unique bicycles that are a departure from the cookie cutter stuff that has become so prolific - this show is worth a look. I hope to attend it someday in person.

The report, while just a sampling of what was on display showed some amazing detail and great ideas from artists like Bilenky, Richard Sachs, Sasha White of Vanilla Cycles, Independent Fabrications, Bryan Baylis, and Peter Mooney. One of my personal favorites and great friends, Waterford Precision Cycles, was also in attendance.

These guys aren't afraid to try anything - as evidenced by this lugged-steel frame, mating the venerable Reynolds 853 tubeset with the new 953 stainless steel tubing with hand-carved lugs for a truely amazing result.

3/2/07 - Now for some lighter fare...

(To see the latest info on the Waterford, head here...)

I told Adam (Service Manager at the store) that I would lighten things up on my blog, per his suggestions, and talk more about my bikes. So, here's a little something about my main steed - my Waterford R-33.


I was one of the fortunate ones. I went to Waterford's factory in person to have my measurements taken and talk directly with Marc Muller, Waterford's legendary frame designer, about my desires for my new bike. It was quite an experience getting to sit across from Marc at his desk and hear his deep and relaxed voice roll out his first question: "So, what would you like us to build you?"