Missing the Giro d'Italia?

No Giro on Versus this year. Bummer.

But, if you have highspeed internet and the opportunity - you can still watch live racing (without commercials in some cases!). Thanks to my buddy Brandon at the Beaverton Bike Gallery for the head's-up on this one.

Head over to steephill.tv. They've re-configured their homepage to accomodate all the Giro traffic they're getting - but if you click the front-and-center photo (the one that looks like Alberto Contador stage-diving off the podium...) it will take you to their Giro homepage. There's a link for "Live Coverage" at the bottom left of the Contador photo on that page. Clicking there will take you to a page that has a bunch of different streaming options for the live video feed.

I've bounced around between the RAI Italian feed and the Universal English-language feed. The feeds labeled "unrestricted" have no commercials.

I'll also usually open up VeloNews.com's live text updates as I enjoy some of the witty commentary by Andrew Hood.

By the way...come back early next week for a BIG NEWS UPDATE. Changes are on the horizon.

Thanks for dropping by.

Matt.

Wacky April Fool's Day Stories

April 1 always seems to be a day for big news in the cycling industry. VeloNews and Cyclingnews get the scoop on exclusive stories with preposterous accusations, controversial regulations, or just plain infuriating content. And if you believe them - this is your day. Here's this year's content:

VeloNews (velonews.com)
-Armstrong Sharpens Sprint
The give-away here is the photo of the German Track cyclists' legs and the claim that Armstrong has been consulting with German coaches for similar results before the Tour [de France].

-LanceNews.com
A spinoff of the above story; and mentioned in other stories on the website - not a serious endeavour.

-Lennard Zinn
All I have to say is: Really, Lennard? You expected us to buy that? Really?

-New UCI Eyewear Regs
Again, pretty transparent story (and certainly not distortion free) - along with the accompanying "question" on the Explainer's article.

Unfortunately the story about a Valverde ban is real - unfortunate that the riders don't ever seem to learn that they can't beat the new tests. And, to be entirely honest, I'm still trying to figure out whether the story about Theo Bos is real or not. If it's fake - it's well done!

Cyclingnews (cyclingnews.com)
Much like last year; the CN crew based their story around far-fetched carbon fiber componentry. However, with how far composite materials are being pushed in the bike industry - one of these days the story is going to be believeable. Definitely visit the website associated with the story: http://www.carboncopycomponents.com/

All in all, the stories are in good fun. I enjoy rooting them out every year. Nice work, guys!

Matt.

Shanna's Sweet ProjectOne 6.5 Pro

Photos: me! (Remember, I'm not a photographer...) Click for larger version.

Shanna has waited far too long for her bike and has been more than patient! (Thanks for understanding, Shanna.) We placed the order with Trek as soon as they opened up the ProjectOne program - because we wanted to get her on the bike as soon as possible. Well, we didn't expect that it would take Shimano this long to perfect the Dura Ace 7950 compact crankset. But, just look at that thing! Worth the wait, huh? Gorgeous!

What's new at PDXProRoad?

A quick update on the unique content at my other online presence; just in case you haven't made it over there in a while:

-Kelly's Dura Ace 7900 Parlee Z3

-Bontrager shoes and Parlee's Z4 & TT at Tour of Cali

Coming soon to both sites: Shanna's Dura Ace 7900 ProjectOne Madone 6.5!

Head on over to pdxproroad.blogspot.com to check out those posts and other unique things not found here at RoadRage.

Beware of knock-offs!

Photo: metroactive.com

I haven't done a consumer advocacy post in quite a while - but there hasn't been much to report on. This story even slipped my mind a few times. I first caught wind of it on the NBDA dealers e-mail list and haven't really seen it mentioned anywhere else. But a Google search turned up this article from a weekly publication in Specialized's Silicon Valley backyard:

http://www.metroactive.com/metro/02.04.09/news-0905.html

Sleazy Riders

Morgan Hill–based Specialized Bicycles fights off wave of dangerous Chinese counterfeits

By Jessica Fromm

SPECIALIZED Bicycle Components reports that it has seen a surge in counterfeit carbon bike frames mimicking the company's top-of-the-line models circulating on the Internet. Fake framesets being sold under their the Specialized brand have gotten so prevalent that the company believes a Chinese counterfeit factory must be producing the nearly identical replicas. 

Trek ProjectOne is Up and Running!

They're here....

Click for larger photo...I hope to have pictures of the actual bikes this week - these are from projectone.trekbikes.com

So the long awaited arrival of the new batch of custom and semi-custom Madones from Trek are now rolling in. We have several on order at the store (both for stock and for clients); and we've received two at the Beaverton store already which are excellent examples of what is possible through the program. And, in the case of the bikes pictured - the choices shown are at no additional charge!

Links dump...

It seemed for a long time that there was just nothing going on in the world of bikes that I was getting excited about - so I wasn't writing a whole lot. Now, there's a ton of info that I want to pass along and it seems like I can't find the time to do it all. So, as crude as it may be - here's a bunch of the stuff that's on my mind and in my inbox that I'd like to pass along:

#1: Bontrager Race X Lite shoe review: pezcyclingnews.com

First actual test I've seen on these shoes - and since I expressed my thoughts on them in my multi-part update on Trek World, I thought I'd pass this along to augment my coverage of this exciting new offering from Bontrager and Trek. Here's the link to the story at Pez Cycling News:

Bontrager Race X Lite shoe review

#2: Trek Madone on YouTube

You may have run across this already, as it's been on YouTube for almost a year, but I was just made aware of this through the NBDA e-mail list for bike dealers. It's a great video from a program on the National Geographic channel detailing the revolutionary frameset of the Madone series. Check it out:

The video offers a rare look into Trek's carbon fiber production facility (A place that was only opened to the public back in 2003 - and I had to sign a confidentiality agreement at that time to get to see it!). It's an interesting look at the bikes - even for someone like me who has toured the facility 4 times, seen the testing you see being done on the bikes in person, and spoken face-to-face with some of the individuals in the video. I think you'll enjoy it.

One fun little aside - one year (probably August of 2006 as I recall) when I was on the factory tour - there was a frame in the front impact low-cycle testing jig that you see highlighted toward the end of the video. The frame was covered by a bike box. They said it was a new "secret" project they were working on. I found out later it was the new Madone that we have in the store now!

#3: Bicycle Frame Building Video on You Tube

Finally, this post on YouTube, also harvested from the NBDA e-list, shows the construction of bicycle frames and the assembly of the complete bike. Not quite the same quality of machine as in the previous video - but no less interesting. China and Taiwan produce somewhere near 80% of the world's bicycles in facilities just like this one. Enjoy.




Thanks for watching!

Bontrager InForm RL Saddle - Follow up.

So I've been so lax in posting that I have had people tracking me down at work for updates on some of the things I've left hanging out there...namely the Bontrager InForm Saddle that I've been riding lately. (Jeff, again - thanks for the effort in tracking me down...I hope you're enjoying your new saddle.) So, thanks for humoring me while I get caught up. And for those of you who have been waiting for some resolution on things; it's coming - thanks for your patience. And, without further adieu: my final analysis on the InForm RL saddle from Bontrager.

First - if you've not yet read my initial write up on this saddle; start here. The following will make much more sense if you read this all in sequence.

Pay it Forward

Wow! It's been a long time since I last posted! Sorry about that; no excuses - I've just been busy.

So, here's my latest thing - you know I have a bit of a different view of the whole bicycle advocacy and "right-to-the-road" thing. Well, the more I think about this; especially while riding, the more it appears to be true:

The way a car reacts to your presence on the road as a cyclist is a direct result of the behavior of the last person on a bike they encountered.

Think about it. They have no reason to have anything against you usually; or to the contrary to feel favorably toward you and your bike. They're acting on the assumptions they formed about cyclists based on other cyclists they encountered before you. So my thing is to do my best to give the riders up the road from me the best possible chance of having a positive interaction with the cars that have passed me. That's right, it's pretty selfless and doesn't deliver a lot of instrant gratification. In fact, you may never get to benefit from the fruits of your labors. But, do something for somebody else every once in a while: stop at lights and stop signs; signal your turns; be predictable. The rider up the road from you might be me. (wait, that might influence you to do the opposite...) Well, at least you can count on me to assume that the rider up the road might be you...

Finally, sorry for the lack of posts.
Thanks for reading.

Off to Interbike!

Just a quick note to let you know that I'll be hopping on a plane and flying out to Vegas tomorrow to attend the annual industry trade show - Interbike.

This has become an annual thing for me and I love reconnecting with people whom I talk to frequently, but only see once a year. All the new gear is great to see too. I'm sure to have some things to share once I return home.

I'll be attending the National Criterium Championships for the second year as well. Last year saw Ivan Dominguez with a winning effort in the last 150 meters for an awesome finish. What will we see this year?

I hate Vegas, and can't wait to leave from the moment the plane touches down...but I love Interbike and seeing all my friends.

Until I return...thanks for reading.