PDW Full Metal Fenders: Tested

You may be fortunate enough to live in a climate where fenders for your bike are a laughable diversion from reality - I know my years living in Nashville were a fender-free utopia compared to Portland. But here in the Pacific Northwest; where people have "rain bikes" and "sunny-day go fast" bikes, we take our fenders seriously as they are our ticket to riding more than 3 months out of the year.

Seriously - it rains almost 9 months of the year here! You can't get any reasonable saddle time from October through May or June - outside at least - if you don't have rain gear and fenders.

So - you'll learn a thing or two about fenders when you come to Portland. Think any ol' thing will do? Nope: those mud guards and easy on/off fenders are like a mere hand-towel after a long shower - not nearly adequate. Think fenders only belong on old beach-cruiser ladies bikes? Wrong again: we'll put them on anything here (and make it look cool to boot).

Greg LeMond: Industry Revolutionary

Greg LeMond is perhaps best known recently for being an outspoken critic of Lance Armstrong and his claims to clean cycling. Even recently, Greg offered an open letter to the UCI's Pat McQuaid asking him to resign and citing (in summary) willful ignorance when it comes to the purported doping system that Armstrong and U.S. Postal Pro Cycling allegedly ran according to the USADA's recent Reasoned Decision.

But my opinion is; having met the man on several occasions and having some mutual friends, this sells Greg very short (as most generalizations tend to do). And to go a step further - Greg is more than the first (only?*) American to win the Tour de France and the guy who popularized clipless pedals, carbon frames, and "aero bars" for road race time trials.

Road Frame Testing: Interesting Video

Giant has posted a video explaining frame testing protocol within the bicycle industry and it is really rather fascinating.

You have to wade through a bit of manufacturer propaganda, but many of us have heard it all before (and I rather like Giant's road bikes) so it's not that bad. Once you sift through the subjectivity you'll see that there are some cold hard facts and some interesting insights into how all these data points that we are bombarded with are actually created - and why some companies test the way they do.

Friday Five; October 26, 2012

Five things you should have done on your 6:00 a.m., 37 F degree, rainy ride back from the auto service center after dropping off your car.

I was reminded of all of these things yesterday morning... :) These are actually good tips for any early-morning fall ride though.Thought I'd share.

1. Pump your tires up the night before - 'cause you know you don't have time in the morning.
2. Wear the winter wind-proof scull cap that covers your ears and not the euro-chic cycling cap. Regardless of how tough you think you are - it's cold out there!
3. Wear the wind-proof gloves too. It may be a short ride, but your hands will get cold.
4. Charge your headlight battery the night before - having your light begin to run low on juice near the end of the ride is not luck; it's poor planning.
5. Take your own advice and just do your pre-ride check the night before. I mean come on, Matt - you're smarter than that! :)

It was really cold; I was freezing; and to top it off I also had stolen a few CO2 cartridges out of my seat pack on the last MTB ride I did - so I was riding without any flat-changing capacity at all! In the rain, on tires with lower-than-ideal pressure: a sure recipe for a flat. That's right; I do stupid stuff too.

Have a great weekend, everyone - and run through that pre-ride check tonight before your ride tomorrow a.m.; o.k.?

How To Buy a New Bike Helmet

Part of my new "How To" series

My latest series of posts is focusing on things that I frequently helped people learn during my years in bike shops.

That is to say that these are some of the things that are sort of considered "tribal knowledge" - you don't necessarily know them until you've been at it a while and made some mistakes. Well, I've never felt that was fair and I've always enjoyed demystifying the bike industry for people. So; here's the next tip to help you along your journey to better enjoying your cycling experience:

HOW TO BUY THE RIGHT BIKE HELMET

Wow - that was formal...

So I'm going to focus on two areas primarily with a third area which is really less important - sort of like 2.5 steps to a better bike helmet. These should also serve to help set your priorities as you shop and try them on since I'm listing them in order.

Wall street Journal's Humorous Online Look at Who Gets Armstrong's Tour Titles

Photo: online.wsj.com

It's a bittersweet time in pro cycling right now. Sad to see one of the greatest icons the sport has ever had go down for what may also be the sport's biggest doping charades. However, there may be fresh air being breathed into the sport as the dark cloud of "omerta" (cycling's version of  see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, speak-no-evil) is possibly being driven out of the valley; clearing the atmosphere around the peleton.

I don't make it a big habit of sending you to outside content - I figure you've probably already seen it. But this was too good not to share. Whichever side of the issue you come down on; this lighthearted take may lift your mood a little.

Thanks to my friend and fellow musician and cyclist; Jim Watson, for the tip.

Meet Your New Tour de France Champ - wsj.com

CycleOps Magneto Pro: Tested

 As a cycling-fond resident of the rainy Pacific Northwestern U.S., a Certified Bike Fitter, parent of 3 young boys, and a Manager of three different successful bike shops; I've come to know and love a thing or two about indoor trainers. (See my tips & tricks post for more general info)

I have logged many hours around trainers - riding, fitting, sizing, and putting bikes in and taking them out. Just a blind estimation: I have probably installed and removed somewhere over 10,000 bikes from trainers in my career. Not that someone out there hasn't done more...but it's certainly enough to develop an understanding of what makes a decent trainer.

Now if you have read any of my other writing on trainers, you'll know that I have a certain affinity for two things: 1) Fluid resistance trainers and 2) Kurt Kinetic brand trainers. This comes from my years of using them and I have found these to be among the best.

However, this trainer: CycleOps' Magneto Pro may be softening my heart a little...

Friday Five: October 19, 2012

Five reasons the 2003 Tour de France will still be one of the greatest ever.

Hard to believe that this next July will mark 10 years since this epic edition of the Tour. Even in light of the current Lance debacle, there is no denying the grand scale of the race that would become his fifth victory* in 2003. Even with the knowledge that the contenders were doped to the gills; here are five reasons why this edition of the grand tour will always be one of the most dramatic and enjoyable to watch:

How To Wear Bike Shorts

AND I WILL ANSWER "THAT" QUESTION...
Yes, after all this time online, my new "How To" series has finally moved this topic off the To Do list and onto the blog.

In all my years in managing bicycle stores; this was probably the topic that was the most difficult to address and that customers and salespeople alike knew the least about. My intent here is to take my experiences and put them down in a fashion that you can use it as a buying guide for your first few times around the block buying padded cycling shorts.

I'll address every topic here (and if you think I've missed something or still have questions; leave a comment and we'll address that too...), but still keep it G rated as is my style. So no worries; go ahead and read this at work. :) That said; let's begin:

"How To" Series

There's myriad topics I have happily helped people learn to do themselves in my decade managing bike stores. This series is designed to address some of the toughest and most common. I hope this somewhat limited and unidirectional medium can allow me to help you too!

(If there is no link to the topic; check back soon - it's coming!)

How to:

• Wear bike shorts
• Lock your bike properly
• Choose a new bike helmet
• Choose new bike shoes
• Choose the right clipless pedal
• Change a flat tire
• Wrap handlebar tape