What race?

The first race of the season is just four weeks away. Way too little time for those of us that are sorely lacking fitness but plan to go out and flounder anyway. It's the Red Rock Rampage in St. George, UT. People from the warmer climes have been riding and will out in force to remind us that we should have stayed in our cold-northern hibernation.

Fully aware of the likely outcome, we'll be toeing the start line anyway. Casualties may occur. We'll probably come back licking our wounds but hopefully be better as we start to get some weather that cooperates with our training efforts.

Right now, the intentions are to be in racing shape for most of the season. That is said before the 60 hour work weeks hit us and we have little time for anything other than keeping bikes running for folks. And it is said as another snow flurry is coming down. At least the cold might numb some of our fitness shortcomings.

Winter has created too much time for my mind to roam.

Do bikes have a soul? I don’t think so. This is an old argument and I’ve heard numerous philosophical positions on this topic but lately nobody seems to care. Some say that any bike coming from a mass-produced factory in the Orient can’t possibly have a soul. They argue that only a bike crafted by an artisan in ways secret and sacred can be infused with a soul from the builders’ hands.

Gary Fisher once commented that the ‘soul’ is not in the bike but in the experiences relating to that specific bike. That seems to gel with me but it avoids the argument altogether and diverges into making the bicycle a vehicle for an experience rather than an inanimate object seeming to posses life.

So while I don’t think a bike has a soul, there are a few among the 50 or so nice bicycles that I have owned that I really miss. One of those was my Serotta Ti-Max. It was just all-around bicycle goodness. It was titanium when titanium was the new wonder stuff that Zeus’ staff must have been made from. Waay lighter than any steel. But, noticeably more compliant than any aluminum bike (all mountain bikes were hard tails at this time). A co-worker bought and pimped out a custom Independent Fabrications Deluxe. Shimano XTR brand new Crossmax wheels, Syncros crome-moly crank, etc. It was a beautiful bike and one of the first crafted from Reynolds 853 steel. We rode the same pedals and swapped bikes one ride. We kept our observations to ourselves until the end and then compared notes. We both thought my bike was noticeably stiffer and quicker.

Those that think titanium is whippy have not ridden all titanium. I’ve ridden ti that is as stiff as the numerous Kleins I’ve owned. The Ti-Max was not uber stiff but just right. Fast, lively and solid. Straight-gauge tubing manipulated by Serotta into Colorado Concept shapes. I had great rides on that bike and was probably at the peak of my strength as far as being a go-fast rider. It’s green and plum colored. A weird color combination yes, it was done as a one-off paint to be a show bike.

It is now happily being ridden about by an intrepid local cyclist. Let’s call him ‘Jim’. If you see it out there take note, it’s a great example of how alive a bike can be.

Cool new goodies to have fun with.

So we have a couple of new additions to the shop in the way of product offerings. We are happy to offer Rocky Mountain Bicycles as well as Pinarello Italian road bicycles.

Rocky Mountain has been at this bike stuff for a long time. I have a Rocky Mountain mug I picked up at Interbike that says ‘Total Commitment for 15 years’. That was in 1996. Handmade frames from Canada using designs that have been refined and improved to create a great ride.

Pinarello almost needs no introduction. Pure Italian speed machines. History and lore-all of it is there. The Pinarello Prince was my pick as the run-away sexiest bike at the Interbike trade show. As much as I love it all when it comes to bikes: handmade steel from the artisan shops to cutting edge carbon; the Prince simply left me speechless. For those of you that know me that is an accomplishment when it comes to bikes. Our Pinarello representative was talking about the technical merits of the bike and his voice just kind of faded into the Charlie Brown adult voice of ‘wawaawaawaa’. I just stared, no sounds registered in my brain. The lines, the finish and color palette were done like only the Italians can. Think Ducati. Think Moto Guzzi. Or some cool shoes if I knew the brands. It’s not the lightest or any of those other technical adjectives ending in ‘est’. But it was just ‘right’. It was really fun for me because I haven’t had a bike actually speak to me like that in a long, long time.

Good times and 60 degrees in Phoenix.

I got to spend nine days in sunny Phoenix, AZ after Christmas. I made it through the Holidays and couldn’t wait to get away to where I could actually ride some bikes. I was able to remember that I really like my Bianchi Rita 29er single speed, road biking is really fun, and my Scott Ransom rules.

I also bumped into the crew from BH/Pivot bikes. I rendezvoused with Jeff Baugh of Al’s Cyclery fame and glory and we went out and tackled South Mountain. The Pivot crew saw me and I said 'hi' and I knew would be roped into a ride with them. So a couple of days later I went out with Chris Cocalis of Titus/Pivot fame and Kenny-national sales manager for DT Swiss. Chris Cocalis goes down hill really fast. On bikes that are more XC with only 4” of travel and 2.35” tires, I definitely had no chance-no prayer of staying with him. Granted, his trails, his bikes but he is a smooth, skilled rider. At least I would have been faster on any climbs if there were any.

Rode the Pivot Cycles Mach 4. This is a 4” XC DW Link bike. Rides great. I had a chance to ride one at Interbike as well. The second ride told me I wasn’t totally in tune with the bike but a few more rides and I think I would have been as comfortable as I am on anything.

I also got a cooks' tour of the Pivot Cycles facility. It’s new, clean and tidy. Pivot is prototyping a big-hit bike as well as a full-sus 29er. You heard it here first! Should have some cool stuff by next fall. BH bikes looks good as well. The new G4 will be under a Pro-Tour squad this year. Kenny showed us a new DT Swiss full-carbon xc race wheel: holy smokes.

So my take of the vacation: getting to take some time off at Christmas-well worth it; nine days in 50-70 weather-very nice, riding with industry influencers because they all want me as their customer? Priceless.