A little late but found I this picture of Brent Carpenter's retirement.

Anyone who has lived in this Valley for any amount of time knows Brent Carpenter. If they don't know who he is then they've at least been likely to see his enthusiastic smile and wave to all he passes, along with a honk from his horn - from the saddle of his bicycle. Rain, cold and snow, or blistering heat doesn't keep Brent from the bike. He rode for years through the back roads of Cache Valley to get to and from work. His dim headlight could be seen late at night and his blazing orange flag could be seen throughout the day. Brent is a person who truly characterizes all who live in Cache County as we hope to think of ourselves - good, cheerful and always positive. It was only fitting that Brent was chosen to represent us and what the fire from Greece represents as he carried the Olympic Torch into the Spectrum to the cheers of thousands.

I've known Brent for about 15 years. I've worked on his bike at numerous times and occasions. Sometimes it's been an easy fix - a zip tie to his American Flag. Sometimes it's been a free adjustment that ends up becoming what I feared considering the poor quality of some of his past bikes and the expected condition given the use it was exposed to. Through all of those visits with Brent it's been a joy to help keep Brent's bike on the road.

Recently Brent retired from his job at USU food services. His co-workers celebrated with the perfect gift for Brent - a new bike. We were lucky to be part of that and help set up Brent on his new bike - but I'm sure not his last. This sort of thing is the kind of instance that make this job truly fun. Brent was as excited as ever. The bike was 'customized' to be the perfect utility machine.

Brent now lives in Logan so his miles have probably gone down. Even so, I still see Brent often. Sometimes he's on his old bike when he's not riding his new GT - maybe it's the rain bike? It was an occurrence that brought a smile to my face last month as Brent pulled up next to me and waved to me through my window, smile at 100% and sharing the best contagious happiness. Thanks Brent, for letting us be a part of your journey down the road - and for being part of ours.

Bikes for X-Mas Sale -- Joyride Bikes Biggest Sale Ever!

With the Holidays fast approaching and the chill of Winter settling in Joyride Bikes is having our biggest sale ever! We'll have discounts the week of December 7-12 with some crazy prices on Friday and Saturday.

Bikes and frames as much as 50% off!
Clothing 40-70% off!
Demo Items(bikes, wheels etc.) up to 60% off!
All bicycle Tubes Buy 2 get 1 free!
Energy Food and Supplements 40-50% Off!
Scott CR1 Bikes Sale $1299.99-1599.99 For the complete bike!
Remaining 2009 Serotta Bikes up to $2000.00 Off!
Scott Contessa Speedster Womens Road Reg. $1299.99 Sale. $849.99
Trainers 20% Off!
Schwinn Roadster Trike Reg. $109.99 Sale. $69.99
Sole Sandals Reg. $69.99 Sale. $29.99
Sole Custom Insoles Reg. $42.99-47.99 Sale $22.99
Bianchi Valle Ultimate Commuter Reg. $1049.99 Sale $699.99
All Remaining Kevlar-Beaded Road Tires Save 40%
Zipp Carbon Fiber H2O cages ½ Off!
All Mini-Tools 35% Off!
Ducati/Bianchi LS Jersey Reg. $149.99 Sale. $69.99

There will be lots more on sale at huge savings. Many items at or below cost! We don't have sales often so come on down and check us out for the best deals of the year!

World Champion Eric Carter comes to Logan!

That's right, Joyride Bikes is super stoked to be welcoming Eric Carter, factory pro for Mongoose bicycles and '99, '03 and '04 Dual Slalom and 4-Cross World Champion to Logan, UT on Wednesday, October 14, 2009.

EC should be pulling into the shop midday and hanging out with us. Come down, meet EC, say 'hi' and ask questions about riding and life as one of the top pros on the international race scene!

In my years in the bike industry I've met many of the celebrities and professional athletes of our sport. I've had a few of the major decision makers and movers from companies large and small in my store. It's truly unique to have an athlete, World Champion, and ambassador of the sport of EC's caliber under our roof.

One of the coolest things I noted when I first met EC was that he 'get's it', or rather when you hear him talk it's clear it's NOT about him but about YOU. He's stoked to share his passion for riding, the same passion that 'regular' riders like us get stoked about. EC is a consummate professional and a genuine rider that simply loves to ride!

We've got that.

In the same vein and complete ignorance to any alleged 'recession' we present the worlds' most obscene crankset. Come down and check it out in person. Please provide your own bibs for drool.

This crankset will be going on a project Serotta Meivici AE that will showcase some of whats possible with the current state of technology.

Season Under Way

Looks like the sun may finally come out and make an appearance this Spring. Hopefully that means yard work gets put on hold and we start to hit the roads. We're seeing lots of new product roll into the store from our usual favorite suspects: Serotta, Rocky Mountain, Scott, Felt and Bianchi. One of the newest innovations to be available to us is the new electronic Dura Ace from Shimano. I'll go ahead and predict that this is the future of what we'll see on road bikes in the next 5-10 years. Ultegra electronic may be the very next permutation after the coming generation of mechanical. That means that for some of you, you're next road bicycle will be electronic shifting. I'll be building up my Serotta with Di2 in the next month or so. We've had a chance to play with it and ride it and we think it's cool. The following press release from Pinarello is interesting and informative about some of the features of Di2. Check it out:

Pinarello Prince Di2
 The Prince Electric

In stock now! Limited quantities available.

Pinarello announces the introduction of the Prince Di2 showcasing the new Shimano Dura Ace Di2 electronic gruppo. Shimano has actually made available several versions of this gruppo; including the one Pinarello has chosen for the Prince Di2 which features internal routing of the actuation cables for the electronic componentry.

This Prince was designed by Pinarello's engineers in conjunction with Shimano to eliminate unsightly wiring and the accompanying fasteners. The cables from the levers follow the brake cables under the MOst Talon bar and enter the downtube a short distance from the headtube. This area has been reinforced and features a sealed cover to keep the elements out of the frame. The battery is located below the water bottle cage on the downtube and is attached at an additional boss below the cage and the lower bottle boss. The actuation cables enter and exit the battery pack through another sealed port in the frame and emerge near both the front and rear derailleurs. This creates a very clean line for the cables while keeping the weight of the battery pack as low as possible without the risk of interference with the drivetrain. Everywhere the wiring enters or exits the frame is sealed against the elements and reinforced internally for additional strength.

The geometry and ride characteristics of the Prince Di2 are identical to the Prince FP framesets designed for traditional componentry. The Shimano Dura Ace Di2 electronic gruppo has been thoroughly tested by Pinarello over the last few months and determined to be of outstanding quality and reliability. Once you have ridden this gruppo, you will be amazed at how quickly it shifts and how much effort it really takes to shift a mechanical system. Shimano has designed the system to be able to compensate for maladjustments with an on-board calibration system. The control box, which is conveniently located, but out of the way, under the handlebars on the brake cable shows battery life left as well as the means to recalibrate the system should the need arise. The range of the system is easily 1000+ miles between charges and, in the unlikely event of the battery running low; you will get plenty of warning (and shifts) as the front derailleur will quit shifting approximately 50 shifts before the rear derailleur. This should easily be enough to conclude nearly any ride without being stuck in the wrong gear. In the event of a crash, the wiring is protected inside the frame to avoid damage.

Pinarello is among the very first manufacturers to take advantage of this OEM Di2 system, which offers the cleanest and safest way to offer this first of the next generation of componentry.
 MSRP: $15,900.00

I expect to sell gobs of these so get your deposit in early. Until then, hope fun sunshine.

what's a cross racing bike?

As little as 10 years ago, a cross racing bike was whatever a racer (usually a shop mechanic with spare parts since almost no one else knew what cyclocross was) threw together on any frame that somewhat resembled the right machine for the job of racing cyclocross and then proceeded to go out and race around in the muck and slop. It was great fun. There were a few specialy cross manufacturers available in the US such as Vitus and Alan. A few custom builders offered frames for the truly committed. Many of us simply put narrow knobbies on our mtn. bikes and removed our bar ends. Remember those?

Years ago I dreamed of a cross bike from a custom shop such as Serotta, Gunnar or Waterford. Reality saw me on a hard tail with 1.5 Continental Cross Country tires and a rigid fork installed. Other racers were on similar bikes.

Currently cross bikes have become a legitimate category of bicycle. Every major manufacturer, even if they have zero cross heritage, offers a cross bike. Some just don't work and even though the price ticks in at up to $8K, they still don't get the component specifications right. Like a 34T small chainring on a pro-caliber race bike.

So back to the question of what is a 'cross bike? Currently I'm racing on three Bianchi cross bikes. Two geared and a single speed. They are by far the nicest cross bikes I've ever owned. They aren't ridiculous in price. I passed a couple of $8K Colnagos and Times on the race course and was also passed by a couple of mountain bikes over the race season, the bikes certainly didn't hold me back.

For those truly curious about this fun and far-out faction of cycling on the semi-fringe... a cross bike is whatever you bring to ride and race with us. I've seen regular road bikes on the race course and I think that's awesome. I've seen plenty of mountain bikes out at the races and lot's of cobbled-together franken bikes. Anything is a cross bike.

Be warned: 'cross is the 'crack of cycling' and right now I'm feeling a bit of withdrawl. Trying 'cross hopefully has the same effect on everyone else. At least it's only eight months till 'cross season! See you out there.

Am I slow?

Why yes, I am slow. Do I race? Yes, I do race. Is that ok? Absolutely.

Regardless of whether we ride for fun or trying to have fun and trying to be faster than someone, anyone-it doesn't matter how fast we are. I'm slow. I'm faster than some of you and slower than many of you.

Speed is relative. Even speed on a bike. Graeme Obree is fast. Brent Carpenter that got to carry the Olympic flame isn't fast on that scale but sure has fun. On the continuum of speed there are stops all along the way. The most fun for me is to see where I have moved on that continuum relative to other times and other circumstances. In my younger years, if faster was further to the right, I'm convinced I was much faster than I am now. I rode more, had more time for play and took advantage of it. I'm now further to the left but it's still fun to race and see where I am now relative to the positions that others have stopped at on that same continuum. Whether they are now training and going much faster and I've trained less, or the opposite, it's great to see other progress and hopefully go with them.

Setting goals and realizing that; yes, I did hang onto that group longer than last week is a great reward in itself. For those of us going for a spot on the podium to those simply trying to finish before anyone, racing is good. So yes, slow is a stop I've frequently hovered around but that certainly won't keep me from pinning on a number and getting out and testing myself on the race course. Slow shouldn't stop you either.

New Product Info

Much is going on that is exciting in the product offerings of both road and mountain bikes. This year continues to innovate with many of the current technologies being ridden by the top cyclists in the Tour de France. Sram RED is firmly established as one of the premier road groups. We're developing a good reference base with the new Sram and expect to see even more bike offerings featuring the innovation of this American company.

The road front also forecasts change with Shimano Dura Ace receiving major changes-the first in seven years. Shimano usually sets the benchmark for the industry in terms of performance and availability so expect to see the striking two-tone finish of Dura Ace on the top offerings from the serious road companies. Campagnolo is launching their 75^th anniversary with an amazing 11 cogs fit into the rear cluster. The Super Record name is resurrected to top Record in the Campy offerings. More carbon fiber, new Ergo lever shape, and ceramic bearings push this group to new levels of sophistication and yes, expense.

The mountain side of the sport is developing more travel at less weight. Scott will have an offering with 6” of travel at twenty two pounds. Unbelievable, what was once XC race day only weight ranges will become the new norm for comfortable and capable-all day on any trail. We just received the new Shimano XT 29er wheels. Full UST compatibility, center-lock rotors along with Shimano bearing quality point to one of the best 29er wheelsets available at any price.

In just a few short weeks we'll be getting our hands on all of these new goodies first hand. Until then, this means great things for this years offerings. Our major suppliers are warning of 10-20% cost increases across the board for new products. The weaker dollar, fuel charges, and increased manufacturing costs are some of the reasons for this. The $5000.00 bike you've been saving for may be $6000.00 next year! Though availability is fairly slim, remaining '08 bicycles, wheel upgrades, and parts may be a much better option to waiting.

Get ready. The riding is coming soon.