The Belt Drive Odyssey Begins Now.....

Yes, "The Belt" is making a limited engagement run here and you know, first impressions are everything. They say that you need to grab their attention with something spectacular and then keep the suspense going until the ultimate climax, hopefully near the end.

So, how is "The Belt" doing so far? Well.......in a word........

Thud!

Yeah, I know. I am a skeptic and all, but this is hard to deny as a real, down to earth, honest to goodness "thud" of an impression. Here's the deal.....

"The Belt" has a zero tolerance policy towards lateral mis-alignment. Chains are definitely waaaay more forgiving in that respect. So, we found out that a minor mis-alignment condition existed with the bicycle we received sporting "The Belt" and that a "quick fix" was made that we should adopt. It was certainly easy to do the "fix", which fixed the out of alignment issue, but caused me to be out of alignment! You see, the fix involved moving the eccentric to the non-drive side as far as possible so that the crank is offset to the non-drive side by a huge margin. My body does not be diggin' it!

So, I am going to have to bust out the tool-age and put the "Fixinator" on this bad boy. Otherwise "The Belt" will be turning into a "The Chain" real fast like.

The Score: "The Belt": 0  "The Chain": 1

Stay tuned for further updates as they become available...........

The Belt Drive Odyssey Begins Now.....

Yes, "The Belt" is making a limited engagement run here and you know, first impressions are everything. They say that you need to grab their attention with something spectacular and then keep the suspense going until the ultimate climax, hopefully near the end.

So, how is "The Belt" doing so far? Well.......in a word........

Thud!

Yeah, I know. I am a skeptic and all, but this is hard to deny as a real, down to earth, honest to goodness "thud" of an impression. Here's the deal.....

"The Belt" has a zero tolerance policy towards lateral mis-alignment. Chains are definitely waaaay more forgiving in that respect. So, we found out that a minor mis-alignment condition existed with the bicycle we received sporting "The Belt" and that a "quick fix" was made that we should adopt. It was certainly easy to do the "fix", which fixed the out of alignment issue, but caused me to be out of alignment! You see, the fix involved moving the eccentric to the non-drive side as far as possible so that the crank is offset to the non-drive side by a huge margin. My body does not be diggin' it!

So, I am going to have to bust out the tool-age and put the "Fixinator" on this bad boy. Otherwise "The Belt" will be turning into a "The Chain" real fast like.

The Score: "The Belt": 0  "The Chain": 1

Stay tuned for further updates as they become available...........

Bike Shop Tales: Sensations

Bike Shop Tales returns with a list of the sights, sounds, and smells of the old shop....

Many times when you hear folks talk about bike shops you hear about the sensations they experience when they are within the confines of those two wheeled temples of goodness. Things that stick in their minds years afterward. You know, like the stuff you think of when you go to an auto shop: Buzzing ratchets, clanging metallic sounds, and fumes of death. Like that- only better! 

My two kids reminded me of that when I brought home a new pair of tires in my messenger bag the other day. "Whoa Dad! That smells funny!" I suppose it did to them. I told them that a lot of people actually like that smell. It reminds them of bicycles. Bicycles remind them of childhood. And well......we could go a long way with that thought!

I'll stay on task here though. Here are some random sensations I think of when I think "bicycle shop". Maybe you can think of others....

Chain lube: Ahh! I will always remember my first whiff of Tri-Flow. Bananas! Or.....er.....something fruity. Whatever that smell is, it is certainly a very recognizable smell. It reminds me of bicycles. 

Tune ups: I guess one of the earliest sounds that caught my attention was the click and whir of a tune up going on. Snick, snick, snick, snick, snick, snick, snick, whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! At least that's what it sounded like in the early 90's! (Now you would have to add three more "snicks"!)

Park Repair Stands: Who, in their right mind, would not be fascinated by their first sight of a Park repair stand? I know I still am fascinated by how it works. (You'd think I'd be waaaay over that by now!) I was reminded of how captivating one of these clamp mechanisms are when my son started noticing them in my basement shop. Yep! I agreed. They are pretty awesome. 

Spokes: Yeah, spokes! I am constantly amazed by the simplicity and performance of a "j" bend spoke. The way you can lace up several of these between a rim and a hub, and have them work under huge amounts of stress and wild changes in forces exerted upon them. Heck! It's just a wire, but it is soooo much more when it is made into part of a wheel. Amazing, I say.

And there are more things, but I leave it up to you to use your own imagery. Your own remembrances.

Next week, more Bike Shop Tales..........

Bike Shop Tales: Sensations

Bike Shop Tales returns with a list of the sights, sounds, and smells of the old shop....

Many times when you hear folks talk about bike shops you hear about the sensations they experience when they are within the confines of those two wheeled temples of goodness. Things that stick in their minds years afterward. You know, like the stuff you think of when you go to an auto shop: Buzzing ratchets, clanging metallic sounds, and fumes of death. Like that- only better! 

My two kids reminded me of that when I brought home a new pair of tires in my messenger bag the other day. "Whoa Dad! That smells funny!" I suppose it did to them. I told them that a lot of people actually like that smell. It reminds them of bicycles. Bicycles remind them of childhood. And well......we could go a long way with that thought!

I'll stay on task here though. Here are some random sensations I think of when I think "bicycle shop". Maybe you can think of others....

Chain lube: Ahh! I will always remember my first whiff of Tri-Flow. Bananas! Or.....er.....something fruity. Whatever that smell is, it is certainly a very recognizable smell. It reminds me of bicycles. 

Tune ups: I guess one of the earliest sounds that caught my attention was the click and whir of a tune up going on. Snick, snick, snick, snick, snick, snick, snick, whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! At least that's what it sounded like in the early 90's! (Now you would have to add three more "snicks"!)

Park Repair Stands: Who, in their right mind, would not be fascinated by their first sight of a Park repair stand? I know I still am fascinated by how it works. (You'd think I'd be waaaay over that by now!) I was reminded of how captivating one of these clamp mechanisms are when my son started noticing them in my basement shop. Yep! I agreed. They are pretty awesome. 

Spokes: Yeah, spokes! I am constantly amazed by the simplicity and performance of a "j" bend spoke. The way you can lace up several of these between a rim and a hub, and have them work under huge amounts of stress and wild changes in forces exerted upon them. Heck! It's just a wire, but it is soooo much more when it is made into part of a wheel. Amazing, I say.

And there are more things, but I leave it up to you to use your own imagery. Your own remembrances.

Next week, more Bike Shop Tales..........

Trans Iowa V7 Update #2

Today's update is all about recent recon and what it means for those who are looking at Trans Iowa V7, or are already in this gig. d.p. and I have decided to take Trans Iowa a bit more towards the "self-supported endurance event" side of things with a couple of tweaks to the route and how we are going to do checkpoints.

This go round was done in the daylight. so we were up at "dark-thirty" to hit the roads of rural Iowa along the route about 150 miles into our "big assed loop". That means we have some images for you, some from within the Element, some after we ditched the 4 wheel transpo for the 2 wheel mode.

Another beautiful fall day greeted us, although it was pretty windy. Conditions are super dusty out there. Doubtful that it will be so for T.I.V7, so don't take this to heart for what you might experience!

We were looking for a good spot to set up Checkpoint #2, and we think we found it. Here's where a bit of a shift comes in our thinking. d.p. and I are aware that Trans Iowa is unique in the gravel grinder world. most events are 100 miles or less and end up being road races on gravel. Some events are choosing to become a "bigger deal", some events are allowing lots of outside support just to boost finishing rates, and so on and so forth. well, Trans Iowa isn't any of that, and it isn't like other gravel events in that it isn't a road race. (Right: I  bask in the glow of Checkpoint #2 -image by d.p.)

Trans Iowa got its "DNA" originally from the great ultra-endurance events out west, like the Great Divide Race.  Much like that event, we wanted to carve out a challenge for riders in Iowa that maybe isn't so remote and fraught with danger, but has the feel of that challenge in a smaller dose. Lately we felt like Trans Iowa was being pulled away from that a bit.

While we may not have bears and mountain lions roaming the area, (well.......we might actually have mountain lions!), we can make the challenge more about self reliance and finishing with a great sense of accomplishment, if you actually finish it, which is intended to be hard to do. To that end we will be having just two checkpoints in Trans Iowa V7. Traditionally we have had only one, and in the last couple or so, we've added a couple checkpoints. This has made the event more about getting from one checkpoint to another, breaking T.I. into manageable chunks from the get go. No more!

We will still have a brief run in to an initial checkpoint in a small Iowa town, probably at 50 or so miles in, that will keep folks honest as far as the pre-planning of the first half of Trans Iowa the night before. It will also dissuade folks from camping out on the route's first half to "cheer on" people in the event, which we highly discourage. The next checkpoint, which will come at about 170 miles in, will not be at a place where there will be services. It will be at a random crossroads which we have specifically chosen. This is done to take away the "convenience" that we formerly were providing of having a checkpoint right near a convenience store, if not at one. This does several things for us, but importantly to you, the prospective Trans Iowa competitor,  it forces you into a decision more quickly and decisively to carry on, or not. Trust me, this crossroads won't be a place you'll want to hang out at! There will be no haven, no comfort there. Just the next set of cue sheets, gravel, and probably wind. We're pretty sure there will be wind.......

What about re-supply stops? Well, there will be several chances for you to do so, but these will become less as the event goes on, and in fact, we are recommending that you be able to carry enough food and water to last you at least 100 miles for the final run in. Now, this doesn't mean that there are convenience stores right on the route, (there will be some), and when there are none, we'll indicate on the cues when you are passing a nearby opportunity. We haven't done all our research yet, but this is pretty much a given- if you are out beyond 10pm Saturday night, you'd better have what you need to have by then to finish. If you decide to travel light, it might end up biting you in the end. In fact, I am betting it will.

There are a couple of good reasons for this. #1: Convenience stores that stay open 24hours are becoming a rarity in Iowa. #2: It makes Trans Iowa more challenging, and we like that.

<===For whatever reasons, we seem to be finding all kinds of rural cemeterys.

So that's it. We're taking away one checkpoint and making the re-supplies more of a intentional choice by the riders instead of an obvious choice. We're trying to make this more about overcoming a big challenge, and less about a road race on gravel. We're trying to make this low key, about riding bicycles a long way, with like minded people, and not about spectators, hoopla, or spectacle.

Stay tuned for more updates to come...

UPDATE: I am still getting e-mails from Rookies wanting in T.I.V7. Please Read The Trans Iowa V7 Site's Latest News dated 9/28/10!

Trans Iowa V7 Update #2

Today's update is all about recent recon and what it means for those who are looking at Trans Iowa V7, or are already in this gig. d.p. and I have decided to take Trans Iowa a bit more towards the "self-supported endurance event" side of things with a couple of tweaks to the route and how we are going to do checkpoints.

This go round was done in the daylight. so we were up at "dark-thirty" to hit the roads of rural Iowa along the route about 150 miles into our "big assed loop". That means we have some images for you, some from within the Element, some after we ditched the 4 wheel transpo for the 2 wheel mode.

Another beautiful fall day greeted us, although it was pretty windy. Conditions are super dusty out there. Doubtful that it will be so for T.I.V7, so don't take this to heart for what you might experience!

We were looking for a good spot to set up Checkpoint #2, and we think we found it. Here's where a bit of a shift comes in our thinking. d.p. and I are aware that Trans Iowa is unique in the gravel grinder world. most events are 100 miles or less and end up being road races on gravel. Some events are choosing to become a "bigger deal", some events are allowing lots of outside support just to boost finishing rates, and so on and so forth. well, Trans Iowa isn't any of that, and it isn't like other gravel events in that it isn't a road race. (Right: I  bask in the glow of Checkpoint #2 -image by d.p.)

Trans Iowa got its "DNA" originally from the great ultra-endurance events out west, like the Great Divide Race.  Much like that event, we wanted to carve out a challenge for riders in Iowa that maybe isn't so remote and fraught with danger, but has the feel of that challenge in a smaller dose. Lately we felt like Trans Iowa was being pulled away from that a bit.

While we may not have bears and mountain lions roaming the area, (well.......we might actually have mountain lions!), we can make the challenge more about self reliance and finishing with a great sense of accomplishment, if you actually finish it, which is intended to be hard to do. To that end we will be having just two checkpoints in Trans Iowa V7. Traditionally we have had only one, and in the last couple or so, we've added a couple checkpoints. This has made the event more about getting from one checkpoint to another, breaking T.I. into manageable chunks from the get go. No more!

We will still have a brief run in to an initial checkpoint in a small Iowa town, probably at 50 or so miles in, that will keep folks honest as far as the pre-planning of the first half of Trans Iowa the night before. It will also dissuade folks from camping out on the route's first half to "cheer on" people in the event, which we highly discourage. The next checkpoint, which will come at about 170 miles in, will not be at a place where there will be services. It will be at a random crossroads which we have specifically chosen. This is done to take away the "convenience" that we formerly were providing of having a checkpoint right near a convenience store, if not at one. This does several things for us, but importantly to you, the prospective Trans Iowa competitor,  it forces you into a decision more quickly and decisively to carry on, or not. Trust me, this crossroads won't be a place you'll want to hang out at! There will be no haven, no comfort there. Just the next set of cue sheets, gravel, and probably wind. We're pretty sure there will be wind.......

What about re-supply stops? Well, there will be several chances for you to do so, but these will become less as the event goes on, and in fact, we are recommending that you be able to carry enough food and water to last you at least 100 miles for the final run in. Now, this doesn't mean that there are convenience stores right on the route, (there will be some), and when there are none, we'll indicate on the cues when you are passing a nearby opportunity. We haven't done all our research yet, but this is pretty much a given- if you are out beyond 10pm Saturday night, you'd better have what you need to have by then to finish. If you decide to travel light, it might end up biting you in the end. In fact, I am betting it will.

There are a couple of good reasons for this. #1: Convenience stores that stay open 24hours are becoming a rarity in Iowa. #2: It makes Trans Iowa more challenging, and we like that.

<===For whatever reasons, we seem to be finding all kinds of rural cemeterys.

So that's it. We're taking away one checkpoint and making the re-supplies more of a intentional choice by the riders instead of an obvious choice. We're trying to make this more about overcoming a big challenge, and less about a road race on gravel. We're trying to make this low key, about riding bicycles a long way, with like minded people, and not about spectators, hoopla, or spectacle.

Stay tuned for more updates to come...

UPDATE: I am still getting e-mails from Rookies wanting in T.I.V7. Please Read The Trans Iowa V7 Site's Latest News dated 9/28/10!

Bike Shop Horrors! It's Deer Season!

It's deer season out on the bike trails. If I saw a buck like this one, I'd take it down, cut off its head(tube), and mount that thing above my mantle piece.

Really now........I think the only answer here is recumbent!


Have a great Sunday!

Bike Shop Horrors! It's Deer Season!

It's deer season out on the bike trails. If I saw a buck like this one, I'd take it down, cut off its head(tube), and mount that thing above my mantle piece.

Really now........I think the only answer here is recumbent!


Have a great Sunday!

Hoopty Ride

Black with a chrome front "bumper"!

I was pretty suspicious of being able to accept these white wall tires as being something I would remotely like, but I have to say, they do kind of grow on me.

They kind of have a "classic car", "rat-rod" sort of appeal. With the Goat Horns on the Blackbuck, it all works pretty well, I think.  It also is reminiscent of the old mtb look. Too bad Duro.....I mean Origin 8 didn't spec a skinwall look, because I would have stuck on some Sun Tour Power Shifters and an old XC Mountain derailluer for that "period" look! I still think someone should do a 29"er tire in a skin wall. Why not? I kind of miss that look myself. It really set off the black anodized rims, which at that time were fairly new to the scene.

Oh well, these white walls will have to do for now. (Now where did I store that Airlift kit? Hmm.........)

Hoopty Ride

Black with a chrome front "bumper"!

I was pretty suspicious of being able to accept these white wall tires as being something I would remotely like, but I have to say, they do kind of grow on me.

They kind of have a "classic car", "rat-rod" sort of appeal. With the Goat Horns on the Blackbuck, it all works pretty well, I think.  It also is reminiscent of the old mtb look. Too bad Duro.....I mean Origin 8 didn't spec a skinwall look, because I would have stuck on some Sun Tour Power Shifters and an old XC Mountain derailluer for that "period" look! I still think someone should do a 29"er tire in a skin wall. Why not? I kind of miss that look myself. It really set off the black anodized rims, which at that time were fairly new to the scene.

Oh well, these white walls will have to do for now. (Now where did I store that Airlift kit? Hmm.........)

Friday News And Views

<==White Walls!

I was as surprised by the fact that Origin 8 branded 29"er tires were available as anybody, and I ordered some straight away. Due to the rather confusing and sometimes cryptic descriptions in J&B's catalog, I wasn't really sure what the things would look like when I got them. In fact, I thought these would have grey sidewalls. Hmm.........I'm thinking that's a white side wall. Yup! I'm pretty sure that is white. 
So, look for a 29"er "pimp-mo-bile" to be hittin' the trails soon! And if you are wondering what bike these will go on, well, everyone knows white walls and black go together!

 Introducing the latest Trans Iowa V7 sponsor, Hiawatha Cyclery, from the Twin Cities area. The shop specializes in some cool rigs that fit right in with the gravel road scene. Not only that, but one of the proprietors, Jim Thill, has thrown his name into the hat for T.I.V7 by way of his having been a volunteer for T.I.V6. (Anyone wanting to Volunteer gets a free pass for the next T.I.) I would like to thank Hiawatha Cyclery and Jim Thill for the support of Trans Iowa V7.

Speaking of Trans Iowa, there will be some gravel ground this weekend in an effort to tack on some more mileage to the route. We've got a rough guess as to where the ends will meet and then maybe we can get the whole deal done before the snow flies. That would be unheard of!

The next piece of the T.I.V7 pie will be the announcement of registration details for the Veterans and Rookies. Keeping in mind that we're taking the volunteers out of the equation in regards to the 100 roster spots, we have had 15 spots claimed by finishers. If you take out that number from 100 you get 85 spots left over and split that into two parts and you have 42/43 for Rookies/Veterans to get in. We've got two more weeks to go for the Finishers to take their place on the roster. Final numbers will be figured November 1st, but I think we'll have a healthy amount of spots left over, and we should be good to go as far as a chance to get in for those who want in.

Keep in mind that details have not been released and registration will not happen until mid-November! Don't send me anything.....yet!

Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!!!

Friday News And Views

<==White Walls!

I was as surprised by the fact that Origin 8 branded 29"er tires were available as anybody, and I ordered some straight away. Due to the rather confusing and sometimes cryptic descriptions in J&B's catalog, I wasn't really sure what the things would look like when I got them. In fact, I thought these would have grey sidewalls. Hmm.........I'm thinking that's a white side wall. Yup! I'm pretty sure that is white. 
So, look for a 29"er "pimp-mo-bile" to be hittin' the trails soon! And if you are wondering what bike these will go on, well, everyone knows white walls and black go together!

 Introducing the latest Trans Iowa V7 sponsor, Hiawatha Cyclery, from the Twin Cities area. The shop specializes in some cool rigs that fit right in with the gravel road scene. Not only that, but one of the proprietors, Jim Thill, has thrown his name into the hat for T.I.V7 by way of his having been a volunteer for T.I.V6. (Anyone wanting to Volunteer gets a free pass for the next T.I.) I would like to thank Hiawatha Cyclery and Jim Thill for the support of Trans Iowa V7.

Speaking of Trans Iowa, there will be some gravel ground this weekend in an effort to tack on some more mileage to the route. We've got a rough guess as to where the ends will meet and then maybe we can get the whole deal done before the snow flies. That would be unheard of!

The next piece of the T.I.V7 pie will be the announcement of registration details for the Veterans and Rookies. Keeping in mind that we're taking the volunteers out of the equation in regards to the 100 roster spots, we have had 15 spots claimed by finishers. If you take out that number from 100 you get 85 spots left over and split that into two parts and you have 42/43 for Rookies/Veterans to get in. We've got two more weeks to go for the Finishers to take their place on the roster. Final numbers will be figured November 1st, but I think we'll have a healthy amount of spots left over, and we should be good to go as far as a chance to get in for those who want in.

Keep in mind that details have not been released and registration will not happen until mid-November! Don't send me anything.....yet!

Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!!!

Wired

Is this the best Fall riding weather or what? The string of great days for riding are stretching into the unbelievable realm with Wednesday being another picture-perfect fall day to ride on. I was feeling well enough that I went on up to the Camp to see the fall colors there and whatever else I could.

Here are a few images of the day that I captured. It was still early enough in the morning that the lighting was pretty cool.

The trees reflected in the calm waters of the Cedar River.

A little further down the river, I stopped to see the eagle's nest. (It is the dark, inverted triangular shape in the tree in the upper center here). No residents could be seen today. they must have been out fishing!

Here's a closer view. It is so big, a man could easily get inside this thing. I understand that these nests are continually enlarged, but I don't know how much more this tree can take! Another interesting thing is that this nest withstands the wintry blasts and summertime storms we get. Pretty amazing stuff when you consider it.

Unfortunately some boneheaded individual decided to string a wire across the trail and it got entangled in my rear hub/wheel. I took about 15 minutes to dislodge this. That was okay with me, since I was riding a single speed, and I didn't get thrown off my bike. Had I been on a geared rig, and going fast, I would have destroyed a rear derailleur and possibly injured myself. Not cool!

Of course, it was impossible to tell just whether or not this was intentional, but I have my suspicions.....

You can see how the wire was twisted together to form a longer length. To stretch it across the trail?

Maybe. Hard to say, but I was fortunate not to do any damage to my bicycle or myself.

If you go to ride at The Camp, just be careful! I'm not sure what is going on, but after this, I lost my appetite for riding there, and I went back home. It isn't likely I'll be back again until after things get cleared out next spring either. I can't afford damaged or broken components, or possible injury due to the careless, (or possibly malicious), actions of someone with a wire fetish.

It's too bad too. The Camp is a great place to mountain bike. One of the best in the area too. But this sort of thing is ridiculous, and until I know it has been cleared up, I ain't goin back.

Wired

Is this the best Fall riding weather or what? The string of great days for riding are stretching into the unbelievable realm with Wednesday being another picture-perfect fall day to ride on. I was feeling well enough that I went on up to the Camp to see the fall colors there and whatever else I could.

Here are a few images of the day that I captured. It was still early enough in the morning that the lighting was pretty cool.

The trees reflected in the calm waters of the Cedar River.

A little further down the river, I stopped to see the eagle's nest. (It is the dark, inverted triangular shape in the tree in the upper center here). No residents could be seen today. they must have been out fishing!

Here's a closer view. It is so big, a man could easily get inside this thing. I understand that these nests are continually enlarged, but I don't know how much more this tree can take! Another interesting thing is that this nest withstands the wintry blasts and summertime storms we get. Pretty amazing stuff when you consider it.

Unfortunately some boneheaded individual decided to string a wire across the trail and it got entangled in my rear hub/wheel. I took about 15 minutes to dislodge this. That was okay with me, since I was riding a single speed, and I didn't get thrown off my bike. Had I been on a geared rig, and going fast, I would have destroyed a rear derailleur and possibly injured myself. Not cool!

Of course, it was impossible to tell just whether or not this was intentional, but I have my suspicions.....

You can see how the wire was twisted together to form a longer length. To stretch it across the trail?

Maybe. Hard to say, but I was fortunate not to do any damage to my bicycle or myself.

If you go to ride at The Camp, just be careful! I'm not sure what is going on, but after this, I lost my appetite for riding there, and I went back home. It isn't likely I'll be back again until after things get cleared out next spring either. I can't afford damaged or broken components, or possible injury due to the careless, (or possibly malicious), actions of someone with a wire fetish.

It's too bad too. The Camp is a great place to mountain bike. One of the best in the area too. But this sort of thing is ridiculous, and until I know it has been cleared up, I ain't goin back.

Interbike 2011: We're Goin' To Vegas, Baby!!

<===Looks like this will be my view again in 2011....

Back in September I wrote this missive about Interbike's planned move to Anaheim, California from Las Vegas, Nevada. Woo hoo! We're goin' to Disneyland! (Or so I thought) Of course, I thought that from an industry perspective, it was an odd, if not a downright suspicious move that would produce poor results. I ended up saying the following:

"In the end, at least for now, we'll show up in Anaheim next year and find out what, if anything, really changes."

Nope! Ain't a gonna happen now!


In a stunning, but not completely surprising, move, Interbike sent out a press release stating that "they had heard the voice of the industry" and had reversed their decision to go to Anaheim in 2011.


What does this mean?


Well, it is certainly a reaction to "the industry" and I'm betting certain facets of "the industry" helped this decision along. What those "certain facets" are probably will never be publicly revealed, but there are a few things we do know for sure that certainly played a smaller part in moving the show back to Vegas.


For one thing it was it was very unpopular with many distributors, manufacturers, and most importantly, the independent bike shop folks. Yes- the very same people who wanted out of Vegas didn't like the move to Anaheim. Why? It doesn't make sense at first, but when dealers have to leave their stores in the selling season, and go all the way across the U.S.A. to a more expensive venue, well, it didn't play well in Peoria, let's just say that!

I'll get back to the independent shop folks in a moment, but it was also obvious that manufacturers and distributors were a part of the negativity as well. Knowing that the independent shop owners were probably not going to show up, they had no real reason to support Anaheim either. Besides the fact that an entirely new infrastructure for the Anaheim show would have to be developed and learned, which would have been a burden to them.

So, we're going back to Vegas. The place that everybody seemingly was grumbling about, wanted no part of, and wanted to leave behind. So, what is the deal here?

The "Why Vegas again?" question is really just not the right question. Remember when this whole story broke? There were actually two cities under consideration for Interbike. Anaheim, which eventually got chosen, then spurned, and Salt Lake City, Utah. There were a lot of folks digging on the Salt Lake City option, but it never really was in the running, from what I can tell. And besides, both Anaheim and the SLC were the wrong answers to the question of where Interbike should go. There is a better answer, and everyone knows what it is, but it seems to be the "pink elephant" in the room that everyone is trying to ignore, but is so painfully obvious it hurts.

Denver, Colorado.

But you will never here that "answer" now. Not for several years anyway, is my guess. Nope! We're headed back to slimy ol' Las Vegas, and that's probably where we'll stay for several more years to come. Even though the independent bike shops would probably come out in droves for this Denver venue. It is centrally located, has a major airport which is a hub for several airlines, and has hotels and motels along with a nice venue for the show. Still, that all doesn't seem to matter.

Too bad. I hear the Front Range has some stellar cycling in September. Oh well.......

Interbike 2011: We're Goin' To Vegas, Baby!!

<===Looks like this will be my view again in 2011....

Back in September I wrote this missive about Interbike's planned move to Anaheim, California from Las Vegas, Nevada. Woo hoo! We're goin' to Disneyland! (Or so I thought) Of course, I thought that from an industry perspective, it was an odd, if not a downright suspicious move that would produce poor results. I ended up saying the following:

"In the end, at least for now, we'll show up in Anaheim next year and find out what, if anything, really changes."

Nope! Ain't a gonna happen now!


In a stunning, but not completely surprising, move, Interbike sent out a press release stating that "they had heard the voice of the industry" and had reversed their decision to go to Anaheim in 2011.


What does this mean?


Well, it is certainly a reaction to "the industry" and I'm betting certain facets of "the industry" helped this decision along. What those "certain facets" are probably will never be publicly revealed, but there are a few things we do know for sure that certainly played a smaller part in moving the show back to Vegas.


For one thing it was it was very unpopular with many distributors, manufacturers, and most importantly, the independent bike shop folks. Yes- the very same people who wanted out of Vegas didn't like the move to Anaheim. Why? It doesn't make sense at first, but when dealers have to leave their stores in the selling season, and go all the way across the U.S.A. to a more expensive venue, well, it didn't play well in Peoria, let's just say that!

I'll get back to the independent shop folks in a moment, but it was also obvious that manufacturers and distributors were a part of the negativity as well. Knowing that the independent shop owners were probably not going to show up, they had no real reason to support Anaheim either. Besides the fact that an entirely new infrastructure for the Anaheim show would have to be developed and learned, which would have been a burden to them.

So, we're going back to Vegas. The place that everybody seemingly was grumbling about, wanted no part of, and wanted to leave behind. So, what is the deal here?

The "Why Vegas again?" question is really just not the right question. Remember when this whole story broke? There were actually two cities under consideration for Interbike. Anaheim, which eventually got chosen, then spurned, and Salt Lake City, Utah. There were a lot of folks digging on the Salt Lake City option, but it never really was in the running, from what I can tell. And besides, both Anaheim and the SLC were the wrong answers to the question of where Interbike should go. There is a better answer, and everyone knows what it is, but it seems to be the "pink elephant" in the room that everyone is trying to ignore, but is so painfully obvious it hurts.

Denver, Colorado.

But you will never here that "answer" now. Not for several years anyway, is my guess. Nope! We're headed back to slimy ol' Las Vegas, and that's probably where we'll stay for several more years to come. Even though the independent bike shops would probably come out in droves for this Denver venue. It is centrally located, has a major airport which is a hub for several airlines, and has hotels and motels along with a nice venue for the show. Still, that all doesn't seem to matter.

Too bad. I hear the Front Range has some stellar cycling in September. Oh well.......

Bike Shop Tales: She's Got Legs!

I went through the Bike Shop Tales annals and couldn't believe I hadn't told this story from Interbike long ago....Maybe I have, but if so, here it is again!

I suppose there has always been, (since the days of modern mountain biking), a female or two, or three......that has captured the imagination, hearts, and eyes of the male mountain biker on a national and even international level. Jacquie Phelan, Cindy Whitehead, Julie Furtado, Susan DeMattei, and on and on.

Well, back in the mid-90's a woman from Italy did just that for me. Her name is Paola Pezzo. Oh yes. The blond with the sleepy eyes and the half open skin suits on a team fade Gary Fisher bike. Wow!

And she was good too. She won the first Olympic Gold Medal in mountain biking on the female side besides loads of other races. This was no fluke. A gal with beauty and power on the bike. What "bike nerd" could resist that combination? Not I. I was a fan, for sure.

When I heard that Paola was to make an appearance at Interbike after winning the Olympic Gold, I was intrigued. I was there at the show, and thought, "Ahhh.......What the heck! I'll stand in line for an autographed poster." I told Tom what my intentions were, and he winked and smiled at me as he scurried away to grab more schwag. I took my place in the long line of shop rats and aspiring racers. All males, of course!

Well, as I stood in line, I noticed a few things. Most guys were talking about her good looks, of course. There was a card table or two set up with the posters and Paola with an interpreter sitting side by side. No other security or folks were watching over the goings on. Hmmm........I concocted a plan as I waited.

But first, I had to get my poster signed. I walked up to Paola, she lifted her eyes to me and asked for my name. I told her and she repeated it back to me in the way that only an Italian woman can say it. (Oh my! I think my knees went weak!) Anyway, I rolled up my poster, and instead of moving on to the right and away, I stepped around to the left, got behind Paola, down on my hands and knees, and took a peek at her legs. She didn't notice, and neither did the interpreter, both too busy with admiring fans. I gave the "thumbs up" sign to the guys waiting in line to a raucous round of hoots and applause, which was my signal to quickly disappear.

I got away before Paola or the interpreter knew what had happened and went away quietly. My little stunt had succeeded, and I got an up close and personal look at Olympic caliber mountain biking legs. Oh yeah! When I told Tom later he was upset that he had missed it. But, he also thought that was pretty cool, and I am sure my stock with him took a leap upwards because of that. He was always fond of that sort of hijinx!

Next Week, Bike Shop Tales continues...............

Bike Shop Tales: She's Got Legs!

I went through the Bike Shop Tales annals and couldn't believe I hadn't told this story from Interbike long ago....Maybe I have, but if so, here it is again!

I suppose there has always been, (since the days of modern mountain biking), a female or two, or three......that has captured the imagination, hearts, and eyes of the male mountain biker on a national and even international level. Jacquie Phelan, Cindy Whitehead, Julie Furtado, Susan DeMattei, and on and on.

Well, back in the mid-90's a woman from Italy did just that for me. Her name is Paola Pezzo. Oh yes. The blond with the sleepy eyes and the half open skin suits on a team fade Gary Fisher bike. Wow!

And she was good too. She won the first Olympic Gold Medal in mountain biking on the female side besides loads of other races. This was no fluke. A gal with beauty and power on the bike. What "bike nerd" could resist that combination? Not I. I was a fan, for sure.

When I heard that Paola was to make an appearance at Interbike after winning the Olympic Gold, I was intrigued. I was there at the show, and thought, "Ahhh.......What the heck! I'll stand in line for an autographed poster." I told Tom what my intentions were, and he winked and smiled at me as he scurried away to grab more schwag. I took my place in the long line of shop rats and aspiring racers. All males, of course!

Well, as I stood in line, I noticed a few things. Most guys were talking about her good looks, of course. There was a card table or two set up with the posters and Paola with an interpreter sitting side by side. No other security or folks were watching over the goings on. Hmmm........I concocted a plan as I waited.

But first, I had to get my poster signed. I walked up to Paola, she lifted her eyes to me and asked for my name. I told her and she repeated it back to me in the way that only an Italian woman can say it. (Oh my! I think my knees went weak!) Anyway, I rolled up my poster, and instead of moving on to the right and away, I stepped around to the left, got behind Paola, down on my hands and knees, and took a peek at her legs. She didn't notice, and neither did the interpreter, both too busy with admiring fans. I gave the "thumbs up" sign to the guys waiting in line to a raucous round of hoots and applause, which was my signal to quickly disappear.

I got away before Paola or the interpreter knew what had happened and went away quietly. My little stunt had succeeded, and I got an up close and personal look at Olympic caliber mountain biking legs. Oh yeah! When I told Tom later he was upset that he had missed it. But, he also thought that was pretty cool, and I am sure my stock with him took a leap upwards because of that. He was always fond of that sort of hijinx!

Next Week, Bike Shop Tales continues...............

Perfect Outside- Not So Perfect Inside

<==So, like.....I got this shot of a really cool sticker on my Gryphon!

Wow! What a great weekend here in the Mid-West. Perfect fall weather drenched the area and with the leaves at the height of color, folks were doing everything they could outside to get in some of the last "shirt sleeve" weather of the year.

But not me.

Nope! I came down with a nasty cold and fever. Started on Friday. I rode into work and back home again that day, but I could tell on my ride home that I was drained physically. I was struggling just to turn over the pedals to get back home. I even used the "Truck Without A Name' to pick up the kids from school, which is only a 8 block round trip. Yeah.....I was feeling really drained!

Saturday? Well, I tried to function, but it took me most of the morning to even get going, and one obligation I had to my son, which was to spend time with him, even got cut short. I did manage to give him a ride on the back of the Xtracycle, which turned out to be the only riding I got in all weekend. That undid me!

The rest of the day was worthless for me. I basically sat and did an impersonation of a zombie. Somewhat timely for the season, I might add, but not what I had in mind. Not at all. Sunday wasn't much better. I felt progressively better throughout the day, but my body, especially my legs, felt like toast. Burnt toast. More rest at the risk of turning into a sedentary mass.

That's the thing. It is so hard to just put the transmission in "park" and idle while you know the riding outside is fantastic, just so you can heal up. It's the worst. I don't have to explain that to most of you readers, I have a feeling!

The plan is to commute by bike today and see how it goes. Hopefully I'm coming back around to normal sooner than later.

Perfect Outside- Not So Perfect Inside

<==So, like.....I got this shot of a really cool sticker on my Gryphon!

Wow! What a great weekend here in the Mid-West. Perfect fall weather drenched the area and with the leaves at the height of color, folks were doing everything they could outside to get in some of the last "shirt sleeve" weather of the year.

But not me.

Nope! I came down with a nasty cold and fever. Started on Friday. I rode into work and back home again that day, but I could tell on my ride home that I was drained physically. I was struggling just to turn over the pedals to get back home. I even used the "Truck Without A Name' to pick up the kids from school, which is only a 8 block round trip. Yeah.....I was feeling really drained!

Saturday? Well, I tried to function, but it took me most of the morning to even get going, and one obligation I had to my son, which was to spend time with him, even got cut short. I did manage to give him a ride on the back of the Xtracycle, which turned out to be the only riding I got in all weekend. That undid me!

The rest of the day was worthless for me. I basically sat and did an impersonation of a zombie. Somewhat timely for the season, I might add, but not what I had in mind. Not at all. Sunday wasn't much better. I felt progressively better throughout the day, but my body, especially my legs, felt like toast. Burnt toast. More rest at the risk of turning into a sedentary mass.

That's the thing. It is so hard to just put the transmission in "park" and idle while you know the riding outside is fantastic, just so you can heal up. It's the worst. I don't have to explain that to most of you readers, I have a feeling!

The plan is to commute by bike today and see how it goes. Hopefully I'm coming back around to normal sooner than later.