Loud pipes save lives.

So I'm sitting in the bike shop building a wheel, which if you've ever done it can be very therapeutic. While I was relaxing and working 8 or so really nice guys on most likely v-twin powered motorcycles came roaring by. So my question to you is what gives you the right to (1) violate federal law and remove the stock pipes and (2) disturb my peace with some juvenile show of macho ism? I'm not anti-motorcycle I've owned a bunch of motorbikes and I still have my leathers and helmet so I can ride when my friends bring their bikes by (hint hint) but I never laid into the throttle around town, short shift your hog dude, give my ears a break. So to any of you that like the straight pipe sound I'll offer you a freebie, next Monday morning around 3am I'll come by with my Honda lawn mower and mow your lawn for free! Mulched and bagged too,think about it you'll be the talk of the neighborhood, a free lawn mowing. Sound good, well think about how your motorbike sounds riding through my town, and think about what you're doing when you drop your Visa on the counter for the totally bitchin' Vance and Hines pipes about to be installed on you bike, you're violating federal law and pissing a bunch of people off, why do you think you get hassled and stopped? Oh and by the way loud pipes don't save lives, use your mouse and look up the Doppler Effect on Google, the sound is emitting from behind the vehicle, not the front like a horn or siren, you're past the person you're trying to make notice you before they hear your drag pipes.
Oh and grow up.

botd=BBC Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale

Titanium bikes

So carbon rules right? Well we've just had 2 different Ti IFs come through the store with totally different set ups and uses. One is a replacement for a road bike I built for a customer around 5 years ago that came to an untimely end when it fell off a car rack on rte 128. The geometry and set up rules out a carbon bike so what to do, custom Ti is what, the bike looked as good the second time as it did 5 years ago and the fit is spot on. The second is my main man Sammy's Ti 29er. He's been jonesing for a Ti IF forever and finally pulled the trigger this fall, the boys and girls at IF hooked him up on the paint for a true one of a kind. I must say its a really nice bike that will be with him for a long time. So I guess the long and short of this post is Ti is still alive especially if you need custom fit that you can't get in a carbon bike or you want something that will last nearly forever. Consider it the next time you think about the "last bike I'll ever own".
Ok I don't own a Ti single bike anymore but I still have my Merlin Ti tandem, maybe the next bike I get will be a Ti Club Racer or Independence.

botd: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (they finally got rid of the twist-off caps)

bike fitting

So I recently went through 2 days of bike fitting torture. Trek "requires" its dealers to attend bike fitting seminars. I chose the Virginia local to do my time, great 3 days at the Dulles Airport Marriott. Not to be a know-it-all but 35 yrs in the business and over 1000 fits somewhat qualifies me as a bike fitter. I have to say I learned some and realized I knew a lot, but now I have a cool certificate that states I'm a Level 1 fitter. The most important thing I learned is how important hamstring and back flexibility is to cycling. Another cool thing is now I know how to measure it to help in fitting. I also learned a bunch of cool new words to make it sound like I actually know what I'm doing. I'm actually looking forward to the Level 2 seminar to expand my knowledge (probably in some other nondescript hotel near an airport).
The head guy in Trek's fitting service is a guy named Michael Sylvester he set up Serrottas fit program and runs a fit studio in bike land Portland, OR the cool thing is he only does fits, no bike sales no tune ups fitting only. I need his job. We've had similar life paths, he's 3 yrs older but started fitting back in the early '80s with the Fit Kit which was a product of Bill Farrells mathematical mind. My brother bought the 17th FitKit and I was trained how to use it. A few things came of my seminar, the Fit Kit is a sizing system, the system I use Bikefitting.com is a sizing system, what I do after the sizing is fitting. Mike Sylvester still uses one part of the FitKit, the R.A.D. cleat rotational device. I still have a set. He states" baring none this is the only way to adjust the rotation of the cleat". Interestingly enough he is a full believer in full or partial float cleats, ie; Speedplay. Something to think about if you're thinking about changing pedals systems.
that's all for now, come by and we'll talk fit:)

a new thing, botn or botd; beer of the night or beer of the day

botn; Magic Hat H.I.P.A.

Contadoper

So Alberto pops positive like you couldn't see that coming. The dude weighs 130lbs and time trials like no body's business and is possibly the best climber in the world. So how much "landis" do we get with this, I'm waiting to send my money to the "Alberto is innocent fund". I love cycling and racing but don't much like the idiots that are treating it like a crack house. A few things should come from this; 1. Alberto cop to the charges and save everyone involved a bunch of time and money. 2. No more 2 year bans, lifetime or nothing it will weed out the dopers and cheats. 3. Revoke the license of the team that has a positive test and ban the director sportif for 2 years.
My 2 cents.
cheers,
Geo