Wordless Wednesday
April 27, 2011 Leave a comment
Celebrate Earth Day!
April 22, 2011 1 Comment
As a cyclist, you contribute to environmental sustainability every time you ride. But in honor of Earth Day, it’s great to know some facts about the benefits of cycling (especially bicycle commuting) that you can share with friends and coworkers. For instance, did you know…
- A four-mile round trip by bicycle prevents the production of 15 lbs of air pollution.
- A seven mile daily commute by bicycle instead of by car saves almost 9 pounds of hydrocarbons, more than 66 pounds of carbon monoxide, 4.4 pounds of oxides of nitrogen and 1319 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
- If just one out of every 10 commuters who now drive to work switched to bicycling, the savings would amount to 2 billion gallons of gasoline per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25.4 million tons.
- 8 bicycles can be parked in the space required for just one car.
- According to the US Department of Energy, more than 50% of the working population in the US lives within 5 miles of the place they work.
- Although more than 60% of all trips are 5 miles or less, fewer than 1% are actually made by bicycle.
- One-fourth of all trips people make are one mile or less, yet three-fourths of these short trips are made by car.
The more that we all talk about the benefits of cycling, the more people we can get cycling for National Bike Month in May! Here at Performance, we work hard to make our company greener every day. As the nation’s largest cycling retailer, we’re proud of our efforts to make every day Earth Day by employing sound environmental practices as a responsible corporate citizen. Our green initiatives include:
- Recycling paper, plastic & corrugated company-wide.
- Donating old PCs to charity and sending toner cartridges and ribbons back to vendors to be reused.
- Using environmentally responsible packaging.
- Printing our catalogs on paper manufactured with Sustainable Forestry Initiative-certified content.
- Practicing energy conservation in stores & corporate offices.
- Encouraging bike commuting, car-pooling and use of public transportation by our associates and other organizations.
- Developing tire, tube and chain recycling programs for eventual implementation at Performance Bicycle retail stores nationwide.
- Complying with LEED-CI certification requirements wherever possible in the construction of our new retail stores.
We can all make a pledge to do more this Earth Day:
- Participate in Earth Day activities in our communities.
- Renew our commitments to enhancing sustainability in every way that we can.
- Reduce our carbon footprints even further by riding our bikes instead of driving whenever possible.
To learn more about Earth Day and its history visit Earth Day Network.
Photo Shoot Behind-the-scenes: Welcome to sunny San Diego, CA!
April 14, 2011 Leave a comment
This year for our annual spring photo shoot we traveled to beautiful Southern California for a week of shooting new spring bikes and gear. By now you’ve started to see a lot of this new photography in our spring catalog, in emails, and on our webpage. But we wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes look at what it took to create these images, as shared by Chris, one of our merchandising assistants and erstwhile mountain bike model.
As fate would have it, after scheduling all of the models, the photographer, and booking tickets for ourselves, we flew all the way all across the country, from our home base in North Carolina, only to face the threat of rain. This prompted us to quickly reschedule some of our shoots so that on our first day in California we made our way to a cliff overlooking an amazing vista so that we could start getting some mountain bike shots right away.
Here’s what that same action from the shot above looked like from the photographer’s point of view:
There were four of us being photographed, plus a team of four people on the other side of the camera, including talented photographer Rod Walker.
One thing we had not counted on in this location was the wind. It was almost enough to take us off of our feet! Here are Cathy and myself trying to reload the van, with limited success.
Each shot takes a healthy dose of planning before the photographer snaps a single frame; here’s Bill trying to show us (the riders) where he wanted us to ride. But you can clearly see why we choose this location, it’s simply beautiful!
Here’s TJ and I riding along the line that Bill had picked out for us.
On our way down from that peak, we passed multiple controlled burn locations where the local forestry service was working hard to prevent a big fire. While it looks perfectly safe in this photo, it still made for an exciting drive.
Not wanting to waste any time while we had some sunshine, we drove off of the mountain and straight to downtown San Diego for our urban shoot.
It was a whirlwind tour–we hardly had time to stop to eat before we were prepping new bikes and new models for the next shoot. We got set up just in time and were able to snag some great shots as the sun started to set downtown.
We were blessed with a great group of models, all of which knew how to handle a bicycle (and of course we had a great group of bicycles, all of which knew how to handle a model)!
Day one ended with a couple hundred great shots already in the bag, but with rain on the horizon . . .
Enter To Win: Fuji SL1 Pro Road Bike
April 12, 2011 7 Comments
What’s better than getting a brand new road bike? Getting a brand new road bike for free.
We’re giving away a 2011 Fuji SL1 Pro road bike to one lucky winner in May. Just stop by one of our stores, fill out an entry form, and this $2999 carbon fiber dream could be yours.
- Monocoque C4 carbon frame with 12K weave carbon strands and C-4 carbon curved stays for incredibly fast and lightweight performance
- Fuji bonded carbon fork smoothes out road vibrations
- Shimano Ultegra 20-speed drivetrain with FSA Gossamer Compact crankset blends race-proven technology with perfect ergonomics to give you a new level of shifting performance
- Shimano Ultegra STI levers put quick and efficient shifting right at your fingertips
- Alloy handlebar, stem and seatpost for a lightweight, high-performance cockpit
- Tektro dual-pivot brakes deliver efficient braking power and smooth modulation throughout the entire range
- Vittoria Zaffiro II tires for comfort and responsive handling
Click here for for official contest rulesGrand Opening & Double Points Weekend
April 8, 2011 Leave a comment
It’s Grand Opening Preview Weekend at our 5 newest stores, located in communities all across the country! Come on by to check out our new store design and unrivaled selection of bikes, helmets, cycling shoes, jerseys, shorts, sports nutrition, bike parts, Shimano and more at the best prices – all backed by Performance Bicycle’s 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and Low Price Promise. And don’t forget to visit our Spin Doctor repair and customization specialists, who service all brands of bikes – no matter where they were purchased. But that’s not all you’ll find during our Grand Opening Preview Weekend, as we have lots of special offers on tap all weekend long!
Special Grand Opening Preview— Friday April 8th- Sunday April 10th
- First 100 adults through the door Friday, Saturday & Sunday receive a FREE $20 Money Card: Doors open at 9am!
- Recycle your used bike tubes, get a FREE $5 money card – Up to three tubes. Get up to $15 in money cards!
- Spin The Prize Wheel until 3pm each day – everybody’s a winner. Great prizes!
- INCREDIBLE Grand Opening Deals Up to 70% off! Savings throughout the store – including bikes!
- Too much to list! Ride in today and experience the new Performance Bicycle!
South Austin, Texas (now in a new location)
4040 South Lamar Blvd.
Brodie Oaks Shopping Center
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 879-9570
Inside the new South Austin store
2915 East State Highway 114
Gateway Plaza
Southlake, TX 76092
(817) 749- 0373
1901 Douglas Blvd., Suite 150
Across from the Roseville Shopping Center
Roseville, CA 95661
(916) 791-1044
Inside the new Roseville store
8587 W. Franklin Road
1/4 Mile West of Cabela’s
in the Franklin Towne Plaza
Boise, ID 87309
(208) 375-2415
50 Ernest W. Barrett Parkway, Suite 1045
Town Center Prado
Marietta, GA 30066
(770) 795-9868
Don’t live near one of our 5 newest stores? You can still have your own cycling celebration by taking part in our Double Points Weekend! If you are a Team Performance Buyer’s Club member (or if you join today) you’ll get double points on all of your purchases, online or in our stores, all weekend long, points that you can apply to future purchases at Performance. That works out to 20% back on every item, in addition to the other great Team Performance benefits: free 2nd business day shipping upgrade on every order, exclusive members-only sales online and a one-year subscription to Bicycling Magazine!
So what are you waiting for – it’s time to celebrate this weekend!
Louis Garneau Kit Contest
April 5, 2011 Leave a comment
It’s a new month, and a new chance to win! One lucky winner of our Louis Garneau Kit Contest is going to ride away in a high-performance, head-to-toe road kit consisting of a bike helmet, cycling jersey, bib shorts, and bike shoes. This kit has a total retail value of over $915! Enter today, and it could be you.
Louis Garneau Kit Highlights
Corsa Bike Jersey – The study of wind resistance specific to a cyclist’s position led to the design and technology of the Corsa Jersey. The re-engineered jersey has multiple zones and adaptive technology to correspond with airflow direction and penetration, including Speed Tech shoulder panels, Aero Lazer band on the sleeves and an underarm cooling zone of Carbon-X Mesh.
Retail Value: $199.99
Corsa Cycling Bib Shorts – The Louis Garneau Corsa Bib is engineered with Speed Tech fabric that has a dimpled mesh construction aimed at improving aerodynamics and offering moisture management. A laser-cut, seamless Aero Lazer band provides a second skin feel, smooth transition, and performance enabling muscle support. The 4Motion Chamois’s innovative design combines 3D preshaped wings and deep split at the back bridged by multidirectional motion and amazing comfort.
Retail Value: $224.99
Diamond Road Bike Helmet – The Diamond Helmet is Louis Garneau’s top-of-the-line helmet. At 285 grams and with over 40 vents, the Diamond helmet has an absurd amount of ventilation while still meeting safety standards. Worn by Chrissie Wellington in her record-setting 2009 Ironman World Championship title.
Retail Value: $189.99
CFS-300 Road Bike Shoes – The CFS-300 shoes offer a new perspective on custom fit with a 100% heat-moldable system that is user-friendly and can be repetitively molded by conventional household means. Adjustable EVA foam padding is laterally and vertically adjustable with ratchet repositioning to optimize the fit. Two Coolmax Ergo Air insoles are provided to either allow through ventilation on hot days or block air on colder days. For the ultimate in power transfer, the shoe offers an Exo-Jet Carbon outsole with carbon molded arch support.
Retail Value: $299.99
Total Retail Value: $914.96
Not feeling lucky? Don’t want to wait to see if you’re the winner? You can shop for Louis Garneau cycling gear here!
Suit Up with Louis Garneau Cycling Gear. Enter to Win Now!
Future Performance Products
April 1, 2011 2 Comments
It’s that time of year again, when we here at Performance get to share some of the exciting new cycling gear that our product development team has been working on for months behind closed doors. We’ve got some innovative designers and developers working here in our office, and they can’t wait to show you just a few of the amazing new products that you may see on our shelves in the coming months (we’re still working out the details on many of these products, so please let us know your comments or suggestions below) .
Banana Holder Cage
The simple banana, one of nature’s finest energy sources on-the-go. Packed with protein, carbohydrates, sugar and Potassium, bananas are a perfect 100 calorie snack for that on-the-bike energy burst.
But who hasn’t tried to bring this yellow marvel on a ride, only to reach into your back pocket or hydration pack mid-ride to discover that this tasty treat is now a mushy mess!
Well fret no more, as we introduce our Banana Holder Cage. Mounted to standard water bottle cage holes, our Banana Holder Cage will be the safest and easiest way to bring nature’s energy food on your ride!
Helium Tire Inflator
Looking for that extra edge on race day, or even the local club ride? Then our brand new Helium Tire Inflator is just the thing for you. 
Why use regular old air, or even CO2 inflators, to inflate your tires when you could be using the lightest gas around (well, that isn’t highly flammable). Packaged in the same handy cartridges that you’ve become familiar with in CO2 inflators, our Helium Tire Inflator is literally lighter than air (but don’t worry, it ships with a specially made lead sleeve to keep it from floating away)!
You won’t just feel like you’re flying up that next climb, you really will be!
Fixie Adjustable Handlebar
This next development was thought up by one of our in-house fixed-gear aficionados, who wanted that extra-special touch for his personal whip.
Mounting directly to the top of the fork steerer tube, in place of a conventional stem, our compact Fixie Adjustable Handlebar is just the product for the urban rider who wants the convenience of an adjustable stem with the style of an ultra-narrow fixed-gear handlebar.
Your regular commute will definitely become a whole new experience with this setup!
Frictionless Magnetic Bottom Bracket
The concept behind this innovative component design was simple but profound; how could we improve the pedaling experience and exceed the performance of even the smoothest ceramic bearings. Our answer was to do away with bearings all together and instead use a carefully aligned array of rare earth magnets in the wall of the bottom bracket.
Since the crank spindle is suspended perfectly and never touches any part of the bottom bracket shell, you won’t lose any of your hard-earned power to friction (of course now we’ll have to deal with the new UCI friction regulations, but we’re sure our engineers will find a way to comply)!
Of course these are just a few of the great ideas that our team is working on here at Performance, because we’re always hard at work on products for every cyclist. Let us know what you think and vote for your favorite new product in the poll below.
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