Zach’s Training Diary: The bike

July 31, 2012 5 Comments

It’s time for another update from our man with a plan, Zach, a web merchant here at our home office. As you’ll recall from his earlier entries, Zach has been trying hard to balance work, family life and time on the bike as he gets ready to take on one of the hardest gran fondos in the US, Jeremiah Bishop’s Alpine Loop Gran Fondo in September. Read on below to find out how he’s doing and what bikes he’s tested in an effort to find the perfect setup for the ride.

My overall training is going well. I’m still working hard, riding 4-5 times a week, and doing off-the-bike workouts. I do feel as though I’ve hit a plateau with my progress and weight loss, but this is to be expected after three months of training. I took a short rest period of about a week or so, and now the next month and a half will be full of weekend climbing trips.

One of these weekend training trips will actually be up to Harrisonburg, VA to ride with Jeremiah Bishop and his posse. I’m super excited to go up for a weekend and pick his brain about training, get a preview of the route, and enjoy the cool mountain air! If you’ve got any questions for him, post them on the comments here and we’ll be sure to ask him. 

The route for one of Zach’s training rides.

Also, I was inspired by the charitable mission of the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo, and decided to raise money to support the fight against Prostate Cancer during my training. Prostate cancer is a growing health threat for men, and I want to do my part to raise awareness and help fight this disease. All funds I raise during the preparation of this ride will go to the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project. If you’re so inclined and are feeling generous, I’m taking donations on my personal fundraising page. Every dollar and penny will go a long way to help fight this disease, as well as push me a little harder towards the finish line!

So that’s my personal training update. Now let’s talk about bikes!

This ride has around a total of 11K + feet of climbing, so to say it’s hilly would be an understatement. It’s on pavement and dirt/gravel roads. It’s long, excruciating, and will be awesome. This unique ride definitely requires just the right bike with a unique setup.

Thanks to our friends at Fuji Bikes, I’ve been trying out a few bicycles during lunch rides and weekend training rides to see what feels like the right fit for the Gran Fondo. So far I’ve tested the Fuji SST 2.0 and the Fuji Altamira Di2 Limited Edition. I made some tweaks to the spec of each bike, such as changing out the wheelset to either a pair of Mavic Ksyrium SLs, which are one of the best all around wheelsets I’ve ever ridden, or a pair of Reynolds DV3K carbon clinchers, which are very aero, stiff, and fast, but don’t climb quite as well as the Ksyrium SLs. For each bike I also changed out the stem and handlebars to achieve the appropriate fit for me. Proper bicycle fit is the most important thing I’ve experienced in my four years as a cyclist. I’ve felt the difference in having a bicycle that has been professionally fit to my specific body needs, and I applied that fit to each of these bicycles.

First up was the Altamira Di2 LE, which may have spoiled the party for the rest of the candidates. The Shimano Dura Ace electronic shifting, the overall balance of compliance, comfort, sprinting and climbing capability, and the responsiveness of the bike make it a likely candidate right off the bat. It’s extremely comfortable on 100+ mile rides, yet with its carbon frame and oversized BB86 bottom bracket, it sprints and accelerates up the hills with quick precision and ease. It will be hard to pass this one up. The only problem could be the gearing setup. It has a standard double 53/39 crankset on the front, with a ten speed 11-25 cassette on the back. While the bike has been great around the rolling hills of the Piedmont of North Carolina, it’s definitely not set up to be a climbing bike. I took this bike to Western North Carolina and while I made it up some 14% pitches, I definitely needed lower gearing. Turning a low cadence/high power pedal stroke is doable for 50 miles or so, but wastes a lot of energy, and will not be suitable for the long steady climbs of a Gran Fondo. This will ultimately affect my decision and though the Fuji Altamira set the bar high, it may not be the best option.

My second ride was the Fuji SST 2.0. The SST is a lot different that the Altamira. Aside from the components, the biggest difference was the stiffness and the overall aggressive geometry of the frame. Once over 18 miles an hour the bike was extremely fast and required little effort to keep up its momentum. There was no problem sticking with the group on our weekly 40 at 20 rides (40 miles with a 20mph+ average speed). Sprinting on it was also fun. It was quick off the jump and I could feel every bit of power output being spit out the back wheel. Climbing was fairly sluggish, however. The bike seemed a bit unresponsive for me during long hills, and when stacked up against my other hill times, I was slower on the SST. The bike is also a little heavier than the Altamira. I’m sure there are other technical features I could talk about, but the overall difference was that it just didn’t feel right to me for a climbing machine. I love the fact that it’s super fast and sprints great. If I had room in the garage this would be a great addition to the stable of bikes at home, but as a climbing machine for the Gran Fondo, it’s not the one.

I’m still riding the Fuji SL1 Comp and the Gran Fondo, so I’ll write about those next, and make my decision after riding all four. I’m looking forward to getting out on those and finalizing my bike selection. Thanks for reading, and I’ll have another update soon!

Filed under Associates, Bike Riding Tagged with , , , , , ,

Community Events: 2012 Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic

July 25, 2012 Leave a comment

So what do you get when you cross 10,000 riders from 40 states and 3 countries, over 26,000 sandwiches, and 204 miles of beautiful riding from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon? Well, if you are the Cascade Bicycle Club, you end up with the 33rd Annual Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. Started as a time trial race between the Seattle and Portland City Halls, the Group Health STP has become one of the largest recreational rides in the country, completed by a amazing range of cyclists – from those who had never ridden more than 30 miles to those who wanted to set a new personal record. This year Performance Bicycle was proud to support all of the riders with mechanical support, from check-in at the University of Washington in Seattle, all the way to the finish line at Holladay Park in Portland.

At check-in you really get a sense of how big an event STP really is. The evening before the big ride, the queue of excited riders stretched across the Husky Stadium parking lot – there to check-in and drop off supplies for checkpoints along the route. The organized team with the Cascade Bicycle Club handled the good-natured crowd with aplomb, making sure that bikes, camping gear and supplies were packed away for the right destination the next day.

The STP ride is, at its heart, a group experience. Riders showed up in couples, groups and outright crowds – ready to test themselves and enjoy the ride. And not many folks were having more fun than the “Gypsy Wagon Race Team” seen above! This friendly band of Canadians make the trek down in their battered passenger van, and were quickly making friends in the parking lot – which had become an impromptu campsite for many riders and their support teams. Hanging out and meeting fellow cyclists is an important part of the STP experience.

The next morning, the STP ride kicked off  from the UW campus, with the first waves leaving at 5:30 AM, and our teams were already up  and on the way to various support stations along the route. With over 200 miles of roads to cover, it takes quite an operation to make sure that riders are safe and fueled up for the long ride. Performance Bicycle teams from our stores in Oregon and Washington state organized and staffed several pit stops along the route, but our main base of operations for the day was the halfway point in Centralia, Washington. 

With our workstands, water bottles, Clif Shot Energy Gel and repair supplies ready to go, our motivated Performance team was primed for action by 9:00 AM, when the very first riders rolled in under overcast skies. The first wave of riders were mostly made up of the one-day finishers – hardy cyclists who were on a mission to ride over 200 miles in one shot. Still in good spirits, these riders usually only stopped for a few moments to refuel, get minor repairs sorted out, and then hop right back on their bikes to continue their journey. But these early crowd heralded the start of a busy day for our team – once this tidal wave of cyclists started rolling in, our mechanics basically worked non-stop until 7:00 PM at night!

We saw bikes and bike riders of every shape and size, from young to old, from novice to expert. As the day wore on, the mix of riders changed over to the 2-day crowd – folks who were looking for a more leisurely weekend of riding with friends (as long as you consider back-to-back century rides leisurely, of course). Since we had 6 mechanics wrenching away, pumping up tires and fixing flats, we had plenty of time to chat with folks as they dropped by. It was awesome to hear that for many riders this was far and away the longest they had ever ridden their bikes – the level of support and camaraderie of the STP ride had inspired them to try something they had never thought they could do on a bike. Of course with that many riders out on the road, we had plenty to do. Our guys went through a countless amount of tubes and tires, trued many a wheel, field-repaired STI shifters and balky derailleurs – we did whatever we could to keep people on the road so that they could enjoy the rest of their ride. You can get a taste of what our day was like with this “Mechanic cam” action we shot with our trusty GoPro HD Hero cam:

As the morning changed to afternoon, riders kept rolling in to the halfway point at Centralia College. Just when you thought the ride was starting to slow down, another wave of happy but exhausted riders would come streaming by our tent. Apparently it’s hard to gauge 10,000 riders, because we kept thinking, “there can’t be any more coming” when another wave would roll in! But our dedicated Performance crew was always ready to help, even if they didn’t get a real break until we left at 7:00 PM. Since our team was made up of associates from many stores across the region, they saw many of their regular customers come rolling by. Plus we were excited to see how many riders were riding in Performance cycling gear and on Scattante, Fuji and GT bicycles that they purchased in one of our stores.

Eventually the seemingly endless crowds did start to wane, as the last of the 2-day riders made it to the halfway point. To make the most of their STP experience, most participants camp out with a few thousand of their newest friends at an array of campsites. As you can see above, the central quad of Centralia College became an impromptu tent city, full of tired cyclists resting up for their second century ride in as many days!

The final day of STP was the big finish to a weekend of cycling fun. The 2-day riders were up early once again to hit the road south to Portland on a typically damp Northwest day (although the sun did make an appearanc later). Once again riders pedaled through a century ride, finishing in a festival atmosphere in Holladay Park. Fans, friends and fellow cyclists lined the finishing roads like it was the end of a Tour de France stage, cheering on the riders as they rode in.

Soon the park was packed with cyclists, happy to be finished and ready to get cleaned up, but also soaking in the atmosphere and fellowship with thousands of other STP finishers and their supporters. You could tell that most people wanted to savor their moment of accomplishment, although maybe they were just too worn out to worry about getting changed out of their bike gear!

Everyone from our Performance Bicycle team had a blast supporting the riders at the 2012 Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic - our long hours were more than paid back by the thanks we received from all of the folks we helped get back on the road to enjoy this great event. We can’t wait to come back next year with an even bigger and better presence – and maybe next year we’ll even have a few Performance riders out on the road to get the full STP experience. Head on over to the Performance Bike Facebook page to see the rest of our photos from this year’s STP, and we hope to see you on the road from Seattle to Portland in 2013!

Filed under Associates, Bike Riding, Community Tagged with , , , , ,

Community Events: June Recap

July 12, 2012 1 Comment

As summer temps kicked in, June was a busy time at our over 100 stores all across the country. Our hard-working store teams were busy running clinics, supporting rides and helping out in their local cycling communities. If you want more info about your local Performance Bicycle, check your local store page for regularly scheduled Spin Doctor clinics & group rides. Read on below for a sampling of the events our stores were involved with last month.

The first event that our stores participated in last month was the New Belgium Tour de Fat in Durham, NC. A fundraiser and general celebration of all things bike, beer and music-related, the Tour de Fat stop in Durham featured 750 cyclists in a morning parade, 2,050 total attendees and $16,000 raised for local non-profit bicycle advocacy groups. A team from our headquarters, including Chris, Gene and Matt, showed up early to fix flats and tune up rides before the bike parade.

If the Tour de Fat is coming by your town, definitely make plans to check it out. As you can see, there are plenty of fun distractions to keep you occupied, from costumed riders, to funny bikes, to live music and more. Plus a local Performance Bicycle team will be there to help you out at upcoming events in Chicago, IL, Boise ,ID, Fort Collins, CO, Denver, CO, Los Angeles, CA, San Francisco, CA, San Diego, CA, Tempe, AZ, and Austin, TX. Drop by our tent to say hello!

Our Mountain View, CA store team showed up to support the riders at the Western Wheelers Bicycle Club Sequoia Century ride. Tommy Merriott and Lead Spin Doctor Chris Garcia helped riders with any mechanical problem that they might have had, from quick shifting issues to changing flat tires. They made lots of new friends with their quick repairs, and saw plenty of store regulars as well. The store team is definitely looking forward to supporting the event next year.

Our Chandler, AZ store was proud to host Rick Hermelin on his journey across the country on an Elliptigo, raising money for the Semper Fi Fund (which provides support for injured and critically ill members of the Armed Forces and their families). You can read more about Rick’s journey on his blog, but as you can see above he was busy not only riding, but giving interviews and talks about the reasons for his big trip.

Our Mayfield Heights, OH store was busy one weekend last month helping out with the 36th “Sunday in June” ride put on by the Cleveland Touring Club.  With 1200 riders in beautiful Ohio countryside, Joe Darwal and Brad Jones from our store team were busy providing basic mechanical support for the riders.

Local educator and cyclist, Jim Crismore, recounted his 2010 cycling tour of the Danube River at our Castleton, IN store. The 750 mile journey started at the humble beginnings of the river in Germany, through Austria, where the river pours into the Black Sea. Crismore featured a power-point presentation of photos of the adventure, complete with stories from the four week long trek. His compelling story held his audience captive during the presentation.

Team members from our Buford, GA store were up early to set up a tent at the Jackson Brevet event – a century ride that raised money to fight Aplastic Anemia, a very rare and very deadly bone marrow disease. Our tent was a popular spot as we handed out Clif Shot samples, water bottles, pens and stickers for the People for Bikes campaign and also got folks to sign the pledge to become part of this great initiative. Once the ride got rolling, our team offered adjustments to rider’s bikes and also ran 2 support vehicles which were stocked with Clif Shot samples and Cytomax in 5 gallon coolers to provide hydration to participants in need.

Three of our Michigan employees participated in the Michigan Tour de Cure ride – Kendal, store manager, and Josh, mechanic, from our Ann Arbor store teamed up with Matt, the Spin Doctor from our Novi store, to set up tents to offer water bottles, Clif Shot samples, and mechanical assistance to riders.  Over 1,000 riders participated in the event and our team worked on many bikes.  It was a fun day offering four different courses of varying lengths from 10 miles to 100 miles.

Rick and Kevin from our Cincinnati, OH store ran support at a Zoom Triathlon event that was race 1 of a 3 race series. Our team were able to help about a dozen riders with things from tire inflation to gear adjustments and even a derailleur hanger adjustment. There were quite a few people that stopped by to thank them for being there even though they did not need any help.

The race had 125 racers has a unique format because it is a Tri/Duathlon – the triathlon option was a 1000m swim, 18 mile bike, and 4 mile run while the duathlon option combined a 2 mile run, 18 mile bike ride & a 4 mile run to finish things off. We’re excited to support this new series, and can’t wait to see how it grows and attracts new participants.

Finally, our stores also hosted many guests at our regularly scheduled Spin Doctor clinics. Above you can see the crew at the Derailleur Madness Clinic in our Oceanside, CA store last month. All in all, another busy month for our store teams – remember to check your local store page to find out what’s going on at your local Performance Bicycle!

Filed under Associates, Community Tagged with ,

Wordless Wednesday

June 27, 2012 8 Comments

Filed under Associates, Performance History Tagged with , , ,

Community Events: May Recap

June 8, 2012 1 Comment

May is National Bike Month, and that definitely showed at our over 100 stores all across the country. Our amazing store teams were hard at work all month putting on clinics, supporting rides and generally helping out in their local cycling communities. If you want more info about your local Performance Bicycle, check your local store page for regularly scheduled Spin Doctor clinics & group rides. So let’s get started with highlights from events our stores were involved with last month.

Our Santa Rosa, CA store was able to jump into two major events in one busy weekend. First off, we were able to kick off a great relationship with the Life Time Fitness Gran Fondo Series (look for more of these events across the nation coming soon). One of our aid stations had the good fortune to be placed in the tasting room parking lot of Chalk Hill Winery. Not a bad view for a rest stop, but while we gazed out on the vineyards, the riders were suffering up the first of the major climbs!

We kept the riders fueled up with GU Energy Gel and plenty of water for the ride, then packed up to head to the finish line party. Couldn’t help but notice a good number of pro teams out on the roads as we drove through the winding roads of Santa Rosa.

What were they doing there? Why, preparing for the Amgen Tour of California of course! The next day was the first stage and the place to be was downtown Santa Rosa.

We were lucky enough to be able to set up right in the Lifestyle Festival and it was crowded! Our booth was busy all day long, and excited cycling fans stopped by non-stop from when we set up in the morning until later that evening.

Why were the crowds so thick? Because we were giving away a Fuji Absolute 3.0 of course (surely it didn’t have anything to do with the ProTour race happening a few feet away). It was a great opportunity to get out of the shop and chat with people on the sunny streets of Santa Rosa.

Also, who could pass up the opportunity to see the crowd go nuts for hometown hero Levi Leipheimer! Levi was awarded a special jersey in honor of his achievements in cycling and his charitable efforts in his community – Levi’s GranFondo raised over $250,000 for charity last year!

2 members of our Newark, DE store were honored to participate in the Police Unity Tour Chapter 9 (PUT C9) ride last month. Becky and Todd Keyser served as bicycle mechanics for the ride, which was a fundraiser for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.  Becky and Todd were a jack-of-all-trades for the 85 Law Enforcement Officer riders that participated in the tour, making sure that the riders and their bikes were properly cared for on their journey from Valley Forge, PA to Washington, DC.

Our mechanics put in almost 40 hours over the 4 days, and kept all of the riders on the road. It was a privilege to support this ride, which helped bring public awareness of Law Enforcement Officers who have died in the line of duty and to honor their sacrifices.

Moving on to Bike to Work Week, our Downtown Portland, OR store had a very successful Bike to Work Day breakfast/safety check station. Their tent was set up early with a work stand and tools, plus doughnuts, coffee, and cycling nutrition for the commuter crowd.  The doughnuts and coffee were a big hit, and our team installed brake pads, sold a lock, and performed adjustments on a number of bikes.

Bike to Work Day at our Tukwila, WA store was done in conjunction with the Boeing Customer Service group. At the request of the Cascade Cycling Club, they set up directly on the Green River Bike Path entrance near the Boeing Customer Service Building parking lot. Our team provided mechanical support, water bottles and snacks starting at 6 AM, while Boeing ran some fun giveaways. It was a busy morning with lots of bar and seat adjustments, chain lubing, gear adjustments, tire pressure adjustments and flat repairs.

Our Redmond, WA store teamed up with the Greater Redmond Transportation Management Association for Bike to Work Day. With their help we were able to set up a stop along the 520 bicycle trail – the GRTMA provided food and small giveaways, while our store supplied two mechanics. We did safety inspections, basic fixes, and spoke with many of the 700 riders that passed our station.

At our Kearney Mesa, CA store, we celebrated Bike to Work Day directly in front of the store. We provided nutrition, adjustments, inflation, water bottles, hydration, commuting tips, commuter maps and a friendly hello! We had 90 commuters stop by our pit stop, an all time high for this event. Bike to Work Day has grown each year that we have participated, thanks this year to store associates Jerrin Kelley and Mac McCarthy.

Our Seattle, WA store participated in Bike to Work Day at a popular bike route in the Seattle area (right in front of the KEXP radio station building). We provided basic adjustments to commuters and gave out nutrition samples and promotional items. Our store team consisted of our two Head Mechanics, David Hays and Paul Richards, our Store Manager, Mike Brady, and our District Manager, Brian Onutz.  Our team had great company at their rest stop, as they were joined by the Cascade Cycling Club, KEXP, and Jamba Juice.  Over 100 people come through our station, including the Mayor of Seattle, Mike McGinn.

Also from our Seattle store on Bike to Work Week, our team was set up for a morning on a major commuter route for Seattleites, the Burke Gillman trail. The weather was chilly but turnout was still surprisingly good – aided by the fact that our booth had support from a local bakery supplying coffee and cookies.

Sticking with our Seattle store, they also participated in the UW Bike Party, put on by the always active Cascade Cycling Club. We were there with several other organizations, from the Seattle Police Department to a DJ playing music. Our Store Manager, Mike Brady, and our Lead Mechanic, David Hayes, helped out with many brake and gear adjustments for the UW students and community members in attendance.

Staying in Washington state, our Tukwila, WA store helped out at the Earthworks Bike Tour, again organized by the Cascade Cycling Club. The ride was to celebrate the improvements to the Herbert Bayer Earthworks City Park, including short bike paths and city artwork installations. We performed mechanical support and discussed some component and bike fit solutions with several riders, to help them with their ride.

Our Woodland Hills, CA store showed up in support of the “Crusin the Conejo 2012” event, on a perfect Saturday – with a slight breeze and a cool tailwind for the riders. The event was a multi-tiered road ride from 12K- 100K that lasted the whole day – our team supported a rest stop on the last leg of the century ride, aided by some Boy Scouts. We assisted in gear and brake adjustments, flat repair, chain lubing and anything else to keep the riders on the road.

Our La Mesa and Kearney Mesa, CA stores helped out with an event organized by the San Diego Police Department. The exhibitors included law enforcement, fire departments, recreational groups, an anti-gang bicycle club, and other community resource groups. We were there with Rady Children’s Hospital’s child safety program. They were doing helmet giveaways and a bicycle obstacle course teaching traffic safety. Associates Tommy Iglesias and Jerrin Kelley demonstrated proper helmet fit, and performed safety inspections of bikes, free adjustments, and taught kids some basic bike maintenance. 

Our Greenwood, IN store partnered with JDRF, the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Members of the local chapter meet up for local rides from our store, and last month we hosted them for a clinic on how to change a flat tire. We welcomed many new guests to our store, and taught folks some new skills.

Keeping with the clinic theme, our Greenwood, IN store teamed up with the Greenwood VFW Post and the Greenwood and White River Valley Fire Departments to help put on a safety clinic for kids. Associates Mary, Dan, and Jeff from our store met with the kids to fit them for a free helmet and have them run through a course that had been laid out to teach them riding safety and the rules of the road. The children had to stop for simulated train tracks, stop and look both ways at an intersection, and run through cones and a figure 8 as part of this learning experience. At the end they were also instructed on proper hand signals while on a bicycle, and treated to free food giveaways and a raffle.

Our Greensboro store was represented by Store Manager Jeff Morrison at the Skills Clinic and Night Ride at Lake Brandt Marina.  The event, hosted by the Greensboro Fat Tire Society in conjunction with the Greensboro Police Department, was attended by 10 riders at the twilight skills clinic and 13 riders at the night trail ride. Jeff offered maintenance on site and provided refreshments for the riders, and had three lights for riders to test during the trail ride.

Our Dayton, OH store provided road side SAG support for the Huffman Spring Classic for the 3rd year in a row. This great event had a turnout of more double last year. This year there was very little in the need of services, but our team still filled up tires, made some minor gear adjustments and checked air pressure before the riders left. As you can see above, there was a tasty meal at the end of this 100 mile ride.

And finally, here are a few shots from our monthly basic bike maintenance clinic. Here’s our San Antonio, TX store.

And here’s the crowd at our Plano, TX store. Remember to check your local store page for regularly scheduled Spin Doctor clinics and other events.

Filed under Associates, Community Tagged with ,

Bike to Work Day: Portraits from our Home Office

May 18, 2012 1 Comment

We love to ride, so we’re pretty serious about National Bike to Work Day. Check out the collage below for just a few of the folks who pedaled in to work today at our home office here in North Carolina!

Filed under Associates, Bike Riding Tagged with , , , , ,

Gaynor’s Bike To Work Week Wisdom

May 17, 2012 Leave a comment

Our Head Spin Doctor (and all-around motivator) Gaynor has been busy reminding, encouraging and cajoling everyone here at our home office to participate in National Bike to Work Week, and especially on National Bike to Work Day (Friday, May 18th). His big goal is fulfilling our “Empty Parking Lot Challenge” on Friday – an ambitious target, but we’re certainly going to give it a try! Since Gaynor is so effective at rallying the bike commuting efforts here at our home office, we thought we’d share some of the bike to work wisdom he’s used to motivate us. Hopefully you can use some of Gaynor’s wise counsel to encourage friends or coworkers to give bike commuting a try!

Reason #1: According to the Mayo Clinic, “Exercise increases your overall health and your sense of well-being, which puts more pep in your step every day. But exercise also has some direct stress-busting benefits.”

Most of us know this but how do we find the time to exercise? It’s easy – commute by bike! By cycling to work, you are scheduling 2 exercise periods each day you ride. The ride in provides a quiet time to plan your day before the confusing onslaught of details and demands. The ride home gives you time to reflect, decompress and let the tension go. You’ll be healthier, happier and more productive.

But don’t trust me! Here again from the Mayo Clinic: “Physical activity helps to bump up the production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. Although this function is often referred to as a runner’s high, a rousing game of tennis or a nature hike [or a bike ride] can contribute to this same feeling.

Reason #2: Biking to work saves bucks. The average American commutes 33 miles each day. The average American car gets 22 miles per gallon. Regular gas costs $3.85/gallon. Average Joe spends $29/week, $115/month and $1500/year for gas.

If you only live an easy 5 mile commute to work, you’ll still save $8.75/week (the cost a six pack of Bell’s Two Hearted Ale), $35/month and $455/year.

Reason #3: Add some adventure to your day. Shake up your routine, try something different, spice up your life. Why settle for the same-old, same-old? Become the hardy, intrepid person you really are.  Commute to work!

Reason #4: Show the doubters. Think of all the times that someone told you that you could not do it. That you were too old, too young; too big, too small; too dumb, too smart; too thin, too stout; too loud, too quiet; too brash, too timid. You’re a girl; you’re a boy! It’s too long, it’s too steep; it’s high, it’s too deep; it’s too fast. It’s too slow. Ride to work! Show ‘em you won’t be stopped!

Reason #5: Join a gang. By riding to work you are joining a select group of mostly well-adjusted, fun, happy and pleasant bike commuters.

Reason #6: Save the planet. Each year, the average passenger car on an average commute of 33 miles produces 77.1 lbs of hydrocarbons, 575 lbs of carbon monoxide, and 11,450 lbs of carbon dioxide. Aside from a little methane from too much roughage, commuting by bike produces zero pollution!

Reason #7: If you ride to work you won’t get pulled over for speeding. Ride a bike = no tickets. Drive a car = tickets.

Reason #8: Beer Pressure. Cycling dramatically improves the taste of beer, especially good beer. Ride for beer but drink responsibly.

Reason #9: Peer Pressure. Your coworkers and friends will be cycling to work. What’s your excuse when others less fit but spunkier are riding? Ride and have no excuses!

And finally…

Reason #10: Because it’s fun! When you commute by bike you have another reason to ride your bike, and what’s not to like about that?

Filed under Associates, Bike Riding Tagged with , , , ,

Community Events: April Recap

May 16, 2012 Leave a comment

April was a busy time at our over 100 stores all across the country – our store teams were busy putting on clinics, supporting rides and helping out in their local cycling communities. If you want more info about your local Performance Bicycle, check your local store page for regularly scheduled Spin Doctor clinics & group rides.

First up this month are some pictures from the Michigan Mountain Bike Patrol training held at our Novi, MI store.  Sales manager Joe Pepples of our Bloomfield Hills, MI store is a member of the bike patrol and coordinated this training session.

This Michigan Mountain Bike Patrol has a total of 18 trained patrollers across Michigan – the patrol is a volunteer organization that works to encourage safe and responsible riding.  Patrollers provide assistance to hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers, like at the Pontiac Lake Time Trial race where the patrol was out in full force providing level 1 first aid to injured riders. Of course after the training session at our store, the patrollers did what they love to do best – go for a mountain bike ride!

Michael Morross and Jessica Maier from our Chandler, AZ store manned a booth on a windy day at the Arizona Bike Festival. A celebration of all things cycling in the state, the festival was packed with rides, a swap meet, and entertainment.

Also part of the festival was the 2012 El Tour de Mesa - as an official sponsor of El Tour, Performance Bicycle was represented by a great group of team members from our three Phoenix, AZ area stores located in: Chandler, Peoria, and Scottsdale, AZ.

We had a great presence during the ride packet pick up with members from our Chandler, Peoria, and Scottsdale stores representing Performance. We handed out samples from some of our vendors along with information on our Team Performance and Extended Service Plan programs.

Folks from our Chandler and Scottsdale stores also set up a tent at the awards area, where we showed off some of our new Fuji road bikes and Devinci mountain bikes – like the Devinci Atlas RC 29er mountain bike below.

We were out on the course as well, providing mechanical support for the El Tour de Mesa riders. We had many riders who stopped by for air, tubes, and general questions. Blake, one of our Spin Doctors, and Eric, another member of our Chandler team, were there to support the riders with both technical knowledge and shouts of encouragement!

Michael, Sales Manager of the Chandler store and sales associate Bryan Harding did double duty by riding in the 70 mile ride and then helping out afterwards at our tent during the festival. Performance showed up with a great presence and it was nice to see our customers show up and thank us for our support.

Switching gears to the west coast, Performance Bicycle was the sole provider of race day support at the 4th annual San Diego Gran Fondo ride.  Nearly 1400 riders participated in the 60 or 108 mile ride, and members from all of our San Diego, CA area stores covered the entire 108 mile course with rolling mechanical support.

Our team included associates from the La Mesa, Kearney Mesa, Sorrento Valley, Bonita, and San Diego, CA stores. They had a great time out on the course, providing flat repairs, repairing bent derailleurs, fixing chains, and performing derailleur adjustments. It was great hearing all the compliments from the riders after we helped them get on their way.

Hearing comments like “ You guys at Performance Bike are Awesome. Thank you for the support.” and “ You guys are life savers and enabled me to finish the ride” kept our team energized to provide support all day long! This was the first year that we provided this level of support for the San Diego Gran Fondo, and we had a great time getting out in the community and look forward to working with them in the future.

Staying in the San Diego, CA area, our San Diego and Kearney Mesa stores provided mechanic support at multiple rest stops for the Tour de Cure San Diego ride, where they aided dozens of participants by fixing flat tires, rubbing brakes and the like.

One great story from this event was relayed by team member Fred Robinson, who helped with mechanical support at an aid station. A long-time Performance customer who was riding in the event stopped by to thank Fred for Performance’s active role in helping her change to a healthier lifestyle, starting with her first bike purchase. And now she has just completed her first half-century!

Sticking with our busy San Diego area stores, Jake Beller from our La Mesa store and Thomas Jones from our Kearney Mesa store participated in San Diego State University‘s “Green Fest” event.  Organized by the SDSU Cycling & Triathlon Club, the festival promoted the sport of cycling to students to encourage them to ride a bike to school instead of driving.  We were there with our Performance tent and a Fuji Absolute 3.0 commuting bike to show/explain to passing students what to look for in a good bike for commuting and to highlight the benefits of riding a bike over driving a car.

Scott and Len from our Pittsburgh, PA store recently attended a Tour De Cure Kick off Event with a group of about 50 cyclists. 6 guest Speakers discussed various aspects of the Tour de Cure and the sport of cycling. But the highlight of the evening was our “spin off fundraiser challenge”, where guests “challenged” others to a “spin off” on 2 stationary bikes for a total of 5 minutes. Whoever traveled the furthest won the challenge, and the “loser” donated $25 to the Tour de Cure. Challenges were scheduled in between each guest speaker, and our team kept everyone motivated and entertained the crowd during the 5 minute battles, all in the name of a good cause!

Another form of dedication was on display in our Sorrento Valley, CA, which played host to many participants in the Stage Coach 400. A completely self-supported event (meaning riders are required to carry overnight gear and other items to safely and successfully complete the route), racers in the Stage Coach 400 ride a 400 mile mostly doubletrack route highlighting Southern California’s geographic and cultural diversity and climb nearly 31,000 feet in about 5 days. Check out the setups on these bikes:  

In keeping with our race theme, staff from our Speedway Tucson and Broadway Tucson, AZ stores provided roadside tech support at the Tour De Tucson Mountain race on a warm April day. There were over 900 event participants this year, and they helped raise approximately $4,500 to benefit the University of Arizona Alumni Association, University of Arizona Medical Center – South Campus Children’s Center Clinic, TMC Children’s Miracle Network, Pima Community College Foundation, Marana Community Food Bank and other Perimeter Bicycling charities.

In addition to supporting the Tour de Tucson, Lance Vett from our Chandler store, Rene Arriaga from our Broadway Tucson store and Leslie Dusz from our Speedway Tucson store also set up a booth at the Tucson Mountains Expo, where they showed off some of our bikes, handed out nutrition samples and talked bikes with Tucson-area cyclists.

Of course there were also our regularly scheduled Spin Doctor clinics at all of our stores, so here are a few pictures from a sampling of stores, starting with our Akron, OH store:

Plus our Charlottesville, VA store – who held their clinic outside:

And finally our Chandler, AZ store, which had a full-house for their clinic:

Filed under Associates, Bike Riding, Community Tagged with , ,

Zach’s Training Diary: The Beginning

May 10, 2012 7 Comments

We know that for many of you, cycling is about the journey and not the destination. It’s the same story for Zach, who works here at our home office in North Carolina. His passion for cycling has changed his life for the better and he’s graciously agreed to share his story right here on our blog, as he trains throughout the season to get ready for the epic Alpine Loop Grand Fondo this fall.

As a 30 year old, 5’ 11” father and husband, online calculators tell me I’m supposed to be around 180 pounds. My “ideal cycling weight”, according to Bicycling Magazine, is 172 pounds.

In September of 2012, I plan to do one of the hardest one-day rides in the US, the Alpine Loop Grand Fondo, hosted by world class mountain bike racer Jeremiah Bishop. The ride is over 100 miles long and climbs 11,000 feet on both pavement and gravel roads. It will be the hardest ride I’ve done in my four years as a cyclist, and this is my story.

I rode bicycles when I was younger. My father, aside from being my hero, was also a dedicated triathlete and road cyclist. As a kid it was my dream to be able to keep up with him on the road and if all went according to plan, eventually be faster than he was. Fast-forward just about ten years. I had gone to college, graduated and was out in the real world, working at a desk job. Before I knew it, I had gone from my high school weight of around 185 pounds, to an astonishing, and scary, 276 pounds.

I was sitting in my office one day when I received a call from my Dad. He and my brother had decided to do a sprint triathlon, and wanted me to join in. “It’ll be like old times.” Dad said. “It’ll be me and my boys.” I figured why not? I signed up for the triathlon, and decided to start “training.” Part of my training was commuting on my clapped-out mountain bike that was rusty and grimy from years of abuse and neglect. So, I started riding a bike regularly for the first time in almost ten years. I’ll be honest, it sucked.

I felt like a fish out of water. I didn’t know what to wear. It was kind of scary riding next to cars. It was really hot in the middle of the North Carolina summer where the humidity is something you can reach out and grab. Most of all, it was just really, really, hard. Even though the commute was only four miles, it had long and steep hills with a backpack slammed full of work attire, lunch, and various electronics. It took weeks to get into a routine. I would forget lunch frequently, or forget a shirt, or belt, or my phone. You get the idea.

I was ready to quit this commuting business several times, but the promise of doing the triathlon with my dad and brother kept me going. After about a month of commuting and training, I jumped on the scale and realized that I had lost weight for the first time in years. While what I was doing was tough, it seemed to be getting a little easier, was giving me numbers driven results, and was actually fun. I began to take my triathlon training a bit more seriously (the cycling aspect, that is). I started talking to some friends about cycling, and started visiting local bike shops. Soon thereafter, I realized that if I wanted to get to work faster and easier, and if I wanted to be a bit more competitive during my triathlon, I was going to need a road bike with those bigger wheels and skinnier tires.

I jumped for a $300 road bike off craigslist (lovingly named ‘ole blue). It was too small for me, but I didn’t know that at the time. Throughout the next year or so I did the triathlon, rode in regular weekly group rides, and got involved with a local team who raised money and rode bicycles to fight Multiple Sclerosis. I was riding almost every day, whether to work or on a group ride, or just out by myself. It was fun, a LOT of fun, and I was feeling great. Oh yeah, and I was losing a ton of weight as a byproduct.

Cycling was changing my life. I was getting more fit, was in a great mood, was productive at work, and was actually starting to get dates with hot women (one of which I tricked into marrying me). I got so into cycling that when a sales position opened at one of the local bike shops, I made a career change from a stable 8-5 to an hourly wage plus commission retail sales job. I joined a local race club and started trying my hand at criteriums and road races – where I continue to fail miserably, but have too much fun to quit. I became great friends with people of all ages and backgrounds all through the common bond of cycling. I was riding and I was hooked – the lifestyle had consumed me.

After a few years in the local retail shops, my wife and I had twins. Family life and a retail work schedule don’t mix very well, so I applied for a position here at Performance Bicycle’s home office and here I am, telling my story. I’m 203 pounds now, which is still a hefty load to carry. While I’ve gotten stronger on the bike since I first started riding my old mountain bike, I still get dropped on the hills at the local weekly world championships out of Wilson Park. Seriously, I am so slow on hills!

I have a burning desire to become a better climber, get faster on my bike, and reach my “ideal” weight of 180 pounds. To do this I know I have to put a lot of work in. I have to eat right, not drink too much beer, ride bikes and work out as much as time allows. I’ve got a job that takes a lot of time during the week, plus I love spending as much time with my wife and kids as possible, so time is limited when it comes to training for a ride such as the Alpine Loop Grand Fondo. But, it’s going to be worth it.

I do this for myself and my need to ride, but I also do it for my family. I want to be as healthy as possible so I can live a long and full life with my wife, and be there for my daughters as they grow old. Anytime I head out for a local group ride, or a race, or even just a solo ride, my wife tells me as I’m walking out the door, or lining up for the start, “Go get ‘em darlin’!” That’s what I’m going to do, and I’m going to share my journey with you.

Filed under Associates, Bike Riding Tagged with , , , ,

2012 Sea Otter Video Highlights

April 29, 2012 Leave a comment

David, from our home office, recently made the trek out to California to check out the goings-on at the the 2012 Sea Otter Classic, and he brought along his GoPro HD HERO2 video camera to document just a few of the events that were going on. From cross-country to downhill to road riding to simply browsing or demo-ing new cycling gear (in the sprawling infield of Laguna Seca Raceway), Sea Otter had something for everyone who loves bikes:

The guys at Bike magazine put together their own Sea Otter edit, with this cool Sea Otter Classic Pro Men’s Dual Slalom highlight video, featuring the pro winner, GT’s Kyle Strait:

While you’re at it, don’t miss out on more Sea Otter Dual Slalom Highlights, and you should definitely watch this clip featuring the action at the Sea Otter Downhill Practice Runs and this highlight video of the actual Sea Otter Pro Men’s Downhill final. Like we said, Sea Otter was packed with great cycling events.

One of the road cycling pros even put together this look at a lap of the Laguna Seca road course, from inside the peloton:

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t direct your attention to this edit from the guys showing off during the Speed & Style event:

Filed under Associates, Bike Riding Tagged with , , , ,

← Older posts

Newer posts →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 48 other followers