Project DI2 build up, day 1

I kinda feel like the Dad at Xmas that can't put together the kids toys! Wow, what a mess when we pulled it out of the box! Stay tuned....

Shimano DI2 now in stock!

This is the future!

New Cannondale Super Six with Shimano DI2 Electric group in stock!!!

This is only one of a few limited edition Super Six frames specially made for the new Shimano DI2 Electric kit! Call to schedule a test ride!

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND SEND TO EVERY FRIEND OF CYCLING YOU KNOW. VIP TICKETS AND EMBRACE THE RACE STICKERS AND POSTERS CAN GET US OVER THE TOP AT NO RISK TO THE PURCHASER. SPONSORS TAKE TOO LONG AND ARE TOO WORRIED TO DECIDE. MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND CLICK YOUR SUPPORT PREFERENCE BELOW! D-DAY IS MONDAY, APRIL 27...



The event that started it all for international, professional cycling in the U.S. needs your help. After 24 years as the largest single-day, professional cycling race in North America, the Philadelphia International Championship is in jeopardy.


The economic challenges experienced in both corporate and civic circles have converged to create a shortfall in the operating budget of the race’s 25th year, and the reality of the situation is that unless a $500,000 gap can be closed in the next several days, the race will be cancelled. (To read an article on the status of the race in The Philadelphia Inquirer, click here.)


While the scenario seems extraordinary, what we know is truly extraordinary is the love of this event among fans, cyclists and sports enthusiasts in Philadelphia, throughout the Delaware Valley and across the country. This is a decidedly difficult position for any event organizer – and perhaps one that’s become too familiar in recent months.


However, it is because of the incredible support the Philly race has enjoyed throughout its history, that we are bringing an appeal directly to you, the fans and cycling community. Thousands of fans line the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and streets of Manayunk each June to watch the world’s best in this sport. There is power in those numbers, and we’re hoping that power can help save the 25th running of the race.

HOW YOU CAN HELP – PURCHASE A TICKET, A POSTER OR A DECAL…

If you are interested in helping, there are three immediate ways to do so.

You can go online right now and buy Champions Row VIP tickets for $100 or $75 each. Our goal is to sell 3,000 VIP tickets for this first-ever opportunity to be under tent at the start/finish line for all of the racing action. These tickets include all-day catered buffets, complimentary beverages, drawings for pace car rides, VIP credential, a rider appearance, free transport to and from Manayunk and parking. CLICK HERE TO BUY THE TICKETS NOW.

You can buy a $10 official Embrace the Race poster. CLICK HERE TO BUY THE POSTER NOW.

You can also buy a $5 official Philadelphia International Cycling Championship Embrace the Race decal. CLICK HERE TO BUY THE STICKER NOW.
Please note: If the goal is not met and the race is canceled, ALL VIP TICKETS WILL BE FULLY REFUNDED and proceeds from Embrace the Race poster and decal purchases will be donated to one or more local charities that support cycling development in the Delaware Valley.

If just 3,000 people out of the 350,000 fans who come every year to the event each buy a Champions Row VIP ticket, the gap will be significantly reduced. If 50,000 people purchase a $10 Embrace the Race commemorative poster, the gap will be closed. Whatever your purchase, your Embrace of the Race and the support that goes with that will be deeply appreciated.
Your support over the years has never gone unnoticed or been underestimated. We hope to see you on

Getting the Audi pace car ready really early Saturday morning!

Special thanks to Autohaus Lancaster and Audi USA for use of the brand new Audi Q5!

2009 BMW M3, this is hot!

Over 400 HP and you can fit a bike in the back!

Now in Stock! New Giordana Red Line bib shorts! $250

These are the most bad ass bib shorts on the planet!

SoYoCo Race Presented by Spinners Cycling! Come out and race!

SoYoCo Circuit Race
Presented by
Spinners Cycling Team
Brogue, PA
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Online Registration Closes
Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 10:00 PM ET
CATEGORY DISTANCE START
TIME FEE PRIZES FIELD LIMIT

Men 4/5
25
miles
8:00 AM
$29
$300/4
75

Men 45+ (no Cat 5)
25
miles
9:30 AM
$29
$300/4
100

Men 3/4
35
miles
10:45 AM
$31
$350/5
100

Men 1/2/3
45
miles
12:15 PM
$35
$450/6
100

Women Open
25
miles
2:30 PM
$29
$300/4
75

This is a good race if your looking for a race on Sunday!

Daniel Harwi Memorial 22nd Annual Lower Providence Spring Classic Criterium
Presented by
Human Zoom Cycling presented by Pabst Blue Ribbon
Lower Providence, PA
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Online Registration Closes
Friday, April 17, 2009 at 11:45 PM ET
CATEGORY DISTANCE START
TIME FEE PRIZES

Cat 5/Citizens
15
miles
8:00 AM
$25
Medals/Prizes

Women's Cat 4 sponsored by PA Women's Series
15
miles
8:45 AM
$25
Medals/Prizes

Juniors 13-14 LAJORS event
10
laps
9:30 AM
$15
Medals/Prizes

Juniors 10-12 LAJORS event
10
laps
9:31 AM
$15
Medals/Prizes

Juniors 17-18 LAJORS & JR PCT event
15
laps
10:00 AM
$15
Medals/Prizes

Juniors 15-16 LAJORS event
15
laps
10:01 AM
$15
Medals/Prizes

Cat 4 only
20
miles
10:45 AM
$25
$250 in Cash/Medals/Prizes

Cat 3/4
25
miles
11:45 AM
$30
$500

Women's 1/2/3 sponsored by PA Women's Series
20
miles
12:45 PM
$30
$500

Men's P/1/2/3 sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon
35
miles
1:40 PM
$35
$1500

55+ Masters
20
miles
3:00 PM
$25
$200-in cash, medals & prizes

45+ Masters
20
miles
3:45 PM
$25
$250-in cash, medals & prizes

Cannondale Slice TT Pro Version!

New Cannondale Slice TT bike in stock! (The one you can buy)

For Sale-Pinarello Prince 53cm, Record 10, low miles! Perfect! $5000 (Sold new for $10,000)

For Sale! Easton EC90 Tubulars with tires, under 100 miles $1000! (Retail Price $2000)

New version of Bio-pace in Paris?

Speed Play Roubaix Pedals?

Prince on the cobbles!

New Pinarello Prince in the limited edition SKY color!

What pain looks like!

Fawn Grove!

We just become one of the top Pinarello dealers in Pa.!!!

Pinarello Prince still the hot bike out there!

A little more top end speed for Mike!

2009 Cannondale Cyclocross with BB30!

New Cannondale 6 Carbon!

Best Life Magazine Reports


How To Buy The Best....

A Road Bike
There’s a saying amongst cyclists: Friends don’t let friends buy bikes
online. It’s not that good deals aren’t to be found there (indeed, from an
absolute price standpoint, just the opposite is true), but rather because
online purchases don’t come with the innumerable (and often unwritten)
fringe benefits that many real-world shops provide, such as a fit service,
free tune-ups, and the all-important test ride. These factors are so
important that they comprise the first step in bike buying: Choose the
right store. Here’s how to find a good shop and select the perfect set of
wheels once you’re there. Buy local, your relationship with the bike shop doesn't
end when you sign the sales receipt. Odds are, you’ll need those bike experts to
true your wheels, tighten cables, and even swap out worn parts at some
point. Do you really want to drive an hour to get a tune-up? A good shop
will also organize group rides, provide maintenance clinics that teachskills
such as how to change a tire (it’s much harder than it sounds), and
employ a sales staff that caters to every skill level. You’re going to rely on
their bicycling knowledge until you develop enough of your own, so if you
get attitude, or if the salesman seems uninterested, go elsewhere.
Consider the whole package, once a bike catches your eye
don’t be distracted by its individual components. Manufacturers often
install one high-end part to catch consumers’ attention and then skimp
on the rest of the component package to make up the cost. Consider the
component system as a whole, making sure that most of the parts are
of the same quality. A top-of-the-line Shimano Dura-Ace rear derailleur
won’t do you an ounce of good if your off-brand brakes fail in traffic.
Upgrade to carbon fiber. Many great sub- $1,000 bikes exist,
but if you can afford to shop above that price point, you’ll be rewarded
with carbon fiber. Most $1,200-plus road bikes come with carbon-fiber
forks, and many also have carbon-fiber handlebars and seat posts, all
of which dampen road vibrations better than aluminum (the material of
choice for less expensive frames). Bottom line: The more carbon a bike
has, the more enjoyable it will be to ride.

+ Best Life No-Brainer
If you can afford it, go for the Cannondale Six Carbon 6—a
smooth riding, full carbon bike for $1800.00
Cannondale.com

Wellington and Carfrae crush the competition!
Posted on April 6, 2009 4:59:46 PM
Cannondale athlete Chrissie Wellington won with her traditional crushing dominance at the Ironman Australia compeition this past weekend in Port Macquarie.

She set a new course record for women and bested her closest competitor by more than 24 minutes. In doing so, Wellington came in 13th overall, finishing five minutes ahead of former Ironman Australia overall winner Jason Shortis.

This is Wellington’s second title championship in Australia and, now in her third year as a professional triathlete, Wellington remains undefeated after her first six Ironman races.

Wellington rode a Cannondale Slice to victory, and has cited the bike in recent news stories as one of the principal reasons she chose to ally herself with the brand.

"That Chrissie has chosen our bike over the other offers that were presented to her is a real testament to the design," said Steve Metz, Cannondale's vice president of product management. "We know we have an aerodynamic frame. But the performance attributes of the Slice that other bikes don't have are lighter weight and vibration-damping comfort. This means less mass to propel forward and less fatigue caused by road vibrations. Chrissies and Miranda’s results this past weekend speak for themselves!"

Meanwhile, teammate Miranda Carfrae won the Ironman 70.3 competition in Oceanside, California. Carfare overcame Sarah Groff during the final quarter mile of the run, recording the second-fastest women’s run at this race. No doubt that the comfort-enhancing features of the Slice left Miranda's legs fresher for the run!

Congratulations to both Chrissie and Miranda on their remarkable racing this past weekend!

All Cannondale triathletes race aboard the new Slice Hi-MOD, utilizing BB30 for incredible pedaling efficiency, sophisticated vibration-damping S.A.V.E. features, and race-proven geometry that puts riders in a lower position for better aerodynamics.


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After Sunday I'm ready for MTB race season to start!

I have been saying for years you could race the Cannondale Synapse!

So I don't get asked again!

New Zipp 303 carbon rims take to the cobbles

It looks like this might very well be Zipp's new ultra-durable 303

Several riders at this year's Ronde van Vlaanderen - from teams Cervélo TestTeam, Garmin-Slipstream and Saxo Bank - set off from the start in Brugge aboard a new version of Zipp's versatile 303 carbon tubular rim.

The new rims use a toroidal profile that noticeably bulges in width at the midsection and also appear to abandon the parallel braking surface in favor of the angled ones used on the 1080. Based on what Zipp have previously said about the 1080, the new 303 shape is presumably more aerodynamic than before and according to Zipp-sponsored 'cross rider Joachim Parbo (Leopard Cycles) - who conveniently happened to be on hand at the start and has been riding them all year - they are also much more resistant to impact damage though at this point in time it's unclear how.

Interestingly, the new 303 rims we spotted at the start were molded without Zipp's trademark aero-enhancing dimples but it's a safe bet that they'll reappear on production versions.

Carbon rims in general, however, were still the minority with just six of the 25 teams eschewing the standard-issue aluminum box-section tubulars in search of lighter weight and/or extra speed. Team Columbia-Highroad looked to be mostly on deeper-section HED carbon rims while Rabobank and Skil-Shimano were on shallow Shimano carbon hoops.

No problem!

"Dude, your gonna get a flat for sure, your an idiot!"

Fawn Grove!

This weekend was pretty cool.  I went down with most of our team and did the Fawn Grove Race, gravel dirt road sections with some steep climbs! I suffered hard,  along with a few other guys,  that are more at home on flat courses.

The best part of the day was every guy that rode up on me and said,  "dude your gonna get a flat for sure with that set up"!  The funny part about that is almost every time that happened I passed that guy on the side of the road dropping the F bomb because he flatted and had no tube and all the support wheels were used up!  If I was running clinchers I would have at least taken a tube and co2?  I had a pair of Zipp 808 Tubular wheels with Conti Ultra Gator skins and about 110psi, I figured if the pro's run them on the cobbles it should be able to handle a little gravel, and they did!

Mike's whip!

PEZ-Test: Pinarello's FP3 Thursday, February 05, 2009  11:09:27 AM PT by Richard Pestes   Like the smart bike builders they are, Fausto Pinarello and co. refined the designs of the now famous Prince and for 2009 have released the FP3 to appeal to that majority of cyclists who don’t buy $5000+ bikes, but still want the quality and heritage of a high end Euro road rig. The FP3 was launched for 2009 as a more affordable version of their popular Prince carbon frameset – ridden by pro Tour team Caisse d’Epargne. It shares geometry with the Prince and Dogma, while frame materials and build kits differ. Most importantly, it’s a chance to get on a fully equipped Pinarello for under $4000. Prices vary according to build kit, but versions offered include Shimano DA7800/ Ultegra, Campy Centaur, and coming soon a Dura-Ace 7900 version. Like most of the Treviso, Italy brand’s frames, the FP3 is traditional geometry – non-sloping top tubes, and slightly longer bikes than many of today’s popular compact designs. (The exceptions are a couple of the smallest sizes in the line up). Click the Thumbnail at top for the BIG view. The front triangle is molded as a single piece of high modulous carbon, to which the chain- and seat-stays are joined. The tubes are big and beefy, giving the impression of a stiff ride, ready for all the leg churning, body-slamming action you can smack down.  The FP3 shares geometry with the race proven Prince. The Curved top tube ties together nicely with the forks and stays, and is designed to be smoother riding than a straight tube. The FP3 joins a number of manufacturers with a 1-1/4 inch bearing at the headtube bottom (1-1/8 at the top), allowing a larger platform to anchor the forks and brace the front end where a lot of stress is taken. Pinarello’s US distributor Gita Bike reports the bell-shaped headtube does more than just look cool, adding both strength and smoothing the airflow at the front. Like most performance tilted bikes these days, the whole bottom bracket unit is pretty beefy – the downtube is massive, and carries that girth along it’s full length, even flaring to almost full width of the bb shell at the bottom. Each tube on the bike is shaped with purpose in mind- to deliver power to the road while allowing enough comfort to make it rideable. The seat tube is the only round tube on the frame, and hosts a traditionally fitted seatpost. Attempting to counter all that vertical stiffness are the Onda designed forks and stays. The distinctive curves have become a signature of the Italian marque, and are intended to both add lateral stiffness (by flaring outward), and smooth out the ride. The FPK fork is new for this model, and looks anything but wimpy. It’s designed after the FPX fork but without the stiffness adding ridges. In principal added curves should allow some buzz deflecting flex, they do add length (and volume) to the distance the buzz has to travel before it reaches the rider. The design principal is that the further it has to travel, the more it will dissipate. How well they actually achieve this versus other shapes is impossible to say (at least until they send me an identical test bike built with straight forks and stays), and while the ride remains on the stiff side the aesthetic appeal is undeniable. The rear stays show off the same sexy curves as the FPK fork, and the thick tubes are anything but wimpy – both in looks and performance. As the chainstays sweep toward the rear, they swell in the middle, adding more beef to the lateral stiffness. There’s a story about the invention of compact gearing that dates back to 1981. It goes that Giovanni Battaglin had a special triple chainring crank fabricated by Pinarello so he could get away on the climbs. Apparently it worked as he won the race. I first saw this a few years ago while flipping through a Pinarello catalogue post Interbike – all the bikes had been spec’d with compact cranks. This was a good couple years before I had converted myself, and was somewhat perplexed, but figured the Italians knew what they were doing. Since then I’ve written a lot of words on the virtues of running the 50/34 gearing, and have also never enjoyed my road riding more. Don’t be fooled, compact gearing is not for only cyclo-tourists and beginners – it really makes sense for a much larger percentage of riders than most non-compact users will admit.  Giovanni Battaglin won the ’81 Giro on a Pinarello – and many say it was their hand-crafted triple which gave him an advantage in the mountains, and led the way to today’s spec of compact cranksets across the line up. The benefits are many – closer ratios on the free wheel, shorter chain, tighter shifting, reduced weight, higher cadence options and their accompanying health benefits (your knees will thank you) and efficiency benefits (just ask a certain high cadence rider who won 7 Tours), the reality of a 50x11 gear being taller than a 53x12… If you’re not a Cat. 1or 2 racer, and you live anywhere there are hills, and you’re not riding compact gears yet, you gotta ask yourself how much time you spend in that big 53… I suspect about as much time as a 15 year old spends on homework…  The real deal: Battaglin's triple crank now resides at Pinarello HQ. In this age when much of the 53T standard gearing is driven by manufacturers and shops, my hat goes off to Pinarello and their foresight, and their commitment to making the ride experience better before you even get on the bike. And given the a lot of intermediate nd even new riders wil be considering this bike, it makes even more sense on the FP3. For 2009 all FP3 models will come with Pinarello’s private label MOST compacts except the new DA7900, which will be a full Dura-Ace bike. I last rode a Pinarello at the 2007 Giro, and am happy to report the seatpost on the FP3 has joined this century in terms of saddle adjustment. The old 'contraption' was also a two bolt adjuster, but for some reason the bolts were different sizes – one a 5 mm allen key, the other a 10mm hex nut… (I haven’t carried a 10mm spanner with me since my early days as an mtber circa 1984.) Needless to say adjustment on the road was royal pain, so the MOST seatpost here is a god send – sure it’s still got two bolts, but at least they’re both 5mm allen keys! Bravissimo! Tires, wheels, bar, stem, saddle and seatpost are all Pinarello’s own MOST brand (although I switched out bars and stem to adjust the fit). The components are functional and not unattractive (if you’re into loads of micro-branded decals). The FP3 comes with aluminum versions of each, and while each one does it’s job capably, they offer plenty of room for weight saving upgrades should you choose. Overall the finish is top notch and the big 12k weave is actually pretty cool, the larger checks stand out as slightly different approach to showing off carbon, and fits well with the overall graphics package of the bike – which has a certain F1 appeal.  Ride it. Geometry is pretty traditional Euro-stuff for this 54cm (top tube) frame – 72.5 head tube angle and 73.4 seat tube angle - a stable set up for all conditions – rolling, climbing, and descending. It’s a well-handling bike that doesn’t surprise, the ride is predictable and true, and it goes where I expect in a manner I expect. I weighed my tester at 17 lbs, without pedals, not considered ‘light’ by today’s standards, but given that a reported 1100g grams of that is in the frame (Pinarello’s stat), there’s more evidence that a lighter bike is just a few component switches away. I found the ride to be on the stiff side- at least for my 140lbs. This is great for getting power to the ground, riding fast and tackling descents with confidence. The on test config of components – saddle, wheels, aluminum stem, bars, seatpost – made for a business like ride that may be too stiff for some riders, although heavier riders may have a different experience, and let’s not forget ride qualities can be tuned considerably with different components. I would not call this a road smoothing, bump-soaking ride, but then based on the brand’s racing pedigree, I’m pretty sure it was never intended as such. This bike is not a bike of performance extremes – not the nimblest climber, the fastest descender, smoothest rouleur, or quickest handler. It does dose out a solid measure of performance in each category, and all with one of the coolest names in road cycling painted on the top tube. Retail: $3800 US full bike Shimano Dura-Ace/Ultegra mix. • Centaur, Ultegra, Womens, 7900 coming soon. Get more info at Pinarello.com, and in the US at GitaBike.com.