LBS part 4

The best part of learning something new about your cycling equipment options is the confidence it gives you when you actually make your purchase. Finding a store that will walk you through the entire process is both important and difficult. If you have a bike store close to your house, check it out, talk to guys behind the desk, ask if the owner works there. Trust me, you will find out very quickly how willing they are to "help". Trust your gut. If you get the feeling that they are too busy to truly help... you're probably right. Again, Webster Bicycle was a pleasure to shop. Terry met us at the door and gave us the grand tour of the place, and get this... when we stumbled across an item that they did not have... he recommended me to a different source instead of trying to fit me into something that wouldn't be the best choice for me. Specifically, triathlon cycling shoes. I've been riding for about three years now with a pair of shoes that were a size too small. I'm a clydesdale with size 14 (50 euro) shoes and i was actually sold a pair of 48's because it was the largest they had, but Terry told me that the manufacturers they carried only made up to a 48 and it was not going to be a good choice for me. So, thanks Terry, my feet thank you. However, Their Shimano custom fit shoe is quite the amazing product. You get a carbon sole shoe that is placed on your foot and then placed in some sort of vacuum that shapes the shoe to the exact shape of your foot, then the shoe is actually baked in the Shimano "easy bake" oven and voila, one custom fit shoe that fits you better than anyone else in the whole wide world.

The Cannondale BB30 proprietary bottom bracket system is way cool. Terry gave me a hands on demonstration of the the "guts" of the whole thing. Some say it might soon be the industry standard as far as bottom brackets. It's possible, there are some advantages to it. It is probably lighter that the one most likely on your old bike, there are no cups on the outside of your frame that house the bearings and set your feet slightly wider apart (this allows your feet to be closer to the frame and directly under you), and the larger diameter provides greater stiffness so you can know that more of your clydesdale power is being transferred to the wheel.

Meeting Russ,the owner at Webster Bicycle, was definitely a treat. When you are able to talk to the owner, do it, it will tell you all you need to know about the shop. When the owner works at the store, you know that he's invested. He hasn't just purchased a shop and trusted it's well-being with some college kids who think bikes are pretty cool. Russ talked about the F.I.S.T. system for fitting a rider to his bike. You may have heard about Dan Empfield from slow-twitch, he used to be the man behind Quintana Roo, and he's kinda the authority on all things triathlon at the moment. Visit his website slowtwitch.com and follow him on twitter @slowtwitch and you'll feel like you are finally "in the loop". You will get the absolute latest on everything related to triathlon beamed straight to your laptop or smart phone. Anyway, Russ attended one of Dan's classes where he he learned the now industry standard F.I.S.T. bike fitting system (created by Dan himself... go to slowtwitch.com to read more about that) and has become the best place to get a proper fit for your tri-bike in the Houston area. Proper fitting for your tri-bike is every bit as important for the clydesdale as it is for the lightweight racer. The temptation to take shortcuts in fitting your customer on their bike in order to save money can be too great for a lot of shops, but if your shop has run you through the paces of the F.I.S.T. system you can rest assured that you will not only be comfortable, you will decrease your chances os injury from a "bad" fit.

Well that's the end of the LBS series. Now I just have to wait about a month for Cannondale to ship the bike. Next, it's time to get serious about training. I've started running and swimming, and have been doing light weight training to build strength back up after the back surgery. I need to start pushing it to see some real weight loss and increased fitness, but I don't want to risk injury... again. So, I'll be researching and focusing on core strength and cardio fitness. Anyway... Spring is finally here and it's warming up... it was 80 degrees here in Houston for about three days in a row... go outside and sweat.

Soulrider

LBS continued

The Local Bike Shop is key to the bike purchase experience. Bikes are expensive, and they are much less forgiving than even a new car. They are a mechanical expression of you as a racer. It's like saying... "I'm not predjudice, but." As soon as somebody says that, you know they're about to say something extremely predjudice. So here it goes... I'm not superficial... but. You CAN tell a lot about somebody just by taking a quick look at their bike. If it is meticulously cleaned on race day, it's probably a sign that that person has truely prepared for the race. If the bike is brand new, has all the bells and whistles, and obviously cost a wad of cash, pay attention to that racer, you will either be impressed or entertained. If that person looks in shape but is riding on an old street bike, watch out... that person obviously has the confidence to compete no matter what he's riding, so no matter how prepared he is for the race on that day, he just might have what it takes to gut anything out for an hour or two.

Anyway, the best thing the LBS does for you is give you confidence in your new purchase. One, you've seen the bike... Two, you've ridden the bike... Three, you've met the people who will be servicing your bike... Four, you've been inspired by the others you see walking in and out of the store parading their 5K & 6K dollar bikes like proud parents. So when a LBS does the exact opposite, and removes all the buyers confidence in purchasing a new bike, the patron is better off purchasing on the internet.

I am the biggest fan of supporting your LBS, but I refuse to faithfully dole out money to an establishment of snobs who make you feel like they are counting down the seconds until you let them get back to what they were doing before you walked in the door. From the grey haired lady that hasn't cracked a smile in 15 years, to the creepy blank stares from the bike guru himself, all the way down to the young girl behind the counter who actually has to be told that you're ready to check out before she makes her way to the register to help the patron standing at the glass counter with his arms full of gear.

But I digress... on a related note, I've purchased no less then 6 bikes from my favorite LBS over the past 15 years... driving as far as 50-60 miles for service during a period of time when i lived a bit further away. Presently, living closer in proximity to my beloved LBS (in the Woodlands, TX) than ever before, have decided to purchase a bike from a new store about an hour and a half drive away. Specifically because of the reasons detailed above. I have put up with the akwardness, the frustration, the inconvenience for all these years out of compulsion to support a retailer that i desperately wanted to believe in. Now that I'm ready to make that big purchase, and I truely want to have the complete buying experience, I actually feel a sense of liberation. The sheer sense of excitement that was received after the very first phone conversation with Webster Bicycle in Webster, TX has been worth the whole process, and they haven't even seen one red cent from me yet. But I can tell you this... I placed a call, they called me back, we had an actual conversation, I hung up the phone with confidence. So thank you Terry, at Webster Bicycle. I will be comming to see you soon to place my down payment and secure the delivery of my brand new tri bike.

I will discuss the bike I chose tomorrow, but for now here are some links to the final three I was reviewing up until this past weekend. I will discuss everything from aluminum to carbon as it relates to Clydesdales, and everything from colors to components as it relates to your investment.

the Felt B16
The Quintana Roo Seduza
The Cannondale Slice 5