Greetings All,
Lola had come to the conclusion that she has a Top 5. Her Top 5 is:
1. Saranac Black Diamond Bock (Limited Edition)
2. Team SlipStream Argyle Jerseys
3. Obsidian Coffee on Avocado Day
4. Cycling on VS. (finally)
5. Two Hour Trainer Rides watching a Dog Whisperer marathon
Later Kids, I'm out...
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
My Feet Hurt
So, It's over...the Warehouse Sale is in the bag for another year and MAN do my feet hurt. This is the culmination of roughly 2 months of Prep a year of purchasing and a month of 5s. We had to clean, re arrange, and stage 10,000 square feet of warehouse. I was hoping it was going to be bigger than last year... well I was wrong...we beat last year at 11:00 and this year was HUGE!. We doubled last year and destroyed all goals we set. So I am willing to call it a success. It was so big that other shop's employees were shopping OUR sale because our prices were so good.
Anyway, thanks to all of the employees and all of Our amazing customers, who without them, we would be a not so great store. I hope to see you all again next year when I hope it is even bigger and better.
Later Kids, I'm out.
Anyway, thanks to all of the employees and all of Our amazing customers, who without them, we would be a not so great store. I hope to see you all again next year when I hope it is even bigger and better.
Later Kids, I'm out.
DREAM TEAM!
I am blogging from THEE warehouse sale RIGHT NOW. It has greatly slowed down (this is a comparison) because it was HOPPIN' for the first 2.5 hours. I had a pretty strong 2 hours at the front register, and I had no sense of self or time. I really would like to thank friends for coming out and breaking me out of the hum of ringing people up. I appreciate seeing all of the faces I recognize from the 88 shop, the old 719 shop, and those good friends of mine.
I am stoked to be working with an extra large posse of Natty Velo employees, and 3 of our reps. It is certainly a dream team.
*please do not give me crap for spelling or poor grammer, it is pretty hectic to be blogging.
I am stoked to be working with an extra large posse of Natty Velo employees, and 3 of our reps. It is certainly a dream team.
*please do not give me crap for spelling or poor grammer, it is pretty hectic to be blogging.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The converted?
Single speed converted, most certainly. I am referring to the Campy-Shimano Debate, and to be honest in stage one, i think my stance will interestingly refreshing.
To begin, I have run shimano LX, XTR, 105, Ultegra, and only ridden dura ace once for about 7 blocks. I have used, STI, Dual Control, Rapid Fire, and Bar End shifters. I am familiar with the shifting of shimano, the speed of a proper shift, the crispness of an adjusted drive chain, and the performance at different levels. I have a pretty decent grasp on the component groups capabilities.
On my new Bianchi 928 (later to be reviewed) I have been running Campagnolo Centaur 10 speed. I have about 3 hours on the trainer, and about 9 hours on the road with this guy, and I have noticed some differences in the way the bike shifts and the function of the shifters and I have to admit, I'm kinda impressed.
There was some fidgeting with barrels, and small adjustments after the first good ride, but the bike is dialed in. I don't believe I have the narrative skill to write about these components and bring the smell of fresh tomatoes and basil to the air accompanied by the sound of opera music (yeah, just like when your on hold on the phone with Campy), so I will make a brief list of things I really like.
1 Three cogs up, all of them down. So i have the same upshift creative control as shimano, but i can dump a pile of gears. To combat this, most say "When do you need to dump 9 gears" and I say not often, but i can dump three and that happens alot, as well as dumping 6 which doesn't happen often but certainly does.
2 The feel of the hoods. I will admit that I am by no means a roadie, nor do i usually take the comfortable way out when purchasing bike parts, but these things feel good. New Shimano 10 feels good, and Shimano 9 feels pretty alright, too. I am just noting that I like this.
3 The shifting is loud! This is great, I hit the shifter, i can hear the mechanisms, i can hear the chain drop into the gear. I can hear when the indexing is off (boy howdy can you) and I can just can the clicks and noises when I'm droppin all them gears and droppin the hammer.
So, Soupie, you love campy now right? No.
No I don't.
I like it. It is pretty swell, It works great (So far) and riding it is a blast. I enjoy riding my Bianchi 928 for the reasons above.
I can't say that I love it yet. I really think you campy guys need to readjust yourself. I am not talking about guys who prefer to run campy, I'm talking about campagnologists, those guys who eat sleep breath loving campy stuff. I just don't understand your love yet. I really like shimano, and i think that I like campy better. I can never say that I loved shimano, and i don't know if i could ever say i loved campy.
It has like....all this stuff going on that I'm not really excited about, special cables, special routing, but the thing i really can't get over is it has DERAILLEURS!!
Soupie, what about campy track? I Simply respond, are you buying? Are you repacking my hubs? Am I Track racing?
So, This concludes phase one. As the current ambassador to the Campy world from our Campy pro shop TRM CYCLES, I will continue this debate at a later time.
As far as being a Campy Pro shop, we are authorized to work on campy stuff, rebuild shifters, derailleurs, and wheels (depending on their rebuildability, I am not going to relaminate your Ghibli). So, if it brakes call it up!
To begin, I have run shimano LX, XTR, 105, Ultegra, and only ridden dura ace once for about 7 blocks. I have used, STI, Dual Control, Rapid Fire, and Bar End shifters. I am familiar with the shifting of shimano, the speed of a proper shift, the crispness of an adjusted drive chain, and the performance at different levels. I have a pretty decent grasp on the component groups capabilities.
On my new Bianchi 928 (later to be reviewed) I have been running Campagnolo Centaur 10 speed. I have about 3 hours on the trainer, and about 9 hours on the road with this guy, and I have noticed some differences in the way the bike shifts and the function of the shifters and I have to admit, I'm kinda impressed.
There was some fidgeting with barrels, and small adjustments after the first good ride, but the bike is dialed in. I don't believe I have the narrative skill to write about these components and bring the smell of fresh tomatoes and basil to the air accompanied by the sound of opera music (yeah, just like when your on hold on the phone with Campy), so I will make a brief list of things I really like.
1 Three cogs up, all of them down. So i have the same upshift creative control as shimano, but i can dump a pile of gears. To combat this, most say "When do you need to dump 9 gears" and I say not often, but i can dump three and that happens alot, as well as dumping 6 which doesn't happen often but certainly does.
2 The feel of the hoods. I will admit that I am by no means a roadie, nor do i usually take the comfortable way out when purchasing bike parts, but these things feel good. New Shimano 10 feels good, and Shimano 9 feels pretty alright, too. I am just noting that I like this.
3 The shifting is loud! This is great, I hit the shifter, i can hear the mechanisms, i can hear the chain drop into the gear. I can hear when the indexing is off (boy howdy can you) and I can just can the clicks and noises when I'm droppin all them gears and droppin the hammer.
So, Soupie, you love campy now right? No.
No I don't.
I like it. It is pretty swell, It works great (So far) and riding it is a blast. I enjoy riding my Bianchi 928 for the reasons above.
I can't say that I love it yet. I really think you campy guys need to readjust yourself. I am not talking about guys who prefer to run campy, I'm talking about campagnologists, those guys who eat sleep breath loving campy stuff. I just don't understand your love yet. I really like shimano, and i think that I like campy better. I can never say that I loved shimano, and i don't know if i could ever say i loved campy.
It has like....all this stuff going on that I'm not really excited about, special cables, special routing, but the thing i really can't get over is it has DERAILLEURS!!
Soupie, what about campy track? I Simply respond, are you buying? Are you repacking my hubs? Am I Track racing?
So, This concludes phase one. As the current ambassador to the Campy world from our Campy pro shop TRM CYCLES, I will continue this debate at a later time.
As far as being a Campy Pro shop, we are authorized to work on campy stuff, rebuild shifters, derailleurs, and wheels (depending on their rebuildability, I am not going to relaminate your Ghibli). So, if it brakes call it up!
Friday, February 16, 2007
One Less Car....
So, I am one less car. Seriously. The buick did not start today. What crap, what utter crap. So, i sacrificed comfort and road my fixed gear to work today.
So Soupie, Why didn't you call AAA, why didn't you get a jump, why didnt you put an electric blanket on your engine block? I was short on time, I had to go to class (missing was not an option, thanks landlord) and I do not have an electric blanket and extension cord. After making sure my battery was most certainly dead by trying to start my car 10 times, i scrambled to get my stuff together. The ride was frigid, breathtakingly beautiful, and very hard at times. Perhaps i should have titled this "Uphill and into the wind" or "Everything is Frozen, and soon I will be". Riding down second avenue along the river was breath taking, cruising down 88 was frigid, and climbing up becks run road was difficult. Everytime I got out of the saddle, my shell turned into a sail and just pushed on me.
I guess I could sum up most of the ride in describing a situation (that happened during the ride). On carson street, in the long stretch before the blue belt, a line of traffic had accumulated behind me. Usually people will honk or beep if I am not far enough over for them, but today there was slush everywhere except where i was riding and the cars were driving. Neither of us wanted to sink our wheels into the brown road gravy and a line formed. Then I hear honking in the distance, "what's the hold up". Then there was a critical point where all of the cars started passing me. The last car in the line was a Chevy Cavalier with an old woman with bobby pins and the whole works, behind the wheel. She emmitted this short little angry beep. She was passing me, and had to let me know that she was peturbed. So in a fashion comparable to a "bichon" dog barking at me, the old woman reminded me that I was on a bicycle.
That was all that beeb could have done. It wasn't loud enough to scare me, or piss me off. I had to use my own judgement to acknowledge that she was jacked. It just snapped me out of my anarobic daze. *YOU ARE ON YOUR BIKE*
So Soupie, Why didn't you call AAA, why didn't you get a jump, why didnt you put an electric blanket on your engine block? I was short on time, I had to go to class (missing was not an option, thanks landlord) and I do not have an electric blanket and extension cord. After making sure my battery was most certainly dead by trying to start my car 10 times, i scrambled to get my stuff together. The ride was frigid, breathtakingly beautiful, and very hard at times. Perhaps i should have titled this "Uphill and into the wind" or "Everything is Frozen, and soon I will be". Riding down second avenue along the river was breath taking, cruising down 88 was frigid, and climbing up becks run road was difficult. Everytime I got out of the saddle, my shell turned into a sail and just pushed on me.
I guess I could sum up most of the ride in describing a situation (that happened during the ride). On carson street, in the long stretch before the blue belt, a line of traffic had accumulated behind me. Usually people will honk or beep if I am not far enough over for them, but today there was slush everywhere except where i was riding and the cars were driving. Neither of us wanted to sink our wheels into the brown road gravy and a line formed. Then I hear honking in the distance, "what's the hold up". Then there was a critical point where all of the cars started passing me. The last car in the line was a Chevy Cavalier with an old woman with bobby pins and the whole works, behind the wheel. She emmitted this short little angry beep. She was passing me, and had to let me know that she was peturbed. So in a fashion comparable to a "bichon" dog barking at me, the old woman reminded me that I was on a bicycle.
That was all that beeb could have done. It wasn't loud enough to scare me, or piss me off. I had to use my own judgement to acknowledge that she was jacked. It just snapped me out of my anarobic daze. *YOU ARE ON YOUR BIKE*
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Ice-Ice Baby...
it's a freakin'-freezin' deep freeze around the 'burgh these days... i think my own brain is snowed in as well. where's my motivation? i think it's directly hard wired to riding bicycles. when i ride, i function properly. really well, actually. no riding = no functioning. it's a simple, sad equation. sad because i don't get to ride often enough. not sad from the standpoint of how much joy a simple ride brings me. it could be my massive 6-mile commute to work (and then i get to anticipate my ride home all day long), a sunday morning spent with buddies hitting the trails at bavington state game land or a rail-trail cruise with my wonderful wife.
i do realize it's winter and winter has finally come. i actually am gratefull for the snow; it's supposed to happen after all and that guarantees us a good summer with flowing rivers and streams and full lakes in which to take a dip. and plentiful water supplies, too.
winter is more of a time to reflect and take care of those projects we put off when the weather is "too good not to be out ridin'" and "i'll get to that this winter."
you see, my mood is already swinging for the better, just talking about cycling and reflecting on good times past and those yet to come. plus, our store in the south hills is really looking awesome thanks to all of rick's renovations and handywork. we have more space for bikes and this will really rock when the tune-ups start arriving to get some love from the professor's (aka rick) guilded hands. bikes will all have a place to comfortably rest while awaiting the trusty wrench or the return of their loving owners.
speaking of winter and things to look forward to... our 17th (or thereabouts) annual warehouse sale is coming up sunday the 25th of this month! woo-hoo! this is going to be amazing for everyone involved. customers can't afford to miss out on all the schwag and bikes that are at their lowest prices of the year. and there's no other time that all of our employees work together, side-by-side for an entire day for a united cause. that's pretty cool, especially now that we have four stores and lots of great teammates on board.
well, thanks for reading and letting me write my way to a better mindset. i am looking forward to seeing you at the sale and making plans for our next great ride.
stay safe and warm out there!
over and out- adam (bloomy)
i do realize it's winter and winter has finally come. i actually am gratefull for the snow; it's supposed to happen after all and that guarantees us a good summer with flowing rivers and streams and full lakes in which to take a dip. and plentiful water supplies, too.
winter is more of a time to reflect and take care of those projects we put off when the weather is "too good not to be out ridin'" and "i'll get to that this winter."
you see, my mood is already swinging for the better, just talking about cycling and reflecting on good times past and those yet to come. plus, our store in the south hills is really looking awesome thanks to all of rick's renovations and handywork. we have more space for bikes and this will really rock when the tune-ups start arriving to get some love from the professor's (aka rick) guilded hands. bikes will all have a place to comfortably rest while awaiting the trusty wrench or the return of their loving owners.
speaking of winter and things to look forward to... our 17th (or thereabouts) annual warehouse sale is coming up sunday the 25th of this month! woo-hoo! this is going to be amazing for everyone involved. customers can't afford to miss out on all the schwag and bikes that are at their lowest prices of the year. and there's no other time that all of our employees work together, side-by-side for an entire day for a united cause. that's pretty cool, especially now that we have four stores and lots of great teammates on board.
well, thanks for reading and letting me write my way to a better mindset. i am looking forward to seeing you at the sale and making plans for our next great ride.
stay safe and warm out there!
over and out- adam (bloomy)
Monday, February 05, 2007
Master Says Faster
Alright, so i will admit, I am slightly shaded out by this "term" and I am going to give an explaination because a) it is kinda cool b) it's on cool socks c) it's on cool shirts d) most importantly and the reason for the former, it is on cool bikes.
So how do I start to explain that TRM is not a sexist shop and is simply filled to the brim with bicycle nerds? I guess i will start with a generic description of the origins. Bianchi had a product manager which gave Bianchi a cool and hip image by designing a bunch of singlespeed bikes. This PM was none other than the infamous hard-ass Sky Yaeger. Sky Yaeger could most easily be recognized in the Park Tool ad where she looks very serious. On all of these single speed bikes she desinged, ( W.U.S.S., S.A.S.S. G.U.S.S. B.U.S.S.) there was a sticker placed on the seat tube of the dominatrix demanding the rider to go faster! Since there being some heat from this, a few new stickers replace it: the "100% Chick Designed" sticker and the "Your Bike Sucks" Chainstay protector.
Recently, Bianchi has been pushing their soft goods. In addition to the totally awesome wool "Maglia Rosa" and "your bike sucks" socks, we have recieved "Master Says Faster" shirts and socks. I will admit, though I am a single speed deviant, the interpretation of this shirt would make me rather uncomfortable, but knowing the history makes it a lot better.
Sky Yaeger would definitly not be cool with the oppression or exploitation of women, she'd probably roll in to whatever bike shop on a Bianchi Rita and castrate all of the evil doers with that pedal wrench from the park ad. Sky's comfort with her gender and her place as one of the few women in a male dominated industry could be reflected by this.
So what are you d00dz lollygaggin' around for? Master says Faster!!!!
TOP 5
Rick
1Moe's
2Pho Kim
3The Untouchable
4Pizza Hut
5Clif Blocks - Margarita
Soupie
1"A Sunday in Hell"
2Westminster Bicycle Swap
3COFFEE
4Mooching cycling gear
5 Value Time Corn Bread
Blue
1 Really Hot Showers!
2 Sidi Diablo GTX winter boots
3Miles Davis "Bitch's Brew"
4 OX Platinum Steel
5Sleeping in
Mike H
1Being a proud member of the 2% club
2The biggest warehouse sale in history
3Being one less car
4Toe Warmers
5Getting the bomb dropped on you
1Moe's
2Pho Kim
3The Untouchable
4Pizza Hut
5Clif Blocks - Margarita
Soupie
1"A Sunday in Hell"
2Westminster Bicycle Swap
3COFFEE
4Mooching cycling gear
5 Value Time Corn Bread
Blue
1 Really Hot Showers!
2 Sidi Diablo GTX winter boots
3Miles Davis "Bitch's Brew"
4 OX Platinum Steel
5Sleeping in
Mike H
1Being a proud member of the 2% club
2The biggest warehouse sale in history
3Being one less car
4Toe Warmers
5Getting the bomb dropped on you
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Cannons were fired but no one was killed
For those of you readers that do not work in a bike shop, February can be a lonely time for us. The weather is really starting to effect us all. We can't ride as much we would like, so we are all a little on edge. There aren't many customers coming in and we all get a little tired of talking to the same faces every day (sorry Adam and Soupie but it had to be said). One of my former Bike Shop Bosses said that on days like this you could fire a cannon through the store and no one would get killed. Now mind you that as we have grown form one store to four in the last year and a half we are a lot busier that before, but, I have gotten used to the hectic nature and kind of miss it.
That being said, for the first time in a very long time, I am really getting excited about this February! The warehouse sale is shaping up to be the largest in history. We have made some really excellent additions to the TOP family (Welcome TJ, Travis, Bonnie, Janet, Blockhead, Dub, Justin, and Tight Pants) . Shadyside gets closer everyday and should open any day now. It should the nicest and the highest end store in six area codes. Cranberry is open and the staff are starting to lose the deer in the headlights look.
I am also really looking forward to working with local boys on the Fisher 29er team this year (Go Travis and TJ). I am also looking forward to cheering and supporting Lola in her endurance goals.
anyway, 2007 is here and I for one am really excited. I hope yinz stop by and see all of the great thing happening at TRM and the rest of the TOP family. I think you will be really impressed.
Later kids, I'm out.
That being said, for the first time in a very long time, I am really getting excited about this February! The warehouse sale is shaping up to be the largest in history. We have made some really excellent additions to the TOP family (Welcome TJ, Travis, Bonnie, Janet, Blockhead, Dub, Justin, and Tight Pants) . Shadyside gets closer everyday and should open any day now. It should the nicest and the highest end store in six area codes. Cranberry is open and the staff are starting to lose the deer in the headlights look.
I am also really looking forward to working with local boys on the Fisher 29er team this year (Go Travis and TJ). I am also looking forward to cheering and supporting Lola in her endurance goals.
anyway, 2007 is here and I for one am really excited. I hope yinz stop by and see all of the great thing happening at TRM and the rest of the TOP family. I think you will be really impressed.
Later kids, I'm out.
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