Arizona was great! The weather was perfect for riding, and I wasn’t the only who thought so because there were tons of riders enjoying the 70 degree weather. I had fun taking some slow rides w/ Ambrie and my big bro. This sounds crazy, but one of the best parts of the trip was using my Rock Mounts Clutch rack for my truck. I had such a peace of mind that my bikes were safe and secure. They were worth every penny!
Here is the email I sent my local bike shope:
Hi Mad Dog,
As a loyal customer, of multiple bikes and $1000’s in accessories, I thought I should introduce you to Rocky Mounts. I was in your store a few weeks ago looking for a fork bike rack for my truck (’07 Tacoma), but all you had was a limited selection of Yakima options that included drilling holes in my truck (not my kind of product). After futile attempts w/ Toyota I found Rocky Mounts online and purchased their Clutch fork rack and I absolutely love it!
I highly recommend this company and product, so if you want my rack related money I think you guys should start selling Rocky Mounts in your store.
Thanks,
Clint Gordon-Carroll
Any shop would be smart picking these guys up, so I hope Mad Dog does.
Now I’m back in UT w/ 30 degree weather, no snow, and not much desire to ride. What the hell am I going to do? I need to start hitting the pool.
If you drive a Toyota or Nissan truck, and you want a bike rack for truck bed then look no further than Rocky Mounts Clutch SD. This fork mounting rack is bolted to the block plate that slides into the rails. Works great for road and mountain bikes!
The Clutch SD has an all around better design then the mounts you can buy from Toyota, it also comes w/ a lock and two keys. Not are you getting a better product, but you will get it at half the cost ($50 vs $100).
Rant: I love Toyota, but they are just like any other car manufacturer. They want to bleed you dry w/ the cost of accessories. The mountain bike fork mounts are$45 odd bucks, but you also have to buy the rail block separately which is another $45 bucks. What a load of crap!
Not quite the BG S-works, but $135 cheaper and only few hundred grams heavier. This Comp shoe from Specialized is a great mid-range shoe for road bikes. This shoe has stiff reinforced carbon plate sole (Specialized brags a -7.0 on the stiffness index–what the hell is that). The plates are 3 bolt Shimano compatible, so you won’t have problems finding the right pedal.
This shoe includes plenty of ventilation and extremely comfortable in-sole. Specialized boasts Body Geometry science behind the comfort and fit. I also like the two velecro straps and m-lock buckle for a secure fit.
If you are counting grams this shoe is probably not for you, but any of the BG Pro line offer a significantly lighter shoe without compromising on comfort. Most of the weight reduction comes from lighter materials and loosing the velecro straps and m-lock buckles.
Love the shoes! If you can’t test the shoes before you buy then you MUST check out the informative and engaging Body Geometry site. It includes digital animation of your inner-self (skeletal, muscular, nervous, and blood flow) views in different riding modes (climbing, spinning, standing and coasting). This site rocks!
FYI - If you are disgusted by Nike’s handling of the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal like I am then Specialized is such a better way to spend your $$$.
So the Tour de France is over, now what? Nothing to blog about. Not true, it’s time to ride like hell. There are a couple of local rides I want to do in the next week or two:
- Ride around the largest natural fresh water lake west of the Mississippi, Utah Lake.
- Ride the alpine loop around Mt. Timpanogis.
I am also working on filming some How To’s with my local bike shop, Mad Dog, on bike maintenance, and some bike reviews. We’ll post them here, Mad Dog’s site and Tubetorial.
And if I can get motivated, or find some training partners I’d like to start training for a triathlon. We’ll see!
Found a great review on the new 2008 Gary Fisher Superfly on Twenty Nine Inches. Only thing missing is a comparison of other bikes. I want to know how it compares to other XC mountain bikes like the S-works Epic.
There is one thing that I know w/o a doubt; take care of your butt and your butt will take care of you. This is true for toilet paper as it is for bike saddles. Unfortunately the saddle sold w/ my Trek Madone was absolutely horrible. Ok, there are probably worse bike saddles than the unknown Bontrager, but I couldn’t suffer any longer (neither would Napoleon and his generals).
I’ve learned in cycling the equation is simple: discomfort = speed OR comfort = slower. So goes the equation w/ saddles, if you want speed you have to endure discomfort, or go w/ comfort and have a huge seat that adds unnecessary grams to your bike. This is why I bought the Specialized Alias, it’s not the uber-racing-toupe saddle, nor is it grandma’s spring supported bubble butt seat. At 250 g it’s light and comfortable.
The comfortable in this saddle is not the gel or padding, but in Specialized’s own words, “Combined with our medically tested Body Geometry blood-flow technology to reduce numbness, the Alias redefines the crossing point between ergonomic comfort and pro-level performance.” In less marketing speak they’ve cut out the center of the saddle so your generals don’t sit in your throat while your ride.
Another feature Specialized offers in their saddles: 3 sizes. My previous seat was to narrow, so I went w/ the 143 mm. They also offer 130 mm and 150 mm.
I haven’t broken in this saddle, but on the short rides I’ve already felt the difference, and so has my bottom.
Rant: I’m not sure who’s to blame Trek or the reseller. I blame Trek, because they should never allow any of there bikes to be sold w/ crappy seats. Even a starter bike should be sold with a decent seat b/c the rider will judge his early biking experiences on the seat and not whether has the lightest crank or derailer. Just as important don’t sell a Madone w/ a crappy seat w/ the notion that the customer should upgrade. That is wrong on many levels and should be obvious. If a customer wants a cheap seat to lower the price of a bike than let them ask for a crappy seat. It’s just good business.
