Tag: bicycle

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New steed in the stable.

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Our pal Todd has an extensive history with bicycles. From a young age he’s been an ultra avid rider, has raced road and still to this day, despite being a family man that’s also often caught up with business, makes regular time to ride.

Over the past few years we had the fortune to service a few of his bikes which naturally meant we got to pick his brain about anything bikes. An integral figure in the early Chinese recreational bicycling scene he’s responsible for helping Trek get their foot in the door as well as cooperating to help build a bevy of local clubs, races and organizations.

His collection of bikes is also nothing to scoff at. Everything from custom hand built steel race frames to former pro race rigs we’ve seen and heard of half a dozen of his prized rides. And finally, we get to join the ranks.  Continue reading New steed in the stable.

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Bike Review: Bamboo Cross Country 29er

You’ve probably managed to catch a couple glimpses of the bike I was riding in Tibet. The last chance we had to attend this race, we all used bikes borrowed from other racers. Although a wonderful gesture of sportsmanship, there was one major dilemma. Most of the racers were a good head shorter than any of us. As you may have figured out, we find bike fit super important. It’s a large reason that beyond our large selection of stock-sized frames we offer full custom frame geometry.

Now, anyone who’s attempted a long ride on a bike that’s three sizes too small knows it’s tough. Top that off with other trying factors including the length of the race, the terrain, the altitude and the competition and you find yourself staring at several hours of grueling, uncomfortable riding. No bueno. So this year round we decided to put our minds to the drawing board.

Continue reading Bike Review: Bamboo Cross Country 29er

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Racing Tibet re-cap: Day 5.

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Race day two was easily the coldest start. The mercury dipped below the freezing point as we started in on our preparations for the start. Outside was grey and overcast, but the forecast called for a break in the clouds during the day and for it to be much warmer. Breakfast went down a little bit harder than the day before as we went over a quick rundown of the course. Starting at about 3600 meters elevation, we were looking at just over 300 meters of climbing stretched out over an out-and-back route around 25 kilometers up a canyon. Continue reading Racing Tibet re-cap: Day 5.

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Racing Tibet re-cap: Day 4.

 

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Sleep for everyone had been a mixed bag of bad dreams and waking up panting in anticipation. Fortunately the organizers had decided to get a later start the day before as to let the trail dry out a bit. Our group sat around and silently ate breakfast. You could feel the tension as everyone ran the impending race through their heads.

Continue reading Racing Tibet re-cap: Day 4.

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Racing Tibet re-cap: Day 2.

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Pumped to get out and do a little recon we awoke to a standard Chinese breakfast at the hotel. We scarfed it down alongside with a few cups of coffee we’d had mind to prepare and make on our own. (It’s impossible to get any coffee in these remote reaches). Running a tally on the state of our riding group we gave ourselves the go-ahead and set out. Within a kilometer Jacob flatted out in a rookie effort to follow the young champ. It’s good to get this sort of bad luck out of the way early, right? Patched up and ready to roll out we moved on.

Continue reading Racing Tibet re-cap: Day 2.

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Something a little different.

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We decided to piece together another demo bike for folks to get a real feel for how bamboo rides.  There’s nothing radically different in this build besides the color selection.  We most often build bikes around black or neutral colors to highlight the bamboo.  We figured we’d try white out this time round.  Looks pretty sharp!

Continue reading Something a little different.

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Out riding.

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We’ll be spending the next week in the rooftop of the world, Tibet, racing mountain bikes with our buddies at Factory Five.  We’ve put together a special bamboo race whip, but we’ll talk about it more later.  Check back in for ride updates, videos and more coverage of our travels.

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Spring into your summer riding.

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Spring bike rides can mean so many things – the start of a new year after a long winter, a fresh beginning, the first steps into a new plan to get fit. Whether you’re just getting out of the house to enjoy nice weather, or you’re pushing yourself to start your interval exercises on transitional days of snow and sleet to be ready for spring racing – bike rides in the first days of Spring can be wonderful. The window is now wide open for getting in shape, and unless you live in paradise, the weather can be a bit tenuous, so here are four recommendations for orienting yourself towards spring bike rides.

Continue reading Spring into your summer riding.