SPECIALIZED TURBO WEEK

Remember when you got your first bike as a kid?

Remember when you got your first race bike?

Remember when Carbon Fiber became the wave of the future for bikes?

How did you feel each and every time?  You felt like a little kid at Christmas time didn't you?

Every time I am at the shop and someone takes the Turbo out for a test ride their reaction is always the same - Smiling, Laughing, and just sheer exhilaration.  A lot of people take a lot of different bikes out for test rides at the shop but no one comes back with the same expression as they do when they come back from riding the Specialized Turbo.

This week we are going to discuss the Turbo in detail quite a bit.  I should not really give that information out but I want you to know that we are going to be posting videos, articles, and personal thoughts on the Turbo to try and get the "POINT" of the bike out to our audience.

Some information first of all on Specialized's dealership allotment.  There are only 20 dealers currently nationwide that are stocking the Turbo.  The maximum amount of dealers is going to be 25.  Right now the next closest dealer is in Pittsburgh, PA.  This is a very special bike that requires commitment from the dealer to be allowed to stock them and Tom's Pro Bike has made that commitment to Specialized and to you, our customers.  We have 1 Small and 2 Mediums in stock right now.  We have a large on order as well.

You might be asking yourself what the purpose of this bike is?  Commuting comes first to mind.  Sure you could take it along the water front and enjoy and easy spin or even take it out on training rides.  But at the end of the day if you put racks and fenders on the Turbo and started running errands and commuting to work you would see the full benefit of the Turbo!

I have a 40 mile round trip commute and if I had the resources to purchase a Turbo here is my Pro/Con list:

Pro: 
1 - I would get home from work much faster and also be much fresher so I could do more evening training rides with local bike clubs. 
2 - I would be able grocery shop and get my load of food up to the top of Chestnut Ridge Road where I live without much effort.
3 - I would be the first person that I know that owns an Electric Assist Bike.

Con:
1 - I would have to do more training rides to keep my current fitness level (but that really is a Pro isn't it?)
2 - I would have to answer questions about how I can go that fast without pedaling that hard and give my secret away (Well another Pro because I love talking bikes and get enough questions when I am out on my Mukluk anyways!)

Here is a link to a video out of Minneapolis that stages a "race" between a Turbo, Scooter, Motorcycle, and Car to a destination downtown.  At the end of the day you might need to justify spending this amount of money on a bike and after watching the video you just might see it as one way to "justify" the purchase.

Time to start planning your winter training so stop by and sign up for our Fall or Winter Race Series.  Slots are filling up fast so don't delay!

Come check out our Clearance Bike Selection.  Size limited to stock only on these great prices!

Tom's Pro Bike Service
3687 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, New York 14086
Phone: (716)651-9995
E-Mail Us: tom@tomsprobike.com

http://www.tomsprobike.com/

Week In Review

Welcome to the weekend - hopefully you got out to ride your bike during this beautiful fall weather we are experiencing in Western New York.  Let's see what was covered this past week:

Monday we highlighted the Specialized Epic Comp Carbon 29'er Mountain Bike.  With a MSRP of $4,200.00 this is by no means an entry-level mountain bike but if you are looking for an upper end carbon rig to carry you around the trails this beauty will do that for years to come!

Tuesday we covered the Specialized Shiv Elite for all of our triathletes out there.  Remember a proper fit is paramount to comfort and power on your bike so call the shop to set one up before making the final decision on which bike to purchase!

Wednesday we covered some news out of Interbike which highlighted an Electric Assist Fat Bike from Felt the FatE!

Thursday we gave out information on some gear that would come in handy if decide to start commuting or are already doing so.

Friday was all about Carbon Road Hydraulic Disc Brakes and showing off the Colnago C59 Disc bike frame.  We also gave out some links for more information on the disc brake systems for road bikes so read those and come on into the shop with any questions you might have.

Time to start planning your winter training so stop by and sign up for our Fall or Winter Race Series.  Slots are filling up fast so don't delay!

 

Come check out our Clearance Bike Selection.  Size limited to stock only on these great prices!

Tom's Pro Bike Service
3687 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, New York 14086
Phone: (716)651-9995
E-Mail Us: tom@tomsprobike.com

http://www.tomsprobike.com/

Fast & Furious Friday - COLNAGO C59 DISC

A lot of the news and information out of InterBike was about Hydraulic Disc Brakes on road bikes.  Today I figured we would highlight a high end road bike that is built with the new system in mind.  We will also be doing some information on the purpose behind the disc brake system on road bikes today.

As you can see we are highlighting the Colnago C59 Disc Bike.  They have disc brake bikes available in their cross line as well but today is all about speed!

Let's see what Colnago says about their frame:

Welcome to a new era of high per­for­mance road bike brak­ing, the Colnago C59 Disc.

Colnago have taken a bold step towards the future of road bike evo­lu­tion with the intro­duc­tion of the C59 Disc. Featuring fully hydraulic front and rear disc brakes it is set to bring a whole new level of per­for­mance and safety to the Colnago road bike line. The frame and fork are fully com­pat­i­ble with stan­dard PM calipers too.

With twin 140mm diam­e­ter discs the frame and fork have also been redesigned in the key areas where the brakes are mounted. The fork is com­pletely new, whilst at the rear of the main frame the chain­stays and the seat­stays are also new, to cope with the increased load­ing that the disc brakes gen­er­ate at their mount­ing points. The C59 Disc is com­pat­i­ble with both elec­tronic and mechan­i­cal groupsets.

Along with the main chas­sis changes, Colnago have also designed their own match­ing wheel sys­tem, the Artemis Disc. These wheels fea­ture disc-specific hubs and full car­bon com­pos­ite wheel rims.

Now, no mat­ter the weather, you can have the most pow­er­ful and con­trol­lable brak­ing sys­tem avail­able on a road bicy­cle. The sys­tem is easy to ser­vice, should it ever need ser­vic­ing - as the sys­tem is essen­tially closed and there are no cables to replace or wear out. The reg­u­lar main­te­nance will only con­sist of check­ing the brake pads for wear, and replac­ing them when needed - which is a sim­ple five minute job.

Now for my personal take:  I have used road mechanical disc brakes for about 5 years on my touring & cross bikes.  I have used mountain bike hydraulic disc brakes for over 6 years now.  I don't know how the appearance is yet on the whole system but if they are as controllable as the mountain bike hydraulic disc brakes are then I am sold on these especially with the weather conditions that we get year round in Western New York.  Disc Brakes work great in the rain & snow and I feel completely at ease riding in these conditions when I on my bike with the disc brakes.  I have never had an issue with rim brakes either but when they get wet it is always in the back of my mind that they can possibly not stop me in time if necessary.

Do you need them?  Well that is only a question you can answer but if you are looking to upgrade your bike why not give them a try and see what you think about them.  In the end, only you can be 100% if they are a necessity!

Colnago's stance on hydraulic disc brakes for road bikes

SRAM's take on their line of hydraulic disc brakes for road bikes

Bicycling Magazines article on hydraulic disc brakes for road bikes

BikeRadars First Impression of hydraulic disc brakes for road bikes

Time to start planning your winter training so stop by and sign up for our Fall or Winter Race Series.  Slots are filling up fast so don't delay!

XTerra is Returning to WNY tomorrow at Allegheny State Park - XTerra ASP.  There is still time to register!

Tom's Pro Bike Service
3687 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, New York 14086
Phone: (716)651-9995
E-Mail Us: tom@tomsprobike.com

http://www.tomsprobike.com/

Travel By Bike Thursday - COMMUTING GEAR

So gas prices have gotten high enough for you that you are finally going to take the plunge and start commuting to work.  Or maybe you have been commuting for a while and want to see what new gear is being released out there to make the ride safer, warmer, or drier.  Today we are going to hit some commuting gear that will make your trip better than sitting a car idling on the 190 or The Blue Water Tower!

First off is the Schwalbe Marathon 700x23c tire.  This tire, is the smaller counterpart, to the 32c that I used for gravel racing, touring, and commuting on previous bikes and it is bombproof.  I cannot tell you how many miles I had on these tires without 1 flat so I would highly recommend this if you are looking for a skinnier and stronger tire for your commuting rig!  MSRP: $41.95

Cat-Eye has a "Commuter" specific computer out as well.  It gives you ETA to destination, Time, Temperature, and all of the other features a typical bike computer gives you.  One cool feature is the carbon offset feature that shows you how much you are saving by commuting instead of driving.

Lights - this time of the year you will most likely be caught either at dusk or dawn and quite possibly both.  Without lights you are an accident waiting to happen - either you hitting something in the road or a car hitting you.  We carry a couple of different brands of lights but I have been drawn to the USB Rechargeable Lights lately and Serfas has some great ones like the TSL-S250 Headlight.  It is easily charged and gives you visibility and allows cars to see you as well!

The Serfas Thunderbolt Rear Blinker is a great tool that is USB chargeable as well.

For more information on any of the above items or other accessories/clothing to make your commute better stop by the shop!

Time to start planning your winter training so stop by and sign up for our Fall or Winter Race Series.  Slots are filling up fast so don't delay!

Service Clinic coming up THIS THURSDAY September 26, 2013 - 7:00 - 9:00pm.  Sign up on-line so we can have a head count!

XTerra is Returning to WNY - XTerra ASP September 28, 2013.  There is still time to register!

Tom's Pro Bike Service
3687 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, New York 14086
P: (716)651-9995
E-Mail Us: tom@tomsprobike.comhttp://www.tomsprobike.com/

Change It Up Wednesday - Bike Industry News

There is a lot of news out there from InterBike last week but a majority of it pertains to lines that Tom's does not carry so I had to do some clicking around the news feeds to find some stuff that was pertinent to our product line.

First up is 2 new Co-Motion cycles bikes - first was a Tandem that comes in at 25.5 The Macchiato and then a gravel rig that has a lower BB than your typical cross bike but would work quite fine in that venue as well.

Fi'zi:k had some new saddles on display as well.  This is always one of the better selling saddles at the shop and I noticed that they had the Tritone that was highlighted on the blog here after EuroBike.

I know we highlighted the Garmin Vector Power Pedal a while back in the Bike Industry News post but here is a review of them from an actual user of them.  MSRP is $1,699.99 and once the reviewers get more time in on the pedals they are promising a more indepth review.

It seems the Electric Bike phase is going to work on Fat Bikes as well as you can see from the Bosch Powered Felt FatE shown here in the desert outside of Las Vegas last week.  Look for this late 2014/early 2015 as they are awaiting Bosch to get approval for the motor in the United States.  Somewhat along the lines of what Specialized had to go through with the Turbo when trying to bring it in from the European market.

Time to start planning your winter training so stop by and sign up for our Fall or Winter Race Series.  Slots are filling up fast so don't delay!

Service Clinic coming up THIS THURSDAY September 26, 2013 - 7:00 - 9:00pm.  Sign up on-line so we can have a head count!

XTerra is Returning to WNY - XTerra ASP September 28, 2013.  There is still time to register!

Tom's Pro Bike Service
3687 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, New York 14086
P: (716)651-9995
E-Mail Us: tom@tomsprobike.comhttp://www.tomsprobike.com/

Triathlon/TT Tuesday - SPECIALIZED SHIV ELITE

Today we are going to highlight the Triathlon only Specialized Shiv Elite.  In the Shiv model line there are four levels to chose from and the Elite is the entry level price point.  They run a Tiagra front derailleur and bump the rear derailleur up to the 105 level which is very common among this level of bike.  The front is not used nearly as much as the rear and having a higher level rear derailleur will help with better shifting response and limited adjustments to keep it tight.

Let's see what Specialized has to say about the Shiv Elite:

We ignored UCI rules and designed the Shiv Elite exclusively for triathlon: With Fuelcell storage, the Fuelselage integrated hydration system, and Sitero saddle featuring Tri Pod integration. The Shiv Elite features a super light FACT IS 10r carbon frame with alloy aerobar, Shimano drivetrain and Axis 2.0 wheels to round out the package.

• The ultimate frame for all triathlon distances, this Pro 10r Carbon, FACT IS frame with OSBB is optimized for crosswinds and is the most race-ready aerodynamic frame anywhere
• Designed to fit inside the Shiv's frame, the Fuelselage is the ultimate integrated hydration system. It holds the same amount as a small water bottle without any aerodynamic penalty
• Fully-adjustable, Specialized Hydroformed Alloy Aerobar fits any rider to provide the fastest position
• Integrated aerodynamic brakes minimize drag for aero excellence
• The Sitero saddle with tri-pod not only allows for optimal power transfer and all day comfort, it also provides integrated bottle storage behind the rider
• MSPR: $3,200.00

As mentioned many times in the past during our Tuesday Triathlon/TT discussions getting a proper fit is imperative to ensure that the geometry will work best with your body which also provides you with the most power possible as well.  If the bike does not fit properly you will not be able to generate your maximum power output on a consistent basis.  To get a fit call the shop and set up an appointment and then we can discuss all of the best options for you specifically!

Time to start planning your winter training so stop by and sign up for our Fall or Winter Race Series.  Slots are filling up fast so don't delay!

Service Clinic coming up THIS THURSDAY September 26, 2013 - 7:00 - 9:00pm.  Sign up on-line so we can have a head count!

XTerra is Returning to WNY - XTerra ASP September 28, 2013.  There is still time to register!

Tom's Pro Bike Service
3687 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, New York 14086
P: (716)651-9995
E-Mail Us: tom@tomsprobike.comhttp://www.tomsprobike.com/

Mountain Bike Monday - 2014 SPECIALIZED EPIC COMP CARBON

Welcome back - after the week off for InterBike and all the communication that comes from the manufacturers releasing 2014 merchandise on the Vegas Strip it is time to get back to blogging about some great bikes for the fall race season!

First up is the Full Suspension 29'er Specialized Epic Comp Carbon.  Let's see what Specialized has to say:

With a FACT carbon frame, 100mm of travel, and custom SRAM gearing the Epic Comp Carbon is a fast and efficient cross-country trail bike.

• All-new FACT IS 9m carbon frame with M5 chain and seat stays, dedicated 29er geometry and SWAT technology compatibility, sealed cartridge bearing pivots on every FSR point, and 142mm dropouts delivers the all-around best performing 100mm-travel Competitive XC bike
• FOX/Specialized remote Mini-Brain inertia-valve shock with AUTOSAG and new lighter 2014 tune to seamlessly transition from efficient pedaling on smooth terrain to fully active on rough terrain
• RockShox Reba RL 29 fork with 100mm travel, Solo Air spring and rebound adjust, and a 15mm thru-axle provides premium XC suspension performance w/lockout and compression adjust
• S-Works Fast Trak 2.0", 2Bliss Ready front tire features dual compound rubber delivering exceptional speed and traction, while minimizing rotating weight
• Custom SRAM S-1250 10-speed XC double crankset 29er-specific gearing, large PF30 bearings, and alloy arms for smooth, efficient power transfer
• Formula C1 hydraulic disc brakes provide consistent and reliable stopping power
• Shimano XT Shadow Plus long cage, 10-speed rear derailleur is tough, lightweight, and delivers pinpoint shifts

The Epic Comp Carbon has a MSRP of $4,200 so it is not an "entry level" bike for the average mountain biker.  But if you are looking for a solid, lightweight, full suspension mountain bike - the Epic is definitely worth a second look and test ride!  Stop by the shop for more information and to test ride one.

Time to start planning your winter training so stop by and sign up for our Fall or Winter Race Series.  Slots are filling up fast so don't delay!

Service Clinic coming up THIS THURSDAY September 26, 2013 - 7:00 - 9:00pm.  Sign up on-line so we can have a head count!

XTerra is Returning to WNY - XTerra ASP September 28, 2013.  There is still time to register!

Tom's Pro Bike Service
3687 Walden Avenue
Lancaster, New York 14086
P: (716)651-9995
E-Mail Us: tom@tomsprobike.comhttp://www.tomsprobike.com/