Trek Speed Concept

The Trek Speed Concept bikes are starting to hit the stores. This is one fast bike, with groundbreaking innovations, faster

aerodynamics and virtually unlimited fitting options.

Look for our test pilot flying out on the roads and Tri's near you.

It's time to go super fast, come in for a consultation today.

Want more read Trek' s white paper at http://www.slowtwitch.com/Downloads/TK10_SC_white_paper_lores.pdf

I don't know my left from right.

From Left to Right Joe (our fearless leader), yours truly, and Valerie (her second Wednesday ride with us).

Ah the Wednesday night recovery ride. The chance to spin just a little easier than the night before at Donaldson Center, or at least sometimes it is. Tonight some of the usual suspects were called away, so it was that myself, our fearless leader Joe, and our newly adopted friend of "The Great Escape Bicycle Shop" Valerie shared a fun ride.

Our leader Joe shared some valuable riding tips for us. Things such as pedaling through the spin taking pressure of the non pedaling leg and pulling through a full 360 spin. He also pointed out the value of using the small chainring, finding a comfortable gear, and spinning up the hills rather than just powering through by standing. We appreciate you Joe for the knowledge you bring to the rides and share.

We took turns pulling our short but happy train along the, mostly country, roads on our approximately 27 mile route. We encountered a combination of nice smooth roads, some not so smooth roads, some serious railroad tracks, and some unleashed dogs that were pretty good sprinters.

"So ride leader which way do we turn at the stop sign?" said Joe. "Hmm" I replied. "Ah right?" "No Left" Joe responded with a slight smile. "Wow, the jig is up" I said to myself. My most serious deficit is about to be discovered. My sense of direction is so bad I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag. I mean I sometimes get turned around going to my mailbox and it is nailed to the wall by my door. The test continued and sometimes I got it right, but mostly I got it wrong.

I'm in bad need of a good GPS. Fortunately "The Great Escape" is about to get the line of Garmin GPS units. They are already coming in. I'm certainly getting one for my bike. We also have a neat selection of the watch style Garmin units for runners. They can monitor heart rate, time, speed, and you can even race against yourself with them.

If you plan to attend our Wednesday evening ride which meets behind "The Great Escape" at 6PM, or the Paris Mountain ride on Saturday mornings at 7am, give us a call the day before at the shop. The Paris Mountain ride with continue even when daylight savings ends depending on the weather.

Thanks for reading my blog. If you like ti click to become a follower to make sure you don't miss the frequent updates.

Thanks for reading,

Steven

Tour de LaFrance 2010

Last weekend was the 2nd Annual Tour de LaFrance here in Anderson, SC. What a great event to have here in the Upstate. The day started at LaFrance Elementary with a charity ride from there to downtown Anderson. There were two options on the ride. One was a 14 mile ride and the other a 40 mile ride. Once the riders made it downtown they were greeted with water and an option to park their bikes at a bike valet. After dropping their bike off, they could walk to main street to see several events that carried on through the day.

There was a Charity Trike Race held in front of the new court house. There were several contestants and each of them had a chance to raise money for his or her selected charity. The charity that raised the most was Challenge to Conquer with $2375. I heard the last total amount was over $8000! This was a great spectator event and it was great to see so many people behind so many great charities.

There was a bike rodeo sponsored by the Safe Kids Coalition of Anderson. The bike rodeo gave the little people a chance to learn some rules of the road, gave them an opportunity to learn how to handle their bike and remember to look for signs, and most importantly, reminded them to remember to wear their helmets. This is the one thing that both little and big people need to remember - always wear your helmet. Also, in midst of all the other racing, there was a kids race. All the kids that were amazed at the speed of the racers now had a chance to show off their skills. After watching these kids race, I think we have some potential in Anderson.

The crits were the biggest attraction of the day. These started at 9am and ending around 7pm. We had action going on all day downtown. Whether you were interested in testing your metal against the others out there or just seeing what criterium racing is all about, you had a perfect chance. The end of the day is definitely where all the action was found. There were around 90 pro riders on the start line, and they were from several different countries and several different national pro teams. These guys were fast. I heard several people mention that they were nervous to lean against the rails and see the action up close because the guys were going too fast. It was great to see this all happening in downtown Anderson, and it was a great stepping stone for the third annual Tour de LaFrance next year.

If you didn't get an opportunity to see the races, I am sorry you missed out, but there is always next year. The good thing about next year is that it will be bigger and better!

Remember to park your car and get on your bike!

Gary Knight

The Great Escape

Anderson, SC

Demo Day! Part 2

Speed Concept!!!

Yes, I had the opportunity to ride the fastest bike on the Tri/TT scene. I heard amazing numbers during TrekWorld in regards to how popular, and most importantly, how fast this bike is on the road. I heard numbers about how many minutes, yes minutes, were dropped off an Ironman distance bike leg. I heard that since this bike has been around, it has won every bike leg. Each of these facts are super impressive, but all I thought was that it was just another TT bike.

I am not a "Tri guy" in any way at all. I don't like running, and the only time I will get in the water is if there is a cooler of beer somewhere close. That being said, I do love to ride bikes. That is the part of the "Tri" that I can really get into. I have ridden a few Tri bikes in my past, and I can definitely see that these bikes have a purpose. These bikes are meant to go fast with little effort.

When I first walked to the Speed Concept area I felt assured that I would not have a bike available for me. As I walked closer to the area, it was as if it was meant to be. People parted and someone rolled up handing in a Speed Concept large enough for me. Once I got my hands on it, the first thing I noticed is the weight of the bike. This bike feels light, especially for a TT bike. It feels like it is under 19 pds. I did get some weights on this bike after riding it (med 9.9 SSL is just a hair over 18pds). Also I noticed the profile. This bike is super thin and it might be, at its widest point, a bit over an inch if you look at the bike from the nose to tail. Not counting the handlebar or saddle, of course. After adjusting a few things, I was off, very awkwardly at first as I dodged all the people running from tent to tent.

Once I navigated my way through the mess of people and actually made it to the road, my mind started noticing the bike. First thing my mind goes to is the fit. I feel small on this bike. I am a bit over 6 foot and around 215, so it is tough for me to feel small on a bike. I notice that I am close to the ground and I am placed into the handlebars. I notice that I am going fast already, even when I am on the bullhorns. At this point I am itching to get into the aerobars to really see what this baby can do on the open road. I slowly and carefully make my way into the aerobars. As I relax into the bars I notice how my legs accelerate and I am having to start to shift quickly for my gearing to keep up with my legs. That is when I notice to the SRAM R2C shifters. These shifters are amazing! No matter which way you shift, the shifter will return to the neutral position. So, when you are in the extreme rear cogs it is still just as easy to shift. I play with the shifters for a bit and then start paying attention to the bike again. As soon as I start trying to focus on the bike, my sight gets set who is in front of me. As soon as I pass one person I focus on another and then another. My legs keep spinning and all I can think is that I want to go faster. Most times in the past I have gone fast on bikes and I feel I come to a level where it is my stopping point. A very few times in the past I feel like a bike is waiting on me to go faster, almost begging me. The Speed Concept is one of those bikes. After riding the Speed Concept for several miles I feel like I let this bike down. It wanted to go faster, but I couldn't oblige. After admitting defeat to myself, I pick my head up and get out of the aerobars. As I am turning around I realize that I have another chance to please this bike on the way back to the Trek facility. After getting off the bike and handing it off to the Trek mechanic I can say that at least one of us was satisfied. I will leave it up to you to decide which one.

This bike has many new technologies that make it fast. If you are looking for an advantage on the Tri or TT scene, this is the bike for you. Just make sure you can satisfy her appetite for speed. If you want to see more technical information on this bike click here.

The next bike post will be coming soon.

Remember to keep your car parked and get on your bike!

Gary Knight

The Great Escape

Anderson, SC