PROBIKEWRENCH

Don’t have a lot of time to post anything really substantial, but here’s a few things that are in the works at the moment:

• Georgia Rides to the Capitol – Advocacy ride from several locations in Metro Atlanta, converging on the State Capitol tomorrow around noon.  I’m riding with the RAMBO guys out of Roswell, and will meet up with a bunch of folks there and along the way.  Going to show Atlanta what great numbers of cyclists think… Hopefully, we’ll get the “3 Foot Law” passed pretty soon.
• FredCast Interview – I’ve got an interview with David Bernstein from “The FredCast” lined up for mid-week.  He helped launch the VeloReviews Podcast, and asked me to come on the air with him to discuss some Spring Bike Tune-Up ideas.  Link to be posted when it airs.
• MS150 Class – Thursday, I’m teaching a basic maintenance/cycling tips class to a group from the Knights of Columbus that is doing the MS150. Several members of the group have already come by the shop to get outfitted for bikes and gear.  It’s always good to educate more cyclists and teach them good maintenance and cycling habits.
• Beginner Track Class – Taking the Beginner Class at the Dick Lane Velodrome on Saturday and Sunday.  It’s only 3 hours per day, and I know my way around the track (having even officiated races at that track), but… it will be a whole different world riding on the track.  Pray for good weather…

That’s all I’ve got for now.  Gotta get my gear ready for tomorrow’s ride!

As I mentioned before, Team Kenda Pro Cycling presented by GearGrinder will be in Woodstock on the 28th for their VO2 Max Testing at Lifetime Fitness on Hwy 92.  I started doing some digging around the interweb and spoke with a couple pals of mine involved with the team to see what the deal was.

As I was being inquisitive, I was approached (via Twitter) by the team’s manager, Chad Thompson, about coming to camp and building some of the team bikes for a few days in Macon.  Looks like that’s the plan… I’ll be down there on February 24/25 to help build some of the 70 bikes that the team will utilize throughout the year.  Getting my hands dirty building some pro level bikes.

It’s good to get “back in the trenches.”  Back in 2003/2004, I started planning my career around getting involved with working with profesisonal cycling races and teams.  After seeing the Mavic SSC Neutral Support Crew at the 2002 Junior/Espoir National Championships in my hometown, I instantly knew that I should chase after that kind of career.  I started setting myself up for it.  I made connections in the industry, and in January 2005, I went to USA Cycling Mechanics’ Clinic to get my Race Mechanic’s License and jump onto the pro racing scene.

I ended up in bike shops again after a couple of small stints on the road, but did some other mechanic work on the road in 2007.  I’m extremely happy where I’m at right now (Out Spokin’ Bicycles), but it’s still fun to mix it up a little bit by getting some hot new pro bikes built up.  It especially helps when they’re Masi Bikes (official sponsor of PROBIKEWRENCH.COM)…

As a result of my work with Team Kenda Pro Cycling, Chad (Team Manager) worked out a deal for us at Out Spokin’ during the team’s training camp.  Today, we confirmed that during the team’s VO2 Max Testing at Lifetime Fitness, Frankie Andreu (Former USPS/Motorola Team Racer, Versus Tour de France Commentator, and current Kenda Pro Cycling Team Director) would stop by Out Spokin’ for a meet & greet before the team’s afternoon Fan Ride.

It’s always cool to have a well-known cyclist stop by the shop for a personal appearance.  Afterwards, we’re going to ride/drive back over to Lifetime and meet the rest of the team for the Fan Ride, which should take about two hours.  There will be lunch in the cafe at Lifetime Fitness after the ride, followed by a question and answer session with Frankie, Chad, and the rest of Team Kenda.

If you want to get in on this and you’re local to Woodstock/Atlanta, come by Out Spokin’ around 11am on Sunday, February 28th for the festivities.  For more information, check out our event page on our website at http://www.outspokinbikes.com.

National Champion cyclist Rahsaan Bahati, has formed a foundation to help underprivileged youth the opportunity to chase their dreams and follow his footsteps.  Here’s an excerpt from http://www.bahatifoundation.org:

“The Bahati Foundation works with local communities to provide inspiration, insight and opportunities for underprivileged youth through the sport of cycling. In conjunction with The Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team, Rahsaan Bahati presents his motivating story to youth and offers access to the team through structured fieldtrips. Each aspect of a professional cycling team is highlighted, explained and demonstrated to provide exposure into the world of cycling.”

Here’s a trailer for Bahati: Out of Compton, Season One (Rahsaan and the Bahati Foundation are doing a 3 season production deal to highlight the Foundation and Bahati Racing).  It’s really inspiring to see Rahsaan visiting his alma mater, Crenshaw High, and helping the kids who are pretty much written off by that neighborhood’s reputation and how society sees them.  Take a look:

To find the Bahati Foundation online, go to http://www.bahatifoundation.org.

To follow Bahati Racing, go to http://www.bahatiracing.com

We started the VeloReviews Podcast in hopes of driving a few more members to the VeloReviews.com site.  Since our first podcast two weeks ago, we’ve moved into 3rd position for the Most Popular Outdoor Audio Podcast on iTunes (as of five minutes ago).  Here’s the proof:

If you want to take a listen, you can find the direct link here: http://media.libsyn.com/media/veloreviews/The_VeloReviews_Podcast_episode_001.mp3

Should I Start Training Now?

It’s winter.  In the South, winter equals cold and rainy days, which are miserable for riding bikes outdoors.  In my opinion, riding indoors is equivalent to the same misery.  I hate indoor cycling.

In my last post, I discussed what motivates cyclists to ride during the winter.  My motivation for riding outdoors is to keep from riding indoors.  I would rather suffer in freezing cold temperatures than to set up the rollers or trainer indoors.  As a matter of fact, the day after that post, I did a group ride in the snow.  At least I wasn’t on the trainer.

When I think of riding indoors, I think of last year’s training sessions where I’d spend 2 hours on rollers trying to build my fitness and mental toughness.  I was shooting for a good 2009 racing season, but raced about three times due to the arrival of my second child.  Those roller sessions really sucked, and for 2009, those sessions proved to be worthless.

If you haven’t figured it out from the last few paragraphs… I HATE INDOOR CYCLING!

But… there’s a time during the year when a cyclist like myself must do the deed.  There’s a time when you drag out the image of the giant scale, weigh the pros and cons of riding in the cold rain versus sitting on the rollers, and eventually side with the indoor training option.  It’s different types of misery, and sometimes the rollers win.

So… what is the line that must be crossed to push me to the “dark side?”  One of the big reasons for me is the demon of self-image. (Side note:  You know self-image among cyclists is a problem… don’t even pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.)

When I see myself as “fat” and “out of shape,” I usually turn my training up a notch.  There’s a certain “fighting weight” that I try to stay between throughout the year.  If I get close to the upper limits of that range, I get unhappy and start to do something about it.  I tend to change up my diet for a while and add a few extra hours into my riding schedule, whenever possible.

Another reason I switch to training indoors during the winter is weather.  I am aware that not everybody is lucky enough to have the “winter” that I have in Georgia, but it’s still not fun to ride in sometimes.  Our winters tend to be cold, windy, and wet… adverse conditions for me.  If it’s too nasty, I don’t want to put my bike out in those conditions.  Sometimes, it’s just too much trouble to clean and tune the bike after riding in the rain.

What pushes you indoors?  What’s the point that you say, “I’m not going out today.  I’d rather stay in and spin?”

Question… How do you do it?  How do you stay motivated to ride (indoors or outdoors) during the winter months?  I’ve got a charity ride planned in the morning to benefit Toys For Tots, but the forecast is for freezing temperatures and snow/precipitation.   How do you wrap your mind around stupid-cold, crappy weather?

I remember back to 2003.  A group of Canadian cyclists made their way down south for the early spring to conduct a training camp in Clemson, SC, where I was living/working at the time.  They came in the shop, hung out, bought some parts and accessories over those few weeks, and developed a relationship with myself and the other guys at the shop that lasted quite a few years.  They continued to visit in following years, and we kept in touch via e-mail frequently.

In one of those e-mails, Don (the “leader of the pack”) sent me a picture of a group of cyclists from the club from the Great White North.  They were running a pretty solid paceline down a road, in what looked like blizzard-type conditions.  I quit complaining about cold weather at that point.

So what’s your solution for riding in the cold?  Is there a particular “dress code” that you abide by?  Do you use embrocation in conjunction with your attire?  Is there a certain temperature at which you say, “that’s just too cold?”  Please leave your feedback below.  Thanks.

With my passion for journalism, blogging, bicycles, and a fetish for correct spelling and grammar, I was recently offered a position as Technical Editor for a new cycling community/product review website called VeloReviews.com.  I gladly accepted, as that’s the direction I’ve always wanted to take my blog – product reviews and other miscellaneous stuff.

Here’s the write-up, as written on VeloReviews.com:

“Would you seek out a 14-year-old bike mechanic to be the technical editor of VeloReviews? You would if his name is Josh Boggs. We’d like to welcome Josh to his new highly unpaid role and introduce him to the VeloReviews community.

At age 14, the young mountain biker took possession of a bunch of bike parts from his cousin and started to “build his shop” in the basement of his parent’s home. Clearly this is the one person who knew what they wanted to do, early in life!

Years later, Josh was hanging around his local shops (aka “the shop rat”) until he landed his first gig working as a mechanic. That lasted a few years. Eventually he took a position as a store manager at Sunshine Bicycle Company, a shop in Clemson, SC, coincidentally, his hometown and the first bike shop he had ever been to. This was a very special, almost serendipitous event for Josh.

Josh was ambitious and focused on improving his bike mechanic skills and so he attended the Bill Woodul Race Mechanics’ Clinic at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO (part of USA Cycling http://www.usacycling.org/mechanics/ ) and earned his professional mechanic’s license.

Through the Mavic special services group, Josh’s first race support experience came with his being a member of the 2005 Tour of Georgia support crew. He really enjoyed mingling with the pros and working on their bikes. He next worked with Cane Creek and their neutral support program and was a member of the team supporting the Athens Twilight race series.

In mid 2005 Josh went on the road as a mechanic supporting the Jittery Joe’s pro cycling team http://www.jitteryjoes.com/cycling/ and then continued to work in numerous pro cycling events. He even met his wife during his tenure with the team.

Today, Josh is the Sales and Service Manager for Out Spokin’ Bicycles, in Woodstock, GA. www.outspokinbikes.com and spends his days helping customers choose the right bikes for their needs and he gets to build up some really exotic rides! He also manages their customer events planning. His personal highlight to date is his build up of a $14,000 Pinarello road bike, earlier this year, which he describes as a “piece of art” and the customer’s “dream bike”.

What about time on the bike? Josh started out as a pure mountain biker and won a state championship in downhill. He also won a state champion BMX title. Today he splits time between mountain, road, cyclocross and has a new fixie bike for his commute. Road cycling is, however, his passion.

If you’re in the Southeast there’s a good chance you’ll find Josh supporting a local crit in the pits or even more likely, hanging out the window of a support car and wrenching on a pro’s bike.

You can imagine how excited VeloReviews was when Josh agreed to become our technical editor! We’ve got products to test and Josh is well qualified to conduct the research. He loves to write, has his own blog, www.probikewrench.wordpress.com and is looking forward to helping our members answer questions or share opinions on all things “bike”.

Please “friend” Josh here and welcome our new technical editor!

Written by Jeff Helfand”

Thanks to Jeff and the entire VeloReviews.com community for this opportunity.  I can’t wait to get started!