Saturday, February 28, 2009

February Ladies Night @ El Camino Bike Shop

Another successful Ladies Night @ ECBS last Thursday. Thanks to Tori B from Trek, Lisa J from Velo Betty and Sean L from Pearl Izumi.

We were happy to see ladies from Meetup.com, the YMCA, Team Luna Chix and Swamis.

The night started around 6:30pm with the ECBS men serving the ladies wine and snacks. After half an hour of socializing the presentations began. During the evening, we learned about bike fit, bike specific clothing and bike handling skills.

After some great raffle prizes Tori finished up by showing us her famous "how to fix a rear flat and not get your hands dirty."

All the women had a good time and agreed that it was nice to meet new friends to ride with. ECBS has a "Women who ride" mailing list. If you are interested in joining that list send us an email.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Estimated times for Stage 8 Tour of California

Here are the official estimated times of various points of interest of Stage 8
KOM @ Wolford - 12:55 to 1:05
KOM @ Palomar Mtn - 1:47 to 2:06
KOM @ Cole Grade - 3:02 to 3:35
Finish @ Party Swamis - 3:51 to 4:33
Click here for the complete estimates..

Stage 8 KOM as of Monday

Jeff Bean took this video of the top of Palomar as of yesterday. Road looks good, but a lot of snow on the side lines... Good that we have Party Swamis to go to.


Hopefully with the clear skies predicted for Wednesday to Sunday the snow will melt and it will be clear space for all the spectators.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Phil Zajicek bike in VeloNews

Check out Phil's bike on VeloNews after bringing it into our shop. We do not sell Parlees, but I got to admit it is a sweet looking ride.

Team Bike set up:

Frame: Parlee Z4 carbon
Fork: Edge Composites 1.0
Wheelset: Edge Composites 38mm all carbon clincher
Brakes: TRP 960
Drivetrain: SRAM Red
Bar: Edge
Stem: Thompson (temporary—will be Edge Composites by Tour of California)
Seatpost: Thompson (temporary—will be replaced with Edge Composites by Tour of California)
Saddle: Fi'zi:k Antares

Pedals: Speedplay


Here is the complete interview with VeloNews about the bike. Click here for the article

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Other sources of Info for Stage 8


There is a nice article in Interbike Times about what is going on at the top of Palomar. Highlights are:

Two other site of info from the people who live at the top of Palomar:

http://palomarsummit.blogspot.com/

http://palomarsummit.com/

New info from the article:

Bicycles will be allowed to ride on S-6 after 9 AM until approximately 60 min prior to estimated arrival of the first rider.

The summit businesses (www.palomarsummit.com) will offer limited parking for a $10 fee on a first come/first serve basis.

Johnny at Mother’s Kitchen has a long history in the bike industry (mostly in the Santa Cruz, CA area) and is a great guy. Said he’d been going to Interbike “since about 1973 (about 10 years before there was an Interbike, btw).

Monday, February 2, 2009

More info for Party Swamis - Keep it Coming

It is becoming clear that Swamis is connected. Several of you are calling, emailing me info about Stage 8. Here is the latest I have been told.
  • There will be a Jumbotron TV on the top of Palomar Mtn for all on the mountain to watch the race
  • For those of you that are looking to use Nate Harrison Grade & State Park Rd to get up and down the mountain they will stay open all day on Sunday 2/22
  • Andy Green and his posse of mtn bikers, seems to have the best understanding of the possibilities of using the back roads of Palomar Mtn to get the most of seeing the KOM. Email him if you want more info.
  • Tour planners have an alternative route for the race if Palomar Mtn has snow or ice on the roads. Alternative route is not known
  • We have confirmation that the finish sprint has been changed and Party Swamis is right there. The finish will go right down Escondido Blvd in front of Party Swamis at the Center for the Arts.
Swamis/FOS keep those rumors/info coming - Email me if you know anything

Sunday, February 1, 2009

The perfect Sunday Bike Ride

From 5 AM 'til nearly 5 PM in Bogota, Columbia every Sunday over 70 miles of city streets are closed to traffic where residents come out to walk, bike, run, skate, recreate, picnic, and talk with family, neighbors & strangers...

Why can't we do this in San Diego...

Trek's Soho - First Review

The Soho will be available in March, but we got a chance to check the bike out...

Trek's Soho is a great commuter bike for the hills here in North County San Diego. With tons of features, these deceptively simple bike are still somehow chock full of the little touches that add up to the top bike on the market today for those urban riders who use their bike for getting around town.

Almost inch by inch up and down this bike, Trek's engineers have built a number of commuter specific items into the Soho to make this ride both comfortable and practical for getting you around town.


The first and most obvious touch is almost a comedic one to show you're a serious commuter. What is it? A coffee cup, of course! You need your joe in the morning, and so with the Soho bike you can get a stainless steel commuter coffee mug designed specifically for it that goes in your watter bottle cage complete with Soho label. The mug itself is a high-quality insulated container that is self-sealing to keep dirt out and your drink hot or cold for a long time.


Another brilliant and highly visible design element are long rubber bumpers implanted in either side of the top tube. The people at Trek who put these in are people who know the reality of riding in an urban environment. These strips, in addition to just looking cool, serve as a cushion when you lean your bike up against stuff, keeping your bike free from dents and dings in the paint. Also, if you've used a sign or another type of post as a bike rack, you know it's easy for your bike to slide and scoot forward and flop over. The rubber bumper helps keeps the bike in place because it's a better gripper than bare metal.


Belt-Drive - Durable Components and Easy Maintenance

The Soho ($989) has an intriguing belt drive set-up paired with the internal gearing of the 8-speed Shimano Nexus 8 rear hub. Using a Gates C-Drive carbon composite belt, Trek bills it as "brutally tough yet cleaner than any chain you’ve ever owned." The Belt drive is super quiet and easier to maintain that traditional chains, and the range of gearing will allow you conquer the steepest hills as well as max your pedaling for all-out speed on the flats.

The Soho uses an internal Shimano IM50 roller brake, again contained in the hubs, making maintenance a snap as your brake parts aren't continually subjected to dirt and moisture. Bontrager Hardcase tires with integrated reflective sidewall comes standard for safer night riding on the Soho; matching fenders are another nice plus for people who have to count on their bike to get them around in all types of weather.


The Soho is built on a lightweight Alpha Black Aluminum frame with built-in dropouts that allow mounting of a rack and fenders without special mounting hardware.


The Soho is the true commuter bike, it is going to appeal to most people who are thinking about the decision to buy a bike like this much as they would analyze a potential new car purchase. What kind of features does it have, and what do I need? The Soho has all sorts of terrific features that will appeal to commuters and urban riders for their true convenience and benefit they offer. Despite the fact that the nearly thousand dollar price tag is going to be a deterrent to many cyclists, the fact is that the Trek Soho is a great value at this price point given the innovative engineering built into it. The cutting edge belt drive and internal hub and brake system should save you a lot on maintenance, repair and replacement over the years, even with everyday riding in all sorts of elements.