VeloFix to the rescue

Guenther at VeloFix, mobile bike shop

How many years have I complained about the gearing on my Trek Domane? Probably since I first got it in June 2013!

I always think about it in-season, especially as I'm trying to mash up the hills of Vermont in a too-high-gear, but I can never find a break during the summer to leave my bike for any length of time to take care of it. I discussed my issue (several times) with two of the mechanics at FitWerx who kinda/sorta understood what I was looking for, but also told me that I just needed to get stronger... (oh, good grief)... and gave me a rough estimate of $250 (!) to replace the cassette and derailleur.

After my mechanical in August at the Farm to Fork Fondo, I knew I had a bent derailleur hanger and the bike was riding really rough and sluggish. I'd met Guenther Anger from VeloFix Boston a few times this fall and decided to give him a call. VeloFix is a mobile bike shop -- he brings the shop to you! So perfect.

Guenther came to my house and repaired, cleaned, and tuned up the Domane perfectly. He replaced the chain, which was totally shot, and the bar tape that was starting to fray. (Zane replaced it two years ago. It was time.) He also ordered a new cassette for me ($75) and will replace it when it arrives.

When he was done, he went to work on the Kona. I just had it tuned in June so it wasn't in despicable shape, but he did cut down the handlebars for me!!! (Oh that bar is so much more comfortable now. It just reminds me of how much JRA Cycles kinda sucks.)

VeloFix took care of two of my major annoyances and I looovvveeee my bikes again!

Thank you, Guenther!

Packing, Shipping, Reassembly and Back on the trail

Hahaha... Pro pack job. (aka I did it myself.)
The 29er baaaarely fit.

Three cheers for Bike Flights, which made shipping my bike to and from Tucson affordable and painless. I met a few folks from Bike Flights at 24HOP the morning before the race, (they had a tent set up near registration), and ohmigosh they were soooo nice. Don't you just love it when you take a chance on something and it actually works? Shipping my bike to Fairwheel Bikes through Bike Flights -- (and later, home) -- was one of the easiest parts of my adventure.

I disassembled and packed the Kona myself -- (which Fairwheel Bikes reassembled and tuned on their end in Tucson) -- but reassembling it when it arrived home was a little harder. I lost a derailleur bolt in Tucson while I was packing the bike. It just simply disappeared into a black hole. Really! And I didn't pack the wheels very well, releasing too much pressure in one of the newly-converted tubeless tires -- which made a mess of the sealant in the bike case and difficult for me to re-inflate without an air compressor.**

I knew I needed to bring the bike to a shop -- and Lila suggested giving Josh at Western Cycles a call.

I still have issues with the bike fit  -- JRA Cycles really did me a disservice on that score -- which my race in Tucson only confirmed. On the outset, my seat hight, (and fore and aft position), needed adjustment and my bars were/are too wide. A few of the guys (MTB pros) at Old Pueblo tried to find a pipe cutter to cut the bars down for me before the race, but ultimately I decided to do the best I could with what I had and deal with it when I got home.

I brought the Kona to Western Cycles last week, and before I knew it, I was headed back there to pick it up. (Super quick.) I still need to work on the fit -- and may give Justin Cammarata a call -- (and Josh did say he could cut the bars down if I decide to go that way) -- but for now I'm riding it as is. My budget needs a little break from the bike.

Good to be back on the trails.

A stop at the pond on Wednesday. The ducks are back.

(** P.S. I've discovered we have an air compressor in the basement. Good to know.)

Searching for a New Ride, Part 4: Nothing is Perfect

And the final installment of Searching for a New Ride...

I've had my new Kona Kahuna for a little over a week now and have been able to get out for a handful of rides. The eventual arrival of my new bike unfortunately coincided with the holidays -- and I've been jammed for time -- but I've managed to get out for a few rides, including a terrific ride on Christmas Day.

The bike, so far, has been great -- although my high regard for JRA Cycles took a plummet upon final delivery. (Sigh. Nothing is perfect.)

Some interesting questions have come up this past week from several friends and teammates --

"Did the bike shop compensate you in any way for the several delays? Six weeks was a long time to wait on a stock bike that you were originally told would take a week -- and then three -- and then ultimately six. You lost a lot of training time." No

"Not even a water bottle? Socks?" Hahaha... no. (But kudos to Fitwerx for their branded water bottle, socks, and the sweet little wedge bag when I bought my Trek Domane -- which arrived without issue.)

"Did they check the fit, make sure you were comfortable on the bike? Adjust the seat height, position or angle? Make sure the stand over clearance was adequate and confirm they ordered the right size for you?" No 

"Show you how to make any adjustments? Explain how to adjust the suspension? Make sure the brake levers were in a comfortable position for you?" No 

"Did they make sure the handlebar height and position was ok? Width ok? (Especially since your road bike needed narrower drop bars because of your narrow shoulders?" Ummmm... No. 

"Have they followed up on the sale, reminded you of the break-in period with a new bike, and suggest you bring it in for complimentary adjustments after 100 miles or so?" No. And I know this is usually standard OP, but they never mentioned it.

"Did they at least suggest you take the bike out for a quick spin before leaving the shop?" Hahaha....

^^ Life with pro cycling friends.

OK, so, that's all something to consider before making JRA Cycles my go-to bike shop.

I love the bike... I loved the initial bike buying experience at JRA Cycles... and I definitely liked Adam and appreciated his time... but I'm really disappointed by the endgame. It feels like JRA Cycles was more interested in completing the sale rather than welcoming me as a new customer.

Fitwerx definitely scores higher marks for customer care and service. I may not love several aspects of my Domane -- it's unfortunate it's never been the right bike for me, though an overhaul of the gearing might help, and I'll talk to Geoff about it in March. When all is said and done, Fitwerx takes pretty good care of me and my road bike when I need them. Marty and Geoff have always been super.

The jury is now out on JRA Cycles.

Kind of a bummer.

Christmas Week riding... and letting the Tri go.

Getting the new Kahuna just days before Christmas was not ideal -- (I really needed the bike six weeks ago) -- but I did manage to squeeze in a few rides before the crush of the holidays. The 29er wheels, disc brakes, different shifting, flat pedals, and the overall handling of the bike is taking me some time to get used to, but it's a fun bike. Really fun.

I have a follow-up post of JRA Cycles to write shortly... kind of a post-script to my bike purchasing saga... but that can wait until later in the week. For now, I'm riding when I can, interspersed with holiday celebrations and family events.

My Tri Inside the Y is a DNF. I blew away the cycling commitment, but I still have 9 miles of running and 18,500 meters of rowing left, and only a week to go. OMG. The rowing kills me. I'm letting it go.

24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is less than 7 weeks away, and wow, I have a lot of work to do on that, too. I'm not freaking out... yet...

And happy news arrived Christmas Eve -- I made the cut once again for the Vanderkitten VIP Elite squad for another year. I think I made it more for my cheerleading skills than my cycling achievements this year, but I have some big goals set for 2016 with the VK team, and I'm excited to be a part of our tribe of kittens for a third year. I'm grateful to Vanderkitten founder Dave Verrechia for still believing in me. (Thanks, Dave.)

2016 is going to be an awesome year.

Searching for a New Ride, Part 3: Patience is My Virtue

Alas the weather has been phenomenal for mountain biking, and yet I'm still grinding away on The Deathtrap. I'm squeezing in some local trail rides here and there when I can't get over to Bradley Palmer or Lynn Woods ... and of course I have P2 twice a week, (homework and a coached session with Shayne), to amp up my training.

So where is my new amazing bike? Haha... what a saga.

When I decided to go with the Kona Kahuna on November 4th, JRA Cycles didn't have my size in-house, so placed an order with Kona with the expectation the bike would arrive by the end of the following week. Several days later, midweek, Adam gave me a call to say there'd been a delay and the bike wouldn't be available for another two weeks. (OK. No prob. I could wait two weeks.)

Those weeks ticked by -- approaching Thanksgiving -- and I expected to get another call from Adam/JRA Cycles letting me know the bike was ready for pick-up. I sent an email inquiring how much longer it might be... only to learn there was yet another delay -- and the bike now wasn't expected to ship until December 2nd. (OMG, my race prep time is shrinking!) Adam estimated the bike would arrive a week after shipping -- at which point JRA Cycles would build it up ASAP and give me a call. He said I could expect to see the bike by December 11th.

Ugh. Not great. Not only do I need to train for my race, I need to acclimate myself to new 29" tires and disc brakes! But, there wasn't much I could do about the situation other than cancel the order entirely and look at other bikes. Like a Niner. (Which teammies Addie and Echo ride.)

I've been crossing my fingers for no snow while waiting for this bike.

So... December 11th arrives... and, well... you guessed it. No bike. Adam checks with Kona and learns the bike shipped on December 7th and should arrive soon. How soon is soon?? That's anyone's guess.

I spent another mild weekend riding The Deathtrap with it's four working gears.

And then... Monday night, December 14th, I got THE CALL -- my bike was ready!! OMG!!! FINALLY!!!

Chip and I drove down to Medford on Tuesday, and I kid you not, they had the wrong bike.

Holy sh*$#

I'm not feeling the love from Kona.

Adam was truly apologetic and the shop got in touch with Kona about the mix-up -- promising to see that the correct bike would be delivered overnight express and ready by Thursday.

Seriously... I'm doing my level best to just roll with things.

I've been riding the old bike and working things out. Getting the Kona this late in the game is really not going to make or break my race, and I know that the bike shop was caught in the middle. I mean, it is what it is. Just a bump in the road.

The good news? IT IS READY NOW! Adam texted me a photo!! I'm sighing in relief.

It's been exactly SIX WEEKS since my purchase back in November, and I can finally say it's here!! This bike is arriving with a serious chill vibe to it, because who knew I could be so freaking patient?!

New Bike Day has arrived!!

Searching for a new ride, Part 2: Falling in love with a bike shop

Continuing on my bike search...

One of my 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo teammates, Addie Teo, also happens to be an ambassador for Niner Bikes and so, of course, she rides a Niner. (Addie is a badass on the trail, along with several of my other Vanderkitten 24HOP teammates, but more on that later.) While trying to get excited about the Specialized 29er that Salem Cycle suggested for me, Addie shared a video of a Niner bike she was drooling over.

Haha!!! I want to gush over a bike too!!! Somehow, I didn't think I'd be gushing over another Specialized.

So I went online to see if there were any shops nearby that carried Niners that I could at least look at, and sure enough, I discovered a shop in Medford that not only sold Niner, but Cannondale, Devinci, Rocky Mountain, Yeti, and Ibis, (last year's VKCX bike sponsor). Ooooohhhhh!!! No Specialized?! No Trek?! I had to make the drive to Medford to JRA Cycles to check it out.

OMG, where do I start?

Right from the get-go -- from the very second I entered the bike shop -- everything felt right. I was introduced to Adam (Kline), who understood I was new to mountain biking but not new to cycling, and had a basic idea of what I wanted. (And a budget). I confessed I had no real knowledge or experience with mountain bikes, as it's not my primary sport, but I had a few friends giving me guidance. (I just didn't mention that they happened to be elite pros, because that would be weird.)

Adam was sooooooooo super awesome. He considered several different bikes for me, and pulled out a few to test ride.

Test ride?! Whaaaaatttt?!?!?! Hahaha. Test ride?!

Of course, I was wearing jeans and boots because... TEST RIDE?!

No problem... Adam asked what size shoe I wore, and then slipped his off for me to wear. I'm not kidding. He gave me his shoes.

OMG, I got to ride bikes!!! A slew of them! From a carbon Cannondale 29er (a bit out of my price range), to a less expensive Kona 27.5", to a few others in between... and the final decision came down to a Kona Kahuna 29er. It's soooo fun! (And full disclosure: when choosing between which model Kahuna, I went with the less expensive model because of the color. Hahaha... It's the aesthetics that get me.)

I never even looked at the Niner. Weird. But I'm so thrilled with how it all came together. (Thank you Adam and JRA Cycles in Medford!)

It's a super fun bike and I can't wait for it to arrive! I'm trying to be patient, and had hoped to get it 2 weeks ago, but there's been a delay in shipping. Arrgggghhhh!!!!! Cross your fingers it gets here soooooon! I need to hit the trails before the winter hits hard!

(Next: Patiently waiting... and realizing patience is not my virtue.)

Searching for a ride, Part 1.5: 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo

So after a bazillion years as a road cyclist, I did a lot of off-road trail riding this year, inspired by pro pals Rebecca (Gross) and Caro (Gomez-Villafane) who introduced me to cyclocross last fall. I was excited about getting off the road and doing something different -- cyclocross (CX), or gravel, or mountain biking -- so I borrowed Pete's mountain bike for the winter, a Specialized Hardrock. My idea at the time was to ride through the winter on the MTB -- as the wider tires were safer on icy roads than the road bike -- but with the winter we had last year, even riding a MTB was tough. Still, I rode.

I love the bike. It makes me laugh. It is so crazy rusted and has only 4 of the 21 gears working. Pete's only caveat when he loaned me the bike was "Don't spend any money on it." (This directive came after I mentioned the bike needed a new chain.) Hahaha.... it needs more than a new chain, Pete!) It's a bit big for me and I call it "The Deathtrap" because I've had so many wipeouts on it I've lost count. (And of course I was riding The Deathtrap in March when I skidded into the pavement and tore my rotator cuff. Damn it, my shoulder is still in pain.)

But I love being off-road, heading down trails and exploring the woods, having a blast riding a slower pace, and trying my darndest to climb hills and big rocks on that heavy bike. (I think it weighs 35 lbs.) It's really been fun! So, when a Vanderkitten teammate decided to form a relay team for the epic MTB race 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, I considered maybe joining them. In a text message to Mike I asked him what he thought. He answered with the simple word, "YES". My heart jumped. I texted back, "Really?!" He replied, "Yes". (OMG)

I then added, "I probably need to get a new bike..."

To which he added, "Yes." (Oh, wow. LOVE my man-of-few-words.)

There are so many options in mountain bikes, depending on the type of riding you're doing -- trails, xc, downhill, etc. -- so of course I asked Rebecca for help. Do I need full suspension? A 26", 27.5" or 29" tire? She narrowed it down for me based on what I'd need for the race, and the type of riding I'd be doing after, and suggested a hardtail 29er.

24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is going to be tough. I haven't even begun seriously training for it but as of today I have 12 weeks to pull it together. No problem. For now, I'm riding The Deathtrap as much as I can, hoping my new bike ships and gets built before the snow arrives. I've got quite a challenge ahead.

(Next: Searching for a ride, Part 2: Falling in love with a bike shop)

Searching for a new ride, Part 1: Trek or Specialized?

Buying a new bike should be fun and easy, but in some ways it can be a headache. Looking at bikes, with high end frames and components, sets so many dreams in motion... until reality sets in. Nix the carbon frame, Shimano XTR groupset, high end RockShox fork... I gotta remember Chip is getting braces this year, Will is looking at colleges, both have school trips this year, (Quebec and Washington DC), and Chip has outgrown just about everything, from shoes to pants to... OMG, it's already time to sign up for lacrosse and he's going to need new equipment and helmet this year...

So ya. A $5,000+ bike isn't in the cards.

Deep breath. There are excellent bikes at a lower price point.

Here we go.

Where to start? The LBS. (Local bike shop.)

I started my search at Salem Cycle. I want to like this shop -- I really do -- but they make it tough with their limited options, especially for women. I stopped by the shop to see what they had available, and what they'd recommend for me, but left feeling disappointed.

To be be fair, the customer service at Salem Cycle is terrific, but they didn't have a bike for me. Not even close. Of course they could order one -- and I spent some time looking at an online catalog while at the store -- but it's not the same as seeing the bike in the flesh, sitting on it, getting a feel for it.

I've gone down this road before. I spent a chunk of money getting custom fit for a road bike with Fitwerx -- and at the end of the day was given the option to order one of two bikes (in my price range) from brands they carried -- Trek and Felt -- off a computer. I never got to look at or test ride the bike beforehand. 

Ultimately, I chose the Trek because the components were supposedly a tad "better" -- although in hindsight I know that was crap. The bike is really gorgeous, but I've had some issues with it since the first week. The gearing is all wrong for me and it's noisy! Even after bringing it back to Fitwerx a few times during those first weeks, the bike has always had creaks and clicks. It's annoying! And really, for what I spent, I expected better.

Had I been able to test ride a Trek Domane beforehand, I doubt I would have chosen it. Fitwerx let me down in that regard.

Anyway... back to my mountain bike search...

Salem Cycle was super nice but they offered up more of the same old, same old -- Trek or Specialized -- and I'd have to order the bike untried, sight unseen, off the computer. Been there, done that, no thank you.

And really, after owning both Specialized and Trek road bikes, I'm bored with them both.

I knew it was time to look beyond my LBS... the search was on.

(Next: Seaching for a new ride, Part 2: Falling in love with a bike shop)