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Well, the action at Le Tour has been pretty hot. First team time trial in years and possible Astana drama have made for quite the spectacle at not even a week in. We should all do a little pulling for Vande Velde — our ‘native son.’

This article in the Tribune today further solidified my lack of desire to own a car. Not only can I simply not afford one, congestion is only going to get worse — especially because I’ve noticed a decrase in trafficn and I don’t even sit in it. Let’s not even get started on the city’s parking debacle.

In addition to last week’s interview; take the survey and help out if you ride a Torker.

And, speaking of ‘cool,’ what’s up with this weather? Climate-change is getting real spooky. I’m afraind I’ll catch cold riding home in ths rain (I forgot fenders). Oh well. If post “sneeze” on Twitter I guess you’ll have your answer.

It’s tough to say this; but not only have I been a bit too busy to post on the blog a lot, I’ve also not been getting in much riding. But, like any good blogger/bicyclist I’m justt gonna barrel headlong back into both the best way I know how; with short and easy rides and with these bits of information:

I just got back from a business event in Keystone Colorado. Their mountain bike park didn’t even open ’till this past Friday but I can tell you, regardless of the lack of my own rubber-to-ground experience, that this place is a mecca for all serious cyclists. Check it out if you can!

Speaking of mountains, Le Tour begins Saturday! I am not a gambler nor even a good judge of sporting event outcomes, but I still think Contador will give the peloton hell. But I’ve got to pull a little for my all time favorite; Ivan Basso.

Finally, on the home-front, Ive been tuning up the blog and my bike. Changes are in the works, but check my Twitter for more frequent updates and be-friend me on Facebook. I just might be the life of the party — I know they can hook one up to a trainer, but this is dedication!

Ride safe over the holiday!

While there are an extensive variety of bicycle commuters out there, I tend to feel a bit atypical. What is practical for most is not always what I’m looking for. As much as it costs me time in maintenance and, to a certain extent comfort, I continue to find it most practical for me to commute on bikes I also race. This is not to say I will never own a “commuter bike,” just not right now. However, I can not help but be intrigued by the following product.

The Fallbrook NuVinci “transmission” can be applied to several different transport applications, as well as wind turbines. When I first heard about it today, I found that it is readily available in bicycle hubs. You can go to your local shop and, as long as they have a QBP account, order one up.

I am continually interested in internal gearing and hubs with enclosed shifting mechanisms. The NuVinci takes this to a whole new level. Here in Chicago we may not fully benefit from it (due to our lack of hills, etc.) but a fully loaded bike on it’s way home from the grocery store would surely benefit from one of these when you need to get up that expressway overpass.

Personally, I’d love to try one out just to feel the way it “shifts.” My current plan for a commuter – if I can get one together practically – is single-speed. But, I’d defiently consider one of these if possible. Only drawback I can see is weight. Available only in 36 hole means that you’ll get a strong, but heavy wheel. Either way, I just found it cool.

Buy this shirt!

Welcome to April in Chicago. Windy, cold, impending threats of snow. Maybe this is worth the exorbitant price? I could see using it for 5 or more months a year around these parts. Sidi needs to get those to shops here, stat!

The Spring Super Crit also delivered on the Midwestern promise of “spring.” While I was able to get both of my races in before the moisture fell, it was obnoxiously cold. I still had fun though, and am pleased with the results from myself and teammates.

check out this video of the bunch-sprint for the finish:Burnham 4/5 sprint

I made the leap. Thanks to the encouragement of some fellow racers and a kind “grassroots” sponsorship of my team, I purchased a full RIVAL group mid-winter. Prior to doing so I was riding Shimano Ultegra, so it’s arguable that i took a step down in terms of the gruppo’s quality. That simply is not the case. SRAM is just nicer. This is not to say it is entirely free of flaws, but I’ve found it much better in many ways.

First, it was so much easier to install the rear deraileur. Shimano RDs would often take me panifully long to get shifting properly. The SRAM one worked so well almost right out of the box that I was nervous that something was/would go wrong. Not the case. from my understanding, it is much more ‘forgiving’ due to the amount of cable SRAM shifters pull as opposed to Shimano. anyway…

While my first uses of it were on the trainer indoors, I was impressed very early on by the stiffness of the crankset — especially given the price. The chainrings are also hard-anodized which is a nice feature and seems to make shifts up and down the two rings in the front very smooth. they also look very durable, but time will tell… one thing to note if you’re in the market: you may need an adaptor (my older frame required one) for your front derailleur if you do not have a braze-on mount, as they only offer a 31.8 and a 34.9 clamp size.

the “DoubleTap” control levers are really the highlight of the entire group — visually if nothing else. i did have a few instances of attempting upshifts by pushing in on the brake lever, coming from all Shimano, but having gotten used to it i almost dislike riding my “beater” w/ Shimano on it now. however, i have missed shifts. none while racing (despite a fast and rainy crit last night), but while on training rides in the rain, etc…the shift lever’s ability to be pulled inwards (for better shifting from the drops, etc…) occasionally allows my hand to slip between the brake and the shift lever. mostly this has occurred in the rain w/ gloves on, but once or twice just wearing gloves on a dry day. i would consider this, pretty much, a blessing and a curse. being able to “knuckle” your way down the cassette while sprinting from the drops is awesome and can’t be done on Ultegra, yet. so, i can’t really complain about it because it’s pretty much a push regarding benefit/drawback.

the brakes stopped me on my way down this. enough said. having to replace shiftercables is a bit difficult w. the control levers due to a awkward bend the cable needs to turn, but once you get past that it’s smooth sailing. all the other aspects, and diffrences from Ultegra, seem to work favorably and –like I said–just nicer. i highly recommend making the leap.

I forgot to bring a camera… (I wish I had a shot of the IndyFab “crown-jewel” carbon lugs… ugh.)

That glaring oversight aside, this year’s NAHBS was amazing. The exhibitor list consisted of a good blend and the show floor was about as full as it could get. There was something for everyone, really; from art-conscious commuters to arduous roadies, and from cyclocross legends to mountain bike start-ups. All the bases were covered.

Beyond the show’s namesake – the hand-made bikes, there were plenty of other exhibitors displaying new components, clothing, fit-systems and everything in-between. It was these exhibitors that caught my attention most. I do love some bike eye-candy, but I’m a bit partial when it comes to custom bikes… hoping to call Brent for a Eurocross someday soon…

The first new “concept” that I got to demo at NAHBS was SRAM’s new Hammerschmidt mountain bike “front derailleur.” I “quote” it because it’s hard to explain. Also, with my very limited MTB experience I didn’t except to be as blown away as my fellow attendee and friend who is a dirt-bag from way back. Well, it is unbelievable. The shits are so crisp and its ability to positively engage both an up or down-shift while the rider isn’t even pedaling is mind boggling.

The other item that I was extremely impressed by was the electronic Dura Ace Di2 group. I got on the demo bike and the sales-rep kinda led me through it. Again, I didn’t expect much but ended up blown out of the saddle. At first I couldn’t figure it out, so he asked me if I’d used Shimano controls before. I have, but still couldn’t up-shift. The guy just pushed a button right above the paddle and viola! It was amazing and a lot of fun. The noise it makes is almost sci-fi film-like. I still like SRAM and can in now way afford Di2, but the future looks cool as hell thanks to Shimano.

Back to the bikes; the two Portland-located builders really stood out for me: Vanilla and Courage. If you love bike porn and had been to any UCI ‘cross races this past fall, there’s no way you could’ve overlooked the Vanilla team. I can confidently say they’ve got the hottest bikes in the Elite men’s field. Equally hot, but without an Elite squad – for now – is Courage. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with Jonathan at Chicago Cyclocross Cup races. His bike is the classiest in the city, hands-down. They’ve got big things in the works for Midwest CX racing, and I hope to remain in contact with them.

It’s a bummer, for sure, to come back to another snowstorm after dreaming of decadent days in the saddle on my bike, but I can look back fondly. Scour the Web for pics – there’s some really cool stuff to look at. Don’t know where the show will be next year but if it remains as well-attended as it was Saturday, it should be a success.

While the exact details are a bit unclear at this point, it appears that Colnago will be coming to Chicago to distribute their high-end Italian bikes.

We already have SRAM here in Chicago. Less than 200 miles northwest we have Trek, Planet Bike, etc. in Wisconsin.  And, in possibly one of the most unassuming zip-codes imaginable, we may have the most cycling industry product distributors per-capita.

Move over California?