My mind is spinning!

It's a nutty time to be in the bike business these days... at least it is for me and my cohorts at Masi/ Haro...

Most of you have not even seen the newest bikes we have produced and many models have not even been shipped to us yet. However, my product manager (Wayne Doran) and I have already wrapped up all of the Spring '08 bikes and now I am working on creating that new catalog (and it seems like the ink is still wet on the current one). Now I have to wrap up selecting new colors and finish spec (like within the next week or so) for all of the new Fall '08 bikes. No wonder I always feel dizzy and disoriented (I thought it was all the hits to the head I've taken...)

I leave in a couple weeks, January 5th, for the next trip to Taiwan. I also made the decision today that I'll be back in Taiwan for the Taipei show in March... which means I'll either be in Taiwan for my birthday (March 18th) or on a flight back, most likely. I'm going to Taipei, rather than returning to Germany for Eurobike. As amazing as that show is and as much I really want to be there, I am still unable to sell into Europe. That means that my trip to Germany is solely as a spectator doing research. Now, it was worth going this year, but if I am only going to do research and find ideas/ inspiration, then I think I should go to Italy next year instead and keep going to different markets. Plus, our distributor in Canada (Norco) is having some good success with our newest bikes and it makes much more sense for me to travel to Montreal again and go back to the Canadian version of Interbike- Expo Cycle. Besides, I really do love Montreal and was sad that I didn't go this year. Norco is a great company and they have been very good for Masi in Canada, so I really want to return to Montreal and help them as much as I can with the brand there. Since the dates for Eurobike and Expo Cycle are so close, I had to make the painful choice to return to Montreal (but I'm taking my bike again and riding up the Mont and along the river once more).

Oy, I'm feeling jetlagged and dizzy just thinking about it all... I gotta go lay down.

Tim

Even more Eurobike photos...

It's Friday! Sadly, I've had a splitting headache the past two days that is bad enough to blur my vision... so this will be a short post with minimal commentary...


These were all over the place! In Friedrichshafen, where we stayed as well, the bike racks were full of these. They are free loaners and pretty darned cool. Lots of people were using them too... so if anybody from Interbike happens upons this post... hint, hint...


Cinelli stills makes some of the prettiest looking bikes around. All of their carbon bikes were simply stunning. I will always have a soft spot for these bikes... even though (just like my bikes) they are now made in Asia (along with several Colnago models and other Italian brands... but I digress).

I have to admit a soft spot for the Orbea bikes too. This new TT rig is pretty slick, even with all the weird angles. In some ways, it hardly looks like a bike... but it's still cool. The most unique feature was the saddle with built in bottle holder for the tri crowd. I wish I'd taken a better picture of just the saddle... because it is pretty wild looking.

Now for some of the cool bits and pieces...


In case you haven't heard (if you've been in a cave or under a rock), SRAM has a new component group coming... it's light (less than 2000gm), it's expensive (more than Dura Ace) and it's dead sexy!

It's been a while since I've gone on a SRAM bender... but it's time to do it again. This stuff is amazing! Truly... the shifting is super smooth and precise. The shifting bugs in the front shifter (lack of ability to trim the front derailleur to prevent chain rub) has been fixed, the bearings are ceramic (lighter and smoother- but durability is debatable), the crank is lighter and stiffer, the shifter reach is adjustable, the cable routing can be in front of or behind the handlebar (like Campagnolo) and the entire group is lighter. I can pleasantly say that I have had nearly zero issues with my Rival group that I began testing last year. The shifting has remained very precise. The wear has been very good. The only complaint I've had so far has been with the crankset/ bottom bracket- the seals are so tight on the bearings that the crankset does not seem to spin freely and has not loosened over all the months of riding and the non-drive crank arm was constantly loosening. I fixed the crank arm issue by regreasing the contact points and retightening very tightly, however the BB still feels stiff. That said, I am still very happy with the performance of the group and am anxiously awaiting the chance to get my hands on a Red group to test on an extended basis.

Nearly every road brand at the show offered a Red equipped bike. Last year, when the Force and Rival groups first came out, that was not the case. Clearly SRAM has made their case and gained some serious industry support. I have very good friends at Shimano and absolutely love the product they and Campagnolo produce... but SRAM is doing a lot of the right things and Japan and Italy need to really pay attention to what the folks in Chicago are cooking up.

All of that said, it would be foolish to ignore the big dog on the block, Shimano.


The new carbon Dura Ace crankset is awfully pretty... but rumor has it, it will be very not-cheap.

Another rumor has it that the cranks are very, very stiff though.

On top of the really cool stuff that Shimano does, they have the PRO branded parts as well. These are parts designed by the Europe side of the Shimano family... and they are awesome. The stuff ranges from simple bars and stems to incredible wheels and other accessories like sunglasses, etc. It's a big product offering.


They make some really danged cool stuff and I hope to get my mitts on some of it to beat up on. You never know what might end up on a bike...

Ok, I surrender. The headache wins and I am calling it quits for now.

More later... I promise.

Tim

More from Eurobike...

Here are more cool pictures of the fantastic sights of Eurobike... as experienced by yours truly...

I don't care who you are... a Ferrari Colnago is simply Bad Ass!

And this was one of the coolest "retro" rigs I found. It was just kind of tucked away in the Cinelli booth- sort of like an after thought. I, of course, made a bee line for it as soon as I saw it.

These guys had some of the most gorgeous city bikes I have seen. Better yet, I saw several of them in use around the city... proving their appeal.

I like simple, understated graphics like these...

... no wait... like these. Cube is one of the biggest and most popular brands in Germany. I've seen the name before, but never the bikes in person before. They have a very large and impressive range of bikes (thankfully for me, not available here).

I thought the TT bike was pretty cool.

Walking around all day makes you thirsty.

Tim

I'm not dead... it's just jet lag.

So I made it to Eurobike and back, without major incident. How is it that one of the very techiest countries in the world can have such bad wi-fi service? Email and internet was barely functional for me the whole week- hence the total lack of posting. Rest assured though, the camera was out and I got plenty and plenty of pictures.


Right now though, the jet lag is kicking my butt... so I'm off to bed!

Tim

Auf wiedersehen.

Tomorrow morning, before the sun comes up, I'll be at the airport leaving for Germany and Eurobike. This will be my first trip to Germany, so it is also my first time at Eurobike. As a bike nerd, I am pretty excited. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the big Euro brands and all of the smaller ones I've not yet discovered. Needless to say, I'm taking my camera and will do my best to get some cool pics to share with you all.

So, in light of the fact that I will be gone, the posting might be down for a while. I will try to post from Germany, but it always proves harder than I expect when I am traveling. Still... I'll give it a shot.

Ok, it's off to bed now. I have to be up before 4:00AM to get to the airport and checked in. It's gonna be a long day...

Tim