More Korea/ Taiwan/ Japan pics...

I know I've been a terrible blogger as of late. Heck, I've been pretty bad about Twitter and Facebook too... and don't even get me started on the marketing blog or the podcast. Needless to say, my Social skills in the whole Social Media realm have been getting rusty lately. Chalk it up to being super-stressed with work and life. Wish I could say I've just been riding too much to blog... but I haven't even been on my bike in about a month. All that weight I lost is being found... dammit.

Well, anyway, I owe you all many thanks for sticking around this silly little stopping point in the blogosphere. I hope to eventually get back into the swing of things and get some content flowing around here again. For now, let's finish the whole Korea /Taiwan/ Japan adventure... shall we?

The Korean show was really awesome. Sanghoon Yoon, who owns/operates our distributor there Kisong International is a fantastic guy and his partner Jay is also very cool. I really enjoyed being in Seoul and really do hope to visit there again... especially when it isn't so cold! It began to snow as I was leaving- the wind was blowing the snow sideways and about 30mph. I'm looking forward to seeing nice things happen in the Korean market! It was pretty exciting to give 3 magazine and 1 television interview during the one day I was at the show- felt like a really good introduction of the brand to the market.

The booth; nothing other than Masi and Brev M parts! No way I can complain about that.


Sanghoon and I sitting for one of the magazine interviews- under the watchful eye of Faliero Masi. No pressure... no, not at all.

Could this stack of tubes be your next Masi? If you're lucky, they just might be...


In the jig to test mitering of tubes to make sure the stay is mitered properly for the seat tube to be welded to it.


A couple old dropouts used for checking tolerances. They never get ugly to me.


If you're in Korea and looking for a Speciale Premio frameset... be patient, they're on the way!

A rooftop view of Taichung- my home away from home and where I met my wife. Needless to say, I like Taichung a lot.

This "graffiti" was on a wall near my in-law's home in Taipei. Such a cool, random thing.

Once in Tokyo- actually Asakusa- I headed to the temple, like I always do. This year though, the main temple was being restored. Still, it didn't stop me from walking up and saying prayers.

I love this temple. I'm not a Buddhist, I'm more of a religious omnivore- I take and hold onto all the tidbits of religions that feel right to me. Visiting churches and temples of all kinds fills me with great peace and happiness.


The "other" reason for my visit to Tokyo was the annual CyleMode consumer show and the booth was jumping all three days of the show.


The new Brev M parts line was making a nice intro as well in Japan- lots of very savvy riders in Tokyo, arguably the savviest- so it was good to see the consumers hanging around the parts and checking them out. One of the very sexiest bike parts I've seen in a very long time- high flange Suzue 10spd road hub. I must've slobbered over that hub for a good 10 minutes. I kept walking back to it too... I'm a nerd.

Vittoria has reproduced some of their classic road shoes and these red ones with hard racing soles were so sexy I nearly walked away with them... but they were far too small for my size 12 feet... dammit!


Rin Project makes some of the very coolest stuff you can possibly imagine! Oh man... I've been slobbering over their product since the show last year. This year I got to meet one of the coolest cats around, Koichiro Nakamura, whose business card calls him the company Communicator... I love that title. Koichiro is a super cool dude and I thoroughly dug hanging out in his booth for a bit slobbering over the cool stuff they make. The hairnet helmet with snap on visor is on my Must Have list... in case anybody is shopping for me. The knickers are sweet too... too many cool things. Check out their stuff- no US distribution yet, as they are taking their growth slowly and cautiously, but they make some incredible products. Trust me...


We all know how much I love Keirin racing, but I still haven't had the pleasure of getting to a race while in Japan. But I walked up on this display and what I thought was going to be a Keirin discussion of some kind, but all I got to watch was some excellent race footage of the 2009 season. I was on edge watching the racing and really itched to be on my bike in the thick of the action!


Many a Keirin rider in Japan and around the world owes this man a huge thank you- this is Toshiyuki Ogino. Ogino-san is the President of MKS- the son of the company founder- and runs the company with immense pride. It was an honor to meet the man behind the brand- a brand we are SUPER proud to be able to spec on our bikes, even if only on a few bikes. MKS pedals are some of the finest around and there are only a few companies who have the ability to use the famous NJS stamp on their products.


Dessert one night after an incredible dinner- my fantastic hosts never miss a detail- ever! The great people at Kozaki are fantastic to work with and I am extremely proud to have them as our distributor for Japan.


Dinner the last night in Tokyo was at a very prestigious teppanyaki grill... and I think my taste buds died and went to heaven. The Kobe beef was so incredibly succulent and tasty... surreal. The company was also fantastic, making the meal that much more enjoyable.

The train ride to the airport was quiet and smooth- as all train rides in Japan are. If Japan does not have the best subway/ train system in the world, then it has to be among the finest.

I spend a ton of time traveling with this job. The travel has taken me around the world to countries I only ever dreamed I'd see and experience. Korea was all new for me and it is now a country I hope I am lucky enough to return to. Japan is a country I have now visited for the past three years and I am in love with the country and the people. I hope to be lucky enough to return for a bit longer and get out of Tokyo to see more of the land and people... and I would LOVE to have a bike with me! Taiwan is truly my second home now and is the place where I met my wife and now have family and a home. I am very proud of the fact that our bikes are made in Taiwan and I always enjoy my time in Taiwan, no matter where I go. Sometimes I get whiny about the travel, especially when it is during the periods of the year where I am traveling nearly every other week. But, truth be told, aside from the whacked out sleep patterns, the lack of riding, the time away from loved ones at home, I do really enjoy traveling for a living. I dreamed of being a paid cyclist traveling the world because of a bicycle... the dream has turned out a bit differently than I originally thought, but it is no less rewarding.

Tim

Home

It's good to be home! Being away, especially in Taiwan, is not that hard for me since I really enjoy traveling and have a wonderful girlfriend in Taiwan. However, being away means being away from home and my family- which IS hard for me. So it's good to be home and to have my daughter with me again. I got in to San Diego around 1:00PM on Wednesday and jumped into life again- headed out and ran errands, including grocery shopping, and then picked my daughter up from school. After not seeing her for two weeks, it was awesome to have her come running off the playground screaming "DADDY, DADDY, DADDY!" Through my totally foggy, jetlagged haze, I was grinning from ear to ear. I forced myself to stay awake and got 3 loads of laundry done, hoping to reset my internal clock a bit, but I had a very hard time getting up yesterday. I spent the day at the office trying to get a little caught up and slightly out from behind the pile of papers and projects that built up while gone. Mostly I just fought to stay awake without my head crashing onto the keyboard... and mostly was successful.

Today, I am taking the day off so I can get back to my life here. I need to clean my apartment, open the mail, finish paying bills and hopefully go for a short ride to get back in the swing of things. While gone, I put back on 6 of the pounds I'd lost before leaving. I'm now back up to 210, but I'm confident it'll drop back off pretty quickly once I get back to riding and eating better. The best thing about taking the day off is that I get to go to a "play" at my daughter's school- this will be the first one I have been to in probably two years. Sad fact... but I'm looking to reverse that trend. I sometimes miss out on the small beauties of parenthood because of my work schedule, the travel and the fact that I am too much of a workaholic. Fortunately, my daughter doesn't yet see that I miss too many of these school functions... and I hope to stop missing too many of them. So today is largely dedicated to her and that makes me happy.

You can see many of the pictures I took while in Taiwan on my Facebook page in my Mobile Uploads and Taipei 2009 galleries. I have a bunch more photos to load to Facebook too, so the Taipei 2009 gallery is going to keep growing. The show itself was a great success and the following two days of factory and vendor visits were also very productive. I love the trips to Taiwan because it always feels like so much gets accomplished while there, as well as the time I get to spend with my girlfriend.

Last night, in another jetlagged haze, I recorded the 10th episode of the Masiguy Podcast... finally. It's another one of my trademarked ramblings. One of these days I'll get better organized and actually have a plan or script to follow when I record one of these things. For those of you who have been trying to download the podcast from iTunes, it IS actually on there now. I have no idea why it took so long to get it worked out, but you can now download my rambling nonsense onto your iPod and take me with you... frightening, I know. This most recent "show" is about 33 minutes long, so the suffering is relatively brief.

Unlike me, I forgot another little recent hallmark; March 4th was the 4th anniversary of this blog. It's been an amazing journey over the past 4 years, to say the least. So much of my life has been lived out on this blog and my life has changed because of it- good and bad. The best thing about the blog has been the community of people I have grown to know and love. Sincerely- it is a blessing in my life to have the friends that I do and to have met so many fantastic people via this blog and the other Social Media outlets that have become a part of my life since beginning this project 4 years ago. I can not thank you enough for being a part of my life and for being interested in the things I have published here. My life has benefitted from this experience and I hope to continue posting and sharing for at least another 4 years!

Alright, it's time to get going on chores so that I can have a little time to ride today as well.

Thank you and I'll be back soon.

Tim

Lazy Sunday- Taichung

Sitting in a cool, hip independent coffee shop here in Taichung. Sipping my second coffee and contemplating my third soon after. It's the one slow and easy day I will have during this trip- since the show begins for me on Monday with the annual Velo party. Then on Tuesday the mayhem hits full swing in earnest. I'm booked with meetings and appointments for much of my time during the show, so walking lazily around looking at the shiny bits and doodads is going to be very minimal- sadly. After the show ends on Friday, it is back down here in Taichung for a few days at the factory- working on organizing samples for our upcoming catalog (which I still need to write and work on the final pagination... ugh...).

Today has been all about the lazy. Slept in late and then went with my girlfriend to the gym- I watched her swim laps while I sat in the sun. I should've been in the weight room- I know- but I was enjoying the sun and the fact that I did not have to be anywhere today. It's rare for me to have a "day off" when I am here in Taiwan, so I've been enjoying this little luxury. Afterward, we went to lunch and had noodles and soup and vegetables and other great traditional foods. Now, sitting in the coffee shop getting my caffeine, I'm beginning to reawaken and feel less off kilter. My hope is that this extra day will give me a little more time to be adjusted to the time difference by Tuesday when the actual show begins. I really hate being in my meetings falling asleep because I'm totally wiped out from the jetlag. This day of relaxation will hopefully help to curb that some. Plus, it's great to just be able to relax and enjoy a day with my girlfriend.

The trip began as a total stress-fest. I got up in the morning with time to pack and relax, hoping to keep the stress to a minimum. I got to the airport and had to weigh my bags prior to going to check in and one of the two was over the allowed fifty pounds... and United now charges $200 for any bag over the limit! CRAP! So, I pulled seven pounds of stuff out of my big bag and put it in the already-full small bag. Thank Gawd the zipper held! So, after that little stress, I checked in and they put me on a flight that was going to leave almost an hour earlier for San Francisco because there were lots of weather delays in SF, thanks to heavy fog. Well, that "earlier" flight ended up leaving an hour after my originally scheduled flight! But the original flight left San Diego after my flight out of SF, so it was the right move. But after running to get to the gate for the early flight and then sitting, and sitting, and sitting... I was very worried about making my flight out of SF and/ or the possibility the flight would leave SF late and then I would miss my connecting flight in Tokyo to Taipei! In the end, my flight to SF landed with enough time for me to grab a little lunch- since I hadn't eaten dinner the night before or breakfast that morning- and then had to wait at my gate for only 10 minutes before boarding for an on-time departure to Tokyo. We got to Tokyo with enough time for me to have sushi at the excellent sushi bar there in Narita airport- the tuna was UNREAL. The flight from Tokyo to Taipei was a little delayed in arrival due to strong winds, but we landed fine and my bags both arrived with me... so it was all good! I must say though, the turbulence on the flights was the worst I have experienced in a very long time. Their were a few moments when you could tell some of the passengers were getting a bit tense. I'm not usually effected by it, but it was enough to make even me a little green a couple times.

Once I landed in Taipei and got my bags, I was met by my lovely girlfriend and we took the bus to Taichung- where she lives- and then it was time to sleep since it was 2:00AM local time. Sleeping in until nearly 10:00 felt like such a luxury. Lazily enjoying the day like this is something I rarely get to do- here or at home- so it's been very enjoyable. It's a very beautiful day in Taichung today. The only thing missing is a bike ride... but I'm going to work on keeping a bike here permanently so I can ride when I want to. I'll just keep a small supply of clothes, a helmet and shoes here and then I'll be able to ride when I come here without the hassle of dragging all those things with me each time.

Alright, time to get back to my coffee and my girlfriend. The jazz is kicking in and it's time to do a little reading and writing.

More posts to come during the show- promise.

Tim (in Taichung)

Home again, home again...

Got back into San Diego this afternoon after a series of flights from Taipei to Tokyo to Los Angeles to San Diego. There were no problems with any of the flights, even the last leg from LA to SD where I had to nearly run from the Customs and Immigration security to my gate. I boarded the plane just 5 minutes before taking off, but I made it!

The three of us- Wayne Doran (my Product Manager), Pat Crosby (Haro MTB/ Adult Product Manager) and myself- managed to all make it back home safe and sound. After being away for 15 days, it will be nice to sleep in my own bed and see my daughter- though I do already miss my girlfriend.

As always, my camera was with me all the time and I have tons of great pictures to share. The first week of my two week stay in Taiwan was for a bit of a vacation with my girlfriend and going to a wedding for her best friend. Getting a chance to see more of Taiwan than just bike factories in Taichung and Taipei was long overdue and much enjoyed. I'll share some of those pictures as well as all of the usual bike-related ones too.

Yes I know- she's much better looking than me.

The second week of my stay was devoted to working with Wayne to see key vendors before finalizing the spec of the bikes you will get to see (and fall in love with) in 2010. We're working on some really incredible bikes and I am so proud of how the Masi line is growing and shaping up. We visited with many different vendor partners- either at their factories/ offices, or in ours- and are much closer to having all of our homework done to deliver some incredible products to you.

Part of that second week was spent at RideOn/ Taichung Bike Week. It's a mini-"tradeshow" for the OEM market only. It's a valuable chance for us manufacturers to meet with our various suppliers and vendors to finalize our spec and see anything that might get a last second add to one of our bikes. It has grown very organically over the past 4 years or so and is now something that is actually quite important to the industry. It has become important to the city and county of Taichung as well. On Monday, many of us who attended the RideOn/ Taichung Bike Week had a private meeting with the Mayor of Taichung and some of his representatives. Several of us sat in a "round table" discussion panel to talk about the pros and cons of the current event and listen to the city explain how they want to help facilitate what we are already doing. Honestly, it was very exciting for me personally to sit in a room of my peers and industry kin and talk about how we can all work together to make the little un-tradeshow work for us all. It was also very exciting to see how much the city of Taichung wants to help us do our jobs. After all, much of the Taiwan bike industry is centered in the city and county of Taichung and is a major economic force in the Taiwan economy. But, sincerely, the best part was the feeling of being a part of something that was about the greater good of the industry itself. Those who cared to attend clearly represent those brands and people who actually care about the health of the cycling industry and not just the bottom line of their respective brands. To me, that's the best part of the industry I care so much about- the people in it who also care.

The Mayor of Taichung and his liaison to the bike industry, Anna Wang.

Last Sunday I also took part in a 75km "race" in the mountains surrounding the city of Taipei. I say "race" because it wasn't an officially sanctioned event, per se, and was more like many of the "fun rides" we have here in the US. The riders ranged from the elite to the novice... and everywhere in between and on every conceivable type of bike you can imagine. Of the 75km, 50km were uphill... some parts of the climbs were steep enough that scooters were being pushed up the hills! Needless to say, with the total lack of fitness I have, it was beyond painful. I am not too proud to admit that in the last 5km, I had to walk my bike up the climbs 3 or 4 times. I was blown to pieces by the end, but considering that I have ridden 3-4 times over the past 2.5 months... I'm happy to have even finished at all. I am also happy to report that the bike I shipped over for the event rode flawlessly- aside from not making me not have to pedal uphill. The new Scandium frame I have been testing rode perfectly- it accelerates like a dream and corners flawlessly. The road feel is everything Scandium is supposed to be and has very stiff power transfer to the pedals. The updated SRAM Rival group worked perfectly but I was totally over-geared and needed a compact crank for the amount of steep climbing we did, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Also, the new Shimano RS80 wheelset rode awesome! These new carbon/ alloy clincher wheels are sweet and I can't wait to get the bike back from Taiwan so I can start putting more miles on it.

It's time for me to try and get some sleep, even though my internal clock is all out of whack. I'll have more to report soon and will have plenty more cool pictures now that I have reliable internet able to handle the images.

Tim

I'm not dead yet...

I know I have been missing in action for the past few days, but I'm back in the real world and no longer on vacation. Things have been very busy since arriving here in Taichung. We've had numerous visits with vendors and have had plenty of factory trips as well. It's been very busy indeed. But I'm not dead yet and many photos have been taken that I will post soon. Until then, thanks for your patience... see you soon!



Tim

It's like dejavu...

It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that I was here in the San Diego airport sitting on the floor with my laptop and waiting to board a plane for Taiwan... probably because it was!

And here I am again. Another two weeks in Taiwan waits for me. The local news media was making quite a big deal about the holiday travel situation and the need to be at the airport early due to the huge crowds of people traveling. The warnings were to be at the airport 2 hours early for domestic flights and 3 hours early for international flights. I got here two hours early and was feeling a little nervous in the cab that I would be cutting it close. Got to the airport and the car traffic looked slightly heavier, though not crazy... although every local news station had their satellite trucks out and news reporters with mics in hand trying to talk to travelers... especially the ones kissing "good bye" and/ or crying.

I stepped in to the terminal and walked straight up to the check-in counter with my bags and then cruised straight on through security without having to even stop. Then I walked straight to the gate! FYI- travel this morning in San Diego is light!

So as Thanksgiving day approaches, I want to say thank you to all of you who continue to come by here and check in from time to time. I sincerely thank you for the support and kindness you have given me over the years- but especially this very trying year. I wish you and all of your friends, family and loved ones the very best this holiday. I am thankful for many little blessings this year. Last November was not an easy one for me personally, but a lot has changed in my life and I am thankful for the people in my life. Thank you for being a part of that.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Tim

Can you feel the love?

So today we cruised around to a couple of new Masi dealers here in Taipei and hanging out at a cool coffee shop/gallery/ bike space place. It was great to see a few Masi bikes "in the wild"!

Even in Taipei, the SoulVille is a popular bike! This shops sold one of the Antique Beige mixte bikes to a guy who has one of the Speciale Fixed in Shamrock Green on order. Very cool indeed.

Speaking of Speciale Fixed... check out the one the same shop customized for the window display... sweet!

This is the front of the Frog Cafe- it's a coffee shop, gallery, special event venue and bang "hang out". It's a very cool spot in the heart of Taipei.

Gotta love the simple logo- I tried to get a picture of the one that looks like a guy on a bike, but it didn't come out well enough to tell what it was.

This shop was displaying a pre-production sample of the Mini-Velo, taking pre-delivery orders from consumers. Very cool!

More to come, but now it's time for sleep!

Tim

Welcome to Taipei!

Made it to Taiwan without too much trouble. My leg seems to be doing just fine- meaning no signs of new clots... which is a very good thing. I wore my Skins compression tights again, which really do seem to work. I have been using them for all of my flights since the crash and I can say that I do feel like my legs are fresher when I arrive. I admit, I've worn lycra (or other cycling gear) for the past 26 years of my life... and yet wearing the tights (under another pair of pants) just feels "funny"... I have nicknamed them my Mantyhose. I never could quite get comfortable on my flights, as it seemed that either my leg/ foot or ass was always uncomfortable. I had good enough seats that I was able to get into multiple positions to try and remedy the situation, but it never quite worked. However, after taking 3 Tylenol PM... I did eventually drift (collapse) into a nap.

Meeting for lunch with the woman I am coordinating with to do the Masi brand launch here in Taiwan. The after lunch, we are likely going to meet with the fashion designed who is providing the clothes for the event- which is exciting. After the launch tomorrow, I am going to be doing a full-on media blitz, I am told, introducing the line to the Taiwan retailers and consumers both... and I'm both excited and nervous st the same time. My Mandarin is pretty non-existent, so I am very lucky to be working with a great translator.

Here's a few shots of Taipei so far...


After checking in to the hotel, I went for a little walk- around midnight local time- to stretch the legs and get the blood moving. 20 hours worth of flights can leave you a little crooked.


This is one of the larger intersections near the hotel. The lighted wall is pretty cool, as the image keeps moving and changing. There are several smaller sculptures near it that are hard to see here. Many of the intersections around Taipei are like this, with cool art placements.


If you were ever wondering what Mickey's ride of choice is... it's a fixed gear. I knew that mouse had class!


This is from this morning; beautiful waterfall and koi pond downstairs from a large hotel. It is next to a nice restaurant with seats right at the water level. It's one of the many little natural spots sprinkled throughout the city.

Here's the world famous Taipei 101- which is was the world's tallest building before the Burj Dubai completed it's antenna structure this past September. As you can see, the top of the antenna structure of the 101 is obscured in a cloud... as it often is.

Ok, gotta get ready for that lunch, so I will see you all later...

Tim

Taipei Cycle Show 2008- a few friends.

Our geeky bike nerd reporter carried his camera with him all the time, everywhere he went. Sadly, for some folks, that means he took lots of pictures- a few of them were even in focus. He's no Helmut Newton, but the little (big) dork tries.

So we've done the parts pictures and some other random images from the first day, etc, so now it is time for the people of Taipei Cycle Show... at the least the few people who were unfortunate enough to stumble in front of my camera lens.

Names have not been changed to protect the innocent (or the guilty for that matter)...

(John Webber, Pat Crosby, Joe Hank... I mean Hawk... and Wayne- Fuzzy- Doran.)

The lines for the hotel shuttle buses were very long on the first night of the show... so in our great wisdom, we decided to go walking to a spot where we thought we could find a taxi easier and faster. About 48 hours and 100 miles later, we did find a couple taxis to take us to dinner with a friend of ours.


Our friend... Kendall- Short Bus- Young of Ritchey Components. He's a lot smarter than he looks here... no really, I swear he is.


The happiest Brand Manager in all of Taiwan...


... and with good reason.


A bunch of guys with big steaks and one guy (of questionable manhood) with lasagna- Maris Adamovics (Ritchey Taiwan), Kendall- "I like beef"- Young, Pat- "my wife thinks I'm cool"- Crosby, Wayne- Bearded Lady- Doran, John- "snoring chainsaw"- Webber, Joe- "I'm not signing that expense report"- Hawk and Masiguy.


Meet Matt McClendon, our good buddy from Kenda Tires. Though his Wii form might be a little odd, he's a great guy... I promise.


On my last day in Taiwan, the last day of the show, there was an amazing political rally/ parade. Thousands and thousands of people filled the street and carried signs and waved flags, chanting political slogans. It was 100% unlike anything I've ever experienced in the US. It was moving- I had goose bumps and even got teary-eyed a few times. The people were so amazingly passionate about their political experience. People came up to me to shake my hand and say "Taiwan #1" and then moved on or told me all about their political views- some even did so in English. I stood there in awe as I watched the throngs of people marching by- men, women, young, old, children... it was amazing. Taiwan has a precarious and tenuous relationship with China- China claims Taiwan as part of China- and Taiwan wants to remain (essentially) independent. It has created some incredibly high tensions between the two and the rest of the world is watching very nervously. All I can say is that I hope the two work it all out without a single shot ever having to be fired. I've never been to China, so I can't make claims about the country or people, but I have been to Taiwan several times now and have some very close relationships there and have a great fondness for the people and the country. It is my sincere hope that this political process yields a strong leader for the country and that this new leader can work well with the leaders in China to secure an enduring peace between the two.


Even the dogs get into the process in Taiwan!

That's all for tonight...

Tim

More Taipei '08- Cool Products

Now we move on to the product section of our Taipei 2008 coverage. Our intrepid reporter picks up where he finished and continues with the highlights of the products that made Taipei Cycle Show 2008 so exciting...

Thanks for your patience- let's get to the good stuff now!


As a race nerd, I still seriously geek-out on cool stuff like these wheels. I never did find out who the actual manufacturer is, but several brands had their labels on them. They were pretty cool and light though.


There are many very talented frame makers in Taiwan. This particular one struck me for its very fluid lines and nice structural features- check out the beefy dropout area and the ridge by the seat collar area. The frame had a lot of great and complex shapes.


Biomega continues to make some of the coolest bikes I've seen. I just love their simple designs and creative touches. This bike just made me smile when I saw it.


One of my favorite trends developing right now is painted/ colored bars, stems and seatposts. Sure the finishes may scratch over time, but when you are creating a really beautiful bike and can add some awesome colored accents... parts like this are a great thing to have available. Keep your eyes open for a few well-known companies to be doing this... trust me on this one.


It's no secret that I'm a big SRAM fan. I still love my Shimano and Campagnolo parts too- in fact I just finished building a new steel sample frame with my Dura Ace parts (pictures later) and rode it tonight. But I've been one of the folks who claimed that SRAM's entry into the road market would be a good thing for all of us. Well, the venerable Rival group is getting nice updates like a black finish to match the Force and Red groups and is also getting a new carbon fiber brake lever. What was already a good looking group for the money is now a drop-dead-sexy group for the money. (Don't worry though... the folks from Japan are not going quietly into the night... not at all... but I can't say anything yet.)

One of the biggest product highlights of the show was these guys; Grammo.


I'm a true racing geek and love cool looking race gear, but these wheels were simply off the charts!


Thing is, they spun incredibly smoothly and felt very nice in the hands. The large carbon bladded spokes were very cool with two steel threaded spokes that went in to the rim and used regular spoke nipples.


These babies were just simply stunning- they really did a great job on the cosmetics.


I pretty much fell in love with them and fondled them each time I walked by the booth. They were starting to get a little concerned.


I'd love to say I talked my way in to a set of the wheels to test and report on for you, my faithful and wonderful readers... but I failed to even get any words out of my mouth because I could hardly breath from the hyperventilating.

So those are the product highlights that I'm allowed to tell you about... (nudge, nudge, wink, wink...). Next up will be some of the people who make going to the Taipei show such a good time.

So until the next time- good night!

Tim