I really hope I didn't break it...

The night of the crash, I was racing on my production sample of our new Speciale Sprint steel track racing frameset (due to come out in Fall). It's the all-steel version of the Coltello, for all of us who still like the feel of steel and want a truly race-oriented frameset.

Up until the crash, it rode like a dream and I am confident it will be a big hit with everybody. From what I am told, it is still in great shape- though I have not yet seen it myself. The folks at the track have been holding it for me and I am very anxious to get it back in my hands.

I was going to post these pictures anyway, but they are a little later than I planned. Consider it Mother's Day Bike Porn!


Even moms like pretty bikes!

Tim

And the winner is...

So, as I write this post, the SoulVille stepthrough frame design winner is; Option B

The votes, via Pollhost are- 83 to 56 in favor of the Mixte. With the votes placed via the comments section added to this, the Mixte lead grows even greater.

So, being that I promised that the votes/ comments would decide the future of this frame design, the new stepthrough version of the SoulVille will be the Mixte!

Congratulations to you, the readers and voters here- you truly and sincerely decided this outcome. Barring any mechanical issues that prevent the use of the Mixte frame (first sample will determine this), the SoulVille range will soon include a Mixte frame... and it's all because of you!

I dunno 'bout you, but I think that's damned cool!

Tim

Yeah, I'm still here...

So the whole #1 thing was short lived, as I knew it would be. Technorati finally "fixed the glitch" and now I'm back to being about as big as a freckle on a gnat's ass. I'm now back to being ranked number 18, 285... but who's counting?

Things at Masi Global World Domination Headquarters are in full-blown warp factor 9 mode right now. Our National Sales Meeting is on our heels now... like just two weeks away. This means I have to get my act together, both figuratively and literally. Lots and lots of work goes into this meeting and it really does set the tone for the remainder of the year heading into the tradeshows and then into the rest of the year. It's kind of a big deal... ok, it's a huge deal. So, there's no pressure at all... nope, not even a little. CRAP!

The good news is that there are so many exciting and cool things to talk about this year that my usual excitement and passion is going to easily get kicked up a notch or two without even trying. I know that for as long as I've been blogging here, I've been saying that the new products coming out are going to be great... but those words feel like such an understatement now. Seriously folks, I've never been more excited (and even a little scared) about any other project I've worked on with a company. The new bikes, the new looks and new product categories are going to really impress. I know that I am way beyond the usual level of excited and anxious. I am confident though, that it will show in the products that all of you will get to see more of in the coming weeks and months.

It's an exciting time to be a Masi fan. My product manager that I work with, Waynebow- AKA Wayne Doran, and I have been busting some serious butt to make these new bikes happen. We've even enlisted the help of Pat "What's that Smell" Crosby for some frame drawing assistance. Pat works with Jill Hamilton, our MTB Brand Manager over on the Haro side of the building. All of this points to the massive amount of teamwork needed to make a bike line happen.

So with all that is cooking right now, well more like boiling, the posting here may get a little spotty again. Fear not, I will be back. Then I have to leave for Germany and Eurobike at the end of the month. Then I have to get ready for Interbike in Vegas at the end of September. Then I think I may be headed back to Taiwan. Then... a nap... I hope.

Tim

More stuff

Finally getting more accustomed to being home and the time difference- slightly less jetlagged at this point. Lots has been going on, all over the world and at home, so there is just so much to try and catch up on.

Taiwan was great, again. Going to Taipei and seeing cool stuff and cool people was awesome. As a bike nerd, I live for that stuff.

Keirin beer... how could I possibly pass that up?

The happy Haro family, heading off to dinner at the Velo/ Wellgo party the night before the opening of the tradeshow. (They're flipping me off because I wouldn't stop taking pictures all day...)

Jill Hamilton and I with the incomparable and really wonderful Stella Yu of Velo. She's an icon in the Taiwan bike industry and a true force to be reckoned with- as well as a damned nice person.

You can't go to Taipei without seeing the Taipei 101- world's largest building at 504M high with the world's fastest elevator (600M a minute). It's an amazing building... truly.

I saw this frame and fell in love with it. It's all aluminum, but I might have to find a way to work something like this into the line. I mean, the tube shapes and curves were amazing- and the thing was very, very light. With Masi geometry and sizing, it would be mighty cool.

I know I've been skimpy on development news. So I thought I'd let one of the many cats out of the bag, just to get you all salivating and begging for more...

So meet the new Speciale CX!


It's steel and it's real! Flat crown lugged fork with lugged dropouts. Full chromoly frame. It will be a complete bike, aimed at crossers, commuters, light-touring riders and anybody looking for a sweet steel bike with gears and the ability to mount fenders, fat tires and looking for a great ride. Pricing is TBD, as is final spec, but the target is to keep it at $1,000 or less- if at all possible. It might go a little over that, but not by much... I hope. This will be a late summer intro, or maybe even sooner. As I've said before, we are trying to get away from model years for bikes and simply produce bikes and deliver them to the market when they are ready, rather than waiting for a big product release at one or two points during the year. I mean, why wait to unleash a bad ass bike on the world? (Oh, the lighting in the office does not do the metallic burgundy color justice at all.) I know... I'm a genius.

The seat tube decal was placed a little high on this first run sample, but it is otherwise what we will be planning to ship to shops. A few things may get tweaked, but what you see here is mighty close to what will be sitting on shop floors in the near future. Yes, I love me too.

Ok, I'm going to bed.

Tim
(PS- A special "get better" wish for the Masibestfriend, Blue Squirrel. The Squirrel crashed during a race over the weekend and broke his collar bone... again. Good news is that the Masi was unhurt- I knew you would be concerned. Get well brother!)