Virtual Tradeshow- Interbike 2008- Part Two

As promised a few days ago, here is the second installment of Virtual Tradeshow. So, without further hyperbole or delay... the bikes...

MetroItalia series:

First a brief intro and explanation of the Caffe' Racer bikes- these are flat bar road bikes... of course... built around a road geometry for quicker handling and a more "sporty" feel to them. Where many other city bikes are built like mountain bikes with skinny tires- which is fine- these are made with wider road tires AND road geometry with a longer rear end to accommodate wider tires and racks/ fenders. They are excellent city/ commuting bikes, fun coffee getters and excellent "fitness" bikes for folks who don't want to ride a drop bar road bike or a MTB with knobbies on the road. "Caffe" is the Italian spelling for coffee and the bikes are themed on coffee; solo and doppio referring to single and double shots of espresso. They really are fun to ride- not that I'm biased at all...

Cafee Racer Solo in Crema- 9spd with 105 rear derailleur and an aluminum fork.

Caffe Racer Doppio in Dark Roast (an almost black brown paint)- 10spd yumminess with Ultegra rear derailleur and a carbon fork. The picture does it NO justice at all. Promise...

SoulVille Series:

What can I say about the SoulVille series that I haven't already said or hasn't been said elsewhere by people smarter than me? These bikes have been a runaway hit for us- relatively speaking. Considering the racing history of this brand, it came as a major shock to me when the original SoulVille model released last year at Interbike ended up being our second best selling bike. That really impressed me... so much so that we expanded the series significantly over the past 6 months.


SoulVille/SS- singlespeed/ fixed curved steel yumminess. Stripped of the fenders and given a dark and subtly sinister look, the SS is the black sheep of the SoulVille family (I know how it feels). This might just be the ultimate around town/ pub crawl bike. On top of it... it's a damned fun bike on the dirt too. I mean, 700c and 29" are nearly the same thing. This is one fun, FUN riding bike!


SoulVille 3spd- internally geared with SRAM 3 spd coaster brake hub. It's such a strikingly attractive bike with the pearl white paint... it's almost unfair to other bikes. And yes, the curved steel frame does ride extremely well.


The origin of the species- the SoulVille (7spd)... I had a lot of faith in this bike when we began the design process over a year ago. I believed in it, but I never would have picked it as number two for us... and it would've possibly been #1 if we could've gotten more of them sooner. SRAM 7spd internal gearing with coaster brake and all the style you could ever want or need. The new Mixte version is simply amazing as well- the curved split top tube is very elegant. The new Golden Green color is beautiful and it compliments the Gloss Black very nicely.



SoulVille 10spd- I honestly don't know if there is a bike in our line that received as much attention as this bike. VeloNews mentioned it, Dirt Rag mentioned it, Bicycling mentioned it, Bike Hugger covered it... it was in the Interbike Urban Legend cycling fashion show. My advice, if you want one... order early!

The new SRAM Double Tap flat bar shifters are amazingly smooth and the incredible good looks of the bike mean that you WILL get more attention. Just be prepared; might I recommend cool sunglasses and stylish shoes...

That's it for tonight. Next up with be the gigantic steel series of bikes and the ever-pretty carbon 3VC bikes. So stay tuned for more... ok...

Tim

Dinner

Grilled Orange Roughy... Yum!



Tim
-- Post From My iPhone

Grocery getter

Bad lighting, but you get the idea.


Tim

-- Post From My iPhone

Sunday mixed bag

My girlfriend left for home last night and I took my daughter to her mom's today until next week, so today meant returning to being Sologuy again. This morning was spent with my daughter and breakfast at IHOP. After I took her back to her "other home" (as she always calls it), I shaved my furry legs and drug my fat ass out for the first ride in two weeks since the Lake Mead ride during Outdoor Demo. Between the show itself and then the follow-up afterwards, the past two weeks meant no riding... and I can feel it. Now that the show is over and I don't have any travel for a few weeks, I'm looking forward to riding as much as possible between now and Outdoor Demo East.

This is why people move to San Diego; beautiful blue skies and warm weather in October.

The Shadow rides with me all the time. He likes the new Scandium frame as much as I do too...

Downtown San Diego from across the bay, coming back from Point Loma.

The two weeks off the bike have not made me any fitter or any thinner- that's for sure- but it still felt great to get out for a short ride and loosen the legs up a little. My flexibility in my back is really terrible right now, as I really need to see a chiropractor now that my neck is healed up enough. My neck is sore lately too, so I need to work on regaining range of motion there as well. The plus is that my knee doesn't hurt at all when I ride. My legs seem to be recovering better than I feared- it's the rest of my body that appears to be taking longer. All in all though, I'm ahead of the schedule as far as riding goes and need to just relax a little and let the healing continue without pushing myself to "train" through the winter to be ready to race again in January. I mean... I'm lucky to be alive and not paralyzed from the crash that only happened on April 29th. I need to relax and just let my body do its thing. Really... I do.

Ok, time to hop on my SoulVille and get my grocery shopping done so I can cook my dinner. I'll be back with more Virtual Tradeshow and more random pics from Interbike.

Tim

Urgent Press Release: Team Announcement

I've been itching to share this since Interbike; awesome news from our professional racing team. And yes, they're still on Masi!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy Debuts Industry-Supported, All-American UCI Team

COLUMBUS, Ohio (October 3, 2008) – A new UCI Continental Pro Team is set to debut in 2009! The team formerly known as Team Inferno has become Kenda Pro Cycling presented by Spinergy for 2009 and beyond, signing a talented roster to challenge the domestic road racing scene on all fronts.

While primarily a criterium team with international fire power in 2007 and 2008, the team’s management, cast of sponsors and financial backers have unanimously opted for something unique: a purely industry-supported and American-driven professional team. This means not only a 100% American roster, but all staff are US citizens as well.

“This has been a long and challenging road, but we could not be happier with the idea, or the final product!” said team Director, Chad Thompson. “We have spent 4 years learning, 4 years building and 4 years networking to make a truly special program. And, this was not all Inferno Racing’s design. Stefano Lumbaca of Kenda actually contacted us with the idea and it simply took off from there!”

While the program will miss its international contingent dearly, the concept is one that Inferno believes is important. Many teams have collapsed in this pained economy and as such, fewer teams will exist domestically in 2009. This means American racers will be without a home, and to have talented racers from abroad take the few openings that remain simply is not in the best interests of American cycling. This sport is experiencing resurgence in America, and Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy aims to have Americans at the helm.

With the addition of long-time sponsor Spinergy as the presenting sponsor, the team finds itself in the unique position of being the only domestic team backed entirely by bicycle industry support. “Apart from the newly announced Cervelo Test Team, which is a Pro Tour team, we are the only other professional team of its kind that I know of. And, we are a single citizenship team. This means our entire roster can line-up at our National Championship races!” stated Thompson.

While most sponsors have returned for 2009 through 2011, some new partners have joined to support the team in the domestic peloton and to adjust their sights on races such as the Tour de Georgia and the Tour of Missouri. Team assistant manager/rider, Remi McManus exclaimed, “There is no doubt in my mind that this team will turn heads in 2009 and that every team backer, fan and fellow competitor will be impressed!”

While the team’s complete sponsor and supporter details are to be released in the very near future, the roster has been finalized with all riders putting the ink to paper shortly after Interbike.

2009 Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Spinergy roster:

Professional – Chad Burdzilauskas, Jaime Gandara, Bennet van der Genugten, Remi McManus, Benjamin Renkema, Jacob Rytlewski, Tyler Stanfield, Timothy Swain, Scottie Weiss, Matthew Winstead.

Elite – Marco Aledia, James Baldesare, Jeffrey Braumberger, Ryan Gamm, Richard Harper, Ryan Rish, Russell Stevenson, Chadwick Thompson.

Team updates are available at www.kendaprocycling.com or www.infernoracing.org and in any issue of ROAD Magazine!

I'm really happy about this news and can't wait for the next season to begin!

Tim

Virtual Tradeshow- Interbike 2008- Part One

Ok, since catalogs are hitting the streets and countless photos are out there already after Interbike, I'm going to introduce you to each model of the Masi line.

Performance Series:


Meet the new Alare- this is our least expensive model and you'd never guess it... available in Anodized White and Rosso Red.


Here's the Alare Bellissima- our first women's bike. Available in two colors- Rosa Pink and Anodized White (with mint colored decals). Available (for now) in sizes 47, 49 and 51cm. It's the first step in our development and growth of a women's line that we intend to grow and expand into other models over time.


Here's the newest version of the ever-popular Vincere- a full aluminum frame, carbon fork with alloy steerer tube and a Shimano 105 drivetrain. It's a helluva lot of bike for the dough.


Following in the draft of the Vincere is the Vincere Bellissima, another in the new women's series of bikes. Available in 47, 49 and 51cm in this beautiful Cielo Blue. Trust me- the picture does it NO justice.

This beauty is the new Gran Corsa. The aluminum and carbon frame combined with the 105/ Ultegra parts package make for an excellent performance package that is a great value. No really... it is. AND... the new Special Silver metallic paint looks SUPER sweet!


Competition Series:


The CXR for 08/09 gets a new graphic package and some sweet looking white cable housings that make this bike look totally PRO!


Oh so pretty- the Coltello Aero is now dressed up in the same Metallic Red paint that the Coltello track frame was painted in 3 years ago. Combined with the white touches, it's a sweet looking tri/ tt machine for those who like to go really, really fast.


There is now other bike in Masi' long history that is as revered as the Gran Criterium. For the past two years, we've been carefully reproducing the much loved graphics of the 70's and applying them to "vintage" Masi paint colors. The new Gran Criterium is the current iteration of that philosophy. With a SRAM Rival component package and a superlight aluminum/ carbon frame... it's a modern classic.

More to follow later- still all the new steel bikes to show off, as well s the MetroItalia city bikes, the growing SoulVille family and the gorgeous 3VC carbon bikes.

Tim

They're here now!

Available here now...



... COOL!

Tim
-- Post From My iPhone

It's yummy!

Grilled tuna steaks and baby broccoli... Yum!


Tim

-- Post From My iPhone

Time to shave

Tim
-- Post From My iPhone

More cool reviews...

My friend Eric Stobin, over at LeMond Fitness, sent me this really cool link today to a great review of the new SoulVille 10spd. I do have to point out one small bit of incorrect information stated in the review; the writer, Evan- very nice guy by the way, says that the largest size the bikes comes in is a 20", but we do make a larger 22" as well. Outside of that, I'm really stoked they enjoyed the bike so much and gave it such a great review.

I also saw this little beauty on Bicycling.com on the new Speciale CX. It's nice to get a bit of love from the largest cycling publication in the US- and possibly the world.

Needless to say... I'm pretty happy with the ways things look right now. I like happy.

Tim