Morning inspiration by Jack Handy

Climbing above the fog. There are times when we are so "in" our world that we think the sun will never shine again. A shift in perspective often leads to a road that proves otherwise and can often offer a new view and revelation of the world around us...

Bianchi brings Eroica to California

Calling all pre-1987 bikes and riders!! Bianchi is bringing Eroica to California. Here is your chance to participate in a challenging and fun retrospective ride honoring the sport of cycling. This is not a race, but rather a homage to the "Heroic" feats performed by cyclists and racers of a bygone era. This a great reason to dust off that classic you have in your garage. Try a day on a steel bike with toe clips and straps, 5-6 gears on a freewheel and a wool jersey and shorts with an actual deer chamois. (well maybe not that far, a modern chamois is ok) If you are missing some of the items in Article 6 (see website), we have all the solutions for you. Guaranteed to be a memorable event!

 http://www.eroicacalifornia.com

Colnago 50th Anniversary Re-build with 2015 Chorus

As promised, the Colnago 50th Anniversary build. The photos don't capture how nice this bike is, nor how well it rides. By many accounts and collectors of Colnago, this frame is still considered one of the best to ever roll out of Cambiago, not that many of Ernesto's bikes still do. It is a reminder that when we think short term profit we can sacrifice long term quality and heritage. Sure some fine bikes come out of Asia, but I'm not sure the passion still remains. When you fork over your hard earned dollars for a fine, high-end Italian bike you aren't expecting to see a made in China sticker on the BB, or do you? What do you think? Does having "old world" craftsmanship still hold any value to any of you out there? When it comes to handmade products I have always felt that the builder leaves a bit of himself in every bike he or she builds. There is an underlying knowledge that exists when a person understands what they are building and why. As opposed to someone that is performing their job. My question is, "What is the value of that knowledge?". Are we willing to pay what it will cost for a small manufacturer to stay in business?
Colnago has eclipsed their 60th Anniversary now, so this bike is over ten years old. But to rest your feet on the pedals and glide across the pavement, you would never know.

                                     

 


                   

  

 

The Show must go on... insert Pink Floyd song

Cyclocross racing is live from Austin, TX. The show must go on, even with the shenanigans from yesterday.  Hopefully all is forgiven!

Watch it live via the link below.

http://live.behindthebarriers.tv/2015-nationals

TURKEY DAY Appetite Ride

TURKEY DAY Appetite Ride @ the shop leaving at 9:00 a.m. Arrive early if you want coffee! We hope to see all of you then. For those of you that are planning around your families, we estimate our return time to be 11:30 a.m.,or so... Have a great Thanksgiving, no matter what!

Fall Repair and Maintenance Clinic

before you get this far, stop by for the tutorial

How has the year treated your bike so far? We are starting the Fall Clinic series on Saturday October 18th @ 4pm.

The first course always runs through the basics for those you who are not comfortably familiar with your bicycle. We cover roadside repairs and basic maintenance of your amazing machine. We cover all makes and models of bikes, so don't think your bike type or brand will be shunned here. That Rainbow jersey goes further than it's traditional 'World Champion' designation.

When do I service my bike? How often do my shocks need to be serviced? When are my brake pads too worn?
We wil answer

Please RSVP to chris@pegasusbicycleworks.com 

We will host the event with some finger-food and beverages! (both hard and soft) Growlers may be present for you fellow beer lovers.

Saturday October 18th @ 4pm.

           

Creaky noise coming from cranks? 

Pad on left is new, pad on right is done.

                            

Gear Review: Challenge Fango Open-Tubular Cyclocross Tires.

          For a while now, I’ve been looking for a set of cyclocross tires that would be perfect for our local trails, as well as some of the great trail systems across the bridge in Marin. Knowing about the Challenge brand, and their expertise in making some of the best tires on the market, I decided to pull the trigger and purchase a pair of their brand new Fango 33 Open Tubulars. Challenge advertised these tires as the perfect tire for a myriad of conditions and riding styles. I’ve ridden their Grifo’s in the past, and loved them, but felt that I needed a bit more “bite” in some of the loose corners I find myself in every ride.

Handmade Italian Goodness

          “Open-Tubular” tires are essentially a tubular tire without the typical sew-up you find on tubular tires. The 300 TPI tires have the same casing of their Fango tubulars, but fit on your standard clincher wheel. Personally, I threw in a pair of latex tubes to get even closer to the feel of a tubular (warning: latex tubes are featherweights compared to standard butyl tubes, so they are more prone to a flat on rough trails). The true test would be riding these tires on my home trails of shell ridge and on the Diablo Trails

They look good too!

          I’ve been riding these tires for over 500 miles now, and I have never been so impressed with how a tire feels in such a variety of conditions. The open-tubular casing on the Fango’s are insanely supple, giving me better control of the bike on the trails due to the greatly improved ride quality. Unlike a lower TPI count tire, the Fango’s adhered to the trails so well, letting me push through corners at much higher speeds than I would be able to on a 120TPI tire. Another quality of these tires is how buttery smooth they are, even over the eroded and rutted trails that make up a good part of the lower Shell Ridge Open Space due to this drought. 

500 miles of hard riding.

          The Bottom Line: The Challenge Fango tires are absolutely killer! One of the best multi-purpose tires I have ever ridden. From hard pack, loose sand, loamy trails of Marin, and the occasional mud pit, these tires can handle it all extremely well. However, I feel like the Fango’s are more suited for softer trail surfaces, more than the hard-packed fire roads we have in the summer. With that said, the Fango’s will handle our local trails with ease. I have only one word of warning: The Challenge Fango’s are extremely supple tires, with a softer casing than the majority of cyclocross tires on the market. Try to avoid riding on pavement for longer stretches, or you will wear out the center treads faster than usual.

Front Tire Wear

          The Challenge Fango’s retail at $100 per tire. Yes, they are quite pricey, but you get what you pay for. These tires are completely handmade in Italy, with quality that you will feel out on your first ride, all the way to your final ride on these fantastic tires. Plus, the tan sidewalls look so good!

Shred On.

-Gio

Bianchi Infinito CV.

Recently, we were lucky enough to obtain one of the few Bianchi Infinito CV's in a color option only found in Europe, and still handmade in the Italian factory.  Gio has already stated his love for the bike in a review earlier this year, so we'll cut to the chase: This is one of the best bikes Bianchi's has EVER made.

We have one Infinito CV left in the shop in a size 57 equipped with Shimano Ultegra 11-speed and Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels.

Check out photos of this incredible bike below.

The "Countervail" Rear End.

Handmade in Bianchi's home country.

The Barn Burner.

There is no doubt about it, Summer riding is here.  Our shop ride group today consisted of Mel, Chris, Darren, and Gio (me).  Meeting early for the ride would prove to be necessary the second we hit the dirt.  The temperature was predicted to top off around 100 degrees today, so we needed to get on the trails quick, before the heat really turned up.

To start things off, we decided to take on Dan Cook, and get some elevation in the legs.  To say the least, this climb hurt more than any of us expected.  We have all ridden Dan Cook numerous times, yet we were not prepared for the amount of pain this climb would put in the legs.  For some reason, the trail seemed steeper than usual (probably due to the heat), making things a bit more challenging for us.  Dan Cook is one of those climbs you love to hate, yet every time you make it to the top, it feels so good.  First climb of the day was over, but you could bet it wasn't the last.

Chris Hammering.

Beautiful Day Today! 

After summiting Dan Cook, we headed out to Wall Point for more climbing, and of course, a blistering descent.  After stopping for longer than we probably should have, all of our legs were feeling like jelly (climbing can do that to you).  Wall Point is one fast descent, with short, punchy climbs scattered throughout, giving our legs little time to rest.  At this point, the heat was starting to kick up, making conditions even more challenging.  The ride had quickly changed from a 'casual' shop ride, to all of us digging deep and giving each other hell.  To get away from the heat, we tore down "Sandy Hill" into the valley of Castle Rock.

The views made it all worth it.

    

Chris and Darren.

The green is gone, and the Golden Hills return.

Heading down Wall Point.

HELL YEAH!

The valley of Castle Rock Park is always a good place to rest on hot days.  Being covered in shade, especially after being exposed to the sun and heat for the past hour was much needed, and much deserved.  Flying through the fire roads and stream crossings (and almost wrecking once), was a blast.  We took our time as we turned around to head back to the shop, and to suffer up one more climb.  Sandy Hill is a relatively short climb, but is extremely steep, only made worse on top of the fact that we were all exhausted already.

As we finished the final climb, it was all downhill from that point.  The group coasted back to the shop, but not before Chris went head over heels in the Macedo parking lot as we were horse-watching..

Tired, sweaty, hot, and happy to be back at the shop.  We all recovered with plenty of food and tasty beverages, reminiscing over the ride and just how tough this one was.  This was one of the hardest days i've ever had on my cyclocross bike, and the hardest shop ride in recent memory.  Thanks Darren and Mel for suffering with us!

Join us every Sunday morning at 8:30 for our weekly shop ride, and every Thursday at 6:30pm for the off-road evening ride in the Diablo Foothills.

This was a fun build. Our good friend Dave's OX Brand Titanium Cruiser 29'er. The bike was in need of some serious love, and it came out beautifully. This was one of the more challenging builds I've had, but I'm stoked to have it done (for now...)
Thanks Dave for letting me work on this beauty! See you soon.

-Gio

This bike was sweet!

WTB

Beauty.

                                                                        

Awesome looking welds!

This Saturday! April 19th, Neilpryde will be at the shop for a Demo Day! Come on down and ride bikes from a brand poised to make a huge "splash" in the cycling world. Coffee, food, maybe even FREE STUFF will be provided. Robb Wolf will be there from 10-3 with the bikes! See you all there! 

Purchase any of their bikes starting at $2500.00 and get a free NP kit! 

Power Tap Limited time Special

Want to try a set of Reynolds Carbon clinchers AND a power meter system? Both under $2,000.00? Power Tap is having an awesome promotion...while supplies last $1,899 for the set.

Learn more @ link below about the wheels, come see us for the great price. We have a set in the shop if you would like to "try before you buy"! Or just check them out. 

http://www.powertap.com/collections/powertap-wheelsets/products/powertap-g3-46mm-carbon-wheelset

Check-out What's New in the Store

A new cycling season is upon us! And, we are hard at work researching all the latest and products out there. While many manufacturers enter the bike industry year after year, few stand the test of time. True innovation can be hard to quantify but the results are what we see day-in and day-out at the shop. All those fancy carbon products are NOT the same. It is only through the lens of time that we see what works on the bike, under YOU our customers. You are the best R&D department any manufacturer could ask for. And through you, we are able to narrow our focus on which reliable and safe products to carry. Not just what is popular  and filling the tills of other less scrupulous Big Box shops. We are not here to push a one-sided product agenda on your bike or your body. We sell what works and what we see represents value and quality. And we listen to you. Please feel free to request a product that you enjoy and have had success with, that you don't see on our shelves. We are always open to feedback.                     

2014 brings a new generation of Look pedals, great BB30 solutions, bottom brackets and chain rings from Praxis Works, the return of Briko to the US market and the addition of Neil Pryde bikes to our stable. We will be hosting a Neil Pryde introduction DEMO day soon. To learn more about NP visit here http://www.neilprydebikes.com. 

Other line additions to the floor... Northwave Shoes! This small Italian brand has returned revamped and poised to come back. We have sold Northwave since they began back in 1996-97. But had a 
hiatus in the mid 2000's after the line had made too many drastic size changes. Now all that has changed and the new line looks hot, fits great and pricing is competitive. On the shelf next to Northwave we are continuing with the heat-moldable Australian shoe maker, Bont. Taking a new approach to cycling shoe construction, Bont brings 36 years of heat moldable shoe experience to the US market. While their history lies in the speed skating world, they have been busy in the cycling world for many years. They have 13 Olympic medals on the track and have been ridden to victory in the TDF by Bradley Wiggins. These kicks are stiff, light, comfy and support your foot unlike any other shoe. www.bont.com 

Coming soon.... Kask and Catlike helmets! 

Praxis BB30 installed on a Time NXR

Praxis 52/36 Leva-time rings, BB30 and standard BB's.

2014 BMC Impec Dura Ace Di2 

2014 Neil Pryde Alize  

Smooth, fast, comfortable. Won 80 races under United Health Care.

The power station

Briko Stinger - Can you say Cippo?

NW- Italian style and fit @ $139.99

All models are heat-moldable multiple times over and start at $150.00!