Now that the weather has turned for the better, there have been more bikes brought in to be consigned. I have a couple of new ones added to the Consignment Bikes page and also the Facebook page. Over the next couple of days, I’ll be putting a few more up, once they’ve been tuned up and photographed. Also, the consignment rates have been revised and more importantly to you, lowered. Swing by and check out the bikes and as always, feel free to call, email, or stop by if you have any questions.

Cheers.

While the movie Unforgiven has absolutely nothing to do with the following post, Clint's character, William Munny, was right when he said, "Deserve's got nothing to do with it".

There’s a turn of words floating around out there that has existed for way too long and in some round about way, I’m going to try and set it straight, or at least point it back in the right direction. It basically boils down to something said along the lines of, “I don’t deserve a bike that nice” or “I’m not nearly good enough of a rider to need/want/deserve/ride a bike that nice”. First I’ll preface my rant with the statement that everyone has budgets they need to stick to and in no way, shape, or form am I going to ask you to pawn the Grandma’s heirloom china or give up the rent money to upgrade to the newest and latest wonder machine. If baby needs a new pair of shoes, that always trumps a new bike. Okay, with that concession out of the way, let’s move on to my little rant.

Bear with me, because I’m going to start with a couple of scenarios. A person comes in looking for a mountain bike. Their friends are all into mountain biking and now they want to join in. They are relatively fit and active. In fact, they are pretty good trail runners and expert level telemark skiers, but they are looking for a way to keep fit and still enjoy the same social circles as their friends who are going off exploring new singletrack every weekend. In fact, they’ve borrowed a mountain bike from time to time to compete in a couple of Xterra’s, and an off road triathlon. Now that person would be expected to consider a reasonable decent quality mountain bike. Probably not a top of the line one, but probably one with modern disc brakes, hydraulic damped suspension (at least a fork) and a drivetrain with the standard level of gears, so that replacement parts or upgrading down the line is possible, right?

Another customer strolls in looking for a road bike. They’ve been mountain biking for a while, and want to expand their stable. A lot of their friends are doing a century or two a year and raving about how fun it is and they’d like to join them. Plus, the mountain bike is fun, but they have to drive it to the trailhead and with a road bike they could just sneak out for a quick ride from their house. Maybe they’ve had a couple of spills and the smoothness of the road bike is alluring and they’d like to transfer their off road fitness to the tarmac. That customer should be looking at a road bike that will be comfortable, fast, and smooth, right? Something with good quality wheels and a frame that fits. Again, a bike with shifters and gears that are replaceable or upgradable with a recent standard.

Unfortunately, a large amount of people that fit those descriptions and even a surprising amount of regular, experienced, committed cyclists downgrade themselves with the mindset of, “yeah that’s a nice bike and I love how it rides, but I don’t deserve a bike that nice. I’ll never be that good of a rider”. I’ve even heard, “I could never ride that bike in the way it’s meant to be ridden”, which might be true if you are 5′ tall and you are looking at a 63cm road bike. But here’s the kicker, you do deserve it, and you will be able to ride that bike like it was meant to be ridden.

No weekend duffer could hit Tiger Woods’ clubs (except for maybe his ex-wife, but only then on Escalade rear windows). They are too precise of a tool. Golf clubs made for amateurs are designed to make the ball go straight, despite the golfers swing flaws. Weekend warriors rarely hit a ball straight, except by accident. Pro’s clubs allow the ball to move however the pro wants to make it move. They rarely hit a ball straight on purpose.

Roger Federer’s tennis racket it strung super tight for superior control and it has a tiny sweet spot. Hit it off center and it will send a stinger up your arm. He’s able to generate his own power and doesn’t need the racket to do it. Go to the pro shop and buy a racket for your game and it will have looser strings for more power and a sweet spot the size of a dinner plate to compensate for your weak backhand and suspect second serve.

No one who will ever read this could make it a lap around a race course driving an F1 car. We just aren’t skilled enough to drive the car as fast as it is required. They rely on going an insane amount of speed to generate downforce and that speed actually keeps them on the track. You or I would get scared halfway there, back off the trottle to keep from soiling ourselves, and never heat the tires enough to be sticky or get enough airflow over the car to push it down on the pavement. Think about the fastest you’ve ever gone on the freeway and double it. That’s how fast you have to drive  those cars to get them to work, except it’s not the freeway, but a windy and twisty circuit that barely has a straight line on it.

Not with bikes. If you and Zdnek Stybar are close to the same height, you could hop on his Ridley X-NIght and it would be  the fastest, smoothest, easiest to race cyclocross bike you’ve ever ridden. Same with mountain bike. Lets’ say you have same genetic blessings as Barry Wicks(and this perpetually slow author. We’re both tall, he’s fast). If you threw a leg over his Kona Hei Hei 29er, it would feel like the trail got smoother, the hills shorter and less steep, and your back would thank you every time you lifted it up on the roof rack. Road bikes, too. The Ridley Damocles and Heliums specially prepared for the Belgian cobbles and the French Alpes would make your local crit or hilly century like a walk in the park.

Do you know why? Because the Pros ride the same bikes as you and I. They just happen to be really nice ones. Sometimes, the bikes the pros are on aren’t even as nice as the ones you and I can buy off the shelf. Teams have budgets and often that means they all get alloy bars and stems instead of carbon ones that cost three times as much. Cassettes are sometimes Ultegra or SRAM Force level. Shoot, if you are a Campy fan, there’s only one team in Europe on Super Record. Most of them “make do” with Record.  Even Ned Overend, one of the greatest mountain bikers ever and at 54 years old is a racer who can still finish 12th in the national championships, doesn’t  race a super nice bike. His frame is the same one that comes on a mid-level Specialized.

Also, here’s a little fiance for ya’. Pros don’t buy their gear. It’s not even given to them. At the super high end, companies pay money to put their product under the butts of the pros. Plus, they have to pony up all the gear, and no one goes through gear like people not paying for it. That’s why the teams all use the alloy bars and other less expensive bits. It costs a supplier a bit less. (Also, pro road bike are at or below the UCI mandated minimum weight, so if they can put something on a bike that costs less, is stiffer, and weighs more, everyone wins. And it keeps a mechanic from dropping fishing sinkers down a seat tube to meet the minimum weights..)

All in all, it takes a metric boatload of people to buy “bikes they don’t deserve” to pay for the pros to ride those bikes. That’s why all the ad campaigns are touting the sponsored racers and how awesome they are because of those “pro” bikes. The bike companies have to sponsor a team at great expense, to have an ad campaign touting those bikes fostering that team’s success, so that they can sell lots of the bikes to pay for the team sponsorships and ad campaign. Wait, what? Yup, a bit of a vicious circle, isn’t it. Basically, the bikes aren’t made for the pros, they are made for you.

Okay, if you haven’t fallen asleep or clicked away during the pros vs. joes segment of today’s unhinged rant I have  couple of more points to make. Some of them are salient and related, but it’s late, so no promises on how this all will turn out. I won’t hate you if you leave, but please call me later, okay?  Okay?

When bikes are made, everything is a compromise in expense. If a really nice set of wheels costs Y, then there is only X amount to spend on the seat, grips, and pedals, and so on and so on. The better quality a bike is the smaller and lesser those compromises are. Aslo, at the very low end of whatever type of bike you are looking at, they tend to be styled like that type of bike more than they are equipped like that type of bike. Think mall cruiser 4×4. It’s not ready for real off roading in the same way a crappy Honda with a coffee can sized exhaust isn’t a rally car.

Here’s a down and dirty fact. Nicer bikes work better, longer. They take someone’s skills and allow them to flourish and grow sooner and farther. You wouldn’t jump into kayaking Class 3 and 4 whitewater with a crappy Sevlor Tahiti. You’d get the best boat you could swing. I don’t know of anyone who would take up running 10k’s and go to Payless Shoes for their kicks. You may not buy a top of the line bike, or even anything close to it when you are getting into the sport, but you shouldn’t buy a bike that you’ll wear out, break, and have to replace almost immediately. Also, who says beginners should get the crappiest, hardest to ride, and worst gear? Shouldn’t they get something a bit better that makes their into to the sport a bit more fun and enjoyable? I know beginner level skis are designed to help a skier turn. Shouldn’t beginner level bikes be designed to help people ride?

Bottom line, you do deserve it. Or maybe you don’t. Remember, deserve’s got nothing to do with it. Buy a bike that meets your budget and your needs. One you can have fun on and one that will last. No bike company or shop is going to make you do an eHarmony type interview to get a bike. And in a brief moment of seriousness, if you ever have any doubt, please feel free to call, email, stop by, or throw a brick through the window with a note attached. Service Course Velo is first and foremost here to help.

Cheers.

Hey folks. While it doesn’t look like it, I’ve been busting my hump getting the i’s crossed and the t’s dotted on the upcoming Service Course Velo shop kit. Art work was tweaked and colors were checked, fabric swatches were fondled and brain cells were lost, but through it all, the design got the final approval and production will be beginning soon.  The clothing is being sewn by Pactimo and if you want some of the Rogue Valley’s most stylish sausage casing made just for cyclists, then you need to do two things. First is to come by the shop and try on the sizing samples of the clothing. There are jerseys, bib shorts, arm and knee warmers, skinsuits, vests, and also jackets in sizes from XXS to XXL. The second action is to whip out the wallet and make your deposit. I won’t be ordering clothing for stock, so if you aren’t on the pre-order, you won’t be getting any of the clothing. Plus, we all get to laugh at how dated and unstylish your old kits look compared to our swanky new clothes.

Originally the cutoff date for coming in and trying on clothes and making your deposit was July 15th, but because of my incessant begging and pleading, I can push that dat back just a bit. It now will be Monday, July 25th. The clothing wil arrive just 5 short weeks later at the shop, just in time for all of those late season mtb excursions, long road rides at altitude, and just before the kick off of cyclocross season.

Here’s the latest mock-ups (that’s clothing company speak for a computer generated picture of what the clothes will look like) of the Service Course Velo Kit. Remember, give me a ring, shoot me and email, or stop by if you want to get any or all of the clothing. I’ve priced them as low as I can to cover my cost and shipping. Thanks and Cheers!

Ascent Jersey $85

Ascent Pro Bib Short $100

Breckenridge Jacket $90

Arm Warmers $25

Breckenridge Vest $75

Knee Warmers $25

Ascent Skinsuit $125

I went and did it. I initiated the launch sequence to order up Service Course Velo shop kits.  After spending way too much time scribbling on paper with colored pencils and getting nowhere, I handed over the keys to someone infinitely more qualified to move a mouse and paste pixels so that he could turn the jumbled mess in my brain into a reality that the clothing company could use.  Thanks to the splendid talents of one Mr. Ryan Wilcoxson of Definition Studio, Service Course Velo will be styling in clothing from Pactimo.

Here’s the jersey.

Pretty classy, amirite? Here’s the bib shorts.

Pactimo now has all the artwork and a sizable chunk of my bank account and will be producing these beauties, plus a skinsuit, arm and knee warmers, vests, and jackets for Service Course Velo.

How do I get one? How much are they? How long will it take?  Can I stand to wear this kit and look even sexier?  All valid questions my friends. Here’s the skinny. All the clothing is available to purchase and I’m selling it at just a hair over my cost. (The hair will hopefully cover shipping). The rub, is that you have to pre-order it first and pay up front. The window to decide if you want to look totally awesome or not is two weeks. After July 15th, I won’t take anymore orders. If you didn’t place your order between now and July 15th, you’ll have to wait until I make another order, and that may be next year. Starting next week, I will have in the shop, sizing samples of the kit for people to try on. Swing by and see what size you need, determine which pieces you want, hand me over the appropriate amount of nickels in your second best dress sock and then in 5 short weeks, your new Service Course Velo kit will show up.

Here’s the pricing breakdown.

Jersey $85

Bib Shorts $100

Skin Suit $125

Vest $75

Jacket $90

Arm Warmers $25

Knee Warmers $25.

Thanks, and as always, feel free to shoot me an email, call, or swing by the shop so I can clarify what I undoubtedly cocked up in this little write up.  Cheers!

Wait, what? What does buying a suit have to do with bikes? Bear with me, for it all shall be explained. Hopefully sooner than later. There are a few basic ways of buying a suit or even clothes for that matter. For the ladies out there, I apologize about the suit reference. My wife informs me that the purchasing experience is much the same for women’s fashion. Service Course Velo takes great pride in the sales and service to the female cycling community. But since I’ve been using this analogy for a while and it makes sense, I’m going to stick with suits for this little exercise. Thanks.

Probably the most basic way to buy a suit is to go to the mall and in the back of the men’s department you wade through a wall of  generic black, blue, and grey suits until you find something close to your size and then you spend about half an hour flagging down a salesperson. Usually the stacks of clothing and the racks of suits are a fairly messy from people grabbing stuff and and then shoving it back wherever it’s convenient. They then march you over to another rack you never saw and they start loading your arms up with suits to try on. The whole time, they are picking out all the stuff to go along with the suit, whether you asked for it or not. Of course there are a seemingly million different colors of shirts, ties, cuff links, belts, and pocket squares to choose from as well. It’s incredibly intimidating and the odds are better than good that you’ll walk out of there with something that doesn’t quite fit right and may not be the right cut and color for what it’s intended for. Don’t believe me? Ask to see me in the suit I was married in.  The sales staff are there working on commission and you always wonder if they really know that much or even care, but with all of the merchandise spread all over and mixed up, you pretty much feel like you need them. The sales person’s and the store’s number one priority is to sell the suits they have on the floor so they can pay off the suit makers and order more. If this is this is your first suit, double your intimidation factor.

Now replace the word suit with bike and mall with bike shop and you have the standard recipe for how most large bike shops operate.  For the most part,they do a decent job and have a lot of bikes on hand for the customers to touch and feel, but ultimately their goal is to get a customer on a bike they have in stock and with the fewest number of fit modifications (like alterations, if we’re still comparing suits) and the most number of accessories (going back to suits, these are the socks, and cufflinks and belt and pocket squares).  It’s how their profits are maximized.  All those bikes sitting on the floor cost a bike shop owner money and everyday those bikes sit there, the shop’s margin drops and the shop makes less money. If you want to order one in a different size or color or spec, well it was nice having one there to start the visualization process, but that floor model is an expensive display.  Almost every sales person will try their hardest to get you, the shopper, onto a bike they have in stock if the fit and spec is close, rather than order one in.  Most bike shops are staffed by pretty well intentioned people that want you to be on a bike that works, but the model is stacked against them getting you on the exact right bike for you.

Back to suits for a minute and lets go over the other end of the spectrum, the custom suit.  Think Brooks Brothers, Saville Row, or Armani.  This is where you go to a tailor and see a person who looks you up and down, takes a few very critical measurements, writes down some notes, you sign a huge check and then after a few weeks, you go back and pick up the suit. Further alterations might be made and you’ll probably pick up some shirts, ties and whatnot to go along with it. Shoot, the whole process takes long enough, cost so much, and the suits are so nice, odds are good you’ll have ordered up more than one at once.  Also, should you ever need to get another suit, they tailor has your numbers on file and they can make you up something in a newer cut or more fashionable style. But, and there’s always a but, the cost of this service is pretty high and out of the reach of most people.  You’ll pay a hefty premium for this level of service and attention to detail.

Custom bikes aren’t much different, although I would whole heartedly argue that the custom bike is a much lower cost and greater value than a custom suit. Of course, I work on bikes all day and live in the Rogue Valley, where I would guess about 95% of the populace doesn’t wear a suit to work, so what do I know. The main point is that the purchasing experience is very much the same between the two. Somewhere, quite often through email or over the phone, a builder asks a series of questions, takes some measurements, and you write a hefty check. Anywhere from a few weeks to 5 years (I swear I’m not making that up) you write the second hefty check and pick up your new bike. Of course, the fit and finish are quite often beyond reproach, but then so is the cost and wait.

There is one other way you can buy a suit and it applies to bikes, although it’s not as common. You find a suit shop that probably isn’t located in the mall or have a huge square footage. You go to the salesperson/manager/tailor and talk to them about how the suit will be used, where it will be worn, and how often. You discuss budget, personal preferences, colors, and styles. You have measurements taken and you might even try on a few that are in the store for display.  You make a small down payment and the salesperson/manager/tailor orders up a factory made suit that will arrive in just a couple of days. That suit will then be tailored to your needs, measurements, and preferences and at a cost much closer to the mall suit price than the suit from Saville Row.  Quite often, this new suit will be very competitive on price will the Macy’s special, but you’ll also be getting very nearly the same level of fit and attention to detail as the completely custom suit.

This is the approach that Service Course Velo takes and I feel that it allows me to help all of my customers to really get a bike that will work best for their needs and budget, offer excellent fit function, and be readily available. Because SCV doesn’t have many bikes on the floor, I never feel the pressure to make you fit a bike that SCV has in stock. The goal is to find the bike that fits you, order it in, and then dial it to perfection, all within a couple of days. A very large part of the bike buying process with SCV is the communication between you the customer and me. Service Course Velo is a one person shop. I am the owner, the mechanic, and the fit specialist. By wearing all three of those hats at once, I can ensure that when you buy a bike through me at SCV, it will be one that fits your body, your needs, and your budget. It make take ever so slightly longer than an impulse purchase, but the attention to detail, the level of performance and the overall value is one that can’t be matched.

Okay, you’ve suffered through my long and winding explanations of why buying a bike is like buying a suit. Now is the point where you would ask, “Why is he pontificating about something like this if all Service Course Velo does is offer used bikes sold on consignment”? Well guess what, Service Couse Velo is now able to offer three bike lines to the Rogue Valley cyclists. As of now SCV is the Rogue Valley’s source for Ridley, Kona, and Tomac bikes and frames. All three brands offer an excellent selection of bikes with outstanding value, performance and durability. Please swing by and see if one of their models would be right for you and let’s start a conversation about how SCV can improve your cycling experience.

After the success of the SCV Flahute, the route planning for the next big ride began almost immediately.  Being that we had used most of the Rogue Valley’s quality gravel roads, the decision was made to look toward some of the lesser maintained roads. Of course a full on mtb epic was out due to the ever present low snow level, but if a nice chunk or two of trail could be thrown in, well that would be great too. In fact, the idea of doing a big loop that didn’t offer much in the way of shortcuts, easy outs, or even a sag wagon was pretty appealing.  Yup, the idea of doing a big stupid loop to test how tough we are was just the ticket. So out come the maps and Google Earth and a route was planned. At first, the amount of climbing was going to be a bit more limited and rest stops and aid stations were planned, but just as Otter from Animal House so famously said, “No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part!”. Well SCV is just the somebody to do it and hence, the 2011 Nasty Ass Honey Badger Spin was born.

Why call is the ride named after the honey badger?  Well, honey badgers are notoriously fearless and tough animals, having been known to savagely attack their enemies when escape is impossible. They are tireless in combat and can wear out much larger animals in physical confrontations. Which perfectly describes the mindset needed to conquer this route.  Plus, this little video pretty much cracks up every time we see it and after a few beers it just seemed like the thing to do.

Okay, by now you’ve clicked on the link  and discovered SCV is a sucker for adolescent humor (like you didn’t already know) and are probably wondering what the actual 2011 N.A.H.B.S. (Nasty Ass Honey Badger Spin) is all about. 2011 N.A.H.B.S. is a 56 mile bike ride covering paved and gravel roads, washboard, singletrack, and even an irrigation ditch or two.  It has over 7000ft of climbing and takes a rider from the Rogue Valley over to the Little Applegate and then back again.  There aren’t any water stops, so bring at least a camel back and a water bottle or some way of filtering water.  Food is good. You should take enough to get you home. Once you’re over the hill in the Little Applegate, there isn’t any mini-marts and there is no cell reception to call for help.  A cross bike or a mountain bike would work fine, the Honey Bagder doesn’t care. Throughout the day, whatever bike you choose will be the wrong choice, but on the flip side, you’ll also be really happy with whatever rig you’re on a vast majority of the time. Using a GPS wouldn’t be a bad idea, although there will be a rudimentary route chart. If you have a GPS, you can download the route here.

The 2011 N.A.H.B.S. leaves SCV at 9:00 am on Sunday the 22nd.  This isn’t a race, although the first person back probably will get at least a beer bought for them. While you need to be able to take care of yourself out there, if someone is in need you’re expected to lend a hand and make certain no one is left behind, otherwise I’ll give search and rescue your phone number and have them come and get you to pay for the search.

Here’s the flyer.  Feel free to swing on by if you need an analog copy printed on Staple’s cheapest office paper.  Or just come on in to shoot the crap and find out anymore details I’ve undoubtably forgot to mention.

Also, feel free to email or call if you have any questions, and see you at the 2011 Nasty Ass Honey Badger.

I’ll be out of the shop this upcoming Monday to go scout out the exact route, milage, and elevation of an upcoming cross bike ride/event/exercise in stupidity. Why am I closing on Monday do go do this instead of using my one day off during the week, you ask? Well, Sunday is Mother’s Day and as I have twin 4.5 year old boys I gotta do my fatherly duties and take the little barbarians off of my wife’s hands for the day so she can gain some much needed rest and relaxation.  If I had told her that I was going to bust off a 8hr ride on Mother’s Day, well lets just say I wouldn’t have to celebrate anniversaries anymore.  So Monday it is.  If anyone needs anything, feel free to call and leave a message or email.  Both forms, plus the carrier pigeon and smoke signal app, all go through to my iPhone, but I warn you, I probably won’t have reception most of the day until the afternoon.  It’s okay though, because no one ever died because they didn’t get their derailleur adjusted.

Cheers.

Quick little tip for those of us luddites that still like to use a frame pump on our road bikes.  There are an increasingly fewer amount of bikes, both custom and production that come with what used to be standard on a bike, the handy pump peg.  Nestled under the top tube on the on the head tube, it helped hold the full length frame pump in place.  Sure there were other options, like using the rear skewer and the seatstay to wedge a frame pump in place, or even the horror of using a mini pump (for video proof of how demeaning the mini pump actually is, please watch this from SCV’s friends Jens Voight’s Army). You could even choose to use a CO2 canister, but for that option I have two questions. One, what happens if you flat after you’ve used your last CO2? Two, how good at whacking dogs is a 2″ long CO2?  So with those queries answered (yes, they were rhetorical) we go back to the simple, elegant, and most importantly, effective frame pump and its issues at storing them on modern frames.  Without the prerequisite pump peg, this is what happens.

No pump peg. Loose and rattling. Also, they like to eject at speed when stored like this.

With a pump on the frame like this you essentially have two options. Run it like that and hope it won’t rattle out, or use a velcro strap and snug it up against the frame.  The strap works okay, but it is a pain in the ass to get the back in place in a timely manner and the pump and strap now rest right up against the top tube, rubbing the paint and if you’re on something modern and store bought, the carbon itself.

Here’s a little tip though, that doesn’t cost a dime and is so easy to do.  Go out to your work bench, junk drawer, or tool box and root around until you round up a mid sized zip tie.  Wrap it around the head tube about 3/4″ below the top tube, snug it up and snip off the end.

Totally PRO tip, as using zip ties always qualifies as PRO. Not Euro racer pro, but Euro mechanic PRO. Like bending stainless rack brackets to make number holders.

Now, make certain the little zip tie nub is centered and then just put the nub in the hole in the top of your frame pump where the pump peg would go.  You can raise and lower it as needed to ge the pump to sit level and parallel with the top tube.  Voila!

Now with your frame pump properly secured, all you retro grouches are now free to complain about short reach brakes, use the term "brifters" , and re-proofide your Brooks saddle.

Product recommendation type posts are always difficult.  It’s really easy to slap a picture up and copy and paste a bit of the manufacturer’s ad speak with some of your pricing and a cheesy line like, “get yours today” or “swing on in and check them out”. Odds are quite good that I’ll wind up doing that very thing a time or two (remember, I said it was easy).  But not this time.

I’ve gathered a few items that I stock and carry that I wanted folks out there to know about.  None of these items will save 5 seconds per kilometer in a TT, add 35 watts to your climbing, drop a pound off your bike, or guarantee a kiss from a podium girl, let alone your significant other.  They definitely are not laterally stiff and vertically compliant and made of of crabon fibre (reference BikeSnobNYC for that one). They will, however, make the limited time we all have on our bikes more enjoyable and the time we need to spend wrenching and fixing our bikes a bit less consuming.  So without further ado, here we go.  Sorry I lied, I need to have one more ado.  Okay, I’m good.  Here we go for real this time.

SwissStop Disc Pads

SwissStop Disc Pads.  I have always been a firm believer in using the factory pads.  They tended to have the best quality control and you could choose between the stronger, longer lasting but noisier metallic compounds or the better modulating, quieter but quicker wearing organic.  A person could even mix and match them to try and achieve the best of both worlds.  Usually though, one pad wore out a lot faster than the other and then you had noisy brakes that didn’t work so well.  In a pinch I’ve used other secondary brands and while they’ve worked okay, they haven’t always been great.  Their biggest selling point was that they were a bit cheaper and usually ran pretty quiet, so even if they wore out faster, at least they didn’t break the bank when it came time to replace them.

A while back I had to order up some SwissStop pads for my customers that use carbon road wheels.  The SwissStop name and recognizable yellow pad compound for rim brakes is pretty well known as the benchmark for use with carbon rims.  So much so that many wheel manufacturers choose to spec the more expensive SwissStop pads and use them as a selling point for their wheels.  As I was placing the order, I noticed that SwissStop made pads for disc brakes as well and on a whim decided to try them out for myself.  I have been nothing but pleased with their performance so far.  They have bedded in nicely and quicker than any other pad I’ve tried.  There has been no noise or vibrations and the power and modulation have been outstanding.  After being so pleasantly surprised, I did a little research on SwissStop and their disc pads.  While the majority of the brake pads the company sells in the US market may be the fancy yellow pads for carbon rims, in Europe, the disc pads account for almost 75% of the brake pad manufacturer’s total business.  They were ranked the #1 preforming pad in a test last year in Germany.  They are green and you get a cool little sticker in the pack.  They are priced a couple dollars more than some other pads, but not by much and their performance makes the small bump in price more than worthwhile.

Kool Stop Salmon Brake Pads

What’s up with the funny colored brake pads?  Well, those are the Kool Stop Salmon compound brake pad inserts and they are the bee’s knees.  Most of us have run the standard stock black brake pads on our road, cross and mountain bikes (for those of you with rim braked mtbs.  If you have discs, look up at the fancy Euro green disc pads and ignore this next part).  They work okay, but pretty much stink in the rain, get bits of alloy shards from the rim embedded in them, and leave a delightful black residue all over everything that leaves you looking like a chimney sweep after a flat tire change.

The salmon compound came to be when Boone Scott (the inventor of the aluminum ski pole and also aero bars) came up on compound and marketed them under the Scott Matthauser name.  They quickly got a name for working better than anything, especially in the wet.  Another bonus is they don’t contain any nasty abrasives and therefore resist picking up bits of metal off the rim.  Also, no yucky black grime every wear.  Yeah!

Scott Matthauser ultimately wound up going away, but thankfully the Kool Stop company who made the pads for Scott Matthauser has picked up the torch and ran with it and offers the salmon compound in a staggering array of types and models to choose from.  Road brakes, cantilevers, U-brakes, and V-brakes. Inserts for cartridge pads and complete pads themselves.  These are by far and away the best brake pads to use if your bike has any type of rim brake.

See, what did I say?  There wasn’t anything flashy or awesome about either of those two items, but I’d be willing to bet that they would make your bike ride better and you’d have more fun.  Plus, this has been the wettest spring in a long time and the odds are good that the pads on your bike aren’t going to last much longer, let alone until Ol’ Mother Nature decides to stop dropping the precipitation on us whenever that may be.  So if you need new pads on a bike, try these out because I think you’ll really like how well they work.  Oh yeah, and  ”swing on in and check them out” and ”get yours today”!

SCV is starting a Wednesday night road ride beginning next week on April 20th. The ride leaves the shop at 6 p.m. for about 1.5 hours of quality road saddle time. This isn’t the Cat 5 World Championships and it isn’t a leisurely toodle from coffe shop to coffee shop. There will be a focus on smooth and efficient group riding. If you are racing the Thursday Night Champion series, this is a great ride to keep your legs fresh and loose. If you are new to road riding, this is an excellent way to learn proper group etiquette. While the ride isn’t a no drop ride, neither is it a war of attrition to peel off as many people as possible. If you drop the hammer when it’s your turn to pull, be assured we will let you “attack” and then turn and go another route. There are good odds of a few intermediate sprints to keep things fun and probably a beer or two after. Please feel free to call the shop or email for more details.

Cheers