Meet Paul

Meet Paul, manager of our Berea store and co-organizer of our racing team, 765 Racing. We did a 

Q & A with Paul so you could get to know a little bit more about the team and one of our cyclo-cross and fat bike enthusiast co-workers.

Bikes you ride: 

"I race more cross and that is often single speed, so mostly on my Independent Fabrication or my Spot Carbon Belt drive. It depends on the gearing I have set up and if I want disc or cantis [brakes]. For mountain biking, depends. If it’s a long race then I’ll race on my Moots Smoothie. If it’s a short race, then my Scott Scale."

Tell me what 765 racing is? 

"I think 765 has changed since we first started planning the team. What it is now, is a group of cyclists that are like minded, where we are not worrying about placing up; but supporting each other in the sport that we love. We want to grow cycling in all forms and bring more attention to the great companies that support us like Nooma & Mountain Road Cycles. We want to grow cycling in the Cleveland area."

Favorite local races: NEOCycle, Kirtland Park, and Brooklyn cyclo-cross races.

Race Day Routine? 

With my life, I like to be at the venue about 45 minutes before the start, so I plan my morning around that. Have some coffee, and get some food in. A good bowl of oatmeal is ideal for me. If that doesn’t happen, a banana and a cereal bar on the way to the race works as well. For cyclo-cross, I’d like to get a lap in before the race; if not, then just riding around the parking lot, something to get the legs moving and the blood flowing.

Best advice for someone who wants to get into racing?  

"For cross, I’d say go to a race and watch one or two and maybe start talking to people, like the guys from 765. That way you can get an idea (although vague as that idea will be, because it’s cross) of what it’s all about, and try one out. For the most part, there is no pressure in cross racing. So it’s all about going out and enjoying your self, and putting yourself through some punishment. Cross is a very welcoming venue, so it’s very accepting when new people show up that have a passion for this kind of racing. Show up with a good attitude and ready to have some fun, and while you’re at it - don’t be afraid to grab a hand-up or two; it’s a quick way to make friends."

Favorite training day?

"With the craziness of my life, I don’t have a 'plan.' I just ride my bike as much as possible; but when I do go out with a 'plan,' one of the best things that I have found is to get out and do hill repeats. I’ll leave my house and hit has many hills in my area as possible and do repeats on some of them. I have found, for myself, this is the best way to get some 'training' in. My goal isn’t to get to the top as quickly as possible, but to down shift (better yet, take out the single speed) and make climbing harder. Another thing I really like to do, is to take my cross bike on a mountain bike trail - I’ve been doing this for years. (Long before the kids thought it was cool.) Again, if I can make my riding harder, then I will be more ready for races, and this is how and where you build your skill."

Have other questions for Paul? Contact him at paul@mtnroadcycles.com

Up and Coming Events and Promotions

As the season continues to roll on, here's a compiled list of upcoming events we have going on at our various locations.

-Father's Day Special: stop in any of our locations for a $25 gift card with the purchase of any bike from now until Sunday the 21st.

-Slow Roll Road Bike Social Tuesday, June 23rd at 6 p.m.

 

 -Women's Night. Size Matters: saddles, shoes, stems.  

Our 2nd women and wine night at the Chardon location. Join Rose and Melissa for your questions about fit, whether that be clothing or the reach on your bike.
Women get 20% off accessories and nutrition!

-Prep for the 4th of July parade in Chagrin Falls from 4-6 p.m. at the Chagrin location. 

-Jacob English's, the owner of Mountain Road Cycles, band Way of Life is performing at the Cleveland Velodrome, July 24th at the Friday night races.

The Rove thus far....

I first met the Rove at Kona’s 2013 product launch in Bellingham WA. What drew me to this bike were four things; 1) steel 2) disc brakes 3) the geometry 4) the tire width that it could handle.

At this time, I was looking for a cross style bike that was all of these things. It’s like the fine folks at Kona were reading my mind (enter in spooky music). So after I got myself checked out for a chip in my head, and got over my paranoid delusions (or are they?) I took a test ride on the Rove at the demo and immediately fell for this bike.

Why did the four for mentioned things intrigue me? Well; I am one of “steel is real” kind of guys. I’m picking steel if I have a choice. I love the feel and how it responds. Disc brakes for stopping power. There’s a reason why the motto for canti’s is “can’t stop, won’t stop”, because they don’t. Canti’s are great for racing cross, because you don’t want to stop; but not when you’re commuting. The geometry is that of a gravel grinder bike.  The handling was just what I was looking for. It was quick and responsive, yet stable and predictable. Finally some big fat tires that would still take a fender.

I received my Rove at the end of February 2013. I threw some fenders on it, and a Portland Design rack on it right away. The Rove has become a staple in my quiver. One of my go to bikes. I use it mostly for commuting and exploring. There are times that my commute asks more of me than just getting to work. There are times that that dirt path calls me, or the gravel road, or the brick road. The Rove is all up for whatever I throw at it.

The Kona Rove has not only gotten me through many, many miles of commuting and exploring (though all weather conditions, summer & winter with studs on); it has also helped me get through a few Cleveland Cobbles, and one Funk Bottoms Gravel Race (Ohio’s toughest Gravel Race. If you are not familiar with it…look it up, or click -- http://funkbottomsgravel.blogspot.com/   ), and it will help me this year at the race as well.

I have had zero issues with this bike. With all that I put it through, I take really good care of it; especially in the winter. Keep the frame and drivetrain clean of the harshness of winter. I’ve had to change a chain or two and some cables, but that’s really it.

Kona did an amazing job with the design and set up for the Rove, this is a bike I will not be parting with any time soon. Kona meant this bike to be the “do all machine”, from commuting, gravel grinding, and even to cross; and they have achieved that with this bike. Check out one of Kona’s videos here: https://vimeo.com/77090243

And if the Rove is a bit out of your price range; they make the Big Rove & Rove Al that is a little friendlier to your wallet. Found here: http://konaworld.com/freerange_rd.cfm

Thanks, and enjoy the journey.

Nutrition - Gels

In terms of nutrition for a cyclist on the go, whether racing, touring, or getting mileage in - what is the quick fix? Let's explore some of the gel products we put on our shelves and why.

Carb Boom, under Boom Nutrition is the "official energy gel of USA Triathlon" until 2017, according to their website. Their gels come in six different flavors. Pictured above, is grape pomegranate. These gels contain zero artificial flavors, colors, or sweetener, according to their packaging. One gel is recommended per 20-30 minutes of exercise and weighs in at 110 calories per gel.

So what's so great about gels? They are easy to consume, light to carry and give you a quick boost. Gels are mainly carbohydrates which equals fuel. Carb Boom gels contain 27 g of Carbs per serving. They also contain a pinch of potassium, sodium, and 2 g of sugar. Think back in bike racing when snickers were consumed for that energy boost.

 

Hammer Gels have been a staple on our shelves and are a slightly lower calorie, lower carbohydrate option at 80 calories and 21 g of carbs a pop. We also carry other Hammer Nutrition products, such as Endurolyte capsules which are an "electrolyte replenishment."

Gels are meant to be included in a well rounded diet and can be easily combined with other nutrition products, depending on rider preference.

So whether you are about to ride the Sunday in June organized ride in a few weeks, or race some weekend crits, we got you covered on a variety of nutrition products in all our locations.

Fat bike season....

 The season of fat bikes are upon us. The snow is here (although as I write this, it will be gone for the weekend). But rest assured, this is the Cleveland area, and it will be back, and this is in part why this post is getting written.

There has come a ‘new’ bike craze that is happening now. It’s the fat bike. I put the word new in quotations, because it’s been around for quite some time being used in races in Alaska.

They have grown quite a bit in popularity over the last few years as Surly has made them a staple in their production line. Other companies have seen the fat bike popularity, and have followed suit. In our line, not only do we carry Surly for your fat bike needs, we also carry the Kona Wo & Moots FrosTi (special order only). More on the differences in a moment.

Why would one buy a fat bike? These bikes excel in snow and winter riding. The size of the tires starts at 26x3.8 and can go to 4.8”.  The wider the tire the less tire pressure (anywhere from 8psi-20psi), less tire pressure means better traction. These are able to float over a lot of different kind of terrain. Snow is the big one, but sand, gravel, roots, rocks, etc. are handled just as well with the wider tire.

So this line of bikes is not limiting at all. You are able to ride fat bikes all year long. There are those that are ditching their mtn bikes, and just riding these all over the place all year long. With the big and wide tires, put that together with the low psi; and the bike will absorb much of the trail. In a sense, the tire becomes your suspension.

One of the apprehensions with fat bikes is the question of handling. How do they handle? The answer is simple; just like any other mtn bike. They are however, harder to get to high speeds because of the tires, but you’re not picking one up for speed. Once you are able to ride one, you realize the ease of the maneuverability of the bike.

I recently picked up a Surly Pug Ops & was able to take it out on a local mtn bike trail before all the snow hit, and it handled just as well as any other mtn bike, except I was not concerned with taking the ‘right lines’ or rolling over a rock or root wrong. I just went, and let the bike do the rest. It will

just power through and over anything you put in its way. The gearing is low enough where climbing is not an issue.

The differences between what we carry are as follows:

The big one is frame material. Surly deals in 4120 cro-moly steel. The tubes are designed for the frame. They are not taking regular tubes that would be used for other mtn bikes and ‘making them work.’ You have a higher bb, like you would find on a mtn bike; which gives you ample clearance over objects.  The way Surly set up the geometry is that it is able to be ridden off road just as well as an all day grind or day out exploring the winter wonderland, trail, or whatever nature may throw at you.

http://surlybikes.com//bikes#omniterra

The Kona Wo is set up similar to the Surly line as far as geometry goes. They do have a different cockpit out of the box, and is made of aluminum. The aluminum will save you some weight (my Pug Ops comes in at 34 lbs), and will stiffen up the ride a bit. Both have 2x10 drivetrains.

http://konaworld.com/wo.cfm

And if you know Moots; the FrosTi is, you guessed it, Ti. Moots only does a limited run of these frames, so if you want one, you have to get on the list early. They do the frame, we’ll do the rest.

http://moots.com/our-bike/mtb-26/frosti/overview/

So feel free to stop on in and talk to us about getting fat….

2013 Kona Rove Review:

When I was lucky enough to go out to the Kona launch in August; there was one bike that I was really excited to ride, and that was their Rove. I’m a big fan of all things cross, so the chance to get on something new lit my eyes like a little child on Christmas morning. From the start, the Rove is drastically different from any other cross bike out there. Kona lists it as a “ultimate cyclocross/gravel-grinding/commuting machine.”  So to say that this one bike is a utilitarian machine would be an understatement.

With slightly different geometry than their Jake series, this bike gives you the best of all worlds. Longer wheelbase gives you stability. Different angles in the seat tube, head tube, and longer chain stays gives you comfort. Being equipped with disc brakes will give you the stopping power you need when you need it; when you are either commuting in the worst of weather, or racing in your next cross race.

Out of the box highlights are as follows; with a mix of Sram Apex & Rival with cross gearing (36/46) up front with an 11-32 in the rear. I was a little skeptical of the 36/46 up front, only because I am used to a more traditional compact up front (34/50); but more on that later. A solid Formula Disc wheelset, with your braking provided by a set of Hayes CX5 discs; which are beefy reliable brakes.  They do provide more adjustment than the Avid BB7’s, so you are able to really fine tune the brake feel.  And with the ability to throw on a set of 40c tires and hit the gravel roads for an all day adventure.

The frame is a 4130 CroMoly; which is on the higher end of the ‘steel’ scale. A lot of companies are getting away from this material; but believe me, when you use this bike for what it was built for you will be thankful. It will absorb what the road throws at it, and your body will thank you for it.

I immediately put on full fenders and a rack. I plan on mostly using this for my commuting needs throughout the year and dealing with Cleveland weather fenders are a must. I also want to use my pannier bags instead of using my messenger bags. This will take weight off of my back and feel better while I ride.

I already have about 70 miles on it with my commuting and riding so far (one week of ownership).  First I would like to say how smooth and responsive the frame is. It soaked up the bumps of the Cleveland streets and the pavement on the Metroparks trails. I was also able to get off the pavement and feel how it handled.  It wasn’t anything too rough, but it blazed right through the mud and chipped wood like a champ. And again smooth as can be. No excessive vibrations coming up through the frame. In addition, with carrying my pannier, the bike stayed grounded. Often riding with lighter weight frames with panniers the rear end would start to wander over bumps. The Rove kept everything where you’d expect it. That being said, you are not buying the Rove for any weight savings.

As I was skeptical about the cross gearing up front (36/46), I am used to a more of a compact gearing up front (34/50), but with the weight of the bike, plus the weight of my gear and the wide range of gearing in the back (11-32), it made gearing up hills pleasant. Also, with the 46 up front, I was able to play more with the gearing in the cassette than if I had a 50 up front.

The Rove is going to become my ‘go-to’ bike for this up coming year. I doubt with the set-up I have on it now, that I will take it to the mtn bike trails, but you never know.

Here is a link to Kona's page on the Rove http://konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=rove 

keep the rubber side down...