Weekend of Kona chances/Guru Crono part deux

Sram Red rear D, Enduro Zero ceramic pulley wheels (just happened to be blue), KMC gold chain,

Rotor Agilis Cranks, Aero QRing, SABB ceramic bottom bracket

Featherweight Brakes with blue accents

HED Classic aerobars, Lizard Skins bartape.
BELOW
This frame is 2 years old and is one of the most complimented bikes I have done

Shama goes international once again. Andrew Strong, freshly off of a Retul fit on his new Guru Merus is getting ready to race Ironman Brazil tomorrow morning. This is his first triathlon for 2009 and his first attempt at a Kona slot for the year. Either way...he is in Brazil...its all good no matter what.
Then in beautiful Hawaii racing the 70.3 in the morning is Lisa Tilton-McCarthy, Waly Yarrow, and Jeanna Abbott. Lisa has a great shot at getting a Kona slot here at this race. With her newly redone 15lbs Guru Crono she is ready to take that slot and come back again in October! Walt is out for a good time...though he is getting faster and faster and a Kona slot could also be in his future some day. I think Walt's victory will come in the form of just having a faster time than Lisa. ;-)
Jeanna will be doing her first Half Ironman. The girl who loves to train and hates to race will be doing her first half, no, not as her longest distance but as her shortest. Yes, you read that right. Her first triathlon was an Ironman, so was her second and her third. Maybe a bit backwards but it works for her. What happens if she finds out that 70.3 is not for her? She will have a great time anyway...she is in Hawaii for crying out loud and she is with two of the most fun people you can hang with for a race.
This is really what its all about for alot of triathletes. Training for that one great destination race and enjoying everything about it. I might have worked early or late on their bikes, spent hours dialing in their fits and helping pack it up and stressing over every component and keeping the bikes rolling through the 1000 of miles it takes to get to a race...but knowing that I helped get them to their race with the best possible equipment and position to help them get the most out of their day...its a great feeling. I will spend my Saturday morning and afternoon checking on line and waiting to see splits and final times and wait for a text or email about the day. I can't wait!!!!!

A Saturday Ride...

Can you hear that screaming...its Eric's wheels...haha

Euan sitting pretty waiting for the light to turn. Sorry you can't tell its him, but the bike is prettier. ;-)

Jeff sporting the Shama gear while Eric sits in amazement of his new Guru

Andrew Strong rolling out his last long ride before Ironman Brazil.

Another ride with the boys while the triathletes were racing the roadies were rolling a common ride out to Fulsher. Lots of fun and its great being able to be on rides and start to see more custom bikes on the road, and from the races below, at the races too!

Cap Tex Triathlon 2009

Mike Shearman is all smiles pre race....
below
Lisa, Teresa, Beau, ?, Walt

Well one of the biggest races of the year for most Texas triathletes is Cap Tex Tri in Austin. Ok, maybe not the biggest but definitely the most fun...especially for Houston athletes that love to trek to Austin for a weekend to party and race on Memorial Day Weekend! I have heard some race recaps from the weekend and while I did hear about the racing...I hear more about pre race and post race than anything else. Which just means it really was GREAT WEEKEND!!!!
In the Sprint Race
Lisa Tilton McCarthy won her Age Group, not on her newly redone prized possession Guru Cron but on her new Guru Praemio, custom road bike built to be able to tri on too. Which worked great on this multi loop course.
Walt Yarrow won his Age Group on his Guru Merus. He went full aero for the sprint and killed it!!!
Mike Shearman took 13th in his AG (same as Walt's) on his Guru Ventus which he just started riding again like two weeks ago. Which isn't right since he bested his friend Spencer who works more than Mike...though we think everyone works more than Mike??? haha

In the Olympic Distance race
Ann Hughes rocked a great race in her first attempt of this distance, she was 3rd in her AG on her white with purple Guru Crono.
Jacqueline Fein cruised into 3rd place on her Guru Crono!!!!
Teresa Demetriou enjoyed her race as well.
Richard Cairns rolled to a top ten in his AG on his road bike and my Edge wheels.
Beau Freyou rocked 3rd place in his AG. Way to go Beau!!!
Kendall Gray enjoyed his effort out there.

Combat Triathlon

Ahhh...another great day of racing in Houston.
Combat Tri had quite a few Shama Cycles racers representing.
Trent Stephens who was first across the line and Second Overall.
Ann Smith won Masters Women!!!
Anne Ekern won her Age Group.
Kathleen Smith had a great day on her Guru Venio

Also a special shout out to some friends of mine who raced this one.
Dianne Sweeny (who won OA woman's), Jeff Gill, Andy Stewart, Chris Phenicie, Steve Ohnimus, Dave Depinet (who won his AG on his Crono), Sam Luna, Ann Fickel, and Matilda Guerra

Silverlake Tri!

Here is the recap from Brett Cole of that race...killer bike split! #1 in age group is always a good day!

Philip – a little race recap for Silverlake-

My second year at the Silverlake sprint, and with the cool weather and low humidity (and of course the Guru) I was able to drop nearly 5-minutes from last year, good for 6^th OA, and 1^st in the always competitive M40-44 AG.

My pool work may be starting to help, but still I’ve got a long way to go. Out of the water there were at least 6 or 7 AG guys ahead of me, but I was only down about 1:30 behind Tom Stus, who was in front of the AG - with the fastest OA swim split for the day.

For me the bike course is a real technical challenge, by my count 30+ turns over the 10-miles and my cornering may even be weaker than my swimming. A hard effort on the few straight stretches and I was able to get into T-2 with the top AG bike split and down to just 3 guys in front of me for the run, just under 1:30 down on Stus.

I really pushed it out of T-2 and gave the run all I could, leading to a solid 5:49/mile avg and the 3^rd best OA run split. I think I caught Stus with about a mile to go, and ended up finishing 0:45 in front of him. Still, was about 1:00 out of the top-5, and 3:00 off the OA winner, but I was really happy with the effort and result for the day.

Others of Note,
Coy Connelly rocked his race in Brett's AG on his Crono.
Jane Kang came back to racing after some time off on her Guru Merus, one of the smallest frames you will ever see!
And my friend Lisa Berman won her AG, thanks to her Speedfill no doubt. haha ;-)

Another Guru Praemio and very petite

15lbs 4oz.
6/4 ti frame
Sram Red cranks, Force brakes, f&r Ds, shifters, 1070 cassette.
Stolen headset (anodized red)
KCNC steerer spacers and seat post clamp
Parlee carbon Front D hanger
Rotor S1 stem, New Ultimate seat post,
Dimension bars...not much of a name but they FIT!
Specialized saddle, KMC chain, Clark and Nokon cables
Reynolds Assault wheels, Schwalbe Blizzard tires
Tacx Tao cages, Look Sprint pedals

Nokon cables are used in a build where ever there is a tight bend since typical housing can not make the bend with out using even more cable.
Which just is not as pretty...

Keeping the red theme going on the stem faceplate, headset, spacers, and Shama Cycles stem cap really sets off the front end.

The ti frame with Kandy Red paint and clear coat all over really made this bike shine!!!!
He first impressions over her old bike that was all wrong for her???
Laughing at how easy it is to pedal, turning, stopping, unclipping, shifting...pretty much everything was way better than before. And that was just from us spinning around behind the shop. I can't wait for the first real ride.
We Retul'd the bike today, fixed some knee and foot movement issues and then we were done. As in with every custom bike so far, the fit is just too easy.

A hard day at the office...with two customers.

14lbs 11oz
6/4 titanium frame, AlphaQ full carbon fork
Sram Red shifters
Sram Force Front D, rearD, brakes
Rotor Agilis Cranks, Qrings, SABB ceramic bb
Parlee carbon braze on clamp
Extralite seatpost collar
Tune aluminum seat post
CaneCreek headset
Selle Italia Diva saddle
Deda Zero 100 bar and stem
Lizard Skins bar tape
Nokon cables
HED Ardenesse wheels
Michelen Pro Race tires
KMC gold chain, KCNC skewers
Mavic Wintech computer
Elite cages

Walt, rolling on his Guru Merus, we played with his position too

Lisa, just enjoying the ride, one of the few times on the hoods.

above
Walt and Lisa sharing feelings or whatever couples do on rides.
(really she is talking trash about dropping him next hill)
below
Man that kit looks good! Oh yeah, so does Lisa and her bike. ;-)

Well today was one of those days that really wears you out. The kind of work day that when you are done you just want to CRASH and sleep and not be bothered. I had to ride my bike for work. Yes, I know what you are thinking "in this heat?". I know...but I am committed to great customer service.
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Lisa Tilton-McCarthy picked up her new Guru Praemio today. This bike is a new frame with a couple old parts from her Crono, which is also being upgraded. Her goal is a Kona slot. A goal I have committed to helping her with anyway I can. She is an awesome athlete and just needs work on the bike. Her run is killer so if she can just stay on the bike she can seal the deal on the run. So we took her 2 year old Crono which still looks brand new, selected some upgrades for it and had to have some where to put her old parts. What to do...what to do??? Its obvious! Get a titanium road bike that compliments your tri position. I mean...everyone does that right? ;-)
So here we are. A 6.4 titanium road bike that weighs 14lbs and 11oz with out even trying.
The goal of the bike is to have something to train in, in groups and be in control a little better for those long rides. We worked with Guru to design the frame to compliment the fit of the Crono I sold her just two years ago. This way training on this bike transfers to the Crono. We also designed it to be raced as well. There are those events in triathlon were sometimes a road bike might be better. Cap Tex Tri for example, tight course, corners, climbing, and lots of people on the same course. If you are at all nervous in your aero bars around people on a course like that then you are on your bull horns and defeating the purpose of the tri bike. We chose titanium so she can put it on the trainer, use it on crappy days, rough road rides, and travel for fun with out having to worry about damaging a carbon bike. Basically a bike that she can relax with and not worry about it falling over at a rest stop or in the back of her car.

THE RIDE!
As I always try to do, I like to ride with customers on thier first ride. One its just plain fun. But really it allows me to see things that you can't see on the Computrainer or Retul. This way if we need to stop and adjust the saddle tilt or handle bars as the true position is found we can do that. We did 72 miles today and this is her first time to ride a road bike. One bike triathletes crack me up. First lesson of the day...shifting. haha Just spinning in the parking lot she was amazed at the bike but I was worried about 72 miles in a new position that she was not used to, not to mention starting out at noon in the heat of the day. We took off and about 5 miles into the ride till about mile 60 she comments "now I know why you roadies ride all the time, this is a blast" "this is so easy" I can ride in my drops and it feels just like my tri bike" "Oh my god these hills are so easy to climb standing up, this bike is so light" The only things we adjusted as the saddle just slightly up and tilted. Everything else was perfect. Needless to say she was loving life and the new bike. At every stop Walt and I would have to chase her down when we started up again cause she would just take off! We finish the ride and she was so excited and full of life, I was dead tired from logging in 9hours in two days.

The ride was actually best for me though, I find no greater satisfaction in my work than days like today. Riding with a friend/customer who could not be happier with their new bike and riding it. This is why I do what I do.
I LOVE MY JOB!!!!

Next up, her Crono reborn and ready for Hawaii 70.3 on the 30th of May!!!!

Gulf Coast Update

Details are foggy as the Snoop Dog concert only 30 minutes away from the race seemed to be the main focus for Greg being out there to race. Seems that needing to have time to put on his pimp hat for the concert that night did lead him to a Half Ironman distance Bike PR! Good Job Greg!

Trent Stephens' need for speed was there, though 10 minutes slower on the bike than last year, he was 5th Pro this year where as last year he was 8th. Wind seemed to be a big factor in some slower bike splits this year but Trent sealed the deal with a strong run. Good thing too, he will need his winnings to finally buy his wife some flowers on the side of the road for Mother's Day.
Who says you should not try something new on race day???

Also, a friend of mine, John Robertson had a great race out there. After quite a few injuries over the past couple of seasons it seems he is finally back and not only completed the race but killed it! Top 5 overall. Congratulations John!

Lisa Tilton McCarthy's new Guru Praemio

above
Lisa's blue Praemio and Colleen's red Praemio...pre build.
below
Lisa is on the computrainer just for a quick check on the frame, fit, saddle, stem length, steerer tube height and such. We select everything when we design the bike. Before the build happens I check what determines fit of the bike to see if any changes need to be made now or if any select parts need to be ordered. But as usual with custom and careful design and planning...everything was perfect. Now with the build to follow the cabling and such will come out that much nicer and the Retul fit will be the cherry on top.

Lisa is a triathlete that upsets overall and Master's placings at the triathlons around town. She is wanting that Kona slot this year and is taking it pretty seriously. As in she is not racing double racing each weekend all over Texas with what ever she can pin a number on for and go when the gun goes off. She is choosing her races carefully and actually trying to peak for certain races and rest a little in between. (un heard of for this athlete) This goal calls for the best equipment. She already has a Guru Crono with Sram Force on it I sold to her 2 years ago so how do you get better? Buy a Guru Praemio made out of 6.4 titanium tubing to be able to train more in group rides where the paces can be higher to work on speed...also have the geometry designed as to compliment your tri position so the training translates between bikes. Lisa also went with the ti road bike to have something to travel with, ride on crazy courses and poor weather days. This way the gorgeous carbon Crono is saved for the races and specific training days. Along with this upgrade, we are putting Sram Red components on the Crono and her Force is going on the Praemio.
More to come as these bikes get built up and evolve into the works of art they are.

GulfCoast Half Ironman and buying time!

The new Rotor Agilis cranks, Aero QRings, SABB ceramic BB. I like the new red spider.

Silver Tiso ceramic pulley wheels spin so much better than stock wheels, Campy, Shimano and Sram should be ashamed of themselves....
Below, we also put on some new Elite Custom white/red bottle cages.
btw, Zipp 999 will be the race wheel of choice on Saturday...not the ones below.

Gulf Coast Half Ironman is over in Florida and well, its prettier than racing in Galveston I guess. (snickering) Plenty of Texas athletes make the trip over every year to do this race. This weekend happens to be Mother's Day weekend so I am not sure how some guys are pulling it off, though I do know that Trent Stephens and Fred Johnson are leaving Friday morning, EARLY, to get there, race, and then as soon as transition is open to get bikes out, they are packing up to haul butt back to Houston to celebrate Mother's Day with their uber understanding wives who just had the kids most of the weekend by themselves. But I am sure it will all be worth it. HA!
Trent came in finally for some upgrades I have been dying to get him to do. He is a Campy man and has been as long as I have known him. Now that I have been having my way with his Crono race bike the only things left that are Campy is the rear D, cassette, and cranks. Until yesterday...now its just the rear D and cassette. I believe the Rotor SABB ceramic bottom bracket spins way smoother than nearly any other bottom bracket out there, let alone a stock Campy BB. To change this requires a Shimano style crank. Since no true Campy man would ever own anything from that Japanese rod and reel manufacturer...the obvious choice for a crank was the Rotor Agilis crank who also makes the SABB bb and the QRings that we all ride and love. A perfect combo from a company based in Spain...which borders Italy where Campy is based...so its as good as one can get with out being Campy. ;-) Next to come will be a Quarg power meter to replace the spider in that crank.
While we were at this craze of lightening up the bike with lighter cranks, using an aero chain ring set, and freeing up some watts with the ceramic bb, we also installed a set of Tiso ceramic pulley wheels in the rear D. Tiso is made in Italy which really just means that its nice...but you are gonna pay for the privilege. With it all installed and set up and shifting dialed in I could notice right away his drive train had way less drag in it. Lets see what translates to the race this Saturday....
Oh by the way, this bike has TRP 960SL brakes, Sram Red front D, Sram TT900 bar end shifters, and now the Rotor cranks. This bike is now more of a mutt bike than anything else. But don't we all love mutts just a little bit more than pure breeds?
Have fun and check back for the updates on Greg, Fred, and Trent's race weekend.

CBI TRIATHLON

Above is a pic of Brett Cole laying it down...nice top Brett. ;-)

Yes...even more racing in Houston!!!! Triathlon is the largest part of my business right now. I think triathletes are the ones who are more into buying every second they can...and they do!
CB&I is a sprint put on in the Woodlands and is a beautiful race. Though you would never notice it while racing and if you do you need to be going FASTER! haha
I had some athletes with some pretty good days.
Jacqueline went out there and nailed a solid second in her age group on her Guru Crono.
Ann Hughes put down the wood on her Guru Crono to tie for fastest bike in her group and rolled in 5th overall. Her T1 time was over a minute faster than the girls who came in ahead of her. All I can think that happened was she stopped to look at how pretty her bike was before getting on it. About the only draw back to having a beautiful custom Guru to race on. HAHAHAHA!
Brett Cole laid down a solid effort for 5th in his AG as well as 19th overall!
And finally my friend Mike Shearman decided to ride his Guru Ventus a couple days before the race and got a solid 20th in his very large very "seasoned" AG. (I hope Mike reads this)

A weekend of racing in Houston...finally!

Above
Stepanie, Helen, Aimee, Trey, and Ahmed, front and center there is Dolce.
Post race at Coldspring. We are all smiling a sigh of relief and glad that is over with.
Below
Helen having to ride 5 miles through the hills to get back to her car to leave. That is a very cruel trek after you are done. But Helen is a hardcore and loved it!

Me off the front in the 2nd or 3rd lap...short lived but fun!

Finally after having to drive all over Texas to race my bike myself and the Shama Cycles Team made a trip to Coldspring on Saturday for the Coldsprings Road Race and then to Sugarland on Sunday for the Sugar Crit. More to come with the rest of the pictures are in.
For now...back to work!