My old Geneo has found a new home

WG Crono
Originally uploaded by shamacycles

So upon opening Shama Cycles I had Guru build me the ultimate Geneo. Custom for me for road racing and climbing (I am NOT a climber) in those races. Not only was it a custom in the geometry it was custom in the carbon lay up for BB stiffness and power transfer with out a real weight penalty. I had it built up with a mix of Rotor, Sram Red, Edge and TRP parts. It weighed 14lbs on race day. carbon tubulars help alot! I had my best road racing season on this frame.
But alas I can't keep these frames forever...guys who are 5'7 to 5'9" are in luck when I move off of one frame and onto another. Wilmer is one such guy. A friend of mine who I ride with often on the weekends needed a new road bike. By needed I mean he was on a Giant road bike that was 7 years old with the original saddle. It was nearly painful just to watch him ride...haha. So now...after 7 years he is on a new rig...FINALLY! The funny thing is...my Geneo part 2...I think it looks better now than when I had it. Seriously...this build is WAY TOO CLEAN! With the HED Bastogne wheelset...it looks perfect!!!
The best part is...after 5 months of hard riding and racing the Geneo frame polished up better than new...giving Wilmer a new bike...that will last him another 7 years.

Guru Crono, Johnny Cash Style

Coy Connelly 005
Originally uploaded by shamacycles

By far the most popular custom tri bike is the Guru Crono. I get to do these frames in all kinds of colors...here I am doing one in plain black with white letters. While it might sound plain to some...there is still a certain look to it that still most bikes just don't have. We did what was smart and light here. Not to mention the HED Jet 6 FR wheelset.
Syntace CX base bar, Vision carbon aero bars, KCNC stem, KCNC brakes, Nokon cables, Sram Force front and rear D, shifters, carbon brake levers. Selle SMP saddle. A serious machine for a guy who LOVES to ride and race at his best...not to mention look good for the pics! haha!

Sometimes the color surprises me

TRP 029
Originally uploaded by shamacycles

With all the paint options Guru has and the paint box I have at the shop to help decide some times you just don't know how its going to look when it comes in. This frame showed up and I ripped it out of the bike and was amazed. What brilliance and color. The pictures do not do it justice. From here we built it up with a basic build and HED wheels. The important thing to Mike was that he got the custom frame and as we upgrade this frame with high end components we get to kick these parts down to his old road bike which is 8speed. Yes...8 speed. But that can come later. For now...we are super happy with the set up and he can't wait to kill it at the next race. More importantly finally have his father's respect at a race....since his dad has had a Guru titanium tri bike for 4 years now. HAHAHA

The Rule Breaking Magis!

Steve Quick was at the shop for a fitting on his TT bike and helped to unload her bike. I think most women would enjoy his help with their frame...haha

KW Magis
Originally uploaded by shamacycles

So here is one that I am super proud of. Kathleen is a triathlete who I have known for a couple years and as long as I have known her she has worn pink and tried to "pink out" her QR which unfortunately (not for me though) did not fit her at all. I think she first thought custom was out of her range but after looking at it all we figured out a way to make it work...as in showing her how she can live off of no food or gas for a month. haha No seriously.
So we picked out the frame, a Guru Magis which is a carbon frame that can work with the paint color she wants...PINK! But not ALL pink. We had to throw in some white to go with it. We choose the ultra reliable Ultegra SL components and went all out on the aero set up. Also of course we did out little ceramic bits with some little pink tricks.
The best part of this story is we broke the BIGGEST RULE in triathlon racing. NEVER EVER EVER NEVER EVER NEVER NEVER EVER EVER race something new on race day...let alone a whole new bike! I LOVE IT! I have done it before and will do it again. Custom works and when its right its right. Kathleen's frame came in from Guru at 1:45 pm on Thursday...as in the Thursday before Redman Half Ironman on Saturday. My friend and team mate Steve Quick pulls it out of the box and of course we start in on it right away. Just after 2pm Jon and Kathleen show up wondering if she will race on the Magis or on her old 2 gear working QR. By 5pm this was built and by 6pm she was fitted and loaded up in the car and off to OK for Redman. I triple checked every bolt on that thing as I knew the risk involved here but I have done it before and it has worked every time and with the condition of her old bike we did not have much choice. So Friday's ride report was pretty good, nice ride and nothing hurt or alerted anything. All systems go for Saturday. Saturday came and from another friend there I was getting info that they might cancel or start late due to weather and flooding. The race went on with a mandatory bike dismount in the flooded areas. WOW! Later that day while I was working in the shop with some friends I get this text message saying that the bike was awesome and that she had a 21 minute PR. OH YEAH!!!! TAKE THAT NAY SAYERS! Now, lets just be real here, her bike split was slower than before, the Cyclo Cross style tri did not make for fast splits but her run was very fast. Which if you have ever read this blog or followed my tri bike fitting philosophy you would know that while I know you will be faster on the bike...I look for faster run splits on race day before I say I have "delivered" to my clients what they came to me for. She was excited and loved it and also happy to be able to shift all her gears. haha
Look for her to get used to the new position and dialed in and start to realize her full potential. She trains hard and puts in the work...she may have bought some speed but she earns her AG placings!
Rock On Kathleen!

2005 Sworks Tarmac....Shama Style

JC Sworks
Originally uploaded by shamacycles

I met Juan Carlos at the first bike shop I worked at. He came in wanting the best and being the Specialized fan that I was at the time I sold him this Sworks Tarmac. It had full DuraAce and I spent about 10 minutes fitting it to him on a trainer.
WOW! I have learned so much since then and have even kept in touch with Juan Carlos. Unfortunately for him I opened Shama Cycles directly across from his work. I can look at my front door and see his building. He thought it was great at first but is now cursing me for being so close. HAHA! I stripped this frame down to nothing and compounded and polished the frame to restore its brilliance. Then the build, new headset, ceramic bottom bracket from Rotor the SABB, Rotor Agilis cranks, QRings. Sram Red shifters, front D, rear D. Tiso ceramic pulley wheels. TRP 960SL brakes. Nokon cables. Thompson seatpost. Deda Zero 100 handlebars and stem. Lizard Skinz bar tape. New Ultimate carbon cages and KCNC skewers.
Over all we dropped this frame down 3lbs and after the Retul fitting he is finally riding with power and comfort and loving the bike.
The next upgrade. Wheels...and then a custom Guru frame.

Independat Fabrication Crown Jewel...PIMPED

First Pics 011
Originally uploaded by shamacycles

So I got this frame in and immediately got excited. It was a plain old Shimano DuraAce set up with some pretty plain parts. It was 4 years old and had not been loved on. I stripped the frame down to nothing and serviced the headset and began picking out what to do. With in a week I had a Tiso bolt kit in blue shipped in from Italy and some matching Deda parts which also happen to be made in Italy. How ever the Nokon cables are German. One thing that took some time to decide on was the crank, finally I settled on function over pure aesthetics. A titanium spindle, ceramic bearings in the bottom bracket, and a 110bcd with a Rotor Qring 53/39 chain ring set. This way if we like we can go compact later with out having to change the cranks. Needless to say this frame polished up like new and with the build and new fitting this bike rides better than ever and looks better than ever.

Video from the show

Shama at Interbike 2009

My Kirklee shown off at Interbike 2009 at the Rotor booth!!!!

Selle SMP Forma and Carbon Lite. Brand new for 2010 and I already have them in the shop.
Yup, the latest greatest!

Dan B from Kelly Benefits on one of his countless attacks during the Pro crit. He could have won
from his breakaway of 6 but slid out in the last lap...he rolled though last to a cheer and
applause from the crowd honoring how hard he worked during the race.

The GURU Dynamic Fit Unit. Fully motorized bike fitting and more.
Guru shows why they are the largest custom bike company in the game.
Below
Guru Crono 2.0. WOW

Well its here, the biggest bike show this side of the pond. Shama Cycles is here to check out the latest greatest and get new tips and see what works and what doesn't. Especially since I am always trying to push the limits with my bike builds. I would have updated sooner but my feet hurt so bad after the first day all I want to do is lay down by the end of the night...something about walking miles and standing up (even while eating lunch) just kills in this city...not to mention how much of a rip off certain things are here. Like $8 for a tooth brush...or $5 for OJ from the Starbucks at the airport. Might as well gamble and REALLY throw your money away. Ok...enough of my rant. ;-) Bikes...and more bikes and parts! Being in custom bikes there was not alot for me to really drool over. Every manufacturer comes out here to show off the lightest, stiffest, aeroest (just made that one up) latest version of last years bike. We all look at them and go WOW if I only had that bike. Well...not any more. Now, to me, its about can you make that fit me...not can I fit that? Rotor and Kirklee was my one stop where my bike that I race (and wrecked on) was chosen to be in the Rotor booth to show off the new Rotor 3D cranks, S2 stem, and S1 seat post. I was very honored and happy to have my bike that I built as a show bike at Interbike....that is HUGE! Watching people stare, take pictures, comment on my components, pick it up and freak out on a race worthy 13lbs bike. AWESOME!!!! Last year I couldn't get some manufactures to take me seriously and this year I had a bike in a booth, and the top dealer for some of my manufactures that I sell. What a change....that came with alot of 18 our days and not much play. Now over the the Guru booth....yes that was one of the most talked about booths there. Why? Three things...Dynamic Fit Unit, Photon, Crono2.0. The DFU is a fit bike that is fully automated to allow changes in position to be made by millimeters while the rider is on the unit and pedaling. Allowing for the perfect position to be found in really time and position. Guru was the first to try to get this going, its take three years but its finally here. Funny how others came to the show with something similar, even saw a demo of one, the thing looked shaky and not quite ready yet. Guru's demos that ran all day were exact, strong, and the DFU feels like you're on a weight machine at the gym....SUPER STRONG. What an amazing break through. Oh yeah...Shama Cycles will have the first one in the country and exclusively in Houston. So for the latest in bike fitting and custom frame design Shama Cycles is where its at as well as where it will be at. ;-) I love my job! Guru also brought to new bikes to the show. The Photon is a road bike made for the serious enthusiast or racer or anyone who wants a road bike that is in the 700 gram range that performs like a dream. The Crono 2.0 is a tt/tri bike that represents the push for an aerodynamic design that is still customizable. Very tough to get both. More to come on all of these....time to get some food and hit the final day. All exciting stuff. Some though I will not blog about as these are tricks saved for my athletes and clients...sorry. ;-)

Guru Magis for Teresa....

This time last year I met a girl through some mutual friends named Teresa who came to me for a fitting. After some quick assessments it became clear her bike was too big for her. I did what I could we put on some shorter cranks to help her out with that ill fitting frame. Of course from then on every time I saw her at the park or out on a ride I would harass her about getting a new Guru bike. Finally I broke her down and she gave in back in June and we started the process. There are two ways to buy a Guru. One is you come in and put down more money on a completely new bike than you did on your car or you buy a frame and maybe a couple new parts....but strip the rest from the bike you currently own and ride. This is what Teresa did. We looked at the parts she had on her frame which are Ultegra but her aero bars had to go. We pieced together a great build. Her shifters, brakes, front and rear D, wheels, tires and the cranks that I sold her a while back were all used. What did we add? HED Classic Aerobars, Ultegra cassette, KMC chain, Enduro Zero pulley wheels, Rotor SABB ceramic bottom bracket, KCNC stem, Selle SMP saddle, XLab SuperWing, Elite cages and Jagwire premium cables. The build was awesome and it came out great and at 17lbs...not bad...not bad at all. Now for the best part. The bike came in and I did a pre-fit. This is to double check the stem length choice and to cut down the aero bars to perfection and already she said it was felling better. After the build she came back for her Retul fitting. She has some pretty major back issues and the bike was designed for this purpose. We spent our time on the fitting and the bike was ready. Today she rode it for the first time. Post ride I got a text from her talking about how awesome the bike was and the compliments she got on it today. This is what I love to hear and why I do what I do. I can't wait to hear about her future rides on it...

La Vuelta de Acadiana- 2009 Stage Race

Chris Lowry second in the first stage to Matt Davis, current National AG champ.

Eric Attayi finishing first with Greg Bauer close behind...the pack is back there...way back!

Me on the front of the crit....that was FUN!

LOWDA on the podium after her crit win on stage 1.

Team work
Aimee giving Laura her feed. Aimee is the best team mate!!!

Well I attempted another stage race this year. This time building up a tt bike the week before the race...not the night before. The main draw was not even the race but the people going and staying all in the same house. In all it turned out to be a great weekend! For me it started off leaving the shop at 5:30pm to go home and pack and then pick up Joy and Jorge. Support crew/photography. Going out of state I was not sure if there would be a photographer and being the picture whore that I am I had to bring my own just in cases. So we made the hike into Louisiana and after missing the 1,2,3s and the woman's crit race that night we made it to the house about 11ish. Who needs sleep before a race at 8am. I found out the time of my race when we made it in. Yeah an 8am 60 mile race, then an afternoon 3.75mile time trial and a Sunday morning crit. OUCH! I was not the one taking this one serious. Thankfully I have racers who do. Highlight of the weekend...Laura Meichan aka LOWDA won the first stage which was the Friday night crit, second in the road race, second in the time trial (which put her 2nd into the final crit by 4 seconds) and then after winning back hot spot points on a solo break away and then winning the crit by drilling it out of the final turn and holding them all off for the win...LOWDA won GC!!! That had to be one of the most exciting races I have watched and most rewarding since it was one of my girls who won and yes...it was on a custom Guru! ha!
Next up...Eric Attayi won his first race as a Cat 3. Good for him you say? Yes...but this was no ordinary race. This was a SUPER FLAT 80 mile road race of which he was in a break for 60 miles. The pack brought the break back and with Eric rolling as the lone Shama in that race and since ruining GC chances with a wreck in the crit the night before...he offered to help a friend of ours who was going for GC...Chris Lowry of Sugar Cycles. Chris said for him and Greg to get to the front and lead it out in the last 5k. Eric and Greg got to the front and then began to ramp it up and line it out. Greg looked back and saw a huge gap...the pack did not react till it was too late and Greg and Eric rolled to the line with a 15 second gap. Eric and Greg were having a discussion of who would get it and Greg did not want to sprint against Eric aka The Juggernaut. Eric had won his first road race and as a Cat 3 and done it with some serious talent in the field. AMAZING! Greg Bauer (part time Shama wrench and Sugar racer) enjoyed a second place finish. From there Trey Copeland with Southern Elite finished the weekend as highest GC Cat 3. I happened to mention several people on Facebook but then got word from his wife that he felt left out when I forgot that info in my Facebook posts. HAHAHA So I am sure to list it here. ;-)
Next up...Chris Lowry...we were Cat4s together on the same team 4 years ago. Now...he is one of the more respected Cat2s in Texas and I am still a Cat 4....he takes racing WAY more seriously than me. Or maybe he is just fitter and faster than I am. Not likely but what ever!! ha So three weeks ago Chris came in with his road bike and tt bike. We hooked him up to the Retul and played with some cleat positioning and slight saddle adjustments. First test at a Memorial Park Crit his HR was lower for the same power. This weekend all of his training and hard work paid off with his first win in the final crit on Sunday. Brant Speed of Austin Flyers and a Herring Gas guy went off the front in about the first lap. They had 30seconds on the feild and disorganized attacks and efforts did not bring them back until Brant was reeled in on the final turn on the final lap. True Tour de France style. But I was routing for my Houston boyz no matter the team! Greg Bauer (team mate of Chris) attacked and drew out the studs on his wheel...Greg began to swerve all over the road trying to shake em and when he went left...Chris stayed right and drilled an open line right to the line. He held over 1000watts for 22 seconds for the WIN! His first win...yes FIRST! This made it all the more sweeter and everyone could not be happier for him!
Oh yeah...I raced too. Flat 60mile race...PERFECT! The pace was pretty easy and only got a little challenging at times so in lap 2 of 4 I started to get on the front and test the waters. I found my friends there with me (even though on other teams Houston/Texas boys were looking out) and was having a blast. From my last decent TT the weekend before I was thinking maybe I would get top 10 GC or something. We rolled into the 3rd loop and I heard the sound...the sound of a latex tube letting the air out of your tire. But it was cool...I have wheels in the wheel truck behind us and our pace was like 22 or something. I got my wheel and started chasing...actually I was not feeling that great after the stop and was hitting 24 to 25 for about 5 -6 miles getting with in 100 yards of the pack...and then I saw it happen...it went from a mob to a line...NOOOOOO!!!!!! It broke me...mentally...which for the next two loops broke me physically. There were times I road and felt I could not even do 16mph. I even stopped to stretch and have a talk with self while peeing on the side of the road. I made it in and finished so I could continue to the TT in the afternoon and the crit the next day. I was pretty bummed but what can ya do. I was riding my bike and that would just have to be good enough. I finished just in time to wait about 10 minutes to watch the 123s finish thier 80 mile race. Which was awesome cause I was able to watch Eric come through solo for the win for SHAMA! Ok....back to the house to eat and rest before going back to the TT. I was a little too relaxed about getting there and found myself slipping on my white shoe covers and new Lazer Tardiz tt helmet with 5 minutes before my start time. Who needs a warm up for a 3.75 mile tt??? (thumbs up and silly grin on face) This guy!
I get in line and I don't know the guy infront of me but he looked as serious as I looked and behind me was Todd Stamm, a friend of mine on my old team, so I quickly began to talk smack to him about how this is the last time he will see me till the finish. My time came and I quickly displayed my power by sprinting up to 30 miles per hour before sitting down and settling in to my aero bars. This lasted for maybe the first .75 miles. Then it began to hurt...bad! I had to back it down...shift...catch my breath and try to get the acid out of my legs that quickly reminded me they already gave me a 30 mile TT in the morning after my flat. I settled in again and found myself at 27 and was gaining on my 30 second man. AWESOME! I AM GOING TO KILL IT!!! I hit the line barely able to keep myself from throwing up the Raising Cane's chicken tenders I had for lunch. No sooner did I down shift and start to brake here comes Todd rolling up on me. That dude nearly caught me! Here I am feeling good about my TT and here comes this guy putting just under 30 seconds into me. No matter...I did the best I could and left everything out there. Time to party! We all seemed a bit more tired after that than the rr in the morning. Got back to the house and found the girls and Jorge drinking this wonderful frozen Daiquiri mix from a gallon jug that they got from a drive through. Yes, only in Louisiana!!!! We showered and 18 of us mobbed a nice eating establishment for dinner and good times. Probably one of the best parts of the weekend...just everyone cutting up and talking about the racing that morning as well as just about anything else. Post dinner...Sonics was calling my name and I had to get a Sonic Blast. Did I need it? No...but I enjoyed it none the less. Morning came...I got to the races in time to watch LOWDA attack for the hot spot points and then watch her sprint for the win! I was PUMPED! I saw my effort yesterday in the TT was good enough for 10th place. Had I not flatted I could be in my goal...a top ten. But I am not so what to do??? I notice my friend Todd is in first with the fastest TT. I talked to him and his team mates and said I am in for helping. I would rather see a friend keep his first GC win than try to race for myself since I am second to last in GC. I knew there were some strong teams there that would go for the hot spot and finish to take back time on him. The crit started and I waited a couple laps to warm up and feel the rhythm. Then I started having tons of fun. Attacking the other teams after they pulled, covering attacks and sitting in on them, and then I happened to be off the front when the hot spot lap bell rung. I was caught going into the last turn but then I just ramped it up even more giving it all I had to till the contenders came around me to sprint to the line...Blake (Houston boy sitting in 3rd) nipped 4th place on the line for the time bonus helping Todd keep his lead for now. That effort to the line was hard and I totally blew myself up and was expected to get dropped. As I barely turn the pedals over at 20mph I roll back into a tired group. I guess I did a good job to make everyone tired. So I recovered too and started attacking and driving the pace all over again. Finally I pulled out with two to go to watch the finish. I was done and did all I could do. The result of my sacrificed race??? Todd won GC overall and Blake Krause 3rd overall, so I was proud of that. Not to mention Jorge got some great pics of us all out there. Myself and others that raced could not have done it without the help and support of our team mates and loved ones out there. A special thanks to Aimee and her parents for letting us stay at their house and for Aimee, Joy and Lynn being the best hand up, pre and post race crew anyone could ever have. I drove home tired but happy with a great weekend of racing with great friends! Next year... I want revenge on that road race course!

2400 WATTS...can this bike handle it???

Sidero, the new Steel offering from Guru.

OH SO CLEAN!

Yes, that is one very high number. Yes there is a guy who can hit that and this is his new bike. A friend of mine came to me needing a bike that he can't break. After going through carbon bikes pretty easily and eventually some other steel frames he was just wanting someone to tell him that there is a bike that can hold him for more than a season of racing. Eric Attayi is about 6'3" and weighs about 260lbs. This kind of weight can test any frame, then add in someone who races and who LOVES to sprint and you have a problem...a big problem. Bent crank spindles, cracked bottom brackets, welds broken, carbon cracking...its not even fair to mention the brands since NONE of them usually test out to this kind of rider weight. With some power numbers in one hand and measurements in another I called up Robert at Guru and had a long talk with him about this customer and bike that needs to be built. After some back and forth we decided to go Steel. Guru had in some tubing and ordered some more for the diameter and wall thickness needed for the tubes on this bike. The welder there also used a process for welding used in titanium bikes to make sure the welds are that much stronger. Along with an AlphaQ GS-40 fork this became a pretty expensive frame build but still cheaper than a carbon bike. Two goals for this build, a bike made for crits, sprinting, and a perfect fit.
The bike came in and I did my usual pre fit and just loved how it was looking. Eric of course was too excited to weight and we built it up quickly. Campy Record parts graced this classic Steel frame. Along with a Thompsosn seat post, Deda Newton handlebars and Deda Zero 100 stem. We also used Jagwire cables in white, and white Lizard Skin bartape.
With the Easton wheels as shown here...17lbs 4oz. AMAZING!
The bike being built we put him up on the Retul and corrected a couple issues in his cleats and then fine tuned his position. The word from him after riding it for two weeks...he has never ridden such a nice bike and the fit and position is amazing. First race...I can't wait till he can get out and sprint!

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.

Riding Chappell Hill on Good Friday part 2

This is my daughter...taking pictures of herself through out the ride. Gotta love it!

My friend Steven was along for the ride as well...he rode tough on Saturday with us again.
Steve Quick and myself chillin behind the trailer...she took the picture and actually captured alot of great shots! Amazing what kids can do.
After 30+miles into the wind and hills, I could not go any more. Chris Lockwood took over...I think in a way he regretted it but at the same time loved the challenge and the pain. The last 13 miles in to the finish of Chappell Hill...well I not ashamed to say I am glad it wasn't me.

St.Patty's Day, teammates, and I need to blog more!

Well today is St. Patty's Day and in good fun of the day we like to enjoy ourselves a bit. In amongst quite a few bikes stacked up waiting for my touch I was able to stop and take time with a team mate and friend as she cleans her rig for some testing in Austin tomorrow by her coach David Wenger of Source Endurance. Laura Meicha, aka Lowda, is a former State Crit and Time Trial Champ as well as season points winner as she has moved her way up to a Cat 2 road racer.
While she might sound wicked fast and scarey to ride with for he pain she can cause you...mostly you will just get dropped while catching your breath...from laughing so hard. I have never met a woman racer with a lighter sense of humor when it comes to racing and riding.
So in keeping true to how we roll...she is at the shop cleaning her bike and the only thing in her work apron is a Shiner bottle. Gotta love it!
Happy St. Patrick's Dat to ya!

Lots of bikes to post and get caught up on, but by 1am when I get home, I am usually too tired to blog. They will come soon though.

The weekend. Rides and Races

The crew post race at some place in New Braunfels. Andrew's meal was wrong but none of us cared cause we were too hungry...he has great team mates! Our ritualistic Buc-ee's stop. Luling at 7:00 am. Two Rice Treats, 1 bag of Beaver Nuggets, 1 cinnamon roll, 1 gallon of water, 2 cookies, 1 apple lattice, 1 blueberry scone. ALL gone by 3pm.
Above is some friends on a ride Saturday morning, 60miles was not in my "pre race schedule" but whatever. Beautiful day with great friends.


What a weekend! Great longish ride on Saturday, great day at the shop with some business and race prep for the team. Relaxing evening. Then 4:00am wake up Sunday morning for a team trip to New Braunfels for a road race/races. Some of us raced twice...or started two races at least. We roll out of Houston at 5am 8 deep for some fun on the road. My first race and the majority of the guys as well, was the Cat4 race which was 45 miles. Not too cold and 80 guys starting. I have been rolling ok lately and wanted to see how I really was doing, plus its my first race in the Shama Cycles kit on a brand new custom Guru Geneo tricked out to the max with Edge rims. Just a totally nuts bike that got lots of looks. So the pressure was on to do something. If nothing else....a REALLY good photo!!! haha No seriously...
4miles into the race two guys jump off the front into the wind. The field does not react and I am in the back looking at this and realizing on these crappy roads and wind the back is NOT the place to hide. So I jump around the field bridge up to the two guys infront. A three man break. We roll for two miles and hit the last hill that is kinda steep and with a photographer at the top. Time to suck it up and pull out my Zoolander "Blue Steel" pose. With that done I am feeling pretty good. The other two guys start fading and the pack is closing. I look back and here comes two guys charging up and as they get to me I see my friend Andrew Ennis from Team Bikesport. Excited (cause this little Scottsman is strong) to see my friend I jump on with the two and the break of three is rolling again. The wind was brutal and the road surface made a carbon bike worthless. I lasted with these two guys for about 20 miles before I kinda blew up and fell back to the chase group. The Guru was floating flawlessly, just those two sub 150lbs guys hit those hills like I can't...which broke me down. So I am back in and not a minute later I seem to have recovered and on the front of that group taking turns with some team mates and others chasing down the two who I just couldn't stay with. Not that I was bitter or anything. LOL Just racing.
We caught them and then it was on again. More work in to the wind and just plain pain. In that last lap I lost the lead group and fell back to a chase group. Thankfully my team mates stuck up in the lead group. I pushed myself pretty hard and realized how far I can go. It was awesome to have this kinda day. Oh wait...then I had to finish and reload and get re pinned for the second race. To keep it short....everything hurt from the first one and I only completed one 15mile lap. Still happy with my performance and test in the first race. I sat in to watch the finish of my team mates in that race and the Cat3 race that was going on. Very happy overall. Now, then I left New Braunfels and made a trip into Austin...to Kirklee. My frame was finished and ready to be picked up. Wow...just beautiful! Better than I would have thought! I can't believe it. Its 1400grams with the headset, fork and Seat clamp. I just can't wait to build it and more importantly ride it. Now I am tired and time to retire for the night. Or at least log off for now.
I would like to thank my team mates who raced today.
Andrew Strong, Trent Stephens, John Cascio, Jason VanLoo, Jose Caballero, Ahmed King, and Jeff Gardner.
Your support for me and Shama Cycles is humbling and very appreciated.

First ride, and some Shama marathon watching and placing.

Watching the marathon finish...that guy makes it look too easy!

Ok you might not be able to tell in this pic but Richard came over to ride his bike with unshaved legs. This detail almost killed me riding with him...but I let it slide this time. ;-)

Sunday morning...after working some seriously crazy hours the past week and actually loving it...Richard Amaya pulls up to my house for a morning ride. First ride on his new Guru Crono and second ride for me on my new Guru Geneo. Not only are we both on Gurus, but mine is red/white and his is red/black...and we both were rolling the new Garmin computers hooked up to our Quarq Power meters. I must say we were rolling pretty tough. We left the house and headed towards downtown to watch the marathon for a little bit. Besides, Shama Cycles had some tri team members out there racing and I wanted to yell at them...to HTFU! haha
Richard kept wanting to take off and after my last "first ride" with Euan, I wanted to take it easy. I was not in the mood for a hammer fest and I know Rich was itchin to open up that bike. The streets were clear for the marathon and we were able to cruise on down to the finish line with ease. Seeing everyone racing and cheering and supporting was great! At the end of the day, Trent Stephens helped pace Andrew Strong to 3rd place in his AG in the half with Brett Cole right behind him for 4th...then back in 14th place but only 6min behind was Walt Yarrow. Good on guys! Then there were plenty of other FOPs out there who had great races and maybe some with not so great races. We all have those days and hearing the post race stories was great! Its good to feel the race buzz again.
Basically we had a pretty easy ride...me falling in love with my Geneo and him his Crono. We both were all smiles on our rockets and can't wait for another great day to put them through the paces. It was a blast and a fun ride having some self admiration on the bike.

Brett Cole's baby

After lunch I had to run home and grab a box that was delivered there by mistake and come on back, and on my way back I get a call from Brett Cole who is waiting at the shop with the UPS guy asking if he can sign for the packages so the UPS guy can go and he can check out his rig. I roll up to the shop and there is Brett with some boxes that he should have ran with...but fortunately for me his bike is worth more than my goodies that showed up today. ;-)

This is the first time I have seen the Platinum and Black together and its stunning. While I fight with the colors and exact components on my own bike I look at this and the parts we are going to build it up with and am just amazed (and a bit jealous) with how good this is going to come out. In the sun light its just....WOW. I can't wait to hit this one up next week. Tuesday will be a pre fitting to know where to cut the steerer tube and the aero bars and make sure everything is on track so when its built its just some minor tweaks. We are using a Syntace carbon base bar and Vision Tech R bend carbon aero bars...so there is little room for adjustments after the build. Measure twice and cut once. ;-)

On to the rest...Richard Amaya is pickin up his Crono in a little bit and I have to finish the Quarq install...which is like the EASIEST install ever! Love these things!

A tale of 4 Gurus...

Richard C holding up his own personal dream machine...
I think I heard angels sing when I opened each box...

So today started off as a good day as any day should when your job is to work on pimp bikes and ride a little too. But be careful what you ask for. I sold quite a few bikes in November. One already came in, then another is coming...but today I received 3 Guru Cronos and 1 Geneo. Mind you its Thursday and I have three clients who have been "patiently" waiting for these rigs to come in. THANK GOD these are triathletes and two of them are racing the Houston Marathon this weekend. Now I only have to build one by tomorrow night...as well as my own...the Geneo is for me! The first one in the rack is for Richard Amaya and he is lucky I like him otherwise my bike would be in the rack right now. ;-)
Richard C. was so pumped about his bike coming in he took time off from work to run down and look at his frame and drool a little. Cool little deal on his bike...the frame is White and Orion (silver) and we were able to find a white headset cap and white spacers to match up to his white Ritchey stem. The pics of this and more on his bike should be pretty awesome!
Still with all I do...I looked at these four gorgeous frames and parts laying in these boxes and felt like a dog who discovered his tail for the first time. I was looking at each frame and parts and just wondering what to do first and how cool this one would look with this and got pretty excited.
I might be here well past midnight tonight and the same tomorrow night...but with having to call this "work" I can't really complain.
And as usual...each bike will get a post on here as it gets built.
Build time....

Agilis upgrade on a Merus

This past summer Walt Yarrow scored his AgeGroup crusher, the Guru Merus. We have tweaked things here and there, but today we just did a nice one. A swap from Ultegra crank arms to Rotor Agilis Crank arms. We had already installed the SABB ceramic bottom bracket and Qrings previously. We are just trying to get that Johnny Cash look on this one I think. I pulled out the scale for kicks for a before and after...and it dropped over half a pound just from the crank swap. The Agilis are very light yet very stiff crank arms. The guy is well over 6ft and to have this large of a Ti rig hitting under 20lbs with training wheels is pretty sweet.

Just a fun Sunday evening with some friends at Shama Cycles

Look for this Crono build coming soon.

A closer shot...notice the Pink frame on the floor...look small? It is for a woman under 5ft.

A Geneo I sold in my previous life before Shama Cycles. Less than a year old and we think its time for an update... You think its nice now...just wait till you see what we got planned...

(All that I could fit in my camera phone...All Gurus, Zipp, Fulcrum, or Edge wheels. The heaviest bike here...17.3lbs)

So far everyday has been a fun day and I am totally spoiled with being surrounded by just fine bikes all the time. Machines that 4 years ago I was only dreaming about seeing on the road, let alone owning, working on, and selling. I have not forgotten where I have come from and how I got here. That is why sometimes I look around me and just say "wow" and I get all excited like that first time I saw the dream bike section of a magazine or looked at the Tour Edition where they show the bike for each team.
Tonight we had a road race team meeting and I had some bikes here and put them out to show off the latest and to talk upgrades for everyone that is looking at upgrading. Plus it was an excuse to eat and drink with some friends. First year just opening I have 18 men and women flying the colors at Texas road races this season and the best part is I am friends with each of them so its easy to support and sponsor them all cause I would want to anyway. I love it!
So at the end after some empty pizza boxes and a trash can full of empty glass bottles (Helen and Aimee are "trailer" and took their wine back home) I had to take a shot of some of the rigs. Man I can't wait to get the rest of the bikes in for the Grand Opening party. More on that in February. ;-)