Another very small time trial bike!

Prepping the frame for build is common place in these builds. Care is always taken with each component to ensure a perfect work or rolling art!

Yes, those are purple chain ring bolts there holding that Aero QRing onto the 165 Ultegra SL crank arm spinning on a Rotor SABB ceramic bottom bracket.

HED Classic aero bars, Nokon cables, Sram Force brakes.

Just a nice clean shot of where she will be spending her time...in the aero bars.

Just a nice shot race ready. Let the fun begin!

Special care is always taken with each bike to make sure each custom frame that comes in for each client is done perfectly...unlike bikes found at your big box stores. This is always the obvious case when you have a customer who is just too tall or too short to fit anything out there any kind of way. I often find myself taking care of the women out there who have battled their bikes and their love to ride with a hatred for their bike and how bad it hurts to ride. Custom frames to the rescue...
This Guru Merus actually weighs less with the 1380 gram Velocity training wheels on it than the Zipps. Though at speed the Zipps have that aero advantage. What does it weigh with the race wheels??? 15lbs 10oz

First real attempt at a shop ride...fun day

Rolling along on a beautiful morning. All I see in this picture is the white bibshorts...so Euro Cool!!!!

Jess, Wilmer, Kristen, Chris.
It was Chris's birthday that day...so at the Shell station 44 sweaty, smooth legged, Lycra clad men serenaded him with a song. There were 6 girls there too...

Above
Its a tough job but someone has to do it.
And YES those are white bib shorts Helen is wearing....quit possibly the single hottest pair of shorts I have EVER seen.
Below
The roll out...just a little late...

With the help of my friend Chris Lockwood putting out emails and a great map. Shama Cycles had its first real organized ride from the shop. Open to all...even triathletes and their tri bikes. We did the Lake Houston route and rolled out about 40 strong at 7am. More joined us along the way creeping our number to 50. The group stayed together pretty well and the pace was rather quick for our normal group ride. In all a great ride...that was followed up by Le Tour playing on the TV and food and drinks out for some post ride recovery. A very fun day and I can't wait to do it again. Look for weekly postings on rides to come soon.

NYC Triathlon race report

Great shot of an awesome bike and a great fit. Nothing....NOTHING beats custom. Proof is in the results.

Chip time...2:13:08 good enough for 6th in his AG 77th overall out of over 2000 racers.

Ripped and out of the water.

below
Notice the proper post race finishers shot. Shama Cycles tech t and Coach Trent.com hat.
Well done Rich...well done...

With the customer base I am building I am getting race reports from races each weekend it seems and pics to go with sometimes. Its always great to get and love hearing about my athletes having great race days. This one is a great one. Just started racing two years ago, took a year off, came back this year on a Guru Crono and with a vengeance! Thanks Rich for the report and congrats on the great day you had....

Philip,

Thanks for all your help in getting me prepared for the NYC Tri. First of all, your advice to use the HED Jet 6 C2s was right on. They climbed awesome and handled really well in the cross wind even though the roads were nasty wet. Dropping my position by cutting the steerer tube and narrowing the aero bars felt great. On several of the steep descents I caught some nice rest tucking and getting super aero. The guys that I kept trading position with on the ride must have been really confused as I passed them without even peddling...them cranking away in their big ring. When I got off the bike, my legs felt great allowing me to hold a 6:42 pace for 10K. I came in with a PR of 2:13:08; a 7 minute improvement from CapTex earlier this year!

Thanks again man,

Rich

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!

OnURLeft Duathlon

Above, the new Guru Crono which did me right today.
Below, Maite updating her FB status. Jorge pointing at the window treatments. Greg pondering taking up competitive bowling after I SPANKED him on the bike. haha

Time to start catching up on the blog. I am being harassed for letting nearly a month go since my last update. Lots going on. But no excuses right???
Today was a sprint duathlon, the Onurleft Duathlon. Not a bad race for the first one. I hope it grows and gets bigger for next year. The first hard part about this race was the start time. 6:45am. OMG! Are you serious? But in light of our triple digit temperatures lately actually a really good call. Ok, to the race. I have not been riding and just this past week built up a tt bike. I hadn't ridden a tt bike since Feb or March. But with a stage race next weekend I figured it might be good to get on it a couple times before the race. So I put in a huge training week finished off with pulling Dacree 55 miles yesterday just to finish me off properly. So this morning as tired as can be and with some very sore legs I made my way to the race. The only thing that made me look like I was ready was my bike. Pretty sick if I do say so myself. I got to the race a little later than planned but still enough time to get my number, bike racked, and pee before the start. Yeah, but my only warm up was the run to and from the bathroom. Had I ran any more I am afraid I would not have been able to finish the race since I have not been running except this week. haha
I am not alone at this race. I am joined by some of my faithful (better trained and race ready) Shama Tri team members and friends. The most fun is the trash talk amongst friends. I spend my time saying hi to everyone trying to keep my mind off of the pain to come. The gun goes off and I start to run. Trying to keep my friends in sight but its not easy. I keep in my mind the advice that Coach Trent gave me...run super slow on the first run, bleed on the bike and hobble in the second run. YEAH RIGHT! But that is about what I did. I cruised the first run. Got to the bike and had a hard time getting past 24 at first. But then by mile two I warmed up and started cruising. I starting passing people and picking off friends and competition. I started seeing 27 and knew not to kill myself past that or I would be stopping. Slowed down, had to drink, but found a good carrot, a fellow road racer ahead and the pain began. It took me nearly 7 miles to make the catch but it was worth it. I was not passed by anyone, the first for me in a du. Also the first time for me to ride a custom (for me) tt bike. Guru Crono. Smooth and fast. Not sure of my tt split I rolled into T2 tired and not knowing how I am going to run two more miles. I am not sure of my first half mile but it could not be pretty. I wanted to stop but I kept going. I got to a turn and some one was calling out a count of runners ahead. After being passed by 7 people before that I heard 26 ahead. WOW had I passed that many on the run? I kept it up. I wanted to come in top 50 at least. (200 racers) So I tried hard and kept a decent pace. My legs were screaming!!!! I was tired and wanted to sleep. I couldn't even keep count of those that passed me. Amazingly the finish line came up on me quickly and I came through the finish. I don't remember much of what I was thinking other than try not to suck too badly. LOL I was happy to be done saw most of The Shama Racers already done. Which is where they should be. ;-) But we still had a couple on course to cheer on!!!! As soon as we were all in...FOOD! We started making plans of where to eat. We packed our bikes and on the way out we saw the results being posted. I rushed over and low and behold I was 2nd in my AG and had the 2nd fastest bike split of the race!!!! (official web results show me knocked down one spot in each. But no worries I still got some bragging rights and with a bike split like that I could not have been happier. I was more surprised than anything. I have not had this good of a split at a race yet. I just might have to keep running and do some more of these....maybe even swim a little and dare I say do another triathlon...

The goods! Shama Team and FOPs

Kristen A 2nd in AG
Jenny H 4 in AG
Laura M 1st in AG (fastest female bike split)
Anne F 7th in AG
Dave D Masters Overall
ME 3rd in AG
Jorge M 4th in AG
Jeremy Rowe 2nd in AG
Greg B 4th in AG (I beat him on the bike!!!!! haha)
Brett Cole 1st in AG
Greg C 4th in AG
Andy A 5th in AG
Nigel W 3rd in AG

CONGRATS TO ALL on a great day of racing.

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!

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!!!!

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)

Walt's second GURU, Geneo and the Retul Fitting

A big bike...17lbs for this rig with training wheels. Pretty amazing for a bike that holds a guy that is 6'3".
Deda Zero Service Corsa stem, Deda Supernatural bars, Nokon cables, TRP 960SL brakes,
Sram Red shifters front and rear D. Agilis Cranks, Qrings, and SABB ceramic bb.


Walt is a big guy and a strong cyclist...but a triathlete at heart. So of course his first bike that he got from me was a Guru Merus. Since we have made some upgrades on it and he has had faster bikes and runs ever since racing on the Merus. With his love of the bike its only natural that he would want to ride more and enjoy riding a road position as much as the tri. His old road bike begins with a C and ends with an O. So this is easy.
Since he is a triathlete and we know his tri position from his first tri bike, we took that data and turned it into road measurements, complimentary to his tri position but still being able to handle well like a road bike and even do his first crit race in 3 weekends. Thus we have the Guru Geneo, super light, razor sharp handling, accelerates like you have a NOS system. We picked the parts, did a pre fitting, and finished the build. Today we did the Retul fitting and he got to spin it out in the back of the shop. When it comes to fitting bikes, there have been times I have spent hours with people trying to find the right mix of close to how they should fit the bike with out compromising too much handling or stability. But with a custom bike, a bike where each tube length is made to fit your anatomy perfectly and the stem, handlebar, crank, seatpost, saddle are all selected ahead of time to match into that perfect fitting...well then my job becomes WAY easy in this case. Almost too easy. From the prefitting we did, we moved the saddle up and forward a little once we had the Retul hooked up to compliment his tri position. Another ride outside in the back and he was home. He loved it and I loved seeing the look on his face as he made run after run back and forth. The first big ride is this Saturday as he does the Shiner Ride, 1oo miles ending at the Shiner Brewery for lots of beer and a live concert. While I am not a guy who really drinks, I know plenty of cyclists who do and this is a HUGE ride for most of them. hahaha Gotta love bikes and the calories they help us burn.