WHAT'S NEW
Comments - I Bought A Footache
March 05, 2010
Brendan - another thing you might appreciate about Bobbie Traksel is that he once yelled at me in the peloton at the Tour de l'Abitibi for smudging his shoe with my front tire.
- Josh, Oakland, CA
March 04, 2010
Ditto Chris' comment. Why would anyone make a shoe that forces you to make an adjustment to make it "normal"? Plus, IMHO they're not really all that sexy to look at...
- E, SC
March 03, 2010
"It's a petty game that disregards the necessary building blocks for long-term business health & equally disregards the convenience and expectations of the bike-buying public.'
In other words, it's the same way Trek and Specialized have been doing business for the past 20 years.
- Cinghiale, JHole, Wyo.
March 03, 2010
@Chris, mpls - Specialized makes a shim that removes the varus cant and neutralizes the shoe. It's 1.5mm thick and goes under your footbed - very unobtrusive and perfect for folks who don't need varus wedging.
- Cru Doggy Dogg, Jonesboro, AR
March 02, 2010
Hemanth, Madison, WI...I too was a Carnac wearer for years and years but new ones were very hard to come by and the one pair I did try were lame. I've tested Sidi Ergo 2 vs Specialized and now own some S-Works Specialized with the boa lacing. Light, snug, not too expensive. These are excellent shoes so throw those blown out Carnacs out. I didn't like the insoles but now I dig them, The insoles provide nice cushion and large toe-box is roomy for the toes. Check 'em out.
- John, Haiku, Hi
March 02, 2010
Yeah, Traksel Rules x 3. He won the bike race, it does not matter how or what speed. By the way, how many pro bike races have you won?... That is what I was thinking....
Tough guy.
- Tuffy, Kabul
March 02, 2010
Go to a seamstress that makes custom drapes. They do velcro all the time, and have to make it look good. There's no reason they can't make your shoe straps good as new.
- Eric, Chapel Hill
March 02, 2010
A young player in the road bike market is Franco Bicycles. Franco is exclusively direct-to-consumer, similar to Canyon in Europe. PRO Tour quality frames and parts spec at prices Cannondale, Giant, Specialized and Trek dealers cannot match. My Franco Balcom will arrive soon.
- N.James, Thousand Oaks, CA
March 02, 2010
RE: "The fine print makes it clear that this is indeed Felt's inaugural journey into allowing online sales for their bikes: "It's our first priority to make sure that you get the bike that you want, one that you can grab and go with minor assembly at home….It's our goal to have your bike built and shipped to your door 7-8 days after you place your order." Now that Felt has dipped their toe into the dark side, we wonder who'll be next?"
Um...it isn't Felt selling bikes online. It's the team they sponsor. One has nothing to do with the other and should not be confused as such.
- Theo, Miami
March 02, 2010
As a business that has successfully pioneered online sales, it's very understandable that Competitive Cyclist would advocate the move to online distribution of retail bikes. While customers benefit from convenience and by saving money, there are some drawbacks. First, while CC has excellent customer service, it can't compare to the experience of getting personal attention at a good local bike shop. You can't get the experience of a professional bike fitter online. Having gone to a pro fitter last year, I found that this tremendously improved my biking experience by getting rid of all of the aches and pains I was having on the bike. All of the information on bike fit available online can't match the experience of a pro fitter. Last point, for someone who often writes about being nostalgic, it's ironic that CC would promote getting away from going to your local bike shop and experiencing the sensory thrill of looking at all of the different brands of bikes in person and getting personal attention from a good salesman.
- Charles, New York
March 02, 2010
As long as Specialized's shoes come with a canted sole, they're a no-go. Removable insoles and shims are one thing, not giving the customer any say in the tilt of their foot over the pedals is another.
- chris, mpls
March 02, 2010
I wish for replacement for my aging Carnac LeMonds.... yup they're still kicking on my feet. Heavy as hell, but the sole and kangaroo leather toe are the only parts that show noticeable wear. They also have a magical toebox just right for my E-sized foot. I'll nurse them to my grave, god willing.
Your Longines is a beauty! From the photo, I'm guessing it is a 1950's era hand wound watch. It might be 9k gold, and the band is not likely original. The applied hour markers, hands and dial are in great shape. Does it run and keep time? Vintage watched should never be considered waterproof unless otherwise proven. Brand new, your Longines likely could stand up to a little sweat, but not a good dunking. I would NOT wear it while riding. The issue may be service. Like bicycles, it needs regular service to run well. It may or may have had a good cleaning and re-lubing of parts. You'll need to find a good "old school" jeweler / watch shop. Stay away from the clowns in the shopping mall. Alternatively, there are on-line places that will provide top notch service on vintage watches. Vintage watches are my other passion beside steel Eddy Merckx frames.
- Hemanth, Madison, WI
March 02, 2010
Ahh, the end of an era. Sorry to hear about the botched repair on your R7's. But I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness - I replaced my full custom Rocket 7's (complete with my misspelled last name on the heel) with a pair of 2010 S-works and I will never look back. To top it off, the S-Works shoes are actually lighter than the Rockets. Give me your size and I'll send you a pair. :)
- Cru Doggy Dogg, Jonesboro, AR
March 02, 2010
Give the watch to a favored heir someday but throw out the shoes.
- Chris , Champaign
March 01, 2010
Traksel rules? not exactly a bold finish when the last 5k look under 30kmph and he's following wheels the whole way.
am totally down with the 2010 'whatevever' program. Only read this blog as part of bike pr0n fetish/disease...really who was money for new crabon? Replacing worn out 7800 shifters was the big upgrade of the year. Maybe tires and a chain.
- mrg, sf
March 01, 2010
@Bill -- I seem to recall reading about how Flecha grew up on a street on Buenos Aires -- and that the street was paved with cobblestones.
- Nate, Berkeley
March 01, 2010
I was in the market for a new pair of shoes last year, and had made up my mind that "whatever shoe I like the best will be the one I buy...not matter the cost." I tried on some Sidi Ergo2's and was impressed. Much better than Shimano's best shoe. But when I tried on the Specialized S-Works, I was instantly sold! Plus...they were $200 cheaper than SIDI's. They fit GREAT! And the white shoe -when worn with tall WHITE Defeet socks- is a smooooth look. (Last year was my WHITE-obsession year!) If specialized keeps upping their game like that have with the S-works line, SIDI's in for a rough ride!
- Scott, Sparta, TN
March 01, 2010
For Olympic coverage - I turned to the on-line HD content from the NBC web site. I could not stand watching the live coverage for more than an hour one evening. I had to get over knowing the result first (by the time I watched it on line) but they offer highlights and FULL video coverage of events without commercials (save a 30 second spot at the beginning). I have watched stages 15-17 of the '06 TDF roughly every week for the last two months and I keep coming back for more. Entertainment is entertainment - live or delayed.
- Bruce, Acton, MA
March 01, 2010
Re: Lance's legs. I recently re-read Roleur Issue Three. On Page 8, it shows a myriad of riders legs getting ready for The 1985 Tour. None of them look like Lance's. Just saying.
- Cato, Miami
March 01, 2010
Traksel rules!
- Jim, Troy ny
March 01, 2010
On a Monday where every Canadian is hung over with a puck-drunk celebratory post-Olympic haze, I have to say that your Olympic experience could be much better if you had any other coverage than NBC. I was in Phoenix for the last week, stuck watching Costas et al do their thing (tape delay, nationalistic, sugary) and all I could think was how good our Canadian network CTV was at delivering solid coverage with little sap or bias. FWIW, they had great streaming content on their website at ctv.ca but I am guessing an IP masking might be required. The best moment of the Belgian weekend was when Jeremy Hunt cracked in KBK and had to be scooped up by the Shimano neutral car. How bad it must have been to go from a top-5 spot to throwing in the towel with 30 km to go? Great ride by weather specialist Dom Rollin (think ToC 2008), but I'm showing my nationalistic pride here!
- EKH, YVR, CANADA
March 01, 2010
I've been nothing but happy with my Rocket 7s for the 6+ years I've had them. Only the walk strips are worn off in the toe & heal and one carbon heal was worn down by my outrigger save attempt in a crash. I feel I got a great deal with their old semi-custom option with the custom foot beds but stock uppers. Hey and wasn't Flecha born in Argentina?
- Bill, Manhattan Beach, CA
March 01, 2010
100% with on 2010 being the year to scale it back big time. Screw this calorie counting, power tap reading, carbon buying stuff. I just outfitted an old dale caad 8 and love the thing and after a long winter ride I had a hot dog. Screw it, 2010 is time for some changes.
- tom, DC
March 01, 2010
Ummm... You *DO* know that Trek and Cannondale and Specialized all sell EVERYTHING they have (apparel, shoes, accessories, etc.) except for bikes through their own websites and have for a few years now, right? I realize that the bikes are kind of important, but to claim that they have no direct-to-consumer sales strategy doesn't hold water.
- Chris, LRAR
March 01, 2010
The past year has been my year of the shoe obsession. 5 pairs over the year with none fitting perfectly. Sidi - Shimano - DMT - Northwave (x2) - Specialized. I must admit the Specialized are every bit as supple and sock like as the Sidi's, at a fraction of price at that.
- Patrick, San Diego, CA
March 01, 2010
I too had a pair of Rocket 7's. While the fit was great, the quality, materials and craftsmanship was sub-par. I had to have mine repaired several times after Rocket 7 failed to return multiple requests for a repair (before they went under). There is NO stock shoe made by anyone (sidi, specialized, etc) that will fit my foot properly. Luckily, now I'm on D2's (www.d2shoe.com). It's a Colorado company that supports many of the Garmin riders in addition to several domestic pros. They have great quality materials, great workmanship, good customer service and I got mine in a few weeks! If you want handmade quality with years of experience, check them out!
- Garrett, Denver
March 01, 2010
Other (recent) Spanish winners in Belgium:
La Flèche Wallonne - Igor Astarloa
Freire with Ghent-Wevelgem and Brabantse Pijl three times in a row.
None, however, were as great as Flecha's 25K solo to the line.
Great watch.
- Adam , Hamilton
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Flickr
RSS
