WHAT'S NEW
Comments - Overwhelmed By A Sense Of Owning The Road
March 12, 2012
we're all getting the can anyways
- Neal Rogers, Writer
March 12, 2012
Re: Marty Jemison
What a story to tell, and the photo to back it up.
- Big Mikey, freakin' Canada
March 12, 2012
awesome Lemond@Roubaix shot. Man do i ever miss Euro Coca-Cola. So much better and more satisfying than our version. Mr. Rogers/doppleganger = biting the hand that feeds you. Big S = great bikes, shitty corporate attitude. all you need to know about the new Red? It ain't electronic and it still ain't Campy or Shimano. Leave it for the weight weenies.
- nacho libre, sans-cashville
March 09, 2012
Oh yeah, almost forgot: if my talent, experience and knowledge were more developed, and if I wasn't afraid of being seen - erroneously - as a guy who jumped off the front every chance he got, I'd covet a Pinarello or Wilier in a heartbeat. Alas ...
- Rick, Collegeville, PA
March 09, 2012
Well, these comments seem to have veered away from the new SRAM Red focus, and in doing so touched on some areas lodged at the front of my own mind.
Specialized and "big box" brands: I'm on my second Specialized ('12 Roubaix SL3 Expert) Cutting past the Whys and Wherefores, two things really impress me about them vs. the stereotypical grind-'em-out, lowest-bidder-wins big box brands in any industry: Specialized helmets are the only Snell-certified ones I know of. And having high-speed motorcycle racetrack experience, Snell's safety standards are the ONLY ones I take seriously. (Ask Specialized's Chris D'Alusio; he came from there.) Secondly, their "Body Geometry" shoes put my ravaged knees at the perfect pain-free angle to keep going and going without pain. To my mind, both of those point to a big company with a different mindset. Do I think Specialized is flawless? Not at all. They can indeed chisel corners in some of the most aggravatingly minor ways and places, the kind that make you wonder what they were thinking. So, while there are indeed aggravating dichotomies afoot in Morgan Hill, every day I look forward to getting on mine and heading to the places where big grins live.
Internet retailing? There are many very, very good reasons why companies like Specialized won't do Internet--but Competitive Cyclist is NOT one of them! Fact is, if most Web retailers were like CC - instead of only a tiny fraction of them - my experience tells me few mfrs would have No-Internet-Sales policies!
That's all. Except, yeah, Jered Gruber is an excellent shooter, and not a half-bad writer either, which "peloton" readers know full well.
- Rick, Collegeville, PA
March 08, 2012
Just sold my allez epic and it is still being ridden today, not all of them are broken!
- Mike, Redding
March 08, 2012
Two examples of diver's watches. I love'em but do cyclist's really need'em?
- Rick , Memphis
March 07, 2012
Another lugged CF Epic still being ridden here too, although it is an Epic Comp with painted lugs, which I believe means it was a later bike than the one in the picture (it was given to me about a year ago, so I'm not sure exactly how old it is). It also has Specialized handlebars that were a copy of the Scott bars LeMond used for that turn back into the head tube at the bottom of the drops. It is heavy by today's standards, but it still rides fine. It will be put out to pasture soon as I intend to replace it with something made this century in the near future.
- Eric, Stockton CA
March 07, 2012
Did Neal Rogers really leave a douchey comment on the blog of one of his employer's biggest advertisers?
- Todd, Los Angeles
March 07, 2012
What happens when one of the guys on the rollers wants to stop?
- Brian, Citrus Heights, CA
March 07, 2012
dura ace watch. do want!
- marc, seattle
March 07, 2012
I would like to put your team's 2XU compression tights to the test...after I fondo. I think they will have a slimming effect
- Jan Ullrich, Der Kaiser
March 07, 2012
I have both watches. If I ever sell will send you an email.
- Steve, NY
March 07, 2012
threw up a little bit in my mouth with watch rec
- joe, cycling usa, co
March 07, 2012
Yes, what about the RED?????
- Eric, Brooklyn
March 07, 2012
Paco is the Greatest of all time
- Francisco Mancebo, Domestic Pro
March 07, 2012
Neal Rogers sounds like a douche to me as well. If someone followed me around making balck and white judgements about a grey period 15 years ago I'd want to punch them too. They guy's selling bikes not getting the Nobel Peace Prize, and his recent piece on the spring classics was more insightful than anything I've read recently on VeloNews. Coulnd't agree more on the big S. Great bikes, but I want something different.
- adam, Hamilton
March 07, 2012
A friend spent a zillion dollars on a Specialized SomethingOrOther road bike. They put their name on everything and it makes it look like the buyer just doesn't want to think, to choose component by component, which is much of the fun to me. It has Specialized crank and stem and bars and saddle and tires and wheels and cages and even the freakin seat bag---- yik. And this off-the-rack thing was no cheaper than doing it yourself. Again, Yik. I just don't get it.
- Lance (really), Millburn, NJ
March 07, 2012
The Pantani/Jemison photo only reminds me how much I missed seeing Marco slugging it out with the peloton stars on steep climbs during the TDF.
- Leonard, Perry, GA
March 07, 2012
I have purchased and owned five Specialized bikes. I currently own/ride a 2009 Specialized Roubaix Expert and a 2009 Specialized Tarmac Expert. I continue to own and ride these machines because I think Specialized has led the way in the carbon fiber frame and relaxed ride technologies and because my local Specialized dealer takes trades. None of the other bike shops where I live are willing to do that. I like to periodically try and buy new bikes and trading my old bike in on a new model is an easier way for me to to business than trying to sell my old bikes outright on Craig's List, Road Bike Review or in the local classifieds section.
- Jeff, Little Rock
March 07, 2012
You make a fair point about the Instagram shots. The problem is entirely related to my training, but with that said, if I were just riding around for fun, I'd have a hard time riding around with my big camera. It's just not fun. I'll do it when I have to, but only then. When looking at the two track pics, I think the difference between phone shots and 'real' shots becomes apparent. For me, Instagram is about a nice feeling. It's not about greatness or super awesome, they're just good, a snapshot that would otherwise not be shared. Those shots are what I see when I ride or when I walk around town. It has become my lazy person's journal. The Instagram shots also serve a creative purpose for me - they're my scouting and thinking about the pictures I'll take in the days, weeks, and months to come. I take them, because I honestly just love to share. I feel like we have such a great opportunity this year, and a lot of it has to do with the ground swell we've gotten from everyone, including Competitive Cyclist - I feel like sharing is part of continuing that. And finally, it's just fun. I love taking pictures. I don't care what the medium is. :)
- Jered, Athens, GA
March 07, 2012
I have one of those original Specialized Allez Epics, bought new in 1990. I'm still riding it today (but thinking of selling to clear out the basement). It's never failed, but is 'squirrely' to say that least. I also have one of those Tag Heuer F1s laying around as well, but broken! Funny, those vintage watches are worth as much or more on Ebay than my Allez.
- Paul, Moscow
March 07, 2012
I had two R3 SL's before I got my current SL3. Ther eis no comparrison between the two when it come to descending. The Cervelo's were good, but the SL3 is so much better it's in a different stratosphere, and it was immediately noticable on the very first descent. It felt like a high end sports car, where the faster you went, the better it felt until you got the the stage where you weren't game enough for that game of chicken.
- muz, Auckland
March 07, 2012
I'm with Michael from Edina. Neal Rogers, what's your point? Or was that just a plug to get traffic back to your article?
Jemison v Steffen dual has nothing to do with Jemison's knowledge of cycling, great cycling tours, and being a great addition to Competitive Cyclist. Marty is actually very much a gentleman every time I have met and been around him.
- Brad, Centerville, UT
March 07, 2012
paying homage to the track gods
- dee, madison, wisconsin
March 07, 2012
Those old Tag Heuer Formula One's, while cool looking, are fairly inexpensive. They're all plastic -- kinda cheap feeling. You can get one for $200 or so.
- Nathaniel, Cambridge
March 07, 2012
The "Badger" punched a dude and he was a hero for it. Lance and Contador both have punched random fans with fake syringes etc in the Tour de France. Punching a dude for spreading rumors about you has been the way men do things forever. Who cares.
- Putupyourdukes, Bronx NY
March 07, 2012
And for that Neal Rogers, Mr Jemison shouldn't be allowed to sell bikes over the internet? I mean what's your point?
- Michael McNutt, Edina
March 06, 2012
Thanks for the fair assessment of Specialized which shows journalistic integrity. A lot of your customers ride them and it's good to stay on their side. It's not just vanity, but also knowing that there's a solvent company standing behind the product and warranty for the life of the frame.
- Neil, Washington, DC
March 05, 2012
Keirin in cotton T-shirts???
- WV Cycling, Buckhannon
March 05, 2012
BQ, if you liked the SL3 you would love the SL4. If you were as short as me I'd let you take mine for a spin!
- Your fave Specialized dealer, Jonesboro, AR
March 05, 2012
lest we forget:
Fast forward to stage 3 of the 2008 Tour of Utah — the first time Jemison, a Utah native, had crossed paths with Steffen since the original allegations first went public in 2001. Steffen said that the first words out of Jemison’s mouth were “I hate you,” which Jemison did not deny.
“I thought he was going to follow it up with a little laugh or something, but he didn’t,” Steffen said. “He was quite serious, and I said, ‘okay.’ He said ‘you know, your comments were really damaging.’ And I said ‘yeah, but they were really true.’ And he said ‘no, they weren’t. And I said ‘of course they were,’ and I started to walk away, knowing that the conversation wasn’t going to go anywhere.
“I got maybe 10 feet away, and he said, ‘no, come on, I want to talk to you about it.’ I hesitated, but thought, ‘maybe we’ll resolve this once and for all.’ I went back. He said something, I’m not sure what he said, and I said something like ‘Twelve years later, we’re still trying to clean up the mess you idiots made.’ And that was when he punched me. It was over before I even knew what happened. I didn’t know someone could hit someone so fast.”
Steffen said that he simply picked up his glasses and walked away, and that BMC rider Scott Nydam, who was nursing a broken collarbone, offered to be a witness for a police report. Sporting a cut lower lip, Steffen spoke with the race’s operations director Chad Sperry on the morning before stage 4. Sperry told Steffen he “understood, and apologized, but that he needed Marty to make the stage happen safely.”
- Neal Rogers, Writer
March 05, 2012
Think of Specialized as being a bigger, evil (as depicted by situations such as that with Volagi) version of Schwinn, and you'll see why many people seek out something that doesn't wear the badge/name of such a monolith. Strangely, many times they end up paying twice as much for something that comes from the same Taiwanese/Chinese factory as a Specialized product, but doesn't perform as well. The irony of it all is almost too much to handle.
- T, Camarillo
March 05, 2012
Enough about Specialized-what did you think about the new Red stuff??
- Phil, Greenville SC
March 05, 2012
"Every day that passes where the big bike industry players (i.e. Trek, Specialized, Cannondale) don't make their wares available online (either through online retailers like Competitive Cyclist, or consumer-direct through their own websites) is another day where they are out of step with the consumer marketplace as a whole. Through their hesitancy they prove overly deferential to their dealers, and likewise they prove deaf to consumer expectations.
Word on the street is that all the big players (named above) have their warplans for going consumer-direct written & ready to execute. But it's a game of chicken to see who goes first. If it's Trek, then Specialized can try to steal dealers by accusing Trek of abandoning them by going direct (or vice-versa). 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."
- brendan, ny
March 05, 2012
Thanks for the mention last week about our La Fuga Blog. As we were planning the route for the new Randonnée Catalonia, our friends at Rapha actually connected us with two of the best locals, so I can assure you that the route in & around Girona is 100% PRO. As a Canadian cyclist, it was seriously cool to have MB's feedback on one of my routes!
- Jared, The Road
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Flickr
RSS
