Today (February 2) the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee is voting on the House transportation bill, which would eliminate crucial funds for bicycling and walking.
You are able to influence this vote and to save dedicated funding for bicycling and walking by contacting your Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives to ask them to vote for the Petri amendment which preserves bicycling and walking funding!
More and more supercross riders are turning to cycling for intensive cross-training to improve and maintain their fitness. That includes Ryan Villopoto, the sport’s number one rider. And what does Villopoto train on? Specialized road and mountain bikes of course.
Villopoto won supercross’ biggest prize in 2011, the Supercross class championship, and started 2012 with the coveted No. 1 plate on his Kawasaki and Specialized bikes.
“Racing motorcycles requires a lot of fitness, and riding bicycles is for sure the best way of cardio training for us; it’s low impact and still ties me in on the two wheels and provides the necessary training to carry over to the motorcycle,” Villopoto said.
“I ride Specialized because I believe they have the most advanced bikes and equipment out there. I am blessed to ride the top-of-the-line factory motorcycles, and to have the same top-line bicycles to train on is truly unreal.”
This year, Specialized is sponsoring Villopoto, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, and the Lucas Oil/Troy Lee/Honda Team.
Want to ride like supercross’ top riders? Stop by BikeSource and test ride a Specialized bike just like the pros train on.
BikeSource hours will be changing to a winter schedule starting January 1, 2012. The Charlotte store will operate on the following hours:
Monday-Friday: 10am-7pm
Saturday: 10am-6pm
Sunday: 12pm-5pm
Regular store hours will resume on March 1, 2012.
Take a minute and picture your garage; are there a couple of cobweb-covered bikes lying around? Perhaps your kids have outgrown their streamers and training wheels. Possibly your bike needs a new tire. Or maybe you’re just looking to trade your leisure bike for a performance bike. Whatever you’re looking for, you are sure to find it at the Big Stampede!
The Big Stampede is a bicycle expo where you can sell that old bike and find a new one! While you’re at it, you can grab some new or used gear too. The Big Stampede, the biggest bicycle expo to hit the Southeast, has 25,000 square feet of manufacturers, retailers, clubs/teams, and individual buying, selling, and swapping new and used cycling and triathlon equipment. You can find a variety of new and used bikes at the quality, price range, and performance ability you need.
The Big Stampede will take place from 9AM to 3PM on Sunday, November 6th, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway (NASCAR Sprint Cup Garage). Admission is $5.00, but parking is free and kids under 12 have free admission. Proceeds from the Big Stampede will benefit Trips for Kids, a nonprofit organization that mentors kids through bicycling. For more information and event updates, check out the Big Stampede website or follow the expo on Twitter.
October is here. That means that kids are back in school, the temperature is cooling down, and Halloween decorations are already hanging; it’s clear that winter is right around the corner. But don’t lock your bike up and hibernate just yet! First, be sure to come out to Anne Springs Close Greenway on October 15th and enjoy our fall bike race. This bike race will take place on a challenging nine-mile course through the gorgeous 2,300 acre park. The race will begin at 9:00 AM and end at 9:00 PM at the Field Trial Barn. After the race, there will be live music and a pasta dinner provided by Olive Garden.
With 12 different categories, anyone can race in this event. Each racer will receive a bag of “schwag” and a Tree Shaker t-shirt. For specifics on event registration or racer categories, visit the Charlotte Mountain Biking Website. An event trophy will be given to the first three finishers in each category. In addition, there will be a raffle held after the race, with some amazing prizes, including a Hydrapak! This event has it all: bike racing, food, music, and prizes. So be sure to join us – you’ll be glad you did!
This September, Mark Cavendish won the UCI World Road Championship in Copenhagen. Cavendish’s victory marks the 17th World Championship title from a Specialized rider. Cavendish won while riding Specialized’s new aerodynamic bike, the Venge. This bike is so fast that the only other racer who came close to Cavendish was also riding one! The Venge’s winning combination of lightweight, stiffness, and aerodynamics gives the rider razor sharp speed and effortless handling, which is what makes it so perfect for racing – and racing to win! This all-star bike received 4.5/5 stars on bikeradar.com and is now Cavendish’s preferred ride. So if you’re a serious racer looking for the ultimate performance bike, then look no further than the Venge.
Starting at 10 a.m. on September 18th the Urban Assault Ride is taking over Charlotte! Pairs will pedal around the city in a quest for a number of checkpoints then be prompted to complete funky, adventurous obstacles once finding their locations. The goal is to complete the checkpoints in the shortest time by choosing your own route and checkpoint order.
All checkpoints will be given in advance so riders can plan their routes, except for two mystery check-ins. The first mystery checkpoint clue will be released the Thursday before the event, and the second mystery checkpoint clue will be provided after visiting the first mystery stop.
Once the ride is over New Belgium Brewing Co’s celebration begins! Crazy raffle prizes will be given away at the after party, so riders will want to hurry towards the finish line.
It is only $40 per person to participate in this ride. Online Registration ends on September 16th at 5 p.m., but your very last chance to register is at the packet pick-up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on September 17. In addition to enjoying this exciting event, you will receive a free cotton t-shirt, New Belgium Brewing zip pouch by Green Guru Gear, Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, clif bars, UAR stickers, New Belgium beer, snacks, and raffle ticket entries. Plus the proceeds benefit CABA: Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance and Trips for Kids Charlotte!
There are three easy alternatives to fix a dropped chain. Start off trying the first two methods to avoid getting your hands dirty and if they don’t work move on to third option.
Method One: While slowly pedaling shift to the bigger gear by using the left gear shifter. If the chain does not pick back up with this tactic try method two.
Method Two: Get off your bike and again shift to the bigger gear. Then pick up the back end of the bike and spin the cranks. If the chain still does not pick up move on to method three.
Method Three: Physically lift the chain and put it back on the chain ring. If you experience any resistance from the chain simply push the rear derailleur forward.
Watch this Specialized video for a better understanding of the three methods.
Lose the Training Wheels is a nonprofit organization that helps children with disabilities find their independence by riding bikes without training wheels. The program not only helps the kids learn how to ride a two-wheel bike, but also helps them gain self-assurance.
BikeSource recently helped run the 2011 Lose the Training Wheels Camp, and enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the families and children. BikeSource also offered camp participants a deal on bikes to help them continue riding!
The camp deeply touched the children and families that attended as well as the volunteers. Nathan participated in the camp and his father commented:
As of a week ago, Nathan had no desire to ride a bike, especially one with training wheels…One week later, Nathan has impressed me truly with his ability, desire, and willingness to want to ride. As a matter of fact, Nathan’s exact words today at Bike Camp were ‘Dad, this is really fun. I like riding a bike.’ Those words mean the world to me, as we now have something we can enjoy together.
Liz and Andrew volunteered at the camp. Their mother reflected on their interactions with one of the participants, “I can’t begin to tell you what an amazing week this has been for my children. Thank you so much for giving them one of the richest experiences of their lives…Liz and Andrew will never forget Scott and hope to have the chance to work with him again.”
Whether you are interested in participating or volunteering, mark your calendars and join us for next year’s Lose the Training Wheels Camp on June 25th, 2012!
The Tarmac is now in its sixth generation, and the full-carbon SL4 was recently revealed to the world at the Tour de France where select riders are riding prototypes to gather data and provide feedback. The original Tarmac was launched in 2004, after three years of development, and from the start has been a bike for climbers and general classification contenders. Levi Leipheimer, Paolo Bettini and Mario Cipollini have all won a Grand Tour on the Tarmac.
The original Tarmac was recognized by its curved top tube and set the groundwork for carbon bikes of the future. To stay ahead of the curve each year feedback was gathered for changes in the bike’s structure and capabilities; and in 2006 when the SL model was introduced, pro-rider Tom Boonen made a number of suggestions regarding the stiffness-to-weight ratio, size, and efficiency, all leading the Tarmac to it’s most recent changes.
When developing the SL4 prototypes, Specialized made changes to the head tube, front and rear dropouts, and fork to develop one of the lightest framesets in the industry. To increase stiffness, and therefore, acceleration and handling, the King Cobra Head Tube as well as the one-piece bottom bracket and chainstays and seatstay are all newly designed for the SL4 version. Finally, internal cable routing is added for internal protection from the elements and carbon dropouts with steel inserts increase efficiency while adding durability for taking wheels on and off.
In the end, Specialized has listened to their riders and created the Tarmac SL4 to be 19% more stiff and 50 grams lighter than the SL3, resulting in a 1995 gram ride that can handle better than ever before. Keep a look out for the SL4 launch on Specialized’s website and to start arriving in shops this August.
