CHAMOIS REPORT, PART ONE!

So - despite the possibility of publicly declaring myself an idiot I am compelled to offer this endorsment of the new-for-2009 Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Octane bibshorts:

It's my habit to test potential new stuff for the shop in the only way I really know how - I use it. In the off-season I like to try out new shorts 'cuz I've always felt that if I can find shorts or bibs that don't bother me on the rollers or trainer then they're gonna be great out on the road. (By the way - that theory applies to saddles, shoes, cleat placement and any other positional changes you might be contemplating. There's no better place to experiment than the trainer!)

So - I've been putting a pair of these new bibs from Pearl to the test. They are pretty good lookin' - featuring the oh-so-trendy black and white look that 90+% of the bikes, bibs, shoes and helmets we saw @ Interbike had - w/ a zippy little red stripe. They are 100% Italian in a departure from PI's US roots and I'm kind of digging them so far.

So.......we had a 2 hour indoor ride scheduled for last Sunday. I thought it'd be a great chance to really check them out so I made sure that they were washed that morning. I had to leave for the shop early so I got grabbed them outta the dryer and threw them in my bag w/ just a quick check to make sure they were dry.

Oops.

90 minutes later I'm kitting up for the ride and notice that the chamois is soaked. Not just "not dry"......................soaked. I figure that I'm screwed, 'twas my bad so I resign myself to a l-o-n-g uncomfortable ride and jump on my bike.

Well.............it wasn't until we had 10 minutes to go in the ride that I remembered the wet chamois! I never thought about it the entire ride! Pretty impressive, I gotta say.

Still stupid, sure............but still.............impressive.

Thanks for savin' my ass, Pearl!

Now - are we gonna carry them? I dunno yet. After all - they are $275 and there are some other bibs I wanna try in that price range. I'll let'cha know.

I'm Proud of My Friends.....

....and it's a beautiful thing. I was tryin' to think of a better word than "proud"...it's a great word but it seems kinda, I dunno, serious for an entry on my blog, y'know? Still.....it's the right word and I think that I'll just go w/ it. (After all...you'll never know, huh?)

Heres' the deal (and you can decide if I oughta find a new word)

There's a new face around here. By "here" I mean the shop and the rides and the JDRF team and that whole loosely defined chunk of my life that's all wrapped up around what I usta call "BikeLife". We'll call her "Carol Bishop" (not her real name). She showed up for a Tuesday Night Ride in late November or maybe early December....in conditions that were gnarly enough to keep the majority of the "hardcore" riders home and on the trainer. (Or the couch!) She stuck it out, stayed for yoga, came back for another ride, helped set up the 'cross course, did the 'cross race and has pretty much become a fixture on the scene. No big news there....that happens all the time, right?

Well - yes and no. I've watched the loosely-defined group of folks that I'm lucky enough to get to hang out with bring "Carol Bishop" into their circle w/out hesitation or weirdness. She's a rider, she's a friend of mine and that's good enough for them. (Not implying that being a friend of mine is an endorsement or carries any special weight...at all!).

I dig that. A ton. If I had sat down 25 years ago and tried to tell you exactly what I hoped to accomplish w/ the shop this is what it would be: A place for "Carol Bishop" to discover and use as the entry point into the whole big beautiful world of bikes and bike folks. Especially bike folks like my friends, 'cause they kinda rock.

But they know that.

I'm gonna go w/ "proud". I hope that's okay w/ you.