A week in Portland, OR

It's not often that we (Moots) get to spend a whole week in one place while on the road. Well, this time it’s a little different…. From Monday July 26 to Monday August 2nd we will be in the great Pacific Northwest taking in several great events, one after another. We will be mixing it up at the last two Portland short track series races of the summer. We'll be hosted by our good friends and number one dealer CYCLE PATH. Bill, Joshua and their staff have a beautiful shop in Portland. They are picky about what they carry and we are very proud to have them as a Moots dealer. We are also going to demo bikes from the shop and take in the Chris King Gourmet Century on Saturday. Hmmmm, ride bikes, eat great food, drink wine?.....okay, we're in! Once we recover from the food & ride we will be gathering our local Moots owners for a group ride on Sunday, starting at 11 am from CYCLE PATH. We will look for local insight for a nice cruise around the Portland area of 40 miles or less. Finally we will be attending the Portland Short Track Series Final on Monday August 2nd at PIR.

Below you'll find a listing of "stages" we'll be taking in during what should be a great week in Portland.

“STAGE 1” Friday July 30th--- CYCLE PATH DEMO DAY come demo a Moots at the Cycle Path shop starting at 1 pm until close. We’ll be on hand with road and mountain bike demos. We will also be checking out demos for Saturday’s Chris King Century.

“STAGE 2” Saturday July 31st---CHRIS KING GOURMET CENTURY we will be out riding the century along with several hundred other cyclist. We’d love to pedal through the Oregon wine country with you!

“STAGE 3” Sunday August 1st---MOOTS OWNERS RIDE we will be meeting at CYCLE PATH shop for a Moots Owners ride. Bring out your Moots and roll with the group. We will be putting foot to pedal by 11:15 for a couple of hours at a friendly pace.

“STAGE 4” Monday August 2nd---PORTLAND SHORT TRACK SERIES FINAL we will be demoing bikes and possibly racing the last of the summer series at PIR. Come out and hone that Cyclocross fitness!

We are looking forward to taking in all that Portland has to offer…..hope to see you there!

How to survive Le Tour….for the everyday Joe….

If you like fireworks, hot weather and bike racing. This month of July brings all of those items together all at once…..a cornucopia of fun!

Grand de Part….the start to Le Tour is Saturday! 3 weeks of bike racing around most of France. Narrow roads, tall mountains, dangerous descents, heart break and missing breaks. TV coverage out the wazoo.

THE TOUR. I’ve been thinking about how much TV coverage there is now vs. way back when. So much coverage that it’s hard to get much of anything done during this month. So I’ve put together a short list of items in order of importance to help get me through the “tuff” 3 weeks that lie ahead. Follow along if you like. It’s kept me married for 10 years and seems to keep the kids from tying me up in the closet, and my employer pretty happy.

1- Work. Fortunately most of the big mountain stages take place on a weekend. This leaves a few mornings that running late into work might “happen”. You can disguise this with; taking a long pull at work the day before….ex: work later and then come in a little late the next day, just after the stage ends. Possibly fake sickness if you feel inclined or rally enough people at work to gather around a TV or your computer to watch…this way there is strength in numbers if called out. But really the most important thing here is to keep the boss happy while not missing a minute of coverage.

2- Family. If you are reading this most likely you have a cycling supportive family….so we have that going for us. TV time= together time right?...ahh the American way. Promote this with the girl friend, wife and/or kids. Weekend mornings with a good breakfast and loads coffee while keeping one eye on the tube…..master it. After the stage, get the same group of loved ones fired up for a little re-enactment of the day’s stage. I like to cheer Allez! Allez! Allez! As we ride down the bike path…..the kids dig it.

3- Chores. You know, the honey do list…..A. Mow lawn on “rest” days. B. Paint house= too hot, should be done later in the summer when cooler…”paint store guy says so”…..C. wash car= waste of water….D. clean garage= winter time item……E. clean house…..can be done during commercials in a sprint of fury around the house…it’s interval training of sorts…..then plop down on the couch when racing comes back on and lower your heart rate.

4- Ride bike. Unfortunately this much TV time can pull us away from riding those miles. Plan carefully to get them in when you can. Night rides on the mountain bike, 1 hour lunch rides, and evening rides when you know you can stay up until the 11 pm replay and see it all the way to the finish line.

Remember, it’s a tuff 3 weeks, stay hydrated, be flexible and make sure you can sense the pressures from around you while taking on this monumental under taking. Bike racing is tuff and only the well prepared make it to the end.

Happy 4th of July!

Erik Lobeck, Tour Divide…complete

One year ago our good friend Erik Lobeck had to pull the plug on the Tour Divide race within sight of the finish. When I say “within sight”, I mean he was 217 miles from completing the journey that had started some 2600 miles earlier. Crushed with severe dehydration due to Guardia, he had no strength to push on. His health was in jeopardy and the wiser man in him told him enough was enough. He returned to Steamboat and for several weeks after, the Guardia kept him weak and very thin. He did recover and lived to fight another year. That year was this year….2010. Towards dark last night he completed the Tour Divide route in the top 3. This year instead of bad water in his body, he suffered the most from too much water in the wrong places along the route at inappropriate times. Monsoon like rain that turned red dirt into adobe clay mud. Pushing his bike for a total of 50 or more miles along the route wreaked the most havoc on his 2nd try at the Tour Divide. Broken rear derailleur, broken front derailleur, twisted chain, split tire, bike so packed with mud it weight over 60 pounds at times, but through all of that he continued to push along to the Mexico border. Last night he rolled into Antelope Wells, NM to see his wife and daughter waiting for him. I can only imagine the relief both he and his loved ones felt to be finished and safe.

Which brings me to thinking of Dave Blumenthal, who lost his life during his very race, just 20 miles northwest of Steamboat Springs, CO. I see CYCLINGNEWS posted a story about the first death in the Tour Divide race history. Very sad to think of the wife and child Dave left behind….it really hits close to home in a number of ways. From what I can read about him, he loved adventure, loved life and was teaching his young daughter about both. He was doing what he loved……..You can read his last blog entry here: DAVE BLUMENTHAL

Congratulations to Erik for completing what started a year ago! A long trip for sure.....but I'm also sure there is more to come.

Lobeck makes Steamboat Stop….

Yesterday (June 22nd) Erik Lobeck made his way through his home town here in Steamboat. Erik is racing The Tour Divide for the second year in a row. Last year he got within 200 miles of the finish before succumbing to the effects of Guardia. This year he is more prepared and at one point hot on the heels of race leader (and 5 time champ) Matt Lee. Erik encountered massive mud in Wyoming that tore off his rear der, and bent his chain so bad he could not even single speed it. He also had to push/carry his bike downhill for 20 miles due to clay mud.

We caught up with him at the Steamboat Springs post office and got a little video of him before he rolled south. Only 1000 miles to go!

Follow Erik here: ERIK SPOT

Good luck to Erik!

Summer Time!

It feels as if there was never a winter at this time of year….the sun is high in the sky, the days-- long, temperatures are warm to even hot.... the riding.....magical. Today marks the "real" beginning of summer for those in the northern hemisphere..... A full 14 hours and 59 minutes of daylight for us here in Colorado today... That is a lot of day light to do many different things. Rolling from the house without arm or knee warmers never felt so good. The rivers are dropping to a more friendly level and the fish are starting to bite....our summers are short here in the mountains, so we pack "it" in when we can. “It” can be a number of things; ride, camp, fish, hike, recharge and warm the bones from a cold winter that will be back all too soon.

This last week we had the privilege of partaking in a summer tradition in Colorado…. rolling around the state with the two wheeled circus known as Ride the Rockies; 2000 cyclists taking on the roads and mountain passes of Colorado. Many say it was one of the hardest if not THE hardest route laid out in the 25 years of the event. Places like Colorado Nat. Monument, Grand Mesa, Red Mountain Pass, Molas Pass, Coal Bank Pass, Wolf Creek Pass.....epic rides if done one at a time, link them all together in the same 7 days and you get a week of day to day survival for many.

We handed out demo bikes to those that cared to spend a day on a Moots. Which I must say, is a challenging endeavor for the rider. Think about switching to a bike you've never ridden and changing your position just a bit and then knocking out an 80+ mile ride. That is a tuff thing to do. We also met locals from the towns we stayed. A fun time, a busy time….but it was all......summer time.

If you ever get the chance to ride your bike for a week straight, my advice would be to take it…..I can’t think of a better way to see places and meet people than on the back of a bike.

Enjoy your “longest” day of the year!

Here’s to Summer.

Tour Divide--Erik Lobeck Style

Long time Steamboat local and good friend of Moots is attempting The Tour Divide Race for the second year in succession. Last year Erik got within 200 miles of the finish before succumbing to Guardia and pulling the plug. This year Erik returns with knowledge of the course, refined equipment choices and a better appreciation for sleep deprivation (due to the birth of 1st child) to take on the course and everything it offers.

Here at Moots we have known Erik for the better part of 15 years and at one point he even worked here at Moots. To know Erik is an honor and adventure at the same time. This last winter he hunkered down and starting laying out some amazing training leading up to this event. I don’t want to curse him this year but I would put money on a top 3 finish, if not the win.

I remember riding into town last year with Erik as he approached Steamboat from the north. …he told me he thought that his style of racing must have been what it was like to be in one of the first Tour de France races…insane, self supporting, pioneering …..Out there, riding and surviving. If anyone can do this, Erik can.

The race itself has gotten a lot of coverage as of late due to a movie from last year’s event. Moots got some good coverage in the film as Mike Dion starts the event on a Moots, but is sidelined by nagging injury…..read more here: RIDE THE DIVIDE FILM

Track Erik’s progress: LEADER BOARD

Erik’s 1st call in pod cast: (slept in outhouse): ERIK CALL IN 1

Not too long ago as Erik was training for the event I got to ask him some questions while he was sitting still. Here’s what I got:

Name: Erik Lobeck
Birthdate: 04/13/1972
Birthplace: CT, USA
Height: 6'2"
Weight (before event) 175lbs

Reason for doing Race the Divide? Get to think about nothing except eat sleep and ride for 17-20 days.
Years cycling: 25
What do you think about during 200 mile days?
If baby daughter Gigi is giving wifey a hard time while I'm gone. Ideally I'm in the zone and not thinking about much at all except where the next turn is, what I'm buying at the next convenience mart, where I can sleep to minimize being woken by a hungry bear.

Weirdest place on the route?
Pie Town, NM

Scariest encounter you’ve had on route? (from 2009)
Mama bear on one side of trail, cubs on the other. Discontent and alarmed mama bear.

Hobbies other than insane hardman on bike?
Backcountry snowboarding, playing with daughter, gardening (the antithesis to endurance biking)
Favorite food on route?
Miniature pecan pies from convenience stores-'bout 300 calories each.

Bike layout----

Bike Moots Mooto-x YBB, full XTR, DT Swiss hubs laced to stans arch 29er rims built by Mike Curiak, Tubeless, WTB nanoraptor Race2.1s, syntace c3 aero bars with custom mount, ergon grips, LEFTY SL fork. Bike weighs in at 25 with aerobars, 36 with stuff, no water.

Kit:

Epic designs frame, seat and gas tank bag.
Carousel Design Works Handlebar bag.
Western Mountaineering highlight 35 deg. bag 14 oz
Mountain Laurel Designs Ultralight bivy 8 oz
Thermarest Neoair pad 8oz.
Exposure Spark Headlamp
Princeton Tec Eos Headlamp
Knog Blinky rear light
Platypus 3l bladder (in frame bag)
2 Tubes, 2 patch kits, Park Tire boot, Kenda Small Block 8 Cyclocross Spare Tire and NarrowTube, Crank Bros Chain tool taken from multi tool, 4, 5 6 allen wrenches, Spare der cable, Spare spokes, zip ties, der. hanger, spare bolts, fiberfix emerg. spoke, tire levers, Blackburn Mammoth Mtn pump and rep. internal parts.
Nuun hydration tabs, Hammer Perpetuem, Hammer Enduralites, Vitamins
Knee Warmers, Arm Warmers, Wool gloves, shorty mtb gloves, rain shell, smartwool cap, smartwool "wifebeater" baselayer, Moots Jersey n bib shorts (1 soon to be stinky set), Smartwool Hiking socks, Sidi MTB shoes, rain shell pants (maybe), Montbell short sleeve (!) down UL vest (weighs nothing but look, err, funny.).
No maps, just cue sheets, Garmin Dakota GPS, cell phone, and Spot tracker.
Sunblock, toothpaste and sawed off toothbrush, chamois butter (need that)
Titanium Spork (for eating tasty Chef Boyardee cans of goodness)
Aquamira water bottle cartridge filter and iodine
Things I deleted from last year’s setup:
26" wheels with tubes
IPOD and charger
Maps
Guidebook (WTF? was I thinking)
Wool Shell
Full service water filter setup.
2nd pair of shorts (I know, right?)
Sardines.
Things I added:
Aero bars
29" Wheels without tubes
Spare tire (after emergency dental floss and duct tape repairs in the middle of the Wyoming Basin that killed my momentum)
GPS (for more idiot-proof night navigation and general "turn sincerity")
Things I would like to do without or manage appropriately:
"Bearanoia"
Guardia
Fatigue
Things I wish for:
Tailwind through the Wyoming Basin
Total bike setup that weighed 3 pounds less

2010 Steamboat Town Mountain Bike Series….

Last night was the kick off to our local mountain bike series that runs just about every other Wednesday night during the summer. It is a 7 race series that includes cross country and hill climb races.

I took the GoPro HD camera along on the bars to shoot footage of the race in the Pro/Open. Brad pulls the hole shot with stars and stripes, then Barkley Robinson then me for a moment or two, then as they say, "I hit a rough patch".

The GoPro does a pretty good job, but with a crash towards the latter half of the race it had an issue. Seems to be fine and will see action again.

The Pro/Open Podium:

1-Barkley Robinson
2-Peter Kalmes
3-Brad Bingham

Moots had GrassMoots Team rider Kelly Boniface take the womens open race...a nice way to defend her last years overall title.

Then our own Mark Rassmusen (welder and horn player) took the win in his very first mountain bike race ever(Men's Novice). He took the lead from the gun and rocked his Zirkel all the way to the finish. Mark is a long time road racer finding his way in the mountain bike game. Way to go Mark! Well done.

Next up for the town series is the Thunderhead Hill climb...oh fun!

Nice work, looking forward to the next round!

As seen in the bike rack….

A fan from Boulder sent this photo in today of an old steel Moots....early to mid-80's vintage I would say.

Funny that it's pictured next to a somewhat cutting edge carbon bike du jour....

Do you think the carbon bike will still be around after 20+ years?

Just sayin'....

DSG ….WE HAVE A MOOTS FRAME WINNER!

A few weeks back we attended Dirt, Sweat and Gears 12 hour race in Fayetteville, TN. We sponsor the race in a number of ways. One of them is a frame raffle drawing that helps raise money for IMBA and SORBA….because trails are good right? Yep, check that one.

The raffle was open to any one that wanted to plunk down $10 per ticket….even if you weren’t going to the event you could get in on the chance a good cause to help out, plus you could win a $3200.00 Moots Mooto X Ybb frame. As the weeks went by the number of sold tickets hit just over $2,000 worth, not millions of dollars, but a nice number to put towards some trail work in the region.

At the event you could buy on site the same chance that went into the hat. Once all the awards had been handed out, plus an amazing amount of schwag to random racers pulled from the hat, the moment had come….time to draw for the Moots. The mic was handed to me and I did my best not to step on my tongue in front of the large crowd. On hand was last year’s winner as well….a nice touch.

So without further ado, we got down to business, reached into the hat (really it was a bag) and pulled out the winner. Jim Gray! You could just about hear him fall over in the audience. He was texting his wife and telling her that he had won a t-shirt and was pretty happy with that. He made his way up to the podium and in a shy voice….really? I won? OMG!!!!

Since then, we have begun the build of his 18’’ Mooto X Ybb frame just for him. He’s going with the 10th year decal package and will have a new full bike in a matter of weeks. He had to call me a couple of times to make sure he was not dreaming. After talking with Jim at the event (and having a beer or two) he was still shaking 30 minutes later with excitement.

I shot him some questions so we could find out more about him…..below is what he had to say. And really, I could not have thought of a nicer guy to be riding a Moots.

Q: Age?
A: 42
Q: Occupation?
A: Tennessee Valley Authority Substation Electrician
Q: Family?
A: Married to Cindi for 22 years (whom I love dearly for letting me build out this bike, and for listening to me talk about it…over, and over…).
Two kids, Cole 16, Sheridan 13
Q: How did you end up at DSG?
A: My co-worker, Tim Dennis, talked 3 of us into riding in the 4-man amateur division (Java Junkies). This was my first race, and I had a blast.
Q: How did you learn about the Moots/Sorba raffle?
A: I saw the display and the Sorba table and thought…why not! Another member of our team, Shane Bandy, said “it’s only $10, that’s a whole lot better return on your investment than the stock market.”
Q: What do you like most about riding?
A: My friend Don Cooper (Beau’s dad at Dirt Sweat & Gears 2010– the “Swiftwick kid”) got me going on Mtn. bikes about 4 years ago and I fell in love (with Mtn biking, not Don). I enjoy riding because I like being outdoors, the mental focus, you get this tremendous workout but it doesn’t feel like you’re exercising. Unlike running, you get an adrenaline rush when you ride and the sense of accomplishment you get when you go through a technical part of a trail and you can’t believe you made it through.
Q: Current bike you are riding? 2001 Specialized FSR XC that I bought used on Craigslist.

Other insight and comments from Jim:

“I refused to ride the Moots Demo bikes at DS&G because I didn’t want to know what I was missing out on”.
My wife had just sent me a text when the announcement was being made for the winning of the Moots frame. She asked me if I had won anything. I was half way through my reply that I had caught a t-shirt that was thrown into the crowd…and my name was called. I don’t think I will believe it until the bike shows up at my doorstep.
I am very thankful to Moots for doing things like this that gives an amateur like me a chance to own and ride a top of the line bike.

Jim, we are more than pleased to have you riding your new Moots.

Thanks to all that contributed to the cause.

Happy Trails.

Climbing Lupine…

Some more video of Thursdays lunch ride.....rolling up and along the Lupine Trail on Emerald.....conditions-----perrrfect.

Thursday Matinee

A fun lunch ride today with long time (20+ years) riding buddy Pat West. Nothing like getting some trail on camera.

Sorry about the spot of mud on the lense. Blasting Blair Witch Trail is a gas. They've logged the dead standing which opened things up....but that's okay, it's trail 5 minutes from Moots.

Had to stop mid-trail and remove large stick from rear wheel....

More to come....

Black Hills Mountain Bike Festival & Race

Over Memorial Day Weekend our own Brad Bingham traveled to South Dakota to take in the Black Hills Mountain Bike Festival & Race. The race was made up of 3 stages that were scored on a points system (omnium style). A Super D, a hill climb and finally a 24 mile cross country………Brad won the first two events and placed 2nd in the cross country. Good weather and challenging courses made for a great weekend of races.

Brad raced his Moots Mooto X in all events....saying "it was the best tool for the job"....I guess with those results you can't argue that.

Nice work Brad!

Next week our local Town Challenge Summer series kicks off. The 8 race series runs every other Wednesday night here in Steamboat. If you happen to be in town, come out and race! 150 to 200 racers per week taking in some of our local trails.

More info here: Steamboat Town Challenge Series

Turin to Host Moots Day on June 3rd

The summer cycling season seems to be in full swing around the country with road and mountain bike rides and races popping up daily. With that warmer weather, our Moots road warriors have been on the road now since May 11th, making stops at numerous events, dealer meetings and demo days. The Moots sprinter is logging the miles with crew change outs along the way. Hopefully BP has some oil left for a change when it returns….I’m sure the good folks in Louisiana would gladly be rid of that junk…

This week we have Corey behind the wheel and headed through the upper reaches of the Midwest. He'll be seeing Moots dealers along the way, hosting staff clinics on all things Moots and getting out for rides with fellow Mootsies when he can.

One of the highlights during his travels is Thursday June 3rd. He'll be making a stop at Turin Bicycles in Evanston, IL to host a full day of events. First event of the day will be the long standing Turin employee Thursday morning ride. This ride leaves at 7:30 am from the shop and will travel the standard route north through beautiful neighborhoods and will also take on the “Turinberg” climb. All Moots owners are invited to join in on the ride.
Once back at the shop Corey will be on hand for staff clinics and spend the good part of the day in the shop to answer any Moots questions. He will also be sending customers out on demo bikes throughout the day. This is your change to ride a Vamoots RSL, Vamoots CR and a mix of Moots mountain bikes.

Later in the evening Moots & Turin will be hosting a social gathering at the shop. Wine, cheese and good conversation will be on tap. Come and make Corey feel at home while he’s on the road. Also take a good look at Corey and tell me who you think he looks like…..Hint: pro cyclist that won Le Tour last year…..

There will be a drawing during the evening for a Moots refinish job.

Check out the Turin website to RSVP for the entire day. Take the day off work if you must. After all, it's Moots day at Turin!

CLICK HERE: MOOTS DAY AT TURIN

We hope to see you there!

SIDS NYC to host Moots

The next stop on the Moots road trip is SIDS Bikes in NYC.

On May 26th Matt and the Moots Sprinter Van will be at the Kips Bay/Murray Hill location (235 East 34th Street) to meet the staff and any customers that would like to bend his ear for more Moots knowledge and insight.

Later in the day he will be at the Chelsea location (151 West 19th Street). At the Chelsea location, Matt will have demo road bikes on hand. Vamoots CR and Vamoots RSL models will be the order of the afternoon.

Stop in at either location and welcome Matt to the Big Apple!

Or honk at him and tell him to move outta the way.

DirtFest and Eastbound…..

Matt is on the road this week taking the second pull in a 3 legged Moots tour of the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic/New England and upper Midwest. This past weekend he was at the First Annual DirtFest by Dirt Rag.
He writes in with some insight of the weekend:

DirtFest event May 21-23

Big thanks to Jim and Dan from Speedgoat, Kevin from GT, Mike from Niner and the crew from No Tubes who towed the Sprinter out of the mud Sunday. Yes, it rained. Then it rained some more and by Sat afternoon demo was basically done, trails were soaked and bikes were coming back pretty unrecognizable, to say nothing of the riders. I got a chance to get out on the Alegrippis trails system Friday after set up and the single-track is super fun, buffed, smooth and curvy with great flow and views of Raystown Lake through the foliage. About 15 of the demo/industry folks took a nice couple hot laps around on Eagle Trail, Hydro (awesome), Osprey, Sidewinder, Switch and a couple other gems. Really nice trail network, good map and not a rock to be seen...and this is in PA! Clem's BBQ had the grill rolling all weekend and there were plenty of PA suds on hand as well.
Around 20 testers took out a Moots demo before the rain squelched things and the MX YBB was made for this sort of trail, high speed carving, followed by chuckling to oneself. A singlespeed MX Rig would have been in high demand too if we had one in the fleet, lots of ss, lots of 29ers, and more than a few sweet relics rolling through the expo. ProFlex anyone? '96 OCLV Pro, Kleins, Wojcik, even saw a pair of Groovy Luv Handles (ti) very nice! EWR was back with some nice rides including a ti 29er. I'm looking forward to the Moots mtb lineup overhaul and getting some more unique builds into the fleet.
Soaked I headed up to State College yesterday, found a carwash and proceeded to spend a couple hours de-gunking the mtbs for a demo today in Philly. Laundry, shower and some computer time this morning then I'll need to hit the road shortly and get over to Wissahickon.
Out.

~Matt

Some Facts……

Buddy the DSG “mascot” dog was on hand to great all.

Trying to explain the fun one had at an event in words and photos is tuff. Those that do it well deserve respect and “props” as they say. Me, I’m learning how to do the two better as I go…….
This last weekend I had the chance to attend, work and race Dirt, Sweat and Gears, a 12 hour event in a place they call “middle Tennessee”. I hope I didn’t get that wrong. It’s all about the facts when you write. But the facts to me are this:

1) Mountain bike racing is fun.
2) Mountain bike racing with friends is even more funner.
3) Mountain bike racing in heat and humidity is something I’ve not done in a long time.
4) You sweat A LOT when doing so.
5) Change yo chamois often.
6) Getting out and racing somewhere new is the best.
7) My hands need to see more grip time and less keyboard time.(they are sore)
8) Don’t ride a saddle you are not use to for a 12 hour race.(no need for details)
9) Do plan on going to DSG 2011.
10) Ride for Reading is the coolest program I’ve seen around. (look it up)
11) Clay Higgins and Grant Castle put on one hell of an event.
12) I have now been to every state but Maine and Alaska.
13) Pulled pork sandwiches can be eaten during endurance races.(between laps)
14) Ticks like humans, just as much as dogs.
15) I’m going back to Dirt, Sweat and Gears 2011. Who’s going with me?

Moots events and travels----

Moots is on the road over the next 3-4 weeks seeing dealers, attending events and hosting demo days.

To get this trip started we will be at Dirt, Sweat and Gears, Fayetteville TN this Friday and Saturday May 14th & 15th. We are not only sponsoring the event with a frame drawing we will be doing demos all day Friday for all. The next day we will take on the challenges of the 12 hour team duo event. Matty P and Jon C from Moots HQ will line up for the start of this great event.

Next on the travel stops will be a demo day at Franks Cyclery in Raleigh North Carolina. We will be set up from 9 am to 6 pm doing Moots demos both mountain and road.

From there the Moots road warriors will travel to Dirt Fest in Hesston, Pa. Put on by DirtRag, this weekend will consist of mountain bike riding on the Allegrippis trails at Raystown Lake, along with a beer festival. Leave it to the folks at DirtRag to incorporate beer and bikes. Love that!

Once the Moots van moves further east we will also be holding demos at Cycle Center, in Stamford, Ct on May 27th from 6 pm to 8 pm. Moots and the shop will be springing for beer and pizza as the evening rolls along.

The next day finds our Moots travelers in Wakefield, Rhode Island at W.E. Stedman Co. We will be set up from lunch time to 8 pm. We will be doing road demos from the shop as well as mountain bike demos at the local trail head.

That gets us rolling along for Moots events.

Stay tuned for more Moots travel updates.

Front Range 50

Over the weekend the competitive mountain bike crowd gathered at Bear Creek Park near Morrison, Colorado for the Front Range 50. This venue was also host to the 1997 Cyclocross nationals as it has a pretty diverse amount of terrain. The course for the FR 50 consisted of 5 laps on a 10 mile course that was nearly 90% single track. Total entries approached 800 racers in total.

GrassMoots team rider Kelly Boniface has been having a great early season with a strong showing at the Mountain States Cup race in Rabbit Valley in late April. She is more of a longer distance racer and feels more at home in the 3-5 hour "jaunts". Kelly uncorked a terrific ride on Saturday at the FR50 besting all comers by minutes. Kelly is a mother of two as well! A great mother’s day weekend present. Standing on the top step (picture above) of the podium is Kelly along with 2nd place Amanda Carey and 3rd place Sonya Looney. Nice work by Kelly!

Along with Kelly was our own Moots factory rider Brad Bingham (R & D) competing in the men’s event. Brad also had a strong showing at the Mountain States Cup kick off race in Rabbit Valley (April 25th) in the men’s pro field by taking 7th. At the Front Range 50 Brad took an aggressive start to the race and overcame dozens of riders from younger categories to take a hard fought 4th overall and 2nd in his age 30-39 category.

Nice work Mootsies!

We are very proud of you!

8 hours on a Moots--

Nancy Thomas from northern California writes in and tells us about an 8 hour race that sounds just about perfect. Way to ride Nancy and thanks for supporting Moots!

Her insight from the race:

Dear Moots,

The 8-hours of Boggs race has taken place every April for the last five years. However, this was my first Boggs race. I began racing in the 1980s as a road racer and retired to mountain bike racing in 1989. Since then I have raced one or two times a year for fun and as a way to stay in shape. The Boggs 8 hour race is put on by Bike Monkey which is a digital bike magazine that originates in Santa Rosa, CA. I think.
http://boggs.bikemonkey.net/

The race takes place in the Boggs Demonstration Forest which is run by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, just outside of Cobb, Ca. For those of you outside of CA that is about two hours north of San Francisco, just north of Napa Valley. And it’s at an elevation of 3000 feet, sea level to you all in Steamboat Springs.

The first year of Boggs there were 85 participants. This year there were 600! No license required. Categories were divided by age, gender, ability level and included teams, solo riders, single speed. I was a solo rider in the women 50+ category. There are a lot of us old dames out there. Although I admit I knew almost all the women in the 50+ category.

The day before the race it rained all day. The temperatures the night before the race dropped to below freezing. Camping is free in Boggs so there were lots of us camping. Not to mention the race promoters made sure there was lots of free beer, and good locally made food available. The morning of the race all the mud puddles were iced over. I was frozen and started way to fast in a futile attempt to warm up. The race was roughly an 8.5 mile, mostly single-track loop through the forest. Each lap had about 1196 feet of elevation gain. With the start/finish line was situated halfway up the climb, making the idea of dropping out very appealing. Because of the rain the course had some rather extreme areas of mud. Words like peanut butter and baby food come to mind in describing the mud. Not to mention snow left from earlier in the week and the little bit of snow that fell during the race!

Tons of mud and no mechanicals, the bike worked perfectly. Eight hours, almost 52 miles and 7177 feet of elevation gain.

I love my Zirkel, what a sweet ride!
Sincerely,
Nancy Thomas
PS
I rode a YBB for ten years before purchasing my Zirkel

What’s in a Name? Vamoose!

I'm not sure how, but for some reason I’m set up to receive one of those "word of the day" e-mails from dictionary dot com. They can be interesting in some ways and not so much in others. Today's word struck close to home here at Moots. "Vamoose" was today’s word. That word is the very one we used to come up with the model name Vamoots. I remember the time & place we came up with that name. (Picture a sunny spring evening in a brew pub on main street Steamboat). 5th & Lincoln to be exact. A beer (or two) had been had and napkins were being passed around with a pen. Ideas jotted down, jokes being told about some of them....then Vamoots appeared on the napkin. I'm not sure who wrote it down, but we all looked at each other and said ....yes, that's the one.....job done, I'll have another beer please! From that time forward the Vamoots name has been a pillar of all things road for us at Moots.

Just last night I was out on the Tuesday night group ride on my Vamoots doing the town climbing loop with "friends".....about 30 miles and a million feet of climbing without leaving the city limits of Steamboat....ouch. As the route is tuff enough, add in the high winds we've had lately and you have a recipe for plain old pain. I was thankful to be on my Vamoots, going up the climbs as well as down them. Stable, quick, snappy and it had that feel of "Vamoose" last night, which as the word of the day says:

Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 5, 2010

vamoose \va-MOOS\, verb:

1. To leave hurriedly or quickly; decamp.

So, we modified it just a bit to work in the word "Moots"...it stuck and from what we can tell most people like the name.

Now if you can find my legs that fell off somewhere on Fish Creek Falls road that would be nice.

Thanks Vamoots for being there, for the slow rides and the fast.

Showers…..

Not rain showers, but THE showers of the famed Roubaix velodrome. The photo is of Peet van Hout of the Netherlands taking his post race/ride shower in the very stalls that have seen all the greats over the years. Peet is lead Moots man from John Knoops Bicycles in Holland. He also likes to ride a bike...road or mountain, he does not care which. On this occasion he road his slick equipped Mooto X for the event that featured many of the climbs of Flanders (along with cobbles) and the finish in the historic Roubaix Velodrome.

This event is run as a race/ride. The front end of the group is very serious and hammering at races pace. Peet won the event one year atop the Koppenberg.....he is a tuff guy!

His words after the event:


Jon......... now I can write again! For 2 days I'm empty, my whole body hurts. It was a dissaster, never in my life I was so dead as on Saturday. The reason? bad preperation, wrong bike( I was with a guy on a race bike, myself on the MX) too many miles and the wind was so strong 100 miles in our face...

The hole day was perfect, beautifull course, the climbs were great, Koppenberg, Taaienberg, Patersberg. The stones were perfect... D'Arbre, Guson and Hem.


And the showers completed the day!!


Thanks to Peet for sending!

Cohutta 100

Oh my! The jersey on the right looks to be mud splatter with the face of a monster! Or maybe it's just me. Jeff & Thad completed the Cohutta 100 in 10:10 & 10:11 respectively....now that's team work!

View the map of this race: Cohutta 100 .....uh, so that's a big day of racing, Yes?

Congrats to the entire Southeast GrassMoots team! Nicely done. Looking forward to seeing you at DSG!

Fruita Fun

I couldn't help but to put this little video up. Riding with friends is fun, riding with kids.....a complete hoot. Rolling along carefree is what it's all about. Seeing that look of wonderment is priceless.

Many more miles to ride in Ely's life……he’ll soon be kicking my butt…..

GrassMoots--Vermont

Jason Achilich joins us this year as a GrassMoots team member based out of Richmond, VT. He is transitioning from bicycle mechanic to elementary teacher. He considers himself a closet roadie with mountain bike aspirations. His favorite local ride is any trail/pass over the Green Mountains. He checks in with this update:

Today signified my completion of 4/5 of my solo week student teaching, to celebrate the success; I decided to ride a local hot spot. Living where I live, I am spoiled to have "epic" single-track literally out my back door, so the prospects of driving 10 minutes, or riding 30 minutes on the road never really happens. But today I wanted something different, something with flow, somewhere that I might see another person. The road that Saxon Hill trails are off of was packed when I got there; are these all teachers, or does nobody work at 4pm on a Thursday.

When you think of the local hot spot there are certain criteria. One, people, and in my case, many people who know who I am, therefore I talk. I love how the folks on very new and clean carbon 29ers could not stop talking and geeking out on my Moots with a beat up drive train and filthy finish. This was also the coming out party for many of the skiers since many are making the transition back to their bikes after a marginal snow season here in VT; which means I needed to chat with this group after not seeing them for months. The second thing a trail system needs is trails, and the Fellowship of the Wheel (http://www.fotwheel.org) has done an incredible job turning old trails into a system that anybody can ride. Many of the "old school" trails on the backside of the hill are being reclaimed and many of the trails have that notorious East Coast feel, rocky, steep and impossible to follow. The final piece of the puzzle for an epic trail system, is stoke and people here got it, right down to the yahoo ripping trail helmetless. Everybody out there today was super stoked to be riding dry trail in mid-April, a rare feat for us. Seeing the age range on the trails today ranging from 10 to 65 was awesome and very inspiring for the future of our sport.

Which all leads me to this nugget of knowledge; Rules of the trail. I was blown away at how people react when I pull over on the side of the trail for them to pass the other direction, is this really a lost practice? People honestly looked surprised while I gave them the right of way to continue the climb, and I was back up to full speed rather quickly on my decent after they had passed. Call me grumpy, but as more and more novices are hitting the trail, the folks who have been at this for awhile need to show and give respect to the new riders.

So yes, trails do help to make a trail system a hotbed of excitement, but what really makes it the place to be is the people, so let’s show each other on the trail some more respect, and build hotspots across the country.


j.

Good times in the high desert

This last weekend we took a little time off from work and daily life in a small mountain town to head to the high desert trails of Fruita, Colorado. After a winter that can last from October to April, most if not all of us had not ridden any trails since October…..so the itch was there, it needed scratching.

Our base camp would be Highline State Park and campground just Northwest of Fruita. This place has it all…..nice grassy camp areas, bathrooms (that work) and hot showers (run with quarters)….plus it has a reservoir that has a 6.5 mile single track loop around the edge and beyond. It serves as the course for the 18 hours of Fruita….fun loopy trail. All other riding is a “shuttle” to distance, but very short in the car.

We camped as group Moots….cooked loads of food and got our dirt on. We rode the usual stuff, 18 road, Mary & Lions area, and even got to see the Mesa County Search and Rescue Team hard at work. (By the way, if you play outdoors where you might get hurt, make sure you have your search and rescue card or equivalent) You never know. Riding by the scene where this person had fallen off a 15 to 20 foot cliff makes you realize how careful we all should be when out there doing fun stuff on bikes……enough said.

There were no campfire jumps or major acts of stupidity that anyone can remember. Some of us brought our families along, thus keeping it pretty tame. Just a relaxing time, where the plants are green, flowers are blooming….and the trails roll over the horizon like roller coasters…..

I know it’s not cool to get sun on your skin these days, but really, it felt darn good to get a little color going other than snow white.

It’s now 39 degrees and cloudy…..and to think just yesterday we were riding trails.

GrassMoots from the mother land of CX…..

We've been very fortunate to have a nice influx of GrassMoots riders giving us insight to where they ride, live and race. Today we have an entry that comes to us from Belgium. To say that Dan is living the dream in Belgium would be an understatement. Dan is based in Brussels and working for The Royal Observatory of Belgium. Imagine that.....making a real life career and doing it in Belgium. (The cross racer in me is green with envy.) Dan is also way into Moots, writes for Cyclocross Magazine and loves the Cyclocross.......go figure. Anyway, he will be giving us some insight to daily life in Belgium, what people do in Belgium after the classics and before cross as well as those muddy insights of an American racing cross on the amateur scene abroad. I'll need Dan’s phone and e-mail to reserve his couch next winter!

Dan’s first installment:

Unlike in the US, where 'cross is mostly finished after Nationals in the
middle of December, 'cross in Belgium goes through the end of February. So
March ends up being largely a rest month for me. And it's a good time for
It…. The weather during the Belgian winter can be pretty bleak: grey and
gloomy, lots of rain, lots of mud. So I spent some time away from the bike
and Mindi, my wife, and I took the opportunity to escape to the Swiss Alps
for some sun and skiing at the beginning of the month. We had a blast skiing
the huge network of trails that surrounds the little village of Aldenboden,
which is nestled on a hillside in the heart of the Bernese Alps. It only
took a few days of sun and snow to recharge the batteries and start feeling
really good again.

And when we returned to Brussels winter finally seemed to be breaking, I got
a little mental boost from first daffodils of spring and a little physical
boost thanks to a week spent at altitude as well. Still, I've taken the past
month pretty easy, focusing on just enjoying being on my bike, going for
some long rides on my 'cross bike on the extensive network of trails that
that crisscross the Sonian Forest to the south of Brussels. I also made time
to explore some new roads; challenging, windblown ones through the farmland
of the Flemish countryside to the west and some beautiful, narrow,
Medieval-era roads that wind through the hills and valleys of Wallonia
further south.

One highlight for us was a trip out to Oudenaarde to see the Ronde Van
Vlaanderen at the beginning of April. American 'cross star Jonathan Page
and his family, who live there, took us on a cycling tour of some of the
race's most infamous climbs, of which the Koppenberg might be the most
famous. Seeing even some of the world's greatest riders -- even guys like
Lance Armstrong -- forced to dismount and walk up the brutal, cobblestone
climb was pretty incredible and one of the real perks of living in the heart
of the cycling world.

But it was revealing too. You know why you need a bike that is
simultaneously as rugged, light, and comfortable as a Moots when you see how
just hard those cobbles -- which are a fact of life for pretty much all
riders here in Belgium -- are on both the body and equipment.


Talk to you soon!
~Dan

Friday….Day dream’n…

Over on the forum there has been some talk about a SS Psychlo X .......feast your eyes on this. From Houston, TX Kevin Vincent added a Moots SS CX (track drops) to his geared version. Kevin is one for details, Campy build, Pauls brakes, .....Pretty nice stuff. KV (as we call him) has raced over the years in Texas, across the US and made a trip to Belgium in 2006 for master’s worlds. This is his new motivation to get back in the race.

Low down:

55cm Psychlo X
Single Speed track drop outs
Campy bits

Weight: less than 16lbs....

Boulder Roubaix…GrassMoots recount….

In the past 14 months or so we have been busy seeking out a number of GrassMoots team riders or Ambassadors if you will. These riders for the most part did not approach us we approached them and sought out their skills not only on the bike but in the community as well. We wanted to have riders, racers and community advocates on the ground in some hot beds and maybe even not such hot beds of regional cycling across the US. People that are into the local "scene", good sports and if they do well in a race or two that's great too. They also have to be into Moots of course. Many of them already own a Moots.....or two, or three.

So from this point on we will be getting updates from our GrassMoots riders and will be posting their insight here on our blog. We'll also be writing up bios on each of them to share with all.

It's pretty fun to get the updates and know these riders are out riding and racing just like a lot of us do.....it's also encouraging to see the enthusiasm they bring to the sport.

The below update is from GrassMoots rider Tim Godby who lives, rides and races in the Boulder, Colorado area. He's a teacher by day and has a son that has stood on multiple podiums a very young age.

Boulder Roubaix 2010......

It was a beautiful day for a race…sunny, warm, and only light winds. I arrived early to support my daughter for her race. When arriving at the race, I quickly discovered “everybody” was there. With so many cycling friends, it became a wonderful social event.

The start time for the 45+ finally arrived, and it was with great anticipation that everyone staged. It seemed that every 45+ racer was present. I knew it was going to be a great race. The pace was fast from the start. The aggression of fighting for position in the first few miles was kicking up all kinds of dirt as I could feel the small pieces of sand between my teeth. The bumps on the dirt were unrelenting, but the Moots titanium frame definitely made it tolerable. The front pack eventually selected itself out and was formed with about 20 of the best local riders. There were constant surges, and I helped cover some of them. It seemed a breakaway group was not going to happen, and it would come down to the finish. The constant accelerations were fast each time we hit the dirt sections.

Going into the final stages of the last lap, the big acceleration on an uphill section proved to be too much. My legs were cramping from the endless surges…I was cooked! The group pulled away, and I happily and steadily rode to the finish. My final place was 23rd, but some friends had placed well in the finish. I was pleased to have ridden with numerous national champions and ex-pros and had a whole lot of fun doing it.

~Tim Godby
~GrassMoots

Mid Week Stuff

So it's Wednesday which means for some it's an easy slide into the weekend from here. Not so much around the Moots place. We are busy building all the beautiful titanium objects we all need to carry on with our bike geek lifestyles. Spring is busy for bike builders in general as you could imagine. For me this week has been busy on many fronts, for starters: overdoing it on the weekend; the last 2 days of skiing with the family each day, as well as getting in a bike ride each day….. that when you are pressed for time seems more like and all out time trial for your life. Trying to enjoy a ride while keeping an eye on the clock is tuff, but I'm sure we've all been there, and by no means am I complaining....I got to ride right? Right. My rides on the weekend finally happened on my road bike. Which up until now I've been logging the miles on the trusty cross rig, mostly on dirt roads. WOW, what a difference the skinny high pressure tires make.....felt like Fabian must have felt like on Sunday (only much slower) as he made a joke outta the chase group in Paris Roubaix. When did the Swiss start making motorcycles? He's a stud.

I see that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has made a point to point out that we need more alternative transportation methods in the US; bikes, walking places, faster trains etc.....of course the opposition (a congressman) said he was on drugs......go figure that one. Nice.

Tomorrow kicks off the annual Sea Otter event in Monterey California. Moots won't be there, but will be represented in the Shimano booth with our Di2 equipped Vamoots CR that we had at NAHBS in Richmond. It will be set up on a trainer for folks to try out if they like. If you are there or headed there, take your rain gear. It tends to be cold and raw on the Laguna Seca race way when the Otter comes to town:)

Also at Freeze Otter, the Ride the Divide film will have its 2nd showing. Look for a summer schedule soon to be announced. We know one of the stops will be in Steamboat.....fun times coming our way.

Here at Moots we have been welcoming our spring with bike rides; secret training miles and late next week the entire crew will descend upon Fruita Colorado for a company get away. Rides, campfires and (I'm sure) beer will be the order of the weekend. Watch out for the 20 or so people with white pasty skin and ti bikes.

Lastly, spring has sprung in other ways around here....Evan (Moots master miter guy) and his wife Laura welcomed their first child late last week. A baby girl by the name of Sidney. Evan could be seen around the company coffee pot this morning swapping stories with the other dads at Moots....(he looked a bit tired)...everyone is doing great. Congratulations Evan, Laura and Baxter(dog)....
That’s about it for now. More to come with some really cool things in the works ……

Enjoy Spring wherever you are!

Closing Weekend….

The above video is a sample test of our new GoPRO HD camera. The stock camera housing just so happens to work with our Comooter stem face plate….a perfect set up. I’m looking forward to using this off-road and really making some fun riding clips throughout the season.

We are also in the final weekend of the ski area being open. For some it’s a bitter sweet time, for others it can’t come soon enough. Onto two wheels, desert trips and camping with friends. Our spring is really just beginning. I’m personally ready to be done skiing. Sunday marks the conclusion of my 18th winter here in Steamboat. If you figure we get on average 350 inches of snow during a season this would put the total amount of snow for me around 6,300 inches of snow, or 525 feet since I first stepped foot in Steamboat plus or minus a few I’m sure.

We are ready; bring on the warm weather and fun bike rides!
Hopefully it doesn’t snow until June.

Ride the Divide Film Debut

This coming weekend April 2nd & 3rd in Vail Colorado will be the world premiere of Ride the Divide film during the Annual Vail Film Festival. Chronicling the 2700 mile race and route, Mike Dion sets out to take on the Divide, Hunter Weeks captures Mike and the others as they push south to complete this monumental course.

What does Moots have to do with this? Well, Mike needed a bike and Moots stepped up to put him on the bike of choice….a Moots Mooto X Ybb. Not only does the course lend itself to the benefits of a 29’’ wheel bike, it also passes just 200 meters from our front door here in Steamboat Springs.

A handful of Moots folks will be rallying to Vail on Saturday to be on hand for the premiere. If you can’t make it then, try it’s showing during Sea Otter later in April. After that, Ride the Divide will be touring the mountain towns along the route. Look for a complete schedule coming soon.

Pedal Pushers to host “Moots Night” to benefit Golden Bike Park

Moots and Pedal Pushers Cyclery (Golden Colorado) will be hosting a night at the shop Wednesday March 31st. Two Moots factory representatives will be on hand with a selection of 2010 show bikes and accessories for your viewing. They will be able to provide insight to the line and answer any questions you might have. There will also be a drawing for a Rock Shox fork, beer by the second largest brewery in Golden (Golden City Brewery) and some Moots "schwag" to be had. Pedal Pushers will also be showing a couple of short films on our friend the bicycle.

Come out and meet Moots, talk titanium and have a few brews!

Hope to see you there!

WHAT:MOOTS NIGHT (to benefit Golden Bike Park)

WHERE: PEDAL PUSHERS CYCLERY
2401 FORD STREET
GOLDEN, COLORADO 80401
T: 303-365-2453

WHEN: WEDNESDAY MARCH 31ST

TIME: 6 PM TO 9ISH....

VELOTOPIA--TURIN BICYCLES MARCH 27TH

Turin Bicycles in Evanston Illinois is hosting the first annual VELOTOPIA event this Saturday March 27th from 10 am to close. On hand you can view new 2010 products from all of their vendors but especially Moots. On hand they will have a multitude of Moots products ranging from the newly released 2010 Vamoots RSL, to the 10th Anniversary Limited Edition Mooto X Ybb 29er show bike that graces our 2010 catalogue and web site. They also have a large selection of stock Moots fully built bikes on the floor as well as new spring 2010 frame inventory, stems, seatpost and soft goods. Stop by for one of the many FREE clinics, see some great Moots products and be welcomed by one of the finest shop staffs in the industry.

See the Turin Bicycles website for more details: VELOTOPIA

Spring is here make it a….VELOTOPIA good time!

Dave Gensch recounts 24 hrs. of Old Pueblo…….

2010 Grass Moots team member Dave Gensch recounts his 24 Hours Of Old Pueblo.......

It’s been almost two weeks since the Sanoran warmed my bones and reminded my legs to just keep peddling. It was my first trip to Tucson, home of the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo. My race partner and I arrived Thursday after 14hrs of open road and picked up our RV and crew man, John, at the airport. From the pavement we could already see "24 hour Town" being set up some four miles away. With the windows down and the warm air on our winter skin, the anticipation began to really set in. At the check in booth we gave our mandatory cans of food to support the events food drive as well as hooking up the first of many volunteers with cold beer supplied by Ska Brewing. The elderly man with a face as weathered as the desert itself, directed us to one of the last spots close to the start/finish line by saying, "I saved this one, cause its crazy all the way up there". He was not joking either, 24 Hour town was huge and there must have been 1000+ RVs and tents and it was only Thursday night.
Friday morning introduced itself with sunny skies and a great fog show over the Catalina Mountains as the moisture from the last monsoon evaporated. We milled about and set up our site with patience in our ambitions but coffee in our actions. Alas we ride the course. This is the first time that I have ridden my new Moots YBB aside from some time on the trainer. The bike instantly feels like a part of my appendages effortlessly doing whatever I ask it to as if it wanted to go there in the first place. Coming from a four inch travel bike I quickly notice that the bike is a few feet in front of my brain which is fun but gets my attention. The course is 16 miles of pure enjoyment. It is mostly single track with some fire roads and even though you climb and descent 1600 vertical feet, you’re peddling the whole time. The single track weaves in and out of many types of beautiful cacti none of which you would want to touch or dare crash into with some of them being as big as small trees. The course was fast and not over technical which gave me a great opportunity to get to know my new bike well.
Saturday was just as scenic as Friday and you could feel the energy in the air. Dan took the la-mans style start as he is a good runner. This was by far the largest event that I have taken part in with 750+ people riding the starting lap. Dan had a great first lap and when we tagged off I told myself to relax because it is a long 24 hours but after finishing my 1:15 minute lap and seeing that my average heartbeat was 168 BPM I realized that I was too excited to get back on my bike. The night time is always the mind bender of 24 hour racing and we both had our share of hard times and negative thoughts mixed in with the brilliance of racing bikes at night. The sunrise was welcome and the end was a not so distant taste in our over synthesized energy gel mouths. I took what I thought was my last lap, showered, changed my clothes and enjoyed two Ska beers and a steak sandwich. Dan put in a scorcher and crossed the line at 11:50 which meant that I had to take one more lap. That one hurt a bit as I tasted my sandwich more than once. I crossed the line having ridden 130 miles and 15500 vertical feet, very happy and soar.
We ended up getting 15th place in the Duo men's category out of 76 teams. We felt very good as our goal was top 20 and it was early February. Many of these riders were in the middle of their season and had been riding since August. My Moots YBB gave me a stable place to start my season even with never riding it before. It handled speed with total precision without being twitchy. The soft tail "ate" up more than I thought it would, yet had the speed of a hard tail and even at hour twenty three when the directions I gave the bike were muddled, unclear, and lazy, it still steered me to the finish line. It was a total success and I can't wait to get back on my new Moots.
Thanks to the whole Moots family for making this possible and a special thank to Corey and Rob for giving me the opportunity to represent Moots Cycles
David Gensch


Dave---Thanks for the insight to a great race. Glad to have you on board this year!

NAHBS follow up….there….. and back

We/I have to apologize for the tardiness of blog posts during and after the North American Handbuilt Show. Just as you need your computer and web site to talk to each other flawlessly, they start talking in different languages all together. Needless to say we could not post during the show.

Bye now I’m sure you have seen a million posts on NAHBS, so I won’t bore you with more of the same. But I will give you my feelings about this show, the builders and people that came from near and far to see the best handbuilt bikes in the industry.

First of all, it’s an amazing group of builders and somewhat of a brother and sisterhood within the bicycle industry. I can honestly say there was very little if any poorly made bicycles in the house. Flawless welds, unreal lugs and meticulous filet brazed works of art on display at every turn. Paint, that well, for a company that doesn’t paint, made me want paint. Stainless steel, carbon, titanium, aluminum, you name it and it was there in every shape and form the mind could imagine. For us bike geeks, heaven on earth.

Secondly, this show is about people that really have an appreciation for really well made bikes and actually ride them! The builders aside, it is a chance for us to meet our customers that have ridden Moots for years, just got a Moots, or are in the stages of making the final decisions on their first Moots purchase………A truly gratifying encounter for them as well as us.

This show is about bikes, duh! But really I’ve never been to this style of show; Portland, Indy and now Richmond that the builders, customers and suppliers hang out afterwards and really get to know each other on sometimes a blurred and messy level. We are all not hardcore drinkers by any means, but this show just lends itself to a buzz like no other I’ve experienced. Sharing stories, thoughts on build styles and sometimes just a good old ribbing of sorts between friends. All a very good time. So 2011 will see the show travel to Austin, TX….make your plans if you can. Adding in the mix of a great music town, food and bikes….you bet there will be a good time to be had by all.

The Dutch Way…..

A short commercial clip from our dealer based in Holland. This will air as a commercial during what is their prime time TV hours starting tonight. John Knoops and staff are huge Moots fans and support us with great service and PRO layout in the shop. Visit them here: JOHN KNOOPS

NAHBS This Weekend…..

The 2010 edition of the North American Handbuilt Show gets under way this Friday in Richmond Virginia. Gathered under one roof will be the finest craftsmen and women to assemble this year in the states. Moots will be on hand with a selection of bikes and components for the 3 day event. Not only will the Moots booth be full of titanium goodies the Shimano booth will also host the first ever Vamoots CR Di2 specific bike for test rides on a wind trainer. This bike will be traveling with Shimano for the season to come. We’ll post a calendar once we nail that down.

In addition to the show itself there a loads of before and after hours activities: On Friday night Careytown Bike Company will be hosting an open house that we will attend, Saturday at 11:45 our own Butch Boucher will be giving a seminar talk on all things Moots and titanium. Later in the day we are rallying Moots owners to meet at our booth at the show shuts down. From there we will head out to one of the many local establishments for a beer…..or two. After a fun night out we will pry our tired eyes open early Sunday am to attend the Rapha Gentlemen’s ride that meets up at 7 am and rolls out at 7:30 for a nice 20 mile ride around the Richmond area. A ride at the handbuilt show on handbuilt bikes….what could be better?
Join us for a great time this weekend. Listed below are the links you’ll need for more info.

See you in Richmond!

CAREYTOWN SOCIAL NIGHT

NAHBS SEMINARS

RAPHA GENTLEMENS RIDE

TI ONE ON…..

The Moots bus is on the road and headed towards The North American Handbuilt Bicycle Show in Richmond Va (February 26th-28th). On the way we will be stopping for a nights rest (and beers) with our friends at DSG (Dirt Sweat and Gears) at the Yazoo Tap Room in Nashville TN. Moots will be present with a sneek peak of NAHBS show goodies.

At the event you can make a $10 donation to SORBA/IMBA that will get you a ticket for the drawing of a Moots frame that will be given away at the Dirt Sweat and Gears race. There will also be random drawings for cool schwag.

The Ti One On event gets started at 6:30 pm and will go until 8:30.

Stop in and have a beer, the first one is on the house.

BEERS TO YOU!

Yesterday as you may or may not know we sent the very first Vamoots RSL out into the world. The end customers name is Jeff. I’ll leave off his last name to protect his identity and keep others from searching him out and harassing him to ride/touch or even swipe his new rig. Through the shop we got to know a little bit about Jeff….he is now a 2 Moots owner (has a Ybb in the stable) and now will add the RSL. He rides….a lot. To us this really makes us smile, knowing that our hard work, attention to detail, blood, sweat and even some tears (sorry Butch but you are a crier) will go to a great cause. Mile after mile, for a lifetime to come…… that’s what gives us great happiness in a bike geek/builder kind of way.

Speaking from my point of view, the RSL is a true milestone in the evolution of Moots. I’ve been around and worked for Moots for 15+ years(not to say I’ve seen everything or that I’m old as dirt), but in my time at Moots I’ve seen some great ideas come to realization and I’ve seen some that you’ll never know about. Points on the Moots map if you will; Ybb made of Prestige steel, the very first Titanium Ybb, the aero TT bike that went to Vegas (a total one off never to be made again) stems with removable face plates that have been refined, I saw the very first classic Moots Ti seat post in 1994, as well as Cinch post prototypes two years before you saw the final riding testing abusing…as well as other projects too numerous and boring to list……great products from great people at Moots.

All of those products have always had the touch, feel and quality we’ve come to expect from Moots. The RSL is no different. From my point of view inside Moots it was an amazing project to be part of…from the concept on the grease board, going after this frame tube by tube to hit the goals we wanted to achieve, to seeing our first baby leave the nest (tear)….truly a group effort on all fronts. From the miter shop, to welding, through finishing and all the cool stuff the CNC department made that goes into the RSL….my co-workers “pulled through” to make this bike fly!

Here’s to the crew that makes the magic at Moots.
Well done and thanks!
Cheers!

Vamoots RSL

The first round of the Vamoots RSL's are just about ready to ship, customers are getting anxious for their new rides, gathering new components and planning events for the season to come. The very first RSL will be shipping out mid-next week around the 18th of February. To say we are excited would be an understatement. Just the other day the final piece of the puzzle came into place. The new 2010 road head badge. Yes, our road line now has its very own badge. Mr. Moot’s wheelie gator in road form. This badge will be going on all road, cross and Mootour frames starting February 18th. It's been pared down and Mr. Moots now has slick tires for the road that lies ahead.

The badge is specific to the 2010 road line and cannot fit onto the mountain version we've had for many years. The hole pattern is different on the new badge. (sorry)

We are looking forward to seeing the RSL’s get ridden and raced this spring.

Happy riding!

NAHBS 2010……

The North American Hand Built Bicycle Show lands in Richmond Virginia this year. Moots will be on hand for its 3rd NAHBS in 3 years. This gets our show and travel season underway with a fun filled, craft filled bicycle show. If you can attend you will not be disappointed. This show brings together the best hand built bicycles in the world. Moots will have a quiver of handbuilit, finely crafted bicycles on hand that span our range of Road, Mountain, Cross and specialty builds. In addition to the show our very own Butch Boucher will be giving a NAHBS Seminar on all things titanium at 11:45 am on Saturday in one of the outer halls of the convention center. You can pre-register for the seminar here: NAHBS SEMINARS

If you love beautifully built bikes this is a show for you.

For Moots owners stopping in on us at the show we will have a special something for you in the booth.

Come by and see us…at NAHBS Richmond. We will also be “tweeting” during the show so make sure you sign up and follow along.

We hope to see you there.

Winter Carnival Weekend….

Since we live and work in an area of Colorado where winter can be much longer than summer, way back when (97 years to be exact) someone here in Steamboat thought it would be good to celebrate all things associated with the wonderful season of cold. Thus Winter Carnival was born. A handful of days that belong to doing some strange things in the snow.…….Marching bands on skis, dogs pulling kids in sleds, ski jumpers flying through fiery hoops....all in the sake of celebrating winter. Good times in a small town. It's at this point during the winter we have all gone just a bit nuts and need to step out for a good time....it's February 5th, Spring is out there, not too far away, but just far enough away that we need a good party to get us through till it comes.

No matter where you are, get out and celebrate the cold wintery times. Not long and those times will give way to bike rides and BBQ's.

Cheers to winter......for now.

Check out the winter carnival here: 97th Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival

Cross The Way….

Thad Hoffman, a Moots GrassMoots team guy took out the overall win in the 35+ Cross The Way Series based out of Nashville, TN. Thad writes a great blog at: j5marsupial.blogspot.com ....he loves to single speed and finds that his Moots is adaptable to most any style of race. Some insight from Thad....

"It was a great hotly contested series. Cross has grown like crazy here the last couple years (over 41 races on the calendar this season) and this was the first year for this series put on by UpHillGrind Productions. I raced Masters 35+ and Singlespeed classes both on my Rigormootis which is a singlespeed. I don't have the luxury of multiple purpose specific bikes so I had to pick one bike to do it all. Which is why I love the Rigor. From endurance mtb racing, to cross racing, to endurance gravel races, to bike polo, to commuting the versatility, performance, and ride of the Rigormootis slider is hard to beat. Though I do have my heart set on a PsychloX for cross and adventure rides someday. And I hear the RSL delivers on so many levels too... decisions decisions"

Thanks to Thad for supporting Moots and flying the flag!

Cross at its best!

So it's deep winter in the Northern Hemisphere, winter blues, cold temps and not much of the big bright ball in the sky peaking out. For Cyclocross fanatics this means the Euro pros at lighting it up on thick muddy courses, snow and ice pasted turns and peaking for worlds that are coming next weekend in Tabor, CZE. The course will be covered in snow and ice, racers rolling on tires with tire pressures that would resemble a flat for most. This past Sunday the big names in Euro Cyclocross had one last race to test themselves for worlds and throw a few elbows as well. This is a summary of the race with some hair ball passes between Albert and Stybar, good racing for sure. A good way to stay warm on the coldest of winter days…..

Next weekend is gonna be hot!

Vamoots RSL tubing….

At Moots we are very fond of high quality, seamless, round titanium tubing. This holds true in every model we make, from cross, road, mountain and even commute, we use round tubing that is subtly ovalized on the ends to make it flow into the next tube. The Vamoots RSL continues this tradition of round tubes, although this time around the RSL tubes have something a little different inside them....butts. Butted tubing is not new to the cycling world by any means. Here at Moots we have and do enjoy using straight gauge tubing for our builds, given the fact that there are more diameters and wall thicknesses to choose from to define the ride of a certain size of frame or need of the customer. To move forward with the RSL we rethought every tube going into the bike to maximize stiffness while reducing weight. No easy task. In most frame builds the more weight you remove the less stiff the frame becomes. So as you reduce the weight (using thinner tubes) we increase the diameter to keep the frame stiff. When using butted tubes, in our case double butted and single butted, you remove the weight from the mid-section of the tube while keeping it thicker on the ends (heat affected weld zone) to have the strength in the right spot in the tube.

For the RSL we use an oversized double butted top and down tube. Increasing the diameter of the down tube to 41mm to keep the stiffness low in the frame and pair down the weight. We are also using a single butted oversized 35mm seat tube to again, keep the stiffness low on the bike, in the area most beneficial to being stiff (drive line). For our butting needs we are working with Reynolds of England. They have been in the tubing business since the late 1800's and have held many patents on tubing production and butting processes. For the front end of the RSL we are sending them our 3/2.5 US made tubing and having those tubes butted to our specification just for the RSL. They use an internal Mandrel to butt the tubing, keeping control of wall thickness and butt profile during the entire process. We have had Reynolds butt multiple diameters for the RSL to address the ride for each size.....a special tube set indeed.

The first RSL frames are going into the jig as I type….First one out this am was a 50cm size weighing in at 2.3 lbs.....jig and frame are both doing well....., with the 56cm coming in at 2.5 lbs. of durable titanium goodness. We can’t wait to have you ride them!

More to come.

RSL—the little things all brought together…..

As we hit the ground running in 2010 we thought it might be interesting to take a deeper look at our new Vamoots RSL road frame. This is a new frame for us from the ground up….every tube, every feature every piece of technology used that best embodies Moots and the Moots build philosophy and as usual- keeping it all titanium. In the past we had the Vamoots SL and Compact SL made of Reynolds 6/4 seamless butted tubing that filled this offering. After a couple of years that tube set was no longer available, so we started our search for something better. The search landed us with Reynolds but this time utilizing our US made tubing, butted to our specs. Combining those tubes with a Press fit BB30, sculpted head tube, paired down Breezer style drop outs and 6/4 micro seat stays……. The RSL was born!

For today, we’ll start with the specs and tech behind the Press Fit BB30. Over the past several years BB30 has made its way into many high end bikes, touting lightweight, stiffness and power transfer from rider to machine. Back in the spring of 2009 we started with a standard BB30 set up. This requires that the bearings with a 30mm inside diameter be pressed directly into the frame shell. This requires that “C” clips be used behind the bearings for “stops”. We built them and road them, learning the entire time. This set up did accomplish a few things: stiffer bb area, lighter crank and better power transfer. Not totally satisfied with the bearing to shell interface, possible creaking that could occur and difficulty of installation and removable we set off into a second version with Press Fit BB30. It is produced by SRAM and takes the bearing to bottom bracket shell contact out of the picture. The bearings (still a 30mm inside diameter) are housed in a nylon cup set (see above picture) that is pressed into the shell with a common head set press. This takes away the direct bearing contact to shell. We are using a 2 inch outside diameter seamless 3/2.5 titanium tube that is then bored out on the inside to accept the press fit cups.

The Press Fit 30 unit is easy to install, easy to remove and accomplished exactly what we wanted; lighter crank component, stiffer BB area, better power transfer, an outside diameter that gave a larger landing area for the down tube, seat tube and chain stays.

The Press fit is available in standard and ceramic bearing offerings. Any BB30 crank set is compatible with the Press Fit BB30, with adaptors in the works from companies like Wheels Manufacturing for most 24mm spindle crank sets.

If you have any questions, please ask or comment.

Next week we will take a look at the tubing used in the RSL…..stayed tuned.

Rapha Summer 2009 film

A nice reminder of what our part of the world looks like without snow. Really warms the heart looking at this footage from our time with the Rapha crew.

2010 looks to be even better as the book comes out and we embark on a project bike for one of the Rapha Continental Riders.

The New Year approaches….

As we wrap up 2009 here at Moots it really makes one reflect over the last year…..The bikes we’ve built the friends we’ve made and the miles we’ve covered. So many to think about it boggles the mind. We are very fortunate to do so much. New Year’s resolutions are, well up to you to make or not…they are a slippery slope, easy to make, hard to keep for many. We know here at Moots we will continue to make the best possible bike frames around, but really have you; our great customers, promoters and ambassadors to thank for the kind words of encouragement over the last year and beyond.

THANK YOU!

Be safe, be good.

Happy New Year from the Moots crew!

Vamoots RSL makes the PEZ wish list…..

The nice folks at PEZ Cycling have given the Vamoots RSL a spot on their holiday wish list. Just as the first tube sets are being cut for February delivery we are honored to have made the list. If Santa passed you by last week, now is the time to make that New Year’s resolution to be riding the RSL come spring.

As the RSL makes its way through the hands of the Moots builders we will be posting inside looks at how this bike came to be. From ground up concept to a ride ready rocket, this frame spares no expense or technology in an all titanium chassis, Moots quality, durability and phenomenal ride.

Check out the posting on PEZ: VAMOOTS RSL WISH LIST

Emeralds “other” bike season……

For the most part the majority of the country has gotten a taste of winter in one form or another as of late. Here in Steamboat we had a blissfully dry fall with very little snow and great riding temps. November brought very cold temps, no snow. Now that December is here we have had a couple of good storms, and some brutally cold temps..... (Think -15 below zero)....a fickle EL' Nino year in the making for sure. So with the ski trails lacking great coverage and paved roads too slick to ride, the in between season is here. Eric, Brad, Sam and a good number of locals have all gotten into the snow biking mode. Our little slice of heaven, known as Emerald Mountain holds a huge number of mountain bike trails during the summer, that come winter, make for perfect packed out snow bike able routes. So the crew has been riding and having a good time with the huge tired bikes. They go pretty slow as to keep from creating too much wind chill on themselves but fast enough to keep the mountain lion at bay.

Enjoy your winter, wherever you might be!

Vermarc clothing…

Above Category project update….

A nice update on the Above Category/Spectrum Project:

Moots Custom White

Cross and Johnny Cash….can it get any better?

This pretty sums up the hard training session that was handed out today. Glen, Matty P and myself got after some good old puk style efforts today at lunch. No knee warmers needed. November 11th and 58 degrees .....ah the glory days of a long warm fall.

It's too bad Bart Wellens is not racing yet this year.....he's always good for some spirited races.

Test Drive: Moots Sprinter….

A couple of weeks ago we had a visitor that is writing about driving 365 vehicles in 365 days. Yes, we know cars are the problem and not the solution, but hey to be included in this endevor is kinda cool.

Read the write up here: 365 DRIVE

How about 365 bikes in 365 days?......hmmmm

PSYCHLO-X REVIEW…..

Oh my goodness. Just at the peak of cross season our friends at RIDE MAGAZINE in Australia have come out with a beautiful review on the Psychlo-X.

Click here to view entire review: RIDE MAGAZINE PSYCHLO-X REVIEW

Vail TV8 Pays Moots a visit…..

Just prior to the Interbike trade show Vail TV8 paid us a visit to feature us on Colorado Finds. They toured the facility with camera man in tow and found out what it takes to build a Moots.

Many thanks to the crew!

Some color…

Our Moots dealer in Mill Valley, Ca. (Above Category) has a customer that just received his new custom roadie. He also decided to have some color added to the picture by sending it to Spectrum in Colorado Springs. They do a really nice job and have a same day update as the project rolls through. Check it out:

Moots Pearl

The beauty of this sport…..

I know I'm very partial to cross, but really the mud, the colors of tape, leaves and soft tubular tires contiues to fuel my love for this sport. I really can't get enough.....

Cheers!

Jon Cariveau slays 'em in the fast 35+ class at the Providence Cross Festival! In addition to shaking hands and kissing babies for 4 days during the recent Outdoor Demo East, Jon found a bit of extra energy to sneak out of the booth and race the worldclass 'cross course at Roger Williams Park in Providence. Pulling in a 3rd day one Jon went to the top step on Sunday taking the win in front of a very fast field, including the National Champion no less! Here Jon, have a beer

So…there is some history around here…..

Living in the West (Colorado) we really don't get to see much really old history in the grand scheme of things. Out east where we are set for Dirt Demo east it's much different.....much, much different. We will be at Roger Williams park over the next four days doing demos and my favorite cyclocross racing. The very grounds where Mr. Williams walked.....long ago.

READ HERE

CX Magazine dot com……

A nice mention and photos from Andrew and the crew at CX Magazine.....



CX MAG

Video and photos from Vegas……

Cleaning out the camera from Las Vegas......came across the cross race pics and more......

FLICKR: HERE

Here kitty, kitty…….

Dave had a welcome home from our local wildlife......

READ ARTICLE HERE

The swimming portion of the night….

Sorry JR & Brad, but I could not help myself on this one.....

JR & Brad did a lap in the pool during the moring hours after Cross Vegas.....

Cross Vegas and beyond…..

The last 24 hours have been 24 to remember for sure. Last night was Cross Vegas here at the show. A time to get away from the lights, noise and interesting smells that make Sin City all that much more of a special place to visit. After working 2 days of dirt demo, a day of show and eating not the best diet in the world you never know how things will go when you line up to race. Starting the industry race from the 3rd row on the velcro-like grass at the Desert Breeze Soccer with 100+ other racers would not be easy. The amount of really fast guys in our industry is amazing....ex-pros, hardened working stiffs and everything in between....a fun group to go around in circles with for awhile. The race unfolded and I was fortunate to get the WIN! Holy poop on a stick! After the shock wore off we got in the beer line to ready ourselves for the women’s and means races......... what a time. After multiple trips through the beer line we started to get into the festive atmosphere and carried that all the way through the night.

Later we continued our post cross race celebrations at a small party put on by RAPHA.....we also might have done a little swimming somewhere in there........

The morning came too early after the night on the town....most years we are good for only one of those nights per Vegas visits, thank goodness....ouch.

Tomorrow is the last day of the show and time to head home......overall it's been really good, the New Vamoots RSL has turned a lot of heads and now that the cat is out of the bag I can tell you I will be placing my order around Christmas. Lightest, stiffest Moots I've ever ridden......hands down.

More photos to come.......

Interbike update ……going from outdoor to indoor

We are finally at a hotel that has wireless internet or internet that works. The past two days have been great. Dirt demo is a two day event that, well, is mostly in the dirt, or in this case the dirt is on everything. 25 miles to the south and east of Vegas is Boulder City, NV. Bootleg canyon to be exact…this location hosts the outdoor portion of Interbike that is two days filled with bike dealers to try out and put product through its paces in 95+ degree heat, and this year 20mph winds……I guess we should not complain as it snowed back in Steamboat while we have been gone.

Over the two days we turned around over 175 demos to people from around the world. Our New Vamoots RSL really received great attention and even better than that great reviews in the “how does it ride” department. It’s been a great project we have been working on for many months and to finally show it feels pretty special.
This morning before dirt demo got rolling we did some rolling of our own on road bikes. The “Hangover” ride takes place at 8am on the second day of dirt demo. Bike shop owners, bicycle shop employees and industry folk head out for a 27 miles trip down to Lake Mead and back. Nothing like descending for 13.5 miles and then climbing back up for 13.5 to loosen up the legs before standing on them all day. Bombing the first part of the ride with 150 people is something to behold….skill levels may vary, ride at your own risk….very fun to ride as part of the job.
Cycling news did a nice write up of the Vamoots RSL…if you didn’t catch it you can find it here:

CYCLINGNEWS

Wednesday night is Cross Vegas…..looking forward to the race and mixing it up with friends from the industry.

DIRT DEMO EAST

The Moots traveling road show will follow up Interbike in Vegas with a trip to Dirt Demo East, in Providence Rhode Island. The dates are October 8th, 9th, 10th & 11th. Thursday through Sunday. The first two days are industry days, followed by a new format that is open to the public. Not only will you be able to come ride, view and chat about all things new from Moots, you will also be able to take in some stellar cyclocross racing action as The Providence Cross Festival runs in conjunction with Dirt Demo.

We will have a fleet of bikes, mountain and road to check out. Follow the links for specific location, times and what you'll need to get out on a test ride.

See you in Providence!

Facebook and Twitter from Moots….it’s show time!

Just as we load the vans, and trailer to head off to the bicycle industries largest show in Vegas, we have taken the time to bring Moots into multiple social networks. It is after all 2009.... We have had our Facebook page up and running for the better part of summer and just recently added a Twitter account to keep our loyal fans and riders in the know. We will be posting Twitter, Facebook and blog updates right from the show room floor in Vegas. Holy technology! The new phone we have now is pretty much a lap top that fits in your pocket. We will be adding the Facebook and Twitter buttons to the home page at some point but for now you can find them here:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Become our friend, follow our tweets and enjoy the insight as it unfolds from our eyes at the mother ship. My thumbs are in great shape and ready to stream poetic thoughts and peeks at the new stuff from your favorite titanium builder....

We will be at the two days of dirt demo, 3 days of show, roughly 32 fully built Moots bikes, and a staff of 7-8 people to make it all happen. We will also be attending Cross Vegas which is billed as Americas biggest cross race. I really can't disagree with a night time cross race, mid week to add to the Vegas atmosphere.

Enjoy the insight

A good start to a busy week……

What can one say about starting your week off with a 30 mile ride with one of the best people to grace a bike shop? Chris Dimmick, general manager of Turin Bicycle in Evanston Illinois is visiting Moots this week with his wife and parents. Super nice people to the core. Moots has a long history with Turin and any time we get to ride, socialize and race cross together, we do! This morning we rolled at 8 am to take in the Emerald dirt road loop....okay, it's mostly paved, but a nice little portion is smooth Routt County dirt. A slice of heaven on earth. The weather was perfect....cool but not cold, sunny and well, any ride beats work any day of the week, especially a Monday. We did it up Euro style and stopped at the local crack dealer, I mean coffee shop for a post ride coffee and chat. A wonderful way to start the last week before Interbike!

Thanks Chris for making the trip to see us mountain folk. We love the time together!

It’s not a Moots, but it flies!!!

Moots rider and long time supporter Brian Smith out ot Walnut Creek, Ca. sent in this photo of things he does when not on his Moots.
Turning laps in the WRX, getting all four wheels in the air...he says "it's just a bit faster than the Vamoots".....just a bit......

We need to get him a Moots sticker for that rig!

"You're here for a good time, not for a long time" COLIN McRAE 1968-2007

Keep in upright Brian!

Post Stage Race Buzz…….

Like the morning after a really good party, most of us are in a slight fog after 4 days of exciting stage racing here in Steamboat. In total 305 racers took to the start line to tackle the 4 different stages over 4 days. Our man Corey and the town of Steamboat really has something to be proud of ....great organization & volunteers that went over the top to provide safe and exciting racing to all.

On Sunday night after the Moots Road race we hosted the awards ceremony here at Moots; we had over 300 people show up to enjoy factory tours, food and beer. At the ceremony we also gave away a Moots road frame to a lucky racer. The lucky winner was young Gregory Daniel racing in the cat 3's at the age of 14! Not only did he win the frame, but he was also an instigator all weekend long. Congratulations go Gregory!

If you like road stage racing plan on coming next year it's only going to get better!


More photos and race reports to come.

Links: STEAMBOAT PILOT

DENVER POST

STEAMBOAT STAGE RACE SITE

Race packets come together…..

A nice race packet awaits each racer.....

Like a deer in headlights…..

The Steamboat Stage Race gets underway this afternoon with a 4.5 mile prologue. Corey and his many helpers have been working on this weekend since January. Knowing Corey on this end I do have to say he is one cool customer...I really haven't seen any outward signs of him cracking...and I hope to be the first person to buy him a beer on Monday afternoon when the race is over. 305 racers will be putting power to the pedal over the next 4 days...beautiful, safe and testing routes await all. It's been awhile for most of us since our last good stage race...perfect timing for many that will go into cross season....a good way for many to finish off the end of their season.

I see Alison Dunlap is in my 35+ men’s category! I've heard she is going to be racing cross this year and this is sure to serve as a great lead into the season.

I'll be posting some insight to the racing over the weekend.....

Good luck Corey, thanks for bringing big time racing back to Steamboat.

Stage Race Fever

The lead up to the Steamboat Stage Race has been beautiful, the weather seems to be looking great, the Southern California smoke has cleared the valley and Corey (promoter, Moots man, great guy) is holding his own. Moots is all set to welcome just over 300 racers to town and our facility. We are hosting the Sunday evening awards ceremony at Moots. Podium presentations will get under way around 6:30 pm, with beer, burgers, factory tours and a boat load of TI wonder bikes spread about. Our little town is really getting behind this event, next stop: Tour de Colorado 2011? You never know.......

This photo of the Lantern Rouge caught my eye......the battle for last will not go without an award!

Corey did a live interview yesterday morning on our local channel.....view here: http://www2.steamboatpilot.com/videos/2009/sep/02/1634/

Moots will be at every stage venue with our "hospitality" tent, come by and say hi!

See you on the road.

Rocky Mountain Bicycle Show…..

This coming weekend Moots will be attending and displaying our fine handcrafted products during the Rocky Mountain Bicycle Show. The show kicks off Saturday running from 10 am to 5 pm. Then on Sunday morning Moots will be hosting a Moots Owners Ride at 8:00 am from Pedal Pushers in Golden. We will be leading both road and mountain bikes ride from the shop at 8:00 am sharp. The rides will be 2 to 2.5 hours long, no drop pace. Bring your choice of bike and mingle with other Moots owners and some Moots staff. Details:

Location: Pedal Pushers 2401 Ford Street, Golden Colorado 80401

Date: Sunday August 23rd, 2009

Time: 8:00 am sharp ready to ride

Hope to see you there; once the ride is over we will be heading to the show for a day of bike fun!

TURKEY…….

A friend of Moots sent in a little video of this turkey chasing him down the street....6:30 am, heading to a hike before work....Marin, Ca.

He says the big guy has been hanging around the hood for a week or so.....I tell him to fatten him up looking towards November!

RUN TURKEY RUN!

Just one of the views…….

you will get while racing in The Steamboat Stage Race…..

One of Moots' own is getting down to business by putting on a 4 day stage race. Scheduled for September 4th-7th, 2009, the classic stage race format is being used with a prologue on Friday, circuit race on Saturday, rolling road race on Sunday, with a downtown critirium to wrap it up on Monday. Corey P. has been working night & day with businesses, volunteers and city officials in order to bring a premier stage race to Colorado. Over the past few years stage races have become very rare in Colorado, what is one to do? Put on yer own! This one will not disappoint. The routes are safe, testing and even scenic if you get dropped off the back.
If you can make the trip to Steamboat this would be a great way to make lifetime memories.


Please check out the race site: STEAMBOAT STAGE RACE

You can registar here: BIKEREG

RAPHA MINI…..

RAPHA CAME TO TOWN…..

The crew and I here at Moots were lucky enough to play host to the Rapha Continental team this last Sunday and Monday. If you are not familiar with what the Rapha rides are all about, hop over to check it out: RAPHA EPICS.

So, Rapha makes REALLY NICE clothes. But not only do they believe in beautifully made garments, they also believe in getting out and riding…..a lot……and as a bonus they look great while doing the rides. The idea behind the rides is to show case places you and I might find ourselves out riding and suffering. Your local loop that either for distance, landscape, weather or severity of climbs might be considered “Epic”. The crew at Rapha shows up and goes along to document the ride in: photos, video and words what the ride was like. The short films are inspiring, the photos real….all to be put into a “coffee table” book next year. …..and then there are the clothes of course. Hmmmm. I personally love the look, no massive logos, no super PRO Tour look. Just sublime. I call it my incognito kit, when I just want to blend out……..

It was a joy to have them at the Moots facility, show them the local “epicness”, share stories, beers, and make new friends that love the joy of riding so much.

Check out: BUT WHY IS THERE AND ALLIGATOR ON THE BIKE?

Mountain Bike Fun…..

As the warm dry days of summer pass here in Steamboat we are treated to a multitude of trails, blooming wild flowers and our local town series mountain bike races. The races take place every other Wednesday night and go between rolling courses on Emerald Mountain, to the straight up, straight down courses on the ski area. Last night was the straight up, straight down variety held on the ski area. Known as the Sunshine Loop, the race started with a climb that served up about 2300' of climbing followed by the same amount of descending. Hill climb race, followed by downhill race.....amazingly fun course, beautiful flowers and great friends. Our own Brad Bingham and Kelly Boniface continued their winning ways in the pro category. Several other Mooties factory racers came out as well.....Evan (miter shop) Corey (finishing) Matty P (welder) and even myself.....I was bringing up the rear and spending too much time looking at the flowers.

The Steamboat Today story: HEREhttp://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2009/jul/23/boniface_bingham_lead_town_challenge_race_ski_area/

The Terminator inside Jens….

Yesterday’s crash of Jens Voight has been well documented and I'm sure we've all seen enough. Thankfully it sounds like he will be okay and race again. This morning as we gathered around the coffee machine in true Jens style, Matt brought up the idea that if they had to cut into Jens to repair his broken cheek bone, they would find the Terminator fuselage inside. Part human, mostly machine, add in a good dose of caffeine and you'd get the ultimate bike racing warrior that is: Jens Voight.

I love that guy.

Brad steps to the podium…..

Picture this......I'm driving down the road last weekend on my way back from the wrap up of the Breck Epic, Moots cell phone rings and I miss the call, I send a call back to the number that I missed and it's Brad Bingham, our wonder boy of welding, machining and bike racing. I say: "what's up"...he says: "just got off the podium with JHK and Michael Broderick in Winter Park, that’s what’s up"!....I say...."holy sh*&"! and just about drop my ice cream. In his own humble way he tells me about the race and how it felt….fast, painful and….fun.
Brad has been really focusing on his racing this year and when Brad focuses on something, whatever that may be....look out. He finished about 5 minutes off the lead and that was to JHK who chases World Cup points! We could not be more proud of him.

3 days later he also won our town series race by a large margin.......crazy fast.

This weekend Brad lines up with the entire pro field as they chase the stars and stripes in Sol Vista Colorado....about 90 miles from here....it will be tuff, it will hurt, but I'm sure Brad will have a smile on his face the entire time, having “fun”.

Congratulations Brad and good luck this weekend!

Wait; don’t tell me…..it’s Tour time….

Yes, it’s that time of year. For us Tour fans it is the time of year that you have to be at work during the morning coverage so you go all day asking people not to tell you what happened during the day’s stage. We talk to a lot of shops around the country and either the shop person or we start the conversation out by saying…..”don’t tell me about the stage”…..”I’m going home and watching later”….as not to ruin the suspense. I know during these times of streaming video, “tweeting”, and live updates it’s easy to take a peek during the day and see the result, but I find myself for these 3 weeks in July not being tempted to look. I like keeping that couple of hours late at night for me and my wife to tune in and follow the drama. I’m sure our neighbors wonder what we are yelling about…….if you call Moots, please don’t tell me about the Tour.

Enjoy the July tradition: bike racing, hot weather and great rides!

Lobeck forced to pull the plug….

An update on our local hero Erik Lobeck who at last sighting was passing through Steamboat and looking very strong to finish this years Great Divide. Erik pushed south and got to within 250 miles of the finish. At that point he had picked up a friend in the form of a virus and was passing liquid out places liquid should not be coming from. Sadly he had to stop and return to Steamboat where he was put in the hospital. After a couple of days in the hospital he is out and thankfully among the living. I hope to interview him when he is up to it and post some insight to his ride.

Great job Erik!

Food for the road……

One of the Brits on the Divide was drinking this......yum.

Catching up with Lobeck……

Or I should say he came crashing down the route at me. We've been tracking our good friend Erik on his journey during the Great Divide Route over the last 12 days as he closed in on Steamboat. Last night he stopped at Brush Creek Lodge just 45 miles Northwest of Steamboat. This morning I rolled north at about 6:15 am to ride 30 miles out and hopefully meet him on Forest Service road 42. As I made my way further up 42 road I gave myself 2 more miles to run into him and then I needed to role to work. With about .5 miles of my 2 miles to go Erik rounded the bend in front of me....SWEET! He was pretty darn excited to see a familiar face in the middle of nowhere.......I tried to give him a pastry I had bought at the Clark store for him but he refused as it goes against the rules.....NO OUTSIDE SUPPORT that is not available to everyone. He's got morals for sure. I shot some video and photos as we rolled towards the Clark store. As we got closer we picked up another Moots greeter in the form of Ex-employee Gordon Shuck......wanting to ride in with our buddy Erik.

Loads of insight from Erik on the daily "grind"...pretty much he has settled into 120 to 130 miles per day. So far he's ridden 1300 miles and climbed 100,000 feet! He got to ditch the bear spray as he is now out of Grizzly country, only one major mechanical in the form of a slashed tire. He's running on his hard tail Moots:

26'' wheels
Fox 100mm fork, with remote lock out
XTR drive train top to bottom
Moots Tail gator rack system
Frame bag in main triangle
Handle bar bag,
Sleeping bag on handle bars
Extra large seat bag (think sleeping bag size)
Smooth, low knob tires front & rear
King h-set
Ergon Grips
Comfy saddle
3 water bottle locations on frame
Hydration pack
1 jersey
2 pair chamois
1 pair Smartwool socks
Jacket
Knee warmers
Arm warmers

That gear and a big ass smile are about it. He was feeling good and seems to have knee problems behind him at this point. It looks like they will be riding into warmer weather from here on out. Sun Screen and riding early in the day will be the mode from here to the finish.

Good to see you Erik, be safe!

Lobeck update….

Steamboat local Erik Lobeck is headed this way. Seems he had a tear in the rear tire that lead to multiple "fixes" and waiting around until the bike shop in Rawlins opened this am at 9:30 am.....Looks like his GPS Spotter puts him on the WY/CO boarder.....a small group of us hope to rally north Wednesday am to roll with him back to town......will have trail side photos and of course some priceless quotes from him.

Dope……

No not EPO, CERA or growth hormone or even the natural stuff Missy got caught with......riding wheelies on roads bikes type of dope.......

Italians....leave it to them to true showmanship......

Unreal

Kurt & Chris 2nd & 3rd Great Divide……

That's Chris on the left, Kurt on the right......

Early this morning, or really just 45 minutes ago 2nd & 3rd place in the Great Divide Route passed just meters from the Moots Mother ship. We have been following the race as it has a good history of Moots riders taking part, winning and suffering. The route comes down county road 129 and due to the great technology of GPS SPOT tracking devises we can time a meeting of the riders to a T. Kurt Refsniderr and Chris Plesko made their way by Moots, I tracked them and grabbed the camera and in perfect timing met up with them at the end of Copper Ridge Drive. During the Fall and winter, Kurt & I trade paint during the cross season and have good respect for each other’s abilities...plus he's a really nice guy. Anyway, I snapped photos and rode with them to Orange Peel where they stopped for some much needed repairs. Brock, J.R., Paul, and Thad had the repair stands cleared and in no time went to work on the bikes. Their accounts of the “stage” so far were great, Grizzly bears, wind and it seems that mud has been the biggest issue for bike and body. Speaking of bikes.....Kurt is on a pretty basic Salsa Dos Niner....Chris riding a steel fully rigid single speed!

Good luck guys, thanks for the chat!

Introducing Kelly Boniface…….

Mom of two, wife and all around great person.....did I mention she's a pro mountain racer that crushes? Moots ambassador Kelly Boniface made the jump from expert last year to pro this year and is now starting to hit stride in the top division. This last weekend was the Mountain States Cup stop in Crested Butte Colorado, despite pouring rain; grease like mud, Kelly managed a podium finish against some heavy hitters. Her results as an expert are too long to list.

She lives in Steamboat taking care of two young girls, her husband and tending to the books for their business Back Country Provisions. The business supports our local junior cycling program as well as our town series races. Racing and bikes runs deep in the Boniface family. Plus they make the tastiest sandwiches on the planet.

Congrats to Kelly! Glad to have her on our team.

Picture download Moab Spring 2009

Now that the Flickr account is clean I put up some uploads/downloads .......some pics of our company retreat to Moab.....miles were ridden, skin was lost and yes beers where had.


Click here to view the fun: MOAB 2009

So you like long rides do ya?

A very good friend and ex-Moots employee is out there getting in a big one before he becomes a papa. Some 10+ years ago Erik Lobeck was a bead blaster for about 5 months here at Moots. Now an architect and the nicest guy you would want to meet, he's out in Montana somewhere pedaling his Moots down the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Starting in Banff, Canada on June 12 and hopefully finishing in Antelope Wells, NM. Eric hopes to complete the one stage event in about 3 week’s time. 2745 miles, 4418 km, 200,000 feet of climbing.......ouch. About 2 and half weeks ago I was on my way to Denver in the Sprinter van early one morning and came upon Erik riding along about 50 miles from Steamboat....he was riding to Lyons via Rocky Mountain National Park.....I stopped to make sure he was topped off on water......he said "yep, out for a small training ride today"......160 miles total. I hope it is paying off for him.

At last check via the 1-800 number he had seen many Grizzly bears and overcome a badly cramping calf. Current place on the road is 8th....next week at some point he will be rolling down Routt County road 129.....100 yards from the Moots place. We'll be waiting with food and a hot shower. But I'm sure his wife will beat us to his side.

GO ERIK, GO!

You can follow his progress here: ERIK'S SPOT

Home Sweet Home…..

A great site to see after loging 3700 miles over 14 days on the road. My butt hurts worse from sitting in the captians chair of the sprinter than any ride I've ever done. Towards the end the chamois cream was being used for more than just riding......downloading more photos, more to come.

Road warrior….

I’ve been abducted…..not really but I feel like it. I’ve been on the road since last Friday with only a 24 hour re-charge back in Steamboat. My travel started on May 28th with a drive to the front range of Colorado to visit dealers, spend the night and do a demo day at Evergreen Bicycle Outfitter. Home for Sunday and headed back out for the big one on Monday am….A 12 day trip to California…. I then drove to San Diego, Ca to start my Tour. Mainly by sprinter van for me unlike the pros back in February on their bikes. I am traveling with bikes, so I have been able to get a ride or two in, a couple of swims in the Pacific and have managed my way through southern California traffic like a pro. That’s no entirely true as I have a Garmin GPS unit guiding me to my destinations. I call here “Money Penny”…she talks to me and IS the money! Tonight I’m in Santa Barbara after a long 4 shop day, with some of La’s finest bumper to bumper 75 mile an hour on the 6 lane you can imagine….I made one last stop at a shop called Veloworx in Santa Monica….a nice shop, very pro. You know a pro shop when the owner is gluing up tubulars……like a pro.
As I rolled into Santa Monica I had to laugh at a guy standing in the divider holding a sign that read:

“SPACE SHIP BROKEN, NEED PARTS, CAN YOU SPARE SOME $$?”

He looked pretty spacey to me….and I needed a laugh after the traffic I had come through.

More shops, a bike festival, a ride and maybe more broken space ships on tap for tomorrow.

Take me to your leader. 1800 miles covered.

#1 Moots Dealer in Korea

Just returned from an excellent trip across Asia visiting Moots distributors in China, Korea and Japan, sampling the local delicacies (and saki), taking in the Samchully MTB Championships in Korea (1600 competitors) and among many other highlights visiting the top Moots shop in Korea, Han Sung Bike in downtown Seoul. Like most successful Moots dealers in the US Han Sung know the Moots story frontwards and backwards, the owner rides a Moots and the shop stocks Moots complete bikes and frames on the floor, 14 in fact during my visit! They had 5 Moots built up in a variety of models and I was happy to personally deliver them a new Moots shop banner. If you are in town stop by and say hello, and ogle over all those pretty Moots in one place.

Melt down…..

As in snow melt down.....We have been hitting temps in the 70's for the past week or so, its music to the ears for mountain biking in these parts. When we get 400+ inches of snow during the winter that seems to last forever around here, we really look forward to this time of year. Each day there is a trail that opens, someone takes it upon themselves to go out for an adventure ride to see how far they can ride trail until a snow bank or snow field turns them around. It gets better and better each day.

The photo above shows the face of the ski area. Local lore says that when the two dirt patches touch each other the runoff is at its peak...it's a win/win.....the boaters are happy as well as the mountain bikers.

Lots of grins around here!

Team Dicky is coming to town……

Our resident SE PRo has been picked as guest blogger for the Breck Epic. The stage race takes place in early July. Take a read and follow along as Rich prepares for the Epic......

Follow: HERE

What Brad is on……..

I’m calling for a UCI pee test given that our resident factory crusher is undefeated on his Gristle Ybb. 3 FOR 3, 2 Mountain State Cups: cat 1, then this last weekend crushed it again in the Front Range 50. Could it just be the bike? No, Brad would crush in a *ss kicking contest with both legs tied behind his back, but I’m sure it doesn’t hurt. I’m very fond of the 29/26 inch wheel format myself and have been riding one since the first prototype was built at Moots….wait, I’m still on that very frame…..anyway, Brad is super motivated this year to bring the pain to all. This is the very bike that was at the Handbuilt Show in Indy back in February. Not only a show piece but really built to get hammered. Here’s the breakdown of the bike he’s doing it on:

Gristle Ybb

King Inset

Fox F29 fork (80mm)

XTR groupo (he likes dual control)

Stans rims w/ DT 190 hubs (silly light)

Moots stem & post (bomber & stiff)

Total bike weight: 22 lbs, with pedals & cages.

Thanks Govna’

It's nice to know some of the big guys are watching out for us small guys on bikes. Good to see something that should be common sense turned into law.

Ritter in Springs today to sign bill protecting rights of cyclists

May 11, 2009 - 10:03 AM
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gov. Bill Ritter plans to sign a bill here today aimed at protecting the rights of cyclists.

The measure (Senate Bill 148) requires that drivers give cyclists at least three feet of space when passing or risk a $110 ticket.

Anyone who throws an object at a cyclist could be charged with a class 2 misdemeanor. That carries a fine of between $250 and $1,000 and a possible sentence of three to 12 months in jail.

The bill was sponsored by a bipartisan pair of avid cyclists - Republican Sen. Greg Brophy and Democratic Rep. Mike Merrifield. It will take effect Aug. 5.

The governor plans to sign the bill along with six others at Penrose Library.


Good work!

Moots & Franks Demo Day……..

On May 12th 2009 Moots will be working with Franks Cyclery of Raliegh, NC for a day of demos. David Dietrich (Moots sales) will be on hand with the Moots sprinter van and many Moots demos. The demo event will be held at Lake Crabtree County Park. The demo day will run from 10 am until 7 pm. Please bring a drivers license & credit card to demo bikes.

Bikes at the demo day:


17" Zirkel
20" Zirkel
19" MootoX ybb
20 MootoX ybb
16.5 Mooto XZ
18 Mooto XZ
19 Mooto XZ
20 Mooto XZ
Gristle
52 Vamoots

Come out & demo a Moots and chat with Frank & Dave.

Hope to see you there!