My favorite way to ride in to fall.

We spend alot Of time going fast and aero.

Fall is the perfect chance to take a step back and just ride.

My bike choice for off season rides is my All City cross bike. Nothing fancy, no carbon or super light aero space Materials. 

The best part of a cross bike for the off season is you can take it just about anywhere. Enjoy a smooth road ride, take a detour down a rail trail with no worries. Easily put some fenders and even if the weather turns rainy keep your self as dry as can be expected. 

The one other added benefit is the fact that you can really appreciate how beautiful the North shore area is for ridding. 

What we ride.

We get asked alot what do you ride or what do you use.

So here we go.

I  will be posting a few pictures with some of our favorite gear that we always use.

Hope this is helpful. 

Remember this has all been trial and error untill we dialed in what really workd for us.

Somtimes it takes a race or two to find the right fit for your needs.

One side note about the bike.

I did what I tell every client and new triathlete not to do, I changed

part of my set up the day before the race.

Mind you not on a whim but because of a broken clamp on the seatpost.

Not having enough time to remove the clamp and seat. I decided to 

swap the entire seatpost and throw on a Cobb Plus dirt test saddle that we have.

So knowing my seat height and basic tilt for the saddle helps alot.

That being said, this is my new saddle for the mountain bike. It was perfect.

the nose was just narrow enough and the rear was just the right size to slide of the rear on a bit

of a descent. I have always know this was a go to saddle for the road but I will  now put it at the top

of the list for the off road gang.

I will also be posting our resident speed queen race gear 

from her most recent race.

Pumkin Man Sprint 

Need more space for the trip?

Sometimes you just need a little more room for your stuff.

We make that an easy problem to fix. Give us a call and we will bring this Thule box to you.

As long as you have a factory rack with crossbars or an after market rack (Thule, Yakima) you are good to go.

Quiet and fully lockable take your gear and don't feel claustrophobic in your car.

What it can hold.

Gear bags, single baby joggers,  up to three golf bags.

The perfect way to bring home the wet race gear from your next race weekend.

Make your reservation ahead of time and give yourself some room.

Why I love this sport.

I have had the privilege to compete in the sport of triathlon for almost twenty years.
During that time I have been the first  timer that literally crawled out 

of my first open water swim to crossing my first Ironman finish line. 

 From my first race, till my last pool work out. I have had all the experiences you can 

expect. Like anything you can have the highs, lows and everything in-between.

While I wouldn't change any of them, I found myself focused on a few that 

stuck out for me. The real surprise was that I was not racing in any of them.

Three of them were watching my kids racing and completing something that took 

me till I was in my mid twenties to take on.

If you have never seen a kids tri, find one and watch or volunteer.

I promise you if you watch the kids race you will be blown away.

This is as pure as sport can get. The excitement and the joy of competing  that you see will put a smile 

on your face.  

The down side to this is not only do I have to work with my wife's racing schedule but three 

other little speedsters are asking when the next race is.

Now on to my other favorite moment.

I have to thank my wife for bringing me from just a cyclist to a full on multi sport competitor.

This past weekend I had the privilege to see months of hard work come to a great

conclusion. My wife, a full time working mother of four set her sights on 

great race and she nailed it.

I watched as her race unfolded in front of me and our kids. Because she is modest we will

leave it at she had a great day.

I consider myself one lucky guy. I get to watch her not only enjoy and excel in a sport

we both love, but see our kids watch what a true balance of work ethic and fun looks like.

These are the reasons that this one of the best sports around. 

Let your self enjoy the sport for everything that it has to offer no matter what side of the transition 

area you are standing in.

Good deal or does it have value

I like to keep post short and sweet  so I will do my best with this subject.

What is a good deal? Most of us see it as getting a product for less money than what going market rate is. This can be a hard thing to understand unless you can be honest with yourself. Foe the record I have fallen into this trap myself. (Glass houses and all that)

In this post I will deal with bikes. Being witness to a multitude of people excited about a good deal they have found. I can say that unless you really use the product. The deal might not be as good as you thought. This can be from a used bike that you found to a brand new bike that  was sized and fit specifically to your body.

Here is the simple fact. A bike that does not meet your needs and in turn does not get ridden or you do not enjoy ridding it has little to no value.

Example 1

You are on a tight budget and you find what appears to be a inexpensive  used bike that fits your price point. You buy the bike and find that because of the style or design of the bike that you can not get a proper fit on the bike and therefore can not spend any time ridding the bike.

zero value.

Example 2

You come to the sport of triathlon and you are buying your first bike. You go to a shop find the right size, get fit correctly and buy the bike. After a small while you find that ridding a Tri bike all the time is not doing it for you. Certain group rides either do not allow aero bars or frown on them. 

The situation plays out the same. Bike stops being ridden and the value is gone.

zero value

In writing this I am not placing blame on the consumer or the shop that sold the bike. I am simply making a statement on value. If I buy a product and it performs the task that I want it to then it has value no matter the cost to me.

Always ask your self is it a great deal, or will it have value to me.

New items coming to the consigment store in the next days.

We will be adding some new items to our consignment store in the next few days so remember to check back in.

Seeing straight.

K180+

By

Aqua Sphere

Let's get one thing straight their is not much worse than being uncomfortable. This is a huge problem no matter what you are doing. Let's talk about comfort in the water. Goggles will play a roll in how your swim goes. Do they leak, are they to tight or can you just not see out of them.
Enter my goggle of choice for my pool work outs.
Aqua Sphere K180+
(Note for pool work outs)
The K180+ has a design that enables it to be extremely low profile while still offering 180 degrees of   clarity and comfort.
Most of the comfort comes in the form of it's micro gasket. You get the water tight seal of a gasket with a race inspired size. You can also customize these goggles with one of the three replaceable nose bridges that is included in the case. These goggles also have a very effective yet simple strap system that holds tight on your push off and flip turns.
With a retail price of
$29.99 for clear and dark lens colors
and
$39.99 for the new mirrored lens
They are not a inexpensive but they seem to have a long life span.
My current pair have suffered the last year of two to three days a week with the only love coming from the fact that I do put them in the case after each swim.
Their anti fog and polycarbonate lens hold up to the chemicals of the pool and the tossing to the pool deck at the end of the swim.
The K180s come in two styles
K180
Which boasts a (ultra-soft gasket for maximum comfort)
or the
K180+
(micro-gasket for maximum performance)
If you are looking for a minimal goggle with every day comfort and performance this might be what you  want stuck to your face,