My Area 106

Introducing the "112" to Ray's

Jake Gretz (Trek/Fisher Rep from Indiana, Kentucky, Southern Ohio - aka "Area 112") swung up to Cleveland last night to check out Ray's MTB and to hang with Pete Digacamo and I. Jake of course has heard a lot about Ray's and wanted to get a first hand look at the indoor riding park. Of all the weekday nights available to ride at Ray's, I would say Tuesday's is the night with the least amount of riders. It didn't take long for Jake to get the flow as he moved across the pump track and all the various runs Ray's had to offer on his Top Fuel 69er.

Dirt Rag Women's Weekend coming to Ray's MTB

Hey ladies, mark your calendars because you won't want to miss this Dirt Rag Women's Weekend event coming to Ray's MTB February 22, 23 and 24th. Our Trek WSD Demo Gal "Chris Garrison" (New Jersey fame) will be on hand with a great selection of 2008 women's bikes from Trek and Gary Fisher. All women get in free during the weekend (no, you can't pose as a woman to get in free, sorry Travis).

Heck guys, this will be a great time to pick up chicks! Of course you're allowed to ride during this time, you just got to pay the mans fee.

Hope to see you there.

Bob

Sportin my new Fisher 29er Hoodie

Check it out!  I won one of Travis' cool 29er hoodies. This is really sharp, featuring the 29er logo on the front along with the new double mountain logo on the back shoulder. All I had to do was post a rude comment on Travis' website. Times running out for a chance to win one for yourself. Thanks again Travis for the cool swag!!

Bob

Makin fresh tracks today (sort of)

I noticed this morning when I woke up that we had received a slight dusting of new snow, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and drive out to Quail Hollow State Park (Hartville, Ohio) to ride the trails. I've been reading the blogs of other riders and I have to say I was really getting jealous of these winter snow trail rides they've been writing about so I decided it was time to test these healed ribs and broken fingers. I dropped my older daughter off at her job and loaded up the Element with my Gary Fisher HiFi 29er and off I went. I've been using this fall a Garmin 305 computer and absolutely love this thing. Today was going to be my 1st real try at using it on an offroad trail. It worked great. Since this trail is only a 4 mile loop, it automatically records a new lap once I cross the starting point. I rode 3 laps this morning and each lap believe it or not was within 5 seconds of each other. Talk about consistency, I could have swore I was getting faster each time, but the truth is I was taking it easy today.

"Ridin in the deep freeze"

Right back at ya Travis! Here I am today sporting my new lined winter cycling cap (actually, it's fairly old because it has the USPS logo on it). Well, today marked the end of our sales month at Trek and this found me at my desk (home office) for most of the day. The thermometer outside read a nippy 18 degrees, but with the wind chill it had to be something more like 8! I decided to brave out into the cold (the sun was definitely baiting me) for a quick lunch break to get in a few miles. I've been so busy of late that I've managed only a handful of rides outside (been pretty active riding at Ray's indoor though) and to compound things my nicad light died (I fried the battery by forgetting to unplug it) so I haven't been able to ride at night. I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and purchase a new commuter light next week.

Travelin the snow belt in the 106

My travels over the past couple days had me in Pittsburgh for Wednesday and then up into the snow belt of northwestern Pennsylvania (Erie) today. As I departed from my hotel in Cranberry Twp (north Pittsburgh this morning) there was just a light snow on the ground. In no time at all the snow was accumulating on the road and the speeds got slower. Once I hit Edinboro it became a white out. Traffic came to a crawl as cars where lying along each side of the highway stuck in the snow drifts. A light dusting quickly became a foot of snow. Upon completion of my visit with Competitive Gear in Erie, and making my way out of Erie I noticed these snowmobile tracks that had just been laid in the snow. It reminded me of my days living in Madison, Wisconsin when the farmers gave way to sleds in the winter and allowed snowmobile roads posted through their farm fields. It was so cool to see the amount of sleds being used in the region. These tracks above led right to a local high school, so this is a unique way of commuting to school, hey?

Want a chance to win a cool hoodie?

Want a chance to win a cool 29er hoodie? I've spoken about my blogger "mentor" Travis Saeler and his blog "the Official Guide to the World Between Two Wheels", which you need to save as a favorite if you haven't done so already. Follow this link for a chance to win a 29er hoodie that Travis himself has made up. All you have to do is post a comment and you will be put in for a chance at winning the hoodie. I think he's going to pick a name at the end of this month.

Sorry that the picture above is a bit granny, but take my word on it that the hoodie is pretty cool. It features a unique 3D 29er logo on front and the new double mountain fisher logo on the back right shoulder blade.

Leave it up to Stork to come up with a cool idea like this. You can also pick up some additional info on Travis by visiting this other website. He's a member of the National Gary Fisher 29er racing team. Those of you in Ohio, Travis and several others often leave on rides from the Bavington, Pennsylvania (state game lands) area just across the Ohio border (East Liverpool) and into PA on many Sunday mornings. If you're ever interested, drop either Travis or I a note and we'll get you directions to the site (can be a bit hard to find for out of staters).

Bob

Winter Preventive Maintenance Tip (from the 106)

As many of you know, I've been opting for a bit of urban riding this winter rather than hitting the trails (part of my broken rib recovery plan) and with that battling the bitter cold and blustery winds. As I leave my home (my home and neighborhood is out in the middle of a old farm field, thus no trees) and travel in any direction, I have a good 1-2 miles before I get much relief from the wind in the form of trees or homes blocking the wind. When the wind is at its best I like to head into my hometown of Massillon since all the buildings and homes tend to shield me from most of the wind gusts. Now, with this said the last thing I want to encounter while on a cold winter ride is a flat tire. Thus, read ahead to get my winter preventive maintenance tip (from the 106).

Training Day with Ernie's Bicycle Shop

I spent this morning (Sunday, January 20th) beginning shortly after 9am with the staff of Ernie's Bicycle Shop (Massillon/Canton, Ohio) as part of their winter sales meeting at Atwood Lodge (Delroy, Ohio). I was an invited guest given the opportunity to lecture the sales staff on the new 2008 Madone and other Trek products. Owners Ernie and Debbie Lehman host this event each winter at an off site venue as a great learning tool for their entire sales staff and then cap off the event with an evening family dinner for all the employees.

"I'm a name dropper"

Yeah, I know. I'm a name dropper. You guess right, that's Mike Henninger posing with a few buds while at Trek World a couple years ago. Today, Mike (wearing the gold shirt) is busy as a key manager with the Trek Store of Pittsburgh and lately "key blogger" for the TRM Blog, along with many of the stores MIS duties. Standing in the picture with Mike is myself (far left) and Chris Paladino (far right and buyer for TOP). In the middle is Don Mosites (owner of the Trek Store of Pittsburgh). If I remember correctly, the guy in the black T Shirt grabbed Don's beer and jumped into our group picture. He was trying to convince us he was Lance Armstrong, but we didn't buy it. We permitted him to stay in the picture since we're all really nice guys.

Check out their blog when you get the chance. This picture should remind us that the sun actually comes out (eventually) in the mid west.

Bob