This Saturday, May 10th, is the Darek Leyde Memorial Utah State Criterium Championship sponsored by Cyclesmith

Course: 
The course is going to be FAST!  Less than 2k/lap, it has something for everyone.  Did i mention it is going to be fast?!  This is not the RMR you are used to; no oval, no circuit race.  This is a real criterium with plenty of turns and a huge finish line.  You will NOT be disappointed. 

Trophies:
The trophies are COOL!  Not only will you have bragging rights as the State Criterium Champion, you will have something really cool to put on your mantel. 

Darek Leyde:
This criterium is named after a really great guy that we raced with.  He passed away from skin cancer (something all cyclists should be cautious of), and we were all saddened by his loss.  Please wear plenty of sunscreen and keep Darek in your thoughts.
Registration:
You can register online at:
https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?item_id=2511
A second race is just $15. 

See you out there!

Marek

You may have seen the above headline in one of CycleSmith’s advertisements in The City Weekly…Our other ad-line is, “Deliver us from evil.”  The intent behind both of these ads is clear - our dependence on oil is bad……bikes are good.

Now is the time to take action.  We feel the best way to help lower our dependency on oil, clean up our air and get fit, is to simply stop driving - and start commuting to work via bike.

Cyclesmith has several ‘off the rack’ commuters that can get you out of the car on onto a bike.  Here are a few alternatives to consider:

FELT:

The Café series from Felt offers a real-world answer to bicycle commuting and neighborhood grocery store runs.  The features of the Cafe series include an aluminum frame and fork and drivetrains ranging from 8 to 24 speeds, with several extra features including an adjustable stem, fenders, rear rack and a saddle bag. These additions bring the added benefits of more flexible positioning, more carrying capacity and dry riding no matter where you ride.  The Cafe series serves as the ultimate multi-purpose bike.

Check out the entire Cafe series here:  http://feltracing.com/08/thumb.asp?catid=1504,1528

 BIANCHI:

The Bianchi Milano line up, consisting of the ‘Alfine,’ ‘Citta,’ and ‘Parco’ models come in a variety of gearing options and a huge list of ‘commuter must haves’ like fenders, racks and lights.  Bianchi’s relentless pursuit of quality, attention to detail and flair for Italian design is clearly represented in this multi-purpose line. 

Check out the Milano series here: http://bianchiusa.com/08_cross_terrain.html

SALSA:

Continuing to shine as a true standout in the bike industry, Salsa offers a couple of beautiful options when it comes to commuting by bike. 

Salsa’s Casseroll Triple Complete is the take on a do-it-all road bike, perfect for everything from non-competitive road riding and commuting to credit card touring and charity rides.  An extremely versatile frameset is what makes the Casseroll Triple so…well, versatile.

Why not step it up a notch and make the cross over to a cross?  La Cruz Complete is your ticket to the mixed bag world of pavement and dirt…dirt and pavement. A fine cyclocross steed: race it if you like, but ride it you must.  This highly functional ride will carry you where ever you need to go - IN STYLE!

Check out these Salsa bikes here: http://salsacycles.com/casserollComp08.html

Remember when you were REALLY little… Like kindergarten little and your teacher had a felt board??  For those that have no idea what I am talking about…. Before there were digital tablets, computers, or even whiteboards, there was the felt board.  Teachers would tell stories to a rapt audience of 5 year olds and stick paper cut outs to a board covered in felt.  Picture your favorite story immortalized in awkwardly cut out shapes, monochromatic crayon, and stuck upside down on a fuzzy covered light blue plank.   Sometimes if you were really lucky you got to stick something on the felt board.  I was never so lucky but I sat next to someone on the bus that got to do it once.  The felt board was truly magical!

You can experience this same type of magic, wonder, and joy with in the walls of Cyclesmith and avoid the bad school lunch.  The days of the felt board may be gone but here in its place is the Felt bicycle.  Create your own colorful stories and memories aboard one of the finest bicycle brands around… FELT.  Just like the yarns your teacher would spin Felt bicycles has a little something for everyone….

Road….Mountin… TT/Tri…. Urban…

Comfort…Fixie……..you name it.

You to could be that kid…  The kid on the bus who gets to go through life knowing what it is like to have stuck something (in this case a foot on the pedal) to felt.  Come see/ride the magic!

I know… I know… Everyone hates senseless product plugs but I promise this is not one of those! Promise!

After seeing them around, selling a couple, and now riding one I have to say the Salsa Chilli Con Crosso is hands down my favorite cross bike out there! I am/was a skeptic right off the bat! Not just of the salsa but all cross bikes. I have ridden many and have found most of them…well… wanting.

I must admit that I am not a cross racer but more of a cross commuter/ wish they made a road bike that I could ride on a BMX track. I love to dive into dirt corners… boost curbs… and run over stuff all in the comfort of drop bars. Crazy I know but sadly it is true! This bike makes all of this possible and more…not to mention it is cool green!

Once you jump on and hit the gas you will smile. A few pedal strokes later you will find yourself in a full on giggle! This rig sails it soars and nothing is more fun than trucking by someone on their full suspension craziness while you are in your drops….

Trust me if fun is what you are after this is the bike for you and yours!

Salsa Casseroll complete bikes are now available in most sizes! Choose your dish of either single/fixed gear set up or triple. Both equally delicious! What?! Don’t eat it-ride it!

See them in person at the shop! One comment already made was, “WOW! They look even better in person!” Truer words have rarely been spoken!

                     $1,499.99 Boo-Ya!~

This one makes magic too!~ $889.99

If you have not heard here it is in black and white…  Team Cyclesmith is joining up with Rocky Mountain Cycling Club (RMCC) to form a true SUPER POWER of Utah cycling talent and fun! 

For those who are interested in being a part of a fun and fast 2008 season there will be a meeting/open house held on Wednesday Jan, 23rd… 6:30pm at Cyclesmith 250S 1300E.  The meeting will cover the nuts and bolts of the team/club along with a good look at the new combined kit!  In true Utah tradition refreshments will be served!!

See you there!

There’s been a bit of interest around the shop lately for a MTB group ride.  Over the past week or so I and a couple other weirdos who love to ride in the snow have been doing this ride:

Ok so the Mapmyride.com link didn’t work, none the less lots of fun! We’ve been dabbling with I Street hill and the Shoreline trail. If you’re jonesing for some single track come join us on??? Well, I’m going to make that up to you.  Email us, leave a comment, or give us a ring at the shop and let us know when would work best for you to come out and ride. We’ll try to narrow something down in the coming weeks that will work for most everyone interested in riding. In the mean time I’ll post a day or two prior to a ride on this site here. We’ll switch up the routes from ride to ride, re-group when needed, and maybe go out for a post ride meal and bevy.  Rigid single speeds have been the weapon of choice but bring what you got, charge up your lights, and prepare to have some fun!

Keep turning the cranks all year round!~John and everyone @ Cyclesmith

Oh by the way if you’d like to demo a bike for the ride we have a Salsa Dos Niner; size Small with full on gears and whistles as well as a Raleigh Single Speed in Medium. Both of which get full marks on the scale of ‘hot fire’.

          One could have a top 10 for just about anything. Top 10 songs, top 10 vacation spots, top 10 worst automobiles. I can’t think of anything better than top 10 bicycles though. Working at Cyclesmith; this one is going to be easy because we have a lot of super dope bikes! My top 10 is going to be based on each bike’s practicality, afford-ability, style, and fun factor(all what I look for in a bike). Yes I did say fun factor.

Top 10 bikes in no particular order:

Bianchi Sok 29er single speed

Raleigh Soujourn

Salsa Primero

Diamondback Mission 3

Raleigh xxix

Salsa El Mariachi

Bianchi Pista

Soma Delancey

Bianchi San Jose

Salsa La Cruz

Salsa Dos Niner

Ok…so that’s 11 bikes. I was going to slip in another 10 or 20 bikes but I figured it would be a bit obvious. Like I said…we have an over-abundance of very nice bikes!

This will be the final installment in our carbon wheels series. 

Torelli:

The Torelli Aspect wheels are a fine choice for carbon wheels. Why? The price is right ($939) and they’re tough. These are a pair of wheels that you’ll have no problems training on every day and then racing on over the weekend. They’re handbuilt and offer an aluminum braking surface.

40 or 50mm deep rims and 1900g.

HED:

Founded by Steve Hed in 1985. Steve began what was to become his vocation in humble fashion, working on an aero wheel in his garage at home. This quickly led to an interest in all things aerodynamic. Now, 20 years later, HED cycling products designs and manufactures 16 different models of composite wheels, exported worldwide and used in events from the Tour de France to the Hawaii Ironman to the pretigious North Oaks triathlon championship. Every single wheel is still handmade. Minnesota.

HED’s strength lies in two areas: the H3 Trispoke and its reasonable prices. You get a really high end wheel for much less than a pair of Zipps. They make great wheels for any cycling pursuit from the track to the road to the triathlon and time trial. A certain american, first name Lance, won many a tour time trial with a HED H3.

There are three categories to the HED lineup. The Stinger series are all carbon, the Jet series uses an aluminum rim and a carbon fairing, and the H3 is a molded all carbon wheel with a carbon or aluminum braking surface.

Stinger:

50: Using a 50mm deep carbon rim, this is our recommendation for a great all around race wheel. Its built with HED’s sonic hubs and Ti spokes. 1407g. $1390.

60: The Stinger 60 is excellent for TT use. The Stinger 60’s aerodynamic advantage is significant while the handling remains relatively unaffected by side winds. The Stinger 60 is an all carbon bladder molded rim which keeps the wheel strong and the weight low. The Stinger 60 is built with sonic hubs, bladed 6/4 ti spokes front, and bladed steel spokes rear. 60mm deep rim and 1435g. $1390.

90: The Stinger 90 is made for ripping time trials. Aero and lightweight. Compared to a flat sided wheel, the toroidal shape keeps airflow more laminar and reduces the turbulent area behind the wheel. Designed with a high surface area, low weight and minimal drag, the Stinger 90 is a very fast wheel. The Stinger 90 is built with sonic hubs, bladed 6/4 ti spokes front, and bladed steel spokes rear. 90mm deep rim and 1668g. $1390.

Jet:

50: At 50mm deep, 1620g pair weight, with an alloy brake surface, the jet 50 meets Hed’s criteria for an ideal aero road wheelset. Wheels are spoked using bladed spokes, 24 stainless spokes on the rear wheel, 18 6/4 ti spokes on the front wheel. With a clincher rim and machined brake track they are suited to any condition and durable enough to use as season-long race wheels, there’s no need to save them for special events. 50mm deep rim and 1620g. $1290.

60: Race light and everyday strong, a true working man’s carbon wheel. The Jet 60 can do it all from Time Trials to Crits- these are a great plug and play wheelset. 60mm deep rim and 1590g. $1290.

90: The most aggressively designed of the Jet wheel series, the Jet 90 is at its best on high speed, non-technical courses. It is an ideal all conditions rear wheel or for races where discs are not allowed. Best for Time Trials, Triathlons, and of course- KONA.

90mm deep rim and 1745g. $1290.

H3:

The H3 tripspoke is the wheel that HED is best known for and for good reason. For Triathlons you can’t ask for a better set up than a trispoke front and rear. That is a set up beat ONLY by a trispoke on the front and a disk on the rear. These wheels are fast, fast, fast. $1490.