New stuffs

I didn't do anything worth writing about this weekend, except perhaps cleaning my chain after riding through the poo storm on Saturday (but Sheldon Brown already took care of that). Nope, this weekend was specifically for doing nothing before the Champaign Crit and two weeks of racing (the aptly named) Superweek.

We've had some new toys roll into the shop in the past few weeks, including:
Triathlon shorts (men's and women's), for those of us for whom riding just isn't enough

Detours panniers (convertible backpacks!)
...and Planet Bike Superflash headlights (further testing planned)

Quadribents

I received a question via the shop website regarding Quadribents, which, if combined with a canopy, would probably be the hippest bike in the CU area. However, the e-mail address on the message didn't work, so here's my broadcast reply: we can order all of the parts of a quadribent and then assemble it for you. The EZ-1 (i.e. the recumbent itself) costs $775 for each, and the Quadribent kit is $799. Assembly is, as always, free.

Guess what John has in the stand right now

It's a 17.5". There's only one. It's my size. You'd better hurry.

Also, Dan and I have been jazzed up on GoPills (just kidding) for the last week trying to get the shop caught up on repairs. Happy congratulations to everyone here: we're scheduling 2 days out. In June. Last year we were 2 weeks out at this point). Cookies and popsicles all around.

Helmets

You may have gathered that John does a good job promoting helmet use by using his "Dad voice" with potential helmet users. (It's the same way he keeps wild children in check while working [please come back, John.]) I'm also a big fan of helmets--I've cracked at least 5 helmets in my day and am still able to blog about it. This makes me (and my mommy) happy. On the other hand, my libertarian side thinks that adults should be able to make their own decisions, even stupid ones. To reconcile this internal conflict, I present you with this video (movie? film?) to help you make an informed decision about wearing a crash hat:


Update from John:

Our luck with the weather ended today. 22 miles from the end of the day's ride and we could see the storm moving in behind us. We took off at a good pace with hope of reaching the cars before the storm caught us. We did not make it and rode the last five or so miles in the rainstorm. Even so it was a great ride. Mary upped her speed again and I was pushing 20+ to keep up with her and Brian. At some point near the finish, Brian gave Mary the front and she started pulling away from us!

We changed to dry clothes in a Dairy Queen restroom and warmed up with an ice cream cone. After some stops in a few tourist shops and the purchase of a Schwinn advertising sign we drove south to the Brainerd area. Tomorrow we ride to St. Cloud and the Lake Wobegon Bike Trail (where all the men are handsome, the women strong and the children are above average).

Thursday night we are going to the track races just north of the Twin Cities and I can relive my glory days as a young track racer.

Alex.... I have lots of "used jerseys" at this point in the trip. They do smell. I will check again for a hint of celery. I suspect I will detect the essence of pancakes and DQ and no celery.