Captured Moments

Our friend Bill, a Gold Rush owner and long-time Easy Racers rider, recently sent us this video which shows him flying down the scenic Ojai Trail in Southern California. Bill puts plenty of miles on his bike every year. After he mentioned that he was eager to use video to document more of his riding experiences, I recommended that he check out one of the GoPro cameras that we carry:

These are great! They are fun to use, durable, make capturing your most exciting adventures a cinch, and are quite affordable to boot. We're looking forward to seeing more of Bill's cinematography in the future, and we'd love to see your Easy Racers related videos as well. Show us your bike, your favorite descent, introduce us to your riding partners, whatever you want. If we like what we see, you may earn a spot as the next featured video on this very blog.

Dann, a New Hampshire Easy Racers owner, recently sent us this great photo of himself alongside his well-outfitted Tour Easy:

Dann has been been racking up some serious miles lately. You can tell riding long distances is definitely his thing, as he's equipped to carry all of the essential gear. Keep an eye out for this bike next time you're in the New England area, and be sure to say hello!

Send those videos and pictures our way. We can't wait to see how creative you guys can get!

-Buck

Staying Healthy

Any cyclist that rides a fair amount of miles knows the value of being prepared. You will never run into a experienced touring or commuting cyclist who doesn't have at least a few tubes, tools, and spare parts in their bag, especially if they own an Easy Racer. However, preparation doesn't end with items that you bring along on a ride. In fact, it starts before you even throw a leg over your bike.

Many of the most common and aches and pains that may hinder a cyclist while they ride can be nearly eliminated by a solid stretching routine. In fact, stretching before a ride puts you in the best possible position to save yourself should anything unexpected occur. Stretching allows your muscles to react faster and makes them less likely to over-fatigue and build up painful acids. Try some of these examples before your next ride (assume the demonstrated position and hold for 30 seconds, rest, then switch to the opposite side, or preform the stretch a second time):
Check with your doctor to see what stretches will work best for you. Certain exercises will better target any problem areas you may have, so don't be afraid to experiment and see what benefits you the most.

Keep the rubber on the road and, of course, stay healthy.

-Buck

2010 Medium Tour Easy Speed & Sport

For riders with x-seams between 39" and 42"

Originally built strictly for our showroom floor, this Tour Easy has accumulated less than 100 miles and plenty of admiration, but what it really needs is a new home. Shimano 105 and SRAM X.9 derailleurs. A lightweight, smooth shifting, practically brand new bicycle.

Included Accessories:

• Single Leg Kickstand

This bike is available for pick-up at our factory, we will also ship it anywhere in the world.

Asking for $1,950

Call or Email Us With Questions or to Purchase

2001 Medium/Large Tour Easy Expedition

For riders with x-seams between 40.5" and 43.5"

This Tour Easy is set-up as a Expedition with a 406 front wheel and v-brakes. It's in nearly perfect shape with low miles and plenty of impressive upgrades, including a set of DT Swiss Hügi hubs, a Velocity (front) and deep-section Mavic (rear) rims, Shimano XT and XTR derailleurs, and a Cook Bros. MTN crank set.

Included Accessories:

• Blackburn Rear Rack
  
• Super Zzipper Fairing
  
• Double Kickstand
  

This bike is available for pick-up at our factory, we will also ship it anywhere in the world.

Asking for $2,300

Call or Email Us With Questions or to Purchase

John's Ti-Rush Testimonial

We just received this letter from our customer, John, who bought a Ti-Rush from us in March. We love to get testimonials from our riders that reinforce the things we say about our bike regularly. After all, we're not just making things up! Here is what John has to say about his riding experience so far:

Where to start? As you already know I love the Ti-Rush, it is easily the best bike I have ever owned. From the first time I sat on it and rode it around the neighborhood near your factory, I knew this is one GREAT RIDE. After I got it home and started to tweak it to my measurements, it got even better. You and I have talked on the phone to try to figure out why this bike is so wonderful and even though we came up with some answers, I’m not sure we have the final answer. So, I’ve decided to leave it as the “perfect storm”. Looks as though everything that we chose to do worked and even better than we hoped. Or maybe it’s just good Karma. Who knows?

Some things I do know:

-The ride quality is superb. I think titanium is the best frame material by far (I have ridden on carbon fiber, steel, and 25,000 miles or so on my aluminum Gold Rush).

-The power transference from me to the pedals is phenomenal. There is no lag or loss in the frame, just pedal harder and the bike goes faster, NOW. It is also easier to maintain speed. Also, when I’m just riding and enjoying the ride, I’m going faster, same pedal pressure as on other bikes, just faster. [You] write on your website that you estimate 5% better power transference, for me (a 65 year old) it is at least 12%, and maybe as much as 15%.

-When I ride with my regular buddies they remark that I’m going much faster. Truthfully, I’m trying to throttle the bike back!

-The new [Sprinter] seat is wonderful! It took a while for me to get the distance from the pedals and seat angle perfect, but once I did, the comfort increased and riding enjoyment went to new levels. The lengths of my rides have increased and I find myself looking for ways to add just a few more miles to the ride. And, I cannot wait to get back on this bike!

-This is a beautiful bike. The finish is beautiful. Many people have commented on the construction quality. Roberto is an artist as a welder. It is a joy to own and use such a fabulous machine.

-The idea of using the bigger tubing was brilliant. They added to the frame stiffness and allowed us to use the S and S couplers.

Ah, the S and S couplers. We chose them so that my wife and I could travel and take the bike with us. Even though it added to the weight (and the cost) they were well worth it. I think it added to the stiffness and power transference, on top of the travel considerations.

The other choices we made also worked out well. The Paul brakes, the ceramic bearings, the drive train, the wheel set, just added to the quality of the whole bike and made it even better.

I am a better rider on this bike. I feel like I am using my power to better advantage. I even find myself pushing up the pace when some young, aggressive rider tries to go by me. (Just to make him work a little harder to get by this old dude on the “funny” bike!)

And most wonderfully, I am not as tired the next day after a 35 mile ride. I actually rode seven straight days and was sad that that I had to go back to work and could not ride another seven.

The best compliment I can give: This bike eats miles! Thank you all again for building me my dream bike.

We’d like to thank John for his kind words. Stories like his are not difficult for us to come across though, so if anyone else out there has a testimonial that they’d like to have shared on this blog, just email it to us.

-Buck

Carbon Fiber Forks

When it comes to carbon fiber forks, you have to admit, there are few topics that are more hotly debated in the world of the utilitarian bicycle. Note the clear distinction that I'm trying to draw there between practical bicycles (like ours) and those that are designed to simply go fast. For your average exotic metal or carbon road bike, there's no question, a carbon fiber fork provides the most forgiving ride and weighs less than any alternative. But for a bike that has to hold up to the beating that everyday use in the modern world dishes out, a durable steel fork, even with it's added weight and stiffer feel, can prove to be the more worthy investment. This past decade, however, has seen carbon forks become more durable through design innovations, and subsequently, more common on bikes of all kinds.
This increase in the popularity of carbon forks hasn't been completely without it's set backs. Many of you have probably seen the recalls that some major and up-and-coming bike companies have had to issue recently. It is no doubt issues like these that come to mind when the most skeptical cyclists contemplate the move to the, admittedly, more efficient design and material. After all, a carbon fork, even one that takes an occasional bump or chip, should be able to provide many years of effective service without putting the users health at risk. That concept is something that we here at Easy Racers kept at the forefront of our minds as we worked on the design of our carbon fork.
Tested to withstand weights in excess of 500 lbs., our carbon fiber fork is nearly as strong as our steel fork. It is because we're so confident in the design on this product that we never hesitate to recommend it to a touring or commuting rider. The ride quality is also outstanding. A carbon fiber fork greatly reduces the road vibrations transferred to the rider and thus, fatigues the hands, wrists, arms, and upper body much slower. Weighing in at just 270 grams, we know that everyone who gives this design a try will fall head-over-heels for it. That's why we're offering it for the greatly reduced price of just $295 this month.

Get your hands on an Easy Racers carbon fiber fork at our EasyShop

-Buck

A Tire For the Real World

I was recently contacted by a customer who said he had never ridden a tire with a recommended PSI of less than 100 on his Easy Racer. I had previously told him that the 700 x 35 Schwalbe Marathon tire that we stock recommends a maximum 85 PSI. At first, I was afraid that this specification had scared him off before I had a chance to find out if it was a decent choice for him. Luckily, he went on to ask me, "[Will an] 85 PSI tire make my bent slower? What are the advantages of going with a [lower PSI] tire?" This customer's question sparked within me a desire to explain away a common misconception among cyclists of all skill levels: That only hard, narrow tires can be fast.
It's important to remember that a softer tire is not necessarily a slower tire. It's really only on the smoothest roads that a super hard and narrow racing tire is beneficial. On everything from the average, ill-maintained roads that a commuter rides daily, to very hard packed dirt and gravel trails, a wider tire with sidewalls that give when impacted will provide a smoother ride. This is because the best of those types of tires are able to roll along with the bumps in the road, as opposed to a hard tire which has a greater tendency to vibrate and "bounce" over a surface that it cannot absorb.
The Schwalbe Marathon has one of the best engineered sidewalls ever created. It gives just the right amount, and rebounds at an unmistakably perfect rate. These characteristics have made the Marathon one the best selling touring/commuting tires in the world for more than 20 years.
On a well designed all-around bicycle tire with softer sidewalls, you'll typically also find a fairly hard tread compound and a durable, puncture resistant inner belt. Once a design team is satisfied with their pairing of a sidewall material and an exterior casing that creates the desired feel for the tire's intended use, they begin testing tread patterns for the contact patch. Tread depth, the amount of space between the protrusions, and direction of the grain is all directly effected by the ability of the tire's compound to adhere to the riding surface on its own. The Marathon has one of the most imitated tread patterns ever created and is particularly noted for its sure-footedness while cornering, and its super grippy feel in wet weather.
Nowadays, the science of engineering has become so pervasive that even some of the least expensive tires on the market include features previously only seen on offerings from the industry's premier brands. Premium Schwalbe tires, however, combine the latest material advancements with knowledge gained from the most technologically advanced testing systems in the industry. Every tire wearing the Schwalbe brand has been designed to last longer than the competition and out-perform everything that preceded it.

The legendary Schwalbe Marathon, dissected:

The Marathon Plus is one of the most durable tires available today, due in large part to the SmartGuard technology that it utilizes (clearly visible in this photo). This is the same lightweight flat protection system used on NASA's lunar rovers:

For comparison, the Schwalbe Racing Ralph, a lightweight competition mountain bike tire with a very thin, flexible sidewall and a deep, widely spaced tread pattern (for use on soft terrain, such as mud):

Also, the dearly departed, Schwalbe Stelvio is shown for comparison. One of the most durable road racing tires ever made has been preserved in spirit as the Durano:

Browse Our Selection of Schwalbe Tires on Our EasyShop

-Buck

The Green Riders

A man named Oliver Bock first came to our attention late last year when he called and told us a little bit about his upcoming trip across the country. We certainly don't want to sound overly-blasé, but trips of incredible distances, beginning and ending all over the globe, are something we hear about almost daily. What makes Oliver and his sister, Catherine's trek different from those that we typically hear about is their reason for going from their hometown of Palo Alto, California to Washington, DC. They're out to prove that sustainable transportation has reached a new plateau. Not only are today's human powered and electric assisted vehicles more practical than in the past, their reliability makes them more fun than ever before, as well.
Oliver and Catherine assumed the identity of The Green Riders for their campaign. The two will be meeting up with environmental luminaries across the country as they head east. They regularly update their blog with inspiring stories about people who have done something noteworthy to help out our planet.
In all honesty though, it's going to be tough to top the inspirational effort of The Green Riders. At the end of their trip they just might find that they've done at least as much good as the champions of sustainability that they've sought out. That's part of the reason that we're so proud that they're riding a pair of our Tour Easy's, equipped with EcoSpeed electric kits.

The Green Riders started their journey on April 22nd, 2010 and they hope to arrive in Washington to meet with the president by June 22nd, 2010. Visit their websites to show them some support, and consider signing their petition so that they can meet President Obama and ride bikes with him at the White House. Also, if The Green Riders pass through your town, don't be afraid to say 'hello'. I'm sure they'd be happy to answer any question you have about their trip. Good luck guys!

Visit The Green Riders Website
Visit The Green Riders Blog
Read The Green Riders Interview with Buck Cendejas, of Easy Racers, Inc.

-Buck