I finished the 2009 Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race in 11 hours and 24 minutes, and I have to say I am rather proud of that. This 100-mile MTB race is aptly nicknamed “Race Across the Sky” for starting above 10,000’ and topping out well over 12,000’. It took everything I had to finish under the cutoff and earn my Silver Buckle.

My 2009 Leadville 100 Silver Buckle wants a little brother. I’ll do my best to deliver.

This year, I want to go faster. I’ve thought long and hard about what I want to accomplish this year, and since I’m one of those “you gotta say it to create it” kind of guys, here it is…

I will finish the 2010 Leadville 100 an hour faster than last year.

Yes, finding 60 minutes on the Leadville course will be difficult. And, just saying so doesn’t make it happen, but I do have a secret plan. And since my plan is secret I’ll share it with you here. Just don’t tell anyone else, especially Lance – ok?

A Year’s Training

After winning the race lottery last year, I hired a coach to help me train. We had just enough time to work together for me to fully understand the benefit of coaching. This year I have a whole additional season of training under my belt and I have data to prove that I’m faster and stronger this year.

I’m confident that training with CTS helped me earn my Silver Buckle last year.

Data is a big part of my training regimen and all indicators are up. My long-term endurance power is higher and much longer. My short burst power is also higher and I’m able to recover and go again faster and more often than last year.

I’ve also raced a few key endurance events this year that point to success. I finished the 86-mile, 12,000’ Julian Death March this year when last year I bailed at mile 62. I also finished this years’ Triple Bypass an hour faster than last year.

After crunching all these numbers, I am confident that my training this year will take 23 minutes off my Leadville time.

Pacing and Experience

Hey, I’ve “been there and done that.” Experience is a huge advantage and even though I was able to preview the course last year, nothing could prepare me for racing over 11 hours in the Rocky Mountains. And previewing the course again this year was a great opportunity to refine my ideas and approach to racing Leadville.

One of the biggest breakthroughs that came from my preview trip last month was about how to properly pace the two hardest climbs, Columbine and Powerline. Instead of trying to hammer these climbs (and then explode), I’m going to set a reasonable pace to stay moving and feeling good. I’ll spin over the top quietly instead of trying to “stamp my authority” on these vicious climbs.

The infamous Powerline.

Between my experience on course and new approach to pacing and nutrition, I’m sure I can steal back 19 minutes over last years’ time.

My Racing Machine

Last year I raced a 2007 Santa Cruz Blur LT which is a very sturdy and capable all-mountain bike. With an aluminum frame and up to 160mm of travel, it was a solid and totally inappropriate racing platform for Leadville. My Santa Cruz was for sale within hours of finishing Leadville.

Searching for a new bike to race Leadville, I looked no further than the winner’s bike. Sure, I considered a lot options, but in the end, the Trek Top Fuel won out for being super light and rigid with a gruppo made for XC racing. I love the fact that it’s a 10-speed double instead of a 9-speed triple. And being an easy 6 pounds lighter than my Santa Cruz, it is super responsive and climbs like a goat.

My Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL doing what it does best – looking good.

Many say that a full-travel bike is not the way to go at Leadville, but I really appreciate the ability to climb smoothly while sitting and being able to hammer the bumps without hovering over the saddle wasting my legs. I firmly believe that modern suspension systems have effectively minimized power loss from the “bounce” and more than make up for it with better traction, handling and more comfortable ride.

I’m confident that my new racing machine will save me 12 minutes this year.

Friends and Family

I had a fantastic support crew last year headed by my longtime friend DMoz. Having a dedicated crew chief at the start and Twin Lakes gave me the support, confidence and encouragement I needed to finish the race last year. I also traveled to Leadville with my dear friends Bazza and Daphne who roamed the race course shooting some really great photos of me and the event. It made all the difference in the world to have such great friends supporting me in the days before and during the race.

The great news this year is that they are coming back with me to Leadville to help me race again. And as a bonus, my wife and kids will be there as well. It’s going to be a huge boost to have my family with me, both in motivation to do well and excitement to share this beautiful race. I’m looking forward to seeing my family at the finish line – and how cool would it be to pull off what Wiens did last year – cross the finish line with my kids? Outstanding!

Dave Wiens finishing the 2009 Leadville 100 with his boys. Photo courtesy DavidWiens.com & Kurt Hoy/singletrack.com.

How much faster will I go having the best support crew in the world and my family by my side? I’m convinced exactly 6 minutes faster.

My Secret Plan

So that’s the secret plan I’ve been developing all year long. I’ve shaved exactly 60 minutes off my Leadville time. All that’s left to do now is race. See you in Leadville, look out for #126!

I’m riding the Triple Bypass in Colorado next Saturday. It’s an amazing 120-mile journey over three high passes in the Rocky Mountains – the 3,500 rider event sold out in just a few hours. I’m riding with a big group of friends, many of whom I haven’t seen in a year. We’ve all been looking forward to this ride for months.

The LAST thing I want to happen is for a mechanical problem to keep me from having a great time. So, now is the time to check everything while I still have time to order parts and most importantly to get in a couple of test rides before the big event. Here’s my checklist:

Tires

Have your tires worn flat instead of being rounded like when new? Is the rubber cracking a little, especially at the rims? Might be time for new tires. The more worn your tires are, the easier it is to get a flat. My Continental GP 4000’s have a wear dimples, when they disappear, it’s time for a new tire.

Brakes

Diving into a hairpin corner at the top of a 5,000 foot descent is not the best time to find out your brake pads are worn out. Sometimes, when your brakes feel spongy you just tighten the cable a little, right? Well, you can do that only so many times before you run out of pad. Your pads should have wear marks on them – make sure you have plenty of pad left to slow you down.

Chain

Did you know your chain wears out? A worn chain is more likely to break on a ride and also increases wear on your cassette and chainrings. I’ve actually crashed when my chain broke; don’t let that happen to you.

I use this handy Park Tool Chain Wear Gauge to keep an eye on chain wear and end up replacing mine every 2,000 miles or so.

Cables

Does your bike shift properly? A lot of shifting problems come from too much friction in the cable housings. Especially problems shifting into higher gears in the back where the derailleur uses the spring to contract. If you ride in wet weather, that rear cable housing easily fills with gunk and rusts. You can test how much friction is in the system by disconnecting the cable from the derailleur and moving it by hand. It should slide easily from the shifter to the derailleur.

Even if everything is ok, it’s a good idea to change your cables every season. I once got up at dawn and drove over an hour to do an epic 100+mile ride only to have my derailleur cable snap in the parking lot.

Cleats

When was the last time you looked at the bottom of your shoes? Yeah, same here. It’s a good idea to check out your cleats and pedals to make sure everything is in working order before starting off on that epic ride. I’ve had cleat bolts shear off leaving me pedaling home somewhat awkwardly.

Repair Kit

What’s in your repair kit? Did you replace the CO2 cartridge the last time you got a flat? I’ve heard several stories of people replacing their tube only to find the spare also had a hole in it.

All I need is a spare tube, a CO2 cartridge and nozzle, a single tire spoon (you only need one…) and a good multi-tool. Make sure the tool has a chain-tool on it. I also throw in a piece of rubber to plug large tears in a tire sidewall and a quick-link that I need for my specific type of SRAM chain. Personally, I hate carrying a pump (but am usually glad that you do) and can’t stand messing with tire patches. If you like that stuff, go for it.

Ok, everything ready? Good. Now go ride…

I couldn’t stop staring at the cover of Velonews. The February 2009 edition had just been tossed in front of my while I sat munching a sandwich in my kitchen. The cover depicted a wet, slimy, muddy and yet intensely focused cyclist – I was completely captivated. What crazy sport was this? Cyclocross – what’s that? Road bikes in the mud? That’s just crazy.

February 2009 cover of Velonews – it started everything. Courtesy VeloNews

Although… That guy is really having a good time. I wonder what it would be like to race cyclocross…

So, after the glow of Leadville was fading and Coach Colin suggested I look into the cyclocross scene, I said, “Hey, that’s a great idea.” Only, I didn’t have a CX bike, people to ride with or the faintest idea of how the sport really works. But still, I thought about that guy in the Velonews cover.

Why are all thos guys running with their bikes? CC amanaplanacanalpanama on Flickr

My two closest riding partners both have road, mountain and track bikes. I tried in vain to piqué their interest in giving CX a try. Nope. I can’t get the Descenders to get on their mountain bikes, much less give Cross a second thought. I signed up for a local cyclocross clinic and made myself go even though I didn’t want to after my buddy bailed on me.

I hope my bike gets this muddy someday. CC gzahnd on Flickr

The clinic (put on by SoCalCross) was perfect. I was able to borrow a Cross bike and spent some time learning how to get on and off the bike – yeah, I thought I knew that already too. Getting on and off fluidly is important as you run up stairs, jump barriers, etc. It’s key to keep your momentum going and not actually stop.

Cyclocross loves lots of sharp corners. CC coda2 on Flickr

We practiced carrying our bikes and running up hills with a bike on our backs – then it was time for a few practice laps. They had set up a micro-course around the soccer field and we toured it twice to get a feel for the barriers, sharp turns, run-ups, etc. My favorite feature was a 90-degree turn at the bottom of a steep hill.

Mud, snow and look at that face – what more could you want? CC static-photo on Flickr

After the second practice lap, we re-grouped for a mini-race. We lined up, someone yelled go and we were off. I was immediately “Game On!” – completely electric as we hit the first turns. I’m familiar with criterium racing so I tried to stay in the lead group. We got to my favorite turn and I became convinced it would be impossible to make the 90-degree turn at speed. I had to decide whether to overcook the corner and roll off the course or just go for it. I decided that crashing wouldn’t be so bad on grass so I just turned as hard as I could, in a pack of 6 or 7 guys (and a few gals). I made the turn, but fell back a little.

This guy is about to win, can’t you tell? Courtesy Ben Ross Photography.

The second race lap was more fluid although I really screwed the barriers up and had to hammer like hell to get back to the leaders. It all got strung out in the last bits, but I finished somewhere in the top third, I’m sure.

I really wish it rained more in Southern California. CC rcousine on Flickr

Can you tell I had fun? It was a BLAST! Cyclocross is the sport you’d pick if you were nine years old. It would go something like, “Road races makes baseball look fun and forget about the track – please, round and round all day? Mountain biking sounds kinda cool, but what about those guys over there playing in the mud and jumping fences with their bikes? I wanna do that!”

ONly a 9-year-old mind would want to race like this. CC spicybear on Flickr

While joining by buddies on the track would be practical, I just had no passion for it – I had to make cyclocross happen. And I did. In short order, I got a great deal on a Cross bike, connected with several local CX racers and got invited to a weekly local Cross workout. And now I have 6 CX races on my calendar between here and December.

My brand new Fuji Cross Pro. Let the races begin!

My first cyclocross race is Sunday, wish me luck!

Thirty-six hours before I was to board my flight to Colorado to race the Leadville 100 I was riding peacefully in my backyard canyon, trying to keep my legs loose. That’s when I felt a terrible “ker-chunck!” from somewhere and felt my bike sag depressingly towards the ground. Shiny metal fragments flew off my bike as I skidded to a halt. Oh, this can’t be good, I’m screwed…

Have you ever seen someone with a broken arm? You know how it just looks so strange for their arm to be hanging off at that strange angle? That’s how my bike looked – it took me a minute to figure out that my rear suspension had basically exploded.

This is how my rear suspension should look – the part that broke was the pin at the base of the shock. Everything in that joint needed replacing.

Two miles from my car, I tried pedaling it in. I was sagging so low that my pedals hit even small rocks protruding from the trail. I kept pedaling and started weighing my options.

OPTION ONE – Get it fixed? There was *NO* way I was going to get my bike repaired – this wasn’t a flat tire, my suspension had fallen completely OFF!

OPTION TWO – Borrow a bike? Unfortunately, I’m the only 6’4” mountain bike racer I know. All my friends ride size Medium. That won’t work…

OPTION THREE – Best excuse for a new bike! I was going to have to buy a new bike – screw it, I’ll go in debt. I have to race. I will not be stopped.

But… Buying a new bike the day before the race would be VERY risky. My chances for a race-ending mechanical issue on a 100-mile mountain bike race with a brand new bike were very high.

Racing a 100-mile mountain bike race requires rock solid equipment. I had been vetting my bike and it’s configuration for months, carefully tuning it to be as ready as me on August 15th. Too many Leadville racers have their races ended by stupid mechanical errors.

Ok, so buying a new bike was actually my second choice. Best choice was a repair, no matter how slim the chances. I decided to call Morgan at Bicycle Warehouse to verify I was screwed then head straight to the Trek Store and their 1-year, no interest financing.

I sat sweating in my car listening to the phone ring at Bicycle Warehouse. Morgan picked up and I explained that some pin sheared off in my suspension. You know what he said? “I have three of those right here, come on down.” My head almost exploded with joy. I threw my bike in the back of the car and raced to the shop, still wearing my kit, covered in dirt and mud.

We hung my Santa Cruz in the bike stand and Morgan started shaking his head, “No, no, no – you said you just broke the pin. I have a pin. This thing is completely fragged.” He was right. I was twice as screwed as I first thought.

Morgan is disassembling my bike to get a better look. So far, it doesn’t look very good.

What initially broke way back in June was the pin that connects my rear shock to the rear triangle. A squeak developed in my Santa Cruz – the classic Santa Cruz squeak – so I ignored it. Since a broken pin wobbles ever so slightly, by the time it finally fell out it had ruined the joint bearings, bent the connectors and ovalized all the spacers. I needed more than a new pin, I needed a whole new… everything – which, of course, no bike shop carries.

Morgan came out from the back room carrying a small cardboard box of assorted parts. Then, like a magician, he fished out first one bearing and then another. Those were the only parts that couldn’t be re-machined. He quietly went to work rebuilding my bike’s suspension. Parts that were bent got un-bent, torn parts got smoothed. I waited quietly, knowing I was watching a miracle. After a time, Morgan finished, looked up and said, “You can race this Saturday, and it will hold, but then we’re going to re-order all these parts and rebuild it new. This is just temporary.”

Nice! Then Morgan went to re-attach the rear shock and stopped. There was a big gash on the shock’s piston – the gash would burp air into shock, rendering it useless. I said, “So, sell me a new shock”, and he explained that there are too many size variations among mountain bikes; none of the stores stock them. They just order them one at a time, as needed. I tried to suggest that they sell me one off of a new bike, but Santa Cruz had changed their design specs for 2009, it was different and wouldn’t work. I was triple-screwed.

The divots on the shock arm may be hard to see, but they’re big enough to burp air into the shock.

So, I got on the phone and started dialing bike shops around San Diego – maybe I’d get lucky. I got a lot of sympathy everywhere I inquired – the guy who’s racing Leadville and needs a rear shock is a good story, but still no shock was found. I stared at the Maps app on my iPhone, I had called all the bike shops – now what? What about JensonUSA? I order a lot of bike parts from them online and they have super quick shipping. Maybe, just maybe…

I called JensonUSA and the rep casually said he had one in stock – no way! I don’t think he really understood why I was so excited. The shock was about 2 ½ hours away and rather than risk shipping it, I decided to drive up and pick it up personally the next morning.

Less than 24 hours after my bike exploded, I was packing it carefully for my race, thanks to Morgan and Bicycle Warehouse. And after 103.5 miles of racing, my only mechanical issue was a minor adjustment to my front derailleur. Rock solid gear and rock solid service. Thanks guys!

ps: Morgan contacted Santa Cruz who decided this was a warranty failure. They sent all new parts gratis which Morgan installed just today. Nice…

Are you still using inner tubes? I’m not. My journey to tube-freedom started while researching tires for the Leadville Trail 100. According to what I read online, tire choice seems significant for a 100-mile mountain bike race and a lot of people were talking about “tubeless”.

Find the thorn – © 2009 Barry Munson. All rights reserved.

A “tubeless” setup is exactly what you have now only you replace the inner tube with just a stem. Why lose the tube? Because you want to go faster without punctures.

Reason 1 – Lower your pressure

I used to run my tires at 50 psi to avoid the dreaded pinch-flat. That’s where the force of a bit hit pinches the tube between the rim and the tire leaving two neat holes for all the air to rush out. Running at a higher pressure keeps the tire from compressing and saves you the flat.

My friend was racing the Julian Death March, solidly in second place when he got a pinch flat in a technical descent. His front tire basically went to zero psi instantly causing him to go flying over the bars. He whacked his head, got tons of trail rash and a nasty case of poison oak. Thanks inner tube!

Running at higher pressure keeps your tire hard and bouncy, which reduces control and cornering ability. Your tire can’t mold to the shape of the terrain, it just bounces off.

Since I no longer have an inner tube, it’s impossible to pinch flat so I run at 32psi (many XC racers run in the 20’s). I’ve gained a ton of control – I descend faster, corner faster and climb technical terrain much, much better. I can’t stress enough how big a difference this made to my riding. I’ll never go back to high pressure and tubes.

Reason 2 – Flats are stupid

Do you ever get punctures in your tire? It sucks, right? Having to stop, replace or patch the tube while your buddies either leave you behind or tease you for getting a flat. And then maybe you don’t find the second thorn so you get an instant flat as you re-inflate. You did bring a second CO2 canister, right?

If you think getting flats is lame, then watch this video

Since there’s no tube, you have room to squirt some of Stan’s NoTubes tire sealant in. You’ll never worry about flats again.

How do I go Tubeless?

There are a lot of options for your mountain bike. If you already have “tubeless ready” rims, you just need to purchase the stems and tubeless tires. Most mountain bike tires come in tubeless versions already. A tubeless tire is usually a little thicker with a more pronounced rim bead to hold the tire on securely. Don’t forget to buy some of Stan’s NoTubes tire sealant.

If you have older rims, you can still go tubeless. Just check out Stan’s NoTubes site for a tubeless conversion kit. That’s what I did and it works perfectly.

I also went tubeless on my road bike this week. While I’m not concerned with running lower pressure on my road bike, I would like to stop worrying about ever getting flats again. Tubeless technology for road wheels is still a little new so there was really only one option – I went with Stan’s Road Tubeless kit which includes two Hutchinson Fusion tires, stems and tire sealant. It was a great deal and installed easily.

Yesterday, I was pedaling home after a tough workout and noticed a bunch of glass in the bike lane. I thought to myself, “Whatever.”

You might remember my rock throwing incident riding my mountain bike in Elfin Forest last December. I blamed a lot of my problems on an ancient set of pedals I was using so I immediately set about replacing them with whatever was “best”. I chose Speedplay Frogs, partly because I love the Speedplay X/2′s on my road bike.

Well, last week I replaced the Frogs with a set of Shimano SPD-style pedals. Here’s the letter I sent to Speedplay about my experiences.

Hey Speedplay,

I wanted to write to tell you guys why I’m bailing on my Speedplay Frogs and going with a set of Shimano pedals instead.

First, I’m a fan of Speedplay and have run X/2’s on my road bike for years. That’s why I got the Frogs for my brand new MTB in January. I started having problems with my foot coming out almost immediately, but I guess kinda hoped the problem would go away. The problem came to a head last Saturday when I was climbing a long technical jeep road near Julian. My foot would slip off the pedal, I’d lose momentum and scramble to get my foot clipped back in before needing to stop. Super frustrating to say the least.

So this week I called your tech support dept and left a message. They called me back the next day and I have to say I received excellent service. I actually ended up calling and speaking to two different people, both of whom had a real commitment to me being successful with the pedals. On the service front, I have to say you guys are top notch. I got some advice on how to trim my shoes to allow the cleat base to lie flat and to shim the little pad that is the effective clip on the cleat. I followed direction and the cleats did get a little tighter and a little less prone to unclipping. I’m sure if I kept at it, I might get them even a little bit tighter.

But here’s the rub – I’m standing in my garage examining a millimeter lip of metal, trying to get it to stick out another half-millimeter and I realize I can’t afford to ride with gear that is this sensitive or just a millimeter away from failure. I’m training to ride this year’s Leadville 100 and I need gear that is 100% reliable, no questions asked – all the time, rain, mud, rocks, whatever. And Frogs are just not there.

Today I installed a set of Shimano SPD-style pedals and they work perfectly, right out of the box. I wish that my Frogs had worked like that too.

Still A Proud Speedplay X/2 Customer
Arlyn Asch
http://www.adventuresonabike.com

Last weekend, Mark, Andy and I rode the Fages Monument Loop near Cuyamaca. Actually, we did it combined with the Cuyamaca Grand Loop and it was totally hard and epic. Six hours on a mountain bike with 7,000 feet of climbing – zowie! One exciting moment was when I crashed in a steep section while descending a rocky canyon. It was the typical crash formula:

Uh Oh: Those rock steps look steep, but I can do it if I just go slowly.
All of a sudden: Front tire locks up at the bottom of a big rock and my back tire came off the ground. Yeah, this is going to suck…
Slow-mo part: I’m going over the handlebars, where should I land?
Did anyone see? I was basically OK, but damn – I cracked my Gamin computer!

It still worked, but had a big crack in the display. So, on Monday, I called Garmin and they’re shipping me a new unit for not very much money. They even figured out a way to send me the new unit before I send the broken one back so I won’t miss any training days. What great service! I’ve been using the cracked unit this week while I wait for the new one to arrive.

Threatening skies today prompted me to grab my jacket on the way out for my ride. Sure enough, with two intervals left to go, rain drops began splattering down. And that’s when I realized that my normally waterproof Garmin would probably die since the crack in the display would allow water to get inside the unit. Uh oh – that means no data for Coach Colin!

I remembered the ziploc bag where I keep my wallet and iPhone and got an idea – I could use the bag to protect the Garmin and put my jacket on to protect my unshielded iPhone in my jersey pocket. Except the jersey I had on was just enough longer than my jacket that iPhone would still get wet… Crap, now what do I do?

1. Let my Garmin die a watery death and fail to submit numbers to Coach Colin?!?!
2. Risk having my iPhone, arguably the coolest piece of technology ever get fried!?!?

It started to rain harder. What would you do?

I took this photo with my iPhone – got lucky I guess

The first time Mark’s chain broke, we laughed and joked around while we fixed it. We were enjoying pristine weather on a beautiful desert loop which will be part of the Julian Death March next month.

It was a beautiful morning to be riding my orange bike.

Stopping to adjust Mark’s front derailleur took awhile, but was fairly straightforward. We never did figure out how it got out of whack in the first place. We had stopped next to this old ranch with what looked like a mining operation going on out back. What would it be like to have a mine in your backyard?

Mark makes the repair.

The second time Mark’s chain broke, we still laughed and made jokes about how these things come in threes. We were on the back side of a loop trail, it would have been a long walk without a chain tool.

The third time Mark’s chain broke, we fixed it quickly without saying much and were on our way. Mark was getting really good at fixing his chain.

The fourth time Mark’s chain broke, we wondered how many links you can remove from a chain before you start walking. The desert flowers were in full swing and really pretty.

Desert wildflowers had their game on. It was startling to see so much color.

What was making us both pretty nervous was the knowledge that we had been descending all morning. Our altimeters told us that a 2,500 foot climb was approaching. It was still a long walk back to the car if his chain kept breaking every few miles.

Luckily, it did not. It held together as we slowly climbed up a steep and rocky jeep trail. We passed two groups of four-wheelers who were descending. They were nice and pulled off to the side to let us pass without stopping. We got several cheers and appreciative comments. A little girl said we were inspiring.

Imagine if you missed the turn and landed in this thing.

My guts became sore from working to balance my bike as it stumbled over the rocky terrain at less than 3mph. It was a great workout in very dramatic scenery.

The Pacific Crest Trail passes by not far from here.

We headed back to the car after 23 miles, cutting our ride in half. We managed to climb almost 4,000 vertical feet so it was still a pretty good day. Next weekend we’ll have a do-over and preview the last 20 miles of the aptly named Julian Death March.

It was disconcerting to spend the first 15 miles mostly descending. We knew we’d have to pay for it and justice came in the last seven miles.

For whatever reason, the little computer for my brand new PowerTap SL+ lost its grip with the handlebar mount on its maiden voyage. I can’t be sure, but it’s possible that it let out a little electronic scream as it fell slowly toward the pavement below, which was rushing by at over 35 mile per hour. I like to think that the little guy did not suffer much, dying instantly instead of lying there injured, listening as my power signals faded slowly into the distance, waiting for the big truck that would inevitably smash it to smithereens.

We’ll just never know though, will we?

These are the only pieces I could find.

What I do know is that I called Saris, the manufacturer of my delicious new power meter and explained my predicament. Brynn listened carefully and then shipped me a brand new unit and mount. Her only request was that I mail her back whatever pieces I have of the old unit so she doesn’t get in trouble for shipping me a bunch of free stuff.

Duuuude! Dude. Seriously, I think this deserves a triple-Dude. Go buy something from Saris, cause they rock.

The best bike shop in San Diego is Bicycle Warehouse, especially the one in Kearney Mesa run by Jeff and Morgan. I’ve been to most of the bike shops in San Diego and I think Bicycle Warehouse head and shoulders above the rest. I’ve been a customer of Bicycle Warehouse ever since I bought my mountain bike and have been really impressed with the service I get there. The two primary guys, Jeff and Morgan, seem to really care. Here’s just one example of the kind of service you can get.

Yesterday, as I was prepping my mountain bike for a recovery ride to the coast I noticed a ton of extra friction in the crank. I’ve seen this before on my road bike so I removed the crank, disassembled the bottom brackets and examined the bearings. Sure enough, one bearing spun easily, the other barely moved – I’ve blown my bottom bracket bearings. No wonder it was so hard coming home Monday, I was on a resistance trainer.

I replaced these with XTR bearings because they are supposed to be higher quality.

I called the guys at Bicycle Warehouse and sure enough, they had the replacement bearings. An hour later, I’m in the store and paying for the new bearings. I joke with Jeff that I must be doing something wrong because I lost a set of bearings on my road bike over the summer. He calls Morgan (the mechanic) over who walks me through a bunch of questions to see if I’m doing something dumb to blow the bearings. Do I use a high-pressure hose to wash my bike? No. What degreasers do I use? Just SimpleGreen and Park Chain Brite. We talk about my style of riding and my experiences with the bearings going out. He’s amazed that the bearings went out so fast – the ceramic bearing on my SRAM Red crank only lasted a few months.

Then he picks up the phone, calls someone and explains what happened. After a short conversation he hangs up and says, “That was our SRAM dealer. She’s sending you out a new set of bearings.” Just like that, SRAM is ready to replace $189 bearings. No receipt, no inspection, they just want me to have a great experience with their components.

Now, I’m really stoked that SRAM is so willing to replace the bearings. This experience will definitely play a part in future component decisions. But, I kind of expect them to go the distance. They’re a “big company” and are competing with Shimano for the components market in the US.

I certainly didn’t expect Jeff to care enough about why I was buying bearings to call Morgan over to help me out. And I didn’t expect Morgan to care enough to really dig into what was going on. I definitely didn’t expect him to care enough to call the SRAM dealer on my behalf.
Many of the employees at other bike shops have a “who cares?” attitude which defines their service. At Bicycle Warehouse, Jeff and Morgan really care.

Thanks guys!