Virginia Creeper Round Up: Sat, April 5

Saturday, April 5, seasoned Virginia Creeper Trail Veterans, Officer Bob Callender and Chad Milburn will lead a group ride from Damasscus VA, up the Va Creeper. If you've never ridden the Creeper, then you're missing out. It is one of the most beautiful trails around. It is very smooth and relatively flat the whole way. In early April, the leaves will be budding and the air will be crisp. Even for the seasoned roadies, this will not be a ride anyone will want to miss. The trail is perfect for a MTB bike, a comfort/hybrid, or a cyclocross bike. The ride will be around 34 miles total. The Paceline Van will be going up for the ride. The van can hold up to 12 bikes and 12 people, so sign up quick to catch a ride, otherwise you'll have to follow the van.
Come by the shop for sign ups and more info!
Check out the trail website here: Virginia Creeper Website

The Reviews Are In...

Check out these reviews from Paceline Customers written
after test riding some of our HED demo wheels. Click the links
to go to HED's web page for details. There is also a great article
with Steve Hed in the new issue of ROAD Magazine.










Geoff Wood took out the new Ardennes for a few days. The Ardennes
Has a wider rim so there is less "bulb" to the tire. They're clincher
rims but they ride like tubulars. This is what Geoff had to say after
picking up a set for himself:

"I rode the new Hed Ardennes demo wheelset this past weekend and am pretty impressed. They claim to have the same ride quality as a tubular without the "hassle". I'll leave that opinion to you guys who ride tubulars regularly, but as far as clinchers go they are a fabulous ride. Compared to my usual wheels, (Ksyrium SLs' ) or even the Hed Bastognes' on my new R3SL they are light, stick like glue and definitely have less rolling resistance. i'm going to ride them again an would like to hear what others think"

















Pro Mtb rider and road racer Alex Ryan had this to say about the
HED Stinger 60 Carbon Tubulars:

"The Stinger 60’s are crazy fast. These wheels are extremely responsive and also very smooth. I've never ridden wheels that accelerate this fast. They will be great race wheels! "

Is Eric packing or unpacking his new Seven?

Check out the titanium couplers on Eric Morrison's custom Seven. The bike comes completely apart and fits into a wheeled case that is regulation airline size. Now he can take it on his exotic adventures (that's Eric posing on the Tourmalet on our website).

When Seven sent us the frame dimensions Eric was a little surprised because they were so different from his other bikes. Seven explained that they design their bikes to distribute the rider's weight best for comfort and efficiency. Eric seems to agree...his R3 has had some lonely Saturdays lately but he says he still loves all his bikes.

This is Eric's "other woman"

Eric has great taste in bikes and his wife, Ashly, agrees. She loves her carbon Cannondale Synapse.

Farewell So. Cal.

Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)


First let me apologize for all the typo's in the last post even though I'm pretty
sure this post will be filled with them as well. I'm am still adjusting to Pacific Standard time which should help nicely with adjusting back to Eastern Standard time
tomorrow!!! or maybe not.
Well, Sadly today is our last day with the guys at Cervelo. They have been fantastic.
I cannot express how impressed I have been with this company. Unlike most bicycle
companies who really tend to follow other market trends, Cervelo consistenly sets
the trend to follow. It's evident with every bike they manufacture. It's all about the engineering to make the best possible bike. They cut no corners and are absolutly clear about what they are setting out to do. I have actually been stunned with how simple their approach is and why every other company doesn't do the exact same thing. but enough about that.








Last night we ate at a great restaurant on the PCH call "Vigilucci's" We had a 6 course meal that ended with a very nice Grappa. Now most of us had heard of grappa, but didn't quite know what it was....Tom from Cervelo gave us the low down and we all had a nice "Salute"
Great evening....more than likely the cause for all my typos.
This morning after our last seminars, we rode down the PCH for 2.5 hours. WOW!!!
The Pacific and terrain was beautiful! Drew and I both rode R3 SL's. They were phenomenal. Drew says it was the closest he ever felt to a bike... He loved it.
So now we wait for the Ice storm to pass and hope our flight is not delayed so we
can get home and share all the little bits of info from the week. Thanks again to Cervelo for having us out and taking such good care of us. It's really been a great time!!!. See you all soon!

Sunny Southern California...

Well... maybe not!!! This was the view from our conference room this morning. Rainingand cold. After 2 days in San Diego Drew and I (Cameron) had barely seen the sun. And itlooked as if we wouldn't again. We've spent the better part of 2 days in conference roomshearing valuable info about Cervelo and their bikes.... but no amount of info can compareto actually throwing a leg over the bike. We didn't think it would happen today....but...At just about 2:00 pm the sun started to break through and it was time to ride these bikes we've been hearing so much about. The Pacific breeze was soooo strong. But absolutley beautiful!!!

We had the opportunity to ride two bikes, each for roughly an hour. First, Drew rode a Soloist Carbon and I rode the Soloist Super Light Carbon. After learning what goes into testing these bikes in the wind tunnel, I had some very specific ideas of what I was looking for. From the first mile out of the resort parking lot, I knew I was on the fastest bike I had ever ridden!!!! This ride was incredible. The bike had a life of it's own. It was actually going fster than my body sitting on top of it. The real test came on a 6 mile strech of the PCH with winds constantly over 30 mph. In a paceline we were consistantly holding 27-28 mph going into with wind with what felt like less effort. And the bike was incredibly smooth. So Cal has lots of man holes. The Soloist SL
felt like butter going over them. It descends better than any bike I've ever ridden and the aerodynamics of the frame save at least 15-20 watts. Over a 40k time trial that's almost 5 minutes!!!!!!!! I am a true believer!!!!

Next I rode the R3. While not as aero as the Soloist, when You take this bike up hill,,, there is no equal. Really, this bike climbs like nothing I have ever ridden. I didn't find it performed as well in the wind,,, but up hill...it was RIDICULOUS!!!!!
So... Tomorrow I plan to ride the RS. I am anxious to get back to the shop and really explain all the minute details that go into producing this bike. Cervelo is a pretty unique company and it definitely translates into their bikes. That's all for now.

Cervelo, San Diego, and Wind Tunnels

It only took Drew and I (Cameron) 14 short hours in airports
and planes to get to San Diego. Waking up a little weary and a tad bit jet lagged, the folks at Cervelo started our day off right with a spectacular breakfast spread and a trip to the San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel. Check out their website at http://www.lswt.com/. In the picture above, you see Fabian Cancellara(Team CSC) testing out his fit on his P3C last year here at the SDLSWT before defending his World Championship in the time trial and winning 2 stages of the Tour De France. We were able to meet with and here from the engineers who run this facility. The brief overview of the wind tunnel is this: It's a HUGE concrete circle with a HUGE propeller that circulates air and allows for completey controled while experimenting with aerodynamics. The tunnel was originally built in the 1940's for aviation testing.Every Boeing 727 - 787 plane was tested here. The F16 fighter jet was also developed here. While aviation is still 80% of their testing, 20% is devoted to the sports industry. Cycling and the luge in particular. This wind tunnel is specifically sought after because it yields incrediblly accurate results. Photos were not allowed here because it is a military building and secret things are always going on so I apologize for no personal photos. Most every pro team in the peleton does their testing here. There is a really cool wall with pictures of everyone from Levi Leipheimer to Lance Armstrong. When we asked the tunnel engineers what bike company spent the most time here in the tunnel the overwhelming answer was CERVELO!!! It definitely shows in their product.
We got to stand in the tunnel while they were running tests. It was unbearably cold.
Those guys are incredibly tough to sit there for 2 hours in nothing more than a
skin suit.
After the tunnel, Phil White (founder, owner, and brilliant engineer) talked
about aerodynamics related to bikes. It's incredible to see the owner of a major bike
company go over equations and the basic laws of aerodynamics like he was changing
a tube. It really makes one believe in what the company stands for. He gave some great insight into aero wheels as well. Zipp or HED. They share a patent for their
rims. NOTHING comes even close to these two wheel companies in testing!!!
Well We just checked in at the Pacific Palisades Resort and are headed off to dinner. Tomorrow we will be heading out to the hills of Southern California to test ride some bikes. Take care everyone. I keep you up to date!!!

Customize Your Fizik Saddle

Getting a custom colored saddle used to be VERY expensive
and time consuming...
No longer is that the case....
Now you can get that Fizik saddle in any color combo you like
to perfectly match your frame for a little more than a standard
saddle costs. Make everyone else green with envy when you
stand up on the hill and they see the bling!!!
Call or come by the shop for more info.
Also, Check out our huge selection of new Fizik bar tape. It's
some of the best tape on the market, and it stays clean and bright!!!

Paul Evans is ready for Spring

Paul chose his Madone 5.5 for the Force components and the hot color. They call this color "Speed Yellow" and Paul is chomping at the bit to see if it's true. It looks like there's no more snow in the forecast so he should find out soon.

Marcus gets some serious style points

This was too pretty not to share. Check out the little touches like the green hoods. The best part? Our staff bicycle Artisans can make your ride look just as hot.

Tricows Evening with Cervelo

What a great night!!! The Triathlon Club of Winston-Salem Held
Their Feb. Meeting at Paceline Monday night. Chris Morgan from Cervelo
spoke not only about their bikes but also gave great insight into how
a bicycle company operates and what it takes to get from idea to
final product. He proved that Cervelo does things a little differently
than most companies. Chris was great, but there was other fun as well!!!
The indoor 1/2 mile (was 1 mile, but we found that too hard) beach
cruiser time trial was great!!! Check out the shots of young Ned Tobey
and Aubrey Linville trying giving it their all. I'm not sure if they had
proper saddle height set up...
Anyway, lots of cool prizes, good food and drink, and lots of cool bikes
made the evening even more fun. A huge thank you from Paceline to the
Tricows for a wonderful evening.

What You are Seeing is Real!!!

Mr. Brown and Geoff Wood preparing to go for
a ride on their new Cervelo R3 SL's. It's a
beautiful morning, hope the ride is just as
nice!!!

Finding the Right Saddle Just Got Easier

No need to waste countless hours and $'s on the wrong saddle anymore.
Check out the new saddle fit system from Bontrager. The seat has a
special gel that leaves an impression of the sit bones telling us
the exact width of saddle you need. Come by the Greensboro and
Winston shops to check it out!!!

Major Pat Rimron

Major Pat Rimron In Iraq. He looks
almost as cool in the fatigues as
he does in his racing kit.
We wish you all the best Pat.
Stay Safe and get home soon. You
will be missed in the peleton this
summer.

Do You Need Speed?

Come by the shop and pick some up!!!
Paceline Bicycles is your exclusive Triad HED Dealer. If you
are trying to lose extra minutes, lose extra grams, and
enhance the ride quality of your bike beyond words, come by and
test ride a set of HED, Zipp, or Mavic wheels. Or better yet, talk
to us about aero helmets, time trial/ tri positioning or any other
way to maximize your ride!!!