Our first official training ride of the year happened today and it was a great one. The team has grown substantially. New people and new bikes! We’ve now got a cool purple Specialized Roubaix and a bad-to-the-bone Pinarello in the peloton.

It would have been great to see the Pinarello alongside the group’s other ultra-fancy bike, but someone didn’t want to risk getting his new baby rained upon and potentially even soiled so he opted to stay home. DUDE, THIS IS OREGON — IT RAINS!

At any rate, we tackled the North Plains route with aplomb. For those who couldn’t make it (or chose not to), here’s what it looked like.

Looking good

Michele’s new hat featuring a great image of history’s most famous baby mama

Leanne willing to risk getting her brand new bike moistened by moisture

Twelve feet of biking babe

From a fitness perspective, this is probably the youngest rider on Team Fartlek

]]> http://pdxcyclingonline.com/team-fartlek-kicks-off-2010-season-001110/feed/ 3 http://pdxcyclingonline.com/high-performance-kalkhoff-e-bikes-available-to-u.s.-market-001058/ http://pdxcyclingonline.com/high-performance-kalkhoff-e-bikes-available-to-u.s.-market-001058/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:55:55 +0000 admin http://pdxcyclingonline.com/?p=1058

The Kalkhoff Pro Connect Sport is thought by many to be the finest electric bicycle in the world

Kalkhoff is one of Europe’s largest and best know bicycle brands. They also make high-performance electric bikes that are unlike any other currently available in the United States.

Today Greenlight Bikes, the exclusive U.S. importer of Kalkhoff bikes, officially announced the availability of these popular machines to the North American market.

If you live in Portland, you owe it to yourself to visit the Kalkhoff showroom and test ride one of these bikes. They are a complete blast to pilot and are guaranteed to make even the most serious hammerhead smile.

Disclosure: Greenlight bikes is a client of KoiFish Communications, the sponsor of PDX Cycling Online.

My premise is that this is a ridiculous campaign because Titus is a premium brand and tattoos, while awesome, are still a little low-brow in many people’s mind. Moreover, paying people to get a tattoo of your company is lame and quite the opposite of authentic. Ultimately, while plenty of cyclists enjoy tattoos, they aren’t an integral part of the cycling culture.

I thought I’d ask the readers of this blog to help me with a reality check. So ….. as a cyclist, please let me know what do you think of this campaign? Does it change your perception of the brand? Does it make you want to run out and buy a Titus? Does it make you want to go to Facebook and submit a design? Finally, if  you were to get a tattoo of a cycling brand, what would it be? I can only think of one — Campagnolo — and I’d be willing to bet that they’d never pull a marketing stunt like this.

Kalkhoff's retail store is now open in Portland and test rides of Kalkhoff's amazing electric bicycles are now available

Kalkhoff is a German bicycle manufacturer that has been making bikes for the past 90 years or so.  Their specialty is city/commuting/touring bikes and they build some real beauties (what else would you expect from German engineers?). They also make some awesome electric bikes.

Electric bikes, or eBikes, use an electric motor to supplement the power the rider applies to the pedals. The more power the rider contributes, the more power the motor contributes.

The result? Riders who pedal as hard as they do on a traditional bike are rewarded with a very fast, very fluid ride. Those who choose to pedal with a little less fervor than they otherwise might are still able to maintain a respectable pace. And for all riders, hills become a lot more pleasant. Getting sweaty on your morning commute is now optional.

The whole line of Kalkhoff bikes come with everything a serious commuter needs including an awesome lighting system, a bomb-proof rack, great fenders and brakes that would stop a truck. They also use top-notch components all around. These bikes are serious transportation and seriously fun!

Kalkoff Retail Store — Test an eBike Today!

Today, Kalkhoff opened its retail store in Portland and there is a large array of new eBikes just begging to be test ridden. I got a chance to try one out very briefly a few weeks ago and I had a blast. Operating the Kalkhoff eBike is the same as any other standard bike — it just takes a lot less effort to get up to any given speed. It is something any fan of bicycles, alternative transportation or things that are just plain cool NEEDS to try. Once you do, it will take you a while to stop smiling. Just be careful — if you try one, chances are you’ll want one. I know I do. Once I get the chance to put a few more miles on a Kalkhoff eBike, I’ll post a more detailed report.

The store is located in the Pearl District at 528 NW 11th Avenue.

Disclosure: As of this week, Kalkhoff has become a client of KoiFish Communications, which is the PR and Web marketing firm I run.

"I know damn well the tunes will be great, 'cause I get to help pick them" -- DJ De-Z

Hell yes! My friend Shannon — of Shannon Corey Fitness — is finally bring back her own ass-kicking version of spinning classes back to Lake Oswego. These classes are 90 minutes long and include strength-training and core exercises.

The best part of Shannon’s class is that she is one of the few Portland-area spinning instructors who is not afraid to play great music. In fact, she has agreed to let me assist her in developing the play lists.

There will be an eclectic mixture of classic rock, hard rock, punk, techno, trance, angry gangsta rap and hip hop with a smattering of psychedelic jam music, lounge music, bluegrass, and gospel thrown into the mix just to keep it interesting.

There will not be any of the generic milquetoast bullshit that most spin instructors play at the big, corporate-run gyms. No pop, no 80′s hits, no George Michael. And there will absolutely, positively, under no circumstances be any Five for Fighting.

It is so good, that I probably won’t complain about the 5:30 am start time. For more detail, check out Shannon’s Website.

Classes start in October. They are limited to 10 people so sign up early. Maintain that fitness you’ve worked all summer to build! This just goes to show the persuasive power of PDX Cycling Online.

Liz Hatch on the bike

July is my favorite month. While I detest riding in the heat, I absolutely love watching the Tour de France. I was super-psyched when Universal Sports started showing daily coverage of the Giro and I’ve got my fingers crossed that the Tour of Spain will also be televised later this month.

I'll take Liz over Fabulous Fabian any day

In an age when more and more cycling events are being covered, I’m beginning to wonder why we aren’t seeing much Women’s cycling. I, for one, would like to for a number of fairly obvious reasons.

First and foremost, it is only right to give female athletes the chance to earn some fame and additional sponsorship money. Beyond that, I’d rather look at a Lycra-clad woman like Liz Hatch in stunning high definition than a 6’1″ 148 pound dude (or, for that matter, any dude — including the oh-so-dreamy Fabian Cancellara).

Who wouldn't want to see her on TV?

I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this regard. I’m certain that the guys that run the Chicks and Bikes blog would agree with me that a beautiful woman is a fantastic compliment to the functional work of art that is bicycle.

And beyond lecherous men, I’m thinking that female cyclists would also get behind this kind of programming too. I realize cycling still isn’t a hugely popular sport in this country, but what better way to help it gain in popularity than to mix the coverage up a bit?

Who’s with me?

I suppose it will be easy for some to leave skidmark behind, but I’d be lying if I said I won’t miss it. On the other hand, the new name sounds like a gas.