Limited Time Left

For just a little while longer Yakima is offering a rebate on base racks. There are tons of places to ride within a few hundred miles of Sioux Falls. Why not take your bike with you?

Bike A PALOOZA

When: Saturday June 27th, 2 pm till LATE
Where: Monks, 420 E 8th St, Sioux Falls, SD
What: Celebrate Cycling
Why: Raise money to provide bikes for kids in need.

2 PM: Bike Ride to the Falls
4 PM: Kids Events
6 PM: Adult Events

TRINITY ALLIANCE 1 & DEFY ADVANCED 3 "BEST BUYS" IN CONSUMERS DIGEST!

The August 2009 issue of Consumers Digest puts two Giant road bikes in the “BEST BUYS” category: the Trinity Alliance 1 and the Defy Advanced 3. Editor Roy Wallack (who has reviewed several Giant bikes for the LA Times) points out about the Trinity Alliance 1: “This model’s aerodynamic frame and mid-to-top level Shimano components (105 and Ultegra) help the Trinity Alliance to blow away other triathlon-specific bikes, which feature a more extreme riding position than road bikes do. You’d have to pay at least $300 more to find a similar combo.” And here’s what he says about the Defy Advanced 3: “This bike delivers the vibration-dampening ride of carbon fiber at a price that would have given a dealer a heart attack 3 years ago. The Advanced 3 is outfitted with either a 20- or 30-speed drivetrain (at the same price) and excellent Shimano components.” The entire five-page article is about advances in technology and design that make bikes more comfortable to ride and in it Wallack gives a shout out to another Giant road bike: “The result is frames that are strong, naturally shock-absorbing and ultralight. (The new low is 13.7 pounds by the $8000 Giant TCR Advanced SL0.)”

Open House Scheduled for Draft MPO Bicycle Plan

An Open House to review and make comments on the first ever Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Bicycle Plan will be Monday June 22, 2009 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Washington High School Commons Area. The MPO plan provides recommendations for bicycle facilities and methods to improve safety and the bicyclist experience throughout the metro area including rural bicycle routes and bicycle trail connections.

Cities and counties included in this plan include Brandon, Crooks, Hartford, Harrisburg, Sioux Falls, Tea, Lincoln County and Minnehaha County.

"The man who saved the day ... and the Giro"

I didn't save the Tour de Kota but I am amazed at how many times I approached riders shortly after they had flatted. I am sure Vincent Hendricks knows the felling.

-velonews

By virtue of their trade, pro team mechanics operate outside of the limelight. In addition to their backseat position in team follow cars, their work takes place at start lines and in hotel parking lots, well before and after racing has ended and the crowds have dispersed.

But every once in a while a team mechanic has an opportunity to shine on a large stage, and never has that been more apparent than during the final stage of last month’s Giro d’Italia.

When race leader Denis Menchov crashed in the final kilometer of the wet stage 21 time trial in Rome, Rabobank team mechanic Vincent Hendricks saved the day — and perhaps the entire three weeks — by jumping out of the team’s follow car before it had even stopped.

the rest of the store at velonews.com

MOUNTAIN BIKE NAMES GIANT ANTHEM X1 BIKE OF THE YEAR!

The rave reviews just won’t stop. The UK’s top MTB magazine has given it’s Bike of the Year award to the Giant Anthem X1. In a breathtaking six-page article (AND a magnificent cover photo!) What Mountain Bike in its July 2009 issue has put the Anthem X1 at the top of a list after head-to-head testing against more than 100 other bicycles. “It’s one of those bikes you can just hand to people and then stand back and wait for the fireworks to kick off; a bike with an insatiable lust for velocity that turns even the most idle gear twiddler into a speed crazed, crank stomping maniac.” There’s so much more, we don’t know where to go next, so we’ll just finish with this: “…its Maestro suspension and spot-on handling balance will happily tear a ragged ‘wait for them while the dust settles’ hole in the ego of most longer-travel trail bikes.”