Colorado Multisport is pleased to host guy’s night Thursday May 31st from 6-8pm, featuring micro brews, pizza and bike tech talk!
We’ll discuss and look at:
* Tricked out bikes and their components/technology.
* How to increase speed & efficiency by way of fit, bearings, powermeters, wheels, cranks, etc.
Wine, Cheese and Chocolate!
Colorado Multisport is pleased to host another fun-filled women’s night! We’ll start off with wine tasting from West End Wine Shop, chocolate from Colorado based Ritual Chocolate and charcuterie by Alfalfa’s.
Women’s Specific Informative Talks!
We’ll have speakers addressing:* The Science and Fit Behind a Women’s Bike* Endurance Athlete Nutrition* TYR’s Carbon Technology* New High Performance Cycling Apparel
To complete the evening we’ll be raffling off new cycling/triathlon apparel and gear!
Please RSVP at this invite link http://paperless.ly/GW761o or call the shop at 303-865-4604.
By Geoff Nenninger
In this week’s blog, I’d like to highlight a few products that have become integral to my training, racing, and enjoyment of the sports of cycling and triathlon. Some of you may have heard of or use one of these products, but the vast majority of people that I interact with through Colorado Multisport and Superfly Cycles either don’t use any of these products, or have strong misconceptions about how or why they ought to use them. I, too, have opinions on them, and might use them in a way that is counter to other people’s advice.
Chamois Cream
First of all, there probably isn’t a product around that fits the “you don’t know what you’re missing until you try it” bill than chamois cream. Back in the good ‘ol days, chamois cream was relevant because the pads in bicycle shorts were natural materials and thus required a cream to keep them soft. Added benefits, and benefits that remains relevant in today’s age of synthetic pads, are the friction reducing and anti-bacterial properties that modern chamois creams have. I prefer to put my chamois cream directly on the pad of my shorts, because I feel like I get better coverage and less chafing. Some people prefer to put chamois cream right on their body, which is fine if that’s the method you prefer. We carry three brands of chamois cream here at CMS/Superfly: DZ Nutz, Assos, and Chamois Butter. Assos is the gold-standard against which all others are measured, and has a mild menthol scent. DZ Nutz is the new kid on the block, and makes both a cream for men and one for women. DZ Nutz Bliss, specially formulated for the ladies, has not menthol in it, while the original DZ Nutz has a fairly strong smell. The third brand, Chamois Butter, is slightly less expensive but still retains properties that are important in chamois cream, including a nice, thick texture that helps with the anti-chafing properties. If you’ve never given a good chamois cream a try, treat yourself to a tube or a tub and see what you’ve been missing.
Aftermarket Insoles
Then second product that I couldn’t live without in terms of cycling, but that I see so many other people overlook, are my aftermarket insoles. Of the three contact points an athlete has on the bike, the shoes are paid the least attention, but make the biggest difference in terms of good shoes offering increased comfort. If your hands are uncomfortable or numb, or your saddle has become uncomfortable on a ride, you can seek relief by changing your hand position, or where you are sitting on the saddle. What, may I ask, do you do when your feet begin to go numb, or you start to get a hot spot? If you answered buy a set of aftermarket insoles, you’re right!!
I prefer the Specialized BG insoles, which are available in-store at Colorado Multisport. We also carry Pearl Izumi’s 1:1 Insole System and the Giro’s Supernatural Fit System insoles (Giro available online through Superfly Cycles). Have you ever notices how insignificant the insoles that came with your shoe are? They are flimsy and provide almost no arch support at all. Each of these previously mentioned brands offer a varying degree of semi-custom fit and arch support. While Specialized offers three degrees of arch support (+, ++, +++), Giro and Pearl Izumi take the unique approach of allowing users to customize the insoles. Giro uses a wedge system that velcro’s nicely to the bottom of their insoles, while Pearl uses wedges that slide into the insole before being inserted into cycling shoes. This level of adjustability allows athletes to try different degrees of arch support to find the one that best suits them, or mix and match with varying degrees of support on each foot.
Compression Socks
While I don’t necessarily advocate for the fashion conscious among us to wear compression socks in public view, I don’t discount the benefit they can give an athlete trying to get the maximum amount of recovery before their next workout. Compression socks work by increasing the amount of blood flow in your lower legs, and preventing blood from pooling down by your feet. Colorado Multisport and Superfly Cycles carry socks made by 2XU and CEP. Both brands offer racing socks, recovery socks, and calf sleeves. By far my favorite socks are the 2XU Recovery Socks, which remind me of a slightly tight pair of dress socks, and I wear them as such. When flip-flop season rolls around, I’ll often wear a pair of CEP’s Compression Sleeves under a pair of jeans (and out of public view) with a pair of my favorite flip-flops. Compression socks are also indispensible when traveling to help reduce swelling on long flights. They’ll help keep you feeling fresh and ready for a workout or a race after a long day of traveling.
by Chuck Panaccione
It is amazing to think that the Ironman World Championship was over two months ago. What is more amazing is that NBC aired their coverage before I finished this blog 
The two weeks after Craig won the 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas was a whirlwind. Suddenly he was the hot pick to win Kona for a third time. But none of us knew for sure what bike he would ride. Two days before he and his family was to leave for Kona, I was given the call to get the new Specialized Shiv ready for him to ride. Craig wanted to try the Shiv the next day and he was going to decide then what bike to race Kona. He wanted the same setup and fit he used in Vegas which included the pain in the ass Di2 wiring within his Pro Missile stem and handlebar. Along with Mat Steinmetz and a 12 pack of Stella, we started working on the Shiv at 5 pm in the afternoon. Ten hours later, we stumbled out with the bike finished and Mat went to deliver the bike at 3 am. Usually, I feel excited and nervous whenever I build a bike for Craig but honestly, I was too tired to feel anything but the pillow under my head.
What I was excited about is how much thought went into the new Shiv. Fully Di2 ready and completely UCI illegal, the new Shiv screams “I don’t give a crap about anything except winning triathlons”. The Shiv definitely adheres to form follows function. The headtube and downtube are so deep that it makes the bike look smaller than it really is. In fact, the front triangle is almost a vestigial gap in a piece of solid carbon. The Fuelselage adds to the triathlon specific nature of the bike by completely hiding a refillable hydration bladder within the bike. While the Shiv has only one water bottle cage, the internal bladder makes up for this deficiency. On Craig’s bike, his idea setup is to carry 72 ounces of fluid. On the shiv, he carried one bottle between the bar extensions, the fluid in the Fuelselage and one behind the seat. On a side note, we get many inquiries about the bottle setup behind the seat. It is modeled after Chris Lieto’s setup last year in Kona and is simply 6 zip ties. Fancy, huh?
A few hours after we delivered the Shiv to Craig, he test rode the bike on a familiar course. Only after a couple of hours of riding, he decided to race the Shiv in Kona. So within a 24 hour span, we built Craig’s bike, he test rode the bike, decided he wanted to race the bike and then packed the bike for Kona. At least now I had a small break before Kona. During this time, rumors started flying on what bike he was riding in Kona. Since the Shiv had never been shown in public, the guess as to what bike he was on was all over the place. Everyone was going to find out soon enough.
With all my tools packed, I went to Kona the Tuesday before the race. Soon after I landed, it was back to work on Craig’s bike. Some of you might be asking why so much work on the bike? The simple answer is that there is a big difference from a bike you train on versus a bike you contest a world championship on. For Craig’s Shiv, I went over every square millimeter of the bike to ensure everything was perfect. Additionally, every bearing was replaced with and an Enduro Ceramic ones including the new XD-15 angular contact ceramic BB30 bearings for the bottom bracket. The Shimano C50 and C75 wheels also had the bearings upgraded with Enduro ceramic. Additionally, a new custom formulated ultra-milled Krytox fluorinated grease was used on all the bearing surfaces. Even the chain had a special lubricant applied which is slightly more viscous just in case in rained on raceday (it rained a lot in the days prior to the race).
The tires for the Shimano wheels were glued early in the week. The question I am asked often is how the tires are glued; that is, what method is used to glue the tires? Some hardcore triathletes like to have the area opposite the valve free of glue to make it easier to remove the tire after a flat. Other triathletes like to have the tires lightly glued (one coat of glue) because they believe the tires will not roll as the bike will always stay upright and not leaned into corners. I glue tires one way – the right way. Contrary to all the myths out there, a properly glued tire is faster than one that is minimally glued. The method that we use is one that is used by most pro teams and requires 3 coats on each surface plus time to cure. It takes a while but the results are fantastic. Any chance for a tire to roll is great a risk for me to take especially when a world championship is at stake.
The last step was to attach the number plate to the bike. We could have used a couple of zip ties and be done with it but would would we do it the easy way? Instead we trimmed the number plate and affixed the plate to the seatpost with packing tape. Tres, tres aero et tres facile! We actually had to try the tape a few times because we wanted the tape to lay perfectly over the seatpost and plate so not that easy.
The bike was then given back to Craig and he checked it in Friday afternoon. Whew! Miller time…well, actually it was Kona Brewery time. After a late night at Lulu’s (hell, I wasn’t racing), I woke up the next morning ready for the big day.
For those who have not been to Kona for the Ironman World Championships, it is a spectacle that words cnnot do justice. I had been to the Tour de France earlier in the year and even sat in a BMC team car up the Plateau de Beille with Basque crazies running around and Kona is still crazier. The reason why I think Kona is so electric is that every day athletes are racing the same course as the pros at the same time. Could you imagine racing Cadel up the Tourmalet? Yes, the pros start 30 minutes earlier but it is still the same race. It is almost better to come in close to the time cut off as the monstrous roars from the crowd is something everyone should experience. For me, it it was very tense especially during the bike leg.
Everyone knows what happened to Craig last year and it left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth in the Team Alexander camp. All we wanted (or hoped for) was Craig to be close after the bike leg. As the bike portion of the race unfolded, our optimism and hope steadily increased as the miles ticked down. Once Craig made the turn at Hawi with Lieto, we knew something special was happening. Craig not only stayed close but he even pulled which was a huge departure from last year. By the time Lieto pulled away on the bike, we all knew Craig had more than succeeded on the bike as Lieto was only able to put a handful of minutes on the field. More importantly, Craig had built a good lead on his closest rivals such as Raelert and Jacobs with Vanhoenacker dropping out. At this point we all had to do a double take looking at the bike splits; Craig had taken over 13 minutes off his best bike time ever at Kona. Not only that, it was the second best bike of the day and the 5th fastest overall in Kona Ironman history. For all those who criticized Craig about being a poor cyclists, well, do you like apples? How ’bout them apples 
Once Craig started the run, we were feeling pretty good. He ran down Lieto in 6 miles and then had the lead. The big move of the day came from Raelert. He started taking 10 seconds per mile out of Craig. After a few miles, Craig made the decision to up his pace and as they say in poker, go all in. Soon after, he was taking 20 seconds per mile out of Raelert!
Just the other day, I had a discussion with a friend about whether Craig is a genetic freak or he is tougher than everyone else. Craig is a very gifted athlete but there is a toughness in him that separates him from a lot of other athletes and not just in triathlon. At Kona, Craig put himself in a world of hurt to run away from Raelert and the field. Craig paid for it later as he did something we have never seen him do – stop running. If only for the briefest of time, Craig looked so vulnerable that it was painful to watch. However, he had such a huge lead that the win was hardly in doubt. Craig gathered himself and ran to the finish for the win and a new course record.
To the victors go the spoils. Needless to say, we were all ecstatic. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to win something so grand and spectacular but I did get to be a part of the celebration. Neri, Craig’s wife, was absolutely glowing (it could have been due to sweating when Craig stopped running and all the sponsors were in great spirits. Later that evening back at Craig’s suite at the Sheraton, we feasted on poki and other Hawaiian yummy foods while drinking dom out of beer glasses. It was a perfect day.
Postscript: We went to the press conference a few hours after the race. The usual questions were asked of the top 5 finishers. Near the end of the press conference, a thin quiet man from the back of the room stood up and asked Craig a question. He said he was Michael Raelert, the brother of Andreas, and asked Craig is he was still doing the ITU Long Course Championships a few weeks later. Craig answered he was done for the year and you could almost feel the relief from Michael as he was racing the ITU Long Course Championships.
Postscript 2: Unfortunately for the average viewer, Craig makes the Kona course seem almost easy. It’s not. Everyone suffers on that course. While we were at the victory celebration right after the race, we saw Tim O’Donnell and Miranda Carfrae walk by. Miranda did well by finishing second. Tim looked tired and sick (not the cliche) as he suffered through a fever and vomited on the bike before being pulled by his coach at the start of the run. Tim, for those who do not know, is an Annapolis grad and is as tough as they come. I was expecting Tim to have a great race but there are some things you cannot control such as getting sick the day of the race. Even the Queen Chrissie withdrew last year because of illness. So many things have to go right to win this race and only one thing has to go wrong to lose.
Postscript 3: The women’s race was outstanding. First, Julie Dibens was phenomenal on the bike. She rode so well that she passed good pro men; it made you think she rode a different course. Her day ended early due to a nagging foot injury. Later, the injury was diagnosed as a broken foot! Not only that, Julie was later hospitalized and had to spend the night. At least she was able to eat good hosiptal food – yuck! Leanda Cave looked really good but the real race was between Chrissie and Rinnie. Chrissie ran from way back and slowly picked everyone off until she was in front and won her hardest fought race yet. Rinnie ran a course record marathon and almost caught Chrissie. As much as I admire Chrissie, I was pulling for Rinnie (how can I root against a fellow Boulderite?) Yes, I know Chrissie spends her summers in Boulder but until Chrissie spends a full winter training here, I’ll root for the hometown women
By Geoff Nenninger
This week I’d like to re-visit the topic of bicycle fit. Obviously being Boulder’s only commercial Retul fit studio, we takes the subject of fitting very seriously here at Colorado Multisport (and it’s never very far from our minds). What I’d like to address today has a lot to do with expectations with regard to the way a bicycle fits, and how that should feel.
First let’s establish what a properly fit bike should provide for it’s rider. Comfort, performance, and prevention of injury are the three most popular and frequently requested variables of fit that I address when I work with athletes a fitter. I want you to view these as being on a sliding scale. For each athlete, the scale might need to be calibrated differently (for example if you’ve had back surgery, or if you’re trying to become World TT Champion), but there is a scale nonetheless. As we slide one variable in one direction or another, the other variables are affected as well. For example: if you come to me and say that your goal is to break your personal PR in a 10-mile Time Trial and want the most aggressive position we can accomplish without regards for ‘comfort,’ we might increase your possibility for increased performance at the expense of your saddle comfort. It’s a 10-mile TT, if your saddle is uncomfortable, you’ll put up with it. While that might sound harsh, the flip side is an athlete coming in to get ready for her first Ironman. While we don’t want to limit performance, we also don’t want a position that she won’t be able to be ride for the duration of her event. She’ll be giving up some free speed on the face of it, but will get it all back in the end because it will be a position she can ride for a full Ironman, and then get off and run afterwards.
I also want to introduce a concept that I’ll call ‘fit fitness.’ This basis of this concept is that the more you ride in a position (ANY POSITION), the better it gets. Just like the rest of your training. The more you practice those 5 hour bike rides and 2 hour runs, the easier it becomes to do more 5 hour bike rides and 2 hour runs. So if you come in and you have a bad position that you’ve been riding for the last 3 years, you’re used to it, and it becomes normal for you. Any change that a fitter might make will feel foreign to you. But guess what: the more you ride in that new position, the better it will feel! We can also learn a little bit about our favorite professional athletes from this concept of fit fitness. You might admire a pro and their position on the bike. Can you imagine, with the heavy training loads that most professional athletes subject themselves to, the amount of time that athlete has spent in that position? Whether the position is right or wrong, good or bad, that athlete has a whole bucket-load of ‘fit fitness,’ and they are used to that position.
Having a favorite rider that you try to emulate is just fine, so long as you’re going to put in the many hours of saddle time that might be necessary to build your base of ‘fit fitness’ to make that position work for you.
By Geoff Nenninger
The Zipp 404 Firecrest Carbon Clincher might be the perfect one-wheel quiver. It’s a do-it-all wheel through and through: performance and durability both take center stage. In terms of depth, the 58mm of the 404 FC will undoubtedly help athletes cut through the wind with ease. The added benefit to the medium depth, along with the wind-tunnel developed shape, is the performance in adverse conditions: The 404 FC was meant to perform well in a wide variety of yaw angles.
One of the first things you’ll notice when you look at the 404 Firecrest Carbon Clincher is how wide they are. The width is the key to what makes these wheels so special. In terms of aerodynamics, the tires act as a natural extension of the shape of the wheel. Certainly, choosing the right tire plays into this, and we chose the Zipp Tangente for its smooth ride and design which perfectly compliment the 404 FC.
The width also adds benefits in terms of increased stiffness and durability, both things that are highly valuable in a wheel that can easily pull double duty as a daily rider and race wheel. The sidewalls of the rim are bowed out to get to the 26mm+ width, allowing for an incredible amount of compliance and stability, even when cornering hard.
At 1557 grams for the set, the 404 FC CC is not the most svelte of wheel sets. But you’ll be hard pressed to find a clincher wheel of this aerodynamic pedigree that comes within 50 grams of the 404 FC.
If our previous blog posts are any indication, we’re big fans of carbon clincher wheels in general. At this point, the 404 FC might be our favorite of the bunch. While any carbon clincher wheel adds a level of enjoyment to riding, the 404 is in a class all its own. While we’ve complimented other wheels for the ‘value’ that they provide at a price much lower than the 404, we’ll pay the 404 FC an even larger compliment in saying that when you ride them, it is immediately evident you are getting what you pay for.
By Geoff Nenninger
Rarely does a cycling product come along that can have the impact on your riding that the Shimano Di2 electronic shifting groupset will provide you. It will literally change the way you ride. Suffice it to say, we are HUGE advocates for Di2 and the amazing cycling experience it provides cyclists.
When we first saw the Di2 group at its debut, we wondered what problem it might solve. Like many of our customers, we are of the opinion that if it is not broken, why fix it? And we also share the sentiment that cycling in general is a sport that is, at its root, very pure as a result of its simplicity, and some of the joy of riding is derived from the simple nature of the sport. Would that old-world romanticism be lost if we had to charge our bicycles in order to go for a ride? The answer to those questions was a resounding “NO!” In fact, we would probably argue that the exact opposite is true: that Di2 actually simplifies cycling and increases our enjoyment of it.
How can this be? There are a few reasons, and some of them might surprise you if your aren’t very familiar with Di2. For one, after installation, the Di2 system requires almost no adjustment. Additionally, the battery requires a charge once every few thousand miles, which for most people equates to a couple of times a year. But above all else, the system just works. There is rarely a situation where Di2 does something that is unexpected. There is no trick to it. No better or worse gears, as the system automatically adjust and trims depending on the gear you are in. The system, in a sense, thinks for itself, while still allowing you to remain in complete control.
We have installed Di2 systems on many, many bicycles. As a Shimano Service Center, we are an elite level dealer of Shimano’s products. In fact, you have probably seen some of our work whether you know it or not. As many of our customers are professional athletes, sponsorship obligations often times mean we must remain tight-lipped about our contributions to an athlete’s success. Rest-assured, when a local Boulder professional needs a solution to a problem that most shops won’t touch, they depend on us for our experience and the reliability of our work. Call or email us for more information on the custom Di2 projects we have done in the past, and what we might be able to do to make your electronic shifting dreams come true.
Bottom line: if you want to experience your cycling like you never have before, installing Shimano’s Di2 system is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Yeah! It’s Official.
Superfly Cycles/Colorado Multisport is teaming up with World Bicycle Relief to host the 1st ever Bash for Bikes Party.
Allen Lim, renowned exercise physiologist, will host the event and moderate a panel discussion comprised of World Champion Athletes: Mirinda Carfrae, Tim O’Donnell, Taylor Phinney and Danny Pate.
Alongside this panel discussion, the Bash for Bikes will host a combination silent/live auction featuring vendors such as: Cervélo, Zipp, SRAM, Shimano, Rotor Components, Cascade Gran Fondo, Specialized, Enduro Ceramic Bearings, Chef Biju, New Belgium Brewery, Newton Shoes, Allen Lim’s Secret Drink Mix, Ritual Chocolate, Cateye and more. Click on the registration site for all the listings. Bring your game face to the event!
We’ll have gourmet food from Chef Biju – chef to the Garmin/Slipstream team- and Ritual Chocolate. We’ll also have beer from New Belgium Brewery and wine from Charles Smith.
Our goal is to provide specifically designed, culturally appropriate bicycles to students (70% girls) in rural Africa through the World Bicycle Relief Bicycles for Educational Empowerment Program (BEEP). With these robust bicycles costing only $134 to distribute, World Bicycle Relief has been able to provide over 90,000 bicycles in 9 countries to students, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs since the organization’s inception in 2005.
We hope to raise $15,000 – the cost to provide one school with bicycles and cover the cost to train two World Bicycle Relief mechanics for the school.
Click here to register! The event is limited to 125 tickets.
