| February 2005
Dan, Scott, Smiley & R&E gang: I've got 230 miles on the bike. I absolutely love it! When I ordered the bike I stated that I wanted a bike that had both performance and comfort. You guys delivered! The bike is awesome, and it is SO much fun to ride. I've ridden on variety of terrain from long 18% grades to rolling hills and some flats. The bike is a climbing machine with the compact crank setup. I can climb very comfortably and the frame has enough lateral stiffness that I feel like I'm getting really efficient power transfer. The bike is very nimble. The bike seems to respond instantly and predictably to any input I give it. The ride is silky smooth and comfortable. The frame seems to have about as perfect alignment as humanly possible to achieve. I feel like I can ride hands off on a train track rail for miles on end (I probably won't actually try this). The wheels you guys built up are super. I think you guys build the best wheels I've ever seen. The S3 frame is amazing. I still can't believe how light the bike is for a steel frame.
Give everyone at the shop (and I believe everyone had some part in building my bike) my sincere thanks for building one of the best bikes on the planet. Best regards, Mike Moreland Read moreTestimonials here. |
The point to my story is two fold:
First: Our commitment to blending comfort and performance has grown out of listening to you, and listening to our own common sense. When we build a 16 pound race bike for a customer, we want that bike to be not only light and fast, but the most comfortable bike they've ever ridden....a bike they WANT to ride every day. If I were going to race in the Daytona 500, I would want to drive a Nextel Cup car. Comfort and convenience wouldn't matter as I would be hopped up on adrenaline. But if I were going to buy a high performance sports car to drive down the coast, I don't want to have to crawl in through the window. I'm going to want a radio, air conditioner, a heater, and doors that open. I might even want somewhere to pack a small duffel bag, and a seat for my wife (I know what you're thinking Scott, and she didn't make me put that in).
The point is, even though I would be driving a high performance sports car, it wouldn't be the same car that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would drive in the Daytona 500. The same is true for a bicycle. Jane was sold the "Lance Armstrong, 16 pound, gonna go win the Tour De France" model. But she's not Lance Armstrong, and she's not going to race in the Tour. She commutes, and she rides long weekend fun rides with her friends. She would be much more comfortable on a 16 pound bike designed for her style of riding. It should be set up by someone who listens to what she's going to do with the bike, and fits her to it accordingly.
Second: I want to thank Jim's friend and all of you who send your buddies our way. Word of mouth is really the only avenue that a business like ours can count on to develop new customers. Every day new customers come into the shop who were sent to us by a friend of theirs. I hope you know how much we appreciate that.
July, 2005
-Dan
