Sunday, April 17, 2011

If I had LizardSkins gloves, I would never take them off. - A review on Lizard Skin DSP bar tape

Check out this post on the home of our new blog here:
http://blog.villagecycle.com/2011/04/if-i-had-lizardskins-gloves-i-would-never-take-them-off-a-review-on-lizard-skin-dsp-bar-tape/

Holy Toledo. I just came back from a really beautiful 40+ mile ride through the rolling hills near Galesburg, Il. -- a three-hour train ride west of Chicago, check it out-- and I've got to say, my hands have never felt better right off the bike! I'm used to riding steel-frame road bikes that generally dampen vibrations from the road, so I've never put much thought into particularly high-end bar tape, or even really gloves, for that matter. I've been riding gel Bontrager or comparable Pearl Izumi gloves for some time, coupled with cork bar tape, what I've always taken to be an industry standard. LizardSkins tape, aside from matching my Lemond's paint job sickeningly well, is noticeably thicker than standard cork tape, but maintains a tapered profile as it goes on, so that it never bunches the way lower-end tape tends to if wrapped too tightly. Its tacky surface certainly ensures a solid hold on the handlebar, even with gel-padded gloves on, but still offers the vibration-soaking effect of thicker cork tapes. After pounding out several extended climbs, white-knuckled corners, and mile after mile of prairie headwinds, my hands weren't numb at all-- leaving me a much happier, energized post-ride cyclist, one without an excuse not to clean the highway grit out of my drivetrain!
Lizard Skin DSP Dual Color Bar Tape

Friday, April 15, 2011

Llama's new bike day.

New bike day is one of the best days of they year. But it is even better when you get two new bikes in one day. Especially when it is a 2011 Trek Top Fuel 9.9 SSL and a 2011 Trek XO-2 with an Easton EC 70 SL wheel upgrade.

I can't wait to get them both dirty, and for the first time ever, I wish I could ride two bikes at once.