Time for the plugs

Now that I am up to date with my races I figured that I would put all the plugs at one time. I tried not to place any business or equipment plugs into the other blogs except where necessary. So here they are all together for anyone interested.



The most important plug in my opinion is Road ID (www.roadid.com). They make ID bands with all your contact information on it. Drivers are not used to looking for bicycles, especially on the east coast. I should have got my Road ID sooner. They are comfortable, light and you can put all the information you would want an emergency responder to have. They even have a line for your motto. My motto states "Go faster daddy". The title of this blog and author of my motto came from Ethan, and he tells me that before every race. Go faster than everyone else but dont go too fast and get hurt. He is awesome, and I hear him at my races no matter how many people are yelling, I can always find his voice. Go daddy, push those pedals, GO, GO, GO!!!!!!



I had a bad taste in my mouth from West Virginia about local bike shops. They tended to have higher priced items and they werent friendly to someone not wanting to spend $1000 on the first road bike ever. I also got attitude when I would take my bike, that was purchased online, to get service. The ones in Washington DC were a little better and really didnt try to push anything on you or guilt trip you for not supporting local businesses to buy stuff



So far I have been pretty loyal to Performance Bicycle. They are a nationwide chain and have good deals on all their stuff. That is where I bought my last bicycle from and a lot of other small things. They even have their own brand of bike that is well priced for the technology and are starting to show up on the larger bike scene.



If you are in the Inland Empire I would recommend Jenson USA, Incycle and Riverside Bicycle Shop. Jenson has good discount prices on a lot of clothing and parts. Incycle and RBC are a little pricier but they are normally helpful and understanding. They will take the time to explain what you need or if a part is going to be worth it for the price. They both have their own product lines to that they push but are still worth it if you need something.



I got turned on to a website called Hook it, http://www.hookit.com/. You can create a profile and sign up for sponsorships from different companies. Most of the time it is a discount from a company in exchange for them using your profile pictures and information. It covers a large variety of sports and different displines within large sports.



My first sponsor on the site was a company called VCRC. They make carbon fiber parts and cermanic bearings. They seem like they have good products and I am going to be ordering a bottom bracket for my new bike, which is basically a large ceramic bearing that the pedal arms attach to. The bearings contain a standard aluminum casing but the ball bearings are made of cermanic. They disapate heat faster and require a thinner grease than regular bearing. This means less resistance when pedaling.



My other sponsor is Lin socks. They obviously sell cycling socks at a discount price. I actually already have 4 pairs of socks from them. Cycling socks are designed to fit tight, pull sweat away from the feet, be cool, and compress the muscles in the foot to prevent cramping. I like the way they feel when I am riding and thats what is important to me. Lin has some cool designs on their socks and they feel comfortable.



One of the important lesson I have learned, which I am sure is true in every sport, is comfort is everything. The price of the non-bicycle equipment is not as big as comfort. If you buy an expensive pair of shorts and they dont feel good on you, all of your rides will be horrible. Same thing with socks, shoes, jersey and helmets. If one thing is uncomfortable you will notice everything that is even slightly uncomfortable, even if it normally doesnt bother you. So shop smart, more expensive doesnt always mean better.



My last few plugs are for Fuji, Garmin, and USA cycling. I love my Fuji and it is an amazing value for the price. A lot of people are not high on Fuji's because they are better known for electronics and the biking world is full of snobs. Dont listen to the majority because they can afford to pay more for a bigger name brand. Find something comfortable and with the components you want and dont overlook the less popular brands.



Garmin is not a small brand but they make great bike computers for racers. The online system to download your rides to is amazing and the computer gives you so much data. I have used it to improve a lot of my cycling. I got the Edge 305 for christmas and couldnt be happier with it.



I know that there was a little trash talking about the caleousness of USA cycling. Honestly the people are helpful and the organization has a wonderful goal. They put out a lot of information, ensure fair and safe racing, and are reasonable with prices. I am never concerned with a how a race will function if it is done with a USA cycling permit.