All About the Bicycle

NorthStar at Tahoe DH Race

2010-10-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

By Curtis Christensen

The first weekend in October was the finale to the Northstar At Tahoe DH Series. Combined with this event was the Charity Race for Tara with proceeds going to the Tara Llanes Road to Recovery fund and Christopher Reeve-Irvin Research Center. Pro Category men Duncan Riffle, Mark Weir, Jason Moeschler, Carl Decker, Brian Lopes, Jordan Lopez and Kirt Voreis were amongst the field of other locals. Pro Women had lined up with Melissa Buhl, Sabrina Jonnier, Kathy Pruitt, Emily Johnson, Lizzie English,and Kellie Emmett.

Saturday the conditions were completely dry and dusty. The mountain hadn't seen water in over 30 days so the course was beat. Surprisingly it rained on and off Saturday night and throughout the morning Sunday. There were no practice runs Sunday and the mountain was closed during the race. It began raining again about 1 hr before the racers started.

Bicycle Emporium had 5 racers competing in their divisions which composed of Roger Lopez Exp 50+, Billy Damon Exp 30-39, Casey Sanchez Exp 20-29, and Tim Krentz Pro Open. "I am really proud of my riders, they showed up in the cold temperature below 60 degrees and raced down a track which at times had a stream running continually through it. Our new team member Chris Gable stuck it out the most, he rode the lift up with a trainer and bicycle, setup a warm up spot for Tim Krentz at the top of the mountain while the rain and wind at 8200' beat down on him. Luckily he hooked up with the Ski Patrol guys and sat in their warm booth for over 2 hours waiting. Chris missed the entire race as a spectator but when he heard the news at the bottom, he knew he did his job well! Tim was the only rider who had a bike to spin on at the top of the race run."

10.3.10 Race for Tara Results

1st Tim Krentz. Pro Open DH 9.42
2nd Brian Lopes 9.48
3rd Duncan Riffle 9.50
4th Mark Weir 9.53

10th Casey Sanchez Exp 20-29 12.06

1st Billy Damon Exp 30-39 11.15

2nd Rober Lopez Exp 50+ 15.06

1st Ron Sanchez (Casey's Pops) Sport 40-49 12.31

Northstar Overall Points

1st Tim Krentz Pro Open DH
9th Curtis Christensen Pro Open DH
2nd Kirstie Douglass Female 30+ DH
5th Tina Wilson Female 30+ DH

View Complete Roster Link

Stay tuned as this newly formed Bicycle Emporium PRO GRT DH Team takes shape for the 2011 Season. We have a solid roster for 2011 Pro/Exp Category and we are taking applications for any other interested parties. Contact Curtis Christensen 530 823 2900 or curtis@bicycleemporium.com for any other details or an application.

Interbike Las Vegas 2010

2010-10-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

By Bill Marengo

Interbike 2010 has come and gone but the Bicycle Emporium Crew had a blast checking out all of the new product for 2011.

Besides the incredible Colnago C59, some of the highlights include Curtis spending plenty of time looking over the new Shimano XTR power train. He's looking forward to the new XTR group with a 2 X10 power train. Curtis was also schmoozing with various vendors to gain support for a new Mountain Bike Race team that he is leading up with the help of Santa Cruz.

Mark was there licking his chops on another Campagnolo carbon group now in the second season of 11 speed. This year it is refined to the max. New ceramic bearings and Ti everywhere - the groupo is now just crazy light and as elegant as ever.

Ryan was in total 29er mode checking out and buying a new toy but I can't say just yet what toy it is... stay tuned!

Michelle roamed the aisle checking out all of the new clothing for 2011. Ladies, be sure to check out all the cool styles coming soon!

But the real fun at Interbike was the CrossVegas cyclo cross race event. This is the largest race of its kind in the U.S. and an awesome event for any cyclist to attend. Last year, Lance Armstrong's participation really jump started this event. Hopefully when Interbike moves to LA next year the race is still a part of the entertainment. Check out the video below for a look at Cross Vegas.

The New Colnago C-59: Built With Passion

2010-10-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

Mr. Colnago has once again driven the bar higher with his new C-59. I have sold the brand for over twenty five years and have often used the word "passion" to describe our love for the Colnago brand. I was happy to see that very word used in the Colnago 2011 catalog. Take just one look at their new lineup and their “passion” shines through. One bike in particular that caught my eye was the new C-59. It is a bike that can live up to its full heritage, meeting and exceeding the achievement of the C-50.

In the world of professional cycling Colnago's list of achievements is very numerous so I won't list them all here, but I can tell you that in this day and age when everyone is talking "carbon" and promising a bike that is lighter, faster, and stronger; Colnago is at the top of their game. Do you know who made the first carbon production bike that won the world over? Yes, it was Ernesto Colnago. He used carbon when people thought he was crazy and used his friendship with Ferrari to push carbon bicycle frames - he knew way back then it was a material that made sense.

Fast forward to 2011 and you must see the C-59. Although it looks sweet online, be sure to check it out in person. Touch it, pick it up, feel the balance and of course test ride one. Available in a multitude of sizes both sloping and traditional. Once you test it out, you will see why a lugged carbon hand built bicycle from Italy still resides at the top of the list. We will stock several of these and can pre-order your color of choice for an early Spring delivery.

At this year's Interbike tradeshow we were able to see these amazing bikes first hand.Check out the video of Billy Kanzler of Colnago America and the C-59:

Bella Fiore's Sponsor Celebration

2009-11-11T18:39:00.000-08:00

Wow! What celebration we had last week when nearly 50 Bella Fiore

members and sponsors came together for a club ride and a celebration at the Bicycle Emporium. Fun to see such a large group of women, all with dynamic and unique personalities, come together simply because of the bicycle! We had a rock climbing wall, spa treatments, wine tasting, a catered meal, raffles and lots of laughs!

When we started this club three years ago, our goal was to "provide a non-intimidating environment for women to ride, mentor and train in" and most importantly to "have fun." Watching the members interact at this celebration, is testiment that we have accomplished our goal. In attendance were women who are advanced riders, women who race. There were women who didn't actually own bicycles yet but were interested in entering the sport. And, there were cycling women at every level in between. How cool that the bicycle could bring all of these women together and help them enjoy the sport of cycling!

Thank you to the members, sponsors and friends of Bella Fiore!

Title Sponsors 2010: Bicycle Emporium, Mobile Rock, Sattva Yoga & Pilates
Supporting Sponsors 2010: Casque Wines, Flower Farm Inn, Kelly Carducci Massage Therapist, Ophir Wines, Pacific Fitness, Placer Community Foundation, REI Builders, Susan Lannoo Stylist, Trail Training.

Cycling in the California Wine Country

2009-11-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

Living in Northern California allows us the comfort of traveling with our bicycles in tow to many amazing places. Places that many people, especially those from the mid-west or back east, may not get the opportunity to experience. Cycling through the Sonoma Valley Wine Country is one of those places. A couple of weeks ago, we experienced the wine country in an out of the ordinary way. Instead of booking the hotel; planning out our meals; selecting our cycling routes; researching wineries; packing up the bicycles; we booked our weekend trip with Trek Travel. Wow! Talk about a vacation where you literally just had to show up!

The weekend started by meeting our new cycling friends (13 other cyclists from all over the US, everywhere except California) in San Francisco. There we met our tour guide, the amazing Jonathan, and hopped on the Trek Travel shuttle. We traveled to our first winery where we were greeted by the amazing Liz (our second tour guide) with a gourmet picnic, wine, winery tour and our "loaner" Carbon Madone bicycles. After we were fit to our rigs, we were off for an afternoon spin to Healdsburg. This would be our base camp, if you could call it camp, for the next two days. That evening we gathered with our new found companions for an amazing dinner at Cena Luna.

The next days ride was a 40 mile pedal that included another gourmet picnic in the Redwoods, a climb up Sweetwater pass for the brave, and a private wine tasting at Arista winery. Aahhh... this is our kind of trip! The day ended with another amazing meal, this time at the Dry Creek Kitchen.

The final day of our pampering started with a quick 20 mile spin around Healdsburg. A beautiful trip through the vineyards with some amazing colors and smells. After the spin we strolled though the streets of Healdsburg before we had to say goodbye to our cycling companions.

This truly was an incredible experience. I can only imagine what kind of trip it would be if we were in a place that was not so local, so familiar, so convenient. I see a far, far away cycling adventure in my future!

Check out Bill's take on his new favorite wine...

Colnago in Las Vegas - Interbike 2009

2009-10-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! Ernesto Colnago just keeps on building great bicycles at a whopping age of 77 years new. Ernesto is in his 55th year now of building the world’s best riding and most eloquent road machines. This industry icon just won’t let up.

The Bicycle emporium crew attended the Las Vegas International bicycle show (Interbike) in September and the buzz was crazy at the Colnago booth. These bikes are just so dang sweet. The colors for 2010 are off the hook and there’s a color for everyone’s taste. The new Colnago EPS model has a purple wave flair running up the top tube and across the head tube that will have the entire industry copying next year.

If you don’t think you can afford a Colnago think again. YES, THINK AGAIN. The new Colnago CLX for this year has Shimano Ultegra 6700 and a full carbon lay up, at $3599.99 complete. This bike rides great for the Century riders and/or the Gran Fondo cyclist. They also have a cross bike in Alloy at $1899.99 - you can blast down the trail on this machine. These are great affordable Colnagos.

I don’t want to go on and on here, but rather say, ride one! Yes, really, just test ride one and you decide if it’s a bike you need? And please don’t be upset with us when you have to have one. You will be happy for so long after you own a Colnago, you will forget you ever had a different brand.

Check out our videos from the Colnago booth at Interbike to see these fantastic colors.

Colnago Bicycle Emporium in Las Vegas

Bicycle Emporium at Trade show in Las Vegas

Viva LA Colnago…
Bill Marengo

Tour of California 2009

2009-02-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

This is the 3rd year that Bicycle Emporium has participated with a booth at the Tour of California and this year, by far, was the most energized. Not sure if it was the Lance factor or if cycling is finally getting the buzz that it deserves but it sure did leave us anxious for Spring. Here's my quick recap of the beginning of this years ToC...

This year the Tour started days before that actual race began, we got to kick off the event at the Official Gala and Team introduction. A very classy celebration, black-tie and all. We got to rub elbows with the regions movers & shakers along with the cycling superstars. Although I wasn't as lucky (or brave) as Kayden who got pictures with cyclings most wanted, I did get a close up glimpse at the cycling celebs. Food, wine, entertainment and a night out... no complaints here.

Saturday arrived and luckily the rain held out for most the day. Hanging out in our booth (in between runs into the VIP tent, was crazy... there was a constant buzz of people looking for that deal. The Bicycle Emporium/Rocknasium race team lead a group out on a 40 mile spin and fun was had by all. Kudos Diane for being the only Bella gal brave enough to pedal with the boys! All you other gals that popped in to say "hi" - thanks, love seeing you out there! Cyndi, you are truly amazing.

Sunday, rainy Sunday! Because Teresa is a trooper and my son really, really wanted to see the race, we bundled up as if we were going to the snow and headed off to Stage 1 in Davis. The crowds weren't huge but there were a suprising amount of fans out there to get a glimpse. We wandered for a while, then found ourselves planted (almost stalker like!) in front of the Liquigas trailer. We figured if we waited long enough, we would get to meet Basso... or at least get a close up look, a picture, something! So, we stood in the rain and waited. And, they came out, we frantically snapped pictures, they rode off. That was it! So, we moved over to the race start (yes, Tony is getting anxious now) to see them off. And they went, and that was that! Crazy what we (along with thousands of other fans) will do just to see a few seconds of cycling history! Be well everyone ~ Michelle

BUBBA'S RECAP...

THE 2009 Edition was the bomb! We had a great time, the only bad spot was Lance's bike missing for a few days, that was a drag. Has TREK done it up or what? ....Take a look at this bad boy.
This bike is a total colaboration of quality and design for speed. Just plain ol' sexy as a bike.

We had the chance to hang behind the scene with some of team Astana as the stolen bike drama unfolded. We watched them get another bike ready for Lance to ride at the next TT race and a new SRM unit was needed. The SRM is a total information highway to the rider as they pound out the miles. A new unit had to be Fed Ex'd out and set up for his new rig. After all that work we were still very happy to hear the bike was returned at the eleventh hour... Go Lance Go...

Levi provided all the power needed to keep his dream for a 3-peat alive. Damm! ... a 29.4 MPH average on that course is super human.

In closing I want to thank everyone from my team at Bicycle Emporium for all there efforts in setting up our booth in the pouring rain and following up with great customer service and selection at the races. We stood in the rain all day in Santa Rosa and still had a great time.

Bubba had a chance to see the new TREK superstore in Santa Rosa. Wow great shop!

I also want to thank team Rocknassium/Bicycle Emporium who hosted Saturday's ride and looked great out there!

And hey everyone.... after the race is won and done - DON'T MISS A DAY... GO RIDE!

THANKS Bubba...

The Pro's-Life

2008-10-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

Every cycling man and woman should treat themselves to the Pro life on occasion. Rewarding yourself with a two-hour massage after a hard training ride is one of the simple pleasures of living the Pro life. A trip to Whistler or Moab for MTBers, or a riding vacation to Italy, Belgium, France, or Spain for roadies is a sure way to steep the soul in the essences of the Pro life. Getting some athletic testing and a training program from a local expert cycling coach can give riders that view into a world of dedication only shared by a few individuals at the top of the fitness hierarchy. Even answering the self-dare to sign up for a few races or ultra-distance organized rides can momentarily speed riders into that elusive elite Pro lifestyle.

But there’s even an easier way to sample the Pro life: visit Bicycle Emporium, a truly Pro bike shop in Auburn, California. One step into the door and a quick look around are enough to convince riders to spend time investigating all the aspects of Pro-ness offered by owners Bill and Michelle and their elite class of knowledgeable lieutenants, who can help you choose and maintain equipment that will propel you into those transitory moments when you glimpse the lifestyle enjoyed by many and loved by all who do. Bill, Michelle, and the guys will even help you make those elusive passages come frequently and faster.

Give me a few moments to me explain why a visit to Bicycle Emporium gives me that Pro buzz. Oh, yeah, it’s the rows and rows of bicycles suiting every level of ability and price range; and the sculptural wheelsets hanging for yards along the ceilings; the solidly-crafted components you drool for while perusing the thoughtfully laid display cases; even the practical and stylish clothing that would fill a smaller shop to the point where there wouldn’t be any room left for bicycles. Car racks, pumps, packs, tires, tools, even a kids’ section assure riders that this place has the right attitude, the Pro attitude, the attitude that says, yes we have it and yes we want to see you smile when you enjoy sharing our way of life.

But for me there’s even another level of Pro-ness I’ve witnessed for years at Bicycle Emporium: the way Bill, Michelle, and the guys project themselves into your concerns while taking care of your cycling needs.

Whether it’s mechanics who combine a lifetime passion for European Pro racing with the most up-to-date repair and maintenance techniques and equipment, or thrill-driven MTB exploits expounded by a shop manager who was there to experience it firsthand, or a cycling professional who knows the intricacies of riding equipment because he uses it to win Pro titles in road racing. Even Bill, who’s not only participated, promoted and sponsored road and MTB racing for over twenty years, but is truly a master technician that can diagnose and repair bicycles with McGuyver-like genius, can craft inventive solutions that give other shops convulsions trying to understand. Sure, those are all universal indications of a truly Pro bicycle shop, rare in this world of single-maker theme franchises and "yeah I want to run a bike shop too" strip mall pretenders.

But there’s an even deeper depth of understanding and service to be had when you deal with Bicycle Emporium, something unheard of in lesser shops: these people can provide the rider with almost any current small part or way to fix the "unfixable," produced like magic from some drawer, bin, or shelf. I have gone in there countless times with a need for small parts for repair or replacement and left with an idiot grin from ear to ear because I got what I wanted.

Helmet pads for a 2004 Giro Atmos helmet? Whoosh—out comes a plastic case with several sets of Giro replacement parts. A lock ring for a Campy 13-tooth gear cassette? A drawer slides open and after a moment of scanning through hundreds of small parts presto—here you go! Derailleur pulley wheels? Yep, easy. Chris King headset caps? What color? A broken bolt on a seatpost that would be utter hell to replace? Maybe finding one would be about as easy as climbing Stagecoach on a summer day after a four hour epic, but Bill can give you a way to fix it without spending the money to buy a new seatpost.

If Bicycle Emporium can’t produce it immediately, they have the connections to get it. It takes many years of experience with the business to handle and maintain a vast inventory of small parts, along with a vaster range of bikes and equipment. It takes even more experience to be able to answer arcane questions about how to get the most riding out of your equipment. Bicycle Emporium provides that uppermost level of service to help you enjoy the Pro riding experience.

By Trevesino

North Fork Trail Gets Approval!

2008-08-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

After attending the 8/26 Board of Supervisors meeting, I am happy to report that the Board unanimously voted in favor of certifying the final Environmental Impact Report and approving the North Fork Trail -- finally!!! This fabulous new 14 mile multi-use trail will go from Foresthill Bridge upriver to the Ponderosa Bridge and will link with the FDLT. This new trail system will be enjoyed by hundreds of folks and will only better the overall trail system in the community.

There were several community members there to show support of this project and only one voice opposed. Many thanks to all of those who were and will continue to be intrumental in making this project happen. See you on the trails!

This and That... Random Chatter about the industry, the shop and more...

2007-04-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Nice Job to all the Bella Fiore gals showing up for our Friday am rides. Keep it up!

Italy 2007

2007-04-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

This September Bill (Bubba) Marengo will once again head to Italy to the Italian Cycling Center for this annual cycling retreat. Imagine... one month of cycling in one of the most beautiful terrains in the world, sampling fresh, authentic cusuine, and sipping (or gulping as the case may be) Italian Reds. Well, no need to dream... join Bill and a number of other cycling enthusiasts on the trek to Italy. Email Bubba for details at bill@BicycleEmporium.com

It is getting cool outside...what are you doing to stay on your bike?

2007-04-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

As the season changes and it is dark as you roll out of bed to sneak in the ride... are you still pedaling? Or, are you playing hooky to get an afternoon ride in while you can still feel the sun? How about that indoor trainer? Let us know how you are staying fit... we could use all the motivation possible!