Big Swingin' Happenens

Lion of Fairfax 2010

2010-09-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

REGISTER Right Now! for the 5th annual Lion of Fairfax Cyclo-Cross race in Marin County set for Saturday, 10/16/2010, with a cross clinic on Saturday, the 9th of October, at 10AM at the race site, White Hill Middle School. We're expecting huge turnout this year and strongly encourage preregistration. New for 2010, the LOF will be part of Biktoberfest Marin, we'll also see the addition of separate categories for Masters Men 55+ and Masters Women 40+.

While you're registering, be sure to pick up some raffle tickets. We'll be raffling off a brand new, Ridley Cross bike!

This is our shop's 5th year organizing the race. ALL of the proceeds from the event benefit White Hill Middle School in Fairfax, to help fund programs and expenses normal school budgets can't accommodate (including a mountain bike club for the kids!). A robust cycling environment exists at White Hill, in both the student body and community at large. This event provides a fund raising vehicle consistent with interests and values of the local community. Big Swingin' Cycles supplies hundreds of hours, and covers substantial expenses in order to put this event on every year.

Summer Evening Ride with Yeti Cycles

2010-07-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Big Swingin' Cycles is hosting an informal Summer evening ride next Thursday, 29 July, 2010, at Gestalt Fairfax. Yeti will be on hand with their complete line of bikes, from the 20 lb. ASR Carbon and 575, to the new ASR 5 (aka the "California Special"), 7 inch travel ASR Seven and 303 DH bike. Gestalt Haus will be serving up brews and brats. From the launch pad at Gestalt, it's a short pedal to Camp Tamarancho, Pine Mountain and the Water District Lands, and Mt. Tam. The details: Gestalt Fairfax, 28 Bolinas Rd. 94930 Date: 7/29/10, Time 6PM - 9PM, hotline: 415-441-6294, e-mail: contact@bigswingincycles.com. Call or E-Mail ahead if you want to reserve a bike!

Marin Bikes Demo Day - Saturday July 17th

2010-07-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

Big Swingin' Cycles and Marin Bikes have teamed up to host a Marin Bikes demo day Saturday, July 17th from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM at Gestalt Haus in Fairfax. As part of the event, we will be leading an easy trail ride at 10AM on the trails in Fairfax. Post ride beverages and food will be available at Gestalt.

Just Delivered - Yeti ASR5A - 1 x 9

2010-06-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

Time to geek out. Here are some photos of a new Yeti ASR 5 alloy we recently built out. Spec. highlights include the following: Brown Chris King 1.125 to 1.5 headset, Race Face Six carbon bar, 1 x 9 XTR drivetrain with Yumea accents and MRP 1 X guard, Fulcrum Red Metal Zero wheels, 2011 Fox F120 RLC FIT 15QR w/ Kashema coated stanchions

A Little Irony

2010-05-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

With no disrespect to American Classic, this is a pretty humorous photo. I'm a fan of AC's product, but perhaps a little redesign of the packaging is in order.

Campagnolo Test 11 Demo Center at Big Swingin'

2010-05-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Big Swingin' Cycles is proud to announce we are now a Campagnolo Test 11 demo center. We have several high end carbon and Ti road bikes outfitted with Campy's new 11 speed groups AND road tubeless tire wheelsets. These bikes are available for test rides as well as longer demo efforts.

Campy's engineers and master craftspeople have set a new benchmark with their new 11 speed groupsets. Crisper, faster, cleaner shifting, improved durability, lighter weight, and drop dead good looks. And, a new, 4 year warranty to back up the product.

Campy and Fulcrum 2-way fit wheels accept standard clincher tires, or road tubeless. Road tubeless offers a smoother ride, better grip and important safety benefits over conventional tube tires. Take advantage of our demo 11 program to try out a set of tubeless tire wheelsets at the same time.

2010-04-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Like German engineering and beer? Come over to Gestalt house in Fairfax on Saturday, April 24th, from 10AM to 3PM, to ride the latest trail and all mountain bikes from German bike manufacturer Bionicon. Bionicon has a unique, adjustable geometry / suspension design like no one else in the industry - go from a 3 inch hill climbing rig to a 6 inch trail bomber with the push of a button. The folks from Bionicon will have a full fleet of bikes for you to demo.

Big Swingin's John Blackwell will be leading a ride sometime around 10:30ish. If you'd like to go for a technical effort, feel free to join him. We're hoping a few demo bikes can be taken out and folks can swap during the ride to get a good demo.

Mountain Biking The Southern Sierra Nevada

2010-04-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Myself and John Blackwell have spent some quality dirt time riding the Southern Sierra this Spring. I'm guessing most of us up here in Nor Cal aren't familiar with the riding in the Southern Sierras. You're missing out - it's epic, with loads of quality, well marked rides. Cannel Plunge is the Crown Jewel of the Southern Sierra rides, a 35 mile shuttle ride starting over 9000' and descending 7000' with 2500' of high altitude, lung busting climbing at the start - an all day adventure with the infamous "plunge section" finale. At present, most of the high country options are closed due to snow, but there are many quality rides below 5000 ft. Come by, call or e-mail us for some ideas.

Marin Bikes Demo Day This Saturday

2010-02-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

Marin Bikes demo day and mountain bike ride set for Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at Gestalt in Fairfax (28 Bolinas Rd, downtown) from 9:30 AM to 3 PM. Join Big Swingin' Cycles and the crew from Marin Bikes for a day of great mountain biking. Marin will make available their fleet of 2010 demo bikes for us to sample, including their line of big wheeled, 29'ers and the redesigned, 150mm travel Attack Trail, shown below. We are also planning an easy, fun paced mountain bike ride at 10 AM.

Whose Working On Your Bike?

2010-02-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

Big Swingin' Cycles was one of only a few shops in the western United States to complete the recent Park Tools Tech Summit. 18 hours of up to your elbows, intensive hands on training and labs covering best practices for product installation, repair, service and maintenance of key products from core industry manufacturers: Shimano, Campagnolo, SRAM, Avid, Rockshox, Fox, Mavic, and Park Tool.

2010 has been a watershed year in the cycling industry. We've seen more firsts than any year we can recall: electronic shifting for road bikes, 10 speed mountain bike drivetrains, 11 speed road bike drivetrains, increasingly complex suspension damping systems, advanced wheels designs employing ceramic bearings, carbon fiber spoking and even tubeless tires, and further complexity and migration of disc brake technology. Now, more than ever, a cycling retailer must have a competent, professional workshop, with up to date knowledge, in order to accurately AND efficiently serve its customers.

Since opening 10 years ago, a core value at Big Swingin' Cycles has been continuing education - keeping up, not just on the latest technology, but the nuts and bolts of this technology. Not just how to install, service, maintain and repair a product, but the BEST way to do all of this.

Holiday Party Set for Thursday, 12/17

2009-12-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

Join us on Thursday evening, the 17th of December, for our annual Holiday party from 5 - 8/9. We'll have a keg, a DJ spinning cool tunes, some eats, and special, one night only discounts and deals for the holidays.

Crank Bros. Iodine Wheels

2009-07-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

We've recently had the opportunity to demo / install Crank Bros.' Iodine wheelset, shown here on a Yeti ASR Seven we recently delivered to a customer. We're typically reluctant to sway from the tried and true when it comes to wheelsets. It's just too critical of a part to take a chance on. But, after a thorough tear down and examination of the new Crank Bros. wheels, as well as some demo time, our faith in these wheels is strong.

Both the Iodine, and their XC counterpart, the Cobalt, share a rim with no holes, as well as a vertical reinforcing rib, (like an I beam) that runs axially around the rim and provides a mounting point for the spokes. Extra long, alloy nipples reduces spoke length, improving strength. Simple, oversize cartridge bearings are used throughout, along with a three paul freehub body (with a cool, spring retainer that keeps the pauls from falling out when the freehub body is removed). Everything is held together by friction, not complicated fasteners - preload is achieved with the q.r. Multiple hub end caps are provided to accommodate a standard q.r., or common thru axle set ups. Conclustion - what at first appears different and complex, is actually simple and smart (looks pretty nice too!)

Jewelry For Your Ride

2009-05-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

In stock now at Big Swingin' Cycles - the Chris King bottom bracket is specifically designed for Shimano-compatible external type crank/bottom bracket systems and delivers every benefit you've come to expect from King and in the wide array of colors only King can do.

An available grease injection tool allows the bearings to be purged of existing grease and debris and new grease run through. What better way to maximize the life of your bearings than to do routine maintenance? Especially when it's this easy.

Racers take note! With the Chris King bottom bracket and injection tool, you can train day-to-day with a durable high-viscosity grease and race with a light, fast-rolling low-viscosity grease or oil. Imagine your current Friday night leg-shaving ritual finishing with a few minutes in the garage to get your bike as smooth as you are. Available in 10 colors.

Yeti ASR-7 First Impressions

2009-02-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

We recently had an opportunity to demo the long awaited Yeti ASR-7 trail bike. ASR-7 is Yeti's new platform for riders seeking a bit more travel and stability over a bike like a Blur LT, Nomad, or Yeti 575. Tag lines might include long travel trail bike / enduro / free ride / agressive XC. Immediately catching my eye - the 1.125 to 1.5 headtube, squared off hydro formed tubing, short, 16.9 inch chainstays, carbon dog bone, direct mount front derailleur and relatively light weight (in the 30 lb. range) for a 7 inch travel bike. Like the 575 and AS-R SL - the bike utilizes an elegant, but durable, single pivot attachment of swing arm to frame. So how's it ride?

We met up with Yeti's traveling side show duo Ariel and Abby at Skeggs for a little dirt time. I was wary of riding such a stout bike at a place like Skeggs - I knew it would be fun going down, but climbs at Skeggs are steep, the thought of pedaling the 7 uphill was daunting, and I was curious about bike handling in tighter, switch back type trails.

Yeti's golden touch remains in tact. We laid tracks down Manzanita trail, arguably the roughest trail Skeggs has to offer - the 7 was rock solid - you noticed the 1.5" headtube plowing over boulders and through rutted sections. On twisty trails like Blue Bell and Steam Donkey, the bike was surprisingly nimble, probably from Yeti's decision to keep the chain stays short (a full 1/2 inch shorter than a Santa Cruz Nomad) and keep the head tube angle at a modest 67 deg. Climbing out wasn't as painful as I expected - like the Yeti AS-R and 575, the 7 pedals exceptionally well - my only complaint was the lack of a travel adjust fork on the front (available as an option) - all that travel makes the front end pretty light - nothing a Fox 36 TALAS cranked down to 100mm can't fix! Ultimately, the ASR-7 is a great choice for a rider who values a "do everything - anywhere" trail bike - the term "Nomad Killer" comes to mind. Downieville and Northstar would offer great canvases for a 7, but the bike is still viable west of the Sierra. Get more info on the ASR-7 from Yeti

Just In - Foes XCT 5

2009-01-05T10:19:00.000-08:00

Not familiar with Brent Foes? If you like to mountain bike, you should be. He's a guru in full suspension design and has spent the last 14 years innovating and leading the industry. Designs we take for granted today, were pioneered by Foes: monocoque design, single pivot simplicity, swing links, 2:1 leverage ratio. Foes' latest innovation is the exclusive rights to Curnutt shocks for bicycle applications. Curnutt was the first to introduce innovations like stable platform, position sensitive damping, and now, 2:1 rear leverage ratio.

2:1 leverage ratio is of particular significance. Most bikes utilize a 3:1 shock leverage ratio (for every 1 inch of shock stroke, there are 3 inches of rear wheel travel). Foes bikes use a 2:1 leverage ratio to take advantage of the 2:1 ratio's inherent benefits: lower pressure, greater sensitivity, increased shaft velocity and fluid flows.

We have an XCT 5, five inch travel bike available to demo. Come on by and give it a ride. This bike rides very different from anything else we've encountered. It pedals with supreme efficiency, thanks to the Curnutt pioneered platform valving, but once you hit the rought stuff, you can feel the platform give way, and large shock piston stroke as it sucks up the bumps.

Santa's Elves Got Nothin' On Us!

2008-12-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

We've been busy as elves assembling SF's coolest collection of kids' bikes and cruisers. If your looking for a truly unique, fun, and high quality bike for a little one, or even one of us big kids, stop by and check out our great selection of Electra cruisers and commuter bikes. These bikes are absolutely inviting. They offer a fun, stylish, and refreshing means of getting out of the car and on a bike!

Paradise Found

2008-11-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's trip to Felton with the White Hill Middle School MTB club provided a great afternoon of exceptional riding on an amazing real life canvas of singletrack, Giant Redwood trees, golden orange & red leaf colored trails and rushing water. Everyone had big adrenaline smiles from riding in such an exceptional venue. I never cease to be amazed at how strong and capable these young riders can be!

Jeffrey Hutchins shot some crude video which I've uploaded - the gem is not the video, but the many Woo Hoo's shouted out by the kids.

Big Swingin' Customer Completes Non Stop 509 Mile Ride!

2008-11-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Big Swingin' Cycles Customer and Dolce Vita Team Rider, Jim Gordon recently completed the legendary Furnace Creek 508 ride. For those of you not familiar with "The 508", it's a 509 mile, non-stop race with 35,000 feet of climbing taking riders through Death Valley and much of the California Desert.

I have to confess I had not heard of this race, until my friend and customer, Jim Gordon started coming round the shop and telling us about it. However, until I read his race report, I really had no idea how intense this event is. We certainly see our fair share of Ironman competitors, 24 hour racers and even double century riders. But this event takes the cake.

Jim completed the 509 miles near the 40 hour mark, a bit longer than he had planned, but he started the race with a mild illness and an excruciating knee pain surfaced near the 400 mile mark. Given the exigent circumstances, this is a mind boggling accomplishment. Of course, for a guy who likes to meet up at the Marina Safeway at midnight, for a ride to Santa Barbara (non-stop, of course), what would you expect?

'09 Orbea - Size Specific Nerve (SSN) Proliferation

2008-11-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

Orbea National Sales Manager, Ronnie Points, visited Big Swingin' Cycles this week, giving us an opportunity to engage him on Orbea's new 2009 lineup, and more specifically, Orbea's Size Specific Nerve (SSN) design. SSN design represents a unique approach in the industry. At the heart of SSN is the belief every size frame must be uniquely engineered from the ground up. You can't simply start with the most common size frame, say a 54 or 56, then shrink it or enlarge it to come up with a range of sizes - you'll lose the ride qualities you set out to achieve with this type of approach. Orbea's SSN approach delivers the same ride characteristics across frame sizes by engineering each size based on unique, size specific parameters. A rider of a 48cm frame will provide different inputs to the bike than that of a rider of a 51, 54, 57, etc. Orbea sculpts molds and tweaks materials to keep ride qualities consistent across the size range. Accordingly, a close inspection of Orbea's frames will reveal differing wall thicknesses, cross sections and structure dimensions across a model's size range. Thanks for the schooling, Ronnie.

Cross Season Well Underway

2008-11-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Cyclocross season is well underway. Attached are a few latent photos from the charity cyclo-cross race we put on, the Lion of Fairfax, back in late September. Andy Jacques Mayne took the men's pro race and Rachel Lloyd won her 3rd straight race. Our own Sheila Moon / Big Swingin' Cross team continues to represent at local races, including the Pilarcitos events.

Biketoberfest This Weekend!

2008-10-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

We'll be kickin' it at this weekend's Biketoberfest celebration in Fairfax on Saturday. Our friends from Yeti will be displaying with us and offering their complete Quiver of luscious demo bikes for you to try. We'll have our own demo bikes, including Moots, Yeti, Cannondale and Marin. There will be organized rides, fun for the kids, food, beer tasting...in other words, sheer bliss!

It's Back - Cyclo-Cross Racin' in Marin

2008-08-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Big Swingin' Cycles is teaming up with Dolcevita Cycling and Sheila Moon to bring you the 3rd annual Lion of Farifax Cyclo - Cross race in Faifax, in Marin county on 27 September 2008. A free cross clinic will be provided the week before at the race venue, White Hill Middle School @ 101 Glen Dr, Fairfax. Former XC National Champ, and avid CX'er, Colleen Wanty will be the instructor.

This year's event will feature some significant improvements. A new, electronic real time scoring system will be in place. Building on last year's deep list of prizes, this year's event will surpass last year - we're looking at a minimum of $6000 in cash and merchandise to award. Responding to requests from past participants, we will be moving the start / finish to the sports field portion of the course to allow for safe sprinting at the finish line, additional course improvements and modifications will be made to create more excitement.

Register now - some classes will fill up. You can register here.

Scales Snubs Cyclist Friends For Blue Blood Pursuits

2008-08-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

In a show of complete transformation to Old World sophistication, former Thursday night MTB regular and role model for "Big and Tall" cyclists around the world, Steve Scales, intentionally left all of his cycling gear back in the UK on his recent trip back to Marin.

When given an interragotory about his actions he replid "I didn't want to be tempted." Huh!? Certainly no one can question the metamorphasis of Scales to a full fledged Savile Row debutant! One can only anticipate what might happen next time he leaves Canary Wharf for the frontier lands of California. Polo anyone?

I Prefer My Cops on Bikes!

2008-08-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

At a recent sporting event in the North Bay, I spotted this new form of law enforcement locomotion - an electric scooter that appears to have the full "police interceptor" package. Bet that bad boy wasn't cheap. I have to say that I was more impressed by the other officer shown on a basic mountain bike - seems like a much less expensive way to equip the force.

Back From Vacation

2008-08-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of content lately - but I've been exceptionally busy either vacationing, or riding my bike! I confess - I'm not a fully functional tech junky with a handheld digital camera and iPhone for live updates on a whim!

A shout out to those customers and shop friends that joined us in Santa Cruz the first weekend in August - what a great day of riding, hitting the swimmin' hole and tossing back a few cold ones. Look for more outings in the future.

'09 Cannondales - Live From Park City, UT

2008-07-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from the Cannondale '09 Dealer Meeting in Park City UT. Talk about an amazing place to host a meeting! Riding there is off the hook - both mountain and road. You have to admire a town with a free chair lift downtown to get you up the mountain to ride down!

A few (poor quality, I know) photos to share: the updated 29'er line is amazing - shown here is the top end 29'er sporting an even lighter Carbon Lefty than last year's model, as well as Stan's no tubes rims, bringing the weight of this baby down in to the 23lb range - also nice is the "post WW2" graphics.

Also show is the top end Women's road bike, the Synapse Hi Mod Fem. 1. This bike demonstrates Cannondale's commitment to women's designs with tangible, quantifiable spec's for women.

This is a very small taste of the fabulous new stuff on deck for '09 from Cannondale. Stay tuned.

Yeti Demo Weekend @ Downieville

2008-05-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yeti has reserved 10 campsites at Packer Saddle, near the top of the Downieville Downhill, the weekend of June 20 - 22. A terrific opportunity (excuse?) to head up to the Sierra Buttes for some good time. Yeti will be bringing demo rigs: 575, ASR, etc. Big Swingin' customers have an open invitation to go. Interested in heading up? RSVP to Abbey: ahippley@yeticycles.com.

Northstar Opening Weekend On Deck

2008-05-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Some of the BSC crew are heading to Tahoe this weekend for Opening Day at Northstar. Looking forward to some fun gondola runs. Looks like the crew at Northstar have been real busy to get the park opened earlier than last year.
Visit Lake Tahoe Mountain Biking

White Hill Middle School MTB Club Wrap

2008-05-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

A few photos from the final, "official" club ride this past Monday. Big Swingin' Cycles partnered with White Hill Middle School, in Fairfax, CA, to start a mountain bike club at the school. 30 eager kids signed up. If you've never had the opportunity to ride with youngsters, you're missing out. Kids bring a youthful zest to the ride that we should all aspire to take with us every time we throw a leg over the saddle. When the club rides started in February, some of the members had never really ridden dirt or climbed a hill. Things were a little dicey. By mid season - every kid was looping Tamarancho in Fairfax, an intermediate to advanced ride. Interested in getting a club started at a school near you? Contact us and will share our thoughts and resources.

Check out the new town bike

2008-05-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting one of these bad boys for the past three years, and finally pulled the trigger. An Xtracycle 700c Free Radical mounted to an Electra Amsterdam Alloy Limited 9. Have been going car free a few days a week. Used it Monday of this week to haul kids to school and baseball practice, as well as hit Trader Joes and the grocery store to haul four bags of groceries home. It rides amazingly smooth and easy, even with a load. Learn more about Xtracycle at their website, or come by our shop to try one for yourself.

Big Swingin' Cycles on the Equator

2008-02-13T09:24:00.000-08:00

Big Swingin' customer and all around great guy, Kirby Simmons, sent us these photos from his recent mountain bike adventures on Cotopaxi, in Ecuador. We asked Kirby if he would be kind enough to get a photo of himself in a Big Swingin' shirt while there. Kirby has been checking out some of Ecuador's riding hot spots while stationed in the country for work - his Yeti 575 is a great all round bike for the varied (and unknown) terrain of Ecuador. Thanks for the line, Kirby.

Mud & Cowbells, The Motion Picture

2008-01-24T17:15:00.000-08:00

If you've not checked out eternal Big Swingin' friend, and now famous blogger, Greg Keller's Mud and Cowbells Cyclo-Cross blog, you really should take a look. His entries over the past few weeks bring to a close (for now) an epic chapter of riding, racing and camaraderie. It's sort of like a "Dogtown and Z-Boys" for American Cross.

Word on the street is that several major Hollywood studios are interested in a deal with Keller for a full length motion picture deal based on the M & C blog. Jake Gyllenhaal is being eyeballed as a cast option for Keller, and Leo Dicaprio on the "A" list for Dubba.

Of course, my hope is for a Michael Moore produced and directed documentary style film that delves deeper into the obvious conspiracies in play preventing cross from exploding into the mainstream in American sports culture. Cut to Moore and Keller bursting into NASCAR corp. HQ with cameras rolling!

Thanks Marvin!

2008-01-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

A late shout out to sports psychologist and coach, Marvin Zauderer for his excellent lecture at Big Swingin' Cycles this past Thursday evening. Nearly 30 folks joined us for Marvin's talk, centering on keeping the motivation burning in the colder, wetter months of winter. Marvin, and Whole Athlete, where he is based, offer an excellent resource for competitive cyclists looking for good coaching.

Another thanks to Janelle Kellman of Dolce Vita Cycling for putting this event together.

And......They're Off! - '08 MTB Racin' Underway

2008-01-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

A cold start to the '08 MTB XC season was kicked off at Granite Bay in Folsom this past weekend. TBF Racing, who put on the race, and subsequent MTB Challenge three race series in February and March, did their usual perfect job. If you haven't gone up and checked out this race, you're missing out. It's a fairly tame course with respect to climbing, but unusually fun, fast and visually stimulating.

A shout out to our rider Joe Ryan. Joe stopped to help his team mate, Ryan Taylor, when his front wheel was giving him troubles. They then worked together the rest of the race to make up time and crossed the finish line together.

Our kids are used to dominating these races, but this year there was a larger field and more talent (a welcome site!). Everyone finshed strong and with big smiles.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

Nothing renews your hope for humanity like the annual Thanksgiving Day ride on Pine Mountain Loop outside of Fairfax. Hundreds of mountain bikers gather, impromptu, for a non competitive spin around this scenic loop. This year I had the pleasure of doing the ride with my boys, for the first time. Mick, 11, on his bike and Sam, 8 on the back of our tandem. Thanks to all the riders who encouraged my boys as they made their way around the loop. What a great day! We had the pleasure of seeing a lot of friends out on the ride, as well as meeting some new folks. Bill Martin and Dr. Ray were there, as were all of the old school Marin MTB'ers. Had the chance to meet Dan Freeman, coach of the Drake High School Mountain Bike Team. Looking forward to hooking up some rides with those guys!

Time for another kid?

2007-10-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Another fine Pilarcitos CX event this past weekend saw the Ozwanty's ride to another strong result. Colleen took 6th in tough Elite Women's event - clearly she needs to have another baby; two kids doesn't seem to phase her. Oz squeaked in the top 20 - haven't had the opportunity to debrief them for all the gory details. Yours truly suffered a bit in the bike handlin' department and could only muster 23'rd (albeit in a big field). It's really amazing what a great metaphor bowling is for cross: it doesn't matter how hard you can throw the ball if all you're doin' is throwin' it in the gutter - that describes my relationship with the course tape and barriers this past week.

NCNCA Cup Round 2 - Top 10 x 2 for BSC

2007-10-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

Congrat's to Big Swingin' CX'ers Colleen Wanty and Steve Oz for their continued successes in the NCNCA Cup. Colleen (shown here on LOF winner Raechel Lloyd's wheel) had been on the fence after LOF about racing the cup as an Elite Woman or Master A. Settling on Elite, she rocketed to a respectable 3rd place finish on Sacto's tough course - which puts her into 2nd in the Cup standings in the Elite women's cat. Oz hit it hard as well and sits in the 9th position in 35+ A's.

Pilarcitos Numero Uno & ARC - X

2007-10-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

After a lot of him'n and a haw'n, I put in an order for a new Yeti ARC-X frame back in August. The fine folks at Yeti laughed when I called in the order, telling me that the CX bikes were a "limited run" and were all sold out - doh! I put one on back order and to my surprise, it showed up last week. Built it and tested it out at last Sunday's Pilarcitos race in Brisbane - light, stiff, fast, and comfortable (and damn cool to look at).

Speakin' of Pilarcitos - my boy Oz ripped it up again, finishing 9th in the Masters A race. That- on the heels of a 7th at Lion of Fairfax the week prior; were it not for a rolled tubular -see Keller, Greg- maybe a 3rd. His better half was conspicuously absent - my guess is that since she's occupyin' both 1st (masters A) and 4th (elite women) in the Nor Cal Cup, she sat this one out. Always the planner. The Ozwanty tribe is looking fierce in these early days of fall.

Wifflegate Update

2007-10-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Robbie snapped his achilles tendon in a wiffle ball game. That's right, two years of riding treacherous trails like %$#@ and &%$#*! in the dark every Thursday, rain or otherwise leaves him without so much as a scratch - but god forbid he set foot on the wiffle ball field. Crutches be damned, he's down to the boot. We're sending his Moots back to Steamboat for a detailin' (with "new car" fragrance). Let the countdown begin.

How to get a new, XTR Yeti AS-R sl - cheap

2007-10-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Put those dollar bills away, jackass! Word on the street is that JB's a married man. According to RC, there's suppose to be a great garage sale. Anyone looking for a sweet, Colorado made Yeti? Thanks for the invite to the bachelor party.

Another Lion of Fairfax has come and gone

2007-10-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

Excuse the delayed post - I'm only now fully recovering from last Saturday's Lion of Fairfax CX race at White Hill Middle School. Late last Friday and early Saturday I was muttering "never again", but now am juiced up for next year's event.

Over 330 racers came out for the event, which also served as the first round of the newly revived NCNCA CX Cup. A HUGE thanks to the Nor Cal cycling community for coming out to support this good cuase - we helped raise a bunch of money for the school - with virtually no overhead (other than the hundreds of hours myself and the other volunteers logged!). An even bigger thanks to all the participants for putting up with our bumbling and stumbling with getting results posted. We promise to streamline this and the registration for next year.

Racing action on the 1.5 mile loop was nothing short of spectacular! Josh Snead (HRS Rock Lobster) scored a repeat victory in the elite men's event as did Rachel Lloyd (Proman / Paradigm) in the women's elite event - they each bagged a cool $500 for their performances.

Our own Big Swingin' Kid's team killed it in the kids' events, locking up 5 of the 10 podium spots, including 1st (Riley Venne) in the 10-13 cat. and 2nd (Sam Bruckner) in the 6-9 cat.

Results are here and photos are here

White Hill Cyclo-Cross is On!

2007-08-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

Big Swingin' Cycles and Team Dolcevita are pleased to bring you another great year of Cyclo-Cross racing in Marin! Register Now! http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=5236

Summer Solstice Ride on Deck for 6/21

2007-05-24T12:22:00.001-07:00

Join us Thursday, 21 June 2007 for our annual Summer Solstice mountain bike ride in Marin. What better ride for the Solstice than the Solstice? We'll start at Java Hut in Fairfax, pedal up Loma Alta and descend the somewhat obscure Solstice trail. For those "dirt challenged" riders, there is a less taxing fire road descent. Post ride keg and BBQ immediately following the ride near the trail's end! Additional e-mails and information will follow closer to the date.

Big Swingin' Cycles Gear

2007-05-24T12:20:00.001-07:00

We've just received a limited amount of our highly sought after Big Swingin' Cycles short and long sleeve jerseys, as well as lightweight wind jackets. All of the items are made in the USA by Voler Team Apparel. Short sleeve jerseys are $69.95, long sleeve jerseys and wind jackets, $79.95. We have a very limited supply; if you would like something, stop by soon, call or e-mail us to hold your selection.

The Boys Are Back In Town

2007-05-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend's Fairfax Fat Tire Fest. concluded with a Cross Country event at Tamarancho. Our juniors team was out in force to represent. In a sizable field of 13 and unders, all of our boys rode the course with skill and tenacity - I was really stoked to see them ride with such skill. In a heated battle with a rider from Above Category, Big Swingin' Rider Riley Venne took 2nd place. Hats off to the Above Category rider for his professional and sportsman like conduct, as well as for the win.

Sick Time CX Bikes Coming Soon

2007-05-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

Our Time rep stopped by today with the sick new Time Cyclo-Cross bike. It's loaded with vibration absorbing Vectran fiber to soak up the junk.

Downieville Pilgrimage

2007-05-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Our annual MTB trip graced the mountains around Downieville this past weekend. We made HQ at the first house as you enter town and worked in some epic early season rides (shuttles don't start for a few more weeks). Earning your gravity was the order of the day.

Some rafter types provided additional entertainment at the St. Charles Place saloon.

A keg of Kolsch from Iron Springs in Fairfax insured against homesickness. I'm happy to report it was killed by Sunday.

Fairfax Fat Tire Festival, Saturday May 12th

2007-05-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

The Big Swingin' crew will be on location with demo bikes in hand for this weekend's Fairfax Fat Tire Festival. Weather reports are promising a spectacular day for riding bikes, drinkin' a beer and generally hanging out with fellow biker folk and checking out great gear, new and old. Make it a point to stop by and say hi.

Sunday's Friends of Tamarancho Race promises to be a good time. Rarely do us bay are folk have access to MTB racing this close, let alone in Marin and on singletrack. Our Big Swingin' XC team will be out in force, especilly in the junior's race.

Early Season XC Success

2007-03-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Our MTB team just wrapped up two great weeks of early season racin’. We hit the infamous Cool race Sunday, March 11th we’re the kids took 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th in the long course kids’ race and 1st and 2nd in the short course. Congrat’s to Ryan Taylor for his first win of the year in a heated battle with Wally.

A festival like atmosphere remains alive and well at Cool. A giant (and deep) mud bog at the bottom of a short descent near the start finish offered spectators the equivalent of a live taping of “Jackass”. An optional chest high, plank jump over the bog tempted riders with an opportunity for fleeting celebrity. A few cut-off clad, logging boot wearing locals attempted to clear the bog at top speed – not taking the jump – a kamikaze display of commitment to full speed OTB in the swamp. Equally entertaining were several 16” wheeled riders who did take the jump. The joys of youth!

This past Sunday we headed to Folsom Lake for the final TBF MTB challenge at Granite Bay – a fun course and well run event. Wally got a win in the Juniors and the rest of the kids came in with respectable showings, and big time improvements over the 1st race. I pulled off a respectable 5th in the masters’ sport men’s race (despite my pre-race evening of beer drinking, a steak dinner and little sleep!)

We stayed for the NorCal High School League event. If you’ve never watched these kids race – you need to. Impressive. They pour their heart into it. Varsity racers flat out fly around the course – posting times better than the pro/expert men from earlier in the day. It’s always a treat too be in the presence of greatness.

Shamless Solicitation of Our Riders

2007-02-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

After hearing of Team Big Swingin's recent sweep of the XC podium at Granite Bay, would be suitors are turning up everywhere. Specialized's Angel is seen here wooing the boys. They heald steadfast - not willing to give up their American made Cannondale hard tails.

It should also be noted that team Big Swingin' opted to ride up to Pantoll station in the dirt, not on the road like some other shaved legged professionals a few moments later.... begging the question, who is the real KOM?

Look for more Big Swingin' MTB success in March at the Cool MTB race on the 11th, and back at Granite Bay on the 18th.

Team Liquigas Rolls Into BSC

2007-02-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

On what was probably the finest weather day of the year, Team Liquigas / Cannondale rolled into Big Swingin' Saturday, Feb. 17th for a press conference. The SFPD provided the team and its entourage with an escort. Customer's had a chance to ask the team questions in a relaxed, informal setting.

As shown in the photo, most of the team is opting for Cannondale's new, ultra stiff System 6, however, Paris Roubaix rider, Manuel Quinziato is riding the full carbon, 950 gram frame Synapse SL - he likes the Synapse's more relaxed fit and vertical compliance.

When the TOC finally winded it's way to the finish in Long Beach, Team Liquigas, had an impressive showing, with Franco Pellizotti making it into the top 10 in GC, and Enrico Gasparotto assisting in a break on Saturday that put Team Discovery into panic mode.

Click on the photos for a high res. view.

Team Clausthaler? Ride Notes - 25 Jan. 2007

2007-01-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

Nice spin last night gents. Julian, Venne's, Ron, JB, and the return of a lighter, more vigorous Rob. No one-speed Dan however - kinda like a marching band with no tuba. Gotta give it up for you Rob - nice line on the rock. I bailed and was desperately trying to remount before you caught me - no luck - relegated to spectator while you schooled me.

Ah-ight, here it comes: Rob, Ron, JB - no apre' ride brew? Bill Martin's gonna start a ride over in the East Bay - you might want to check it out. It's sponosored by Clausthaler, and it’s all on the road.

Have You Seen This Man?

2007-01-26T09:22:00.000-08:00

Last seen in San Anselmo in late November, Steve Scales is shown here vandalizing a local residents home. Although masked, it's clear from the creatures hulking status that it is indeed Mr. Scales. If you have information as to his whereabouts, contact the Marin Municipal Water District's Poaching Hot Line. They'd like to speak with him.

Venne's Are Aliens! Suspicions Confirmed

2007-01-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

In this never before seen, after hours photo - we catch a rare glimpse of a Venne with it's alien atennae exposed. Normally, these antennae are recessed in the head, allowing them to run for great distances and ride rigid mountain bikes down extremely technical trails that normal humans must use full suspention bikes to navigate. I knew there was an explanation!

Official US Introduction of Liquigas / Cannondale Team at Big Swingin', Feb. 17

2007-01-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

Huge news. An "official" announcement on our site and in the press is forthcoming - but here's the inside track: the new Liquigas / Cannondale pro tour team will be officially introduced to the US audience at 3PM on Saturday, 17 February at our "Inside the Tour of California" event. A "top secret" grand entrance is planned that's sure to excite. A press conference is scheduled for 3:15 PM at the shop after the team's arrival. Liquigas will be the '07 home for such notable riders as Magnus Backstedt, Danilo DiLuca, and Filippo Pozzato. In addition to the TOC, the team will compete in this year's Tour de France, Giro, Vuelta and major pro tour events. Check our website for additional information in the coming weeks.

Big Swingin' to Race @ Granite Bay

2007-01-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

We'll roll out the rigs Feb. 4 at Granite Bay. Local masters Expert, Steve Oz and his lovely wife, Colleen Wanty will be flying our colors this year. Colleen has the National Champ's jersey for Expert Masters women. We're hoping to renew our committment to local XC events this year.

Last Night's Ride

2007-01-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

Great ride last night folks. First Venne free night in some time (that must be why it didn't hurt so bad!), although Martin managed to join us for post ride libations(like a congressman who doesn't miss a vote!). Newcomer "Dan" single - speeded it - don't know what gear he uses, but it seemed to work just as fast as the geared bikes - up and down - Damn that chaps my hide! What with all my fancy stuff and all. Witnessed the return of Julian, complete with a light better suited for bed time reading than night riding - I explained that your supposed to hold 1/2 watt LED lights in your mouth, apparently they work better that way - just ask Ralf. JB and Rob were there too. JB's nightvision continues to improve. Rob - nice lines brotha.

Technology update - my cell phone has a built in calculator - so Scale's move proves not to be as debilatating as first thought. I calculated the brewery bill within 50 cents in mere seconds - perhaps his new employer could cut headcount with my phone....I believe there's a 3rd world tax shelter plug in module available for $29.95 or free with a 2 year committment.

Until next week...

Brian

Welcome!

2006-12-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

Just created this blog to highlight shop happenings and events.