B+L Bike and Sports News

Important Announcement!!!

2011-01-02T16:04:00.000-08:00

Dear B+L Blogophiles,

In an effort to bring you more awesomeness, we have moved our blog into our homepage.

To visit the blog's new location (and to read our most recent entries) click HERE.

Don't forget to update your bookmarks!

Thanks for reading,
B+L

Upcoming Event: Free Tire-Changing Clinic

2010-12-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

Join us this Sunday, December 5th from 4-5PM for a FREE tire-changing clinic presented by Laura G. Drexler.

For more information or to RSVP, please click here.

See you on Sunday!

Ride safe,
B+L Bikes

We have them. You want them. Who will PREVAIL?

2010-12-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

B+L San Diego got a freshy, fresh shipment of S-Works Prevail helmets today and Leo and Mike quickly jumped at the chance to try on the latest and greatest piece of cycling headwear available:

Shortly thereafter, they engaged in a helmet challenge-athon*...which they both won given the awesomeness of the Prevail helmet:

*Do not try this at home with your Prevail helmet. Bike shop personnel only.

To learn more about the Prevail's features, stop by the shop and try one on and be sure to watch the video below:

Thanks for reading,
B+L Bikes

The SUNDAY RIDE is ON!

2010-12-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

It's time to get back on the horse and start getting ready for next year!

The sunday ride is back this week and it is going to be a good one.

Meet at the shop at 8:15 am and plan on a 3.5 to 4 hour ride. Lots of climbing. Bring two bottles and food.

Call the shop if you have any questions.

See you Sunday!

Holiday Gift Ideas for Cyclists

2010-11-30T00:56:00.001-08:00

Mike and Hubert discuss some of this year's latest and greatest gift ideas for the cyclist in your life. Graciously presented by the folks at Active.com

B+L's Black Friday Sale Starts TODAY

2010-11-26T10:13:00.000-08:00

It's time to take a break from the turkey and take this opportunity to stock up and save on all your favorite bikes and gear!*

All 2011 bikes are at least 5% off, with even greater savings on all remaining 2010 and 2009 bikes.

All clothing is 30% off.

All accessories are 30% off.

All Garmin, Polar and Niterider items are 10% off.

All non-drivetrain parts (i.e., saddles, stems, bars, tires, and pedals) are 30% off.

All drivetrain components (i.e., cranks, derailleurs, cassettes, and brakes) are 15% off.

See you this weekend,

B+L Bikes

*The only items that aren't featured are ZIPP products, and sale pricing is limited to stock on hand.

Danny MacAskill - "Way Back Home" - NEW street trials riding short film

2010-11-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

Some amazing riding...err, not amazing...more like...ridiculously amazing.

Specialized Camber Pro – First Ride Review - BikeRadar

2010-11-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

Specialized Camber Pro – First Ride Review - BikeRadar

Click the link above to check out what BikeRadar thinks of the 2011 Camber Pro!

Chris Horner WBR Event Recap

2010-11-19T15:10:00.000-08:00

Well the Chris Horner meet & greet and dinner event was a huge success and both exceeded everyone's expectations, but it couldn't have happened without the generosity of our generous event sponsors: John Wallace (JW Flooring/Resource Floors), UCCyclery, B+L Bike and Sport, Zipp, Mission Skincare, Cowboy Star Restaurant, Lefty's Chicago Pizzeria, Reynolds, SRAM, SockGuy, San Diego Sports Medicine, Sun Coast Velo (Patrick and Joey were instrumental in making this event happen), The Farmhouse Cafe, SDBC, Karl Strauss, Squadra, Nate Loyal (Loyal Coaching and Fitting), and Cane Creek. Last, but certainly not least, we should thank Katie Bolling, Rebecca Much and Jill Reid for their support of the event from the get-go.

The meet and greet was fun, causal and everyone had a great time chatting with Chris, grabbing goodies and enjoying themselves in support of World Bicycle Relief. The dinner at The Farmhouse Cafe was outstanding; the food was perfect, the company was outstanding and the setting was incredible.

I also don't want to forget to thank our incredible guest, Chris Horner, and to thank each and everyone of the attendees of both events for coming out as a community to support World Bicycle Relief and to make this a truly special event and for being part of the start of a growing and exciting grassroots movement in San Diego.

Both events combined, grossed just over $21,000 for World Bicycle Relief. Which surpassed my own, personal goal of raising $15,000 by the end of 2010. To say that we're happy would be a gross understatement.

In addition to the great time that everyone had, the 11/5 event also got a lot of coverage in the cycling media. Both Neil Shirley (former Kelly Benefits pro, now editor for Road Bike Action Magazine) and Mark Johnson (of Competitor Group/VeloNews) were gracious enough to attend the events and to cover them for their respective publications. Mark Johnson also took some spectacular photos of both events. To read Mark's piece for VeloNews click, here. To read Neil's piece for Road Bike Action magazine click, here.

Thanks again to everyone for their support of the event. We hope that you had a good time and that you'll join us next year for an even bigger event. To keep tabs on what's happening locally with World Bicycle Relief, check out the San Diego Cyclist for World Bicycle Relief's blog by clicking here.

To see Mark Johnson's photos please click, here .

To view photos from the meet and greet, check out our slideshow below:

Thank you again for supporting poverty relief through sustainable mobility!

Ride safe,

B+L Bikes

SBCU...Random Photos

2010-11-16T11:50:00.001-08:00

SBCU...Day Three

2010-11-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

Sadly, day three of SBCU had finally arrived. Nonetheless, it looked to be another great day in Morgan Hill. The rain had stayed away and that meant that we'd be riding mountain bikes today!

The day began with a series of lectures, led by our SBCU professor John, on Specialized's philosophy pertaining to mountain bike design,suspension technology (i.e., FSR = fully active, fully independent), and suspension set-up basics. Part of the suspension technology lecture was to compare and contrast Specialized's FSR suspension to other systems on the market: single pivot, complex single pivot, and VPP.

In addition we discussed S-Tune, a program offered by Specialized that provides custom valving for your forks and shock. It's a good resource for riders that have a very specific riding style or who may fall outside the bell curve average. We then talked about the Epic (the new 2011 S-Works Epic 29er is a work of art), the Era and the Stumpjumper HT line. After which we covered the Stumpjumper FSR, Safire, Camber and Myka FSR.

Then, a quick lunch and another visit to the bike cage:

After setting up our bikes' suspensions, we got loaded into the van and headed for Santa Teresa Park where we'd explore the Rocky Ridge Trail:

For today's ride, I was going to start the day on this:

Words truly don't do this bike justice; it's exceptional. The XX components are super crisp, and the bike just goes and goes (the carbon wheels don't hurt either!).

The first part of the ride was a switchback climb, followed by a rolling descent, then another fire road climb and a gnarly, rocky descent. My SBCU classmates and I traded off bike throughout the day; after the SWorks HT 29er I rode the Epic 29er and then, for the rocky descent, the SWorks Enduro.

It was great to try out the different bikes, back-to-back, and compare them directly to one another. Even still, I think I'm a hardtail 29er type of rider...for now. Althought it was fun to just roll over everything and anything on the Enduro.

Here are a couple shots from the top of the fire road climb (it topped out next to an electrical tower):

After topping out, we headed down Rocky Ridge and packed up the vans:

Once back in the building, I hopped in the shower and went back into the classroom for a discussion on the Enduro, Pitch, SX Trail, BigHit and Demo.

Rounding out the night was a really interesting presentation by Deacon James, director of recreational and cross country bikes at Specialized. Falling under his direction are the Rockhopper, Crosstrail, Ariel, P.Series (Deacon's an ex-BMXer), Hardrock, MYKA and the children's bike.

I truly enjoyed his talk because of how passionate he was about helping new riders discover the pleasure of cycling, in an affordable way, while giving them a quality product. The drive behind this boiled down to: figure out what people want, what they can afford, and giving them a product of the highest quality, that isn't compromised because of its price point.

A prime example of this is Ned Overend winning the 2010 Single Speed National Championships on a Rockhopper 29er (albeit a modified one, but the frame is just like the one you or I can buy). And that was a key principle throughout Deacon's presentation: the quality and value must be present throughout the entry level bike line, because for many people this is their first (or perhaps only) bike and they deserve a positive experience. And with that, my time at SBCU was over. I'd like to sincerely thank everyone at Specialized, SBCU and B+L for giving me the opportunity to attend. I had a blast.

Thanks for reading,

Hubert

SBCU...Day Two

2010-11-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

And now...day two at SBCU. On day two we covered Specialized's road bike line and took quite a bit of time to discuss the various construction techniques that Specialized uses for the Tarmac, Roubaix, Allez and Secteur.

Given that carbon fiber's prominence in the road market, much of the discussion focused on the design and manufacturing process used for carbon bikes. We discussed carbon fiber's properties and the distinction between stiffness and strength and how those properties are addressed. Additionally we covered weave type and fiber types (i.e., high modulus v. ultra high, etc.) and we then went into the actual production methods (i.e., FACT IS, Triple monocoque, etc.) and the tooling and molding methods required for both and how they differ.

The discussion then turned to alloy as we covered the Allez (which rides incredibly well, though I'd love to see a BB30 frameset option) and much the conversation touched on many of the same points, but with alloy materials being the focal point. We talked about the various alloys (i.e., A1, M4 and M5/E5) and how hydroforming is applied to manipulate tube shapes above and beyond what's done with traditional tube butting techniques.

And then, well, it was time to ride bikes. On day two we were going to do two loops; one road, one cyclocross-ish.

This meant I got to play in the bike box once again, but before you scroll any further, a word of caution...

The best candy store/toy box on the planet...

I grabbed the S-Works Tarmac SL3 (this bike gets two thumbs up and I've been racing on a CAAD9 all season so I'm not just saying that) The SL3 is incredibly light (duh), super responsive and fasssst. It's surprising how light the bike feels underneath you without feeling noodley or flexy:

This is Chris, one of our SBCU Professors, who showed us the scenic route:

This was the end of the cyclocross section; some of us chose to ride Cruxs and Tricrosses while others stuck to our Roubaixs and Tarmacs.

Some of my SBCU classmates; gotta say, everyone was really friendly and the group got on extremely well...

That's Adam, another one of our SBCU professors, in the background changing his tire. He's... Australian and a great SBCU professor.

After the ride, it was back to the building where we finished our day by attending Chris' three and a half hour talk on Triathlon...memorable highlights from that talk were... at a speed of 20mph, the Shiv is SEVEN minutes faster than a Cervelo P4 over an IM distance bike split. That's like being on another planet.

Additionally, the design philosophy behind the Shiv and the Transition are slightly different; the transition is meant to be a sliver (i.e., very, very narrow) to reduce the effect of drag due to frontal area. The Shiv, while still very narrow, is designed for crosswind and efficiency in varying wind conditions. It's also slightly more aggressive (position-wise) and has an emphasis on power transfer.

After the triathlon-athon we covered the Globe line and the Rouleux. The Globe Haul, Live, Roll and, new for 2011, Daily are seriously sweet city bikes; I'm getting a Daily 1 myself and will add a rear rack and some bags, which will make it a great grocery getter and coffee bike.

And that was day two at SBCU. So far, so awesome.

Look for the final updates in a little while.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Hubert

SBCU...Day One

2010-11-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

Hello again from Morgan Hill. I'm back at the Courtyard Inn and am happy to report that my first day at SBCU/Specialized HQ went without incident.

My day did got off to a 6:00 am start as we were to be shuttled over to Specialized at 7:30. So, I got up, had breakfast and got ready to head over to HQ.

When we stepped outside the hotel a caravan of factory vans greeted us; I was, for a moment, a full-on pro tour rider...wannabe. Nonetheless, getting picked up in a factory car was a lot cooler than riding over in the back of a plain Jane shuttle buses.

And it carried with it some shiny new toys...I'll get to ride this on Thursday. I know, I know. Poor me.

After a brief car ride, we arrived at the big S. The really big S. Specialized HQ:

After a few brief moments checking in, we were greeted by our SBCU instructors and led over to the classroom. The whole building is really nicely done; everything is organized, clean and has a very professional feel to it without being overly serious. The meeting rooms, for example, are themed after Specialized's past and current champions. There's the Sam Hill room with wood table, carving tools and astroturf. Right next door is the Mario Cipollini room with, of course, white marble floors, huge pictures of Cipo, and a bottle of Cipo's own wine. The hallways are also bedazzled with the staff's S-Works SL3's and Roubaixs. It is, bicycle heaven.

Following a brief introduction to the day's agenda, we were taken on a tour of the facility and saw lots of amazing stuff, none of which I can tell you about. We also got a brief glimpse of the museum (which I'll get some shots of tomorrow) and met the inside sales reps.

After that, we were immersed in lectures, presentations, and product and equipment training. A particularly interesting demonstration was the one done by Dr. Roger Minkow, M.D. on Specialized's BG Fit saddles. Dr. Minkow used a transcutaneous pressure sensor to demonstrate the differences in blood flow experienced by male riders using BG Fit saddles and other brands of saddles. In our demo, the rider lost blood flow to his happy man parts on a non-BG Fit saddle in less than a minute...yikes!

Which reminds me, a quick pit stop to the men's room is in order. Lo an behold, even at the urinal, I am transported roadside to the Giro de Italia (I think). Like I said, bicycle heaven.

After the saddle demo we hit the road for the Lunch Ride. We were let loose in the bike cage where we could literally have our pick of whatever our heart desired. S-Works SL3? Sure. Di2 Roubaix? You got it! Fantastic. Overwhelming doesn't quite do the feeling justice. We also had our pick of shoes, pedals, and if we forgot a piece of clothing, we could borrow it. The ride was blessed with perfect weather and the loop took us onto rolling terrain with a couple short hills and a big ring kicker at the end. Then it was back to the building, a quick hop into the shower, and just enough time to grab lunch.

The Specialized cafeteria is a wide open room, with coffee, snacks, creamer in the fridge, and water all free for the taking. The center of the room is adorned with giant S table and smaller tables off to the side and in back.

Directly across the way is an employee break room with couches and yet another rack full of bikes to check out.

After lunch, it was back to the lectures and then a quick dinner and car ride back to the hotel. All in all, I'm really enjoying my time here. Tomorrow's agenda looks promising as we plan to: talk about bikes, ride bikes and eat. Last but not least, I need to mention that all of the SBCU professors and everyone I've come across here has been friendly, passionate, knowledgeable and very approachable. It's made for a great first day and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

I hope to bring you a few shots of the museum, a couple quick snaps from our road and cyclocross rides and whatever other tidbits I come across.

Thanks for reading,

Hubert

SBCU...Day 0.

2010-11-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

Hello from Morgan Hill. I had a bit of a delay with my northbound flight out of San Diego, but I'm happy and excited for tomorrow's first day at SBCU (Specialized Bicycle Components University). It's a unique program in the bicycle industry and I'm looking forward to the experience; especially since I'll get to learn about (and play with) a lot of the 2011 Specialized bikes and equipment.

On the agenda for tomorrow is an overview of Specialized's history, a tour of the building and a series of clinics on Specialized equipment and components. We've also been told to bring road riding equipment which means we get to ride...it's a tough job I know, but someone's got to do it.

I hope to share my SBCU trip with you all (as best as I can), so I'll try to snap photos of Spec HQ and other points of interest. I'll also do my best to recount the roads and trails that we'll be riding on.

Okay, time for bed. 6am is just around the corner.

Til tomorrow,
Hubert

B+L Athelte Ben Jones Reviews the Specialized Crux

2010-11-04T15:19:00.001-07:00

Check out Ben's awesome post about the 2011 Specialized Crux.

Thanks for the great write up Ben.

Ride safe,
B+L Bikes

November Specials and Events at B+L Bike and Sports

2010-11-03T12:09:00.001-07:00

Come by either store from November 1st - November 15th and enjoy the following deals:

Cateye and Specialized Computers are 30% off MSRP
Polar and Garmin are 10% off MSRP
Niterider lights are 15% off MSRP
Planet Bike Lights are 30% off MSRP
2010 S-Works Road Shoes (men's and women's) and S-Works Helmets are both 20% off
If you buy a Transition, a pair of S-Works roads shoes and an S-Works helmet you'll receive an extra $50.00 off your package deal

We now have a FULL line of Smith Optics at the Sports Arena store so if you're in the market for a new pair of sunglasses, swing by and check them out.

Also, don't forget about our meet & greet event with Chris Horner on Friday November 5th from 5-6:30PM.

Campagnolo goes to Electric Eleven...

2010-11-01T12:36:00.001-07:00

Campagnolo and Pinarello partnered to debut Campagnolo's new electric system. Click here to read the CyclingNews article.

Demo Mountain Bike Blowout

2010-10-30T11:07:00.001-07:00

The Sports Arena store is putting up a handful of our rental mountain bikes up for sale.

We've got two (one medium, one large) 2009 FSR XCs and two (one medium, one large) 2009 Enduro Expert
SLs.

We're selling the FSR XCs for $800.oo each and the Enduro Expert SLs are $1000.oo each.

If you have any questions, give us a call or stop by the shop.

Reminder: Crank Spin Classes Starting Soon!

2010-10-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Spin classes are an excellent way to get an intense, structured workout even if you have a very limited training schedule. For more information or questions, contact B+L Solana Beach at 858.481.4148.

Sunday Ride Redux

2010-10-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

From yesterday's ride:

Distance: 44.99 mi

Elevation Gain: 3,658 ft

Calories: 1,777 C

Moving Time: 03:06:17

Avg Speed: 10.6 mph

Avg Moving Speed: 14.5 mph

Max Speed: 41.2 mph

In other news, I am now the happy owner of a Garmin Edge 500 computer and I love it. It's bringing out the inner geek in me 100% and it'll eventually be mated to a Quarq crank based powermeter. But for now, I like the ability to time intervals, keep tabs on HR and % gradient all on one screen.

Sunday Ride is ON. Rain or Shine.

2010-10-23T16:37:00.001-07:00

Join us for our Sunday hill repeat ride. We'll be at the shop at 8AM and will roll toward Mt. Soledad from here. See you tomorrow.

Chris Horner tweets the 11/5 event...don't miss it!

2010-10-22T17:15:00.001-07:00

Check it out:

http://twitter.com/hornerakg#

Thank you Chris!!!

See you all on the 5th!!!

B+L Solana Beach Hosts Crank Cycling Spin Classes

2010-10-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Beginning Tuesday November 2nd, Crank Cycling is partnering with B&L Bikes in Solana beach to offer two 6 week training sessions this winter.

The classes are designed to help you properly prepare for your spring campaign, without leaving you burned out before the season even starts. This series is a great way for triathletes, road racers, and even century riders to ensure that 2011 is their best season ever.

The first class of each 6 week series starts out with a test to determine your fitness level, and each subsequent class is based on your own personal fitness and goals. No one size fits all classes here. Not only are the classes personalized, they are progressive as well. The classes will start at one hour, and the length and intensity of the classes will progress as the series go on. It is time to start thinking about 2011, and this is the best way to get started.

Class will meet at 6 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. More information and Registration can be found at the Crank Cycling

See you there!!!

Ride safe,

B+L Bikes

November 5th Meet and Greet is FREE

2010-10-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

A quick update to the November 5th meet and greet, we've decided to make the event FREE for all to attend.

We ask that you still register (so visit the registration page) but there is no donation required to attend.

Also, you'll be eligible to win amazing!!! raffle prizes, such as:

S Works road shoes
Special Edition Cane Creek World Bicycle Relief head set
A signed copy of Johan Bruyneel's Book We Might as Well Win
WBR bike bells
Desk top photo frame with limited edition photo from Zambia
A copy of Wendy Smith's book Give a Little
WBR 71,461 bags
Cowboy Star Restaurant T-shirt
Cowboy Star Restaurant baseball cap
Cowboy Star Restaurant $25 gift certificate
$25 gift certificates to Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria
Speedplay SS pedals
Fizik saddles
Specialized Floor pumps
Water bottles
SockGuy socks
and more...

See you on the 5th!

Coming up: November 5th Meet and Greet with Chris Horner!!!

2010-10-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to sign up for our November 5th Meet and Greet with Chris Horner.

We'll be giving away door prizes and you'll have the chance to enjoy the company of an exceptional, professional cyclist.

To sign up, please CLICK HERE

So what door prizes do we have on offer? We'll have:

S Works road shoes
Special Edition Cane Creek World Bicycle Relief head set
A signed copy of Johan Bruyneel's Book We Might as Well Win
WBR bike bells
Desk top photo frame with limited edition photo from Zambia
A copy of Wendy Smith's book Give a Little
WBR 71,461 bags
Cowboy Star Restaurant T-shirt
Cowboy Star Restaurant baseball cap
Cowboy Star Restaurant $25 gift certificate
$25 gift certificates to Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria
Speedplay SS pedals
Fizik saddles
Specialized Floor pumps
Water bottles
SockGuy socks
and more...

Remember to sign up soon!

See you on the 5th.

Ride safe,

B+L Bikes

What length crank arms does Lance ride?

2010-10-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

You'll just have to show up to the November 5th event to find out because this sweet assortment of memorabilia just arrived:

These are the actual components that Lance rode in this year's TdF and they'll be up for auction at the silent auction that we'll be holding during the November 5th dinner event.

Don't forget to sign up for the meet and greet and/or dinner at: http://sdc4wbr.kintera.org/

See you all on the 5th!

Thanks for reading.

Ride safe,

B+L Bikes

Cross is here. Are you ready?

2010-10-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Come down and see our full selection of Cruxes and get muddy this winter!

Sunday MTB ride: Hubert goes headfirst...over the bars.

2010-10-10T17:18:00.001-07:00

Leo picked me up at 7:15 this morning and we made our way out to Sycamore Canyon to do my third (ever) mountain bike ride. I've ridden Sycamore Canyon on a previous occasion but this time we rode through Martha's Grove and descended down some ridiculous rock garden, staircase of doom.

In lieu of the full-suspension Epic 29er that I rode last time, I rode a Stumpjumper Comp 29er hardtail. I wanted to get a personal, real-world take on the full suspension versus hardtail debate on a trail that I had ridden on previously.

The ride was going swingingly, until we got to the winding-rock-garden-staircase-of-doom descent and I made the unfortunate error of trying to ride down it on my front wheel which meant that I ended up on my head. The saving grace to my improptu ballet routine was that it was going all of 1 mph and so I mostly caught my fall.

After going through a rather long and lonely walk through what is truly beautiful countryside, I rejoined to group to find them all lounging around and waiting...

Leo and Nate were nearly catatonic by the time I rejoined the group:

Chris did manage to get his OG pose on for the camera:

Carlo, as always, was ready for his close-up:

The rest of the ride went off, mostly, without a hitch although Carlo had a minor spat with gravity and gravity won...however, he was thankfully unhurt.

We all made it back to the parking lot and proceeded to do what any rational person would do... indulge in an 11,000 calorie burrito lunch:

So what's my (naive) take on the full-suspension vs. hardtail debate? I need more seat time and I can't wait to go back!

The Sunday road ride resumes next week. 8AM from the shop. See you all then.

Thanks as always for reading.

Ride safe,

B+L Bikes

Fresh Full Suspension Awesomeness

2010-10-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

The 2011 inventory is starting to trickle in and the latest visitors to take up residence at the Sports Arena store are a 2011 Stumpjumper FSR Elite and an Epic Evo.

The Stumpy:

It features a Fox fork, XTR rear derailleur, Roval wheels (built with DT Swiss hoops and hub internals), SRAM carbon crank and a new for 2011 2x10 drivetrain. It's an exceptional build kit and an exceptional value.

The Epic Evo:

The Epic Evo features the same XC World Championship geometry that the Epic line is known and loved for, but for 2011 it takes on a more stealth look (minor bling points with the gold accents, of course) by featuring a matte finish, carbon SRAM 2x10 cranks and drivetrain and the renown RockShox Reba/Fox and Brain valve combo.

Both bikes are built up and rearing to go, so come down an take one - or both - out for a spin.

Thanks for reading.

Ride safe,

B+L Bikes

Excuse the interruption...

2010-10-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

... the Sunday road ride for this week is being changed to a mountain bike ride.

We're planning on going out to Sycamore Canyon (aka Martha's Grove).

If you're interested in joining us, meet us at the trailhead (Mast Blvd. & Medina) at 7:45AM on Sunday.

For those of you who can't make it for the mountain bike ride, don't worry, the road ride will resume on Sunday October 14th.

See you on Sunday.

November 5th Dinner Filling Up Fast, Register HERE

2010-10-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

The registration link for the November 5th World Bicycle Relief Charity Event is now open and filling fast.

To register, for the meet & greet or the dinner, please click HERE.

For more information, please visit the SDC4WBR blog.

See you all on the 5th.

Thank you,

B+L and SDC4WBR

Register for the November 5th Event HERE!!!

2010-10-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

The registration link for the November 5th World Bicycle Relief Charity Event is now open and filling fast.

To register, for the meet & greet or the dinner, please click HERE.

For more information, please visit the SDC4WBR blog.

See you all on the 5th

Thank you,

B+L and SDC4WBR

B&L Sports Arena Presents: WBR Meet & Greet Fri Nov 5th 5-6:30PM

2010-10-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Join B&L Sports Arena In Supporting World Bicycle Relief

2010-10-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

B&L Sports Arena is proud to announce that we will be hosting a very special meet and greet event on Friday November 5th, 2010 from 5PM to 6:30PM.

In attendance will be a very special guest...Chris Horner.

There will be door prizes, refreshments and the company of an exceptional athlete in a very casual setting.

To attend the event, a $25 minimum donation is required (tax deductible) but the company, swag and fund will be well worth it. And, you're directly contributing to poverty relief by contributing to sustainable mobility.

For more info, or if you have questions, please visit: www.sdc4wbr.blogspot.com or email hubert@blbikes.com.

Roadie Rides A Squishy Bike...LOVES IT!

2010-09-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

As a kid I loved riding my BMX bike and at one point, me and some of the kids in the neighborhood built a modest BMX park. There were a couple jumps, burms and one drop-in; nothing serious. The most lasting impression of that early foray into "cycling" was the fun we had. Fun building the park. Fun riding in the dirt. Fun talking about bikes. Fun being kids. The simple, uncomplicated sensation of just riding my bike...on dirt, jumping stuff, bunny hopping, was unbridled in its simplicity. And now, it's how I remember the feeling of being a kid.

Anyway, a few years ago, the road bike bug bit me really hard and this year I had a solid race season that started in January and ended in late August. Road riding and racing for me has been a great experience and I'm happy to have the ability to ride my bike and race my bike. But at times, the excitement of just going for a ride gets lost in intervals, heart rate, hill repeats, and sticking to a training plan six days a week.

Over the last few weeks, this feeling was heavier than its been and I knew that I needed to mix up my riding and training to maintain my focus...in come the mountain bikes. Last month, my friend let me borrow his Yeti ARC and a little while later, the Sports Arena store got a demo 2011 Stumpjumper HT 29er that I rode for a while. Both bikes immediately rekindled that feeling I had as a kid riding my bike... it was fun.

This morning, Leo showed me Sycamore Canyon and I rode our EPIC 29er full-suspension rental bike and it was the first real ride that I've done on a mountain bike and I'm still having a hard time putting how much fun I had into words. I was out there, jumping over "stuff", rolling over rocks and tree roots and just riding for the sake of riding a bike for fun.

I won't be giving up my road bike any time soon (or letting my leg hair grow back) but ever since we got back from the ride today, the only thing I can think about is which 29er mountain bike to buy. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Epic Expert EVO R 29er or the Epic Expert Carbon 29er (any input from the readers is more than welcomed). Either way, I can't wait to go back and play in the dirt.

Some times, change can be good. Or, in this case, great.

Thanks for reading!

Ride safe,
Hubert (B+L Bikes Sports Arena)

Mark's New Roubaix SL2

2010-09-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

We built up Mark's new Roubaix today at the Sports Arena shop and wanted to share it with our readers.

The build is:

54cm SL2 Roubaix Frame
Ultegra cranks
Dura Ace Front Der
Ultegra Rear Der
Ultegra Brakes
Mavic K10 wheelset and tires
S-Works carbon bar and stem
Time RXS Carbon Pedals

Congrats on the new bike Mark!

Ride safe,
B+L Bikes

Giant Gecko Invades the Sports Arena Store...

2010-09-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

...not really. But we did get a fresh shipment of Arundel's awesome Gecko bar tape.

The shop crew has been riding this tape for a while and we all love it. The density of the tape feels very similar to cork tape, but the Gecko tape adds a layer of textured polyurethane that gives the tape a great tactile feel and helps prevent your hands from slipping.

The feel of this tape makes this tape an excellent choice for riders who prefer to ride without gloves and, when we do get rained on, it'll feel much less slippery than Fizik microtex tape (which has been my go-to tape for years).

The only real downside to the Gecko tape is that the white tape does get dirty more quickly than other brands of white tape I've tried, but the feel of the tape more than outweighs this minor issue - which a soapy rag will solve anyway.

So, come on in and give the Gecko tape a feel and try a roll for yourself.

Thanks again for reading.

Ride Safe,
BL Bikes

Sunday Ride...

2010-09-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

The inaugural Sunday ride was yesterday and we had a small group show up (Jamie, Nate, Steve, Leo and myself). The ride went well for all and I'm hoping to get a GPS for the next ride to log our vertical feet and distance. See you all on Sunday.

Thanks for reading.

Ride safe,
Hubert

Knight Rider is at Sports Arena...

2010-09-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

...not THAT Knight Rider, though.

The inevitable shortening of daylight is coming and with that we'd like to introduce the new Nightrider lights, the Lightening Bug 3.0 and the Stinger Tail light.

The headlight features three LED bulbs and three modes; a high beam, low beam, and flashing. The tail light has one 0.5 watt LED and has two modes (an alternating flashing mode and a constant mode).

Install is supppppppppeeeerrrr easy and the battery is also easily accessed through a flap that opens up. Neither require any tools.

The combo headlight + tail light (pictured) is $39.99 and the lights sell for $19.99 individually.

Personally, I've tried various small lights and the new NightRider lights strike a perfect balance between ease of use, size and illumination. Don't get caught in the dark without 'em.

Thanks for reading.

Ride Safe,
B&L Bikes

Sunday Ride?

2010-09-07T00:48:00.000-07:00

Looking for a Sunday ride? Well, you're in luck, because we're looking to start a Sunday shop ride here at the Sports Arena store.

Currently, the ride would focus on climbing and the (tentative) plan is to leave from the shop at 8am and head towards Mt. Soledad. We'd ascend either Soladad Mt. Road, Cardeno or La Jolla Mesa. Then we'd drop down into La Jolla and go up Hillside (maybe Country Club if we're frisky) and then drop down Via Capri toward Torrey Pines Scenic (we'd alternate between Scenic and going up past Scripps, depending on how strong our Jens Voigt juju is (i.e., being able to say "Shut Up Legs!"). We'd then head northwest toward Torrey Pines where we'd do two ascents up the inside before heading home along the outside. Total ride time would be ~ 3 hours (longer if we decide to stop for coffee in Birdrock) and the pace will be tempo. We will regroup at the tops of the climbs but the goal will be to keep this ride moving along as best as we can.

If there's enough interest, we'd love to host this ride as it'll give those who have to work on Sunday the opportunity to get in a decent ride before work without having to rush to the shop or cut the workout short.

The only question is...who's in?

Email hubert@blbikes.com to express your interest or to share your route ideas.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Ride safe,

B+L Bikes

It's Labor Day. We're Open!!!

2010-09-06T10:50:00.001-07:00

Hello from B&L Sports Arena. Just a quick post to let you all know that we're open today (Labor Day) 'til 5pm.

So...if you're out and about, stop by and say "Hello."

Otherwise, have a great holiday.

Ride safe,

B&L Bikes

Jim Vance Swim Clinic Redux...

2010-09-06T10:32:00.001-07:00

The Jim Vance Swim Clinic hosted by the Sports Arena store on August 30th was a great success. We had a great turnout (75+) with pizza, refreshments, a great presentation and O&A session by Coach Vance rounding out the night.

We decided to put icing on the cake by raffling off some choice schwag, giving our guests the chance to go home with some awesome Specialized, Zoot, and Hammer Nutrition goodies. Up for offer were floor pumps, socks, swim caps, travel bags, HEED energy drink, and a pair of S-Works Shoes!!! We hope the lucky winners are enjoying their prizes.

Thanks again to everyone who attended and everyone who helped organize, plan, and publicize the event. We really enjoyed hosting everyone and look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Pictures from the event follow below...

Ride safe,

B+L Bikes

2011 S-Works Shoes Are Here!!!

2010-08-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

We've got a full size run of the new 2011 S-Works shoes (including the Ion/Black limited edition color) at the Sports Arena store.

Here's the Ion/Black color and the White/Black shoe:

The Ion/Black is lively in person and will definitely get you noticed:

For a more demure look, the White/Black shoe is pure understated classic Euro (mullet & tan not included):

More importantly than the aesthetics, these shoes feature a FACT 12.0 sole (making for an incredibly stiff and light shoe) along with a revised BOA system that allows for easier on the bike adjustment and allows you to adjust the pressure over the top and lower part of the foot independently.

Having always been mindful of each rider's individual biomechanical needs, the shoes offer an insole that provides a moderate level of arch support while the shoe itself has a built in varus adjustment to help knee alignment, while also giving the rider's foot a roomier toe box.

The heel is vented and the tongue has been redesigned with soft leather at the top to make it a bit comfier against the foot and to also keep if from getting askew while riding.

Come in soon to try a pair, especially if you've got your eye on the Ion/Black shoe (they're goin' fast).

Thanks for reading.

Ride safe,

B+L Bikes

New Zipp 101s...in stock!

2010-08-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

We have a set of shiny new Zipp 101s at the Sports Arena store.

So, we decided to get a real world weight of the 101 and the traditionally uber light 202 tubulars.

We weighed both wheels with their respective skewers.

First up, the 101:

and the number everyone wants to see:

Next up, the 202s:

and their weight:

380 grams separates the 101s from the 202s.

Stay tuned for a ride report and stop by the shop to get a set of 101s for your bike.

Thanks for reading and stay safe,
B+L Bikes

Swim Clinic with Jim Vance

2010-08-14T14:05:00.001-07:00

Swim Clinic with Jim Vance Learning and Understanding the 3 Most Important
Technical Aspects of Swimming

Who: Anyone who wants to get faster in the water

When: Monday August 30, 630pm

Where: B+L San Diego 3603 Camino Del Rio West, San Diego, 92110

Why: Because you want to be a faster swimmer!
(and we will be serving food and drink J)

RSVP: email ovance@trainingbible.com by Aug 27

2011 Orbea Orca unveiled (via bikerumor.com)

2010-06-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

Orbea is unveiling their all-new, totally redesigned Orca road bike this afternoon, but we’ve got your first look at the slick new Pro Tour level racer right here on Bikerumor!

When Orbea launched the Orca in 2004, it became their flagship road bike. This is third generation Orca, and it takes the bike and sculpts it, shaves it and adds some trick aero features to create a svelte racing machine.

Unveiled today at the Quebrantahuesos, one of the largest Gran Fondo rides in the world, the new Orca will debut to the riders it’s designed for: Endurance, performance enthusiasts. That said, it’s also a Pro Tour capable racer, which will be proven as Euskatel-Euskadi rolls up to the start line at the Tour de France in July on the bike…and they’ll be getting them just before le Tour.

So, what’s new? Lots. So much that they considered naming the bike something else. Common branding sense prevailed, and here for the first time is the all-new 2011 Orca…

The 2011 Orbea Orca frame in a nutshell is a hi-modulus, monocoque carbon fiber road frame with oversized, tapered headtube, mild aero shaping, BB30 bottom bracket and Direct Cable Routing. Here’s the details:

Starting at the front, the headtube is tapered with J-Lo profile: Normal top (1-1/8″), a carved out middle section and a fat bottom (1.5″). The sculpted headbadge that used to capture the cable housing is gone. In its place are two aluminum cable stops that flow with the frame’s lines.

The cables are Gore’s RideOn sealed system, which uses clear end-to-end tubes within the housing to completely seal the cable from lever to derailleur (which we reviewed here). The clear housing becomes visible just after the aluminum stops, and as it moves along the downtube toward the bottom bracket, it melds into the frame. More pics of this as we get them.

The 2011 Orca uses Orbea’s SSN (Size Specific Nerve) design, which tailors the construction and design of each size to the intended rider. The frame better matches the average power and weight of each size rider. New for 2011, they’ve rejiggered their size offerings and added a size. The 54cm is gone, replaced by 53cm and 55cm options. There are a total of six sizes (48 / 51 / 53 / 55 / 57 / 60) for men and four (47 *new* / 49 / 51 *new* / 53) for women.

Ladies, if that seems like a small range, fret not: Orbea’s got an all-new Orca-equivalent, high performance road bike specifically for women coming out later this year. That’s all they’d tell us about it.

Ronnie Points, Orbea USA’s sales manager, says the goal with the new Orca wasn’t to create the lightest bike or to create a total aero bike. Rather, the goal was to make a fast bike, and the way to do that was combine real-world aerodynamics with a light but sturdy frame.

Using the San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel, Orbea managed to improve aerodynamics by 14% from the previous model. One way they did that was to bring the fork and seat stays in as close to the rims as they could, hence the curved/bent shapes on both. They claim this design also enhances stability.

Another way they cut drag was by borrowing the droplet shape from their Ordu triathlon bike and apply it to the seatpost and seat tube on the Orca.

As far as aerodynamics go, here are the numbers for you engineers:

Rear Triangle: 14 gr
Clamp: 17 gr
Headset and Fork: 15
Seatpost + Seat Tube: 10 gr
Diagonal tube : 8 gr

Total: 64 grams of drag reduction. Equivalent to a 14% reduction of the surface of the bicycle.

The new frame design borrows the shape of their new Alma 29er hardtail. The top tube breaks early, slanting down to the seatstays in front of the seat tube, and the seatstays line up above the rear axle. This provides a laterally stiffer bike while improving vertical compliance. In other words, power goes where it should and road bumps are minimized before they hit your derriere. Orbea claims it also improves traction.

Final production weights aren’t in, but early reports are that it’ll be a bit lighter than the current model. Points says that while lightweight bikes are great, being the lightest isn’t a priority at Orbea.

“Everytime we’ve tested an ultralight bike with our athletes, they come back saying it just doesn’t feel right, particularly when descending,” says Points. “And while other manufacturers are pushing it, it’s better to build a solid bike and get down to the UCI minimum with smart parts selection. That said, the frame is still under 1,000 grams.”

That solidity results in a lifetime warranty on their frames.

Article via www.bikerumor.com

SRAM Apex group: Death of the Triple?

2010-05-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

SRAM's new Apex group is going after the triple crowd. It's secret weapon is the 11-32 cassette and long cage derailleur. The best thing is that it is compatible with all the other SRAM groupos in the lineup.

"SRAM Apex is the latest road componentry groupset from SRAM that borrows technologies from SRAM’s Tour de France conquering RED gruppo, including DoubleTap (one lever two shifts), Reach Adjust (for custom lever fi t), Exact Actuation (for consistent and precise shifts), and Zero-Loss shifting (for immediate shift engagement).

The double compact chainrings (50/34) are only the beginning, the innovation that went into making Apex the perfect gruppo for every challenge includes the new long cage rear derailleur (RD) matched perfectly to SRAM’s new PG 1050 11-32 tooth cassette, we call it WiFLi technology…

WiFLi is all you need to know:
Wider - a wider range of gears for every climb and any descent
Faster - two chainrings shift much faster and easier than three
Lighter - as much as 284 grams (11%) less than the most popular road triple (Shimano® 105)"

We have been noticing more and more 2011 bikes being spec'd with Apex. Coming to a B&L near you soon!

BG Bike Fit

2010-05-18T23:40:00.000-07:00



Developed after years of working with Dr. Andy Pruitt Ed.D., PA of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and found only at your local Specialized dealer, BG FIT (Body Geometry Fit Integration Technology) is a comprehensive fit philosophy created to help cyclists ride faster, longer and in greater comfort, while reducing the chance for injury. Come on in to B&L Solana Beach we would love to help you realize your ultimate goal, maximum comfort and end result.

Mother's Day

2010-04-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

2010 Specialized Vita - Starting at $520

She’s been there since the day you were born. She’s picked you up when you fell, interfered when she isn’t supposed to (for your own good, though!) and pretty much given you the best years of her life.

Don’t you think it's about time you give her something she really deserves this Mother's Day?

Say thanks this year with the gift of cycling.

The Specialized Vita and Vita Sport are affordable bikes that will give the mother in your life a chance to get out and enjoy herself, offering light weight, comfort and performance features that are usually found on bikes costing twice as much.

2010 Specialized Sirrus - Starting at $520

The Specialized Vita series are performance-oriented bikes designed for women. They feature frames built to fit womens' proportions and feature BG Women's saddles, grips and handlebars to ensure an easy to ride bike with an eye for performance.

When you purchase a Vita or Vita Sport until April 30^th at B&L Bikes, you will also receive a Free Specialized Align helmet. This way, you’ll feel confident that, even if Mom hasn’t ridden in a while, she’ll be safe aboard her new fitness bike and riding in style.

For you Dads out there, this offers a unique opportunity for you, too! Not only do you get the special lady in your life a shiny new bike to say thank you, but you’ll have ahelmet that your little one can give her at no extra charge. Because the Specialized Spring Promotion also covers the men’s Sirrus and Sirrus Sport models, you can also get a gift for yourself, creating infinite family outing opportunities – just what Mom is looking for!

Available in Black, Silver or White

The Align complies with the following safety standards: CPSC, SNELL B90A, CE and AS/NZS and features reflective webbing for extra added safety. Nothing but the best for Mom!

If certified protection isn't reason enough, the Align's casual, evergreen design features the new HeadSet SX dial for easy adjustment and a perfect fit, no matter what. The elegant shape and extended coverage design adds extra safety to the 4th Dimension Cooling System, optimizing ventilation and letting cooler heads prevail.

Congrat's go out to Trevor Glavin & Lesley Patterson!!!

2010-04-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

Trevor & Lesley raced the 2010 Xterra West Championships in Las Vegas, NV today (4/25). Trevor, racing his Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper HT, finished the race in a commanding 8th place in the Pro Category. Likewise Lesley Patterson, former B&L employee, finished in 3rd place.

Congrat's to all the racers this weekend!

B&L TENT SALE!!! April 22nd- April 25th!!!

2010-04-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

Check out the Oakley Rolling O Lab at Dana Point GP!

2010-04-08T20:34:00.001-07:00

Spring Sale at B+L!!!

2010-04-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

Buy any Specialized Vita/Sirrus or Vita Sport/Sirrus Sport
and receive a FREE Specialized Align Helmet ($40 value)!

15% OFF ALL Helmets

15% OFF Camelback Products
10% OFF All Steel Bikes and Steel Frames- Allez, Langster, Roll

***Sale offers cannot be combined with any other discount, valid on in-stock items only**

Breakaway Ride presented by Specialized (B+L Offer)

2010-03-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

"Cycling Fans,

My name is Kellen Vigil and I work with AEG and the Amgen Tour of California. One of the events that we are currently promoting is our version of a Gran Fondo. This mass participation ride, known as the Breakaway Ride presented by Specialized, will take place on April 11^th in Thousand Oaks and on April 25^th in Davis/Santa Rosa. This is an opportunity to experience the exact same route that the professionals will ride in May during the 2010 Amgen Tour of California. We are offering a $25 discount to all B+L employees and customers by entering the code BreakawayBL during the registration process. For more information and to register, please visitwww.breakawayride.com.

Your support will go a long way in bringing the Amgen Tour of California back to San Diego in 2011. As a native San Diegan, I am asking that B+L employees and customers represent the San Diego cycling community and promote what “America’s Finest City” has to offer. Please feel free to contact me with any questions and I look forward to seeing you in the very near future."

http://www.breakawayride.com/registration/

Kelly Benefit Strategies Meet and Greet

2010-03-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

	Friday, March 12, 2010
	3:00pm - 7:00pm
	B+L San Diego
	3603 Camino Del Rio West
	San Diego, CA Meet Kelly Benefit Strategies Pro Cycling team members and try one of their "Secret Weapons of Success"! Friday March 12, KBS team members will be at B+L San Diego for a meet/greet autograph session as well as product demo of Contour Sport. Contour Sport gives you muscle recovery in minutes not days!! See you there!

Blog Roll Call!

2010-03-02T00:45:00.000-08:00

Some of our athletes have new posts up on their blogs, Check em out!

Matt Bigos
Ben Jones
James Walsh

Zoot WetZoot Clinic & Demo Day!

2010-03-01T15:51:00.001-08:00

WETSUIT CLINIC & DEMO DAY!

When: Saturday March 6, 10am
Where: B+L Solana Beach/Fletcher Cove
What: ZOOT Wetsuit Clinic and Demo Day!
Who: Presented by ZOOT Sports and B+L

- Meet in the back parking lot of B+L at 10am
- Brief talk/clinic about ZOOT wetsuits
- Expert personal assistance with model & size selection for each clinic attendee
- Demo SWIM at Fletcher Cove (try out a ZOOT wetsuit and see the difference it makes!)

One-day Specials!
Buy any ZOOT wetsuit at B+L and receive a FREE Neoprene Swim Cap ($25 value)
2009 ZOOT Wetsuits on Sale 30% OFF
2009 Apparel and Footwear on Sale 30% OFF
If we don't have the wetsuit in-stock that you want, we will order it in for you at this one-day promo!!

We would like to Congratulate Ben Jones!

2010-02-16T19:55:00.000-08:00

He picked up his new Stumpy 29er HT on Thursday, raced it on Saturday and won his race at the Racers and Chasers Anza. Checkout his blog for details.

Congrats Ben!!!

Update from one of our Team B+L athletes, Brent Prenzlow.

2010-02-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

"Thank you Gordon and B&L for your support of my racing! I am enjoying my best results ever and having great bikes/equipment is a huge part of that!

MTB:

The S-Works Stumpjumper 29er is quite simply the best mtn bike I've ever ridden. It is so fun to ride and fast it has renewed my interest in mtn bike racing. From the first ride, I knew this bike was perfect from me. It's my first 29er but there was no "getting used" to the larger wheels - it immediately felt natural. The handling is great through singletrack and the improved traction on steep climbing is noticeable. Combined with the super light weight and stiffness, this is by far the fastest and most comfortable bike I've raced!

2010 Results:
1st Pro - Racers & Chasers #1: Balboa Park, San Diego
1st Pro - Southridge Winter Series #1: Fontana
1st Pro - Racers & Chasers #3: Cahuilla Creek, Anza

Cyclocross:

2009-10 was a great cx season for me as I captured 23 victories total! (14 - Elite/Pro, 5 - Masters 35+ 1/2/3, 4 - Singlespeed 1/2/3)
I won all the local Series overall titles:
1st Overall - SoCal Prestige Series, Elite Men
1st Overall - Urban Cyclocross Series, Elite Men
1st Overall - Cross Fever Series, Elite Men
1st Overall - Cross Ferver Series, Masters 35+
1st Overall - Best of San Diego Cyclocross, Elite Men
105 Career Elite Cyclocross Wins

Thanks,
Brent"

Holiday Gift Guide 2009

2009-12-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

Mountain Biker
NiteRider PRO 600 Light System, $499
Shimano XTR Pedals, $179
Specialized Arc-X Sunglasses, $179
ZINN &: The Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance, $25
Rockhopper Mountain Bike, $610-950

Triathlete
Garmin Forerunner 310XT, $350
Giro Advantage 2 Aero Helmet, $159
BG Pro Bike Fit, $150-350
ZOOT Compression Socks or Calf Sleeves, $60
Easton EC90 Aero Wheelset, $1,799

Road Biker
Blackburn Fluid Trainer, $230
Niterider MiNewt Mini light, $99
Specialized S-Works Road Shoes, $350
Handlebar Tape, $15-20
Warmers- knee, toe, arm, leg, $30-40

Kids!
Specialized Pulse Youth bike gloves, $22
SpeedZone Sport Cyclometer, $25
Giro Flume or Rascal Helmet, $40
Specialized Hotrock bike, $160-330
Water Bottle Cage, $8

Women
Specialized Warm-Up jacket, $110
Deflect winter glove, $37
ZOOT Cyclefit Knickers, $37
Specialized Fuzzy winter beanie, $25
Oakley Enduring Path Sunglasses, $175

Gifts for Anyone!
B+L Gift Cards
CO2 Cartridges
Inner Tubes
Nutrition Product
Wool Socks

Photo Overload!

2009-12-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

All photos courtesy of Richard Murphy of CeloPacific

Specialized's "Test the Best" Demo on it's way to San Diego!

2009-11-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

B+L Bike and Sports is hosting the "Test the Best" Demo truck this coming Friday, November 20th. The truck will be parked at Penasquitos Canyon between 10:00am & 3:00pm. The parking lot is off Sorrento Valley Blvd about a mile east of the I5/ I805 merge.

Here is preliminary list of the bikes available for a test ride:

MTB's on the truck:

SW Epic: M, XL

Epic Marthon 29: L

SW Stumpy FSR: S, M, 2xL, XL

SW Enduro: S, L, XL

Enduro Expert: M

SW 29 HT: 21”

Expert Carbon 29 HT: 17.5”, 19”

Demo 8 II: M

Bighit III: M

Road Bikes on the truck:

Tricross Expert: 58

Tarmac SL3 Di2: 52, 56, 61

SW Amira: 48, 51

Tarmac SL3 SL: 54, 56, 58

Roubaix Pro: 52, 54, 56, 58

SW Roubaix: 52, 54, 61

Hope to see you all there!

Great article about Brent Prenzlow (Team B+L/ CeloPacific....

2009-11-04T22:55:00.001-08:00

Article from CXMAGAZINE.COM

by Annette Padilla
November 4, 2009; Oceanside, CA, USA: 100 elite victories. Wow. Brent Prenzlow raced to win the Prestige Series “Storm the Beach” cyclocross elite men’s race Sunday. Prenzlow races for Celo Pacific Bicycle Racing Team and B&L Bikes (www.celopacific.org). With a gap over Sho Air’s Pro Mountain Biker Sid Taberlay, Brent was again at the top of the podium. But it wasn’t just another win.

Saturday’s win was special for Prenzlow, who won his 100th elite men’s race in front of family, friends, and supporters, including his mechanic Gordon Yeager. The crowd was screaming and cheering for a man who loves ‘cross. His friends shook his hand, hugged him and his wife, and gave him a Belgian beer after the race.
It was also a special win for those of us who race cyclocross in Southern California, as we got to witness our top rider achieve such a major milestone.
Prenzlow says “he’s addicted to cross,” and loves to train and race. As a category one racer, Brent is a unique and talented athlete. He’s easy going and highly respected among his teammates and the other cyclocrossers. Brent has been racing cyclocross for fifteen years and was among the first key guys who started promoting cross racing in Southern California with the 5-race SoCal Cross Cup in 2002. That series has now grown into a much larger 15-event Southern California Prestige Series (www.socalcross.com). Brent has contributed to the ‘cross community by leading practices and providing instruction on techniques such as how to get over the barriers smoothly. Currently, he volunteers numerous hours to Celo Pacific as their webmaster, tracking and posting race results every weekend to support the team’s racing.

When not racing, Prenzlow works full time at the Hewlett Packard’s Rancho Bernardo site where he is a technical software engineer. He rides to work and back as part of his training or his wife, Gail, drops him off, then he rides home. It’s a hilly 25 mile commute one way.

“I cannot believe I made it to 100,” says Prenzlow. Neither can we, but the official results speak for themselves (see his plamares here). When asked about the beach course on Sunday, he says “I enjoy racing in the deep sand and creating challenging courses”.John Behrens, co-founder of Bailey Bikes and a previous teammate of Brent’s with Celo, adds that the man who raced in red booties is a mentor to everyone in ‘cross. Through Prenzlow’s leadership and providing tips in travel, training, and racing, Behrens, who lines up at the start with Brent, has advanced categories in cyclocross to the elite level. “Brent keeps on getting faster and faster,” says John. “He is efficient and smooth over and over again.”

Race announcer Larry Longo says Prenzlow is truly gifted because “nobody wins 100 elite races.”
Future dreams of the “King of Cross” as some call him, include standing on the highest podium at the December Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, Oregon for the highly competitive 40-44 age category and plans for pro mountain bike racing locally in the NORBA series. He hopes to race the new Specialized 29er mountain bike for Celo and B&L. Maybe he will complete a double century-the next 100 in the dirt on a mountain bike? Stay tuned.

New product Review Part 4: 2010 S-Works 29er HT

2009-10-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

4 times I have had to check to make sure this bike really does have 29" wheels....

There are a lot of people out there, diehard Specialized owners included, that were bummed that it took Specialized so long to come out with a 29er. Their first couple 29er bikes were a little lackluster in fact. It's as if they were only half hearted attempts. In 2008 we saw the addition of a Stumpy HT Comp 29 & the Stumpy FSR 29. It was great to see although many thought a little late. I had the chance to ride a Stumpy HT Comp 29er, truthfully it didn't feel right. Granted I had ridden many other 29ers up to that point (Niner SIR9, Orbea Alma, SyCip Super Unleaded, Gary Fisher's, etc.), not all of them rode the same but, the Spec felt too much like a hybrid bike.

One of my favorite traits of any good 26" bike is the ability to rail corners. How the tires feel glued to the dirt, constant hook up, the stable feeling on climbs... it's the epitome of MTBing. This bike, S-Works Stumpy HT 29, has all of those qualities and more. They NAILED the geometry. The organic lines of the frame make the bike look very aggressive and it is.

Being that I am a Clydesdale rider I made a few upgrades to the bike for my own fit. I swapped the Specialized Carbon 30.9 seatpost out for a Thomson Masterpiece 30.9. It's a little longer and less flexy under me. I also changed out the Spec Phenom SL saddle out for a custom Fizik Gobi XM saddle. I have Gobi's on all my other MTB's and realized I could live without it. I am also toying with changing out the wheels for a set of Industry Nine 29er XC wheels. We have sold several pairs of their wheels lately and I like their ruggedness yet lightweight. Something about those thick aluminum spokes plus they would look awesome on the bike. Nothing wrong with the Roval Controle's just personal preference.

In 1993 I switched from flat bars to riser bars. Since then whenever I see someone running flat bars I either think they are old school racers that won't make the leap to risers or weight-weenies. Senor Plastik, as I like to call the bike, came with a set of Spec Carbon flat bars, yikes. I was already dreaming up the perfect riser bar even before I bought the bike. Then I rode it offroad. I'm sticking with the flats! The flat bar quickened up the steering 100%. Sometimes 29ers are built with too much head tube angle and the steering is super slow, tight technical sections are a nightmare. This bike steers just like my 26er's! Wow.

I'm riding again this afternoon. I haven't ridden another bike since Senor Plastik has been added to the stable. Not saying I won't, just not right now.

Look for Part 5 soon....

SoCal Prestige Cyclocross Heats Up, Draws Mountain Bikers, Women and Juniors

2009-10-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

by Dave Sheek
Southern California Cyclocross is now through its second weekend of the season and dual events as CX met MX in San Diego, CA. It was another mountain bike (mtb) and cyclocross back-to-back weekend as San Diego’s rising ‘cross scene piggybacked the Racers and Chasers mtb event Saturday to start the first race of the San Diego cyclocross series season Sunday morning. Overall, it was the most motocross-like race experience cross fanatics have seen as the hot temps and twenty-foot doubles seemed to push racers off their bikes or off the course.
The racing heated up with the skies Sunday morning as the temps reached 100 degrees by midday. Competitors who thought last weekend was hot were begging for the cooler conditions. The amount of sand and jumps on course were not kind enough to allow riders areas of rest, as it was a non stop suffer fest. However, those who had the right descending skills were definitely using them to their advantage as they smoothly pumped through the many transitions.
The early morning competitors showed with a more prominent force and commitment than the later. The women and juniors for the second week brought out the best in So Cal, comprising 35% of the day’s participants! In the Elite Women’s field it was Dorothy Wong (Team SoCalCross-CICLE) taking the win as she hashed it out with Team Duke’s Jill Sisamis. In her first season of cross Sisamis looked strong as she started the pace for the group and continued strong finishing in second with Annette Padilla (Celo Pacific) in third.
The Elite Men’s race brought another weekend of hot action as temps were at a high 102 degrees at race time. It was Gary Douville (Platinum) who took the hole shot to lead the group through the first set of sandy switchbacks and into the first lap. John Bailey (Bailey Bikes) and Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/B&L) followed Douville as the three set a strong pace, opening a gap on the rest of the field. On the second lap, Prenzlow took the lead and opened a gap to take a comfortable win on the day. In second it was Bailey who had a powerful finish even with a rough crash in one of the gravelly dirt sections. And, rounding out the top three was early race leader Douville of Team Platinum in the last race on the day.
Next Race Preview
The next race is on October 4^th, and the guys from the Velocity cycling club have been working hard for their second annual cross race when not working, racing, riding, and or occasionally pulling a B.O.B. full of beer. The race was a great success last year with much accolade from the racers and spectators alike. This year, they are making it better.
They have improved the course, eliminating a few of the tight twistys, and will be once again making the effort to build the much applauded hillside stairs. Along side the course improvements this year’s kids race will be a standout. And, again as is standard with Velocity club leader Mike McMahon’s involvement with an event, be it mowing the lawn or racing, there will be beer available.
The racing will be fast and furious and the fun will be plentiful. It’s a local event, for most SoCal riders, at a great venue with easy access, held in the private parks behind Irvine Lake just off of Santiago Canyon. Come on out, bring the kids and enjoy the day.
Pre-register at SportsbaseOnline and save $$$ 5 and 10 race series passes available. More info at: www.SoCalCross.org

CX Magazine

New product Review Part 3: 2010 S-Works 29er HT

2009-10-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

SRAM XX.....

The cassette is amazing, we've gone over that. The chain, not surprisingly, is a standard SRAM 1090 10spd chain. You can also run the lightweight 1090R that has the hollow pins. The XX brakes are basically Avid Elixir brakes rebadged XX although they have Titanium bolts throughout. You can easily run these brakes one finger style. Plenty powerful. Also pleasantly surprised to see Avid went with a floating rotor with the XX brakeset. I have been running floating rotors for years with my Hope Mono Mini's.

The XX shifters are pure butter. The front shifter is amazing, short throw & light action. I assume it helps that there are only 2 chainrings to go between but, it also helps that the front derailleur isn't a rebadged XO model. The front der is completely new. There are 18 versions of the front der (Direct mount, top mount, bottom mount, + top pull, bottom pull & each chainring combo). And yes all the sdjustments use a T25 driver, cable fixing bolt/ seattube clamp/ limit screws.

The rear shifter is very similar to its XO brother, except the low gear paddle is made of carbon whereas the XO is aluminum. Not to mention the extra gear. I adjusted the levers to allow 5 cogs at a time. You can adjust the levers to your shifting style whether you are a 1 cog at a time or 5. Awesome.

Next up: The rear derailleur, S-Works cranks, Roval wheels, RockShox fork and most importantly the frame.

New product Review Part 2: 2010 S-Works 29er HT

2009-09-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

About 2 months ago I started hearing and reading about a new component group from SRAM. I have SRAM XO on one of my bikes and love it. The new group is called XX (yes 20). My heart skipped a beat. I had been noticing that the MTB world wasn't really changing that much over the years. I remember in the mid nineties going to CABDA (the former east coast Interbike) and seeing Grafton cranks/ brake levers, Kooka stems, Westpine hubs, Nukeproof hubs, etc. All products that were better versions of standard equipment. There hasn't been anything like that in a longtime, until now.

2010 SRAM XX: The return of bling, 10spd finally hits the dirt

First it's important to realize that the entire group is new, all the parts have been re-thought and changed specifically for XX. One of the coolest features for me (a bicycle mechanic) is that you only need 1 tool to adjust anything in the group, a T25 torx driver. Before you needed a phillips screwdriver, a 6mm hex wrench, a 5mm hex, a 4mm hex, a 2.5mm hex and your fingers. T25 is the same tool we have been using for disc rotors for years. Now it's for everything including the limit screws, cable anchoring bolts, derailleur clamp bolts, etc. I love it! 1 tool for the saddle bag.

The cassette is pretty spectacular itself. If you haven't seen the new SRAM Red cassette, SRAM's top end Red & XX cassettes are milled from a chunk of steel. The difference is that the XX cassette is drilled out for mud and dust removal. The lowest gear is the backplate of the cassette and is made of aluminum. Yes you guessed it, lightweight. The standard XTR 11-34t (9spd) cassette is 250 grams. The SRAM XX 11-36t (10spd) cassette is 218. Wow.

I'm just realizing this is going to be a long review. Come back later for more on XX!

New product Review Part 1: 2010 S-Works 29er HT

2009-09-28T23:56:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to begin.

First off I would like to explain a little. For the past 6 years I have slowly acquired 5 fully custom bikes made for me. 4 of my bikes are steel and 1 is titanium (I also own an Electra cruiser if that counts). They are pieces of art, except they love rolling. I also haven't purchased a bike out of a box in over 13 years.

Last week we had a stack of bikes to build at the Solana Beach location. One bike happened to be a 17.5 S-Works Stumpy HT 29er. I was eager to see it. At first glance it was a regular MTB, on second look I had been mistaken.

Purely from an aesthetic stance, the bike is pure sexy.

Part 2: The parts

The medals are all gold in the Walsh household...

2009-09-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

James Walsh & Beth Gerdes both won their MTB races this weekend at the US Cup Unification Race. James won the Cat 1 (30-34) race and Beth won the Cat Women's race. I would like to think it's because of my wrench skills but, somehow I know it's because they are kick ass riders.

James warmed up for Sundays MTB win by racing his first ever Cyclocross race on Saturday. He blew the field away and got 2nd in the Cat 3/4 race. Can't wait to see him win the next one.

Congrat's James & Beth!

What's in a name?

2009-09-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

I can't even count how many times I have been asked "What does B&L stand for?". I've heard many renditions as well. For instance on more than one occasion I Have heard that the former owners were named Barry & Linda. I hear that it was BBQ's and Lawnmowers. I have even had a customer tell me it stands for Bikes & Leisure.

What do you think it stands for?

Inventory

2009-09-16T23:29:00.000-07:00

All this week our new purchasing manager, Scott Alton, has been doing a store count (Scanning items, printing tags for untagged items, etc.). The more stuff he pulls out the more I realize we are packed to our gills. Who buys 1" carbon headset spacers? When was the last time you searched for nine 108mm Isis BB's? It's time for some late-spring-early-winter cleaning.

Now I just have to find an extra 5 hours to do it. Small steps.

The 2009 SoCal Cyclocross season is upon us!

2009-09-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

The official 1st race of the 2009 season is the SoCalCross Prestige Series "Unification" Race in San Dimas. Then on Sunday there is an Urban CX race in Ken Malloy Park just north of Huntington Beach.

Checkout the current schedule at Celo Pacific's website for future races. Hope to see you all out there!