Flirting With Disaster

I remember a hot West Virginia day in 1994 preparing for a time trial in the 21 event West Virginia Race Series. The whole series was amazing and there were some tough teams to deal with on a weekly basis. I love to time trial so I was excited to do well. There was cash to be had and I needed some points to work my way from second to first overall in the series. I knew the course and half way through the 18-mile trip I knew I was flying. The sun was out and the weather was perfect. I was coming up on a tricky right hand turn that dropped down into a quick decent. I knew the course volunteers at this corner as they were the wives of my boss and a co-worker. As I slowed to make the tricky corner I looked at the two women volunteers and said “Hello Ladies!” and cleared the corner.

I blasted the rest of the course and hit the line as hard as I could. I rolled a half mile with my head low and my lungs heaving. I drained that sucker and knew it! I turned the pedals easy as I made my way back to the start/finish area and looked at the timer with a devilish smile. She looked at me and gave a quick “no” motion with her head. Results were not posted yet but she let me know I had come up short. I was stunned! Ten minutes later I learned I lost by one second. One second!

I thought I had given my all that day. I risked it in the corners, hammered the straights and demolished the climbs…how did I miss? Then it hit me, I said “hello” to the ladies going around the tricky corner. Even though I didn’t stop for pleasantries, I did take my mind off the goal. I let myself slip and paid the price. Even though I lost to a very strong rider and good friend it hurt no less, I should have won. I had not given it my all. I had given it 99% and came up short. I learned an important lesson that day: Race to the finish line and save the gossip for the awards ceremony.

The following year I kept my mouth shut and won the time trial. Second place that day was 2 minutes down. Lesson learned!

Tommaso Gets Dirty

February 4, 2009

Boulder, Colorado

 

Subject: Tommaso Carbon Fiber Hard tail Mountain Bike Prototype

Tommaso has done it again!  After years of providing consumers with quality road machines, Tommaso has made the plunge into the Mountain Bike market with quite a splash.  Though only a prototype, I’m excited to see what else Tommaso has up its sleeve for 2009. 

Being in Colorado in February you might think mountain bikes are in storage for the winter, but that’s probably because you have never spent a winter in Boulder.  Sure we get some cold days when the temp hovers around zero and then we get days like today.  Not a cloud in the sky and 62 degrees.  That’s right, early February and prime mountain biking conditions.

Hall Ranch in Lyons, Colorado is about 15 min from our shop in Boulder and is one of the true gems tucked in the frontrange.  A prefect testing ground providing a mix of technical rock gardens, smooth single track and a rolling loop at the top. 

To give you some perspective I normally ride this trail on my Iron Horse MKIII Elite boasting 5 inches of travel.  The MKIII, featuring the patented DW-Link Rear Suspension has no trouble making the 5 mile ascent to the top and of course it’s big smiles all the way down to the parking lot.  So dropping 6 Lbs to a carbon fiber hardtail is a noticeable difference right out of the gate.  The Tommaso is light and stiff which is immediately realized when you start to ascend.  The full carbon frame was responsive to each pedal stroke and I was really enjoying the weight loss throughout the climb. 

 

At 5”9 with an 22” top tube the geometry felt comfortable but still aggressive enough to maintain accurate control of the bicycle.  Going into the ride I was fairly confident this carbon hardtail would glide uphill and I was not let down in any form.  The downhill was my concern, especially coming from a 5” travel horse.  Specifically, my reservations were vibration, stability and control.  Somehow the product managers at Tommaso created a carbon fiber hard tail that I felt comfortable pushing hard downhill.  The vibration encountered due to the lack of rear suspension is quickly dampened by the carbon fiber frame material.  The ironic combination of stiffness and ride comfort make this Tommaso standout.  Even over the rocky and bump sections the bike tracked well without jostling the pilot.

I’m sold, ready to buy.  Hopefully we will see a limited production of the Tommaso Carbon Fiber hard tail sometime in 2009.

COMPLETE SPECS

Frame:  Tommaso Full Carbon Fiber 12k Carbon Weave (1170 grams)

Rear Shock: Not on this beast

Fork: Fox 100R

Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT

Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT

Shifters: Shimano Deore XT Rapid Fire

Brakes: Avid Juicy 7

Chain: SRAM PC-951

Crankset: Race Face Evolve XC 44/32/22T Alloy

Cassette: SRAM PG-970, 11/34T

Pedals: Crank Brothers Eggbeater Ti

Bottom Bracket: Race Face X-Type

Headset: 1 1/8" Cane Creek Zero-Stack ZS-2

Saddle: WTB Silverado Race Black

Seat Post: Thomson Elite 27.2mm

Handlebar: Ritchey Rizer Comp 31.8mm,

Grips: WTB TECHNICAL TRAIL GRIP

Stem: Ritchey Pro 100mm

Tires: WTB ExiWolf 1.95"

Wheelset: DT/SWISS X 1800

Weight: 23.8 Lbs for the complete bike (with some component upgrades we are looking at just over 20 LBS)

[Product Manager's Note: The specs on the production bikes are going to blow your mind! Check back often for the production models going on sale. The limited run in going to disappear fast!]