Tag Archives: di2

Winter: An argument for the “All-Road” bicycle

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Sunday Ride at Lake Welch
Let’s face it, this winter is never-ending!
I feel I can safely speak for everyone when I say, I’m ready for Spring.
Here at Signature, our road bikes are either collecting dust in the corner of our homes, or the look like they’ve been dragged through a war zone, covered in mud and salt.

Our beautiful Parlees, Passonis, and Gurus are sitting on the sidelines, like high-performance sports cars, garaged because of this weather. So what are we left with to ride? Well, that’s an interesting question, lets introduce our “other” bikes.

This past year, Justin and I decided to go “outside of the box” with our next builds, and began to explore all the interesting technologies the industry had to offer; including disc brakes, hydraulic options, electronic shifting, and more. The result; two bikes that didn’t quite fit the mold, however turned out to be everything we could ask for in this winter weather.
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Dreaming of September. Thoughts on My Seven Mudhoney SL and Shimano Di2.

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by Blake Bedoya

September has always been my favorite month of the year. It’s the month of my birthday, the hot summer weather is finally gone, but best of all, September marks the start of cyclocross.

A love affair of sorts, that I’ve had since 2003 when I did my first Cyclocross race. It’s a difficult sport to explain to those who have never seen it. If you ask 5 people, “What it is cyclocross?” you will most likely get 5 different answers. I can best describe it as an off road race, held on modified road-style bikes. Now throw in some obstacles, mud, and a healthy measure of rowdy fans, and there you go; cyclocross.

Like many bike race disciplines, cyclocross is a funny thing. Have you ever found yourself speaking to another cyclist… sharing race stories, comparing notes, lines, even sizing each-other up? There have been many times when I’ve frankly stated in an exchange “my favorite race was…” or “my best ride was…”. When the fact is I don’t really remember much at all. If you were to ask me what I was wearing that day, or what tire pressure I was using, I wouldn’t have the slightest clue.

So what exactly makes these races so memorable? The weather, the gear, or perhaps the place you finished in? I haven’t been able to figure out what that exact formula is that makes a day that would normally be “just another race” into something special.

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Passoni Nero XL – The Perfect Dancing Partner

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Passoni Nero XL
Forgetting about bicycles for a moment, I am a creature who enjoys aspirational products. I admit it; I am tempted by just out of reach brands and toys that promise the ultimate in an experience or performance. Good enough is never good enough for me. I rarely get disappointed when I cross into the luxury purchase category.
However, there is always a risk of falling prey to being over promised and coming up short on delivery.

My expectations for my Passoni Nero XL were high. They had to be. Passoni was breaking a ceiling set by our other custom brands that already stood as tall as Grand Central Terminal’s ceiling – higher than necessary, but definitely worth the statement.

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Shimano Di2 Owner’s Survey

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111206-Di2shifter-wpShimano Dura Ace Di2 is not the first group of bicycle components to utilize electrically powered shifting, many systems came before. It is not the first electronic group aimed at road racing, Di2 was preceded by a few notable, if underdeveloped attempts. The first Shimano press releases were met with reactions ranging from mild reservation to complete dismissal. Yet there was still hope that Shimano, with their hard earned reputation for reliability, could deliver a fully realized system that would be a true advancement in the bicycle drivetrain.
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Electronic Shifting and The Custom Bicycle

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101211-shimano-005-wpIn many ways, we cyclists are trying to get back to the simplicity of when we first fell in love with cycling. The simplicity of that first single speed bike on which we learned to ride. All you had to think about was turning the cranks over and pointing the wheel wherever you wanted to go. The desire to get that feeling back is evident in the resurgence of the single speed bike in urban areas around the world. However, as our cycling aspirations increased, so did the need for a broader range of gearing. We had to learn a host of new skills, how to shift, when to shift, the most efficient cadence. We traded the simplicity for speed, comfort, and distance.

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A Unique Solution for Hector Picard

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Hector Picard was introduced to us by Matt Long as an athlete that could benefit from our fitting services and our relationship with an array of custom builders. We had worked with Matt during his rehabilitation and journey to complete Ironman Lake Placid. Matt had unique physical challenges caused by being run over by a bus. We partnered with Serotta, creating a custom bike for Matt that helped him achieve his goal in 2009.

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