Rides :: RAID and Rapha MCC

It's a bit quiet this week after all of the recent visitors and special events. Kind of like the week after Christmas.

The inaugural RAID Rockingham was a great success. We had over 100 riders participate, and the weather was fantastic... sunny, low 70's, and no humidity. There was the occasional cloud sighting, and someone even felt a slight breeze. Folks came from near and far, and we are grateful for all of the support. Friends came up from DC, NYC, and Boston to experience our local roads and spend some time together.

The fine folks at Loco Sports did a great job with all of the event details and logistics. The course was well marked and the support was fantastic (thank you to the ladies at the top of Nottingham Hill making the PB & honey sandwiches!).

Here's a slide show from the RAID:

Later in the week we had a visit from Hennie, Rapha's North American Mobile Cycle Club.  By this time the weather had turned, and we were in the midst of an intense heat wave with temps that broke 100. We still had a great turnout for a ride that covered part of the RAID route.

Hennie's awning provided valuable shade in our courtyard, along with an IF pop up tent. The building in the background is Phase 2 of our mill complex renovation project, slated to be complete by the end of the summer.  We'll miss all of the construction crews, but it'll be nice to have it all finished.

After a brief pre-ride meeting, it was hike-a-bike up to Main Street. The stair scene has got me thinking about a mill yard cross race... hmmm...

You've got to love small town hospitality... the cars actually stop and let you cross!

Despite the heat, everyone enjoyed the ride and post ride refreshments, food and Rapha films.

So, if you find yourself out on the road and get behind a 30 foot gray motor coach with this license plate, follow it, for there is sure to be a good time wherever it is headed.

Cheers,

G

The Break is Away :: Big Gap to Close

Finally some shirt sleeve riding weather... it's been a bit like living in a cloud for the past four weeks here, so I can't blame all of the riding that I've been doing for the lack of content here. I had to drive all the way to Virginia to ride in the sun at The Ballers Ride V2.

We've been crazy busy... in a really good way. For those of you lamenting the lack of frequent bike porn here, please tune in to our Facebook page, since we regularly post pictures there. Yeah, they're not as nice as our studio pics, but hey, we've got to get bikes out the door.

The next few weeks are going to get even busier around here since we have a couple of great events lined up. One week from today is the inaugural RAID Rockingham, put on by Loco Sports and brought to you by us.  If you can make it to our neck of the woods, please sign up and join us for some good riding followed by great food, beer and company in our mill courtyard. Did I say beer?

Also, please join us on Thursday evening, June 21st as the Rapha North America Mobile Cycle Club will be visiting Newmarket.  Hennie, the motor coach that is home to the Club will be parked outside our door and features the entire Summer 2012 Rapha range as well as fresh espresso, publications, and cycling memorabilia from around the world. 

We'll roll out for a casual ride of our local roads at 5:30 and then head back to the shop for food, beer, a factory tour, and the screening of two Rapha short films. One features Italian frame builder Dario Pegoretti, and the other is a documentary of the Rapha Continental's five year quest to ride North America's best back roads. Did I say beer again? 

On the bike front, we've been shipping some beauties, and have a new, limited edition MTB launching in a few weeks that we are really excited about.

Here are a few recent builds that made it into the studio before they left us:

First up is a steel Crown Jewel for a local customer. Intense Blue Pearl and White with a painted Enve fork to match.

Next up is a familiar paint scheme, pulled from the Steel Factory Lightweight featured in the '08 catalog, a bike that I rode for awhile.  This one is a steel Crown Jewel with a Yellow to Red Candy fade and wrapped IF crowns. The customer was on the brink of buying a Trek when a good friend suggested that he come see us instead. Friends don't let friends ride boring bikes.

It wouldn't be Summer without a fresh batch of t-shirts. To celebrate the upcoming launch of the Deluxe Redux, we've brought back a couple of iconic images from our past; the IF Race Puppy, and the IF Trike.

We also have a new bright green on black classic logo.  Up and down box on the front, big IF crown logo on the back.

Order them online here, or give us a call at (603)292-5673.

In several weeks we'll be formally launching the Deluxe Redux. It will be a limited release; only 36 units will be sold as complete bikes in one of three color combinations. They will still be individually built to order, but we are purposely defining this bicycle in a specific way. 

I've been thinking about this project for some time now, and the concept was solidified after a conversation with Chris Chance earlier this year at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Sacramento.  Chris has been away from the bicycle industry for over a decade, and we discussed the breadth of change during his absence; some of it good, and some of it overwhelming in it's complexity.

So, if, like me, you are yearning for the simple fun that mountain biking represented in its early days, then I think that you'll like the Deluxe Redux. It's purpose is to take the best of modern know how and blend it with the simplicity and not-so-serious aspects of mountain biking's early days.

We've enlisted a few partners to help us make this project happen, including some custom Chris King anodization and Fat City's segmented fork master Chris Igleheart.  Here's a little teaser, from which you can gather where this is going.

Ride safe and hope to see you at the RAID Rockingham or the Rapha Cycle Club visit.

Cheers,

G