Hayes Bicycle Group

Vote on round two of proposed Manitou fork graphics

2008-12-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who voted in round one. Please click here to see the updated designs and chose your favorite.

Help choose graphics for future Manitou forks

2008-12-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

Want a sneak peek at future Manitou fork graphics? Want to help with their creation? Click here and tell me what you think of the prospective designs.

BIKE Magazine review of the Manitou Minute

2008-11-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

HBG photo album

2008-11-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

I recently created a Flickr account for the Group. I also added a photostream over on the right side of this page. Enjoy!

What'll you have?

2008-11-03T08:49:00.001-08:00

I started measuring this blog's traffic a couple weeks ago. It looks like despite a lack of frequent (or particularly interesting) updates, it gets a surprising number of views per day. So my question to you, loyal readers, is - what do you want to read about here? I'll do my best to accomodate your requests in future posts.

Interbike coverage roundup

2008-10-15T19:05:00.001-07:00

The guys at Pinkbike did some great video coverage of our gravity-oriented products:

MTBR swung by during the indoor show and shot some video of their own:

Cam McCaul from NSMB took a Dorado-equipped Intense M6 out for a thrashing at Outdoor Demo and came back with good things to say.

NSMB review of the Manitou Dorado

Decline Magazine gave us some nice video coverage of the Dorado:

Decline video with Dorado Dave

Lastly, the guys from Speedgoat got a good multi-brand summary from Matt Eglin, driver of the HBG race-support rig.

Speedgoat Cycles HBG overview

New Hayes and Manitou t-shirts

2008-08-11T13:55:00.001-07:00

Coming soon to a bike shop near you:

Melissa Buhl's world championship run

2008-06-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

HBG photo model/giveaway bike

2008-06-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Check this out - a custom Ahrens hardtail (26") in full Hayes Bicycle Group livery. We'll use it to model our stuff online, in catalogs, and possibly at Interbike. Then we'll probably raffle it off. The build kit will include a Manitou R7 MRD fork, SUNringle' Black Flag wheels, Hayes Stroker Gram brakes, and an Answer Protaper OS carbon handlebar. Any suggestions for the remainder of the build? Any guesses as to the complete weight?

Bikes of HBG

2008-05-29T08:16:00.001-07:00

Now that the weather is getting decent, a lot of guys have been riding in. Four-dollar gas might be a motivator, too. Here's a sampling of our rigs (and this is just from the Mequon office - the stable at Florist is at least as full).

Bike to Work Week

2008-05-15T12:27:00.001-07:00

Here's a blurry cameraphone shot of HBG's Mequon-based bike-to-work contingent. From left to right: Matt Gissibl (disty sales), Denny Yunk (marketing), John Haggerty (engineering), Rich Travis (product management), Tom Porter (operations), and Mark Hillam (OEM sales). I think Giz had the longest ride. Probably about 18 miles or so.

The Milwaukee-based HBGers (of which there were more) are too cool to pose for a stupid cameraphone pic. In total, we had 18 guys ride in today. Luckily, both facilities have showers.

Stroker Ace caliper

2008-03-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak peek at the new Hayes Stroker Ace caliper. Ain't she a beaut?

650B rim availability

2008-03-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks again to everyone who expressed their interest in a production version of the 650B SUNringle' Equalizer 27. I'm happy to report that we will have rims available in mid-April. If you wish to place an order, please contact your SUNringle' dealer.

Important update on 650B fork compatibility

2008-01-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that the Manitou Nixon fork has been put to use with 650B wheels and tires by some enthusiastic supporters of the 650B movement. However, we have just performed an analysis that shows that under full compression, the Pacenti Neomoto 2.3 tire mounted to a 650B rim will embed 4mm into the crown of the Nixon (both the 145mm and the 160mm versions), with potentially dangerous consequences for the rider. Therefore, we strongly recommend that anyone using this combination stop immediately.

Similarly, none of our forks (including the Minute 29er and the Travis) have been tested and approved for use with 650B wheels and tires. We do not recommend that anyone use them for this purpose.

On a personal note, I'd like to thank everyone who has indicated their desire for a 650B-compatible fork from Manitou. We've heard you loud and clear. Similarly, the response to the few test sample 650B wheels we built up was overwhelmingly positive. I'll use this blog to post future news about any 650B-related product development.

Over gold!

2008-01-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

Check this out. Anyone who gets a set of hot new SUNringle' Accelerator wheels has got to get some of this gold Deda bar tape. I picked some up yesterday, and the colors match exactly.

Product news - 650B rims from SunRingle'

2007-11-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

As the owner of a 29er, I've found it interesting to watch the whole 650B thing unfurl. Personally, I've enjoyed the benefits of the big wheels, but also experienced some of the drawbacks. If there's truly a happy medium between 26" and 29", I'm glad there are folks out there in search of it.

To that end, we're about to do a small pre-production run of a 650B version of our new Equalizer 27 rim, which we currently offer in both 26" and 29" configurations. This is the rim that goes into the SunRingle' Charger all-mountain wheelset. I've been in contact with Kirk Pacenti, who is going to try a set and offer his impressions. Kirk has already spread the word throughout the nascent 650B community, resulting in at least a half dozen calls and emails within hours of our conversation. So, in order to keep my inbox and voicemail nice and tidy, if you're interested in seeing these rims go into production, or if you have any suggestions, please post a comment here. I'll continue to provide updates on the project as it moves forward.

UPDATE - We currently offer our CR-18 in a 650B. J&B Importers carries 'em.

Oh - Snap!

2007-10-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Matt Eglin, Hayes' field tech guy, stopped at Fruita recently for a quick ride, and ended up in surgery. In his own words, "I went off a rock drop, misplaced my landing, stuck my leg out, and landed wrong. SNAP! went my leg." That's pretty much what the x-rays say, too.

HBG at the Bike Fed of Wisconsin Gala

2007-10-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Six of us (Clayton, Len, Harry, John T., Russel, and me) boarded a bus last night for the Bike Federation of Wisconsin's fundraiser gala, hosted by the guys at Saris. We drank a bunch of beer on the bus, and a bunch more at the gala. Russel and I got our pictures taken with the evening's guest of honor, Phil Ligget, and for a while, Clayton, Len, and I held the top three spots on the "Max Power" competition. Oh, and Harry cranked up his big diesel to blend some margaritas. One of the more interesting parts of the evening was Phil's response to a question about doping. He made it abundantly clear that he believes Floyd is innocent. Huh.

Hit this link for some pictures I took.

HBG races in Sheboygan

2007-10-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

A bunch of us went up to Sheboygan yesterday for the final race of the WORS calendar. It was the first mountain bike race in many years for both Clayton Goldsmith and me. Other, more experienced dirt merchants included Ron Stawicki, Tom Bender, and Russel Jobs. In the Elite race, the Ronsta was running in 8thbefore a flat ended his day, but Bender saved the day with a 10th place finish. Clayton and the Tool Man took 5th and 6th in the Comp Singlespeed division. For me, let's just say it was a humbling reminder of the days before my switch to road racing - cramps, crashes, the unholy stink of my riding clothes on the morning after... lots of fun, and lots of good people, though. It was cool being back in my hometown and seeing some of the folks who helped me get into the sport. Thanks to the FatKats for a great race. We'll be back next year.

HBG at Eurobike

2007-09-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Busy booth:

John Otis (Senior Product Manager) talks about Dorado:

Commuter rig

2007-09-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

A bunch of the guys here ride in to work, and they got me going a couple weeks ago. At the time, I was riding my race rig, which isn't ideally suited to the task. So, I finally got around to repainting and modifying the old Peugot that had been languishing in the garage. Today was her maiden voyage. Ain't she a beaut?

The right tool for the job

2007-08-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

I got a haircut last night - my first in six months - and in the course of my conversation with the stylist, I mentioned that I was into riding. After clarifying that I ride bikes of the non-motorized variety (inevitable in Milwaukee), she told me the all-too-familiar story of getting a cheap bike, riding it twice, and entombing it in the garage.

That conversation came back to me as I rode in this morning. My in-laws got a pair of bikes about a month ago, and have been riding them enthusiastically and regularly ever since. Of course, I got them set up on the right bikes, with the right accessories (thanks to the folks at Wheel & Sprocket), and introduced them to some great routes near their house.

So why did my in-laws stick with it (so far, anyway) and not my stylist? I think a lot of it has to do with quality equipment. There's such a difference between a $150 Roadmaster put together by a Wal-Mart "associate", and a $300 Trek or Giant put together by a real, live mechanic who knows that bar-ends aren't supposed to point straight up like sundials. I'm pretty confident that, given the proper equipment, my stylist would have had a substantially more enjoyable experience.

This principle even applies to me, I think. These past two days, I've ridden the 32 miles from home to work and back on my race bike, a Giant TCR with top-shelf everything. All the rain we've gotten recently has left a portion of my route submerged in bottom-bracket deep water. I cringe as I slowly roll through, trying to keep my feet above water and the spray off my butt. Ugh, and the sounds coming out of my drivetrain are gut-wrenching. As a consequence, I've begun to mentally spec-out my perfect commuter bike. But would a dedicated bike with fenders and an internally-geared hub make me more likely to keep riding to work? I'm tempted to think so, but that could just be the new bike lust talking. In any case, it would first have to get approved by the House Appropriations Committee. I've begun the application process already, just in case.

Ed Begley Jr. would be so proud

2007-08-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

I rode into work for the first time today. In case anyone's interested in stalking me, here's a screenshot of my route from MapMyRide.com. I could have taken a more direct route on city streets, but getting mowed down by a '86 Caprice with 20" rims and blown suspension isn't my idea of a good death.

Global cooling ought to start any minute now.

Troubling...

2007-08-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

This appeared in the latrine recently. Fortunately, I haven't witnessed any manifestations of heightened sensuality - which is good, 'cause I sit right across from the bathroom door.

If you don't ride SunRinge wheels, you're probably not a world champion BMXer

2007-07-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

The following is from Ryan Birk, Sun Components BMX Brand Manager:

This past weekend were the UCI BMX World Championships up in Victoria BC Canada and once again Sun Ringle’ sponsored riders took home all the medals. I think I’m just going to start hitting “Resend” on these press releases after each major BMX event as it seems they all read the same. Sun riders win again, blah blah blah.

But just so you know.

Elite Men:

1^st Kyle Bennett USA Kyle rides for Free Agent Bicycles and rides on Sun Light mini hubs with Rhyno Lite XL rims

2^nd Khalen Young AUS Khalen is a member of the Sun sponsored Australian Olympic team and rides the 4Stroke Race Sun wheelset

3^rd Randy Stumpfhauser USA Randy rides for Sun GT Bicycles and rides the Sun SuperStock Pro wheelset with chrome Rhyno Lite XL rims

4^th Steven Caesar USA Steven rides for Redman Bicycles and rides the Sun 4Stroke Race wheelset

Elite Women:

1^st Shaneze Reade GBR Shanaze rides for Redline Bicycles out of the United Kingdom and rides the Sun 4Stroke race wheelset

The majority of the other riders in the main events for these premiere classes ride on Sun rims but I just wanted to highlight the people that I know are on complete wheelsets.

BUT THE REAL BMX EVENT OF THE WEEKEND went down at the new ABA BMX track up there in Milwaukee and that’s where I was at. An ABA state qualifier race on Saturday brought out the new HB family of BMXers and I was quite proud of their performances.

Practice saw several HB employees and their kids out riding kids bikes. I only brought 1 of the Sun Ringle’ 10x10 canopies but I should have brought all 3 of them. Porter and his 2 boys were all out riding in practice, Josh Pallesen stopped by to check out the action even Harry rode out on his 10speed to hang out. In the race action, all of the Sun affiliated people rode well and all made it to their respective main events. And they had the biggest cheering section of all the racers with all the HB families out there.

Small Cab (Mikey Cabaltera) rode his first BMX race at 4yrs old (I wasn’t even potty trained at that age) and made his main to take home a big trophy

Medium Cab (Sam Cabaltera) rode well, transferring out easily into his main event

Little Giz (Codi Gissibl) had some insane first straight pull and easily made it to his main event

Rich Travis rode his first BMX race ever and made it to a tough cruiser class main event after we figured out how to get him out of the starting gate

Big Cab (Len) used his “velo” legs to easily power his way into the main event despite riding the Tour de Wisconsin or something like that the day before

All in all it was a good BMX weekend for Sun Ringle and the HB Fam.

Oh, I didn’t attend the UCI Worlds in Canada this year because of that little “baby might come early” thing but next year they will be held in Beijing China in late May. I’ll be on the Elite Masters podium if you need to get ahold of me.

Ron Stawicki - National Champion

2007-07-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ron Stawicki, SunRingle weelbuilder extraordinaire, won the Duo categoty this weekend's 24-hour national championships with his partner, Jerry Dannen. Needless to say, he did so on SunRingle wheels and Hayes disc brakes.

I'm not sure why Ron's jersey has vertical stripes, and Jerry's has horizontal. In any case, I hope they both received belts as prizes.

Here's a link to Ron's blog.

Let's get 'er going

2007-07-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

It's been just over a month since I started here, and I'm starting to find my groove. One of my major projects is going to be establishing an online presence for HBG beyond the brands' web pages. (HBG includes Hayes Disc Brakes, SunRingle, Manitou, and Wheelsmith.) This blog is just one step - there's obviously much more to generating a true web identity than just creating a blog. You gotta start somewhere, though. I'd love to hear from anyone reading this post - either via email or a comment. In fact, I'll send out a pair of Hayes socks to the first five people to leave comments.

New job

2007-06-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Today, I started my new job as Hayes Bicycle Group's Marketing Supervisor. In addition to a very warm welcome, I received a boatload of really cool stuff. I especially dig the wool jersey. Actually, I dig it all. I almost bought a new backpack yesterday, and this thing beats everything I saw at REI. And the socks are actually big enough to fit my enormous feet. I love my new job.