Articles – Page 53 – Seven Cycles

Matt O’s Festive 500

On a more positive note than recent posts, we have just collected some of the photos Matt O’Keefe took during the Rapha Festive 500 at the end of the year.

When you ask Matt why he rides the Festive 500, he’ll laugh and say, “I don’t know,” but then all the reasons come tumbling out. And it’s pretty clear peer pressure got him out the door to begin with, at the end of 2012.

“I had just signed up for Strava,” he says, “and then Rapha put out the challenge, ride 500km in the week between Christmas and New Years, and I mentioned to John Bayley that it was a cool idea, but that I didn’t have a Garmin. So John gave me a Garmin, and I was out of excuses.”

Despite some untimely snow and a day off for family commitments, he managed to complete last year’s challenge and enjoyed it. This year, the weather was better. The snow held out (until just after the holiday), and Matt managed to get 7,000 miles in his legs over the 2013 season, so the kilometers piled up more easily.

“I don’t know why I do it, but it definitely ends the season with a bang,” he says.

Here are some more of his photos, and for even more of Matt’s cycling adventures, follow him on Instagram.

Nor’easter

We got a foot of snow last night and the afternoon high for the day will be 12F. That didn’t keep Rob from striking out at 8:30am to make the slippery trek into the shop. Our Expat S. Studded tires. Full fenders. A frozen water bottle. There is work to do, after all.

It’s a good thing there were so few cars out. Plow dodging will no doubt become an event in some future Winter Olympics. There is also valuable experience to be gleaned for work on future winter commuters.

And he wasn’t the only one who chose to ride. Cold puddles dot our bike parking lot today. We can’t recommend riding in these conditions, but it’s amazing how many times “go outside” turns out to be the right decision, and how often the bike is actually the best tool for the job.

Roxanne’s Axiom S

This is Roxanne’s Axiom S. We built it with one of our favorite fitters, Jess at Two Wheel Tango. Roxanne opted for custom blue decals to match her bar tape. We like it a lot. Now we’re just waiting for a warm winter day, so she can show it off to the world.

Roxanne says:

Waiting for a ride! Brutal cold here in MI! Thanks for all your help and excellent work by your staff! She’s a beauty!

Patrick D’s Elium SL

This is Patrick’s Elium SL with Pointed Panel paint scheme, finished out with SRAM Red components, another collaboration with our friends at High Gear Cyclery in Stirling, NJ.

Patrick says:

I just wanted to send a quick thank you to the entire team that built my frame. The process was thorough, simple and fast!! The frame is beyond all my expectations and looks simply amazing.

Fit Werx – The Active Times’ Best Bike Shop in America

Being named the Best Bike Shop in America is quite an honor. Over a period of years, our friends at Fit Werx, in both their Waitsfield, VT and Peabody, MA locations, have established themselves as destination shops for riders looking for supremely well-fitted bikes. It is not at all surprising they were awarded this honor by The Active Times, who aims to be the world’s best source of authoritative, inspiring, enlightening content for living the active, adventurous life.

In their summary on Fit Werx, they say:

Though it’s not really close to much of anything, the original small Green Mountain shop has an outsized reputation.

We know that’s because Fit Werx brings expertise, professionalism and attention to detail to every bike they fit, design and sell.

And congratulations to Fit Werx. We’re proud to work with you.