PONY SHOP CYCLOCROSS

Facebook

2009-12-09T07:13:00.002-06:00

Please come see us on our FACEBOOK fan page. You don't have to join FACEBOOK to check us out, bookmark the fan page! Thank you!!

2009-10-14T07:13:00.000-05:00

Ok I'm a bit of a snob, and I have done this for customers who just ride cx bikes as winter road bikes or comuters, but....why would moots put this pimp psychlo X in a magazine add in Cyclocross magazine with a 53 39 front chainring set up? The wheels are used but I'm guessing not on this bike. CX mag readers notice these things.....

Practice tonight at James Park in Evanston 6:00 pm!

YES

2009-10-09T14:38:00.003-05:00

This stuff just saved my Rhyno! Last night my front tire was flat, I pumped it to 40 psi, and it was dead in 15 minutes. I put in 20ml of the Caffe Latex in, which is only half of what they recommended, pumped it to 70 psi, and done, 16 h0urs later it's still fully inflated!

Well Hello there...

2009-10-08T07:34:00.002-05:00

Boy it's been awhile. I'll try to get back up to speed here. I've been posting consistently (daily) on our facebook page, which is infinately easier. http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pony-Shop/102655166633

This is Jackson Park, which was an awesome race! 3 of the top 4 were Pony Shop Team guys but Jason Knauff director of the CCC came around me and I was first loser. Very fun race and I was stoked with the result for the first race!
We got lots of new goodies in stock, especially cross stuff! FMB tires, Challenge tires, new Mavic Fury and Chasm mtn shoes, rain booties, winter goods, everything is rolling in!

This is the gang with Mr. Colnago himself. It was an honor to meet the man, and more of an honor for him to tell me the Prestige I built was the nicest he's had at a show.
That's my pain face in DeKalb. I raced harder and faster than Jackson Park and raced into 5th place. I was super happy with that, I tried to make the race hard, fought back when I could, and was stoked my team mate Eric took the W!
This is one of those things you find when you go to a cross shop, I like these chain keepers, they're working really well for me, and now we have a bunch in stock!!

Cross Clinic

2009-09-17T07:16:00.001-05:00

The Swap 'n Hop Cross Clinic is scheduled for Saturday, October 31st at the IIT campus. Registration is now open. Please visit http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=9366 to register today. The clinic is open to beginner riders only.

The pre-registration fee is $45 and $60 (cash) day of registration. The fee includes all USA Cycling insurances, on-line fees, a 3-hour clinic and swag for the first 20 preregistered persons.

The Swap 'n Hop Cross Clinic is presented by IIT Cycling and the Chicago Cyclocross Cup.

In addition, to that you are eligible to enter a raffle for additional prizes.

It's Time

2009-09-13T10:06:00.003-05:00

Well wether I like it or not it's time to race. I always have a bit of a hard time with the first cross race....It's before Interbike, a lot of times it's still super hot, and I'm coming off a long summer and a short intense prep period for cross. I just want to get it on now... I think the expectation is harder than the race itself.

On the upside I am done with the team bikes, and everyone seems really excited, as promised (to myself) I have just one left to finish, mine. I am still waiting on the balance of our clothing order, which is more frustrating that I can explain, I ordered on June 25th and still don't have it.

Tires have as always been a challenge to get enough of, crazy I love it! That just means people are getting super stoked for cross, we've done more tubular tires than clinchers this season!

See you at JP, can't wait to see the new obstacle??

Lou

Tires!

2009-09-02T17:30:00.004-05:00

We FINALLY have more tires on the way! Challenge Griffo in 32's are en route. I'd be happy to set some aside for anyone just let me know if you're are in need.

Team bikes are almost done, almost... I have 5 more to go then we'll be in good shape.

Pony Shop practices are back on at James Park in Evanston. Every Wednesday (today) at 6:00 pm James park, which is on Oakton just west of Dodge ave across from the Home Depot.

Trying out that Paul's component front chainring guide, verdict is still out on that one....Loving the fmb semi slicks, still have some 32 and 34's available.

Waiting on shop clothing, thinking about doing Church cross this Sunday??

3 weeks till Interbike! Yikes, I'm stoked to be able to do updates from the phone while we're out there, should be cool!

Interbike Here I come!

2009-08-29T17:56:00.003-05:00

2009-08-28T08:08:00.002-05:00

2010 Colnago Prestige Cyclocross bike.

Run up anyone?
OK the gearing is not right yet but it's tough to find 135mm 46T rings.
Jim and Tami's Cannondale's heading home!

cross updates

2009-08-26T20:34:00.002-05:00

Colnago

2009-08-12T08:27:00.003-05:00

This beauty was build, boxed, and headed for VEGAS Interbike. Cross surprise coming soon....

2010 Cannondale Cyclocross

2009-08-06T21:02:00.003-05:00

Custom CX sock samples...
Cannondale CAAD 8 cyclocross. This bike looks great in person, cross gearing, top levers, Tektro brakes, Kenda Small block 8 tires, and only 1099.99. I think it's going to be one of the better deals out this year for an entry level crosser.

World Champion

2009-08-06T07:58:00.002-05:00

It's not cyclocross but we can call it training for cyclocross, not to mention some great people put the race on, it benefits a good cause, and I'm doing it.

Former World Champion Will Compete At Glencoe Grand Prix

Glencoe, Ill. – The field for this year’s Glencoe Grand Prix presented by AT&T grew more impressive with the announcement that 2008 world omnium champion Hayden Godfrey will be competing in Sunday’s Pro-I-II race.

Godfrey is a 14-time New Zealand national champion who won the third world track title of his career in cycling’s version of the pentathlon. The omnium consists of five events: a 200-meter flying start time trial, five kilometer scratch race, three kilometer individual pursuit, 15 kilometer points race and a one kilometer time trial.

Glencoe Grand Prix Race Director Jon Knouse said news of Godfrey’s participation is creating quite a stir for the third edition of the race that boasts an $11,500 prize list.

“It's not every day a world champion comes to town,” Knouse said. “The people of Glencoe and the Glencoe Grand Prix are over the moon and thrilled to have Hayden Godfrey race with us in our community.”

Joining Godfrey for Sunday’s 70-minutes-plus-two-laps Pro-I-II race will be Jason Allen and Josh England. All three are members of the New Zealand-based Subway-Avanti Pro Cycling Team. They will be vying for a $5,000 prize purse that will also include 10 primes of $100 each.

“We're hoping this will give some of the top regional racers an added incentive to come out,” Knouse said. “Competing against these guys will be something they can tell their grandkids about.”

Cyclists of all abilities and categories will begin racing at 8 a.m. on a four-corner, 0.9‐mile course through the city’s downtown streets. Last year, the Glencoe Grand Prix was voted “Race of the Year” by the Illinois Cycling Association.

Riders are encouraged to pre-register online at www.bikereg.com. Same-day race registration opens at 7 a.m. and closes a half-hour prior to each race. Finish line (chip) timing is provided by Ultramax Events and SRAM will provide neutral support.

A complete schedule of race distances and times is available on the official race website: www.glencoegrandprix.com.

— GGP —

Prep Time

2009-07-28T07:45:00.004-05:00

The stretching and gluing has begun! I'm trying to get as much glued up as possible before I go on Vacation so if you have wheels that need cross tires glued up bring them in, I'd be happy to help, and storing them here till you need them is no problem either. Thanks...

Coaching Deal!

2009-07-28T05:16:00.001-05:00

"Want some structure in your training for cross but can not afford a coach, how bout a 3 month email training plan for $150. Based on the training you having been doing I create you a 1 time 3 month training plan, HR or power based workouts. BSC Coaching"

Contact brian at bconant@msn.com

Cheers,

Lou

Ridley

2009-07-22T20:24:00.003-05:00

Ridley X-Fire complete bike full carbon, SRAM rival kit 2600.00. Crossbow also full Rival in stock as well, only 1750.00.

Ridley X-Night absolutely beautiful, full carbon, internal cable routing, BB30, 1.5" lower bearing, this thing is stunning.

Closer, closer, closer.....

2009-07-21T20:22:00.003-05:00

Haven't been updating much, not that there hasn't been a lot happening. Summer is in full swing, the shop is rocking, been riding a ton, training, and just having a great summer. Our cross team has grown in numbers and we are all super excited to get new bikes, gear, and get practicing. Here are some photos of stuff around the shop... I have been updating the pony shop facebook page more often and intend to keep up with that more since it seems a bit quicker and easier than blogging. check it here if you're into facebook! I have redline cyclocross bikes on sale, including the 24" variety, Ridley bikes just shipped and will be on the floor next week!

2010 SRAM Force Components! We have over 30 kits ordered for the new cyclocross season!
Lots of Dugasts in stock ready to be stretched and glued.

Griffo Clinchers for those who are tubular impaired.
First shipment of Challenge tires is finally here! This is no joke I have over 100 tubies in stock right now ready for the season. If you need tires please shoot me an email any time, or bring your CX wheels in I'll stretch and glue them up for whenever you need them. I'll even store them at the shop if you'd like till you're ready for them.

Cheers,

Lou

tubulars

2009-06-29T19:54:00.002-05:00

my head is exploding with tubulars right now... 32/34 black, white, file tread, rhyno, typhoon, fmb, challenge....coming soon!

2009-06-18T20:14:00.003-05:00

Frame order... check. SRAM order... check. Clothing order... check. Training....ongoing.... but now I'm getting emails if the workout isn't dialed in.. check. New Cyclocross mag in stock. Devon shouts out to The Pony Shop! Thanks National Champ! Ridleys on the way, Dugasts in stock, stretching. When do we start practices? Who is going to start a weekday practice race???

Oakley Jawbones in finally, wow really nice, easy to change the lenses. I'm not just saying it's easy, it's actually easy.

Cross Time

2009-06-03T14:43:00.000-05:00

Cross Time

If cross is your only discipline and you have been doing endurance/tempo rides up to this point, its time to strap it on -- LT time. If you have not been doing endurance/tempo rides and instead chillin on the couch...... well, you are in trouble. BSC Coaching

SALE!

2009-05-28T16:09:00.003-05:00

I just got some new toys so old ones are on the way out... I have a 5 framesets on ebay as of tonight and some other goodies, check them out if you're interested bid or email me directly. I have to make room for a couple new Cross bikes!

The Bone

2009-05-22T19:27:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday I set out with 150ish other riders for the annual bone ride, which leaves from Milwaulkee to Madison and back, roughly 160 miles. It was a great time, although the steady 20 mph cross wind made it one of the harder bone rides in recent years! Total ride time was 7:50.

Waiting for the start.
Me and EJ.

Jack Lionberger.
Sam, EJ, and Scott.
Luca and Chris McKenney from SRAM, he's here from Holland.
Scott contemplating a city soles Madison.
Rob, Mark, and Scott.

YeeHaa

2009-05-15T14:35:00.003-05:00

Typhoon 32/34, flying doctor 32/34, rhynos 32/34 in stock....I'm so excited to have things ready to go early this season instead of searching around for tires in September!
Sneak Peak...

Beer. Cupcakes. Mustache.

2009-05-12T09:15:00.002-05:00

This is a must have book... Beautifully done, I'm on page 46 and had to stop because my heart rate is spiking.

hmmmm

2009-05-01T08:43:00.003-05:00

Let the games begin

2009-04-30T17:40:00.004-05:00

This made me really happy last week. I see a guy walk in with tubular eastons, no big deal...wants tires glued on, no big deal... overhear him talking to one of my awesome mechanics and hear 32's or 34's.....HOLD ON.... April 22nd and someone is bringing in wheels to be glued for Cross season!!!! Hell YEAH!

This guy is officially the first tubular set for cross season 2009, so I decided he deserved a hookup. I am doing him up with the SETA, silk Challenge griffos in size 32, super nice, for the price of the std griffos.
My broken C50 cross. :( What a bummer. I had it in Texas for a couple months for refinishing and the guy called me and told me it was busted, so now it's headed off to Calfee for frame repair. They are kind of odd out there in CA but they fixed my Look 595, and I trust them to get the C50 back up to speed. It was kind of bitter sweet because I got the call on the cracked colnago the same day I got the proof on our team's new custom cross frames, not sure if that is karma or what?

Hey there

2009-04-06T14:34:00.004-05:00

New kicks are finally out, but haven't seen the light of day yet!

Super nice Edge composite wheels are now available at the Pony shop! These are sick light, like mavic ultimate light, 1160 grams...

Spring!

2009-03-20T09:48:00.004-05:00

Not much posting lately...Did a 4 day trip to Florida to ride with Luca and Mike sherer. Both are awesome guys and great riders. It felt great to put in 350 in 4 days in 80 degree temps. I'm back now working things are picking up quickly around the shop. Built my first cross bike for the 09/10 season. Pretty cool people are thinking cross already in March. The classics seems to bring that out in people too.

Florida road kill.
There are like 20 of those cruise ships out there.

March!

2009-03-02T10:00:00.004-06:00

March is here, warm temps are coming shortly! I'm sad to see so many friends leave me for the warmth of AZ and FL....I use the angst to fuel my rides here in the cold.

My daughter Chloe rocking out some wheel builds with dad at the pony.

Guess Who???

2009-02-25T15:32:00.010-06:00

Check that out, we are living among a superstar!

I haven't been blogging because there isn't much cross news going on. Been riding a lot, looks like I'm going to fall just short on my goal of 20 3hr plus rides outside in Jan/Feb, but I got close. Rode 4 hours today with Luca, EJ, Ernie, Scott, and Alan B. It was so nice out, felt like cheating since today happened to fall on my day off, and the weekend looks kind of crappy. Trying to make a spring ride trip happen last minute thanks to a generous offer. It would be great to ride in some warm air.

I miss cross a lot. Got the go ahead to work on frame design for 2009 team bikes, and a good team friend is working on a HUGE special guest at the shop in the fall. I hope it all works out, but it would be after Madison weekend if it does. Hope everyone is well, see you on the road soon I hope!

Slippers

2009-02-07T15:35:00.005-06:00

Mavic Shoes in stock. They are so comfortable, I am really impressed.

Happier

2009-02-07T11:42:00.005-06:00

Devon's sweet National Champ jersey from 2008 hanging from the rafters.
50 degrees in February!

What makes me happy

2009-02-06T16:37:00.003-06:00

Sunny days on the Lake Front Path!

Custom Oakleys (No they're not all mine)

Math

2009-02-05T07:04:00.002-06:00

I need to work on my math skills. For instance....If you ride south at 21mph with a 15 mph tail wind and it takes you 1 hour 8 minutes to get to the south shore country club...how freaking cold will you be by the time you get home? Maybe that's not quite a math equation. Notes from today, the winter skyline in Chicago is unreal, lake water can get you wet even though it's 40 feet from the path, vaseline on your face really helps, embro on the back of your hands doesn't, and I can't wait for spring.

Sickness

2009-01-30T15:29:00.005-06:00

Luca and I were chatting about who is going to win the World championships this year and I am thinking Stybar is my favorite followed by Boom and Nys. This photo by Jeremy Powers confirms that, it's from his new journal entry on VN. Stybar hired a driver on a durny to motor pace him during practice on the pavement sections of the World Championship course, now that is sick dedication. Damn Jpow is good with the camera, the special edition Challenge Red 34 tire photo below is also courtesy of him.
Reading all the worlds info and seeing photos of everyone training on the course is making me jones to ride my cross bike again. I can't believe that Katie can't get shimano to pay for her stuff? That seems like a damn shame. Her bike needs a BKW stylist to do some work on it though, it needs a different look, she is world class and she deserves a bike that looks it, not unlike NYS's Colnago.

BB 30

2009-01-30T14:01:00.004-06:00

Coolest thing about BB30 Bottom Bracket bikes, is BB30 Cranks.

Training?

2009-01-28T13:03:00.004-06:00

Riding the snowy south end of the path today, wish it was all like this...just a bit of snow to keep things interesting. It started out overcast but turned into a beautiful day out there!

Bluedale

2009-01-27T11:47:00.003-06:00

Old road parts = new winter road bike.

Reset! Cyclocross Magazine Issue 5

2009-01-25T14:19:00.006-06:00

Issue #5 in stock at The Pony Shop! Come and get yours, lots of good reading info! I rode then was laid up on the couch for 3 hours reading everything with my coffee.

Not too much happening right now around the shop, checking in new inventory, year end fiscals, nothing terribly exciting, except a few super nice road bikes going out and overhauls. This is preseason time for the roadie in us. Time to prep the bike, new parts, frame, start training, marking down on the calendar what races to do. I just can't quite get into it, not like cross, although I may do an April road race. I am looking forward to riding the road bike with my friends on a group ride and having coffee before and after. I'm missing my winter training partner lately, but can't blame him since he's riding in Hawaii, and the max temp I saw outside this week was 34.

This was Devon's frame, now my parts are on it. I figured since we may do custom Cannondale's next year I should probably ride one for a bit to make sure. It rides super nice, haven't been able to ride it off road, on trails, or with tubulars yet though.
This is Fizik's new Antares saddle. I really like it so far, it's similar to an Arione but a bit shorter and no seams in the center.
This is my new water bottle. I put one swiss miss cocoa packet in there, then fill with boiling water out of the kettle. It is awesome, even today with sub 10 degree temps, the cocoa was hot after 2 hours. A standard bottle doesn't last 20 minutes before freezing.

Photos

2009-01-18T18:21:00.004-06:00

Howard at the Dorc
John, Mark W, Aram, me, and Bolling, in ashville NC

Ashville
Mosk, Alex, and Nick obviously up to no good already, on the way to the airport interbike circa 2004?
Rudrud, Mallan, and Mosk, miss that guy.

Cross Training

2009-01-16T09:30:00.007-06:00

Can dog walking count as cross training? The smoke coming off the water this am was awesome on the lakefront.

Venue

2009-01-16T07:22:00.002-06:00

Doc Roman and I met up with the park district who presides over our hallowed grounds. Cross your fingers if we get through the politics and red tape we will have a killer venue for Pony Shop Cross #1. Thanks have to go out to Robert S of the CCC he is a great public speaker and his new role helping out the new race directors of the cup is priceless.

Bye bye

2009-01-12T19:31:00.003-06:00

Devon's 08 Cannondale CX9 Frameset for sale. 56cm frame, 57.5 top tube, it rides more like a 58cm. It's here or email me.

Giant Boom

2009-01-11T21:19:00.006-06:00

This is the photo I had been waiting for. This is Boom at the Netherlands European championships. Since contract years for bicycles start January 1st, Boom has been riding a Colnago until 2009, but Rabobank is now sponsored by Giant. He is now riding a "rabobank", which are his Colnagos with a new paint job. Don't get me wrong, I love my Colnagos, but it's disappointing that LARGEST producer of carbon bikes in the world, can't come up with a bike that Boom will ride when they have had five months now to work on it.

White

2009-01-09T14:26:00.002-06:00

Finally all white comes back in the Arione!

GO SRAM!

2009-01-05T07:17:00.002-06:00

By James Huang, Technical editor

SRAM Red helped Astana win the 2008 Tour of California, Giro and Vuelta. (SRAM Corp.)

Chicago-based component maker SRAM can now be considered a newcomer to the road bike componentry market in name only, having taken its third consecutive win in the Cyclingnews.com Reader's Poll 'Best Product' category with its Red group even over Campagnolo's all-new Super Record über-package and the upcoming tech-heavy electronic Dura-Ace Di2 from Shimano.

Quick-shifting Zero Loss lever internals, innovative DoubleTap shift actuation, standard hybrid ceramic bearings and a heavy dose of carbon fiber and titanium are but a few of Red's attributes but its most defining characteristic is easily its reassuringly positive feel replete with tactile feedback. Add in the sub-2kg total weight and superb ergonomics and it should perhaps come as no surprise that SRAM continues to maintain its lead.

Campagnolo certainly lay down easily with its stunning Super Record group. The return of the heralded nameplate brought with it a jump to an 11-speed cassette, drastically revamped front and rear derailleurs, ceramic bearings and refined lever ergonomics - with possibly the most comfortable hoods in the business. Many will still debate the need for an additional cog out back but the groups exceptionally high level of performance would be impressive regardless.

Shimano's long-awaited Dura-Ace Di2 electronic shifting group lands in third spot - and could possibly change the way we think about shifting forever. Shift performance both front and rear is significantly smoother than anything else we've experienced in our initial testing - especially under power - though rather lacking in feedback. A late introduction means well still have to wait a few months before beginning to gauge public opinion of its real-world performance but the numbers clearly indicate that Shimano has at least seriously piqued our interest.

Results

1. SRAM Red gruppo - 3,676 votes, 31.97 percent; 2. Campagnolo Super Record 11-speed gruppo - 2,375 votes, 20.66 percent; 3. Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic gruppo - 1,458 votes, 12.68 percent; 4. Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 gruppo - 1,221 votes, 10.62 percent; 5. Road Tubeless wheel system- 817 votes, 7.11 percent; 6. FSA/Cannondale/Zipp BB30 oversized bottom bracket standard - 500 votes, 4.35 percent; 7. Specialized S-Works Epic mountain bike - 387 votes, 3.37 percent; 8. Giant TCR Advanced SL road bike - 357 votes, 3.10 percent; 9. Truvativ HammerSchmidt drivetrain - 271 votes, 2.36 percent; 10. Trek Top Fuel mountain bike - 192 votes, 1.67 percent; 11. Fox/Shimano 15QR 15mm thru-axle system - 128 votes, 1.11 percent; 12. RockShox SID World Cup fork - 116 votes, 1.01 percent. Total votes: 11,498.

Encouraging Words

2009-01-04T15:14:00.003-06:00

Zach from Half Acre wrote a great article that is featured in Gapers Block about The Pony Shop. How cool is that! Thanks Zach! And thanks also to Naz for the photos in the article. It's great for the shop and our team, but it's also great for Cyclocross in Chicago to get more people aware of the sport!

Toasty Fingers Part 2

2008-12-31T11:22:00.004-06:00

Rode this am 12 degrees, -4 with the wind chill and I was toasty warm! I ordered some for the shop so I'll have them in next week if anyone wants to see them. Below is my home made version of toe covers for the size 50 lake boots! Just pull an old pair of shoe covers up as high as possible, then cut them off, worked pretty well. Happy New year.

Toasty Fingers

2008-12-30T11:00:00.006-06:00

Everyone who rides with me knows my hands and feet are ALWAYS cold. A bad case of frost bite left me with fingers and toes that get cold fast and won't warm back up. I am embarrassed to tell you how many different pairs of gloves I own, much less have owned, in the past 5 years trying to keep them warm. I have tried everything, including lobster gloves with chemical heating packs in the fingers. These gloves are by far the warmest thing I have ever used.

These are heated gloves made by Venture, the name makes me laugh because it reminds me of the cheap department store from years back, but these aren't too cheap. They have a lithium ion battery pack that sits in each glove and is rechargeable in about four hours. Depending on power settings Max, High, Med, and low the battery lasts between 2-10 hours. Having cold hands normally I of course put them right to Max on a ride into the wind 25 degree temps. I was shocked when 15 minutes in my hands were too hot, turned down to high, another 15 minutes still too warm, turned down to medium.... perfect. The reason I think they work so well is that they heat so that the finger tips are the hottest, then cooler as they work down toward your palms, just the opposite of how your fingers are.
They come up high on your arm and have two different adjustment points at the cuff and midpoint.
One of the better things for me about these is if you do get cold they ramp up hot enough that they'll snap you back to comfortable quickly, that's the benefit of not having to run them on the highest setting to be comfortable. If you have to stop and change a flat on a 20 degree day, you can pop these to max and get comfortable again quickly. They are expensive but when I go through close to 100 of those little chemical warmers in a year, these seem like a much better alternative for the environment. When you add it all up they pay for themselves in two seasons. I'm looking into carrying them at the shop if you are interested drop me an email.

What now

2008-12-29T18:28:00.003-06:00

I got a call today from a rep who is sending me a new cyclocross frame to "try out". As awesome as that was the best part was him saying "wait you aren't still racing cross? Doesn't the season go until February up there?" Ha... i freaking wish. If it did I wouldn't be wondering what to write about, missing my friends, and organizing my "cross" book marks, into cross parts, cross races, cross training, cross riders, and cross news. Although that sounds really fun it wasn't that exciting although it is quite efficient now.

It would be awesome to still be racing, but the hard part as one of the USA cycling officials who was in today told me, is finding someone who wants to stand out in the cold all day and officiate or host a race in this weather. People are doing it though, just saw this recently, they are still racing in Virginia, and so is North Carolina, they have five races in January/February. Maybe I need a road trip.

All that people talk leads me to think about how I can contribute more to the Chicago Cup. We've talked about hosting a race and are meeting with people to figure out if we can use our ultimate venue, that would be great. If that doesn't work out I want to help out with the Cup in some other way, whether that is sponsor prizes, prize money, volunteer to help set up a race with another club, something else. The series has grown so much and everyone has done so much work to make it all happen. I want to help out next year in some capacity to keep it all rolling.

I am excited for next season and can't wait to see what is possible. New teams? more races? new venues? better courses? I have to say that this year everyone who put on a Chicago Cup race really stepped their game up a notch. The favorites by the poll were Northbrook, Woodstock, Montrose, and Dekalb. So three out of the four were new venues! It's pretty cool to have new places to race not to mention new courses every year.

We don't have any more races to do this winter but follow these US riders who are in Belgium duking it out with the old guard. Molly, Brian Matter, Troy wells, J Powers, and if you're really feeling down read this from Greg's trip to Belgium for Master's Worlds 2008, because I'm going sooner than later. I am obsessed.

Custom Hats

2008-12-23T13:37:00.003-06:00

Just in time for Christmas! Custom hats are here! $25.00.

Cart Horse

2008-12-18T09:52:00.004-06:00

What's that saying "don't put the cart before the horse"? Oh well screw that. The first piece of Custom 09 "Team Pony Shop" cross bikes.

Night Cross race

2008-12-17T16:38:00.001-06:00

Preliminary schedule for 2009 race....Coolest thing I saw Jingle Cross Night Race???

National Champion

2008-12-16T10:14:00.003-06:00

CONTRATS DEVON!!!!!!

Nationals

2008-12-15T19:42:00.004-06:00

Well the season is over! Boo! As you can see below while I should have been riding in KC I was taking my bikes apart at the gold old Pony. Too many things added up for me, and after 12 sundays in a row, my daughter looked me and doubt set in. I had a great weekend at home with the family. I had a wonderful season and the family and my bike need a break. The frame is on the way in to be refinished, back to new I hope....

Nationals sounded like a blast, still can't find too many photos, but I stole this one below from Mike's site. He has a good recap of his racing this weekend, had an awesome ride, even with trouble to finish on the podium of the D1 race. Brian had a good ride in the masters race. And Devon is our new Colligate D2 National champion. What impresses about Devon is that she raced the elite race 1 hour after her win in the colligate race, and was riding in 8th for most of the race!
We have lots in store for 09 and I look forward to keeping the team going for years to come. It has truly been a pleasure working with everyone.

Katie Switches to Shimano

2008-12-13T18:46:00.002-06:00

Katie Compton Swaps to Shimano from her Campagnolo just days before the National Championships. That's a baller move but I'm sure she's psyched to get some new goods on the bike. I wonder if she was running Shimano Cassettes before or if she had to swap out all the freehub bodies on her current wheels? That's a lot of work, plus all the bikes in Europe have to be swapped out for Shimano 7900 as well...Photo by, Brad Kaminski.

SALE!

2008-12-11T15:33:00.002-06:00

We have Cannondales, Redline conquest and conquest pros, and Giant cyclocross bikes all on sale. Limited to what is in stock, 15% off! This is a good time to get your wife, brother, sister, friend, or co-worker into the sport for cheap! Maybe a holiday gift?? We also have gift cards available, if your significant other wants to buy you a cool present, they can call or email me and I'll send the card to them....Cheers!

Montrose Photos

2008-12-11T08:16:00.005-06:00

Photos provided by a Pony Shop neighbor, Karl. Thanks much!

Tire Choices

2008-12-08T18:41:00.003-06:00

Rhynos are not thornproof...

Final

2008-12-07T21:36:00.003-06:00

What a fantastic race we had today. The course design by Chris Dimick of Turin was great, he showed off how much of the park we haven't used in the past today. There really are probably 10 uci level courses possible at Montrose. The weather once again didn't disappoint. I want to say thank you to everyone on The Pony Shop team, all the racers out on the course, the race directors, officials, our shop sponsors, the sponsors of The Chicago Cyclocross Cup, and especially my and all of the families who support us to come out and race around having so much fun. This has truly been a fantastic season, the cup has grown, and seeing more people out having so much fun has been awesome.

My race today didn't go as planned. I needed to be stellar today to win, and I took chances I shouldn't have, which led to a mechanical and any shot I had at the podium. I did a bit of running and chased back a few spots after getting a spare bike. The only mechanical all year, figures it's on the biggest day of the year! Our racers were all over the place today out there in force. Here's what I remember/know. Brian Conant 1st place Gold! in the 40+, me 7th, mark Feary 9th, Mike S 5th(flatted while out front and ran half a lap, sounds familiar??), Luca Lenzi 3rd (bronze medal in for Pro 1/2), Devon 1st (gold baby!), aspen? Carolyn? Jack 4th, Cliff 4th, Sam? I'm sorry I should have written these down!

Overall what a great day! Thank you to everyone who came out today to cheer the team on, I heard you the whole race, sorry I couldn't deliver the W...

Good Luck!

2008-12-06T18:10:00.002-06:00

Good luck to everyone tomorrow at Montrose! This has been such a great year, I'm already looking forward to 2009!

Montrose 07

2008-12-06T07:26:00.005-06:00

Practice Ride

2008-12-05T06:22:00.004-06:00

What is that saying "train like you race" or something like that. Mark and I figured in our wee little heads that it would be a good idea to go out this am at five o'clock and ride for an hour to let the lungs acclimate to the cold temps. Well that's kind of like how the riders in the 50's used to smoke to acclimate their lungs to the bad air quality, it hurts! Everything is icy as hell along the lake.

Chicago Cyclocross Finals #10

2008-12-04T16:03:00.003-06:00

The 10th race in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup is this Sunday at Montrose Harbor. It's been a great season and I'm sure the championship course will not disappoint. New this race is chip timing... please bring a credit card with you to registration. The Chips will be a leg band, so no need to worry about the chip in the event you need to pit and swap bikes. The weather on the other hand is something to worry about....brrrrr...I can't wait.

Jingle Videos

2008-12-02T21:16:00.001-06:00

Tire Choices

2008-12-02T17:18:00.003-06:00

Matt Pacocha from Velonews just posted a great article about tire choice. Funny because after last week in the Iowa slop the subject has come up a lot. He's promised a more in depth look at the tires he's ridden this season coming soon. If you have favorite combinations email them to me lou(at)ponyshop.com and I'll post them up here. No time like the present to plot next season's tire budget! I'll go first, wish list.

1. Mavic Carbone Ultimates with 32 Challenge Griffos

2. Mavic R-Sys with 34 FMB SSC Sprints

3. Mavic Ksyrium SL or ES's with 32 DuGast Rhynos

I have no tire brand loyalty, obviously. Really curious if anyone has a season on the Challenge Fango?

Bling!

2008-12-02T07:12:00.003-06:00

Sorry mike couldn't help myself, you're a style icon.

JP jumps ship

2008-12-01T21:32:00.004-06:00

Jonathan Page no longer on Ridley bikes, has switched to Blue for the remainder of the season. I never quite understand how this end of the industry works. Ridley is a sponsor of the Planet Bike Team, the majority of the team is riding beautiful custom painted X-nights or X-fires. They were out in force at Jingle Cross last weekend, and let me say The Planet Bike Team has set the bar high in terms of professionalism and having nice approachable riders. Bob has done a great job with his team and all their sponsors. How is it that JP can decide to just break his contract with Ridley and pick up a new bike sponsor? I'm guessing he has a different deal than the rest of the team, but it still seems like a very unprofessional thing to do, especially when just days later you are trash talking Ridley whose bikes the rest of your team is still currently riding.

more jingle

2008-12-01T16:09:00.006-06:00

Steve Tillford's Trek. (Thanks julie)
Todd Well's GT
Jack's Redline post race Sunday, more snow than mud in the am.
Aspen after the 2/3 race.

Jack after 3rd in the 4 race!

Ben's Rock Lobster
Sherer's C-Dale
We had 12 wheels in the back of our car!
Pam and Isaac watching over the heard. Isaac's specialized in the foreground.

EPIC

2008-11-30T19:17:00.003-06:00

Day 2 at Jingle, don't know where to start. Epic was the way to describe it. Lots of embro, quick warm up, and it was go time! After two back to back races yesterday i decided to just do the one today. I can't put the course into words on paper. It was hard, and muddy, and had lots and lots of climbing, running, carrying. Epic. The downhills were harrowing at best. Not sue on everyone but..Lou 10th, 31st, and 8th, Kevin Klug 2nd and 2nd, Brian Conant 24th and 18th, Mike S 9th, and 19th, Aspen 18th ?, Jack 18th and 3rd!, Mark F 18th and 15th, Devon 1st and 5th. Too many to remember, lots of great races! Hope you can make it next year. I had a brainstorm list going on the drive home of what we need to bring next year to make everything even better! Lots of photos.

This guy actually crashed on the downhill below and flipped over the fencing.
Look in the background... it wasn't out of the ordinary to see guys sliding down the hill ahead of their bikes.
Hemme rocking the 2/3's.
Aspen in the 2/3's.

This was the easy run up, which led to the off camber section.
Winter wonderland. Overall great weekend! Devon wins her first UCI cross race! Got to spend time with lots of good friends, and race 3 cross races, doesn't get much better.

2008-11-30T07:10:00.005-06:00

Jingle bells, jingle bells

2008-11-28T16:51:00.002-06:00

Courtesy of Eric S. This is the view from the top of Mt. Krumpit at Jingle Cross. I'll try to post up some photos tomorrow after the pro race.

Let it snow, please...

2008-11-26T21:37:00.000-06:00

woodstock

2008-11-26T13:20:00.000-06:00

Winter Wonderland

2008-11-26T07:53:00.004-06:00

Winter cyclocross tires. Before you ask, nope can't race with studded tires at Montrose. But if you are looking to ride all winter on the treacherous lake front path, these are the way to do it. 700x 35 reflective sidewalls, and I promise you can even ride around the curve on LSD at Oak street, 75.00 and in stock at pony.

Pimp Cross Bike

2008-11-26T07:08:00.004-06:00

Scott's new Addict CX RC on cycling news. Pretty bike, 14.8 lbs, 7500.00. Photo by J. Haung.

Come on

2008-11-24T08:48:00.004-06:00

Todd Wells rocking Shoe covers? HTFU. How the hell can you run with those? How cold was it out there?

woodstock pics

2008-11-24T07:09:00.003-06:00

All photos courtesy of Carolyn. She takes some beautiful shots. Thanks!

Chicago Cyclocross Cup #9 Woodstock

2008-11-23T19:48:00.003-06:00

It was a hike out to Woodstock and I got lost on the way home, but all in all it was well worth it. The course was both the longest to date this year and had the most elevation gain of any course this year. Combined these two made the race very difficult and fun. I like the longer courses since it spreads out the racers more. There were some nice sections of singletrack, pavement, off camber, one barrier section, and some sharp downhill turns. It was an excellent course, and I think Jason Meshberg, co-designer of the Northbrook course had something to do with this one as well. Maybe you should be a full time promotor!

Our race was great, the first lap myself, Chris L (Verdigris), Chris S (World bicycle relief), Eric S (VQ), and Brian D (Verdigris) got a gap almost right away. Eric led out most of the first lap, I kept close and just kept fighting forward for wheels, during the 2nd or 3rd lap I looked back to see Brian and Chris was in front of me, not the ideal situation for me! I actually tried to attack them through the finish area, not much of an attack but at least I made an effort, I felt like I was in a race. Chris L is so strong that a lot of times someone will make one mistake or one lapse and he's goooooonnnnneeeee! Most of the race is a blur but I kept fighting back to Chris and got in front with just over 1 lap to go, after that I just held on rode the good lines and sprinted as hard as I could for the W. It felt great to win, that's the first win I had this year. Thanks to everyone for cheering so loud too, Amy, Jason, Julie,Carolyn, Jessica just to name a few I heard you every lap. Roman and I decided once wasn't going to be enough and lined up for the 123's race as well. Mike totally dominated but I managed not to get lapped and got 10th! Roman was 14th in the 40's and 14th in the 123's, Jim was 7th? and ??, mark F 7th in the 30's, Mike Sherer dominated the pro race followed by Scott, Brian Conant, and Kevin Klug who fought back from a front flat to the front. Carolyn was 8th in the womens 4's, jessica 3rd in the womens, Holly K 2nd, Cliff was 5th in the 4a's! not sure yet on jack (heard talk of a flat!) Scott Starbuck did the 40's??

Great day! Next up Thanksgiving and Jingle cross!

Distraction

2008-11-21T09:00:00.003-06:00

2009 Giant TCR SL 1, with Dura ace 7900, Ksyrium Premium wheels, Dura Ace 7800 SRM. I'm so in love with my RED can't wait to see what the 7900 has brought to the table.

Wednesday Practice

2008-11-20T15:36:00.005-06:00

With the shop being closed on Wednesdays for the winter and the darkness setting in early these days I took a different approach to cyclocross practice this week. A quick midmorning jaunt to Palos to ride the trails. It was beautiful out, great trails, not too much mud, and quiet, very quiet. It's great to get away from the city and the noise for a couple hours. Sold out of 9 ball diaries today! Rumors flying about new races for 2009? Oh man, oh man. I feel some double weekends going down for Chi cross cup 09!

Nope not my cross bike but it has the same wheel size so it counts. 29er and belt drive, love the spot. Took 5 minutes to pressure wash it down after the ride, thanks everyone!!!

Euro Trash

2008-11-20T15:28:00.005-06:00

I've completely sold out to the full on Belgium style warm ups. Gone are the days of leg or knee warmers, or mud on my skin suit during the warmups, for shame. These Vermarc beauties are both stylish and functional. Nice and warm slightly thicker than my leg warmers for extra protection during the cold warmups, elastic waste band, and most importantly full zipp down both sides. Can't wait to try these out this weekend.

Woodstock

2008-11-19T07:21:00.002-06:00

Race #9! Looking crossy for Sunday.

Lansing

2008-11-19T07:05:00.001-06:00

Great video from Doc Roman!

Coach

2008-11-17T16:38:00.003-06:00

This is Brian Conant who is my coach, and hands down the best coach around. Click to Peloton-pix.com for the whole series. Brian lives, breathes, and loves cyclocross 365 days a year. I have had lots of coaches over the years and no one puts the time, effort, and heart into cyclocross coaching the way Brian does. How many people have coaches online or otherwise that haven't ever raced cross? How can they possibly know what a race is like? cyclocross power files barely tell 50% of the story. You have to live it and race at a high level to understand the training, nutrition, and equitment needs. Brian does, look at that smile on his face, what it doesn't tell you is that it was 30 degrees in Wisconsin in that photo. Brian thanks for everything you do for us you're a good friend, and a super coach.

Lawn Oak / Lansing photos

2008-11-17T09:14:00.007-06:00

Couple of photos of the sand, you can get an idea of the depth if you look at my rear wheel, can't see the derailleur. Photo by Amy D. Thanks amy!

This is an awesome sequence of photos, by Luke Seeman, of Chris Dimick and Randy Warren in the sand pit at Lansing. Chris leaves a bit of space going into the sand, Randy gets caught up and goes sideways leaving Chris no where to go with a full head of steam, Chris T-bones Randy and goes head over heels. Chris said afterwards he'd never hit anything so hard on his bike before, thankfully they're both up and running right after. It happens so fast you can see Chris in the air with his hands still on the hoods.

Tufos

2008-11-16T21:24:00.004-06:00

Thanks Chris D for turning me on to these new Tufo tires coming out. I haven't been a fan of Tufo's current tread pattern for most of our racing, but these show promise. Tufos have been a good first cross tire for many guys since they're easily repaired if you puncture. More than likely we're looking at a next year product but something to keep in mind. Today would have been another good day for semi slicks.

Race #8 Chicago cyclocross cup Lansing

2008-11-16T18:12:00.003-06:00

Thanks to the South Chicago Wheelman for having us back for race #8 of the series. The course, as so many of them have been this year, was better than 2007. The park doesn't have any elevation change, so they really used everything they could including a possible 4 dismounts per lap if you didn't ride the sand. The chicanes were nice and really started bedding in for good cornering without needing to brake beforehand. The sandpit was choppy and deep! There was a barrier about 30 feet before the pit and you really had to haul to get back to speed. I think I rode it clean maybe 14 out of 17 times...or close to that. I was so tired at the end, you couldn't back down entering half assed. As Trail Boss would say "Hesitation is devastation".

Race #1 the 30's...same old story for me. Chris from Verdigris whooped us with a smile, his team mate Brian put in a wicked surge and outsprinted me for 2nd, me 3rd, then Keith, Eric S., Strout, think Mark was 8th. It was a good race, reminded me how a bad start can be really bad, it is super hard to move up and watching the front of the race move away from you is really tough, patience is not my best virtue. I made some close passes and people let me sneak by without any problems. Once things settled in on the 3rd lap I was able to make it up to Eric, Chris S, and Matt, then track down Keith to be in second, I closed here and there on Chris but never put him into any concern.

Race #2 was an experiment of sorts, just 2 hours after my race and still in my roubaix skin suit hoping the embro that accidentally slid south is killing a bit of the bacteria that could be roaming about after sitting in chamois post 30 plus race. Pro 1/2 with the Collegiate a's mixed in for good measure. This put the field at maybe 25? I lined up behind Kevin K and Conant for what was likely going to be the holeshot. I got a good start, might I say a bit faster than the 30's start, and settled in the top 10 for awhile. I felt great for the first 4 or 5 laps, then noticed that they hadn't put laps to go up yet???? when they did it didn't help my psyche to see 6 to go. Sixty minutes is a lot longer than 45. The wheels kind of fell off, Roman and Jim with the video camera and all the crew from Half Acre and their sand pit friends (I must say I want a brat real bad, and would have taken a brat hand up), Jessica, Carolyn, and everyone yelling kept me going to the end. A collegiate kid won, Sram guy second, Klug then Conant. Eric S and I were 12th and 13th, but apparently there was an error and we moved up to 11th and 12th overall, but the collegiate race is scored separately, whoo hoo. So I think we end up maybe 7th and 8th?

Other known results....40 plus Bryan Rheude 3rd, Jim 12th, Roman ??, Jack 1st 4a's, Cliff 10th, Carolyn? Mark F 8th 30 plus, Eric S 5th 30's, Strizout 6th 30's, Rudrud did 1.2 races 40 plus and a bit of the 30's, Devon 3's?? Holly won the 1/2/3 womens race, Debbie 2nd, Jessica 5th Mike got 2nd in his OVCX series race.

Wow good day I'm tired, photos soon I'm sure! Great job everyone!!!

Woodstock CX x 2?

Jingle Cross x 2

Montrose CX state championships x 2

Nationals 2

If I race as much as possible I can do 8 more races this season. If I get a UCI licence I can possibly do doubles at Jingle Cross and do 10 more!

hats

2008-11-13T19:41:00.003-06:00

Keep your head warm....should be here before Xmas. Trying to get interest levels, want one??? email me lou@ponyshop.com

9 Ball Diaries

2008-11-13T15:25:00.006-06:00

9 BALL IN THE HOUSE! We have them for sale at the shop $24.99 US money.

Northbrook Video

2008-11-12T21:45:00.001-06:00

This is awesome!

HELP Chicago Cyclocross

2008-11-11T17:20:00.003-06:00

Did you like the race on Sunday in Northbrook??? I loved it and thought it was an awesome course. Please take a minute and send an email thanking the Northbrook Park District for the use of the park. A quick thank you to them can go a long way. They have concerns about the after effects of the race and the damage to the grass.

Here are the emails.

edalton@nbparks.org Ed Dalton, Parks and Properties Director
rhanetho@nbparks.org Rick Hanetho, Executive Director / CEO

After

2008-11-11T15:40:00.005-06:00

My daughter and I drove out to Northbrook today to spend a little of our veteran's day off cleaning up the course and taking some photos of the track. The after effects are really interesting. First the amazing part was that we didn't even fill 1/3 of a trash bag from the whole walk around, not that people haven't already picked up, but we were really searching, and cross people leave a clean park!

The start finish area, you can hardly tell anyone rode through there, much less over 2500 laps on this course.

The transitions from grass to pavement, this one before the second stair run, were some of the muddier areas.
Most spots both on the hill and around the course were just in a matted down condition, the grass is in fine shape just smashed down flat. It will be great to see how quickly this park will come back to normal. There are some great examples of how quickly damaged areas are returned to normal here, the photos on this website are much worse than anything we saw in Northbrook today.

2008-11-11T08:16:00.000-06:00

Redline Conquest Team review on Cycling news. Photo by James Haung.

9 ball

2008-11-10T12:50:00.002-06:00

The 9 Ball Diaries have shipped. I should have a dozen copies this week!

Gaggle?

2008-11-09T19:48:00.006-06:00

What a great weekend. The Geese lent us their park for the latest stop in the formidable Chicago cyclocross cup. The race today was #7 in the best race series in Chicago! It's the only cross series, but really, what other race series in chicagoland even comes close?

On to the race...Thank you to the Garner Northbrook Bike Club and Flatlandia Cycling Team for setting up a fantastic course, which had two rarities, no man made barriers, and 2 stair run ups per lap. I never really thought about the lack of barriers, didn't miss them at all, the course had a really good flow to it, with lots of turns, but more importantly off camber turns, very tricky. The weather helped add to the technical challenge of the course and made it really feel like the Motherland. Rode the DuGast Rynos in 32 today, which were awesome on the off camber stuff and I managed to stay upright the entire time. I did the 30 plus and ended up 3rd, which I was happy with. Eric and I rode a lot of the race in close proximity and I had to dig super deep to stay with him on the flats and road section. The Northbrook cycle club had hot coffee, hot chocolate, and all kinds of treats for everyone at the race, which was greatly appreciated! There were tons of people out from the the weekend rides and it was great to see them all and hear the screaming from the sidelines! Thanks to Aram, John A, Ed , Bolling, and everyone for all the encouragement and for standing outside in the cold for hours to watch a race!

Not sure of all the results, but Jack and Cliff were top 15 I believe it the 4's, Mike won the pro 1/2 and luca was 5th, EJ and Dan both did the 40's Dan doubled up and did the 3's right after, Devon was 11th? in the mens 3's, Aspen has some back trouble, Carolyn 17th, Jim was 11th in the 40's, and Roman "I'll never ride clinchers again" was 15th ish after a wicked start. Wish Scott happy healing, he might be out for the season with an ankle injury.
Mike Sherer lap 3 and not looking back on his way to 1st.
40 plus lap 1 Roman and Jim rocking it out.
1st lap 30 plus, Chris is exiting the photo there, me, Robbie, Matt Sylvia, Eric, Keith all right there. Looking down that line really gives it some perspective how many of us are out there fighting and scratching for one more wheel, one higher place, one clean lap, one strong finish. It's been so great to know everyone better as the year goes on, names and faces, being able to help guys out when needed. I'm really proud of what I've done this year at the races, but I'm just as proud to be a small part of the cross "scene" in Chicagoland. Thanks to Ed Roles of C4 for the wicked awesome photos!

Mike Sherer in the house. It was nice to have him and Pam make it in for the race.

Gaggle of C50's, had to take that photo, not too often we have three C50 cross bikes in at the same time. How many X-Nights can we get at the same time??

???

2008-11-06T19:20:00.003-06:00

Drop

2008-11-06T15:59:00.004-06:00

I dig these bars for cross. It's the Zipp SLC2 Short and shallow. The drop is 2cm less than the Ritcheys I've been running and the flat section in the drop is longer and easier to reach the brake lever for me. The only problem is that the sanded section where the clamp aligns wasn't high enough for where I wanted to rock the cross levers. I used some 800 grit sand paper underneath and at the proper torque spec of 6-8 Nm there seems to be no slippage at all. The ritcheys were giving me bruises on my forearms from when I got in the drops and sprinted because of the angle at which I had to tilt the bars to get the hoods crossy high. I love the ritchey goods but these seems like a good match for me, and hopefully I will be rocking the drops more often with this set up. I tried to stay down a lot more at St. Charles and I think it helped. The added bonus is that SRAM now owns Zipp and we love SRAM at The Pony Shop!

I have 2 riders lined up for demo wheels on Sunday one for the 30 plus race, and one for the 4a's. Anyone else let me know and we'll work out the trade. Sunday is looking like super hard cross conditions, wet muddy, and cold. Perfect....Mike and Pam are coming up from Indiana for Sunday's race. Talk of 09 pony shop cyclocross is already getting me stoked for next year. Custom frames and trying to up things to the next level of support have me super excited. I have been secretly searching for my dream vehicle.

History

2008-11-05T16:21:00.006-06:00

Jingle cross 2006 run run run run run, can't wait for this year!
2006 jackson park haven't missed a chicago cross cup race since.
2005 nationals Brian Conant hole shot. He's gone.......

Practice

2008-11-05T07:32:00.003-06:00

There will be practice tonight at James park starting at 6:00. We're hoping the lights will still be on! Chris also has word of an AM practice on the south lakefront at 6:30 am Wednesdays, and one at Montrose. Carolyn has posted photos from the St. Charles Race, so go check them out, they're great as always!