sick whip

They say if you gonna ball, you gotta keep a sick whip. When I wanna ball so I keep a sick whip.

All joke aside, I have been incredibly fortunate this year with bikes. KS EnergyServices/Team Wisconsin has a new deal with Trek and Emery’s bike shop in Milwaukee to keep us on hands down the nicest frames out there. First off, the new road bike. It almost hasn’t set in yet, but this is a sick whip. It’s 2012 Trek Madone 6.9 SSL with a sweet red and white paint job. It’s been built up with the new Shimano Ultegra grey which takes this otherwise bright frame back a little. The more subdued look is much more my style, and between the frame and components it strikes a nice balance. Enough talking, here are some pictures!

First off, the bike as a whole is pretty fun. I've had a few rides on it when the weather was nicer, and I'm pretty impressed. The seatmast works really well. You can actually see it flex a little while riding, which scares you a little at first, but you can really notice the comfort benefits. It's also pretty stiff drivetrain wise. I haven't really put any serious power down on it yet, but at the very least it's on par with my old Cannondale, which was very stiff. But above all, I am blow away with the steering precision. I've taken it down a few winding hills and it really is point and shoot. The confidence it gives you helps you push the limit. Combine that with good road feel and you can take it right up to the line of grip. It corners just as well, but with all the sand on the roads I haven't really taken any risks yet. 

Riding on the Fizik Arione CX once again. Hands down my favorite saddle. Comfortable and light with tons of space to move around for when you're climbing versus putting the power down on the flats.

Shimano Ultegra grey grouppo for the drivetrain. While it's not the lightest group, the shifting quality is amazing and the whole thing is affordable too. Which will come in handy when I start replacing worn parts. But the thing that really caught me off guard was just how good the front shifting is! I never imagined being able to shift while putting the power down. Plus it looks elegant and clean. What more could I ask for?

Yea, SSL baby!

Aluminum 110mm RXL stem from Bontrager for stiffness and 44cm carbon RXL bars for comfort. I'll probably be switching to a longer 120mm stem soon.

 An interesting camera angle, but check that out! CycleOps wheel set! Thats right, I'll be on CycleOps new carbon PowerTap wheelset, 45mm deep clincher. The really sick part is that at only 1,540g I can have power data from all my races without taking a weight penalty. Plus the Enve Composite rims are stiff and durable.

 WISCONSIN REPRESENT! Proud of that right there for sure.

 The wheels will be wrapped in Bontragers new R4 tires. Haven't ridden them much yet, but from what I hear they are super grippy. I'm looking forward to seeing just how much grip there is out on the mountains.

Training is really starting up in earnest right now. After a few weeks of building up the volume I'm starting to feel like I can put some real effort into the rides. Come March I'll be in full swing. That's all for now. Thanks for reading.