Welcome to the KGS Bikes Blog! My name is Kevin Saunders and I hope to make this a fun place to learn about bikes and share things that promote the cycling lifestyle. I encourage you to comment and contribute as this is going to be a very cool place.
Parlee Z1SL with all the good stuff
Ultimate Stationary Bike - KGS / Parlee on a Tacx Fortius VR Trainer
We are being featured in a local magazine in the Fitness Issue and photographed the VR Trainer with Kevin’s show Parlee (also the daily rider) with a white background.
Originally uploaded by KevinSaunders
I have been doing fittings in Dallas all summer to expand into a bigger market. During this time I started a relationship with the Cooper Aerobics Center on Preston Road and have met so many new friends who love bicycling.
The evolution has been interesting as I had to develop a portable system of fitting people that was as effective as the San Antonio studio. At first I tried using hotel suites. This actually worked well if the rooms were big enough. Part of the problem is the distance needed beside the setup bike to use the HD video camera. This made all but the larger hotel suites unacceptable for fittings.
When the fine folks at Cooper invited me to the Cooper Guest Lodge, I really liked the quiet surroundings, huge suite and ability to fit people without distraction. The Guest Lodge had a flaw, however, as it is so popular that it completely sold out enough times to cause real scheduling problems.
Thankfully Clayton Arhelger, Cooper Fitness Center Director, had an incredible solution. The Fitness Center has a large room for studio cycling which of course is unoccupied when classes are not in session. He graciously made the room available for fittings and this morning we brought the setup bike, camera, tools, saddles, handlebars and pedals into the space for the first time.
I am so excited to be able to improve the way we help our Dallas friends get better service and to increase the exposure to the Cooper Fitness Center. This bodes well for the future. Thanks Clayton!
I just built up a new tandem for the studio and wanted to share. Thanks for looking. I have a photo set on Flickr.
I shot a bunch of pictures of Lance Armstrong and others at the 2008 Tour de Gruene.
This was Lance’s first race since announcing a comeback and this weekend was the only US racing he plans on doing in 2008.
Please comment on the pictures and check out the gallery on flicker.com.
Tacx Software Update
Tacx regularly updates the firmware and software for its Fortius, Imagic, Cosmos and other high end trainers. It is important to use the Online Update link in your software or to go here and get everything updated.
While the Tacx products are very dependable, they do continually update and improve their products. This is one of the best ways to keep your VR trainer happy and working for you.
Photo credit: Tacx.com
I will post reminders whenever new updates come out.
I rode the 87 mile Lance Armstrong LiveStrong Challenge in Dripping Springs TX yesterday and the weather was incredible. 64 degrees at the start of the ride, 84 at the end, and light winds.
The start was smooth and just fast enough to get a good warm-up while drafting behind a group of about 10 people. I didn’t want to do any work at the beginnning of the ride because I knew what was ahead; this is one hilly ride!
My trusty Garmin showed an average of 17.9 mph, 4442 ft of climbing and a 4:52 ride time.
Here is my MapMyRide.com map of the ride:
2008 Armstrong Challenge Ride by KGS BIkes, 87 mi
Find more Bike Rides in Dripping Springs, Texas
I just received this info from a Tacx email and wanted to pass it along:
Ride legendary stages indoors
Phil Stone, our cameraman and an avid cyclist himself, keeps making new films. Starting this year the Real Life Videos are also available in wide screen, meaning that, with the help of your Virtual Reality steering frame, you can explore the course even more. You can veer left or right. This makes the experience of riding in the film even more dynamic. This week the following Real Life Videos are released:
The Pyrenees Stage – France T1956.30
Giro del Mortirolo 2008 – Italy T1956.32
Alpine Classic 2007 – France T1956.33
Milan San Remo 2008 – Italy T1956.37
Mallorca Tour – Spain T1956.38
San Sebastian Classic - Spain T1956.40
Photo courtesy of Tacx
The Real Life Videos are categorized by level, that way you can decide how hard your training is going to be. For more information visit www.tacxvr.com.
Tacx Virtual Reality Trainer - the Ultimate Stationary Bike with a KGS Bicycle
I have been getting calls daily about indoor trainers and spin bikes. It’s the season and I hope people who decided to add bicycle miles this summer while the gas prices were high are going to keep their fitness and ride all winter too.
I lost 50 lbs one winter taking stationary bike, or Studio Cycling classes and have outlined how a Tacx Virtual Reality Trainer and a KGS bicycle can maket the ultimate combination. Check it out on the kgsbikes.com website.
I hope you will comment about indoor training and what works best for you.
The nice thing about this time of year is the fall temperatures and the changing of the seasons. I always struggle with the darkness and the coolness in the morning with my standard 6:00 AM ride, and am thankful that we have a Virtual Reality trainer ride in the morning.
It is a small thing, being thankful that I can’t use the excuse of darkness and cold, much less rain, to keep me off the bike, but I am glad that my cycling buddies and I can meet in the morning rain or shine. I am also incredibly thankful I don’t have to wash multiple bikes after a wet cold ride!
I have been updating and setting up a few Tacx Fortius Virtual Reality trainers in the KGS Bikes studio. About this time of year people start calling and I have been so excited to see the next level of training.
Look for an article soon entitled, “The Ultimate Spin Bike” where I outline my idea of perfection: a KGS custom bicycle and a Tacx Fortius Multiplayer VR trainer. It really is the best of both worlds.
Part of my ongoing technique consulting is the continuing education on my part to discover better ways to teach adults the finer points of cycling. The learning curve is steep at first and I am obsessed with finding a better way as I see more and more people who really want to learn to ride well but are either intimidated or frustrated with the learning curve.
My latest client, Cynthia, has only ridden a tandem, so has gotten quite good at really hard workouts, spinning smoothly and balancing on a bike. Yes the stoker has to balance and do it well!
She was reluctant to go to the next level so I put her new Parlee Z3 road bike on a Fortius trainer and taught her the right way to shift. Before the end of the first ride she was smoothly shifting both the front and rear derailleurs, doing so while looking down to see what was actually happening with no fear of falling.
This is huge! She is now getting the gear selection and technique for shifting down so it is automatic and when she hits the road she will know exactly how the bike will behave. She will then only have to deal with steering which will be much easier without all the other distractions.
I am interested in hearing about your experiences as we all know people who are entering this sport as an adult from running or from just being a slug. Thanks so much for your comments.
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