Our Team

First, thanks to James M and Coppi in general for another well run race.

Photo by Jay Westcott, professional photographer, November customer.Next, we haven't really talked much about our team - The November Bicycles CX Experience.  We needed a quality resource in order to vet the frames we are planning to offer for 2012.  As you may have or will imminently see here, on the Facebooks, or otherwise, we've gotten said frames decaled and clear coated as of Friday (CRG Automotive, they don't suck - not at all!).  I spent much of the day on Saturday figuring out all of the details of how they're rigged and what, if anything, we need to make them as tight as possible.  We've got a list of stuff, it's not huge, and we'll have some bikes rigged up for you to see next weekend at BCA and Winchester (I just learned that we're going to both).  Today, I had Callum's size 58 frame on display in the tent.  Number one comment - "COOL!"  Number 2 comment - "holy crap it's LIGHT!"  We think it is really cool, so we'll offer our agreement to #1.  To the second, the 54 as naked as it could possibly be (no under bb cable guide, no derailleur hanger, nothing remotely related to a headset, etc) weighs 1080 grams.  The forks have steerer tubes that are about 14' long, so I'll tell you what they weigh after I cut one down to some approximation of actual length.  So yes, they're kind of light.  Not disproportionately light, but far - FAR - from boat anchors. Remember, these are from our road frame supplier - we went with them because they make bulletproof stuff, not to be able to say we broke some nonsensical weight threshold.  

So anyway, back to the team.  We have 5 sizes in the lineup, which means 5 riders.  We had the distinct luxury of a stable of good friends, team mates, wives, etc who between them covered each size and who have the riding talent and the mechanical acuity to give us a good idea of what's going on.  I am the outlier schlub in the mix, with no CX experience to speak of and let's face it I'm no threat for worlds - first person feedback to the product manager and my name on the door has its privileges, though.  We also invited a few others to sport the rocking VH kits, just because we can't really imagine a team without them.  

Today at the Tacchino, the team had a great day.  Lots of podium time.  While we'll unveil the frames in raceable form next weekend, the gamut of wheels was used to great effect.  RFSW 50s, RFSC 38s, and FSWCXs were all ridden to podium positions.  Far far far from even implying that the wheels caused the good rides (they just plain didn't), it was gratifying to watch wheels that I'd personally built (and in one case glued - it's a real pants shitter when you send a friend who's good out to race on a set of wheels you built on Thursday and glued, well, yesterday) be so in the game.  

We can't afford to blow a big wad on a fancy team and show up to races in our Escalades, but like everything else we're trying to out the resource we do have to the most benefit we can.  With a fun group of people who have a good time and respond well to each other, we're looking forward to a fun season.