I owned a Paris a few years ago and actually regret selling it. It had a wonderful road feel that was comfortable enough to do long-distance rides but it also had an excitement factor that made all rides more special. Push it into a corner at speed and the Paris would just dare you to go faster and attack harder, stand up on it to accelerate and it would respond instantly. It didn’t have the “it goes to 11″ performance level of the ultimate frames priced and positioned just above it, but keep in mind that its slightly softer ride also didn’t transmit every single nuance of the road up to your tailbone. As a rider rapdily approaching 40 I really appreciated this balance – dialing it up to 9 is just fine, thank you.

So what happened to the Pinarello line in between the new and old Paris?

The Prince was introduced in 2008 with much fanfare and glowing reviews. Pinarello replaced the Paris with the FP6 and dropped the price by $1000 to $2999 in order to make some room for the new Prince on the high end of their line. With a reduced Torayca carbon (30-weight on the FP6 versus the 47-weight on the Paris) but the same frame mold, the FP6 was still a superb bike but seemed to lack the snap of the Paris.

In 2010 Pinarello introduced the FP7 which brought back the 47-weight carbon but sharing the frame mold of the Prince and FP3. I loved our demo FP7, but it still wasn’t quite at the level of the good old Paris. It seemed a little more stable and tracked a little more straight (the signature of the rocketship Prince) but like the FP6 it just didn’t have the same balance as the Paris.

Pinarello also made a massive shift in the 2010 model year with the asymmetric Dogma 60.1. This not only changed the Pinarello line-up, but made pretty much everyone in the industry take notice. The Dogma provided a smoothness and linear response to the next level by increasing the carbon grade (60-weight) and building up the drive-side of the bike to minimize flex where the bike sees the most force. As the big companies were simply trying to build it stiffer or lighter, Pinarello took the leadership position in bicycle design once again by thinking differently than the rest of the industry.

Enter the new asymmetric Paris. It not only matches the performance of my old Paris, it takes it to a new level. All of the snap and exhiliration from the old design has been matched with the stability and smoothness of the FP7 – the best of all worlds. The road feel is unrivaled in its price category ($6250 with Chorus 11S and Racing 1 wheels), and even far supersedes the ultimate-class bikes we were selling just 2-3 short years ago. Some people will want the additional performance of the Dogma, and others will want the lighter and quicker FP4. As for me, I’m just glad the Paris is back where it belongs – at the pinnacle of the “just below ultimate” category.

When I started out down the boardwalk at Duthie Hill Park I thought the Range was a little sluggish compared to my normal 5.5″ travel bike, but when I got up onto the trails I noticed that it was incredibly smooth and tracked around corners and over obstacles with an amazing stability. That solid ride quality resulted in a quicker speed for me as I had more trust in the bike’s capabilities and knew that it could handle a little more of a challenge. Once I learned to sit back a little and let the rear suspension work a little more, I was zooming into corners at full speed, and going over jumps that I would normally slow way down for. The bottom line is that I’ve never had this much fun on a mountain bike.

So is this the perfect bike for our Pacific Northwest trails and riding conditions? Although it has some very strong competition, in my opinion it’s set the bar for performance.   It just eats up the tight windy trails through the forest, and inspires with its well-balanced ride quality.

As someone who’s been mountain biking for about a year, I love how this bike gives me confidence and is pushing me to the next level.  The more advanced riders in the shop also liked what the bike was capable of, so it will fit a wide range of riding styles and skills.

Norco was founded in British Columbia in the 60′s and have been building some of the most respected in the industry. With this new model, we believe that they’re about to take yet another step ahead. The Range will be available in October with price points in the mid-$2000′s, the mid-$3000′s, the mid-$4000′s, and $7000 (dates and prices subject to confirmation from Norco) Our test bike was equipped with 10-speed Shimano XT, DT Swiss wheels, and Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires and will be priced around $4500.

We have a complete selection of Look bikes in stock today, including demo models.

Watch out on the road for Stephanie’s new Ridley Dean! With the combination of superior aerodynamics and light weight, just 16 pounds as pictured, this bike is a legitimate speed machine!

Good luck to Stephanie on her upcoming races!

Stay posted for more customer bikes!

We will initially be focusing on the Mille collection, and expanding this out quickly to the other beautifully functional components in the Assos line.

We will have visitors from several brands on hand to assist with live demos, technical seminars, and new product launches (some of them will be bringing us their new 2011 models even before the industry press sees them!)

Bicycles
- BMC (Soren Krebs, ex-pro racer and BMC Brand Ambassador)
- Cyfac (Eric Sakalowsky, Co-Owner and US Managing Director)
- Felt (Darren Lupher, Pacific NW Representative)
- Look (Kevin Padgett, US HQ Representative & Mike Walker, Pacific NW Representative)
- Pinarello (Nick Good, US HQ Representative & Chad Geithner, Pacific NW Representative)
- Ridley (Chuck Hood, Pacific NW Representative)
- Scott (Karlee Brandner, Pacific NW Representative)
- Wilier (Harry Ault, West Coast Director)

Clothing
- Assos (Larry Kohn, Pacific NW Representative)
- Giordana (Nick Good, US HQ Representative & Chad Geithner, Pacific NW Representative)
- Hincapie (Nicholas Barile and Jon Hernandez, Pacific NW Representatives)
- Bell (Mike Walker, Pacific NW Representative)
- Giro (Mike Walker, Pacific NW Representative)
- Lazer (Chuck Hood, Pacific NW Representative)

Components
- Look (Kevin Padgett, US HQ Representative & Mike Walker, Pacific NW Representative)
- Fulcrum (Chuck Hood, Pacific NW Representative)
- Mavic (Karlee Brandner, Pacific NW Representative)
- Easton (Mike Walker, Pacific NW Representative)
- Continental (Dean Kuzara, Pacific NW Representative)
- Fizik (Dean Kuzara, Pacific NW Representative)
- Shimano (James Whitesides, Pacific NW Representative)
- Zipp (Erik Solberg , Pacific NW Representative)
- SRAM (Erik Solberg, Pacific NW Representative)

We’ll have door prizes and special promotions (including free custom paint on select Ridley framesets), and lots of other fun events.  Door prizes will include a jersey autographed by George Hincapie, Assos Activity Cleanser, Continental Grand Prix 4000 tires, Schwalbe Ultremo tires, BMC clothing, and many more!

Please stop by and let us know what you think of the new store!

Our first-ever Mercer Island shop ride will start out at 7:30 AM sharp on Saturday morning.  Soren Krebs, an ex-pro racer, veteran of the Paris Roubaix, and our Brand Ambassador from BMC will be leading the first group at a very fast pace for a few laps around the island.  There will be a second group that will ride at a brisk pace leaving 5 minutes later in the first group’s vapor trail.

As part of our Mercer Island Grand Opening, for the months of August and September we are offering free paint customization on select Ridley Framesets, normally an $850 upcharge. This is a way to get a frame that is uniquely yours (or your team’s) at an amazing price.

These are the frames that are eligible for this promotion (prices below are MSRP for the stock frame):

Here is the fine print:

• - This offer is only good on framesets and custom builds, not on complete bikes
• - All frames must be prepaid in full at time of order
• - Frames will be delivered in November/December 2010
• - No other discounts or promotions are valid with this offer
• - Orders must be placed and paid for by September 31st, 2010

More info on the Evergreen webpage:
http://evergreenmtb.org/recreation/calendar.php?event_id=8865

Please contact us using the form below if you’d like more information, or you’d like to put your name in line for the first shipment.

We are very happy to see the return of the Paris.  The FP7 is a wonderful bike and a worthy successor to the previous Paris, it’s full of life and  is incredibly responsive, but the new Paris looks to take that another step further.  The asymmetric construction on the Dogma really does make a difference in the ride quality, adding refinement and stability that we didn’t was possible when we first rode the Prince (its direct predecessor).  Pricing is TBD, but we would expect the Paris to be in the $3,000 range for the frameset and sold complete with Campagnolo Chorus for $7,000.

The FP4 (FPQuattro if you want to be more Italian) continues the asymmetric theme into the mid-range and will be a perfect entry into Pinarello’s high-end.   We expect it to sell in the $4,000 range as a complete bike.

Instead of focusing on the brands or the store, we wanted to show that we really are in it for the quality of the riding. We highlighted some of the great local rides and the incredible cycling experiences that we are lucky to have in our area.