It was the end of summer, 2010. I was running along my usual route on the Pacific Coast Highway, when to my left about 20 road bikes came streaming by. Now, I'm not a fast runner, but it seemed like these bikes were going 60 miles per hour! What fun, I thought to myself as I continued my run. Knees aching from the consistent pounding of my feet hitting the asphalt, it dawned on me. Why am I not riding a bike? With that one question, my adventure began.
After getting home and going through my cool down and recovery routine, I eagerly jumped on the internet to start my research. I was delighted to find a ton of information on the different types of bikes available in the marketplace, and pleasantly surprised that there were a lot of great resources here in the North County.
One by one, I started visiting local shops and gathering information on what I needed. All of the local shops that I visited had great salespeople that were very helpful, but one store in particular stood out to me as the best. It was the Carbon Connection; a small family owned business in Carlsbad. I immediately hit it off with owners Gerald Holland and his two sons Bob and Steve. The Trio opened the Carbon Connection a little over a year ago with a mission to deliver excellent customer service and high quality road bikes at great prices. But just because they are a new business, don't think that they're new to cycling. The Carbon Connection has quite a pedigree. Gerald opened Jerry's bike shop back in 1975, catering to the BMX craze that started catching on around that time. Bob and Steve are both avid cyclists with many years' worth of experience. Each of them contributes their own strengths to the operation accordingly, as Steve is a sales and marketing guru while Bob's background in manufacturing brings a unique sense of sophistication to the table.
Having worked for various well known bicycle manufacturers, Bob demonstrated the ins and outs of a bicycles construction. He gave me a detailed overview about the types of carbon materials that are used, the quality of construction, and durability associated with the different types of carbon materials. I quickly absorbed the information that Bob kindly shared with me and was ready to shop.
I narrowed the field down to 4 bikes that I went on to test ride. They were: a Focus Cayo, a Wilier Imperiale, and Cannondale Super Six, and a Pinarello FP2. All were absolutely gorgeous bikes, and I had a blast on each one. But, as they say when you fall in love, "you just know". Well, I "just knew", and my new bike was the Wilier Triestina Imperiale.
Bob and Gerald HollandCoincidentally, this was one of the bikes that I rode at the Carbon Connection. Now that the selection was made, Bob helped me out with fitting the bicycle to my body. Once Bob's job was done, Steve took over. Steve helped me pick out everything that I needed to start my new sport. With each product that he showed me, Steve was respectful of my budget. I can honestly say that I never felt like I was being sold. Actually, I felt like I was being taken care of as a friend. Steve took the time to explain what I need and why, as well as what I didn't need and why. He even taught me how to change a flat tire by doing it in the shop! After a quick class on the rules and etiquette of riding, I was on my own.
All in all, I have to say that my adventure finding a new bike was an absolute blast! I learned so much and met really cool people in the process. Now that I'm on the road and a danger to cyclists and pedestrians alike, watch out! I am having a great time out there enjoying our weather and speeding along the PCH.
If anyone out there is considering a new road bike, make sure to stop in and meet the guys at the Carbon Connection. My experience with them was beyond expectations. They are a dealer for Colnago, Wilier Triestina, Leader, Easton, and their most important and popular brand, Focus. They are also looking forward to rolling out beginners classes in the very near future, so if you're interested, give them a call!
Until next time, Peace!
My new Wilier!
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