So Mavic recently made an announcement about their return to the US market with the opening of their US headquarters in Waterbury, VT.  This makes me happy on many levels.  Since pretty much supporting the brand solo since Mavic ceased operations here in 2019, I have had the opportunity to offer support directly to Mavic consumers here in the US and beyond when Mavic customer support was nonexistent.  A task that was not for the weak of heart…lol.  Almost every email, call, or DM included me saying that I’m not an employee of Mavic; I’m just a dealer wanting to help, and wh ..read more

They say that you grow when you leave your comfort zone. Well, I will have to get back to you on that. Being in front of a camera as the main subject is definitely one of those things that I am not comfortable doing. Getting back to (or starting actually) creating YouTube videos and Instagram content requires me to learn how to become more comfortable with a camera pointing toward me. I have been told that I have a lot to share with folks needing legit information, and there is only so much that can be explained with words on a monitor. So, making content for YouTube and other social media pl ..read more

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a client I have been working with for years. His current bike is an old-school Trek OCLV 5500 with Shimano 9100 Dura-Ace and Mavic Ksyrium SL wheels. He is comfortable on this bike, and it is in excellent condition because it has been well taken care of. He called me to discuss options about getting 34t gearing for the rear cassette (currently has a 28t). Because the Shimano Dura-Ace RD9100 SS rear derailleur is maxed out at 30t, it will be more complicated than just installing an 11-34t cassette and replacing the chain. He said that he isn't opposed ..read more

It’s hard to believe that it has been 15 years since Campagnolo Ultra-Torque was introduced to the marketplace.  I remember the day in 2007 when I was standing in a local bike shop holding the brand new Campagnolo Record Ultra-Torque crankset, the drive-side in my right hand and the non-drive side in my left.  I looked at the semi-axles, Hirth joint, and the bearings and said to the shop owner, “this won’t work.” The owner, being a big fan of everything, Campagnolo, looked at me as if I had three heads.  I didn’t bother explaining why because, although he is a nice guy, I knew t ..read more

I made a case for Mavic Wheels in a prior blog post.  I want to share some of my other thoughts about Mavic and what I offer in this post.  It's been well over a year since Mavic replacement parts have been readily available here in the U.S., and I completely understand your frustration.  I, for one, would really like to have some concrete information as to the plans and timeframe of when Mavic will be up and running again and when I will be able to get you the replacement parts that you so desperately need.  But currently, that's just not the case.  The only intel tha ..read more

When I first learned about the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, it was from an article in a mountain bike magazine sometime in the mid-'90s, and it was considered one of the top five most challenging mountain bike races in the world. Bike Magazine described the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race as "high, lonesome pain." And I asked myself, why wouldn't I want to do that? Frankly, I do not remember much, if anything, about training for my first LT100 race that was in 1997. But one thing that I know now but didn't know then was that I had no clue what I was getting into. That's for s ..read more

During the ’90s, mountain bikes were extremely popular. All of the new cycling technology was being tested and introduced in this market segment. 1995 was the first year for me to experience 24 hour mountain bike racing and only the 4th year after the inception of this West Virginia-based race. I entered with three other guys. The basic race format consisted of four-person teams, starting at noon on Saturday and ending the next day at noon. What a year to get into that madness. Here’s an excerpt from a post that I found on Reddit that pretty much sums it up; “I clearly remember 1995, where ra ..read more

I bet that we can all remember when we first “got into” cycling. I’m talking about sometime after getting our driving license when bikes were not our only mode of transportation. I can probably narrow the genesis of my riding to be somewhere in the mid-1980s, and the catalyst was the ripple effects of late teenage rebellion. Some might say that modifying my Huffy Santa Fe with panniers to accommodate weights and riding hill repeats on one of the steepest hills nearby was an outlet for pent-up anger/angst or whatever. While I was into alternative music that I played at 11, I was in a band, and ..read more

Can you imagine having an auto mechanic, plumber, doctor, or attorney that you have a high level of trust in?  They can be worth their weight in gold, at the very least, a serious piece of mind.  I genuinely hope that you have found a bike mechanic that you can trust, and I feel bad for the rest who aren’t so fortunate. For as long as I can remember, I believed that trust is earned, not assumed.  I know that’s an overused, pithy bumper sticker statement but it gets the point across. For some, trust can be fragile.  Either you trust someone, or you don’t.  There’s no gr ..read more

Now that we’re about to wrap up 2021, can you name more than a handful of things that haven’t changed since COVID-19 started? There are probably just a few examples that have remained unchanged. My point is that change is happening all around us at a lightning pace, and now is the time for businesses to adapt to the rapidly changing playing field. During the last 30 years, my journey started with owning a bike shop and then transformed into RogueMechanic 17 years ago. By launching what I loosely call RogueMechanic 2.0, I will be adapting to the times and presenting my clients (past, present, a ..read more