Team Fitzy: Rolling Thunder Race Report

Teton Valley Vikings Plunder and Pillage Rolling Thunder Races! A Rolling Thunder Race report from Fitzy Team Rider Dan Abraham.

Dave's Butt

What a weekend put together by the folks at Montana Cyclocross; Rolling Thunder lived up to the hype! Was it the Olympic mountain biker almost taking pro/1/2 race on a singlespeed, all while sporting a long ginger wig (temporary gingervitis) and managing to grab a dollar hand-up on the run up? Or maybe the two fun, fast, and technically challenging courses that were put together by a dedicated team of course tape ninjas? What about the passenger van mounted observation/beer/heckling deck full of rowdy fans all screaming, spraying beer, and causing mayhem during the night races? The list could go on (and could include a pro racer taking a two-dollar butt crack hand-up from the author), but the real highlight for Team Fitzy was the strong representation by Teton Valley folks on the podium all weekend long! (more…)

2013 Fat Bike Winter Summit and Festival

Today we officially launched the press release and website for the 2nd Annual Fat Bike Winter Summit and Festival. After our successful first attempt last year, we’ve been hard at work figuring out how to make the event better and I think we are going down the right path!

New for this year is the Festival component of the event. We have invited all the top brands in the Fat Bike world to come and set up the largest Fat Bike Expo in the Country… hopefully it works! Races, Demos, Parties will make it a must attend if you ride the Fat. Island Park has the premier riding in the Country (according to Tracey and JayP anyway) and we are excited to show it off to all our Fat friends around the Fat Bike Nation.

Keep an eye on www.FatBikeSummit.com for weekly updates as we work on filling in the details and mark it on your calender!

Coffee Makes you feel BETTER.

And so does yummy food. Hopefully you already know about The Nine Bar (Fitzgerald’s in house coffee bar), our legendary coffee, espresso, and blended drinks, and our FREE WI-FI. For Winter we are expanding the cafe to offer Soups, Sandwiches, and Breakfast Burritos made locally fresh by Tyme Out Cafe. Stay tuned for the launch of the new menu and start to make the Nine Bar your neighborhood hang out. Buzz buzz.

Buy Local Now!

Our move over Teton Pass from Jackson, WY to Victor, ID proved to be a success this past summer. We have learned a ton about this new location and we are really excited about the future for our shop, this industry, and our amazing local community. Over the past couple of months we have gathered with our staff to discuss the Fitzgerald’s Brand and what the future means to us. These conversations have led us in many directions but the few constants that we are all in agreement is our commitment to supporting LOCAL business, sustainable business practices, and the importance of the cycling industries commitment to MAP (Manufacturer’s Advertised Pricing).

Many people feel that the local retailer will never be able to compete against the Amazons and Bings of the world, but we disagree. With support from brands in this industry the IBD (Independent Bicycle Dealer) can certainly do it. If you are not familiar with the BUY LOCAL NOW program that Smartetailing has launched here is your opportunity to see what’s happening.

“Buy Local Now is a game-changing product-location service that leverages the combined strengths of specialty channel brands and retailers to win consumers away from large online operations and national chains. It lets specialty brands and retailers work together to ensure a profitable and sustainable future serving consumers within their local communities.” - Click here to learn more

As we move into the time of year when Preseasons and program orders are due, we have created a metric that includes a number of criteria to help us decide who we want to team up with in the future. We want to align ourselves with vendors/people we believe can truly serve the best interests of the IBD and the future of the bicycle industry. We also want to support brands that really champion the successes of local business as well the consumer experience.

What does Buy Local Now mean to you?

Why should you be involved with Bicycle Advocacy?

Each year, the Bicycle Industry gathers in Las Vegas for the Interbike Trade show. I opted to not attend this year after 10 years - due to a little burn out I must admit. Well, I just watched the key note address from Interbike, delivered by John Burke of Trek Bicycles, and I have mixed feelings about my decision.

On the one hand, I really wish I could have been in the audience to watch John give his speech in person. On the other hand, John’s speech reaffirms that my limited dollars this year were way better spent attending the National Bike Summit. Although we slid drastically backward in Federal spending, I can honestly say that Fitzgerald’s Bicycles was not on the sidelines.

If you wonder why your involvement in Cycling advocacy is important, or if you wonder why I feel so passionate about Cycling advocacy, spend the half hour to watch this speech. At the very least you’ll know a bit more about what moves me forward each day.

Moose-Wilson Road one way; A huge step backward.

If Moose-Wilson Rd is restricted to one way traffic, the Jackson Hole cycling experience will take a huge step backwards. Of course I recognize the current condition of the road is not ideal for cycling, but I urge the Park to improve its condition for cyclists instead of degrading it. Restricting South bound traffic will reduce the number of cyclists visiting the Park guaranteed. Is that really good for our economy, our air quality, our energy reduction goals, and most importantly our wildlife?

Having worked in the local bicycle business for the past 15 years, I can speak with confidence that there has been a staggering shift in attitudes about cycling the Jackson Hole roads. Before the large scale expansion of the pathway network in recent years, cycling North out of Jackson was limited to riders with two attributes: experience and fearlessness. The average cyclist did not feel comfortable heading North past the Jackson town limits and many cyclists, with plenty of experience, would absolutely not be willing to risk their lives biking into Grand Teton Park.

Now look at the cycling traffic patterns. Everyday, hundreds of cyclists, representing all ages and ability levels, take to the pathways to absorb the beauty and serenity of their National Park. Everyone of these riders represents one less car on the road. That’s one less car polluting our air, one less car clogging the roads for other motorists, and one less car endangering wildlife. Everyone of these riders also represents a heightened visitor experience in the Park which has to have some value.

Of course economic impacts of these facilities can not be ignored. Before the expansion of pathway network, I would have to tell cycle tourists looking to visit the area that their dream of biking peacefully in the Tetons would include a significant amount of “take your life in your own hands” reality. Now, I not only strongly encourage these riders to come and pedal in the Park, but they tell me, in significant numbers, that the pathway network of Jackson Hole and Teton Park was a primary reason for their visit! Let’s keep up the momentum, build upon these successes, and look at the big picture before cutting off a critical connection in the cycling network by restricting Moose-Wilson Rd to one way traffic.

Click here to get involved and make your voice heard on this topic.

Demo Bike Sale!

Low on Cash, but still want to shred this fall’s singletrack and freeride trails?

We’ve got you covered with our Demo Bike Sale.

We’ve picked the best bikes from our demo fleet, tuned them up and are ready to cut some great deals on them. Check out all the great deals on our website or come into the shop and get Brandon to hook you up!

Here are just some the deals:

Teton Pass Rippers

• Scott Voltage - new this season from Scott this barely used machine is in great condition and is ready to rip. It features a tough but extremely light aluminum frame with a Fox DHX shock and 160-180mm of rear travel paired with Fox’s plush 180mm-travel 36 VAN fork that absolutely destroys rocks, roots and g-outs. You also get burly DT Swiss wheels painted to match that let you roll with confidence, while the sticky Schwalbe rubber and powerful Avid Code discs provide huge amounts of control on skill-testing terrain.

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