Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Last few weeks have been super busy around the shop. Lots of cool builds too!

Here are some bikes we've build in the last few weeks:

Indy Fab Crown Jewel, build up with Shimano Dura-Ace 7900


Beautiful Moots RSL went out last week.
We're a relatively new Moots dealer and so far we're really impressed!

A mix of Record and Super Record parts

Another Moots build we did last week. A Vamoots with Campy Chorus 11. Very nice ride!

Surly Cross Check Commuter!

Shimano 5700 105 parts are a solid choice for a bike that is going to be abused!

Dynamo front hub will generate a front light.

DT hubs are super nice and very reliable.

Mavic has been on top of the rim game for a long time. They still make some of the nicest rims out there. The A719s are perfect for a bike that is going to be ridden all year long in all kinds of conditions.

Thanks for looking!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Bikes!

Summer is always a busy time at a bike shop, and we're no different! The last few months we've had some really cool bikes go out.

Here are just a few of the different bikes we've built-up for customers:

Co-Motion makes some really awesome tandems. Here is a Speedster with a Carbon fork we just received.

Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel with DA 7900 and Hed wheels.

Moots RSL soon to be build with Campy Record 11 speed.

A highly custom Salsa Fargo. Right now its bring ridden in the Yukon!

This week we've got a beautiful Moots Vamoots going out and a super commuter Surley Cross Check! Pictures soon!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Memorial Day Sale

Memorial Day Sale!!!

2011 Schwinn Voyageur 21: Reg: $379.99 SALE: $299.99

Powerbar Performance Bars and Gels: Buy 2 Get 1 FREE.

Planet Bike ALX Floor Pump: Reg: $39.99 SALE: $34.99

Waterproof Topeak Dry Seat Bag: 40% Off

All 2010 and Older Bikes Priced to Move!!!


Double your discount on accessories purchased with a new 2011 bike!

20% off accesories with purchase of a 2011 bike, normally 10% off.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Thursday Night Road Ride

Just a reminder, we have rides leaving from the West store on Monday and Thursday nights!

Rides leave from Willy Bikes West at 6pm both days.
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Monday's ride is a Women's only ride. Usually the ride is 1-1.5hrs or 15-20 miles. The pace is dictated by the group. This is a NO DROP ride!

Meet at the West store at 6pm!
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Thursday's ride is an organized, steady paced, 20-25 mile ride. All are welcome. However, we strongly recommend you have a road bike and are comfortable riding at 16-18mph.

Thursdays we usually head south via the Arboretum so if you can't make it to the store at 6 you can meet us at the West end of the Arboretum at about 6:15-6:30.
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Give us a call at 608-255-5292 if you have any questions or email Isaac@willybikes.com!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Cannondale CAAD10 Review Part 1

The Cannondale CAAD10 has now been available for a while and we have had the opportunity to log some miles on them. Overall we have been very impressed with the bike and its ride.

I (Isaac Neff) have now ridden about 1500 miles on my CAAD10 including a number of races. The bike I am reviewing is a CAAD10 1 with some key part swaps. I've listed the specs of my bike bellow.

The frame

Cannondale has done an amazing job with the CAAD10 frame. The CAAD10 has a highly manipulated aluminum tube-set which results in a surprisingly stiff, yet smooth ride. I have found the CAAD10 to be one of the stiffest and most responsive bikes I have ridden. Although, I am very happy with how responsive the bike is I am also impressed by how smooth it is over rough roads. I spent a week riding the CAAD10 in southern Indiana this spring which is both very hilly and has some pretty rough and dirt roads which we didn't shy away from. The CAAD10 handled everything I threw at it admirably.
On top of being stiff and responsive the CAAD10 is nearly 200 grams lighter than the old generation CAAD9. The weight reduction is very impressive considering the increased stiffness of the CAAD10 over the CAAD9.

The CAAD10 uses a tapered steerer tube, tapering from 1 1/8 to 1 1/4.

Cannondale calls their shaped chain and seat stays "SAVE". Whatever they're called, they work!

The CAAD10 geometry is nearly identical to what Cannondale has been using on their race oriented bikes for a few years. For 2011 the Supersix and CAAD10 share geometry.
Overall the geometry is spot on for the size (mine is a 58cm). One note is Cannondale uses a 57.5cm top tube on a size 58cm bike. Which, when comparing to other companies size 58 bikes is slightly shorter. Thats said, I like the shorter top tube as it allows me to run a slightly longer stem which I feel helps the handling of the bike.

The Build

Stock the CAAD10 1 comes with a mix of Shimano 6700 Ultegra and 7900 Dura-Ace parts with BB30 FSA cranks. The bike comes with Shimano's excellent RS80 wheelset.
I changed a few parts to both better fit me and drop a little weight.

Dura-Ace 7900 shifters.

I changed the cranks to a pair of Cannondale SI SL cranks which are both lighter and feel stiffer than the stock FSA SL-K cranks. Plus they look awesome!

I swapped the bar and stem to Shimano Pro parts which offer a really nice bend that works well with the 7900 shifter.

I've ridden my CAAD10 with several different wheelsets now. Most of my miles have been logged with the stock RS80 wheelset which I have found to be very smooth. They also have held-up very well to my abuse which has included the aforementioned dirt roads. My only (small) complaint is the weight of the RS80's. At over 1500g they are not super light and it seems that a lot of the extra weight (extra being relative) is in the rims.
I have also ridden my CAAD10 with Zipp 202s as well as a couple of traditional laced 32 spoke wheels.
The 202 wheelset really livens up the ride due to the low weight and the Challenge Strada tubulars ride incredibly smooth and stick to the road like glue!

The complete package. As shown 15.4lbs.

Complete Specs:
Frame: CAAD10 1
Shifters: Dura-Ace 7900
Rear Der: Dura-Ace 7900
Front Der: Dura-Ace 7800
Crank: Cannondale Si SL
Cassette: Dura-Ace 7800
Chain: Dura-Ace 7801
Brakes: Ultegra 6700
Stem: PRO PLT
Bar: PRO Vibe 7s
Seat Post: Fizik
Saddle: Fizik Arione Carbon
Wheelset: Zipp 202 built with DT 240 hubs
Tires: Challenge Strada Tubulars 24mm
Extras: King ti water cages, Cat Eye computer, Shimano SPD-SL pedals

Overall the CAAD10 is a fantastic bike that out-performs many carbon bikes in both weight and ride quality. If you are looking for a fast, responsive and light bike thats heart is in racing, look no farther than the CAAD10!

I will continue to ride and race my CAAD10 this summer and will give an up-date after I get more miles on it.

If you have any questions about the CAAD10 or any of the bikes we stock feel free to stop either of our stores or give us a call!

West: 608-255-5292
East: 608-244-2453

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Scott's Moots RSL

Here are some shots of Scott's new Moots RSL. Stay tuned for complete build pictures!




Thanks for looking!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Tim's New Niner

Here is a build we did for a member of the Chainsmokers team. We think it turned out pretty nice!

Niner One9. Perfect for those looking to race a single speed.

Reba fork up front keeps things smooth.

The One9 is made with custom drawn Easton GX2 Scandium tubing. making it a super light frame. Complete bike weight is 23lbs! And it could be built a lot lighter.

This bike was built with budget, durability and weight all in mind. The specs of the bike try to hit the sweet spot between all three of these. Paul hubs, and Arch rims make for a strong, durable, yet fairly light wheel choice. We chose Shimano SLX brakes to slow things down. Shimano discs are always smooth and reliable.

Good message to anybody looking to go fast!
We used a PRO headset, nice sealed headset. And yes the arrow is pointing the correct way:
Thanks for looking!

Want to build a custom bike for yourself (or somebody else)? Give us a call!

Williamson Bicycle Works
West: 608-255-5292
East: 608-244-2453

Friday, April 22, 2011

Co-Motion Espresso

Co-Motion makes some fantastic bikes, both tandems and "single" bikes. Most of the Co-Motions that go out of here at Willy Bikes are either tandems or touring/commuter bikes. However, they also make some really great road bikes, like the Espresso.

The Espresso is a classic steel road bike with modern touches, like slightly sloping geometry and a carbon fork. All with the smooth feel of steel. Oh and the bike weighs 17.35lbs (without pedals).

Not only is the Espresso light and smooth, it looks good too!

Co-Motion does great work with their paint jobs.

King headset and clean welds go well together.

The Espresso we have on the floor is built with a Shimano Ultegra 6700 group.

Ritchey WCS stem and bar are light, stiff and offer a nice bend that works well with the Ultegra 6700 levers.

The Espresso frame is well thought out with features like a pump peg.

The Espresso has replaceable dropouts that can be changed to horizontal ones so that the bike can be ridden as a single speed or geared.

Overall the Espresso, like all of Co-Motion's bikes, is a great package that is highly versatile and rides fantastic.

Stop in and take a Co-Motion for a test ride, but be warned, you'll love it!