Bixby Bicycles, Bigger and Better

BIXBY BICYCLES & ACCESSORIES FAMILY

We are growing!  Bixby Bicycles and Accessories, also known as Bixby Bicycle Works is expanding as we celebrate a one year anniversary. Thanks to Bixby Oklahoma and the surrounding communities we have realized our vision and seen our mission come true. Throughout the year we have created new cyclist, and coached and supported existing and mature cyclist and racers with cutting edge products from road bikes to mountain bikes, from family bikes to cruisers in an honest, fair, friendly and courteous buying and training environment. Like any other retailer we have had out slow days, however over all our sales of comfortable appropriate bicycles and accessories, thanks to the cycling community, have been great. 

Educating the cycling community and fostering a healthy fun method of exercise and sustainable fitness was a personal goal. As a USA Cycling Certified Coach I have had the opportunity to work with individuals and groups at all levels of cycling ensuring their ongoing development and safe participation in the sport of cycling.  As a teacher, motivator and adviser I’ve seen first time cyclist become competitive racers and seasoned racers achieve sustainable goals. I’ve had the pleasure of scheduling group rides, organizing competitions and events, and planning and organizing tours. Working with cyclist on physical abilities, time constraints, performance, and strategy and seeing the winning results has been one of my most fulfilling achievements.

As the seasons change and race season approaches we have a lot planned. On the retail end our footprint will be expanding and more space means more, new and innovative products. As a professional cyclist I know cycling in America revolves around the bike shop. Bixby Bicycles and Accessories will continue to stand behind our products, provide experienced mechanics, have riding experts as sales associates, and concentrate on selection, safety, comfort and fit. We will continue to offer the latest cycling information, technically advanced products, and bike paths and maps as part of the first-rate customer service you’ve come to expect.
   

On April 10^th and 11^th, 2015, our staff, riders, supporters and friends will come together for our one year celebration bash. Our Tuesday and Thursday Indoor Group Rides will continue through the month of March, then it’s outside until late fall. Saturday Group Rides are ongoing and we will again be sponsoring the Bixby Bicycle State Road Race. The Hotter-N-Hell Tour is scheduled for August and the Bixby Bicycle Challenge scheduled to end March 29^th has been a success.

National Bike Month is May 2015, National Bike to Work Week is May 11-15, and Bike to Work Day is May 15, 2015. If you’re not on a bicycle take the challenge. You’re never too young or to old and it’s never too late to join the fun. Start now and you’ll be ready to celebrate National Bike Month with the Bixby Bicycle and Accessories family of riders.  

Thank you for supporting Bixby Bicycles and Accessories 

BUSTER BROWN, Owner

Bixby Bicycles Oklahoma State Age Based Championship Race

You all won! When a team comes together and you win, its not just Stormy that won, its the team. I believe anyone of you could have won the race yesterday, it was Stormy's time, it was Ryan's time.  I cant tell you how proud I am of this team, and to be a part of it yesterday was awesome! Its not because you won, its because you worked as a team and won!

We started building the Bixby Bicycle Work...s team months ago. I know there has been a lot of frustration in previous races. Major learning curves and lots of training.  I watched the finish and as the Cat 5 group turned the corner, we expected three riders and a heads up sprint, but what I saw was fantastic, A solo rider wearing blue and yellow! What more could we ask for, as a coach and part of the team.  But there was more, what I heard after the race was even more exciting. The TEAM pulled it together, the TEAM had a plan, the TEAM put it in place.  With Ryan off the front, knowing he could pull off the finish - if he rode smart the rest covered and blocked. It took pressure off the group!  Look at the energy that was saved by not riding so hard. With Ryan off the front, you blasted your way to a top finish.

Stormy - 1st (what a way to go out), Ryan 2nd (great job staying out in front and taking pressure off the other teammates), Stephen 5th place, (what a finish, heard he was solo for a while), Brock 7th, Jason 15, Derrick 17, Matt 18th, Mike 20, Robin 21, Dan 23, Danny 25, Micah 26, Bob 27, Robert 32, Steve 33.

You did it team you did it!!! Thank you to Stephen who took control of the team meeting and to Joe for all his support.  Great job guys!!!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Oklahoma State Road Race (Age Based) is in the record books for 2014 as a major success.The event turned out spot on with only a few small issues. From what I heard from the riders, they had only good things to say. Course was fast and fun, clean bathrooms, started on time and lots of fun.  The race is small if you compare it to other larger events but still time consuming, lots of sleepless nights, lots of dollars spent, tons of volunteers and police.

As the promoter of this race, I want this event to be safe fun and exciting for all riders. The credit goes to all the volunteers, the Bixby Police Department, Tulsa County Police, Jack McNeal and his group of officials.I tried to offer a good prize list, with prices for Cat 5, Juniors and I wanted to separated the masters group. I also wanted to make sure registration went great, and  results and pay out was in a timely manner. Thanks to Jack McNeal and Heidi Hoop I believe we did just that.

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone that pitched in. It would not be possible without all the support and riders.  Thank you to the following: David D. Perry, my right hand man, Heidi Hoop, John Hoop, Dale Nicola, Gary Haddad, Joe Lederer, Tony Miller, Robert Founds, Stephen Phillips, and Cheryl, Steve Nave, Julie Wood Nave, Jeanean Diehl, Erin Tawney, and Collin, Jason Watts, Roger, Robin Ameen, Allison (Cindys Daughter), Bob Weaterhbie, Dan Henderson, Rich Dahlgren, Randy Shaw, Rivers Berndt for the great photos and so many more. If i missed you, it was not intentional.

I have to say Thank you to Cindy McNeill, my girlfriend. If you knew what she had to put up with the past few days, whew!

Please visit the SPONSORS, South Pointe Honda, Scott Hugh Shoemake, Grand Bank, David Perry Insurance Agency, Bixby Bicycles, Vittoria Tires, Tifosi Glasses, Louis Garneau Clothing, Cytomax nutrition products, J and B importers, Phil Johnson, The Pita Place for providing us a great wrap,

We added $1,000.00 to the prize list from last year and hope to make it better next year, if we earn the bid for 2015. Send me an email or private message on Facebook for any feedback that will help me improve the event for next year.

Thank you again for all your support, you made it possible!

THE ROAD BIKE FRAME

Selecting a frame size is the beginning of good positioning. The perfect bike size is simply one that will allow you to train and race. The saddle can be raised and lowered and the seat post can be replaced with a longer or shorter post to accommodate nearly anyone.

Saddle height is not the limiting factor in selecting a frame size. The placement of the handlebars will be much more limited than the saddle height. If too small a frame is selected, the rider must bend over quite low to reach the bars. A frame that is too large will put the rider up too high. This tends to make less use of back and leg muscles and place the body in a less aerodynamic position.

Frame sizes are measured along the seat tube. The method of measurement is center to center, center to top when selecting a frame size. Different manufacturers may use slightly different measurement techniques.

There are several commercially available positioning systems that take a series of body measurements and plug the numbers into tables and charts to come up with frame-size recommendations. You should use any system with caution and never purchase a bicycle solely on that basis alone. Ride a variety of sizes while being observed by a coach. Purchasing a frame size without having ridden it is a big risk.

One of the simplest methods of determining a bike size is one of the oldest. Wear a low-profile shoe, preferably the shoe you will be wearing while riding. Stand over the bike directly behind the stem with your feet close together. Pick up the front wheel until the top tube is snug against the crotch, then measure the gap between the floor and the tire.

For competitive purposes this gap can be between 6 and 20 centimeters. The smaller gap of 6cm means the frame is relatively large. The gap of 20cm means the frame is smaller. If you have long arms or you feel you need a very large differential between saddle and bars, a frame size with a 15-20cm gap is recommended. However if you have a stiff back, a frame with a smaller gap might be preferred

If you choose a sloped frame bicycle, these recommendations will not apply. The determining factor in selecting a sloping tube bike is the top tube length rather than the seat tube length. USA Cycling recommends using a “fit specialist”.

Younger cyclists who are expected to grow can select a frame with a lesser gap so that the bike will not be outgrown too quickly. A shorter stem may be installed and then switched to a longer stem as the rider grows. The height of the parents and siblings should be considered when choosing a frame size for a growing rider.

These procedures are not intended to get the rider the ideal bike size the first time. This is simply a place to begin test riding. You should test-ride at least three different frame sizes if possible. The most important thing about any bike is finding the correct size and fit for the rider.

THE MAGIC PILL

You made it through the holidays to January 2014 without to much interruption. I hope! As we enter the New Year and a new cycling season, our goal is to become better cyclist and to win more races. Although I’ve been at this for a long time, I still think about the magic pill.  In 1966 I found myself asking lots of questions but getting very few answers. Years later, as a coach, it became clear. I discovered the magic pill wasn’t a pill at all.

Let me continue by saying the magic pill isn’t magic at all. It’s all the little things we do that add up to being our best on our bicycles. It begins with patience. We’ve all heard the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, I’ve got news for you, great cyclists and competitive racers aren’t built in a day either. There is a long list of accomplishments you must make to become a pack rider, and to win races. These things take patience, effort, and lots of hard work. I think the word I’m looking for here is “dedication.  

First and foremost it’s about what we do off the bike. Small things like maintaining protein levels, proper nutrition, stretching and adequate rest. If you’re not getting enough protein, warming up those muscles or getting plenty of sleep, most of your efforts on the bike will be in vain. Once you’re healthy, well rested and warmed up, your ready to get on the bike. Proper training begins with a coach you trust, one that will design a program specific to your individual needs. The cyclist coach relationship is an important one. A good coach will guide you through the program while holding you accountable. Listening, evaluating and motivating are other key traits you’ll look for in choosing a coach.

  

As you begin your 2014 training program keep this in mind, diet, protein, hydration, sleep, proper stretching, low stress and time management affect each pedal stroke you make. It all adds up – taking care of your body, learning from the right coach, maintaining the motivation to train regularly, leads to winning races. What should you avoid?  Over training!  If you are crash dieting and over training you can count the season gone till next year; in other words ride to build skills and develop as a cyclist, in lieu of pushing through a work- out just because.

Remember, no one gets better in a week or a month. If this was the case everyone would be racing a bicycle. Cycling is a hard sport, but if done correctly it can be one of the most rewarding sports at all levels. The racing season is right around the corner.  2014 is up to you, it’s your decision –keep moving forward step by step, workout by workout and day by day. Remain patient, stay focused and you will achieve your cycling goals! 

What’s the magic pill?  Dedication to the sport of cycling, and lots of hard work; sounds like a pill I’m willing to swallow, how about you?

How to Get the Most Out of Your Training

By Jeb Stewart MS, PES

Too often these days people can get overwhelmed, frustrated and feel like they aren't doing a “good job” if they aren't getting all of their workouts in to the letter. I can assure you that this is not the case, but if we don’t know how to adapt our training during these times, then it is likely to occur. Your coach should be relatively available often for any questions you have regarding your training or to help you adapt the training when life interferes. Heck, we encourage it vehemently! However, if you do not have a coach, or even if you do, here are some simple tips and strategies to help you adapt on the fly and make the most out of the training time you do have.

In the course of working with my clients, I want them to learn how to adapt their training when things come up so that they feel empowered and accomplished rather than feeling like they failed and getting stressed out about it. I try to create the weekly workouts to give my athletes bang for their buck training to help make the most out of the days of the week when time is at a premium. Most coaches are well aware of how hard it is to even get that time in as most of us have families and full-time jobs just like those who they coach. So, when time is scarce, I show my athletes a few ways that they can adapt their workouts in a time crunch to still get them in and make them count.

Key Workouts
In an ideal world we would all sleep 7-8 hours, train for 3-4 hours a day, eat perfectly, take naps and go to bed by 10pm. Unfortunately that doesn't happen very often, if ever. So, when all else fails, if you get your KEY WORKOUTS in for the week, you will at least know that you are doing enough to maintain or even improve your fitness.

For most of us, our key workouts fall on Tue, Wed or Thu and on your long day/days on the weekend. These workouts usually consist of intervals or specific drills during the week and your long days if you are outside on the weekends. If you are stuck inside, your workouts should be kept brief, i.e. 1.5-2 hours or less, and very specific. Your key workout in the gym is your leg and core day. If you are only going to get one gym workout in for the week, make sure it’s that one. And lastly, always make time to stretch. It only takes 5-10 minutes and is critical to performance, recovery and injury prevention regardless of what some of the “experts” tell you these days.

Scheduling
If you miss a workout on the day it falls in your training plan, either skip it and don’t give it another thought or get it in when you can that week if it is a time of the year when workout sequencing is not critical. If you have a coach, I would encourage you to contact them to find out how to adjust your schedule to accommodate your situation. If you miss a KEY WORKOUT, it is better you get that in, than skip it and do the easier stuff unless you are just happen to be worn out from stress and fatigue. Then it would be best to take the day off or just ride easy to rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit. When you are really tired, either riding easy or taking the day off and pushing that key workout until the next day can be a good call. In the early part of the season, specific scheduling is not as critical and we need to keep our training fun for it to be effective long term.

Adjusting on the fly
For most of us, we are keeping the workouts during the week to the meat and potatoes to help us get in effective training while keeping our lives balanced, but sometimes the workout may be longer than the amount of time we have available to train that day. In that case, here’s what you will need to do to adjust it on the fly so that you get in a good workout, even with a minimum of time.

Cardio and bike workouts
Start by cutting your warm-up and cool-down in half but still get it in. Then if you still need more time, cut your workload in half by doing less than the recommended number of sets for the day. Then, if you still need time, you can cut the rest periods in half. If this still isn't enough, you can cut the interval times in half. Please go about it in this order as it is designed to eliminate things in their order of importance. Of course, this is only to be done in case of emergency, in which case it will allow you to still get in a quality workout in. Contrary to popular opinion, something is still better than nothing, for our heads as well as our fitness!

Strength & conditioning
To save time here, similarly, start by cutting the warm up and cool down time in half. Make sure you are super-setting exercises and performing circuits whenever possible to eliminate wasted time between exercises. (Super-sets involve doing one set using the opposing muscles used in the first exercise right after another without resting between the two. Circuits involve doing a number of exercises one right after another without resting between each exercise. Both concepts will reduce the amount of time you spend in the gym and the intensity of your workout). Do 2 sets minimum so that you are at least maintaining and then do more next time when your schedule allows. If you need more time, just do the key exercises for your core and the biggest muscle groups such as squats, lunges, dead lifts, etc. And lastly, if you need more time leave the stretching for another time later in the day or in the week and get on about your day. Once again, this is to be done only when you are in a time crunch.

As you can see, there are many ways to adjust our training to help us get it in and avoid the negative energy that we create for ourselves when life throws us a curve ball. The goal is to make the training we do be effective and fun and avoid it becoming a pair of handcuffs or a source of stress. Give some of these suggestions a try and let your coach or a friend know if you have any specific issues you may be having with our training program and work on it together to come up with a solution that leads to success. 

For more information, visit www.endurofit.com or contact Jeb Stewart with any questions you may have, at jstewart@endurofit.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

BIXBY BICYCLES INDOOR CYCLING CLASS

Indoor cycling with a certified coach can be safe, fun, and effective. BIXBY BICYCLES AND ACCESSORIES  Indoor Cycling Class is geared toward the outdoor rider. It takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:00 pm and is currently replacing the Tuesday, Thursday outdoor group rides. It also includes the 5:50 pm to 6:00 pm Training Class. Focused on equipment for the novice, strength, intensity, endurance and consistency for the experienced cyclist and those preparing for an event or race; USA Certified Cycling Coach Buster Brown presents an all-encompassing experience.

Is it a spin class? No. Spin Classes use stationary indoor bikes. These bikes have a “fly wheel” which ranges from 30-40 pounds. It provides resistance as you pedal. With these bikes your hamstrings work harder and slowing down the pedals is more difficult. At LEGENDS you’re on your own bike. You can provide your own trainer, use their trainer, or WIND or MAG Trainers, Trainer Bock and Mat can be purchased from Bixby Bicycles.. Are the effects the same? No. You’re using different muscles so you’re getting different results.

Why the indoor class? It’s so much more than a way to avoid increment weather. Staying on the bike year round is imperative. Maintaining muscle fitness, weight distribution, familiarity with equipment, and calorie burn is important. Many cyclist experience differing numbers when indoors, relative to heart rate when riding outdoors, (a common complaint), some higher, some lower. This differing number can be explained in a number of ways, the primary being, riding on a street or road is different from riding on a trainer – you use different muscles, you’re exposed to the elements, you’re using gears to control your equipment, your bike sways as you ride, and roads aren’t smooth so your continually recovering.

Which is better? Being on your own equipment and controlling that equipment indoors makes for a smoother transition when you’re once again outdoors. Oklahoma weather is consistently changing. Cyclists go from indoors to outdoors throughout the winter months. Saturday outdoor group rides are an easy transition for Bixby Indoor riders.

If you’re interested in an indoor spin class, check out one of our earlier blogs on Spin Classes. If you’re interested in maintaining consistency and transitioning from indoors to outdoors on your own equipment, give Bixby Bicycles and Accessories a call. The fees are minimal and we have lots of fun.