TATI

Chocolate Rain

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:16 -0700

The best thing about this time of the year is the smell of the fertilizer used in the flower beds surrounding the Shedd Aquarium. Three or four years ago, the grounds staff switched from a very dank and chemical-nosed conventional mulch to the delicious-sounding and smelling cocoa shell mulch. The stuff looks much like any other mashed up brown humus, but emits a rather pleasant chocolate aroma -- and an even more intense note after morning showers, as we had a few days ago.
It's also around this time, as the mercury drops and the tires fatten, that the shop brings back open hours. Unless I'm mistaken, the shop really wasn't officially open all summer long, which is either a sign of progress or decline; I'm not really sure. Nevertheless, the build queue is under control for the first time in ages, and bikes and wheels are rolling out steadily, if slowly. Not having to staff the shop on a daily basis has provided the elves some time to plan properly for the autumn inventory, so when the shop actually does re-open, the shelves will be stocked with more than just Sharkies and Knogs for once.

Outlier | nau | Magicshine | Honey

Productivity

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:05 -0700

Lots of new goodies are on the way or already here.

Rouleur 19, more Spooky frames, Enzo's Buttonhole chamois creme, Velocity Major Toms, TATI silk ascots, TATI water bottles, Knog locks, Nau jackets, Outlier pants, some new Mer bags, and VUVUZELAS!

CCC Wheel Special

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:33 -0700

Attention People of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup!
Would you like to benefit from the superior grip and handling characteristics of tubular cross wheels, but have heretofore been hesitant to take the plunge? TATI Cycles is here to help. We will build you a custom wheelset tuned for your weight, riding style, and intended terrain. With proper annual maintenance, your hoops will last, if not a lifespan, at least a bikespan or more.
Cost: $500 complete!

Weight: 1375-1900g

Labor: Wheelbuilding and tire gluing included.

Spokes: DT Swiss Competition or Sapim Laser

Lacing: As basic or as esoteric (crow's foot, 3 trailing/3 leading, etc.) as you desire

Rims: Velocity Escape, Pro Elite, or Major Tom

Hubs: Velocity sealed bearing

H: 20h, 24h, 28h, 32h, 36h

Nipples: DT Swiss, Brass only. This is cross after all!

Glue: Vittoria Mastik

Tires: Challenge Fango, Grifo, or Grifo XS. 30mm, 32mm, 34mm

wheels@taticycles.com

Double Endo

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:55 -0700

What does this mean?

Five of us clown-car'd it over to the Palos Meltdown, which turned out to be a fine event, as always. Armed with three fixies, a tiny TATI custom, a gigantic lilac single speed, a backpack full of vuvuzelas, and enough wool jerseys to outfit your average late-60s continental team -- what possibly could go wrong? Except for the fact that one of our riders, a newbie, would be sporting road pedals and cleats. Except that I was still smarting from a neck injury earlier in the week and was addled with Advil. But except for that, we were ready. And so we headed West, enjoying the mellifluous tones of REO Speedvagen and Journey.
Upon arriving at Bullfrog Lake, however, we were mystified by the armada of MTBs. Our stats just wouldn't cut it:

Brakes per person: 1.2
Disc brakes per person: .2
Average tire width: 31mm
Camelbacks per person: 0
Gears per person: 6.2
Number of riders with no brakes: 1
Number of fixed riders: 3

Just as we were nearly completed with the bike prep, I realized that I'd lost the car key. While this is hardly unusual, I noticed that I'd been more forgetful than usual over the past few days: losing keys and documents, missing meetings, and generally walking around in a haze. I'd also been suffering from some odd mild vertigo, which had already made its presence known on a recent ride. We eventually found the keys (they had fallen into the horn section of a vuvuzela) and I popped a handful of Advil for good measure as we rolled out to the course.

Settled under a shady tree, we snacked on gummy bears and practiced dismounts while waiting for the 10:30am heats to start. Dan would be racing Sport on his cross bike, and the TATI Vuvuzela Orchestra would be ready. On this day, our harmony was a B+. We still have work to do, but there is still time to improve in time for the CCC.

And then we decided to jump in. Or, well, I decided to jump into the race. My teammates rode for a bit, but abandoned me, and so I had no other choice but to carry on and race the fat tired beasts. A few riders were off the front, so I carefully stayed out of their way as they passed on a particular rocky descent -- but this was followed by a 1km rocky ascent, and I surprised myself by bridging up to them. Noting that the gap to the chase was over two minutes, I didn't think it would be troublesome to keep a respectable distance and spectate, at speed. Up and down and up and down we went. We dove through some singletrack, and into and out of Three Ravines. It's this part of the story where things got interesting, because earlier in the day, I asked a friend if Three Ravines (a more technical and challenging part of the Palos trail network) was part of the Meltdown course. And he said, "Of COURSE it isn't!"

He lied.

Barreling down into the first ravine, I did a flying dismount (and if you've never seen a brakeless fixed gear downhill dismount, believe me, Flying is the correct adjective) and recovered just before hitting the flat, slippery stones and the base of the ravine. I ran the second ravine. And then I forgot how to count to three.
I saw the third ravine around the left hand turn too late, and registered a spectacular endo into a tree. There were some marshalls sitting on a log on the other side of the ravine, and they just shook their heads. I scrambled back to my feet, shouldered the bike, and clambered up the other side. In the heat of the moment, though, I didn't see that my handlebars had been twisted 45 degrees by the tree, and when I went to remount, I just threw my hands where I expected the bars to be, and...
"Oooooooooooohhhh! DOUBLE ENDO!" remarked one of the marshalls. "So intense." said another, without missing a beat.
Bloodied and shamed, I straightened the bars, cursing under my breath, and continued. I looked down to watch a steady stream of blood slowly covering my handlebars, front hub, and lovely+indestructible Velocity B43 rim. "What does this mean?" I asked myself.

Much later, over ceviche and horchata at an Archer Street taqueria, the team went over the day's events. My head was pounding and I could barely follow the conversation. My shoulder ached. My ankles burned. My hip clicked in time. The morning's dose of Advil wasn't cutting it, so I pulled my trusty bottle out of the jersey pocket. "Anyone want some," I asked.
"Some what?"
"Advil."
"That's not Advil. That's Zyrtec."
"Oh."
"How many of those do you take per day?"
"Four to six, or sometimes more if my neck really hurts."

Look What the Storck Brought

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:57 -0700

We stayed late Friday night to finish up this cute little Storck.

Frame: Storck C1.1, 47cm Red
Fork: Storck Stiletto:Aero
Headset: Acros Integrated
Cranks & BB: SRAM Red, 165mm
Chain: KMC
Cassette: SRAM Red
Mechs & Shifters: SRAM Force
Brakes: SRAM Rival
Stem & Bars: Kalloy 9cm, 36cm
Seatpost: FSA K-Force, chopped
Saddle: Fi'zi:k Aliante
Cages & Bar Plugs: Soma pink ano
Tires: Challenge Gara Reflex Open Tubulars
Rims: Kinlin 270 pink ano
Hubs: Easton Velomax 20/28h
Spokes: Sapim CX-Ray 0X/0X/2X
Pedals: TIME iClic

Another TATI White Label Build

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:59 -0700

Here's a nice little commuter.

Frame: 49cm TATI White Label. Canary yellow with gold metal flake and amber clearcoat.
Fork: Storck Aero carbon
BB/Crank: SRAM Red
Seatpost/Stem: FSA white
Saddle: Tioga Spyder white
Bars: Nitto Promenade
Pedals: TIME Allroad Gripper
Rear Wheel: Handbuilt 32h. Pink Formula, DT Swiss Champion 3X, Velocity Aerohead custom powder coated (creme with gold metal flake)
Front Wheel: Zipp 404 clincher

TATI JR.CX

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:23 -0700

Announcing the TEAM Tati Juniors Cyclocross Program
Team TATI would like to welcome all junior (ages 10-18) cyclists interested in cyclocross to apply for our new Juniors Program. We will be selecting 6-10 motivated young riders. Experience is not necessary. Riders will be taught the fundamentals of cyclocross training and racing and will be encouraged to participate in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup race series.

Contact juniors@taticycles.com for more information.
The program begins in mid-August and ends in early December.
Our first information meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 11th at 6pm. (TATI Cycles, 1013 E 53rd St. 60615)

Program Benefits

Free technical support from our staff of professional mechanics.
Weekly coaching and mentoring from Team TATI riders and special guests.
Transportation and support at local races.

Requirements

A bicycle
Weekly workouts in Jackson Park
USA Cycling License
Enter at least one Chicago Cyclocross Cup race
Parental/family participation (carpooling, workout proctoring, etc.)

Do I need a cyclocross bicycle?
Absolutely not! Any bicycles capable of running even slightly knobby tires will do, such as a mountain bike or hybrid. Our crack team of mechanics will help you to customize your existing bicycle for optimal cyclocross use. We also have a few loaner cyclocross bikes for practices and races. And if you would like to step up to a full blown cross bike, steep discounts are available to team members.

Is cyclocross dangerous?
As with any sport, there are the usual risks of scrapes and cuts when taking the occasional spill -- but compared with bicycle road racing, due to the lower speeds and nature of cyclocross racing -- there are fewer injuries and crashes. There's a significant amount of rolling around in the grass and sometimes in mud, though. Cyclocross is a safe and fun way to enter the world of bicycle racing.

What does it cost?
That's the best part. For our inaugural season, the program will be free of charge. Race fees are also waived thanks to the gracious CCC sponsors. You will only need to cover some nominal equipment and uniform fees.

What's the best part?
While I'd like to say that it will be learning the ins and outs of an exciting sport in the company of some wonderful and supportive folks -- I have a feeling that most of our juniors will be more excited by our team vuvuzelas than anything else.

Knobbies

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:25 -0700

It's that time of the year again! It's seemingly a cross bike a day at the shop, and no two are alike!

Swobo Oboe Hobo

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:00 -0700

Things have been getting a little psychedelic at the shop lately. It could very well be due to the two year old Hammer Gels I found under the sink last week, or the trace asbestos trickling down from the crumbling sheetrock in the ceiling, or the very loud Nitzhonot our upstairs neighbor blasts at 3am. But the result has been some pretty odd builds this week, even by TATI standards.
It helps that the latest round of frames to arrive are the wonderful shapeshifting Swobo Crosbies. In stock regalia, the Crosby is a mild mannered, if eccentric, single speed cross rig.

Designed by Sky Yaeger, the Crosby mates some crazy hydroformed 7000 tubes to Paragon-style sliding dropouts and a carbon canti + disc friendly fork. That's a pretty good platform for all sorts of things, but the stock build is... pretty safe, and a jack-of-all-trades that isn't really ideal. I was skeptical at first that the Crosby could be the Jekyll & Hyde chameleon that I've been searching for for the past couple of seasons: a single, lightweight frame that could be easily morphed from a high performance commuter to a cyclocross rig to a passable road bike, and back again. What we've discovered is that not only can the Crosby fill these roles with aplomb, but it's so much more: a dual-disc snow bike! a high BB fixie! a Geekhouse doppelgänger!

The semi-sloping top tube doesn't slope too much to make it difficult to shoulder, and there's a nice comfy flat section exactly where you'd want it. The front end is surprisingly twitchy, but in a good way, allowing for single-track style cornering if that's your wont. The best thing about the sliding dropouts for geared setups is the ability to change your wheelbase, by as much as 2.5cm! This means that in road bike mode, it will feel more or less like a decent aluminum road bike, and in cross bike mode, you'll have a little more stability and cush.

At only $550 for the frameset, Crosbies can be built up for as little as $900 (single speed). A cross-friendly 1x9 setup will run about $1200, and a full Rival kit still only comes in at $1500. I really wish we had these a couple of years ago when an entire crew of ruddy-faced Tatito newbies were racing road and cross on a motley assortment of aluminum cantilever-equipped frames.

Giro Prolight v. Atmos

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:51 -0700

I misplaced my helmet the other day, and instead of heading out for a four hour ride without one, I grabbed the one nearest the door. It turned out to be the controversial Giro Prolight, size medium, in black.
When it was announced over a year ago, the Prolight was ridiculed for its somewhat frumpy, retro styling. It lacks the carbon struts of Giro's racing helmets. Its vents were smaller. Its profile was less rakish. And in some colors (such as the unfortunate all-orange Prolights sometimes worn by the Garmin riders) it looks like it was designed for children. It lacks any real adjustability. But one thing is for certain: it delivers on the promise of light weight. My medium (sans decals) tips the scale at 196g, versus 273g for the already relatively light Giro Atmos.
Having ridden the Atmos for much of the year, I was already familiar with the pros and cons of Giro's current slate of helmets. While the Ionos does have better padding and more secure fitting system, it was too similar to the helmet I was replacing at the time, the Spiuk Nexion. Both are extremely comfortable, if somewhat heavy (>300g) designs -- and I wanted to try something different this year. The Atmos has superior venting and is surprisingly cool when worn without a cap. Dumping a bidon of water over one's head actually results in... a wet head! The helmet's profile is pretty racy, but does ride high on some folks. It's clear that the weight savings comes at the expense of foam around the temples. But the worst thing about the Atmos is the padding, or lack thereof. Long rides often result in sometimes painful impressions of the helmet's center struts on the forehead, as often exhibited by Levi Leipheimer. Unfortunately, there's not a lot that can be done about this, other than very carefully tightening the tensioning system, and then backing it off one click after it seems tight.
Without any adjustability, the Prolight either fits... or it doesn't. Fortunately, I found that the medium does fit my head pretty well -- better in fact than a medium Atmos. Some have complained that the Prolight suffers from poor ventilation, and I suppose this is possible. The vents are smaller than those of the Atmos, though they are just as deep. It's not something I have been able to sense, even on a handful of ridiculously hot rides. But perhaps I don't really ride rapidly enough for a helmet-windchill to take effect.
The Prolight is some 77 grams lighter than the Atmos, and over 100g lighter than my Spiuk, which doesn't seem like much. And yet somehow, it feels far lighter than either of them. In this way, it reminds me a lot of my old Specialized Sub 6. I suppose a gossamer helmet doesn't have any real bearing on performance -- that is, unless one does a lot of head bobbing, or more importantly: repeated head butting... but it just feels right to me. Like tubulars or carbon handlebars, the Prolight isn't for everyone -- but it provides a discernibly different riding experience. And that's worth something.
Giro Atmos, $175
Giro Prolight, $200
Giro Ionos, $230

TATI stocks all three models. However, Giro is sold out of most colors and sizes -- so call/email for availability.

The Prolight has very minimal padding, but so does every other Giro.

Even the hardware is slightly different. The straps and plastic bits are completely unique to the Prolight.

Not all that different from behind, really.

Can you tell which is which?

The Atmos (at right) clearly has bigger vents.

The stretchy retention device feels fine to me, but isn't for everyone.