Mentor series - Introduction

I began working in bikes shops when I was 16 years old. Through the years I've had the pleasure of working with people who made a lasting impression on my career. This series is about me recognizing those people for their contributions to my development. Since I attempt to keep my writings here specific to cycling, in this particular series I'm only including those who influenced my career in the industry.

The posts in this series will not be in any particular order of importance. It normally takes quite a lot of thought and time for me to finish these posts, and I tend to work on more than one at a time. I'll post each when I feel I've done my best to explain their importance to my professional life.

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What is Kashima Coating?

Kashima coating is a feature currently only found on Fox forks and shocks*. It's easy to spot from it's distinctive dark brown color. What is it and why do they use it? First, a quick definition: Anodizing is a process by which a metal part (normally aluminum) is electrically charged and submerged in a chemical bath. This creates an oxide layer that penetrates the metal and changes the microscopic texture and the crystal structure of the metal near the surface. After a part is treated, it can be dyed to give it color before it is sealed to increase durability. Hard anodizing is a similar procedure that penetrates further into the metal. This increases the surface hardness of the material making the surface even more durable and corrosion resistant. It does not make the metal part stronger, it affects the durability of the surface of the metal. Kashima coating is a type of hard anodizing that involves a lubricating treatment as well. This ...

1986 Fuji Restoration

I just picked up this 1986 Fuji Sagres to restore. This has been one of my all time favorite bikes and one I've been searching for a long time. It's gonna be a long term project since it doesn't have the original gunmetal grey Ukai rims and gunmetal grey handlebar tape. I'd like to pick up some original 27" SCCR Fuji tires too, but that may be asking a bit much. I'm not sure why I've always like this so much. Maybe the color, maybe it was a good seller for us at the shop back then. It would have been the year before I started working at the shop so it could have been old inventory or that we just worked on a few of them the following years. I remember always wanting one, probably has a lot to do with the color. It's one of the last to have been made in Japan and features quad-butted Valite tubing. These were decent riding bikes and reasonably priced at about $325 if I remember correctly. So why the big deal about a mid 80's Fuji? ...

Trek Travel 2012 California Coast Part 2

This is part two in a series of posts about the Trek Travel bike tour my wife and I took with the owner of the shop I work at and some friends. Part one covered the first two days beginning at the Sea Ranch lodge and finished with us staying in Bodega Bay. My post today will cover the next two days that lead us to Tiburon. Day 3 That tiny person is my wife Day three had us riding north for a while in order to do a loop inland for a bit. This ride featured plenty of riding on the coast that was spectacular, but we also had the opportunity to see some of the forest near the coast. We started by riding up the coast the opposite way that we had ridden the day before. We rode along the coast for about 10 miles before turning inland where we were treated with more beautiful riding through the woods in the Russian River valley. We actually stopped to walk into the woods to get pictures of the huge trees - like nothing I've ever seen...

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