Brother Daniel Lowetz successfully completed his journey from NYC to TC, specifically, EC. He rode none other than the official team bike of Einstein Racing, the Izalco Pro 3.0. He travels lightly, as what you see in the photo is exactly how he blasted through the triumph victory banner. Bravo, Daniel! Mission accomplished.
Congrats to Jorden Wakely who dominated the men's race by 4 minutes, and to Johanna Schmidt for her triple crown victory at Mud Sweat & Beers 2012. You are both true champions. For the full scoop visit our Einstein Racing Blog.
FOCUS Raven 29 1.0
FOCUS Raven 29 2.0
FOCUS Raven 29 3.0
FOCUS Black Forest 29 1.0
FOCUS Black Forest 29 2.0
FOCUS Black Forest 29 3.0
Orbea Alma Hydro
Orbea Alma S 30
BMC Teamelite 29 XO
BMC Speedfox 29 SLX
Kona Hei Hei
Kona Hei Hei Deluxe
Surly Karate Monkey
Ladies, start your engines!
The all new Izalco Donna was designed for women who refuse to compromise on performance, but enjoy a plush ride. The Donna provides a blend of engineering, ride quality, and ergonomics that is distinctively Focus. Tested by professional women riders, the Donna is equipped with female-specific touches at all key contact points, including saddle, bars, brake levers, and crank arms.
Jason would like to thank everyone that came through in support of his goal of raising $1000 for kids cancer research. Jason came through in 4th place at Jolly Pumpkin's March 16th St. Baldrick's Day fundraiser!
David Martin in memory of Kathy Martin (in the final hour with a gigantuan donation to help us meet our goal!)
'Chip Bearclaw'....relative of Chet?
Tim Bottrell
Mr. James P. Picotte
Melissa Ryba in memory of Ms. Gail Weaver
Kushman
Irma Brownley
Jenema Family
Dr. Pain
Jon W9
Glen Ruczynski
Kimberly Dittmar
Jason Lowetz in memory of Haig Diradourian
Dr. Michael R. Anderson
Cycling Plus's Bike of the Year 2012, the Focus Izalco, has been around for a couple of seasons and has seen action at the highest levels of road racing, with the top-end Team model being ridden by Katusha and now Acqua & Sapone. Impressively, the Pro shares the same frame, with a weight that hits the magical 1kg mark and has all the features you’d expect of a pro-level chassis.
Up front a tapered head tube flows into a trapezoid shaped down tube. This has structural spines at the edges which cleverly double up as channels for the internal cable routing. The hugely oversized bottom bracket shell flows into beefy chainstays. The dropouts are full-carbon and angle backwards, meeting the super-skinny seatstays behind the rear axle. This additional length allows for more flex to aid comfort without affecting the stiffness of the chainstays.
The major difference between the Team and Pro framesets is the fork: the Pro’s equipped with a 3T Rigida while the Team gets a lighter 3T Funda. Brakes and gears are SRAM Force, the equivalent of Shimano’s Ultegra (as found on the lower spec Pro 4.0). Force is lighter than Ultegra and performs arguably just as well – it certainly has better brakes.
Rounding off the 3.0 package is a quality DT Swiss wheelset in the form of the RR 1850s. You can buy lighter for the same money but you’d be pushed to find anything put together significantly better. It’s good to see that Focus haven’t skimped on the tyres either: Continental Grand Prix offer reasonably low weight but a great feel, with plenty of comfort from the 24mm width.
On paper the Izalco certainly looks impressive, as it does on the scales too, at 7.78kg (17.2lb) for a 58cm size. But it’s the performance out on the road that counts and thankfully the Pro 3.0 doesn’t disappoint. With a compact drivetrain and wide cassette married to the bike’s overall lightness, the Izalco is truly exceptional for long hilly rides. That’s not to say that when you want to stomp on the pedals and thrash, it doesn’t follow suit – if anything the Pro 3.0 is at its best when you’re going as hard as you can.
The Izalco’s not just composed and rigid under power but it handles with a confident swiftness too. It’s absolutely among the very best around. Cannondale’s SuperSix Apex may have the edge in the handling stakes and the Trek 3.5 Madone sneaks it for comfort, while Canyon’s Ultimate offers unparalleled equipment, but the Izalco is quite simply the best jack of all trades. That's why it's our Bike of the Year.
By Warren Rossiter, Cycling Plus
Reserve your rooms at Marsh Ridge and Register for the race today!
Fat Bikes and Good Old Fashioned MTB's welcome!
Please visit www.StFattysDay.com for more details on this spectacular event.
Izalco Pro 3.0
Cayo 1.0
Cayo 3.0
Variado 1.0
Variado 2.0
In case you haven't heard (or seen our sweet videos), Ec's still out riding (we ride 365!)
COME RIDE WITH US!!! (Or just head out solo if that's more your style.)
Ec now has a demo fleet of snowbikes available...for FREE!
Moonlanders and Pugs.
Call the shop for availablity (or stop by!)
And be sure to, not only drink your ovaltine, but also
friend us on facebook & check our events calendar regularly.
Once again, in case you didn't know, we ride 365!
Jason and Kristie would like to give a giant (we're talking 72 size font) THANK YOU to everyone that supported our new business venture this 2011. That's anyone who came in and bought anything from a water bottle to a top of the line carbon race bike; anyone that came in and said, "I've heard good things!", and anyone that's been in the shop just to take a look around and see what we're all about. Your support, positive energy, and passion for cycling is what keeps us motivated. We hope we can continue to make all of your wildest cycling dreams come true in 2012. Don't forget to stop in and say 'HI' this winter. If you haven't heard, at Ec we ride 365! We've brought in some fat winter tires to get us through the cold months, and the 2012 Focus bikes that are trickling in have us dreaming of spring. Can't wait to ride with you in 2012!
Hahhhhhhhhhhhhhh-le-lu-jah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Ha lay-ay, lu-jah!
Izalco Pro 3.0
Cayo 3.0
Black Forest 29r 1.0
Mares Cx 3.0
Mares Ax 3.0
Hurry on down to EC to score some jolly Xmas deals on fancy bike stuff this Wednesday! By fancy, we mean Shimano Dura-Ace and Sram Red components, Mavic Wheels, 3T bars/stems, FSA Bars/stems, Sram/FSA carbon cranks, DT Swiss wheels, and more! Below is the sale list.
Join us for a night mtb/cx ride tonight. We will be leaving the EC parking lot at 6:15pm. Short ride to the Vasa trailhead and then 1 lap of the 25k. We should be back to the shop around 8pm. Bring your lights or be smart and pick up a new Niterider from EC!
*Please call the shop ahead of time if you need a light so that we can make sure the battery is fully charged
Come on down to the civic center early tomorrow (Sunday 11-20-2011) to preride and register for your race. Racing begins at noon! Loads of sweet prizes including a $200 Gore Bike Wear "Tool" jacket, Pie from GT Pie Company, Optics by Tifossi, $200 in Shorts Brewery gift certificates, $90 in Einstein Cycles gift cards, tons of Hammer nutritional products, Sram trucker hats, EC water bottles, and more! Every kid that does the kids race at 1:45 receives a free slice of pie thanks to GT Pie Company.
Grand Traverse Civic Center
TRAVERSE CITY, MI
Sunday 11/20/11
PRESENTED BY: EINSTEIN CYCLES
C RACE (30 MINUTES) HIGH NOON
B RACE (45 MINUTES) 1PM
FREE KIDS RACE 1:45PM!!!
A RACE (60 MINUTES) 2PM
· $15 race entry
· Demo Focus CX bikes available!
· Mountain Bikes welcome!
· Max FUN! Major awards!
Thank you to all who stopped by the mega tall Ec Expo booth on Friday! If you couldn't make it, we're sorry to say you missed out on free fruit bars, stickers, and hair gel. We apologize for failing to supply enough Hammer Gel. We feel strongly, however, that the hair gel more than makes up for it.
In other news, we are proud to announce that Ec's own Jason Lowetz almost didn't get beat by the world champ Heather Irimiger! She got him by 50 seconds with a time of 1:46:01. Jason would like to give a shout out to 'Got2b spiked-up' hair gel and all it's glorious sleekness for allowing him to hang with her as long as he did.
We hope you all had as great a time as we did at this year's Iceman. Stop by the shop to share your war stories when you get a chance!
When we say we ride 365, we mean it. (By the way everybody...Ec rides 365!) That's right, we're keeping it going year 'round at Ec! To prove our point, EC is now a Surly dealer, and therefore (in our humble opinion) the new home of the biggest and baddest bikes in town! The big tired, go-anywhere Pugsley and single speed, 29er Karate Monkey are currently on display and ready for action. We have Black-Ops Pugsleys, Moonlanders, Ogres, and Long Haul Truckers on the way. Trainers are a hoot and all, especially green Kinetics (in stock only at Ec!), but why not live a little and come dominate the snow with us this winter?
Gore Bike Wear is GORE-GEOUS! It keeps you warm and dry too. Come on down to EC and check it out.
"It was 37 degrees, rainy, and windy....I was wearing nothing but a base layer and jersey under my Gore TOOL jacket and I was toasty warm. I was actually forced to unzip my pit zips to cool off at times. This Gore stuff not only keeps me warm and dry it makes me look really smart and good looking"
-Jason Lowetz (local pro, 1996 homecoming king)
After months of shoe testing, Ec owner and world famous shop PRO, Jason Lowetz, along with help from his feet, has settled on a brand of shoes to stock...
Say hello Giro shoes! Mountain, Road, Womens, Mens.....They are all truly outstanding.
Come on down to EC and check them out for yourself. If you are not as impressed with these as Jason is, he will be shocked. He will also be sad.
Get your morning started right with the Wednesday Singletrack Ride. Meet at Crow About It Coffee at 7:30am for a delicious coffee or tea. Gossip for a few minutes about those who are not where we are and then head off to the Vasa Trailhead around 7:47am. We will hit the singletrack around 8am and twist around in the woods for about an hour and a half. We will return to EC around 9:45. The pace will be moderate but we will regroup often.
Now that we've got your bike ready for Iceman, are YOU ready? Come join us for the Monday Night "Speed of Light" Ride. Depart from Ec at 5:50 pm and ride to the VASA trailhead, or meet at the Vasa Trailhead at 6:10 and roll out to Headwaters together. Times will be recorded so you know where you stand week to week. We will do one lightning fast 25K lap of the Vasa (reverse--No Jack Pine). Hope to see you all there!
We don't mean to scare you, but it's time to get your bike to Ec! Tune-ups/repairs/overhauls...it's all done by our own pro mechanic/pro racer Jason Lowetz. Not sure if you need a tune-up? Read on.
Bicycle Service Recommendations
How often and what level of service your bike needs depends on the quality of the bike, your style of riding, and the amount of use. But in any case, we recommend some level of service about once a year. Here are some suggestions.
The Frequent Rider
If you're a frequent rider, an enthusiast, or bike commuter, we recommend a tune-up once a year. Brake pads wear, cables stretch, and bearings loosen-- all components that need periodic attention.
We also recommend frequent transmission cleanings. Keeping the transmission clean improves the shifting and prolongs its life. Plan on a complete overhaul about every three to five thousand miles. We've found that all the bearings will need fresh grease in about that mileage range.
The Occasional Rider
If you're an occasional rider, if you know your bike is in good condition, or maybe you're pulling it out for the season after a short, winter storage, you may only need a minor tune. Although bikes don't go out of adjustment from just sitting, they will require some dusting off, fresh lube, and air in the tires before you go riding again.
Pulling Your Bicycle Out of Storage
If you're pulling your bike out from a long storage, we recommend a tune-up. Again, bikes don't go out of adjustment from simply sitting unused, but over time, tires and grips rot, cables rust, and components get gummed up. A good, meticulous tune-up will put you safely back on the road in good working order.
Off Road Mountain Bikers
For mountain bikes being ridden off road, we suggest cleaning and lubing after every ride, repairs as necessary, and an overhaul once a year. Mountain bikes are ridden in a harsh environment of dirt, mud and water. They suffer more abuse when doing that kind of riding; thus, they require more maintenance.
Inexpensive Bicycles
Inexpensive bikes require more frequent maintenance too. They tend to be more difficult to adjust and don't hold their adjustments as long as better bikes. Unfortunately, the money saved on buying a cheap bike is often exceeded by the cost of maintaining it. We recommend repairs as necessary, and a tune up once a year for these kinds of bikes.
Aggressive Rider (Full Overhaul Candidate)
Aggressive riding also necessitates more maintenance. Jumping curbs and potholes, and shifting gears under load are hard on your bike. Parts wear out faster and components need more frequent adjustment. Here again, we recommend an annual tune-up.
Ec approved info courtesy of intownbicycles.com. Why reinvent the wheel?
All 2011 Focus Bikes will be on sale through the month of October, starting at 10% off! What's the catch? You simply have to answer a simple calculus, physics, or trigonometry question and/or explain to us in heavy detail Einstein's Theory of Relativity, and you will win the opportunity to purchase a bicycle at a discounted rate--a simple yet fun challenge for minds of all ages! heh heh heh. Of course this simply isn't true, as that just wouldn't be Ec. Ec's computer actually came with a calculator, and we found one in our kitchen junk drawer as well. Therefore all you really need to do is show up, and we'll tally up your savings for you. It honestly couldn't be any Ec-er! Get a load of this: All bike purchases earn you 10% off all accessories. And don't forget, we do offer 0% interest for 6 to 12 months.
Mega Bike Sale at Ec Beginning Saturday, Oct 1st!!!!
Actually....we said Ec Money, and we're not sure if it could be any Ec-er! Perfect for any gift giving occasion.
Now available at Ec.
Izalco Donna 1.0
Frame: Carbon
Components: Shimano Dura Ace
Wheelset: Fulcrum Racing 3
Izalco Donna 2.0
Frame: Carbon
Components: Shimano Ultegra
Wheelset: Fulcrum Racing 7
Izalco Donna 3.0
Frame: Carbon
Components: Shimano 105
Wheelset: Fulcrum Racing 7
When the going gets tough, the tough get GE Money!
Now offering zero interest for 6 months at Ec! It's like getting paid to spend money.
Stop in to see if you qualify.
(August 9, 2011; Carlsbad, CA) The FOCUS Izalco Team Katusha has received top honors in Velo’s test of World Tour Professional Race Bikes. Velo, the recently re-launched print presence of www.VeloNews.com, has been covering bicycles and racing since 1972. Their bicycle tests combine subjective opinion from the most knowledgeable experts with objective data gathered in lab tests co-developed with Microbac Laboratories, Inc.
Four World Tour team bikes were run through a gauntlet of tests during the Velo Editor’s Pick selection process. At first sight, the testers realized that the Izalco Team Katusha was something special. The elegant internal cable routing was met with particular approval, and the editors were more than thrilled with the bike's ease of assembly. The Izalco then left a similar impression when road tested, with test riders calling out the Izalco’s quick acceleration and agile handling. From their point of view, the Izalco is the perfect bike for racing at high speed. “The Izalco Team Katusha is a pro racer’s dream – and his/her mechanic’s too”, said Velo. “The Izalco is stiff in all the right places thanks to a tapered head tube and BB30 bottom bracket. Its solid frame results in a springy, perfectly twitchy race platform. The Izalco would be my pick for pothole-dodging, curb-hopping, gutter-filled racing.”
Another key highlight came in a lab test to examine frame rigidity. The Izalco scored top marks, displaying higher torsion resistance than all other bikes tested. A score of 30 out of a possible 30 points spoke for itself, securing a
well-deserved "Editor's Pick" seal.
“FOCUS has spent considerable time and money to ensure that Team Katusha gets the most out of our products,” said Scott Rittschof, CEO of FOCUS Bicycles USA. “Professional testing is crucial to our product development and a key selling point for FOCUS. To experience such great results on the world stage, and with respected editors like those at Velo, is incredibly gratifying, and a testament to the strength of our bikes and the riders aboard them.” The entire test report can be found in Velo Magazine, Issue 09-2011 The FOCUS Izalco Team Katusha will soon be available in North America, as both a Team Issue model with SRAM Red components and Vision wheels, and as a Team Replica model with SRAM Force components. The Izalco Team Katusha features the same frame platform as all FOCUS Izalco road bikes.
The whole test report can be found in: Velo Magazine, Issue 09-2011
Four bikes tested, FOCUS takes 1st place with 84 points, average score: 77.25
8/14/11
"It lives up to the hype...I'll take it."
$50 gets you one sweet day on the VASA! If you purchase a bicycle at Ec, the $50 will be put towards that purchase. We've got the Black Forest 1.0 and 2.0 available.
7/30/11
2011 Focus Urban 8 Belt Drive now on display at EC. With an internal 8 speed rear hub, belt drive, disc brakes, 700X35c" Schwalbe Kojak slick treads, and a bell.... this is pretty much the ultimate city bicycle.
7/29/11
...and babies love EC!
Einstein Cycles Baby Spandex coming soon! Bring your baby by for sizing.
7/18/11
2011 Focus Black Forest 2.0 29er MSRP $1,490 Einstein Cycles $1,415
2011 Focus Cayo 1.0 Race MSRP $3,160 Einstein Cycles $2,999
2011 Focus Raven 5.0 MSRP $4,040 Einstein Cycles $ 3,838
2011 Focus Wasgo 8 speed MSRP $1,140 Einstein Cycles $1,083
7/17/11
After 3 weeks of good ole fashioned 7am-1am manual labor.... Einstein Cycles is officially open for business!
HOURS
Monday thru Saturday 9am-6pm*
Sunday 8am-2pm*
*please note that we are often open well before and after these posted hours. Please call daily for extended hours.
:)
-Jason Lowetz BO (Business Owner)
7/10/2011
We will be open for business tomorrow (Monday) from 9am to 5pm. We are still piecing things together, but have learned that we can piece things together AND take care of our lovely customers needs at the same time. Thank you Kurt Schuler for allowing me to take a break from construction yesterday and sell you a new Focus Cayo 1.0! You will love the new level of sophistication, smartness, and style that comes with owning the new Cayo......guaranteed!
The Tour De France will be airing all day on our new fairly large 100% flat panel tv system so come on down and enjoy! I might even let you sit on a Focus Bike while watching...
Viva La Tour!
-J
7/6/2011
This was a few days ago. The walls were painted ysterday. Today the concrete receives a sealant. Tomorrow we begin to fill the space with good things.....like bicycles.....and the tools needed to repair bicycles.
6-30-2011
I would like to thank airless paint gun for yesterdays performance painting the ceilings! Today it's "rip up the rest of the carpet and start painting the walls day". Edco surface grinder pays us a visit tomorrow and promises a fun weekend of removing glue from the concrete floors and prepping for sealer.
6-29-2011
Working on our Einstein Cycles storefront sign. We cut all of the letters out of an old aluminum road sign. The frame was made using some scrap aluminum angle iron. "Cycles" is made using random old bicycle components. The blue paneling you see is actually white Acrylic paneling (I've yet to remove the blue protective film). All of the letters will be spaced out 1/2" from the panel and painted. Sign will be lit up from behind the acrylic. End result should be fun for the whole family!
Maya helps daddy take care of business by eating her hand
6-27-2011
Great news! The Einstein Cycles sign is under construction! It promises to be the best Einsteins Cycles sign EVER. This and the shop are coming together wonderfully. Thy painting begins tomorrow! Photos coming soon.
riiiiiiiide your bicycle today!
EC
Our blog just went live as of a few minutes ago and this is our first blog post. We have some exciting news. Einstein Cycles will be moving to a retail location at 4 mile and US 31 next to Crow About It Coffee! This is only a few pedal strokes from the TART Trail! Stay tuned for updates as we are hoping to be open by July 1st.....maybe sooner. In the meantime we are still taking in repairs at our existing location on Smith Rd. Please come on by and drop off your bicycle for service or check out our selection of Focus Bikes and used bikes. Call for current hours please!
Thank you!
EC
