Thanksgiving Day Ride

The Thanksgiving day ride is an unofficial event but an annual ride that we have been doing for over 15 years.

It is open to all people and all shops. We just want to ride and build a big appetite for Turkey....

We try to get everyone to meet at four corners (top of Maple Springs and Harding Truck Trail) at 9am. For timing people going up Harding plan on 2 hours and people going up Maple Springs plan on 1.5 hours. We will have some unofficial refreshments at the top for the first 75 people or so.

Happy Turkey Day!

For the third year, Rock N' Road will partner with Second Harvest Food Bank to help feed the poor and displaced in Orange County. During December, if you bring in 3 canned goods or 3 of any other items on the list below, to any of the four local Rock N' Road Cyclery locations, you will receive a Free Rock N' Road Cyclery water bottle. We encourage all our customers to come in & give a little to those who need it most.

Needed Items:
Canned meats, canned fish, beef stew, chili, pasta, macaroni & cheese, rice, beans, Canned fruit & vegetables, canned juices, soups, hot & cold cereals, peanut butter. We would also like to invite you to come and join our "HUNGER RIDE" December 19th. The ride will be starting at 8:00 a.m. from our Irvine location 6282 Irvine Blvd just off the tollway, but please arrive by 7:30. There will be a post-ride breakfast compliments of Chick Fil A.

The ride will head counter clockwise through Santiago Canyon(approx. 33 miles). We will regroup twice on the ride. No one will be left behind. Additional miles will be added afterwords for those really hungry people. Hope to see you there! For more information check our website at http://www.rocknroadcyclery.net or call our Irvine Store 949-733-2453.

Our flat fix clinic was well received at Laguna Niguel last Wednesday. There were 3 'fix coaches', Nicky, Diane and Victor who kindly stayed behind to help out, and 14 ladies who then split into 3 small groups. The ladies were shown how to remove the wheels on the front and rear of the bike and then to replace a punctured tube. They all then got their hands dirty and took turns changing tubes and replacing the wheels. By the end of the night all the ladies were a lot more confident about riding with their friends and being able to get themselves going again if they find they've got a flat tire!

Download PDF for Spooky-Cross start times and info

Wednesday, September 23rd 7:30pm at the Irvine store the Trail Angels will be meeting up to talk about upcoming rides & events. The Trail Angels are a group of women mountain bikers, if you would like to know more about the club check out their website www.trailangels.com.

New members are welcome at this meeting!

The RnR Divas have started a Facebook page and will begin to use it to post upcoming events and information. They will continue to send out information using the Yahoo Group until January 1, 2010.

After this date, they will be exclusively on Facebook. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Facebook is considered a 'social networking' site, and it is very fun and easy to use. It will allow for a more interactive approach to the group, and let everyone participate more readily. There will also be an interactive calendar and ride information on the profile.

Facebook's link is http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=100000138767344&ref=ts, you can sign up for an account there if you do not already have one. If you have any questions about how to set up an account, please email Crystal and she will help you with that process.

crystal@rocknroadcyclery.net

Over the Hump Mountain Bike Race Series- Orange County’s only midweek Mountain Bike Race!
Wednesday, August 26. 2009 & Thursday, September 17, 2009
Location:  Irvine Lake, Orange, CA (see website for directions)
Times:  4:00pm on-site registration. 6pm Race start
Course:   4-6 mile XC loop throughout the Irvine Lake Area. Course consists of a mix of single track and fire roads.  Climbs and various obstacles throughout.  Number of laps vary by classes.  Beginner [1 lap], Sport [2 laps], Expert [3 laps]
Pre Registration is just $20/race. Register Now @ www.OverTheHumpSeries.com for both races and get a free event t-shirt!
Orange County Mountain Bikers, you now have your own local race series! Over the Hump Mountain Bike Race Series is designed to be a fun, relaxed event for everyone. Our race course has been designed to challenge all levels of riders, and give you a great place to experience the fun and excitement of mountain bike racing. Our beautiful course offers a variety of scenic terrain with views of Irvine Lake and Santa Ana Mountain Range. Ride through the pine trees above the lake to single track along the cottonwoods. Easily accessible after work from all over Orange County.

• Everyone is welcome! Beginners to Experienced racers.
• Great first race to try Mountain Bike Racing, and challenging race for the experienced rider.
• Exclusive Mountain Bike Race track available only to Over the Hump racers.
• Fun and Competitive.
• Highly visible track for your personal support team (AKA family and friends)
• Bring the whole family out for the fun! Picnic area, grass, tons of shade, and full restrooms all right at the water.

Contact information: Over the Hump Mtn Bike Race Series
Website: www.OverTheHumpSeries.com
Phone:    949-219-0500 or  949-388-0764  
Email us @ info@overthehumpseries.com
Follow us on Twitter: @overthehumpmtb

Mountain Bike Ride Wednesday

Team Velosport/ShoAir is inviting all cyclists to a NEW weekly MTB ride. The planned is every Wednesday the ride will start at 5:30 PM. John Dang and Matthias Jezek will be organizing the rides each week.

Skill level: Beginner to Intermediate and our female riders are more than welcome as well. These rides are designed to improve your skills and learn more about the sport, but most important to have fun! This will also give everyone the opportunity to explore mountain bike trails all around Orange County. Typically around a 1 Hour ride but can be extended depending on demand:

Wednesday 07/22: Aliso Woods Canyon Regional Park
Wednesday 07/29: Peter's Canyon Regional Park
Wednesday 08/05: Whiting Ranch
Wednesday 08/12: El Moro
Wednesday 08/19: O'Neill Park

Exact routes and future venues are going to be posted on the team website.
For more information please contact Matthias, matthias.jezek@mac.com

Diva Night - Summer 2009

From newbie to pro, roadie to mountain biker, women from all avenues of cycling went out to the Laguna Niguel Store on June 4th to enjoy a unique night of cycling-related entertainment.

The Rock N’ Road Divas is a riding group exclusively for female cyclists. Founded in 2006, this cycling club has grown to nearly 200 members! The RNR Divas are dedicated to connecting the female cycling community, and to bringing more women into the sport. Along with flat-fix clinics, organized rides and demo days, the RNR Divas host their very special ‘Diva Night’ twice a year.

The store was packed with more than 100 enthusiastic cyclists who were ready for a very extraordinary night, and, with the guest speakers, game show, free raffle prizes and special discounts, this Diva Night did not disappoint! The occasion began with the following informative, dynamic speakers:

Craig Hopps from Efficiency Coaching educated the group about the importance of coaching and how to get the most out of your rides.

Hammer Nutrition’s spokesperson Sean Kneale explained the value of proper nutrition while riding. He taught the audience how to beat the ‘bonk’!

After the speakers finished, the RNR Divas played their version of Jeopardy. The audience cheered on the contestants, and they definitely had reason to cheer! After each lightning-quick round a contestant won a prize bag filled with an assortment of cycling swag.

The event ended with the Grand Prize Drawing for a Garmin 705, a Thule bike rack, three A La Carte coaching sessions, a limo ride and a women’s Specific Era Expert mountain bike.

This Diva Night proved to be another fun and successful event for the Divas, and they look forward to many more years and members to come!

A special thanks to all the Diva Night sponsors: Specialized Bicycles, Hammer Nutrition, Chamois Butter, Efficiency Coaching, TriSlide and RnR owners!

Instant Rebate on Specialized road bikes; EXTENDED!!!

You have till June 14th to cash in on this incredible deal.

Road to The Tour Rebate Program

Tarmac, Roubaix, Ruby, Transition- Catch a deal when purchasing certain models of these Specialized road bikes. When you buy a Specialized road bike you could get up to $1200 off your purchase. To find out more visit or call one of our 4 locations today.

Diva Demo Day

Our RNR Divas held another great Demo Day in Laguna Niguel on May 23. We had three rides go out--a beginner mtn. bike ride, intermediate mtn. ride, and road ride. The beginners tackled the trails and with Tracie's encouragement made it up Cholla and ended back Coyote with no bruises! Yeah!! The intermediate women pretty much "painted the trails" in Aliso Woods and the roadies headed down the coast to Kelani's! We know the day is successful when women come back telling us tales of their rides, smiling, and laughing (and most of our bagels and fruit were gone so we know they worked up an appetite). And with only one chipped nail we'll call it a successful event. We would like to thank Amy Shreeve at Specialized for bringing the demo truck down to our store and getting our bikes all set up.

Road to The Tour Rebate Program

Tarmac, Roubaix, Ruby, Transition- Specialized road bikes have been racking up podiums since the season started. Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders, Tour Down Under, Tour of California, Paris-Nice, Criterium International & a handful of others. When you buy a Specialized road bike between May 14th - May 31 you could get up to $1200 off your purchase. Take it from Chavanel, that's worth smiling about. To find out more visit or call one of our 4 locations.

www.i-am-specialized.com

Specialized has a website that is dedicated to all the riders, teams & events that Specialized sponsors. Check out all the behind the scenes footage of Sea Otter, the World Cup Series & Tour De' Flanders. They have all avenues of cycling on this site; road, mountain, triathlons & even motor-sport racing.

Rock N' Road Cyclery now has limited quantities of Team VeloSport shirts available at all 4 store locations. All proceeds from these shirt sales go back to Team VeloSport. Support the team and wear your shirt proudly. Guaranteed to make you faster on your bike.

Mag Names Top Bike Shops In USA - OC's Rock N' Road Named Top 100 Bicycle Retailer 5th Straight Year

Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, the most important trade publication in the bike world, takes a poll of industry representatives to find the very best bike shops in the USA. Rock N' Road Cyclery of Orange County has been listed 5 years in a row.

Diva's Bike Club is Just One Part of Rock N' Road's Top Bicycle Retailer Status

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – May 05, 2009 – Bicycle Mag Names Top Bike Shops In America - OC's Rock N' Road Named Top 100 Bicycle Retailer for 5th Straight Year

The bicycle industry leadership has determined what Rock N' Road Cyclery's customers already knew ... Rock N' Road excels in "market share, community outreach, and store appearance." What made reaching the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News Top 100 Retailers of 2009 especially satisfying was that Rock N' Road was one of only 37 bike shops in America to reach the Top 100 five years in a row.

Yahoo reviewer Dwainew says it this way, " These guys ROCK!: I've NEVER been denied help by these guys when in need. They do get back-logged for detailed work, like everybody else, but here you'll find friendly, helpful people that want to help you! If it's a quick fix, they'll probably do it right there for you!"

A review offered by Phil B. at Insider Pages adds this: "This place is just awesome. When you buy your bike there, it comes with a lifetime 'tune-up.' You bring it in, and they will make sure that everything is on the up and up."

"Fantastic service, great Selection, and wonderful staff" says b_myth‎ in a review on Google Maps. "I recently purchased a new road bike and found the staff extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and patient. They worked with me to carefully select the exact bike to suit my needs and assisted me in selecting the necessary shoes and pedals. After tuning up the new bike, I was fitted on the bike and was on my way. The owner, manager, and salesperson all had a role in getting me into my new Specialized Tarmac Pro bike. I appreciate the excellent service and will continue to refer my friends to go to this shop as well. When you're spending top dollar for a bike, you expect top service from a good shop - Rock N' Road delivers."

Founder Matt Ford is gratified by all the nice comments left by customers on the web. "We set out at Rock N' Road Cyclery to create something very different in a retail experience. Bicycle consumers were used to friendly and nice in most bike shops. But they did not expect was the look and feel of a first class 21st Century Retailer. Working with Specialized Bicycle Company, we believe we have delivered that kind of environment."

But more than look, feel, and professionalism, the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News survey was looking for community outreach. From participation in local school bicycle safety programs to sponsorship of the MS Bay to Bay Fundraiser Ride, this four store bicycle retail chain is all about being a good citizen in OC, and in the bicycle industry.

One of the owners of Rock N' Road Cyclery is the manager of the Laguna Niguel Store, Jeff Renteria. He says that the difference at Rock N' Road is "passion." "All of the owners and staff at our stores are passionate about bicycles, about the benefits of cycling for health, fitness, social connections, and the environment. We are passionate about getting our customers on bicycles so they can participate with us in the sport."

"We sponsor a very large team, VeloSport with title sponsor Sho-Air, which consists of over 400 members. The team participates in road and mountain bike competition. We have done numerous wellness clinics for corporations, including Disney, to help their employees understand the great benefits of bicycling to overall wellness. We also do safety clinics for schools, scouts, and local law enforcement agencies."

Nicky Down is the major force behind the Rock N' Road Cyclery Diva Group. "We found that many of our female customers were looking to get together with other women to ride and socialize. They also wanted to know more about how their bicycle worked, and what to do when it had a flat. So we formed a special club just for the ladies. The Diva group has become very successful with rides, clinics, and social gatherings all year round."

Of course, in order to be a top 100 bicycle retailer five years in a row, you do have to sell something, and Rock N' Road Cyclery has clearly found a great resource in the Specialized brand of bicycles, clothing, accessories, and components. While the store sells other brands of bicycles and related products such as Nirve, Haro, LOOK, Cervelo, Oakley, Pearl Izumi, Fox, Shimano, Bell, Giro, Vittoria, Mavic, Easton, Crank Brothers, and Niner, our primary brand is Specialized.

Specialized has built its reputation around the idea that you design bicycles around the body geometry of the rider and the specific use of the product. The result of such bottom up thinking has been bikes like the Stump Jumper Mountain Bike, which is the premier bicycle in its class, or the S Works Transition, the dream bike for most triathletes. And Specialized realizes that women are different than men. It isn't enough to just change a man's bicycle frame to accommodate a woman's body geometry. They have built bikes like the Ruby Elite from the ground up to work perfectly for the ladies.

"We are thrilled, of course, to receive this honor for the 5th straight year," says Ford. "We also accept the challenge of maintaining the customer service, interior look, outstanding product offerings, and especially the community outreach that will be required to keep the streak alive. We hope our customers will challenge us with new ways that we can make cycling in OC exhilarating for all those who'd like to join us in the fun of riding bikes"

Find out more about what's happening at Rock N' Road Cyclery by visiting their blog at http://www.RocknRoadCyclery.blogspot.com or their website at http://www.RocknRoadCyclerly.net
# # #
Rock N' Road Cyclery is at the forefront of providing a great riding experience for all bicyclists in and around Orange County. This is not limited to selling and servicing great bicycles, including the Specialized Bicycle Brand, but also extends to providing rides, clinics, cycling advocacy, clubs, outreach to schools, police departments, and other city, county and state agencies to help wherever they can.

It also includes a substantial amount of giving back to the community through involvement in MS rides, AIDS tours, FeedAmerica, and now the Wheels4Life effort to send bicycles to folks around the world who are desperate for something as common place to us as a used bike.

eRide is coming to Mission Viejo, and Rock N' Road Cyclery wants to make sure you get into the action.

Test ride the Cervelo of your dreams when the Cervelo test ride program comes to Rock N' Road.

eRide, Cervelo test ride program gives you the opportunity to experience for yourself what the Cervelo ride is all about.

eRide is all about taking these bikes for a ride & interacting directly with Cervelo personnel. They'll answer all your questions & help you make a better-informed decision about which Cervelo model & size works best for you. The bike experts at Rock N' Road will also be there to help.

eRide the Cervelo model of your choice from our fleet of available models the include S3, RS, R3-SL, P3C & P4C.

Register now by visiting www.cervelo.com/eride to test ride the Cervelo of your dreams when eRide comes to town Sunday, April 19th.

Second Harvest Food Bank

During Christmas last year we had a food drive in all 4 stores. I was very excited to find out today that our efforts did not go to waste. Second Harvest writes:

"On behalf of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, I would like to thank you and everyone who contributed for you ongoing support and diligence in the fight against hunger. It is only through the generosity of people like you that the food bank is able to continue to provide food for the thousands of individuals in Orange County who would other wise go hungry."

Our food drive last year collect a total of 532 pounds of food!

Thank you so much to all who participated in the event & we look forward to having another food drive at the end of this year.

Spring Break Sales Event

Bike Maintenance and Tire Changing Clinic

With Triathlon Coach Martha Szufnarowski
Join us for morning of all things bike related - like a circus of cycling entertainment!
Triathletes, road riders, mountain bikers, competitors and weekend warriors all welcome.
This is a great location to start a morning ride and then meet us for the clinic and socializing.

WHEN: Saturday, March 14th at 11:00am
COST: FREE!
WHERE: Rock N Road Cyclery - 6282 Irvine Blvd, Irvine, CA 92620 949.733.2453
**This is a new shop on the corner of Sand Canyon and Irvine Blvd in the Home Depot Plaza adjacent to Woodbury.
** Some GPS systems guide you to the wrong location as it is a newly developed area.
For more information see http://www.rocknroadcyclery.net/directions.html
INFO: Contact Martha Szufnarowski, USAT Triathlon Coach and certified indoor cycling instructor
mjliberty@cox.net or 949-374-2096

Enter to win with The Spring Bike Giveaway at Rock n Road Cyclery!
(Irvine location only)

Enter to win a Nirve beach cruiser
No purchase necessary!
Random entree drawn - Contest ends April 15th.
Call Irvine store for more details at 949-733-2453

Specialized Demo Truck at Rock N' Road, March 1st 2009

Have you ridden the best of the best yet? On Sunday, March 1st the Specialized Demo Truck will be rolling into it Irvine. It will be carrying the top of the line Specialized Road & Mountain bikes. You can take them out on your favorite trail or you can come ride with us on one of our two rides set up for that day. Call today to reserve your bike, there are limited sizes.

For those of you who already love their ride & just want to ride period. Come out too, Matt Ford will be leading a road ride through Shady Canyon starting at 9:00 am.
Dirty, Muddy people don't be sad, we have a ride for you too. Starting at 12:00pm meet at the shop (or 12:30 at the park near the bottom) for a ride through Peter's Canyon.

Call the Irvine Store if you have an questions. See you out there!

Rock N' Road Cyclery Irvine
(949) 733-243
6282 Irvine Blvd
Irvine, CA 92620

The Specialized Demo Truck will be there from 8:00am - 4:00pm Sunday March 1st.

It's flat-fixing time!

We are going to have a flat-fix clinic the first week of March. We will cover the basics-meaning- how to change a flat, and then answer general maintenance/repair questions.

WHERE: Rock N' Road Laguna Niguel
27281 La Paz Rd.
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
949.360.8045

WHEN: Thursday, March 5, 2009
7:30-8:30 p.m.

WHY: So we can be independent DIVAS!

Please R.S.V.P. to Crystal at Crystal@rocknroadcyclery.net by Feb. 27. This event it limited to the first 15 women to reply, however, so let me know a.s.a.p. if you really want to attend!

TriDivas Information Night
Rock N Road Cyclery, Irvine
Wednesday, January 21st, 6:30pm FREE
Interested in triathlon? Mix up your cycling with swim and run and train for a triathlon.
The TriDivas provides professional coaching, group work-outs and comprehensive training plans.
12-Week Winter Training Starts February 15th.
Come learn more tonight!
Click Here!

Contact: Martha Szufnarowski, OC Coach
www.tridivas.com
martha@tridivas.com
949-374-2096

Rock N’ Road Takes 2nd Place!!

The Rock N’ Road Elite Cross Team took 2nd place in the So Cal Cross Prestige Series! The great team result was capped off by some awesome individual results by Bob Kmetz, Jon Miller, and Eric Christenson. Each of these team members won the series title in their respective classes. Only to top his series result, Jon Miller also won the Southern California/Nevada district championship. Congrats guys! Thanks for a great cross season!