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Healthy happenings

Riders are built in the off-season!

Riders are made in the off-season and long-time fitness consultant for Healthy Habits staff Luke Guyton says now is the perfect time of the year to take a step back and reassess your training plan. For most cyclists and endurance athletes, they only do their sport and have huge muscle imbalances from the repetitive motion. If we don’t address these imbalances Guyton promises an injury will show up sooner or later. With this being said, he's doing a 6 week training program for cyclists. The program includes:

--2 in person strength workouts a week

--6 week gym membership 

--nutrition advice

--6 weeks of on-the-bike training

Start off your 2019 riding season right by correcting muscle imbalance, gaining strength and shedding fat! For more information contact luke@fitwavecoach.com 


Lots of special sauce with the Sirrus X

Oh hell yeah! We landed ourselves one of the new Specialized Sirrus X Comp Carbons! Far from your typical fitness bike what with its FACT 9r carbon fiber construction, this whip is super lightweight and extremely responsive. Coupled with 700x38 2Bliss Ready Tracer Pro tires and a 1x11 SRAM drivetrain, the Sirrus X lets you explore and climb gravel like never before. And with the addition of Future Shock, its like having a piston with 20mm of travel in the head tube!

 

Launching our '18 Gravel Sessions

With a winter that feels unending, it's been nearly six months since our last group gravel ride. Given the cold, gale-force winds that ushered out our 2017 season on Oct. 26, last week's first ride of 2018 was comparably balmy and serene.

Eight riders followed the Devils Glen bike path North from Healthy Habits, and with Forest Grove now open, we spent less time riding the shoulder of Middle Road as we left the city environs behind. A relatively stiff breeze from the north kept chatter to a minimum as a couple ram jets shot off  the front.
I usually love to hate, whine and bemoan the pace set by Zoran and Dan, but the gratitude in my heart for the return of the group ride was big. So big, in fact, that I actually attempted to keep up with them.
After each regroup at crossroads and corners, I'd tear off after them, chasing red taillights and leaving a couple fellas in my dust, showing off my newly developed, mad gravel skillz.
This lasted all of about 5 minutes until we crested a hill of fresh rock near Lost Grove Lake and began plowing downhill through sketchy, thick gravel. Memories of my 12-year-old self eating crap and having a metal bike pedal chip my kneecap came flooding back . . . and I rode my brake and let all the fellas go around me. I have so much to learn.
After the loop carried us back toward the shop and gave us a rewarding tailwind, I felt like we were a pack of BMX kids, tearing up the road, zig-zagging around each other, swapping stories and insults. It was a serious case of having the band back together, a band we can only hope continues to grow!
So bring your helmet, lights, bike and a spirit for adventure! Thursdays at 7:30pm behind the shop!

Sweet progress with the construction

Construction is getting fun over at the new digs!!! Each day we’re getting closer to the big move!

The basement floor as well as the brew house floor has been poured and water has been piped to the building.  

All the steel is set for the main floor and workers are focused on completing this area as well as the patio and parking lot.

Once the mainfloor is complete, construction of the second floor mezzanine can begin. This place is going to be SWEET!!!!

Grinding out the last gravel ride

According to the Beaufort Wind Scale, a moderate gale force wind is 32-38 mph. Last night, our gravel crew gave Mother Nature the finger. With sustained winds out of the northwest at 25 mph, gusting to 37, the final “official” Thursday night gravel ride was gutted out by a larger-than-normal, jovial crew.

Those smiles, though? Yeah. They didn’t last long. (Except for Dan, who hooted and hollered at all the suffering.)

Heading north toward the gravels between Bettendorf, Davenport and Eldridge, we immediately lost our lone fat biker who at Mile 2 sensibly opted out and turned around, returning to their vehicle. The remaining 13 attempted to remain together, but that wily wind quickly dismissed the “group effort.” It was every man for him (or her) self. Reassembling at every stop sign, the riders at the front pushed a solid pace while those in the back hung on in silence, their mashing summoning the gods for the strength to endure.

Though the wind failed to thwart the riders, the lure of Van’s $5 personal pan pizzas and giant slices nearly got ’em. Fortunately everyone was able to put on their beer jacket and ride home after 26 oz. $3 drafts.

This is the only evidence that remains. (Well, this and some Strava achievements. (Mostly Jen stealing KOM’s with that tailwind.))

Fatties at Five part Deux

Just like a rainy afternoon in France, Fatties at Five part Deux was a misty, cold ride made cheery by the hearty group of fat tire enthusiasts who ignored the chill and chose a few hours of outdoor, fattie fun over the warmth of a blanket and the couch!

Our second time leading a fat bike “parade” of sorts, we enjoyed a mix of seasoned fat bike riders, relative newbies and one first-timer who demo’ed the shop’s Salsa Blackborow. Though no candy was thrown, we did meet a couple individuals on the bike path who appeared amused by the thrumming of our approaching tires and hearty “Hellos!”

Repeating last year’s ride to The Bike Rack on the corner of Brady and George Washington, riders dried off and drank up, sharing vacation stories, recent bike race experiences, upcoming work on Silvan Island and dreaming of the upcoming stomp season on Credit Island. Sadly, we were unable to convince our fearless leader to regale us with song.

Like all good things, we eventually packed up and rode out, racing back to the shop in the dark, our bike lights illuminating the way. While every

one was happy to have gotten out, I think we can all agree — the 2018 Fatties at

Five needs to come sooner!!!

Stayed tuned for future fat tire events include QC Forc’s Global Fat Bike Day!

We’ve got footings, folks!

Little by little, construction moves forward on our sick new digs!

Your fat bike is waiting . . .

Think fat bikes are just for snow? You’d never know if judging by the number leaving our store during this week of sweltering heat! We have a ton of fat inventory waiting for you to check out!

Specialized Fatboy SE

We presently have a full size run (small-XL) in gloss black with orange detailing, and a medium and xl in matte oak green with black and red detailing. The Fatboy SE is $1,400 and features a full aluminum body, one-by 10-speed SRAM drivetrain and mechanical disc brakes.

Specialized Fatboy

In addition to the SE, the full Fatboy offers an aluminum body, but with a FACT carbon fork and a SRAM NX one-by groupset and hydraulic disc brakes. We have medium-XL in several color options at $1,800.

Check out our boy Drake on his new Fatboy SE in rocket red and acid mint, tricked out with a Chromag Fubars FU40 hi-rise handlebar in polished silver and mint grips.

Specialized Fatboy Comp Carbon

This full FACT carbon fatbike at $2,800 is lightweight yet stiff and compliant with internal cable routing, a one-by SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain and SRAM Level TL hydraulic disc brakes. We currently have a large in matte black, but XL is no longer available through us or Specialized. Full sizes are available in the gloss hyper (hi-vis yellow) and black.

Salsa Beargrease

Whether it’s single track in the summer or snowy racing in the winter, the Salsa Beargrease is a carbon fattie made for speed and nimble manuevering with a light, full carbon body, a SRAM NX one-by eleven groupset, mechanical disc brakes and slightly narrower 3.8? tires.  We have a small, large and XL priced at $1,999.

The red Beargrease features blue detailing and a fetching galaxy image on the downside of the downtube.

Salsa Mukluk NX1

The Salsa Mukluk is a popular fattie for all conditions, all terrains and all purposes! At $1,799 you get an aluminum body, carbon fork, SRAM NX one-by groupset and hydraulic disc brakes. We have a full size run, small-XL, in teal with black detailing. We have mediums and larges in the black with teal lettering model.

Salsa Mukluk Carbon GX1

Like the Mukluk base model, the Carbon GX1 continues its spirit of versatility while shaving weight. We have a small and medium in dark red/red at $2699.

Salsa Mukluk Carbon SLX

As with the GX1, the Carbon SLX offers the same fun, but with a one-by 11 Shimano SLX drivetrain and SRAM Level TL hydraulic disc brakes in matte black and gunmetal grey for $2699.

Salsa Bucksaw Carbon

Finally we have the full-suspension carbon Bucksaw in a large and medium at $4,399 in a glossy cherry red.

Our second annual Labor Day Gravel’n & Grill’n event drew a solid number of riders to both our 40 mile race and 20 mile fun ride that ate up the sweet, dusty gravel roads of northern Scott County. The day closed with Bruce at the grill, feeding the masses at Crow Creek Park afterwards. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for upcoming events…

The 20-mile fun group of about 40 took our normal route out of town, north along the bike path from Crow Creek along Devil’s Glenn and headed east along Hopewell to Middle Road and Indiana.

For anyone hesitant to join our fun rides, have no fear!!! These are no-drop rides meaning at every turn we gather back up & proceed! Whether you have a gravel adventure bike, a fat bike, a mountain bike or even a flat-bar hybrid, our gravel rides are always fun!!!

Rolling toward Argo Corners for a much-deserved beverage stop . . .

There are no age limits to our fun rides, if you can go 20 miles, you’re not too young to ride with us . . .

Don’t miss the next one, kids! Unless you hate having fun!!!

Our mtb jerseys are in!

Our mountain bike jerseys have arrived and they’re sick! Featuring Healthy Habits custom graphics, these tops mix style with the technical specs of the Specialized Enduro and Andora, mens and womens jerseys. These threads are good and good for you! Retailing for $55, with a limited stock, come in today & grab yours!!!