07.16.2010 | 9:24 am
A Note from Fatty: Tomorrow’s the Tour de Donut, and it’s not too late to register, though the event will definitely sell out today. Come ride and pig out with The Runner and me tomorrow! Read details here, and go register here.
A Preface About Today’s Story from Fatty: Matt Chapek is the Co-Captain for Team Fatty San Jose. Matt is also one of the nicest people I have ever met, and I’m not just saying that because he gave me a monster pull at the Austin LiveStrong Challenge last year. I’m really proud of the work Matt has done as the Co-Captain of what is undoubtedly the toughest LiveStrong Challenge to raise money for (it’ s just a few weeks after the Seattle event, biking news is dominated by the tour, and everyone’s out on vacation). Matt’s positive attitude is as inspiring as his metabolism is envy-making. Enjoy his story!
Matt Chapek’s Ride Report
Saturday was our fun-day to just hang out at the LIVESTRONG venue and absorb the vibe, and I have to say that the addition of the Team Tents this year was nothing short of brilliance on somebody’s part.
I set up a small barbeque and had a cooler full of tasty bevarages available. The tents were set in a nice grassy area literally right across the street from the LIVESTRONG products trailer. I had my Tour of California “Team Fatty” banner up on our tent so there was no problem finding us, and we got even a pretty good amount of attention from non Fatty members that know who Fatty is and stopped by to say hi (which is great, as I’m always on the lookout to recruit new members for next year).
(Yann, Karen, Angie, Matt, Andrew V and Jeff at the tent)
Team members filtered in and out all day as we hung out in the shade, and if they had an appetite and time to spare I’d make them a picnic lunch of burgers and chips.
The Pre-Ride Dinner
About the time the village was wrapping up for the evening we also had to close shop, as I was to be attending the Award dinner along with Yann Bertaud, Karen Lorentson and Angie Gibson (Yann and Angie were the only two members on our team this year to earn tickets, with Karen and I as their guests…well done to you both!)
The dinner was very tasty actually, and was extremely well organized (I even went back for a 2nd full plate using my only superpower: making food dissapear without a trace). After dinner we had the guest speakers, who were both LIVESTRONG guys…one was Lance’s good friend and one of the actual founders of the LAF, and the other was a guy high-up in the organization (I can’t seem to remember their names, sorry. I’m just terrible with names).
They had a nice back and forth banter describing what the LAF is actually doing, how they do it, future plans, and why they need our help. During this banter the awards were presented, and I’m sad to report that Team Fatty San Jose didn’t get any this year. Team Spike the Dog and Team AntiOxidants beat us out in both the Team Champion and the Team Time Trial. It was a hard-fought competition and we were close, but I think Team Spike was not very pleased losing to us last year and that gave them the needed extra momentum. After the dinner we wandered around meeting members from the other teams (who I again saw during and after the ride).
In the Chute
The ride was a blast, and was once again the best organized and well-staffed cycling event I have ever been associated with. A gigantic tip of the hat goes out to the entire LIVESTRONG organization! ClydeSteve, I’m happy to report that we had awesome weather the entire day. You Seattle folk should consider a road trip next year….(just a thought).
Anyway, I had totally planned on a relaxed, easy start this year being as we were not awarded Rock-Star status with head of the line start priveleges. However, the amount of riders was barely half of last years total. As we lined up in our chutes I think there were only about 8 or 9 of us Fatties in the 100 mile group…with the rest of us scattered in the other chutes.
(Fatties in the chute)
And it turns out we weren’t really THAT far away from the very front and the police vehicles that would pace us thru the city (just a few hundred people were actually in front of us is my guess).
Gotta Go
When the horn went off and the mass of cyclists slowly started to move forward and gain momentum, the ‘chase’ instinct in me went into high-gear and I just HAD to get into that front group! How often do you get the chance to race thru the streets of a city just behind a police escort? This insane speed-up/slow-down at every intersection chase goes on for about 12 miles when the escort finally pulls off and we resort to the Rules of the Road.
The ride itself was punctuated with lots of aid stations with incredible volunteers at each. I’ve never seen so many cheerful volunteers and short lines…and the variety of food was staggering. At every stop the volunteers would be thanking us for what we were doing! The San Jose Sharks hockey mascot was again at aid station #1…though I heard he slunk away in quiet shame when Angie asked him why the Sharks keep losing in the playoffs.
And there was no devil on the route this year, which was a huge loss as he was awesome last year (he’d move aorund to various points of the ride, and if you asked him a question he’d lie…being as the devil is the great deciever). And somehow again this year it was one of our Fatties who had jersey # 666, which is eerily coincidental.
Metcalf (Hell) Hill
And everybody who has done the 65 or 100 mile routes in SJ knows about the dreaded Metcalf Hill at mile 69. This is a lovely 1.8 mile long slice of hell covered with pavement. It’s so steep that really strong riders are able to go straight up in their granny gear, albeit very slowly.
More moderate riders might still somehow go straight up, although coming to a near complete stop with each pedal-mashing stroke as the top of the hill keeps receeding into a tunnel-vision blip at the end of the cave of pain. And many are reduced to a paper-delivery style climb (back and forth across the road) or just realize the insanity of this hill and walk it.
Those equipped with a triple chain-ring rule on this particular climb. It’s probably the steepest hill of any distance that I’ve ever climbed on a road bike, and somehow seemed even steeper and longer than last year. I heard that 3 years ago (San Jose’s first year as a LIVESTRONG event) when Lance was there, he rode it and commented afterwards, wondering who put a hill like that 2/3rds of the way thru a recreational ride.
After Metcalf it’s a little over 25 miles of survival to the finish, with the last 15 being back on city streets including all the lovely stop signs and stoplights.
I personally can’t recall when I’ve been so happy to see a finish line, as I suffered greatly during the last third of the ride due to my boneheaded sprint at the front for the first 10 miles. And although not as hot as last year, it did still get pretty toasty, slipping into the mid 90’s when we got to Hell Hill.
I recall sending out a mental thanks to Fatty and Twin Six for making the 2010 jerseys WHITE! I can still vivedly recall the cooked goose feeling last year in the all black (yet O-SO-AWESOME LOOKING) 2009 jersey. And throughout the ride it seemed that any time I’d encounter a Team Spike member they would say “Look…a skinnny Fatty!” I personally consider myself an malnourished Clydesdale, thank you very much.
Anyway, our entire team did great, and to the best of my knowledge we had no crashes or injuries this year, and only a few flats. Well done team!
Lastly, I want to thank THE TEAM! As was discussed during the Awards dinner, cycling is a team sport. Well, so is fighting cancer. One of the first things in the LIVESTRONG guide that you are supposed to do after being diagnosed with cancer is to assemble your team. As Fatty’s Co-Captain, I was again blessed with the most awesome team at the event! By my count we had at least 25 team members who showed up for the ride on Sunday from all over the state. I truly enjoyed meeting, spending time with, and most importantly: wheel-sucking off of you, as so many of you helped to drag me to the finish line at some point in the 1000 miles…er, 100 miles I mean…(it only FELT like 1000 miles).
The event was a great success!
One Final Thought
I implore all of you to continue fundraising as if you are going on to Austin, whether or not you have any intention of doing so. The reason we are doing this is to fight cancer. Cancer isn’t taking a break until next year. Just because our event is over doesn’t mean that the fight is over. In fact I think the fight has just begun. We have our team(s) assembled. Collectively we can kick cancer’s ass, but it’s going to be a long fight.
We can do this!
It was once again an honor and a privelege to be Fatty’s Co-Captain, and all I can say is wait ’til next year! We are going to spank the Dog (Team Spike) and give cancer a swift kick to the head at the same time!
Until we meet again Team SJ, stay safe, keep the rubber side down, and keep the dollars rolling in. Team Philly, the ball is now in your court.
Game on!
Comments (18)
07.15.2010 | 11:11 am
A Note from Fatty: The 2011 Fat Cyclist Gear pre-order is going strong, but ends this Monday. Read here for details, and click here to order from Twin Six.
CANTABRIA (Fat Cyclist Fake News Service) – Reacting to a growing tide of feedback regarding its Team Kit, Team Footon-Servetto today has revealed its 2011 Team kit.
“We are of course extraordinarily pleased with the extraordinary — and frankly, unexpected — success of Team Footon-Servetto in the Tour de France,” said Team General Manager Mauro Gianetti in a post-stage press conference. “And want to assure the public that we are taking their concerns to heart with the 2011 Footon-Servetto kit.”
For contextual purposes, the 2010 Footon-Servetto kit is a distinct caucasian flesh color, with a black footprint on the front, as shown below:
(Riders David Vitoria and Noe Gianetti pose with Mauro Gianetti. Source: CyclingNews)
Unfortunately, the footprint is recognizable as such only when the a cyclist is standing and facing you. Which — considering that most spectators see most riders from the side and back, or possibly a front view of the cyclist is hunched over his bike — is essentially never.
To illustrate, the Footon-Servetto kit usually looks like this:
Or this:
(Source for above 2 images: Footon-Servetto team site)
The effect of this design, according to pretty much everyone, is that in the 2010 kit, the Footon-Servetto riders look like they are essentially nude, with holstein cow markings or tattoos.
The spectator reaction is typified by Steve Blanstrom, an American spectator at this year’s Tour de France, who remarked during an early stage as a Footon-Servetto rider went by, “Martha [Steve's wife], avert your eyes! There’s some weird naked human / cow hybrid thingamajig approaching! It’s horrible! Martha! I said avert your eyes!“
Listening to Concerns
Said Sabino Angoitia, Team Director for Footon-Servetto, “Naturally, when we became aware of people’s discomfort with the current Team Kit design, we went back to the drawing board. And I — along with the rest of the team — am pleased to announce that we have arrived at the new, preliminary design for our 2011 kit (shown below).”
“We felt,” said Gianetti, “that the naked human flesh look, integrated with the seemingly random black spots on the jersey, was too confusing.”
“As you can see now,” injected Angoitia, “That problem has clearly been rectified to our satisfaction. Thanks to our new graphic treatment, there is now no longer any question about the skin color on the front. It is 72% fleshier than before, without the distraction of black splotches.”
“Meanwhile,” continued GM Gianetti, “The back of the jersey now quite clearly shows the distinctive spots of a cow.”
“Naked man from the front, holstein cow from the back,” enthused Angoitia. “Absolutely no way you can be confused by the imagery now.”
“Problem solved,” said Gianetti, and then concluded by saying, “By the way, we’re pronounced ‘foot on,’ not ‘futon.’ Although we welcome inquiries from futon manufacturers interested in cosponsoring a pro team.”
The team then went on to demonstrate the new design for the official team bib shorts, which were immediately awarded the distinction of being the first ever shorts to be rated NC-17.
Comments (34)
07.13.2010 | 12:54 pm
A “Fat Cyclist Gear Pre-Order Week Is Still Going” Note From Fatty: The 2011 Fat Cyclist Gear collection is available for pre-order now through Monday, July 19. You can read details in my blog post from yesterday, or go to the special Fat Cyclist catalog area on the Twin Six site.
Honestly, if you want any of this stuff, you need to pre-order it, cuz while we order a few extras of most things, those tend to disappear, fast.
And do yourself a favor and don’t wait ’til what you think is the last day to do your pre-order, OK? Because every single time I do this pre-order, someone forgets and then sends me an email the morning after the pre-order is over, asking me to make an exception, and I feel all bad the whole day because there really is no way for me to make exceptions. If I hold up the metaphorical train before it starts its magical journey, it won’t arrive at its destination — which we will whimsically call “available by the Austin LiveStrong Challenge and NYC Marathon” — on time.
Also, I’ve given the Twin Six guys the power to reply to questions people have posed in the comments section yesterday, right within those comments . So, if you asked a question about sizing yesterday, check your comment to see if it’s been answer. Probably it has. Because Twin Six loves you.
La La La La Na Na Na Na I’m Not Listening
Last Friday, I went mountain biking on the Ridge trail with Kenny and Bob. Bob — who has lived at sea level (Seattle) long enough that he may as well have never been altitude-acclimated — was suffering mightily.
Here’s Bob, sitting on the ground after a long climb, trying to get every last drop out of his PowerGel:
(I should probably admit here that this photo doesn’t really have much to do with where I’m going with this post, but I wanted to put it up anyway, because Bob’s face looks like it came from a much redder person.)
These rest stops were fine by me, because they gave us a chance to talk, which is really about 70% of the reason I ride with friends anyway.
So as we were talking, Kenny — from out of nowhere — says who had won the two most recent stages of the Tour de France. Just like that.
And so I throttled him until he was unconscious. Before he could reveal anything else. Perhaps that seems harsh, but I think I was justified. Really, it was my only option.
And I’m not unwilling to use this tactic again.
The Plight of the Busy Person
Every July as the Tour de France begins, my television consumption goes up. Way, way up. Much to my disappointment, however, my job, my family and my other myriad (oh yes, I have a myriad) responsibilities don’t respect my sudden desire to watch three hours of TV per day by quietly disappearing into the background for three weeks.
How rude of them.
Thanks to the magic of the DVR, however, I can time shift my viewing. I record the live version of the Tour de France, hence accruing these three very important benefits:
- I can then watch the stage anytime I want.
- I can gleefully skip commercials. And yes, I do experience a moment of glee as the commercial whips by, unheeded.
- I can minimize the amount of Craig Hummer in my life.
But the DVR is a two-edged sword (that’s a metaphor; don’t try to actually use your DVR as a cutting device. Your results will be unsatisfactory.). Specifically, once you’ve said to yourself, “I’ll watch this later,” you’ve got a problem: how much later?
Or even more specifically, how soon will you have three hours to watch TV?
As a stereotypical middle-aged man, it’s easy for me to answer that question: I will never have three hours to watch TV, ever again in my life. Sure, some of the flat stages don’t exactly take three hours to watch. In fact, with judicious use of the remote, many flat stages can take approximately fifteen minutes to watch.
But still. There’s a distressingly high likelihood that I won’t miss just one stage. In fact, I’ve been known to have missed multiple stages in a row.
Right now, for example, I have five unwatched stages of the Tour de France. Which is about fifteen hours-worth.
Sure, I don’t really need to watch the first two of those five stages, thanks to Kenny. But my point still stands.
Isolation Chamber
Right now, then, I have Saturday’s, Sunday’s, and today’s stages to catch up on (I had hoped to catch up on at least some of those stages last night, but I had tickets for the family to go see the local community theater production of Wizard of Oz, which — as it turns out — is about nineteen hours long.
And I really really really don’t want to know what is going to happen (OK, has happened, but it’s still in the future tense for me) on those stages. For example, I don’t want to know any of these things:
- Will Contador climb so fast that specially-purchased high-speed cameras will be used to film him?
- Will Armstrong reveal that he is actually not pushing 40 after all and is in fact in the prime of his life and will now gleefully crush his opponents?
- Will we ever figure out who designed the “Holstein Nude” look for Team Footon-Servetto?
So, in order to keep TdF spoilers out of my life, I am having to adapt my behavior in a most severe way.
- I don’t go to VeloNews, CyclingNews, BikeRadar, or any of the other bike news sites. This takes some effort, because I don’t even have to consciously choose to go to these sites normally. My mouse just wanders to my browser bookmark list of its own accord every few minutes.
- I don’t watch TV. I know that if something really really big happens in the TdF, it could crack into the mainstream news, and I will of course be watching during the five seconds they spoil everything and ruin the stage for me.
- I don’t leave my IM client open. Normally, I IM with friends pretty much through the day.
- I don’t go riding with anyone. I used to, but I won’t anymore (Thanks a lot, Kenny).
- I don’t look anyone in the eye as I ride alone. If I make eye contact, people are likely to say “hi.” Then a conversation could ensue. And then they could suddenly divulge what’s going on. And then I’d have to throttle a complete stranger, and I wouldn’t feel good about myself afterwards.
- I don’t answer the phone. (This one’s easy, since I have an iPhone 4 [but it takes great pictures and video!])
- I don’t look at email. I don’t even look at it.
I shall now go back into my hole, from whence I shall not return until I am caught up.
It could be a while.
PS: Don’t you dare tell me what’s happening in the TdF in the comments section, because if you do I will ban you forever. Even if you’re just kidding and making stuff up. Because I will, using my incredible powers of logic, infer what is really happening from your fake response. Believe me, I’ve done it before. I’m frighteningly smart.
Comments (77)
07.11.2010 | 11:00 pm
A “YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED” UPDATE: If you’ve asked questions in the comments, got back and check to see if there’s an answer. The Twin Six guys have been answering directly within comments here. Got another question? Ask it in the comments below.
A LIVESTRONG DONATION UPDATE: Twin Six just said they are going to double the percentage they originally planned to donate to LiveStrong from the 2011 Fat Cyclist Gear pre-order. Which is ridiculously cool of them, and maybe an extra-nice incentive for you to get yourself some Fat Cyclist gear.
You’re riding your bike. People see your jersey, which says “Fat Cyclist” on it. And yet, paradoxically, this jersey actually bolsters your already overwhelmingly good looks, bringing you well into — and quite possibly beyond — the “smokin’ hot” zone. You are now as irresistibly attractive as you are athletic.
You don’t come across jerseys like that every day, my friend.
Way back in 2007, Twin Six and I met and they showed me a bunch of designs for jerseys. Among them was an orange, black and white beauty of a jersey with a clydesdale rearing up on its hind legs.
I had to have it.
Lacking confidence, we had only 300 or so of these jerseys made, and we had extensive chats about what we would do with the ones we couldn’t sell. As it turns out, we shouldn’t have worried. They sold out, fast.
So, when Twin Six and I started talking about the 2011 Fat Cyclist Gear collection, I threw out something that had been on my mind a lot: “What if we brought back the original design? But this time, with better fabric, better fit, and a full-length zipper?”
Which is what we’ve done. But now, instead of just a jersey, you can get this design on your shorts. On your jacket. A hoodie. Your running shirt. And more.
The 2011 Fat Cyclist gear collection identifies you as part of Team Fatty (you’ll notice that the original design has been slightly tweaked to include the “Team Fatty” symbols), fits and looks great, and is in short very likely to be your very favorite jersey ever.
If You Just Want to Get Ordering
If you’d like to skip my sparkling, descriptive prose, well…frankly I’m a little hurt. But fine. Here’s the bare bones list of items and prices, linking to the pages where you can buy them on the Twin Six site.
Men-Specific Stuff
Women-Specific Stuff
Everyone-Specific Stuff
And now, let’s get on to the the part where I show you what everything looks like and use my extraordinary marketing prowess to make you want to buy three of everything.
Short-Sleeve Jerseys: Men’s and Women’s ($75)
At first glance, people won’t be able to tell the difference between the 2011 jerseys and the 2007 jerseys. But they’re a lot different if you look beyond the design. The Twin Six guys have really stepped up their game, fabric-wise, pattern-wise, and quality-wise. In other words, your Fat Cyclist jersey is not going to be your best-looking jersey, it also stands a good chance of being your best-fitting, most comfortable jersey, too. Check out the men’s jersey. Here’s the front:
Yes, the inside collar really is pink and says “Fight Like Susan,” so even the orange jerseys are still very much “Team Fatty.”
Now check out the back:
You’ll also notice a few design changes from the first jersey. The “FatCyclist.com” on the back is easier to read. The “201″ has been replaced by “WIN.” And on the circle around the clydesdale on the back, it says “Team Fatty” instead of “Fatty’s Bike Blog.”
And now, let’s take a look at the women’s version of the jersey. Here’s the front:
And here’s the back:
All the same good stuff from the men’s jersey, but with a women’s cut and the color pink. I went with the different color for women not because of some sexist thing, but because pink is the color generally associated with breast cancer awareness, and that seems like something women would like to be associated with, too.
Also, a lot of women commented they wanted pink jerseys last week. So I thought I’d go with it.
For men’s jersey’s, click here. For women’s, click here.
Bib Shorts: Men’s and Women’s ($90)
I used to buy very expensive bib shorts. Like the $150 – $200 ones. Yeah, I know that’s nowhere near the top end, but it’s still a lot. For the past couple years, though, I’ve been wearing nothing but the Team Fatty (and other Twin Six) shorts, and I love them. They’re comfortable, they’re durable, they look great.
If you haven’t tried bib shorts, you should. For one thing, you lose the elastic at the waist, which — even if you don’t realize it — is uncomfortable when you’re bent over your handlebars. For another thing, they keep the chamois where it ought to be. And for yet another thing, they hold your gut in and de-muffintop-ize you, at least somewhat.
Here’s the men’s bib shorts for 2011:
As for the women’s shorts, I asked last Friday whether we should go with bibs or shorts. The response was overwhelming. Bib shorts it is. Check ‘em out:
Try ‘em. You’ll like ‘em. I mean it.
For men’s bibs, click here. For women’s, click here.
Long Sleeve Thermal Jersey: Men’s and Women’s ($90)
I have one long sleeve thermal jersey. Just one. And from October to March, I wear it pretty much every single ride. Arm warmers are fine if you know it’s going to be warming up during the ride, but for the months where you know it’s going to be cool the whole time, it’s nice to have something that’ll keep your arms and your chest and your back warm. This is a 100% super-soft micro thermal fabric, fleeced, yet breathable and durable.
If you live somewhere where it’s cool outside several months out of the year, you’ll be amazed at how often you’ll be able to skip the base layer or jacket and just go with this instead. And you’ll love how much freer you feel without the bulk and tightness of a base layer under your jersey. This jersey is going to be your new favorite.
Here’s the men’s version, front:
And back:
And here’s the women’s version, front:
And back:
For men’s long-sleeve jerseys, click here. For women’s, click here.
The Hoodie: Men’s and Women’s ($30)
First of all, yes: the price is not a typo. This all-cotton hooded sweatshirt is really just $30. It’s probably the screamingest deal of the whole 2011 Fat Cyclist gear lineup. It’s got a full zipper, raglan sleeves, two front kangaroo pockets (just in case you carry a kangaroo around with you), and a hood.
The colors are the same for men’s and women’s hoodies: black, with white and orange art. The only thing that differentiates the men’s and women’s hoodies is the cut. Yeah, I didn’t know there was such a thing as gender-specific hoodie cuts either. Turns out there is.
Check out the front:
And the back:
For men’s hoodies, click here. For women’s, click here.
Tech T’s: Unisex ($45)
Well, when you marry The Runner, you’ve got to start having a Team Fatty shirt for runners, right? And I’ll bet that more than a few of you do some running of your own. Or maybe you like to wear something a lot less jersey-looking when you mountain bike. Or maybe you are going to do the run in the LiveStrong Challenge. Or maybe you know a runner and have been wondering what to get her or him for Christmas.
There are probably other possibilities for this shirt. Regardless, you can bet I’ll be wearing this at the NYC Marathon in November.
This is a 100% polyester microfiber fabric — lightweight, breathable, and durable. Fitting is the same as Twin Six men’s cotton t-shirts.
Check out the front:
And the back:
To order a Tech T, click here.
Wind Jackets: Unisex ($95)
What if it’s windy outside? You don’t want to put a garbage bag over your head when you’re riding, do you?
No. No you do not. Because that makes you look like a rolling bag of trash, that’s why.
Instead, wear this lightweight Vortex Rip-Stop jacket. It’s windproof, water resistant, and very durable. It’s got a dual directional full zipper and vented side panels. No back pockets, and the sizing skews more toward men’s, so women: be sure to calculate accordingly.
Check out the front:
And the back:
To order a wind jacket, click here.
Camelbak 24oz Bottles ($10)
I don’t use any non-Cambelbak-made bottles anymore. I just don’t. In fact, you may remember I found alternative uses for all my old bottles.
So check out the new 24oz Team Fatty Camelbak bottles:
Black is the new black.
To order bottles, click here.
Wool Socks ($12)
I love wool socks. Well, actually I love wool everything. No, wait. I don’t love wool cereal bowls. Cereal bowls should be made of a completely different material.
But for socks, especially, wool is the best. In warm weather or cold. There’s nothing better. And nothing as good.
These 5″ wool socks are made of soft performance wool. You will love them. Check out the front:
And back:
By the way, there is no pink version of the socks this year. Pink goes great with orange anyway, right?
To order socks, click here.
Be Stylish, Fight Cancer
Every Fat Cyclist clothing item you buy — whether pink or orange — has a big cut for LiveStrong built right into it. I donate 20% of my cut, and Twin Six matches.
Which means a lot of money goes into the fight against cancer, and I still get to put some money into my kids’ college funds and put off applying for that job at Taco Time. Thank you.
When Will Your Gear Arrive?
Everything should start shipping the week of September 27, and will be landing on U.S. doorsteps October 4th or so. For international orders, add another week or so.
So, for those of you joining Team Fatty in Austin on October 22 – 24, you have the option of sporting your 2011 gear in 2010. You trendsetter, you.
Regardless, all of this will arrive well before Christmas. Before Thanksgiving, even. And even before Halloween. (Oh, consider the Halloween possibilities the new Fat Cyclist gear creates!)
Questions and Answers
Got questions? Here are some answers to common ones.
- How long does the pre-order last? From now (Monday, July 12) ’til Midnight July 19 (Central time).
- Can I Order if I Live Outside the U.S.? Heck yeah.
- What About Sizing Info? Check out the Twin Six Sizing page here.
- Will Dr. Lammler Have a Quote Behind the Middle Pocket? Yes he will. You’ll have to wait to see what it is, though.
- Where’s the T-Shirt? The Fat Cyclist T-Shirt will be rolled out and made available for order in time for the 2010 holidays.
- What if I’m a woman and I want an orange jersey? Buy a men’s jersey. It’ll still fit OK, probably.
- What if I’m a man and I want a pink jersey? Buy a women’s jersey. I have no idea how it will fit, though.
If you have questions I haven’t preemptively answered, ask in the comments or via email. I’ll either update this post, answer in comments, or reply directly by email, whichever makes the most sense to me at the moment.
Thanks for supporting LiveStrong, Twin Six, and me. Seriously.
And you are going to love your new gear. I know I can hardly wait for mine.
Comments (95)
07.9.2010 | 7:15 am
OK, I usually don’t post on Fridays, because according to my stats engine and search engine optimization reports, I am extremely lazy. Oh, and also I don’t want to hold you up from beginning your weekend ride and other festivities. You’re welcome!
But this Monday, I’m going to be doing something kinda big — something I do only once per year — and I thought I’d give those of you who haven’t checked out of the office and started your weekend early a little sneak preview.
The Original.
I’ve liked every single one of the Fat Cyclist jersey designs. But for whatever reason, this one has a special place in my heart:
Yep, the original.
There weren’t many of them made: 300 or so. So you probably don’t have one. And the truth is, Twin Six was a newish company at the time, and the jersey had a few problems:
- The material was heavy and rough.
- The stitching below the zipper tended to come out
- The pattern wasn’t dialed in.
But still. I loved that design. And I’ve lost track of how many times people have said to me that it is the best-looking jersey they’ve ever seen, and wondered how they could get one.
Well, you couldn’t.
But next week, you can.
The Original…But Better.
Because you’re sitting in your office (or home, or driving down the freeway and recklessly looking at your web-enabled mobile phone) on a Friday (or a Saturday, or a Sunday), I’m going let you have a sneak peek at the 2011 Fat Cyclist / Team Fatty jersey:
And here’s the back:
Yep, for 2011, we’re bringing back the original design. But with a few differences that I’m pretty excited about. Such as:
- The material and pattern are much better. As in, they’re the same quality that you now expect from all Twin Six jerseys.
- Full zipper. Yes!
- There’s a women’s-sized version.
- There are several tiny design changes, mostly to “Team Fattify” the jersey. I’ll let you see if you can find them.
But Wait! There’s More!
I’m not going to show you everything that’s going to go with this jersey, but there’s going to be some great stuff. Stuff I have not sold before.
- A long-sleeved version of the jersey.
- A windbreaker jacket
- A wicking tech T, for those of you (ok, us) who run, or who want a more casual look when riding (check it out on the right).
- A hoodie.
- Wool socks. Yes, I’m bringing wool back.
And there will be more. The 2011 shorts, for example, have a new design and go incredibly well with this jersey. And the bottles — still Camelbak Podium bottles — have a new look I think you’ll love (I do).
You’re going to have to wait ’til Monday to see all this, though. I can’t show everything right now, can I?
Please Help Me Solve This Dilemma.
There’s one thing I just haven’t been able to decide, and I need some help from the women readers of this blog to help me out:
Should the women’s shorts be bib shorts or “team” shorts (no bib)?
Most women I know who ride don’t use bibs. However, I’ve given a pair of bib shorts to Lisa and a pair to Kellene, and they both like them a lot. Prefer them even.
So, women: which will it be? Tell me in the comments. And if you don’t care and would buy either, that’s good to know too.
When Does The Ordering Start?
The pre-order for everything starts this Monday, July 12, and goes through Monday, July 19. I’ll post pictures and links early Monday morning.
This way, you’ll get your stuff in plenty of time for Fall riding. Or for Christmas.
And as those of you who have missed the pre-order know, I don’t order a lot of extras of anything. I sell jerseys once a year.
Which lets me focus on important things like fake news and fart jokes the rest of the time.
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