It’s a Bike Party. It’s a Bike Show. There are social mixed-terrain rides (Friday eve, June 14th and Sunday morn, June 16th). It’s a BIG ride Saturday June 15th, followed by the main event Bike Show at the fantastic Marble Brewery in downtown Albuquerque. It’s an amazing weekend spent with dreamy people.

It’s: Show & Tell 2: ABQ!

Friday, June 14th: Social mixed-terrain El Vado – PopFizz Bosque Boogie ride in later afternoon. Ride starts at El Vado Motel at 4:30pm. Because the Bosque along the Rio Grande is currently flooded, exact route is in flux but will end at PopFizz for popsicles, ice cream, y mas at about 6pm. 
Saturday, June 15th: Around the Mountain 80-mile mixed terrain ride (with optional dirt extension that takes it to 100 miles) that ends at Marble Brewery downtown for the Show (& Tell). Short & Long ride routes & GPS Downloads here. Meet at Michael Thomas Coffee in Nob Hill at 8am for an 8:30am sharp rollout. Mellower “coffee ride” option will be added soon. And apply to show your bike below!
Sunday, June 16th: Morning social mixed-terrain ride beginning at coffee shop and ending with treats. Ride route & GPS Download coming soon.  

Relive Show & Tell PDX in Photos

Revisit the 2018 kickoff event. We have the Saturday ride and the Show (and Tell) in photos with this amazing gallery, courtesy of Aaron Rogosin of Outer Elements Photography.

Ride Info

You can get an overview of all of the rides, with maps and GPS info, on RidewithGPS.com here.  The Friday and Sunday rides will be mixed-terrain affairs, consisting mostly of dirt. We will take advantage of the super fun trails in the Bosque, along the Rio Grande River, for these two rides. A cyclocross or gravel bike will be ideal, and tubeless tires with fresh sealant are ALWAYS a good idea with New Mexico’s goatheads, but as always, run what ya brung.

Saturday’s ride will be the legendary “Around the Mountain” route, with some optional bonus dirt added in. Unlike last year which bordered on MTB terrain, Around the Mountain has plenty of pavement, and most of the dirt you’ll encounter is on the uphills. Back in the day, this used to be a “road” ride, but cyclocross/gravel tires in the 30 to 40mm range will be the sweet spot, and will be great for the Friday and Sunday rides, too.

Please note that these are unsanctioned, unsupported rides. Make sure you have a navigation computer with the GPS coordinates loaded; you have a fully functional bike in excellent working condition; you have what you need to make any repairs along the way; and you have plenty of food and water for your ride. We can’t stress this enough.

Cars & Logistics

Details coming soon on where each day’s ride starts, but everything will begin in a central Albuquerque location. Leave the cars at home, if you can, and ride the short jaunt to your rides.

The Deets

HiFi, Biciclista, and Marble Brewery are teaming up to bring you something special the weekend of June 14th, 15th, and 16th, 2019.

We kick things off late afternoon / early evening with the “Bosque Boogie.” Expect a fun, social but spirited ride along the Rio Grande on sandy dirt trails. We’ll stop somewhere for treats.

Saturday is the main event. We’ll start bright and early from a central Albuquerque location and set off for the legendary “Around the Mountain” ride, which heads up through Placitas and circumnavigates Sandia Mountain before plunging back into downtown Albuquerque. The ride will end at Marble Brewing, leading us straight into the Show & Tell bike show.

Unlike most bike shows, riding is central to our weekend. On Sunday, we will have another social mixed terrain ride (details forthcoming). Again, this ride also is free(!), GPS files are provided, and this is an unsupported event filled with amazing people.

The Show

Those “showing” (and telling) a bike on Saturday after the ride will set their bikes up in the brewery, and show ’em dirty. We then spend the rest of the day eating, drinking, chatting about the various bike setups and creative solutions that people come up with for mixed terrain adventure rides. The social rides and the Around the Mountain ride are free (unsupported, GPS provided, social in nature); it’s free to attend the Show & Tell event at Marble brewing; it’s free to show a bike at the event.

Have a bike to show? We’ve barely begun to take entries, and we’re already getting full. Please submit the application below, and let us know why your bike should be included. It’s a pretty low-brow, non-pretentious, super-fun event. We’re looking for interesting bikes – whether it’s a quirky build, a hand-made frame, a blast from the past… We expect to have everything from old school road with fatter tires squished in there to modern “all-road” to cyclocross/gravel bikes to hard tails to plus bikes, all thrown together. Of course you don’t have to “Show” to join us for the rides, or to come hang out at the Marble Brewing event!

Exhibitors will include amazing frame builders; bike industry folks; and everyday riders with cool steeds. Let’s tear down the wall between exhibitor and attendee. And let’s all turn pedals together.

by Ali Halpin

A dear friend recently sent me a text that stated: “Honey your comfort zone is a beautiful thing, but you’ll never grow there.” Putting ourselves outside of our comfort zone makes us venerable and uncomfortable. It’s also invigorating and provides great learning and growth opportunities. Racing outside of Oregon, with some of the fastest ladies in the world, has been a huge step outside of my comfort zone this year. While it took motivation and determination to make it to these events, there was another important piece to the equation I learned in my travels that has helped in these times of discomfort.

Fontana and Sea Otter presented challenges that went beyond the race itself. I struggled to feel like I belonged in the pro field. Surrounded by team tents, matching bikes and kits, I felt like a sandlot kid with pseudo short sleeve skinsuit that I cut the sleeves off of just before the race. I was extremely uncomfortable and intimidated. There were tears, frustrations, and self doubt before I realized that it’s not all about the results or the glitz and glam of a team tent; it goes deeper than that. It’s the feeling of putting yourself out there and giving it everything you have on that particular day. The hi-fives and hugs from complete strangers after the hardest efforts to date. It’s about the cheers on the course from warm friendly faces. It’s about the caring women who cleaned the gravel out of your torn up leg while telling you about her family. The Oregon community is my comfort zone but that same community exists outside of our state lines. Fontana and Sea Otter introduced me to some awesome people from around the country and even people in my own backyard.

The past few weeks have been a reminder to be the person that makes others feel welcome and comfortable. I challenge each and every one of you to be the one that says hi to a new face. Hi-five your competition, smile and be a warm light to those around you. Share a La Croix with someone after the race or invite a new face along for a cool-down spin. No matter what level you race at these little things can be the difference between someone getting hooked or never racing again. At the end of the day, it’s the community that makes racing so great. Stepping out of your comfort zone is a beautiful thing, but we all need the support of community to thrive in the midst of discomfort.

Ali Halpin rocking SSCXWCXPDX. Photo by Aaron Edge

HiFi CX racer and all-around badass Ali Halpin penned these words shortly after the circus that is Single Speed Cyclocross Worlds.

I remember reading about single speed world championships when I first started racing bikes. Racers traded Lycra skinsuits for vibrant costumes, looking more like a group of festival goers than bike racers. It looked totally insane, and 100% rad. Once it was announced that SSCXWC was returning to Portland for 2016, I knew I needed to finally see for myself what this “race” was all about. It was better than anything I had imagined. As CyclingNews aptly described, it’s Burning Man meets bike racing, complete with a sacrificial burning of a wooden space needle replica. Legendary pros standing beside weekend warriors share whiskey, beers and a start line.

Many told me before embarking on this journey to be prepared for anything. Based on past reports, I imagined whiskey shots, strippers, donuts and heckling galore. But I wasn’t prepared for what they had in store for us on the start line Sunday. We all shuffled for a position, just like a normal race. I was stoked to be sitting in the second row behind the 2015 champion, Mical Dyck. The MC then came over the bullhorn and announced that he had messed up; this wasn’t where the start was. He proceeds to lead us into what appeared to be a strawberry field in hibernation for the winter, a complete shoe sucking mud bog. When we reached the middle of the field he directed us to drop our bikes. Ahhh, a good old Le Mans start. We were now standing in front of the wooden space needle with a giant corn field separating us from our bikes. Face the corn, they say. You will run through the corn, they say. You will find the course, they say. This will be the best damn time, they say. I hope your brought your one-dollar bills, they say.

HiFi CX Women getting cozy with Sven and some special HiFi hoops

With the signal of a shot gun we where off like a pack of hungry wolves; 150 women pushing through corn stalks hoping to come out on the other side unscathed. I found someone to follow and let them break trail for me with thoughts of the coveted winners tattoo on the brain. Once through the corn we were greeted with piles of bikes; our bikes had been moved! I searched for my unique black and gold HiFi bar tape and luckily spotted it with ease. I pedaled and pushed my way to the course and put the hammer down: I had some ground to make up.

Within minutes the first shenanigan on the course, the famous stripper bus short cut. “$1!” someone shouted. Thankfully I had shoved some ones into my sports bra. Scrambling to find the money, I handed off a wadded up $1 and my bike, and onto the bus I went. It was all a blur but before I knew it I was back on my bike pedaling as fast as my single gear would allow me.

Suddenly I heard a loud click and my pedaling became easier, a welcome sigh of relief. Then reality hit and I realized my chain had come off into my back wheel. Too oxygen deprived to figure out how to fix the problem, I ran. Through the shark infested pond, over vodka pass, through the filth pit of exercise balls. I found a beer hand up to quench my thirst along the way. Now all I had was a bark chip mountain, some glitter bombs and the sensory deprivation tunnel between me and my team tent.

Post-race it’s time to bust some beats. And waffles.

Greeted with mega watts, Funions, and more beer, I now had the awesome Adam Clement from Genevalle working on getting my bike back functioning again. Before I knew it I was back pedaling, headed for another round of the most entertaining course I have ever raced. There were dollar handups that I quickly spent on the stripper bus, more handups of cookies, beer, and marshmallows. Dodging muddy exercise balls in the ball pit was a feat, but that made me laugh and smile more.

The checker flag awaited and as quickly as it had all started it was done. Standing at the finish in hand-me-down cheetah print tights covered in mud, I soaked it all in. The classic post-race reminiscing of the course with friends commenced as we documented this crazy experience with pictures. It was now time to step outside the tape and watch the men battle it out while returning the heckles, handups and noise. Much like the glitter that hitched a ride on my skin and clothes home, the memories will be forever etched in my memory. SSCXWCPDX, thanks for the best race and party of the season.

And thanks, as always, to the amazing sponsors behind the #HiFiCX crew: HiFi; Stumptown Coffee Roasters; Base Camp Brewing; Gevenalle; Crank Brothers; Sellwood Cycle Repair; Marmoset; and Castelli.

HiFi’s Holiday Special: Buy a set of Hit Single, Mix Tape SL or Mix Tape Disc wheels and get a free set of IRC’s top-shelf tubeless road tires, specifically formulated tubeless tire levers, tubeless valves and tubeless tape. Just enter the code “hifitubeless25” or “hifitubeless28” at checkout, and we’ll take care of the rest. You’ll get the Formula Pro RBCC tires in your choice of 25 or 28 mm width. These are IRC’s top-shelf offering that blends extremely grippy sides with a fast-rolling center for excellent overall performance, and the tires retail for $99 apiece. Offer only good while supplies last, with a final cutoff of January 2, 2017 – so get on it!

We at HiFi have all been early adopters of tubeless technology, and we’re big believers. And IRC produces some of the world’s very best tubeless tires. So if you’re new to going tubeless, we’re here to give you a loving nudge towards something awesome. And if you’re a seasoned tubeless disciple who already enjoys low rolling resistance, snakebite-free miles, and excellent flat prevention, consider this our holiday gift to you.

HiFi expertly hand builds all of its wheels in Portland, Oregon, and all of the clinchers feature excellent tubeless-ready profiles. The Hit Single 50mm carbon clincher rims are your one-wheel-set quiver: they’re light enough to climb, deep enough for flat-out speed, and they dissipate heat better than the big brands. The Mix Tape SL alloy wheel set measures 30mm deep and 24mm wide at just 1550 grams, and the Mix Tape Discs can tackle everything from road disc to cyclocross racing to all-day gravel expeditions.

Choose the wheels that are right for you on our website and add them to your cart: Hit Single, Mix Tape SL or Mix Tape Disc. Enter “hifitubeless25” for 25 mm tires or “hifitubeless28” for 28 mm tires at checkout. Add your favorite sealant (we love Orange Seal – and check out the 4oz bottle with the injector!). And enjoy miles of tubeless smiles this winter and spring.

Assume the position.

Our own Josh Liberles recently had the opportunity to take an assortment of wheels – both HiFis and competitors’ – and his shnazzy new Orbea Ordu time trial bike into the University of Washington Aerodynamic Lab.

We’ll be spending a whole lot more time on CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and wind tunnel testing, but these early forays proved what we’ve already seen out on the roads. They’re not only beautiful to behold, but our wheels also give the most established brands some very serious competition. In particular, the 8-Tracks – HiFi’s deepest offering at 85mm – tested extremely well, beating out what is commonly regarded as one of the “fastest front wheels” for time trials and triathlons at some yaw angles.

Aerodynamicist Len Brownlie points out one feature that makes the 8-Tracks slippery to the wind: The narrow Fidelity hubs.

We performed our tests with a rider and a bike. There are too many variables and not enough yaw angles were tested to share any meaningful data at this point. But we will continue to test our products against the competition on controlled outdoor runs locally and we plan to get back in the tunnel for dedicated wheel tests – and data we can share – soon. Stay tuned.

And speaking of yaw angles, after lots of real world testing, both our 85mm 8-Tracks and 60mm LP tubulars have now joined the venerable 39mm EPs as a racer’s favorite for predictable, stable handling in crosswinds. The LPs are fantastic all-around road race, criterium, TT and triathlon wheels, while the 8-Tracks make great rear wheels for a variety of conditions and front wheels for TTs and triathlons. In the wise words of Blue Oyster Cult: “Don’t Fear the Deeper!”

Boeing’s high-tech toys

Erin Lolich swoops down the Barton Park Cross Crusade descent.

Our “Trial by Mud” continued this past week, culminating with some badass cyclocross racing this weekend here in Portland. There are a whole bunch more HiFi wheelsets out there now — covering most of the categories, too, which is awesome.

HiFi riders will, undoubtedly, have bad results along the way — but this weekend came up all roses across the board. Aaron Coker started things right, winning yet another Clydesdale Cross Crusade race at Barton Park on Sunday — proving both the durability and performance of the MixMaster aluminum tubulars. No mean feat for a lightweight, 1400g wheelset. Other highlights included Aaron Even claiming ninth place in the Masters C race, Devin Bailly snagging 15th in Masters B, Aunika Miranda piloting her Extended Play 39mm carbon tubulars to third place in the Junior Girls, and Erin Lolich battling her way to third in the Women’s C race.

On Saturday, HiFi’s own Brian Gerow (second in the SSCX race) and Josh Liberles (second in the Elite race) represented well at the super-muddy and exceedingly difficult Fazio Farms Part Deux race put on by our Team Ironclad buddies. And Ironclad’s recently upgraded Robbie Carver took a hard-fought fourth place in the Elites after flatting late in the last lap.

Product Updates

Cyclocross racing, and fall/winter riding in inclement conditions are great proving grounds. We’ve quickly accumulated a ton of miles and ride and race days on our products, and both our carbon and aluminum rims have been holding up great. So far there’s been one bent rim due to an impact — and that’s out of about 20 wheelsets being raced every weekend.

Our Fidelity hubs have been performing really well thus far, too. We’re glad for the recent spate of mud — nothing will accelerate bearing failure more than soupy conditions, and if there’s a problem with longevity, we want to know about it and fix it. Count on us for transparency and doing the work to make a product that will perform and last.

More to Come

Stay tuned for a recap of the tremendous season that the Raleigh-HiFi team based in Seattle has put together thus far. And our wheels are spinning their way out of the Northwest too — don’t be surprised to see some irresistible hoops laying down tracks on roads and trails coast to coast soon.

Patrick Palmer, post-race, showing off his HiFi MixMaster aluminum tubulars.

Why the heck would someone start a wheel company in the fall? It’s simple: we want to put our stuff to the ultimate test.

We at HiFi are all bike racers, and we know that cyclocross in Oregon supplies some of the most grueling conditions for both riders and equipment. Bearings can begin to fail after just a race or two, and the foot of an errant competitor can apply unwanted side loads to derailleurs, handlebars, spokes and everything in between. It gets crazy out there.

We have our MixMaster aluminum tubulars, Mix Tape aluminum clinchers and Extended Play X carbon tubulars banging around on ’cross courses all over the Northwest and beyond. Will we sometimes slide out on an off-camber section, or biff the occasional barrier? Undoubtedly. But these trials will make us stronger, and these nasty conditions will make any flaws come to the surface quickly.

Bring it on, we say. Show us a weakness and we’ll address it, quick-style. And after a season of cyclocross and “trial by mud,” tackling the roads and MTB trails starts to look easy.

In the words of Sinatra, “if you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere.”