Now with pretty pictures!

It was another good Halloween night out at the Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby. Scott Stanfield was out there taking some shots, and they turned out rather nicely, take a look at them here.  The weather was great for wearing costumes, maybe too great given the guy who raced in a speedo. But then again, he probably would’ve done the same if it was much colder. In unrelated news, if you left a helmet out at the course get in touch with us and we’ll reunite you two.  We’re back for another great night of racing next week, and next Tuesday is election Tuesday! Which means you can either race your bike or watch election returns. We’ll see you on your bike.


Results Posted, Halloween Party Next Week

The SRAM XX demo night was our largest night of the year. A keg of Dos Equis and some grilled grub provided by Bicycle Sport Shop also helped give us the best crowd we’ve seen in quite some time.

But Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby, I’m sorry I missed things last night, but I want in on the action; will next week be as fun? Good question. The answer is ‘hell yeah.’ Next week is our Halloween Night so come in your costume, race in your costume and give it your best to win our costume contest; details forthcoming. Sure, racing is fun, but it’s more fun when you’ve already left the pirate in the dust and are trying to work your way up to the caveman. All in all, it’s a very surreal time to race your bike. So bust out that costume, race in it if you can, and we’ll see you next week.

-Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby

SRAM XX Demo

Races are on for tomorrow night’s Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby.

In addition, the SRAM XX Demo Truck will be on hand with bikes built up with SRAM’s 2 x 10 drivetrain. Come check out the most interesting drivetrain in the world, have a Dos Equis, and enjoy the Dirt Derby!

Shift quickly my friends.

Results and Weekend Plans

Results from the October 12th Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby are up. It was a good night, the course was great, thanks for coming if you were there and you should’ve been there if you weren’t.

But enough brevity! What are your plans for the weekend? Here’s what I’m going to do:

1) Start out my weekend with some awesome deals at the Bicycle Sport Shop Garage Sale. It’s massive, and the deals are off the 10-speed chain. Some of the sales going on here are the things that you’ll hear about months later when you ask someone where they got the cash for those awesome wheels and they’ll tell you they got them at the BSS garage sale for cheap. I got seasonal Christmas Gu at a great deal at a spring one because it wasn’t Christmas, but mint chocolate is always in season. It made me really happy.

Detail on VC's pretty steel cyclocrosser the Sam Houston2) With discounted goods in hand, I’m going to continue my weekend by hitting up the Texas Custom Bike Show on Saturday or Sunday.  You may have heard Elliot from Austin on Two Wheels repping it on the mic tonight, as he’s the guy behind Violet Crown Bicycles and will be showing his frames there. Our good friends at True Fabrication will be there as will a bunch of local framebuilders and companies that sell custom bike-related goods. There’s a cyclocross race going Sunday as part of it, so you can get in a day of racing and then stop by the exhibits. I plan on sipping my mint chocolate Gu ponderously as I consider going full custom for my eventual touring bike.

3) Race my cross bike at the cross races going on this weekend. The Alchemy Bikes Cross Race and Texas Framebuilders Classic will both be witness to my lack of cyclocross skills. I’d improve them with the Source Endurance Skills ‘Stravaganza (or a Cross Clinic, whichever you prefer) beforehand, but I’ll be working.

It’ll be a great weekend filled with cycling deals, LT thresholds, and cycling eye-candy (check out that Violet Crown Bicycles detail shot; sexy). Now everyone knows what sort’ve life I lead outside of the Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby,

-Jacob
Dirt Derby Internet Guy

Cross Clinic + New Sponsor Athletic Volition

We’re getting ready for another Tuesday of racing out at the Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby. There were some scattered showers late Monday night, but the course should be in good shape. If it’s not we’ll be sure to let everyone know, but in this case no news is good news.

Violet Crown Sports Association will be hosting another cyclocross skills clinic this week starting at 5:30. So come out a bit earlier and make your set of cross skills as sharp as pointy daggers.

If your skills are sharp but your fitness isn’t, then check out our newest sponsor Athletic Volition! Athletic Volition offers a coaching service for those seeking custom, one-on-one instruction in the fields of swimming, running, cycling, triathlon and cyclocross. Flyers and more info will be out at the course, so support them as they support us.

It’ll be a great night, so bring something with knobby tires on it and come race.

-Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby

First Ladies Night a Success!

We had our first Ladies Night of 2010 tonight and saw an increase in women riders, which we’re always glad to see. It was our biggest night of the year so far and the racing was great. Our good friends, trusted sponsors and excellent fabric fashioners f3 Designs were there with a table of cycling caps. Their wool caps will keep you warm in the winter and cool-looking in the summer, and they’ll be out again after a few weeks with some merch, so give them a look then if you missed them today.

Our cyclocross and MTB Open race was tighter than usual, with Andy Lee and Tristan Uhl getting the better of the small groups they rode with for most of the race. Manny Gellegos and WileyMosley won the mountain bike and cyclocross races, respectively, and Stacy Liddle was the best placed woman in the Intermediate category. On the Beginner side of things, Sean Ahmadi won the MTB race, John Conner won in cross and Jennifer Taylor led the women.

Want your name up there for the cylocross results? Well then perhaps you should’ve been out at the Violet Crown hosted skills clinic this week. These guys have been dismounting and scrambling up hills for a while now and they’re happy to show you how it’s done. Missed it this week? They’ll be out again next week at 5:30 to help you hone your skills. A win doesn’t mean much if you look silly hopping over the barriers. But then again, if you look silly hopping over them you probably aren’t winning anyway.

It was another great night out at the Dirt Derby. We’ll have another Ladies Night in November, and we’ll be racing until then, so thanks for coming out this week and we hope to see ya’ll next week.

-Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby

Ladies Night + Cross Clinic + f3 Designs

The Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby will be a happening place this Tuesday, as we’ve got Ladies Night going on, a cyclocross clinic happening and f3 Designs will be there showing off their cycling caps and bikepacking gear.

Ladies Night will feature free racing for women and guys who look like women. So if you are a woman, you race for free! If you’re a guy wanting to get a little dolled up then you race for free! Tell your friends, because who can turn down a free bike race?

Violet Crown Sports Association will be hosting a cyclocross clinic before the races, and it too will be free. Starting up at 5:30, it’s a great way to learn some new skills or sharpen your existing skills. Dismounting, remounting and shouldering the bike will be covered, so you’ll be cyclocrossing like a pro in no time.

Good things come in threes though, and we’re pleased to say that local f3 Designs will also be at the Dirt Derby. They will be selling cycling caps and showing off their bikepacking gear. Your bike has never carried so much and your head has never looked so cool as when outfitted with products from f3 Designs.

So, we’ve got a lot going on at this weeks Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby. If you’re a woman who is looking to learn more about cyclocross, race for free and purchase some quality head-ware, then you’re in particular luck. But it’ll be just as much fun for everyone else. We’re paying out our top Open racers, we’re giving away rockin’ buttons to people who place in their category and we’re always having a good time, so come on out next Tuesday to our Ladies Night and see what it’s all about.

-Bicycle Sport Shop Dirt Derby

Ladies and guys who (very barely) look like ladies race for free


Results Posted

The track was in great shape and the weather was perfect for out night of racing last night at the Bicycle Sports Shop Dirt Derby. Elliot from Austin on Two Wheels and Violet Crown Cycles was there and showed off the frame he gave away at last year’s season ending party.

Damian Castillo won the Beginner MTB race, with Kent Snead taking the Cyclocross race and Jennifer Taylor winning the women’s category. In a huge Intermediate race, Rey Madalora won the MTB while Colton Jarisch won the cross race. Our Open category continued to grow, with Payson McElveen winning the MTB race and Matt Stottlemeyre showing everyone how it’s done on a ‘cross bike.

The Intermediate race was so big that some scoring anomalies might have occurred this week, we’ll get it better next week. We’re paying out the top racers in the Open race every week, and with the prize money based on the amount of racers we get, it pays to bring some friends. Hey-o!

We’re proud to announce that we’ve also smoothed out the meteorological issues we were having. The extended forecast looks very much in our favor:

Short track and cyclocross racing under the summer sun