Honey, if you love me...

Holidays are here ladies! Let's face it, you've already put the time into shopping- that's the draining part, sifting through piles of picked through clothing, scouring for sizes, let alone shopping for your nonexistent brother-in-law that you know more about from facebook status updates. So, this Holiday season, wrap something up a little special for yourself, stick it under the tree, and blame it on that bearded guy who eats all of your cookies. Hey, you can't argue with the ol' Saint Nicholas option, right? Especially, not in front of the kids.

Check out these great options at roll:, from big to small, comfortable to fast, and great to even better. Let us help relieve that holiday hooplah this year, so you have at least something to look forward to! Below are a few of my favorite items this year!



--- Ok, I know... a little obvious, but HEY.. go big, or go home. This will be a HUGE part in your New Year's Resolution.. Trust me :)Plus, the bike is AMAZING.. Totally loaded, PLUS $100 bucks off.. Come on roll:, what's the catch? Now only $2899!?!



The Garmin Edge 800.. seriously? A computer sent from heaven.. finally an affordable, touch screen, navigational goddess.. Aside from the goods itself, you get the software from Garmin allowing you to track, record, and set personal goals. Seriously? Do I need to say it again? The computer comes with heart rate and cadence and can project mapping information in both a 2D standard view, but also as a new bird's eye- all for only $649.



Alright, so.. maybe you're not so into riding right now. The days are longer, daylight is shorter, but regardless, it is COLD. roll: has partnered with lole to provide the women of our community a unique shopping experience, unconditional support, and a multitude of styles and fashions. Check out this multifunctional coat that will have ya ready for a day of snowshoeing, boarding or skiing in this full-zip, light down (75% down/25% feathers), hooded jacket. It’s a beautiful blend of style and substance in a breathable, waterproof Recycled Light Poly (100% recycled polyester from post-consumer plastic bottles) fabric and lined with our flexible ultra-down insulant. Retails for $200, buy 2 or more pieces of lole product and save %20!



Regardless of what you've been told, it's more than ok to accessorize :)



Go ahead, blame it on S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder)



This sporty, spunky hooded top is the perfect running mate to take the chill out of a run around the park in the fall or to layer under a ski jacket for a schuss down the slopes. Crafted from a polyester blend, this ultra-stretchy fabric for stay-dry, odor-free warmth. The zippered sleeve pocket is a handy place to keep your keys or store your iPod and the handy hand gaiters keep your fingers toasty warm. $80 bucks a pop. Seriously? It's basically sneaking to a spot under your tree. Go ahead, get one in every color. It's a common condition, you're not alone.

Regardless, stop in our stores.. try everything on, and feel free to vent about the traffic, your long day, and even just get some help in looking for that guy in your life who is difficult to shop for. We understand, and we're here for you :)

And We're Back!

Miss us? It's been far too long, but hey who can blame us with a great fall shaping up and Oprah's final season in our midst?! Regardless, we have been BUSY. Last week, we welcomed Jackie Baker, Giant's Women's Retailer Trainer into our stores for our first Giant for Women Clinic this season. Check this out, Jackie grew up riding horses in Ohio, but has been riding and racing mountain bikes since moving to the Rocky Mountains in 1997. She's raced cross country, spent several years racing downhill as a pro, can hold her own on a road bike, and has even dabbled in track and BMX racing. Before joining the Giant team, Jackie was a coach for Bikeskills, and focused on helping women feel more confident on their road and mountain bikes. Jackie's visit was extremely successful and offered ladies a great opportunity to ask questions, learn great riding technique, and walk away with friendships and a sense of the women's community that we are establishing! Thanks to all of you who came to share and contribute to this experience, we will definetly look into incorporating more clinics similar to this! Anything you didn't learn or need some help with particularly? Shoot us an email @ info@roll-online.com! We would love to hear from you!!

A Beginner's Challenge..

So, you got a bike? Now what? Whether it's your first time on your 'new ride' or not, there's always a little more out there. That's the first thing to make note of. The possibilities and opportunities to find yourself amongst a group of individuals with the same interests and goals is one of the most intimidating and challenging parts of getting out there and becoming comfortable. So, let me introduce a few local organizations and chapters that may just be the avenue you're looking for to acquire your ultimate experience.






COLUMBUS OUTDOOR PURSUITS
Columbus Outdoor Pursuits (COP), is a volunteer based organization that aims to prepare and educate individuals for in outdoor recreation around the area. This group of individuals provide some of the greatest group rides and guided tours in the area. They commonly host rides to Der Dutchmen and find themselves the Big Brother of all of our riding newbies. So, once you decide to break away from the bike path, look up one of their SEVERAL weekly rides and get out there. Check out their website at http://www.outdoor-pursuits.org/index.php.

TEAM IN TRAINING



Maybe you have heard of them? Talk about a true motivational tool. Push yourself to the limits and get inspired as you meet indivduals with more than a story to tell. Team In Training is a program that helps to support athletes to accomplish their goals, anywhere from a half-marathon, 100 mile bike ride, or a hike through the Grand Canyon. You can do it all? Ready for the cherry on top? Reach your goals, but exceed them. Find yourself among people touched by Leukemia and Lymphoma, as you race for a cure and raise money and awareness. As for cycling, become involved in a program that goes to Lake Tahoe annually. Ride through the abundant, captivating evergreens and around the crystal clear blue waters as you see hundreds of riders from all parts of the country supporting the same cause. Local chapters are forming, inquire about meeting a coach, go to an information session, and find yourself in an amazing adeventure a year from now.



PELOTONIA
As a second year event, this little guy takes the cake as it has rejuvenated cycling in Columbus on SO many levels. Pelotonia is a grassroots event hosted annually to raise awareness and money for the mission in ending our battles against cancer; all types, all kinds. As a new event to the area, it is exhillarating to see the ambition and determination among so many of our customers. Kudos to you all! In addition, if you have any interest in riding or volunteering, simply visit www.pelotonia.org!



Coolest part? Let roll: support you in all adventures. Mention your affiliation and save 10% on all accessories within our stores. After all, we like to know you're riding your bike. Love it, Give it a name.

My Choice is Sram

If you knew me, you would constantly hear me comparing Sram to Shimano and giving my personal opinion on the benefits of Sram in the road biking world, specifically for women. So why do I love Sram so much? It’s fairly simple, they lead the industry in: ergonomics or comfort, simplicity, performance, weight and price.

So first let us examine the ergonomics or the shape and comfort of the Sram shifters. The most recognizable comfort fact that the Sram shifters have to offer is their smaller and more form fitting hoods. The hoods feel particularly comfortable in comparison to Shimano for those with smaller hands, which would include, we the women of the biking world. In fact, the original design of the Sram shifter was designed specifically for smaller handed people. Also if you have ever ridden with Ultegra or Dura-Ace, you will notice the bulky nature of the shifters. A particular nuisance for me comes with the placement of my middle finger under the levers. It tends to kill me after a long ride or a race. The Shimano shifters are extremely rigid and have hard edges that cause chaffing and sometimes even small scratches to my oh-so sensitive hands.

Next, and still in the shifter category includes Sram’s reach adjust feature. This allows any rider to customize their and brake and shift levers. This is especially important to we female riders because, as we know, the bike industry is male dominated, especially in the performance category. This means most of the industry cater their products toward the male clientele, but not my friends at Sram. They thought of us, they know our hand reach is shorter and our fingers, not quite as long, and so they have given us the ability to make an adjustment to accommodate our needs. Thank you Sram, for your kindness.

Moving onto simplicity. Most of what makes Sram simple and even more comfortable is their patented DoubleTap system. Sram has separated itself by leaving the two lever system behind, eliminating the problems of engagement that come from having a brake and shifting lever combined. If you are riding with Shimano and on a tough climb, you will notice a natural tendency to rock your brake lever inward in which case you are unable to upshift. With the DoubleTap shifting system, the upshift is a quick rapid tap motion while the downshift on the same lever is a longer but elegant sweeping motion in the same direction. It is also easily accessible from your hoods or your drops and on those climbs I referred to earlier or in a sprint, it allows you to pull against the levers without sacrificing the upshift. Some days, I think Sram has thought of everything.

As you can see, performance, comfort and simplicity at times overlap, but there are a couple performance specifications that stand out, for example, the zero-loss function. This refers to the zero-loss of movement when you push on the lever for an upshift or a down shift. At this moment, the cable is immediately engaged and no movement is lost. In between a shift on many other systems, there is an annoying middle ground when your chain is trying to switch places on your rear cassette or on your front chain rings. However, with Sram gear changes are instant and precise. I will say that this may sacrifice a bit of smoothness but the benefit of a clear shift outweighs that minor downfall, and you will be a believer like me after you put a few miles on the Sram system. The other performance option that has to be addressed is what Sram calls the “Exact Actuation” technology. This refers to the 1:1 actuation ratio (shifter cable travel : derailleur movement). Exact Actuation simplifies and stabilizes the balancing act of the rear derailleur hang design, the tight cog spacing, and the exact cable tension, causing for a simple index shifting system that stays precise.

The weight and price are two that we can group together for 1. the reason that there is not a lot to say and 2. this article is probably getting overwhelmingly long for the reader. Essentially Sram components have carbon levers vs. alloy and every piece of the group set is lighter than the equivalent Shimano system. Sram is cheaper, simple as that. It costs hundreds of dollars less than Shimano and gives you excellent performance. The only problem is that Shimano group sets are currently coming on most complete bikes. I am a political person in my private life, and if there were an issue that I wanted you to fight for, I would tell you to call your Senators and other public officials. In this case, I say, call your favorite bike manufacturers and tell them that you want the option of Sram on their complete bikes. Let’s all help each other out on this one.

roll: Princess

If you have ever been into our shop, you have either heard, smelled, or worked with Heidi Shilling. It's true, she has been around since the beginning and adds to the heaping dinner helping of personality to the roll: crew. Heidi has been racing and in the shops longer than even Dante can remember! Along with her fire red hair, comes a whiff of excitement, passion, and commitment to the sport and people that surround her. She races in the Expert class, and is a great addition to the COMBO Race Team powered by roll:! Heidi will begin contributing to our women's blog about the experiences she has! Yay!



Contributed by Heidi Shilling:

There has been a storm in my mind for over a year now. Last year I showed up to Mohican mentally and physically unprepared. I did everything wrong before the race including replacing a 9 speed chain with a 10 speed chain. After missing the podium by a few minutes, I promised myself that this year would be different. I have been training smart and steadily improving. My race season so far has gone well. I felt confident but nervous. Anything can happen in a race this long.



I arrived at the hotel the night before to watch my teammates in a full on pre-race frenzy. Last minute bike repairs, tire changes, tube patching, talk of strategy, beer drinking, burping, farting, blah, blah blah, bru ha, ha, testosterone fest. I just put my number plate on and lubed my chain. That's all, I was ready to roll:. Much to my surprise I fell fast asleep that night. I dreamed that I was riding under a waterfall. When I woke up the rain was coming down in sheets. It fell for hours and stopped right before the 7am start.

The race begins, I'm redlining from the start, just short of heart attack. My goal is to beat as many riders as I can into the woods. I hit the trail and get immediately stuck behind a crowd going nowhere fast. The trail is squishy. slick, messy, suck all of your energy MUD. No surprise, this was going to be an epic sufferfest. I weeble I wooble but I don't fall down, except for the steep downhill,I slide sideways down and bust my 2 month old scab open AGAIN! We quickly enter the State Forest and I hear someone yell, "way to go girls". Girls? Who is behind me? It's Bridget Donovan. She chases me all the way to the first aid station. I blow through it. I finally get to my favorite part of the trail. Even wet and slick it still has flow and is super fast. I felt good. I began to pass rider after rider. I felt great. Then came the shocking inner thigh cramps. I could hardly keep the pedals turning. I was worried, this was too early for cramps. Then I came upon the dreaded hike a bike. It seemed like an eternity climbing up that hill. One foot in front of the other, my heart pounding out of my head, death march. Finally at the top, I experience more mud, cramps, and rain. I'm no roadie but I can't wait to hit the road! Down some crazy water bars, raging river crossing, up a suck your shoe off climb and finally road, sweet road! Wait a minute how could I forget? Some of these road climbs are killers. I can't get to Aid Station 2 fast enough.



I finally arrive at that little oasis and see my happy teammate, Jeremy. I think I might have growled at him, Sorry Jeremy! I refueled and hit the trail in less than a minute. It's all a little bit blurry from here. I went back and forth with a group of guys. They would pass me on the road I would pass them on the trail. I hit the Wilderness Trail with a sense of urgency. I know this trail, I have done a few solos on it. I pick off a few more riders. They tell me the leader is just a few minutes ahead! This thought fills my head. I forget about the cramps, rain, mud, and bike that no longer wants to shift. My goal was to bridge the gap, she beat me by 45 minutes last year. Now I'm close...real close! This thought carries me to Aid Station 3.

When I arrive my teammate, Gary, whisks my bike away while I get my water bottle filled and grab a PB&J with my muddy paws. I'm off riding on a bike that is fully functioning!!! I'm sore and tired but down right giddy bursting at the seams with happiness. Thirteen miles to go, more climbs, cramps, rain, mud, raging stream crossing and long stretches of road. Pedal dammit, this is it! I hit the last 6 miles with a renewed sense of energy. Not in my body, but in my mind. The thunder rolls across the sky, I laugh! The sky opens up and dumps. I'm in the waterfall of my dream, riding downstream. My brake pads are gone, there is so much mud in my eyes, I can barely see. This is one wild ride. I come off of the trail into the campground. This is it! I blow through the last water crossing, it covers most of my bike. Somehow I make it through. Just a little more! Hello Finish! Hello pint glass!!! Oh, Happy Day!

All in all, an Epic race, just so happens to be one of my best! Second Place ! My Teammates did well too. Jake got 3rd in the 100k singlespeed. Jon almost beat his time from last year despite the conditions. Trent tore it up and finished with a fast time. Greg, Jeff, and Tom endured the elements and finished strong. Pat and Jayson rode their hearts out and last but not least Jeremy finished 100 miles on a rigid singlespeed! Go COMBO Race Team! Red Dragons!!!

Ladie's MTB Clinic!! (ANOTHER CHANCE!)

Hey Ladies-
Unfortunately, the ride was rained out last weekend. The good thing? The clinic has been rescheduled! The NEW details are below, take note, and be there!

WHAT? MVMBA Ladies 2nd Annual MTB Clinic
WHERE? John Bryan State Park
WHEN? June 19th 10a-5p (Sign in starts at 9a)

Need registered? Hop onto www.bikereg.com and get everything taken care of!
Questions? Give our shops a call!

It's like a new pair of shoes!

That's right, roll: has done it again, by teaming up with Felt Bicycles to offer our customers an unrivaled experience in product selection and knowledge. The difference? You have options. Whether you like them or not, they are there, and that's where we come in. With companies like Felt, Giant, Niner, and Electra- we have the opportunity to offer you an unparalleled and varied product selection, while still maintaining your favorite roll experiences such as our roll:perfect fit program and customer service priorities.

Back to Felt, just like your son's new girlfriend - or the new girl at work, you wanna know the background story. Where do they come from? What's there deal? Hey, it's human nature to question, so let me make this easy for you.

Felt is the last name of the founder, who would rather go by "Jim". Jim made a name for himself as a highly qualified mechanic for Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Suzuki. During his prime, he helped Johnny O'Mara (a motocross SUPER star) build his first triathalon frame, as he began cycling to increase his core strength and stability. I'm sure neither of them knew O'Mara would go on to win the California State Championship Time Trial that following year. From there, Jim went on to work for Easton Sports as a product engineer. His first big project was to create a frame for Easton sponsored, Paula Newby Fraser. This project lead to the birth of the B2, which Paula road to her 4th Kona Ironman that year.

"Felt’s reputation as a guy who understands how to go fast was sealed. Working with Easton, Felt would go on to build bikes for duathlon’s winningest athlete, Ken Souza, mountain bike legend John Tomac, and Ironman strongman Wolfgang Dietrich. Any bike builder on the planet would kill to have such a collection of athletes on their resume"

Think about it, to have your name on a bicycle, you have to have faith in your product. Just imagine. We believe Felt offers a unique experience to our customers and correlates very well with the foundations of roll: As a staff, we are stoked to offer this to all of you! Come in and chat with us!