Open Letter: Mavic

Hello Mavic,

     My name is Sean Evans. I am a Mechanical Design Engineer, father of four, and avid cyclist. I am a mountain biker by heart, but I also own (and ride) a road bike. I like that I can jump on the road bike and get a solid ride in without having to drive to a trail. Given the time, I will always choose the mountain bike over the road bike. Mountain biking is how I first heard about your products.
     Many years ago I was at a little race called Iceman Cometh in Northern Lower Michigan. After eating dinner I was looking over the bike and heard a clink when I spun the rear wheel. Perplexed, I spun it again...sure enough....clink clink clink. I stopped the spinning and took a closer look. 3 broken spokes. Not good the night before the race. I had that Mavic was going to be at the Expo that night and that a demo was possible. We went to the expo and I headed straight to the Mavic booth. Frantic, I explained my situation. The guys in the tent were awesome and told me they would hook me up in morning and all I had to do was be there early enough for them to get my bike set up. We got there early and sure enough they threw a set of demo Crossmax wheels on my bike. Truth be told....the wheelset they installed was worth more than my entire bike at the time. This made it even more exciting. I was at the start line and a few people were asking about them. I explained that they were loaners and everyone was very impressed that Mavic would loan such an expensive set of wheels to a beginner level racer. The race went ok....but I loved the wheels. Needless to say...I was hooked.
     Time passed and I stopped riding for a few years. Eventually, about 8 years ago, I started riding again. In typical cyclist fashion my bikes got more expensive and the components followed suit, minus the wheels. The set I wanted I could not afford. The Mavic Crossmax wheels. So I waited. 3 years ago I finally needed to buy a new wheelset. A teammate had a set of Crossmax SL wheels that he wasn't using anymore. Barely used....I got a solid deal on them. My shop owner put a lot of trust in the wheels telling me they would be "bullet proof"....so I jumped and bought them. I set them up tubeless and absolutely loved them. But....the bike is a 26er and last year I made the jump to 29er....regrettably giving the bike and my favorite wheels ever to my son. He loves them too for the record.....but I miss them.
     So that brings me to the point of this letter. I technically don't need a new wheelset...because the wheels that came with my bike are very nice wheels. I WANT a new Crossmax wheelset. While doing some research I was looking around the Mavic.us site and realized that Mavic has a lot more to offer than just the wheels. I knew Mavic put cycling shoes on the market, but I didn't realize Mavic has pedals too. And not only pedals, but the style of pedals I love to ride. I am a huge Time Pedals fan because the SPD style locks me in too much and puts stress on my knees. Wheels, shoes, gloves, pedals, helmets....a lot.
   My question is this: Does Mavic have any sort of ambassador program? I ask because I think it would be an excellent idea. I also volunteer to be the first in the program. I would use shoes, pedals, helmet, gloves, wheels, and whatever else you would be willing to offer. What would I do in return? Well, I write a blog that is read all around the world. I also have a facebook page that has a decent amount of traffic. I would do product reviews. I would do product spotlights. I would also talk to everyone I know about your awesome products. At races, I would wear Mavic shirts, hats, team kit and be a walking/riding billboard. I would also put stickers on my car and bikes as necessary.
     Why Sean Evans? Well.....I love the sport. I love to ride. I love to race. My story might not be the greatest. I have stood on the podium on a few times...but they have been awesome each time. I am doing my first 100 mile mountain bike race in June of this year. I am moving along. If Mavic were to allow me to be an ambassador I would attribute any success to the awesome components and products you have. I would share my stories with everyone, just as I do now. Only I would be able to say "Mavic has been awesome in helping because of...." or "these wheels have truly made climbing faster" or "I see you ride Time, I switched to Mavic and ......" . So many options.
     In closing, please consider an ambassador program. Many well established companies already have them, and the programs help get their products in front of more eyes out on the roads and trails. When people see other people out riding the brands, more attention is given to those brands. People are interested in what other people are using, riding, wearing. If you would like to have a conversation about this I am more than willing. I completely understand if you do not. I doubt this letter will ever even reach Mavic, but I wanted to launch it into cyberspace in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, it would reach the right person.

Thank you for reading,
Sean Evans
Singletrack Chronicles

First Barry Roubaix of 2015

Jay and I decided to head out into the cold morning air to test out the Barry Roubaix roads. We saw pictures and had reports that the roads were icy, with snow, sandy spots, and some gravel spots showing. I pulled the Defy off the trainer and threw the CX tires on, especially since I knew Jay was bringing his new TCX.

Do I really want to do this?

I left the house a little after 8am and met Jay at the Long Lake Outdoor Center a little before 9. Parking lot was empty. We geared up and off we went. Roads were not bad. Passable....albeit slow. We rode slower to prevent a disaster. I did have one minor accident. I caught a icy ridge and it kicked my bike out from under me and I fell right into the snowbank. No harm. Slow speed. 

Jay B.s Giant TCX (Photo courtesy of Jay B.)

The pic above was one Jay took of his bike at the top of "The Wall". That climb is always rough. I am learning to love the hills. The hills, however, hate me. Felt like I was dragging an anchor. The hills out there are always brutal....but they felt even worse on this ride. I think because it was so cold my body was struggling to stay warm. At any rate it was awesome to be out there riding with a friend and teammate....testing the early season fitness.

After the ride

We got a decent 22 miles in around 2 hours. Average Temperature was 23 degrees according to my Garmin. It felt really good to be outside and riding in the hills. With 5 weeks until Barry Roubaix I have to get outside more...but winter has a cold grip on SW Michigan right now. I felt pretty good after the ride...just cold. The season is coming quick and winter won't last forver.

Below is a video of our ride. 

2015, off an running....er....riding

This year is already off and flying by. Living in Southwest Michigan is always and adventure. We had 2 feet of snow on the ground in November. Hardly any snow on Christmas. And got 18" over the course of two days here a few weeks ago. As I type this we are under a Winter Storm Warning. Lots of blowing snow and frigid temps. So....I hide indoors.

January was a solid month. I started it off right with a ride (outside) on New Years Day. Haven't ridden outside since. I have had a few nice days....but missed the opportunity to get out there and break the monotony of the trainer. Instead I got a few of the Sufferfest videos to change things up.

In total...I had just under 300 miles in January. Just over 400 for the year so far. My speed is pretty solid too for this point in the year. My frustration is my weight. I feel stronger, but I am slowly losing weight. My own fault. Feel pretty good on the bike.....and the legs are surely getting stronger. Nutrition has to be dialed. I will get there.

So....the season is shaping up like this

Barry Roubaix (36 miles)
Lowell 50 (34 miles....or 57 depending on BR results)
Yankee TT
Custer Stampede
Lumberjack 100
Sweat Shaker

Those are verified.

These are not...but on the radar

Hanson 50/100
Ithica 12 Hour
Ruby 50


All I know is that I will be riding a lot to keep my fitness up. Gotta stay focused and be ready on June 20th when I have to ride 100 miles.....wait...RACE 100 miles. Have a goal time in mind right now...but won't let that leak.

Hope you all are enjoying your winter.