We wanted to share a letter from a customer who has become a loyal customer, teammate and friend to us here a Ghisallo.
To My Friends at Ghisallo:
In May of 2007, after much consideration, time and research I decided to purchase my first carbon fiber bike. Having been an avid admirer of Lance Armstrong, I thought a Trek Madone would be a logical choice. This was a huge step for me. To this point, I had ridden only mountain bikes. At 51 years of age and 2 years removed from heart bypass surgery, I wanted a bike that could excel in performance yet be comfortable. So I took the plunge and bought the Madone at a local bike shop in St. Louis. With such a significant purchase, I expected to not only be treated special but also get expert support and advice. After spending several thousands on the bike, accessories and clothing, they fitted me on the bike and sent me on my merry way.
Let the journey begin. After my first few rides, I was in awe of the bikes performance and abilities. However, the ride was very uncomfortable and unstable. I took the bike back to the local shop and they checked it out to make sure the fit was right. They said all was good and I just need to get used to riding a road bike since I was so used to the feel of a mountain bike. After riding for about a month, I just wasn’t feeling good about the ride. Having been a competitive runner for most of adult life, I didn’t think that my body was in that bad a shape yet everytime I rode, my neck, shoulders, back and legs would get very sore. So I took the bike back to the shop again and got the same response. The bike is set up properly, you’re probably just not feeling well because of your mountain bike experience.
I continued to ride for the remainder of the summer and fall in 2007. On two different occasions, I crashed. The first crash was caused by a skater cutting me off. On the second crash I lost it going around a corner. I really felt like both of these could have been avoided if I would have had more control over the bike. The bike just felt squirrelly all the time. I never really felt like I was in control. After logging 2,800 miles on the bike, I came to believe that I had a really cool and fast bike but it would just never be a comfortable and stable ride.
One day in December, I happened upon the Ghisallo shop and was immediately greeted by Devlin McDonough. I immediate fell in love with the shop because of the wide array of bikes, accessories, clothing and most of all customer service. Devlin and I talked frequently about riding and at one point I mentioned to him the experience that I was having on my bike. He told me that I should bring it in and let them check out the fit. I thought it would be probably be a waste of time but man was I in for a big surprise. The seat was 2 ½ inches too low and was also about 2 inches too far back. The handle bars were not set at the proper angle and the shifters were set too low. While these issues may seem minor, they are in fact very significant. I found out just how significant on my first ride. It was like I had a new bike and it felt great. Now I have finally achieved my goal of having a cool high performance bike that is comfortable and stable. It’s simply amazing what a difference it makes to have the right fit. My rides are now stronger, longer and actually enjoyable because by body doesn’t hurt.
All the credit goes to Devlin and the other pros at Ghisallo. They know their stuff.
Kevin Taylor
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