Check out our new cycling kits.  

Link:    http://shop.jakroo.com/storefront/Williams-Cycling

Williams 58 and 85's offer the highest value "dollars per watt" & "dollars vs. time" performance in the market today.
 
Cycling Power Lab models cycling performance by applying mathematical/physics models to real world course, weather and component data with the goal of answering many of the performance related questions aspirational bike riders should be asking.  The below reports evaluate properties of Williams Wheel System 58 and 85 versus comparable wheel models from competitors.  This report focuses on:

• Theoretic Time-On-Course savings
• Aerodynamic Value Analysis - Dollars Per Watt
• Aerodynamic Value Analysis - Dollars versus Time-On-Course Saving

Link Here:       http://www.williamscycling.com/Cycling-Power-Lab-Analysis_ep_46.html

Williams Aurora SLC Saddle - Gear of the Year 2012: This Year’s Best

Gear of the Year 2012: This Year’s Best - 

 http://www.feedthehabit.com/mountain-biking/gear-of-the-year-2012-this-years-best/

"Williams Aurora SLC Saddle More well-known for their renowned wheelsets, Williams has expanded their product offering in 2012 to include saddles. The Aurora SLC is a work of art with carbon rails and Italian microfiber that features a man-friendly cutout to reduce numbness. At $129, this one is an easy addition to the list. Read review… "

http://www.feedthehabit.com/road-biking/williams-aurora-slc-saddle-review/

Show us your Williams Wheels

williams wheelsets video from Williams Cycling on Vimeo.

SmartStop-Mountain Khakis makes its mark in USA CRITS, NCC series

Williams supplies SmartStop-Mountain Khakis with bars and stems.

US Continental squad adds horsepower for 2013

The SmartStop-Mountain Khakis racing team ended its first year back in the UCI Continental ranks with a couple of exclamation points, continuing its domination of the USA CRITS series and adding a runner-up effort behind UnitedHeatlhcare in the final standings of the inaugural USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar (NCC).
Star sprinter Luke Keough capped his second consecutive USA CRITS individual overall title Sunday with a win at the Tour of Vail criterium, the final event of the season, while SmartStop-Mountain Khakis sealed the overall team win for the fifth consecutive year. Just one week earlier, Keough finished off his second-place overall effort in the National Criterium Calendar series with a win at the TD Mayor's Cup Criterium in Boston, the final race of that series.
Keough stole the win from UnitedHealthcare's Karl Menzies – who celebrated an assumed win a little too early. Keough's teammate Shane Kline was third, and Menzies' teammate Hilton Clarke, who had sewn up the overall series title before the Boston race, was fourth. SmartStop-Mountain Khakis finished second overall in the first-ever NCC behind Clarke's UnitedHealthcare squad, which is a UCI Pro Continental team.
It was a pretty good showing for a team that had to drop to the amateur level last year.
"To be second to UHC, both with a young guy like Luke Keough, and then to be second in the team competition with basically me and a bunch of young guys, is hugely satisfying when you look at the teams we beat," said SmartStop-Mountain Khakis' senior rider, 40-year-old Adam Myerson. "We beat them on Luke's talent for sure. But we also made the commitment to go into every race, to sending split squads of six riders to conflicting races on the same weekend on opposite coasts. A lot of other teams simply didn't do that."
The team, owned by Jamie Bennett and Pat Raines, turned professional at the Continental level in 2006 and eventually found its niche in criterium races, winning the USA CRITS' individual overall title four times, with Mark Hekman taking it in 2009, Isaac Howe in 2010 and Keough doubling up in 2011 and 2012. The squad has also won the overall team title five consecutive years. But SmartStop-Mountain Khakis ran into a bit of a hiccup at the end of the 2010 season when sponsor Jittery Joe's failed to meet it financial obligations, Myerson said.
"Things were low at the end of that Jittery Joe's year," Myerson said. "The economy had tanked, and so everybody was feeling it. But we just kind of hung on because we knew we had built something valuable, and we couldn't just walk away from it. So we focused on a rebuilding year. Now we're going into our seventh season."
The team dropped its UCI status and registered as a USA Cycling Domestic Elite program for 2011, but Myerson said the riders and management didn't change their approach to the season, eventually leading to another USA CRITS individual and team title.
"Even though we were amateur that year, we changed nothing," he said. "We hired the riders back that we wanted. We gave some guys raises. We went to all the same events, save the US Pro Championships, but we replaced those with the Elite amateur nationals."
The faith in the program paid off with increased sponsorship and a return to the UCI ranks this year, eventually leading to SmartStop stepping up to takeover as title sponsor from Mountain Khakis about halfway through the season. The increased investment allowed the team to amp up its output and results. Now SmartStop is on board for at least two more seasons, and Mountain Khakis is likely to continue with its characteristic one-year deals.
"The CEO of SmartStop started to attend some races and just got a handle around his sponsorship," Myerson said. "He was so excited by it and by how much potential the team had, it was basically a matter of him saying, 'What's it gonna take? What do we need to do to win more races?' And so that's when he said, 'Let's make a bigger investment. Can we start this right now?'"
The team will grow from 11 riders in 2012 to 14 next season, Myerson said. Notable additions include the return to the team of Isaac Howe, who rode from Mountain Khakis in 2009 and 2010 but spent the past two seasons with Kenda/5-Hour Energy. Jackie Simes will move from Jamis-Sutter Home to SmartStop-Mountain Khakis for 2013, along with Frank Travieso, a former Jamis rider who spent last season racing close to home at the amateur level following the birth of his first child. Track specialist Bobby Lea is also signed up with SmartStop-Mountain Khakis for the 2013 season.
"Having Isaac back, and with Shane Kline staying with the team – and he'll be stepping up as a primary sprinter – I think with those two guys we feel good about our sprinting for next year. But we're trying to reinforce the train, too," Myerson said. "We're looking for guys who can ride in breaks and who we can count on, but also guys who can reinforce our lead-out train."
In 2013, SmartStop-Mountain Khakis will say goodbye to Luke Keough, who is moving onto a Pro Continental team, but with Howe, Kline and the rest ready to step up – combined with the improved resources – Myerson expects another great year for the team. And he said he hopes the industry finally takes notice of what the team has accomplished.
"I think we really proved ourselves against a formidable opponent that certainly eclipses our budget," Myerson said. "That's why I hope people are willing to invest in us, because we've shown how thrifty we can be and how much we can make up in good organization and a lot of expertise within the organization. We can make that go, and with a little bit of money, the sky's the limit."

Williams Gets Dirty

Williams began as a road wheel company, but over the years we've grown and expanded to the point where we make high end products for almost every discipline of cycling, including road, track, TT/Tri, and cyclocross. However, there's been one big chunk of the bike world that we've totally missed out on: mountain.

Well not anymore! We're excited to announce that we are in the prototyping and testing phase of some, how should we put it, BAD ASS new wheels and components specifically for ripping up singletrack. We've got our product testers putting the new gear through the paces, including the test of truth in the Leadville 100. We're experiencing lots of thumbs up so far, and lots of excited hoots, and here's why:

Wheels: we plan to launch our mountain line with alloy wheels for traditional 26 and 29ers. Our goal is to create wheels that are stiff and strong, have bombproof durability, and still come in at an impressively low weight. And of course, we're going to do it all using our direct-to-consumer business model to offer a competitive price point and incredible value. If we can make a wheelset that helps riders upgrade their performance, shave weight, and do it all without breaking the bank then we'll have succeeded in our quest. As stated previously, we're still in the prototyping phase, but we can say for sure that our wheels will feature a version of our Six-Sixty hubs for lightning-fast three degree engagement, and interchangeable end caps for all popular axle designs.

Handlebars: carbon is the way of the future. It's lighter, it's stiffer, and it makes a normal bike look like a NASA rocket. We're experimenting with a few different designs to determine the best shape, rise, and bend for carbon mountain bike bars. While stiffness, strength and low weight are paramount, we're also mindful that different types of riding demand different styles of bar. The guy racing a full suspension 26 might need slightly different bars than the guy racing the single speed 29er. Our goal is to develop a few bars that live up to our high standards of performance and can meet the needs of different styles of riding.

Bonus: one of the best parts of diving headlong into mountain biking is that it's given us the opportunity to test our other components on the dirt. The feedback we've received has been incredible. Our carbon rail SLC saddles, stems, Ionic seatpost, and carbon cages have all logged many hundreds of miles on demanding singletrack and have lived up to lofty expectations. We're proud to certify that these products are ready to shred the gnar.

This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Williams. We are fired up to get these new products into production and we can't wait to share them with you!

(As soon as we have more info, pictures, reviews, and a launch date we'll post it on the Mountain section of our website, facebook, and twitter.)

Wheel Tech: The Next Generation

We've just released updated models of our alloy clinchers and BOY are they sweet. We're using the same bomb-proof niobium alloy rims, and keeping the same slick decals, but from the rim in everything has been redesigned.

We started by radically chagning our hubs. The new Six-Sixty hubs feature a six pawl, sixty ratchet freehub mechanism that reduces engagement time. Push on the pedals and the freehub engages almost instantly. We've managed to keep tall, wide hub flanges for strength and stiffness, but we've machined out the rear hub to lower the weight. To top it all off, these hubs feature our high quality hybrid ceramic bearings for that low rolling resistance that keeps you cruising all day.

The overall weight of the wheelsets drops dramatically with the upgrade to Sapim CX-Ray spokes. Widely considered to be the best spokes in the industry, the CX-Ray is not only lighter than traditional spokes, it's also more aerodynamic. With these premium spokes you get a big reduction in weight, and a vast increase in performance.

When you put all the pieces together you get some of the nicest alloy clinchers on the market, offered at a direct to consumer price and backed by the legendary Williams customer service. Hard to beat.

System 19: 1353g  $569

System 30: 1495   $549

System 30X: 1548   $559

Team Title for Mountain Khakis/Smart-Stop

After a grueling week of high speed crit racing Team Mountain Khakis/Smart-Stop emerged victorious, taking the overall team title at the USA Crits Speedweek Series. This was no small feat, as this series attracted the very best criterium riders in the nation. TMK/SS came out strong, winning the first two races outright, with Luke Keough sprinting to victory in Athens and Ben Zawacki kicking hard from a late race breakaway to take the win in Roswell. These stellar early performances set the tone for the rest of the series, and the guys consistently fought their way to the pointy end of the race and found themselves on the podium and peppering the top ten.

The race for the team title was shaping up to be a titanic battle between Team Mountain Khakis/Smart-Stop and Team Exergy. It all came down to the final race, the Sandy Springs Criterium, where TMK/SS dug deep into the suitcase of courage, pulled on their big boy pants, and slammed three riders into the top twelve. When the dust settled and the points were tallied TMK/SS had taken the team title by ONE POINT!!! Holy smokes, that was close!

That victory is a testament to the amazing team spirit that drives Mountain Khakis/Smart-Stop in everything they do. Cycling is very much a team sport, and while it's usually a single rider standing atop the podium he couldn't be there without the support of the whole squad. That's why it's so, so sweet for the guys to earn the team title at Speedweek. It's a great honor and an important recognition of the hard work and sacrifice that every individual makes which allows the team as a whole to be successful.

Congratulations to you guys, from everyone here at Williams. We're proud to work with such a committed team, and we're proud to know that our components can stand up to the punishment dished out in the fastest racing in America. Keep on kicking butt, guys!

As Good as Gold

Williams sponsored professional team Mountain Khakis/Smart-Stop had a breakout performance this weekend that saw them clinch victory in three separate races, including one of the most prestigious criteriums in the US.

Luke Keough standing tall after winning the Terrapin Twilight

On Saturday night TMK/SS lined up for the famous Terrapin Twilight criterium in Athens, Georgia. As far as American criteriums go this one is legendary. The list of past winners includes Gord Fraser, Davis Phinney and Chris Horner, and the atmosphere is electric. Tens of thousands of crazed (and often beer-soaked) fans line the one kilometer course. The cheers are deafening, and the energy is so powerful riders practically vibrate with it as they take the line. A win in this race can launch a rider into the limelight and solidify a team's reputation as one of real players in American racing. Which is exactly what happened when Luke Keough blasted from the shadows Saturday night to win with by bike throw.

A HUGE bike throw victory for young Luke Keough!

For full details please see the report in Cycling News, or visit the Team Mountain Khakis/Smart-Stop website.

The team has been working hard to come together in order to deliver when it counts. The victory at Athens not only proved that they have what it takes to perform in the nation's biggest races, but infused them with the confidence and positivity to go out hungry for the win in every race. They say success breeds success, but it was was nevertheless astounding to see the team go out the very next day and take another huge win in the Roswell Criterium.

A big margin on a big win for Ben Zawacki

Roswell is another pillar of US crit racing and the 2nd race in the Speedweek series that Athens kicks off. After a long day of racing with TMK/SS constantly on the front initiating moves and controlling the race, Benjamin Zawacki managed to initiate a three man move in the closing laps. Strong, and sure, and full of confidence, Zawacki left his breakmates far behind and powered to a resounding sprint win. You can see video of the finish here.

Ben Zawacki beaming atop the podium at the Roswell Criterium 

Not to be outdone, Shane Kline used a strong kick to take the win at the Brick City Criterium back in North Carolina. The team took the race by the horns and wrestled it into submission, controlling breaks until 10 to go and then setting up an unbeatable leadout.

Shane Kline dusts the competition at the Brick City Criterium

After this weekend's dominant performances it cannot be denied: Team Mountain Khakis/Smart-Stop is a true force to be reckoned with in American racing. We're proud to support such a strong program, and we're happy that they can confirm what we've known for a long time: Winners Ride Williams.

Taipei Roundup

Our apologies for this late review of our Taipei trip, but we've been pretty darn busy catching up on work and regaining our health. There's nothing like a whirlwind business trip around the globe to tax the immune system.

We set out for the Taipei International Cycle Show with some large, but focused goals, and we're happy to report that we had a very productive trip. We don't want to sound overly dramatic, but we're convinced we're at work on projects that will take Williams Cycling to a whole new level. Now it's a bit cruel to make a statement like that and then not reveal any hints about what these big plans include, but until designs are finalized and dates are set we just can't divulge much information. It's a bit of the old, "we'd tell you, but then we'd have to kill you."

So while we can't give you all the sweet details of the stuff we're working on, we can give you a firsthand look at what it's like to travel to a small country on the other side of the world for one of the biggest bike shows ever.


Taipei is a one shot, 14 hour direct flight from San Francisco. It's never nice being crammed into a tiny seat in a big aluminum germ factory in the sky, but at least we knew we'd be safe upon arrival thanks to the quarantine beagles.

The air travel can be tough, but luckily once we arrived the local transport was, how should we say it... magical. We got to ride with taxi drivers who had time traveled from the 80s and on beautiful horsey buses.

The show itself is massive. There are two main floors, each of which is the size of multiple football fields. A small part of one of those floors looks like this:

There were also three other smaller floors and an entire auxiliary exhibition center dedicated to athletic apparel that we never saw. That's a ton of gear!

So when you're spending all day on your feet going from meeting to meeting and logging serious miles just to get form point to point it's important to keep your body in peak physical condition. Strategies for this include properly fueling your body:

And maintaing a rigorous exercise regime:

Oops! Keith might have overdone it:

International travel can be pretty darn expensive, and when a trade show knows they have a captive audience they can really jack up the prices for a good lunch:

But all the high prices and the physical demands become worth it when you get to enjoy perks like robotic toilets, celebrity sightings and first looks at amazing new products:

Stock photo bike guy strikes again! This time in pink!

All kidding aside, it was a really great trip. Taiwan is an amazing country with a rich culture and history, as well as some of the most generous and welcoming people in the world. We had a fun and productive trip and we can't wait to go back. If you want to check out some more photos from trip you can see them on our facebook page here.

Winning With Williams

Williams sponsored professional Team Mountain Khakis/SmartStop dominated the opening race of the USA Crits Championship Series. The six man squad came out swinging in the 80k elite race, and with 13 laps to go TMK/SS rider Ben Zawacki lapped the field with two others. Team Mountain Khakis immediately took the race by the horns and laid down a fiery 12 lap leadout that delivered Ben cleanly to the line for a big win. This strong team effort not only helped Ben take the "W", but also scored the boys enough points to secure the lead in the Team Competition. You can read the full race report at CyclingNews and VeloNews, and see race video here (go to 4:30).

Ben had great legs at Delray, but he was riding with the strength of six men. His win was the result of a strong team effort, and that kind of cohesion and team spirit is is going to carry this team to great things in 2012. We look forward to seeing more big results from the team, and if you're on the west coast you can go see the action in person. This coming weekend the squad will be split between round two of the USA Crits in Tuscon, AZ and the San Dimas Stage Race in California before heading off to more California races. We plan to be out at Redlands to cheer the team on, get feedback on our new components, and showcase the new gear. So if you're in the neighborhood be sure to check out the team and come say hi.

Back to the Future

We're getting ready to head to Taiwan (for the second time in six months) to attend the 2012 Taipei International Cycle Show. This is ground zero for innovation. It's the show where manufacturers display their latest and greatest products to showcase the new technologies that will later be adopted by the big brands. This stuff is so cutting edge that the products on display this year in Taipei will only make their way into the market in the 2014 product line. That is, unless you're Williams Cycling.

There are five floors of expo, and this is just one corner of one of them.

One of the best parts of being a smaller, more agile company is that we're not tied to the traditional product year cycle. We don't update our products every year just to say that we have. When we have a design that performs we stick by it until something better comes along. And when it does, we don't have to wait two years to introduce it. We have both the freedom and the resources to pounce on the best new technology as soon as it's proven.

So we're heading to Taipei with open minds and suitcases full of excitement. We have some ambitious goals for the future of this company, and we already have big new projects under way, but you never know what wild new tech is out there that might push our products to a whole new level.

We'll do our best to post some highlights from the show, so stay tuned and be sure to check out our facebook, and youtube.

UCI Professional Team Mountain Khakis/SmartStop to Ride Williams Components

We're proud to announce that UCI Continental Team Mountain Khakis/SmartStop has chosen to ride Williams components for the 2012 season. Team Mountain Khakis/SmartStop is one of the most successful teams on the North American criterium circuit having claimed three individual Championships in the USA Crits Series as well as taking the team title every year from 2008 to 2011. This year in addition to the USA Crits Series Team MK/SS will set its sights on the new National Criterium Calendar, a collection of the biggest, fastest bike races in the country.

Travis Livermon of Team MK/SS takes the win on Williams ACS Components

Mountain Khakis/SmartStop has chosen to race on the Maxim ACS handlebars and Legions ACS stems, because of their stiffness, durability, and light weight construction. The boys have been busy getting their new rigs specced out with Williams components, and they finally got a chance to break out the new toys this past weekend at the 9th Street Derby Criterium in Durham, NC. We're thrilled to report that Travis Livermon had the honor of taking the first win on the new Williams ACS bar/stem combo. Travis and teammate Neil Bezdek initiated a three man breakaway and stayed clear of the field to top the podium with a 1-2 finish (full report here). We know that this win is just a small taste of results to come and we're excited to see all the great things this team accomplishes in 2012.

We're proud to be working with such a strong professional program. We look forward to providing Team Moutain Khakis/SmartStop with the components they need to win, and using their input to help improve and refine our designs so we can continue to offer the best products in cycling.

Understanding Sponsorship in Professional Cycling

Williams Cycling will no longer be the wheel sponsor for Team Exergy in 2012. “But wait!” you’re saying, “don’t you totally love those guys? Don’t they love you? Didn’t they love your wheels?” The answer to all those questions is yes. We think Team Exergy is awesome. The whole program, riders and management included, are some of the most talented and most professional in the cycling world, and on top of that they’re all great guys. And not to toot our own horn, but they were pretty happy with us too. We had a great sponsor relationship with them, and we like to think we made a whole bunch of new Idaho friends.

As to our wheels, well, you can ask them. Exergy riders were over the moon about the performance of our wheels, and their durability was pretty much unmatched in the pro peloton. Out of 72 wheels that Team Exergy raced and trained on there were only two that needed to be rebuilt, both as the result of crashes, including the infamous cattle guard crash from the USPRO Cycling Challenge. Freddie Rodriguez, who has raced on a few wheels in his time, said they were the most durable wheels he has ever raced. Booyah.

So why, given all that, did Williams and Exergy decide to go separate ways in 2012? To answer that we’ll have to take you deep inside the inner workings of the bike industry and sponsor relations.

Now Williams has been, until very recently, strictly a wheel company. We’re branching out into some very cool components, but we don’t and won’t offer a groupset (the shifters, derailleurs, etc.) In fact, there are only a handful of massive companies that control that business, such as Shimano, SRAM, and FSA. Now it just so happens that those companies also make wheels. No big deal for Williams. We make incredible wheels and our direct to consumer model allows us to sell them at great prices. We like a little healthy competition with the big boys, and it’s fun to be a nimble aggressive player in the industry, it’s fun to play out the little David vs Goliath scenario.

But issues arise when these big companies go out to sponsor teams. You see, when they sponsor a team they don’t want to just supply one product, like shifters, they want to do the complete package. It’s a better marketing story for them if they have all their products on a team bike. That way they can say “this team has chosen to ride not only our groupset, but also our bars, stems, seatposts, and wheels.” The problem is that it’s not always a “choice”. Because these few large companies are the only sources for components they can say, if you want our groupset you have to ride all our other products as well.

Now Team Exergy is a powerhouse team with big ambition. They’ve had a stellar debut season and they want to continue to grow. That means more riders, more races and a split schedule, which means they need a ton of equipment, possibly as much as 60 complete bicycles. Because of this growth, and plans for even more growth in the future, Team Exergy needed to cultivate a relationship with a groupset manufacturer, and every one that they talked to insisted that if Exergy was going to ride their components, they’d need to ride their wheels as well.  

So that’s that. Team Exergy had to make a tough choice in order to help grow their team and Williams got squeezed out. But there’s no bad blood here. Quite the opposite, in fact. We got to spend a year working with a great team, road testing our wheels, getting feedback from professionals, and showcasing our products in world class races, and Team Exergy got to ride and race on some of the best wheels in the world. We parted on great terms and we wish them all the best in the future. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a chance to work together again somewhere down the road.

Have You Heard of a Little Thing Called Triathlon?

Here at Williams cycling we've had the blinders on. We've been so focused on road racing, because of our great success at the professional level with Team Exergy and because of our own backgrounds in the sport, that we've neglected an entire community of talented and passionate cyclists: triathletes. 

Triathlon is an impressive sport for a number of reasons not least of which is its incredible popularity. It is one of the fastest growing sports in America, and hundreds of thousands of people compete in US triathlons every year. The participants themselves are special too. They vary in age from children to people 80+ years old, and while some use triathlon simply to stay healthy, the top triathletes are some of the most impressive athletes in the world.

Top triathletes train with laser focus and unmatched dedication, so that when they compete they can endure outrageous suffering and push themselves to the limits of human ability in their pursuit of success. It's crazy.

At their highest levels road racing and triathlon require similar sacrifices: the dedication, the willingness to suffer, the incredible physical and mental demands. But beyond this, road racers and triathletes share a need that is greatly important to us here at Williams, both demand dependable, high performance bicycle components. 

One of our big goals here at Williams for 2012 is to make a big push into triathlon. We want to encourage all triathletes, from the beginner, to the age grouper, to the professional, to learn about how our products can improve their performance, and we want to learn from them about how we can design future products to better suit the tri community.

Part of our strategy for this is to work directly with professional triathletes. These elite athletes will be our ambassadors to the sport, and will work closely with us as we refine our designs and continue to innovate so that Williams can offer the best possible products. With that, I'm excited to announce our first signing to what will be a solid list of professional triathletes, Kyle Leto. 

Kyle is a bright young star in the sport of Triathlon. Kyle was the USAT Rookie of the Year in 2009 and he's only gotten better since then. 2011 was a breakout year for Kyle, which saw him finish the season with an impressive 10 top ten finishes. Included among those was a stunning 5th place at Vineman 70.3 where Kyle bested many of the stars of the sport including Matty Reed, Chris and Matt Lieto and former World Champion Tim O'Donnell. 

For 2012 Kyle has put the day job on hold and will focus 100% on triathlon. We believe that this new, extra time to train combined with Kyle's existing determination and natural talent will launch him into the highest levels of the sport. We're proud to have Kyle as a sponsored athlete, and we look forward to helping him achieve true greatness in triathlon.

Come on, be Social!

It's fun to have a cycling company. Everyone who works here at Williams loves to ride, and if we're not in the office making the magic happen we're out riding, racing or slashing up trails. It's cool that our passion is our work, and it's fun to have sweet gear and the time to ride it. But the best part of working at a cycling company is that we make products that people ride on, race on, and win on.

It's a fun and challenging process to design and create products that we believe in, but it's you, the rider, that really makes them special. A wheelset is just so much engineered carbon until it makes its way to you, and that's when the magic happens. When you pull a set of our wheels out of the box for the first time, put them on your bike, and go for a ride those wheels go from being a part on a bike to being a part of a story: your story.

Whether you use our wheels to hammer on the local group ride, explore new scenic routes, or compete in an NRC stage race we're part of your adventure, and we want to hear about it. Nothing makes us happier than seeing our products put to good use, so we want to encourage you to head on over to our Facebook page to post photos and videos and tell us about how our products are playing a part in your riding and racing.

And, in case you needed a little extra motivation, if you like our Facebook page by Friday Nov. 4th you'll be entered to win a set of Williams Cyclocross wheels. Pretty sweet, huh?

But while you're over there liking our page to win wheels, why not post a picture or two? It doesn't matter if it's a photo of your victory salute at an NRC crit, a great vista at the summit of a climb or just how slick our wheels look on your rig, we love it all. So come on, be social, and let us know how we're part of your story.

Back in the Saddle

Our product manager, Ryan, spent the last year racing on the road professionally in Europe. After a long off-season and a big transition into the working world he finally kitted up and pinned on a number again. Ryan took the Williamsmobile up to the Wednesday night Folsom Rodeo Cross and he has this report:

Oh baby! I've been off the bike for almost two months now enjoying life's finer pleasures. It's the little things like having the arm strength to go surfing, training my legs with dance marathons instead of riding, and powering through bacon themed meals. Yes, life has been good, but I can't fight it, I'm addicted to the bike. And it's time to relapse.

So even though I've only done one real ride since I got back from England I decided to kit up and tackle one of the famed Folsom Rodeo Cross races. Alas, I was woefully unprepared. I hadn't touched my rig since I raced in Portland last December and it was rusted and crusted so badly it was almost impossible to tell that it was a bicycle. But one of the perks of working for a cycling company is that we have a professional mechanic in house. Booyah!

Dr. J. stripped down my bike so far it would make an exotic dancer blush, cleaned and lubed it top to bottom and then returned it to it's original, shimmering glory. Plus, my Banshee got a set of brand new Williams Cyclocross Tubulars with some sweet new tires to complete the look.

So we packed up the rig and headed north through the Central Valley, picking up cycling misfits along the way. First stop was to collect Bobby T., the 14 year old prodigy that Josh is mentoring. The only thing faster than his riding is his mouth. Robert is roughly half my size and every bit as fast, so if you crunch the numbers that makes him twice as cool as I am. Curses.

Stop number two was to nab Chris "The Staz" Stastny, aka the "Czech Dream". Chris is a total crusher who races for the famed Cal Giant squad, and I don't want to give away the ending, but he used his Tour of China fitness to humiliate the Men's Asfield. 

The true question of the night was not who would win the Men's A race, but who would triumph in the Bobby T./Parnes battle royale. We both had the benefit of a professional pit crew (love ya, Joshy), and we were both rocking Williams Cyclocross wheels. But while Bobby T. is faster and more technically adept, he has to take about 8 steps in between barriers where I only need one, graceful leap. It would prove to be a tight race.

At this point I have to say a few words about Folsom Rodeo Cyclocross. These guys do an amazing job of putting on a fun, low key event that is laid back enough that anyone can come try a race, but well organized enough to attract serious racers. Plus, the course was probably the coolest I've ever raced. It combined gravel pits, pitch black barriers and the sweetest, technical singletrack chaos you've ever seen, all twisting through a forest. At night. Awesome! Toss in some costumed superheroes and a raucous crowd and you have the perfect evening of cyclocross.

 In the end I managed to eek one out over Bobby T., mostly because some huge guy crashed him out hard, to the accompanying shouts of "DUDE! You just crashed out a junior!!" Plus, I may be out of shape, but switching over to those Cyclocross Tubulars made a HUGE difference in my technical skills. I'm usually your typical roady when I race cross: foot down going about 4MPH through the turns. Not last night. I felt like I was glued to the ground, so even though I was so cracked I could barely pedal I could hold every ounce of my paltry speed through the corners.

Chris won, I fauxdiumed, Bobby T. hung tough with guys twice his age and size, and Dr. J got free beer and handed up the entire contents of my wallet to excited racers. Top that off with a burrito stop on the way home and you have darn near the best night ever.

I know where I'll be next Wednesday night, and if you live within two hours of Folsom you should be there too. And with any luck we'll drag the boss out there next week and then we'll really have some good material for this blog!

Time to Get Dirty

I hope you enjoyed your one week off-season, because cyclocross season has arrived. Okay, technically the season kicked off two weeks ago at CrossVegas, and lots of people around the country and the world have been ripping the CX for quite some time already. But we thought it would be unfair to start the new 'cross season before we'd officially crowned Rand Miller the king of the crits. Now that that's out of the way we can prepare for one of our favorite parts of the year: cyclocross season!

But let's back up. Some of you might be wondering what all this cyclocross nonsense is about. I've heard all sorts of questions from people who aren't yet acquainted with the sport: "Isn't that like road racing on an obstacle course, but with fatter tires? Don't people crash, like all the time? Do you have to drink beer to participate?" Well, the answers are yes, yes, and no (though it's recommended). Think of cyclocross as the love child of road racing and mountain biking. You ride a basically unmodified road bike, except it has cantilever brakes to allow for wider knobbier tires (see video below). You then take aforementioned bike and do your best to navigate a course combining grass, dirt, mud, sand and any combination of low barriers and steep "run-ups" that require you to dismount and carry your bike. It's about the most fun you can have on two wheels.

Williams Cycling President Keith "K$" Williams gettin' after it!

Part of the beauty of 'cross is the scene that surrounds it. While there is a well developed pro circuit featuring gifted athletes competing all over the world, cyclocross still has a decidedly underground feel here in the US. People seem way more concerned with having a good time than with winning, and most races are accompanied by a festival atmosphere. Spectators bring picnics or snack on vendor food. They down brews and shout encouragement or dish out good-natured heckling, and you see racers in costumes ranging from pink tutus to full Batman outfits. The beauty of 'cross is that it's such a fun scene for everyone involved, and that goes just as much for the spectators as it does for the racers.

Ryan and Phil reppin the "W"

Cyclocross has been blowing up around the country over the last few years and it doesn't look like that growth is slowing. We've gone from having a couple of regional series to a massive structure with the national USGP at the top, a number of strong regional series and countless local series and races sprouting like weeds all over the country. This virtually guarantees there's a good race near you sometime soon, and you owe it to yourself to go check it out. 

As for us over here at Williams Cycling we could not be more stoked. We're within easy distance of both the Sacramento Cyclocross Series and the Bay Area Super Prestige series, which should provide us with ample opportunities to slip, slide and crash our way around a race and consume our weight in frites and beer. We're keyed up, and you should be to. And if you're looking for a set of bomb-proof cross specific wheels you should listen to what our president Keith has to say about our redesigned 2011 Alloy Cyclocross Tubulars: