My Ride – 2011 Louis Garneau Gennix R2

I am a Canadian nationalist, the result of being politicized during the Trudeau era.  Is it any wonder I ride a bike made, not just in Canada, but Montreal, Trudeau’s hometown.

Louis Garneau was a international, competitive cyclist,  Once his cycling career was over, he and his wife built a cycling apparel company that over the past 30 years, has grown to include bikes and cycling accessories.

Riding is an evolutionary process.  The more you ride, the more you want to ride.  I started road riding using a barrowed 5-speed bike.  As I progessed, I wanted a better, faster, more comfotable machine.  I progressed from a 5-speed hand-me-down to a new, Canadian Tire 10-speed to an Englsih touring bike to a hand-made frame equipped with the best Cinelli and Campanola parts.

It was inevitable that I would progress to a carbon fibre bike.  I thought I was past buying more bikes.  After all, I am long past my prime.  But I still enjoy riding.  Why would I want a racing bike?  Well, my son purchased one and my enthusiasm for the sport was rekindled.

Today I ride a Louis Garneau Gennix R2 equipped with carbon handlebars, pedals and stem and a Shimano Dura-Ace group. My other bikes hang in the garage collecting dust.  Who said technology doesn’t make a difference.  For those of you interested in the technology, here are some specifications including excerpts from on-line reviews.  The best part are the in-line photographs.

GENNIX R2 frame: fast acceleration and light  weight, this might be the perfect race bike, packed with Garneau  technologies including Exo-Nerv and NVM construction, which reduce  weight and enhance durability. High modulus carbon allows for stiffness  and power transfer. Oversized Press fit BB for maximum power transfer  and 1.5 oversized head tube allows for precise steering. W.A.V.E. rear  triangle takes out some of the edge. Complete integration of cables and  parts

GENNIX UNIT OS fork: monocoque construction  and 1.5 step crown design allows for continuous fiber from top to  bottom, increasing efficiently rigidity for unprecedented steering  precision

Road Elite geometry: designed with competitive  cycling in mind, allows for a lower body position to improve  aerodynamics and efficiency. Shorter wheel base and quicker handling  allows for more maneuverability when riding in pack

Shimano wheel set: Clincher RS-20, a reliable training wheel set

Shimano Dura-Ace, 10-speed drivetrain: the  perfect blend of race-proven technology and cutting-edge ergonomics and  functions

Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 pedals

Price:  $349.99

Weight:  250g/pair (plus 75g for cleats and hardware)

Features:  The wide flat profile gives better road clearance and cornering, also allowing wider bearing placement for increased rigidity and uniform load distribution ; silky smooth 3-bearing axle system, two ball- and one wide roller-bearing; stainless steel pedal body plate for increased durability; open design allows for easy access and cleat adjustments; wider shoe cleat has a long life and is easier for walking than other cleats; large binding target allows quick engagement while wide cleats provides more efficient pedalling; and, two types of shoe cleats available – fixed, or 3 degrees of float in each direction.

Shimano SH-R240 shoes with carbon soles

Stick the Shimano SH-R240 Shoes in your oven, shove your feet in, and when they cool, they’ll fit perfectly, thanks to heat-moldable insoles.  A full-carbon soleplate ensures excellent power transfer, while the just-a-hair-over-500-grams weight means you’ll hardly notice them while you’re grinding it out in the mountains.

• Hook-and-loop straps and a micro-adjust buckle allow you to dial in your perfect fit
• Anatomically curved last for proper foot positioning and comfort
• Rovenica synthetic leather is soft and pliable, yet durable enough for many seasons of use
• Anti-slip lining keeps you locked down, even when you’re leaving it all on the road

Light as a feather, stiff as a board

FSA SL-K carbon handlebars

FSA SL-K carbon stem

fi’zi:k Arione Saddle

“The styling of the Arione CX Carbon k:ium is clean and modern, foregoing the classic rounded, soft edged appearance of most saddles. It features straight lines, sharper angles and a flatter profile with shaved off edges. The saddle is covered in Microtex fabric with a suede strip down the middle for added traction and a bit of style. To finish off the Arione CX Carbon k:ium, fi’zi:k adds a small carbon insert at the back of the saddle for a bit of flair. Though the top of the saddle is stylish the real beauty of the Arione CX k:ium is its carbon shell. The carbon base with carbon/Kevlar insert is well constructed and truly shows off the engineering work that went into the saddle.”

Louis Garneau Quartz Helmet

The Louis Garneau Quartz is everything you need in a road helmet: it moves a lot of air across the top of your head, it fits well, it looks good, and it’s even very reasonably priced at just US$149.99 CAD. Unless you’re looking to save weight, there’s little motivation to move further up the company’s range.