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 Is this your first brazed frame? We have a last-minute opening in the January 30 Steel Brazing Frame Building class in Ashland! What will you build? A touring bike? Fixie? A sweet porteur frame? A classic road racing bike? You can sign up for the class here! Every September, the Mt. Ashland Hill Climb — which you can ride either via a paved road route or a decidedly unpaved MTB route — puts the burn on all comers. Spectacular scenery abounds, but it’s hard to see because your eyes focus only on the label on your headset as you climb. And climb. And climb. Bicycling magazine just named it one of the top 5 hill climb races in the US! You can read more on their web site. Another cool aspect of the race is that proceeds benefit the Ashland Woodlands and Trails Association, which is working toward expanding Ashland’s already amazing network of hiking and biking trails. Ron’s been super busy at Maison Sutphin making new welding tables for our frame building classroom. Here they are! Purrrrrrrrrty. He made enough for both of our classrooms. Students in the February TIG Frame Building class in Portland get to be the first to try them out.  Note the artistic, post-modern ground finish.  A new welding table for every student!  Master Fox at the Fox Master Tech Clinic! We’re excited to announce a new offering: the FOX Master Tech Clinic. UBI, in collaboration with FOX Racing Shox, will host five sessions of this new one-day clinic in 2012: two in Ashland, three in Portland. The clinic will be taught by UBI instructors and FOX technicians. The clinic is designed for mechanics currently working for FOX dealers. Every student will learn to service FOX forks and rear shocks, with an emphasis on hands-on experience. Prior to attending, each student must specify the FOX fork they want to work on. At the end of the clinic, they walk away with the fork! More information on our web site! Our friends at Ride Oregon have reminded us that Oregon is the only state in the whole US of A that has designated Scenic Bikeways. How cool is that? The Bikeways range in length from 30 miles to 175 miles, and the environments vary from rolling farmland to old growth Cascade forests to high, dry desert. Here’s a video all about it:
Grant’s Getaways – Oregon Scenic Bikeway from Travel Oregon on Vimeo. If you’re planning to attend UBI this year, you should think about allowing some extra time to bag yourself some Bikeways! You can view the details on Ride Oregon’s web site.  Instructor Bob Kamzelski It’s a New Year, and we’re ringing it in by welcoming a new UBI instructor to the crew. Bob Kamzelski joins UBI after six successful years as head frame builder for Bilenky Cycleworks in Philadelphia. When not brazing award-winning frames, Bob worked as a community bike program volunteer with Neighborhood Bike Works in inner Philadelphia. Prior to picking up a torch, Bob studied building on a larger scale, earning a degree in Architecture from Penn State, making him the only UBI faculty member who can build you both a lugged touring frame and a scale model of the Parthenon. A dyed-in-the-Merino bike commuter, Bob has never driven a car, and often undertakes long bike tours with his family. His CIA dossier notes that he earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of eleven, and should be considered extremely harmless. But we are considering making him our designated tubing bender!
It was a December chock full of Nicks here at UBI. First, we hosted Nick Murdick from Shimano. Then that one Nick with the red suit and the white beard rolled by sometime in the early hours of the 25th. Apparently, Nicks, like celebrity deaths and sneezes, come in threes, because who should swing by on Thursday with a basket full of toys and a brain full of knowledge than Nick DeLauder from Fox Racing Shox. More important: Watch this space for a major announcement about Fox suspension training at UBI!  Joseph Ahearne teaching a brazing frame building class at UBI Portland Joseph Ahearne finished teaching the last brazing class of 2011 in Portland in early December. After the file shavings settled, he posted some thoughts on the business of frame building on his blog. Electronic shifting systems. The mere mention is enough to cause panic in card-carrying Luddites. But I have seen the future, brothers and sisters, and it is battery-powered. As component manufacturers continue to refine the technology, electronic shifting will become simpler, more affordable, and ubiquitous.  Nick drops knowledge
Here at UBI we strive to stay on the leading edge of developments in technology and service methodology. This ensures that our students are provided with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed in an ever-evolving industry. We are fortunate to have strong relationships with manufacturers and other industry partners to help us achieve that goal.
One such partner is the amazing group of folks at Shimano USA. As part of his whirlwind tour of Endor (that’s the Pacific Northwest for all you not down with the Force), Shimano Tech guru, Nick Murdick, stopped by UBI to school us on some of Shimano’s latest and greatest technology.
 There's no 'I' in "team", but there are two in "Di2. Ultegra Di2 (Digital Integrated Intelligence) is Shimano’s second generation electronic group. In addition to being priced more competitively than Dura-Ace, Ultegra Di2 incorporates redesigned wiring, more tactile feedback from the shift buttons, and a new PC connector with an impressive software package that allows the user to customize the function of each button. Let the geek-out begin.
Nick also had the new XTR Shadow Plus rear derailleur on hand. The Shadow Plus features a clutch stabilizer switch that increases the spring tension in the pulley cage to reduce chain movement and chain slap in rough terrain. Nick walked us through the disassembly, clutch tension adjustment, and reassembly. The only noise you hear when you go through rock gardens is your heart pounding in your chest. No more chitty chitty bang bang. Well done, Shimano.  Where the magic happens. Fewer ounces, less chain bounces.
Back in October we started a feature called, “UBI Alumni: They Walk Among You.” In this installment, we talk with Marty Caivano, recent UBI graduate and IMBA’s new Field Programs Coordinator. After fifteen years working as a photojournalist with the Boulder Daily Camera, Marty came to UBI Portland, received her certification, and promptly got a job in the industry. Another fine example of UBI graduates using their new-found bike ninja skills for good, not evil.
What is your name and current job title? Marty Caivano, Field Programs Coordinator at the International Mountain Bicycling Association. I also volunteer with Mavic SSC neutral service program, and am the owner of Revolver Bike Repair and Neutral Service (my home-based business).
When did you attend UBI? I attended the Professional Repair and Shop Operation class Sept. 19-30, 2011. Did you have any bike industry experience before attending UBI? I briefly worked sales at University Bicycles in Boulder, and I already had some neutral service experience with Mavic. I also worked as a mountain bike skills coach for Dirt Camp and RipStoke mtb schools.
How did UBI prepare you for a job in the industry? UBI did a great job preparing me for bike industry by starting the curriculum from the ground up, and then progressing quickly. From using measuring tools to building wheels and bleeding disc brakes, each class began at the most basic point, and then provided the information necessary to take the skill to a high level. I believe this is the best approach, no matter the student’s ability, because it establishes best practices and effective habits from the start. The well-written textbook reflects that method, and serves as a great resource once the student has gone home.
What did you enjoy most about your experience? Each instructor (and class assistant) brings something different to the table, with his own background and areas of interest. Being able to pick the instructors’ brains over the two weeks makes the class even more useful. And the patient attention of each teacher creates a professional and supportive learning environment that I think is vital to learning technical information. Lastly, working directly with other students adds a layer of both fun and challenge — just like the real world.
Would you recommend UBI to someone planning on pursuing a career in the bike industry? I would definitely recommend UBI to those looking to get into the bike industry. The depth and breadth of knowledge they will gain in such a short time is hard to replicate. Besides, how can you not have fun working on bikes for two weeks straight??
Thank you oodles for taking the time to chat with us, Marty. Congratulations on your new endeavor, and we look forward to seeing you the next time you’re in the Pacific Northwest. Rubber side down! |
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