• Edmond, OK Firehill Criteriums  - Wednesdays (6/26, 7/10, 7/31, 8/7, 8/28)
• Draper Lake, OK Circuit Road Races – Wednesdays (6/5, 7/17, 8/14)
• Lake Overholser, OK TT Series – Wednesdays (6/19, 7/24, 8/21)
• June 22 – Tour de Cure in Mustang, OK  - Link
• June 28 – Tour of Lawrence, KS – Link
• July 6 – Tour of Payne – Stillwater, OK – Link
• July 13 – Norman Conquest – Norman, OK – Link
• July 27 – Duncan Dehydrator – Duncan, OK – Link
• August 10 – Spin Your Wheels – Bethany, OK – Link
• August 17 – Tour de Trykes – Enid, OK – Link
• August 24 – Hotter N Hell Hundred – Wichita Falls, TX – Link

If you have any other events you know about leave them in the comments below and we will add them to the list!

The post Upcoming Races & Events! – June/July Oklahoma Hitlist appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.

Gifts $20-$50

Swiftwick, Hincapie and Specialized SOCKS will keep his feet cool and comfortable on those long rides and give him something to wear with his sandals and short shorts as he mows the yard.

Specialized and Fox have GLOVES to keep his hands happy on the bike and work great as he goes down stairs to check out that “late night noise” and maybe beating the life out of any intruders.

You know what makes Dad happy? Having Chamois Cream so his love game is strong over the weekend. Yes, it’s gross to think about but you didn’t get here without some good lovin!

Gifts $100-$700

Even if you can’t see it your Dad has impeccable style – and our line of Hincapie and Specialized jerseys, bib shorts, helmets and shoes will continue his legacy!

If your Dad is often getting lost, but doesn’t want to admit it, then the Garmin Edge 510 is the ticket. With it’s Live Tracking you can know where he is at on his rides – EVEN if he doesn’t!

Can you imagine your Dad driving around with 24 inch Spinner Rims on his car? Neither can we, but a set of Ultegra 6700 Tubeless wheels for his bike would bling so hard it’d be like Snoop Dog bouncing down the street in a Caddy.

Gift’s From $1,000 and up

Ah, so you are a next level cat like your amazing Father? You know what else is next level – anything made of Carbon Fiber. Seriously, it’s the material of choice for the best of the best in the cycling world from Wheels to Bikes.

The Tarmac SL4 Expert – the Tarmac just won the Grio d’Italia, last years Gold Medal in the Olympics, and tons of races in between. It’s the kind of steed that would be perfect for Dad’s weekend warrior ways!

Specialized Roval Rapide CLX Wheels – light, fast, and super smooth these carbon fiber wheels will dramatically change the ride of your dad’s bike. You remember all those dirty diapers he changed? No? He does, pay him back with this sweet setup.

S-Works Venge with new 11spd Di2 and Zipp 303s - The newest of the new, the best of the best, this bike is better then what the pros race at 14 .lbs out of the box. If you want to blow Dad’s mind have this baby waiting on him when he wakes up in the morning – but be sure he took his heart meds first.

Gift Cards

If Dad is hard to get gifts for, and nothing really clicked above, you can always come in and get a gift card. That way he can come in and get what he needs to keep riding the bike.

Have a great weekend with Dad and if we can help you make it even better – come on in and we will help you out!

The post Cyclist Father’s Day Gift Ideas appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.

1. Stay Hydrated!

This might seem obvious but with many of us drinking coffee and soda most of the time it can leave us in a consistently dehydrated state. In the cooler months it doesn’t effect our riding as much. But as the real heat gets here it can cause fatigue, cramping and real problems. We try to start and end the day with 1 cup of water, have a glass at meals, and always have some water near us during the day. You CAN’T get properly hydrated for a ride by drinking a bunch of water and hour before you ride – that’s not how your body works. It needs to be a consistent process!

2. Respect the Ratios!

Ratios? What are we talking about? Proper hydration isn’t just about water it’s also having the ride electrolytes in your system so your body can retain and use the water properly. Having electrolytes in your system isn’t just for when you are on a ride, we find it helps to get some into our system through out the day. Here are two great options to help you with this:

Hammer Endurolytes: We love these little tablets for many reasons.

• Super easy to take at night, or morning to kept your system prepped.
• They process quickly into your system making them great as an emergency back to to keep with you on long rides or events.
• Are known to specifically help with cramp prevention
• And they cover a wide spectrum of needed electrolytes.
• They are also vegan friendly and gluten free for those of you that follow that nutritional track.

Whether prepping your system in the morning, or carrying with you on a ride, we find these tablet’s to be HIGHLY effective.

Skratch Labs Everyday Hydration: Skratch Labs hydrations mixes are insanely popular for their all natural ingredients, low sugar, and pleasantly light flavors. Their EveryDay Hydration mix brings all of that to the table with a very low calorie count making it a perfect way to stay hydrated through out the day before or after your rides.

Skratch Labs EveryDay Hydration Mix

3. Mix it Up on Your Rides

On your rides through winter or cooler spring it’s easy to just take water on your rides and maybe only go through 1 bottle every couple of hours. But with real heat your rhythm and bottle mixes need to change. Drinking 1 bottle an hour will keep you safe and so will these excellent mixes.

First Endurance EFS: When it gets real hot there is nothing that keeps you on the right track like EFS. Especially if you are a heavy salt sweater, EFS is your lifeline when the heat comes out to play.

SkratchLabs: Like we said above, Skratch Labs approach on all natural, light tasting, and effective mix developed with Grand Tour pros is a crowd favorite.

Nuun: These no-calorie tablets give your bottles a light taste with no extra calories in your bottles. They are also PACKED with electrolytes to help you keep riding all day long!

4. Protect Your Skin!!!!!!

This can’t be said enough. Brutalizing your skin with sun burn after sun burn might give you razor sharp tan lines the envy of all your buddies. But not only does it break you down on rides later on it creates real skin issues none of us want to live with. Here are two great ways to protect your skin and stay cool in the Oklahoma sun.

Specialized UV Deflect Skin Covers: It can be hard to think that putting something on would help you stay cooler, but the UV Deflect Skin covers not only provide 50 SPF coverage but help you stay cooler when it get’s hot. And that’s just not fluff from a product description. We have been riding them and have found it to be absolutely true!

SkinStrong Sun Screen: Developed for triathletes SkinStrong is both water and sweat resistant, but doesn’t clog up your pores. It provides SPF 30 protection and is a perfect size to keep in your gear or travel bag, or just in the car for before your rides.

No matter what choices you make on how to beat the heat – do SOMETHING! This kind of heat is dangerous if you aren’t prepared.

Come on in and we can help you get a solution that works for you!

The post How to beat the heat of an Oklahoma Summer, and keep riding! appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.

The post Pictures of the Bike Lab crew from @tulsa_tough appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.

Tulsa Tough, Oklahoma’s premiere cycling event, is this coming weekend June 7th-9th. With two days of GrandFondo with different distances to challenge riders, and three days of racing that is the highlight in the Nation’s eye for cycling from Amateurs to Pro teams like Jelly Belly!

If you are going out to Tulsa Tough make sure you are ready with some of the suggestions below!

Tune Up: All those miles you’ve been putting into get ready for back to back racing / tours can also put your bike in need of a tune up. Bring it on in and let’s Brandon (B$) and Charles give your bike some well deserved love before the big event!

Nutrition: From Skratch Labs, to Honey Stinger, and Hammer  - we’ve got all you need to stay hydrated, feed and recovered for each day of the event for you. Come in and stock up – and if you need advice on what works best we are happy to help you put a nutrition solution together!

New Shorts and Jersey: Have those training shorts and jersey started to look worn? We’ve got great options from Hincapie Sports and Specialized to keep your backside comfortable, your body cool and looking stylist as well.

Wheel Upgrade: Lighter up hill, and faster on the flats – a wheel upgrade makes a significant different to both comfort and the performance of your rides. Check out the options below and  come on into the shop to find out what wheel will work best for you!

Cry Baby Hill: When it comes to preparing you for Cry Baby Hill – a notorious section of Sunday’s race – we will defer to the experts on the subject Team Soundpony. Their Twitter account is full of sound tips for how to best prepare yourself for this weekend.

The post Are You @tulsa_tough? Get ready for this weekend! appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.

Carve 29 SL – $1300

A single speed, rigid fork, 29ner full of sexiness. This super light alloy frame and concentric bottom bracket make this mountain bike able to be fully geared if you want to upgrade it later – but why would you? A single speed rigid fork mountain bike says you are a badass like Bruce Lee but zen like the Dalai Lama. Leave the “attachments” of gears behind and flow your way in the hearts of the people with this round house kick of a mountain bike.

Camber 29 FSR – $1,900

Like motorcross but with you as the high octane engine the Camber is a Full Suspension mountain bike ready for any trail you find. Technical downhill sections can be slammed with confidence. Big Rocks? The Camber flows through them like a hot knife in Nutella. You found a sweet gap to jump – do it and land it like you just won the Gold in a Red Bull competition in a distant South African country. The Camber rides with confidence through any terrain you find.

RockHopper Comp 29ner – $1,100

If Bear Gryllis was going to be dropped into the middle of a dead zone surrounded by desert plains and an army of zombie Grizzly bears – he’d take the Rockhopper to ride his way out. Made to help you conquer any trail you seek adventure on – the Rockhopper is tough, dependable and in the right hands deadly to zombie Grizzly bears.

Carve Pro 29nr – $2,100

Is it a bird? A plane? NO! It’s you the newest soul crusher in the Tour De Dirt series racing your Carve Pro with lightening speed. Race ready out of the box the Carve is light, has a top of the line drive train setup and a killer Fox fork that should have you racing into sponsorships quickly. Whether you are winning your first race, or your 100th – the Carve loves to go fast and is bound to help you make podium girls swoon.

The post Mountain Bike Fever – Check out these Rad @iamspecialized Rides! appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.

If you want to come and cheer on your friends here is the link to the OKC ProAm Classic website.

If you are a racer and avid group ride crusher - then there is no excuse for not coming out and racing this weekend. You can still register online and make it happen. On Sunday we’ve got some cash Prime’s (if you win a lap in the middle of the race as called out by the officials) for the beginner races – go get some cash! And if you are looking for ways to upgrade your bike that make a huge difference – check out the Vine’s below!

Race Tires: these light weight, super grippy tires can help you get up to speed, stay fast and corner like a champ!

Race Bikes: the Venge and Tarmac just dominated the Giro d’Iltalia – super light, responsive, agile and they fly through turns.

Race Wheels: The biggest upgrade to your bike to lighten it up, increase the speed, and fine tune your ride is through an upgrade to wheels like these.

What ever your racing needs we can hook you up! Be sure to sign up for the OKC ProAm Classic and then head into the shop and we can get you ready to toe the start line this weekend.

The post OKC get ready for a weekend of Bike Racing at the @OKCProAmClassic appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.

Tony racing this weekend at Bike the Bricks

See, racing or not, we all love riding the bike. And it’s easy to gauge our value or worth in the sport by our fitness or strength. How many times have you said, or had someone say, they had more bike “then they deserved?” Like carbon fiber only really creates a benefit if you can turn out so many watts?

Read the rest of this post from co-owner Tony Steward and his racing insights…

The post Every Race is a Lesson – Get as Many as You Can! appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.

Nibali wins the Giro aboard his S-Works Tarmac SL4.

Cavendish wins the points jersey at the Giro aboard his S-Works Venge.

Two different teams, two very different riders, both riding and winning on Specialized bikes. Love it!

The post The Giro Winners: Nibali and Cavendish – The Tarmac and Venge appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.

The time to start thinking about the Cyclocross season is quickly approaching and we’ve got your weapon of choice lined up! With SRAM debuting their 11speed and Hydraulic Disc group-sets – the new 2014 Carbon Crux (ie Tarmac for the Dirt)  is going to be outfitted making them the fastest and most performance focused cross bikes to ever hit the dirt or jump the barrier!

Check out what pro’s had to say about the Crux in a video from last years CrossVegas and if you want to see what Specialized has lined up next year – come into the shop – we’ve got the catalog here to view (and we wiped the drool off so it’s dry now…)

The post Cyclocross is Coming – The @iamspecialized 2014 Crux is your Weapon of Choice! appeared first on Charley's Bicycle Laboratory.