New Sponsor Time!

While I was working with the Panther Cycling Club at the University of Pittsburgh last year, I was invited to take advantage of their bike shop sponsor, Dirty Harry's.  They helped me out a ton in getting me set up for this past triathlon season, giving me a great deal on a Trek Equinox TTX, which has been unbelievable.  I can't describe how willing everyone at the shop was to help out myself and the team with anything that we could have needed.  I even asked one of the guys if they could get something in that they didn't carry in any of their catalogs or through any of their suppliers:  "No problem," came the answer after a brief phone call directly to the company.  I've been to lots of bike shops in the area - probably all of them - and have not found service that even comes close to they guys at DH.

And service is only half of the story.  Scooter, their head mechanic, has wrenching skills head and shoulders above anyone I've met.  When I was with the team, he would come out to our weekly meetings and do different bike maintenance demos.  Everything from wheel truing, tape wrapping and pre-race check-ups, to derailleur adjustments and installing new cables.  Whenever I've needed a wheel truing (I don't have a stand at home), he'd pretty much stop whatever he was doing and throw it on the stand for me while milled around the shop.  The guy is awesome.

So you can imagine how bummed out I was at the beginning of this fall semester having no official ties to the PCC, thus no sponsorship ties to DH.  Therefore, over the past weeks, I have been working on a letter to the shop's owner, Barry, as well as an athlete resume and statement.  I sent it out via snail mail last week and got a call from him on Saturday.  To make a potentially longer story slightly less so, I'm in there like swim wear (did I just say that?).  So excited to be a part of their store again and have their support heading into the off season and 2009.  

If you're in the Pittsburgh area, show them some love and stop by.  They'll return the favor!  Their located in Verona, just a straight shot down from Allegheny River Blvd.