10.13.2009 | 12:17 pm
“What,” I sometimes ask myself, “would be the most insanely cool contest I could ever come up with?”
Give away a bike? Done that. A lot.
Give away a trip? Done that, too.
Take a winner on an awesome ride of their choosing? Hmmm. Haven’t done that, though it’s certainly a good idea.
But what if I gave away an Ibis? And what if you got to choose what kind of bike you win? It could be a road bike (the Silk SL), a mountain bike (a Mojo or Tranny), or a cyclocross bike (the Hakkalugi).
And what if it were spec’d to the nines, whichever way you go?
And what if I hand-delivered – along with the Ibis Honcho and Mountain Bike Hall-of-Famer Scot Nicol (aka Chuck Ibis) — that new bike to you at some awesome cycling destination that you get to pick (but which Chuck and I get veto power over)?
And then what if we all went on a ride together?
And then, just for a little air of extra mystery, what if a cycling legend — whom I will not name at this time, but will announce this Thursday — joined us for that ride?
Would that kick butt?
Why yes, I do believe it would kick butt. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it would kick mucho butt indeed.
Well, that’s the next big Fat Cyclist fundraising contest, with – as usual – all money going straight to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
And I think this is one you’re going to want to enter.
Let’s Think About the Bikes for a Moment
Usually – by which I mean “always,” as far as I know – when someone does a bike giveaway, they have a certain bike in mind. You either win it, or you don’t. If you’re a roadie, maybe a new MTB doesn’t really trip your breaker. Or vice-versa. Or maybe as a hardcore cyclocross guy you’ve been wondering when someone’s going to give away anything but the lowest of the low end cyclocross bikes.
Well, this is the contest of your dreams, buckaroo. Consider the following hotness, if you will, and begin to obsess about which you would choose if you win (click any of the photos to see them up close and personal):
MTB: The Ibis Mojo SL
The Mojo may be the most beautiful mountain bike in the world, and now with the SL, it’s seriously light, too. And still practically bombproof. Though I do not recommend detonating explosives around it, because really, what would that accomplish?
If you don’t know about the Mojo, you will learn in the coming days. If you do know about it, well, we don’t need to say any more, it’s a Mojo SL.
I think I saw about 10 of these at the 24 Hours of Moab. All the riders looked happy. And strong. And not fatigued. And I think they were better looking than the other riders.
Road: The Ibis Silk SL
I ride and love an Ibis Silk SL, which I currently have built as a 13-pound road singlespeed. Yeah. It climbs pretty well. Built as a regular ol’ road bike, you can get it to around 15 pounds, easy. And it flies. Except not literally. Cuz that would be scary, and not safe.
We raffled one of these off last year, and our winner – Matt Kreger — has done it right, riding in Livestrong rides, centuries and just commuting to his job.
Although in typical Ibis fashion this bike is understated and classy, it’s sexy as all get-out. Choose from clear gloss – showing off the carbon weave – or British Racing Green or a rich Red. Me, I’d go with the green, if I got to pick. Again.
MTB: The Ibis Tranny
It’s a carbon fiber hardtail. It’s a geared bike. It’s a single speed. It’s a travel bike.
It’s all of the above. And so much more. It’s the Ibis Tranny.
It’s probably the coolest bike you’re never heard about. But you’re going to hear more in the days ahead.
Cross: the Ibis Hakkalügi
This is the best-named bike in the entire world. The Hakkalügi used to be a steel bike, but the elves at Ibis magically changed it to a carbon frame. For you purists out there, sorry. For you weight weenies out there, you’re welcome. We used to say “Steel is real.” Now we say “Steel is real…heavy.”
Chuck says if the winner chooses this bike, he’s got some amazing rides-part dirt, part paved-that will be unlike any ride you’ve ever done. Unless you regularly ride with Chuck that is, then it will be the same old same old.
I want this bike so bad.
Where Would You Go?
If I were going to pick somewhere in the U.S. to go ride, I think I’d pick somewhere in Colorado. Crested Butte, maybe. I haven’t ridden there, and I hear it’s incredible.
Chuck won’t shut up about it.
But Chuck’s lips keep flapping and then he starts thinking maybe he’d like to ride go riding at Thunder Mountain.
Or in Sonoma County (his backyard).
Or maybe you’d like to go to Moab. You could do worse than go MTBing there with a couple guys who have been dozens and dozens of times.
Or maybe you’d want to go somewhere else. Somewhere I haven’t thought of, but which would be really awesome.
It’s fun to think about, isn’t it? And I suspect it’ll be fun to do, as well.
A Little Bit About the Mystery Person
I’m not telling you who the mystery cycling icon is strictly because I’m coy and don’t want to give everything away quite yet. But I will tell you this. If you think it’s Lance Armstrong, you’re wrong. However, it is someone who is a beloved former pro road cyclist with a resume that is pretty darn stratospheric, and you will be over the moon to meet and ride with him. Yes, that’s a clue: our mystery rider is a male. Which rules out Jeannie Longo.
I’ll say who he is this Thursday.
Let’s Recap
- The winner gets an Ibis bike of his or her choice, color and size is your choice.
- We’ll fly you to the best possible riding spot in the US, according to you (and ratified by us).
- You’ll get to ride with Chuck, Fatty and a Mystery Hottie.
Wow. I mean, really. Wow.
The Details
Entering this contest is easy. And here are the rules.
- The contest begins now (October 13) and goes through Midnight (MDT) October 20.
- For every $5.00 you donate at this LiveStrong Challenge Page, you get a chance at winning this incredible bike / trip / ride with Chuck and Fatty and the Mystery Man. Just click here to donate, make your donation in multiples of $5.00, and you’re automatically entered.
- If you are a member of Team Fatty Austin, every $5.00 you raise on your OWN LiveStrong Challenge page between now and the end of October 20 gets you a chance at this prize.
- The date of the trip depends on finding a day that works with your schedule, my schedule, Chuck’s schedule, and the Mystery Man’s schedule.
- Where we go: This has to be somewhere in the U.S., with reasonable access to an airport. And Chuck, the Mystery Rider, and I seriously do have veto power. If we don’t want to go somewhere, we won’t. But if you can make a case for mountain biking in Ohio, more power to you. We’ll listen.
- You can select any Ibis bike, except the Mojo HD.
- We’ll box the bike after the ride and ship it by UPS to you. If you want to get it sooner than we’re willing to pay, or if you want to fly it home with you, you’ll need to cover those costs.
- If you live outside the contintental US and win the bike, it is your responsibility to get into the US; we’ll fly you the rest of the way.
- Customs and taxes for the bike are your own problem.
- The prize for this contest is exactly the things listed here. If it’s not explicitly mentioned, it’s not part of the prize. In other words, your hotel is your own problem. As are your meals. Although we might foot the bill for burritos afterward. Because we’re like that.
Why This Matters
Why are we doing this monster giveaway? Well, we have reasons.
- Ibis is a dangerously cool company, and loves to do things creatively and differently. I like that.
- Chuck Ibis is – in addition to being a mad genius – an extremely good guy.
- Everyone hates cancer, and when a really cool people get together – Ibis, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Mystery Cyclist whom you are really really really going to want to meet – get together, we can do more in the fight than any of us can alone.
So, go donate now. This is the big one. The Grand Finale. Seriously. Go.
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